The Demon Seed (5)

Doyle was barely human anymore. 

His flesh was grotesquely twisted, pulsating with black veins that throbbed with unstable demonic energy. His once-gaunt face was now elongated, his jaw stretched unnaturally wide, lined with jagged, uneven teeth. His arms had morphed into something monstrous—longer, thicker, clawed. His skin, if it could still be called that, was cracked like old stone, leaking a thick, tar-like substance with every movement. 

He stood at the center of the chamber, his deformed body towering over the battlefield, surrounded by the last of his mutated demonic humans. 

Sophia, Amethyst, Alex, and Arthur faced him, their weapons drawn, bodies tense. Their exhaustion was visible—the wounds, the ragged breaths, the way their stances had faltered slightly. But they refused to back down. 

Doyle's grotesque mouth twisted into something resembling a grin. 

"Still resisting?" His voice was warped, distorted, layered with something inhuman. "Admirable. Pointless, but admirable." 

And then, he lunged. 

---

His claws tore through the air, barely missing Sophia as she twisted away, retaliating with a blast of radiant light. The magic slammed into Doyle's chest, searing through his corrupted flesh. 

He barely flinched. 

Alex was next, his longsword flashing in an arc as he aimed for Doyle's head. But the monster was fast—too fast. His elongated arm whipped forward, catching Alex's blade mid-swing and shattering it like glass. 

Arthur roared, swinging his greatsword with all his might. The impact sent a shockwave through the chamber, forcing Doyle back—but not for long. The monster's claws lashed out, carving deep into Arthur's side, sending him sprawling. 

Amethyst moved in next, her twin daggers glowing with mana, cutting precise, deadly lines across Doyle's body. Unlike the others, her attacks were fast enough to avoid his counters. She weaved through his strikes, slicing into his flesh— 

But Doyle simply laughed. 

"You think your blades can cut *me*?" His voice dripped with mockery. "I am beyond human limitations. You are children playing at war." 

The demonic humans around him attacked in tandem, forcing the group back. 

Doyle straightened, his grotesque body pulsating with dark energy. 

"You will all die here," he promised. 

---

And then, I moved. 

Slowly, I pushed myself up from the ground. My body… was completely healed. 

I rolled my shoulders experimentally, feeling the unnatural smoothness of my restored flesh. No broken bones. No open wounds. As if I had never been injured in the first place. 

*Doyle must have forced the mutation after losing the Demon Seed,* I thought absently. *That would explain the instability.* 

A screen flickered in my vision. 

[Appraisal Activated]

[Target: Doyle (Demonic Human - Unstable)]

- Strength: C 

- Agility: C- 

- Endurance: B- 

- Intelligence: D 

- Demonic Energy Level: Critical (Mutation Incomplete) 

I skimmed through the rest of the details. 

The mutation had boosted Doyle's power considerably, but it came at a cost—his body wasn't stable. He was strong *now,* but he wouldn't last. The corruption was eating him from the inside out. 

I exhaled slowly. 

Something felt... different. 

I pressed a hand against my chest, but there was no heartbeat. No warmth. 

*Something's missing.* 

It wasn't pain. It wasn't exhaustion. It was deeper than that. Like something fundamental had been *ripped out of me.* 

My fingers twitched. 

*Ah.* 

I reached into my *Inventory*—or rather, the new system storage that had replaced *Subspace.* 

Something smooth and round fell into my palm. A black orb. 

I crushed it without hesitation. 

Immediately, a thick purple smoke erupted from my hand, spreading through the chamber in an instant. 

I heard coughs, followed by bodies collapsing. 

*The Miasma Bomb.* 

A tool designed to incapacitate any human below a two-star mana core unless they had protective gear or holy magic. 

I watched impassively as Sophia, Alex, Arthur, and Amethyst slumped to the ground, unconscious. 

The demonic humans, unaffected by the miasma, turned toward me. 

Doyle's eyes—if they could still be called that—locked onto mine. 

"You…" he snarled. 

I took a step forward. 

"This is going to hurt," I said conversationally. "A lot. But it's worth it." 

A black vortex formed in my palm, growing steadily in size. 

Doyle's gaze flickered with uncertainty. 

I tilted my head, watching as the vortex expanded, the air around it warping from the sheer gravitational pull. 

Then, I smiled. 

"You're not a god."

The vortex grew. 

"You'll never be."

The gravitational force intensified, causing the ground beneath me to crack. 

"You're just a bunch of letters I wrote."

Doyle took a step back. 

"There is only one god in this world."

The vortex reached the size of a basketball, spinning violently in my grasp, devouring everything in its proximity. 

"And it's not Solaris."

I lifted my hand. 

"It's me."

And I let go. 

---

The chamber *collapsed* in on itself. 

The black hole devoured everything in its path. 

Doyle screamed, his mutated body contorting, stretching, *ripping* apart as he was dragged into the void. 

The other demonic humans didn't even have time to react. Their bodies were torn to shreds instantly, their very existence erased from reality. 

Walls cracked, stone crumbled, and the air itself *howled* in protest as the vortex expanded. 

And then— 

Silence. 

The black hole vanished, leaving nothing but a deep, empty crater where Doyle once stood. 

---

Pain. 

A white-hot agony surged through my veins, tearing me apart from the inside. 

I coughed, a thick stream of blood pouring from my mouth. My skin cracked, burning from the aftereffects of the technique. 

*That wasn't even the real thing.* 

The *All Eater*—Malivore's ultimate technique. A true black hole, capable of consuming everything in existence. 

But what I had used just now? 

A weak, unstable imitation. 

And even *that* had nearly killed me. 

I staggered forward, barely able to stand, my body screaming in protest. Every nerve felt like it was on fire, every movement like I was dragging myself through molten glass. 

I walked through the pain. 

I had one last thing to do. 

Slowly, I made my way to the spot where I had first collapsed. 

I laid down in the exact position. 

Then, without hesitation, I grabbed my own arm— 

And snapped the bone. 

A fresh wave of pain shot through me, but I barely reacted. 

I closed my eyes. 

And let the darkness take me. 

---

[SYSTEM MESSAGE]

Congratulations. First Quest Completed.

Reward: ???