Now that the [Guardians of Hatred] had been annihilated, their bodies shattered, and the [Hatred Sect] left in ruins alongside the permanent death of the [Hatred Demon], there was only one thing that Alex wanted to do, breathe.
For the first time in what felt like forever, he could actually allow himself to rest.
His body was still sore from the final clash, and his mind was racing to keep up with everything that had happened.
He had faced death more than once in this fight, pushed himself further than ever before, and somehow, he survived.
Not just survived, he’d triumphed.
Along the way, he’d gained a tremendous amount of experience, thanks to not only the [Hatred Demon], but also the [Hell Abomination] and the trio of [Guardians of Hatred].
That fight had pushed his limits beyond anything he had expected, and now he stood at the peak of his power, or, at least, near it.
The victory came with rewards.
Three questions granted by the system that it would be forced to answer, no matter what, along with an increase to his [Destiny Points] cap, pushing it all the way to 200.
Those weren’t just rewards, they were potential game-changers.
But for now, there was one last thing left to do.
His eyes turned toward the crumbled remains of the [Hatred Demon], the same figure that had once loomed tall and terrifying.
It now lay reduced to fragments of its former self.
Its limbs had been destroyed, its chest was hollow where its heart had once been, and its terrifying aura was nowhere to be found.
Alex slowly approached what remained of it, crouching beside the corpse with quiet intent.
The last fragments of its power might still linger.
He pressed his palm gently against the demon’s chest, fingers resting against its cold, ruined surface.
Then, in a calm but serious whisper, he said a single word.
“Extraction.”
A crimson glow instantly spread from his palm, weaving small runes in the air as energy was drawn out from the body.
It began to shimmer, reacting to the essence being pulled out.
Ding!
[You have extracted the “Hatred Demon’s Soul” (Forbidden Item)]
Alex blinked.
Then blinked again.
“…Wait, what?”
He had been expecting a powerful skill, maybe the [Sword of Hatred], or the crimson wings that had torn through the air during their battle.
Hell, he would’ve even taken a piece of armor.
But instead, the system had extracted the demon’s… soul?
That didn’t sit right.
Before he could fully process the meaning behind it, a voice screamed in his head.
[HOST! DODGE!]
It was the [Crown of Calamity], panicked and warning him with more urgency than usual.
“Dodge what?” Alex said, looking up in confusion.
[NO!]
And right as he raised his gaze,
FWISH!
A burst of crimson flame surged out from the broken chest of the demon’s body and shot straight toward him.
It happened so fast that he barely had time to react.
Before he could leap away or even summon a defense, the flame slammed into his forehead, phasing directly through and disappearing inside of him.
“WHAT THE—?!” Alex stumbled back, clutching his head as he shouted in panic.
“SHIT!”
[Damn,] muttered the Crown of Calamity.
“What happened?!” he asked, his voice sharper now, filled with genuine concern.
But the Crown didn’t respond.
“HELLO?!” he called out again.
[…Good luck, host.]
That was all it said, and then it went completely silent.
Even that short response made Alex freeze.
He knew the [Crown of Calamity] well enough to know when it was spooked.
And now, after extracting the demon’s soul, something had entered his body, and whatever it was, the crown didn’t even want to speak anymore.
No hesitation.
Alex instantly activated [Destiny Shift].
[Undoing “Hatred Demon’s Soul” actions…]
Beep!
[Cannot undo that!]
“…No, no, no,” he muttered, already realizing what that meant.
Without wasting a second, Alex summoned his [Bleeding Dragon Claws] and, without hesitation, dug them into his own throat.
It was brutal, but necessary.
A clean kill.
[You have died.]
Ding!
[Destiny Shift]
[Undoing all actions that happened to Alex…]
His body reappeared moments later, revived, fully intact, not a scratch on him.
But then the next notification appeared.
[…But couldn’t remove the “Hatred Demon’s Soul”.]
Alex stood in complete silence.
The soul was still there.
Even death hadn’t purged it.
“…Welp,” he said, sighing deeply.
“It was a good run.”
