Consuming souls was an innate ability of devils. To them, the more tortured the soul was before dying, the more delicious it was. This cruel reality was common among all the devils in hell. Eating the souls of their own race in order to strengthen themselves was how they survived in hell.
I once saw a large imp eat its young…as for why it did so, I had no clue. Perhaps, it was a requirement for evolving or perhaps it had just gone mad. Or maybe, it was simply hungry…or just thought it was fun…
The actions of a devil are beyond the understanding of us human beings just like how you will never know what kind of dream your cat has while sleeping.
————–From <<Explorer Jorathice’s Exploratory Journal>>
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With the aid of this trap, I easily managed to kill 5 small imps; like shooting fish in a barrel.
However, things took a turn for the worse as the bait finally attracted the attention of a hulking large imp. It was burlier than a small imp its arms and legs were thicker and it was at least a head taller.
The large imp swaggered towards the rock, drawn by the scent of the dead imps. It wasn’t long before he noticed the seven to eight corpses beneath the rock. Without a second thought, he charged at the corpse pile and frantically munched on the corpses like a ravenous monster.
As I laid atop the rock, I stared at the rock in my hand before gazing back at the large imp, a conflicted look on my face. If it had not been for the battle I witnessed before dying, I might have already sprung my trap like a fool.
I clearly remembered in the face of that goblin horde, only the large imps were able to break through their encirclement. Despite the large amount of small imps that charged at the horde, not a single one of them survived. The difference in power between the two was plain for all to see.
This difference not only came from a difference in power, large imps had a much higher endurance and defensive strength. Furthermore, they possessed a ferocious desire for battle that the small imp couldn’t compare to.
It was precisely why I did not attack him. I wasn’t foolish enough to take him with a mere rock just because I had the main character halo on my head. If I did that, I would’ve been ripped to shreds and eaten…
I’ve gotta admit though, this fellow can really eat. I’ve been waiting atop this rock for 2 hours now and he’s still going at it. He was really planning to finish all the imps!
During these two hours, there were a number of small imps who approached this spot but were immediately scared away by the glare of the large imp. Every one of them ran away with their tails between their legs to look for their mommas.
I guess he’s pretty strong…even though he just looks like a one-star piece of crap to me. Ahem, I seemed to have no right to say this though, being a zero-star piece of crap myself.
With a casual pat on his stomach, the large imp finally finished the corpses and instead of leaving, laid down on the beach and dozed off…
Sleeping right after a meal, without even a care for his surroundings…such a carefree guy.
Should I ambush him now? What if he’s just faking it? He might suddenly awaken and attack me the moment I approach him.
Just as I was brooding over this, a group of small imps stumbled upon the large imp. Unlike the other imps I’ve encountered, these three weren’t fighting with each other but were instead sneaking up on the large imp. It wasn’t long before they were right next to him.
The three little scamps muttered sentences that sounded like eagles chirping. Perhaps it was due to my reincarnation into an imp, but I was actually able to understand what they were saying. I got slightly bored as their conversation dragged on. However, I was able to get the gist of it. They were discussing their plan of attack.
A slightly smarter imp had the bright idea of using rocks. He knew that the rocks were harder than his fists so he grabbed a piece of rock. He made a hitting motion with this rock to signal to his companions to arm themselves. Before long, each imp was armed with their own weapon of mass destruction.
The leader imp gestured the usual 3 2 1 countdown with his fingers as they prepared their attack. As the last finger went down, the three of them simultaneously smashed their rocks down onto the large imp’s head.
Unfortunately, the results weren’t as expected. Instead of a mess of blood and gore, the three rocks had only caused three bumps on their large imp’s head…
Having been smacked on the head thrice, no matter how thick this large imp was, he would’ve felt something. His eyes shot open as he gently rubbed the bumps on his head. Suddenly, he noticed the three small imps around him.
“What…are you guys…doing here?”
