The Harvester

Chapter 403: Half-Devil

As soon as Azheim forwarded the new topic, Evelyn entered the dimension, a few meters off from where Rakna sat. And following her, an entire group also emerged behind the mayor of Old Eden as guests.

The Council members, who were either uncaring of what this was about, or unaware, were quickly interested in the wave of killing intent that erupted from the green-haired woman.

Rakna glanced to his left as well, taking in the sight of Evelyn's earlier nervous expression twisted into something much closer to murderous fury. Already, he could see a black energy surrounding her, but she was still in control of herself.

The therian eventually looked at the other group. It seemed not only one person had been allowed entry on the Jill Family's side. Perhaps because there were good chances the direct subordinates of the Head also had a hand in the latter's crimes.

Rakna quickly identified said man as well; someone near his sixties in appearance, with dark gray hair, narrow eyes, a goatee, and a thin build. The therian could smell a mix of anxiousness, anger, and something similar to indignation coming from him.

 

Not even an ounce of guilt. In fact, it was the opposite. This cocktail of emotions meant he believed himself to be the one who was being wronged.

'Good to know. No need to hold back,' Rakna thought to himself. 

Though he didn't even need his nose to see his culpability. His Soul Sense had long reached levels capable of peering out the 'evil' inside someone. He scanned them all with it and more than half of them were worthy of being treated as criminals.

"Young lady," Azheim spoke up after a moment, staring at Evelyn. "Pull it back," he calmly ordered, but it wasn't without a small hint of warning in his tone. The succubus trembled and managed to retract the rampant residual energy.

The meditator nodded and looked at everyone. "This is not a trial," he directly stated and several people looked at him in confusion, and even Makvael had a bad feeling about this. All he knew was that he had been accused by Evelyn Malcanthet and summoned by the Council.

But if this was not a trial to argue his faults, then what…?

"A companion of the Beast Emperor is the owner of the Wisdom of Ariv," Azheim said evenly, and only Enya had the necessary knowledge to tie it back to Flavia, a guild member. "The question was asked; did the Jill Family betray the Malcanthet? And I was a witness to the answer."

Makvael paled considerably.

"It directly incriminated Makvael Van Jill," the mayor of Old Eden disclosed, and by that point, the Council members had already been convinced. 

For the younger Hosts without connections or information, it might have been inadequate. But the word of the Wisdom of Ariv had been trusted and upheld across the System's entire history. It had never lied nor had been wrong. Which is why it was so coveted.

"W-wait a moment!" Makvael tried to defend himself but a small burst of aura from Azheim forced him to close his mouth and kneel. The old man hadn't even needed to acknowledge or look at him to do so.

"Jory," the mediator addressed one of his fellow Locals. The owner of the Crafting Guild raised his head at the call. "The Jills are a subsidiary family of your firm. You have the right to dispute these claims, no matter their source. Do you have anything to say about the integrity of their Head?"

The gruff-looking man glanced at Makvael. "Can't say I do. He has a good business running, but as far as personal opinions thrown about him go, I've heard nothing good. I will relinquish my right of dispute to the victim herself. I don't intend to apologize for not being able to handle every small thing about my subordinates, but I certainly won't stand in the way of owed retribution."

Azheim snorted. "As blunt as ever," he said and looked at Evelyn. "Young lady, is there anything you wish to say before a verdict is rendered?"

"…" The Cambion initially remained silent, glaring at the man who destroyed her family, and drove her brother to insanity of which death was the only cure. She gritted her teeth and spoke the truth as it was, "Nothing. I have nothing to say about this man. His life is forfeit, no matter what."

 At her words, a few people smirked; namely Alicia, Zialtra, and Lux.

Azheim observed her calmly and briefly looked at Rakna, who was resting his head on his knuckle with but a ghost of a smile on his face. The old mayor closed his eyes and nodded. "All right. Qing Yue, would you?" He requested and the mysterious woman stood up wordlessly.

The cultivator approached the Jills and pointed her palm at them. Promptly, a wave of intangible power struck everyone in front of her and sent a bit less than half of them flying away while the rest were left rooted in place, with sweat pouring down their skin.

Rakna raised an eyebrow when he noticed that the ones who had been shoved away were those that he had previously considered tolerably innocent.

Qing Yue lowered her hand with a cold gaze and went back to her spot to sit down. She didn't say a single word but Azheim continued on regardless, "About these men still there; shall we vote in favor of Evelyn Malcanthet to pass judgment upon them?"

