The Primal Hunter

Chapter 890: A Couple Of Major Oversights

Chapter 890: A Couple Of Major Oversights

This ritual was kind of unique in the sense that Jake didn’t really ever do these with the intent of accomplishing something specific. Okay, he knew he wanted the ritual to push some creature toward a more powerful and ”primal” Path, but he didn’t go in with any knowledge of how exactly that would look. He pretty much just went with the flow and let things play out.

In this ritual, he was trying to amplify a very specific Origin.

The heart fragment, which was the centerpiece of the ritual had belonged to a devil. A demon god. To return that to its Origin would be to return it to something closer to the Cerulean Devil. The Records of a god, especially a seemingly powerful one, would simply overshadow any related just to demons in general or anything like that.

Gazing at the ritual circle – which was more of a ritual pentagon – Jake saw everyone had gotten into position. The Demon Prince had purchased ten Crystalized Demon Lord Hearts from other Nevermore Attendees before he even approached Jake in the first place, and while Jake considered if adding his own would help, he quickly realized it wouldn’t. The ritual was made for ten hearts, and Jake also knew numbers could have some weird conceptual significance.

”Everyone, get ready. We begin in sixty seconds,” Jake spoke out to the basement as he felt the tension rise. The Demon Prince sat with his legs crossed in the center of the large magic pentagram within the pentagon, and while he put up a good front, Jake saw his nervousness. Again, pretty understandable.

Seconds ticked by as all the demons did their own final preparations. Everyone had a few potions at the ready, and all knew exactly what their roles were. The one doing the vast majority of the work was Jake, and in part, the Demon Prince, who had to endure the process of tearing his soul apart and hopefully reshaping it into something better.

”I leave my life and future in your hands, Chosen of the Malefic One,” the Demon Prince sent Jake telepathically as he took a deep breath.

Jake didn’t respond directly to him as he stood at the edge of the pentagon. ”Ten seconds.”

The tension was as high as ever as Jake said some final words of encouragement. ”Keep calm, do your jobs, and all will be fine. Seven seconds.”

Jake really wanted to say: ”You don’t have to believe in yourselves; just believe in me, who believes in you,” but he had a feeling that would have made them too confused with only a few seconds left before shit went down.

”Five.”

Taking a step forward, Jake stood at the control point of the ritual.”

”Four.”

Activating his energy, he linked up with the ritual.

”Three.”

He felt all the hearts and the Demon Prince in the center.”

”Two...”

Closing his eyes, Jake allowed his Perception to fully seep into the entire ritual circle as he raised his hands.

”One...”

Red light filled the entire ritual as Jake poured in his energy, and activated the ritual.

”Start.”

As commanded, the first demon ritualist activated his section of the ritual, making the Crystalized Demon Lord Heart begin to crack and leak energy. Jake instantly took control of this leaked energy and forced it into the formation, storing it within.

With a mental command, he made the second demon also activate her part, as the second heart began to let out energy in a controlled manner. Once more, it was forced into the ritual circle as Jake kept track and made sure it didn’t leave its designated area.all new stories at

Jake tried to let go and pull his hand back out... but couldn’t. He felt as if his hands had merged with the gem-like heart as it began to attempt to pull energy from him. Not just any energy either. It wanted his Origin Energy, and just not a little of it, either.

Yeah, no, Jake quickly cut that off as he resisted. For a moment, he considered just cutting off his own arm, especially when the flesh he had cut open to put his hand in began to close around his forearm due to the damn healing circle below them. However, before he had a chance to cut it off, the heart was complete.

It had needed no more input or guidance from Jake. From the moment he had poured in the Origin Energy, it had known exactly what to do. Now, this is where the second major oversight of this ritual reared its ugly head.

Once the Cerulean Devil Heart was fully formed, it returned to a state of what it once was. It obtained Records of a being that was long dead but was a powerful devil back whenever they lived. Those Records were now everything that remained within the heart... and that wasn’t something the Demon Prince could handle.

The thrumming sound echoed out again as Jake finally recognized it as what it was: a heartbeat.

This Cerulean Devil Heart was still connected to the Demon Prince, even after it transformed. It was merged with his soul, through and through. For this ritual, he had temporarily separated it, but now, it had fully become part of him again. This had been what they wanted. The Demon Prince would now merge with the pure Records of the Cerulean Devil Heart. Merge with whatever had come to life within the heart. This part was not what they had wanted.

