Chapter 372: Life Crystal
Chapter 372: Life Crystal
The name hit Kyle like a physical blow."Lucifer," he breathed out, the word tasting like ash and venom on his tongue.
Instantly, the dark crimson in his eyes flared, turning a shade so deep it bordered on pitch black. The demonic energy coiled within his core thrashed violently, reacting to the name of the ruler who had orchestrated the ruin of everything he held dear. Rage, hot and suffocating, boiled up from his chest, but right beneath that fury was a sharp, piercing spike of shock.
A beast. A mere Rootcrystal Deer sitting in a hidden pocket of a corrupted forest, calmly declaring that it wanted the Demon King dead. It felt absurd. It felt impossible.
’Snow, what the hell is this?’ Kyle demanded internally, his mental voice sharp as a razor. ’How does a creature on this backwater planet even know that name? How is it aware of Lucifer?’
[Analyzing the target’s residual energy patterns, Host,] Snow’s voice chimed inside his mind, stripped of its usual playful sarcasm. [The creature’s spiritual resonance is incredibly dense. It is highly probable that this entity belongs to the category of Higher Beings. It isn’t a localized monster.]
Kyle’s brow furrowed, his thoughts racing as he stared at the glowing red eyes of the deer. ’A Higher Being? You mean like an Original? One of the primordial entities?’
[Negative,] Snow clarified immediately, a series of complex biological and spiritual charts scrolling past the corner of his vision. [Judging from the density and decay rate of its current aura, this being has been around for at most a couple of lifetimes. It does not possess the boundless, eternal authority of an Original. Furthermore, its power threshold confirms it is not a deity, a demigod, or an Original-level threat. Think of it as an ancient, highly evolved survivor rather than a god.]
Kyle absorbed the information, his suspicion only deepening. If it wasn’t a god, then it was mortal enough to bleed—and mortal enough to have a personal vendetta. He took a heavy step forward, his boots crunching against the pale, root-choked earth.
"An ancient survivor," Kyle muttered aloud, addressing the beast directly. "Fine. But why do you want him dead? What could a creature like you possibly have against the ruler of the underworld? What is your motive?"
The Rootcrystal Deer did not blink. It slowly tilted its head, the 24-meter crystal behind it casting a long, skeletal shadow over its sleek physique. When its telepathic voice echoed in Kyle’s mind this time, it carried a profound, hollow sorrow that made the surrounding red leaves still.
"I want him dead for the exact same reason that the guilt festers inside your heart," the deer whispered. "For the loss of everything you ever loved. Taken from you, burned to ash, and erased by his command."