Category name: Higher-level Illusion Demon

Original sin: Envy

Surname: Levi Anson

Rank: Seventh Rank

Race traits: Illusion control, temporary etherealization

Evolution sequence: Young Fiend - Large Fiend - Fiend Commander - Demon Child - Flame Demon Child - Juvenile Illusion Demon - Illusion Demon - Higher-level Illusion Demon

Interests: Pranks, going crazy

Attitude towards humans: Anyone who looks more handsome (beautiful) than me deserves to die, but if you can look so ugly, I also envy you.

- From "Demons and Humans"

On the beach of the Purgatory Blood Sea, a small Fiend covered in scars walked slowly on the sand. It looked exhausted and would stop to rest every few steps.

A small Fiend like this is the perfect prey in the eyes of other demons. As expected, it didn't take long for this poor little Fiend to be targeted by another of its kind. Its fellow Fiend came out bravely from a hidden stone mortar, without any intention of concealing itself.

The small Fiend also noticed its approaching fellow and quickly turned its head to escape in a random direction. With every step it took, its speed was astonishing, shattering the perception that it would fall down from a gust of wind.

"[Name of the small Fiend]! You idiot! You ran in the wrong direction!"

Seeing the small Fiend running in the opposite direction, I jumped out helplessly and shouted. Fortunately, it only took a few steps before it recalled our previously discussed plan upon hearing my voice. This clever little thing changed its direction and ran towards me.

Unfortunately, the chasing Fiend, upon seeing me, immediately guessed that the small Fiend was with me and decided to ambush it. It quickly turned around and ran, leaving behind a receding figure running into the distance... farther and farther...

"You idiot [Name of the small Fiend]! You brainless fool!" With the prey gone, I angrily hit the small Fiend's head.

Behind me, two more small Fiends appeared. One was also covered in scars, while the other was perfectly fine. These two imitated my actions and started scolding the small Fiend as well. Um... Let me explain the current situation. Just a while ago, I killed a large Fiend, and at that time, there were three small Fiends nearby. I was thinking about whether or not to kill them too, but these three immediately kneeled down...

Like this, inexplicably, I gained three subordinates. Although they were getting dumber one by one, I didn't despise them and continued to treat them kindly, just like the warmth of the sun. Most importantly, I even took the effort to give them names – Small One, Small Two, and Small Three.

The injured ones are Small One and Small Two, and the one in perfect condition is Small Three.

After killing the large Fiend, we made an agreement. The demon souls obtained from hunting would be mine, but the bodies would belong to them.

The injuries were actually feigned, and they acted quite well. If it were on Earth, they could probably join the entertainment industry as extras. Unfortunately, they just weren't very bright. When luring the enemy, they ran in the wrong direction...

It's okay to be fools; the key is whether or not they can be taught.

I hid with Small One and Small Three, and let Small Two continue wandering outside. Small Two looked at me with some grievances, touched the bump on its forehead, and ultimately obediently lured the enemy.

I hid with the other two subordinates, and within two minutes, Small Two came running back, followed by another small Fiend. What's more important is that this time, it didn't run in the wrong direction!

Great, worthy of praise... I was about to go out and kill the pursuers, but then I saw a remarkable sight... Why is there a second team chasing after Small Two from behind!?

The leading one indeed was just one, but about ten meters behind, there were six more small Fiends following... Damn, is this a plot to kill me!?

"Hide, everyone hide."

On the beach of the Blood Sea, there were many towering rocks. I, along with Small One and Small Three, hid under one of the large rocks. Small Two quickly ran back, being chased by the first team of small Fiends.

However, this small Fiend didn't search for Small Two but ran in a straight line, passing through our ambush... Could it be that this small Fiend and the six behind it are not together?While I was contemplating the situation, a few small Fiends came rushing towards us from behind. These foolish creatures had no conspiracies or tricks in their simple minds. They didn't even notice the sudden disappearance of the other small Fiend, and instead continued to chase after the fleeing one.

At this point, I didn't really want to get involved because we were outnumbered. On my side, we had four units including myself, while the opposing side had six units. Plus, both the first and second small Fiends were injured. Although they were strengthened after eating the corpse of the big Fiend, their injuries hadn't fully healed. Given this situation, I thought it would be wise to strategically retreat.

Just as I was about to give the order to retreat, the third small Fiend, being impulsive, seized the chance and suddenly pounced on the frontmost small Fiend of the second team. The two little devils tumbled on the sandy ground. Being caught off guard, the small Fiend being attacked by the third one couldn't react in time and hit its head when it fell, causing dizziness. The third one immediately bit down, right at its neck.

Having consumed the flesh of the big Fiend and being the only one uninjured, the third small Fiend had noticeably strengthened. Its body was even stronger than the first and second ones. Without any intention to do so, it bit the attacked small Fiend severely.

The third small Fiend didn't immediately kill its enemy. When it was certain that the other one was on its last breath and convulsing, the third one got up from the ground and let out a defiant roar towards the other five small Fiends, who were still stunned by the sudden attack.

Blood flowed from the gaps between the third small Fiend's teeth, and coupled with its loud roar, it had quite an intimidating presence.

Damn, was that a war cry or a controlling skill!

Seeing that the third small Fiend had temporarily controlled the other five, I immediately commanded the first and second ones to attack. They fought fearlessly, rushing out as soon as they received the order and each finding a target. As for me, I swung the two stones in my hand and faced another small Fiend.

In an instant, the five small Fiends were divided into three groups, leaving two of them attempting to attack me. However, before they could strike, they were intercepted by the brave third one. Even though the third one was outnumbered, it fought fiercely. Although it was difficult to defend and attack, it didn't immediately get defeated.

