A Devil And An Angel Out In The World

(Third Person Pov)

Consumption.

The act of consuming meant making someone else's components of energies one's own.

It wasn't an easy process to do nor was it something that could happen in an instant or a day.

It was in a way a simple process of overwriting someone's existence with one's own and in the process removing the existence of someone entirely.

(Noah's Pov)

I looked at the fucker.

Too exhausted to even move a single finger of mine.

I am alive, unlike magic where the caster doesn't get hurt from their spells, I am different. My attacks will hurt me, in other words, I wouldn't have managed to live if not for this guy.

He managed to keep me alive while also managing to ward off all that destructive shit that I threw at him.

...and I didn't even manage to scratch him.

The power level is kinda too big.

Well, this was a lost game from the beginning. I couldn't have won.

There's simply no way to.

"Fucking asshole..." I muttered as I looked at the broken marine necklace in my hand.

While I blasted shit off, I had expected it to create a smokescreen effect for me and by grabbing my necklace I planned on running away but... damn it.

The fucker broke it without me knowing.

There goes my last-ditch effort.

"Hahahahaa!!"

And now I am stuck hearing his laughter.

I couldn't help but feel like rolling my eyes over but felt too tired to actually do so.

"So there is something special about you! You aren't like those fuckers who were unconsciously using their powers without ever knowing their potential! You know what you are capable of! And you can use more than just 2 components as well! This is just great! Absolutely great!"

"Don't shout-Agh!"

I blurted out blood as for the nth time my stomach was pierced but this time I felt the pain spreading through my body.

"Haa~ Haa~"

I took deep breaths, my body shaking due to the sheer weakness I was currently feeling.

"I am fucking sure you aren't supposed to be attacking me but whatever" I lightly shook my head.

"You ...you just don't know when to shut, do you? Maybe, that mouth of yours is the reason he did what he did? Well, thanks to it though he removed the curse that had kept me from attacking directly all those who come here."

....

"So, a curse is the reason you can't attack me?"

"I would have been if he wouldn't have lifted the curse"

A curse, huh? Didn't I have one of the healing potions that could do some shit with a low-level curse?

...So, that's the reason.

Ah, my brain not working properly, right now. Everything feels jumbled.

For now, let's try to get big chunks of information.

"Who is this he? Some higher being or some shit?"

I know I might have made higher beings interested in me but someone giving someone my bounty shit to kill me sounds absurd. Who would do that and why?

I haven't even interacted with them.

"...You know about higher beings?"

"So, there exists something like higher beings, fuck this shit." He gave me a skeptical look.

Oh lord, sometimes it's a pain playing a dumbass.

"It's not some higher being" 

It's not!?

"He is someone who is above even those higher beings"

....and how did my actions change the plot to the point he decided to remove your curse which is resulting in me getting fucked?

The butterfly effect is one hell of a thing.

I kinda starting to get those guys who try whatever they can to keep the plot on the same rail as in the novel. They do have a fucking point and I am not hearing any argument.

"Look dude, I can't even move and you have got the world's time on your hand. Just speak the shit up without me need-Agh!!!!!"

The hot lava that he poured down my throat made me squirm like a fish outta water as I felt my inside burning up.

"I am just a low-ranked devil, there are middle-ranked devils and higher-ranked devils, but he ...he was beyond high-ranked. He isn't simply a higher-ranked being. His strength is far beyond what the likes of you and I could ever hope to comprehend."

Talk about yourself, I have B+ intelligence.

And I am still stuck in such a situation.

This fucker healed me enough for me to not die but not enough that I could talk properly. Honestly, if not for the fact that I have taken a dive in lava and all that before I probably would be dying in pain.

Anyway, so if I am getting it right, it was a Devil who did this shit and this guy is quite a big deal.

Who could it be though?

Have I ever encountered a Devil, to begin with?

I need to thin-

Wait, Ah. So, that's it.

I had compressed all the information from the 9 months I had spent inside the hidden dungeon. 3 months in the world of Enyo and the next 6 months in Aurelias.

 ...And there was a person who was in contract with a Devil.

Ah, right.

"It was ...Nephralis, wasn't it?" I said in a raspy and low voice, somehow managing to squeeze those words out from my burnt vocal cords.

"...."

His shocked expression proved I was right.

But isn't it directly interfering with the scenario? Since something like that has happened there's no way the things should remain the way it is.

It's not an easy-ranked hidden dungeon anymore, is it?

I had planned on pissing some higher beings when I become stronger and having them interfere in the hidden dungeons so that I would get higher rewards and compensation.

