章 138: Devil's Embrace: Unveiling Shadows in the Mind
"Human, you dare speak to me in such a manner?!" The dragon roared as it stared down at Carla with anger.
Carla sighed before she glanced up and suddenly disappeared.
The dragon couldn't even follow her movements before he suddenly saw her standing in the air right in front of him.
"Go and take a break, come back once you wake up," Carla said as she softly placed her palm on the dragon's head.
Suddenly, the dragon constricted its eyes, the entire body turning rigid as it was about to attack, only for an immense shockwave to spread out from where Carla had touched him.
The clouds above them parted, the snow covering the mountain peak where Carl was standing was blown away, and the dragon was sent crashing down at another mountain a couple of miles away.
One attack, an attack that was seemingly done without any effort from Carla was all that it took to send such a powerful monster flying.
The dragon was no ordinary monster either.
It was one of the 15 monster kings of the world, only second to the two monster emperors who were said to be more powerful than anyone in the entire world. Only the two G-grades of the planet were capable of fighting them, and nobody knew who was stronger than them.
Each of the monster kings was equal to an SSS-grade fighter, and usually, it took more than one SSS-grade to take down a monster king thanks to their immense size and power.
And yet, one such king was sent flying by a mere touch.
Carl was not hurt. The pink mist was still coiling around him, stopping his devil powers from influencing him further, and shielding him from any attacks that might come his way.
"And use a smaller form when you come back, it's annoying to be talking to you when you're that big," Carla said again before appearing in front of Carl.
"Now, let's start."
She stared at Carl's face which showed the internal struggle he was now facing. His body had not changed further, but the pulsating red veins that shone like there was lava inside of them showed that the devil inside of him was still trying its best to take over his body.
"Come on Carl, let's see what's going on inside that head of yours," Carla said before she placed a finger on Carl's head.
Suddenly, the pink mist around Carl dissipated before it spread around and covered the entire mountain peak, shrouding it in pink and making it impossible for anyone to see what was going on.
As for Carl and Carla, they were now both inside of his consciousness.
Inside Carl's consciousness, the landscape was a chaotic amalgamation of swirling colors, distorted shapes, and fragments of memories. The air felt heavy with the conflicting energies of the devil and Carl's own consciousness. Carla navigated through this surreal realm with ease, her presence commanding a degree of order in the tumultuous mental landscape.
The first layer they encountered was a manifestation of Carl's recent battles. Images of the demon, the black-eyed cultist, and the frenzied cultists flickered like disjointed memories. The devil's influence was palpable, twisting these memories into darker and more volatile forms. Carla observed silently, understanding that untangling this mess required delicacy.
"This is your recent past, Carl," Carla remarked, her voice resonating within his consciousness. "Your struggles, your battles, and the moments that led to this internal turmoil. We need to sort through this and find the root of the issue."
Carl, still submerged in the internal conflict, nodded in acknowledgment. He was still not lucid, his mind was in turmoil and he was barely able to even keep awake at this point. The pulsating veins on his forehead seemed to respond to Carla's presence, showing a momentary flicker of calm.
As they delved deeper, they reached a realm that mirrored Carl's memories from before the mission. Scenes from his life—moments of joy, pain, and personal growth—flashed before them. However, these memories, too, were marred by the devil's influence. Shadows clung to the edges, distorting the once-clear images.
Carla, undeterred, extended her hand and touched the memories, each touch sending ripples of pink energy that cleansed the distortions. "Your past is interwoven with your present struggles. The devil is trying to twist even your most cherished memories. We must purify them."
As they progressed, a looming darkness emerged, a representation of Carl's fears and insecurities. Shadows shaped like monstrous versions of himself, clad in devilish armor, confronted him. The devil within him fueled these manifestations, turning doubts into formidable adversaries.
Carl gritted his teeth, his internal battle mirroring the one he faced in the physical world. Carla, her expression unwavering, gestured for him to stand firm. "Face your fears, Carl. Only by confronting them can you regain control."
With determination, Carl engaged the monstrous shadows. Each clash sent shockwaves through the mental landscape. The devil's influence fought back, amplifying the intensity of the internal struggle. Yet, guided by Carla's silent encouragement, Carl began to gain the upper hand.
Amidst the chaos, a flicker of light emerged. A core memory, untouched by the devil's influence, held the key to restoring balance. It was a moment of self-discovery, a realization of his own strength and resilience. Carla focused her energy on this beacon of light, amplifying its influence within Carl's consciousness.
As the light spread, the monstrous shadows recoiled. The devil's grip weakened, its influence diminishing. The pulsating veins on Carl's forehead began to subside, and a sense of clarity washed over his internal landscape.
Suddenly, that changed again.
A black flame appeared in front of Carla and Carl before another flame, a devilish red flame appeared behind it, swallowing the black flame and growing stronger.
The landscape started twisting and changing again, trying to go back to what it was before.
"You … you took the power of the demon you killed as well?" Carla asked with her eyes slightly furrowed.
"No, it was the devil, it took the power of the demon to grow stronger as it took control."
"Tch, they're always so annoying to work with."
"Fine, it seems I'll have to personally intervene this time."
"But Carl, remember, I will only do this once, I can't babysit you all the time, it would work against you in the future if I did that."
Carla spread out her arms as pink mist suddenly appeared inside Carl's consciousness.
The devilish flame started growing and was seemingly alarmed by what was going on. It grew more violent and powerful as it tried to swallow the pink mist, but instead, it was only getting weaker as the pink mist started taking over the entirety of the landscape around them.
"Still not enough?" Carla asked with slight surprise as she stared at the flame.
She suddenly appeared in front of the flame and stared at it as it started twisting and turning before forming a person that was made out of flames.
"Who are you?" Carla asked as she leaned her head to the side, only for the flaming person to do the same.
"This form, this hatred inside, I think I have seen it before, have I?" Carla asked as a mouth appeared on the flaming person before a chuckle escaped from it.
Carla's eyes suddenly widened before a smile appeared on her face.
"I see, so that's how it is."
"You have survived, you managed to escape eternal damnation."
"Seraphial"
The flame responded to the name, the form twisting and turning again before a huge face appeared in front of Carla.
She shook her head as if she was getting fed up with what was going on.
"A relic of the past, that is all that you are."
"Now go to sleep, you shall not be taking over him, not today," Carla said before her eyes suddenly changed. Her irises became pink while her pupils elongated, became similar to the pupils of a snake, and turned orange.
"Sleep," Carla said as her mist changed, turning from light pink into violet before coiling around the flame, dousing it completely.
"This took a bit more effort than I thought it would, interesting," Carla said with a chuckle before turning around to face Carl who was still not completely lucid.
"Alright Carl, you can rest now, once you wake up, everything will be fine," Carla said as she appeared in front of Carl as he suddenly fell forward, right into her open arms.
She smiled before closing her eyes, and in the next moment, the two of them were back on the mountain peak, Carl in her arms, just as he was in his consciousness.
She placed him on a bed of pink mist before dispelling the mist that was around the mountain range. After doing that, she stared at a person who had appeared right outside the mist.
A man who was seemingly in his late twenties was standing there, patiently waiting.
"So you have managed to learn how to take on a human appearance, interesting," Carla said as the man, who was the dragon from before, smiled nervously at her.
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