Cain slowly opened his eyes in Miko’s hands, his whole body was screaming in pain! He seems to have been healed and given an MP potion, his body was just sore.
“TAKESHI!” He heard Yamauba scream, looking at her she was in distress!
The Shaking that woke him have stopped, and his eyes slowly moved toward the fight, what he saw wasn’t pleasant!
Jack still growing power has finally managed to overcome Takeshi, he had slashed him across the chest!
Even though the wound looked horrible, Takeshi was still standing! That’s what his ridiculously high constitution is for!
Cain could recognize Jack’s form, It wasn’t something you see often in humans but was a common occurrence in animals! When an animal is exposed to a high concentration of magic it would mutate and evolve into a monster!
Depending on the type of magic you’re exposed to and your personality, evolution is determined! At first, Cain said how absorbing souls to regenerate Mana could turn him into a lich and that absorbing blood could make him a vampire. This was the same thing and Jack was doing it with curses that might end up turning him into a devil!
That process was necessary to break through the level cap! If you have reached your limit as a human then with that you can surpass your limits. Yet there was a catch, there is always one! If you did it before reaching level 20 you would lose control, and depending on what you were trying to become, you might even die!
Jack is trying to become a devil, that is why he is a Demonoid now, the halfway point! It was certain that he will never become a true devil even if he got Alice’s blood, what would happen is that he will slowly lose his sanity and turn into a monster! As he isn’t level 20.
There should be a second cursed object somewhere on his body that he adsorbing curses from to evolve!
Alice’s blood, as she is a devil, will act as a magnifier for the curse and would speed up his transformation!
“There is a cursed object on his body, It’s his weak point! Don’t let him near Alice’s room no matter what!” Cain shouted at the top of his lung, using all his power to stand up.
Jack looked directly at Cain in shock, ‘Just how much does he know? Where did he come from?’ Jack was starting to feel that there is something wrong with Cain’s existence. Having that extensive knowledge about curses was as if he had learned them for years!
“You… Ah?!” CRACK! Jack was bitten in the neck and dragged away from the injured Takeshi!
Being surprised he swung his sword at the thing biting him. Just before he could slash the girl, she disappeared into the bushes! Selena was there, drawn by Cain’s blood, she was in a frenzy!
Jack reached to check his neck, a chunk of his flesh had been bitten off, she did take a bite of him?! Luckily for him, the curse was quickly healing it, as long as she didn’t take a bite of his cursed object he could heal with time!
GROWL!! Before he could change his poster Selena jumped from behind him, taking a bite of his torso, disemboweling him, and running away as soon as he slashed at her!
Strength is responsible for power and speed! A human with 20 strength could bend steel with his bare hand! Then what about a wild beast?
Selena had a 19 strength, her speed and strength were close to Takeshi’s level! Albeit she lacked in other stats. As long as she doesn’t sustain a direct she will be able to hold her own!
In the bushes…
Selena’s face was bloody from just attacking, she silently licked the wound Jack left on her arm.
Slowly prowling around Jack, using the cover of night and the tall grass for her advantage. Keeping her breath slow and steady, eyeing every spot she could shove her fangs into.
[Scorching rays] Jack felt the magic before it could hit him, the spell was too slow so he took his time to see who attacked. Up in the distance, a girl was extending her hand toward him.
…For a moment, he couldn’t take his eyes from her! She had a certain charm to her, ‘Ahhh, I want her!’ he thought. That moment of hesitation was enough for him to be hit with the spell.
Sofia’s 17 Charisma did its job well!
“Sofia!” Cain screamed, “Don’t engage him up close, Just stay by Yamauba’s side and support us!”
Cain rushed toward Jack, “Takeshi, go get healed! Selena, I know you’re injured but I need you to keep fighting!”
“You’re no match for him, leave this to me!” Takeshi yelled, it was hard to know if he was just angry or worried about them. It didn’t matter to Cain how he felt anyway, It was the time he waited for!
[Soundless], [Short invisibility], [Lesser Empowerment], [Swiftness], [Mist Step].
Cain disappeared without a trace.
Slash! without warning, Jack was slashed across the chest, a wound similar to the one he inflicted on Takeshi.
“What?” Jack took a moment to understand what happened. Crack! Before he could fully comprehend it, Selena gave him a heavy punch to the face, cracking his Jaw.
Cain was staying invisible, masking the rumbling of his enchanted sword, Slashing at Jack then teleporting out of his counter with [Mist step]
Taking turns hitting Jack, Cain and Selena were showing a great display of power that might have reached that of Takeshi.
Jack was still evolving, with each passing second, his speed and strength increased! Cain’s invisible slashes were starting to get dodged and deflected. Selena’s heavy hits and bites were getting shrugged off. His skin was getting darker and darker, getting closer to the same color as his eyes.
“Selena, retreat!” Hearing Cain’s words, she backed instantly so as to not get caught in what he was about to do.
[Firelance], [Enchanting], [Enchanting]. Just as he did with the Crimson Cobra, Cain mimicked the fourth-tier spell [Fireburst], hitting Jack at point-blank.
From the blue flames, Jack’s hand caught Cain from the face.
“I already got used to that, You pathetic Magic isn’t going to work anymore!” Jack wasn’t lying, His body was getting stronger and stronger! The curse magic surging through his body was enough to make him resistant to most magic attacks! That was a trait only seen in high-level monsters!
