"Consuming souls?" Austin asked, slightly baffled.
"Yup, and it's way more tastier. When it comes to acquiring them, you can simply buy them directly. Isn't that more efficient?" Alysia clapped her hands in enthusiasm.
"Why are you talking about 'souls' as if they were just a piece of meat you can buy at any market?" Austin couldn't help but comment.
"Because it is! Unlike negative emotions, which take the form of energy and can only be absorbed, much like you sipping a beverage, souls come in various shapes and flavors similar to meats. We can also easily purchase them through the Hell Market," Alysia said with a drool.
"What on earth is the Hell Market?" Austin exclaimed, caught between laughter and crying. The more he learned about the supernatural world, the more he found it increasingly absurd.
"It's like a convenience store on Earth, but situated in Hell. It sells supernatural materials, soul delicacies, and such, instead of the typical groceries, fruits, vegetables, snacks, and so on," Alysia explained.
Austin more or less grasped what Alysia was trying to explain and asked again, "Why did you mention that the souls come in various shapes? Is it because they come from vastly different creatures, naturally having different forms?"
"Yes, aren't donkeys and humans different in shape? If their souls were the same, wouldn't that be strange?" Alysia responded with a chuckle.
"I see. Do donkeys go to hell too?" Austin asked curiously.
"Other than hell, where do you think they could go?" Alysia rolled her eyes.
"There's a heaven," Austin argued.
"Heaven? Do you think heaven would accept a dumb animal such as donkeys?" Alysia tsk-ed him.
"Anyway, enough of this. Let's stick on the matter of your demonic hunger," Alysia advised.
"Uh, sure,"
"Don't sounds too dissapointed. The reason I avoided discussing heaven and hell is because it's a complex matter that would take a while to explain. Furthermore, at your current level, it was pointless to learn about them. You can delve into it when the time is right." Alysia lectured sternly.
While Austin was intrigued by the concept of Heaven and Hell, he realized it was a topic he could explore in the future, much like Alysia's suggestion. He pushed the idea aside and responded jokingly, "Alright, so how do payments work on the Hell Market? Are we using dollars as the currency?"
"Heh, what do you think?" Alysia gave him a sneer before answering her own question. "There were various payment methods, but the most famous one was bartering."
"Speaking of bartering, we just happened to have two dogs outside," she added.
"Dogs outside?" Austin was momentarily confused before a realization struck him. "You're suggesting using them as barter materials?"
"Hehe, even though their bloodlines aren't noteworthy, they're still Alphas. They should be worth a few amount of soul delicacies. Plus, since you're the one who took out one of them, you're entitled to a share." Alysia said.
"What will happen to them once we hand them over at the Hell Market?" Austin inquired after a moment of silence.
"I don't know. Maybe they'll be dissected. Maybe they'll be forced into slavery. Maybe they will be sold again to nobles and used as playthings. No one really knows," Alysia shrugged nonchalantly.
Austin nodded and shortly fell into contemplation.
In the past, if he heard such cruel words coming from someone, he'd probably feel uncomfortable. But now, he felt nothing. It was as if the discussion with Alysia was as casual as deciding what's for breakfast.
This sensation was strange, especially considering he was never a cruel person to begin with.
Moreover, those same people were the ones he had just spoken to a while ago. Now, he found himself silently consenting to Alysia's suggestion of handing them over to the Hell Market, which supposedly might be one of the worst outcomes they could end up with.
'Perhaps, my mindset gradually turns into that of a demon.' Austin thought to himself.
"What are you thinking?" Alysia waved her hands in front of his face, dragging him back to reality.
"I was just thinking that my thoughts have wandered into territory where I'm not sure whether to feel scared or not. In the past, I could never have imagined casually discussing consuming someone's soul with you. Someone's soul! Can you believe it? They were once living like me, and now I'm contemplating eating them, and I didn't even have an ounce of guilt having such a thought." Austin confessed.
"And here I thought you were contemplating something serious," Alysia raised her eyebrows.
"Wasn't my issue serious too?" Austin said exasperated.
"What's so serious about it? It's just because you're growing up in a peaceful environment made you a bit unaccustomed to our way of handling things. But soon enough, you'll adapt and grow used to it. So, there's nothing to worry about," Alysia shrugged.
