Chapter 447: What Needs To Be Done
No one gave an answer, with a few of them shaking their heads.
Nathan waited for a moment before turning back toward Ethan. "Come with me."
Ethan got to his feet and followed Nathan as they both walked out of the room.
As soon as they were gone, Hayley turned toward Kimora.
"You sneaky little thing," she said, crossing her right arm over the little girl’s shoulder. "Looks like you got caught today."
Kimora giggled.
Isabella smiled as she watched the little girl, a few of the others chuckled along with her.
——
As Ethan and Nathan left the quarters, they continued through the corridors before walking farther into the compound.
Nathan waited until they had reached a more secluded area, before he began to explain.
"First of all, you need to understand something about us demons.... Just like in the West, demons also awaken their powers."
"The difference is that, unlike the Western Continent, where only a select number of people can awaken, every demon has the potential to awaken."
He continued walking as he spoke. "Even a powerless demon could eventually gain power by absorbing enough life force.
Ethan listened quietly.
"For most demons, developing their classes doesn’t involve going through the same process of learning that people in the West do... Our process of learning is tied to our evolution."
Nathan glanced toward Ethan.
"Once a demon reaches a certain point in their evolution, they gain new skills without needing anyone to teach them."
He paused briefly.
"Take me, for example. I’m a dual-classed demon with the Sorcerer and Artificer classes. After I absorbed the life force Renaal, my brother, had accumulated from wiping out our family, I gained several new abilities."
Artificers were the Magi-engineers of the demon continent.
"It was through that power that I became capable of entering places that I shouldn’t have been able to enter."
He looked ahead.
"The Astral Realm, for instance. A place that no living being should consciously be capable of entering."
"But in your situation, you have access to seven different classes. You’re not only the rarest type of existence in the West; you’re the rarest type of existence on the Demon Continent as well, and probably in the entire world."
Nathan glanced at Ethan.
"So the effects of life-force absorption would be a lot more significant in your case. You have already trained your body to certain extents, but if you chose to go down the path of life-force absorption, you wouldn’t need to rely on that training in the same way. Your body would naturally grow and evolve on its own."
"Imagine the kind of magic you could gain as a Sorcerer-type demon, especially as an Azazel."
"Your trait would grow stronger as well, as strong as mine even... There is so much you could gain by choosing the path of evolution, so much more than mere training would ever offer you."
Ethan listened quietly before turning toward him. "It’s not that I don’t understand that already. I’ve thought about it before."
He paused.
"But the methods of demons require me to kill almost thoughtlessly."
"I’ve taken lives before. You know that. But it has never been without a reason. I’ve killed to protect myself, my family, and my friends. The people you see back there."
"But never for the sake of gaining power."
Ethan looked ahead again. "What you’re suggesting would require me to start killing people for that very purpose. And I’m going to be real with you, old man."
He sighed.
"That kind of process would become intoxicating."
"Moreover, my affinity as a dragon comes with more abilities than usual. Maybe they aren’t as strong as they could be, but they already pretty powerful. I can do almost anything with them."
"But you could do even more," Nathan replied. "Do you realize that when we eventually face the dragons, even the smallest advantage could make a difference?... One additional skill, one additional increase in strength, could completely change the outcome of a battle....I want you to seize this opportunity."
Ethan shook his head. "Even if I were to do that...how exactly do you suggest I go about it? I understand that, as a high-ranking demon, the way evolution works for us means I’d need to absorb a considerable amount of life force."
"Yes, I know that." Nathan nodded. "And I understand your concerns about what you consider mindless killing. That’s why I’ve already thought about how we could approach this."
He continued walking.
"First, there are plenty of prisoners throughout Krygon Province. Many are already on death row, while others have committed crimes serious enough to warrant the death penalty."
"I intend to establish a new rule across the province requiring every demon sentenced to death to be brought directly to me."
Ethan’s expression remained skeptical.
"And that’s not all," Nathan continued. "The greatest amount of life force I intend for you to gain will come from a certain troublesome family within this province."
Ethan glanced at him.
Nathan’s eyes narrowed slightly. "The Bolgrith family."
"They are one of the major opposing houses to the Krygons. The Krygons apparently seized power from the old Bolgrith rulers generations ago, but reached an agreement not to wipe out the family.... The problem is that, over the years, the same Bolgriths have repeatedly plotted against the Krygons."
Nathan looked toward Ethan. "Now, I should also tell you, Ethan, that unlike in the West—"
"Hold the fuck on." Ethan cut in, staring at him in disbelief.
They had both stopped walking at that point.
"So you’d have me become your executioner, and then suddenly you want me to make trouble with a family I know absolutely nothing about, all because you need me to become stronger?"
He shook his head.
Nathan seemed to lose his patience at that point. "You know my story, Ethan. Do you really think I reached this point by refusing to do what had to be done?"
"I would have you understand something. Whatever notion of morality you may have brought with you from the Western Continent doesn’t apply here in the same way... If the Bolgriths were given the opportunity to destroy you, they wouldn’t hesitate. They would do whatever was necessary to survive and strengthen their own position."
"That’s how things have always been on the Demon Continent. The strongest survive. Power has always been the deciding factor, regardless of how much the nobles have dressed themselves up in rules and civilized behavior over the years..."
" Beneath all of that, their nature hasn’t changed."
"And you’re not doing this simply because you want power. You’re not doing it because you want to rule this province or become some great demon lord."
"You’re doing it because you need to become stronger. As strong as you possibly can."
He paused.
"Strong enough to give yourself an advantage when you eventually have to face those fucking dragons."
His expression hardened.
"You’re doing this to save your mother."