Lust Devil's Rise

"Awuuuuuuuuu!"

Luka smiled at the reverberating wolf’s cry that echoed from behind him. He appreciated Reina’s anxious howl and quickly squeezed his nose to brace himself before dropping into the murky, multicoloured water.

However, Luka realised his mistake the moment he hit the water.

Oblivion dissipated.

Gone from his arms as it vanished.

Then it burned.

The sizzling bubbles ate into his flesh like rabid beasts; the clothes on his back melted into globs of discoloured goop, and a sour stench wafted.

He struggled, splashing and enduring the sudden agony, desperate to overcome the short distance and kill the Necromancer.

’This isn’t water....!?’

His head sank under the surface.

He felt a throbbing, attractive force in his chest, the same sensation that appeared the moment he felt the Miasma from the seed.

Desperate to discover the source, he plunged into the agonising depths.

[Warning! Extreme Concentration of Miasma Detected!]

’I know!’

Luka’s chest heaved, struggling to hold his breath and stifle the gasps from the agony in his throat. With each stroke to dive, more burns tore through his flesh, destroying his unblemished fair skin completely.

’This cannot keep going!’

He wasn’t foolish. Luka dove in, knowing something might happen, just not to this level. That’s when the image of the Naked Luvia flashed through his mind.

Sat silently, ignoring all pain, damage or sound.

’There’s only this chance...!’

If he could become stronger, that’d be enough—this pain would be worth it.

Luka widened his eyes, bearing the scalding burns from the mass of Miasma. He no longer rejected or forced himself to maintain his angelic composure; he accepted his sinful emotions and corruption.

He began to recite the words that appeared in his mind.

’I am invincible.’

’There is nothing in this world that can stop my indomitable will.

’I will obliterate all who stand before me, even divinity.’

’I am the bringer of Oblivion!’

Almost instantly, Luka’s chest tightened.

[Corruption has increased by 2]

[Corruption has increased by 5]

[Corruption has increased by 4]

[Corruption has increased by 6]

[Corruption has increased by 8]

He clenched all his muscles, from his calves to his cheeks, forcing his dark magenta Miasma to dissipate and seep deeply into his muscles, bones, and organs, allowing the Miasma outside his body to flow into his pores.

His head snapped back.

His eyes, ears and nose bled.

The sudden influx of dense Miasma overwhelmed his mind.

Soon, his corruption surpassed the first and most dangerous limit for mortal beings.

[Corruption has surpassed 100]

[Initialising Mutation - Stage One: Metamorphosis]

At this moment, a black orb embedded in the river base beneath him twinkled.

The pearl rocked from side to side as Luka remained motionless, his nose sending bubbles to the surface as he slowed his breathing to the limit.

He felt his heart beating slower, and slower.

Ba-Dump...

Ba—Dump...

Ba——Dump...

The small pearl shook free of the debris. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Then shot towards Luka as if trapped in a vacuum.

Unaware, Luka entered a peaceful state where the painful burning and tearing of his flesh all became distant and reached a meditative state.

The moment the pearl came within a few meters of his body, the panels around him all flashed bright red with multiple errors and warnings.

[Warning!]

[System Urges Host to Leave Area Immediately!]

Luka remained motionless as the black pearl cracked, shattering into countless pieces and forming a dense black mist which streamed into the bloody wounds covering his chest.

"Ngh?!"

Bubbles drifted from Luka’s mouth as the murky black flooded his heart.

[Error Foreign Energy Detected!]

[Devil’s Seed Bound To Administrator!]

His body violently convulsed as the other streams of Miasma burst away from his body, momentarily stopping their assault on his flesh.

However, that only lasted until the black mist completely vanished.

[Fatal System Error Detected]

’I feel full of unbridled energy.’

The wounds on Luka’s flesh began to heal rapidly, the flesh visibly knitting together with a faint bronze hue. Unlike before, when the swirl of Miasma rushed towards him, it failed to affect his skin and instead flowed into his nostrils, ears and mouth.

’Everything he created to become mine. I am the true lord of this world.’

[System Restraints Sabotaged]

[Host has merged with Devil Cells!]

’I am the Lord of all Sins.’

[Contacting Creator—Failed!]

Once again, the error screens flashed in a bolder, more aggressive manner, even issuing a few direct threats to the half-conscious Luka.

Meanwhile, Luka’s voice resonated within his mind, over and over.

That’s when the system turned black, with a few blood-red words glowing in the darkness.

[Connection to the Destiny System Cut!]

[Rebooting System: ...1%]

Floating in the murky lake, Luka quietly enjoyed the silence as his muscles and skin adjusted, evolved and mutated.

[Time remaining until complete Reboot: 23:59:59]

[Lord of Sin System - Activated]

[Owner: Lucifer de Babylonia]

[Current Empty Slots: 5/10]

[Current Active Savants: Luvia, Galatea, Gerard, Vaun, Reina]

[Dormant Savants: Brea, Iris, Furia]

His hair, fingernails, and other parts of his body grew longer.

Before, he might have barely been taller than Galatea and a little shorter than Brea.

Now he was a head taller than Galatea and inches taller than Brea.

His bones cracked, adjusted, and reformed, with broader shoulders, a more sculpted V-shaped figure, more visible abs, and well-defined back muscles.

Then his flesh began to writhe, and a black, serpentine tattoo appeared, with shimmering scales that flowed from his lower back to his right shoulder, its maw wide open as if swallowing his entire arm.

It almost felt like the dark magenta eyes of the serpent were watching the world from behind Luka.

’W-What happened?!’

Luka suddenly felt his consciousness returning; the biting pain had faded, and he felt much better. He swam to the surface of the river, feeling that the texture and murkiness had depleted significantly compared to what he remembered.

"Phew... did I become stronger somehow?"

[Error - System Still Inactive due to Reboot]

[Remaining Time: 23:52:20]

"What the hell..."

However, below this, a glossy magenta panel opened showing a more in-depth and updated list of his attributes, along with a physical image of his current self.

’I-Is this me?’

He could barely believe that the man with bronzed skin, a perfect muscular structure and shape, with only a little more work needed, was his.

Despite using his entire reserve of sin energy from before his death, he barely managed to align the bones and muscles.

It was a world of difference: height, shape, weight, posture, and even the length of his arms, which made them ideal for wielding a longer two-handed sword.

"Forget it, I have to hunt that Necromancer."

"Wuuu Wuuu! Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!"

He could hear Reina’s pained howls, which stirred his heart. But the grimace vanished in seconds, leaving a dull emptiness. As if a blanket covered his heart, keeping him calm even in this moment of absolute danger.

On the riverbank, he saw the eerie dark elf once again, his cold, blue skin almost seeming like ice under the faint light reflecting from the seed.

Luvia remained sitting silently in the middle of bone wolves, oblivious as sweat tantalisingly poured down her smooth skin.

’How can I see so clearly?!’

His vision zoomed in when he focused on different objects, and when he poured Miasma into them, people moved as if in slow motion.

"Good, this is something I can use!"

He quickly swam towards the riverbank and dragged himself out.

Standing without an ounce of clothing, he held his left hand towards the Necromancer, feeling a little off balance due to the length difference.

"Come, Oblivion!"

Then called out his weapon.