Going down the path to the next level is much smoother than I expected. Seems that the increased mana from killing devils is good at keeping others away. There have been a few low-ranking devils and a few weak demons that have tried to get close, but after sensing my mana, they usually left me alone.
As I got 'closer' to the next gate, I noticed the mana start to stabilize around me, as the ground started to change as well. The mana itself was now less chaotic but still felt sickly, and the terrain was becoming more toxic than bleak, with a few green puddles scattered around.
It didn't take long for me to find the reason for all of this, as the devil responsible for this emerged from a deeper puddle. "How strange, you haven't been infected." It rasped as if the toxic fumes in the air had worn down its vocal cords.
"Are you going to move? Or do I have to kill you?" I asked, pulling out my magnum for a test shot as the devil hissed at me, and I got a better feel of its mana. 'Stronger than me, but not impossibly so. This devil must be close to High-ranking, better be careful.'
I didn't get to think much after that as the devil sent a literal wave of toxic water at me, as toxic fumes started to leave its body and the puddles. Not giving the chance to hit me, I strafed it while unloading my magnum. It didn't do anything other than agitate the devil as it unleashed more fumes and sent toxic clouds of poison at me.
As I took a deep breath and held it, passing through a cloud, I winced as I felt the gas eat away at my skin, as the mana I was supplying to my body kept my skin from sloughing off, but did nothing to help the pain. Emerging from the cloud, I created a javelin and threw it at the devil, and it dodged but still got a cut on its leg.
Seeing it bleed, I kept the pressure up as we danced back and forth. The devil seemed to favor ranged attacks as it kept its distance from me, not that it mattered since all I had to do was make a bow or crossbow to harass it. The only problem was my supply of mana, as even though I could sense what felt like a literal ocean of power inside me, I knew that each weapon and arrow that I created drained that ocean little by little.
Hoping to end this quickly, I took a gamble and made a few throwing knives and a spatha as I closed the distance. As usual, the devil sent a wave of fumes and liquid at me. I was able to power through the gas but had to jump over the liquid, which splashed me a little on the leg as I went down, screaming in pain.
"Now so strong, are you? I'm going to enjoy infecting you with Grandfather's gifts!" The devil said gleefully as I felt something very wrong from the way it was talking, but I kept up the act by writhing on the ground and screaming, which wasn't all fake.
The acid was actually pretty painful; I could feel it eating through the flesh on my calf as it crept towards the bone underneath. As the devil stepped closer to gloat and finish me off, I lashed out and stabbed one of the knives into its foot.
It screamed in pain and fury as it reached down to clutch its foot. As I took the second blade and sliced open its Achilles tendon, hobbling it as I scrambled to my feet, and put a few meters between us. Hearing a sizzling noise, I looked down to see that the blades that had drawn blood were falling apart as the devil sneered. "All things will wither and rot before Grandfather's blessings."
I snorted as another idea came to me. "I would never accept the gifts of you disgusting Grandfather, how revolting!" That seemed to work as it howled in fury before charging at me recklessly. Grinning, I taunted it more as it forgoes defense to reach out at me with dripping claws.
As it got closer, I threw the last intact knife, but the devil slapped it away, just as planned. As its arm slapped the flying knife away, I was already moving as I closed the distance and swung my sword, cutting deep into its arm before doing it again, cutting the limb off.
Seeing the sword start to deteriorate, I didn't waste time as I plunged the sword into the devil's chest, before creating one last knife that found its home in the devil's skull.
"I hated that, I'm never doing that ever again." I groaned as I felt the spark of magic ignite within me, as my mana increased by a decent margin. I was now about on the same level as the devil I had just killed. As the devil was no longer alive and supplying mana to his surroundings, the toxic puddles started to dissipate as I sat on the driest patch of ground and started to meditate, trying to take in as much mana as I could before moving on.
As he meditated, a low-ranked devil slowly made its way closer to him. For miles now, it had been tracking him since he'd finished off the weapon-creating devil, waiting for its chance to kill him and take its strange power for itself. Now it seemed to have a chance as it crept closer, before soundlessly leaping into the air, claws outstretched. Just as it closed in and it felt everything was about to change, the ground suddenly came to meet it as the strange devil woke up and slammed it into the ground face-first.
After slamming the devil into the ground, I kicked it in the ribs, sending it flying as it yelped in pain. Creating a dagger with the little mana I'd been able to restore, I glared down at the little devil as it slowly got back up.
"Can you speak? Or will I put you down like the mindless devils that wander about?" I asked, not expecting a response, as the little devil sighed, surprising me. "I can speak, but there is no point now since you have already killed me."
I narrowed my eyes at that. So far, I'd only killed three devils in this new world, the one fool that tried to attack me back on the first level, and the two Mid-rank devils that gave me both the weapon and acid magic. "Speak clearly, little devil, do not waste my time with riddles and hidden meanings!" I ordered as the devil froze and nodded.
"I am a low-class devil with little mana. Unable to properly use my magic because of this, I have been forced to wander about, and I was hoping you were finally weak enough to kill. I failed, and so you will kill me, before I can try again."
I thought about that and realized it was right. Despite the pity I felt for the small creature, there was no telling how long this thing had been tracking me. How long it had been studying my combat habits and weaknesses, there was no other choice.
"For your honesty, I will make it quick," I said as I decided to put my new magic to the test, as the little devil bowed in gratitude.
Calling on the spark of magic within me, it manifested as a drop of acid. Pouring more mana into it, the drop grew larger until it was about the size of a small dog. The little devil did nothing to stop me as it sat there and accepted its death. I made it quick as another spark of magic ignited within me.