Twilight had fallen, the sky a grayish-blue, and faint stars were beginning to appear in the east. Yet, a sudden golden light pierced through the dimming horizon, overpowering the last rays of the sun as if turning the world back to daylight.

The void churned, rippling like boiling water. A visible crack appeared in midair, from which the golden light spilled, radiating a sacred and oppressive presence.

Carlo felt as if a heavy stone pressed down on his chest, making it hard to breathe. He gasped for air, feeling the weight bear down on him.

The crack grew wider, like a massive eye slowly opening, and from within, a blurry figure emerged. Behind the figure, four giant white wings unfurled.

“A four-winged Seraph…?” Carlo's heart raced with shock. A being equivalent to a demon lord, strong enough to crush him with a mere finger, had been summoned by the last two crazed fanatics of the Church?

“Who calls upon my name, Vretis?” A cold, booming voice echoed in Carlo's ears.

In the holy texts, Vretis represented power and virtue, a name used by lower-ranking angels. However, this mighty Seraph struggled to fully emerge from the void, and it seemed to take considerable effort.

"Return. Now, return!" Carlo's mind screamed in panic.

The system prompt appeared in his thoughts, asking, "Confirm return?"

"Yes!" Carlo confirmed instantly.

Just like when he first arrived, a mysterious force wrapped around Carlo’s body. The void parted like a zipper, and darkness swallowed him.

In the last fleeting moment before he disappeared, Carlo caught a glimpse of those scorching golden eyes, cold yet intense, burning his vision slightly.

Having narrowly escaped death once again, Carlo realized that the system's return feature was an excellent life-saving tool.

The Seraph’s furious attempts to speed up its descent were thwarted, as its power waned. The crack in the void had reached its limit and began to slowly close.

The will of the world was rejecting its descent.

“Why can’t I feel the power of the holy light…?” The Seraph's voice rang out, tinged with rage. “You insect of the abyss, I will remember your scent. Don’t let me find you again…”

The golden light faltered and was sucked back into the void, retreating in defeat. Finally, the Seraph's roar faded as the rift was smoothed out like ripples in water, erased by an invisible hand.

Yet, just before the last inch of the crack closed, a single golden seed shot out, disappearing into the sky in a flash of light.

The small plaza was left soaked in blood, littered with bodies. Sofia and her two companions were stunned, expecting to meet their end at the hands of a terrifying being even Carlo couldn’t face. Yet, nothing happened.

After a long silence, Sofia was the first to regain her composure.

"Our master is gone, the Church has fallen, and now… it's just us in this world."

Her eyes sparkled with wild joy and ambition. She turned to her two “sisters” and, with a mischievous smile, extended her blood-stained hand. "Now, we can play with this toy however we want."

Their sharp, shrill laughter echoed through the darkening sky, like the screeches of owls in the night.

Far away, in a remote corner of the continent, a young boy playing outside his home was struck on the forehead by a descending golden light, causing him to collapse.

His panicked family called for the village priest, but before they could reach him, the boy opened his eyes and stood up.

"I am born of divine grace and shall carry forth the will of the holy light, spreading kindness throughout the land…"

Everyone stared, dumbfounded at the unfamiliar child, unsure of what to say.

Carlo opened his eyes. Above him, the dark red sky stretched out endlessly, the familiar stench of sulfur and blood filling his nostrils. The sound of breaking demon eggs and the shrill cries of lesser demons merged with the air, creating a sense of homecoming.

Now returned to the abyss as a greater demon, Carlo could feel the pervasive presence of slaughter, destruction, chaos, and corruption that soaked the atmosphere.

This was the will of the abyss, constantly gnawing at the soul. The endless carnage and devouring among lesser demons were driven by this force.

Reflecting on the changes he had undergone, Carlo knew they were deeply connected to this ever-present will. When he had first arrived as a mere lesser demon, he hadn’t been aware of it. But now, he embraced the slow yet constant corruption. Without a true demon's heart, even with the system's help, survival would be impossible.

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Evil was the fuel for demons, and being within the abyss, Carlo’s power grew every moment, albeit at a painfully slow pace. Each gain was minuscule, but the abyss nourished him all the same.

Though months had passed in the Grimm world, only half a day had elapsed here in the abyss.

This time difference stemmed from the dimensional disparity between planes. The higher the plane, the slower the passage of time.

Of course, a day in the abyss was not a day in the traditional sense.

The abyssal sky was governed by seven blood moons, each representing the will of one of the seven demon lords. A day only ended when one blood moon descended or rose. Carlo remembered that only four moons had been in the sky when he left, and now, the fifth moon was halfway risen, with a considerable gap still separating it from the others.

His system interface showed that the "Descent" option was now grayed out, with a seven-day cooldown. A new option had appeared, "Grimm World." When the cooldown ended, Carlo could choose to return to the world he had previously descended to or select a new plane to explore.

A cracking sound interrupted his thoughts. At his feet, a demon egg split open, and a chubby little demon crawled out.

Driven by instinct, it turned toward the broken shell, about to devour it. But before it could bite down, its body was lifted into the air by an unseen force.

