Chapter 349: Origin Magic and Magical Beasts

Chapter 349: Origin Magic and Magical Beasts

Winter turned his head toward Andre's pirate crew.

There, he saw a black sphere enveloping and swallowing the large ship.

To think Dark Night had actually used his domain? Winter was inwardly surprised.

He let the ice blade in his hand dissipate. Seeing the two injured humans still standing, he decided he was done playing.

"Sorry, but Dark Night's side is wrapping up. As a reward for you, I'll unleash a power rare even among the highest-ranking demons. So on't blink."

Hearing Winter's words, Shanks and Beckman exchanged a glance, sensing trouble.

"Wait a second, do you demons have ranks too?"

Beckman shouted, trying to buy time while his mind raced for a way to survive.

Out on the vast sea, facing an overwhelmingly powerful enemy with all escape routes blocked, jumping into the ocean might be a decent option.

With their physical condition, they might have a chance of drifting to another island alive. But now, heavily injured and in the Demon Fog Sea, the odds of surviving at sea were slim to none.

So, was their only option to fight to the death? What a terrible choice, Beckman thought.

"It's not something I can't share. We demons are divided into lower, middle, upper, highest, and Demon King ranks."

"And I am among the highest-ranking demons—and one of the best at that. Consider this info as my gift to you!"

After speaking, Winter prepared to form a seal.

But Beckman suddenly sprang into action, firing bullets infused with Armament Haki.

He charged forward at the same time.

Shanks followed with a powerful slash right behind him.

"Such tenacious humans. But this gap isn't something you can bridge so easily."

As Winter spoke, he unleashed a rapid ice spike storm. Countless spikes shot toward them, engulfing the slash, the bullets, and their figures entirely.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Amid the icy storm, Beckman covered his vital spots with Armament Haki and pressed forward relentlessly.

Even as many parts of his body were pierced and frozen, bleeding profusely, he didn't stop.

Under Winter's surprised gaze, he pushed through the storm and reached him.

Whoosh!

A stick was thrown by a barely standing crewmate, drawing a sliver of Winter's attention.

It was the Red Hair Pirates' doctor, Hongo, who had used his medical knowledge to regain just enough strength for this assist, diverting the enemy's focus.

"Interesting, but useless."

Seeing them fight so desperately, Winter didn't let his guard down or allow them free rein. He wanted to see if, in deeper despair, they could shine even brighter.

Thud!

Winter conjured a massive ice shield, blocking Beckman and Shanks' advance.

He then leaped back and formed a seal with his hand.

"Domain Expansion."

As Shanks, Beckman, and the other injured crewmates' pupils shrank.

A vast black curtain spread out, sealing the surroundings. Then, everything turned white. The sky became pale, snowflakes fell, and the ground was covered in thick ice.

A snow-capped mountain rose behind Winter, chilling air swirling around. Their bodies trembled as if plunged into a brutal winter.

"Deadly Frost."

This is—?!

The Red Hair Pirates stared at the scene in shock.

Was this the power of the demons?

Watching Shanks and the others fall silent, Winter smiled. Now, he wants to see what kind of emotions and willpower they could muster in this desperate situation.

---

Demon Fog Sea, Island of Fear.

This island, now considered a legend in the outside world, was shrouded in black mist, like a miasma.

The deeper one ventured inward from the island's edge, the denser the mist became, especially in the Island of Fear at its center.

This density wasn't merely visual—it was something more fundamental.

The demons living on this island called it "Origin Magic".

Outside the valley of the Island of Fear.

A rugged and eerie structure stood tall.

This building was known as the Apostle Fortress.

Inside the Apostle Fortress.

A massive round table dominated the space. On one side were seven enormous stone thrones, while on the opposite side was an even larger stone chair.

At this moment, all seven apostles were seated in their respective thrones.

Among them, only Kujira, with his whale-like massive frame, seemed to fit his throne perfectly.

The others appeared somewhat small in comparison.

In truth, these chairs were designed specifically for Kujira's size.

For the other apostles, it didn't matter much. If they really wanted to adjust, they could simply transform into larger forms to fit.

But to them, such details were trivial.

"Is the human World Government about to hold a Reverie?"

A shadowy figure seated in one of the chairs spoke up.

It was Gekiryū, one of the apostles. He ran a hand through his dark, thunderous hair that crackled with lightning as he asked.

"That's right. According to the World Economy News Agency's papers, the human World Government is preparing to hold the Reverie earlier than planned. Many kings from affiliated nations will be attending."

The Celestial Dragon, seated in another chair, shook his head, which resembled a tank-like brain. Bubbles rose in the transparent liquid within it.

He then tossed a few newspapers from days ago onto the table.

