In a bloody and dimly lit room.
After dealing with the half-demon, Moro was about to step out of the room when the eyes of the skull sculpture on the wall lit up red.
“Such a familiar soul, are you that little brat from back then?
How’s Constantine doing? Still hunting demons for a shot at heaven?
That kid was born to be a demon, yet he wants to go to heaven? That stingy little Jehovah wouldn’t accept him!”
A voice laced with a mixture of concern and mockery emanated from the skull, a chillingly eerie sight.
Upon hearing these words, Moro’s heart skipped a beat as he immediately thought of a demon from hell, the very same Satan, the King of the Seven Sins of Wrath!
During the first year of Moro’s life with John Constantine, they had encountered Satan. And nearly every three years, he would tempt John into the underworld.
You could say that Satan was truly hankering for John’s soul, and had even made a bet with John and God, Jehovah.
Whichever of them could claim John's soul would be the first to break the contract and return to the mortal realm.
However, the condition was that neither side could interfere directly with John, nor could they intentionally aid him.
Perhaps it was for this reason that in Moro’s previous life, the movie he watched showed Satan ripping out John’s lungs to save him!
But he wasn’t John. Satan was using his mortal body to target him, and that wasn’t a good sign. Moro thought as he mobilized all his spiritual energy, ready to fight at any moment!
“Heh, don’t be nervous, little brat. As long as the agreement stands, I can't lay a finger on you. That’s the dignity and credit of a king!”
As if seeing through Moro’s apprehensions, Satan’s skull sculpture spoke with an air of arrogance.
He continued, “Wanna make a deal?”
“You should know what’s happening in the world, right?
When the time comes, if you don't have at least three-tiered divine power, you can imagine what will happen to your loved ones, friends, and lover when they get enslaved or killed by the gods.”
“What do you want me to do?”
While aware that demons are untrustworthy and love to beguile, Moro wasn’t opposed to fishing for Satan’s intentions.
If he could secure some benefits and ensure his own interests were not compromised, he wasn't averse to making a deal with the Demon King.
As an old demon who had lived for centuries, Satan could see right through Moro’s thoughts. But he didn’t care. He calmly responded.
“The Longnuki Spear, also known as the God-Slaying Spear, right?
I need you to seize it when you encounter it in the future, and hand it over to my child, Intis.
In return, I’ll give you a complete divine core. After absorbing it, you’ll gain the corresponding divine authority and become a three-tiered divine being in one go.
What do you say? Sounds like a good deal, right?”
The skull sculpture of Satan radiated infernal flames, its tone oozing with seductive charm.
He was certain that no one could resist the temptation of becoming a god in one leap, especially those who wielded extraordinary powers.
Such individuals, who had tasted the life of a superior being, were the easiest to beguile. After all, the human heart is never satisfied!
The skull stared intently at Moro, who was lost in thought, the flames in its eyes burning brighter, as if trying to ignite his desires.
But Moro remained unfazed. He wasn't about to be manipulated, instead, he was contemplating how to gain some immediate benefits while waiting for the plot to unfold so he could fish in troubled waters!
After all, he wanted the God-Slaying Spear that had killed the son of God, and he also desired the three-tiered divine core promised by Satan. He wanted both!
After agonizing for a long time, Moro decided to accept the deal first and demand some benefits upfront, planning to find a way to screw over Satan later.
With a mischievous plan brewing in his mind, Moro put on a greedy facade and opened his mouth wide like a lion, addressing the skull sculpture.
“I want the divine core, but you gotta give me a down payment. After all, helping out a demon might attract the attention of the Church!
You know I’m kind of close with the Seventh Demon Hunter of the Church, Van Helsing. This isn’t an easy thing for me to do, ya know?”
“Heh, you, a selfish guy, care about friendship?”
From Satan’s skull sculpture, a scornful laugh echoed.
“No, no, you’ve got it all wrong. He’s like a brother, my hunting buddy!
So, you gotta pay more!
At least give me enough resources to reach sixth-tier!”
Moro looked at the skull sculpture, a sinister grin plastered on his face, his greed palpable.
Anticipating Moro’s greed, Satan wasn’t surprised by his demands, but instead, he retorted with a chuckle.
“Heh, so your brother only deserves enough for a tier upgrade? What about John, how much is he worth? If you were to take him out, I could give you a three-tiered divine core right now!”
To convince Moro, a black-red vortex appeared in the mouth of the skull sculpture. Next, a thumb-sized, shimmering divine core with a myriad of colors materialized within it.
“See? A complete three-tiered divine core, a rare Holy Light attribute. Using it, you can directly become a three-tiered divine Angel Legion Commander.”
Satan’s tempting voice reverberated in Moro’s ears, the holy light from the divine core momentarily causing him to feel disoriented.
