Chapter 142: Purgatory
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I was tired of Astaroth already, and this was just the second time we were meeting. I didn't want a third or a fourth time, so this was going to be the very end of his visits.
I hate the cliché of the villain that always comes back in several fictions; it always annoyed the hell out of me, and I reject turning Astaroth into my personal villain of the week!
"Y-You dare touch my Demonic Soul?!" Astaroth screamed in desperation. "You will only end up being burned by its Demonic Powers! Your Soul will be devoured before mine is damaged any further! HAHAHAHA!"
Astaroth laughed as his Soul was exposed to me. I grasped it tightly with my gauntlet as his soul, absorbing the phantasmal and death powers the constellation gave him, attempted to possess my body instead!
FLUOSH!
"Hahaha! You cannot possibly think you could have even handled my Soul at all!" The lizard laughed. "After all, I've ascended into an Apostle of Death! My Soul has developed powerful Dao Branches that gather Concept Fragments within! Soon enough, when there's a throne, I will become a Demonic Throne with the same power as a Constellation!"
"I know very well what you are and how you work." I smiled, my gauntlet overflowing with Abyssal Flames, which slowly shaped into the form I desired, combining their effects with several spells imbued into my Arcane Hands. "But that also means I know how your soul works and its weaknesses! And it turns out I've got amazing Skills!"
Ding!
[The [Fiend Sealing Curse] Demonic Spell has been registered in your Arcane Hands Slot!]
[You can now conjure this Spell with enhanced effects, power, and reduced MP Cost, while also being able to seamlessly combine its effects with any other registered Spell.]
Perfect…
"{Demon Sealing Celestial Cosmic Chains}!"
FLASH!
From my soul, all the way into my hands, countless chains of blinding celestial light emerged, slowly beginning to wrap around Astaroth's soul, imbued with large quantities of Cosmic Energy I've been saving inside of my Cosmic Core too.
The reason why I haven't overused this power, even when I fought Blednica, was because I was trying to save it for a situation like this one.
"W-What are you?! ARGH… S-STOP! STOP, I SAY!"
Astaroth panicked; his endlessly decaying flesh quickly attempted to attack me back, shapeshifting into countless draconic heads and opening their jaws!
"{Blood Puppets}!"
However, I spent more and more Blood Energy as the Blood Puppets surged from the domain-like manifestation of {Bleeding World}, attacking his heads and destroying them with the skills they copied from me!
"T-These damn things are so annoying!!!"
As Astaroth screamed, my mind started delving deeper and deeper into his demonic soul, the chains beginning to wrap around most of it by now, tightly beginning to compress, as I combined the chains with [Wind Compression] and [Fiend Sealing Curse].
Despite these two spells sounding rather normal, when I combine them alongside the chains I just created... Well, the true power of Arcane Hands shows its amazing potential once more!
"{Self-Compressing Demon-Sealing Light}!"
FLUOSH!
The chains combined their effects with this new power, as the soul of Astaroth, as large as it was, started to slowly grow smaller and smaller and smaller!
TRUUM…!
TRUUUM…!
TRUUUMM…!
"GRAAAAHHHH! S-STOP!" Astaroth screamed. "B-Beelzebub! Pull me back! Pull me out of this Realm right now! I have to go back to my Demonic Realm, or I-"
"Beelzebub can only summon you here." I smiled. "He has no power to send you back; you fools believe everything your superiors say, don't you?"
"EEK!" The Apostle of Death screamed in horror as he saw my creepy, smiling face. "Y-YOU WON'T GET AWAY WITH THIS…!"
Suddenly, I felt a powerful force dragging my very mind inside of his soul completely.
FLASH!
At that moment, I found myself inside Astaroth's Mind Realm, within his Soul Scape, where he governed completely.
"Do you truly believe you can even fathom comprehending the true horrors of a being such as me, who has not only ascended from a mere mortal but advanced through the Scenarios way ahead of you?! You mere mortals are nothing but child's play to me!" He roared angrily, manifesting himself amidst the Mind Realm as a gigantic dragon made of eternal, blazing dark flames—his actual appearance.
"Try me." I recklessly said.
