Reborn with the Devil's system-Chapter 30: The Devil’s Brand

The cold air of Whitmoor hung heavy with fog, dense and suffocating, as Elias stood before the entrance of the crumbling chapel buried deep within the forest. The stained glass windows were cracked, distorted images of saints bleeding color onto the dark soil below. The System’s voice echoed in his mind.

[System Notification] Quest Complete: Enter the Forgotten Chapel. +200 Soul Points +2 Attribute Points New Quest Available: Confront the Whispering Choir.]

His breath steamed in the cold, mixing with the faint stench of blood in the air. The battle with Steve had left more than just wounds; it had triggered something deeper, something dormant.

"Are you sure about this?" came Lira’s voice, her boots crunching the brittle leaves behind him.

Elias didn’t answer. His crimson eyes were fixed on the chapel. He could feel it—something ancient slumbered within, and it was calling to him.

Inside, the chapel was worse than outside. Candles burned with eerie blue flames, casting shadows that danced on their own. The pews were split and shattered, claw marks etched into the stone walls. Symbols drawn in dried blood lined the altar.

As they stepped forward, a deep voice echoed through the building.

"You come to claim power, child of vengeance... but power has a price."

Elias’s heart pounded. His hand instinctively reached for the obsidian blade at his side.

[System Alert: You have entered the Domain of a Lesser Demon: Malzahar, Voice of Agony.] WARNING: Boss Level Encounter.]

The ground cracked, and from beneath the altar, a grotesque figure emerged—eight feet tall, skin stretched over bone, eyes black voids that pulled light inward. The demon hissed, voice dripping venom.

"You smell like him... the one who tore through hell to return. The Devil’s heir."

Elias’s rage flared, his voice low. "Then you know what I’m capable of."

[New Skill Activated: Devil’s Blood Surge (Level 1)] Effect: Temporarily boosts strength and speed by 50%. Drains 10 Soul Points/sec.]

He lunged forward, blade flashing red in the blue glow. Malzahar deflected it with an armored arm, snarling as his claws raked across Elias’s chest. Blood spurted, but Elias didn’t flinch. He welcomed the pain. It made him feel alive.

From the shadows, Lira summoned her spectral daggers, tossing them with pinpoint precision into the demon’s side. Malzahar roared, slamming her into a wall with a flick of his clawed hand.

Elias’s vision blurred with fury. His body began to shift—veins glowing, fangs sharpening. The Devil’s system was awakening fully.

[Transformation Progress: 37% — Partial Demon Form achieved.] Perk Gained: Demonic Reflexes (Evasion +25%)

He screamed, a feral cry that shook the chapel. With renewed strength, he charged again, driving the blade into the demon’s neck. Malzahar gurgled, staggered—but grinned.

"You think you’re winning? This is only the beginning. The Devil’s debt must be paid."

With one last breath, the demon exploded in a burst of energy, throwing Elias back into the pulpit. Flames licked the walls. Lira crawled to his side.

"We need to go."

Elias rose slowly, every bone aching, but his expression was calm.

[System Notification: Boss Defeated – Malzahar, Voice of Agony +600 Soul Points +5 Attribute Points New Skill Gained: Demonic Scream (Stuns enemies in a 10m radius)]

The chapel trembled, stones collapsing as the magic binding it shattered.

Outside, the fog began to lift. The air was lighter, but Elias knew it was just temporary. This battle had changed him. Something inside him had shifted.

As they walked away, the System whispered one final message:

[New Main Quest Unlocked: Hunt the Seven Heralds.] Objective: Eliminate the seven gatekeepers to reclaim the Devil’s Throne.]

Elias clenched his fists. His journey was far from over. If anything, this was only the blood-soaked beginning.

Thunder cracked through the skies above the ruins of Ebonreach Temple, where blood soaked into the stone like ink into parchment. Elias stood at the center, chest heaving, claws dripping with crimson. The System buzzed in his ears like a hornet’s swarm, alert after alert flooding his vision.

[System Alert!]

→ Threat Level Escalating

→ Elias Black – Host Vitality: 62%

→ Caution: Abyssal Entity Activating Mutation Phase Two

Across the fractured chamber, Steve stood tall—changed.

His body had twisted into something monstrous, no longer vampire, no longer human. Ebony horns curled from his skull, jagged bone erupting from his spine, and his eyes—those once hollow, blood-hungry things—now glowed with green fire. The aura around him pulsed with ancient magic, a corruption deeper than mere undeath.

