Chapter 12: The Preliminary Trial

A loud echoing voice started to speak to everyone in the incredibly large hall, "All bow before the 9 Demonic Kings!"

As soon as the man had stopped talking, nearly every single one of the people inside the hall got down on one knee, all saying in unison, "All hail the Heavenly Demon Lord! All hail the Demonic Kings! All hail the Demonic Cult!"

As soon as the people in the hall stopped their chant, Kai, the greater demon, fully extended his hand and started using telekinesis to make the ones who didn't bow hover in the air above all the others. Anyone who had not chanted also had telekinesis used on them.

"Insects should bow before the strong," Kai said in a deep, looming voice.

He started to make a fist with his hand and the people who were floating started to feel their flesh being torn apart, their muscles ripped, organs crushed and bones destroyed. The sounds of bones cracking and screams echoed through the hall.

Those who had telekinesis used on them had their eyeballs pop out of their sockets and begin to bleed out of them. Their organs were removed through their mouths while they were still screaming. Their skin pulled from their bodies as they squirmed, attempting to get out of the demon's grip.

Kai lowered his hand as the bodies fell to the floor with an audible thud. Blood was sprayed on the people surrounding them. Yet no one even bat an eyelid. After all, how could someone even think of joining the Demonic Cult without having the guts to kill someone?

Everyone soon got up and waited for something to be said. No one else wanted to be killed so mercilessly. Thus, everyone stood there in silence until finally Francis, the hobgoblin, began to speak.

"As we have gathered many more participants this year, this year's plenaries will be a battle royal until there are only 1 million participants left; removing around 200 thousand people. May the strongest survive."

Just as Francis had finished speaking, everyone had started oozing their murderous intent toward each other. It was almost suffocating. Any normal person would have fainted already. There were varying degrees of murderous intent. Some were thick, rough, and unrelenting; some were weak and thin, and some influenced the Qi of their host.

Sei hadn't released his murderous intent because he hadn't seen a reason to, but the thought of someone attempting to take his life enraged him. Sei's blood pressure began to increase at an astonishing rate, his heart began to beat faster and his vision blurred; he began breathing faster and his head began to feel as if it was beginning to split apart.

His skin began to redden. The veins in his eyes burst. His sclera [1] turned fully red. His horns began to elongate and sharpen, and his molars and canines began to transform into long tusk-like protrusions. His nose widened and his ears became more pointed. His arms elongated to the point where his knuckles dragged across the ground, his fingers elongated, and his nails became long and sharp. His entire body had transformed and become adapted for murder.

Sei's murderous intent erupted from him like a volcano oozing its boiling hot magma on the people around him. The second the people around him saw what had happened to Sei, they almost immediately backed away. The voices inside his head raged, yelled, shrieked, even cried.

_They want to kill me?! They want to take away my freedom again?! Kill them! End their meaningless existences! They need to die! Kill them, murder them, bathe in their blood! I won't go back to that shithole! Never! Never again! I rotted in there for nearly 600 years! I won't experience anything like that again!_

The blood was moving through Sei's body so quickly it was almost visible. He looked at the other participants with a thirst... a thirst for blood. He stood with a hunched back, his arms drooping in front of him. The very cells in his body shook while he drooled from his mouth.

Francis began his countdown, "1... 2... 3... Begin! May the best men win!"

The sounds of screams of pain, swords clanging, bones breaking, flesh hitting flesh, and people falling over engulfed the entire hall. In the middle of the hall was Sei in his new adapted form. He was moving in a formless way. His technique was entirely based on instinct to maximise effectiveness so he could be able to kill as many people as possible.

A man about 2 metres in height and completely bald ran at the inhuman Sei, who was completely covered head to toe in blood, attempting to swing at Sei with all his power behind it. Sei turned to him, seeing only a blurry, red-tinted, distorted version of reality, the voices continuing to scream in pain.

When the punch came flying toward Sei's face, he used his unique physique to jump and spin over his fist, closing the gap between them immediately, after which he stabbed him directly in his dantian, completely emptying his Qi reverse, killing him on the spot.

Sei continued his rampage, attempting to kill as many people as he could. This, of course, was because even the preliminaries mattered in the Demonic Cult's trials. But right now, Sei was running more on instinct than logic.

.....

Somewhere else on the other side of the hall sat a teenager, in a foetal position, probably one of the only other humans on the Demonic Cult's trial besides Sei. He was probably around 5' 9". He cowered in a corner just waiting for all the fighting to stop before his entire demeanour completely changed. He looked around confused and weary, almost as if he had just appeared there.

He immediately got into action, using technique rather than power. In one case, he managed to pop out every joint of an opponent before stabbing a hole in his forehead. He then contemplated something before taking a bite out of his opponent. His jade green eyes shined with a crimson colour for a second before the cells in his body seemingly transformed, evolved.