With a casual flick, Carlo snapped the young demon’s neck and popped the body into his mouth, tearing into the tender flesh. To his surprise, the taste was exquisite. He couldn't believe he had once thought of roasting them—such a waste.

In this world, nothing was more delicious than raw meat, especially the flesh of one’s own kind.

One demon after another fell victim to his hunger, each consumed like a casual snack. Once his appetite was sated, Carlo wiped his mouth and smiled darkly. There was still unfinished business. He hadn’t forgotten the creature that had chased him like a hunted animal. He would only be satisfied after tearing that damned bird demon apart.

Demons were, after all, the most vengeful of all beings.

Unfolding his leathery wings, Carlo soared over the Demon Sea, scanning for his prey.

From above, the vastness of the Demon Sea was even more awe-inspiring. Carlo could see the blood-red waves churning, white demon eggs tossed in the surf like maggot larvae—a revolting yet spectacular sight.

The Demon Sea stretched endlessly, and its coastline was no different. Carlo flew for what felt like an eternity, killing several higher-level lesser demons along the way, but there was no sign of the bird demon.

Something dawned on him: he hadn’t encountered any other greater demons either. Could it be that greater demons had already left the Demon Sea and ventured deeper into the abyss?

That didn’t seem right. He recalled that the bird demon had the strength of a greater demon during its hunt. It shouldn’t have left so quickly.

Deciding not to waste any more time searching, Carlo turned his focus elsewhere. The Demon Sea was situated below a towering cliff, and when lesser demons reached a certain level of growth, they instinctively began to climb.

Most lesser demons gained the ability to fly upon advancing to greater demons. Even without wings, they could scale the cliffside.

Flying past the cliff, Carlo was greeted by an even deeper, darker red landscape.

Beyond the cliff lay a deep valley, and farther beyond that, an expanse of volcanoes. Lava constantly erupted, darkening the air with the acrid smell of sulfur.

To describe it more vividly, the Demon Sea was like an enormous basin, and the cliff was its edge. The lesser demons were the creatures crawling out of this basin.

As Carlo flew toward the volcanoes, a familiar cry reached his ears—harsh and raspy.

A dark shape darted toward him. He quickly recognized its grotesque form.

A head covered in tumors, a gray beak, short yet powerful legs with sharp claws, and wings with sparse feathers revealing pinkish skin beneath.

It was none other than the bird demon Carlo had been hunting.

The creature seemed intent on returning to the Demon Sea to feast on demon eggs, flying swiftly and oblivious to Carlo.

A wicked smile spread across Carlo’s face. As the bird demon soared overhead, he surged upward, grabbing its thin neck in a powerful grip.

The bird demon screeched, its voice a mix of a crow’s caw and a duck’s quack. It thrashed wildly, its wings sending sharp wind blades slashing at Carlo.

But Carlo’s demonic body, strengthened by the Fruit of Sin, was at its peak. The wind blades left only shallow cuts on his skin, barely a threat.

The pain only fueled Carlo’s sadistic joy. He clamped his iron-like grip tighter around the bird demon’s neck and, with his free hand, tore off one of its wings

"Ah!" The monstrous bird demon let out a piercing scream. As a great demon, it could articulate the language of its kind, but Carlo showed no mercy, denying it even a moment to plead for its life.

One of its wings was ruthlessly torn away by Carlo, and dark red blood rained down from above. The monstrous bird demon thrashed wildly, its sharp claws leaving deep, agonizing scratches on Carlo’s skin.

Wincing in pain only fueled Carlo’s ferocity. He tossed aside the severed wing and, with two sickening cracks, broke the demon’s legs.

Next, he turned his attention to the other wing.

With all its limbs incapacitated, the monstrous bird demon had no strength left to resist; its bloody body lay there, resembling a slaughtered chicken.

Despite its grievous state, the demon's formidable vitality meant it still clung to life. Carlo hoisted it up entirely, a triumphant smile spreading across his face.

"You wanted to feast on me once; now the tables have turned."

With that, Carlo opened his mouth wide and sank his teeth into the demon’s neck, tearing away large chunks of flesh and swallowing them greedily.

His intent was not only to torment it but also to ensure it witnessed its own consumption.

Moments later, Carlo wiped his lips clean and casually tossed the demon’s lifeless body aside.

Poor thing; aside from its intact head, only a skeletal frame remained below the neck.

With his arsenal of powers, Carlo could have easily dispatched the monstrous bird demon, yet he chose the most brutal and savage method purely to vent his pent-up fury.

The flesh of the great demon healed Carlo’s wounds in an instant, and, more significantly, it provided him with nearly two thousand experience points and ten thousand evil points.

Slaying the monstrous bird demon yielded one thousand experience points, while devouring its flesh granted him additional gains.

Indeed, the quickest way for a demon to grow is through the consumption of its own kind.

On the ground lay the wings he had carelessly torn off earlier. Carlo glanced at them indifferently, but suddenly froze, fixating his gaze on the wings.

He noticed that the surface of the two meat wings was riddled with countless tiny bite marks, as if they had been gnawed by countless insects.

The monstrous bird demon had sparse feathers and looked utterly pitiful; could that be the reason for its sorry state?