Fallen Demon Hunter vs. Superpowered Individual 3

The changes brought by the Seed of the Heart were more than just the ability to transform into a Ram-headed Demon and control shadow power.

According to the Monster Maker, this was merely standard configuration for the Seed of the Heart. If the compatibility between the Seed of the Heart and its host was high enough, the host would develop their own unique ability.

However, he also mentioned that the hosts he personally selected were not chosen carelessly; they were all individuals he deemed compatible enough to develop unique abilities, so I wasn't special in that regard.

Since he called himself the "Monster Maker," those who combined with the Seed of the Heart were naturally called "Monsters." As the name implies, they were people who transformed into monsters.

And my unique ability as a Monster was "Stand."

I could temporarily transfer the Seed of the Heart out of my body and turn another human into a Monster. During this period, all my power would transfer to that individual, and I would temporarily lose my power, with my craving for souls also shifting.

Humans turned into Monsters by me through this method would become my Stand puppets. I could issue any command to them and share senses remotely with them. If necessary, I could also reclaim my power, and my craving for souls would return. This process took only an instant, so there was no need to worry about not being able to recall my power if my main body was in danger.

Monsters could continue to evolve their power by hunting humans and devouring souls, and a Stand could do the same. Furthermore, when I reclaimed my power, the Stand's growth progress would be fed back to me. The price for this was that the Stand would die.

Even though I had never used this ability before, I grasped its details perfectly. These things surfaced in my mind like instinct, and there was no room for misunderstanding the true nature of my ability.

The Monster Maker inquired about my ability when he came to check on me. Not knowing his background, I couldn't choose to conceal or lie; I could only tell him the truth. Upon hearing the details of my ability, he showed a surprised expression.

"I didn't expect it to be this kind of ability," he mused. "Among all the Monsters I've created so far, your ability is perhaps the closest to the Progenitor."

I immediately asked what the Progenitor was, but he seemed to have just said it casually and didn't intend to elaborate on the topic.

"Speaking of which, you haven't devoured any souls yet, have you?" he looked at me meaningfully. "If you keep not devouring human souls, you'll eventually lose control under the urge to kill, become a target for Luoshan's subjugation, and die by some unpredictable sword. Can you accept even that outcome?"

"...I don't want to kill," I struggled to say. "Do I have to kill and devour human souls? Can't I just use animals—"

"No," he said. "Since you could think of such a method, you must have already tried it. The Seed of the Heart only accepts human souls."

"Then... can you detach the Seed of the Heart from my body?" I regretted saying this immediately.

"Are you sure? The Seed of the Heart is already deeply integrated with you. Unless you die, the Seed of the Heart cannot leave you."

"..." I fell silent.

He thought for a moment and then said, "However, there is one other situation where the Seed of the Heart will leave you."

"What situation?" I asked.

"To prevent the Seed of the Heart from being captured by Luoshan, when a Monster falls into an inescapable predicament, the Seed of the Heart will automatically detach from the Monster. Of course, in this case, the Monster will still die from losing the Seed of the Heart," he said. "Unfortunately, the Seed of the Heart itself does not have the function to judge the situation; judging the situation is ultimately up to you. Therefore, when you feel genuine despair and resignation, believing that all hope is lost..."

"...I will die," I said.

"Precisely. So, hurry up and kill someone, Kong Da," he smiled. "Once you stop thinking and accept the future of being hunted by Luoshan, the Seed of the Heart will leave you. You will return to the self who can do nothing, and die having achieved nothing."

After much struggle, I still chose the path of killing.

Because I didn't want to lose my power, nor did I want to die.

To avoid being tracked by Luoshan and the official forces, I couldn't be the one to kill; it had to be my Stand.

The Stand's own qualities and loyalty were not important; my ability would elevate it to a usable level, and the other party would be unable to resist any of my commands. I also didn't have any grand ambitions, nor did I plan to manipulate powerful figures in society. Anyone human would suffice; even social outcasts were fine.

Moreover, there was an issue with manipulating powerful figures: the person I turned into a Stand would directly transform into the Ram-headed Demon form, and this transformation couldn't be undone even after death. If I were a "human who could transform into a Ram-headed Demon," then the Stand would be a physiological transformation directly modified by monstrous power, becoming the Ram-headed Demon itself.

