Chapter 1: Precept Demon |
Sky Blue Whale City, Finback Village.
In the basement of a house that stood out prominently from the rest of the village.
Flickering candlelight swayed, stretching and morphing shadows against the walls.
A rugged man in his prime, with a scruffy beard and long, curly dark-brown hair, knelt on one knee before a shrine. His head was bowed, as if he had just finished delivering a report and was now waiting for the entity within the shrine to respond.
"Are you saying that you cannot do it?" A chillingly calm voice echoed from within. The cloth draped over the shrine was thrown aside, revealing the Demon Idol inside.
It was an incredibly standard Demon Idol: twisted, spiraling horns, a terrifyingly grotesque visage, vertical pupils radiating an aura of deceit and dread, a pitch-black body covered in fine scales, clawed hands with long, razor-sharp nails, a thick yet agile tail, and hooves resembling those of a goat.
However, Nels knew that this so-called Demon Idol was nothing more than a manifestation of common perception. The entity''s true form could change at will; it possessed no actual physical body in the Material Plane.
"Y-yes, I can''t do it!" he said with a slight tremble, though his tone grew firmer with each word. "I cannot kill an innocent old man just for my own selfish goals!"
"If I did that, what difference would there be between me and the people I despise?!"
"I won''t do it, so..." Nels stood up, his slightly trembling body returning to a state of calm as he asked, "Can we break the Demonic Contract? Can you just go back to wherever you came from?"
"So, you have suddenly discovered your conscience and intend to play the good guy?" Faced with Nels''s attempt to burn his bridges, the demon''s tone remained as flat and composed as ever.
No, in this situation, he was trying to burn the bridge before he had even crossed the river.
"Nels, you truly are a man destined to never accomplish anything."
"You have a goal that you absolutely must achieve, yet you cower and hesitate at every turn."
"You willingly signed a Demonic Contract, yet you still fret over the well-being of so-called ''good people''."
"I always knew you couldn''t be a good man, but I never expected that you couldn''t even manage to be a villain!"
Along with the demon''s contemptuous words, a rather peculiar sheet of parchment emerged from the shrine. The text clauses written upon it faintly emanated a gloomy, dark light.
[Clause One: The demon "Nemus" (True Name excerpt, verified) shall provide Nels Dartmenerly with a complete Faith Stealing Method, guaranteeing its authenticity and instructing him on its proper usage. He ensures that under normal use, there will be no side effects, or any side effects will be incapable of harming Nels.]
[Clause Two: Nels must take control of the Finback Village Church as soon as possible and allocate seventy percent of the stolen Faith to Nemus.]
[Clause Three: Nemus shall not persecute Nels through any means, implications, or actions, nor shall he expose the Demonic Contract signed with Nels.]
[Clause Four: Nels shall not reveal the existence of Nemus through any means, implications, or actions.]
[Clause Five: Seven years after the establishment of this contract, or once the total amount of Faith stolen by Nels reaches one thousand years, this Demonic Contract shall be dissolved. Thereafter, neither party may reveal this contract through any means, implications, or actions.]
At this moment, Clause Two was trembling slightly, indicating that the contract was on the verge of being breached.
Suddenly, Nels pulled a short sword from his coat. The blade was inscribed with a series of runes, traced out in some sort of silver material.
His body sprang forward in an instant. The Rune Sword in his hand practically blurred into a streak of white light, aiming to slash the Demonic Contract to shreds.
As the resident Holy Knight of Finback Village, Nels had a certain level of understanding when it came to demons. Back when he first discovered the Demon Idol and signed the contract with it, he had already prepared to turn on his partner and break the agreement.
The Rune Sword was inscribed with Holy Script using Holy Silver. It could directly shatter Demonic Power and render a Demonic Contract completely null and void!
However, in the very next moment, several snake-like ropes struck out from within the basement. Moving later but arriving first, they bound Nels tightly.
His thrusting short sword was merely a hand''s breadth away from the contract, yet this tiny distance had become an unreachable chasm.
The ropes twisted, locking Nels in a death grip. The immense force pulled him into a wide spread-eagle posture, suspending him completely in mid-air.
Illuminated by the gloomy glow of the Demonic Contract, a dark shadow slowly stepped out from the Demon Idol.
"You''ve clearly been reduced to nothing more than a stationed Holy Knight in a tiny village, yet you still cling to a kindness that will drown you."
