Eternal Saṃsāra: The Wanderer of Worlds

[85] Depraved Walk of the Heavenly Demon

Zhenyu's defiance flickered in his eyes. "You... you're a monster. You are no better than me. You're going to destroy all of this just because of a single dead woman?!"

I grabbed him by his collar, lifting him with ease. His body was limp, he couldn't resist at all. "I am the Heavenly Demon. My justice may not be righteous, but it is absolute. Because I am absolute because I am the greatest of all time. While you are a loser, who will suffer for eternity."

With a flick of my Qi, I plunged my hand into Zhenyu's chest. His heart, still beating, was crushed by my grip.

"Aukgh!" He let out a final, choked cough before succumbing to death's embrace. But his end was not to be so swift and merciful.

With a cruel twist of my will, I yanked his soul from his collapsing body, tossing it and trapping it into the spectral prison that dangled ominously from my belt. There, his soul would writhe in agony, watching me devour everything he owned.

"I shall carry you with me," I said, my voice cold and relentless, "as I annihilate everything you ever loved, every trace of your existence. Starting with your family."

His muffled screams from the cage were music to my ears, a symphony of suffering that fueled my rage and satisfaction. But fully satisfied I was yet to be.

I walked deeper into the devastated halls of the Imperial Castle, my Icons swirling around my head like vengeful spirits. In the depths of the castle, Zhenyu's family cowered, trapped with no escape. I could feel them with my Perception, and they too could see me walking towards them, thanks to the perception-related Bloodline ability that all Aurelius had. With each step I took toward them, they trembled.

I was grinning, lazily walking through the halls as my Icons moved with me.

"You see," I quoted myself from my 3rd life when I was the Genghis Khan. "The greatest happiness is to vanquish your enemies, to chase them before you, to rob them of their wealth, to see those dear to them bathed in tears, to clasp to your bosom their wives and daughters. A man's greatest joy is crushing his enemies."

"Watch, as I enjoy and destroy everything that you owned. Only because you chose to be a fool." I said and pushed open a door, behind which scared women shook, while young men, probably their sons or brothers, stood in front of them.

The men, brave but foolish, attempted to shield the women. But their bravery was in vain. With a laugh that could chill the blood of the gods, I tore into them, feasting on their flesh. The room was soon awash in a macabre display of gore and despair, as I ate the men alive.

The women screamed at the sight, and a moment later they cried for themselves, as I desecrated everything they were. Their innocence, their dignity, I stripped it all away, leaving them as nothing but hollow and ruined chunks of meat.

After that, a storm of rage and vengeance devoured the Aurelius Empire. The family, the clan, and the kingdom... I left nothing but ashes in my wake. The family, the clan, the kingdom – I razed them to the ground, leaving no stone unturned in my quest for total annihilation.

The entire continent quaked under my wrath, and my Heavenly Demon self took a step forward in becoming the Venerable Immortal Over Heavens.

* * *

"....And that's it."

Koneko finished her story as I chewed on my lips.

Although her words made me remember a flashback of that situation, she hadn't read my thoughts in that situation. She only saw broken fragments of that scene, but it was enough to paint a picture in her head.