Chapter 63: The Joshua System
Raldanas had always considered himself a lucky and cunning demon, believing that this fortune and guile would allow him to live leisurely in the dark Sixth Abyss. For the past few hundred years, this notion had not been wrong. As a rare type of demon, the Heart-Eater was one of the few demon species that truly plotted conspiracies and prepared for major events. Starting from his juvenile stage, Raldanas had survived numerous lordly melees in the Abyss through thorough preparations, and his outstanding performance caught the attention of a certain Demon Lord at the time.
But that was not all. When Raldanas somehow learned that the current Abyss Lord was interested in a material world called 'Mycroft,' this cunning demon, who was only at the high-rank demon level and had always been cautious, decisively split his soul, creating an avatar to project into that unfamiliar world. In Mycroft, he skillfully used his talent for peering into hearts, seducing ignorant hunters and farmers in mountain villages to believe in him and obediently offer sacrifices. Gradually, Raldanas's demonic faith began to spread, and his intelligence network developed rapidly, covering the lower levels of the entire western mountain region.
Because of this risky early investment, the Abyss Lord, who gained considerable intelligence about the Mycroft world, was delighted. The Demon King Goliath acted directly, promoting Raldanas to Greater Demon and treating him as a trusted confidant. For an ordinary Heart-Eater, this was undoubtedly a leap forward. He skipped the most difficult promotion period and directly became a lord, specifically responsible for the Sixth Abyss's intelligence operations on the Mycroft world.
During his time working for the Abyss Lord, Raldanas fully utilized his dark wisdom. Under his coordination, most of the scattered demonic cults in the western mountain region were absorbed by his followers, except for a few cults backed by Evil God's Minions. They spread intentionally across the world, and the heretical doctrines compiled by the Greater Demon remained the core spirit of many cults on the Mycroft Continent even after two hundred years. At Raldanas's request, every demon worshiper was extremely skilled at hiding themselves. If not for the Seven Gods Church's convenient method of reciting holy texts to directly identify who had fallen, many worshipers might never have been discovered during inspections.
Due to his outstanding work performance, Raldanas was exceptionally favored by Goliath. He even gained the right to freely enter and exit the Valley of Tears Fortress. The Heart-Eater's strength also grew gradually from the sacrifices offered by his followers, reaching almost the peak of Greater Demon level. This was achieved in less than three hundred years since his birth, a speed that could be described as meteoric. Countless demons jealously called him 'Lucky Raldanas.'
Was all this due to luck? Perhaps. In any case, the Heart-Eater did not stop his progress. Ambition burned in his heart, preventing him from being satisfied with his current position.
Through years of scheming, Raldanas finally managed to infiltrate his followers into the tightly guarded Imperial Capital of the Northern Empire. He planned to create a major incident in this lofty place, known as the Three Mountains Holy City and guarded by a Legendary expert. What better plan could there be than a grand explosion, desperate panic, and fear of demons?
Of course, there was none. After the plan began, everything went smoothly. Raldanas's most elite group of followers infiltrated the city and murdered an ordinary merchant family with an infant. They prepared to perform a heretical sacrifice, summon Raldanas's avatar, completely destroy a small residential area on one side of the Imperial Capital, and spread demonic evil and fear of demons across the world.
Everything was perfect. If successful, Raldanas's name would spread across the Mycroft Continent, and the fear-based faith belonging to him would be deeply implanted in his followers' hearts. This would be enough to break through that most important barrier, turning future advancement into a matter of accumulated quantity, making Raldanas's path to becoming a Sovereign smooth and unobstructed. He believed he would succeed. This was the 'truth' that should have been.
But whether it was luck or truth, after encountering that man, everything came to an abrupt halt, even taking a sharp turn for the worse.
In the brief instant before he could even react, first his avatar, which had been hiding in a spatial rift waiting for the right moment, was dragged out by that damned man and directly annihilated. Then, the Five-Colored Dragon Clan, which had agreed to act together, failed in their attack on the Seven Sacred Mountains in the Far South and were expelled from the Mycroft Continent along with the Dragon God. Raldanas was even shocked to discover that, for some unknown reason, a large-scale purge of cultists had begun worldwide. His originally hidden forces, rooted in various parts of the world, were instantly wiped out under the strong suppression of local authorities, leaving only a few seeds in mountain villages.
Gnashing his teeth, Raldanas found that whether it was the initial failed sacrifice, the later Holy War at the Seven Sacred Mountains, or the large-scale purge of cultists in the Northern Empire, all were related to that lord of the Radcliffe Family. He swore that if he ever had the chance, he would make that man suffer the most painful torments in this world, roasting his soul and heart in the Abyss's poisonous flames for ten thousand years!
But disasters never come alone. Not to mention the successive failures in the Mycroft Continent, the Demon King Goliath also showed impatience towards him. This Abyss Lord could tolerate his subordinates wanting to betray him or replace him, but he could not tolerate them being useless. Raldanas, who had lost his intelligence channels, was a prime example of near-uselessness. So, not long after, the Demon King issued an ultimatum: Raldanas must personally go to the Mycroft Continent to investigate the truth about the 'Flame' rekindling. Faced with this Abyss Lord who had given him everything, the Greater Demon had no choice but to comply.