These papers were several days old. The island and its surrounding seas were permeated with Origin Magic, preventing news birds from daring to approach. Celestial Dragon had been busy with other matters until recently, when he finally found time to visit another island and turned a news bird into a magical beast.

Only then was the island's newspaper issue resolved.

Magical beasts—special creatures mutated through infection by Origin Magic—could only be reliably created by Celestial Dragon among the apostles.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The apostles glanced at Celestial Dragon's peculiar head, then reached out to take the newspapers. The newspapers floated toward them with a soft rustling sound.

They quickly skimmed the contents and soon finished reading.

"So what? What does this have to do with anything?"

Zhurong, with steam and smoke rising from his head, looked at the Celestial Dragon and asked.

"Everyone, I think we need to adjust our plans. This is an opportunity."

Hearing Celestial Dragon's words, the other apostles leaned in to listen.

Undeniably, among the apostles, Celestial Dragon was regarded as the strategist.

Thus, his words carried significant weight with the others.

Time passed slowly.

One by one, the apostles began to leave the Apostle Fortress.

Celestial Dragon gazed at the now-empty stone chairs. The liquid in his head churned with bubbles—a sign of his amusement.

As an apostle embodying the evil of the Celestial Dragons with the power of domination.

He was utterly obsessed with this sensation of control, for him it was the essence of power.

Currently, he stood only beneath the Demon God. Though the other apostles wouldn't admit it, every decision was ultimately his to make.

From this perspective, he was undeniably the core figure.

Beyond the apostles, the entire demon race had been created by his hand.

This had inflated his ego considerably.

However, the notion that he alone created the demon race was a misleading facade.

In reality, his so-called creation of demons was more like borrowing flowers to offer to Buddha—a borrowed effort.

First, the environment: to create demons, he had to work within the Demon Fog Sea's domain. This was due to the concentration of Origin Magic.

The Demon Fog Sea and The Island of Fear were steeped in a power the demons called Origin Magic.

This was the manifestation of the planet's surface-level negative forces, drawn and materialized by Sukuna's abilities.

Only in such an environment could the mass creation of demons be feasible.

Outside this region, Celestial Dragon could likely only produce lower-tier demons, and without the dense Origin Magic here, his efficiency would plummet.

Moreover, beyond The Island of Fear, creating mid-tier demons or higher was beyond his capability—or at least, the success rate was abysmally low.

The demons on this island were categorized into lower-tier, mid-tier, upper-tier, highest-tier, and Demon King ranks.

Lower-tier demons were defined by their lack of defining traits. These lowest-level demons possessed only the most basic demonic talents, with no special abilities to speak of.

Starting from mid-tier demons, however, they began to exhibit distinct abilities.

And this was the key obstacle to Celestial Dragon creating demons on his own.

The birth of a demon was, at its core, a lifeform nurtured from a specific root of negative power, fed and cultivated over time.

Yet the mist on this island contained a chaotic mix of negative forces.

For Celestial Dragon to create demons above mid-tier,

He first needed to precisely identify the types of Origin Magic—a task that posed considerable difficulty for him.

His ability was domination, not analysis. He excelled at control, not categorization—asking him to sort things out was like setting him up to fail.

Thus, he was stuck at the very first step.

Only after meeting this prerequisite could he proceed to the first stage: isolating a specific category of Origin Magic.

Once that was achieved, the second step was to use this isolated Origin Magic to craft a core—essentially creating an embryo.

This ventured into the realm of life creation.

There was a trick to it—not meticulously crafting every part like assembling a machine, but striking a balance between intent and autonomy, allowing the lifeform to gestate naturally.

The third step involved nurturing this core with a specific type of isolated Origin Magic.

This, too, required finesse. The concentration and duration had to be just right—too much, and the core might collapse; too little, and it could wither from malnutrition.

It demanded a delicate touch.

The reason Celestial Dragon could create so many demons now was because he was, in essence, a "cheater."

On this island, his demon creation came with a boost.

When he crafted demons, he could instinctively feel how to do it right—an advantage he privately called the "Demon God's Favor," making him the Demon God's favored one.

Of course, this boost vanished outside the island.

Regardless, the other apostles weren't fully aware of this.

They simply thought his ability was impressive and convenient, capable of creating demons.

This misjudgment elevated Celestial Dragon's status, a misconception he intentionally encouraged.

And Celestial Dragon was ambitious. As he continued creating demons.

He grew increasingly adept at the process. He believed that one day he could create demons solely with his own power.

-----------------------

Demon Fog Sea.

Winter stood on the sea's surface, gazing at a ship frozen into an icy sculpture.

The vessel drifted slowly through the Demon Fog Sea, gradually fading into the distance as the black mist obscured it from view.

'Such interesting humans. Will they survive?'

That will be left to fate!

( End of this Chapter )