Reborn with the Devil's system-Chapter 32: Cursed within

The battlefield still smoked with ash and blood.

Elias stood motionless, his shoulders trembling. Steve’s bite throbbed at the base of his neck, where blood still slowly trickled, seeping into his collar. Around him, the ruins of the chapel burned — broken pews crackled, melted stained glass shimmered in the firelight, and in the air lingered the scent of sulfur and iron.

Steve’s laughter echoed in his skull.

"Enjoy the gift, Elias," he had said, voice seething with venom and victory. "That wasn’t just a bite. That was a seed."

A seed of corruption.

A curse.

Elias’s knees hit the ground, and his vision blurred.

> [System Alert!]

Status Effect: Vampiric Infection (Mutated – Origin: Elder Vampyr: Steve)

System Core Conflict Detected. Soul Signature in Flux.

Consequences: Evolution path divergence imminent.

Warning: If left unresolved, host will become an uncontrollable hybrid entity.

He doubled over, clutching his sides as heat rippled through his veins. His fingers twitched, nails lengthening slightly, then retracting. The world around him seemed to shift — edges growing sharper, sounds clearer.

His heartbeat slowed.

But not from calm.

From change.

His skin turned colder. His breath fogged in the warm night air. And for a brief second, he could hear everything — the crackle of fire, the whispers of dying spirits, the heartbeat of a deer five hundred meters away.

It was power.

But it was wrong.

I didn’t ask for this.

He pressed his palm to the ground, trying to anchor himself — but the moment his bloodied hand touched the soil, an image slammed into his mind.

---

A throne carved of bone.

Eyes of crimson fire watching from the void.

The Devil.

"My vessel," the voice growled. "You let another mark you."

Elias gasped as the voice flooded his mind like acid.

"You were mine alone, Elias Black. You drank of my flame. And now another lays claim to your blood?"

"I didn’t choose—" Elias tried to say.

But the voice cut him off.

"Then choose now."

---

> [System Prompt – Abyssal Divergence Initiated]

Choose your path, Elias Black:

⚔️ Path of the Devil’s Heir — Burn away the vampiric curse. Embrace full demonic ascension.

🩸 Path of the Crimson Abyss — Accept the vampiric infection. Fuse with abyssal power and become something new.

Warning: This decision is irreversible.

Time to choose: 01:00... 00:59... 00:58...

Elias stared at the glowing prompt in the air.

Behind him, Steve’s words repeated again and again — "You’ll become worse than me. Just wait."

And part of him didn’t mind.

But the Devil’s wrath — it wasn’t something he could outrun.

"I..."

His heartbeat pulsed louder.

00:27... 00:26... 00:25...

The wind shifted.

A faint rustle.

He looked up.

In the distance, through the smoke, stood someone — tall, pale, cloaked in shadows.

Not Steve.

Not a human.

Something older.

The stranger didn’t speak.

Just nodded... once.

And vanished.

---

> [Choice Confirmed – Path of the Crimson Abyss Chosen]

System Recalibrating... Evolution Branch Unlocked... Hybrid Path: Abyssborn Vampyr initiated.

New Traits Acquired:

– Blood Instinct: Sense life within 500 meters.

– Twilight Regeneration: Rapid healing in darkness.

– Abyss Kiss (Passive): Feeding on blood grants mana and minor affinity to target’s powers.

*Warning: Control is fragile. Self-restraint skill recommended.

Vampiric Infection Stabilized.

Abyssal Affinity: 21% → 29%

Elias collapsed backward, panting, eyes wide.

But the pain stopped.

The transformation... was complete.

He was no longer human.

Not fully.

Not anymore.

---

Meanwhile – Deep in Whitmoor

The town shivered beneath the storm of change.

More disappearances.

Shattered bodies, drained of blood.

People whispering of red-eyed shadows stalking the alleys.

Mr. Sabastin stood outside the abandoned watchtower, tracing the strange glyphs burned into its stone — symbols matching those in the sealed books beneath the college’s archives.

He clenched his fists.

He had known something was rising.

But he had underestimated how fast.

And now Elias... his best student...

"I told them to leave it buried," Sabastin muttered. "The Devil’s System wasn’t meant to be touched."

A raven landed nearby.

Its eyes glowed red.

Sabastin stared at it.

It stared back.

Then it whispered: "The Blood Monarch rises."

And exploded into ash.

---

Back in the Rift

Elias sat on a broken altar, blood drying on his neck and shirt.

He stared into the cracked mirror-like pool below him.

His reflection wasn’t the same.

