As we walked through the ruins, I noticed the sharp black nails that I had thanks to fusing with Carpy. Curious, I pressed the nails into one of the broken skyscraper walls, it easily pierced through, and found myself crawling up the structure like Spiderman. The tingling sensation in my fingers intensified as I supported my body weight, aided by a touch of Ord.

It took a couple of dozen minutes before I finally reached the top, and my fingers were a bit numb due to all the climbing. But they regenerated almost instantly due to technically me being a half-demon when in this fused state.

From the skyscraper's height, I had a breathtaking view of jungles, deserts, and various other landscapes stretching out before me. Although there were numerous versions of us running around, I dismissed them as mere illusions, not worth too much attention. Concentrating too much on the past or future of this place would only bring disaster.

Taking a moment to catch my breath, I noticed that the air was thinner up here, and some clouds floated just below my feet. Concern crossed my mind, wondering if the island's atmosphere might harbor poisonous gases or hallucinogenic effects. A strong wind could also prove hazardous, threatening to knock me off the precarious perch.

However, my attention was soon drawn to a magnificent sight—above one of the large clouds in the distance stood a marble palace. My heart raced with excitement, and adrenaline surged through my veins as my gaze locked onto the distant structure.

The Gardens of Babylon, true to its name, boasted an abundance of trees and vines that adorned the palace’s golden walls and the giant castle at the center of the compound. The place exuded a certain charm, making me momentarily dream of having my own flying palace someday.

But such musings were soon replaced by a shiver down my spine as the reality of the place sank in. I had finally found what I was searching for all this time—the Gardens of Babylon, the very site where the new so-called God would be born.

In this world, beings known as Gods existed, though in this era, they would likely be classified as strong ultimate-class demons—much like all other supernatural creatures were simply labeled as demons. Officially, demons were creatures born from human hatred, formed in the aftermath of massacres and other such atrocities. They were known for their malevolence and relentless hunting of humans.

However, among the ultimate-class demons, there existed beings formed not from hatred, but from worship. These were known as divine ultimate-class demons and were generally stronger than their regular counterparts. What made them truly dangerous was that their unique abilities were not innate but derived from the belief and devotion of people. This bestowed upon them overpowered abilities that sometimes upset the balance of power.

Such divine creatures hadn't been born in quite some time, and yet now, something sinister was attempting to create a false God—a blasphemous act of trying to deceive the very essence of Ord itself and artificially forge a divine creature.

{Perfect Me}

In an instant, a flood of knowledge surged through my mind about the numerous books I had read. I pondered the autonomy of animals, the intricate design of eagle eyes, and how they functioned.

Suddenly, a searing hot pain shot through my eyes, causing tears to well up. Something warm crawled through the tears, and to my horror, I realized it was blood.

Seeing myself bleeding from a third-person perspective was terrifying. I could feel the pain, but I couldn't scream or do anything to stop it. Yet, the pain that followed was even more excruciating, as if my head was about to split apart. The human mind was not equipped to comprehend seeing through the eyes of an eagle.

At times like these, the miraculous effect of the fusion between a Master and their demon became evident. A fusion between a human and an eagle demon wouldn't cause such distressing side effects.

Once Perfect Me finished its function, I gazed towards the Gardens of Babylon, narrowing my eyes. My vision was as if I had binoculars, but even better and clearer.

Normally, I would have tried to use Carpy's senses to scout the area, but that would likely have drawn attention, considering the dangerous demons lurking there with extraordinary abilities. However, as I peered through the palm trees of the Gardens of Babylon, a creature cautiously peeked over a tree, revealing a haunting sight.

It looked like two human forms had grotesquely melded into one. Two heads with vacant eyes stared eerily ahead, their mouths grotesquely sewn shut. Four arms protruded from this unsettling amalgamation, and deep stitches traced a nightmarish pattern from where their necks met, all the way down to their lower abdomen. The ghastly presence exuded an air of tragic mystery, both fascinating and repulsive at the same time—an embodiment of morbid humanity.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

As I observed the creatures, they looked right back at me. Immediately, I used Perfect Me to return my eyes to normal. There was some residual pain, but my regeneration came into play, healing any remaining damage.

The creature brought one of its hands to its stitches and ripped them apart. Instead of organs spilling out, a big mouth opened from their neck to their lower abdomen, brimming with dozens of tongues that resemble intestines and rows of sharp teeth. Their large mouth took in a deep breath, and their body swelled up like a balloon.

