Chapter 31: Bound and Rising Chaos
In the vast darkness of Jin's subconscious, the clinking of chains echoed. He sat motionless, bound from every direction, chains spiraling around his limbs, torso, and neck. The faint glow of the broken Mother Box hovered before him, casting fractured rays of light through the suffocating void. Its pulsing aura illuminated his face, etched with exhaustion and defiance.
Jin pulled against the chains, but they tightened, biting into his flesh. "Why…why am I still here?" he whispered, his voice hollow and desperate, swallowed by the oppressive silence around him.
A sinister voice reverberated through the void, cold and taunting. "Still here? Oh, my dear host," the demon's voice sneered, "this is where you belong. Chained. Helpless. Do you feel it yet? The weight of your refusal to embrace what you are?"
The Mother Box pulsed brighter, and visions of horrors began to invade Jin's mind—flashes of desolate battlefields, fallen warriors, and an ocean of blood. He winced, his breathing ragged.
In the real world…
The reshaped meteor tore through the air, its blazing form tearing apart the atmosphere as it hurtled toward the demon. The sheer force of its descent left cracks across the battlefield, the wind howling with its approach.
The demon, perched mid-air, smirked as he watched the massive object close the distance. His eyes, glowing with malevolent energy, betrayed neither fear nor urgency. Instead, he raised two fingers, his movements precise and deliberate.
"Let's play," he murmured, his voice thick with mockery.
The ground trembled violently as his spell activated. From below, a grotesque, towering head erupted—a baby-like face twisted in anguish, its eyes hollow and glowing red. The Hell Head launched upward, propelled by writhing strings of tendrils that seemed to pull it into the sky. Its enormous mouth gaped open, revealing rows of jagged teeth, and with terrifying speed, it intercepted the reshaped meteor.
The collision was cataclysmic. The meteor was swallowed whole, its immense energy dispersing within the Hell Head as it sealed its mouth shut. The strings recoiled, stabilizing the demonic entity mid-air as it swayed menacingly.
The demon now stood atop the monstrous head, his posture relaxed yet commanding. The tendrils beneath the Hell Head bounced and writhed like springs, keeping the platform afloat.
He looked down at Seiji with a smirk. "Impressive," he drawled. "Your mastery of the 32 Marks of God is…admirable. But let's not kid ourselves. You're barely scratching the surface."
Seiji narrowed his eyes but held his ground, his glowing marks radiating power.
The demon continued, pacing atop his grotesque mount. "Reality shaping, celestial force, even cosmic creation—these abilities you wield, they're a fragment of true divinity. Yet here you are, toying with meteors and spears. It's almost adorable."
Back to Jin's subconscious…
The visions intensified, forcing Jin to his knees. The chains grew tighter, cutting deeper into his skin. He gritted his teeth, trying to block out the overwhelming images flooding his mind.
"You see it, don't you?" the demon's voice hissed. "This is what you could be. Power beyond imagination, battles won without lifting a finger. But no, you cling to your humanity, to your frail mortal ideals. You're weak."
"I'm not you," Jin spat, his voice trembling but defiant. "I'll never become like you."
The demon's laughter echoed, cold and unrelenting. "Oh, Jin. You already are me. You just don't realize it yet."
In the real world…
The demon shifted his gaze back to Seiji, his grin widening. "You must know the truth about your precious marks," he said, his voice dripping with condescension. "Do you even understand their full potential? Or are you too afraid to use them as they're meant to be used?"
Seiji remained silent, his glowing marks pulsing steadily as he prepared for whatever came next.
"Let me enlighten you," the demon said, raising his arms theatrically. "Each mark represents perfection. Power. Control. You can bend reality to your will, command the elements, manipulate time itself. Yet here you are, throwing rocks and calling it strategy. Pathetic."
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone