The moment they crossed the shattered archway, a deep, unsettling chill rolled over them—like stepping into the breath of a forgotten god.
Everything within the ruin felt wrong. The air was thick, not just with rot, but with the weight of old suffering. A silence hung heavy in the space, broken only by the occasional drip of water and the faint groan of shifting stone.
The corridor stretched ahead, cloaked in shadow. Walls were cracked and gouged, not by time, but by violence. Jagged claw marks raked across the stone as if something had tried—desperately—to escape. Corpses lined the walls and floor, twisted into unnatural positions, as though they had died mid-scream.
Some wore rusted armor. Others, robed. All bore signs of brutal ends—skulls caved in, torsos shredded, arms torn clean from sockets. And through the moss and mold, faded carvings could still be seen—markings not of worship, but punishment. This place was no temple.
It was a graveyard, built on torment.
Lira clutched her staff tighter, horror clear in her wide eyes. "Wh–What happened here?"
Darin's face paled as he stumbled over a broken sword embedded in a ribcage. "These weren't just killed. They were offered."
Eleanor's voice was flat. "A punishment site. Likely condemned by a sect or kingdom long ago… but it was never left empty." A story she made up on the spot. She knew well who the true perpetrator was but was just entertaining their curiosity of the group.
Her pale eyes locked forward. In the center of the next chamber, an altar stood beneath a broken dome. Twisting roots and dried blood wrapped its base like grotesque vines. And in its heart—embedded into the stone—glowed a crimson jewel, faintly pulsing like it held a dying heartbeat.
The jewel's glow reflected in Vergil's eyes as he stepped closer.
' It's not just decoration.'
[I think everyone knows that dumbass]
He activated Analysis, the results flashing before his vision like a whisper in his mind.
Item Name: Blood Jade of the Crimson Womb
Rank: A
Type: Demonic Artifact
Origin: Forged from the crystallized essence of a fallen Demon King within the depths of the Crimson Abyss.
Description:
The Blood Jade of the Crimson Womb is a dark red gem shaped like a teardrop, warm to the touch and eternally pulsating like a living heart. Whispers say it feeds on pain, hatred, and ambition. Drenched in demonic qi, the artifact is a forbidden treasure among demonic cultivators, especially those who practice sacrificial arts or soul refinement. It is also used by demons to open up gates to the demonic continent
1. Gate of Blood Offering
By offering the blood of others—whether human, beast, or monster—into the Blood Jade, the user can temporarily open a Crimson Gate that connects to a pocket of the Demonic continent. The strength and duration of the gate depend entirely on the quality and quantity of the blood.
Through this gate:
Demonic energy can be drawn into the world.
A few Lesser demons or corrupted spirits may pass through.
In rare cases, the gate can be used to send a message or object deeper into the Demon Realm.
Note: The blood must be spilled with intent. Ritual sacrifice strengthens the link.
Demonic Seed of Rebirth (Blood Incubation)
Condition- The first option must be used in order to use this method.
A forgotten art that offers the users own blood over time.the Blood Jade begins to form a Blood Baby, also known as a Demonic Seed of Rebirth. This entity is an extension of the user's soul, flesh, and will.
The Blood Baby can serve in multiple ways:
Soul Anchor & Rebirth : If the users heart is destroyed, the Blood Baby can act as a vessel by replacing the heart and reform a new one in the body however it may need time to reform. It can also use demonic energy to recreate other organs in the body.
Hidden Weapon: The Blood Baby can be implanted within someone, lying dormant until it devours the host from within or acts as a failsafe.
Killing Sense
Forms a blood-red halo above the user's head, releasing an invisible wave across a 50-meter radius. The skill detects any killing intent within the area, allowing the user to sense hostile threats. However, its effectiveness can be blocked or disrupted by certain abilities, barriers, or concealment techniques.
(The blood baby can grow depending on the user.)
Warning:
The formation process is extremely painful, requiring the user to sacrifice their vitality, blood essence, and part of their soul. Losing control can result in the Blood Baby becoming a demonic parasite, attempting to replace the original.
"It is not merely a jade. It is a womb of blood, a contract of rebirth, and the door through which demons crawl into the world. Feed it enough... and it will birth either your salvation—or your doom."
