Chapitre 18: 22
At the same moment the environment again turns black with only a visible white gate adorned by skulls that has on each of its doors written 'DEATH ... EMPTY'
Again Buddha's voice echoes through the empty environment saying: "Heaven's Judgment – Gate of Death". The gate opens as the voice says those words.
The environment changes when entering the gate, it becomes the already known mansion. The event taking place here is something Nero would rather forget, his first death.
In front of him is visible a scene of his grandfather hitting someone who looks exactly like him, after all this happened less than a month ago.
Rizevim is clearly frustrated and angry about something, and that something is Vali's escape if Nero's memory is not bad.
When Nero is approaching to witness the scene of his death by Rizevim's beating, the environment of the mansion gradually cracks, crumbling and being replaced by a street of a modern city.
By the time the environment change ends, a familiar location is visible to Nero. The fateful street he died on when crossing, this is the place he lost his second life. Looking at the scene as an observer, he laughs a little bit.
'I looked both ways before crossing that road but unforeseen things always happen.'
Nero observed something peculiar sight unfolding before his eyes. He saw his doppelgänger crossing the street, mirroring his every move. A truck came hurtling down the road, blatantly ignoring the stop sign and disregarding traffic laws. Nero's heart raced as he anticipated the impending danger. However, what happened next left him in utter disbelief.
In a moment that seemed to defy logic, the other Nero placed a hand over his chest, his eyes wide with shock and disbelief. Before the truck could reach him, he crumpled to the ground, he had a pale face when he falls probably in his last breath while his face turned to look at the direction of the incoming truck.
When the truck hits the body it crumbles into dust and the modern environment becomes macabre, the buildings are inverted with their base on the sky, the ground turns into a dark void and the limits of the horizon are full of skulls watching Nero. However, the most iconic element of the scenery is a being with its face covered by black mist and eyes replaced by red glow, it has 8 pairs of bat wings and watches the young devil from above with an air of superiority.
Nero glanced around, realizing he had no other option but to try and engage in dialogue. "Hello, it's you again. Well, what brings you here this time?" he questioned, his voice calm yet curious.
"If you still don't understand, I'm not here because of Buddha's cheap gate tricks. I am the one who will take possession of your body and show Lucifer's true power to the world," the winged being responded condescendingly, exuding an air of superiority.
Nero looked at the being with a gentle smile. "Why don't we stop with this cheap little show?" he suggested, his tone filled with a sense of understanding.
"It is indeed time to stop. I can kill you any time I want. I am the one who must be reincarnated in this body. You are only my temporary host," the distorted environment grew worse with each word, as dark arms emerged from the abyss, grasping at Nero's legs, threatening to pull him in.
"You can pretend to be Lucifer all you want, but I have to agree to disagree about your identity," Nero maintained his composure, refusing to show any signs of panic.
"For what reason?" the stranger maintained his authoritative position, hovering in the air above Nero's head.
"You wanted me to erase my own essence to become Lucifer, but that's my choice, not your imposition," Nero calmly stated.
"If I'm not Lucifer, then who am I?" the diabolical being's gaze flickered with a red glow, as all the skulls on the horizon turned their attention towards Nero, awaiting his answer.
"You are the embodiment of the seal created by the reincarnation ritual. Am I right?" Nero questioned, his voice steady.
The being remained silent, prompting Nero to continue. "As I said before, you want me to become the original Lucifer, but you haven't taken direct action to transform me into him. This leads me to believe that you're in some trouble and are resorting to indirect means to fulfill your role."
"That's correct. I am merely a seal formed with a portion of Lucifer's consciousness. The reincarnation ritual did not fail by chance. It just so happened that your ancestor's soul was incomplete, preventing a true reincarnation. I tried to make you accept Lucifer's identity in order to integrate both identities, but it seems I have failed," the being admitted.
"Your plan wouldn't have worked anyway. I have no intention of letting go of who I am. I simply want to live my life to the fullest without interference from my grandfather or you," Nero stated firmly.
