Cultivator in a World of Angels, Demons, and Super Heroes

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Author here.??

Personal thanks to Rivel_Emerald for the numerous Colas and Pizza.??

Parsonal thanks to Sleeping_Mist for the pizza. It's good to see a reader of my other work here.??

But a few words. Please don't send gifts for now. Not until I reach 150 chapters. I just feel like I don't deserve these gifts yet.??

But anyways. Thanks again. Your gifts give me motivation...

So. On to the story.??

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(Continued)

"Mr. Fool??? This sword is my family's treasure. I'm not comfortable letting others use it." Takeo did bring his great grandfather's katana, a weapon carved with a demon-killing rune, but he also feels that this is his chance of getting his hands on a demon core, something that is a described in detail in his great grandfather's journal.

While the demon core is not some obscure knowledge, the use of it was intentionally made obscure.

After all demon cores are not reusable, and the sources of it has become more and more sparse.

"HMMM???" Red smirks in amusement at the greed flowing out of Takeo's eyes.

"I'LL BRING HIM HOME THEN." Red then turns his head to the demon's direction.

"Don't!" Suddenly, the Peak B-Class Takeo draws the katana as he slashes an almost perfect iai (draw strike) on Red.

Red is impressed at the man's skills, but not that much. He is more interested in crushing the man's pride as a punishment for the greed.

So, with the roughly same speed that the katana is travelling, Red raises his hand and the next moment, the sword is caught by the point between his index and middle fingers.

Takeo's eyes widen in disbelief but he has clearly seen how skillfully Red did it.

"HMPH. SNEAKY MAN." Red then yanks the sword out easily out of Takeo's hands.

"STAY DOWN." He also flares his killing aura to Takeo again, forcing Takeo to his knees.

Takeo feels a more intense feeling of death from Red that he holds??his throat to fight the choking feeling from it.

"CLAN HEAD!" The Kumagai clansmen, are about to mob Red, but Takeo shakily raises his hand to gesture them to stop.

He was too late??with his order however, and swords are already approaching Red.

The next moment, those attackers too, are forced to their knees.

"M-Mr. Fool. *kkk* Please let them go. It was only a misunderstanding." Takeo pleads for his clansmen.

While he can endure whatever Red is doing, his clansmen might not.

The next moment, the clansman, including Takeo feel the threat of death leave their bodies. They then exchange glances, before Takeo leads them to retreat carefully.

Seeing that Red does not mind them making space, they sigh in relief and decide to stop and watch Red and Hideki from the edge of the village square.

"Mr. Fool. Read my thoughts." The demon suddenly asks Red.

Red, out of curiosity, does so.

[Mr. Fool. You humans have just seen the surface of Hell's real power. At some point, Hell will ascend to the world again. I don't know when, but I assure you that the demons that will come then will be much more powerful than the ones that appeared during the great war. The most powerful ones you have seen are only the Demon Generals which are comparable to humans' A-Class Superiori. The Demon Lords, the Princes of Hell, and not to mention the Demon King, they have unimaginable power. Your rune weapons will barely work on them.]

Red gets interested at the demon's monologue.

[Ehhh??? I'm dumb. What are you saying?] He wants to move it along however.

[Spare me, and I'll put in a good word to my Lord for you. I will do my best to ensure your survival when Hell ascends.] The demon promises.

Red feels that the demon is actually being honest.

[But why kill us humans?] He fishes more information.

[I don't know.] The demon pleads ignorance.

[You lie.] Red feels a shake in the demon's consciousness.

The demon, meanwhile, gets frustrated. He does not know how, but he feels as if Red knows if he is lying.

[I can't say.] He prefers to refuse to answer.

[You lie.] Red says once again, making the demon wince.

[I don't want to say.] The demon can only go with honesty.

[Then bye bye for you.] Red raises Takeo's Katana to threaten the demon.

While he can read the thoughts and some memories of the demon with his spirit sense, he would rather interrogate as it is still difficult for him to sort the memories he wants and does not want to see.

[Wait!] The threat worked and the demon hurriedly pleads.

[Demons can grow stronger eating human souls.] It says.

[You are not telling the whole truth.] Red smirks.

The demon wants to pull Hideki's hairs out of frustration.

[You can know the whole truth if you spare me.] It tries again however.

[You are tricking me.] And just like before, its deception is called out.

[I'm serious.] It says, as a last attempt to lie.

[I smell lie.] Red calls it out again.

[Then I'd rather die.] The demon grits its teeth, hoping that Red will value it alive rather than dead.

To its disappointment, [Okay. Bye bye.] Red does not care either way.

While impressed of the demon's loyalty to its race, Red has not received enough information that warrants the demon to be spared.

[Wait!] The demon has not yet given up.

[Truth?] Red raises his brows.

[No. Remember, I can ensure your survival once the forces of hell ascend back here.] The demon starts to negotiate after failing to deceive Red.

[Don't care. I want to fight your Lord.] Red shrugs.

[???] The demon is speechless at Red's ignorance and recklessness. It does now know how else to talk itself out of its situation.

[Bye, bye. Squiddie.] Red this time, loses interest.

He knows that he can just find another demon after familiarizing himself with the aura of one, and ask that demon for more information.