“A Demonoid, you seem to have forgotten something!” Cain said with a nasty grin on his face, he quickly touched Jack’s chest close to his heart.
[Lesser healing], [Lesser healing], [Lesser healing], [Lesser healing], [Lesser healing], [Lesser healing], [Lesser healing], [Lesser healing], [Lesser healing], [Lesser healing], [Lesser healing], [Lesser healing], [Lesser healing]…
The holy magic burned through Jack’s chest, quickly disturbing his evolution!
“GWAAAAAAAAAA!” Jack growled, Since his evolution started, he was unable to feel pain, yet now he was getting burned by healing magic!
“And for the final!” [Mist step] Cain teleported them toward Takeshi who just got healed and was ready for another match.
“I appreciate it!” Takeshi screamed slashing Jack in half Across his torso! The next moment, a white light flashed from Jack’s body!
Takeshi instinctively Covered Miko who was close to them. Those who could sense magic created barriers.
[Second-tier spell [Earth wall] was added to the system!]
[Earth wall], [Enchanting], [Enchanting], [Enchanting]! Cain was able to forcefully mimic the fifth-tier spell [Groundnest] by using enchanting to multiply the size of [Earth wall] and cover himself, Miko, and Takeshi.
Yamauba Also used [Groundnest] to shield herself and Sofia, Leon on the other hand protected Selena with a simple barrier.
KBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM! The explosion was massive, shaking the whole area.
Cain’s hastily made spell failed under the stress, as they were at the center of the explosion. Leaving him and Takeshi with severe burns, Miko didn’t suffer as much damage as she was well protected by those two!
Yamauba managed to keep Sofia safe as her spell managed to hold up. She was a fair distance from Jack so she had better chances.
Leon’s barrier did shatter, but not before doing its job and protecting them from the blast.
“Did we get him?” Leon screamed, searching for what remained of Jack.
Thud! Jumping from the dust, Jack was still very much alive! he was going straight for Alice’s room as he has started feeling the curse magic emitted by her.
Cain was out of the fight and the other didn’t have much speed to catch Jack! The situation seemed disparate. Yamauba, Leon, and Sofia, all tried to snipe him with ranged spells yet they missed.
“She is mine!” Jack screamed as if he was signaling his victory. He seems to have forgotten someone, a very nasty person at that.
Daraku appeared from the shadows, moving at a scary speed. He seems to have been hiding in the bushes under Alice’s room. Waiting for the right time to strike.
“Die!” Daraku stabbed Jack in the chest mid-air, Jack could feel a strange feeling in his whole body. Jack’s limp body fell right inside Alice’s room.
“I hope you like it! The fresh Crimson Cobra poison mixed with holy water, I did make it in a hurry but it should do the job if delivered directly into the heart!” Daraku followed Jack inside the room.
Jack was barely able to move, his body was failing to respond as the Crimson Cobra’s poison destroyed his flesh and nerves. The holy water now in his blood was preventing him from regenerating!
“Game over! It might be temporary but it still gives me enough time to open you and find the cursed object!” Daraku was intending to cut Jack’s body open and look for the cursed object! To him, it didn’t matter if Jack was still alive and feeling the pain!
Tu-tum! Tu-tump! Tu-tum! Tu-tump! As Daraku was about to start, he heard the sound of a heart beating.
Tu-tum! Tu-tump! Tu-tum! Tu-tump! It was coming from Alice’s location, ‘Her heart is beating that loud?’ No, it wasn’t her heart! That was the sound of something else building up.
Daraku looked at her as he felt the cursed magic oozing from her, It was several leagues than the one released by Jack As she was a true Devil!
Alice’s wounds and scars had fully disappeared. Her body was as shriveled as he expected from someone who was sick for years, her bones were visible from her skin! Two horns, about one foot in length grew from her head, two jet black, bat wings grew from her back, and a long leathery, whip-like tail was dangling from the platform she was laying on.
‘What is this feeling? It isn’t heavy?’ Even though he was exposed to that incredible amount of cursed magic, Daraku didn’t feel sick at all which was strange! Something was different in Alice!
“Graaa!” Jack growled as he crawled toward her, if he could get even a little from her blood he would be unbeatable! But…It wasn’t that easy!
As soon as Jack’s hand got close to Alice’s body, it started burning, his skin was disintegrating.
‘Heh? Mixed in the curse magic is…Holy magic?’ Alice wasn’t just radiating massive amounts of curse magic, there was some holy magic mixed in them.
Tu-tum! Tu-tump! Tu-tum! Tu-tump! upon feeling another surge in curse magic Daraku retreated, it was getting dangerous being close to her! Even if he couldn’t feel the effects, he might be getting permanent damage!
Jack who just regained enough strength to move jumped from the window as the holy magic radiated from Alice was enough to kill him while being weakened like that!
“What is the meaning of this? Isn’t she supposed to be a devil?” Jack said as he looked at the window.
Tu-tum! Tu-tu… The heartbeat sound stopped and with it, Alice radiated magic.
For a moment, Alice’s presence completely disappeared. Leaving Jack baffled by what he went through.
It didn’t take him long to feel her presence again, It wasn’t coming from her room but Cain’s direction.
Looking there to check, he saw the figure of a person, covered in white sheets. The distinctive two horns were as apparent as they get. How did she get there?
Alice quickly put her hands on Cain’s chest.
“Master, Please stand up!” [Holy healing]!
