Noooo…
That was the last thing the priest screamed before I ended him and took his soul, along with everyone else I'd killed minutes earlier.
It wasn't the result of a new skill but rather something I'd awakened in one of my previous incarnations. Makes sense, really. After killing that many people, it was bound to happen eventually.
Its function is simple; it lets me store the souls of those I kill. Of course, I doubt it would work on Ultimate-class beings, and I have to use it quickly before the souls disperse, whether through reincarnation, rebirth, teleportation, or whatever else.
Still, it's a damn good skill. I can use it to gather souls for my True Demon Lord evolution. Since I'm a magic-born entity, that's the best possible path for me. Sure, I've got the Gacha system, but I'd be an idiot to ignore other options. I'm already at the Demon Seed level, after all.
Obviously, I can't just massacre thousands of humans like Rimuru did, not unless I have a really good reason. So, this skill is a nice alternative for building up my reserves, for me and for my future subordinates.
It's a pity I couldn't use it before, back when I was in that mindless state. Still, it's never too late, unless, well, it is too late.
I turned my attention to the bodies. The priest's ring had traces of holy enchantment, same with his robes. He was a follower of the Elyon religion.
Never heard of it before. In the story, there were only two big faiths, Rimurism and Luminism. So, I asked him about it earlier, before killing him, and he told me the religion's history.
Apparently, it's about two millennia old. It began when a man was blessed by a god during a massive beast wave and became a hero. From there, the Elyon faith spread.
Maybe it's coincidence. Or maybe someone deliberately created this religion, just like Luminous did.
What's interesting, or worrying, is that there are many religions in this version of the world. The human side seems fragmented. Divided, even. Faiths rise and fall, each claiming to hold the truth, yet none seem united.
And then there's the part that really threw me off.
There aren't ten Demon Lords. There are fifteen.
Fifteen.
Honestly, that piece of information made me stop for a moment. The ten I know still exist—Guy, Milim, Ramiris, and the others—but the remaining five are complete mysteries. Unknown names. Unknown powers.
To make matters worse, three of them apparently come from the seas.
Demon Lords of the ocean, huh? That's a new one. The marine side of the world was never explored much in the story, so hearing that made me uneasy and a little curious. If beings strong enough to be called Demon Lords dwell beneath the waves, then there's no doubt this version of the world has already shifted far beyond the one I remember.
Well, that's fine. Change isn't necessarily bad.
Besides, the more I learn, the more interesting this world becomes. For instance, I found out that Veldora was sealed about two hundred years ago. If that's accurate, then I've got at least a century before the main story begins, assuming this world follows the same flow.
Still, something doesn't quite add up.
According to what I've heard, the one who sealed him was a female Hero. That much matches the story, but does that mean Chloe already came from the future? My future?
If so, then what does that make this world? A loop? A branch? Did she travel from an entirely different timeline altogether?
Forget it. There's no point overthinking it now. I don't have enough information to confirm anything anyway.
I turned my attention back to the loot, checking through the rest of the items, especially the mage's. Oh? A grimoire. That's promising. I flipped it open, scanning through the pages until a particular section caught my eye.
"Demon Summoning…?"
And not just the basic stuff. This was for high-ranking demons. No archdemon though, meaning no primordial, sure, but still leagues above the usual trash people try to summon.
What the hell was he doing carrying this around?
I know that for a mage of his calibre, being part of Thaldrin Kingdom's Mage Council, it's not unheard of to have one. But lugging it around casually like some pocket diary? That's suspicious.
Was he planning something? Maybe it wasn't even for him. Could've been meant for someone else entirely.
But then again, if that were true, why wasn't it sealed? Normally, grimoires like this are locked tight with multiple layers of protective magic, especially ones related to demon contracts. Leaving it open like this means either he was careless, or he wanted someone else to use it.
Either way, it's strange. Very strange.
A pity I can't ask him; he's already dead. The poor guy couldn't handle the pain from the Flames of Destruction.
After checking through everything else and collecting what was useful, I finally sat down to think about my next move.
The forest I'm in, Archelion Depthwoods, is wedged right between three kingdoms. My little magicule outburst was closest to Thaldrin's border. Naturally, they should be the first to respond.
But that's not why they came here. According to the priest, the nobles in Thaldrin got a message about one of the neighbouring kingdoms performing some large-scale ritual.
Honestly, I can't blame them. The idea of a disaster-class monster breaking free right in their backyard isn't exactly the first conclusion anyone would jump to, especially when they believe that monster was sealed ages ago.
But that's the interesting part.
The priest didn't seem to have any idea how I got unsealed. Which means either they were just bait sent to check things out, or the one who actually broke my seal belongs to one of the other two kingdoms. Honestly, I'm not sure which of the two sounds worse.
Still, I can't afford to hang around here for long. The priest said that once the mage I killed fails to report back, the kingdom will start reacting in about two weeks, maybe. Though, personally, I think they'll send people much sooner.
Right now, I can't attract any more attention. Power-wise, I might qualify as disaster-class, but in terms of battle experience? Let's just say I'm still a hatchling pretending to be a dragon. One mistake, and I'd probably end up as someone else's loot drop.
So yeah, the plan's simple, head deeper into the forest, away from human eyes. I'll focus on controlling my aura and getting used to my new skills. Once I've got a proper grip on everything, I'll disguise myself as a wandering magin or maybe an adventurer.
According to the priest, Korynthia's the most open among the three kingdoms. At least, that's what they claim on the surface. Sounds like a good place to blend in and gather information. After that, I'll decide my next move.
I destroyed every body with my flames, leaving ashes behind as I flew deeper into the forest. I don't have to worry about anyone coming after me too soon, since monsters will soon emerge from my released magicules. They'll delay whoever comes into the forest.
Now then, let's rest in peace for some time.
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