Quis' POV:
Devils.
Devils were an interesting case of the mashups of cultures and mythologies. In mythology, there are many ideas of what "evil" is and what "good" is, and a devil is usually the former with angels being the ladder. In fact, those accounts were the entire reason why mythology wasn't completely regarded as just fables; Demons and Angels were real entities. An Angel is a being who resides in "Heaven" while a Demon lives in what's officially called "Hell".
Now normally, I'd be able to accept this, as it makes sense that things can live in different climates, but I had a run-in with Hades who belonged to the "Underworld". The idea of "Hell" was very similar to the Underworld so what was going on with that? I had many similar questions, so once this fact was taught to me, I had to do more digging. It turns out that the globalization of the world, which started around 900 years ago, originated from the Stone Region, whose mythology referred to the chosen names. The names had nothing to do with what they were; it was just the Region that struck first just so happened to spread these names first and they stuck.
So did that mean that the Underworld that Hades ruled over was the subterranean level of the world I resided in? Maybe. I didn't have enough information to get a real guess going, but it makes sense to me that a God, a being that has been accounted to control the fabrics of reality, couldn't reside in the same realm as mortals. I suspected that they ruled over separate realms that had connections to this main one.
But that still begged the question: If they're a God, then what was stopping them from living in this world? Perhaps there was one strong, true God that decided it to be so, or maybe all of the Gods agreed to only use their own pawns in this world, I had no way of knowing what was true as I don't have an idea of what the competition is like as a God. I've yet to find time to talk to Laozi, so maybe I could satiate my curiosity later if he really was a God.
However, this still all left the question of, "What is a Devil?" Well, since their names are so similar, you have to look at what a Demon was. A Demon had the innate qualities of violence, hence the name being based on something evil. They've attacked Angels, humans, and even themselves. They're a bloodthirsty race, hellbent on destruction.
In that case, was a Devil a human who had this mentality? Not necessarily. That would be an example of someone following the Demonic Philosophy. A Devil, who normally did follow the Demonic Philosophy, was a half-human half-Demon hybrid, otherwise known as a fallen human. Now the interesting thing about Devils is that they couldn't be created by getting a human pregnant or vice versa, instead, a Devil was created once a human used Demonic Techniques. The reason why it changed your genetic makeup was unknown, to the public at least. And another important thing to note was that a Devil couldn't use normal cultivation techniques once they fell, as those were made for purebred humans.
This led to the cycle where a human would use a Demonic Technique, and then get trapped into using it. The thing that made them so hated though was that the techniques they used reflected the Demon's lifestyle, in the way that it usually had to do with bloodshed of some kind. This would cause you to be hunted ceaselessly, but if that were it, then no one would take such a plunge. The upside to falling was that you could become stronger quickly and that normally, when facing a human of the same Class, you wouldn't lose.
So, in conclusion, a Devil is a human who uses a Demonic Technique, which usually involves some sort of immoral deed, for the sake of power but at the cost of their piece living in a human-run world. What did that have to do with my situation? Well, in front of me was a Devil, but not just any Devil, she was a Devil who just killed the Salamander that almost cost me my life in merely a moment. This meant that she had to be at the very least, a 2nd half Coal Class Devil. Now this told me one thing, and one thing only: I'm screwed.
Boom!
My bolt was sent forward at extreme speeds as I gripped the intangible string with my left hand. The Genesis Liquid spread quickly, allowing me to reign it back into my arms quickly as the magic circles on my body went into overdrive. I stood my ground. I had three options right at this moment. They were to run away and die, surrender and then die, or fight back and find a way to survive. It was obvious which one I had to choose.
The Devil gave an intrigued smile when she saw me get into my stance and quipped at me, "That's an interesting Martial Art, I don't believe that I've ever seen it, and you also understand that running is futile, yet you can still stand up to me without fear... Oh, how interesting indeed! I should be killing you quickly and getting my job over with, but I think I would be killing myself if I didn't see what you could do! And what kind of Devil would I be if I didn't play with my food?"
Once she said that she snapped her fingers, and with it her killing intent spiked. Seeing her do that, I narrowed my eyes and pushed my focus to its maximum. Then suddenly, I felt a ripple of Genesis Essence within my bubble of influence. With lightning-like speed, my body turned 180 degrees and I swiped by bolt to the left. Although my eyes couldn't see anything, my soul could sense it, and once I hit it, it became visible. The object that was now lying on the ground was a sword that seemed to be made of steel. She cultivated the Sword Branch.
The Devil in question began cackling wildly, "HAHA! A bolt used as a spear?! But I guess you could barely call that a bolt at this point! It's thicker than my arm! Haha, haha... ha... Alright. I think I'm done playing around. You'll all be great fertilizer for my Duranian... And don't worry, I'll start with you so that you don't have to see your lady friends die." With those words, the smile on her face turned into a frown as if she was upset that I was still breathing, and the Genesis Essence inside of her began to move intensely.