A few amused snickers spread to the Council members until all of them, without exception, raised their hands in accord. Makvael felt like his heart stopped and a complicated expression appeared on Evelyn's face. Her body was tense, even as she was given free rein to do whatever she intuitively threatened to do just a moment ago.

"Evelyn," Rakna spoke up and she shuddered.

She looked down at where he sat and saw him smiling at her.

"Don't fight it," he advised. "The best way to control something is to dominate it at the peak of its power. If you hold it in for too long, it'll weaken and overtake you. But if you let it out, it's no longer a battle of attrition but of grit."

Rakna looked back at Makvael's group who appeared to be desperately trying to move but were forced down by the shapeless pressure of Qing Yue's Qi.

"So, which one's stronger?" The therian continued, several people hearing and understanding the meaning of his words. "Which one's worth more? Your feelings… or their reflection?"

Evelyn's eyes widened, a realization striking her as a System prompt rang in her mind. Her body relaxed and she fully turned toward her targets, facing Rakna with her back, whose mouth curved into a grin as she did so.

The Cambion had a calm expression until she shakily breathed out. In the blink of an eye, the black energy she had been repressing swallowed her and disturbed the serene wind of the grassland. At first, it was nothing more than demonic energy filled with malice, but it quickly combusted.

It turned into purgatorial flames of such darkness they eclipsed any that Evelyn had used with her Hell Blaze magic until now. This inferno was something sourced from the deepest lands of Hell; it produced no light nor did it even accept any. 

Evelyn's surroundings darkened as if night had fallen. Her demonic energy spiked immensely and her Phantom body seemed to take on a more… 'tangible' form.

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❮ ◈ ❯

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Warning! Blackening has been detected! 

The Host's soul is being corrupted by demonic energy!

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You have awakened your Nirvana Skill; Ifrit's Wrath!

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Your Spirit Form has evolved!

Your body has solidified into pure Life Force!

Your Soul Power has found a place within your core!

Your Race has been updated to Cambion Specter!

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Blackening has reached its critical point!

The Host is losing rationality!

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Ifrit's Wrath is reacting!

Hell Priestess is reacting!

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A dormant blessing has been triggered! 

The Kind Demon's Blessing is reacting!

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Your Nirvana Skill has evolved into Blackened Ifrit!

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Your Race has been updated to Half-Devil Ifrit!

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Your Infernity has increased!

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The Trait, Phantom Membrane, has evolved into Ifrit Membrane!

The Trait, Cambion, has evolved into Half-Devil Physique!

The Trait, Half-Succubus, has evolved into Devil of Lust!

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You have gained a new Trait; Blackening.

You have gained a new Trait; Ifrit's Arcane.

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Hell Blaze has Ascended into Nether Fire!

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You have gained a new Cognitive Skill; Fire Immunity!

You have gained a new Cognitive Skill; Curse Immunity!

⠀

❮ ◈ ❯

⠀

This number of notifications was something Evelyn experienced for the first time. Had she been in her right mind, she would have no doubt marveled if Rakna always went through this.

But, at the moment, shrouded by the pillar of nether flames, the figure of the former succubus was slowly changing. She grew taller and leaner, yet more sensual. Her hair lengthened, and from the roots to the tips, every strand was dyed black as deep as the light-eating blaze.

Her bat-like demonic wings unfurled and transformed into something larger, black scales layered upon each other; almost carved into the shape of feathers. The succubus tail that she used to have was altered the same way, but it retained its slender size, with a sort of hook forming at the tip.

The transformation barely lasted a minute and when she opened her eyes, just as dark as her hair and magic, the nether flames scattered as if they were never there. The reborn woman stood still for a moment, her head lowered and her demonic aura filling the air.

Her expression was vacant, and her limbs were slackened. She remained inert for several seconds but nobody tried to interject or check on her. For they all knew it was just a matter of time.

Evelyn's hand contracted and her fingers curved like claws with an audible crack. She raised it and palmed her face, right before an ear-splitting grin distorted her mien. It was not vicious, insidious, or happy. No… it was frenzied.

"Hehehehe…" She quietly started cackling and Rakna calmly closed his eyes, as if expecting it and now waiting for it to end. "Hahahahaha!" The cackle devolved into mad laughter and the demonic power became tainted with something more primordial than mere malice.

