"Such fool luck," Asmodeus muttered to himself, his tone dripping with criticism.
"Well, I can't be too picky. After all, I might have used up all my luck for the next ten lives for a shinigami on his first mission to find my soul first, or i would have been consumed..."
He took a moment to assess himself. "Let's see... I can sense energy. Good, good. At least I'm not a useless human... wait, I'm not a useless human?"
Closing his eyes, Asmodeus tried to sense his bloodline.
"What in the will of corruption? I'm a dragonoid? Has that man finally started spreading his seed among humans too? Isn't the lizardmen and kobolds enough?"
Asmodeus couldn't help but feel pleasantly surprised. Corruption would work quite well with a dragon bloodline. Then he paused.
"Wait, let's recheck this."
Focusing deeper, his surprise turned to shock.
"What the fu—? This is new... My veins are as pure as crystal-clear water. Not a speck of outside energy, just pure mana. No, not just mana. There's a core in the middle of my heart. It's crystal clear... wait, is this my soul core? Very likely. This must either be a special trait of this new dragon species I'm from or something from the mother....most importantly, it seems that my bloodline hasnt actually awakened and still in its infancy stage so it will need a lot of work to cultivate...meh who cares as long as i have a bloodline. "
It was only then that Asmodeus realized he hadn't checked his surroundings. Opening his eyes, he took in the scene.
The first thing he noticed was the blaring sirens, the flashing red lights, and the sounds of fighting in the distance.
"Meh, I'm just a baby. No one is going to kill me. Probably," he thought, feigning nonchalance. In truth, he was terrified. With such a low amount of [Existence], he wouldn't even be able to reincarnate. He'd simply dissolve into energy.
Turning his gaze to his "mother," he noticed the gruesome sight of her lifeless body. A harrowing wound on her neck gaped open, her hand still clutching a golden dagger. Blood gushed out like a fountain, staining the medical bed and pooling around the infant.
"Sheesh, quite a miserable way to die," he mused.
Just as he entertained the grim thought of consuming her corpse to sustain his life, the door burst open, and a group of men stormed in.
They were clad in bright white military uniforms adorned with the emblem of a phoenix on their chests. Blood splattered across their faces and sullied their finely tailored suits.
The leader scanned the room and barked, "Search the place! Anything of value is to be looted. Kill anyone who resists."
The soldiers nodded and began ransacking the room. Despite being called a "room," it was vast, spanning several dozen square meters. It took only moments for them to notice the infant cradled in the arms of the dead woman.
The leader approached cautiously, muttering, "Boys, keep your guard up. Who knows what these insane cultists are capable of."
"They must really hate this organization I was born into," thought Asmodeus.
"Welp, time to act like a child."
"Wahhh! Wahhh! Wahhh!"
The sound of infant cries echoed in the room, making the men pause in surprise.
"So, it can cry!" one of them exclaimed.
"Obviously, you idiot. It's a baby. Looks like it was born yesterday," another shot back.
"Ehhh?! Who's the idiot? Didn't you literally try to flirt with one of those cultists and get your tongue ripped out?"
The two began bickering like children, causing the leader to facepalm.
"Stop fighting, you rascals!"
"YES, SIR!" the two shouted in unison.
The leader sighed and stepped closer to Asmodeus. Only now did he notice how peculiar the infant looked. While his hair was considered normal for children of Awakeners, something about him felt... off.
"You better not kill me," thought Asmodeus as the man, who he learned was called Old Dan from one of the lackeys, picked him up.
"Uh, boss, should we kill the thing?"
"Why would we? It's just a child."
"Yes, feel pity for me, you puny mortal," thought Asmodeus, conveniently ignoring that he, too, was currently a puny mortal, fragile enough to be snuffed out with a single breath from the man holding him.
"As you say, boss. But don't say I didn't warn you when that thing seeks revenge."
The leader frowned, clearly giving the idea some thought.
"Oi! I'm a baby! How can a baby seek revenge for something he doesn't even remember?"
Now truly panicking, Asmodeus once again played the pity card, wailing with all the desperation he could muster.
"Wah! Wah! Wah! Wah!"
The leader felt a pang in his heart as the cries rang out.
"For heaven's sake, aren't we an orthodox organization? Aren't we the Soaring Phoenix Guild? How can we even consider killing such a small child? Have you forgotten our principles? Are you no better than the cultists we claim to destroy?"
The soldier who suggested killing the child lowered his head in shame, followed by others who shared the sentiment.
Asmodeus gave Old Dan a mental thumbs-up.
"Holy mother of corruption, this guy really knows how to manipulate!"
Then a troubling thought crossed his mind, and he frowned.
"Wait... aren't I feeling too much emotion?"
After all, he was The Monstrosity, a being renowned as one of the sanest yet cruelest high demons of the upper dimension. He was unaccustomed to feeling anything but cold detachment and numbness.
"What did that river do to me?"
Before entering the cycle of reincarnation, he had managed to increase his [Existence] just enough to retain some consciousness and observe the soul-cleansing process. But the memory of that judgment trial still sent a shiver down his spine—a rare emotion for him to feel.
His thoughts were cut short as an overwhelming exhaustion washed over him. Unable to resist, Asmodeus drifted into unconsciousness, cradled securely in Old Dan's arms.