"Hey, this anime stuff is totally awesome! I don't think I'm going to regret agreeing to your compromise, after all!" Exclaimed Diablo.

I had eventually managed to convince him that his best option was to simply exist inside me alongside Lazarus, since that way, I'd retain control of my body and gain his powers, and he wouldn't die. It took a while, but he eventually gave in and accepted, after it became apparent that it would take and extremely long time to settle this the hard way.

​​

And since then, he had been watching my old memories like Lazarus always did. After returning to Platinberg following my exit of the Forbidden Zone, I had been resting in a room in the Platinberg castle, in preparation for my plan to kill Shiro tonight in the Rustlands, and just now, Diablo had just interrupted my rest with his opinion on anime.

Lazarus, it seems like his personality has changed...

"Yeah, it has...apparently, Demons' personalities and intelligence is heavily influenced by their host...in other words, his previous personality had been influenced by his previous host. Your past memories and experiences have made him, well...like this."

"Hey, don't talk about me like I'm not here!" Diablo exclaimed indignantly.

Hm, I guess that's enough rest, I've recovered most of the strength and stamina I used up while in the Forbidden Zone. It seems to be evening right now...I'll begin my attack as soon as the sun sets...

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Point-of-View: Fuo Wesroh

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"Get ready, I'll leave soon. If you aren't ready, I'll go alone," Remarked Kuro, sitting by the stairs of the east entrance to the castle.

"I'm ready when you are, all I need is my bow," I replied as I sat down near him, my bow strapped to my arm.

"Very well, then, we'll leave when the sun has almost set."

"Any reason why we're waiting for that?" I inquired curiously.

"To make maximum use of my superior eyesight and night vision. Also, the moonlight, it's not a full moon tonight but your power will still be doubled."

Right, I almost forgot about that ability from the Were King...

"Oh...that makes sense. So, um...did you gain any new abilities? And is this your normal form now?" I asked, looking at him up and down.

"Yes, I did. And yeah, it is."

...talk about a brief answer. I need to ask more specifically if I want a proper reply from him...

"What are the new abilities you've gained?"

"The five different types of Demonic Magic. Normally, a Demon can't use more than two types of Demonic Magic regardless of their host, but since I took in the Demon King, I can use all five types...Obliteration Magic, Chaos Magic, Corruption Magic, Mimic Magic and Alchemic Magic."

Okay, a more informative answer this time, but it only raised even more questions...

"I see...what can each type do?"

He glanced at the setting sun, before answering...

"I guess we have a little bit of time...Obliteration Magic is just as it sounds, blasts of pure destruction. Chaos Magic uses illusions capable of destroying the target's mind. Corruption Magic is the modification of a target's body and Mana circuit structure...it can be used to make a person's Mana go berserk and accelerate their cells to the point where they turn into a grotesque monster...alternatively, it could also be used to maximize a person's physical and magical potential."

"Woah, does that mean you can make me stronger by using that Corruption Magic?" I inquired hopefully.

"Yes, but at the moment, I don't fully understand how to use it. I could try if you want, but the chance that it fails and does damage to you beyond repair is about seventy-five percent, I'd say."

Yeah, I don't like those odds...

"...I'll, uh, ask you again after you've mastered it. So, what about the last two types of Demonic Magic?"

"Right...Alchemic Magic lets me change the shape, density and structure of any object, usually non-organic. It can also let me change the elemental composition, but only if I understand how that would work...for instance, I could possibly use it to change iron into gold, but if I don't understand how both metals are composed, it won't work. And finally, Mimic Magic...normally, this is considered the weakest Demonic Magic, since it lets the user copy any technique, physical or magical, but only so long as the user is capable of using the technique in question to begin with."

"Mind elaborating? I don't quite get what you mean."

"I suppose I don't mind. Basically this...if a Demon with Mimic Magic took over a human with Fire Magic, and then tried to use Mimic Magic to try and copy a Lightning Magic technique, it wouldn't work. In that example, it can only be used to copy Fire Magic techniques, and only if the technique is physically possible for the host body...for instance, if the host has a low Mana capacity, then the Mimic Magic wouldn't be able to copy a Fire Magic attack that's larger in scale than what the host is capable of."

Wow, for most people, that'd be a pretty useless type of magic, but for him...

"Ohh, I get it...but since you have a large Mana capacity AND all five Elemental Magic types, there won't be many attacks that you can't copy!" I exclaimed in realization.

"Right, and I can even use it to copy physical combat skills."

Seriously?

"Wow...so, hey, why do you look so different? Every time you get a power up, your normal state doesn't really change that much, visually-speaking anyway."

He looked almost like he was in a partial-Vampire Mode transformation.

"Well, my body has been strengthened significantly, and I can alter and strengthen my physiology even more than I could before, so I no longer need to store my Karma in a Mana Orb, my body can now handle it at all times. So I extracted the Karma into my body, and then modified my body so that the Mana Orb was no longer connected to me...and then I removed it. See for yourself," He replied, stretching down the front of his top so that I could see the middle of his chest...he's right, the black Mana Orb is gone.

"Huh, I see...," I muttered in reply, reaching over and touching his chest before I realized what I was doing, quickly pulling my hand back as I came to my senses, "S-sorry about that!"