“We…we’re…”
Lower ranked devils were essentially retards when they were just born. As such, they did not know how to lie. Seeing that their plan failed, they nervously glanced at each other and without a second thought, two of them turned tail and ran. The remaining imp foolishly thought his allies were going to join in a head on fight so he charged at the large imp with his trusty rock in hand.
The large imp stared dumbly at the two scamps running away, completely ignoring the brave little fool in front of him. *smack* His head was hit by the same rock one more time but it was still as pointless as before.
*Roar* “I’ll eat the lot of you!”
Having expended a significant amount of brain power, the large imp finally managed to squeeze out a complete sentence as he roared. With a swift scoop of his hand, he grabbed the small imp and bit down, his monstrous teeth tearing through the small imp’s neck in an instant. However, by this time, the other two imps had already ran off into the distance.
Why is this potato just sitting there munching on this imp instead of chasing the other two…
I was left speechless by the sight before me. The sight of that large imp eating those 7 to 8 corpses was already disgusting enough, I didn’t want to see him munch down on another…Didn’t you just had your fill of imps?
However, his eating speed wasn’t as fast as before. Perhaps he wasn’t hungry. After consuming half of the imp, he stopped. I originally thought he was finally full but this thought was soon proven wrong as I spotted a group of small imps charging towards him.
What…? Are those ten small imps here to raid this dungeon boss?
As I looked at the approaching imps, I spotted two familiar faces. While small imps pretty much looked identical, I was still able to make out the identity of the two imps leading the pack. They were the two potatoes who ran away.
The small imps formed a circle around him as soon as they approached him. As for the large imp, he was still nonchalantly chewing on the imp as he stared at them. To him, they were merely food who offered themselves up to him.
*roar*
He set out a resounding bellow in a show of superiority. This was an intimidation tactic he often employed to scare away small imps. It was usually very effective however he had severely miscalculated. His pea brain simply wasn’t aware of the fact that these 10 imps were all the imps he had scared away previously with said tactic. They met up with the other imps and banded together against him.
They had a radically different approach from all the other imps Mo Ke had encountered so far. Despite, their roughly equivalent strength and independence, they chose to form a large party in order to defeat this large imp.
The fact that these dimwitted newborns were able to do so was a miracle in of itself.
A large imp was naturally an expert at fighting, having fought his way up from a small imp. He had the confidence of an expert. To him, whether it was ten imps or two, it was all the same; he would face them with a disdainful look on his face.
Seeing his intimidation fail, the large imp got slightly impatient and flung the corpse in his mouth at one of the offending imps in a show of dominance.
The unfortunate imp was sent flying by the corpse and crashed onto a rock. The little scamp grunted a few times as he tried to get up but ultimately failed. His head had been severely injured and would require some time before he could recover.
The large imp’s confidence was further boosted by his successful attack and raised his head proudly, roaring in laughter. As he did so, bits and pieces of his previous meal spewed from his mouth and splattered around his body. He truly looked like a devil from hell.
However, this large imp was doomed to be disappointed once more. He had assumed this display of superiority might finally deter these imps but instead they were further riled up by this.
“OwwwAoo!”
The little scamps dog piled the large imp as they roared. They latched onto his legs,hands, neck and whatever empty space they could find, biting and clawing. The large imp swayed momentarily before he collapsed under the combined weight of the 9 imps.
The combined attack of so many small imps wasn’t something a large imp could endure.
In a short span of ten seconds, the large imp’s body was riddled with gaping wounds and covered in his own blood. His normally fierce face began to show signs of suffering.
By the time the small imps were done attacking, there wasn’t an intact piece of flesh left on the large imp. He laid there limply like a ball of meat, moaning miserably.
Given another round of attack, this large imp would’ve been dead.
However, it was at this moment that the imps decided to stop attacking and instead distance themselves from each other. They stared at each other with a multitude of expressions flashing across their faces.
I could pretty much guess what they were thinking right now…they wanted to gain sole possession of the large imp’s body and soul.