And, well, this situation reminded Jake a bit of the time he had chosen to also absorb an object containing overwhelming Records of a god. Except that god had still been alive, while this situation was entirely unique and of Jake’s making.

As Jake was trying to figure out what the fuck to do, the third oversight made itself known. Somehow, he had become part of his merging process due to him holding the heart, and through that connection, he felt the internal battle within the Soulspace. Usually, this space was an untouchable realm deep within the soul, but in this very moment, Jake was connected to the Demon Prince in a rather unique way. So, he closed his eyes and made a rash decision.

The Cerulean Demon. Demon Prince of the Fourth Hell. These were the titles the demon had made his name, with him primarily known as the Cerulean Demon. He had been privileged and talented enough to choose his own name, to try and communicate he was the second coming of the Cerulean Devil. The former master of the Fourth Hell and one of the most powerful devils the demon race had ever seen. It was viewed as a tragedy when he died a few eras ago while exploring one of the more dangerous World Wonders of the multiverse.

Luckily, they had managed to retrieve his body and completed the ritual to create the fragments from his heart. One of these fragments which the Cerulean Demon had been granted. When he had merged with it and the Legacy of the Cerulean Devil, he had believed himself a genius at the pinnacle of the multiverse. In some ways, he was. He had proven himself in Nevermore, yet two people still beat him, but he wasn’t particularly disappointed. In fact, the Chosen of the Malefic Viper had given him hope of truly being the second coming of the Cerulean Devil... and in some ways, hadn’t he succeeded? Just not in the way he had hoped.

The cerulean lightning struck him, as the demon was blasted back within his own Soulspace, the pain nearly unimaginable. Rolling on the ground, the demon tried to stabilize as a claw swept up, tearing his body into several pieces.

He reappeared a moment later, a bit further away, as lightning struck down from above, obliterating his entire body in an instant. Right as he appeared again, his head was severed from his body before he was blasted apart once more. He barely had time to collect his thoughts and wonder how foolish his ambitions had truly been.

During the ritual, after the Cerulean Demon had separated the gem from himself, he had gone to his Soulspace to keep everything intact. He had resisted as the energy flooded into him, and in the sky, the energy had gathered around the gemstone floating there, representing the fragment in the real world.

The energy levels had spiked so high the Demon Prince had been certain it would explode and shatter his entire soul and body... but then something had appeared. He couldn’t remember what it looked like, but something had entered the gem... and then it began evolving. It grew, pulsed, began to beat like a true heart, and the Demon Prince was elated, especially when he felt his connection to it strengthen more than ever before as it fully merged back into him. He was happy and, for a moment, even believed they had truly succeeded.

Until the heart didn’t stop growing.

From the heart grew a torso, legs, arms, and a head before an entire creature appeared. For a moment, the Demon Prince believed the Cerulean Devil had come back to life, as this demonic creature looked just like the paintings he had seen. The same blue leathery skin, four horns, clawed hands, and powerful physique. Yet the eyes were different. Empty. When the Demon Prince saw those eyes, he knew that this was but an empty husk... a husk that still possessed the overwhelming Records of the Cerulean Devil.

A husk that was currently destroying him.

The Demon Prince tried to fight back, but he didn’t stand a chance. He was powerful within his own Soulspace, for sure. His Records allowed him to display power far beyond what he could in the real world, yet before this Cerulean Devil husk, he was nothing but a plaything to be repeatedly destroyed as the creature learned about itself. Like a curious and destructive child, it tried to kill him in all the ways it could as the Demon Prince felt himself weaken. Felt himself dying as he feared what would come next.

His soul would die, and this creature would overwhelm his own Records. It would replace him and evolve into something truly monstrous. He just hoped that even if it was powerful, the Chosen of the Malefic One and the others could handle this creature... but he feared what it would evolve him into wouldn’t still be a C-grade.

Foolish. He and this creature were both foolish. It would likely become an A- or S-grade that would never be able to level again and be naught but a being of destruction. A short-lived Path, as they were within Nevermore City, and some powerful being would snuff it out instantly. The expected outcome of a creature with no sapience running wild.

Meanwhile, the Demon Prince’s own hubris had led to his. He had believed himself far more capable than he truly was, and now he couldn’t even struggle anymore.

His body got destroyed within the Soulspace over and over again, as he began to reappear slower and slower with every death. At the same time, the Cerulean Devil husk only grew in power. The end was near, and struggle was meaningless, as-

”Oi,” a voice suddenly cut through the Soulspace. ”The fuck you think you’re doing?”