Revenge pact

Around 11 PM.

In a compact chamber crafted from gleaming white marble, its walls fortified by magic, Adonis stood poised.

The room measured a modest 25 by 25 meters, its ceilings reaching an impressive height of 5 meters. With his fingers clenched firmly around the hilt of a wooden sword, Adonis confronted a robust straw dummy.

{You've become fairly proficient with the first two techniques of the first stage... time to learn the third.}

'Yes Lord Eos.'

{Supreme Devil art, Stage one: Domain Devastation...}

'Does the name have to be so long?'

{You're one to talk, you have eight names.}

'Eight? What's the other one?' Adonis arched his eyebrows.

{Dumbass.}

'Not funny.' Unamused, Adonis straightened his face.

{Anyway...This technique is a diagonal slash.}

'Then why name it?'

{Do you wanna learn the technique or not?}

'Sorry...'

{Good, now get in position.}

Following the Devil God's instructions Adonis widened his stance, granting himself a stable foundation. With focused intent, he elevated the wooden sword above his head, his toned arms and sturdy legs tense with sheer power.

A sinister energy began swirling within his being.

{You sure it's safe to use Demonic Aura in here?}

'We're far enough away from the rest of the dorms, plus I set up a high-level barrier that seals us off from the rest of the dormitory.'

{Okay then...Resume.}

Taking Eos' words as a signal to proceed, Adonis began his transformation.

His hair commenced a gradual growth, creeping towards his eyebrows. Similar to his mane, this hair started to undergo a chromatic shift, transitioning into a darker shade of purple.

Continuing with his metamorphosis, Adonis' teeth sharpened and elongated, adding to his devilish demeanor. In tandem with this change, his eyes took on an orange hue, superimposing itself over their original silver.

DEMMMMM

{Your control over Demonic Aura has improved.}

"Hehe." A chuckle escaped his lips, his once-gentle, deep voice shed its usual sweetness, now carrying a raspy and malevolent quality that struck fear into anyone who heard it.

A faint yet distinct rubbing sound resonated through the air as Adonis intensified the strength of his grip. The outcome was immediate—a scarlet aura began to seep onto the surface of his wooden blade, a manifestation of his growing power.

{That should be enough.}

"Okay..."

{Raise your blade, tilt the sword about forty-five degrees...}

Adhering to the deity's instructions, Adonis slanted the sword at the specified angle, fixing his gaze intently upon the straw dummy before him.

{Release!}

Adonis immediately pounced at the target at a speed that could only be described as superhuman.

His sword sliced through the air gracefully, generating a piercing whistle that echoed throughout the room.

SHING

Upon contact, the result was simply astonishing. The fortified form of the dummy ruptured, its sturdy body yielding as if it were nothing more than gelatin.

Exiting the straw dummy, the Wicked Aura covering Adonis' blade slowly dissipated.

{Sloppy! It was too slow, the angle was off, your body weight distribution was poor and the strength utilized was subpar even for you... Sloppy, utterly sloppy!}

"I know..." Adonis sighed, revealing his teeth that were rapidly shrinking to their default state.

{Again!}

After quickly replacing the dummy, Adonis initiated the process anew. With each successive slash, he was met with a disheartening critique of the Devil God.

He replicated the attack sequence four more times, pushing himself until a sensation of lightheadedness began to encroach upon his consciousness.

After he set up the final straw dummy, Adonis threw his wooden sword to the ground.

{What're you doing, you're going to do it one more time.}

"I want to try out a different attack."

{Then why'd you discard the blade dumbass?}

"It's not necessary for this one."

{Hm?}

"Are you familiar with (Censored)?"

{Unfortunately, why?}

"(Censored) used the (Censored) arts... I'm trying to recreate them. Tell me what you think."

***

A few seconds later.

Adonis stood behind the straw dummy his hand glowin a dim scarlet.

The target he had been facing now bore a substantial hole in its abdomen, the aperture spanning from the chest's edges.

{Not bad... but when you (Censored) your (Censored) was slightly off.}

"Understood. But without utilizing magic it is tough to recreate."

{Don't give me excuses Oizys.}

-sigh-

{Don't sigh at me mortal!}

A heavily fatigued Adonis absentmindedly nodded as he approached the door that connected his private training room to a space resembling an apartment.

He threw himself onto the soft mattress, letting out a sharp exhale upon impact.

{You were quite vocal today in class, mortal.}

'It was necessary for my preparations...' He shrugged, his mouth harboring a repulsive bitterness caused by the lies he had told earlier on.