[Wait a minute. Grant me one last request.] The demon feels the finality in Red's words, and can only accept its fate. At least it knows that it died in the hands of a very powerful superioris who it??figures is as strong as the strongest demon lords.

[Uhhh??? What do you want?] Red asks.

He did not expect the demon to give up just like that. He appreciates the demon's loyalty a bit.

[In exchange for a hint. I want you to remember my name, and send my regards to the Demon Lords you meet in the future.] The demon says.

Red just happened to have a soft spot for sentimental people, and he nods.

[Thank you.] The demon smiles seeing Red's nod.

[If you value someone, then die before them. You will not want to see what awaits those who live long enough. Even if you somehow manage to survive our next harvest, it's meaningless. The forces of heaven and hell, after empowering themselves with human souls, will have their destined final battle. This ball of earth is also destined to be a lifeless battlefield that will be filled with nothing but death.]

Red smirks at the demon suddenly being cryptic, but he does not dismiss the demon's words. Instead, he considers it a huge hint, especially after associating the memories he saw in the demon's sea of consciousness earlier.

The demon, in its memories, is sure that the reason why it awoke from its long slumber it did not expect to arise from, is that Hell re-established its connection to the human world.

[I will heed your words, demon.] Red drops his act just for the demon.

The demon's eyes widen in surprise, before that surprise is replaced with defeat and amusement.

[Haha??? Dropping your act for me. I somehow feel??? honored.] The demon chuckles.

[Heh. Your name?] Red chuckles in return.

[Ag'dramos.] Ag'dramos proudly says his name.

[Very well, Ag'dramos. Be proud that you died at the same hands that will claim the lives of Demon Lords and Princes in the future.] Red says.

Ag'dramos closes its eyes and the next moment, *slurch* it feels the blade enter its body.

Kotone, Fumio, and the Kumagai people around, witness as Red slowly stabs the katana to Hideki's body.

Soon, as if lightning is traveling through Hideki's body, Hideki's body becomes a bit translucent due to the lights sparking inside him.

A split second later, the sparks stop and gray smoke rush out of Hideki's mouth and convenes in front of his face.

The smoke continues to condense until it forms a small, marble-sized, matte black colored, spherical shaped object.

After the last of the smoke enters the small spherical object, it falls to the ground with a clack.

Red then picks it the marble with his spiritual energy and puts it in his pocket.

Then, he holds up Hideki to keep the kneeling Hideki from falling, and pulls out the sword from the young man's body.

Red did not deliver a deadly blow to Hideki, as a test, and he is pleasantly surprised to discover that Ag'dramos died because of the runes, and not because of the injury, leading to the real Hideki, surviving.

Red performs a healing technique on Hideki's body, just enough to stop the young man from having blood loss.

He does not want his healing abilities be seen for now.

He let go of Hideki, making Hideki fall face flat to the ground. He does not like Hideki so he does not bother handling the young man with care.

He then flicks off the blood off the sword before tossing it to Takeo.

"THE DEMON IS DEAD. THIS SMELLY GUY CAN LIVE." He tells Takeo.

"A DEMON. AH! WHAT A FUN DAY." He then jumps up and using his footholds made of spiritual energy, he starts to leave.

"Mr. Fool! Wait!" Takeo calls out, actually stopping Red from leaving.

Takeo seeing that Red is willing to listen, orders his clansmen to tend to Hideki, before walking towards Red, not wanting anyone to overhear him.

"That??? thing that came out from the demon. May I propose a trade for it?" He asks warily.

"No." Red refuses.

He too, cannot wait to examine the demon core.

"I'm willing to pay??? a hundred million yen for it." Takeo offers price he is comfortable to part with.

"Money? No." Red says, and with that, he disappears to thin air.

"Damn???" Takeo almost passes out of anger.

Soon, a woman in her 40s joins him.

"Father."

"Yuri." Takeo greets his daughter, embarrassed.

Yuri simply gives him a consoling smile. After all, what else can her father do in the situation.

"Were you asking for the demon core?" She asks.

"Yes. A shame." Takeo shakes his head.

"Indeed." Yuri too, can only accept.

"What's it used for, by the way?" She asks, to help her father move on from the humiliation.

"It's like a battery for superiori." Takeo starts.

"It extends our endurance, sometimes even magnifies it depending on how strong the demon it came from was."

"Hmmm. Battery??? is it rechargeable?" Yuri asks, actually interested now.

"No. It contains a certain amount of energy, and once it's used up, the core becomes useless." Takeo explains.

"I see. But ??? The world's peaceful. What would you need it for?" Yuri asks, finding the use of the core not that impressive.

"Who says it can only be used for fighting? Imagine this. Do you know that child from Tamura? The one with that fire blast ability?" Takeo asks.

"Yeah. She's basically the fuel of???" As soon as Yuri said it, she realized it. "It saves a lot of oil, or coal. After all, superiori abilities are more efficient than fossil fuels."

"Exactly. Especially in places that are difficult to transport those things to. A demon core is the perfect substitute." Takeo says.

"And who knows what kind of useful abilities are out there." The demon core's uses are beyond Yuri's imagination.??

"Well. It looks like Mr. Fool just increased his bounty.." Takeo can only console himself with the thought of Red carrying something burdensome.