Chapter 175 - A Devilish Conflict

'No...!'

Oliver could hear himself internally fighting these things from within him. It was as if another part of himself was tempted to give a Mana Crystal a light touch. But Oliver himself knew better not to.

Throughout his internal struggle, Oliver stood perfectly still. It was as if his mind had separated from his body as he fought against this unknown force. There was no flinching of his muscles or twitching of his brow. He just stood there, silently.

While the gnome wondered what Oliver was doing, Oliver had no clue what was going on either. There was a force that pushed him to do something.

A force that wasn't his own.

'W-what... gives..?'

Struggling to form even a string of thought, Oliver felt his mind collapsing in on itself. He couldn't describe the things he was going through — in the most literal, most painful sense.

After a few more seconds, something finally donned onto Oliver.

"I know you're doing this! Come out!" Oliver screamed from within his head.

"Took you long enough..."

An answer immediately appeared as the pain subsided. From within Oliver's head, eyes were staring at him with ominous expressions. It was none other than the eyes of the devil within him.

"Why the hell are you doing this?"

From within Oliver's head, he could picture himself talking to the devil, who had nothing but eyes and a big, devilish smile. That very smile irked Oliver in ways he couldn't easily explain.

"Why not?" the devil answered without care, "The sooner I tear you open, the sooner I get my own physical body."

The relationship between Oliver and the devil was a symbiotic one. The devil needed Oliver to have a physical vessel back in the world. Oliver needed the devil to gain stronger in the same world.

Was one a parasite to another? To Oliver, it certainly felt like it. The devil, time and time again, did nothing but harm him.

The reality, however, was different from Oliver's opinion.

Whether he'd admit it or not, Oliver needed the devil's help in order to become stronger. And, even then, he had to struggle to get what he wanted. So, if anything, Oliver needed the devil's help. Conversely, the devil also needed Oliver to become a physical vessel in this world.

The two needed each other whether they'd care to say so or not. It's just that the devil had a lot more to gain than Oliver ever would.

"Then why the hell are you acting up now?" Oliver spoke in an accusing tone. "You could've pulled this bullshit at any time you want. So, what's so special about it now?"

The devilish smiled turned into a frown as the devil was displeased with Oliver's realization. It was as if Oliver had caught the devil red-handed attempting to do something.

"Who are you to deny my whims?" the devil arrogantly answered with another question.

However, catching these signs of frustration, Oliver knew he had been right on the money. So, naturally, he pursued this matter with even greater accusations.

"You want that crystal, don't you?!" Oliver accused. He was aware of what these Mana Crystals offered. Recalling Rynold's accounts, Oliver knew that these Mana Crystals held a lot more worth than they appeared.

Whatever the devil wanted it for, however, was something Oliver couldn't figure out.

Suddenly, these strange sensations started to tempt Oliver once more. These feelings expressed the same intent as the ones Oliver had experienced beforehand. To approach the Mana Crystal and touch it.

Half-expecting something like this to happen, Oliver had already guarded himself against these temptations. It wasn't as effective as before. Oliver now had a fighting chance.

"I'm right, aren't I?!" Oliver yelled out once more as he ignored these thoughts piling up in his head. "What the hell is in that thing?! Tell me?!"

After finishing that sentence, the thoughts in his head started to hurt. The temptations turned into pain as they attacked Oliver's mind in a scattered flurry.

In other words, it was a mental attack.

"Graahhh!"

From within his head, Oliver was screaming. The attacks directed towards his consciousness started to tear Oliver apart. It was brutal. Even though Oliver had fought against people before, no physical pain would compare to the pain he's experiencing at this very moment.

As Oliver wailed in pain, the gnome couldn't see what was happening. All it knew was that Oliver had fallen silent for the past few minutes. Unmoving but still breathing. In these past few minutes, Oliver's behavior didn't warrant any concern.

That is until a line of blood started to come out from one of Oliver's nostrils.

Unaware of what Oliver was going through, the gnome's expression turned sour as the blood pouring from one of Oliver's nostrils to two. Then, not a few moments later, blood poured out from one of Oliver's ears as well.

This wasn't anything the gnome had experienced dealing with before. All it knew was the fact that this was abnormal.

"Is this... your plan..?"

Oliver's voice turned weak as the struggling continued. The devil's smile was still prevalent, and Oliver could feel the mocking gaze directed at him.

"You think... killing me... would get you what... you want..?" Oliver struggled to reason with the devil, who was having fun seeing Oliver suffer.

"Killing..," Oliver's mouth turned to a smile as he spoke this sentence. "Killing me... would only push your plans back..."

As Oliver had had enough of this mental attack, the pain suddenly stopped. The weak voice was loud enough for the devil to hear, prompting the bastard to stop.

But, what happened next was entirely unexpected.

"Kill you? Hah!" The devil mocked Oliver for his foolishness and lack of insight. That's because his plan was never really that simple. "Why would I purposely kill off my vessel? No, foolish Human, I only did it to get what I want!"