In her hilarity, she stepped forward and her tail whipped the ground, exploding the dirt and grass on impact. She walked forward and evidently made her way toward the Jills. Her laughs gradually diminished to nearly inaudible chuckles but her measured steps didn't stop.

"E-Evelyn! C-calm down!" Makvael stuttered out as he couldn't do anything else but watch as she got closer. Her aura and crazed appearance terrified him to the core. Every time her hair fluttered or her eyes moved with her head, the light seemed to be sucked in; creating a brume of darkness.

"I d-didn't do it, okay?! I… I was forced! Yes!" He sputtered out in panic. "You have to believe me! It couldn't be helped! M-my father was the one who plotted to do it! He wanted the research of your parents to be his!"

""Lies,"" Rakna and Lux spoke at the same time. The two of them glanced at each other and snorted in amusement. They hadn't spoken an opinion; both had stated it as a fact.

Regardless, it didn't seem Evelyn was even listening to them. She marched forward with only her grin in place. Her chuckles had died down and her palm was dragging down the side of her face.

Makvael shook in fear and his accomplices were not much better. Several of them tried to plead as their Head had just done, pushing the guilt of every bad deed they had ever committed unto him.

"Shut up," Evelyn abruptly said, her tail whipping into a curved blur. Before they knew it, everyone aside from Makvael saw their head ripped apart. She hadn't even bothered to aim for their neck to cleanly decapitate them. In fact, she hadn't even looked at them.

One had his head split through his eyes, another had half his jaw still on his head, and some more who had a higher level, but were held down by Qing Yue, had their skulls smashed. There were also black embers sweltering on the flesh that had been struck.

Makvael froze on the spot as he heard the people behind him die. To him, it sounded like their heads had popped and he didn't even dare to look.

"P-please don't kill me…!" He prostrated himself.

A chuckle echoed ominously and with his eyes fixed on the ground, Makvael felt a hand land on his shoulder. His breath hitched and he stilled, too scared to move. And then, a strange sound reached his ears. There was something about it that made his head spin. 

The truth was his mind had simply failed to catch up. Briefly ignoring his fright, he rapidly noticed that his center of gravity was leaning to the side a bit too much. 

"Uh…?" He uttered when he saw drips of blood fall on the blades of grass.

And then, more noises came from above his head and his eyes were naturally attracted to it. Evelyn was grinning at him, her abyssal eyes threatening to devour him. In her hand… a very familiar limb was being crushed by her grip with such strength blood gushed out and the bones snapped.

"Ah…" It hit him. The pain attacked him mercilessly afterward but before he even had the time to scream, a hand clamped on his mouth and forcefully flipped his body until he was lying on his back, his skull pressed against the ground.

"I don't want to hear your disgusting screams," Evelyn whispered. She tossed the crumpled arm aside and licked her bloodied hand with a vicious smirk, the black flames boiling the blood as if they were tasting it alongside her. 

"Suffer… in silence," she pronounced.

Nether flames burst from the palm grasping his face. The fire surged like a creature and infiltrated his nose, ears, eyes, and mouth. His skin burned and his insides melted. 

In a few seconds, he had blacked out and awoken in agony at least ten times.

This was the wrathful fire of a Half-Devil Ifrit, corrupted by the Blackening. It is a flame that has gone through the process of demonization on a conceptual level. It burrows deep into the soul and mind of its victim and, strung by the vengeful spirit of its wielder, brings a painful death.

The members of the Council were not disturbed by the sight in the slightest. All of them had been shaped by these kinds of displays. Though, the two siblings from the Church, Isael and Ulquiel, had the decorum to close their eyes until it was over.

After a while spent listening to the oddly muted noises of the flames, and the occasional muffled scream, Evelyn stood over a patch of blackened grass; whatever corpse that should have been there turned into something even lesser than ashes.

Then, she slowly inclined her head and met Rakna's eyes with her own. Her crazed expression was replaced with a joyful smile. "I did it..." She rasped out.

The therian nodded. "Hm, you did. Good job."

As if that was all she had been waiting for, Evelyn passed out, her hair color peeling away to restore her emerald locks, while her wings and tail dispersed into black particles. 

Rakna silently invoked his Valkals to stop her fall and softly carried her to him.

"You can rest now."

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Hmm… this wasn’t as rushed as I feared it to be.

.

Acceptable, I’d say.

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