'What an amazing item, Morvax, you were hiding this from your best friend.' Vergil thought to himself
'The second option would be amazing for me but the condition is annoying.The first option must be why Morvax was protecting it, he wants his friends.'
A small smile formed in Vergils mind 'but too bad Morvax its mine, the moment I came is the moment you fucked up'
Thorne hissed under his breath. "What is that, its pulsing and breathing as if its alive ?"
"Looks like we found out where all the people went " Eleanor replied coldly. "They were offered up ."
Kael—Morvax—stood in the rear, feigning discomfort. But inside, his heart stirred with joy.
'My altar... Its yearning for the last few sacrifices .'
He traced the walls with his eyes, memories flooding back—how they screamed, how they begged. Every twisted limb, every silent corpse, was a verse in the song he had written as the Jade absorbed their blood.
'The jewel only needs a few more'
His gaze slid toward Vergil.
'And now, I'll add you as my final sacrifice..'
Lira's voice was barely above a whisper. "I don't like this. We should turn back. Whatever this place is—it isn't abandoned."
Vergil didn't respond right away. He just kept his eyes on the jewel, thoughts turning.
'They can't see it. They're too blind. Too naive. This place is a trap, and they walked in like cattle.Well its time for the end of this show.'
He turned, voice calm but firm. "No one touches anything. Stay alert. And if something moves—don't hesitate."
A low creak echoed from somewhere deeper in the ruin. Like flesh sliding across wet stone.
And Morvax smiled.
'Soon.'
The air shifted—subtle, yet suffocating.
From the far end of the ruined hall, past shattered pillars and broken stone, something moved.
A wet dragging noise echoed through the chamber, followed by the uneven sound of soft thuds—flesh against stone.
Then it appeared.
Limp, malformed, and stitched together like a failed mockery of life, the creature shambled into view. A grotesque parody of Vergil, its body warped and bloated in all the wrong places. The face was close, too close—same long silver hair, the faint shape of his features, but the skin was a sickly pink, torn in places where raw muscle pulsed beneath. One eye hung too low, the mouth was lopsided, stretched far too wide in a grotesque grin, and its limbs twitched as if unsure how to move in unison.
A flesh doll—stitched and sculpted from corrupted memories.
It stared directly at Vergil.
Thorne took a step back. "What in the hell is that?!"
Darin raised his shield, voice cracking. "That thing looks like… him!"
Lira nearly dropped her staff, her breath sharp and fast. "That's impossible! It looks—Vergil, it looks like you!"
The thing let out a gurgled sound, like it was trying to speak. Its mouth opened and closed, strings of bloodied saliva clinging to its teeth as it mimicked a broken chuckle.
Vergil didn't flinch.
Neither did Eleanor.
Her pale eyes locked on the creature, cold and analytical. "It's not him, its just a mimic."
'Disgusting… but it's a message.'
Vergil stared at the abomination with narrowed eyes, calm despite the way its head twitched and turned sideways like a confused animal.
'A flesh puppet… The same one as the one watching us. He wanted to send a message. He's watching us.'
The doll took another step forward, and a chunk of flesh peeled from its leg, splattering across the stone. Its arms opened in an imitation of an embrace.
Vergil muttered under his breath, "Mockery."
Lira stumbled behind Darin, whispering, "Why would anyone create something like that?"
Kael—Morvax—stood just behind them, barely containing the grin that threatened to split his false face.
'That's right. Look at it. Look at your horror made real. I wanted to see your reaction, Vergil.'
But instead of fear, all he saw was cold amusement in Vergil's eyes.
Eleanor tilted her head slightly. "Should we kill it?"
Vergil raised a single hand. "Not yet."
The doll jerked again, and then—without warning—it charged, screeching a gurgled, corrupted cry.
Vergil didn't move.
He simply muttered, "Scatter."
The group broke apart, drawing weapons, Lira chanting, Thorne roaring to intercept—but Vergil remained where he was, eyes locked on the creature that wore his face.
'You're sending messages now, Morvax?'
His sword gleamed in the pale light of the ruins as he stepped forward, cutting the charge short with a single, precise slash.
The doll's head rolled to the side, still twitching as it hit the floor. The rest of the body followed, splattering with a wet thud.
All went still.
Silence.
