Lord of Gluttony

"Ho, what do we have here?"

Aster found himself lying on a cold stone floor. His head fixed to the uneasy dark sky.

An overwhelming presence suffocated him. Forget about moving, he was barely breathing.

'Did I fall? I should have died yet how am I still alive?'

'Is this… teleportation?'

"You don't get to see a human on this side of the world often, especially near that island.

You got anything to say about that, relisher of blood?"

"Gugh, ugh."

At that moment Aster knew he wasn't alone in this mess.

'Even after all those fireballs, he is still alive? Bullshit. Whoever this person is must have saved him before snatching me.'

"Are you deaf, bloodsucker? His Majesty is asking you!" A more feminine voice was heard.

Aster forced his head to tilt slightly. His eyes found the people he was looking for. 

He saw an onyx throne in the distance, on a dark, flat surface stretching in all directions. A figure covered in sinister miasma was found sitting on the chair. Standing right next to him a woman of beauty was visible.

In front of these two, Nicolas was kneeling, practically laying on the floor with his chest.

"Now, now Vanessa. No need to be rude to our guest. Look at his condition, poor child. Hurt and bruised all over. Vampires are a relatively new race compared to our natural demons so it would make sense for them to be weaker.

I mean, a proper demon wouldn't allow itself to be seen in such a miserable condition, would we?

We should interrogate the human lying there. Even if Vampires are weak, they are demons at the end of the day no matter how defective they are.

We should uphold the well-being of our species at all costs, yes?"

"It is only natural to look after each other, my lord!"

"You understand it. Bring that human to me."

'I don't like where this is goi-'

Before Aster even finished his thought, he found himself procrastinating before the figure on the throne.

A cold, hard hand was gripping his neck, forcing him to kneel. Not that he had much of a choice anyway, the pressure emanating from the mysterious person was too strong.

An unspeakable chill went down his spine. His sight dimmed due to the immense pressure and goosebumps appeared all over his body.

'What a monster. Please don't kill me, please don't kill me, please don't kill me, please don't.'

For some reason, his bones felt exposed. No, it went further than that. He felt his very own soul being appraised.

'Is this how people feel when they are subjected to true sight? My privacy feels violated.'

While Aster held nothing but fear and respect for the person in front of him, Beelzebub felt a hint of curiosity sparking in his cold, merciless heart.

'This mortal dares to release [Intimidation] against me?' He felt rejected yet intrigued.

'When was the last time a mortal dared to put up a fight against me?' 

He closed his eyes and immersed himself in the nostalgia of the past.

Lord Beelzebub. One of the 7 demon dukes, The Gluttonous Demon Beelzebub!

Back in his heyday, he had devoured the souls of millions of angels and mortals and converted those to energy for himself to use.

He could use the vilest magic that costs absurd amounts of energy to perform and can incapacitate some other demon lords without breaking a sweat.

With his unique skill, he could keep on fighting for centuries! It is because his trademark skill [Gluttony] removes the maximum capacity cap on his energy and mana.

As long as he has something to devour, he can stockpile stamina and mana until he feels satisfied.

Of course, that's not all. There are many tricks and abilities he has acquired throughout his life. 

Beings who can withstand his powers in the mortal and the astral plane are very few so his shock when a mortal, a human at that, dared to intimidate him was indescribable.

What he didn't know was that it was Aster's [Embodiment of Karma] trait at work. Aster himself, just like many others before him, could only cower in fear against his might.

Fortunately for Aster, this has saved his life.

'Hmm, his attributes are high for his level. Is he a prodigy amongst humans? And they are perfectly balanced too. Yes, versatility is good although a domain is needed.

However, what is this feeling I'm getting right now? It's almost as if my skill [Clairvoyance[Master]] isn't  showing me everything.'

In that regard, he was right. Aster's system hid his unique skills which it was deeply connected with.

'This must be the limitations of this vessel. I miss my powers when I was still in purgatory.'

'Aside from that, this is a nice catch. He would make a perfect demon material!'

"Vanessa."

"Yes, my lord?"

"Treat the boy's wound and send him to the residence for now. Notify Balazear that he is not to be slaughtered or surrendered to any other family."

"I understand my lord."

Vanessa then proceeded to hurry towards Nicolas' side and use recovery magic on him. Nicolas glanced at her with grateful eyes.

'I will kill that fucker's family!' The Vampire Viscount swore in his heart.

Beelzebub observed her with disapproving eyes. "I meant the human boy Vanessa. Maybe it's time I replace you."

"Hrgh!?" Vanessa and Nicolas both froze. Their eyes widened.

'Shit, he didn't refer to the vampire!?'

'Shit, did he realize the brat's potential!?'

Vanessa was shocked because she was ordered to take care of a human while Nicolas was shocked because he was convinced the human was about to get killed.

'I'm sorry my Queen.' His eyes became regretful.

'I lost the package to the lord of gluttony. If I survive this then I will offer her my core if it softens her resentment towards me even a little bit.'

'I sincerely pray that I will be reborn as a vampire to serve Her Majesty once again.'

"What are you waiting for? Move."

The maid bowed down to her lord 13 times before she hurriedly scurried to Aster's side.

She kneeled behind Aster and put her hands on his back.

"GYAAAGH" he screamed at the top of his lungs.

It felt like someone was force-feeding every wounded cell in his body to reproduce and heal the damage. It was a poor recreation of life magic.

Beelzebub did not flinch or show any reaction towards the sudden expression of pain. If anything he seemed to enjoy it.

For what seemed like an eternity, the pain subsided and Aster passed out.