Then.
Then, he was trapped inside this red-and-white sealing crystal ball.
"Why? Why were there two Legendary mages in that place?!"
To this day, Raldanas still couldn't understand what was wrong with this world. In his understanding, the entire Mycroft Continent had fewer than ten Legendary experts, scattered across various races and regions. In a remote northern land, having an Ultimate-rank Greater Demon-level existence would be considered good enough. Where did these two Legendary spellcasters come from, and how did they happen to cast a detection array and find him in his hidden state?!
But no matter how much he thought, it was useless. Now, Raldanas was in the pocket of a mage named Baniel. He could only forcibly extend his mental power to perceive his surroundings. In the hazy darkness, he suddenly detected a familiar aura—it was the aura of the human warrior who had caused him to fail at every turn, leading to his current situation: Joshua van Radcliffe!
"Damn it! If I weren't trapped in here, I would corrupt your people, destroy your territory, and make everyone you care about suffer a fate worse than death, living an inhuman existence!"
The Greater Demon struggled weakly inside the sealing crystal, but aside from cursing, he could do nothing. Soon after, accompanied by a fluctuation of spatial teleportation, Raldanas sensed that he had been brought to the lair of those two Legendary mages. He perceived that the crystal containing him was taken out by one of them, and he vaguely heard a conversation filled with excitement and fervor.
"Leave the matter of the Writhing Forest to Stephen. He used to be a merchant and can handle the planning."
"Now, let's deal with this Greater Demon. We're really lucky, you know. Most of the demons we could catch before were just avatars, not even at the Ultimate level. Now we've actually encountered a lord roaming the Mycroft Continent in his true body. Who dissects, and who assists?"
"You do it, old friend."
This short and direct statement chilled the Greater Demon, who had once hoped to become a Sovereign, to the bone. But he had no power to resist. With all his internal strength sealed, Raldanas couldn't even self-destruct. Bound by immense magical power, he could only watch stiffly as his body was taken out of the sealing ball by the two Legendary mages, placed on an experimental table in a room filled with a terrifying pale white light, and then restrained by iron rings.
"No anesthesia?"
"No. The natural reactions of a living body are important. Let's start with the muscles around the eyes. I've heard that the Heart-Eater's innate abilities are all in that single eye. I've always been curious."
Hearing this evil speech that rivaled a demon's, Raldanas opened his eyes in terror. He saw a sharp scalpel, controlled by magical power, descending through the air toward his huge purple single eye. He couldn't roar, couldn't dodge, couldn't twist his body. He could only watch helplessly as this blade, sharp enough to cut through even demonic hide, slowly sliced into the depths of his muscles, skillfully avoiding every crucial mana channel and nerve.
"Damn it all—!!!"
Amidst immense pain, Raldanas could only roar endlessly in his heart: "I—I must escape!"
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The Flame Demon Syndicate had never considered himself to have any intelligence. He despised such weak things and prided himself on his strength.
As a Greater Demon born in some unknown layer of the Abyss but possessing pure Flame Demon bloodline, Syndicate had always lived a very comfortable life. From the moment of his birth, he was at the top of the local food chain. Even if he encountered a powerful demon he couldn't defeat, he could escape using his toxins and flames. In short, Syndicate couldn't remember his juvenile and young adult years clearly. He couldn't even remember how he advanced to Greater Demon. Powerful radioactive energy had disrupted his soul fluctuations, preventing him from thinking smoothly. This was a problem almost all Flame Demons faced.
The stronger they became, the more brainless they grew. Unless they could break through that boundary and become a Sovereign.
In any case, after drifting through countless layers of the Abyss along the River Styx, Syndicate, who was now hunting for prey in an Abyss without a lord, felt that this life was very comfortable. No need to think, no need to worry. Every day, he just needed to eat and grow stronger. Everything was as clear as a straight line. For a Flame Demon, this kind of single-celled organism-like life would last anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand years, only changing when luck came and they achieved Sovereign status.
Unfortunately, good times didn't last long. Due to an accident, Syndicate was forced to learn how to think.
As for the specific cause and effect, to be honest, the Flame Demon couldn't remember. His simple mind could only vaguely recall being captured by a terrifying Greater Demon and subjected to many painful things that would make even a demon want to die. But strangely, after the first excruciating experience, Syndicate felt his mind had become much clearer—as if a communication array that had been full of noise and intermittent suddenly became smooth. Even if there was still some static, it was no longer important.
Of course, the Flame Demon didn't understand why. How could he comprehend such complex things? He just instinctively felt that although the painful experience made him wish for death, it wouldn't kill him and would give him a foundation to become stronger in the future. So, no matter how much that terrifying Demon Lord abused him, he didn't run away but endured until the very end in the other's hands.
