ACT 5 Devils Identity

Ive found it!

The gazes of the Fire Draconians concentrated on a hill as they heard someones voice.Then one man appeared on top of the hill and hurled curses at them.

Damn. Yes, its me. What are you going to do? You stupid lizards!No matter how much your spirit has been eaten, how can you confuse me for the devil that trapped you? Huh?Im a human! That guy called Lumines was whining so I came in to look for you!

Nonsense!

The fact that you entered here is evidence that you are the devil!

Kill him, get revenge for the Fire Draconians!

The Fire Draconians immediately took out their weapons and climbed up the hill.When the herd of Fire Draconians came within 20 metres of him, the ground shook like there was an earthquake.Ark instantly turned his body around and ran off.

These guys use blunt weapons. While Resilience will allow me to withstand it a bit, if I am surrounded by those guys then I would be stunned and it will be game over!I have to keep the maximum distance while luring them!

But just maintaining the distance was difficult.If he got too far away from them then the combat state would be released.Arks purpose wasnt to lure 1 Fire Draconian to his destination.If even 1 Fire Draconian fell behind then it would cause a problem.For Arks plan to 100% succeed, all of them had to chase after him.

Racard, if any of them fall behind or watches from a distance then use Taunt on them!

Okay!

Racard flew to the side at Arks command.Then he cursed at any Fire Draconians that slowed down.The Fire Draconians became furious and caught up.However it wasnt easy to lure 30 opponents.Ark controlled his speed and the Fire Draconians chased after him as one group.After about 10 minutes. The destination Ark was luring the Fire Draconians to was just beyond the hill.

Racard, are there any Fire Draconians remaining?

Okay, Ill check!

One, two..all 30..Im certain.

After finishing the personnel check, he lured them within a short distance and turned around.At the same time, the place covered with a hazy vapour appeared.

Thats it, weve arrived! Ya, these stupid lizards! Try attacking me!

Ark ran into the fog and shouted.Then he turned around and stared at the Fire Draconians chasing him.Oneof the Fire Draconians rushed towards him wielding an iron bar.

Die, you demonic fellow!

Ark quickly rolled to avoid the iron bar and pointed towards him.

Youve finally shown your true identity you devil!

W-what? Devil? Are you talking about me? The devil

You.

Arks confident answer caused the Fire Draconian to flinch and stop moving.Ark stood slowly and said with a decisive voice.

Yes, the devil. The one who trapped the souls in Dragonian and slowly chewed on the souls of the Fire Draconians like a parasite is you!

Youre talking nonsense

Nonsense? Heh, why dont you look around before saying that?

?

The Fire Draconian looked around with a perplexed face.Until then the Fire Draconians had been chasing Ark.But now the remaining 29 Fire Draconians werent in front of Ark.They were on the outskirts of the water vapour and looking around absent-mindedly.

What, what is this? This guy

It is useless. Theyre not going to come in.

What?

You still dont understand? What happened to your cheerful expression?

Ark tapped the ground and a noise like a splash could be heard.

T-this?

Yes, it is water. To me more exact, it is the hot springs underneath Dragonian.

Ark laughed and replied.Thats right. Ark had been digging in order to find the hot springs.The reason Ark thought of the hot spring was because he remembered his fight with Valderas.Hundreds of people fighting at the same time couldnt defeat Valderas, but Ark managed to fight him along because he used the Fire Draconians weakness to water.Since the Fire Draconians were spirits of fire, just touching water would cause them massive damage.In other words, it was like poison to the Fire Draconians!If there was a place with water than the Fire Draconians would instinctively stop walking. But if it was the devil?If the devil had been hiding among the Fire Draconians for hundreds of years then of course it would be aware of their weakness.But the devils excitement meant that it would continue forward.

Therefore Ark looked for the hot springs because he thought it would reveal the devil.There had been many hot springs drifting in the chaos space.And those pieces of land had all fallen off Dragonian.Naturally he thought that a hot spring would be somewhere in Dragonian.The problem was that it would be difficult to find the hot springs in the ground in an area that was 4~5 kilometres.

But the problem was settled surprisingly easily.

Elemental sword!