"So they want to play it like that?" I clapped my hands and intertwined my fingers while closing my eyes. Instead, I focused on Carpy's power and sensed the water flowing through what used to be the sewers of this city. It never ceased to amaze me just how wonderful this was.

In response to the fused twins' powerful wind blast, the streets below burst open, and water surged through, coiling itself around a nearby skyscraper, taking the shape of a dragon.

“Let’s die a little, why don’t we?” For some reason, I couldn’t help but laugh a little.

The large water dragon charged toward the Gardens of Babylon, clashing against the wind blast until the attacks canceled each other out, creating a hole in the clouds.

As the clash concluded, the fused twins shot toward me, but I doused my clothes in water and flew off to meet them.

Fighting an ultimate-class creature in close-quarters combat was a daunting task, even for someone like me with Carpy's fusion, granting me the body of a demon.

However, if I don't push myself to new heights, how can I possibly grow?

The burst of power from the unknown exorcist in the forest made me realize that playing it safe and staying comfortable would only lead to stagnation in my growth. Ord was an energy of emotion, and comfort and safety wouldn't fuel my growth.

My Ord, my controlling Ord, responded to my emotions – fear, anxiety, hunger for power, joy, and everything else. I embraced it all, craving more power and vowing to never step back or be surpassed by anyone in the wondrous power of Ord.

When we were within arm’s length of each other, a putrid smell of rot permeated the air. I attempted to punch the demon, but one of its tongues shot out from a mouth on its torso and hit me in the midsection, trying to pierce my skin. Fortunately, the water on my clothes turned them rigid, protecting me from harm.

However, the respite was brief, as the tongues wrapped around me like serpents, breaking my skin and sucking my blood.

Though I kicked the creature's face, it remained unaffected, and the tongues extended, forming a cocoon around me, their sticky mucus emitting a foul smell.

Welp, it seems I won’t win close-quarters combat against an ultimate class anytime soon.

I manipulated the mucus and transformed it into a whirlwind of water blades. The fused monster released its hold on me, but the water blades proved futile, unable to cut through the mucus.

Realizing close-quarters combat wasn't an option, I reverted to what I excelled at: manipulating water from a distance with the power of my demon, and making it look like it was my own power. The typical approach used by top-tier Masters.

I turned the splashed water from the water dragon into small water arrows, spinning them to enhance their piercing power. However, as they approached the creature, a spinning wind shield deflected all the arrows.

I suspected this thing possessed a special ability, though it was never directly stated in the original story. They were the result of an experiment forcibly fusing two twins and transforming them into demons, granting them two unique abilities – technically.

One of them possessed the power of wind control, which proved to be a formidable force to contend with. Engaging in a mid-air battle against someone with such abilities might not have been the smartest idea, but I attempted to close the distance to minimize their advantage.

Despite my efforts, it seemed that no matter what I did, my opponent always remained a step ahead, suggesting a certain level of intelligence behind those hollow eyes. Perhaps the saying—‘two heads are better than one’—had some merit after all.

Alternatively, the worst-case scenario was unfolding. Ever since my encounter with the Demonic Exorcist, I became cautious about using Perfect Me in battles unless it was absolutely necessary. There were only two kinds of abilities out there that could counter Perfect Me.

However, before I could dwell further on these thoughts, a barrage of wind arrows came hurtling toward me. Unlike water, these projectiles were not easily visible. But, emulating my opponent's technique, I deployed a spinning water barrier, altering the course of the wind arrows and causing them to dissipate harmlessly.

The creature could have used my spinning trick to increase the piercing power of its arrows, but doing so would reveal their trajectory, resulting in a disadvantage.

Little did the creature know that I could already sense its wind arrows. I kept this advantage hidden, opting to use the spinning water shield instead of my own water arrows to shoot each one down individually, even though it was more taxing on my Ord.

"C'mon, don't be so damn boring! Let's push each other to the brink of death and back!" I taunted my opponent. I was unsure if the strange twin fusion possessed self-awareness, so this was a way for me to gauge its reactions.

Without knowledge of the creature's second ability, I had to be cautious of using Perfect Me. Ordinarily, I wouldn't mind being affected by a power that temporarily suppressed my special ability.

On this island, Perfect Me was my only reliable defense against forces that could mess with my mind.