Primordial Demon
In ancient times, the gods of the divine realm and the demons of the underworld waged a war in Earth-land that spread across the realms.
Among them, the demon Satan descended in his true form and fought eighteen war gods in what was now the Clover Grand Canyon. Their battle shattered the heavens and earth, and Satan killed seven of the eighteen war gods.
In the end, the remaining gods sealed Satan within the Clover Grand Canyon at the cost of suffering permanent, grievous injuries.
The book that recorded this secret, History of Earth-land, called demons like Satan who came from the underworld primordial demons. Zeref's artificial demons had been created based on primordial demons.
History of Earth-land had been written by the guild's First Master, Mavis, so there was no need to doubt its authenticity.
Makarov was worried that the demon Mira and Hughes had discovered in the Clover Grand Canyon was the primordial demon Satan, so he hurriedly sent Laxus there as well.
Meanwhile, Hughes was eating happily in the Clover Grand Canyon. He had found another place where the air contained a large amount of Devil Origin.
[Absorbed a small amount of Devil Origin. Flame-Flame Fruit Awakening +0.003%] [Absorbed a small amount of Devil Origin. Flame-Flame Fruit Awakening +0.003%]
Watching the Flame-Flame Fruit's Awakening level in the system climb rapidly from 10% to 15% in the blink of an eye, Hughes was both happy and worried.
Mira had told him about Granny Porlyusica's diagnosis: a rapid increase in strength would put a greater strain on his mind, causing him to lose control.
At the thought, Hughes hurriedly took out another mental potion and swallowed it.
That wasn't what worried him, though. It was the demon he had yet to meet. Just devouring the Devil Origin it had released into the air had raised his Devil Fruit Awakening to 15%.
If he counted the Devil Origin that had dissipated over time, as well as the Devil Origin elsewhere that he hadn't devoured, just how powerful was this demon?
An entire Balrog the Flame Demon had only given him 5% Devil Fruit Awakening.
Hughes couldn't help wondering whether the demon in the Clover Grand Canyon was a different one. The Nine Demon Gates shouldn't have been this powerful, and Pluton was a shut-in, so he could be ruled out too.
Could it be that member of the empire's Spriggan 12? No, that wasn't right either. He didn't seem like the kind of demon who would end his own life.
Forget it, forget it. I'll just make sure to stay away from him. It's time to find somewhere else to keep grinding the Flame-Flame Fruit's Awakening level; hehe, evolving in secret and then amazing everyone really does feel great!
What Hughes didn't know was that, as he speculated about the demon's identity, a demon with deep purple skin, bat wings on his back, sharp claws, and a tail was flying toward him through the Clover Grand Canyon.
An evil aura surrounded him, and the sky and earth fell silent wherever he passed.
"I never thought that I, Satan, would encounter a being capable of devouring my Devil Origin on the verge of death. Interesting, truly interesting!"
"I can hardly wait to destroy such an incredible being, hahaha!"
Meanwhile, Hughes had arrived at Satan's sealing site and was staring in horror at the mountains of corpses and bones on the ground.
It was practically a graveyard of beasts and magical beasts, with blood pooling into streams and their remains piled into mountains.
The Wind Hound's earlier ravings echoed in his mind, and combined with the horrific scene before him, they made goosebumps rise on Hughes's skin.
Whether it was an opportunity or a trap, one look was enough to tell him this was no good place. Could he just pretend he'd never been here?
[Absorbed a small amount of Devil Origin. Flame-Flame Fruit Awakening +0.1%] [Absorbed a small amount of Devil Origin. Flame-Flame Fruit Awakening +0.1%]
Hughes: ...That much! Maybe this place isn't so scary after all!
Wading through the blood and making his way around the piles of corpses, Hughes slowly came to a stop. A vast, unfathomable magic circle appeared ahead, and the air gradually took on an evil, dark, and chilling quality.
Looking at the magic circle split down the middle, Hughes silently took a few steps back. He wanted to slap himself twice. Damn it, why did I have to get curious? Wouldn't it have been fine to just absorb the Devil Origin left in the air and leave?
"Pfft~"
A mocking sound came from the darkness, and a strong wind suddenly swept in. Hughes looked up.
His eyes widened at once. Why did this demon look so familiar?
"Human, I've finally found you. Come! Let's fight!"
Knowing he didn't have long to live, Satan wasted no words. Evil power surged over his arm as he gave a gentle push with his clawed hand.
A mass of pitch-black clawed hands made of Curse Power emerged from his palm, multiplying as they rapidly attacked Hughes from every direction.
Hughes activated Tekkai, crossed his arms in front of his chest, and planted his feet, taking the barrage of black claws head-on.
The claws pushed Hughes steadily backward, but his eyes remained fixed on the demon in midair.
He had thought the demon looked familiar from the start. Now, judging by his attack, wasn't this Satan, the demon Mira would use most often in the future?
So he was the demon who had appeared in the Clover Grand Canyon?
Blazing flames gathered and compressed beneath Hughes's feet before suddenly bursting forth. Propelled by the flames, Hughes broke through the black claws and soared into the sky.
He drew his flame-wreathed right fist back and punched with all his might.
"Fire Fist!"
A gigantic fireball, nearly as large as the entire mountain hollow, erupted from his fist and blasted toward Satan, carrying intense heat and tremendous destructive power.
The flames burned through the air, raising vapor and lighting up the dark sky.
Facing the attack, Satan's expression didn't change. He curled both hands into claws and held them at his waist as a mass of pitch-black Curse Power gathered.
"Shit!" Seeing Satan's stance, Hughes hurriedly activated Elementalization.
Damn it, he opened with a big move! Who would dare take that Kamehameha head-on?
"Soul Extinction!"
Black light flashed between Satan's hands, and an incomparably powerful dark shockwave erupted in an instant. It easily shattered Hughes's fireball and blasted Hughes apart as well, scattering him into sparks.
The dark shockwave continued toward the ground without slowing. Amid an earth-shaking explosion, it smashed through several mountaintops and sent clouds of dust billowing into the air.
Satan, who had created this world-ending scene, closed his eyes and shook his head. The attack wasn't even thirty percent as powerful as it had once been.
Was this the sorrow of being on the verge of death?
The trash of the god race had actually kept him sealed until he died. He was already dead; now, only his remaining consciousness was controlling his body. The moment his Devil Origin completely dissipated would be the moment he vanished for good.
Come to think of it, he had those magical beasts to thank for breaking the seal, allowing him to take one look at this world before he disappeared completely.
Unfortunately, this world wasn't the underworld, and he couldn't die in his homeland.
"Hey! Hey! Hey, it's not a good idea to get distracted!" A spark drifted over to Satan and instantly transformed into Hughes.
As Hughes spoke, a heavy, powerful whipping kick landed, sending Satan crashing to the ground.
Hughes didn't want to launch a sneak attack either, but this thing was fast and could fly. Without a sneak attack, he couldn't beat him!
[Detected sufficient dark, evil, and other Devil Factors in the host's body. As all Devil Fruit Slots are full, Dark-Dark Fruit Awakening has failed and has been converted into Awakening progress for an existing Devil Fruit. Flame-Flame Fruit Awakening +0.1%]
Hughes had intended to follow up and take the opportunity to give Satan a few rounds of flame massage, but the system's sudden notification interrupted him.