Darkness overflowed.

Surrounded in a sea of thick waves of darkness, Oliver couldn't believe what was happening. What was even more unbelievable was what happened to his physical body. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to tell.

From the outside, wisps of darkness started to emit from Oliver. The gnome hadn't noticed at first. But, when the few strands multiplied by the dozens, the gnome couldn't ignore it any further.

Immediately retreating a few steps, the gnome used earth magic to secure himself, forming a barricade out of stone. From there, it trapped Oliver to the ground using the same trick it used before.

Unfortunately, Oliver's strength had suddenly doubled, if not tripled. The earth magic did not affect him as the darkness whipped it away. Despite all that's happened, Oliver still stood perfectly still.

The black whips violently trashed around, destroying a lot of the room's items. Desks, chairs, and even the glass chambers, the black whips lashed about. They shattered all the things in the room.

All of it, except for one, that is.

Situated in the center of the room was the Mana Crystal. It was the only thing the black whips didn't get near. It brilliantly shone as it remained unscathed from the whips that were lashing out at every direction except for the Mana Crystal in the middle.

And, soon enough, the black whips calmed down as they coalesced around Oliver. Revolving, embracing.

It was then that Oliver slowly opened his eyes. And, at that very moment, a wave of dark Mana pulsated from him, sending shockwaves with Oliver at the epicenter.

Even hiding behind the impromptu barricade, the gnome could feel a sense of ominosity coming from Oliver. Every instinct the creature possessed warned him to avoid Oliver at all costs.

As the black whips circulated Oliver; dark Mana started to cover his entire face. The only thing visible from this point on were two devilishly purple eyes. It was at this point that Oliver didn't appear human anymore.

Tap.

A single step.

Oliver slowly approached the Mana Crystal centered in the middle of the room. Perhaps, at this point, none of this was Oliver's doing anymore.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

From within the same body, Oliver struggled to regain control. The devil had successfully won against control over his physical body. And, right now, Oliver's soul was far too weak to fight back.

So, the only thing he could do was to stall. Stall for the slightest fraction of a second to regain whatever hold the devil had over his body.

"What do you think I'm doing? Getting what I came here for."

Not liking that answer, Oliver sensed the slight pressure the devil was giving off. It was as if the devil had been careful as it approached the Mana Crystal carefully. The pressure gave off a vibe of carefulness and anticipation.

It, in Oliver's opinion, was slightly out of character for the devil.

With his suspicions slightly raised, Oliver watched as the devil approached the Mana Crystal. Each step the devil took felt alert and careful.

Soon enough, the devil stood within arm's reach.

Oliver had stayed silent after their previous exchange such that he had been watching all this time. And, when the devil finally got to this point, Oliver could tell something felt wrong.

His hands, wherein the devil had control of, were trembling.

What was going on? Oliver now knew there was something about this that meant a lot more to the devil. More than Oliver had originally thought. As to what it might be, however, Oliver had no idea.

Despite noticing this, though, Oliver remained silent as he watched what the devil would do next.

Raising the trembling hands, the devil felt slightly tense. It was an inch away from touching the Mana Crystal, the same one that the devil had been so eager to reach.

But why hesitate now?

Oliver found it odd for the bastard to hesitate when it had been so confident beforehand. Is the devil trying to taunt Oliver? Or, perhaps, was it simply savoring its time having control of Oliver's physical body?

Regardless, Oliver felt slightly lost as to what it all meant.

"What are you waiting for?" Oliver hesitantly asked the devil, who had been staring at the Mana Crystal for quite some time.

"Shut up!" the devil frustratedly responded, "I need to concentrate."

"On what, exactly? Standing still and your hand out like that? What are you trying to do? Strike a pose?" Oliver mockingly pursued the matter until he received a better answer.

However, the sentiment was rather ill-received as dark Mana started to pour out from the hand and into the Mana Crystal.

The Mana Crystal started to darken in color. The beautiful crystal shine started to dim as the dark Mana affected it beyond Oliver's comprehension.

Seeing this happen, Oliver finally knew what the devil had been trying to accomplish. It seemed that the devil was fully intending to break the Mana Crystal, using the dark Mana to destroy its pureness. And, as Oliver watched this scene unfold, something about it felt slightly familiar.

The other dimension he had spent 8 months in. The sight of the same dark Mana Crystal that was heavily corrupted. Oliver could sense the same thing coming from the devil's actions.

As Oliver came to this realization, something within him sparked. He found the will to fight back for control as he pushed the devil with all his will.

It was then that pure Mana started to dilute the dark Mana coming from the hand. Oliver's Mana Core was fighting off the devil's dark Mana from within.

Suddenly, the sound of swishing water came about as Oliver's Mana poured out from the same hand. Streaks of black and white clashed against each other as they both seemed to affect the Mana Crystal simultaneously.

"What do you think you're doing?!" the devil asked with an angered tone to its voice.

However, Oliver seemed serene as he answered back.

"Just making sure you don't get what you want."

And, sure enough, a window appeared.