The stage of the core was separated by nine, from First Stage to Ninth Stage, each representing a sealed ability gained by assimilating with a Devil. And to use that ability, Arcane was needed. It was like fuel to use those powers.
If one assimilated with a Devil with a lower amount of horns compared to the stage, then it would only enhance the power of their abilities when they reached a higher stage, so nothing was useless.
But after knowing a Devil could grow stronger and create more horns even when inside someone, Atsuku became sure that they would have at least grown some horns when their host reached Ninth Stage; thus, some humans maybe could get 9 abilities if their Devils grew with them.
'Those one-horned will be useful then. But I had never heard of them growing stronger inside someone before, so maybe only a few Devils could do that. At least I know and have met 3 Devils who could, but I have never met someone with 3 horned Devils who had 9 different abilities before.'
After settling his power and Arcane inside his body, he turned around.
"Yamada! I am done here. It's your turn!" Atsuku shouted loudly in the direction of the bush where Yamada had walked away earlier.
Abaddon was still stunned in its place. The poor Devil was being objected to directly in front of Iblis. It couldn't recover from its own fear, mainly because it recognized Atsuku now after he assimilated with Iblis.
After knowing the Devil had its previous memories in Fantasia, Atsuku felt like he could deal with Abaddon rather quickly. He glared at Abaddon without moving a muscle, waiting for Yamada and Rio to return.
"You remember me too?" He asked the Devil, and it returned a weak nod to him.
Gaining its response, Atsuku grinned widely.
"Good. If you don't want to be killed again, assimilate with my friend. If you do that, I will help you get more strength and make your host strong." He threatened the Devil with an evil grin.
'Thankfully, it still remembers me too. It will make things easier.'
Yes, the shadow was apparently alive. They had memories of their journey with their host. Atsuku found out about it just earlier from Iblis. Even Devils would fear the man named John when they met him. Everyone, except for one person, feared the Depraved Hero.
In Fantasia, Atsuku was the one who killed Abaddon's host. He tortured and killed its host gruesomely because its host betrayed him. That instilled fear and respect from the Devil to a man called John.
Abaddon also knew that Atsuku was someone who would honor his promise, so it nodded its insect head once again, agreeing to his proposal.
Because the Devil still feared him, it wouldn't do any good for Yamada. Its growth could be stunted because of fear.
So he gave him reassurance, "Don't worry. This time, my friend is a loyal one. He won't betray me like he did."
Rustle rustle-
A few seconds after Atsuku called out to his friends, he heard a rustle coming from behind.
He looked over his shoulder and saw Yamada and Rio walking toward him with guilty expressions. He turned around and raised his hand slightly.
"It's done. I got Iblis to assimilate with me." He smirked.
"That's fast… Are you okay?" Yamada asked Atsuku worriedly as he stopped in front of him.
Rio also stopped beside her brother. She looked at Atsuku worriedly with upturned eyes, "Are you okay, Atsuku? My brother told me what kind of thing stood behind me earlier. He said it was something really... really scary."
"It's fine." Atsuku smiled warmly at Rio, then turned to Yamada, pointing at the small shadows in his hand. "Also, give these three shadows to Abaddon already. It is willing to assimilate with you."
"Huh? Why?"
"Just do it."
Yamada was a bit confused, but Atsuku pushed his back to get closer to Abaddon, so he couldn't refuse. He believed in his friend, so he walked to Abaddon while scratching the back of his head.
Stopping in front of Abaddon, he extended his hand, which held the three small shadows.
"I've got a present for you," Yamada said confidently. There was no fear in his eyes. It was gone after he felt a real fear earlier.
Iblis was way more frightening than Abaddon, who stood more than 3 meters tall. The small sphere scared him shitless; he even left his friend alone because he was scared, which made him mad at himself.
Abaddon slowly extended its hand, which looked like a sickle, and took the shadows from Yamada's hand, putting it in his body. Its four shadow wings went restless; they moved around and made a buzzing sound.
In the dark of the night, Abaddon looked like a monster that came from a horror story.
Atsuku looked at what happened in front of him calmly, with Rio standing beside him.
"My brother is going to be okay, no?" Rio asked, worried.
"It will be okay. I have threatened Abaddon so it won't refuse."
"You did what?!" Rio raised her voice, surprised.
"Just look. Abaddon is making its move."
Abaddon's body shivered. It raised its sickles above its head and began to move like it was dancing happily.
It then stopped and lowered its head slowly toward Yamada's direction. It was easier than Atsuku initially thought because of Iblis' presence.
Slowly, Yamada extended his hand. The corner of his lip lifted to a grin. Atsuku also smiled when he saw Abaddon lowering its head.
The stick and carrot he gave worked really well. Atsuku's threat and Yamada's gift made Abaddon like Yamada more than him.
When Yamada's hand made contact with Abaddon, a gust of wind hit the area around them for a second. The shadow that made Abaddon's body slowly entered Yamada's body through his pore and mouth.
It only lasted for 5 seconds, a bit longer than Rio but way faster than Atsuku. Yamada clenched his fists a few times in wonder as he looked back at Atsuku.
"That's it?" He asked in disbelief. All of his fear and determination were gone instantly as if blown away by the gust of wind from before. "I didn't even get the chance to use my baby." He said, slumping as he walked back to Atsuku and Rio.
The end result was underwhelming, but they were all safe and sound. None of them were injured, which was the best situation for the first and the longest Trial. The countdown in the sky showed 1:26:31, meaning they only spent around 30 minutes to get their Devils.
However…
"It's not over yet," Atsuku exclaimed as he looked at Yamada and Rio alternatively. "We need to deal with something else first."
"Huh? What is it?" Yamada asked, a bit excited that the night wouldn't end just like this.
"Another dangerous thing? Not that I mind, but I am a bit tired from this sudden situation." Rio added, displeased. Her smile fell from her face and turned into a frown.
"To call it dangerous is not wrong. The town is in panic, so there is something that we can do right now for free." Atsuku grinned, looking at the city, which was hit by a panic attack from the citizens. "We need food. So… who wants burgers?"