Myriad Devils-Chapter 170: Between material and metaphysical, cursed spirits
In the fourth layer, Anon sat in meditation, visualizing. Upon opening his eyes, Anon’s gaze pierced through the darkness with an eternal golden display.
Sighing, Anon mused in silence, ’My soul has really transformed. In the short time of lucidity, I unknowingly developed such a technique to refine one’s will.’
Though he never heard of the existence of will-refining techniques, having created one himself, he knew that they existed.
To create something from nothing simply showed the almost incomprehensible level his comprehensive ability had arrived at.
Anon knew that it was impossible without the mind swallowing abyss’s existence. And with so many large fragments of foreign memories, he had realized his own uniqueness.
If others could devour remnant souls and wraiths to evolve their own soul, access to the Lost Lands itself would’ve likely been restricted by his father.
Instead, soldiers are actively encouraged to venture into the Lost Lands in squadrons.
And this understanding of the Victorious Fighting Army actually originated from the memories of the new world order.
Between the humans within the six bastions of humanity, and the humans within the new world order, Anon understood that neither parties could replicate his ability to devour.
’The dark world, a representation of my soul. It is easy to link my ability to devour remnant souls and wraiths with my own dark soul.’
’The secrets contained within my own body is a mystery to myself, and yet I still wish to understand the unknown in the depths of the universe...’
With his thoughts reaching this point, Anon shook his head and smiled faintly.
’To greater understand everything, I must first understand myself. And to do just that, continuing on the path that brought me to this realization in the first place, is the only right path.’ Anon deduced.
He extended his legs, and stood in the dark space. The space around him warped, and his movements, reflecting some kind of teleportation, appeared in the fifth layer.
Within the fifth layer, the traces of dark purple became more prominent, almost overbearing. This purple aura pulsated with such energy, it was comparable to a concentration of pure malevolence.
As purple aura washed over him, Anon felt his own dark emotions affected, even intensifying!
Sensing this, almost immediately, he thought of something and smiled faintly.
’Isn’t this very suitable if used alongside my visualizing technique?’ Anon couldn’t help but think with a tinge of ecstasy.
Currently, his will was already very refined.
To better understand this visualizing technique, an example would be suitable.
As his soul devoured wraiths, growing more powerful, it in turn nurtured his will, greatly strengthening it.
However, this was like a bodybuilder who held great strength, yet lacked the flexibility and minute control over their own body to use it.
Like squandering great potential, useless!
Useless potential was like a nine inch cock that could not stand up and satisfy the needs of one’s own lover.
The will-refining technique that he created molded this bodybuilder who had great physical strength into something that could better wield said strength.
Yet, although it weaponized the will, Anon’s current potential could be said to have already been used in its most functional way.
He needed his soul to evolve again so that his will could be nurtured even more. In this way, when using the will-refining technique again, the results would be transformative.
This was the complete form of the will-refining technique.
It was a cycle of refining the will again and again. However, this will-refining technique utilized hatred and determination as a basis.
Someone lacking the necessary hatred would find it difficult to use this technique.
And if one’s hate was lacking, as one’s will reached a higher level, this technique would lack any effect on refining the will.
But the concentration of malevolent aura which intensified negative emotions was very aligned to such a hatred-based technique.
Right now though, Anon who did not lack hatred, desired to strengthen his soul. Even so, as time passed, the wraiths had lost any relevant effectiveness to his soul.
Hence he descended into the fifth layer to search for, what can be assumed as creatures more frightening than wraiths.
At least, such a conclusion followed the pattern.
Remnant souls in the first layer, and swarms in the second.
Wraiths in the third, and swarms in the fourth.
He had not read about what was present in the fifth and sixth, or more precisely, only remnant souls and wraiths were recorded to be in the mind swallowing abyss.
Due to his strange soul, his consciousness which contained his thoughts was powerful and his thoughts could delve into his body, granting him the ability to command his cells, and unearth great strength.
Still, with this logic, his thoughts could also be sent outside his body to perceive the surroundings for him, hence his eyes were really only useful for perceiving things beyond the range of his consciousness.
In the fifth layer, his vision was limited once more.
However, it was not to the degree of when he had entered the fourth layer for the first time.
Soon, he located a cavity in the wall.
Observing it closely, he couldn’t help but feel a faint sense of nostalgia and attachment.
Though his will ran the risk of being exterminated every time he entered a cavity, it had also allowed his soul and will to evolve.
Stepping into the tunnel, for a moment he remained motionless, slightly stunned.
Ever since he had acquired the memories of his first wraith within the mind swallowing abyss, he had always wondered if he’d cross paths with a member of the new world order.
Upon filling the puzzle, he also realized that there were too many mind swallowing abysses to coincidentally cross paths with one.
The odds were too low.
However, right now, he stared at, and his gaze was met by, this so-called member of the new world order.
White hair.
Crimson eyes.
And a body that did not reveal a wraith hidden deep within.
The figure sat in a meditative posture, already on edge due to the environment of the fifth layer. Frowning, he asked in a hoarse voice, "What are you ogling at?!"
His voice awakened Anon from his momentary daze.
The white-haired man did not know...
If only he had asked instead, ’who are you’, like the other wraiths assuming this form did, then Anon would’ve struck first.
"Apologies," Anon replied.
His thoughts churned rapidly as he pondered on his next course of actions.
Torn between attacking and opting to be cautious, he did not know if there were even more new world order members in the other tunnels.
Hmm?
Suddenly, Anon frowned.
The figures of both Anon and the white-haired figure begun dissipating. They had already clashed, and the tunnel walls shattered whilst the ceiling caved in.
The tunnel ventured deep into the abyss walls, leading to a cave. In the depths of this cave was a large pond which the duo had entered amidst the first exchanges of their battle.
From where they first crossed paths, to the pond in the depths of the cave, over a kilometer had been crossed in an instant.
Within the pond, Anon and the white-haired figure clashed dozens of times. The space within the pond was much larger than where they had entered from.
Clearly, it was connected to a much larger body of water.
The space around the white-haired man kept warping, creating a distance between the water and himself. He spoke, "What exposed me?"
Anon chuckled lightly.
The water did not dare to approach within a certain distance to Anon.
"Previously, I was determined to kill any native I cross paths with. The fact that I even bothered thinking over whether to attack you or not, meant that my thoughts were being influenced. As for whether you were a wraith or not, it didn’t matter."
Hearing this, the white-haired figure was slightly taken aback.
No matter how he approached the situation, Anon was determined to clash with him.
If he was a wraith, he’d be exterminated.
If he was a native, he’d be killed.
This person...
"I’ve got a question," the figure said. "What would you do if I’m not a wraith, nor a living member of this land?"
Anon heard this and his half-smile grew.
"It means that as a wraith, you’ve evolved into something more. If that’s the case, then I greatly desire to devour you." Anon said.
His thoughts churned, ’This is interesting. Isn’t this, in a way, a type of immortality? Upon death, one becomes a remnant soul, and then a wraith, and now whatever he is. The fact that we can exchange moves mean he exists in the material world. This is no different than a living person.’
Anon sighed in wonder.
Seeing him like this, the white-haired figure understood his thoughts.
"Do not be confused, this is no second life. All life that dies here is bound to this mind swallowing abyss. The environment corrupts the bound soul, but also assists its evolution."
"Eventually, the negative emotions reaches a boiling point, and we become what I am," the figure sighed. "Truly, neither living nor dead, existing between material and metaphysical, a cursed existence, a cursed spirit."
