NOVEL NEXT Chapter 625: A Change
But Atherion had been unwilling to destroy his greatest creation. Instead of putting it to death, he chose to preserve it—freezing the demonic being in a suspended prison deep within the citadel.
A monument to his madness.
A reminder of what lay at the end of his pursuit for perfection.
"This Devil God Transformation and Null Transformation are oddly familiar. In both cases, one would lose their true self... but in the Devil God Transformation, it was instant—the moment they transformed, the human side of them would die. The Null Transformation, however... it could still be controlled, at least for a time," Max muttered to himself, his thoughts heavy as he stood in the eerie stillness of the final stage.
The parallels were too strong to ignore. He recalled what Blob had said—that the Witch of the North once mentioned Ascendants who could undergo the Null Transformation had their physiques altered using just a single drop of blood from Mark.
And the Nulls themselves? Beings birthed from the remnants of Mark's body after it had been sealed away… That meant every Null, every Ascendant who had undergone that grotesque shift, carried a piece of Mark within them. It explained a lot—the unnatural strength, the overwhelming transformation, the madness. But it also raised a question Max couldn't shake. What was Mark?
Why did he possess infernal energy so potent that just a scratch of his essence could reforge human physiology? Why was a drop of his blood enough to spark such monstrous evolution? What made him so special? A god? A monster? Or something else altogether?
And then there was the Devil God Bloodline. It didn't belong among the Four Divine Bloodlines—the blessings passed down from the sacred beasts: the Dragon, Phoenix, White Tiger, and Black Tortoise. Those were hailed as divine, the cornerstones of the Four God Nation.
But the Devil God Bloodline… it was an anomaly. A curse in the form of power. A hunger that twisted the soul and birthed monsters. Where did it come from? What being—what entity—had given rise to it?
"A devil?" Max whispered, brows furrowed. The term 'devil' wasn't foreign in Acaris. It was the title given to those who lost themselves in lust for strength, who drowned in blood and madness for the sake of more power—people like Drevon.
But was there something more literal to it? Was there truly a Devil… a real, ancient being whose bloodline had seeped into humanity like a poison gift? If so… how was it tied to Mark? And why did the infernal energy—his infernal energy—resonate so violently with the Devil God remnants?
The deeper Max thought, the more the mysteries around Mark and the Devil God Bloodline seemed to wrap together in a single, suffocating knot.
"Four God Nation… they should know about the origin of the Devil God Bloodline for sure," Max muttered under his breath, eyes narrowing with grim curiosity. That ancient land—governed by those blessed by the Four Divine Beasts—must have records, secrets, truths buried too deep for the Lower Domain to even whisper about.
If anyone knew the true source of this cursed bloodline, it would be them.
With that thought, his gaze shifted toward the center of the hall, to the small red drop of blood sealed within the spherical vessel. His infernal energy stirred again—violently this time—surging within him like a beast roused from slumber. It wasn't fear. It was hunger. A pull.
Without hesitation, black flames erupted from his right hand, flickering ominously and crackling with power as he reached forward and placed his palm upon the sphere. The moment his flames touched the surface, the vessel reacted, bursting into black fire that engulfed it entirely.
The drop of blood within writhed for a moment, as though resisting, before it too was swallowed by the searing black blaze. Max's lips parted slightly. "Devour," he whispered, and like a predator accepting its prey, the infernal flames surged, consuming the blood drop and the vessel in its entirety—until nothing remained but the silence that followed.
A sudden ripple echoed in his consciousness.
---
[You have gained three Divine Fragments.]
[Would you like to use the Divine Fragments?]
---
Max's lips curled upward, eyes glowing faintly with a golden hue. 'As expected,' he thought, and nodded calmly. 'Yes.'
---
—» [Heavenly Luminance Divine Bloodline (Weakened State)]
– Light Energy: [1000]
– Divine Fragments: [5/7]
---
A soft radiance exploded from within him. His skin shimmered with golden light as his body soaked in the newfound strength like a sponge to sunlight. The golden luminance rippled across his arms, his chest, his core—every cell in his body humming with divine resonance.
He could feel it—his Heavenly Luminance Divine Bloodline had grown far stronger than before.
'Good.' Max was satisfied with the strengthening of his Heavenly Luminance Divine Bloodline. The golden luminance around him faded, absorbed into his flesh and bones, but the warmth and power it left behind surged in every inch of his body.
With that task completed, his gaze returned to the frozen demonic being sealed within the rectangular chamber. Its presence loomed heavy, like a nightmare given form—pitch-black body, glowing red lines that pulsated with barely contained violence, and two ominous horns spiraling from its head.
Max crossed his arms, eyes narrowing as he pondered. "Now… what should I do with this thing?"
The diary had stated—that the drop of blood he just devoured was the key to awakening this creature. Once awakened, it would possess the strength of a peak Divine Rank being. That alone made the decision for him. No way was he going to let something that dangerous awaken.
That's why he destroyed the blood drop to begin with. It was the safest and most logical course of action. At least, that's what he had thought.
But just as the thought crossed his mind, the sealed figure inside the chamber twitched.
Max's eyes instantly widened as he caught the faintest shimmer of red gleaming from the creature's eyes. Before he could fully process the anomaly—before he could summon his energy or react—something hit him. Hard.
Bang!
BOOM!
The next thing Max knew, he was crashing into the inner wall of the fifth stage, the impact so violent it shattered the reinforced wall like it was made of brittle glass. A thunderous shockwave echoed across the floating citadel.
But even after bursting through the structure, Max's body didn't stop. His entire figure was flung into the sky, tumbling through clouds, spiraling wildly as momentum carried him hundreds of meters away.
'What just happened?!' The thought screamed in his head, but his mind was still spinning. His vision blurred from the pain stabbing through his stomach—the area where he'd been struck. It felt like something had almost caved his entire abdomen in.
Gritting his teeth, Max finally managed to regain control of his body mid-air. He forced himself to halt with a surge of power, hovering in the sky with fists clenched and breath ragged. His eyes slowly locked on the citadel in the distance.
His expression turned dark—ugly even—as he stared at it. The walls were cracked, smoke poured out from the hole he had been blasted through. "That thing… it was supposed to be sealed!" Max muttered, his expression dark.
But the chill that ran down his spine earlier? It had returned.
Stronger than before.