"You will stop being this cocky once I tear your damn soul to shreds!!!" He roared furiously. "With what right are you so confident about everything, you damned brat? RAAAHHHH!!!"
His titanic claws reached my small soul, attempting to crush it!
BAAAM!
"Hahahaha! I'll squeeze your tasty soul dry with all your Skills and Privileges! They will be mine now! MINE! And- Eh?!"
However, he quickly realized things didn't go as smoothly. My Soul was intact, and surrounding me was a gigantic millipede made out of cosmic light, furiously glaring back at him.
"This guy's nothing compared to The Bleeding Scream." Sepa smiled confidently. "Can I eat him?"
"W-Wha…?!"
Astaroth felt utter dread when he realized a Constellation was living inside my soul.
"A-A Constellation?! Why is there one... inside of your soul?!" He screamed. "N-No, this doesn't make any sense! Is this some sort of trick?! And even if it is one, If it is inside of your tiny pitiful soul, then it is not even as strong as-"
CRASH!
Suddenly, a large bite-shaped wound appeared all over his left shoulder. Sepa emerged right behind him, her long body coiling around the dragon.
"AARRGGGHH…!"
Astaroth gave out an agonizing scream as Sepa clicked her mandibles, munching on the soul of Astaroth.
"Hmmm… Not bad… It tastes like a half-baked constellation; he's not even there yet, huh?" Laughed Sepa. "You're even more pathetic than I am! Now that's surprising!"
"G-GET AWAY FROM MEEEE!"
Astaroth panicked, screaming, and crying, his abyssal dark flames spreading everywhere, trying to burn me and Sepa completely.
However, I quickly leaped towards him, summoning Gram into my hands. Yeah, Gram!
FLASH!
"Look who's here!" I smiled.
"T-The Dragons Slaying Sword?!" Astaroth quickly realized the sword I'd been wielding this entire time wasn't just a little mortal's toy.
["Hey, motherfucker."] Gram spoke.
["Time for some revenge from last time!"]
Because Gram was a Living weapon, which, in essence, was the Fragment of a Myth-Level Constellation, he had more than enough power to manifest as a soul inside the Soul Scape and Mind Realm of Astaroth.
"Now, Sepa, go all out!" I roared with her.
"You don't even need to ask me; I've been so exhausted lately; that'll surely ramp up our Cosmic Energy reserves! Gyahahaha!" Sepa had never laughed like this before.
"S-STOP! STOOOOP!!!"
Astaroth quickly started to regret the decision of dragging me inside of his Soul Scape, as we started cutting him down into pieces!
Of course, this wasn't his true soul, but his Ego Manifested with all his powers on his fictional Mind Realm. The reason why we were suppressing him was that even with all the Dao Branches he had developed, with Concept Fragments and so on, with all the Skills and Abilities within my Equipment, I was able to suppress most of his ability to even summon them.
After all, the entire World is below the Rules of the First Awakening, meaning that he can't even use his full powers, restricted in this area of the "Scenario"! The very reason he needs Vessels instead of bringing his true body as well.
However, because Sepa was connected to me, she could unleash all her powers temporarily to an extent, easily overwhelming him as a Constellation with a much superior Rank!
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!
"N-No… No more!"
CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!
"This is… Inconceivable…!"
RUMBLE!
A huge shockwave of pure power suddenly sent our minds back to reality. As I opened my eyes to see Astaroth sneaking away from me, his body had decayed completely, weakening to the point where he resembled a tiny black snake! He quickly flew away with two tiny bat-like wings, screaming in horror.
"Where do you think you're going?!"
I quickly started chasing him down, until suddenly, Sara and my Familiars appeared again, unscathed, of course. I had protected them with my Celestial Mark!
"Look what I found here~!"
Sara flashed with her lightning speed, reaching Astaroth in a second, her two black daggers piercing through his tiny snake-like body and sticking him into the wooden walls!
CLAAASH!
"AAARRGGGHH…!"
As he screamed, I quickly got to work.
"Well done, Sara! Now leave this bastard to me! His soul is also completely done with the process of compression… Now I just need the last ingredient."
I took out Ramses Urn from my Inventory, but not to use it on his soul. No, the urn won't contain his soul even if suppressed and sealed.
