The Devil’s Cage

The rich aroma spread out from the gymnasium.

“It smells so good!”

A security guard outside the gymnasium picked up the smell. He sniffed it, and his face showed admiration. His body then moved towards the gymnasium uncontrollably.

As a matter of fact, not just that particular guard, ever other guards that picked up the smell followed him into the gymnasium.

“Stop! All of you! Stop!”

Professor Tyrese shouted loudly and wanted to hold the guards back, but it was useless.

The guards were running towards the gymnasium like they were being possessed.

Anyone who dared to stand before them would be shown hostility, including Professor Tyrese.

After dodging the merciless attacks from the guards, Professor Tyrese was forced to give up.

Actually, it wasn’t just because of the attacks from the guards, but because Professor Tyrese, too, had the urge to ‘eat’ whatever was being cooked inside.

When the urge rose in his heart, Professor Tyrese quickly stepped away with cautiousness and watched the scene with worry.

“Professor Tyrese, what should we do?”

Leonard and a group of strong-willed guards were also looking at the gymnasium with caution.

The other four First Seats settled down their respective students before gathering over.

Every one of them looked at Professor Tyrese.

Professor Tyrese had to suppress the anxiety in his heart and put on a calm face.

“Everyone continue to move back. I’ll contact blocks C and D for assistance,” said Professor Tyrese.

However, when Professor Tyrese saw the relieved faces in the crowd, he felt even more bitter because he knew it was hard for blocks C and D to send effective aid.

As a matter of fact, not just blocks C and D, but A and B were also suffering and may be in an even more dire situation than the former.

“Hope Principal Romuse can come back as soon as possible.”

The previous scene was enough to let Professor Tyrese know everything was Smith’s plan to lure Principal Romuse away, and since Smith was very familiar with Principal Romuse, he achieved it easily.

Similarly, Professor Tyrese knew Smith would not let the principal return so easily and quickly, but other than the principal, Professor Tyrese had no idea who he should request help from.

“You guys aren’t standing far enough. If you don’t want to get hurt, try to stay farther away!” a lazy voice sounded, and the crowd saw a sleepy ‘Kieran’.

No! It wasn’t Kieran, but another Ghost of Appetite!

A second Ghost of Appetite? He had two?!

The crowd was looking at Sloth in shock. They did not even realize Sloth was talking to them.

“Man, so troublesome. Do I need to repeat myself? Can you all…”

“You can communicate with us?”

Lazy and impatient, Sloth wanted to repeat himself but was interrupted by Renata’s surprised words.

Renata widened her eyes at Sloth, the shock in her eyes almost materializing.

As an owner of the Ghost of Appetite talent, Renata was very concerned in developing the Ghost of Appetite. She once read about the said talent in an ancient text; it stated that only when the Ghost of Appetite achieved the status of Celestial Ghost would it behave like a real person, possess its own mind and intellect, plus be able to communicate and produce a lot of unimaginable abilities.

“What do you think I am doing? Am I speaking to air? Why are you people so troublesome!”

Sloth grunted. If he had a choice, he really did not want to explain it to them. He’d rather find a corner to nap, but he couldn’t defy Kieran’s order, so he mustered enough strength to simply explain the situation.

“Celestial Ghost! It’s really a Celestial Ghost!”

When Renata heard Sloth’s explanation and saw the impatience on his face, she couldn’t hold back her soft mutters to herself.

The others heard Renata muttering to herself, and their eyes on Sloth instantly changed.

“You are 2567’s Ghost of Appetite?” Professor Tyrese asked carefully

“Yeah, yeah, now follow me.”

Sloth was too lazy to explain his existence, so he simply agreed and walked away before they could further ask him questions.

When the crowd finally followed him, Sloth heaved a breath of relief because he did what he came for. He then turned around and looked at the gymnasium where the noises of massacre were sounding relentlessly. He sighed.

“Pitiful soul, what’s wrong with staying alive? Why are you picking on the scariest opponent?”

“Kill!”

“Get the hell away from that!”

“You bastards, that’s mine!”

The security guards who were lured into the gymnasium got affected even more as they got closer to that claypot. Before they even got close, a messy, bloody fight happened.

