Journey with no End

After the devil entered the portal, it disappeared from the universe. Zagred, too, disappeared from the universe.

Zagred reappeared before the mighty figure, this time showing confusion. Didn't the mighty devil fight against the faceless entity just one minute ago? How was he still fine?

Then, the devil suddenly spoke up, "You are here because I want to give you two choices. You can either live your life comfortably here, in paradise, or try to embark on a journey with no end."

Under the devil's stern gaze, Zagred wanted to ask some questions. But it would be disrespectful for him to not answer the devil's question, thus he decided to think about what he should answer.

The devil as if he saw Zagred's hesitation, pushed him forward by adding, "You can ask me what makes you uncomfortable, little devil."

Zagred opened his eyes wide as this mighty figure called him "little devil", but after one second of surprise, he then asked, "May I ask what Your Majesty means by 'a journey with no end'?"

The devil frowned a bit in displeasure, but not because of his question, but because he's still insisting on addressing him as 'Your Majesty'. Thus, he replied, "Little one, no need to be so courteous with me, just speak to me casually. As for your question, 'a journey with no end' means that you will embark a sinking ship that will lead you to greatness if you're able to benefit from it, enjoying lifespan than a mere mortal can't, but can also lead to death if you are not capable."

Zagred trembled slightly as he was quite anxious. Beads of sweat could be seen on his forehead as he thought, 'Is this a test for me? If I disrespect him I'll be killed? I know how some devils play with lower ranked devils because I played with these lowly beings too. Am I in a similar situation?'

Then after recollecting his thoughts, he asked, "What is senior's name?"

"This one's name is Exalted Devil Ling.", the Exalted Devil replied.

Zagred nodded and then asked, "What was that fight all about, senior Exalted Devil? Weren't you injured?"

Exalted Devil Ling as if he already predicted that this devil will ask him about the fight, "It was a fight between me and the Utmost Entity, an entity that almost became a God. Right now, it probably already has, but the chances are low."

Zagred didn't quite get the gist of the story, thus he was prepared to ask the Exalted Devil more about the how he got to fight against such an entity.

The Exalted Devil then suddenly asked Zagred with a grin, "You want to know more about the story?"

Zagred nodded and then Exalted Devil Ling continued, "I was once a normal devil, just like you. I always thought that by playing with lower ranked devils and creating havoc in the human world, that until I stumbled upon a stone."

This piqued Zagred's interest. A stone?

Then, the Exalted Devil started narrating again, "The stone was anything but ordinary, even right now, while not at my peak, I am still not enitrely able to create the effects that the stone had."

"I was quite astonished, as the stone itself was just like any ordinary stone. You know what the stone's ability was? It was able to teleport me to a whole new universe!", the Exalted Devil then continued, but this time something was wrong. It felt like the Exalted Devil spoke with more passion.

"The odds of me picking me that stone were small to begin with. In my entire life as a devil while in this universe I only picked a dozen or so stones and that was only to throw them at the low ranked demons. The chances of me picking that stone, that seemingly ordinary stone, the chances of that stone even existing, is what makes me frenzy.", Exalted Devil Ling said.

For Zagred, it was quite weird as this devil in front of him was so passionate about a stone. Fine, it was a magical stone that was able to teleport you to another universe. But Zagred thinks that it was a one-time use thing.

"When I touched the stone, I entered this whole new world where everyone, every single living creature aims for the same goal: to increase their strength and to increase their lifespan!"

"At first, I was confused and afraid, my domineering appearance as a devil frightened most common mortals, those who can't cultivate, as I was teleported inside a cave. After leaving the cave, I saw a mountain, and on top of that mountain there was a village. This is where I met these common mortals."

Zagred listened to the story closely as it is quite interesting and it will probably answer most of his questions.

"That world was so complex, that it took me seven years just to be able to feel comfortable there! There were humans, and even other creatures that were able to split the skies in half! That strength frightened me. Then, I met the beast race, which accepted me for how I looked like. They thought I was some sort of hybrid.", senior Ling continued narrating the story.

The little devil then asked senior Ling, "The creatures that I saw fleeing from the battle scene were from the beast race?"

The Exalted Devil nodded and continued, "They were from the beast race. But there are also other races, there is even a devil race, but they are fundamentally different from the one in this universe. Also, the battle that you witnessed was my last battle, before I decided to keep my life instead of dying. If I were to not open that portal, I would've died."

Even though the fact that the Exalted Devil fled from that fight was something not honorable at all, it was understandable. Since Exalted Devil Ling desired to live more and to be more powerful, if he were to die, wouldn't he be stepping on his doctrine? Thus, Zagred found this not a problem at all.