"From the actions you have shown within these illusions, you are worthy," the being acknowledged. As recognition was granted, the mist parted to reveal the face Nero had seen countless times in the portraits adorning the walls of his family's mansion – the face of the original Lucifer himself.
Nero's breath caught in his throat as he stared into the familiar countenance that had been immortalized in paintings. It was a face shrouded in both awe-inspiring power and profound sadness, reflecting the weight of centuries and the burden of his ancestry.
"You... didn't you say you were the seal? No, you are not the seal, are you the original Lucifer sealed inside of me?" Nero whispered, his voice tinged with a mixture of reverence and trepidation.
The figure nodded, their crimson gaze piercing through Nero's very soul. "Indeed, I am the one who once held the name of Lucifer. But my time in this world has long passed, and it is now your turn to carry the legacy."
Nero's mind raced, grappling with the enormity of the revelation. The realization that he was in the presence of his legendary ancestor, the devil who had once commanded unimaginable power, filled him with a heady mix of pride and humility.
"Why me?" Nero questioned, his voice laced with a mixture of curiosity and uncertainty. "Why have you chosen me to bear the weight of your legacy?"
The original Lucifer's expression softened, a flicker of empathy in his eyes. "You possess the potential, the strength, and the spirit to carry on what I could not. Through your bloodline, you have inherited the essence of my power. It is your destiny to rise above and forge your own path."
"So what is this legacy that I am worthy of?" Nero asked, his voice filled with curiosity and anticipation. He looked at the handsome devil, hoping for a glimpse of understanding.
"The legacy is merge with my soul fragment. To be more exact, you will consume my fragment and incorporate it into your soul, fortifying it even more together with the fact of forgetting your second life. Don't he scared, I will no longer interfere with your choices." the being who no longer has his face covered in mist explained.
"What will happen when I receive this fragment?" Nero inquired, seeking clarification.
"By joining my soul fragment you will be able to enhance the potential of your body and soul. In addition, it will be easier to access the unique power of the Lucifer bloodline that only I was able to use in life." 'Lucifer' speaks proudly as if this is a blessing for the boy.
"What power is this? I've never heard of any power in our bloodline, except that Lucifer family have a high reserve of demonic energy." Nero stares at his ancestor with shining eyes.
"We were indeed born with extreme reserves of demonic energy, but in our bloodline runs a unique ability like the 「Lord of Flies」 of the Belzeebub family or the 「Sea Serpent of the End」 of the Leviathan family. Our clan's skill is called「Demonic Brilliance of Evil Light」. As the first angel I had the title of morning star for my high domain of sacred energy and pure light. Ironically, I retained my powers of light after my transformation into a devil, however as our race is incapable of interacting with this type of energy my ability mutated allowing me to corrupt light and manipulate this evil version." 'Lucifer' conjures a spear of light similar to the ones angels and fallen angels use, but his is black in color with red markings. He then altered the spear's shape into a sphere and hurled it into the sky, Nero watched the luminous object until it exploded like a black sun in the sky.
"What effect does this light have on enemies?" Nero asks staring interested in the sphere of light.
"It's effective against basically anything, if it's a being of light you'll hurt him by corrupting his light, and if it's an evil being you'll hurt him by throwing some kind of light even if corrupted at him. How do you think we managed to fight my father's pure light? I'm sure it wasn't with Beelzebub's insects, he was busy fighting some angels." 'Lucifer' raises his head with a posture of superiority as he explains his power.
"What am I supposed to do with this power?" Nero uncertain whether this power comes at a price.
"You have the opportunity to redefine what it means to be a Lucifer," the original Lucifer continued. "To bring forth a new era where power is tempered with compassion, where strength is wielded for the betterment of all. Your legacy lies in embracing your unique identity and using it to inspire others, to lead by example. Of course, you can follow in my footsteps and use power to dominate others."
"So I just need to embody your soul to get stronger? Like the sacred gears?" The teenager devil eyes shine.