Gluttony, on the other hand, reacted the exact opposite way.

After he swallowed the tail of the Jiaolong, he picked up the smell from the claypot, but it smelled like a can of herring to him. He covered his nose and mouth, and ran outside the gymnasium, but after a few steps, he ran back in.

Gluttony jumped up to the audience seat and grabbed the little cauldron that released the Jiaolong before he continue to run outside. As he ran, he sized up the little cauldron and then licked it.

Joy appeared on his face. He opened his mouth and threw the cauldron in.

Crunch, Crunch!

Amid the chewing noise, Gluttony ran even faster.

Back at the main ring, something finally happened to the claypot that was producing relentless boiling noises.

Pak!

Tsssss!

A loud pop later, teeth-numbing screeches sounded, and the lid of the claypot slowly pushed open.

Fuuuua!

Thick steam filled the entire main ring, and inside the steam, a faint figure was taking form.

Smith shook excitedly, and Bolt also barked in joy.

However, those guards who were lured in by the smell became even more frenzied. They gave up killing each other and ran towards the main ring.

Smith frowned, he waved his hand.

Without a sign, blazing flames burst out of thin air and engulfed everyone who was running towards the claypot. The security guards didn’t even have the chance to scream before they were completely burnt to cinders.

Even after the flames devoured the frenzied guards, they did not die off.

They gushed towards the main ring like water and converged with the palm-sized flame under the claypot.

The flames were one from the start, so they fused together without any resistance.

As the flames flowed around the claypot, the steam was dispersed and the figure inside was revealed: it was a young girl.

Her face was blank and in a daze. Her body was covered in a layer of silk gauze.

The silk gauze wrapped around her body tightly, bringing out her slender physique perfectly, and even if the young girl was in confusion, it didn’t hurt her charms.

She looked even more charming with a dazed face, much more attractive this way.

Similar to how the smell from the claypot drove people crazy, a single glance at the young girl would do the same.

“Sherly!” Smith cried out in surprise when he saw the young girl. He jumped over immediately.

“S-Smith?” When the young girl saw Smith, the dazed expression on her face vanished. She seemed to remember something and showed a warm smile.

“You’ve finally come back! This is great!”

Smith looked at the person that he dreamt of day and night. He saw the smile that he replayed countless times in his mind. He couldn’t stop himself from hugging her.

Tears of joy rolled down his cheeks.

He waited for this day for a long time, to the point that he almost gave up.

Fortunately, he succeeded!

The young girl was also in tears as she felt the true emotions from Smith.

‘It’s great that you succeeded! Otherwise, I would have really died!

‘It was just an accident, who would’ve thought it would become a revival! This is great!’

“I want to thank you,” said the girl in tears.

“Thank me? Why do you have to? There is no need for thanks between us.”

Smith smiled and shook his head at the girl in his arms.

He didn’t want her to thank him. What he did for her was all out of his own will.

Her appearance and existence was the motivation that drove his actions.

“I must!” the young girl said seriously. While Smith was shocked by the look, the girl bit him on the neck.

Blood gushed out like a fountain, and it was sucked away by the girl.

Smith didn’t resist though. The shock on his face even went away at the next moment.

He smiled and hugged her, allowing her to suck his blood.

Bolt growled and wanted to stop her, but Smith prevented it.

If she wanted his life, he would give it to her because it was what he owed her back then. It was time for him to clear his debts.

“Wuuu wuuuuuu,” Bolt whimpered when it understood its master’s thoughts. Its paws kept scratching the ground, and claw marks were created, but Bolt did not go up to Smith.

It would not defy its master’s order.

Smith’s body swiftly withered, his life fading away.

At the very last moment of his life, he looked up at the sky that he, quite frankly, hadn’t seen in a long time.

“This is really suffocating,” Smith said softly as he looked up at the sky through the cracks in the ceiling, his life hanging on a thread.

“I know, it is really suffocating. Do you know how I spent my days in that cursed place? I’d take a rat as a pet if it ever appeared, let alone a person that wandered in. That little girl was too kind, too naive, to the point that I was affected by her. I controlled myself to eat a small piece of her everyday, but she was too small, so I finished her within a week. Fortunately, there was still the most delicious part, her soul. But you, you barged in and brought her away!”