Then:
Vergil exhaled. "Let's keep moving. We're being watched."
Eleanor gave a short nod, voice calm. "Understood."
Thorne, still wide-eyed, asked, "W-Who would do something like that?"
Kael's voice came gentle, almost mournful. "Some people… just want to wear others."
Vergil glanced over his shoulder briefly, catching Kael's eyes.
'Nice try dumbass,'
Morvax just smiled back.
'Soon.'
The group advanced deeper into the punished ruins, the scent of old blood and rotting stone clinging to the air like a second skin. Every step echoed through the crumbling corridor, the walls whispering with phantom breaths.
Then they felt it.
The hum of something ahead—alive. Something skittered just beyond the reach of light, claws dragging against cracked tile, dozens of legs clicking in unison.
Vergil's hand instinctively hovered near his blade, but he didn't draw it.
"Eleanor," he murmured from behind, voice quiet but firm.
She didn't need further instruction.
Already stepping forward, her cloak fluttered as the ambient mana began to crackle around her. The air thickened, the scent of ozone forming like a promise. Her hand extended, two fingers pointed out as a glowing blue circle ignited around her wrist—a layered incantation bursting with geometric runes and pulsing current.
"Volt Lance," she whispered.
Lightning erupted.
A spear of condensed electricity shot forward with violent force, illuminating the hallway in an explosive flash. It speared through the shadow ahead with a crack, nailing a twisted creature to the far wall—some malformed beast of limbs and fangs, shrieking in a tongue that didn't belong to any natural world.
The others flinched, stunned by the sheer power. The walls sizzled where the lightning scorched them, residual sparks snapping in the air like angry wasps.
From behind her, Vergil watched silently.
'Controlled output. Minimum casting time. No wasted movement. She's refining it.'
He didn't comment aloud—he didn't need to.
Eleanor lowered her arm, the magic fading, expression unchanged. "Only one. Scout."
Kael—Morvax—tilted his head, eyes narrowing.
'She's grown sharper. That spell would've killed me a week ago.'
Lira spoke up from behind, voice still shaking slightly. "That was… incredible. What tier is that spell?"
Eleanor didn't glance back. "First Circle lighting spell."
Darin muttered under his breath, "We'd be struggling for a while to deal with this…"
Thorne gave a nervous chuckle. "Remind me never to stand in front of her."
Vergil simply stepped forward and used shadow dash and mana Affinity to boost his speed as he chopped Darins head off.
The blood spurted from his head before he dropped dead. None of the other party members had time to react. They looked at him. Shocked, even Eleanor but she didn't show it.
"What did you do!?" Lira hissed as she put her staff up. The fear was present in her eyes
"The hell you doing!?" Thorne hissed
Morvax gave an unexpected look at the scene cast out in front of him 'what is he doing, I didn't expect this of him.'
"You see the jewel absorbs the blood of the dead and can open a gate to the demonic continent."
"What are you getting at, was this all you!?" Lira said in a horrid voicd
"It wasn't me, but I feel like opening the gate. So please. Die for me."
'This psychopath, but how would this benefit him?' Morvax thought to himself as he watched from the sidelines. Not even needing to act.
Vergil surged forward once more, his figure blurring like a shadow given form—aiming straight for Lira.
"No you don't!" Thorne roared, stepping in with his axe mid-swing, trying to intercept the path.
But before he could take a second step, the ground beneath him erupted.
"Entangling Snare."
Eleanor's voice was cool and composed as thick roots burst from the cracked earth, glowing faintly with green mana as they coiled around Thorne's legs and arms like serpents. They yanked him backward, slamming him against the wall with brutal force.
"What the—Eleanor!?" Thorne shouted in disbelief, struggling against the binding vines. "You're siding with him?!"
Eleanor's pale eyes narrowed. "I never said I was on your side."
Lira didn't hesitate—her staff blazed with cold light. "Frost Shard!"
A lance of ice shot toward Vergil, its tip honed to pierce through steel.
But he barely moved his head. With almost casual grace, he leaned to the side—the shard grazed past his cheek and shattered against a ruined pillar.
Vergil smiled.
"Too slow."
Mana surged again as he snapped his fingers, and flames wrapped around his blade—Ember Blaze. The sword glowed a soft, malevolent red, the flames crawling like hungry embers along the steel.