If there was water nearby then he could add an ice attribute to his sword.Then it was natural for it to be influenced by hot springs buried in the ground.So Ark ran around Dragonian and continuously used Elemental Sword in order to find water.Then he dug at a place which showed the strongest effect andbingo!The hot springs he was waiting for appeared.

The fact that you entered here and didnt receive any damage from the hot springs is evidence.

Now, how about it? Do you still have something to say?

Ugh!

The Fire Draconian burst out with confusion and stepped backwards.Then it saw the group of Fire Draconians who had been gathered together and stopped.It scratched at its neck for a while before laughing creepily.

Kukukuku, you saw through my act!

Hey!

The crowd of Fire Draconians burst out with anger.The body of the Fire Draconian who entered the hot springs melted down and a black shape appeared.It was a slippery, black form that almost looked like slime. Maggots? Anyway it was a creepy, black monster with one red eye.Its name was Cell. Unexpectedly, it was only a level 300 monster.

Level 300? Is it similar to the wendigoes? Isnt that strange?

The look and level of the devil was completely different from what Ark expected.But he soon shook his head and concentrated on Cell.

This is a boss monster so I cant be careless.

Kukukuku, this mischief ends here. You cheeky bastard! Ill melt you slowly and make you wander around this place foreverNothing has changed even if you know my true identity. Ill rip you apart and digest you!

Cell shrieked and ran up to him.Then sharp projectiles rose from its skin.Ark threw his body out of the way and a wave of water rose into the sky as the projectile impacted with the ground.It was infused with tremendous speed and power.However, Ark was still composed.Ark rolled across the ground and stood up before shouting coldly.

Hey, Pudding.

What? P-pudding?

Ive already discovered your true identity. All the Fire Draconians also know.

Do you expect the Fire Draconians to help you? Those guys are scared of water so how can they come in here?

Oh, then youre not afraid of water?

Kukukuku, scared of water? Does my appearance look scared? You sound like a fool talking.

Cells whole body shook as he sneered at Ark.Arks body also shook like Cells and he scoffed.

Kukukuku, you dont understand the meaning of the word pudding. If you dont want me to receive the help of the Fire Draconians then why dont you come in deeper?You say that youre not afraid of water? Lets see if you can say that after a while. Racard, now!

Ark shouted powerfully.There was a sudden bang and something approached at a tremendous speed.Kwa kwa kwa kwa! The roaring sound was a huge amount of water pouring down.

Huck, w-water!

The Fire Draconians screamed and stepped back.The hot spring water flowed down the hill into a pit that Ark had dug.Arks Excavation skill..it managed to dig a hole 30 metres big.Both Ark and Cell were trapped in the pool of water.

T-this is..

The slippery, slimy pudding like monster with maggots couldnt swim in water.The pudding wriggled as it floated in the water.

Now, shall I slowly release my resentment?

Ark bit the Mermaid Scale and laughed.Then Ark shot forward like an arrow.He didnt use any special skills. He just ran forward and swung his sword. Cell freaked out and tried to avoid it but all he could do was wriggle in the water.There was a splash as the sword fell and Cell was cut in the side.

Kuak, y-you bastard..

Huhuhu, Im slightly strong in water.

In fact, the place where Ark discovered the hot spring wasnt here but on the hill above it.However, Ark had been worried after finding the hot springs.Obviously he could reveal the identity of the devil using the hot springs.But it would be insignificant if he wouldnt 100% defeat the devil.The idea Ark came up with was to use a sacrificial rite.He found water after such a long time so shouldnt he take advantage of it?The hot springs which appeared under the mountain was dozens of metres deep.By making a channel into the pit, he blocked it off to build a sort of dam.After luring the devil to the pit, he ordered the blockage to be broken which allowed the water to flow down from the top.

If it is an underwater battle then I have confidence against any opponent!

Ark was already an expert at fighting underwater.He had the Guardian Armour of the Merpeople which invalidate the water penalty by 100%.Thanks to that, there was no opponent who could fight equally with Ark underwater.Once the pudding was in the water, it couldnt even move let along attack.

Youre screwed now!

Kwa kwang, kwa kwang, kwa kwang, kwa kwang!

Ark hurled attacks at Cell like an evening shower.After a few minutes, Cells health had already reached the bottom.

What the? Even if it is a level 300 monster, isnt this too easy?

Is this really the devil which trapped the Fire Draconians for hundreds of years? No, isnt there something strange?