"Boy, do I look like sacred gear? I may have my soul inside that seal, but that doesn't mean it's eternally trapped inside a piece that will make others strong. You will have the potential to become extremely strong but you will still have to train."
"Ahh I see." Nero reacts discouraged by the news.
"Don't be sad, as you know sacred gears are exclusive to humans, like a pure devil you need to use our lineage and by the way you also have the lineage of the Satanachia family so it's already very good. You didn't say you'd outdo me, earn it with hard work and a lot of training." 'Lucifer' scolds the young man's laziness, but stops for a brief second when he remembers something that make him shudders. 'I and the other three actually created something similar to sacred gears, but he doesn't need it, much less is he ready to know about it.' Then he goes back to lecturing on the importance of training.
"It looks like I'm going to have to train. Okay, you've convinced me, I accept the offer." Nero holds out his hand for his ancestor to shake.
"I don't need your consent, the seal may need permission to merge you with me, but I don't need such bureaucracy to grant you my soul fragment. Now, I shall also release you from the inconsistencies of multiple lives." 'Lucifer' looks at his descendant with a critical eye as if observing an idiot,
"I didn't ask Buddha, but will losing my second life memories change me too much?" Nero asked, curious about the implications.
"No, your soul core will become more stable, enabling you to grow stronger. Essentially, you will be my reincarnation with similar potential, but you will also be granted the freedom that humans... I mean beings not limited by god's system possess – a freedom I never had. Your second life had a purpose; it wasn't just about accumulating power. Even with positive consequences, there will also be negative effects like the fact that losing your memory will make you unable to use elemental darkness magic because you no longer understand that concept." The soul shard explained, a smile appearing on its face as its body began to glow and fade away.
"Will I miss my only attack magic?"
"I just showed you our clan's Demonic Brilliance of Evil Light and you also have the power of your maternal line. Why would you want to use a lesser magic based on the human system of calculations when you can use the power of your devil bloodline." The soul fragment scolds the boy.
"So what is my maternal bloodline's exact power and how do I use it?"
"The Satanachia house has powers related to the manipulation of souls, it is as if they manipulate a type of energy that directly damages the soul. If I remember correctly the first devil in that house named this power as「Underworld Waves」. I remember the power, after all it was the power he acquired after I created him with my book, but I don't know how to manipulate that power." 'Lucifer' rubs his short beard as he remembers his old servant.
"Okay, then how do I use your evil light?" Nero rubs his forehead.
"I don't know either, I was born knowing how to do it. Good luck learning by yourself kid." 'Lucifer' starts to laugh seeing his descendant's face. Along with the laughter, the surrounding environment begins to shake.
"What is happening?" Nero questioned, observing as 'Lucifer' started to fade, causing the environment to crumble.
"Don't worry. When I'm gone, Buddha will awaken you. I was keeping you inside to test you. Once this is over, I will no longer appear to you, and your memories of your second life will no longer exist," the fading Lucifer assured Nero.
"Will I remember you?" Nero asked, his voice tinged with a mix of curiosity and sentiment.
"Probably not. But know that the events you witnessed were not solely orchestrated through the gates created by Buddha. I did intervene a little to make it more enjoyable... for me of course." 'Lucifer' replied, a playful smile gracing his fading form. "Don't panic kiddo. I'll be fair and use a little trick to let you remember the existence of our bloodline's power, but good luck figuring out how to use it." His eyes light up a little, his presence then completely dissipates after using this unknown power.
As the environment crumbled further and the presence of Lucifer dissipated, Nero couldn't help but feel a sense of both relief and anticipation. The weight of his second life slowly lifted from his shoulders, leaving behind a newfound freedom and a future that held endless possibilities.
As the last remnants of Lucifer vanished, the darkness gave way to a gentle light, and Nero's consciousness began to drift. Soon, he would awaken, his memories rewritten, and a new chapter of his life would unfold. Yet, deep down, Nero carried a sense of gratitude for the encounter with the enigmatic being who had tested his resolve and challenged his identity. It was a meeting that had forever shaped his path and would continue to resonate within him, even if the memories faded away.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone