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Darkness took over my mind, as I felt like my life was slowly ending. I had gone above and beyond, and I felt like wanting to take a long nap, one that could recover me from all the stress and pain I went through.
“Anna!”
I just wanted to relax. Yet this darkness felt cold, not like the comforting darkness of sleeping. Was this the shadow of death?
“Are you healing her, Isaac?”
Was it creeping into my soul to take me away?
“I’m doing all I can; she’s alive, but she’s not waking up yet.”
The voices of my friends echoed somewhere, yet I couldn’t find them yet.
“ANNA!”
Inferna’s screams meant she was still alive; that was relieving.
Yet…
Where am I?
“You…”
Suddenly, a completely different-sounding voice echoed. I looked around the darkness, yet the only thing I could find amidst it were two bluish flames and a calm, gentle river.
The more I looked into this river, the more I noticed it made countless strange faces, and the more I looked into the faraway landscape, the more warped it seemed.
I am in the World Between, a land where those that are between life and death visit, usually to be dragged to their deaths by a God of Death.
And if that’s the case...
“You, the one that held my weapon’s last fragment...”
“Who…?”
I looked around and then back into the two flames, as their light suddenly gave way to the figure of something—a pale man with empty eyes, wearing a black cloak.
He extended his skeletal, thin arms towards me, his long claws reaching my head.
“The long-lost treasure I once held...” He muttered again. “You broke it.”
“You’re…?!” I muttered, feeling completely helpless as the darkness wrapped around my body completely.
“I am nobody else than the one you think I am.” The being spoke, his body seemingly growing taller and taller the more I looked at him, a seamless being. “I am Thanatos.”
“N-No way… One constellation after another.” I sighed. “Give me a break.”
“You seem unshaken by my appearance, despite being a mortal.” He spoke. “You... in what sort of eyes do you see the world surrounding you?”
“In the eyes of truth, I only see a poor man, shackled and betrayed by his siblings,” I said, smiling back at him. “Thanatos… Leave; I will not go to the River of Styx yet. Not yet.”
“…” Thanatos seemed flabbergasted by my words. “You talk as if you always knew who I was... You stole and broke my scythe, and now you tell me not to take your soul away, mortal?”
“What else can I do now than plead for mercy?” I laughed. “Instead of my soul, you can take a hundred others.”
I pointed my hand at him, and as a hundred souls emerged from the Urn of Ramses, the God was shocked, quickly grasping them with his weak hands and devouring them.
“Hahhh… Food…!” He muttered weakly.
As he moved to eat the souls, I noticed how his arms and legs were chained.
“You were only able to reach me because of the Scythe, wasn’t it?” I asked. “Did they do this to you?”
“…” Thanatos remained in silence. “Olympus betrayed me... I am alone. Yet why... do I see such a light of compassion in the eyes of someone I’ve never spoken to before?”
“…”
I remained silent as I recalled the fate of poor Thanatos in the original story. Despite being a Constellation, he was also someone I wanted to save.
From a fate worse than death.
“When the Gigantomachia comes, they will find a use for you,” I said. “And it won’t be pretty…”
“Urgh…” Thanatos groaned weakly, the shadows encompassing me suddenly weakening as they wrapped around him, revealing his weak physique, with short black hair, pale skin, and depressed-looking blue eyes. His actual appearance wasn’t that scary; he seemed to be slightly older than me in appearance alone. “With my scythe broken, now... I will soon…”
“I guess you wanted to get my soul, thinking you could get some of that power back, right?” I asked, looking at him pitifully.
“Why... do you seem to understand me so well?” He wondered, coughing. “Who exactly are you?”
“Name’s Anna.” I smiled, holding his weak, pale white hand. “Wait for me, Thanatos.”
“A-Ah…” He seemed surprised. “What do you mean?” He started coughing.
“I’m sorry for stealing your scythe; I got it from a privilege; it randomly gave me items,” I explained. “But don’t worry, I’ll take responsibility for this too.”
“Please…” He muttered, his weak eyes suddenly beginning to cry. “If you truly… meant it… Ugh… Please…! I don’t want… to become… their tool…”
I held his weak hands tightly, trying to convey some of my warmth to his cold hands as he looked into my eyes.
“Don’t worry, I’ll see what I can do.”
“…”
He gently touched my forehead as a flash of black light emerged.
[You’ve received the {Stigma of Thanatos}!]
[The Mark has manifested into the [Thanatos’ Stigma (S): Lv1] Skill!]