There was a part of him that genuinely expected the worst.
That the demon would begin to take over his body slowly.
That his thoughts would become distorted.
That he’d lose control of his power, or even worse, become the next [Hatred Demon] himself.
And yet—
“Don’t kill yourself just yet, partner,” Alphox’s deep voice echoed from within him.
“I do not believe the soul of a dead being can affect a living one that much,” added Astolf, his undead king companion, calm and rational as always.
“I agree with the first two guys… I can’t do anything,” a third voice suddenly spoke.
But this third one, Alex recognized it instantly.
“…Wait what?” he said, pausing.
Even Alphox and Astolf fell silent.
They didn’t say a word, likely just as surprised as he was.
Then—
POOF!
A puff of smoke exploded beside him, and from within it, a small floating figure appeared.
Alex looked down at it, exhaled the biggest sigh of his life, and muttered, “Oh god, why…”
There, hovering in the air next to him, was the [Hatred Demon].
But… not as he had last seen it.
It was tiny now, barely larger than Alex’s palm.
Its skin was still crimson, its wings flapped awkwardly to keep it afloat, and two miniature horns curled above its head.
It hovered like some kind of twisted, demonic fairy.
Alex instinctively threw a punch at it, but his fist phased right through.
“Hm?” he blinked.
“You can’t interact with me, and nobody else can see me either,” the demon said with a shrug, entirely unbothered.
“So does that mean…”
“Our roles have reversed, child,” the demon answered flatly.
Alex couldn’t help it, he laughed.
“Oh that’s rich,” he grinned, folding his arms.
“Then I’m calling you the Hatred Fairy from now on.”
The demon twitched, clearly annoyed, but didn’t object.
After all, it couldn’t do anything anymore.
Once upon a time, it had vowed to consume Alex’s soul, use his past-life knowledge to take over Universal Descent, and destroy everything he held dear.
It even wanted to make him watch by merging them together.
And now?
It was stuck inside of him, powerless. A ghost. A remnant. A joke.
“No, not only that,” the tiny demon frowned, “You’ve also gained some of my abilities, it seems. Anyway, I’ll be going back now.”
With that, it floated toward Alex and faded into his chest, disappearing inside once again.
Alex blinked and placed a hand on his chest.
He could feel it, something had shifted inside his body.
A new space had formed.
There were three now:
The familiar [Shadow Pet Space], where Alphox rested.
The [Undead King Space], where Astolf’s throne remained, bound to him through the Undead contract.
And now… a third one, the [Hatred Space].
Each entity inside of him now had its own space, and this new one was distinctly different.
Alex could feel its energy, corrupted and burning, but not hostile.
Almost like it had accepted its defeat.
He narrowed his eyes, remembering what the Hatred Fairy had said, he had gained some of its abilities.
He couldn’t feel what they were just yet, and no panels had appeared to list them either, but he could feel something in his veins changing.
The energy flowing through him had shifted.
Maybe it would reveal itself in time.
“Partner, get this guy out of here…” Alphox groaned from inside the [Dragonheart Space].
“We shall be stuck here forever, fool!” the Hatred Fairy’s voice echoed back cheerfully, “Let us get to know one another!”
“Oh boy…” Astolf muttered dryly.
Alex sighed again, dragging a hand across his face.
He was still trying to wrap his head around all of it.
Somehow, extracting the demon’s soul hadn’t cursed him or killed him, it had given him more power.
And even though the demon was still around, it couldn’t control him.
Not anymore.
Still… he’d remain cautious.
The Hatred Demon had acknowledged his defeat with the words “You win,” but Alex wasn’t about to drop his guard.
Not with something like that inside of him.
He exhaled one last time and slapped his cheeks lightly to wake himself up.
“Alright,” he said aloud, “System, I want to ask my three questions now.”
[Very well, but take your time. You still have 57 minutes and 37 seconds remaining.]
“No need. I’m ready,” he said, nodding.
This was his moment.
Three questions. Three answers guaranteed by the system itself.
And with the [Chosen Games] on the horizon, he had no time to waste.
He needed to make them count.