I tried and failed to enter the church. The moment my fingers touched the door of the church, a searing sensation spread through my body, bypassing my skin and targeting the soul directly. It hurt but not how the wounds from the cave cockroach hurt.

My ears heard the shrill shriek my soul gave. The sensation disturbed me equally as much as it hurt me, it was like simultaneously seeing a hammer about to strike the knee whilst also feeling the strike. I felt a fire burn me from the inside out.

Jerking my hand away from the door, my eyebrows were outstretched and frozen, and confusion and surprise flooded my eyes. It didn’t make any sense for a church in the middle of nowhere to be warded against creatures of hell.

The overworld was a great place to siphon resources out of. The dominant inhabitants were weak, and, quite stupid. The best part was, they were more than eager to give up their belongings for a taste of power, so it wasn’t a shocker that many traces of hell and heaven could be found here.

Most people can only see the heaven side of it, the church and so, but most people were losers. Devils abhorred weakness like nothing else. Angels on the other side, were more open to it, and they usually went for quantity rather than quality. Many churches can be found in the middle of nowhere, but it’s in the centers of powers, in the palaces, high courts, and the grandest churches that you’ll find the many cults.

It didn’t make any sense to ward this church against evil. Simply thinking of it was stupid, and actually doing it was on an other level of stupidity. It was so insanely, out of this word, stupid that it angered me.

I glanced at the logo of the church to see what angel had done it. My eyes stared dully at the logo. It looked like a “U” except the ends twisted inwards, and I couldn’t attribute it to any of the angels I knew.

There was a chance I hadn’t heard of that angel, but I doubted it. I knew almost all of the people competing for power. It probably meant that this church was a relic of an angel that had ruled before I came. It was very unlikely that their church had survived, but this was the middle of nowhere and it was possible, but more likely, it belonged to a new angel.

Realistically two explanations could be provided for that. The first was that this church belonged to an angel which had risen quite recently and tried to take over this country side for whatever reason. The second was that a lesser heavenly creature had tried to cheat the system and thought that nobody would notice.

It would desperately have to hope that none of the other angels noticed. They were suckers for strict rules and something like this would anger them very much. If they found out, and they would, whoever created this church was as good as dead.

The problem was that I’d probably turn out dead too if angels came here, which made this a problem for me. I’d have to investigate it more, and if it turned out to be the latter option, then I’d have to convince the idiot to take it down.

I had a very compelling argument as to why. You couldn’t hide things from angels. Those bastards knew everything, but what’s to be expected when you have the best spy-network that has ever existed?

Sadly, compelling arguments, and, idiots, lived in different dimensions.

If I couldn’t handle this risk I might need to leave the city. Though, I would only resort to that as a last measure. I hadn’t seen many guards in this city and that boded well for me. If a guard saw a short hooded figure they’d surely want to harass them, and in doing so, they’d find out of my race.

I needed a new plan. When my influence skill gained higher levels, I’d be able to put adults under my command. Especially when I learned the [Control] spell, then I’d probably be able to take over the whole town, but for now, I think stupid children was where my limit laid. They’d work only as fodder though, but it was better than nothing.

In the corner of my sight, I spotted the stupid kid from before. It’s in moments like this when I can’t help but believe in fate. I mean the odds that he’d appear at the same time I had this thought were low but certainly possible. Still though, it was weird.

“Come over you son of a bitch!” I spat, directly at him. Strangely, the little kid smiled and approached me as requested. Had he not heard me right? “I need to test something on your thick skull. Obey me!”

The boy was about two meters away from me, but instead of stopping, or motioning towards a stop, he continued moving, approaching even closer. A, wide, smile glued to his face as he eyed me down.

Why do I feel like this was a mistake?

I should have seen it coming, but the boy was so far away from a threat in my mind that I hadn’t expected the punch. He must have gotten lucky because it rocked me right in the chin and made my whole world spin. I conjured up a [fireball] and tried to throw it at him, but due to my swirling sight it went wide and into the sky.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

“Don’t talk badly about my mother,” he said with more anger than should have been possible for a kid at his age to have. How dare he use such a tone against me?

“Your whore mother gets fucked each night in hell,” I spat.

He kicked me between the legs. No adrenaline rushed through my system, just debilitating pain. Many more kicks were sent my way during that time, and I could do nothing except squirm around on the floor like a little worm. Each time I thought I’d gained my footing, he kicked me inbetween the legs again.