“I’ve given you the last of my powers…” He sighed. “I don’t know why, but... Your eyes are filled with understanding and hope. It felt like when Mother Gaia glanced into my soul before she walked away from me. To never see me ever again.”
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He continued crying as he showed me who he truly was. It made my chest ache to see him like this. It was strange to find him in such a situation, but it was one I couldn’t waste.
Even if I could barely give him a slight amount of hope, I had to try.
To see a Constellation fall like this… makes me feel so sad, especially because other Death Gods such as Hel and Anubis are still so strong.
“Take this,” I said, suddenly taking a small piece of my soul, which glowed bright gold, and using my mind, I bent it into the shape of a necklace in the shape of the sun, which I gently placed around his neck. “Save it until we meet again.”
“I never would have thought that I would meet a mortal like you before.” He coughed, black blood coming from his lips. “It might sound ridiculous, but... I don’t have any other alternative than to wait for you. Thank you for giving me some hope."
To think a Constellation would be driven so much into a corner as to almost believe in a mortal out blindly of nowhere… I have to make sure to keep my promise.
“No worries.” I smiled as I stood back up. “Then I’ll be going. Sorry about breaking your scythe... I’ll repair it and make it even stronger. I know just someone who could help me out.”
“Goodbye…” He sighed, sitting over the darkness near the River Styx, glancing at the necklace made out of the soul I gave him, as I noticed a small, melancholic smile on his lips. “Such a beautiful light…”
FLASH!
“Ahhh…! I’m back!” I gasped for air.
Once I finally regained consciousness, I found myself wrapped in many bandages, sitting over a bed in the underground area of the Demon Village… The timer said I still had an hour left before being sent back!
Meeting a depressed Constellation wasn’t in my plans when I defeated Blednica, but hey, I guess I took that opportunity to make a new friend, hopefully.
[You have defeated [Pure-Blooded Vampire Countess: Blednica (S+ Rank)] x1!]
[You earned 1.000.000 EXP]
[Level Up!]
Oh, I gained one Level from slaying Blednica… A single Level?! Ugh, the EXP requirements are getting higher and higher as I level up.
But still, there’s something else, yeah, the fruit of all my efforts so far!
Ding!
[Congratulations! You have Completed the {Special Quest}: {The Demons’ Last Stand}!]
[Rank: S]
[Not only were you able to ensure the survival of all the last Demons in the village, but you were able to slay Blednica, the root of their problems and also the one that would have brought their extinction for her own goals.]
[Now that the last threat to their survivability has been taken care of, the Demons stand together, united as a single family. They might be the last ones in this World, but as long as they remain together, there might always be some hope for a better future.]
[The Demon Realm is stable, and the Spirits are beginning to regenerate. The Elements stopped conflicting with one another, and the world, isolated from the gaze of Constellations, has reached a strange era of peace and tranquility.]
[And it would not have been possible without your help. For that, truly, thank you.]
[Completion Rewards]: [50000 Plot Points] [1.000.000 EXP] [Favorability with Demons +100000] [The Bleeding Scream’s Bloody Tear (??? Rank)] x1 [Pure-Blooded Vampire Countess Blednica’s Corrupted Blood Bottle (S Rank)] x10 [Pure-Blooded Vampire Countess Blednica’s Soul Fragments (S Rank)] x5 [Abyssal Vampiric Blood Magic Orb (S Rank)] x1]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
Two more levels, and... wow, those rewards were not what I expected. I guess Blednica disintegrated completely after that attack, but it seems the Quest got me covered up with her materials, whatever she dropped.
And fifty thousand Plot Points seem like an incredible reward, and that’s without taking into consideration another… “Fragment” of a Void Ruler, or maybe more like a Secretion? The tear of the Bleeding Scream was never something I imagined I could get as an item.
And lastly, the Orb, which is a special Magician’s Equipment piece that they use to conjure magic faster, is usually wielded in their free hand, Magic Orbs can be imbued with Spells permanently, which can be conjured right away.
My Arcane Hands already have that effect, though, so it feels pointless… Unless this Orb comes imbued with special Spells I cannot conjure myself, usually.
Nonetheless, there’ll be time to think about the rewards later, there’s something more important to take care of.
Ding!
[Congratulations! You have successfully completed the Subclass Change Trial!]
[Due to your amazing merits in this Trial Dungeon, you’ve been selected to receive the strongest available Subclass!]