The boy sat on top of his opponent until he seemed to have 'had his fill'. He then found his next prey, a woman who had exactly what he needed: golden needles and poison. He ran up to her, making not even a slight noise, not even leaving a footprint.

He used the dagger he took from the one he had taken down before. After which, he skilfully used the dagger as if he had been trained in dagger arts for years, decades even. Masterfully, he slit the woman's Achilles heel and then stabbed her in both armpits, cutting two major arteries. When he knew he had completely incapacitated her, he grabbed what he needed, not leaving without grabbing some of her flesh.

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Name: Sei Zaghara

Title: Cold Blooded (+10% damage done when the host has the intent to kill.)

Goblin Slayer (+10℅ damage done to goblins.)

Murderer (+10% damage done to humans.)

Wolf Hunter (+10% damage done to wolf-type monsters.)

Race: Human 7/8 Demon 1/8

Age: 16

Height: 6'0"

Weight: 71 kg

HP: 993/1175

STA: 944/1175

NE: 40000/40000

QI: 39850/40000

Cultivation: 8th Rank Core Making (LOCK)

Level: 45

Experience: 11310/46000

Attributes:

STR: 2350

DEX: 2350

END: 2350

AGI: 2350

INT: 100

MND: 150

LUK: 0 (LOCK)

Unassigned Point: 5

Skills:

Blood Controlling Arts-

By infusing QI into any blood source, the host can control any source of blood.

Body Modification Arts-

By using NE and QI, the host gains the ability to completely modify the host's own body.

Demonic Fist-

By concentrating NE and QI into the fist and releasing it when the punch is dealt, the host can unleash unimaginable strength.

Foresight-

By using three-quarters of the host's NE and QI, the host can see 2 seconds into the future.

Heavenly Demon Lord's Eye of Destruction-

By concentrating immense amounts of NQ into the host's eyes and expelling it, the host can destroy almost everything. As the host trains this technique, the host will be capable of destroying more.

Heavenly Demon Lord's Fist Art-

By activating the previous Heavenly Demon Lord's inheritance, the host gains knowledge of 10,000 different punches and stances.

Heavenly Demon Lord's Judgment Fingers-

Using qi and negative energy, the host can summon giant fingers from the sky to crush the enemy. As the host trains more in this technique, the host will be capable of summoning more fingers.

Hypnosis-

By using NE and QI to warp any creature's mind, the host can control any creature with intelligence.

Inspect-

By simply requesting the system, the host can gain knowledge of anything or anyone.

Night Vision

By infusing NE into the host's eyes, the host can see clear as day in the dark.

Qi Expulsion-

By compressing QI into a tiny ball and expelling it insanely quickly, the QI will repel anything and anyone in a 3-meter radius.

Seismic Pulse-

By expelling NE or QI into the ground, the host can get a mental map of a 100-meter radius. By expelling NE or QI into a person, the host can get a mental image of the person's physical and mental condition.

Strong Bones-

By cultivating the host's bones, 10% less damage is done to the host.

Strong Muscles-

By cultivating the host's muscles, 10% less damage is done to the host.

Telekinesis-

By mixing NE and QI, the host can move and control animate and inanimate objects with their mind.

Vampiric Blood Rage-

By using a blood relative's soul, all of the host's stats increase by 100% for 10 minutes while also losing all sanity.

Vampiric Saturation-

By drinking blood, the host loses the need to eat or drink. By drinking blood, the host can regain HP and STA.

Cultivation Techniques:

Heavenly Demon Lord's Demonic Qi Refinement Art-

By utilising a special refinement art, the host can refine demonic qi and purify it.

Completion Rate: 0%

Heavenly Demon Lord's Body Cultivation Art-

By utilising this special cultivation art, all damage done to the host decreases by 60%. The host's speed increased by 100%, all damage done to the host increased by 120%, and the host's agility increased by 50%. If this cultivation art is cultivated far enough, the host gains full immunity to all poisons, as well as petrification, paralysis, burning, electrification, and suffocation.

Completion Rate: 1%

Heavenly Demon Lord's Mind Cultivation Art-

By cultivating this art, the host gains immunity to all abnormal mental status conditions. This cultivation art can also increase one's mental capacity and overall intelligence. If this cultivation art is cultivated to its fullest potential, it can give the host an unrivalled intelligence.

Completion Rate: 0%

Heavenly Demon Lord's Soul Cultivation Art-

By utilising a special cultivation art, the host becomes immune to all direct soul attacks. Using this cultivation art, the speed of all cultivation increases by 5%.

Completion Rate: 0%

Vampiric Blood Drinking Body Cultivation Art-

By drinking the blood of others, you can strengthen your body. However, side effects include insanity, an intense craving for blood, and an excessive amount of demon QI.

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[1]The sclera is the white part of the eyes.