Even then though, I couldn't stop thinking about her words, 'My bolt is practically a spear?... Hmm, I've been thinking about that since I first started learning The Ultimate Bolt, however, I've been ignoring it because the Branch I practice isn't the Spear Branch or even the Weapon Branch, it's the Firearm Branch... I think I've been too close-minded when thinking about cultivation. Why isn't it that one path can't emulate another?...'
Suddenly, in this limbo-like moment in time, my brain broke through, 'That's it! All of the Branches under the Technology Path are connected! What do firearms, weapons, swords, explosives, philosophy, math, astrology, and even enslavement have to do with each other? They're all human-made! They are all the product of conscious thought! This whole time I've been thinking the difference between the Magic and Technology Branch was their style of combat, but it's actually what they represent. Nature versus nurture.'
My mind seemed to break past the light barrier while my thoughts moved faster than light, 'If all of what connects the Technology Branch is conscious thought, then all I need is conscious thought to emulate another Branch with my own. But this isn't something so simple. I would need not only a great understanding of the Firearm Branch but also multiple different kinds of Fruits to produce an effect. But what does a deep understanding of a Branch entail? Is it similar to studying a science? If it is, then the first place I need to look at is the very basics.'
At this point, her finger had snapped once, 'What is a firearm? Is it the thing being shot, the shooter, or both combined into one idea? I would have to go with both because one without the other can't produce the effect of something being "fired". So then what can a firearm be in its simplest form? A slingshot perhaps? No... it's a human throwing something on their arm, like a rock for example. What is the process of the rock as it's thrown? It goes forward... actually, it moves away from where the force was applied. So then a firearm is an object of some kind being propelled away from whence it came.'
Her snaps sounded out exponentially faster with each previous snap until I was surrounded by swords, 'In that case, what is the difference between pushing a spear forward and shooting a bolt away from you? Both have the idea of an object moving away from you... except that one comes back?... No, that can't be right, otherwise I wouldn't have the ability to pull the bolt back when I used the Bed Crossbow Bolt Fruit, so then what was the difference? What if... what if there was no difference? A spear is just a firearm which also means that a firearm is a spear. And that means that instead of it being that the bolt returns to me, it's that force is pushed against the firearm in the opposite direction that I pull from. Then to block every sword currently surrounding me, I need only apply the usage of a firearm in the direction that would push it away from me. Forward and backward; that is the way of a firearm. One-dimensional motion.'
It was at that moment, when I made the connection to one-dimensional motion, that the swelling in my brain transformed into the brain blast that was a breakthrough. It was only now that I could see it, through the eyes of the spear, that the Firearm Branch is, in its simplest form, one-dimensional motion that hurts. Could it get more complicated? Absolutely. Did I need to explore that complexity? Not for now, no. This clear-mindedness, it was as if a layer of condensation inside of my brain evaporated leaving only pure thoughts.
Then, the swords attacked. The closest was the one directly behind me, did I turn around? No, I didn't. Instead, I only pushed my bolt backward, causing the sword to fly off. Next was to the side of me. I turned the spear 90 degrees and then pierced it. Next, turn it 45 degrees and pierce, then 30 pierce, 170 pierce, and so forth. At first, my moves were slow, sloppy, and disorganized, but as I turned my mind off and accepted the simple mindset that was motion in the first dimension, they became faster, cleaner, and more lively. As this went on, I could feel the frustration of the Devil heighten through the increase in speed that her swords attacked me, but my speed only increased in turn. After ten seconds of this passed, my muscles were being used in the most efficient way possible, using 100% of it. Then in the next second, the swords stopped coming.
I stood within the circle of fallen swords, breathing heavily as I finally understood what was happening, 'Oh I see now. This is what they mean when they say you've gained a Basic Understanding of your Branch.'
After concluding that my breakthrough was a breakthrough in Understanding, the Devil began to speak, "You really broke through? Right there, right then?... Damn it. I didn't want to have to use this on a Stone Class, but I suppose I have no-"
"GET BACK HERE YOU SLIPPERY FUCK!!!"
Sounding from the jungle, a loud roar belonging to a familiar voice echoed in my ears. It was only a couple of seconds after this interruption that a shadow suddenly showed up in front of the Devil, "Boss, could you help me deal with these people, they're too annoying for me to kill and I can't get my job done around them."
His words caused me to turn around again, allowing me to see two people exiting from the thicket of the jungle. It was Spiravit and the old man. After he left the jungle, the old man feverishly looked around, but upon seeing me, his gaze turned softer as he yelled out, "Quis! I need your help to kill this Devil!"
In response, I just nudged my head to the side where the two Devils were communicating, causing the old man to look in that direction. Upon seeing the other Devil that I had been dealing with his brows furrowed and his mouth began to move, saying things I couldn't hear because I was too far away.
I took a last look at the two Devils and then ran over to the old man and Spiravit. I completely ignored Spiravit and instead, put my mouth to the old man's ear and whispered to him:
"I have an idea..."