Mind Demon's Path of Domination

Mark waddled through the dark, misty forest. He could barely see past his arm's length—his demonic eyes were incredibly acute even at night, but the thing that obstructed his sight was not darkness.

It was mist. Thick mist.

Misty wind lashed against his face. Mark pushed through it cautiously while feeling for the changes in his body.

His wings, especially, felt weird. It felt strong, robust—iron-like. Yet, at the same time, incredibly smooth and flexible like silk.

Sometimes, after a Demon evolves through Tiers, their bodies could change. Just as Mark gained wings when he became a Lower Demon from a Demonling.

Having created his own Ultimate Demonic Art, he had evolved once again and had become a Middle Demon. This time, too, his body had changed somehow, even though he had yet to get a good sight of it.

He had also gained a new demonic trick.

With a thought, his wings vanished from his back. Mark grimaced in slight pain.

Tier 2 Low-Level Demonic Trick—Dream Wings.

It was a pretty useless demonic trick for how good its name sounded. He could turn his own wings into dream-like haze; as if they never existed.

That would allow him to turn his wings off and on but he would have preferred a better demonic trick that removed one of his many weaknesses.

Strength was the most important thing. Especially now that he was in the Demon World where he couldn't predict anything.

"Do not spread your Soul Sense out," Reol'ran warned again.

"I know, I know," He said, alert.

Unlike the demons who were in the Hunter World, the ones here were different. Those demons were mostly bound by the contracts that the Dungeon Demons placed on them by instinct when they were summoned, and wouldn't resort to cannibalism. Here, it was different. One wrong move and fangs would appear, sinking into your throat.

Spreading his Soul Sense without knowing what kind of enemies were around was suicide.

Crack.

Mark started.

Footsteps echoed from his side, then vanished quickly into the distance. It sounded rigid, wet, frightened.

"Does this mist ever end?" he asked, feeling a weird chill in his heart. "Should I stay still and not walk around?"

Reol'ran didn't know. She didn't even know where they were.

"The Demon World is a weird place. Chaotic place. Nobody knows what is going to happen at a given time. Tier 6 and Tier 7 Demons roam this world, and Demon Kings rule their inferiors. Even I am not qualified to guess things here. But staying in one place is just as dangerous as walking around because most demons are known to walk around for prey."

Mark's gaze roamed around and he gritted his teeth, walking forward cautiously.

This is not near the place where I found Dona. Not where I entered the Portal to the Hunter World from.

The only thing he could rely on in case of a dangerous event was the Portal Key he had in his hand. He could use that to run away into a different World. But Mark wanted to learn more about this World, he wanted to see it at least a bit more.

Thunder crackled above the skies and he felt something damp on his cheek.

Black rain was falling.

"I know that there are some cities in the Demon World. I've heard of them. They are very infamous."

"Wonder what a city run by these brutes would be like."

"From Tier 3 onwards, most demons gain sentience—so don't see all of them as brutes. Some are even more cunning than humans are, way more versatile than you."

Mark pushed his hand into the mist once more, checking if there was something beyond it like a blind walked. He felt his heart thump. "There is no mist past this point." The hand he had pierced beyond the mist had more rain trickling down it than the one in the mist.

Even though it seemed like a light rain inside, outside, it was crackling.

Slightly nervous, he pushed his face out of the mists, golden eyes roaming around coldly. Thump. Thump! THUMP!

The skies were gloomy and grey, wind battered the land like a crazed wave against the shore. Black rain made one's vision cloudy. Yet, Mark felt his heartbeat quicken to a frenzied pace.

A creature walked, half its face submerged above the clouds, battered amidst thunder and lightning. Its human-like visage was deadly calm and in the route it walked, clouds themselves parted to reveal the pitch-black sky at night.

Mark walked out of the mist, mind reeling. He was at the edge of a cliff, a forest stretching beneath him. Meanwhile, the giant's foot landed on the ground, sinking and shaking the land as it walked. Suddenly, thunder crackled, violet and frenzied, and the giant vanished.

Mark could finally breathe.

In the Hunter World, he was too big in size. The cars, the people, everything was smaller than him. But in the Demon World, it felt like the opposite. The trees still looked gigantic, so big he would have to climb them for long minutes to see even the top.

And compared to creatures here—he was miniscule.

Sweat rolled down the sides of his face but feeling an equally powerful urge rise in his guts, he smiled. Shaking his head, the Demon looked around. Black rain slammed against him, but as far as he could see, there wasn't anything dangerous around.

