Chapter 174 – Price

[2009 – October]

Staring down at the incapacitated Demon, I didn't bother to be merciful as I continued to pressure him while waiting for his answer to my question.

Holding back against an incarnation of sin wasn't just useless, it could only be described as foolish. Demons only respected the strong, their almost desperate survival instincts spurning on their fear in the face of higher beings.

In Hell, this meant that no Demon dared to openly defy those of greater power, the punishments for doing such being incredibly cruel even by demonic standards. So the moment that I showed mercy would also be the moment that Predator lost his fear and thus decided that I could be manipulated or influenced, that I was weak.

Though this was where my admittedly limited information about Demons ended, even though I had also asked Selene about Demons during our first and last meeting.

Through Emma, Selene had then provided me with some material where she had explained to me the basic structure of their hierarchy and culture to give me a better understanding of their nature, as well as include some of her own experience.

She had had dealings with Demons in the past and she had noted down that most of them were different in the way they planned and plotted.

The only constant was that there didn't exist a Demon that was not of a cunning and deceitful nature.

As such, I was mostly curious about what he would offer, even though I already knew the price for his life.

"P-Please, spare my life, my L-Lord! I am willing to provide your lordship with sacrifices yearly! N-No matter the number, I will do my best to gather as many mortals as your lordship desires!", Predator voiced out pleadingly, his face an ugly grimace as he tried to look particularly pitiful.

My response though was immediate and of a rather violent nature, my will exerting reality-bending pressure on the Demon through an ethereal shield, shattering the bones in his four limbs and slowly crushing his ribcage as he cried out in anguish.

His shrill serpentine voice turned into a bestial howl as black cracks appeared throughout all of his Demon Realm, the weight of my presence almost too much to bear for the fragile spatial construct.

"Sacrifices ... ?", I questioned darkly, "It seems as if I misjudged how much you value your own life, Demon … "

Offering mortal sacrifices might seem like a lot of work, as well as the logical thing to do for a Demon, but in truth, this offer was an insult if nothing else.

Providing me with sacrifices was Predator's way of brushing me off as he wanted to pay for his own life with something comparatively 'expendable' while continuing his existence inside my domain.

The only thing that he would lose in this deal was that the growth of his power would be slowed down, considering the fact that he would have to give part of the offerings that he gathered to me, instead of using them himself to increase his power by draining them of their life force.

This though, was of little importance to a Demon since they couldn't die of old age, longevity being their innate gift.

As such his offer lacked the sincerity of an apology considering that he tried to take over the part of the Darkforce Dimension where he placed his Realm.

Naturally, I could just crush the Demon's realm even if fully formed with ease but that didn't lessen the weight of his crime.

It was thus rather obvious that Predator was trying to test me. Or in other words, he was trying to fool me.

Acting as if he was cutting off his own flesh with his offer while in truth sacrifices were something that all weaker Demons provided the stronger Demons in whose domain they operated unconditionally.

…

Predator was in agony as his bones were nearly pulverized, he cried out pitifully. He had realized quickly enough that he shouldn't have tried to play his tricks with the higher being in front of him.

Unfortunately, it was too late for regrets as he had already angered the Realm Lord of this dimension.

Not to mention that even with survival being his priority, it was difficult for him to suppress his demonic nature consciously, the innate greed of his race making him unwilling to offer more than absolutely necessary.

This strange inner conflict was present in most members of his race, which added to their somewhat unpredictable nature.

Demons might fear the strong as they valued their own life more than anything but they were still incarnations of sin, which meant that every so often their impulsive side would win out against their rationale one.

This could be considered their curse since even the most powerful Demons were often the victim of their own innate desires.

Feeling the pressure ease up somewhat, his strangled cries ceased after a few long moments passed, at which point Predator finally dared to raise his head again while silently enduring the pain of his shattered limbs.

Gazing at the dark shadow, its blazing white eyes seemingly staring right into his soul, he didn't even dare to breathe too loudly in fear of angering the higher being any further.

"Your 'True Name', that is the price you will pay, Demon.", the shadow's dark and unquestionable voice rang in his ears, the words it spoke chilling him to the core.

There was no higher price for a Demon to pay than to give up one's 'True Name' to another party as it would be akin to handing over one's life and death to the other party, though such an act also entailed much more.

Once in possession of a Demon's 'True Name', one was basically in control over every action of said Demon and could use its power for themselves. And worst of all, there was no way to break this control for the Demon as 'True Names' could not be changed or altered.

Naturally, Predator was unwilling to be enslaved by another being as it would mean that no matter his power in the future, he could never escape the Lord of Darkforce's control.

Given the situation though, he also understood that this was not a request that he could refuse while expecting to survive.

Gritting his teeth, Predator signed away his freedom as he spoke his 'True Name' while regretting not having returned to Hell when he still had the chance to leave.

…

Sensing a glowing blood-red rune appear in the depths of my mind as the Demon kneeling in front of me spoke his 'True Name', I couldn't deny that I was intrigued by this kind of magic i.e. ability.

I instinctively knew that I could control Predator's every action if I so choose, even end his life with but a thought. I wasn't sure what kind of power this was but I could only guess that it was some kind of innate soul magic.

Still, that was where my interest ended as I hadn't forced Predator to give up his 'True Name' because I eyed his powers but because I didn't enjoy waiting for him to become a threat in the future.

As a Demon, he possessed not only bottomless ambition but also strange and paranormal knowledge that might pose danger to me. I was somewhat doubtful of that considering the vast difference in strength but there was no reason not to be careful.

In addition, I also knew the value of the knowledge that he had gathered for millennia. There might come a time when it would be advantageous to be able to refer to his understanding of Hell and other places or entities.

Though admittedly, the fact that he was basically a squatter on my private property that had prepared to declare my place as his might have also played a role in my decision to practically enslave him.

Still, the bigger reason for what I did was that I already had a use for his power in mind, limited as it may be.