[Your Subclass has changed to…]
FLASH!
Suddenly, in front of me, an icon resembling half of a human and the other half of what seemed like a devil made of darkness and blood appeared.
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[Cambion: ★]
A being between Humans and Demons. Due to your incredible affinity with the Unholy, Infernal, and Demonic, you’ve acquired the necessary requirements to change into this powerful Subclass, the strongest available 1 Star Subclass.
Cambion is capable of harnessing the Strength and Stamina of Demons while holding the powerful soul of a human. Both of these powers can combine to create a chaotic synergy. The weakness of Demons against the holy is mitigated thanks to a human-like body, weak to no elements, while the weaker human body is strengthened by the Demon’s Mighty Strength.
It is often thought that Cambion is a “cursed child," born between a Demon and a Human, and is despised by both humans, celestials, and demons. However, more than hatred, it is merely the fear of a being that can surpass all of them, holding almost unlimited potential in terms of physical strength, reflexes, and demonic hexes.
This Subclass will bring several new Abilities and Skills.
Subclass Effects: Increases Darkness, Demonic, Infernal, Shadow, Blood, and Poison Magic Damage, Conjuration Speed, and Learning Speed by +100%, and Decreases Mana Consumption by -50%. You can now conjure {Curses}.
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[Your Subclass has changed to [Cambion: ★]!]
[All of your Stats have increased, especially your physical Stats!]
[You acquired the [A Being Between Hell and Earth (A Rank Privilege)]!]
[You learned the [Curse Magic (A): Lv1] Innate Skill!]
[You learned the [Demonic Body (A): Lv1] Innate Skill!]
[You acquired the [Half-Demon] Title!]
[Your [Physique]: [Twelve Colored Stars Physique (Tier 2: Rank 7)] has been enhanced to Tier 2: Rank 9!]
[All of your Stats have further increased as a result, especially Ki!]
[You are now in possession of the first-ever combination of Nephilim, Cambion Class and Subclass!]
[Your body is harboring both Celestial and Demonic Energy in complete harmony!]
[Your Soul is slowly beginning to absorb both energies; Chaos Energy is beginning to form over time.]
FLASH!
The moment I changed Subclass, I felt my entire body overflow with a tremendous quantity of dark power. It was painful at first, as if my skin was being burned and my soul was being tortured, but slowly, the pain faded, and I found my own body glowing with two distinct auras.
The left side of my body glowed with a dark and red aura of demonic energy, I even noticed that I grew a tiny demon-like black wing, and I could willingly shapeshift my arm to make it stronger, gaining Demonic Stigmas, and also growing my nails into sharp claws. Even a tiny black horn would grow over my forehead, and my hair would turn pure black.
The other half was the same as before, with a small angelic wing, my bright blonde hair, and the radiance of Celestial Energies…
It was incredible, and I never thought I could achieve this combination on my own in such a way! It almost felt… orchestrated, to an extent.
To see and understand the pain that both factions went through, I’ve taken a part of them into my own body, mixing them into my human soul and body.
I don’t recall this ever happening with the main character, my brother, in the original story. Nor is it ever happening at all with any other character.
There were Nephilim and Cambion characters later on, and even a Nephalem, half celestial and half-demon, but nothing of this caliber.
From the beginning, I knew that I was destined to change the original story and that my own powers were already very unique, but this has made it much clearer now.
But sadly, this is not a power I can completely master yet; in fact, the moment I try to merge both energies, sparks of chaos emerge, hurting my hands and leaving ugly burn wounds.
I need to slowly cultivate these energies into my physique and forge it into something greater, and while we are at it, I will probably get a Psyche too. For that, I’ll need to keep making my soul go through training and damage to then later regenerate to strengthen itself.
It’s going to be arduous, but if I can manage to get enough necessary materials, it shouldn’t be so hard, I’ve got the Soul Wine to recover my soul, so the process should be swift.
Sadly, however, within my inventory, there were small fragments of Thanatos’ Scythe. In that explosion, just as he said, it broke completely.
It was already a broken weapon, but now it was beyond repair. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t use it to make something greater, though.
Nonetheless, I guess it’s not the right time to think about these things, especially when there’s around an hour left before I am sent back home.
Creaak…
Suddenly, the door to this small room opened, and Inferna, covered in many bandages, walked inside the room, carrying with her a wooden plate with stew inside.
“A-Anna?! You’re awake!”
“Hello, Inferna.”
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