Since I had planned a similar situation for me to occur in the future, it became easier to understand my current circumstances.

At least now I have some idea.

Anyway, so then, why is it I haven't been compensated and am simply being used like some punching bag? 

I don't really get what is going on but whatever.

At least I have some clues now.

Nephralis, that fucking bastard.

Now that I know who my opponent is. All that's left is to make a plan to kill him.

"Ugh.."

I grunted as he grabbed me by my throat.

"I still don't see any fear in your eyes. Do you not understand what will happen to you now?"

"You are gonna possess my body?"

I mean, this dude did say in the beginning that he is currently possessing somebody or some shit. The only reason I can see he is keeping me alive is to possess my body.

What I don't get is, why he needs me alive, I mean the body he is possessing was a corpse first, right?

"That's right but it's not all. I am going to consume you."

That so?

I have no idea what's that supposed to mean but cool.

Honestly, dude. I don't think I have what it takes to give a single damn right now. 

Ah, I have reached my limits.

As I am right now, I can't even do a shit against a toddler, forget about a full-blown fantasy specie that happens to be a devil of all things.

Magical circles started appearing all around us, their ominous glow is hard to describe.

I didn't bother struggling, I could try frailing but it wouldn't change anything.

I did what I could and I can't stop what I can't.

That's all there is to it.

Soon my consciousness started to blink away and my vision started to darken as I barely managed to read the content that the purple screen displayed.

Imma go to sleep.

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(Third Person Pov)

"It's been quite some time since I have seen you, Lea. How have you been?" The boy had black hair reminiscence of the nightly sky, and his black-colored eyes malevolently shone, with a smile plastered on his face he greeted the figure in front of him.

"Did spending a millennium alone make you forget your place? Utter my name like that again and I will kill you" The blue-haired girl, Lea replied with a cold tone and an icy expression.

"Oops, my bad, my bad!" The boy raised his hands in the gesture of surrender as he spoke further "...What might I owe the pleasure for you to come here yourself"

"The person you have consumed, I have a personal contract made with him. I am the one in charge of him whenever he enters and tries to clear a mission and now that you hav-"

The boy cut Lea as he spoke up and completed her words

"Now that I have consumed him, your contract's practically with me, is that it?"

The body might belong to some other boy but the one who was now in possession of it was a low-ranked devil.

"...."

The next instant the boy's body was slammed against the floor, his hands crushed and feet mangled.

"Don't interrupt me when I am speaking"

The devil didn't dare speak another word and simply healed his body, it knew the being in front of him wasn't one that he should anger.

"As you already know on clearing the mission there are rewards handed out to those who have cleared it. This scenario is however different since you have acted how you shouldn't have and someone interfered who shouldn't have. Of course, the one paying the penalty for you is him so you are safe. Anyway, the point is, this whole mission will now be invalid."

The devil inside the boy's body nodded. He knew that's what was going to happen from the beginning. It wasn't a big thing.

Seeing as Lea didn't vanish right away, he somehow gathered the courage to ask

"...Anything else?"

"You know what will happen once you step out of this place, don't you? You will have to start all over again. You won't have the strength you currently possess. You will lose it all"

"I know but this power isn't worth anything if I am trapped here forever, is it? Besides, let's be honest, I may have to start over again and gain power but this body is certainly incredible. I am sure I can surpass my past self with the help of this body." The devil in the boy's body replied with a smile.

Lea simply sighed in return as she spoke further 

"...The girl who had come along with him had decided to give her right of asking rewards to the boy"

The things might have become invalid for the boy for the things have gone awry on his hand creating an exceptional situation but the other person who had entered had successfully carried out their mission.

When he heard those words, his expression wrapped into an ecstatic smile.

"And since I have consumed him, I can ask for the reward in his stead, right?"

"That's right"

"Then..."

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(Eliona's Pov)

I waited outside of the hidden dungeon for Noah to appear. I know he said he would kill me and all but honestly, with the way I currently am, I am sure I can take care of him.

Before losing my legs, I was an adventurer and a high-ranker at that, not high enough to be noticeable to my parents but still a high-ranker, and after taking the bath in that hot spring I became an A ranked person.

...and if things seem bleak I will just run away.

Leaving without a single word didn't sit right with me. I am giving him my share of reward though so I don't think it should be a problem but he is ...just a kid.

What I had received from the hidden dungeon is an incredible power but ...nothing would change the fact that when my eye was pulled out of my socket when I found my hand twisted or the hunger and exhaustion I felt and despite that I had to keep moving, crawling my way upward... that shit was horrible.

And ...Noah must have had to go through something similar or maybe worse, he did choose the path of the devil.