"To make matters worse, you disguised yourself as a vicious, barbaric brute, pushing the goodwill of others a thousand miles away."
"You act recklessly and self-righteously, engaging in one-sided wishful thinking that you can perfectly balance everything, without ever considering the consequences of failure."
"Just like right now. You thought you possessed the means to break the contract, but you forgot that violating agreements is what demons do best."
"How could I not be prepared for this?"
Nels tried to say something, but the ropes had bound his mouth shut, making it impossible to utter a single word.
"I have no desire to listen to your tired cliches. Just be a good boy and hand over your body." As the demon''s voice fell, Clause Two surged out from the Demonic Contract, blanketing the surface of Nels''s body.
Following this, the dark shadow transformed into a streak of light and shot straight into Nels''s body.
"The Abyssal Hell is far too desolate. I barely managed to arrive in this Material Plane. Since you don''t want this opportunity to steal Faith and alter your fate, let me do it myself!" Nels struggled violently, letting out muffled grunts, but with the aid of the Contract''s power, the shadow faced absolutely no resistance. It effortlessly infiltrated Nels''s mind.
The last thing Nels heard was the voice of the demon, Nemus.
"Everything you wished to accomplish, all of your regrets—I will handle them for you."
"Though the methods may no longer align with your foolish kindness."
"No... I haven''t completed my redemption yet, I haven''t..."
"This demon... I was the one who released this demon, I can''t just..." Nels''s despairing soul began to wail, but he was utterly powerless against the demon.
Everything that made up Nels was swiftly seized and replaced by Nemus under the power of the contract.
With a soft rustle, the ropes binding his body lowered him to the ground. They then coiled up neatly, like an obedient pet.
The night passed quietly. As the resonant call of a whale echoed from outside, Nels... no, Nemus opened his eyes, relishing the long-lost sensation of possessing a physical body.
A faint smile tugged at the corners of his mouth before quickly fading away.
His gaze shifted slightly to the ground. In the next moment, the shrine and the Demon Idol burst into flames.
Green fire illuminated the basement, which had fallen into pitch darkness after the candles burnt out. The shrine and the Demon Idol rapidly melted under the intense blaze.
Yet, Nemus''s shadow cast upon the wall did not flicker or change with the flames; it remained steady and solid, entirely real.
Closing his eyes in meditation, streams of information flowed through his mind:
[New identity acquired. Precepts updated.]
[Identity 1: Heterogeneous Demon Nemus]
[Precept Details]
[Main Precept: Oath-keeping — Strictly abide by the contents of a contract, never violating an established agreement.]
[Precept Feedback: The efficacy of contracts is enhanced. Contractual power can be channeled into a Qi Instrument, granting it supernatural strength.]
[Qi Instrument: Oath Rope (Autonomous Action; Binding Enhancement; Speed Enhancement)]
[Main Rule: None]
[Identity 2: Holy Knight Nels]
[Precept Details]
[Main Precept: None]
[Main Rule: None]
[Original Body''s Inherent Sub-Rule: Daily Practice — Must practice Swordsmanship once every day.]
[Precept Feedback: Swordsmanship Enhancement; (When selected as a Main Rule — upon completing the daily practice, gain one hour of Swordsmanship Intuition.)]
This was Nemus''s greatest harvest during his descent into the Abyss. He had successfully acquired a portion of the Divinity Count originating from the God of Precepts. Therefore, as long as he adhered to the Precepts he established through his own actions, he could draw power directly from them.
Among these, the Main Precepts would receive significant strengthening.
Every identity he held could possess one Main Precept and one Main Rule.
Precepts and Rules were broadly categorized into passive and active disciplines.
Passive adherence—disciplines revolving around refraining from certain actions—were called Precepts.
Active compliance—disciplines that required one to consistently perform actions following a specific routine—were called Rules.
This power was the very reason he had willingly infiltrated the Material Plane, targeting this specific region completely enveloped by the Faith of the God of Precepts.
"It truly has been a long time since I felt this way," Nemus sighed, stepping out of the basement and gazing at the sun rising outside the window.
Soon after, Nemus reined in his emotions. His posture, movements, and demeanor perfectly shifted to match those of the former Nels. At this moment, even if one were to examine his very soul, they would only see Nels.
At that moment, a knock sounded at the door.
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