"This is my power. Everything within your body belongs to me. Once I awaken, all of it will return to me. You should have perished by now," the epic will muttered, almost to itself, as it stared at Muria, who had taken on his Balor Flame Demon form.
"Why are you still here? Why do you persist?"
"You can take a guess!" Muria quipped, his tone light, though he too found his current state rather surprising.
He had prepared to play his trump card, but unexpectedly, his consciousness had grown stronger on its own, aligning with the form it should have taken in this domain. It was as if his subconscious power was asserting its rightful place in this battle.
"Boring. A mere insect. Erasure will suffice." The cold, emotionless voice rang out.
Without further ado, a pale blue-white light enveloped Muria's consciousness. An icy chill, one that seemed to pierce to the soul, began to creep over him. This was the power of frost.
"Well, this is quite the rare sensation," Muria murmured, feeling the chill spread through his body. His flames were extinguished, and his form was encased in frost. Yet, despite it all, he showed no fear. "I never thought I'd feel cold again!"
"Insect, what gives you the courage to remain fearless? Why can't I sense your terror?"
Although Muria was, in the eyes of the epic will, no more significant than an ant, its curiosity was piqued. Muria's behavior defied all expectations. The epic will made no effort to hide its intent to erase him, yet this tiny being displayed no hint of fear.
"It's simple—you lack the capital to inspire fear, Seven Calamity Demon," Muria said with a grin. "I told you before: you awakened too early. Had you waited until I had gathered more of your power, I might have felt threatened. But as you are now, you're little more than a stray thought I can snuff out at will."
"What gives you such confidence? How dare you speak to me this way?"
"This isn't your first time awakening, is it? Tell me, how many times have you revived only to fall into silence again? Was it the natives of this world who pushed you back into oblivion?" Muria ignored the demon's question and posed one of his own, his tone calm but probing.
The air froze, both metaphorically and literally. The light surrounding Muria stilled for a moment, and a crushing pressure descended upon him. His Balor form, already covered in frost, began to crack under the strain. The creaking of the ice told a story of the epic will's rising fury.
Muria's question had clearly struck a nerve. For a being once revered as an unstoppable force in the void, the notion of being suppressed by the native inhabitants of this world was an intolerable humiliation.
"Insect, since you so desperately wish to die, I shall grant your wish. To perish by my hand will be the greatest honor of your pitiful existence."
The epic will's voice roared like a storm, filled with the wrath of thunder and wind. It had been utterly provoked.
"No, no, you've got it wrong," Muria replied, his tone serious. "If I were to die by your hand, that would be the greatest disgrace of my life."
Such straightforward honesty was, to the Seven Calamity Demon, the ultimate provocation.
Boom!
The immense pressure caused Muria's frost-covered Balor form to shatter into fragments. He offered no resistance; his body was obliterated without a fight.
This, of course, was to be expected. As the demon had claimed, all the power within Muria's reincarnated body originally belonged to it.
The only reason Muria's consciousness had managed to wield any power in this realm was due to his "customization" of the Yanmo form. He had infused it with a unique force that did not belong to the Seven Calamity Demon, but this alone was insufficient to stand against the epic will.
Thus, as the reincarnated body faltered, it was time for Muria's true self to step in.
As the Balor form shattered, a pair of golden eyes opened within the heart of Muria's reincarnated body. A vast, overwhelming consciousness surged forth, barging into the sea of his reincarnation's mind like an unstoppable force.
From the perspective of the epic will, which had just erased Muria's reincarnated consciousness, the entire mindscape shifted.
Golden lightning streaked across the void, and ferocious winds began to howl in all directions. Within this chaos, a towering figure began to manifest, so immense that only portions of its form could be seen. This was Muria's true self, a Titan in his full glory.
"So that's what's going on!" The epic will, the remnant consciousness of the Seven Calamity Demon, immediately understood the situation. "You're a greedy junior seeking to claim my power."
"The path of an epic is too difficult. I wanted a shortcut to save time. I hope you can understand," Muria said with surprising politeness, standing as an incomprehensibly vast figure within the mental realm.