If not for Moro’s strong soul and title buff, he might have actually fallen for Satan’s tricks.
Moro swallowed his nonexistent saliva, continuing to feign greed, he boisterously laughed.
“Hahaha! Not enough! Not enough! John is another price altogether, a single three-tiered divine core wouldn’t cut it!”
“Greedy, I like it. We’ll put that aside for now. When you finish the God-Slaying Spear mission, we’ll talk about it then.”
Changing the subject, Satan’s thought process shifted, and he added.
“I can give you that one resource, after all, even a Hell King can’t be too stingy, can he?”
The muffled voice fell silent.
The Second World, the Abyssal Hell.
Inside the palace of Satan, the King of Wrath, he sat on his throne constructed from a combination of angel and human skulls.
He looked at the pool of infernal flames and demon magma that mixed to form a hellish molten lava pool within his palace.
“Greedy little brat, I wonder if you can withstand the erosion of hellfire and demonic energy!”
Satan raised his black-red dragon claw, his demonic energy surging, reaching out towards the pool of hellfire he usually trained in.
Moments later, a clump of pure hellfire mixed with demonic energy was condensed in his hand, gradually taking the shape of a fist-sized crimson crystal.
After sensing the power within the crystal, Satan casually tossed it, and the crimson crystal vanished from the Second World.
………………
The Mortal Realm, in the room in the basement of the slaughterhouse.
Satan’s skull sculpture merely paused for a second, and a crimson crystal flew out of its mouth, gently landing in Moro’s hand.
“Kid, the resource I promised, this fire crystal contains enough energy for you to reach six-tier, even seven-tier in a short time.
Don’t forget our agreement. Two years from now, I’ll visit John and come see you too!”
With those words, Satan’s skull sculpture self-destructed into dust, as if everything that had just happened was a dream!
But the implied warning in Satan’s words and the crystal in his hand were a stark reminder that what just transpired was all too real.
“I’m being watched again! But in two years, I’m not sure if I’ll still be under the thumb of your mortal avatar, old Bident!”
Muttering these words under his breath, Moro shifted his attention to the crystal in his hand.
He didn’t believe that old Bident Satan would give him anything good!
“Activate True Eye!”
He silently chanted, and a panel instantly appeared in his vision.
【Item Name: Hell Demon Crystal】
【Item Tier: Seven-tier (Purple)】
【Ability 1 (Recharge): Possesses ample fire energy, absorbing it grants you hellfire】
【Ability 2 (Demonize): Absorbing the crystal’s internal power will result in demonic corruption, eventually transforming you into a half-demon】
“I knew that old geezer would pull something shady. But he’ll never guess that these negative effects don’t affect me!”
After reviewing the crystal’s attributes, Moro muttered under his breath, a suitable use for the crystal arising in his mind. Just right for using that chunk of outer god flesh as a supplement!
With his plans set, Moro began to loot the spoils of war.
Within minutes, Moro had scoured the entire factory.
He took everything of value, and finally, set the old factory ablaze, ensuring it went out with a bang, a final courtesy.
…………
Moro drove back to the hotel, the time was only five in the afternoon.
Lying on the soft bed, he sorted through his recent gains.
First was the 900 experience points and 90 skill points from the half-demon, along with a pair of demon horns. Then there was the seven-tier demon energy crystal given by Satan, and finally, the entire fortune of the half-demon traitor.
Ten pounds of gold bits and pieces, some male and female jewelry, and finally, $50,000 in cash.
Killing and arson sure do pay well!
After taking stock of his loot, Moro began absorbing the crystal’s energy. He would absorb a little to see if it could be used to nourish the outer god flesh later.
Four to five hours later.
Moro opened his eyes, sitting cross-legged on the bed, looking at the experience points on his attribute panel, which had changed from 100,000 and 1,870 to 100,000 and 10,000, he was quite satisfied.
“I wonder if this energy can help that chunk of outer god flesh grow more divine energy.”
While Moro was pondering these cultivation matters, the doorbell rang.
Hearing the doorbell, Moro gave it some thought. The most likely person to be ringing his doorbell at this time would be Melissa after finishing work.
Using his spiritual energy, he remotely opened the door.
Just as he had predicted, Melissa had rushed over after finishing work, specifically returning home to change her clothes before bringing two dinners for him.
At this moment, Melissa was slightly out of breath, her cheeks flushed, and as she saw Moro sitting on the bed, smiling at her flustered appearance, she dropped the dinners and rushed into his arms.
“I missed you so much! Today, I felt so listless, I even spaced out during my exams!”
Melissa snuggled into Moro’s arms like a piglet, nuzzling and rubbing against him.
The soft touch of her body and the faint scent of herbal incense enveloped his consciousness, making him feel restless and aroused.
Dry wood meets a blazing fire, and the two of them soon launched into a passionate battle.
…………