Devil Slave (Satan system)-Chapter 1213: What... Are You?

"Yes, I am... a... Holy Tool, as you flesh bags like to call it." The arrow replied, admitting her nature.

This was the Holy tool of a known, very powerful entity, arguably the most powerful in all the universe.

The Holy Tool of the Entity love. This was the treasure Enel was after. And the golden honey that fell from its tip was the ingredient he needed to unlock the system.

That would be its source, its engine, its drive.

Enel took a deep breath, steadied himself, and stepped forward once more. Each movement was deliberate, every muscle tense as he approached the gleaming arrow embedded in the colossal gemstone.

Yet, no sooner had he crossed an invisible threshold than an unseen force slammed against him, sending him stumbling backward.

"Are you still offended?" Enel asked, dusting himself off with a mix of irritation and stubborn resolve.

A soft, melodic sigh escaped the arrow. "No," the voice replied, gentle but laced with an undeniable finality. "I am not offended, new king. It is not I who pushes you back."

Enel frowned, his golden eyes narrowing. "Then what is it?"

"It is your heart," the arrow said simply. Its tone was calm yet filled with an undertone of pity. "I am a tool of love, pure and untainted. Love rules me and gives me form. Only one who carries true love in their heart may touch me."

Enel scoffed, his lips curling into a defiant smirk. "True love? What kind of absurd—"

"You lack it," the arrow interrupted, its voice sharper now. "Your heart is weighed by ambition, vengeance, and defiance. These are powerful forces, Enel, but they are not love."

Enel stepped forward again, gritting his teeth as the invisible force once more lashed out, slamming him down to his knees. He clenched his fists, his head bowing for a moment as pain coursed through him. But instead of retreating, he staggered back to his feet, determination burning in his eyes.

"This is ridiculous," he muttered under his breath, taking another step forward. Again, the force repelled him, this time harder than before, sending him crashing onto the crystalline floor.

"Why invite me here," he growled, his voice rising with frustration, "if you never intended for me to reach you?"

The arrow pulsed with light, a rhythmic glow that seemed to mirror a heartbeat. The voice, though still gentle, carried an air of resignation. "That is my fault," it admitted softly. "I am drawn to those with potential, to those who seek greatness. But I am also bound by my nature. I am love. And you, Enel…"

The voice grew somber. "…you are without love. Your heart is a storm of many things, but none of them is what I was forged to serve."

Enel’s jaw tightened. He forced himself to his feet again, swaying slightly as the strain began to take its toll. "So what?" he spat. "You reject me because I don’t fit your idea of perfection? I’ve been rejected before. It won’t stop me."

The arrow’s voice deepened, its light flickering like a warning. "It is not about perfection. It is about truth. Without love, you cannot reach me. You will only bring yourself pain if you continue."

"I’ve dealt with pain all my life," Enel shot back, his tone defiant. He took another step forward, his body trembling under the invisible weight that sought to crush him.

The arrow seemed to sigh, a mix of exasperation and sorrow. "You cannot force your way to me, Enel. I am not a prize to be won or a tool to be claimed through strength alone. Turn back before you destroy yourself."

But Enel only squared his shoulders, determination etched onto his face. "You underestimate me," he said quietly, his voice steady despite the chaos in his heart. "Love or no love, I’ll find a way... my way..."

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The arrow pulsed once more, a faint, sorrowful glow. "You are persistent," it murmured, almost to itself. "But persistence and a bit.... more!?"

Enel did not stop, his stubbornness driving him to try again and again, even as the force continued to hurl him to the ground. He rose every time, defiance burning in his eyes, refusing to yield.

Enel staggered forward, his body trembling as the relentless force slammed into him once more, but he refused to yield. Blood seeped from the corners of his mouth, dripping onto the crystal floor below. His nose soon followed, red streaks tracing down his face as the strain became unbearable. He blinked rapidly, his vision blurring, only for crimson tears to spill from his eyes. Even his ears betrayed him, a trickle of blood marking their resistance to the overwhelming pressure.

Still, Enel roared in defiance, his voice raw and guttural. "I have come too far!" he bellowed, his words echoing through the cavern. "I’ve suffered too much to back down now!"

Every fiber of his being burned with pain, and in his mind, flashes of his past flickered like cruel memories carved into his soul.

He saw himself beaten, his flesh torn apart by enemies who deemed him unworthy. He felt again the agony of loss, the haunting void left by loved ones ripped away from him. The betrayal of the Morningstar, a knife in his back from someone he admired like a messiah, seared through his mind like fire.

The pain was suffocating, yet it fueled him.

"I’ve endured two rebirths," he growled, staggering forward, his body shaking under the strain. "I’ve clawed my way out of torment, the nether, faced my own destruction, and rebuilt myself from nothing! You think this will stop me?"

The force slammed into him again, a wave of crushing energy, but this time, his foot fell forward. It was just one step—but it was beyond the boundary.

The arrow’s light flickered, its voice momentarily silent as it watched him closely. It was as if the artifact itself leaned in, its radiant energy turning inward, piercing beyond the surface of Enel’s broken and bloodied body.

Deep within, it saw the essence of his blue soul. It wasn’t love that burned there—no gentle, soothing flame of affection or purity. What it found was something entirely different, something consuming and primal.

It was *hate*.

A deep, unfathomable hatred, raw and unyielding, surged within his blue soul like a roaring inferno. It was ancient and all-encompassing, a force that defied the very nature of the arrow’s existence.

The arrow pulsed faintly, hesitating, its voice barely above a whisper. "What… are you?"