Over the next few days, that chamber beyond the Gates of Hell became busy. It was large enough to build a temporary outpost where the demons of hell brought treasures the kinds of which the world of man never saw. Strange metals and strange jewels, specialties of the hellish, magical ores. But Halas was not interested in their versions of enchanted metal; It only wanted specific elements.
The Taurs had received permission to move into this outpost, and they began constructing their own quarter. Krimor was the Chief Lieutenant. It was a new rank and a new title. All the Taurs considered Krimor to be their leader, but everyone also knew that Krimor followed Halas's orders. Whether this was something he wanted, or that he was forced to do... no one wanted to ask that question out loud, or otherwise.
The demons, including Aisella who was the coordinator for the tribute shipments - as well as the contractor for the outpost constructions - then witnessed something that challenged the very foundations of their beliefs.
It was always believed that the demons and the less damned races of Creation were separate creatures. A common ancestor was possible, but unlikely. This common ancestor theory was considered wrong because they all believed in their Divine Right to exist. They believed that the Gods of Creation, and that the Gods of Hell, created them separately.
Neither of the two knew that Taur, believed to be a creation of the Gods of Creation, had an ancestor that was a creature of hell. Unlike the orcs, who were created by sorcerers, the Taur came to Creation, and were changed by that environment into what they were today. But as they returned to the roots - the origin of their ancestor - they began changing.
They became taller, wider, their bull-like heads enlarged and their horns became more curved and sinister. They became Hellwalkers, creatures of myth that even the races of the demonkin feared. To the demons, this appearance was revolting, and those burning, red eyes were imprinted in their DNA with the command to fear. Blue fire burned in between the Hellwalker horns, and a few of the Taur underwent even more sinister changes.
Krimor in particular became a Hell Harbinger, and instead of fire, lightning danced between his outwardly curving horns. In the times of old, a creature like Krimor would rule an entire Court of Demons. And no one knew before then why or how the race of Hellwalkers disappeared.
This was shocking news, because if Taur could return to Hell and return to their roots - changed by the environment - then did that mean that Humans and Demons were related after all, and if so, which one was the original? Did Humans come from Demons, or did Demons come from Humans? In truth, no one knew the answer to that question because there was no record of those times - only myth.
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In the middle of the outpost, there was a ditch. Demons threw metal and ore into this ditch, at first by hand, but by the third day they had constructed mechanisms of pulleys and carts to deliver what they considered mostly useless junk. The more precious metals went to the Hellwalker and Demon smith to construct objects of power. The outpost was slowly becoming a town where Hellwalkers traded their Creation-wrought metal and gem for the Demonkins' Hell-wrought treasure.
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Deep in this ditch was Halas, and it was undergoing changes.
[Logistics: Extracting material.]
[Construction: Expanding primary modules of section I7 - J12.]
Your maximum mana has been increased by 1800.
As Halas converted the material in its sub-dimensional storage, and the one it was buried under, its mana continued increasing. It understood that it could store materials in a pocket space, and so long as that material remained there, its maximum mana would be reduced. That made sense to the creature, and ironically, had its Education Module still been online, it would've never considered this possible.
The downside was that Halas was now evolving in an unknown direction. If it possessed something like instinct then that was all that guided its evolution.
[Connecting primary motor to ambulation system.]
[Chassis expanded.]
[Structural density rapidly decreasing.]
[New system detected.]
[Connecting live power to new system.]
[Dataframe captured: GN-744-ZX.]
[Decryption: Linear Accelerator All Systems Green.]
[Running internal test #7.]
[Power output: Optimal.]
[Routing mechanism: Optimal.]
[Desire to slay all living creatures: Immeasurable.]
[All hail the King of the Abyss.]
[Voltage spike in neural network detected: Clamping to nearest safe value.]
> The Kingdom of Heaven is likened to a good man who sowed good seed in his field.
While he slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat.
[Source of voltage spike not found.]
[Firing main reactor.]
[Fuel pellet: In position.]
[Laser compressor: Suboptimal power output.]
[Routing additional power through axial plates.]
[Laser compressor: Firing.]
[Temperature: Rising. Measurement beyond calibrated scale.]
[Connecting main power leads.]
[Success.]
[Power output: 4 Giga-Watts and rising.]
[Reactor: Stable.]
Below all the dirt and metal, the creature they knew as Halas was changing. It was expanding. Growing, like a living creature. All the materials it had accumulated was being spread over its skin, constructed at the atomic level. Every electron and proton - every nuclei - it had stored for this moment. Evolution. Where there was a still heart before, now there was a burning sun. The time it had borrowed from the world was just that - borrowed. Now, the creature was eternal, so long as there was material around it that it could use for fusion. But even that would change one day, when it became a perfect organism.
Even now, the world would tremble at the feet of Halas. But one day, it would become even more; something with an infinite lifespan and a will that was indomitable. Was that not a God?
[Evolution Complete.]
[Unit is now Hunter-Killer stage of Devourer Class machine.]
Physique Improved: Oppressor of the Abyss
Spirit improved: Devourer of Fables
Congratulations. You are a Class-Q Calamity
At that moment, the black sun shining over the Realms of Hell became blood red and wreathed in a corona of jagged, white light. The halo-shrouded sun looked down upon the creatures of hell, and not even the blind could escape its immense oppression.