Mind Demon's Path of Domination

Wind blasted against proud trees, tilting them nearly to the floor. Rain crashed against the ground. Thunder rumbled behind the clouds. Lightning crackled here and there.

Feeling the water trickling down his hair and clothes, Mark ambled along the wet woods. Dona and Yuri followed behind him.

A sudden lightning illuminated their faces.

"I want some coffee," Yuri said, rubbing the inconspicuous slit on her forehead. "Want me to make some? Send me into your World Space."

Mark spat out some rainwater and shook his head. "Not now. We are near a city of savages, you can inherit two Savage Magic from there. Then, I want to search for the Armor to try and speak with him once—then, we'll leave this World."

"Lucky Yuri," Dona muttered and looked up at the dark, churning clouds as she walked.

A Silver Savage can only have one Savage Magic, but a Golden Savage can have two. So Yuri would be gaining two more abilities under her belt.

Mark turned and looked at her, his soul sense cracking a quick scan.

=•=

[Hakase Yuri]

[Tier 2—Golden Savage]

[Physique: 1000 (Pinnacle)]

[Mind: 1000 (Pinnacle)]

[Traits]

Dungeon Heart Seed Bearer.

Mask of the Savage.

[Hunter Ability]

Shadow Curse (T2 Pinnacle)

[Resistance]

Shadow Resistance (Tier 3 Low)

=•=

Their steps soon came to a halt in front of a destroyed wall. Charred buildings were behind the wall, smoke getting smothered by the rain. It was a sight of destruction—something had happened to the city.

In a breath's time, the three moved like a blur and appeared at the heart of the city. There had been a huge battle in the city but it had no corpses lying around.

What was going on?

"Didn't think I'd see you again so soon, Mark," came a voice from his side and Mark froze.

It was so close, he could feel the touch of death on his nape. He turned around, alert in a heartbeat, and was met with a familiar creature—the War Slayer Armor.

What a dangerous assassin! Mark thought, wariness thrumming in his heart. Why's he here?

It had just fused with the elements around him and become air—when it found it appropriate, it had shown itself. If it had wanted, it might have been even capable of hunting Mark now!

"You seem to be getting your knack back," Mark said.

"Had to fight something, you see. If I hadn't fought with you before I fought it, I would have probably lost. But the fight with you made me more alert."

Mark's golden eyes shimmered. "The Mist Demon's clones. You fought him again?"

It shook its head. "Not a clone this time but an Avatar. An Avatar is a better clone—it was quite strong. But since I killed it, his main body must've been hurt, too."

"So this city…"

The Armor looked around. "It was destroyed in the battle but the people of this place escaped. I am leaving, too. I'd have left earlier but I noticed the birth of a new Golden Savage, so I waited for you to come here."

Rain crackled against its metallic body.

"A good chance to speak one final time, thanks, Senior," Mark bowed slightly. "These are my women by the way. I'd appreciate it if you don't kill them to absorb your Heart Blood."

The Armor gave a cursory glance to both Yuri and Dona and then looked back at Mark, ignoring both of them.

It said calmly: "Both are quite average compared to that Heaven Soul woman with white hair. I can see it in their posture—they'd be killed the first day in a good war. Petite, weak little creatures who happen to have some power.

"I expected more from your people. These women are just burdens for a person like you in the end. But I see, you managed to turn the shorter woman into a Golden Savage—She can be seen as a weak Maverick."

Mark rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, the Mask of the Savage is a good trait. Didn't want to lose out on it. She can be seen as a Maverick now, yeah."

Dona stared at the Armor with venom in her gaze. "I am not useless, you tin man."

"You are though," the Armor replied, calm as an ancient well.

"I am not!"

Yuri sweated buckets, inwardly cursing Dona. Why was she pushing the deal with this monster? What if Mark and this thing—an abomination in her eyes—started fighting again?

Luckily, the rain hid her sweat and she had quite the poker face.

She still felt awkward and afraid.

How can you be so calm, Mark?! This is a monster in front of us!

The Armor ignored Dona—it was still an ancient, grand existence. Mark had just taken its favor by a bit and his women were just average people in its eyes. But the one glance it gave her made Yuri's scalp tingle.

