Rearing Demons-Chapter 22: Ris; The Rite of the Blood Dominion

Yur regarded the young girl who had suddenly appeared, his expression impassive—mirroring her own calm indifference.

"What do we have here?" she repeated, turning her gaze from Yur to the towering demon in the room. "A Tharok and a human?"

Inwardly, Yur asked for Zul to guide him. He lacked any genuine ability in conversation, but he certainly didn't want to die because of poor social skills.

[Creating Dialogue...]

[Complete!]

Lines of text flowed through his mind—words only he could see. He accepted them without question, preparing to speak.

"Hello." He forced a smile that never reached his eyes.

The girl—Ris—lifted an eyebrow. Though she noted his male appearance, his reaction to her was almost nonexistent. She was exceptionally beautiful; most men—even older ones—vied for her attention, yet he seemed unbothered.

"What's a human doing here?" she asked, glancing from him to the demon. "And that demon—what is it?"

Yur scanned more lines from Zul's suggestions. "I might ask you the same. Besides, that demon of yours seems very docile."

Dissatisfied with his evasive answer, she released a trace of her aura into the air, causing the room to quake.

Sensing a challenge, Yur unleashed his own aura in response—a force emanating from Cinerath. This aura, subtly changed after his ascension, felt arrogant yet strangely indifferent.

"A rank one?" she mused, recognizing his Nascent Orb cultivation. "Yet you're producing an aura on par with someone in the Ignited Core realm. Surprising."

"I am," he said casually. "But since you're Luminous Heart, you're beyond my level." The script from Zul was carefully tailored to match his apparent age and stage of power.

Hearing this, Ris gradually withdrew her aura, releasing the trembling Trep demon on her shoulder and the quaking Tharok demon by Yur's side from its grip. Once she stopped, Yur followed suit. According to Zul's lines, he walked over to the Tharok, ignoring Ris for the moment. "I'll name you Marr," he stated.

"That demon is yours?" she asked, curious. Marr sank onto its knees, letting Yur pat its head.

"Just like that Trep on your shoulder fears you, it fears me." Yur remarked without looking back. "I'm impressed you managed to tame a Trep. They might only be Morruk, but they're notoriously fast and rare."

"I was lucky," she replied coolly. "So who are you, anyway? Another Guardian Sect disciple?"

"I'm not with the Guardian Sects," he said, turning around at last, voice steadying as Zul's script guided him. "I'm a rogue cultivator. Are you here for the same thing as I am...like the others?" He posed the question to glean any information she might let slip, since he and Zul knew so little.

"And what purpose is that?" Ris asked, voice still indifferent, though her eyes gleamed with curiosity.

At that, Zul's dialogue feed paused. Yur said nothing, waiting for the next line. Ris grew suspicious.

"Well?" she pressed. "Speak."

At last, new lines popped up. Yur glanced at them, looking surprised but obliging. "I'm here to gather demons."

"Gather demons?" She regarded him warily. "So you're a demonic cultivator?"

"What's wrong with that?" he countered, though her aura intensified, so sharp he felt it physically. His knees almost buckled, and he frowned, irritated by her show of power. "You also have a demon. Who are you to judge me?"

"I belong to the Guardian Sects," she returned icily, increasing the aura's pressure again. The Tharok demon crumpled to the floor under the strain, but Yur managed to stay on his feet.

Growing annoyed, he inhaled deeply before speaking the lines Zul provided. "I'm not a demonic cultivator. A real one would reek of demonism—and be insane. Do I look like that to you?"

She glared. "Then explain the demon."

"How hypocritical," he growled, forcing more aura from himself to stand upright. "If I have a demon, I'm a villain, but you're innocent with yours?"

Her expression cooled. "You make a fair point." Without warning, she seized the Trep demon's head and crushed it in her palm. Blood and gore spattered the floor. "Now you're the only one with a demon."

[Host must kill Marr!]

Yur ground his teeth in frustration. He had only just obtained the Tharok, yet Zul insisted he destroy it to prove he wasn't a demonic cultivator. With reluctance, he moved closer to Marr, resting a hand on its head. A flicker of hesitation passed over his face before he cast Incineration.

Black flames rippled along Marr's body, devouring flesh and bone in seconds.

Raaaaaaa!

The demon howled in agony, but Yur simply gazed on, vexed by the entire ordeal.

"There, happy?" He glowered at Ris, then read off Zul's prompt. "We rogue cultivators can't do anything, can we?"

Abruptly, her crippling aura vanished. "All right," she allowed, faint surprise touching her eyes. "At least that proves you aren't a demonic cultivator." Incineration fascinated her—though reminiscent of normal flame arts, it possessed a complexity she couldn't place.

"May I go?" he asked dully, observing Marr's ashes drift across the floor.

"Where to?" she inquired, puzzled how a rogue cultivator—especially one so low-ranked—came to Zulmasharr. Typically, only the very strong dared enter.

"I'm here for training." He cited another line from Zul's script. "Some people I knew were killed; I want revenge."

"Hmm?" She eyed him skeptically, noting his flat tone. "Who was killed?"

"My mother," he said without emotion, as if reciting a basic fact. "Now, can I leave?"

She stepped aside. "Go ahead." He brushed past her, silent. What a strange man, she thought.

Yur stormed out of the fortress, a flush of anger igniting in his eyes. "That was ridiculous," he muttered under his breath, occasionally venting his fury by stomping on stray Imps.

[I shall keep track of the human's location!]

"Good," Yur snapped. "Let me know when she's far enough away." He shook his head, still fuming. "Zul, what do I need to do to rank up now?"

A new prompt appeared:

[With Host's current abilities and bloodline, the requirements have grown!]

[Zulmasharr Quest: Rank Up!]

[Cultivation Goal: Morruk]

[Reward: 1000 Demon Points]

[Afloria Quest: Rank Up!]

[Cultivation Goal: Seeker of Embers]

[Reward: 1000 Human Points]

"All right...exactly what do I need?" he wondered, relieved by the generous rewards but wary of the demands.

[Zulmasharr Cultivation: Morruk]

[Bloodline Evolution]

[Ritual: The Rite of Blood Dominion!]

[Afloria Cultivation: Seeker of Embers]

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[Orb Evolution]

[Ritual: The Rite of Blood Dominion!]

Reading the explanation of this new ritual made him scowl. He would have to create ten sigils from his blood essence—entirely distinct from normal blood—and entrap a Rank Three being in each. Not for slaughter, but for imprisonment. "That's going to be incredibly difficult," he grumbled. "Even if my strength's high, that's a huge step up."

[Host is extremely powerful, on par with a Tharok. Gathering many rank-threes is only natural!]

He groaned at the notion. And that was just the first of several steps.

[As an Ashkavaal, Host must expect both bloodline and orb evolutions to be formidable tasks!]

With a final, exasperated sigh, Yur resolved to return to the Barren Canyon—his makeshift home base. If his Asheseed Relic had matured enough, it might grant him new rituals or powers to meet these steep requirements.

He set off without further delay, casting a final glance at the fortress that had become an unwelcome battleground for his twisted conversation with Ris. At least he knew she was being tracked by Zul—hopefully that was enough to ensure she wouldn't trouble him again.