Born from a heart of darkness

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As Ryo stood, his head bowed and his shoulders trembling, the three demons never expected what was about to happen. His white hair, which had suddenly replaced his usual brown, floated gently under the weight of a thick dark aura. The rage tore at his insides, but his features were distorted by the pain he had endured.

"How did he break the chains?"

"What happened to him?"

One of the demons rushed toward him, delivering a powerful blow to his chest, so strong that the sound of his bones breaking could be clearly heard. Ryo was sent flying into the air, crashing into the column he had been chained to earlier. The demon, with a greedy grin, spat on Ryo's body lying on the ground and then turned to his companion with an evil smile.

"It doesn't matter what he does or why he changed. Let's eat him before he breaks free."

But they didn't realize the shadows were thickening around Ryo. Slowly, almost eerily, he stood up. A dark aura enveloped him completely. His eyes glowed like two embers in a night devoid of light. His floating white hair gave him a demonic power, and his sharp teeth dripped with blood.

"Kill... kill... kill..." The words echoed coldly, distorted, as if Ryo was no longer himself.

He grabbed one of the demons by the neck with a force that made his bones crack. The terrified face of the demon began to turn red, his eyes swelling with pain. But Ryo, without mercy, tightened his grip until he completely broke his neck, then opened his mouth to bite off the demon's head savagely. He was like a beast awakened to devour everything.

Screams of terror erupted from the two remaining demons as they watched their friend get killed in a way so brutal it was unbelievable. But Ryo didn't stop. His bloodstained, crazed face showed he was no longer in control of himself. Fear filled the demons' faces as they tried to flee, but Ryo was faster.

He leaped onto them like a bloodthirsty predator, his nails transformed into claws. He grabbed one by the neck with such force that the bones were on the verge of breaking. The air was thick with fear; the long shadows cast by Ryo's dark aura filled the space with dread, and the savage sounds of breaking bones and the strange growls emanating from Ryo's mouth made the scene resemble hell.

The transformative moment was clear; Ryo was no longer human. He had become a monster, driven by power and revenge. Ryo stood in the middle of the abandoned warehouse, the corpses of the three demons scattered around him, having witnessed their worst nightmare.

Suddenly, Ryo burst into hysterical laughter. "Yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyahhahahahahaha!" It was a laugh full of darkness and malice. Suddenly, Ryo collapsed from exhaustion.

But what Ryo didn't know was that during his battle with the demons, he had absorbed their demonic energy, increasing his own demonic power. He also gained three abilities after devouring the demons: a claw enhanced with the power of darkness and rage, an element of fire strengthened by the same power, and heightened senses. He also collected their souls.

Suddenly, the warehouse door burst open, and a large amount of magic energy flooded the room. A group of people stood there. Upon closer inspection, it was Rias, her club members, and their friends, Sona and her devils. The overpowering scent of blood hit them, and everyone took a step back in horror. Their eyes widened in terror. The blood and the disfigured bodies were grotesque. At that moment, everyone felt an ominous, dark intent spread in all directions. They all looked toward the source and saw Ryo, unconscious, with a dark, malicious aura emanating from him. The shock on Rias's face, and that of her devils, especially Rias, was immense, knowing the piece of the pawn she used to reincarnate Ryo. Rias screamed his name, "Ryo!" and rushed toward him, followed by Akeno, Kiba, Koneko, and Issei, while Sona remained stunned. They all reached Ryo quickly, with Rias picking him up to check his breathing. But they were shocked by the amount of blood and the wounds covering his body. Rias cried out, "Ryo, wake up, are you okay?" She shook him, trying to wake him. Akeno was shocked, her hand covering her mouth, while Koneko, usually cold, seemed terrified and stepped back due to the strong scent of blood. Kiba felt anger rising within him as he looked around at the bodies. The anger swirled inside him, thinking that all of this was because of those stray demons, then he turned his gaze to Rias, believing that part of the responsibility fell on her for not protecting Ryo, despite being the weakest in the group. Issei, on the other hand, collapsed in fear, unable to bear the terrifying scene.

As Rias continued to try and wake Ryo, tears fell onto his face.