Their banter ceased abruptly as a loud knock echoed through the door. In no time, the door swung open, revealing Eris with her expressionless face.
"What's wrong?" Alysia asked.
"Our informants had given us a reply. They're set to perform the Satan's Rite tonight."
"Have she finally discovered which Satan they worship?" Alysia asked pensively. Her face had turned somewhat solemn.
"Yes. It is suspected to be Asmodeus."
...
It was nighttime in Alves City.
Similar to many other modern cities, Alves remained brightly lit even after dark.
Currently, four people stand on a spacious second-floor balcony, directly facing a mansion.
These four people were none other than Austin, Alysia, Eris, and Satella.
The four of them watched the scene unfolding inside the first-floor hall of the mansion, each wearing a different expression.
Within the hall, dozens of naked men and women engaged in passionate, crazy sex.
Every available surface—chairs, sofas, tables, and even the carpet—was claimed by them. Some were engaged in one-on-one encounters, while others reveled in group activities.
It seemed as if they had lost their minds, and had their mind set in one goal, that's reaching the absolute carnal pleasure.
With his heightened senses, Austin easily picked up on the sounds of men's gasps and women's groans.
Naturally, confronted with such a sight, he couldn't resist the surge of arousal as lust inundated his thoughts.
"Brother, you can't watch them! There are girls there!" Satella cried out possessively and tried to cover Austin's eyes with her palm.
"You're a bit late with the warning," Alysia remarked, her face flushed. Despite being a demon, she was still a living being with sexual desires and naturally influenced by the unfolding scene.
"Have you located the altar, Eris?" Alysia asked.
"Ha...ha....not yet..." Alysia instantly turned around upon hearing such a strange response from her.
Eris rested against the railing and was breathing heavily. Her face glowed with a deep flush, resembling a ripe tomato. Her legs were rubbing together as if wanting to ease something. Yet, a suspicious liquid had already formed on her knee.
Although her eyes looked concentrated on searching the altar, there was undeniably a trace of lust gradually seeped into her eyes.
"Damn it, we might succumb to lust before even finding the altar," Alysia cursed. Just then, she noticed Austin kissing Satella passionately.
As she observed their tongues entwining, a surge of arousal clouded her mind. Unconsciously, she approached the two without realizing it.
Before she could reach them, Satella interrupted with a clear voice. "Brother, please stop for a moment."
However, Austin disregarded her plea and continued to ravage her.
"Ha...brother...while I'm enjoying...your current state...I still prefer the sober you...so...forgive me for what I'm about to do," Satella said between kisses, then placed her palms on Austin's shoulder.
Abruptly, glowing red lights exploded from Satella's palm, causing Austin to be sent flying from the balcony straight to the room, before crashing onto the wall.
Crash!
Dumbfounded, Alysia watched as Austin slowly fell from the wall to the floor.
Her gaze then shifted to Satella's glowing red palms, and she thought to herself in shock, 'When did this little girl learn to control her power?!'
It wasn't the power itself that surprised her, but rather the way Satella utilized it.
Since the revelation of Satella being a demon, Alysia had known about her terrifying power, likely second only to her own in terms of raw demonic energy.
However, if Satella couldn't control it, what good having such tremendous raw demonic energy? It would be like a child wielding a giant hammer.
But surprisingly, she now has the ability to control her power, and managed to blast Austin only for a few meters away!
Had she not controlled her power very well, there was a high chance Austin might reduced to nothingness by her energy blast. Or the energy blast won't work as intended.
"It's your turn now," Alysia heard Satella's voice and quickly snapped out of her thoughts.
Before Alysia could refuse the offer, she felt her shoulders being grabbed and was dragged to stand in front of her.
Under normal circumstances, Alysia should be able to dodge or protect herself from Satella's grip. However, now under the influence of Asmodeus's Satan Rite, she was heavily affected and, at this moment, no different from any ordinary girl.
"Wait-" Alysia hadn't finished her words when she sensed demonic energy gathering on Satella's palm. It then blasted, causing her to fly the same way Austin did.
Crash!
In the next few seconds, it was finally Eris's turn to be sent flying.
Crash!