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"You want to do what?" Kenji asked, so taken by surprise that he spoke out loud instead of inside mind, but thankfully there was no one around to hear his outburst, 'You want to eat my soul?'
[No that act is only reserved for beings of pure evil, I want to consume the system that lucifer reincarnated you with by using your soul as a blueprint]
'Why would I even entertain the idea of you doing something like that?'
[We made a deal]
'That's not a reason, so get to explaining or I'll kick you off my soul faster than you can blink…wait you have one eye…faster than you can wink.'
[You're bluffing]
'Try me you knock off cthulhu wannabe.'
[Now that's just harsh]
Kenji said nothing in response, waiting for a moment before a long exhausted sigh echoed inside his head.
[Very well, the reason is that the system is acting as a seal, restricting our bond and limiting what you should be capable of]
'That doesn't sound great but how can I trust you to tell the truth, for all I know the system is the only thing keeping you from hijacking my body and making me into a glorified meat puppet.''
[Then see the truth with your own eyes]
Before Kenji could voice his opinion he felt his perception warp, bending as reality fell away and his attention sunk to the very core of his being.
Opening his eyes Kenji stared in shock at the brillant orb of light hovering in an endless white void, and without a doubt Kenji knew that he was witnessing his soul. The very core of his being that contained everything he was and everything he would ever be. But Kenji's wonder quickly turned to one of fear and horror as he stared at the chains wrapped around his soul. The links of scorched metal were covered in countless barbs that tried to gore into Kenji's soul that were also set a flame by dark red hellfire.
Just looking at the chains caused a searing pain to radiate through Kenji, and he realized that the only reason why the chains hadn't completely ensnared his being was the dark film of nothingness surrounding Kenji's soul fighting back the hellish bonds.
'What is this?'
[A manifestation of your deal with Lucifer, had everything gone according to his plan you would have been little more than an unknowing puppet of his whim. Fortunately I happened to interfere at just the right moment.]
'But if he could just take over my soul, why give me a system?'
[A soul can not be taken over, but corrupted over time by shaping your actions almost certainly]
'He was corrupting my soul through the system? But how is that even…oh my god the quests'
[Indeed, had I not interfered I have no doubt that over time the quests would have led you down a less than savory path while incentivising you with great and greater rewards]
'But why? He could have just sent me to hell and tortured my soul for all of eternity…unless he couldn't…what if…what if I was never going to end up in hell. What if Lucifer reincarnated me into this world in order to corrupt my soul so that when I died again he could properly claim it.'
[That is what I have suspected from the very beginning]
'And you just decided to bring this up now?!'
[You wouldn't have believed me unless you saw for yourself, and even if you did there wouldn't have been anything you could do about]
'So what changed?'
[Your initial evolution was the first step which opened you to the abyss and allowed me to converse with your true self outside of Lucifer's influence. Had he overheard our talk then there's no doubt he would have taken some drastic measures to cement his hold on your soul.]
'What was so dangerous about you and me talking?'
[Without my help I doubt you would have been able to evolve your quirk again so quickly. But even then it was always up to chance that you would awaken the exact ability needed to overcome Lucifer's possession]
Kenji turned his attention back to the chains attempting to set his soul aflame, 'The Abyss can not be touched.'
[Precisely]
'Okay then…what happens now?'
[Right now we are inside your soul, but the moment we return to reality Lucifer will no doubt know that you've seen through his ploy. I don't know what his reaction will be but I doubt it will be pleasant. So we need to act quickly, the moment we step back into reality you must make your very soul intangible. You won't be able to maintain it for more than a mere moment, but it will provide me with a window to consume Lucifer's influence.]
'How the hell am I supposed to make my soul intangible?'
[I'll help guide you, but we must act quickly]
Kenji let out a nervous breath despite the fact there wasn't any air to breathe and that he didn't have a body, 'Alright then let's do this.'
From one instant to the next Kenji went from being inside his soul to his body. Then two things happened simultaneously, the first of which was a searing hot pain radiating through the core of Kenji's being and he could practically feel the chains around his soul beginning to tighten.
But before the pain could overwhelm him Kenji felt Zurx reach out and without a moment of hesitation Kenji took the offered help as he channeled the abyss through his very soul and the pain vanished replaced by an overwhelming hunger, 'Bon appetit.'
The sound of chains going through a wood chipper echoed through Kenji's head followed by a wave of red hot energy. Unlike before Kenji could feel that the energy wasn't being directed at him, it was aimless but that didn't mean it was any less dangerous. With a mental shove Kenji gathered the energy together and pushed it towards the rusted chain wrapped around his forearm.
Kenji watched as the patches of rust burned away and the chain itself transformed, becoming thicker and morphing to grow countless metal spurs before catching fire with dark purple flames so thick and vicious that small motes of flame dripped off the chain like oil.
A broad smile stretched across Kenji's face even with the lingering pain echoing through his body, 'I guess these are mine now, how are things on your end?'
[Delicious]
Kenji chuckled as he took a deep breath feeling as if a massive weight had been taken off his shoulders, 'Well that wasn't too bad.'
[It's not over]
A pit formed in Kenji's stomach and a second he felt the world around him grind to a halt as a fiery portal opened in the air before him.
A slow applause filled the air and Kenji watched as a familiar figure emerged from the portal, a devious grin stretched to inhuman proportions across an impossibly handsome face.
"Well done…well done indeed." Lucifer congratulated as he took off his shades revealing the miniature suns of hellfire he possessed instead of eyes, "You know I don't think I've ever had someone piece together my scheme so quickly."
[Do not fear, the being in front of you is merely an avatar, he can not take any action against you]
Lucifer smiled widened, deforming his face even further, "Zurx it's been awhile, how ya doing?"
[You may act the fool, price of hell but I am too old to fool with false appearances.]
Lucifer's eyes flared but his smile never faded, "You really bent me over a barrel this time, but I guess that's just my luck getting involved with the Endless Glutton."
[It's been some time since I've heard that name, but I guess only those from the primordial would remember. But enough with the formalities, you've lost Lucifer. Even now you're coming dangerously close to breaking your sanction]
"You're right, normally this would be the point where I packed up and called it a day, but you stole something of mine." Lucifer growled and even though his eyes didn't move Kenji knew the demon was staring at the chain wrapped around arm, "That is a transgression I can not ignore."