Scarlet

After we’re all dismissed for the night, I quickly go back to Tartarus. Then I float myself up above the Demon King’s Castle right around the same time that Gramps himself arrives right next to me.

“You ready?” he asks. “You’re not still tired from the competition or your coma, right?”

I smile wryly at that as I answer, “Yeah, I’m fine. Better than fine even.”

Actually, in terms of brute force power, I might just be stronger than Gramps now. Maybe.

Of course, brute force power or not, he’d still win just because of his experience and versatility.

And I haven’t tried nullifying someone else’s blood directly with Ruler of Blood yet.

“Be careful all the same,” he says while patting me on the head. An action that has me trying to push his hand away.

He just smiles at that thought as the other dukes and duchesses of Tartarus all arrive around us. And without hesitation, they begin setting up the large ritual circle in the air directly beneath our feet. A circle just as large as the previous one that we used to rid them of the Sins Curse.

Gramps and I just float in silence for a little while before Leonidas and the other Demon Lords all join us, including The Reaper, Lucius. A man who I actually haven’t seen for a little while now.

Mostly because he has no fae partner, so he’s not in the tournament.

He also nods his head with a smile on his face while looking at me. The very first time I’ve ever seen the man with a smile before.

I can’t help but smile back a little bit as I think about everything he’s been freed from. Since he has had it worse than most.

Having to live for thousands of years constantly feeling starving. Constantly feeling the urge to eat those closest to you, and even random strangers. And constantly having to fight that urge to the point of depression and seclusion.

I even heard that it was one of the reasons he cut off his contract with his fae. So that he would be left alone, since even having his fae partner near him made him have to fight the urge to eat her artificial form.

But now he’s free from all of that.

It’s no wonder he would smile now after thousands of years of suffering.

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

Gramps looks happy at seeing his old friend slowly returning to his old self as well.

Kind of reminds me of a much worse version of what happened to Blue. In a way. A different way, but a way.

They both started losing themselves or lost themselves completely and are coming back to their old selves now.

Anyways, The Reaper himself finishes up the last bits of the ritual circle before all of the other demons gather in a circle, leaving me alone in the center to begin using Bane of Corruption. And this time, when I activate the skill and search for the technology curse over Tartarus, I actually find that I don’t even need the aid of the ritual to destroy it.

Because my Red Plague rushes out and devours the curse itself, feeding the plague in the process.

Which kind of leaves the other demons rather surprised when my Red Plague shoots out of me in a beacon upwards before spreading out to cover the entire world, devouring the little invisible barrier around it. The barrier causing all technology above a certain point to blow up.

And just as quickly as the process started, I draw all of the Red Plague back to the point the little beacon of Red Plague is shooting up at before it all goes back down inside of me.

Then I open my eyes with a smirk, feeling the power entering my body. The power of that curse now devoured.

A curse that gave me a few level-ups.

I take a few seconds to enjoy the power boost before focusing on Gramps as he floats up to me. And to my surprise, he asks, “Did it work?”

Wait, he can’t already tell?

“Well, this curse wasn’t an active one constantly affecting the populous, so it’s likely he could only feel it when it was activating,” Tar points out. “And there aren’t exactly people trying to bring Earth tech to Tartarus on a regular basis to test it.”

Ah. That makes sense.

“Yeah, it worked,” I tell him with a nod. “Curse was eaten.”

He looks relieved for a second, only to pause as he mutters, “Eaten…?”

I don’t bother answering that as I glance to the side to find Leonidas leaving the circle alongside the other Demon Lords. And after almost immediately realizing where they’re going, I follow after them, with Gramps coming shortly after me.

It doesn’t take long for all of us to arrive at the nearest Fracture, where Leonidas just kinda grabs a random Class III demon and shoves them through, telling them to grab something technologically too advanced for Tartarus.

We wait for a few minutes since the demon seems to have surprised the people there until they get a full explanation from it and he comes back with a random TV remote.

A remote that doesn’t explode after entering Tartarus.

All of the demons nearby begin to cheer with more than a little excitement at the sight of the thing. Meanwhile Gramps just pats me on the head again, to which I try to push his hand away.

No pats.

This morning was an exception.

The cheering demons grow more and more rambunctious, and soon enough some other demons arrive from the castle mentioning something about a party they’re starting there. Which proceeds to move all of the demons here to the castle where food and drink are being served, demons begin dancing together, and overall, a lot of merry-making is being made.

Something you don’t really see on Tartarus normally.

But I guess not having the Sins to deal with makes this place a lot nicer.

I just head to the edge of one of the balconies before looking up at the moon with a smile on my face.

One thing after another. Just one thing. After another.

And I’m almost done with everything I’m prophesized to do.

So now I just need to do two more things.

Win this tournament.

And defeat the Overlord.