The only devil I've seen is the Devil King, and that's just part of his head. The Devil King really scared me back then. I still remember how scared I was at that time. I'm glad that the others were there during that scary time.
That flying rock monster. It has THE THING around it, and at the same time, I can somehow tell that it is also a devil. Maybe it's because of its strange appearance? Unlike the previous flying rock monster, this one has an eye. A goat-like eye to be exact. It also has a mouth. A human-like mouth. Its wing is like that of a demon clan, but it still retains rock-like features, but most importantly.
"Remember everyone, that sinister aura that mingled with THE THING, that's the golden feature that screams it has been transformed into a devil" [Merlin].
"No wonder it looks strange" [Princess Siti].
"Somehow it reminds me of the Chimera we fought on our first trip" [Diana].
"You're not wrong. Originally, Chimera is a result of monsters and animals submitting to the Devil King, hence their appearance. They reproduce, and now the traces of their devil genes are worn out" [Merlin].
"Does this mean that the Devil King is able to change anything biologically?" [Tiara]
"That, and the fact that he's now using THE THING to further enhance it" [Merlin].
"I thought he hated THE THING!" [Diana]
"He did, but you heard what he said last time. He will even allow himself to be used by THE THING to fulfill his ambition" [Merlin].
The Devil King hasn't awakened yet, but his minion is already showing signs of awakening. This flying rock monster is proof of that. If I'm not mistaken
"Allow me. I'd like to try what was taught" [Tiara].
"Alright. Everyone, listen carefully, this is how to fight a devil and prevent him from affecting you" [Merlin].
A crash course from your truly Master Merlin on how to fight a devil. I remember her teaching me, Teacher Tiara and Princess Siti during one of our study sessions.
There are three ways to do it. One is through the holy attribute. It's able to purify everything related to the dark element, so it's one of the easiest methods. Unfortunately, it is hard for ordinary people to get it. Holy Attribute, Divine Attribute, they're all part of the higher subcategories of Space and Light Element, an extremely rare type to begin with, and it's usually hard for someone to awaken it. However, Saintess Rumia, Grandma Farhah, and Cardinal Davis can. I can do it too after my encounter with Valdrid, but it's still hard for me.
The second is through witch art. Since Witch Art is related to a soul, it can bypass any physical problem. You just attack the soul directly, and if you're powerful and knowledgeable enough like Master Merlin, controlling the soul to make it remove the devil's influence isn't hard enough on its own. I guess that's the way Teacher Tiara wanted to try.
The third is how everyone else is able to do it, which is to force all of the devil's miasma into a single spot, and then either seal it or destroy it by overwhelming it with your own mana. This is the most difficult. It requires someone powerful enough to not only overwhelm the entity that submits to the devil, but also force it to compress all of the devil's attributes in its body and destroy it.
"Can't we just kill it?" [Dana]
"We can, but the devil will only turn it into an undead-like monster afterward, and its influence will still linger. Even if you tear the creature's limbs apart, with the devil's power, it will still come back and cause you trouble. Besides, why do you think the devil caused us so much trouble back then?" [Merlin]
"I read about it. The temptation of the devil, am I right?" [JOATMON]
"Exactly." [Merlin]
The Devil's Temptation. He's a scary guy, but his temptation is strong. Power, he can grant it. Treasure, something easy for him to give. Whatever you want. Whatever you desire. Name it. He can give it to you and the only thing he asks is that you submit to him. It sounds tempting, and that's the problem.
Those who submit to the devil king in the first place, whether it's out of admiration or out of fear that their lives will be taken from them, once they're under the devil's temptation, they become a loyal subject. There are few cases where they can resist, but according to Master Merlin, it's really hard to do so.
If you fight someone who's under the influence of the devil, the devil's temptation will target you. Once it targets you, it will whisper sweet dreams into you, and once you're afflicted...
"You will become the next devil, thus increasing the strength of the Devil King's army. It's such a powerful ability" [Teliara].
"That's not all. For every being affected by him, his power also increases" [Merlin].
"And now, together with THE THING... How powerful will he become one day" [Diana].
"I worry about that too" [Merlin].
Teacher Tiara has managed to control part of THE THING, rendering any attempt by the flying rock monster useless. Once it's docile enough, she dives into the flying rock monster's soul and whispers her word to the soul. Once she does, the flying rock monster will return to its original form. No more traces of the devil left behind, only THE THING.
"Good job. I know you can do it" [Merlin].
"Thank you. It's quite nerve-wracking" [Tiara].
"This makes me want to learn witch art right away" [JOATMON].
"Ugh... I don't want to lose to Grandpa Wandering Sage... Urgh... This is so frustrating" [Teliara].
"Diana, do you want to try to fight the next devil we come across, or do you want me to go first?" [Princess Siti]
"It depends. If he is weak, you can have him. I want to fight a strong one and see how I do" [Diana].
"Alright. We will see from there" [Princess Siti].
"I want to try it too. I can't do anything related to the holy or divine, so my only option is to just overpower it" [Dana]
"Meow" [Fie]
"Oh, Fie, change your form to holy attribute. I guess even Fie is ready to go" [Diana]