NOVEL NEXT Chapter 138: Burning with conviction
His mind drifted back, unbidden, to Earth. Not the Earth of now, but of his past life.
The fate of this place mirrored it almost perfectly—the struggle of the weak against invincible monsters, humanity clawing desperately against extinction, the crushing weight of despair followed by fleeting sparks of defiance.
It was as though he was watching Earth's history repeat itself… only in another world.
This world—this place that wasn't Earth—had also suffered an invasion. Demons had descended upon them, just as they had descended upon Earth in his past life.
They tore through the land, spreading destruction and despair wherever they walked. Entire cities had been reduced to rubble, their people shackled and stripped of dignity. Families were slaughtered, children chained, and the survivors forced into unending servitude.
They had been enslaved, treated as nothing more than cattle in their own homeland. Their cries were ignored, their lives reduced to a cycle of suffering.
But unlike Earth, this world had no buffer, no strange miracle to give them a fighting chance.
There was no [Apocalypse], no system, no sudden appearance of talents or levels at the start of it all. There had been no mana-rich awakening spread across their kind. No, this was simply an ordinary world.
Ordinary people.
They had no defense, no means to resist. The demons had carved through them as effortlessly as a butcher carves through livestock. It was no wonder the humans here had been conquered so quickly. Their world hadn't even been prepared to face monsters like this.
It explained so much. Why there were only two demons guarding this entire area. Why Riley had seen so few demons roaming about in these memories. The conquest had been so swift, so easy, that they didn't even need large numbers to maintain control.
But in the middle of all this chaos, in the sea of helplessness and despair, something unexpected had happened.
One of the humans… awakened.
Riley's gaze drifted to the shirtless man standing before Juer'lo, flames still flickering around his battered form. That man was the anomaly. The outlier. The sudden wrench in the demons' perfect domination.
His talent was powerful—so powerful it made even Riley pause in thought. It wasn't just some crude ability; it was something rare. A power that grew based on his conviction. The stronger his will, the heavier the burden on his heart, the greater his strength would flare. It was a weapon forged from his very soul.
But Riley could also see the truth in it. He had only just awakened. His body was inexperienced, his control weak, his knowledge of how to wield his gift shallow.
Against a one-horned demon, he had somehow managed victory. But against Juer'lo, a two-horned demon? The difference was a mountain, a chasm impossible to cross with sheer determination alone.
Juer'lo knew this too. That was why he mocked him so mercilessly, why he taunted him at every opportunity.
Every word was a dagger meant to wound not his body but his heart, to shake the foundation of his conviction, and weaken the very fuel that powered his flames.
Riley narrowed his eyes slightly. He could already tell—the best choice for the man would have been to lay low.
To stay hidden in the shadows, bide his time, and slowly grow his strength until he was ready. To strike when the demons least expected it, to deliver a blade of rebellion when their guard was down.
If he had done that, if he had been patient, he might have been able to kill a demon like Juer'lo someday.
He could have used secrecy to his advantage, gaining strength while the enemy underestimated him. He might have sparked hope across his people with a sudden and devastating strike.
But Riley also knew this wasn't as easy as it sounded. Living in chains, watching his people beaten and murdered daily… how could someone with a burning heart hold back?
How could someone who carried the will of the dead endure patience while demons walked freely above them?
No… for someone like him, perhaps waiting had never been an option at all.
Nonetheless, Riley knew it—no matter how hard it was for that man, the best path would have been to remain patient.
To stay in the shadows, to gather strength slowly, and to strike only when his enemy was unprepared. Patience would have been his greatest weapon, one that demons—prideful and arrogant as they were—would never have expected.
But the opposite was what had happened. Instead of hiding, instead of waiting, the man had chosen to act. He had lashed out at the first opportunity, slaughtering the one-horned demon who guarded them.
That act of rebellion had sparked a brief moment of triumph, but also chaos. It had drawn attention, and attention was the one thing he could not afford yet.
That chaos was what had led him here, face to face with Juer'lo.
Riley felt a small pang of pity for him. His will was strong, his spirit unbending, but strength of heart alone wasn't enough in this world. Not against demons. Not against creatures who lived and breathed power.
But pity was all Riley could feel. He couldn't help him.
This was nothing more than a memory—fragments carved into the demon's mind. Everything had already happened.
The outcome had already been written, sealed in blood and fire. Riley was just a spectator, forced to watch a story that had long since ended.
He exhaled slowly. 'I wish I could help you, but I can't. I can only watch.'
The man before him grunted, his face twisted in pain and defiance, teeth gnashing hard enough to make his jaw tremble.
His body trembled, but not from weakness—something was rising inside him. The flames that clung to his form suddenly flared, burning hotter, brighter, more violent.
In seconds, the blue fire engulfed him entirely, swallowing him in a blazing shroud.
His figure looked less like a man now and more like a human torch, his skin bathed in living flame that licked and crackled furiously. His fury and conviction manifested in every flicker, every surge.