The battle was proceeding so easily that Ark made an upset face.Then Cell seemed to melt and disappear after being hit by Dark Blade.No, it happened when he thought Cell disappeared.

What, what the?

Arks eyes showed his shock.

Syu syuk, syu syuk, syu syuk!

Ark lookedat the Fire Draconians. Cell had appeared among them. Its eyeball rolled around and it laughed in a grotesque voice before speaking.

Kukukuku, I used teleportation while you were running wild.

You fool, it was impossible to beat me the moment you entered this place. Now do you want to wander eternally while your soul is slowly absorbed or you can choose to die immediately?If you die immediately then it will just allow me to absorb your soul quicker. Just like the stupid Fire Draconians.

U-unbelievable!

Ark now noticed the subtle feeling of goose bumps.In New World, a warning message always popped up whenever a boss monster appeared.However, that message didnt appear when he encountered Cell.In other words, Cell was not the real devil inside Dragonian.

Aaaaack, you evil bastard!

Kwa kwa kwa kwang, kwa kwa kwa kwang!

While Ark was thinking that, Cell started attacking the Fire Draconians.But Ark just watched with a soulless expression.No, to be exact he was looking at Cells body.While Cell wasnt the devil, it was obviously a part of the body.Unless the body was destroyed, Ark wouldnt be able to escape from Dragonian.

If Cell is a part of the devils body then the devil should be somewhere around here. Where the hell is it..?

Ark avoided Cells attack and surveyed the situation until he had a sudden flash.He realized why his nerves had been subtly irritated.So far Ark had managed to walk around undetected by the Fire Draconians and the devil.Then how could the devil steal Arks stats?Arks stats were stolen while he was away from Cell who had been hiding among the Fire Draconians.In other words, the power of the devil worked inside this entire space.Yet Cell wasnt able to find Ark.That meant the devil was able to steal Arks stats but it couldnt know where his location was.It wasnt logical.

It was also strange when I entered Dragonian.I was looking for the entrance when I suddenly felt a sucking sensation and fell inside..huck, dont tell me?Oh my god, if thats true then the devil has tricked us from the beginning!

Ark raised his head at the thought and winced.The conclusion he came to seemed like nonsense.But this was a game so anything could happen.Moreover, Ark had already seen an existence like this before!When he realized this, Ark had to change the direction of his thoughts by 180 degrees.Yes, he absolutely couldnt win against Cell and the devil like this.From the beginning he couldnt defeat the devil and escape from Dragonian.Conversely, escaping from this place meant it might be possible to defeat the devil.Arks thoughts inside his head turned at 700 kilometres per hour.

Then the way to get out of this place?

He pushed back Cell using Riposte and looked around.Ark had received fall damage when he entered.That meant the entrance was somewhere in the ceiling.Normally it would be impossible to escape that way but Ark guessed there was another method.

Hey Fire Draconians!

Ark shouted from the hot springs.

You know that Im not the devil.You mightve forgotten but Lumines is the sole survivor of the Fire Draconians and he asked me to save your souls!But everybody needs to help me to accomplish this purpose!

Ack, w-what?

The Fire Draconians asked while avoided Cells attacks.

Your fire. Please work together to pour your flames into the hot springs!

Into the hot spring?

There is no time to explain! Please trust me and follow my instructions!

The Fire Draconians were confused but they looked at the hot springs after hearing Arks desperate voice.They took a deep breath and blew out fire.The fire of 29 Fire Draconians hit the hot spring, causing it to heat up and exude a massive amount of water vapour.After a while, so much vapour had risen that nothing could be seen in front of him.Then the ground convulsed and shook.Ark ran out of the water vapour and stared up at the ceiling.

Thats it!

Kukukuku, kueeeeeee-!

A giant door seemed to open in the ceiling.With a roar, the surrounding water vapour was continuously pushed up to the ceiling.

Now Radun. The hang glider!

Ssak ssak ssak ssak, ssak ssak ssak ssak!

Razak transform into a sword, Racard ride the air currents and follow!

Ark grabbed Razak and ran with his full strength before jumping.Then he pushed his hang glider and rode the air current to the ceiling.He was pushed by the water vapour and seemed to be flung at the ceiling.Ark rode the air current up through the doors until he turned around and landed on a nearby floating land.At the same time, a warning message flashed before his eyes.

