While Diablo was left alone, digesting and growing stronger, the fights between the hatchlings became increasingly savage.
Looking around, he observed the variety of methods these demon hatchlings employed—ranging from brutal, direct combat to sneak attacks, forming alliances, and even betraying each other.
Among the chaos, a few unusual demons caught Diablo's attention.
One was the first to hatch. It used the flames on its body both as a weapon and a shield, making it nearly impossible for its prey to survive.
Another was a demon with the head of a fox, black bird-like wings, and razor-sharp claws, which it used to shred its prey or drop them from the sky.
There was also a demon slightly larger than the others, with a muscular black body, eight arms, and two ferocious heads. It used its hands to brutally tear apart its prey in a display of raw strength.
Lastly, a demon with a spider-like lower body and a humanoid upper body stood out. It was surrounded by a grey mist that cloaked both it and its surroundings, making it easy for it to hunt in the obscured area.
These four hatchlings were the most dangerous ones Diablo could see in the area, though there may have been others scattered across the vast plane they inhabited.
What set them apart was a shared trait: they were born with special abilities, a clear indication that they were favored by the Abyss from birth.
Diablo glanced at himself and twitched his mouth in mild frustration. Aside from the fact that he had hatched earlier than most—likely due to his soul being inherently stronger from his transmigration—he didn't seem to have any special abilities like the others.
However, his early awakening had allowed him to grow faster than the others, giving him a notable edge in his current state.
Going through his memories, Diablo realized that these innate talents were most useful during the hatchling stage. Once a demon undergoes its transformation into a low-level demon, it gains its own innate abilities, depending on how much the Abyss's will favors it.
After assessing the strength of the most dangerous of his competitors, Diablo concluded that they still posed no fatal threat to him.
He resumed focusing on digesting his food, but the peace didn't last long.
Swish
With a sharp sound, a long tail pierced a wolf-faced demon through the side of its head. With another swift motion, it smashed the demon to the ground.
"Another one," Diablo muttered, as more and more demons began attacking him. As their strength grew, these bloodthirsty, frenzied demons began targeting those they considered more nutritious.
It wasn't just him—the other four special demons were also under attack by these relentless creatures.
As time passed, most of the demons had finished their first feast and were now digesting. Diablo, however, had nearly finished digesting all of his food.
He could tell that he would need at least the same amount of nourishment he had already consumed to promote to a low-level demon.
Once he achieved that, the Abyss would randomly transport him out of this layer and into another, according to its will.
Those who failed to become low-ranked demons and remained hatchlings would be sent to another plane by the Abyss's will. Once this layer was emptied, the hatching process would begin anew, with new eggs brought to the land by the sea.
Diablo was pulled from his thoughts as he sensed someone approaching.
Looking ahead, he saw the black, muscular, eight-armed, two-headed demon hatchling heading toward him.
Diablo immediately adopted an alert stance, his body lowering slightly, his tail and claws sharpening in readiness.
"What do you want? This is my territory," Diablo said in the common tongue of the Abyss, his posture tense.
However, the eight armed demon didn't respond. Instead, it leaped toward Diablo, its four arms raised in a smashing motion.
Diablo quickly sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the strike as the eight armed demon's hands crashed into the ground, creating small craters where they landed.
Though he was more developed than the other demon hatchlings, Diablo was careful not to test his defenses. And the holes left in the ground confirmed that his choice of not being hit was correct.
The eight armed demon, realizing its missed strike, turned back toward Diablo and lunged at him, its hands reaching out to grab him.
"You... food... don't... move!" one of its heads growled angrily, its hands reaching for Diablo.
Diablo swiftly jumped back, using his greater agility to distance himself from the demon.
Listening to its broken words, Diablo realized it was one of the simpler, single-celled demons from the Abyss.
Rather than hunting weaker demons steadily, it had chosen to attack him, likely hoping to promote more quickly by hunting a stronger opponent.
Unluckily for Diablo, this right armed demon chose him. It was no surprise, as he appeared much weaker compared to the other three.
Knowing it wasn't possible to reason with these single-celled demons, Diablo steeled himself for the fight.
The demon launched a series of attacks, and while Diablo easily dodged using his agility, the continuous onslaught pushed him further toward the edge of his territory.
As he neared the border, countless malicious eyes watched the fight from all around, like vultures circling overhead, waiting for an opportunity to strike.
"Food... Food... Food," came the sound from the demon's other dazed-looking head, saliva dripping from its mouth. Suddenly, instead of launching another attack with its hands, the eight-armed demon picked up large stones, each twice the size of a human fist, and began hurling them toward Diablo.
Swish
Swish
Swish
The sound of whistling filled the air as the stones flew toward him.
Diablo was caught off guard. He hadn't expected this block-headed demon to suddenly shift from melee combat to a ranged attack.
As Diablo attempted to dodge the stones, two still struck him in the left shoulder, sending a burst of numbness through his shoulder area.
Fortunately, demons didn't feel pain, but he could tell by the difficulty in moving his hand that at least some bones were broken in his shoulder.
Seeing the demon pick up more stones, Diablo realized that if he kept his distance, he'd soon be incapacitated by the barrage and become prey to the eight-armed demon.
With that in mind, he decided to close the gap. He sprinted toward the eight-armed demon, preparing to return to melee combat.