Chapter 212: Master of All Demons

The simulation continued, and the scene shifted.

[The Heavenly Demon was born from hate, and she hated.]

Natasha lunged toward the black-clad man, the dark dagger gripped tightly in her trembling hands. Her blood-red eyes burned with hatred as she swung the weapon toward his neck, but he effortlessly caught her wrist before the blade could reach him.

"Is that all you can do?" the man asked, tightening his grip until Natasha’s fingers loosened around the dagger.

She struggled to free herself, but he twisted her arm and flung her aside. Natasha struck the ground hard and rolled across the bloodstained stone, yet she immediately pushed herself back to her feet and charged at him again.

The man sighed and struck her across the face with the back of his hand, sending her crashing to the ground once more.

"Do you really think you can kill me with that pathetic strength?" he asked, looking down at her with contempt.

Natasha slowly raised her head, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth as her fingers dug into the ground. Her hatred remained undiminished, and she tried to stand again, only for her trembling legs to give way beneath her.

The man crouched before her and seized her chin, forcing her to look into his eyes.

"If you truly want to kill me, then become stronger than me," he said coldly. "And there is only one place that can make a demon stronger."

He released her and stood up, his black clothes shifting in the wind.

"Night Shade."

Elias watched Natasha stare at the ground, her blood-red eyes reflecting the dying flames around them. Although she had been transformed into a demon against her will, the man had found a way to turn her suffering into a chain that would bind her to the very organization responsible for it.

[The Heavenly Demon was born from death, and she killed.]

Several years passed in the blink of an eye.

Natasha now appeared to be nearly fifteen years old, her deep-purple hair flowing behind her as she moved through a dimly lit chamber. Her unnaturally pale skin contrasted sharply with her blood-red eyes, while two small horns of purple energy protruded from her forehead.

[Image]

Surrounding her were several Night Shade assassins, each armed with weapons that shimmered beneath the faint light of the formation carved into the floor.

One of them rushed toward her with a curved dagger aimed at her throat, but Natasha tilted her head aside and caught his wrist with her left hand. Before he could pull away, she drove her claws into his chest, and purple lightning crackled between her fingers as his body convulsed.

She withdrew her hand and let him collapse before turning toward the next assassin.

A second man attacked from behind, swinging a sword toward her neck, but Natasha ducked beneath the blade and spun around. Her claws raked across his abdomen, tearing through his clothes and flesh as she swept his legs out from under him.

He struck the ground with a heavy thud, and Natasha immediately sprang toward another opponent.

The remaining assassins tried to surround her, but she moved between them with frightening speed, dodging their blades while striking at their exposed throats and chests. Purple lightning flickered around her claws with every attack, and one by one, the assassins fell until the chamber was filled with nothing but the sounds of their bodies hitting the floor.

Natasha stood among the corpses, breathing steadily as the purple energy around her fingers gradually faded.

Then, a slow clap echoed through the chamber.

The black-clad man emerged from the shadows, his face hidden beneath his hood as he regarded the fallen assassins with mild amusement.

"Well done," he said, continuing to clap as he approached her. "At this rate, you should be able to kill me within a few years."

Natasha’s expression hardened, and she immediately lunged toward him.

Purple lightning crackled around her claws as she crossed the distance between them, aiming a vicious strike at his chest. The man leaned aside to avoid her attack, but she twisted her body midair and swept her other hand toward his throat.

He raised his arm to block her, and their collision sent a burst of purple sparks scattering across the chamber.

Before Natasha could follow up, he pushed her away and retreated several steps, his eyes narrowing as he observed the growing strength of her demonic energy.

"Still too slow," he remarked.

Natasha landed on her feet and glared at him, her claws flexing as purple lightning danced between them.

She did not answer. Instead, she continued staring at him with the same hatred that had burned in her eyes since the day he had taken everything from her.

Even after years of training and killing, Natasha was still being forced to chase the strength she needed to avenge herself. The man had deliberately made himself the goal she had to reach, ensuring that every step she took deeper into Night Shade would bring her closer to becoming the monster he wanted her to be.

[The Heavenly Demon was born for revenge, and she avenged.]

Natasha now stood in the middle of a ruined chamber, her appearance having changed considerably since Elias had last seen her. Her deep-purple hair reached down her back, and her blood-red eyes shone with a chilling intensity beneath two enormous horns of purple energy that twisted upward like a crown.