-The soul predator boss monster Soul Eater has appeared!

Indeed.!

Kwa kwa kwa kwang, kwa kwa kwa kwang!

The enormous stone mountain in front of Ark that contained Dragonian started to collapse.Once the rocks fell down, it revealed the huge shape of the devil which resembled a catfish.Just like its name Soul Eater, it was made out of a translucent material resembling gelatine and had a huge size.The forts, buildings and hot springs were all inside itSurprisingly, it was Dragonian before Ark.Yes, Ark and Dragonian had been inside the huge Soul Eater the whole time.If Dragonian was inside Soul Eater then everything started making sense to Ark.While he had been drawn inside Dragonian, the sucking sensation was similar to what he felt when he was swallowed by the White Whale Gallic.Since he was inside the stomach, the monster was able to absorb his stats.

Cell is just a parasite that lives inside!

Yes, Cell was similar to the worm like parasites which lived inside Gallic.The difference between Cell and the worms was that Cell was mentally controlled by the catfish.The Soul Eater couldnt look inside itself so it used Cell to keep an eye on the Fire Draconians.

The level 500monster which swallowed Dragonian is the devils true identity!

That was the reason why Ark used the hot springs to create water vapour.There was suddenly a huge amount of water vapour within the stomach.Naturally the Soul Eater would have to expel all the air.In other words, Ark made a situation where the Soul Eater would have no choice but to burp.He then used the hang glider to ride the air current from the burp and came outside.

Heh, who wouldve thought the devil would look like this?

-Kuaaak, you bastard!

The Soul Eater took off its outer shell and was completely exposed.Ark was overwhelmed by the colossal size of the Soul Eater.It was a monster large enough to swallow a 4~5 kilometre city!Gallic seemed like a child next to the humongous Soul Eater.It was to the extent that somebody didnt even have to be on the battlefield to see the Soul Eater from a distance away.It was also level 500!Since the Soul Eater had devoured his stats, Ark was currently around level 300. It was a 200 level difference.

M-Master..

Racard stuttered as he trembled away from the enormous size and the level difference.However, Arks eyes just shone with an eerie light as he stared at the Soul Eater.

It is rice!

Eh?

Racard made a stupid face at Arks cry.

What nonsense are you saying? Did you suffer while inside that thing?

You idiot, please see straight. That guy is my meal!

Meal? It is a catfish. The pot isnt big enough for the catfish. I think spicy catfish soup is too

Thats not it! Look at the translucent, gelatine like skin and how similar it is to the wendigoes!

What are you..hik! Master perhaps?

Im going to devour it!

Ark laughed crazily.Yes, the Soul Eater was just a huge monster with a soul body.And a soul body monster was like a pill giving Ark Spiritual Power.The level and size was all unnecessary.To Ark the Soul Eater was just a huge lump of Spiritual Power.

That huge bodyhow much Spiritual Power will it give me?

Ark drooled as he stared at the Soul Eater.Then dozens of tentacles sprouted from the Soul Eaters body.

Swiiiik, kwa kwa kwa kwang!

When the tentacles stretched out hundreds of metres and struck a rock, it instantly turned to powder.Ark immediately threw his body and wrapped the Saw blade around a rock.Then he rose in a parabola and swung to another stone using his Saw blade.It was the whip action Indiana Jones used several times.Ark flew across the sky using the whip and stared at the Soul Eater.After a short time, an arrow appeared on top of the Soul Eaters head.

Lock on! Soul Extortion!

At the same time, a hand stretched out from Ark and grabbed the skin of the Soul Eater.Normally the 200 level difference meant that his sword wouldnt really hit properly.However, Soul Extortion which grabbed some of the soul was unrelated to the level.When the hand grabbed the skin, there was a loud tearing sound and the skin was torn.And the Soul Eater let out a pained scream.

Eh? What the?

Ark looked at the piece of Soul Eaters skin with stunned eyes.With one single blow, several hundred metres of the Soul Eaters skin had been torn.It seemed a little extreme for his level of Soul Extortion.But Ark soon discovered the reason why.The sections of skin were so thin that they were only a few millimetres.

This guy, is he totally empty on the outside?

