111 Chapter 39 - One Man Army

Ranarium walked under a sky of broken stars, across bracken black ground and to the Pleasure Spire of the Incubus Slaveknight to this particular patch of hell. Just like the rest of the eighth circle, 'Lust' was filled with both the torturous and the delightful in equal measure.

The air made Ranrium feel hot inside, an ecstatic state-building within him as the lust built within him...but no sexual desire, not right now at least. Instead, Ranrium felt the lust for battle, for bloodshed, and for power in full force.

"Hey, there handsome-"

Ranarium fluttered a pinky's worth of red soul lightning at the succubus that had floated beside him, followed by a flash of bright red and a smear on the stone. A howl filled the air as the enemy realised he would not be sated by breasted demons nor their phallic-shaped counterparts.

"You won't die here human," purred a demonic cat who stood like a man with thin purple armour shaped into the animalistic desires of man.

"Nice tit plate, and what...groin greaves?" Ranarium grinned as he rested his huge demonic axe on his shoulder, the whole thing humming as a great swathe of soul lightning crackles along its edge. The Incubus peered at the axe with contempt, the magic powering it more so.

"I can give you every pleasure within possibility, human. Do you like to fight? To inflict pain? To feel pain? I can give it all-" the cat demon dodged aside as Ranarium released [Soul Bolt] and red lightning exploded across the ground to obliterate several demons in their shadows, before slamming into the Pleasure Spire and biting a great chunk from its base.

"Watch it! You'll cause the whole thing to fall over!" The Slaveknight wailed, peering up at the spiked phallic tower as if to check it was still there, and finding it teetering dangerously.

"Give me what I want then," Ranarium grinned wider, "[Soul Siphon]."

From the recently dead Ranarium pulled in fresh souls and felt their power well within him. Building up the power in his axe again, he readied another bolt.

"What do you want then - what can I do for you? What pleasure do you seek?" the Slaveknight said, as his lustful demon spawn appeared from every nook, crack and cave to surround Ranarium on all sides. "Speak quickly or else I'll let them have their fun with you~"

"I wanted you all to group up," Ranarium laughed, and unleashed [Soul Blast] to send a sweep of crimson red in every direction at once. Demons shrieked and exploded as the red lighting tore at their bodies and blasted aside the stone, Ranarium using [Soul Siphon] immediately afterwards to stock back up on souls.

From the ashes arose the Slaveknight, enraged, with twin blades in hand.

"You have made a mistake. My breeding mothers will have to spend an entire day to lay those eggs again," the cat demon hissed, hundreds of lessor demon spawn mewling, moaning, and rubbing one another as they appeared through fresh cracks in the ground. The slaveknight charged in a flash, yet filled to the brim with souls Ranarium merely used [Soul Engine] and met the slaveknight's blades mid-strike with his axe.

Screaming steal, the swords shattered and Ranarium's blazing axe rent the slaveknight hip to face. The following soul damage shattered the demon's grasp on reality, while his limp body flopped upon the ground.

"I'll serve-" Ranarium crushed the demons head underfoot, and then released [Soul Engine] to use [Soul Siphon] to suck the slaveknight's soul free.

"Pitififul. Barely worth my time," Ranarium grumbled, turned, and sped off towards his crimson skinned demonic horse. The trembling demon spawn let him go, their grotesque bodies holding souls barely worth Ranarium's time. "What am I supposed to do when the demon's elites are so worthless?"

"I don't know master, but there are several more spires we can reach today," offered a Crimson Rider. Ranarium had three in total, red plated demonic knights with enough power for Ranarium to bother keeping around. Each had been able to fight him for a while at least, strong enough he had invited them to serve in life rather than have their souls consumed in death.

"More spires? Just how many low ranked elites do the eight circles have," stretching, Ranarium hopped atop his demon horse and got it moving. As an afterthought, he sent a [soul bolt] back to blast into the Pleasure Spire's base, the whole thing collapsing upon the gathered demon spawn. "Although I do like breaking their buildings. But come on, surely there are stronger souls than this for me to collect. Any news on that pretender in the surface world, the shapeshifter?"

"None yet, master."

"You just make sure to tell me when he resurfaces. Because I want both that bastards soul and his 'Hero Farm' all to be mine, understood? A feast of high-quality souls, bah, I'm salivating already!" Laughing Ranarium pressed his mount on faster, another phallic Pleasure Spire just insight. And another beyond that. And another. Hundreds of the damned thing spreading in every direction, thousands in the distance. Some taller than skyscrapers in the human world, the vast majority these little guard towers filled with useless wretches.

But given time, Ranarium would work his way up to the very top. With enough souls, he could do anything. Even Soulless might not be able to refuse his advances then, a man of such power, how could she resist?

Quickly Ranaroum pulled of his left glove, a dark ink black spreading down from his fingers to cover his knuckles and stretch towards his wrist. The [Soul Curse], he almost had enough power to expand it again. Focusing in the slaveknight soul, Ranrium used [Soul Sacrifice] and felt the deep wail as the soul was forever destroyed, and the ink spread a little further down his wrist.