Chapter 73: The Generalist
Bees only minded their business unless one dared to poke their hive.
A Phoenix didn't cry unless one dared to look down on it.
And a Dragon didn't roar unless one dared to defy its might.
The essence of all Beasts had lied in their unpredictability.
*
2021, Dungeon (New York)
"AAAAAHHHHH… !"
Boomie's eyes were entirely red and, from their corner, tiny streams of blood were seeping out. His beastly screams echoed in the Dungeon and drool mixed with blood came out with it.
Aldrich had tightly wrapped his hands around Boomie's torso, trying to hold him down. Even with his strength, Aldrich saw himself getting dragged just a little. He narrowed his eyes, seeing Boomie's ruptured muscles and the visible flesh under his skin.
"BASTARD! I will kill you!"
Boomie shouted, looking at his father's head. Mr. Delmar's face had many knife wounds, with blood dripping down from it. Both father and son had the same hair and the hate in their eyes for each other was the same too.
"Shhh… Boomie, it's an illusion."
Aldrich had never thought that Boomie's condition would act up in a situation like this. He remembered the day when he found Mr. Delmar's body under the murdered Mrs. Delmar. There were hundreds of lacerations on his body which seemed nothing but a work of the beast in Aldrich's eyes.
Aldrich had found Boomie to be in a state of extreme denial. Boomie's mind had denied the truth of her mother's death, and that he had killed his father. Spreading the rumors of Mr. Delmar's disappearance was easy, as the retired Medical Examiner had developed a reputation for being an asshole. Even easier for him was to take care of the bodies.
The fact of contacting the police had never even crossed his mind. Aldrich had his plans for Boomie. As he mastered Psychology, focusing on Denialism, he had one of the best patients with him. The treatment of whom had been going on for the last ten years.
Aldrich looked at the two heads in the hands of Blue Bellerophon. He knew nothing could be more disastrous for Boomie than meeting eye to eye with the truth. But the bodiless heads had not stopped speaking.
"You Beast! You killed 'me', your father! I knew this bitch had birthed a rascal."
Aldrich saw the mocking smile on the Boss's face and knew that she had controlled every word spoken by the supposed Boomie's dead parents. But what he feared had already taken place.
The Sash around Boomie's shoulders got ripped apart by unseen claws. A blood mist originated out of Boomie's head and an image of a face with a single eye and two curved horns materialized in air.
Aldrich's mind shook as he saw the face made of Blood-mist. The ferocity of that single eye had surpassed everything he had seen so far. Aldrich's blood boiled, influenced by its sheer presence and he got to know what secrets lied in Boomie's new Class.
This was the Class-specific Skill of Baron Bernard Delmar, the Blood Devil.
Houuuuu!!!
As the Devil opened its mouth, an unusual howl of turbulent wind came out. Aldrich was still holding onto his friend when Boomie exploded in a shower of Blood. Aldrich got blasted away and saw the shocking scene unraveling in front of his eyes.
The blood came together and made a naked body under the Devil's head. But everything about it was blood-red. The red skin on its hands, legs, chest, and back wriggled like millions of worms were crawling under it. The Devil's head looked at the Boss and let out a bloodcurdling roar.
ROARRRRR!!!
But the Blue Bellerophon had already seemed to be prepared for it. A golden slave collar with an image of an owl carved on it materialized in front of her. The Devil dashed towards the target, but before it could reach the Boss, the slave collar vanished and reappeared around its neck. No Skill was useless in the world of RECORD.
SUPREME TAMER!
Aldrich saw the Boomie's parents' heads vanishing, serving their purpose.
"HAHAHA… !"
He also heard the crazed laughter of the blue-armored beauty and knew things had turned for the worse. The Boss pointed her finger at Aldrich and the Devil couldn't help but follow her command.
Grrrrrrr!!!
Aldrich heard the Devil's growls as it jumped towards him. Its body squirmed in midair as meter-long claws came out of its hand. With a tremendous force, it slashed at Aldrich using them all. Aldrich saw many flaws in the Devil's body, enough to kill it in one blow, but deep within the Devil lied the will of his years-long friend.
Swishh!!!
Aldrich left an afterimage as he dodged the Claws, but it turned out to be a mistake. The slave collar tightened as the Devil missed its target and only the painful roars could tell of its unbearable agony.
Aaaaargghhhhhh!!!
"You… !"
Aldrich eyed the Boss and her smile told him what would happen if he kept dodging the Devil's attacks. The single eye on the Devil's horned head almost popped out in pain as it again rushed towards Aldrich. The dilemma of getting ripped apart by the senseless beast and letting Boomie suffer made Aldrich clench his fist.
Aldrich was angry. And the anger of a patient man was one of the scariest emotions.
Aldrich looked at the slave collar and the owl engraved on it. As he closed his eyes, his mind raced through the golden red and blue owls and the Shield that had replaced the sky. The Devil was only a few meters away from him and its rage even closer. Aldrich's heart stopped, remembering his encounter with the Will of The Foul Mist of Abyss.
The insight was instantaneous, and the realization was natural.
If there was a Law of Divine, then there must be a Law of Devil.
No Class could master the essence of these Laws just a few weeks ago. But an ERROR happened, which made the RECORD that surpassed the boundaries of the Universe generate a unique Class.
The Generalist.
"If the essence of a Devil is Pain. Then let this Pain be Banished!"