An Evil Justice
Chapter 16 – King’s Sin (pt. 2)
A/ N – Woo, a hundred followers! I never expected that this story had the potential of garnering enough attention to make it to this point. Thanks for reading, even though most of you guys don’t even comment *grumble grumble* (except Balbonses, literally every freakin’ chapter…) Nevertheless, thanks, y’all, till the next milestone!
--* Valley of Alexander, Underworld *--
Beyond the chaotic horizon, thousands upon thousands of demonic beasts roared with ferocious might, their eyes gleaming with unrestraint frenzy. From gigantic elephants to rampaging tigers, the two tribes of monsters battled amongst each other, toppling hundreds of bodies every second. Blood, torn flesh and ripped limbs constantly rained down upon the dark infertile soil of the valley, dying it deadly red.
This was the true essence of the Underworld, unrestraint violence! Be they souls, demons, unearthly creatures, simple beasts, all of them must face the constant dangers of death with every step, every second they spend idle. In such a horrid world, corpses dot every corner of the tainted lands. The weak will die and the strong will feast, a never-ending loop of life and death.
“So this is the Underworld…” Grim’s crimson eyes glowed in anticipation. His muscles itched to explode and fly forward; the sliver of restraint holding him back waned as the smell of blood filled the howling winds. Beside him, the two Sinners of Gluttony, Eve and Beelzebub looked at the collection of rampaging beasts with ravenous expressions. Like predators, the three of them felt their sense of self-control wither as time passed by.
Yet, before their minds gave into their immense thirst for blood, a herd of elephants broke from the deadly war and charged towards them. With every step, the ground shook and shattered causing crushed rocks and dust to fly into the air. Lightning and gale constantly fell from the sky, plummeting towards the vast earth. It was as if the Apocalypse had descended upon the valley: a company of terrifying monsters, great blasts of wild wind, the thunderous roar of lightning and the shower of lethal hail, simply chaos.
As Grim’s mind reeled with excitement, a dark cloak manifested over his body and his hair turned infinitely darker. Tendrils of shadows slithered their way around his body like impending taint seeking to corrupt the innocent of the world. Black flames erupted like a blaze from the Reaper’s grotesque scars, burning with the dead of cold. Two intricate daggers materialize in Grim’s hands; every inch they moved seemed to cut the air like butter.
Completely ignoring caution, the Emissary of Wrath flung himself into the stampede of demonic elephants, disappearing with a flash of darkness. Red filled his vision as he looked at the beasts as if they were prey for him to slaughter and consume. As he neared, the towering behemoths seemed to block the horizon, their grayish and leathery skin rippling with every step they took. Their warmongering tusks sprayed with blood and spittle shine in glory and deadly beauty.
Behind Grim were Eve and Beelzebub, whose faces contained gluttonous smiles, capable of shaking the souls of anyone daring enough to look at them. In the green-haired prince’s pale and scrawny hands was a dull black lance, its whole body was morphed horrifically like the jagged teeth of a massive beast. Eve, on the other hand, held a weapon worthy of fear, a thorn whip. Deadly spines jutted out from the whip’s dark body. They seemed to move with sentience, searching for flesh to maim and torture.
As the two forces of death clashed together, blood sprayed into the air and the elephants roared with anger, ferocity and agony. Their massive feet tumbled down onto the world, smashing the ground and poured numerous rocks and boulders into the air. Grim’s arms constantly swung, deflecting and slicing the hail of stones and hacking into the demonic elephants’ flesh. Calculations, techniques and methods filled his mind, barely preserving his life while dealing tremendous damage onto the beasts.
The Reaper’s daggers sliced into tendons and arteries without remorse, shedding more and more blood onto the soulless ground. His body danced among the memory of elephants, carefully avoiding the earth crushing feet and wild trunks. Sweat and blood covered his body, the smile on his face wild with joy and ecstasy. Being bestowed the Sin of Wrath, Grim’s mindset changed constantly.
Humanity’s primal emotion was not sadness, joy or surprise. It was the horrifying grasps of fear! Should they be reckless and arrogant, people will die to foolishness. Should they be simple and joyful, people will stagnate and laze around. Fear is the fuel to advancement, to the future and to living. That simple emotion has the capabilities of judging one's fate, to live or to die. Yet, it becomes the opposite in the Underworld. Even the slightest hint of hesitation, of trepidation, will result in your death.
