---
Suddenly, the world began to shake, as though God himself was striding through the land. The earth split apart, the sky tore asunder, yet Asmodeus remained untouched, floating in the air, encased in a simple bubble of transparent energy.
Then, as if by a spell, the ground began to morph, shifting into something entirely new. The earth and land transformed into an endless, reflective ocean, while the sky became a serene, unblemished blue.
Without warning, the bubble protecting Asmodeus popped. He found himself plummeting from 30 meters in the air.
THUD!
He hit the ground face-first—or at least, that's what one might expect from a child, only a year old, falling from such a height. But Asmodeus, who was no ordinary child, even among the Awakeners, had a dragon's bloodline. Naturally, he landed on his feet.
CRUNCH!
His legs snapped under the pressure of the fall, but the realm immediately began regenerating his injuries. His feet and all the damage done healed in moments.
Of course, throughout this entire ordeal, Asmodeus felt nothing—or rather, the pain was so inconsequential that it might as well have been nonexistent. As for the injuries he'd sustained during the Wrath Trial? Those were nothing to him. His mastery over energy allowed him to manipulate his pain receptors at will.
"Oho? You really like the dramatic landscape changes, don't you? Don't you have a job to do? Like monitoring the other children's trials?" Asmodeus mused, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
"Meh, most of their trials are boring. Unlike you, they have the system to manage their progress. But you, little demon—you rejected that, didn't you?" Dreamer replied shamelessly.
"Speaking of which, why do you keep calling me 'little demon'?"
"Your transformation back in the Awakening Realm, and those claws you casually grew during the Wrath Trial. Seems fitting."
"Ohhh. Makes sense."
If anyone were to witness their exchange, they'd be shocked. The two were conversing like old friends. Dreamer—the same being orchestrating the deaths of 2,508 children out of 3,508—was chatting casually with Asmodeus, who was also at risk of dying from Dreamer's schemes.
"Oh! I almost forgot! You still have the Envy Trial and the Pride Trial left!" Dreamer suddenly announced.
Just as Asmodeus prepared to stall for time, a mirror-like wall of water rose from the ocean, cutting him off.
"Ahem, ahem. Welcome to the sixth trial of the Seven Sins of the Awakening—ugh, what a ridiculously long name. Let's just call it the sixth part of the first trial."
Dreamer, who had been relentlessly trying to make Asmodeus fail in the previous trials, now appeared unusually friendly, as though he had given up.
Naturally, Asmodeus didn't buy it. The man was unhinged—his erratic moods and behavior were likely just glimpses of his vast insanity.
"Anyway, as you've probably guessed, this is the Envy Trial. Cool, right? Actually, I hope you hate it—it'll make my job easier."
"Oh, so it's an order from the higher-ups? Or does he really think his job is to run a knockoff Starving Games?" Asmodeus thought.
The moment he looked at the mirror-like wall before him, the surroundings changed. The entire Realm of Envy turned a deep, corrupted purple. A wave of palpable killing intent radiated from Asmodeus.
"Mr. Dreamer, may I ask... where did you get the figure of the man you placed in the mirror?"
Baffled by the sudden formality, Dreamer stammered, a trace of panic in his voice:
"Unholy duck! That level of killing intent—brilliant! Beautiful!"
True to his madness, that was his first reaction. Quickly, he added, "I don't know what you're talking about. Everything in this trial is conjured by your mind, pulled from your memories. In fact, I can't see anything related to your memories at all."
Only then did Asmodeus relax—though not by much.
The man in the mirror was none other than Jin. His obsidian armor was unmistakable.
"Irritating," muttered Asmodeus.
The reflection of Jin smirked behind his mask, his grin almost tangible.
"I could say the same to you, monstrosity. Or should I call you Asmodeus now?
"It's ironic, really, how you envy me. But I get it.
"I'm handsome—probably. I'm rich—terribly rich. Even gods can't rival my treasury, most of which, of course, was stolen from your former kingdom of Corruption. And power? I'm the most powerful demonic human alive, surpassing even you in the arts of evil! Oh, imagine it! After your death, all of Hell was buzzing about how I single-handedly killed the Monstrosity—the sole perfect controller of energy and corruption.
"You're nothing, Asmodeus. Weak. Poor. Ugly. Your personality is trash. You claim to be the sanest demon, yet in your pursuit of sanity, you've fallen into insanity.
"Ah, yes, the yin-yang thing. The extreme of yin is yang, and the extreme of yang is yin. So the extreme of sanity is insanity, and the extreme of insanity is sanity.
"As for me? I've accepted it. Being shaped by the laws isn't something we can change—it's necessary for our path of evil. Even the lawful path faces the same constraints. So why not give up? Surrender to your powers. Be powerful. No longer envy anyone. Why endure endless pain? Endless sanity? Embrace the unholy. Embrace insanity. Surrender, and with it comes mercy."
After what felt like an eternity, Asmodeus finally spoke:
"You're mistaken. I do not envy your power, wealth, or status. I envy your ignorance. You think you can rule Hell. Don't think I believed your little lie back then. But you don't understand how terrifying Lucifer's power truly is.
"My goal has never been ultimate power, nor mere sanity—not anymore. From the day I was reborn, I've had one goal: to witness the epitome of corruption.
"Pain? Death? Suffering? They're irrelevant. What is pain to someone who has lived every day of his life in torment just to stay sane?"
"HAHAHA! We really are insane, aren't we?" Jin laughed.
Asmodeus grinned. "Of course we are, other me."
The mirror shattered, fragments scattering into the void. The ocean darkened, then dried, and the sky collapsed, leaving the realm an endless abyss.
---
[SYSTEM WARNING: EXTREME DANGER DETECTED. FULL AID MODE ACTIVATED.]
[SYSTEM UPDATE: DANGER IS PART OF A TRIAL. FULL AID MODE DEACTIVATED.]
Asmodeus sighed.
"The final trial.
"…I think I just jinxed myself."