"Hm? For what?"

...his emotionless reaction made my actions feel all the more mortifying. What is wrong with me!?

"N-never mind...so, anyway, it's now like you're constantly in Karma Mode?"

"I suppose you could put it that way. But my base form is now about twenty to twenty-five percent more powerful than I used to be in Karma Mode," He explained.

"Woah, then even in your normal state, your speed with Lightning Boost would be-."

"No, I can't use that technique anymore. In order to use the various types of Demonic Magic, I had to rearrange my Mana circuits. The way the circuits are positioned in my body right now, attempting to use Lightning Boost will be ineffective, it's impossible for me to evenly spread my Mana through my body, because my Mana circuits are no longer evenly spread through my body. However, I've rearranged them so that both the scale and intensity of my magic output from my hands has been significantly boosted. And as I am now, even in my base form, my speed is greater than it used to be with max Lightning Boost in Karma Mode."

So, basically...he's so naturally fast now that he no longer needs to use what is easily the best Elemental speed boost technique...

"And what about your Vampire Mode and Vampire God Mode, have they gotten stronger? And did you get any new forms?"

"No new forms, just the two transformations, but I renamed them."

"To what?"

"Lazarus Mode and Diablo Mode...Diablo is the name of the Demon King."

"Oh...so, uh, do you think you're strong enough to kill Shiro for sure this time?" I asked him.

"My strongest form now is about sixty percent stronger than I used to be with Vampire God Mode."

S-sixty percent!? Woah...

He then stood up, as the sun had almost fully set now, the sky a dark red, a crimson dusk...it felt ominous.

"Are we going now? By the way, even without your emotions to drive your decisions, you still wear all black, huh?" I remarked with a raised eyebrow.

He was wearing black trousers, a long-sleeved black t-shirt under a sleeveless black hooded jacket then went down just past his knees.

"Hm? I chose this outfit because it seemed like it would be a good choice to look intimidating...every slight bit of psychological damage I can inflict on Shiro will build on my advantage."

This really wasn't going to be like their last three encounters...Shiro has no idea what he's in for...

"Well, you look goo-...I-I mean, let's go, the sun has finished setting!"

"Right...," He replied, before summoning a Goblin, "I had this Goblin station itself about five hundred meters ahead of the west gate, too far for the guards to notice. Grab on."

I held onto his arm as he placed his hand on top of the Goblin's head and undid the summon...and in the next instant, I was staring at the west side of the walls surrounding the Rustlands.

"Okay, so how are we getting in? Stealth barriers?" I inquired warily.

"There's no need for that...we'll walk straight up to the guards and ask to be let in...if they refuse-."

"Hey, um...you're not going to kill anyone besides Shiro, are you?"

"No, I'll simply use my Eyes of Compulsion to command them to sleep. If someone attacks me while I fight Shiro, I will fight back...but I will try to avoid killing them."

'Try to'? I don't think I like the sound of that very much...

But the way he is now, he won't listen to me...all I can do is follow him. I walked closely behind him as he headed for the west gate calmly, his expression giving nothing away.

"Stop right there, who are you!?" Exclaimed one of the guards, as we got near, "Stop or I'll shoot!"

The weapons that The Valaque Empire had been making, the guns, were manufactured in the Rustlands and Bronztan now, and were in common use amongst Adventurers and guards now.

"Go right ahead," Replied Kuro, his tone emotionless and his expression unfazed.

The guard fired at him, the bullet striking his left shoulder...and bouncing off, falling onto the ground.

"Wha-...w-wait, you look like...Shiro Blanc, but with black hair and clothes...you're the impos-!"

"I wouldn't say anything to provoke me, if I were you. Now, sleep."

The guard stumbled back, his eyes drooping heavily before he collapsed onto the ground, fast asleep.

"Y-you bastard, what did you-!?" Cried the other guard, driving his spear towards Kuro's chest.

He didn't move, letting the spear strike him...and as it did, the metal shattered, leaving nothing but a small hole in his t-shirt.

"You too...sleep."

With both guards knocked out, all that was left to contend with was the barrier. There was no way to enter silently if the guards didn't let you in, only they could use the spell that Miss Elina had created that let the barrier open up by the gate when the guards approved someone to enter.

"So, how do we-?" I began to ask.

Before I could finish, Kuro wrapped black lightning, flames and wind around his fist and slammed it onto the barrier...which instantly shattered upon impact, a bright flash and loud blaring noise echoing out as it did, the warning alarm that would activate if the barrier was damaged...this was the first time that the alarm had been activated, this barrier was supposed to be able to withstand an incredible amount of force, and he shattered it with a single hit.

Kuro had played a significant role in the creation of these barriers, many of his suggestions had ultimately been implemented into the spells...and now, he was the first one to trigger the barrier's warning alarm. He then pointed his palm at the gate and fired off Repulsion, the gates bursting open inwards as his attack made contact.

As the gates got torn off their hinges and crashed down inwards, a deep rumbling echoed across the sky, followed by a flash of lightning, as raindrops began pelting down.

"Let's go," He remarked, his expression emotionless, as he walked through the open gateway, entering the Rustlands for the first time in months...

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