His pupils were thinner, edged in crimson.

His skin paler.

His aura darker.

But more than that... he felt awake.

The System buzzed again.

> [New Quest: Monarch’s Awakening]

Objective: Establish control over one vampire house OR destroy it entirely.

Reward: Title — Blood Monarch (Provisional), Skill Tree: Throne of Blood.

Bonus: New ally unlocked if completed within 72 hours.

He leaned back against the wall, smirking despite the ache in his bones.

"So... I’m what now? A half-demon, half-vampire system pawn with a bloodthirst problem?"

He chuckled to himself.

The laughter echoed... dark... cracked... tired.

But it was his.

And tomorrow — Whitmoor would learn what Elias Black had become.

The sky over Noxshade flickered red. Not from sunset—but from something older and angrier.

Elias stood alone at the edge of the Forgotten Church ruins, the wind curling around him like whispers. His coat flapped as the System whispered in his ear, not through screens—but directly, like a voice in his brain.

> [Main Quest Updated]

Title: Reborn Demon Executioner

- Collect 1,000 corrupted souls (Progress: 62/1000)

- Unlock next evolution of the Devil’s Core

Reward: Soul Brand Tier II, Skill Tree Expansion, Demonic Title Fragment

> [Warning]

A new threat has sensed your growing power. Prepare for resistance.

He exhaled slowly. Even now, he could feel the burning mark at the base of his neck—the brand of the System pulsing faintly.

His blood still hadn’t stopped sizzling from the last encounter. The fight with Steve had left more than bruises. It had shaken something awake inside him.

He wasn’t the same Elias anymore.

He was changing.

---

Later That Night – Elias’s Safehouse

Elias opened the skill panel in his mind as he leaned against the window, his hand unconsciously tracing the bloodline glyph etched into his collarbone.

---

🔥 [System Overview – Elias Black]

Race: Human (Corrupted – 27%)

Status: Soulbound Host of Devil’s System

Level: 14

Abilities Unlocked:

Hellbrand Strike (Lv 3)

Shadow Reap (Lv 2)

Soul Extraction (Lv 2)

Infernal Leap (Lv 1)

Traits:

Charisma of the Damned

Partial Immunity to Holy Magic

Corruption Rising: 27%

---

> [System Alert – Quest Detected Nearby]

A cursed child has been chained in the basement of Hollow’s Inn.

Decision: Save or Sacrifice.

Reward (Save): +2 Humanity, Minor Blessing

Reward (Sacrifice): +8 Soul Energy, Lesser Demon’s Favor

Elias stared at the blinking prompt.

"Why do you always test me like this?" he muttered.

There was no answer. Only the silent ticking of the System waiting.

He sighed and slipped out into the night.

---

Hollow’s Inn – Midnight

Elias kicked the door open. The building was run-down, thick with the scent of rot and regret. Down below, a weak sob echoed behind wooden planks and rusted chains.

The child was real.

Thin. Pale. Eyes glowing faintly violet.

Possessed.

The mark of a lesser demon was carved into her chest.

> [Possession Level: 62%]

Estimated Time before Full Corruption: 6 hours

"Help me..." she whispered. "I don’t want to be like them..."

Elias hesitated. His heartbeat was steady, but inside, something churned.

> [Choice Required – Time Sensitive]

A long breath.

"I’m not a hero," he said aloud. "But I’m not a monster either."

He stepped forward and slashed the bindings, channeling Soul Extraction into her body.

The room screamed.

The demon inside the child shrieked as it was torn out—howling in voices not meant for the world.

The girl fainted.

> [Quest Complete – Soul Saved]

+2 Humanity Restored. New Trait Gained: Warden’s Will.

System Alignment: Shifting (Resisting Full Demonic Corruption)

> [New Subplot Unlocked – The Demon Within]

---

Hours Later – Back at Elias’s Base

He sat by a flickering lamp, staring at the System panel.

It was growing more chaotic.

Not just blood, not just vengeance. There were cracks forming in the rules. The more he resisted, the more aggressive it became.

A message burned in scarlet letters:

> [WARNING: You are resisting the Devil’s Path. Consequences may follow.]

He gritted his teeth.

"I’ll choose my path," Elias growled. "Not yours."

The System went silent.

But in the silence... he heard a faint laugh.

---

Final Scene – Deep Beneath Noxshade

A chained creature stirred in an ancient cavern. Eyes of obsidian opened slowly.

A whisper echoed through the void:

> "He defies the system... how delicious."

A crimson sigil ignited across the sky.

War was coming.

And Elias was caught in the middle.

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