The Demon Seed (4)

Darkness. 

A void so deep and empty it felt like I was floating in nothingness. There was no ground beneath my feet, no air in my lungs—just an endless abyss stretching in all directions. 

I couldn't see. I couldn't hear. 

I was simply… *here.* 

*Where am I?* 

Then, a voice. 

"Hey." 

Casual. Laid-back. Almost amused. 

A throne emerged from the void before me. Blood-red, elegant, almost *alive* with how it pulsed faintly. 

And seated upon it— 

*Me.* 

But not quite. 

His hair was stark white, his sclera pitch-black, and his pupils glowed an eerie crimson. He sat relaxed, resting his chin on his hand as he observed me with a smirk, like he was looking at something amusing. 

"Kim Jiwon," he said, his voice smooth, knowing. "Took you long enough." 

My blood ran cold. 

That name. 

I hadn't heard it in *years.* Not since I reincarnated. Hell, even before that, back when I was a shut-in otaku, nobody had called me by my full name. 

But he had. 

My mouth felt dry. "What… how do you know that name?" 

The white-haired me tilted his head, amused. "Why wouldn't I? You *are* my creator, after all." 

I took a step back. "*What?*" 

He chuckled, leaning back against his throne. "Let's keep this simple. I am Beelzebub, Fifth General of the Demon King's Army. The Lord of Gluttony." 

Beelzebub. 

My mind raced. That name—*I* had written it. One of the Seven Deadly Sins. A remnant of the Demon King's power. One of the strongest Aspects in existence. 

I narrowed my eyes. "You're supposed to be dead." 

"Mm, not quite," Beelzebub mused. "You see, Julius—no, *Kim Jiwon*—I've been waiting for you for a *long* time." 

His gaze darkened, crimson eyes gleaming with something unreadable. 

"I know what you are." His voice dropped, almost reverent. "You are the god of this world, aren't you?" 

A pulse ran through the void. 

Something *shifted.* Like invisible tendrils crawling over my skin, pressing into my thoughts, *looking* through me. 

"You made this world," Beelzebub murmured. "You shaped it. Created its history. Its people. *Me.*" 

He smirked. "You are my creator." 

My stomach twisted. 

This wasn't good. 

"But even gods can die," he continued, standing from his throne. "My plan was simple—merge with you, take over your body, and be reborn through the perfect host. Your compatibility with my Aspect is *absolute.* But…" 

His expression twisted in irritation. 

"You have something no mortal should have." 

His red eyes bore into me. 

"An *Absolute Soul.*" 

I frowned. "*Absolute Soul?*" 

I had never written anything like that. 

Beelzebub scoffed. "Oh, don't act dumb. *You* didn't write it, but it exists. And it's the only reason you're still standing." 

I said nothing. 

"The *Absolute Soul* is something only a god should possess," he continued. "It makes you *untouchable.* If I try to consume you, I get rejected. If I try to erode your mind, I get pushed back. You're like an impenetrable fortress." 

A muscle in his jaw twitched. "It's *infuriating.*" 

I inhaled slowly, processing his words. 

Beelzebub had tried to take over. He had failed. And now, he wanted something else. 

Something he couldn't take by force. 

I clenched my fists. "*Then what do you want?*" 

Beelzebub smirked. "Originally? To kill you. But now…" He shrugged. "I'm *curious.*" 

*Curious?* 

"Let's make a deal," I said before I could stop myself. 

Beelzebub raised an eyebrow. "*A demon deal?*" 

Demon deals—contracts made with demons in exchange for power. Dangerous, binding, always with a cost. 

I shook my head. "*No.* A simple wager." 

Beelzebub leaned forward, intrigued. "Go on." 

"A game of chess." 

He blinked. Then, he laughed. "You think you can manipulate me with a *game?*" 

I smirked. "Scared?" 

His grin widened. "*Fine.* But if I win, you *will* make a proper demon deal with me." 

"And if I win," I countered, "you surrender your power. No contracts. No loopholes." 

Beelzebub considered this. Then, slowly, he grinned. "Very well, Creator. Let's play." 

---

The game was brutal. 

Beelzebub played like a demon—aggressive, ruthless, always pushing forward, forcing me to react. But I knew how he thought. 

Because he was *me.* 

Move by move, I dismantled his strategy, adapting, countering, until finally— 

"Checkmate." 

Beelzebub stared at the board, his smirk slowly fading. 

Then, he laughed. 

"Incredible," he murmured. "You really *are* my creator." 

He stood from his throne—then knelt. 

"You've won," he said simply, extending his hand. 

In his palm, something writhed—a black, gooey substance, shifting unnaturally. 

"*Malivore.* The Eater of All Things." 

Malivore. A power so dangerous, so all-consuming that even demons feared it. Pure, condensed *gluttony.* The embodiment of hunger itself. 

I reached out— 

And took it. 

---

Pain. 

A searing, burning sensation unlike anything I had ever felt. 

My mind flooded with messages. 

Malivore has consumed Skill: Appraisal.

Malivore has consumed Skill: Subspace.

Malivore has attempted to consume an unknown amount of morality.

Malivore has failed to consume morality completely.

Malivore is being pushed back by the Absolute Soul.

Malivore has failed to consume emotions.

Malivore has been restrained by the Absolute Soul.

The messages wouldn't stop. My body convulsed, my vision blurring— 

Then, the final one. 

Malivore has consumed knowledge on systems.

Malivore has created the Daimao System.

A crimson status window materialized before me. 

WELCOME, DAIMAO.

---

I gasped, my eyes snapping open. 

Pain tore through my body as I sucked in a breath, my chest rising and falling erratically. 

I was back. 

Back in the chamber. 

The wounds that had once marred my body were gone, completely healed. But something was *different.* 

I felt it. 

A weight deep inside me. 

A hunger. 

Slowly, I pushed myself upright, my vision still adjusting. 

Across the room, the battle raged on. 

Doyle—his body twisted, mutated into something monstrous—was roaring in frustration, his grotesque form thrashing as he fought the main cast. Alex's sword clashed against his claws, Sophia's magic shone brightly, Arthur's heavy strikes sent shockwaves through the chamber. 

And Chiyo—Chiyo was watching *me.* 

I exhaled slowly. 

Something inside me had changed. 

I took a step forward, my voice colder than before. 

"It's time to end this."