Suddenly, I heard his mother shouting for him. It was only then that the retched curse stopped havocking my body. He didn’t even seem tired. When he grew up he’d be a real terror to behold.

“Don’t talk badly about my mother again! I’ll kill you,” he said and turned around to walk away.

“Fuck you and your mother,” I said and for a moment he turned around and gave me a death glare. I felt a spring of fear shoot through me, and my eyes turned glossy, and then I realized what I was doing and sneered.

It seemed that he was going to turn around but his mother kept shouting for him to come. When he left, I stayed down on the floor, eyes staring up at the sky over me. A kid. A human child had frightened me.

The thought hurt to hold, but no matter how much I tried to throw it away, it continued to come back. It was true, and it was completely unacceptable. I was a devil overlord, I couldn’t simply be frightened by a little, stupid, bastard child. What the hell had come of me?

The pain in my head grew as I wrestled with the idea. One of my core beliefs, that I was a devil to be feared, and the new experience of being frightened by a child, wouldn’t sit comfortably together.

I decided that I hadn’t been frightened by the child. It was not fright or horor that coursed through my mind. The imp body that I’d gained must have come with instincts, and they must have been impacting me all this time without my knowledge of it.

The realization struck me into an uncomfortable state. I started going through all of my events up until this moment. What the hell had I been doing? Following rules, being beat by a cockroach, treating these lesser creature’s with any respect whatsoever. None of the actions I’d taken was befitting of me, Sullus Van Silius. I was a devil overload.

In my mind, I pushed the imp instincts, the fear and the insecurities, into the corner of my mind, and let me ego come back into the play. It restless after having been forgotten about. Thank you child. You have given me an important realization and for that I will not slaughter you or your mother.

Brimming with overconfidence, nay, to me it was only confidence, I walked towards the forest. My cloak rippled to the cold breeze, and my pickaxe rested comfortably on my shoulder.

I’ll get me a goblin. No, one pet would be enough for an imp, but a devil needs at least a pack of them. I’ll get me a pack of goblin slaves.

I’d thought of a new plan. Whilst humans were interesting, there was no need to limit myself when more options were available. Like, goblins. They were dumber than children, making them ideal for [Influence], but also fierce and strong as adults. Their tiny size would also make them ideal for mining.

The goblins in hell were red-skinned, longer and more slender. They operated in groups, and would rush at whatever it was they targeted, using their long claws and sharp jaws to maul the target. It was their ferocity which made them so dangerous. You’d almost have to kill them twice before they stopped moving.

They were also nocturnal creature’s and I hoped that their over-world counterparts would be similar in that respect. Luckily, I was right, and I spotted two of them walking in the distance, wielding wooden spears with a stone tip. I approached happy that my searching had born fruit.

They hadn’t lived for very long as I refused to believe they’d survived with their terrible perception. They only noticed me when I exited the bush right in front of them. They worriedly pointed their spears towards me, but upon noticing my size, a condescending smile spread.

These little shits. “Get down on your knees you little horrors. Obey me!”

I cast [Influence]. It didn’t work, but whilst the human had felt like a brick wall, this felt like a shoddily made stick wall. I’d just have to rattle them a little bit and I’d be able to break through.

“I’ll torture you for eternity,” I said. “Ripping your skin off. Forcing you to eat your own flesh. Submerging you in boiling water.”

They attacked me, their spears impaling me. Blood squirted out of the wound, and a hell lot of pain surged, but I couldn’t show any form of weakness to these lesser beings. it was not befitting of a devil such as myself, but I did show the anger which had rushed into me.

They dare strike me!

I saw their eyes turn teary. I don’t know what they’d expected, but it had certainly been something. My stillness and unresponsiveness must have thrown them off guard.

“Obey!” I roared with all of my anger, and cast [Influence]. One of the goblins pissed themselves, the cloth hiding their junk turning wet. I felt a heavy drain on my mana pool. For a moment I feared that I wouldn’t have enough mana for the command, but it stopped just as I was about to pass out.

The skill [Influence] has leveled up.

All of a sudden, they were looking at me like I was their leader. They said something to me, but I recognized it only as gibberish. Slowly, hoping to do as little damage as possible, they pulled their spears out of me. It had the opposite effect and blood gushed out as my hp continued to drop.

“Guard me whilst I rest,” I said, and they took my command with extreme seriousity, grabbing their spears and standing around me.

At least these morons can understand me.

I’d regenerate my mana and heal up, and then I’d go and make more goblins my slaves.