Yes, the Soul Eater was a huge monster but it wasnt 4~5 kilometres.Its original size was only a few hundred metres. However, it was a soul body so it could be expanded or reduced freely.So it could inflate its body like a balloon to swallow Dragonian.Thats why the skin was only a few millimetres thick.On the other hand, Soul Extortion was a skill which allowed him to rip out a certain amount of the opponents soul.So he peeled off a wide but thin piece.

-Kuaaak, this human dares!

When a whole bunch of skin was ripped off, the Soul Eater swung even more tentacles at him.Ark swung his whip and ran away but the tentacles destroyed several pieces of land, making the places he could escape to disappear.When there was no longer any place to move then he would receive simultaneous attacks from the tentacles.

Sheesh, is this a level 500 monster?

Ark bit his lip and glared at the Soul Eater.It was so large that he could close his eyes to shot an arrow and it would still hit.However, the range of Soul Extortion was only 20~30 metres.Once outside that range then Ark couldnt use Soul Extortion at all.By moving between different pieces of land, he couldnt stay within range.

Besides, the pieces of floating land are quickly decreasing.If Im hit by the tentacles then I will fall into the lava. Some way

Ark looked around for a while before looking at the Soul Eater again and laughed.

Aha, cant I use that as a springboard to attack?

Then a tentacle separated the wind and fell.The tentacles turned a land mass to powder.But Ark didnt care about the land masses anymore.The Soul Eater rolled its eyes and surveyed the area.Then it found Ark unexpectedly handing from a tentacle using the Saw blade.The moment the tentacle had hit the land mass, Ark had transferred to the tentacle.The Soul Eater roared and struck its tentacle into the lava.Red lava flew up as the tentacles impacted with it.Ark used his flexibility to jump between the tentacles.When compared to the Soul Eater, the tentacles were 10 metres thick.Ark used Sprint to run up the tentacles.When Ark ran up, dozens of tentacles instantly dived towards him.

Hey, you idiot! Where do you think youre looking? Block his gaze!

B-but that guy is so large

Do you think dying to him is better? Or do you want me to kill you?

Ugh, damnnnnn!

Racard closed his eyes tightly and used Dark Dash at Arks threat. And

Puk!

-Kuaaaaaaah!

The Soul Eater suddenly screamed and emitted a light.When Racard had used Dark Dash, he literally embedded himself into the Soul Eaters eyeball.The Soul Eater had swelled up several hundred metres like a balloon.Racard was just like a piece of dust next to it.However, even a piece of dust could make a big difference when stuck in the eyes.

Eh? What? Isnt this plain water?

-This flying bastard..come out right now..

Fly? How dare a balloon demon like you insult a noble vampire? You, you!

-Kuaaaack, come out!

The huge Soul Eater stumbled from Racards attack.Racard swam around in the Soul Eaters eyeballs and punched away.The Soul Eater screamed painfully and tried to hit Racard with his tentacle, but all it did was hit its own eyeball.

Okay, thats good!

Meanwhile Ark had been travelling along the Soul Eaters tentacles.

Huhuhu, theres no need to worry now.

Racard jumped around and used Soul Extortion continuously.Thanks to Racard poking around in the eyeball, Ark could jump around to tear off pieces of skin.Whenever it was hit, the Soul Eater would yell out and stamp its feet.The space shook and lava flew up everywhere.But that wasnt a problem for Ark since he was on the Soul Eaters body.

Ooooooh!

That devil swallowed Dragonian..

Hes eating! A human is eating the devil!

The Fire Draconians who had fought against Cell in the stomach exclaimed.Since the rocks surrounded the Soul Eater had collapsed, the Fire Draconians were watching the battle through the transparent skin.And the scene was a small human overwhelming the hundreds of kilometres wide Soul Eater.

Syu syu syu syuk, syu syu syu syuk!

When Ark had torn nearly half of the Soul Eaters skin, dozens more tentacles appeared. But these tentacles were much easier to avoid.He didnt need to jump around the land masses and the Soul Eater couldnt see Ark so it couldnt hit him.

Your mistake is inflated your body you stupid catfish. Soul Extortion!

Ark avoided the recklessly flying tentacles and peeled off the skin.

-Your spirit has risen thanks to Soul Extortion!

<Spiritual Power +1>