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The blessing of Wrath completely replaces this self-preserving fear instilled deep into the souls of humans. Beasts and demons do not possess this petty emotion, only the sinful desires to grow stronger and destroy anything that stands in their path. Grim was akin to a beast after being transformed into an Emissary of Wrath. His conscience only held minimal control on his body when the flames of passion ignited in his chest. Death to others or death to himself, these are the only options dictated by the sin of Wrath.
There was simply no room for fear, only the everlasting presence of blood and blade. With another swing, crimson bathed Grim’s body, his eyes growing with the red covering him. Chunks of flesh and precious life ebbed throughout the lands as the war of demonic beasts and Sinners dominated the top of the Valley of Alexander. Even without entering the deadly zone, the scythes of Death are present throughout.
The beasts raged as the Reaper tortured them with his spiteful daggers, yet they could do nothing but stomp and wave their trunks and tusks in anger. Towering at over five meters, the monsters held tremendous power, but what use is it when they are incapable of even touching their enemy? The Reaper was an assassin in his past life, a deadly being specialized in speed, in lethality. To even touch him was a feat worthy of applaud.
While the group of elephants danced with Grim’s flashing figure, the demonic tigers noticed the commotion caused by the roars of the elephants. Seeing their opportunity, a pack of demonic beasts split from the main battlefield and made their way towards the party. While they were much smaller than the behemoths, the tigers, hunters of the wild, possessed incredible amounts of deadly weaponry. With a gigantic leap, they sprang at the elephants and chomped down onto their gray flesh, feasting on the fallen giants.
Others tested their might, slashing and mauling their opponents head on. Tusks were broken into snowy pieces and red dyed the tigers’ fur, it was a complete massacre. However, while many elephants fell to their new opponent, it did not stay one-sided forever. Unlike Grim’s skillful movement and lithe, yet muscular frame, the tigers had powerful, but also large bodies. While they were flexible and capable of extensive maneuvering, disaster struck the hunters as multiple elephants surrounded them and pounded their bodies into bloody paste.
Grim’s daggers flew and slashed, blocking any incoming attacks and sending his own. Elephants or tigers, it did not matter to him, he was simply the Reaper of souls, collecting the debts of the living. It was evident that his body was growing faster and stronger with every kill he commits. Unlike the weak souls of mortals, demons forged by the harsh flames of violence by the Underworld temper themselves and strengthen their entire being.
This was another feature that the Sins bestow upon any Emissaries, the ability to absorb the souls of their victims. Illusions, creating materials, strengthening the body, obtaining servants, only sinful souls reaped can fuel them. The Emissaries of Sin, the Princes and even rogue demons, whomever the Sins favor harvest the benefits of the negativity of life itself, but only the officials of the Soul Citadel have the abilities to forcibly summon it.
To immoral demons, it was a gamble. Should they commit enough Sins, danger rises from every corner of the Underworld, as Guardians strive to destroy them. No matter the danger, the power of the Sins was still quite enticing. Gaining strength through despicable, yet pleasurable actions? Who could resist it?
A distant roar shook the earth as another elephant fell to the ground; its body seemed withered and devoid of any liquid, where its flesh contained hundreds of holes. Beside it stood the beautiful figure of Eve, whose empty eyes glowed slightly with a tinge of hunger. In her hand was a bloody whip, the needles on it wiggling like possessed objects. They seemed to glow redder and redder as the moment passed, before finally returning to their ordinary silver color.
Seeing the elephant’s unfortunate death, the other demonic beasts backed away from her in fear, but before they could retreat any further, a black lance cleaved through them. What most would expect was another shower of blood in the already red battlefield, but instead the elephants’ bodies simply… disappeared. It was as if the spear gulped their entire being, not living behind any trace of flesh or blood.
“Thanks for the meal,” Beelzebub’s eyes watched calmly at the fearful elephants and tigers. Sticking his red tongue out, he licked the abyssal lance he wielded, “Bring more prey, I'm still hungry.”