"I understand. Were I in your place, I might make the same choice. But unfortunately, I am not you." The demon did not show anger, despite the circumstances. It had no need for rage; that emotion would not strengthen it in any way.
"There's no middle ground between us. I want your power to accelerate my path as an epic. You want to resurrect yourself and reclaim your place in the void. There's no room for compromise."
"Let's get this over with, then. But remember: I will return," the epic will declared with surprising resignation.
Its response was pragmatic. The demon knew it was only a fragment of its former self, a remnant consciousness. In its current state, it had no chance against Muria, who stood at the peak of his strength.
The seemingly infinite sea of light it had conjured, vast and radiant as it appeared, was cradled in the palm of the Titan before it. Muria could erase it with a mere clench of his fist.
"I'd suggest that next time, you wait until you've gathered more power before making your move," Muria said. He looked at the shimmering light in his hand, then slowly closed his fist.
The light dimmed, then disappeared entirely, leaving silence in its wake.
…
In the physical world, the golden eyes within Muria's reincarnated body's heart slowly closed. Moments later, his regular eyes opened, shining with a radiant, fiery gold that illuminated the space around him.
"It's done?" Mikaela asked, her tone calm but watchful as she stood guard beside him.
"It's done," Muria exhaled, a deep sense of relief in his voice. The entire process had gone more smoothly than he had anticipated.
"How did it feel?"
"Easier than I expected. The epic will that awakened in my body wasn't as strong as I thought it would be," Muria admitted.
"Be cautious. It might have held back deliberately to lower your guard. It's possible it's already aware of your true self," Mikaela warned, presenting a chilling hypothesis.
"That's not impossible," Muria agreed, nodding thoughtfully. He didn't dismiss Mikaela's words. When dealing with an epic, especially one that had survived countless eons, one could never afford to be careless.
The Heavenly Demon Secret Technique allowed an epic to hide within a world unnoticed, but that didn't mean it could completely deceive another epic. At their peak, epics were on par with the worlds themselves in power.
"You've erased its will this time, but if you continue collecting its power, its consciousness will reemerge—and it will be even harder to deal with next time," Mikaela reminded him.
"This is the cost of stealing the power of an epic," Muria admitted, rubbing his chin in thought. "But it's not like there aren't ways around it."
"What do you mean?" Mikaela asked, crossing her arms as she awaited his explanation.
"When I was erasing the Seven Calamity Demon's will, I noticed something interesting," Muria began. He recounted the events to Mikaela, seeking her perspective.
"When the demon's will awakened, my reincarnated consciousness shouldn't have had any power. And yet, I manifested my Yanmo form."
"So, you're thinking of modifying the other forms of the demon's power?" Mikaela deduced.
"Exactly," Muria replied, his face lighting up with enthusiasm. "I added the power of the Balor Flame Demon to the Yanmo form. That allowed me to use it even within the mental realm, where its original power should have been entirely under the demon's control."
"But wouldn't the demon be able to use it too?"
"Yes, but the key is this: the power is no longer exclusively his. Now, I can use it as well."
"Fine, I understand your idea. But have you considered the cost?" Mikaela asked, her tone serious.
"I have. It'll cost me source energy—a lot of it," Muria said, grimacing as he rubbed his chest. Modifying the powers of an epic was no small feat. For him, source energy was both a rare and irreplaceable resource.
"You'll need an enormous amount," Mikaela pointed out. "Everything you've gathered over the past century might not even be enough."
"I know," Muria admitted, his expression firm. "But if I succeed, I'll gain the power of an epic.
The return on investment is at least tenfold—it's worth it."
"And if you fail? Have you considered the consequences? You're playing with fire," Mikaela warned.
"I've thought about it. But stopping now? That's not an option. I won't back down." Muria's golden eyes burned with resolve.
______
(≧◡≦) ♡ Support me and read 20 chapters ahead – patreon.com/INNIT
For every 50 Power Stones, one extra chapter will be released on Saturday.