At her feet lay the black-clad man.

A large hole had been torn through his chest, leaving his body motionless on the cold stone floor. Natasha stood over him with one hand extended, and in her bloodstained palm rested his heart.

The man who had destroyed her life, manipulated her grief, and forced her down the path of a demon was finally dead.

Natasha had avenged herself.

Elias watched her stand over the corpse, unable to look away from the two towering horns that crowned her head. Although the simulation had shown him the cruelty that had driven her toward this fate, seeing her finally accomplish her revenge brought him no relief.

There was no joy on her face, nor was there any sign that the death before her had filled the emptiness inside her.

She merely stood in silence, with the heart of the man she had spent years trying to kill resting in her hand.

Then the scene shifted again.

[The Heavenly Demon was born to bring forth demons, and she did.]

Natasha stood at the center of an enormous, ominous formation, its intricate patterns and symbols spreading across the ground beneath her feet. Purple light pulsed through the countless lines carved into the stone, while the air above the formation trembled beneath the pressure of the demonic energy gathering around her.

Surrounding the formation stood the members of Night Shade, all of them dressed in black and watching Natasha with solemn expressions.

Some held their weapons close, while others knelt with their heads lowered, seemingly awaiting the moment she would begin.

Natasha raised her hands, and the formation responded.

An ominous glow spread from beneath her feet, racing through the intricate symbols until the entire chamber was bathed in purple light. The air grew heavy as demonic energy surged through the formation, enveloping every assassin standing within its boundaries.

Then, one by one, their bodies began to change.

A man near the edge of the formation threw his head back as his spine arched unnaturally. His skin darkened, and his muscles swelled until his clothes tore apart. Two curved horns burst from his forehead, while his fingers lengthened into claws and a thick, barbed tail emerged from his lower back.

Beside him, another assassin fell to his knees as his limbs twisted and elongated. His face stretched into a narrow, bestial muzzle, his teeth sharpened into jagged fangs, and a pair of bony wings tore through the skin of his back. Purple flames flickered within the hollows of his eyes as his transformation continued.

Elsewhere, an assassin’s body collapsed inward before expanding into a hulking mass of dark flesh covered in overlapping plates of armor-like bone. Several additional limbs sprouted from his torso, each ending in hooked claws, while his head split into three snarling faces that turned in different directions.

The transformations continued throughout the formation.

Some became towering creatures with thick hides and massive horns, while others grew slender bodies, elongated limbs, and wings that cast enormous shadows across the chamber. Their appearances differed, but the same purple energy flowed through all of them, binding their existence to the woman standing at the center.

Natasha watched without flinching as the last human features disappeared from the remaining assassins.

Not a single person within the formation remained human.

Every member of Night Shade had become a demon.

Elias stared at the scene in disbelief, his heart pounding as he struggled to comprehend what he was witnessing.

[The Master of All Demons was born to rule, and she ruled.]

The scene shifted once more, revealing a vast, shadow-filled hall.

At its far end stood a steeply elevated platform, upon which rested a dark throne. Purple fabric adorned its armrests, and the steps leading toward it were lined with enormous pillars engraved with strange symbols.

Natasha sat upon the throne, her posture relaxed as she rested one hand against its armrest.

Her deep-purple hair cascaded over her shoulders, while her blood-red eyes gazed down upon the hall without the slightest trace of hesitation. The two enormous horns on her forehead twisted upward like a crown, their purple energy casting a faint glow across her unnaturally pale face.

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Beneath the elevated platform, more than five thousand demons knelt in perfect silence.

Their monstrous forms filled the hall, ranging from towering beasts with armored bodies to winged creatures whose claws scraped against the stone floor. Some possessed multiple heads, while others had tails, horns, or limbs that bore little resemblance to anything found among ordinary living beings.

Yet every single one of them bowed their head toward the woman seated above them.

Then, as though responding to a single command, they began to chant.

"Heavenly Demon!"

Their voices thundered through the enormous hall, shaking the pillars and echoing into the darkness beyond.

"Heavenly Demon!"

"Heavenly Demon!"

The girl who had once lost everything had become the master of thousands of creatures born from corruption and fear.

Then darkness swallowed everything.

Elias let out a deep breath before slowly opening his eyes in the real world, where an orange screen floated before him.

[Ding!]

[The simulation of the possible destiny –Master of All Demons– has ended!]