Chapter 57: The Demon and the Believer
October 23, 2023 Author: Rowing Without Oars 233
Deep within the dimension, elsewhere.
In the darkness, a pair of scarlet eyes snapped open.
"Absurd! Simply absurd!"
Replaying the terrifying power displayed by the Giant of Light in his mind, Belial couldn't help but shudder.
The one Orin Vale had just finished off was one of his clones. His true form, however, was hidden deep within his own dimension.
Demons like them, who roamed the various dimensions year-round, typically only sent out their clones. Firstly, it was difficult for their true form to travel to other dimensions, and secondly, it was a safety precaution.
After all, some dimensions were quite dangerous, and a moment of carelessness could attract the attention of top-tier wizards or mages. Those who went out roaming in their true form all day were either Super Overlords with enough strength and confidence, or complete morons, fools practically begging for death.
For instance, today's events highlighted the importance of having a clone.
The Giant of Light's performance had truly exceeded his expectations. To be able to unleash such combat power within his dimension, and even see his movements unimpeded within his own domain, was astounding.
To this moment, he still couldn't understand why.
Was he using X-ray vision?
But to be precise, the giant's entire existence was a puzzle to him.
It wasn't like any conventional living being he had ever encountered in any dimension. The very concept of flesh and blood seemed absent from the giant.
Although it sounded strange, to his demonic senses, the being felt more like a walking sun—something that made him instinctively want to flee, to distance himself. For a creature of darkness like him, it was an innate repulsion stemming from their fundamental natures.
That was why his clone's death had been so miserable.
And even though it was a clone, the pain it endured was fed back to his true form. So now, whenever he closed his eyes, the image of that silver fist, carrying a hundred thousand tons of divine power and breaking the sound barrier as it crashed down, would flash before him.
Belial shook his head, forcing the image from his mind.
No, he was a demon, an entity that spread fear and despair.
How could he feel fear?
Impossible! A demon never feels fear!
But as for charging out in his true form to settle scores with that Ultraman...
Belial pondered for a moment and ultimately decided to let him off the hook for now.
He could, but there was no need.
A smart demon always chooses the wisest way to solve a problem, not rush in like some chef eager to feed the enemy a kill.
For example, instead of mindlessly rushing in to fight to the death, it was better to play to his strengths as a demon and use the supreme law of time to punish that detestable giant.
*After all, I have a long life. We'll see who outlasts whom.*
Belial was quickly convinced by his own reasoning and sat down with a clear conscience.
This wasn't cowardice. It was a strategic plan chosen after careful deliberation, one with the lowest risk and highest chance of success—a testament to the wisdom of a mature demon.
It definitely wasn't because he was afraid of that walking, humanoid sun.
As for those demon spirits, what was done was done.
Just a bunch of useless demon spirits. They were nothing but incompetent trash, more trouble than they were worth. If they were wiped out, so be it. He didn't feel the slightest bit of regret.
Just as his thoughts reached this point, a voice suddenly echoed in Belial's ear.
"Great Evil God..."
"This is the virgin's blood, and the soul offered to you in sacrifice, just as you requested..."
It was one of Belial's Believers.
He was also the most devout Believer Belial had cultivated on this Earth. He was so fervent he would pray eight times a day if he could. If prayers had a voice mailbox, Belial's would probably be at 99+ messages after just one day of not checking.
Of course, a demon has countless matters to attend to. So, the Believer would find that his prayers were indeed being received, but he rarely got a reply.
A classic case of "read but no reply."
Now, having just suffered a blow, Belial closed his eyes. After savoring the soul sent to him by the Believer through the ritual, his mood calmed slightly.
A thought stirred in his mind, and he sent a rare reply.
"Your prayer, I have indeed received it..."
The Believer, hearing the majestic voice in his mind, trembled all over, momentarily overcome with excitement.
He replied! He actually replied to me!
He cares about me!
"But it is not enough," Belial said in a deep voice. "I am not in a good state right now. I require more blood."
"Ah?" The Believer tensed up immediately. "Not in a good state... Is it because the sacrifice was insufficient? It is my fault, Lord Evil God. I should have found more sacrifices, offered you more blood..."
Hearing this, even Belial couldn't help but ponder.
Are Believers these days all so self-aware and dedicated?
However, Belial's condition had nothing to do with this Believer. On the contrary, it was because he had personally performed a divine descent to clean up the mess for another group of Believers, only to get smashed to bits by the opponent.
The situation was a bit like a simp hearing his goddess has a sore throat and saying with heartache, "It's my fault, I didn't take good care of you," only for the goddess to say, "No, it's just because I overused my throat while socializing last night..."
Making that comparison, Belial suddenly felt that compared to that bunch of incompetent, trouble-making demon spirit wastes, this human Believer was far more loyal and reassuring.
So he comforted him gently, "Keep up the good work. If you can provide enough, it's not out of the question that I reward you with a sudden manifestation in the future."
The Believer trembled. "I guarantee your satisfaction! I will definitely speed up the process and gather more high-quality souls!"
There was no further reply.
Silence returned to the darkness.
And so, after instantly defeating Belial's clone, Orin Vale's Hyperspace Bracelet activated once more. His entire body transformed into a ball of light, flying straight out of the mirror plane and back into the red-and-silver armor.
Now that their leader had been routed and blown up like fireworks, the remaining minions were in disarray. That Lord had seen things were going south and tried to flee, only to be chased back to his base and pinned down. The remaining underlings couldn't fight and couldn't escape. They could only kneel weakly on the ground, trying to look as harmless and innocent as possible, hoping there might still be a chance to survive.
Back inside the battlesuit, Orin Vale cleared his throat.
"Very good. It seems everyone who's left is here... Now, who wants to be the first to explain the situation?"
Orin Vale's gaze swept over them, landing on a scorpion-like demon spirit, whose head was almost buried in its pincers.
"Don't look at anyone else. I'm talking to you, Scorpion."
The scorpion demon spirit shuddered, then weakly shuffled forward and said in a small voice.
"What are your orders?"
"When I came in earlier, didn't I seem to hear someone say they were going to get revenge on me?"
The scorpion demon spirit trembled, its face plastered with a fawning smile. "No, no. I've just thought it over carefully, and I wasn't actually that close with Usark..."
"You all gathered here today. It looked like you had some purpose?" Orin Vale asked.
"Actually... it was nothing much," the scorpion demon spirit confessed honestly. "There's a human called the Riddler who's planning something big. We were planning to capture Batman to offer to That Lord... ah, no, to that idiot Belial as a sacrifice. So, our original plan was to help him out."
Orin Vale narrowed his eyes.
"Tell me more about this 'big thing'."
Three chapters today, please keep up with the consistent readership!
(end of chapter)