Shadow Slave - Paralyzed Demon

"He is very dangerous," Nephis said.

After months of traveling, they could finally see their target—the human fortress. Their journey had been perilous, but if there was anything more dangerous than the journey itself, it was the former prince of the Valor Clan, who had occasionally aided them along the way. Every time danger arose, he helped them, but the way he did it was more terrifying than the threats they faced. He was a monster.

Sunny turned to Nephis and said, "Yeah, he's really dangerous. But we're lucky he's on our side. I don't think we would have survived this journey without him." He could see the tension in Nephis. He had felt the same way at first, but over time, he had grown used to Morpheus. Even Cassie had become friends with him. But Nephis had always remained on guard. Sunny never understood why.

Nephis didn't respond. Trusting the former prince of the Valor Clan was difficult for her. Even if he had been cast out, he was still a Valor.

"Where did he go, anyway? He left in a hurry after bringing us here," Cassie asked.

"He said he needed to test something. While we were dealing with that damned tree, he was training. It must have been related to that," Sunny replied.

While they had been struggling with the Soul Tree, Morpheus had been training. Whenever Sunny had asked for help, Morpheus had simply said, "I suppose this counts as training too. Anyway, I'm working on something. Call me when you're all free from the tree's control," and then flew off into the sky. At that moment, Sunny had been on the verge of losing his mind from frustration, but he had also felt relieved. At least they wouldn't die.

The group continued toward the fortress.

Inside the Fortress:

"Monster."

The room was a bloodbath. Every passing second, more blood joined the pool on the floor. A young man stood before the throne—tall, white-haired, with golden eyes that had vertical slit pupils like a snake's. He was clad in pitch-black armor and held a long sword in his hand. His face was devoid of emotion, completely unbothered by the carnage around him.

He walked toward the throne. Sitting there, clad in golden armor, was a man bleeding heavily from one arm. Morpheus moved mechanically, his steps slow and deliberate. He stopped in front of the wounded man and bent down to look him in the eyes. Then, a wicked smile spread across his face.

The golden-armored man, already in shock from the massacre he had witnessed, began to tremble at the sight of that smile.

"Yes. I am a monster."

Morpheus's voice was cold and unwavering.

"And I'll ask you again. This time, I won't just take your arms. Are we doing this or not?"

Shaking, the golden-armored man stammered, "Alright. We'll do it."

"Good. In one month, we march toward the gateway. Everyone will participate in this war. Otherwise..."

Morpheus didn't finish his sentence, but everyone in the room understood the message.

"Fucking monster," they all thought.

Morpheus stopped and looked at the blood pooling on the ground. He slowly raised his hand, and the blood rose into the air—along with the severed arms of the golden-armored man and his soldiers. Then, something shocking happened. The blood and limbs returned to their bodies. He had healed them.

"Preparations begin now," he commanded.

Morpheus then left the throne room and entered an empty chamber within the fortress.

"I finally did it. Whatever this thing was, I've fully digested it. I no longer need to act like a monster," he murmured to himself, then checked his status.

Name: Morpheus

True Name: God Slayer

Rank: Dreamer

Soul Core: Titan

Soul Fragments: [126,256/2,000]

Sequence: 9

Sequence Name: Monster

Months ago, when Morpheus had formed his first core, something strange had happened. A fragment from the his God Serpent Echo had merged with him. That fragment had told him he was now a monster—and that he needed to act like one.

He soon realized he had gained two new abilities.

Danger Premonition – He could sense threats and avoid them. Foresight – He could perceive things others couldn't and catch glimpses of the future.

When he tried to create more cores, his instincts screamed at him to stop—warning him of an immense danger. So he postponed it for later.

While Sunny and the others had been trapped by the Soul Tree, he had spent his time conducting tests. He trained in blood manipulation and tried to understand his new power. He sought to decipher what it truly meant to "act like a monster."

He began killing creatures in the area. The more brutally he killed, the faster something inside him digested. That was why he had acted so brutally today.

When he arrived at the fortress, he had immediately sought out the lord and asked about the gateway. The golden-armored lord had recognized Morpheus's strength but still underestimated him. He explained that the gateway was guarded by a Fallen Terror and that they had no intention of going there.

Hearing this, Morpheus grew irritated. He simply stared at the lord and said, "I can get us out of here. I'll deal with the Fallen Terror."

The golden-armored lord refused, saying he can't order him.

Morpheus drew his sword.

The moment he did, the lord's men attacked.

When Morpheus swung his blade downward, every single one of their arms was severed.

With a single slash, he had disarmed every hostile opponent in the room.

He had trained himself to move his blood at will. However, when wielding his sword, he couldn't manipulate any other part of his body. But for now, that was enough.

"It feels amazing to use a sword again," Morpheus muttered as he lay down on the bed.

He wanted to leave this place with everyone. He could escape alone if he wished, but when he examined his newfound power, he realized that doing so would be a mistake.

This power required him to act. And without an audience, his progress was painfully slow.

He had come to understand that this ability was derived from Will. As frustrating as it was, it worked.

Using Foresight, he had already seen today's events unfold. But in the vision he saw, he had slaughtered everyone. He had gotten too lost in his role.

"Remember that you're only acting."