The Temptation of Power

Noah gazed at the Prince of Voices, whose soul appeared to be shapeless but pulsated rhythmically as he observed more intently, taking on a rippling form.

"I will destroy you!" Gladius roared.

"You—a cast-out waste of the mortal realm! What are you? Submit to me! Submit to the Prince of Voices!"

"I am the Blade Demon, the Lord of Hell!"

"With your soul so puny and frail, you dare to oppose me?"

"Like this? You think you're stronger than me! I'll crush you!" Gladius was irate.

The two malevolent souls entangled and collided.

"Foolish demon hunter, you cannot kill me! You cannot take this girl from me!"

"You might as well prepare your last words with that time!"

Noah felt anxious. In his disembodied state, his perception of his surroundings was blurred and vague, with reality distorted and abstract. The world split into two halves: one belonged to him and the other to the voice demon.

As the two souls clashed, the stronger would devour the weaker. Noah's soul, scorched by the Afernus flames, bore charred scars and was imbued with the power of cursed fire spells. The Prince of Voices tried to consume Noah's soul but kept failing, unable to take even a bite.

My soul cannot be devoured.

"This is… this is…" The Prince of Voices was in turmoil, unable to consume the twisted soul before it, "Your soul… is it trying to resist? Aren't you afraid of being destroyed by my minions? I'm sending them for you! The armies of half the world!... Aren't you scared?"

"I only have one question for you." Noah questioned, "Even if you can collect voices from all over the world, being trapped in a human body, you can only think with human wit. No matter how tirelessly you analyze, you can only understand a few. So many voices are a burden to you. So—everything you told me just now is fabricated!"

"No… no…"

Gladius began to consume the voice demon.

"From top to bottom, inside and out…" Now it was Gladius's turn to attack, grabbing the black soul of the Prince of Voices and swallowing it whole into his belly.

"You're right…" The Prince of Voices pleaded, "Demon hunter, I can't make sense of the cacophony I've gathered… but you can, please! I can assist you! I can become your helper! I can fetch for you the sounds from any place you wish. Just like what I used to do!"

"Really?" Noah asked.

"Absolutely true, you can fully trust me, as long as you're willing, I can carry voices for you. The voices of people discussing treasures in taverns, the secret talks at noble feasts, the whispers of women behind backs, the murmurs in assassin organizations, even the exchanges between wizards about mysteries… I can fetch these voices for you, granting you access to all surrounding sounds, free of charge. Imagine the advantage that could bring you!"

"…" Noah pondered.

"Moreover, my soul is now bound to the girl's soul. If you let the Blade demon in your soul devour me, the innocent girl's soul will also be consumed, and we shall become its strength. That demon will grow more bloated and threaten your safety. But with me, it'll be different. I can balance it, can't I? I am the Prince of Voices, the performer of the resounding court, the listener to all things. You will be satisfied with my service. I served those before me, and they were very pleased, albeit not by my own volition… but now, I'm wholeheartedly willing to obey, just spare me!"

"I indeed require such a source of information; demon powers are very special," Noah explained. "But you must promise me certain things."

"Any condition you set, I'll agree. You've earned my loyalty," the Prince of Voices spoke humbly, its black soul rapidly fading as Gladius carved and tasted it bit by bit.

"First, you must ensure you'll never again act against mortals and repent for the sins you've committed previously."

"I promise," the Prince of Voices quickly vowed, "I will not mistreat the creatures of this realm. In fact, I've never done anything wrong. I will remain humble and respectful, serving as your servant. I also regret all the wrongs I've done before. I will no longer use the power of my voice to harm others, only to play beautiful music."

"Good. Also, you must regularly share valuable information with me, collecting secrets from all over the world, beneficial to my actions."

"Without a doubt," the Prince of Voices responded without hesitation. "Your interests are my interests. In this arrangement, our cooperation will be intimate. With my help, you will be invincible, as no one can keep secrets from you. All humans must speak, and their voices will come to my knowledge."

"A demon hunter needs your kind of support," Noah affirmed. "Our whole organization needs your power to stay well-informed. You can also help us carry voices to let each other know of intelligence."

"Of course, I'll be of great use. I shall become your faithful servant," the Prince of Voices rejoiced and then added weakly, "Please order the Blade demon to stop, great master."

"No."

"What? It's devouring me! It's going to eat me soon! If I'm destroyed, how will I serve you?" The Prince of Voices's black soul writhed in agony.

"I am a demon hunter; my purpose is to eradicate demons."

"What about everything you just said?"

"Taunting you."

"You lunatic, didn't you consider my proposal at all?" The Prince of Voices was panic-stricken, "Have you lost your mind? What kind of person would reject such powerful aid?"