The girl released Smith’s neck when she heard what he said; it seemed to have triggered a resonance in her. She sounded angry and also grateful at the same time.

“Soul?” Smith was shocked.

“Hahahaha, until now, you still don’t know if the person you spent your time with is her real self or her soul? I can’t blame you though. After all, with my devour, her soul was grinded together with her person. She could even unconsciously bring her body away.

“Do you know when I saw her shy looks, it lifted my appetite a lot? I really wanted to swallow her in a single bite, but your appearance ruined my appetite. But who would’ve thought you would eventually become the key for my escape. Fate is really something, isn’t it?”

The girl laughed fanatically, her eyes blinking at Smith, who was falling.

“Didn’t Sherly die because of that mystic beast that accidentally barged into her expedition in the Mystic State and nibbled on her body?” Smith’s body was shaking.

“Of course not, that was just a coincidence. She didn’t have that specific memory, so she thought she was going into the Mystic State because of the school trials. Although, I really have to thank that mystic beast; otherwise, you would not have been distracted and I could not have snuck into this suffocating body.”

The girl shook her head and showed delight on her face, as though she was grateful for the wise choice she made.

The girl—or rather, it—did not stop though. It hadn’t been free for a long time so it needed a quiet audience, and who else was more suitable than Smith?

“Feeling angry? But isn’t your body too weak to do anything?”

“Don’t worry, believe me, you are not the first! Back then, a lot of Eaters tried to destroy me, but all of them ended up in my stomach and… DON’T TOUCH ME WITH FIRE!”

Fuaaa!

Flames suddenly engulfed the young girl’s body. The flames were fierce and could burn one to cinders in a moment, but it did not harm the girl at all.

Instead, just like pouring gas onto a fire, it infuriated the girl even more.

The fire reminded the girl of that bastard Eater who sealed it in the dried up Mystic State and tried to burn its life with fire!

At first, it was rather effective, but that bastard underestimated its power. After it had forsaken its own body, such flames could not inflict any harm to its soul, just like the flames now.

“I know it’s targeting the soul, but it’s too weak. It’s not hot enough.”

The girl watched Smith struggle to stand up and chuckled coldly.

It didn’t want to continue playing anymore; the flames had interrupted its mood.

It wanted to kill Smith and then destroy that damned place where it had been sealed.

The place was currently known as the cafeteria by these people!

It wanted to destroy the cafeteria!

The changes of mood caused changes in its aura, and Bolt sharply sensed it. Before the girl could do anything, Bolt dashed over, grabbed Smith and ran for it.

The girl wasn’t concerned; killing one or two more did not matter, it was just a matter of time.

Now, the girl lacked everything except for time!

The girl followed Bolt, and the pressure from behind made Bolt run faster.

Since Bolt had a certain level of intellect and a keen animal instinct, it did not run towards the crowded area, for it knew numbers weren’t a solution to the problem.

So it quickly ran and followed Gluttony, who started to run earlier.

Bolt’s choice allowed the girl to notice Gluttony. Its eyes shone right away.

“P-Perfect!” the girl muttered.

In a flash, the girl overtook Bolt with Smith on his back and appeared in front of Gluttony.

“How perfect, you are! You exist only to eat! And I will eat you to reach the legendary state!”

As the girl was declaring, Gluttony turned around and ran back to the gymnasium.

The girl smiled when it saw Gluttony trying to run away.

“You can’t run away from me!”

With its eager voice, the girl appeared right in front of Gluttony again, thus placing the gymnasium behind her.

“Don’t move, and let me eat you,” said the girl.

“L-Look behind you!” Gluttony stuttered.

“What? You want to trick me by saying there is someone behind me? You really think I’ll fall for it? Do you think I am an idiot?”

The girl frowned and looked at Gluttony with disdain. It had been through too much to be tricked. It may have be fooled during its earlier days but definitely not now.

However, the moment its voice subsided, a hundred meter long light sword fell from the sky and drowned it.

KABOOOOM!