Facing this scene, Temple and Grimple, two Lesser Demons, looked grim beyond measure.
When Ol'ksa swallowed the Soul's Grace, the two completely lost all sense of its energy fluctuations.
Instantly, they realized that Ol'ksa possessed the ability to accelerate the digestion of the Soul's Grace. Only with such an ability could an Imp dare challenge two Lesser Demons simultaneously.
Their killing intent erupted uncontrollably; they wished nothing more than to tear Ol'ksa apart and consume him.
Sensing his physical prowess, now at the absolute limit of the Imp rank, and the uncontrollable malice of his opponents, Ol'ksa's golden, vertical pupils glowed with raw fury. He roared:
"I'll slaughter you all!"
Blood-red flames ignited spontaneously around his body, and his crimson hair fluttered wildly without wind.
Magic and blood-fire surged beneath his feet, generating a wave of demonic flames. With each step, Ol'ksa covered tens of meters, leaving a trail of smoldering fire suspended in the air.
He pressed his hands to their faces, using sheer force to shatter their magical defenses. The demonic flames scorched them at point-blank range, overwhelming their rage and fear with unbearable pain.
Their massive forms were useless. Ol'ksa pressed their faces into the ground, grinding them against gravel and debris. Using his feet as leverage, he sprinted at top speed.
The air around him condensed into a swirling, translucent barrier, sweeping everything aside.
Bones and flesh of their heads wore down from friction, turning to dust and coating the ground. The terrain itself was gouged into a ditch tens of centimeters deep. Rocks, trees, and corpses were crushed and thrown into the air by the turbulent airflow.
When Ol'ksa finally stopped, a path hundreds of meters long had been plowed, with only a third of their heads remaining. The rest had been seared by the friction's heat.
"Useless!"
He drained the power from the remnants, kicked them aside, and turned toward other unabsorbed corpses.
Cannot waste, must be frugal.
After tidying the battlefield, Ol'ksa rushed toward the main zone of chaos, where slaughter reigned supreme.
Wealth and evolution potential awaited him there.
Even though much of the Soul's Grace had been claimed, the scene was more chaotic than ever.
Demons had lost all restraint. They no longer sought the Soul's Grace; they only sought death and destruction.
Spells flew in wild arcs, and attacks hit indiscriminately. Roars and wails mingled into a cacophony of violence. The ground and air were stained red with blood.
It was a carnival of slaughter.
Ol'ksa casually joined, deflecting stray ice shards and crushing demons with minimal effort. He ignored contested Soul's Grace, knowing that directly absorbing it now would be suicidal with thousands of eyes watching.
Instead, he slaughtered indiscriminately, harvesting weaker demons for Evolution Points. Hearts were ripped out, heads crushed, blood sprayed, all in a simple, unrefined display of power.
Minor injuries—typical in such brutal play—barely affected him. Demons' vitality made them negligible. The inherent savagery of this battlefield exhilarated him.
Hours passed. By nightfall, Ol'ksa disengaged, leaving the slaughtering demons to their indulgence.
He was drenched in blood, hair torn, three fingers on his right hand missing, tail tip severed, two penetrating abdominal wounds, and external bone armor ripped open. Yet, he wore no anger or pain—only a serene, satisfied smile, as if immersed in something beautiful.
The blood streaming from him, whether his own or others', did not disturb his mood.
The slaughter had left him revitalized, his brutality fully released.
After a while, Ol'ksa adjusted his focus and chose a direction to proceed.
Nearby monsters were too engaged, incapacitated, or dead to interfere. Even though his blood scent was intense, the path remained clear. The usual swarm of bloodthirsty flies had disappeared, likely drawn to the ongoing chaos elsewhere.
After some distance, Ol'ksa reached a cliff edge.
He observed briefly, then began ascending, entering a hidden cave tens of meters above the ground. The entrance was overgrown with weeds.
The cave was devoid of demons, but bones littered the floor. Some were a month old—likely meaning the owner had been absent for at least that long. In the Howling Forest, such absence typically indicated death or expulsion.
Ol'ksa waved his hand, engulfing the cave in blood-red flames, incinerating all inside.
He shot two fire arrows at the upper rocks, collapsing the entrance and sealing it.
Now, only Ol'ksa remained in the darkened cave, amidst burnt remnants.
Opening the system panel:
[Host: Stuart. Ogarlisa. Yatharon… Koryff. Ol'ksa]
[Race/Level: Demon/Imp (Evolvable)]
[Strength: 50 (5)][Speed: 50 (5)][Constitution: 50 (5)][Magic: 50 (5)][Soul: 50 (5)]
[Talents: Soul Feast Evolution (grows by consuming souls), Carnage Growth (grows by killing), Combat Instinct (innate martial aptitude), Flesh Absorption (absorbs flesh upon contact), Magic Trait – Corrosive, Elemental Talent – Bloodflame, Exoskeleton – Bloodthirst, Energy Vision, Abyssal Contract]
[Skills: Fireball (Bloodline Spell. 27%), Fire Arrow (Bloodline Spell. 28%), Life Drain (Bloodline Spell. 25%), Pain Strike (Bloodline Spell. 29%), Soul Shock (Bloodline Spell. 30%)]
[Evolution Points: 87,742]
Note: Values in parentheses represent the baseline for a newborn young demon. Each point increase improves strength proportionally by one-fifth. Skill percentages reflect proficiency; 100% allows advancement to higher levels.
These were Ol'ksa's gains over the month since advancing to Imp rank.
Over 20,000 Evolution Points came from the Soul's Grace; the remainder largely came from the recent slaughter.
A single day of brutal combat yielded more than a month of slow hunting—dangerous, but more efficient.
Opportunities like this occurred once a year; otherwise, Ol'ksa would still have to play hide-and-seek with weaker demons.
Ol'ksa then issued commands to the evolution system:
Use all current Evolution Points for comprehensive optimization, coordinating with automatic transformation during advancement.
Ensure the host can exit transformation at any time.
Preserve optimization while maintaining host appearance according to aesthetic preference—unless it conflicts with optimization priorities.
Two additional commands, set previously, ensured the evolution of special talents before using remaining Evolution Points for optimization.
Once executed, Ol'ksa would be ready for the next stage of advancement and further trials.