"You’ve changed," Elias muttered, fists tightening. "That thing inside you... it’s not vampire."

Steve grinned, teeth elongated, dripping black ichor. "You’re right. I made a pact. While you were learning to control your borrowed powers, I reached deeper. The Abyss answered."

A grotesque arm twitched at his side, covered in shadowy sigils. With a single snap, Steve vanished—and reappeared behind Elias.

Slash.

Blood flew, hot against the air. Elias twisted mid-roll, claws flashing. The two clashed again, brutal and primal.

Claw met fang.

Blade met curse.

The world narrowed down to blood, instincts, and survival.

[System Update!]

→ Passive Activated: Crimson Reaper – Adrenaline Surge +35%

→ Cooldown Reduction – 2.5 seconds on all Tier I abilities

Elias struck low with a sweep of his leg, sending Steve crashing to the floor. He leapt onto him, claws raised—but the cursed limb flared, sending a dark pulse through the air that threw Elias back like a ragdoll.

Steve rose slowly. "You can’t kill me. Not now. I’ve gone too far."

"And I haven’t even started," Elias spat, standing with blood soaking his shirt.

He reached within.

To the System.

To the Core burning inside him like a second heart.

"System," he said aloud, voice steady, "release the seal."

[Warning: Unlocking Blood Monarch’s Core will irreversibly alter your body.]

[Proceed?]

→ Yes

The world dimmed. The System screamed.

Then—light.

Crimson light.

Elias screamed as power flooded him. His bones cracked, then mended stronger. Veins glowed red beneath his skin. Chains made of pure will and blood burst from his spine, writhing like serpents.

> [System Upgrade – Blood Monarch Core Unsealed]

– New Title: The Devil’s Brand

– Skill Unlocked: Sanguine Chains – Bind enemies, drain HP per second

– Skill Unlocked: Bloodflare – Emit a wave of cursed fire in a 10-meter radius

– Trait: Tyrant’s Endurance – You do not die until your HP hits 0 for more than 10 seconds.

Steve blinked. "What are you?"

Elias stepped forward, eyes pitch black, voice layered with something darker. "I’m what you made me. A weapon."

The chains shot out, binding Steve before he could react. Bloodflare ignited from Elias’s palm, engulfing Steve in a sphere of crimson flame. He screamed, the eldritch marks on his body hissing and peeling away.

Elias didn’t stop.

He advanced like a demon, chains lashing, flames burning, each step a declaration.

"You tortured me. Mocked me. Tried to turn me into your shadow."

Slash.

"You hunted the weak, fed on fear."

Crack.

"You thought you were invincible."

Stab.

"But I was reborn."

He drove his claw into Steve’s chest, directly into the corrupted core. A pulse of energy exploded from them both.

[You have dealt a fatal blow to Host: Steve]

[Demonic Core Fragment detected...]

[Devour? Y/N]

Elias hesitated—then gritted his teeth. ƒгeewebnovёl_com

"Yes."

The world shifted.

Agony ripped through him as the abyssal energy flowed into his veins. Visions flashed—worlds burning, thrones of flesh, gods whispering in madness. And then silence.

When Elias opened his eyes again, the flames were gone.

Steve lay broken, unmoving.

[You have devoured: Abyssal Core Fragment]

[Corruption Purged. Power Absorbed.]

→ New Trait: Demonbane – Deal +30% damage to corrupted or abyssal beings

→ New Passive: Mind Lock – Immunity to mental invasion from Tier III or lower

He collapsed to one knee, breath ragged.

Behind him, the shadows stirred.

A cloaked figure stepped from the dark—a tall man with gold eyes and silver hair. His presence silenced the winds.

"You’ve done well," the stranger said.

Elias raised his head. "Who are you?"

"I serve the one who gave you the System. The true Devil."

The man knelt and placed a hand on Elias’s shoulder.

"You’ve passed your first trial. But the real war begins now."

[System Notification:]

→ Main Quest Updated

→ Next Destination: Tomb of the First Sin – Location Unknown

→ You are being watched by the Seven Abyssal Lords

→ Soul Tracking Activated

Elias blinked.

So it wasn’t over. Not even close.

And as he stood, fire rising behind him, one thing became clear.

This wasn’t just revenge anymore.

This was ascension.

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