*Agreed

Lancelot easily answered to the madness of a deal. Concenting for the devil to eat your soul is the same as losing whatever divinity one has. It was the same as being forsaken by the god and now will his soul be ripped apart with no hope of salvation.

For a moment, the scenery aside from darkness changed and now he was in the fiery hell standing directly to a giant sitting to a throne. The giant was having a pleased expression and a crown with jewels as dark as the night was embeded is placed proudly on the giant's head.

-I am the traitor. I am the one that brought wars and sickness to the world. I am in everyone's heart. Bow down to me!

The giant roared but now Lancelot doesn't feel any pain. He felt perfectly fine and lively as a child.

*I refuse! I shall never bow down to anyone again! Now either grant me what I want and be done with it or leave me alone.

The giant laughed and made the whole place shook with a mere laughter.

-Interesting! Muhahahahahahaha. It has been so long since I met someone like you but all of them is with in my belly now.

*Can you grant me what I desire?

Lancelot didn't feel intimidated by the giant in front of him that was oozing with might but he remained focused on what he wants. A power greater than divinity that which was capable of slaying a demon lord. Something beyond a mortal could reach. That is what he needed to fulfill his vendetta.

-What you seek is more than what you can handle feeble mortal. Do you think I will give it to you just like that? A soul? For a mere soul? A single soul for a power that could devour hundreds and thousands of soul? I don't think so.

*What would it take for you to grant it to me then?

-Let us see....

The giant was stroking his beard while having a difficult expression. Then suddenly his gace brightened and smiled deviously.

-I know.... Give me more souls... That is the only way.

Lancelot was puzzled since he only have a single soul. What more can he do? He frowned and tried to come up how to get those what the devil is asking him.

*Every soul I take, shall be tainted and marked so you can eat them. Every single one of them shall burn and suffer with your side.

The devil stood up and had a serious expression. The truth is he did not expect for this development at all. He was just tempting the man in front of him to offer another soul to him. Since he knows that offering a soul to him shall be faced with heavy consequence. The god would act and shall guide the followers to eliminate any agent the devil has in the world. It was the same how Lancelot was able to slay the demon lord with his divinity. Every soul has a certain divinity and purpose. Once his purpose is done, the same divinity will disappear no matter how vast or little it is. Just like how Lancelot is fated to slay a demon lord and lose his divinity and was left with so little just enough to live and protect Michaela.

-You do know what you are asking right?

Lancelot just nodded fearlessly at him. The devil saw what is inside the man in front of him. Deep, so very deep hatred that is clouding his judgement but that is what the devil waits for. When someone is blinded by greed or any misfortune that falls on them then it is time for him to tempt them but for the first time he is unsure. The man in front of him was no one he ever hope for. Despite that, a devil is a devil and he would not let this chance to have more souls to eat to pass by.

-Very well. I shall give you the power to stop time at your will. Time to yourself, to someone, something, anything is possible but the time you stopped will the taken from your own time. For simplicity, the longer you use this power the faster you will die and the sooner I can eat your soul.

Then something small in a circular shape flew from the hand of the devil towards the eye of Lancelot in a blinding speed. For a moment Lancelot thought of trickery but he only felt pain for a brief moment. Though it is brief it was an instant and compressed pain like his eye is being gouged out. Lancelot fell on his knees and groaned in pain. Once he felt better he stood up again and saw "??????" On top of the giant's head.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

-That is a power I held very cautiously for it will affect the mortal real vastly but eith your feeble time as a mortal I guess it is fine to mess with the things once in a while.

The giant nodded to himself satisfied. Lancelot on the other hand was confused about what the giant is talking about. He understood the part that he need to exhaust his own time to affect the time of the world but he doesn't know what does a timer or sort is on top of his head. There were numbers like "73:21:43" and the last part is going down every second.

-That is your time. The time left in you and every time you use your power it will go down depending on the scale of effect. How does it feel seeing your own life goes down? Hahahahahahaha

The giant laughed and once again the place shook then he sat down back on his throne. He was smiling towards Lancelot not in a good way of course. It was a smile of a child waiting for his dessert.

*So that is my time..... That was enough I guess..

Lancelot said and silence fell on him. He was thinking... now what?

-Here I will lend you this. It is called The Reaping. Use this to take a soul and it should taint it enough for me to consume it.

A sword with a disgusting vibe appeared from nothingness. One can summon a weapon ussing divinity but the devil doesn't have one so it made him wonder how he could do that.

-Fuse this sword with your holy sword and it should do the trick for tje tastiest treats. A devil enjoys a half innocent pure soul too. Hahaha

The sword flew slowly this time and found its way into his left hand. Then when he looked up again, the scenery is falling apart and everything is returning into darkness.

-Our time is over. I shall sleep until you deliver your first soul into me. I look forward to it.

Then the giant laughed some more until everything fell into darkness once again. Now Lancelot can feel the fatigue and the pains all over his body that made him open his eyes.

The first thing he noticed is he is facing the ground. He can feel the metalic taste of his own blood and he felt very weak. He felt something heavy on his left hand and saw the same blade earlier. Now he knows he has not gone insane.

Lancelot stood up and looked around.

*Michaela!

Lancelot remembered and ran towards the direction he last remember. The spot where Michaela is mercilessly murdered. He saw the fresh blood stains and once again anger surged with in himself. A surge of raw fury was coursing down his viens.

*The took Michaela's body.... How could they? How.... dare.......

His tone turned into a menacing one and materialize his holy sword with the last bit of his divinity. Now he only has a few minutes before it permanently disappeared but he did not care.

Fuse it with your holy sword.

He remembered the devil's command. He brought the  two swords closer and suddenly he can feel the aura around him change. The air pressure rose and he has ha hard time breathing. He kept on closing the swords together until they were touching then the two swords were set ablaze like the both of them were fighting for domination until his pure black sword disappeared and his pure ehite sword now has a twirling black color into its blade. Now he felt the sword was an abomination and should be thrwon into the depts of volcano but he will not do it no matter how it feels. For this tool is the one that will bring doom towards those he wanted dead. An eternal suffering beside the devil himself.

Lancelot then packed his things including food for the next few days of travel. Now his destination...

The capital where everyone is celebrating peace. Lancelot's eyes changed and now he now sees very different from everyone else.

So very different that you would shudder.