"So you came to the city to choose the Savage Magic for your little woman?" it asked. "The building where the inheritance method is stored is still here. What ability of mine do you plan to gain as a Savage Magic for her?"

You are quite talkative, Mark thought.

"I plan to have her gain Glass Dome for sure, as for the second one, I don't know yet."

The Armor led the way and they walked into a small, half-ruined building to one side. As they walked into a gloomy hallway, it said calmly: "You turning her into a Golden Savage could have turned very ugly for you if I wanted."

"...You mean…"

It nodded. "The golden blood, which is the basis of a Savage, is my fuel of sorts. The more I kill, the more fuel I have. And I can subtly manipulate people with less of the golden fuel in their body than myself."

Mark and Yuri both felt chills in their heart. In fact, Mark was ready to send her into his World Space. But he chose not to and smiled instead.

"Mind manipulation wouldn't work on her," he said, quite proud. "She is one of those rare people who knows themselves."

The Armor was surprised.

Mark explained: "She is so aware of what she would usually think, she would immediately notice it if she thought something she usually wouldn't think. She knows what kind of mind she has."

If some thought appeared in her head that she wouldn't think of normally, she would notice it.

The sound of rain and thunder was suppressed as they walked into the hall and Dona grumbled as she was reprimanded by Yuri with a glare.

The War Slayer nodded. "I don't plan to manipulate her."

Mark smiled outwardly. Yeah sure—the first thing next, I will have to change her bodily structure again and get rid of the Heart Blood from her body. I should transform her back to being a Hunter from the molecular level once she gets her new abilities.

"Your ability to plant dungeons inside their heart is quite good," the Armor said. "But it seems there is a very limiting space limitation. Five meters?"

Mark felt a lump in his throat. What a perversely acute creature!

How did it even notice?

Even Reol'ran was full of jitters.

He answered truthfully: "Yeah, a Demonic Trick allows me to plant Dungeon Heart Seeds in people, but it only works five meters around them."

"It should work better if you use it as an Ultimate Demonic Art. Your demonic tricks are all pretty good—you are just too inexperienced and clumsy."

Mark absorbed the words seriously. Then, he asked, "The armor pieces you gave me, can you explain how to use it?"

"I've said it once—if you can't do it yourself, you are not worthy of it. And I will give you a fair warning. If you go and ask the people in the Demon World about it, chances are someone would find out about it and hunt you for it."

Mark felt chills. He had planned to investigate how to do it in the Demon World.

"Be serious, Senior," he said. "I have my own thoughts on how to do it. By assimilating the molecules of the armor piece into myself for example. Then, it will become a part of me entirely—but I don't know if it would work that way."

The Armor paused, its iron footstep echoing in the building.

"Molecules? What are you talking about?"

Mark frowned. "What?"

"It isn't that complicated. Why are you thinking so scientifically about this?" It shook its head. "I thought you'd have already used it—I am a bit disappointed in fact."

Mark was speechless. "Can't you just say what to do? Why do I have to prove my intelligence to you—you already know what I can do! This is a stupid test."

The Armor stared at Mark, and he felt a profound sensation of disappointment in its gaze. Then, it sighed. "I had decided to give it to you and I don't want to see it wasted. You fool, you just have to eat it."

Mark halted on his steps and Dona didn't stifle her laugh.

"I told you to eat that!" she said.

Dona was incredibly proud of herself.

Yuri's eyes twitched.

The graceful Reol'ran almost cursed.

"Senior, you are wise," Mark said with a strained smile as they all entered a dark room full of what seemed like fireflies.

They were not fireflies, but points of congealed light. There were seven symbols on the wall of the room, each representing one of the seven Savage Magic.

Nullification, Aura Teleportation, Glass Dome, Elemental Meld, Weapon Creation (Of a random weapon), Eye of Heaven, and Blood Healing.

"The Will of this World copied my powers," the Armor said. "But they are all inferior to the original by a lot."

Mark knew that.

In the Armor's hand, the Nullification ability gave it the capability to gain Resistance against any abilities used against it with some conditions. In the Nullification ability of the savages, it was not at all like that.

Every Savage Magic was inferior compared to the Original.

"So, lass, what Savage Magic are you going to choose?" it asked.

Yuri knew what she wanted.