Lira's face twisted in horror.
"N-No—stay away—!"
Morvax, still wearing the skin of 'Kael,' stood silently behind the others, unmoving. His golden eyes flicked between Vergil and the others, a twisted mixture of amusement and unease forming in his mind.
'He's not even trying… He's toying with them. This… is who he really is. No restraint. No morality. Just chaos wrapped in elegance.'
But even through the dread, a grin pulled at Morvax's stolen lips.
'And it's beautiful.'
Vergil raised his sword as it flared brighter.
"Let's make this quick. I don't like drawn-out conversations."
Lira tried to scream a spell, words barely forming on her lips, but Vergil was already in front of her.
In one fluid motion, he brought the ember-lit blade down—clean, precise, cruel.
A crack echoed through the ruined chamber as the sword split through flesh and bone. Lira's body went limp mid-chant, her eyes wide in silent disbelief before she collapsed, lifeless, onto the bloodstained altar stones.
The flickering flames on Vergil's sword hissed as her blood sizzled against the heat.
Then, the red jewel embedded in the altar pulsed—once… then twice.
A soft hum filled the room as both Lira and Darin's blood slowly trickled toward the altar, as though guided by invisible hands. The fluid crept up the stone like veins drawn to a heart, before being absorbed into the jewel.
The once dull crimson gem began to glow brighter, now pulsating like a heartbeat—slow, ominous, alive.
"W-What… what's happening?" Thorne shouted from behind, still caught in the binding roots, his face twisted in fury and terror.
Vergil didn't even glance at him. He simply wiped the blood from his blade with a calm flick.
"The gate is waking up," he said softly. "Two sacrifices... not enough, but close."
Eleanor stood by in eerie silence, her face unreadable, only the faint twitch of her fingers betraying her readiness for another spell.
Morvax's heart thudded in excitement as he stared at the glowing jewel.
'The gate… it really is almost connected. He's not bluffing. But why is he doing this? Is he trying to draw someone out?'
He licked his lips, suppressing the grin that tugged at the corners of his face.
'This is far more entertaining than I expected. He's insane… but methodical. That's what makes it so delicious.'
Vergil tilted his head slightly, eyes fixed on Thorne.
"Guess that means we're not done yet."
The red glow of the jewel continued to grow… waiting.
Thorne roared in fury, veins bulging along his neck as he smashed through the last of the snare vines. His heavy shield, a thick slab of reinforced steel, crackled with aura as he charged forward like a raging beast.
"You bastard!" he shouted. "I'll kill you!"
The air trembled with the weight of his fury.
Vergil didn't flinch. He stepped into a grounded stance—left foot forward, knees low, one arm angled down while the other hovered near his chest. Calm in the face of chaos.
Thorne came barreling in, shield raised to bash through him.
Vergil sidestepped at the last second. He didn't need the world to slow—he only needed instinct. Timing.
He twisted with the motion, driving his fist directly into Thorne's gut, the impact echoing like a drumbeat.
THUD.
Thorne staggered, spittle flying from his mouth. Before he could recover, Vergil's second strike came—a sharp hook across the side of his head.
CRACK.
Thorne crumpled to the ground with a groan, unconscious, his shield clattering beside him.
Vergil exhaled slowly. Then, without hesitation, he reached down, grabbed the shield, and flipped it with one hand. It was thick and sturdy—but not too thick.
He raised it high.
"I said die for me."
SPLAT.
He brought it down on Thorne's neck like a guillotine. The blow crushed his throat with sickening finality, leaving the body twitching for a moment before going still.
A trail of blood slithered across the stone, joining the red pool around Darin's corpse.
The crimson liquid crept toward the center altar—drawn like a magnet—where the red jewel pulsed hungrily. As it drank in the second offering, its glow intensified.
Morvax—still hidden in his "Kael" form—watched with quiet fascination, but a flicker of unease touched his thoughts.
'Amazing!Amazing!Amazing! Vergil you really are the best, but what could you be after?'
Eleanor remained still, eyes fixed on the altar.
Vergil straightened, blood dripping from his hands, and turned slowly toward the last remaining soul in the room.
"One left" his voice was quite almost amused "isn't that right" he said as his eyes flickered to Kael.