Chapter 9
Felix moved through the tunnels like a predator that had finally accepted its nature.
The demon baby never saw him coming.
CRACK!
The heavy femur slammed into the side of its small head, sending it tumbling across the stone floor. The creature let out a high-pitched shriek, curling into a ball as Felix stood over it.
"P-Please! Stop! Please stop!" it cried, tiny hands raised in terror. Its voice was childlike and trembling. "There is no water source in this pit, I swear it to the Devil himself! I didn't do anything! Mercy—!"
Felix's face remained ice-cold. He brought the bone down again — not with full power, but with slow, deliberate force. Just enough to crack the skull. Just enough to make it suffer.
Crack.
Crack.
"No, little baby… don't die yet," he whispered.
The demon child whimpered on the ground, its small body twitching violently. One tiny horn had snapped off, and thick black blood leaked from the fractures in its skull. Felix stared down at the half-dead creature with eyes completely empty of pity.
He had already begun keeping his promise.
The memory of the human carcass hanging from the root flashed through his mind — intestines swaying like wet ropes. Then the image of silver parasites swimming through his own blood. A dark, demonic smile slowly crept across Felix's face.
Without a shred of hesitation, he drove the sharpened end of the femur into his palm. Blood welled up instantly. He crouched beside the battered demon and let the crimson drops fall directly onto its open wounds and into its gasping mouth.
At first, nothing happened.
Then the convulsions started.
The baby let out a piercing yelp as its body jerked violently. Its tiny hands clawed desperately at its own face while its legs banged wildly against the floor. The sounds of its agony echoed through the tunnel like a twisted, beautiful symphony.
Felix straightened up, covering his ears with both hands, eyes half-closed in dark pleasure. He savored every cry, every wet gurgle, every desperate spasm.
Beautiful.
The demon baby's bloated stomach began to swell at an unnatural speed. Veins bulged across its skin. Its cries grew wetter and more broken until they sounded like something drowning.
Minutes passed.
Felix watched without blinking.
Then, with playful cruelty, he spread his arms and shouted:
"KABOOM."
As if obeying its new master, the swollen belly exploded violently.
Blood, flesh, and writhing silver parasites sprayed across the tunnel walls. From the gruesome remains rose a twisted abnormality — wet, glistening, and staring at Felix with multiple twitching eyes.
Felix's own eyes widened in fascination.
Just like the one the demoness controlled.
He flipped the femur, using the sharpened end like a spear, and thrust forward. The newborn creature instinctively closed its eyes, preparing for death after its violent birth.
But Felix stopped mid-thrust.
He hesitated.
It could be useful.
"Come here," he commanded, voice low and firm.
The creature only stared back with curious, unblinking eyes.
"I see. You're useless then."
Felix turned his back and began walking away.
In that instant, the abnormality vanished and reappeared directly in front of him, revealing its true form. A demonic child now stood before him, covered head to toe in glossy black carapace. Two extra pairs of arms extended from beneath its main limbs, which it used like additional legs in a disturbing spider-like stance.
Felix froze for a brief moment, genuinely shaken. He quickly composed himself.
The creature tilted its head, waiting.
Felix studied it carefully. The intelligence in its eyes was clear.
"If you can understand me," he said slowly, "follow me."
The demonic child remained still for a second… then took its first unsteady steps behind him.
A weapon had been born.
Felix continued deeper into the dark tunnels with his new creation following close behind. The clicking of six limbs against stone created an eerie rhythm that matched his footsteps.
He searched constantly for water, but found none that was clean or alive. Every droplet he encountered came from decomposing bodies or foul puddles stained with blood. This only deepened his understanding of the demons' cruelty — they didn't just kill humans. They stripped them of even the most basic dignity.
How many have died begging for water in this cursed place?
Suddenly, a faint glow appeared ahead.
"Is that… light?" Felix narrowed his eyes. The light wasn't flickering like fire or glowing moss. It was steady. Powerful.
He followed it cautiously, his new servant trailing silently behind.
The moment he stepped into the open chamber, Felix was struck speechless.
Massive purple crystals towered all around him, some reaching unnatural heights that disappeared into the darkness above. They pulsed with inner light, illuminating a cavern so vast it made the previous tunnels feel like narrow corridors. The crystals grew in clusters like ancient trees, casting deep violet hues across the stone floor and creating long, haunting shadows.
Felix stood frozen, neck craned upward.
"Where… do I even start?" he whispered in awe.
The sheer scale of the place left him breathless. This wasn't just another tunnel. It felt like the heart of the demonic continent itself — beautiful and terrifying at the same time.
His new servant stopped beside him, its multiple eyes reflecting the purple glow as it too observed the crystalline forest in silence.
Felix clenched his fist around the femur. A mix of excitement and caution surged through him. This place could hold opportunities — rare resources, hidden dangers, or even answers about the demonic energy flowing through his veins.
But it could also be his grave.
He took a deep breath, the purple light washing over his hardened face.
"Stay close," he ordered the creature.