- Black Flames

The visitor was surprisingly Alzeius, in the form of a human. At the first glance of his lord's appearance, Zex found that he underestimated the aesthetic taste of the one he served.

Alzeius was wearing an all-white Victorian suit that contrasted with his deep dark eyes and long wavy hair. If Zex was to describe him in terms of his previous life, the appearance of his lord resembled a tall man in his 30s with Caucasian descent and a fairly toned build. A beauty and charm that would rival Class A models close to that of David Gandy.

The demon lord in disguise was looking around the room for a while until his eyes fell on Zex.

"Is there anything you need?" Alzeius asked as he sat on a couch beside the window.

Zex remembered that they were not finished talking about his plan before they were interrupted by the arrival of Hevan and Caylin.

"My lord, is it possible for me to undergo Demonic Reconstruction once again?" Zex asked while still kneeling.

To this, Alzeius was silent for a while before he answered: "I sense dragon blood within your body. If you undergo Demonic Reconstruction, your body will improve but before that, you will need to purge the dragon blood and replace it with the blood of a lesser standard, or else a rejection will occur and may kill you in the process. Also, it seems your blood is in major disarray."

Hearing these words, Zex started having suspicions regarding his master. 'He isn't as ignorant as he seems.'

"I believe it is due to the transformation the previous owner used back when we fought. Unfortunately, I do not have any idea how to fix it." He replied.

Alzeius stood up after a few seconds and moved closer to Zex and then placed his hand on the latter's head. "Do not resist."

Zex relaxed and suddenly, a surge of aura entered and circulated all over his body.

Discomfort rose all over him as time went by.

After a few minutes, Zex felt the surge of aura escape his body before Alzeius retracted his hand. "The dragon blood within you is of too low purity that the damage from the transformation is taking too long to heal. If left alone, it may take a decade for you to recover and unless you do so, you may not be able to use that transformation."

Such an ability that gives explosive power to a human is understandably something that could not be used wantonly.

"My lord! Is there a way to purify my blood?' Zex voiced his concern. Although his stats were currently above average for a hero, the lack of a trump card like the [Draconian Manifestation] or the [True Name Liberation] made him feel like a turtle without its shell or a lion without its claws.

Alzeius pondered for a moment before replying: "To tell you the truth, not many dragons still exist in this world. The closest to this area is Maguru. She is a powerful dragon of pure lineage from the Ancient Dragons, but your current strength will only get you killed even before you reach the outskirts of her den. Even I would have trouble surviving one of her attacks. Your tricks from the previous battle may make you last longer but none of them would be able to deal substantial damage to her. You should also understand that with you having dragon blood, bloodline suppression would render you unable to do anything." He paused for a moment as he turned around and moved near the window to bask in the moonlight.

"However, if in the future, you can slay her and transfuse her blood into you, there is a chance that your blood will be purified and your body will undergo evolution. Just understand that if the purification fails, you will surely die."

Alzeius continued with a solemn voice as if he did not wish for such a thing to happen.

Zex shook at his core when he heard all the words his master said. First, he confirmed that Alzeius held more knowledge of this world than what was transmitted to him.

Second, he found out that dragons were extremely stronger than demons in this world. Third, a chance to purify his dragon blood existed, albeit not free of danger. As for the bloodline suppression, he already had an idea how to get around that.

With all this information, he formulated various plans in his Mind Space until he finally decided on one.

"My lord, I shall keep the dragon blood. One day, I shall purify it." Zex voiced his decision.

Alzeius smiled and rejoiced in his heart when he heard this. Deep down, he was proud of himself for making a great choice in turning this gem into his subordinate. He slightly turned his head to catch a glimpse of the man kneeling behind him.

"Very well, then. I shall transmit to you the structure of pure-blood demons' Qi Network and Mana Matrix. Study it well and derive a design that would fit your desire. If you wish to optimize the power of the dragon blood within you, you will need your Qi Network structure to be at least a level higher than us pure-blood demons. You have to do it yourself as purifying your dragon blood won't reconstruct it for you. Regarding your Mana Matrix, it will be better if you do not follow the design I will transmit. Just use it as a guide.

Otherwise, although you may still be able to use your peculiar mana more effectively, your dragon blood will still mess up your control each time." The demon lord explained.

Zex understood the principle well. He read many novels in his previous life regarding Qi Networks and Mana Matrices, albeit in different names and portrayals. Although only a few would have tackled them both and rarely been used hand in hand by an individual, he already had a rough idea of how to achieve it. 'If something does not exist, it does not mean it won't exist in the future.' He kept this belief in his heart as he was born in the Technological Era in his previous life. The impossible was made possible every day until he died. Why not apply it in this life as well?

The configuration that pure-blood demons had was mostly optimized for their race, factoring in their lifestyle, culture, practices, and the elements that surround them since their conception. Even if he followed a design of a higher version than his previous body which was pure-blood to his surprise, the dragon blood will not cease its rejection of his mana if the design does not consider their compatibility. What caught his attention, however, was a particular word his master said.

"My lord. May I ask what you mean by my 'peculiar' mana?"

Alzeius thought for a moment, then turned around before giving his reply. "Frankly, I have not seen or heard of anything resembling the mana you bear. However, it seems that it has been rather useful to you and your growth."

He paused for a while, seemingly wanting Zex to understand the weight of what he was about to say next.

"Despite its promising… abilities, I will have to warn you not to rely on it so much that it eventually consumes you. At least not until you or I figure out what it is and its origin. The moment I sensed it inside you, I had a glimpse of a darkness that would swallow this world. Although humans and other races brand us demons as evil, we are nothing but one of the races who have a stake in this world. We do not seek its destruction. Keep this in mind or I will not hesitate to remove your existence, myself." Alzeius declared in a serious tone.

This gave Zex a horrendous chill down his spine but it also gave him the clarity to the situation. He had to admit that he took his path as the antagonist of the story the moment he sold his soul to a demon.

However, Alzeius made him realize that his attitude towards his current fate was no different than the racism in his previous life.

He was blinded by the narratives of most literature he has read, enough to make him forget that they were written by humans.

However, he was not gullible enough to not notice that Alzeius did not deny the notion that demons were evil, just that they do not wish for world domination or destruction as portrayed in various stories... Not Alzeius at the least.

After exchanging a few more words, Alzeius transmitted the design information as well as a spell to contact each other before leaving.

The reconfiguration could not be performed then and there. First of all, Zex needed to study the designs that pure-blood demons possess. Second, he needed to create a design that is of a higher level. Even with all of the knowledge he carried from his previous life and the vast number of spells and techniques he learned from Arissef, he could not pull this off in a short time.

He decided to put his plans in motion first and train himself in using his black flames even with the rejection of his blood. He also continued constructing the temporary Mana Matrix and refined his Mana Core to lessen the effects of the rejection.