The Witch Hunter System
chapter-683

"What do you mean by that, Varan boy? Can't you see that I am human?" Galen replied with a grin, filled with confidence and desire to do battle.

Secretly, even he was surprised by the power coursing through his body. He didn't expect his second awakening to be so powerful.

"Don't play dumb with me, Galen," Emperor Varan replied with gloom.

"The Great Devil Hecate is of the Black-winged Fairy Demon race. Such a race is known for its distinctive black wings, hair, eyes, and tender, fair skin, making it one of the most beautiful demon races according to human aesthetics..."

"But you? Even if you were contracted to Great Devil Hecate via her blood and became an indirect member of the Black-winged Fairy Demon race, you shouldn't have such bloodthirsty red eyes."

"You... Just what in the world have you done to yourself? What kind of a price did you pay for such a transformation?" Emperor Varan questioned as he delayed for time to determine Galen's strength.

Kuvat had also mentally transmitted to him his need to recover his mana.

"Kekeke," Galen chuckled sinisterly before saying, "I know what you're trying to do, Varan boy. But since I am in a good mood, I will entertain you."

"Did you know there are three different ways to be contracted to a Great Devil? The most common method is naturally via magic – to accept an oath to the Great Devil and be bound by the Great Devil's divine power."

"The second method is to be transplanted with the Great Devil's blood essence and become their kin. This kind of method is an honor that even demons rarely get to enjoy, let alone humans. But once they do, they will inherit the Great Devil's physical traits, innate talents, and divine abilities, depending on their compatibility."

"Since you know these aren't the eyes of someone from the Black-winged Fairy Demon race. Why don't you guess where it came from?" Galen suggested playfully.

Emperor Varan and Kuvat frowned.

Emperor Varan could only vaguely sense Galen's present strength, but Kuvat was even clearer about it.

Before the transformation, Galen was only a Late-stage Transcendent with a few months of lifespan. But after the transformation, he became a Peak-stage Transcendent with a thousand years of lifespan.

Moreover, Kuvat also vaguely sensed Galen could fight above his level; his dangerous aura told him so.

"Red eyes... Red eyes... Among demons, it's not a rare trait. But among the seven Great Devils, only two possess it -“ Great Devil Astarte, the Queen of Succubi, and Great Devil Abaddon, the Ancestor of Vampires..." Emperor Varan mentioned with a heavy heart.

Among the seven Great Devils, Astarte and Abaddon were in the upper half of the most troublesome Great Devils to worry about.

This had to do with their innate nature.

After all, Astarte the Charming was the Great Devil of Love, Sex, Fertility, and, more importantly, War. On the other hand, Abaddon the Sinister was the Great Devil of Blood, Slaughter, Shadows, and Nightmare; he was known to be the incarnation of evil.

The domains of both Great Devils were filled with conflicts and war. Ironically, their domains had more deaths than Thanatos's, the land of the one known as the Herald of Death.

In fact, Thanatos's domain was the most peaceful of the Seven Great Devil Domains.

Thanatos was the Lich King, the Great Devil of Death and Sleep. His domain was a place for the non-living to enjoy eternal slumber. There couldn't be any conflict if all living beings avoided it.

It was a land for the dead.

Nevertheless, whether it was Astarte or Abaddon, none of them seemed like good news for the Great Ratholos Empire.

...

While Emperor Varan and his people were wary of Galen's presence, the Delarosas found their hearts relit with hope.

However, they didn't rejoice right away – they signaled each other under the silent directives of their High Elders while everyone else had their attention on Galen.

The Delarosas subtly pulled their forces away to reform their ranks closer to Galen for their counterattack.

"Old Ancestor, it's great that you are alive. Our people are ready to fight alongside you. You just have to give us the signal,' a High Elder softly whispered after silently reaching Galen's side.

"Very good! I will remember your contribution," Galen exclaimed with satisfaction.

Emperor Varan wasn't the only one trying to buy time.

Nevertheless, before the High Elder could rejoice and feel honored with Galen's acknowledgment, he was quickly stunned by what followed.

Puchi!

Galen emotionlessly drove his hand right through the High Elder's chest and ripped out his beating heart.

"Old Ancestor… Y-You…!"

The High Elder pointed at Galen with disbelief and pain, and his face quickly paled as coldness seeped into his being.

Galen ignored the High Elder's disheartened look of betrayal and squeezed the fresh heart over his mouth in a bid to drink its blood.

"Stop him!" Kuvat immediately roared with a terrible premonition.

Emperor Varan and several other Rank 5 True Dragons in hiding reacted instantly. Alas, they were already a step too late.

Galen tasted his first blood since his rebirth and immediately awakened his new innate ability – Blood Manipulation.

Swoosh!

A pool of blood was instantly drained from the High Elder's body before revolving around Galen's body at high speed, turning into a blood tornado.

Surprisingly, such a meager amount of blood successfully repelled every attack aimed at Galen.

At the same time, the blood spilled throughout the Delarosa Household gathered and assimilated with the blood tornado, further enhancing its size and power.

Within a short time, it grew into an unstoppable force to be reckoned with.

"Hahaha! So this is Blood Manipulation? This ability is much more useful than my Dream Domain!" Galen laughed heartily, feeling invincible from the seemingly limitless power of blood he commanded.

Emperor Varan trembled with fury as he finally understood who Galen contracted.

"Old Bastard! You… You actually contracted Abaddon, that evil incarnate…!! Do you have any idea what you have done?! How dare you do such a thing!" Emperor Varan furiously condemned Galen.

"Hahaha! As long as I can use magic and live longer, who wouldn't I dare to contract?! If I could keep living, why would I care about the consequences?! And if I die, what does the living have to do with me?!" Galen laughed selfishly.

"I must thank you, Varan boy! If not for your stab and small blood offering, the Great Devil's blood sealed in my heart wouldn't have activated so soon!"

"To show you my gratitude, I will make everyone my offering and let you watch as I transcend mortality, hahaha! Don't you feel honored, Varan boy?" Galen coldly smiled.

"It is indeed foolish to try and reason with a demon. There isn't a shred of humanity left in you," Emperor Varan acknowledged his mistake as he sighed, "I should have gone for the head first."

"Kekeke, it's too late to regret now," Galen grinned before urging impatiently, "Come! Let us fight! You can all join, too, little lizards. Don't be shy. I want to test the limits of my power!"