1 Birth of a Devil

"Zhang Li, halt this rebellion and surrender yourself to the crown!"

High up in the sky, two groups could be seen locked in a standstill.

On one side stood an elderly gentleman, dressed in golden robes and wielding an intricately designed spear. Embedded across his attire was a green Qilin, bearing a crown on its head and Daoist treasures in each of its four hooves.

"Chief Inspector, can't you see the plight of the people? Are you blind to their hollow bodies and empty bowls? The mosquitoes have begun dying of thirst and the locusts from hunger! To surrender myself; I would rather take a blade to my throat, as that would at least nourish this land that you dogs have left to rot."

Dressed in a simple white toga stood the opposing commander. Unlike the elderly inspector, his body boasted the energy of youth. Muscles protruded from every crevice of his body, and the air seemed to crack at his slightest movement. However, despite the man's condescending demeanor, his shaky hands, which he had in vain tried to tuck away behind his back, coupled with unsteady breaths betrayed his true feelings.

"Traitorous fool!"

With a twisted smile, the elderly man began a rhythmic chant. A pronounced clap reverberated across the mountain range, and as if it had been the signal, the two forces began to clash.

In contrast to the deafening sound of combat above, further away, across the meandering mountainside and below the great clouds, a smaller, more unassuming battle was taking place.

Nestled between two small rocks one could notice an orb, pulsating with a distinct red light. It was only the size of an adult man's hand and was just barely able to cast a subtle glow on the surrounding earth. As the seconds ticked by, this light, which had already started off quite small, had already shrunk to fit in one's palm.

Were someone watching, it'd have been clear that this inconspicuous little light was about to depart as quickly as it had arrived.

Though, as fate would have it, such a destiny was not to befall this mysterious phenomenon.

"Die traitorous bastards!"

"Greedy royal dog!"

Soldiers from both sides had finally reached each other, deciding to stake their lives on this barren stretch of rock. The ground barely being able to sustain their thunderous charge, shaking and splintering as men barreled towards the opposing force.

"Release the arrows!"

Crack.

Thousands of cocked arrows were let loose. The air whistled as this deadly rain flew towards the enemy, robbing the ground of sunlight and soon, people of their life.

"Agh!"

"Raise your shields!"

A cacophony of deafening screams, and desperate orders sounded on both sides. As officers were incapacitated, and inexperienced men faced death, organization quickly broke down.

"Charge!"

The distance separating the two armies was quickly crossed, and at last, sword finally met flesh. The armies had shifted into glorified mobs, and the resulting battle became no different from a brawl. With one needing to defend against friend and foe alike.

In the midst of this turbulent melee the red orb continued to stay unnoticed.

However, if one were to look carefully, a strange mist had begun to leak over from the battlefield. This mist, bearing a similar red hue to the pulsating light, slowly drifted towards the orb. As if it were a starved traveler who had stumbled upon an oasis, the red orb greedily took it in.

Gradually, the once palm sized orb started to grow. At first, it simply recovered to its original size. Though, as time passed it grew to the size of a forearm, then a whole arm, and only stopped once it reached the size of a grown man's leg. At which point, no matter the quantity of mist the not-so-little orb consumed, it couldn't get bigger.

Oddly enough, it continued to go unnoticed despite its size. So, it just sat there. In the midst of a heated battlefield, quietly absorbing the peculiar red mist.

"Ough!"

With a thunderous bang, a figure was shot down from the sky, the impact of the blow parting the clouds and causing the air to crack. Lodged deep into his abdomen was a familiar spear, glowing a subtle green.

THUD

As Zhang Li made contact with the ground, swathes of rock were sent fragmenting in a twenty-meter radius around him, with the resulting shockwave directly paralyzing those who had been too close. A three-meter-deep crater was drilled into the barren rock, with only the strained breathing of Zhang Li serving as proof of his survival.

Anyone not struck from the collision had ceased fighting, stewing in silence as they looked at the scene unfold.

"Haha, tonight the mosquitoes will be able drink your blood and the locusts feast on your flesh. Does that not make you happy, Zhang Li? Your actions resulting in nothing more than feeding insects and spilling innocent blood."

Unlike the pitiful condition Zhang Li found himself in, the relatively old inspector was quite lively as he gently floated down. One could have even mistaken him for being unharmed - were it not for a small gash that ran from his temple to his brow.

The orb, which had miraculously been spared from the impact, slowly drifted towards the crater.

From the hole came an overflow of mist, pouring over the rock and rippling across the mountainside. Its hue was noticeably darker than what had appeared on the battleground, resembling gaseous blood.

However, unlike the previous substance, there was a clear qualitative difference.

As the first of the mist was absorbed, the once spherical shape began to contort. Soon, one could see small appendages taking shape. Wiggling back and forth, the red light decided to remain firmly where it was.

"Sir, what do you want to do with Zhang Li?"

One of the men that had been fighting alongside the Chief Inspector quickly flew down and positioned himself directly Infront of the crater. Although he also possessed golden robes, that was where the similarities ended. He was noticeably younger, looking like he was in his early twenties. The green Qilin, which had been such a prominent component of the Chief Inspector's robe, was only a small crest on his shoulder. He also possessed a short sword instead of a spear, which he kept in a scabbard to his right.

"Inspector Yun, we must avoid others questioning our ability. An attempted rebellion has already occurred, there is nothing to be done about that, but an example can still be made."

The chief inspector pointed inside the crater and sighed.

"Take a sharp knife and assign someone to carefully skin him. Drag the process out for several days. You are to make him cannibalize himself for sustenance, though it is paramount you skin the region before it is cut off. Once that is done, behead him, and place it on a spike. Stich his skin to a wild boar. We will parade him around the provincial cities. It should hopefully cure the remaining populace of their treasonous thoughts."

He paused for a second, taking another breath and stroking his beard before going on to say,

"Bring the soldiers willing to surrender back to Wuwei city, those who continue to fight are to be put to death immediately. I will personally assign a new minister to this district, and ensure the proper measures are taken to avoid future insubordination."

"Y-yes, Chief Inspector."

Thus, the battle quickly concluded with a decisive victory against the rebels. As the prisoners were transported away, and the army dispersed, a skilled torturer dutifully completed his task. After a week, the only signs of battle were ruined terrain and a skinned corpse - almost in one piece.

Though, there was a now new occurrence taking place in the dilapidated mountains. The once overflowing mist was nowhere to be seen, instead, a small figure had seemingly appeared out of thin air.

It was a small creature, the size of an adult man's leg and equipped with insectoid wings. Its skin was a familiar reddish hue and bore a strong resemblance to tanned leather. Small bumps were present on its head, which itself was triangular in shape. The small claws that adorned its fingers coupled with its unnaturally thin figure did little to help the creature's appeal.

Slowly, the creature lifted its eye lids. Its pupils, which one could have mistaken for a snakes, curiously looked around.

Once it had taken in the scenery, the creature slowly opened its mouth. Through its pointy teeth, the being quietly muttered its first words.

"My name is...Mowang."

Thus, was born the world's first devil.