Noah silently watched as the Prince of Voices was devoured.

"You got along well with the demon in your soul, didn't you? You hypocrite!" 

"We merely made use of each other; our relationship was never a civil cooperation," Noah replied coldly.

"Ah! Noah, how rude! We're good friends!" Gladius protested noisily.

"You wanted to use it against each other? How could a human ever overcome a demon? You'll end up defeated, becoming its slave. You need me! You need me!" The Prince of Voices's soul shrank further, its corrupted essence now half its original size, with the untainted white soul still attached at the base.

No, I do not need such evil assistance. Noah thought. Dealing with one Gladius was burdensome enough, and adding the Prince of Voices would be too much. Besides, Gladius shared a soul with me; I have ways to deal with him. But if the Prince of Voices intended to betray, it would be too easy for him to kill with sound instantly and uncontrollably.

"Demons and humans are no different; both seek survival. When faced with danger, both will compromise to seek survival. Threaten a demon enough, and it will assess the situation, its choices narrowed. I am a novice hunter, still learning. One day I'll understand more, find ways to kill powerful demons, deal with a variety of evil threats... As for you, it's best you recognize your place. You're nothing compared to the demons I've hunted," Noah stated.

"Arrogant... Rejecting my help... You'll only meet ruin... I will be reborn in Hell, and when the gateway opens, I will bring my true form into your world. Imagine the scene then; I'll relish seeing you crumble... All your cleverness will be crushed..." The Prince of Voices cursed venomously.

"There's a problem," Gladius interjected. "I'll keep you in my belly, and your soul fragments won't return to Hell. That means you'll be slowly digested in this world by me."

"...Blade Demon... you bastard... All demons are ashamed of you!... 'Gladius the Exiled, the fool who broke the rules!'"

Gladius devoured the Prince of Voices in one bite.

A small part of it, still clinging to the innocent white soul, continued to protest.

"You two are a horrendous pair! A mad human... and an even madder demon! Weak, foolish, paranoid, short-sighted... You're only heading towards destruction!"

Gladius, with exquisite patience, sliced away the remaining bits of the Prince of Voices, then speared them into his own essence. Noah noticed his soul expanding, his own part meshing with Gladius's, mottled and bizarre in color, wrapping and intertwining with each other, with many additional parts Gladius had devoured. It might be the world's most complex soul.

"Do souls carry our emotions and consciousness?" Noah mused. "This way, the likelihood of a split personality increases."

"I'm in control, don't worry," Gladius replied deftly. "Let's become bad without any guilt."

Noah had no intention of letting a demon control everything. He manipulated his soul back into his body, and correspondingly, the remaining pure white soul fragments also slowly returned to the woman's body.

—Vision, hearing, touch. Noah opened his eyes, slightly dizzy.

He rose from the ground. They had defeated another demon, the Prince of Voices, a demon of sound manipulation. It had hidden in this coffin for a long time, manipulating Calvus's daughter's body, projecting and collecting sounds. Its impact must have been very limited, or it would have fled long ago.

But if it was as influential as it boasted, what then? Everything relied on Calvus's daughter's own response. Noah patiently waited for her to regain her senses.

Her vacant gaze remained unchanged, but she was able to move on her own. The woman stood silently, looking around blankly.

"Are you alright? What's your name?" Noah asked, cleaning his own ears.

She touched Noah's face with soft fingers.

"Cyrene."

"I'm Noah, a demon hunter. A demon possessed your body before. How do you feel now?"

"Not good."

"You'll get better," Noah said.

"…" Her expression was empty.

"I'll take you to your family."

"Oh." Her response was minimal.

Noah roughly understood Cyrene's condition. Her soul had been largely consumed by the Prince of Voices over the years, and now that it had been devoured by Gladius, only a tiny part remained. In other words, Cyrene was akin to a late-stage dementia patient, almost devoid of emotions and desires.

Noah gently lifted her into his arms and walked out slowly. She lay passive in Noah's embrace, unresponsive to everything around her.

Outside, Calvus and his mercenaries probably returned upon hearing the massive blast from near the coffin. They watched and waited.

"Lord Noah...," Calvus approached rapidly, his gaze fixed on the young woman in Noah's arms, "…Cyrene? You've grown so much... oh... it's all because of me..."

"She'll get better," Noah assured.

"I can't imagine how much she's suffered," Calvus wiped away tears.

"Oh, now it all makes sense—what a splendid performance," Gladius praised.

"What do you mean?" Noah asked in his mind.

"After feasting, I saw the Prince of Voices's memories." Gladius spoke disparagingly, "For the past five years, Calvus has come to it daily for information, forcing it to give up the intelligence it overheard."