Then, he was thrown away.
Ignoring the earth-shattering battle happening in the center of the distant Sixth Abyss, ignoring the subsequent arrival of the Abyss Lord and the deity's avatar, the Flame Demon, whose flames had transformed from black-red to pure white, could no longer sense the chaotic and noisy energy fluctuations within his body. His thinking was also unprecedentedly clear. So, during the rapid descent from mid-air, Syndicate immediately used a talent he had never used before—he stretched and elongated his liquid body into a parachute-like form, landing safely on a hilly area covered in Abyss jungle.
"I really have to thank that Lord for his guidance... The race is human? Never heard of that demon species, but it must be very evil and very powerful."
In the multiverse, every race had its own self-designation. Even demons didn't call themselves demons. So Syndicate didn't understand that the two-legged upright violent ape wasn't a type of demon. But that was a trivial matter. He knelt devoutly in the direction of the warrior, expressing reverence and gratitude: "So this is the advancement method for the Flame Demon clan! I finally understand!"
At this moment, Syndicate could sense that all the chaotic radioactive energy within him had been burned away. What remained was a relatively stable, light green substance. It still had the power to supply his flame's heat energy, but the radiation's effect on his body was now negligible. He knew that as long as he could maintain his purity and wisdom, even he could aspire to become a Sovereign. But the only fly in the ointment was that because most of his body had been burned away, his power had dropped from high-rank Greater Demon to the brink of falling below the Greater Demon realm.
In the Abyss, future potential was sometimes unimportant. Only the power to survive was the sole truth.
Just as Syndicate was immersed in the illusion of 'having a great future ahead,' a wave of chills suddenly washed over him. He noticed rustling sounds coming from the surrounding hills and Abyss jungle. He warily looked around and was shocked to find that he was completely surrounded by large groups of wandering demons and Abyss monsters.
"Grrrrooowl—!" Accompanied by eerie beastly roars and the greedy gazes of wandering demons, Syndicate immediately realized what had happened. It was the result of the commotion he had caused during his landing. A strange creature burning with white flames had suddenly appeared in the dark Abyss sky. No matter how you looked at it, it was strange. And for some reason, this white flame creature now seemed to be in a weakened state. If they could eat it...
Thinking this, the greedy looks in their eyes grew even more ferocious. For these magical beasts and demons without lordly protection, struggling to survive in the Abyss, this might be the only chance for advancement in their entire lives.
Standing alone in the encirclement of demons and monsters covering the mountains and plains, Syndicate took a deep breath and exhaled a stream of pure, highly radioactive flames. At this moment, he thought of many things: his past combat techniques, his innate Flame Demon instincts, his distant future, and the self-destruction that would follow an accidental death. But in the end, what remained in Syndicate's heart was wisdom.
"I!"
With a furious roar, the pure white Flame Demon unhesitatingly unleashed his newly comprehended ability. He immediately curled himself into a ball burning with ultra-high-temperature flames and, with a momentum that treated life and death as nothing, spun and fled toward the weakest point of the encirclement—
"I will definitely survive!"
And a few days later, as if with a delay, Joshua, who had just been marveling at the contribution of the Writhing Forest's products to future technology, suddenly had the scene of the Flame Demon's desperate escape flash into his mind.
"This—"
Blinking his eyes, Joshua couldn't understand what had happened for a moment. That scene just now had flashed directly into his mind like a system notification. And for some reason, the warrior also sensed a subtle connection between himself and that Flame Demon in the distant reaches.
"This guy... is he believing in me? No, it should just be a resonance caused by the Steel Force I left inside his body."
For an instant, Joshua, who had tensed up thinking it was a divine reaction, relaxed a bit after not sensing any activity from the divine bone within him. Then he understood. This was a peculiar resonance reaction caused by the tiny amount of Steel Force he had infused into Syndicate when using him as a weapon. This reaction wouldn't last long. It could only connect when Syndicate was in an extremely excited state. Joshua could unilaterally block this connection, but the Flame Demon couldn't refuse Joshua's influence.
"Being chased by a group of wandering demons, huh." Having learned of Syndicate's current besieged situation, Joshua pondered for a moment. He found this resonance reaction very interesting and quite rare, so he didn't want this demon, who had once willingly exerted himself for him, to die just like that. "Fine, I'll teach him some techniques for using power, so he doesn't die so easily and embarrass me."
Following the marvelous resonance reaction between the Steel Forces, Joshua transmitted some techniques for using high-temperature flames and techniques for using explosions to accelerate, to Syndicate, who had only been rolling using his body shape. He thought the other might become an eye for him in the Sixth Abyss. But just after the transmission was complete, Joshua suddenly frowned, a flash of inspiration striking his mind.
"Wait... Isn't this exactly the same as how some demons cross realms to seduce hearts and conduct soul transactions?"
Standing up from his chair, the warrior paced in the hall of the Lord's Manor. An inexplicable feeling stirred in his heart. "And..."
"It's very similar to the system."