Volume One: "The Nature of the Devil Does Not Change"
Scarlet King staggered as his skin began to melt and peel away, yet his expression didn't change—only a faint, unreadable smile remained.
"Heavenly Slaughter Princess? The daughter of the Heavenly Star Tyrant… right?"
The princess jolted and retreated a step.
"H-How… how do you know who I am, stranger?"
Scarlet King answered as his arm dropped, weakened by the poison.
"It doesn't matter how I know. What matters is that I have a way to help you. Do you agree? The price is the Cosmic Poison Pearl."
The Heavenly Slaughter Princess spoke to herself as sweat slid down her forehead:
(He recognized me from the traces of my father's seal… but how did he know my father is the Heavenly Star Tyrant?)
Scarlet King spoke to himself as well, already reading her thoughts:
(Hah… I was an adviser to your parents in one of my past lives. Of course I can recognize the Heavenly Slaughter Princess… Deceiving a princess is easier than resisting poison.)
His voice cut through her thoughts as he dropped to one knee under the poison's weight.
"So? Do you agree or not, Heavenly Slaughter Princess? Don't you want a body? Don't you want to save your mother from the imprisonment of Muwaqqar of the Destroying Heavens? Do you want your sister to live alone? If you don't want that, then use the pearl and save me."
The princess hesitated—then moved in a flash, using the Cosmic Poison Pearl to treat Scarlet King and purge the poison from him. Scarlet King thought to himself:
(So the pearl has a healing function… but it needs an extremely powerful poison to truly become a Cosmic Poison Pearl.)
His body began to recover. His fallen arm returned, his skin re-formed, and he returned to the appearance of a fifteen-year-old—though he still wasn't fully healed.
When the princess stopped, she spoke cautiously, suspicion surfacing in her voice.
"Wait… why should I trust you?"
Scarlet King replied calmly.
"There's no one else here. If I leave—or die—no one will help you. Now give me the pearl so I can finish healing myself and build you a new body."
The princess finally exhaled, convincing herself that this devil would keep his promise.
Scarlet King spoke as he took the pearl and let a drop of blood fall onto it after nicking his finger.
"Good… the pearl is mine now. Thank you for the help."
Suddenly, he squeezed the pearl.
A sharp cracking sound rang out.
In the next instant, the princess's spirit was violently forced out, while Scarlet King slipped the pearl into his long coat and turned to leave.
The princess screamed:
"I'm a princess… how can I be deceived like this?!"
Scarlet King laughed and glanced back over his shoulder with cold, pitying contempt.
"Hah… you're the fool who believed my promise. Promises are for the weak—so they move exactly the way I want."
The princess asked in shock:
"But you shattered the pearl—what benefit will you even get from it?!"
Scarlet King answered as he produced the real pearl, revealing it had been in his left hand, not his right. His voice was calm.
"While you were healing me, I created a spiritual copy identical in appearance to the original pearl, using the pearl's healing energy. Yes, I lost a portion of my soul… but what is that, compared to one of the twenty-two strongest weapons in existence?"
During the healing, he had been silently copying the pearl's spiritual imprint—layer by layer.
Scarlet King turned and continued on his way, a devilish smile resting on his innocent-looking face.
The princess's sobbing filled the space. Then she shouted:
"Didn't you say you'd build me a body?!"
Scarlet King stopped and replied calmly.
"A body for you? That takes time… and I don't waste time on something that doesn't profit me."
A sudden, overwhelming attack shot toward Scarlet King—but he barely dodged it. He turned back to the princess just as she shouted:
"Reality-Slaughter Technique of the Slaughter Path!"
Reality around Scarlet King began to crack, warp, and die.
Scarlet King stepped toward her and spoke lightly, as if soothing a child:
"Oh… come on. I was joking. I'll definitely help you build a body—just a small joke."
He moved closer, rubbing his hands together, and asked with a pleasant smile:
"Would you like to return to the pearl, my beautiful lady?"
Inside, Scarlet King's thoughts were ice-cold—while on the outside, his face carried a mild, mocking smile.
(Reality-Slaughter is one of the strongest techniques… I would have died if I hadn't taken back what I said.)