Rias: "Please, Ryo, wake up! This is all my fault... If I hadn't been so focused on healing Issei and searched for you when you disappeared, this wouldn't have happened to you!"

Sona stepped forward and examined Ryo's body, feeling a shock that widened her eyes, but she collected herself.

Sona: "Rias, now isn't the time to blame yourself. We need to take Ryo to the underworld for proper treatment."

Rias looked at Sona and then at Ryo.

Rias: "You're right. Once I make sure Ryo is okay, I'll punish everyone responsible for causing him this pain."

Suddenly, Kiba's voice cut through the conversation.

Kiba: "I don't think so, because they're all dead."

Everyone looked at Kiba before he continued.

Kiba: "And there's something they have in common. They were killed, and parts of them were eaten, and their bodies turned into old men."

Issei: "Who did this?"

Sona: "Ryo. It seems that when he was tortured, he used the power of the pawn piece, causing his hair color to change and his body to become larger and stronger."

She paused and looked at Rias and her club members.

Sona: "And that won't be the only change. The Ryo you know may no longer exist. Rias, you need to take responsibility for your actions."

Sona's voice was serious, and everyone's faces showed shock.

Three days had passed since Ryo was rescued and taken to a hospital in the underworld. During those three days, the Gremory clan was in chaos after learning what had happened to Ryo and Rias's neglect of her pawn, leading him to a near-death state.

Rias was punished by her family for this negligence, and while the punishment wasn't severe, it allowed the Gremory family council to exploit the incident to pressure Rias's brother, the devil king, into forcing her to return to the underworld and enter into an arranged marriage. However, her brother worked hard to extend her stay in the human world, giving her and her peerage members a chance to grow and escape the arranged marriage.

At the same time, a new issue arose regarding Ryo's transformation due to the pawn piece inside him. Therefore, the inventor of the chess pieces began investigating and studying this possibility, exploring ways to develop the abilities of reincarnated devils.

Meanwhile, Ryo was dreaming about being tortured, accepting the demoness, and fighting the three stray demons. Suddenly, he heard a voice behind him.

"Hah, do you feel any regret after killing them and eating them?"

Ryo looked at the demoness calmly.

"No, I didn't regret it for a second."

The demoness let out a wicked laugh. "Very good, well done. You should make everyone who hurt you know the meaning of pain."

Ryo spoke in a calm tone, "Alright, why haven't you disappeared after I accepted you?"

A sinister smile appeared on the demoness's face.

"That's because you haven't fully accepted me. It seems you're still holding on to a part of your humanity."

Ryo looked at her strangely.

"Well, after all, I was human, so it's hard to accept the darkness quickly."

Suddenly, the demoness burst into laughter.

"Hahaha, you'll accept the darkness eventually. You'll accept it sooner than you think when you learn the truth."

Ryo asked curiously, "What truth are you talking about?"

The demoness taunted him, "Do you want to know? Fine, I'll give you a clue: the death of your father."

Ryo responded suspiciously, "What do you mean? My father died in a car accident."

The demoness replied mockingly, "Who told you that?"

Ryo demanded, "Speak."

The demoness smiled wickedly, "And why should I? You're weak, do you think you're strong?"

Suddenly, an overwhelming pressure descended on Ryo, forcing him to the ground.

"Accept your darkness quickly, seek the truth... you are..." And with that, the demoness disappeared before she could finish her sentence.

Ryo was determined to uncover the truth she had spoken of, but then he woke up. Ryo opened his crimson eyes, which glowed like gems. He looked at the unfamiliar ceiling, decorated in a medieval style, then lifted his bandaged body.

Ryo scanned the luxurious room with his eyes, then looked at his body, covered in bandages like a mummy. He lifted the cover and stood up, despite his body screaming in pain.

He continued to stand and began to remove the bandages. Suddenly, the door opened, and Rias, Akeno, Kiba, Koneko, and Issei entered. Everyone was shocked to see Ryo awake, as the doctor had told them he would need a week to regain consciousness. They felt a mix of happiness and fear as they saw Ryo peeling off his bandages.

Ryo's red eyes were cold and lifeless. Before anyone could speak, Ryo finished removing his bandages, revealing his evolved body, now covered in sculpted muscles, but the deep wounds were still visible.