Transcending Realms With My Leveling System As A Demon-Chapter 108: Identity Finale
Zylus felt heavy, unmovable, all while being looked down upon by Victor, who stood just a couple of meters apart from him. At any moment, Victor would be able to strike Zylus down with his fists, maybe a certain technique, or something greater.
Though up until this point, Victor, or his abilities, have been unknown. All Zylus knew about him was that he was some Greater Scale Beast Dragon who looked over the world of Salem, which was what Victor took care of.
His true colors started to show: the individual he actually was, the person he had come to be. Sovereignty isn’t just a title; it’s Godhood, and Zylus understood that now better than anyone else. He had come to this realization through constant pain and suffering during this bout.
Though he tried his hardest to continue, he was still frozen, in one position, where he couldn’t move.
"Come on!" Zylus yelled pathetically, "Move!"
Victor chuckled, "And now," he held the knife up high, the sharp point glaring just down at Zylus’s forehead, blocking the moonlight above that watched over them both. "You can die."
Shank!
Zylus Elwis, the man chosen mistakenly by this portal, or deceived by Victor, was the same man who was bleeding endlessly in the middle of the colosseum.
Victor licked his knife as Zylus tried to breathe, but he couldn’t.
"I would’ve killed you earlier," Victor whispered, "But I just wanted to know if I can use you further. You really thought I would help you in any way against Spirits? Are you stupid?"
He laughed while Zylus began blanking out, trying to pick himself up while he was frozen in place.
"Soverigens are heavenly restricted by the same unknown entity that made limitless and sensation, or the knowledge of sovereignty. We can’t help you mortals, but what we can do is kill them."
Victor grinned, "Though, there’s only one way we are genuinely eligible to do so."
Zylus’s eyes closed.
"If we took them into our domain of their will."
Zylus looked around, floating, simmering, in no broth, but an empty pit of darkness. Everything around him felt...
Endless.
’Is this my end this time?’ Zylus thought, trying to look around where he finally found mobility, though he was floating, almost as if he was in space with no stars.
[HP: 0/100]
[User Has Died!]
"You’re back already?"
Inside this reflectionless black was a... human silhouette. Zylus couldn’t identify his features, but, for the most part, his shadow shaped him out to be a human.
"It’s you again," Zylus smiled faintly, "What do you want this time?"
The individual lifted his index finger, sneering, "You have your two options, remember?" They asked, almost too friendly, "I mean, just look at you. You’re miserable at this point, pathetic."
As Zylus suddenly stopped floating, he stared down at the person or thing who took away Zylus’s first emotion, fear, in exchange he would be granted revival back against Fred in Jace’s hallucination.
But since his fear was taken away from him, what else would be gone from Zylus now?
That same silhouette went to sit on some type of throne made of old stone, although, when Zylus finally got to take a peek at how this thing looked, he was no different than the reflectionless black that simmered around Zylus.
"That couldn’t be how he looks," Zylus whispered, "It’s like I can almost feel my reflection through him, that darkness is agonizing."
The individual chuckled. He didn’t bother with introductions, nor did they do anything to try it. They seemed to enjoy the moment.
"Who are you truly?" Zylus asked, as the individual laid an elbow onto the seat’s handrest, while sneering.
"You have two options," he or she, or whatever they were, avoided Zylus’s question completely, "I’ll label them now..."
Zylus wanted to know the individual’s identity, but he couldn’t. There was no possible way he could. His body, even now, felt frozen in place, or rather, a no-gravity sensation.
"One," The thing started speaking again, tapping on what looked to be his throne, "come back to life, without a demon system, with your human system still intact. This means all memories and strength you have gained with your system will be gone. Or..."
Zylus interestingly looked at him, "I got this choice before, let’s get straight to the chase."
Since Zylus died with his demon system, he can still come back to life with his human side. But then that would mean a part of him would leave.
The person stood from his throne, his silhouette made it apparent that he now stuck both his middle finger and index finger up.
"You can pick between one of these four emotions to choose from," he lifted his other hand, starting to point fingers from each label, "Love, anger, guilt, and of course, hope."
Zylus looked at him, "I don’t know who or what you are, yet, I still trust you. Even when you give me that creepy smile that I can see beyond this darkness of yours, it just feels, it’s truly my only path to success." He whispered, tapping his jaw in the pursuit of an answer.
But then, Zylus noticed something. ’Fear’ was missing, which he originally picked out. Thus, out of the emotions he would choose, would soon disappear, and the chart would keep on going down. In Zylus’s case, he would be losing something else, something other than the emotion of feeling fear.
"You get three minutes to decide. I’ll answer one of your curiosities, Zylus. My gender, because you seem interesting." He said, childishly with a creepy tone, "Beware, my identity isn’t of use to you, but my will is."
"I got it," Zylus whispered, finally deciding on which one to choose, "I’ll go with-"
The man on his throne sat down in shock, continuously tapping on his jaw.
"You sure?" He asked.
Zylus smiled gently, "I understand, but that will leave you at a great loss."
Between every decision Zylus made, he had already decided how he wanted to come back to life with or without. This wasn’t a matter of life or death; it was a matter of loss or regret now.
"Guilt," Zylus didn’t smile, nor did he frown; his face was serious, or, rather, a seriously locked-in expression. "I want to remove this, please."
"This emotion that you’re ridding off won’t just be applied to one of your individual systems, but to you as a whole." The man added, almost as if he wanted Zylus to change his mind.
"That’s no worries," Zylus responded, "This is the path I’ve chosen to take, and I’ve come way too far to let it go now, so just allow me to make this one decision, please."
The man giggled slightly, "Watch out, Zylus Elwis. You now feel as though it’s a steal of a trade, until you must come face to face with what you let go."
He paused before continuing.
"A man without success is a man without emotion." They sat back down. "So, make your decision now," he tapped on his throne thrice.
"I understand," Zylus stammered, his gaze pointed calmly back to the silhouette in the shadows, "but every path leads to regret, every decision you make always has consequences. And I making this choice will only lead to more loss, yet I still feel as though this is what I must do, and this is what I have chosen."
"Good answer," the man smiled. He tapped three times on his throne. "You will be completely oblivious to fear, but you’ll know what it is." He paused, his grin beyond the darkness widened, "You’ll just never be able to feel it ever again..."
"Why do I feel as though I said these exact words in our last meeting? Why is my head just..."
Before Zylus could continue, he fainted in even more darkness.
[Processing Decision]
[Decision: Remove Guilt]
[12%]
[54%]
[78%]
[97%]
[100%]
[Emotion Processed!]
[Guilt Has Been Cut] → [User Will Never Be Able To Gain It Ever Again]
And just then, Zylus blinked, his back leaned against the stone, his body felt completely numb, until slowly, everything started coming back to him. The darkness left, and the same terrain he once fought Victor in was present.
[HP: 100/100]
Victor’s back was turned from Zylus as he began walking elsewhere, back into his territories. Though he was clearly waiting for someone before fully going in. And that was Patricia, even with her twisted personality, he never lied about who brought her up, and that was him.
He didn’t have any healing capabilities, so he couldn’t find or help Patricia in any way; thus, Vicor waited. Zylus was finally mobilized, as he looked around the scorched terrain with the cracked and rigid stone.
"I understand it now," Zylus whispered, "His domain."
Was this the end of something good, or the future fall of a tyrant?
Whatever Zylus has become, it was evident that he was about to go beyond his moral limits.