No, it was to fuse its powers with a Skill!
Yeah, fuse its effects with a Skill! {Fusion} is not just restricted to Skills, it allows for the ability to combine items with skills to swell, an effect I haven't used until now.
"{Fusion}!"
FLASH!
The Urn's Powers suddenly emerged, as a sphere of light containing the power of one of my Skills quickly merged with it, synthesizing together into a new Skill.
Ding!
[You've exchanged 250 Skill Points!]
[You have combined the Essence and Powers of the [Ramses' Soul Eating Urn (S Rank)] Artifact with the [Thanatos' Stigma (S): Lv1] Skill!]
FLUOSH!
A new Skill was born, overflowing with malicious and deadly black and golden energy, quickly flying inside of my Soul.
[By combining the powers of a Divine Skill containing the Fragments of a Constellation related to {Death} and an Artifact specifically made to Seal Souls, the [Divine Demon-Sealing Purgatory Realm (SS): Lv1] Skill has been created!]
A Realm to seal Demons, a purgatory of my own...
"{Purgatory Manifestation}!" I roared, smiling almost like a demon. "Your time's on, lizard! Time to pay for all your sins in purgatory!"
[You have activated the [Divine Demon-Sealing Purgatory Realm (SS): Lv1] Skill; a {Purgatory Portal} has opened!]
[Any Demonic Soul in front of you will be instantly sealed as long as the conditions are met.]
TRUUM!
A huge black and purple portal opened in front of me, revealing a completely hellish landscape inside, where Astaroth was completely sucked inside without even being able to fight back anymore.
"W-What is this place?!" He cried. "S-Stop! I don't want to pay for my sins! This is ridiculous! I am someone who has advanced so far! And I'll end as this damn girl's pet?! N-NO…! NO WAY!"
FLUOSH!
The portal quickly closed as he was sealed and contained inside!
[The weakened soul of a Death Apostle has been sealed within the {Purgatory}!]
[The powerful Demonic Soul has lost all its abilities to exert its true powers inside.]
[It has now been marked with the {Prisoner of the Purgatory} Stigma.]
[This Demon Soul now belongs to you to use.]
"Phew… And done…"
At that very moment that Astaroth was finally taken away, I fell to my knees, resting at long last. I felt completely destroyed inside, and I think I had several ribs broken.
In fact, one was piercing my lung.
"Anna!"
Sara quickly flew to my side after recovering from the utter disbelief she was feeling when she saw me do that to Astaroth.
"Are you alright? Can I do something? Ah, drink this potion I got!"
She quickly offered me her only Elixir.
"Keep it…" I sighed. "Shiro! What are you waiting for, you lazy pup? Heal your master!"
"Chuuuh…"
Shiro flew to my side, beginning to slowly heal my wounds with his magic light. It felt really refreshing.
Well, I sure did a lot just now. I never thought it would completely work, but it seems it worked all thanks to the conditions and rules set in the First Awakening.
I better abuse them before things get harder. Though, because we didn't kill him, I didn't get any EXP, sadly.
But that doesn't really matter; I got myself an amazing new pet!
Through my abilities, I could directly see inside Purgatory by closing my eyes. Seeing the snake scream in utter anger and disbelief as the flames constantly tried to burn him was amusing.
He finally gets what he fucking deserves!
"You're mine now, snake." I laughed, talking to him through the Purgatory.
"NOOO! GET ME OUT OF HERE!!!" He continued crying. "Beelzebub, you damned bug-faced bastard! This is all your fault!"
"Cry all you want; you'll be working for me from now on." I smiled. "I'm looking forward to making you work to death!"
"Eeek!" The snake trembled in horror.
[The Cosmic Throne {Black Jackal that Judges the Death} is speechless.]
[The Cosmic Throne {Cursed Eight-Legged Maiden} is flabbergasted.]
[The Cosmic Throne {Queen of the Underworld} has begun coughing blood in disbelief.]
[Several other Constellations with ominous feelings against you have started to rethink their life choices.]
[The Cosmic Historical Figure {Breaker of the Chains of Slavery} is beginning to regret having chosen you after seeing you enslave someone.]
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