"I learned something fairly crucial today, but I still lack the necessary knowledge and power to make my dreams a reality." Thinking out loud, Adonis muttered solemnly.

{How do you plan on fixing the first issue?}

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

On cue, half of Adonis' solution forcefully knocked on the wooden door.

"Come in!'

After a brief pause, a petite young lady characterized by lengthy silver hair and captivating violet eyes walked in.

"Good evening Adonis." Her voice carried a fusion of gentleness and frostiness.

"Why're you being so formal Hiram, it's after school hours?" Watching the young lady attempt to be formal, he couldn't help but giggle.

Her cheeks heating up Hiram diverted her eyes from Adonis and spoke softly.

"So why'd you ask me here in the middle of the night."

{To fuck!}

"Ew no!" Adonis retorted, the disapproval evident in his voice.

"Sorry, what?" Jerking her head back towards the boy, Hiram's widened eyes weren't shy in vocalizing their astonishment.

{Kukuku... virgin.}

'I'm only fifteen!'

"Sorry about that, I just thought back to a question Aster asked me." Adonis smiled gently, trying to both shift the topic of discussion and conceal his embarrassment.

"Aster? As in Maxwell Aster, the eighth Rising Star?" Putting her hand to her chin, Hiram sifted through her memories trying to remember where she heard the name.

"Yep, him."

"I'm glad to see you're actually talking to someone other than yourself... I used to get worried when you constantly used to whisper to yourself." Hiram flashed a soft smile towards her fiancé.

'I don't whisper to myself.' He said sternly.

{You do.}

'That's because I'm speaking to you!'

{Don't use me as an excuse for your oddness mortal.}

"Take some accountability!" Adonis puffed his cheeks.

"For?" Hiram's smile faltered, her head tilting slightly in a puzzled manner.

"Hehe, sorry... Not you."

{See there you go again, talking to yourself like some weirdo.}

Refusing to be rattled a second time, Adonis ignored the deity.

"So how's being an assistant?"

"It's alright, although I do wish there were more people my age."

"Elder Mars should be around your age?"

"Well... About that, Elder Mars is a bit... Odd."

"True." Remembering his first encounter with the Vice Commander, Adonis shuddered.

"You've met him?" She asked curiously.

"Briefly. Other than the lack of potential friends, is everything alright? I mean you can always go into a bar in the city."

"I mean, friends aren't really a necessity so it's okay. It's much better than what mom was getting at the bank; we get free food, long holidays and the pay is goo-"

"Pay, you say?" Adonis' luminous silver eyes transformed into the shape of large gold sacs.

"You're not going to see a single dime." Hiram's face straightened.

"What?! But Hiram!" Feeling betrayed, Adonis lunged at her.

"Kyaa!"Her face now a deep crimson, she tried to fight off the first year that clung to her.

"Adonis I need money to myself to pay for essentials."

"Essentials? We've been sharing finances till now, what's the big shift." He whined.

"Adonis, the things you buy are bare bones, to say the least."

"Bare bones?! A wise man once said, 'It is a great weight to a soul to live frugally with a contended mind.' "

"Adonis...You once made us eat dirty mushroom soup for a whole month because beef went up by a single silver coin"

"Seven silver coins for a pound of beef is ridiculous!" Feeling a sense of offense, Adonis found himself compelled to defend himself, revealing a trace of the childishness he appeared to have outgrown.

"Hehe." Hiram, relishing these rare moments when Adonis acted his age, emitted a soft giggle while casting a caring gaze upon the boy.

{Relax Professor Penny pincher.}

Hearing Eos' comment, he immediately cleared his throat and decided to address the topic of the meeting.

"So, Hiram... Could you please do something for me?"

"Sure, anything?"

"I'd like for you to investigate four students for me and give me a detailed report on them."

"Investigate?" She suspiciously contorted her eyebrows into a sharp arch.

"Yes, could you please prepare a report using the school's database; They don't have to be detailed... Just include their family situation, financial stability and background."

"Is that all? That shouldn't be that difficult."

"Yeah, that should be sufficient."

'Any information that could actually be useful would never be in the database.'

{Then what's the point of using the database?}

'Mistakes, even the elite make mistakes...'

"Which students do you have in mind?"

"Maxwell Aster the eighth Rising Star, Jerald Cecil the fifth Rising Star, Wendy Carter the tenth Rising Star, and Toni from Class1A."

"I thought Maxwell was your friend?" A fresh frown etched onto her face, Hiram asked with a tinge of sadness.

"He is..."