The fighting style of the first and second small Fiends was exceptionally brave, exchanging injuries for injuries. As for the third one, it was all about strength. In its muscular head, there seemed to be nothing that muscles couldn't handle.

As for me, heh heh, I was more of a skilled type fighter. The training with Rosca and Nicole wasn't for nothing. Over the years, I had persisted in training every morning regardless of the weather. Although I had two stones in my hand, I used them as if they were daggers when I swung them. And surprisingly, the effect was quite good.

The small Fiends' attacks were limited to claws and teeth, occasionally using headbutts or kicks, but unfortunately, their skills were no match for mine. With my flashy double hammers and kicks, I was the first to knock down the hostile small Fiend, leaving it unable to take care of itself on the ground.

There was some danger for the first and second ones, especially the second one. It narrowly escaped being bitten on the neck multiple times. Just as I observed, the second one was kicked and fell to the ground again. It had several wounds on its body, and the fall was not light, causing some of the wounds to burst and blood to flow.

Without hesitation, I immediately rushed over and attacked the small Fiend that was about to pounce on the second one from behind, hitting its back of the head with a stone. With just one strike, that small Fiend's eyes rolled back, nearly passing out.

I continued with the assault, hitting its head with the stone repeatedly. After three or four strikes, it burst open, with red and white matter spilling out... it was disgusting.

After killing the target, I absorbed its red demonic soul. My body only warmed up briefly and then settled down. This time, the strengthening didn't seem to have much effect. It felt like I had reached a bottleneck.

After killing the enemy, the second one also recovered. It looked at me gratefully, almost with admiration, and then disregarding its injuries, it ran to help the first one. The cooperation between the two little devils was seamless, rendering the enemy defenseless.

As for the situation with the third one, things got a bit dangerous. Though the third one was stronger than the first and second ones, it was still just a small Fiend and hadn't reached the level of the big Fiend. Facing one small Fiend alone was no problem, but dealing with two was indeed challenging.

I sneaked up from behind and attacked one, injuring it. The third one quickly suppressed the other. By this point in the battle, victory was already certain. A minute later, the battle ended, with everyone on our side lightly injured and no casualties.Once the battle was over, Little One, Two, and Three couldn't wait to devour the dead body of the small Fiend. As for the soul, I had absorbed it long ago.

During that time, something happened that I didn't know before. It turned out that Soul Feasting was not my exclusive ability; all demons possessed it, including small Fiends who knew how to temporarily preserve souls.

Little One and Two had collected the souls of the unfortunate victims they killed, and after the battle, they presented them to me for devouring.

These few small Fiends seemed to belong to a team. I'm not sure who their leader was, but from their actions, it appeared that they had united.

If this speculation is correct, it means that the small Fiends have begun to form small teams, and from now on, individual small Fiends that hunt alone may become targets of being hunted. The alliance of small Fiends is a terrifying thing, and when their numbers reach a certain level, even big Fiends will be upturned by them.

When my subordinates were feasting, I chose to stay away. I was somewhat repelled by cannibalism or humanoid creatures that engaged in cannibalism, and I didn't want to witness the bloody scene. But before I took a few steps, I discovered that the small Fiend that had escaped earlier was hiding nearby, spying on us. When it made eye contact with me, it actually tried to run away.

I could probably guess that it thought we would be mutually wounded in the battle with the previous group of small Fiends, and it was hoping to take advantage of the situation. However, it had no idea that when it looked back, it would find that my side had won overwhelmingly.

Are you scared, little one? Big brother is going to give you a beating now.

That small Fiend indeed had the intention to turn and run, but after it had taken only a couple of steps, it suddenly stopped, turned around to face me, and knelt on both knees... Why did it kneel again...

What language can be used to describe the emotions at this moment? In any case, I gained another subordinate—Little Four.

The addition of Little Four didn't cause much of a stir among Little One, Two, and Three. Um... it should be said that Little Four was bullied as soon as it joined. Little Four seemed to be a bit timid, and as soon as it finished its meal, it became a tool for the three seniors to vent their frustration. It was frightened by them and obediently surrendered on the ground.

After Little One and Two had kicked Little Four around for a while, they probably got bored, so they temporarily left Little Four alone. The four of them gathered in a corner, whispering and occasionally pointing in my direction. After a peaceful discussion for a while, Little Four suddenly showed some resistance. Little One and Two immediately tried to discipline it with sticks, but unfortunately, the effect was minimal.

Watching from the side, I couldn't bear to see it anymore, so I walked over and stopped them from bullying Little Four. Little Four excitedly embraced my leg and refused to let go.

At that moment, Little One, Two, and Three stared at Little Four with envy and jealousy...

What's going on? Weren't they good buddies just now? I couldn't understand what was happening between my subordinates, so I let it be.

After a day of trouble, I scolded them not to fight anymore and led the team away from the battlefield. Soon, we found a cave and searched inside. It wasn't too deep or dangerous, so I ordered the four little devils to guard the entrance while I found a place to rest.

There is no distinction between day and night in Hell; it is always daytime here, or rather, the combination of red and black is the main theme of this world. Rest when tired, find food when hungry—demons compete and fight each other to survive in this extremely harsh environment.

Is this life suitable for me? Can I adapt? Regardless, I have decided to strive to survive. Perhaps I am truly favored by the heavens and will be reincarnated after death, but I cannot use my ability to resurrect as an excuse to give up when facing difficulties. So I must work hard to continue living...

I closed my eyes, feeling a dull sensation in my mind. Nicole's figure appeared, she seemed to be looking for me... I wanted to tell her that I was fine, that I was doing well, but my outstretched hand passed through her shoulder...

I woke up from the dream, staring blankly at my hand. I just wanted to touch Nicole with this hand... It failed, it was just a dream.

A bitter smile appeared on my face—this was my second day officially entering Hell.