If Heaven Had Feelings

"Brother, did you succeed?" Little Succubus asked, her face lighting up when she saw Er Dongsheng (Baal) stand.

"You're so tall! Lulu can't reach you anymore!" Little Succubus had come running over in excitement, but now she pouted. Er Dongsheng looked down and realized the little one barely reached his thigh. She could no longer jump up and throw her arms around his neck as she used to.

Did I just go through another growth spurt?

He stood a little over six feet tall now, while Little Succubus was not even three feet. She was tiny and delicate as a porcelain doll.

"Mm. There's just one last step." He crouched and gently picked her up. After a moment's thought, he lifted her with both hands and settled her securely on his right shoulder.

"Hee hee hee!" The little one was thrilled. She swayed from side to side on his shoulder, hugging his neck and laughing without pause. She was small, and Er Dongsheng was broad-backed and sturdy now. His wide shoulder gave her a steady perch.

After playing with her for a while and seeing the little glutton happy again, Er Dongsheng decided to begin the final step of his breakthrough.

"Abyssal Will, come!"

Boom!

Crack!

A boundless presence burst from his body. The ferocity of martial arts, the ethereal calm of the Daoist School, and the chaotic evil and bloodthirsty cruelty of an Abyss Demon surged out together. Those disparate auras entwined into a presence uniquely his own and swept through the entire cave.

From a distance, the little one watched Er Dongsheng's boundless, commanding presence with a dazed look. Gazing at that terrifying figure, deep as an abyss and fearsome as a demon, like a Demon God, she felt her heart suddenly begin to pound.

"Oh!" Her face flushed. She pinched herself hard to stop her wandering thoughts and turned her attention to the final stage of Er Dongsheng's breakthrough.

Above the cave, winds and clouds suddenly gathered. Waves of violent Abyssal Aura began to condense in the sky, forming vast banks of dark clouds.

Without warning, bolts of lightning tore through the sky. Thunder shook heaven and earth, lighting the little forest as brightly as day. Every animal nearby, Abyssal Species and ordinary creatures alike, cowered on the ground in fear.

"Lightning from a clear sky? The Abyssal Rain Season is over. How is that possible?" At the far western edge of the forest, a massive Abyss Snake stared with eyes as large as lanterns.

"Lightning... lightning... How could this be? Could it be...?" In the eastern forest, a clan of several hundred stared in shock at the lightning overhead. Their leader, an extraordinarily beautiful woman, had gone deathly pale.

"Lightning from a clear sky. Has an Abyssal Species broken through to become a First-Level Demon? But why is the lightning so immense? Could a Greater Demon have been born?"

The outside world was in an uproar over the Abyss's actions, but our protagonist remained in the cave, quietly preparing for the final moment.

Suddenly—

A terrifying will descended upon the little cave in an instant.

Er Dongsheng's heart clenched, and great drops of sweat rolled down his face. It felt like the first time he had faced his master: deep as an abyss, vast as the sea. But this was greater, more profound, its limits impossible to sense.

His body moved into a defensive stance of its own accord. Er Dongsheng knew he was no more than an ant before this mighty will, but the resolve he had forged through martial arts would not let him give up before the very end.

The Abyssal Will was truly unfathomable, wielding power greater even than the Earthly Heavenly Dao. At that moment, Er Dongsheng began to regret accepting its blessing so rashly.

Boom!

The Abyss paid no heed to Er Dongsheng's movements. Perhaps, to consciousnesses such as these Heavenly Daos, they were all ants. Why would it care?

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom! Bursts of air seemed to explode beside his ears. The Abyssal Aura around the cave condensed visibly, growing denser and denser.

Then the Abyssal Will carried that gathered aura straight toward Er Dongsheng's face.

Whoosh!

Before Er Dongsheng could react, it bored into his head and drove toward his Sea of Consciousness with unstoppable force.

No!

Er Dongsheng was horrified. His martial artist's sixth sense warned him relentlessly that he could not let the Abyssal Will enter his Sea of Consciousness. Whatever other demons did, if he accepted that will, he would sink forever beneath the Abyssal Heavenly Dao, a slave to it for all eternity, never to break free.

What do I do? What do I do? What the hell do I do?

"System! Right, Abyss System! Give me a plan, now!"

"Calculating. Please wait..."

"Hurry! Hurry!"

"Fas...ter...!"

"Aah..."

Er Dongsheng struggled to gather his focus against the invading Abyssal Will while frantically urging the Abyss System on.

"Faster! If I'm finished, you won't fare any better!"

Seconds ticked by. Er Dongsheng fought desperately within his Sea of Consciousness against the unstoppable Abyssal Will. It swept aside his resistance without a pause, tearing through one defense after another. The core of his Sea of Consciousness was almost completely tainted.

No... I can't hold on... His soul grew weaker and weaker. His tenacious Martial Dao Will was on the verge of breaking.

Er Dongsheng was about to give up...

"Brother? What's wrong? What's happening to you?" A voice suddenly reached him.

The little girl panicked when she saw Er Dongsheng's face twist in agony. She tried to go help him, but the Abyssal Will pinned her firmly to the ground. Still she refused to give up, inching toward him on her belly. Her defiance seemed to enrage the Abyssal Will, and an even greater pressure bore down on her.

As she crawled, the pressure forced her little arms and legs to scrape hard against the rough ground. Streaks of blood marked the path behind her.

The little one did not so much as frown. She kept inching forward with unwavering resolve. In her heart, even if she died, she wanted to be with her brother.

Within his Sea of Consciousness, Er Dongsheng went still. He stared at the little girl as she struggled toward him, and scenes from their time together came back to him.

"Big guy, you're not going to eat Lulu?"

"Big guy, Lulu's hungry! Can you give Lulu something to eat?"

"Big guy, did Mama and the others abandon Lulu?"

"Big guy, you're so nice!"

"Brother? My brother?"

"Mm, a brother is family even closer than Mama. Mm-hmm, Lulu has a brother now!"

"Lulu isn't unwanted anymore!"

"Brother, you eat too! Lulu's full!"

"Brother, when you finish your breakthrough, you have to make Lulu something tasty!"

Every little moment, every word, every scene from their days together became a ray of light, illuminating the heart Er Dongsheng had already given up on. He had never imagined he mattered so much to the little one. Nor had he imagined how impossible it would be for him to let her go.

If Heaven had feelings, even Heaven would grow old; the righteous path through this mortal world was one of vast change!

Even if they were demons, reviled across countless planes, the deepest parts of their souls could not be defiled. Because... they had feelings too.

They were demons, but they were lonely too. They, too, longed... for... family.

"Lulu, stay right there. Brother's all right. I'll make you something tasty in a little while. We'll have a feast!" Er Dongsheng turned his head and managed a smile for the little one still struggling toward him. It was an ugly smile, but it lifted Little Succubus's heart from despair.

"Mm-hmm! Lulu will wait for Brother!" She was still lying on the ground, her little face smeared with blood and dust, but she smiled happily.

Because she believed in him. She believed in her incredibly strong brother.

That's right. I still have family. How can I give up? How can I betray her trust?

I was never fighting alone!

Come on, Abyssal Will. We're not finished! Once I've dealt with you, my Little Lulu is still waiting for me to make dinner!

Then fight. Only one of us can survive this, and I will live. Because...

I have feelings, and you... have none.

That is your sorrow, and my good fortune...