But he had never had the instinct for danger that most demons had. Dona was better at that.

He spread out his Soul Sense into his Soul Space and briefly, his face changed. His Soul Space had changed wildly—but for now, he didn't linger on that, and using the connection he had with it, he brought Dona and the Boss Demon out of it.

The red-skinned Demoness flashed into existence with a dark light flashing briefly around her. She frowned in confusion for a second before her gaze locked on Mark. Rain immediately soaked the white cloth she covered herself with.

The Boss, its body as dark as night itself, mingled into the darkness.

Mark didn't even have to tell them to be wary. They became silent and then looked around.

Tightening the cumbersome white cloth into a fightable shape, the Demoness squatted down. Her gaze moved up to look at the gloomy skies.

"Follow Dona," she said softly.

The Boss growled, its hair standing on end.

It didn't wait to instruct Mark and sprinted. Not towards the mist, obviously afraid, but down the cliff instead. Using wet stones as a foothold and sinking its hand into the mud as a handhold.

Dona looked at it.

"Mark, follow it."

Mark wrapped his hand around Dona's waist and jumped down the cliff, wings appearing out of nowhere as he glided down silently.

She warned, "No sound. It's night. Night's dangerous."

"Where should we go?"

"Treetop. Any big treetop. It knows. Follow it."

The cliff was incredibly big, more like a canyon than a simple cliff. He flew down slowly while the Dungeon Demon he had enslaved jumped down, catching hold on the cliff face once in a while—most probably not because it feared heights but to avoid the sound of a landing impact. It's afraid, Mark understood.

He needed to teach it to prioritize his and his women's lives even while it was afraid.

A treetop came to his sight. He could use Alchemic Shapeshifting to make it a comfortable stay. Landing on the ground, the Dungeon Demon began climbing the tree, too.

Suddenly, Mark's face changed.

An incredible feeling of impending doom gripped his heart. A creature moved down from the skies, screeching. Mark immediately summoned Dona back into his Soul Space and rotated in the air to meet the creature face to face.

A Demon.

Mark's face drained of color.

The Gryffin.

It was so big, that Mark wasn't even the size of its claws. He had never really seen any flying Demons around—except this one. The sky is its territory and I flew there. It wants me dead.

The Creature closed in with immense speed and Mark felt the world coming to a halt.

"No, its not the Gryffin!" Reol'ran shouted.

Tier 2 Pinnacle Demonic Trick—Illusion of Fear.

A half-snake, half-humanoid creature slammed its tail at Mark from the tree top he was about to land on. He felt his heart shake but quickly turned, dodging it.

By a nail's width, he escaped, wheezing.

"A creature with illusion powers!"

The Boss Demon was about to move up the Tree but noticing the small commotion in the skies, it moved towards another Tree instead. Mark glided around the air, ignoring the snakeish creature wrapped covertly around the tree as he followed the Boss in the air.

"Hiss!" the Creature hissed but didn't follow.

Feeling his heart thumping, he cursed his own stupidity at not having increased his Physical and Mental status with the Soul Spheres he had at hand right after Evolving. The Snake hadn't even gone all out, hadn't used anything other than one of its simple Demonic Tricks.

It would even have the Ultimate Demonic Art!

And he hadn't been able to see its stats either.

He landed on a tree some distance away from that Snake. It shouldn't want to mess with him before morning either. Some Demons, like Dona and the Boss, were wary of the night and this one seemed like one just like that.

Spreading out his Soul Sense, he ordered the Boss to come up the tree they were in. He had pulled it out to act as an alarm for danger and also a way to clear his path, but it needed to be controlled better. He should give it more specific orders from now on.

When the Boss appeared at the tree top, Mark sent it back into his Soul Space.

He touched the thick tree beneath him, twice his width. It was already enough for both him and Dona to sleep comfortably—he could even bring Yuri to the side. Of course, she was a small thing.

Still, this place could become a way better hiding spot in his hand. Not from Soul Sense but from regular gaze at least. He touched the wood with his palm.

Alchemic Shapeshifting.

The wood morphed around Mark, putting him into a hollow space within its structure.

"The snake is scanning me with its Soul Sense," Mark said, eyes cold.

"Of course, you are also a Tier 2. A Tier 2 that can fly. It's also wary of you!"

He nodded, then closed his eyes.

This place was not safe, but this was the best he could get for now.

Status.