So, I found a homeless man who looked utterly down and out. People like him would disappear from society without anyone caring. He was the safest option.

There was just a small unexpected twist: even homeless people nowadays shouldn't be underestimated. I had seen news online before about some homeless people scavenging by the roadside being recognized by passersby as former millionaires or other influential figures who had fallen on hard times.

I thought news like that was a world away, but after inquiring, I discovered that the homeless man I had found was actually the former leader of a cult.

He had previously lorded over the countryside, living a life of unimaginable comfort. Unexpectedly, a high school student with an interest in folklore appeared from nowhere, exposed all his tricks, and even assisted the official forces in settling his crimes. Without his support, he was almost carried out by his angry followers and burned alive. If he hadn't prepared a scapegoat, whom he had brainwashed and undergone plastic surgery on, in advance for just such an eventuality, he might have truly died there.

However, fortunes change. He probably never dreamed that he, who had escaped death thanks to a scapegoat, would one day become my Stand.

Under the effect of my ability, his mind was quickly shattered.

My Stand ability isn't some absurd power that works unconditionally; not everyone can be turned into a Stand by me. When I use this ability on a target, they are first trapped in an illusion before undergoing the transformation.

The Monster Maker told me that a Monster's ability is closely related to their past life experiences and their innermost desires.

And the illusion I created was precisely the dead end that had once terrified me and plunged me into despair.

The more fear and despair the person trapped in the illusion experiences, the longer they are held captive. It would take ordinary people several days to escape, while I could transform a target into a Stand puppet in just one minute.

The "trapped" phase could still be resisted with mana, but the "transformation" phase was a rule-based process that ignored power differences. Once this minute passed, no matter how powerful the individual trapped in the illusion was, they would only become a puppet at my disposal.

After obtaining the Stand, I began ordering him to kill.

Although the Stand could bear the urge to kill on my behalf, if I let him accumulate the urge to kill, I would inherit all his killing impulses when the Seed of the Heart returned, which would not do.

However, I didn't intend for him to simply kill ordinary people. Since I was manipulating a Stand now, and I had already made up my mind to kill, I might as well cast aside all my worries and conscience and hunt Demon Hunters.

Most Demon Hunters' mana originated from their souls, and they often possessed souls of higher quality. Even though the Seed of the Heart wasn't with me temporarily, I was still a Monster and could sense whose soul quality was higher.

By devouring those souls, I could gain more powerful strength, and since it would take longer to digest those souls, I wouldn't have to kill frequently.

Just in case, I didn't hunt the Demon Hunters of Luoshan, but instead targeted those in the civilian population. Calling them "Demon Hunters" in the civilian sector didn't mean they necessarily had the experience or desire to hunt demons; "superpowered individuals" would be a more fitting description.

While acting in the shadows, other clouds loomed in my mind.

--Among all the Monsters I've created so far, your ability is perhaps the closest to the Progenitor.

These were the words of the Monster Maker, words I never dared to ignore or forget.

Progenitor, it sounds like the prototype or origin of us Monsters.

When a monster despairs from the bottom of its heart, the Seed of the Heart departs. So... where does a departed Seed of the Heart ultimately go?

My ability is to transplant the Seed of the Heart into other humans. After retrieving it, I can gain all the power of a Stand puppet. Then... from the perspective of a Progenitor with similar powers, are we monsters all just their Stand puppets?

Perhaps at some point, the Progenitor will activate their ability and reclaim the Seeds of the Heart from all monsters.

All monsters will return to their powerless selves and die having accomplished nothing.

The thought of that scenario terrifies me.

I must explore... explore the origin of the Seed of the Heart and all related information. I must know how to prevent such an event, or at least ensure my own survival if it occurs.

Every time the Monster Maker visited, I would subtly probe him.

I don't know if he was genuinely lacking in caution or if he felt it didn't matter to reveal such information, but he brought it up during our casual conversation.

"The technical prototype for the Seed of the Heart comes from a realm that completely overlaps with the real world in terms of space."

"Completely overlaps with the real world... Are you saying another time?" I was shocked.

In the occult studies I've encountered, there are other dimensions that "almost overlap" with the real world, but there are no other dimensions that "completely overlap" with the real world.

If I had to give an example, it could only be different points in time within the same space.

That is to say, the past, or... the future.