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[Ding!]
[Side Quest: The Black Forest Ritual]: Completed
[Rewards: 2,000 points, Bloodline Awakening +2%]
[Current Points: 7,000]
[Demon Bloodline Awakening: 5%]
The system notification rang in his head. Only after confirming Yutun was completely dead did Soren stand up.
At 5% bloodline awakening, the only noticeable change was a few more white streaks in his hair. He didn't feel any major physical shift yet. It seemed like he'd need to hit a higher threshold before the next real breakthrough.
He raised his arms and looked at the dark-purple spectral hands wrapped around them, then clenched his fists in satisfaction.
This was a new technique he'd accidentally discovered while fighting the three-fingered freak and perfected during the battle with Yutun.
When too much demonic power concentrated in his arms, the excess energy could be drawn outside his body and manifested as additional limbs.
These ghost hands didn't just increase his striking power when attached to his real arms.
Even better, since they were made of pure demonic energy, they could touch and damage spiritual entities that normal weapons couldn't even scratch.
They could also float independently beside him for defense or extra attacks.
Of course, this technique had clear drawbacks.
The more power he poured into the spectral arms, the less demonic energy remained to protect the rest of his body.
Still, Soren thought, once his bloodline awakened further and his demonic reserves grew massive enough, he might be able to coat his entire body in this energy and create a full demonic armor.
He shook the thought away and kicked Yutun's motionless corpse with a sigh.
Just as he expected, the demon didn't turn into a glowing Devil Arm after death.
"Still too weak."
Only demon lords or special high-ranking demons usually met the requirements to become Devil Arms, and even then they had to submit willingly or be completely broken.
Yutun might sound impressive—"Loki's bastard son" and all that—but in reality it was just a mid-tier demon with heavily specialized abilities.
With a thought, Soren tossed the corpse into his Silent Hill domain.
…
Inside Alessa's Otherworld, gray ash drifted endlessly through the air.
The domain had expanded again. Besides the original foggy town, a new vacation resort area had appeared on the outskirts.
Alessa sat on the roof of one of the new buildings, chin resting in her hands, watching boredly as the humans below ran screaming from her monsters.
These were the "toys" Soren had specifically left for her. She had to be careful not to break them too quickly, or she'd get bored again for a long time.
Suddenly she sensed Soren throwing something new into the domain.
Her small figure faded into the mist.
When she reappeared, she was standing in front of Yutun's corpse.
This was Soren's private storage area.
Although he could restrict her access whenever he wanted, he had never done so. She still had full control over the daily operations of the Otherworld.
Alessa studied the new corpse carefully.
The strong spiritual waves coming from it immediately caught her attention.
She could tell that consuming this thing would greatly boost her own power, which would let her help Soren even more in the future.
The little girl stared at the body without blinking. Drool glistened at the corner of her mouth.
But instead of pouncing on it immediately, she obediently sent a mental message to Soren asking for permission to eat.
Back in the real world.
Soren had returned to the freaks' logging camp and was picking out a new ride.
He paused mid-step when Alessa's request popped into his head and let out a helpless sigh.
This kid really has zero standards… she'll eat anything.
Still, she said devouring Yutun would help increase her strength and make her more useful to him.
After thinking it over, Soren decided it was fine.
Yutun specialized in mental and illusion powers—the exact same field as Alessa. It was basically perfect nourishment for her.
If her abilities could evolve further and let her create small-scale illusions or sensory-deprivation fields, his future fights would become much easier.
An enemy who couldn't see, hear, or feel anything would be completely helpless, no matter how violent he got.
As for Nico, Soren wasn't worried about not having anything to give her.
She usually only needed specific demon parts for her Devil Arms anyway—like Yutun's antlers.
The rest of the meat could be Alessa's snack.
After sending back the message to leave the bones and antlers for him, Soren stopped thinking about it.
He picked out a relatively clean convertible sports car from the garage and drove off.
…
"Want to escape the noise of the city? Slapton Quarry has been fully renovated! Eden…"
Click.
"Too damn loud."
Soren switched off the sudden advertisement broadcast.
Two purple ghost hands dutifully held the steering wheel for him while he studied the paper map, planning his return route.
There was a small town called Slapton a few dozen miles ahead.
The convertible was almost out of gas, so he needed to refuel.
He also had to call a tow truck for the car he'd left on the highway earlier.
More importantly, after driving all the way from Los Santos and fighting for days straight, he desperately needed a large ice-cold strawberry sundae and a decent place to sleep.
…
Slapton Town.
Most of the buildings here were low and run-down from years of neglect. Dirty pickup trucks and old cars were parked haphazardly along the streets.
Locals gathered in small groups, their eyes filled with suspicion and hostility toward any unfamiliar face.
On one street corner, a few hoodlums in hoodies watched every car entering town with dark, predatory looks.
"Honey, I heard the Eden Lake resort being developed outside town is supposed to be really nice."
In the passenger seat of their SUV, the blonde woman flipped through a travel guide.
After the nightmare they'd experienced in Silent Hill, Rose and her husband Christopher had decided to take their daughter Sharon on a road trip to help them all recover.
They were passing through Slapton now and planned to rest here for a couple of days.
"Camping by a beautiful lake does sound better than staying in this dump," Christopher agreed with a smile, glancing back at Sharon in the backseat, worried she might suddenly disappear again.
Sharon hugged her teddy bear tightly, looking nervously out the window. This backward, shabby little town gave her a bad feeling.
"Mom… those people outside are staring at us. It's scary."
Alessa made eye contact with one of the young men on the corner. His gaze made her shrink back in her seat.
"They don't seem to like us."
"Don't overthink it, sweetheart." Rose turned around and took her daughter's hand. "We're just strangers to them. It's normal to be a little wary."
The SUV slowly pulled up in front of a small motel.
A nervous-looking young man stood at the entrance wiping the glass with a rag.
Just as Christopher was about to get out and ask about rooms—
A loud screech of tires cut him off.
He turned his head.
A red convertible had been forced to stop in the middle of the road by several teenagers on bicycles.
The driver's door opened, and a young man in a dark red coat stepped out.
"Oh my God! It's Mr. Soren!" Rose covered her mouth in shock.
Christopher paused, staring at the man. "That private detective you met in Silent Hill?"
"Yes, that's him. If it weren't for Mr. Soren, Sharon and I would never have made it out."
Rose's voice was full of certainty.
Seeing the group of hostile youths already surrounding the convertible, Christopher immediately reached for the door handle. "In that case, we should go help him. Those punks look like they're looking for trouble."
Rose's expression froze.
She glanced at her husband rolling up his sleeves, then remembered the brutal scene of Soren kicking monsters across the room.
She quickly grabbed his arm and shook her head.
"…Maybe we should stay in the car. I don't think he needs our help."