Ch 4- Cave of latent demon
While Diablo was being tortured, a young demon hurriedly reported the incident to the guard at the gates of Hell. Inside a grand palace, a majestic figure sat on the throne, exuding an aura of authority and dread. Before him, the guard trembled.
"Lord... I don't know that kid," the guard stammered, his legs giving way as he fell to the floor. "I just jokingly told him to kill the angel. I didn't know he would take it seriously."
After a recent war where demons suffered a crushing defeat, they had retreated to Hell. Generally, attacking an angelic camp was avoided unless provoked, as it would trigger retaliatory attacks from surrounding camps, making battles extremely difficult and tiresome. Diablo's provocative action put even more pressure on the demons.
As the guard finished speaking, his head rolled on the ground, severed cleanly by an invisible force. A deep, menacing voice reverberated through the hall, "You should not have lied to me." It was Lucifer, the King of Hell.
Lucifer turned his gaze to an old-looking man standing beside him. "Baal, bring me that kid," he commanded.
"All right, sir," Baal replied, his voice steady and ominous.
Diplomatic relations were soon settled between the angels and demons, and Diablo was brought before Lucifer. For an entire week, Diablo was beaten and tortured continuously, his body left a bloody mess.
Lucifer looked down at Diablo and spoke, "Why did you kill the chief angel?"
Diablo, understanding the underlying question, replied, "If I killed an ordinary angel, other angels would come looking for me. But if I killed the chief angel, a devil like you would come to find me."
From the beginning, Diablo's true target was not to fulfill the guard's request but to meet Lucifer. The guard had merely been a means to an end.
Baal, who had been listening, smiled wickedly. "Hey kid, what do you want?" he asked.
Diablo looked into Baal's eyes—eyes that even the strongest angels feared—and declared, "I want the entire world."
"Hahahahahaha," Lucifer laughed loudly, a chilling sound echoing through the hall.
"Take him to the Cave of the Latent Demon," Lucifer said to Baal. "He is the perfect candidate to be tested there."
Baal nodded in response.
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### Cave of the Latent Demon
The Cave of the Latent Demon is a notorious training camp designed for young demons. Its reputation stems from its brutal regimen, where a single mistake is forgivable, a second is a warning, and a third mistake costs the demon their life.
The camp is led by Baal, one of the most fearsome and powerful figures within the demon hierarchy in Hell. Soon, Diablo was taken to the infamous Cave of the Latent Demon, a place where only the strongest and most cunning demons survived.
"Hmm."
Azazel, the General Director of the Cave of the Latent Demons, reviewed the pile of documents before him. All the documents he received were sent from the upper echelons of Hell.
Azazel looked carefully through the papers, skimming his eyes over the documents and rubbing his forehead out of habit from stress. The Cave of the Latent Demons was a training facility used to nurture youth and find talent among demons. However, they did not educate the demon children in a polite manner as the schools in the mortal and heavenly worlds did, due to Hell being part of demon society.
As he handed over the documents, Azazel recalled the three main teachings of the facility, known as the 3 Nots:
1. **Keep up not, you die.**
2. **Strengthen not, you die.**
3. **Endure not, you die.**
This very code made the Cave of the Latent Demons notorious for its harshness. From these three Nots, the rule of three mistakes was established. It was inevitable to be brutal since the remaining talents would surely strengthen the power of Hell, and this training regime was only held every 20 years.
The reason for the 20-year intervals was to bring fresh talent from the younger generation to stimulate competition with the older ones. This training was surprisingly effective. Those who survived would become masters in their own right, capable of holding themselves accountable and at least having the means to protect themselves within Hell.
Though rigorous and harsh, one might wonder why anyone would attempt such arduous training that walked the tightrope of life and death. The answer was simple: if one became a master, they could overcome any pre-existing status and make a name for themselves. However, there were no shortcuts to power, even for the brightest of talents among the many youth gathered.
If a thousand children entered the Cave of the Latent Demons, not more than a hundred would make it out alive. One-tenth—that was the survival rate. Finding the most supreme talents among them to become masters was even lower.
As difficult as the training was, some youth continuously overcame setbacks and proved themselves to stand out. Who among this batch of youth had been exceptional?
Azazel was not the only one eager to know; the upper echelons also wanted the director and his subordinates to keep their eyes peeled.
When Azazel was briefed half a year ago, his assistant mentioned a particular child to him—a child who was directly sent by the great lord Baal. Nobody knew what relation that child had with Baal, but the determination and will of that child were on another level.
"What was the name of that child again?" Azazel thought. "Ah yes, number 24."
---
Inside a dark stone room, a young demon who appeared to be about eleven years old fell, exhaustion etched on his face.
"Ugh."
The floor was hard, and his muscles were sore. He was incredibly tired and wanted to fall asleep immediately. His eyelids felt as heavy as iron ingots as they fluttered in the darkness of the room. The young demon could clearly feel all the bones and muscle fibers screaming at him to rest his weary body.
Any ordinary person would have fallen asleep as soon as they lay down. But he wasn't ordinary.
"I can't fall asleep right now."
The young demon got up from his seat and went to a corner of the stone room. Soon, he lit a small candle wick with a match.
"Whoohaa-"
The small flame flickered to life in the darkness, illuminating the corners of the room. The demon felt a warm and cozy air embrace his body. This little stone chamber wasn't his real home; it was just another small room assigned to each child upon entering the Cave of the Latent Demons. It was becoming familiar to him now.
Having lit the candle, the young demon returned to his original seated position and leaned slightly against the wall. The unique cold touch of the cave transmitted its temperature to his back, awakening his mind and body from their exhausted state.
"Whoo-huuu."
Tapping into his five senses, number 08 slowly closed his eyes and sank deep into his thoughts.
It's been about half a year.
The identity of No. 24 was, in fact, Diablo. Before coming to the Cave of the Latent Demon, Baal, who had taken a liking to Diablo's undying attitude, gifted him a technique that could unlock his potential as long as he continued to practice it.
But there was a strict requirement for practicing the technique: the person must be entirely exhausted in body and mind. Only then could they practice the technique. Additionally, the technique lost its effectiveness when a person crossed the age of 20, meaning Diablo had only nine years left to reap its benefits.
Most of the time, this technique was given to nobles among the demons, reflecting the strict hierarchy. However, as Lucifer, the King of Hell, took an interest in Diablo, he was no longer considered a low-class demon but a high-class one. Therefore, Baal decided to give the technique to Diablo.
Neither Baal nor Lucifer had noticed Diablo's determination and will for power. If they had, they would never have bestowed this technique upon him. Once Diablo received it, he practiced obsessively, exhausting his body day and night without pause. He only slept for one hour and even practiced during lunch and dinner.
The name of the technique was "The Abyss Soul Hell Body." By practicing this technique, a person's soul becomes as deep as an abyss and their body as strong as Hell. It's not an easy process by any means. According to Diablo's estimation, even if he practiced day and night without stopping, it would take at least ten years to accumulate the amount of talent compared to a supreme genius.
But he only had nine years before the technique lost it's efficiency. Diablo pushed away the depressing thought. Although slow, his body had steadily grown in earnest over the past half year, and tangible results were beginning to show.
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