How traumatizing it might be for a kid?

I know that he has gone to a hidden dungeon before, he must have faced situations but nothing would change anything about the fact that painful things are simply painful. 

I do realize that Noah is trying to clear the hidden dungeons around the world but I have no idea what is the reason behind that.

A single hidden dungeon is enough to give one painful memories that one wouldn't normally go through in their normal lives. 

I don't think Noah has just cleared one or two hidden dungeons. I couldn't help but wonder what would be worth so much suffering and pain.

I am sure he will keep continuing to challenge hidden dungeons ...and in doing so, he will either receive another painful memory or end up dead.

I didn't know why, but living a life like that ...sounded sad.

Hm?

I looked towards the blue-colored portal as a boy emerged from it and the next instant the portal disappeared.

I instinctively backed away and created distance between him and myself.

The boy had a smile on his face and his eyes shone malevolently completely different from the blank empty eyes and inexpressive face that I had seen before.

All my senses felt overwhelmed as if I was in the presence of something too ominous.

Eliona, that's a devil!

"Devil? What? What does that mean?"

I didn't understand the words of Ms. Angel but I at least understood that the person in front of me wasn't the Noah I knew despite looking exactly like him.

That boy has been consumed by the devil! I would have normally asked you to kill that devil but ...he is stronger. I have never met that boy but I can tell you one thing for sure, even the current you wouldn't have been able to win against that boy.

And now that he is consumed by that devil that mean-

I don't really get what's happening and what the hell does consumed even supposed to mean!? Just give me a short summarized version Ms. Angel!

Fine. Think of the person you knew as dead. Just like me who now exists along with you, that body only has the devil controlling it, unlike me, where you will always be in control of this body, that body's control all belongs to the devil.

Start running away Eliona!

Damn it!

I still had a lot of questions to ask but listening to the urgency in Ms. Angel's voice, I simply decided to heed her words.

White wings sprouted out of my back as I readied myself to fly aw-

Huh? 

"Oh, are you the girl who gave away your rewards to me? But you have the disgusting scent of an angel" Noah appeared in front of my vision in an instant, no it was the devil in the guise of Noah, and the next instant he grabbed my face and slammed my body into the ground.

"Aggh!"

I screamed as I coughed up blood and I felt my spinal cord breaking.

"Since I am thankful to you, I will leave without killing you this time but the next time we meet..." He took a deliberate pause and then continued "I will definitely enjoy my time killing you"

Saying those words he started to walk away.

"W-where are you going?"

I somehow managed to squeeze those words out of my mouth.

"For now, to the dungeon" He replied with a smile as he left.

And my consciousness slowly faded into the darkness

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(Third Person Pov)

Inside the classroom, 20 students were sitting in their respective seats and 1 was missing.

At the podium, Laura stood as she spoke her next words causing everyone to stiffen up.

"We are going to speed up the schedule. It's been 8 days since Noah went inside the dungeon. His last sighting was on the 85th floor. So, we are going to the dungeon, tomorrow."

"Did you just say he climbed the dungeon to the 85th floor in a matter of 8 days!?"

"The last sighting was him was actually 7 days ago, he climbed that high within a few hours"

Laura's answer just made everyone in the classroom shell-shocked.

"G-guys, we have to fight him again at the start of next month, don't we?"

Those words made everyone feel a chill run up their spine.

They were starting to gain confidence as they trained every day but ...all that little confidence just broke in an instant.

"Wait, why do we have to go into the dungeon this early!? I mean, you don't expect us to find him, do you? We won't even be able to go past the 25th floor!"

Everyone knew that the best record of an E+ ranker reaching the highest floor in the dungeon is 25th.

"So, that means you can reach the 25th floor? Alright, then, your job will be to reach the 25th floor, failing to do so will result in a deduction in AP and you will have to attend extra classes"

Students upon hearing this looked at Max with hostility in their eyes and Max simply averted his eyes.

Clap!

Laura, clapped her hands bringing everyone's attention toward her, and spoke

"You guys aren't going to go to look for Noah. I will be the one since it's my responsibility. I will be going in the dungeon tomorrow and since I need to take you guys there soon anyway, I decided to fasten the schedule up"

"..."

The students stared at her with a blank look in their eyes unable to believe her reasoning.

"Don't give me that look. Anyway, we will also have someone accompanying us" Laura said as she looked towards the entrance gate of the classroom which swung open at the right time.

The moment the students saw who the person had entered the classroom they were stuck with another shock with their jaw hanging open.

"Well, allow me to introduce you to the youngest person who became an SS+ ranker. Eliona Realeza"