Chapter 21 - Demonic Transformation

-----------[Status]-----------

Name: Levias Drake

Rank: Demonic Follower

Patron: The Darklord of the Endless Abyss

Affiliation: Mercenary Federation (F-rank)

Crest: —

Demonic Core: Dormant

Demonic Essence: 1/200

Trait: Demonic Soul

Trait Ability: Demonic Transformation

Innate Ability: —

Artifacts: —

Avatars: —

-----------[Status]-----------

Far into the wilderness, about 20-30 miles in, Levi stood beside a massive boulder as tall as a thirty-story building, his gaze fixed on the runes materializing before him.

One thing immediately caught his eye—Affiliation. It hadn't been there the first time he saw his status, but it had somehow appeared after he joined the Mercenary Federation. It was a testament to how incredible the Providence was, able to display such data based on his actions.

By now, Levi had a vague understanding of his status, but his trait and trait ability still remained a mystery to him. 

Levi's status was very different from anything he knew, the followers of gods had different statuses that didn't include things like Core or Demonic Essence. Levi guessed that his trait was the reason for that and, that his core and Demonic Soul were connected somehow, but he wasn't yet sure how—or if it was truly a good thing. 

For now, all he could do was move forward with what he understood.

But there was one more thing he didn't fully grasp—his Trait Ability: Demonic Transformation.

-----------[Trait Ability]-----------

Trait Ability: [Demonic Transformation]

Ability Description: [Unleash the demon within you.]

-----------[Trait Ability]-----------

The ability's description was just five words long, and Levi couldn't decipher much from it. If anything, it gave him an ominous premonition. 

He hadn't dared to activate the ability for that very reason—he didn't know what would happen, so he wanted to try it out far from prying eyes. And now was the moment he had been waiting for.

Levi scanned his surroundings one last time, ensuring he was alone, then activated the ability. It wasn't complicated—he just had to will it, and Providence would handle the rest.

The moment he thought of the trait ability, Levi felt something dark and terrifying stir within him, something that had been dormant for a long time. It felt oddly familiar, yet entirely alien.

Following that a searing pain ignited deep within his chest, as if his very essence was being torn apart. His bones groaned under an invisible force, and his muscles convulsed uncontrollably. It felt like his skin was too tight, too confining for the power that was trying to break free from within.

His vision blurred, and the world around him seemed to distort, twisting in unnatural ways. The sky above, once clear, now seemed darker, as if a shadow had fallen over it. The towering boulder beside him suddenly felt insignificant compared to the raw, untamed energy coursing through his veins. 

Every breath Levi took felt like inhaling fire, scorching his lungs and throat, but it was nothing compared to the storm raging within his mind as the memories Levi had tried to bury deep began to resurface. 

The first memory that surfaced was of that day in the slums, when he was just a frail boy with nothing to his name. The memory was vivid, too real as if he were reliving it. The alley was narrow and filthy, the stench of rotting garbage overwhelming. He could feel the rough hands of the thug gripping his collar, lifting him off the ground effortlessly. The man's breath reeked of alcohol as he sneered, his fist drawing back for another punch. 

Levi could feel the sickening crunch of bone as the blow connected, the pain radiating through his skull, the blood pooling in his mouth. He had been helpless, a victim to the world's cruelty. But now, that helplessness was transforming into something darker—an unquenchable thirst for power.

The memory shifted, and Levi found himself walking the desolate streets again, his stomach gnawing at him with hunger. He saw the faces of the wealthy, the privileged, tossing away food as if it were nothing, their laughter mocking him as they walked past without a second glance. He remembered the burn of shame and anger, the humiliation of being invisible, insignificant. But now, that anger was being twisted, magnified, fueling the transformation taking place within him.

Levi collapsed holding onto his head, trying to calm his raging mind but to no avail - the memories kept playing in front of him.

This time he saw his younger self, barely more than a child, scavenging through the dumpsters behind a restaurant. The stench was unbearable, but the desperation of hunger drove him to dig deeper, searching for anything edible. 

His fingers closed around a half-eaten bone, the scraps of meat clinging to it his only meal for the day. He could still taste the rancid flavor on his tongue, could still feel the tears of frustration and rage as he gnawed on it like a starving animal. 

Then the memories shifted once again. It was the one he had tried so hard to forget, but now it was being dragged to the forefront of his mind, refusing to be buried any longer. 

Levi or rather his younger self was standing in a cold, desolate field, the wind howling around him. Before him, a tree stood tall and alone, and from its branches, a woman's body hung lifelessly, swaying gently in the breeze. Her face was pale, eyes closed as if in sleep, but the reality was far more brutal. Levi's heart clenched in his chest as he remembered the grief, the crushing sorrow that had consumed him. But that sorrow was now warping into something else—into rage, into hatred, into an Unquenchable wrath.

Along with that, the pain in his body intensified as if responding to the emotional torment. His bones cracked and shifted, his muscles tearing and rebuilding themselves in a matter of seconds. 

Weird Blood-red marks appeared on his skin that burned like molten lava, spreading across his body in intricate patterns. He could feel his spine stretching, his limbs elongating as his body grew taller, more imposing. The sensation of his skin stretching was excruciating as if he were being pulled apart and stitched back together all at once.

His once modest 5'2" frame stretched beyond 6 feet, his formerly thin body now bulging with muscles that seemed almost alive.

Two horns sprouted out from his forehead, piercing through his skin with a sickening crunch. His hands, now twice their original size, clenched into fists, his nails growing into sharp, claw-like appendages. 

He could feel his teeth sharpening, his canines extending into fangs that could easily tear through flesh. Every part of him was changing, becoming something monstrous, something that no longer resembled the boy who had once scavenged for scraps in the gutters.

And through it all, Levi's mind was slipping away. The rage that had been building, the fury at the world that had wronged him, consumed his thoughts, drowning out everything else. He could no longer think, no longer reason. His humanity was being stripped away, leaving behind nothing but the raw, primal instinct to destroy, to dominate, to unleash the demon within.

It wasn't a pleasant sight, but the sheer force pulsing through Levi's body was immense. At the same time - the providence displayed some messages, which Levi of course didn't see.

Because he was no longer in control!

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