I don’t know from where it began but by the time I saw the fight start, the entire group was engaged in a deadly brawl. I sat atop my comfy rock watching the spectacle unfold before me. How exciting…all that’s missing is a box of popcorn.
It was a truly gruesome battle. Each of the small imps were evenly matched and none of them were armed. Blood and gore splattered in the air as they fought with their claws and fangs in a primitive battle to the death.
Soon, all the imps were in a similar state to the large imp; not a single part of their body was whole.
By now, the imp count had dwindled to five and an unusual stalemate had occurred. Because this was an odd number, one of the imps would be left without an opponent.
Having been here from the start, I was clearly aware where this fifth imp had come from. He was the imp that was downed by the large imp’s first attack. As he watched his comrades kill each other, he laid there impatiently waiting for his body to recover. By the time his head recovered enough for him to move, he practically leaped into the melee.
Seeing his chance, he jumped into an ongoing battle between two injured imps and slew them in an instant.
Idiot! If it was me, I would wait till the very end before getting up. That way, I would only have to fight one small imp before getting the large imp all to myself.
However, just as the movie was nearing its climax, two of the imps in the face-off suddenly fell. Soon after, its miserable screams filled the air.
I immediately turned towards that imp and found the culprit. The mastermind behind this murder was the large imp we had all left for dead!
Amazingly, this fellow didn’t die from his wounds but instead feigned his death and quietly watched the imps battle it out while he recovered. Seeing the five of them stop fighting, he became unbearably anxious.
As they say, haste makes waste. Apparently, this not only applied to humans but to devils as well. The small imps’ anxiousness to turn on each other ended up giving the dimwitted large imp a chance to turn the tables on them. As they were busy staring at each other, the large imp had silently crawled over and in an instant grabbed the legs of two of the imps. With a quick smash and bite, he took care of the two of them with his superior strength.
Now, there were only three small imps left. The large imp had regained the upper hand and he was aware of this fact as well as he grinned devilishly at the imps.
The scamps were thoroughly shaken by this turn of events and were momentarily stunned. They did not know whether to retreat or fight to the death.
Wow! I can’t believe you managed to turn the tables with your body in such state…you’re good!
Large imps were a lot stronger than small imps and this one especially so. He was probably one of the stronger large imps out there. For all I know, he was at the peak of his tier and could breakthrough at any moment.
As for the three small imps, their combat prowess were definitely lower. If….no….there’s no need for ifs, as those imps immediately turned around and fled in different directions.
Seeing their frightened expressions, the large imp finally breathed a sigh of relief as he released his domineering facade. He flipped his body around and quietly laid on the beach, with his eyes drawn out in a grin as if he was thoroughly enjoying himself right now.
Well…should I jump him? Definitely! Only an idiot would not ambush him now.
With a rallying cry, I leaped off the rock and brought my trusty rock down upon the large imp’s head.
With the added force of my freefall accelerating my attack, my ordinary rock smash gave me unexpected results. What would’ve normally been a concussion at most had instead smashed the large imp’s head into pieces, killing him.
Me: “…”
And here I was, thinking that it was going to be an episode’s worth of a fight scene…
The large imp’s soul leaked out of its dead shell and rushed into my nose, filling my body with a warm sensation similar to a comfy fireplace. I closed my eyes as I savored the sensation of being in a virtual hotspring.
*crunch*
The sudden sound of footsteps echoed in my ears, interrupting my reverie. I immediately opened my eyes in alarm; the depths of Purgatory weren’t a safe place after all. Before me were the three small imps who had ran away.
Hah hah hah! So you guys are back! Well, this one has gotten strong so you guys had better wash your necks and wait for your impending doom…S***, there’s an uninjured imp among them…Can I really take the three of them on?
Well only a fool would fight a losing battle so…it’s time to run.
…But is it truly ok to run without even trying?
I’ll try to intimidate them first.
With that settled, I flourished my newly acquired weapon of mass destruction and put up the most intimidating pose my skinny body could muster.
Just as my eyes focused back onto them, those three potatoes were already on the floor…kneeling…
