From God of Lies to Lord of All Worlds

Chapter 80: Shadow of the Demon in the Slums

The prison near Manhattan, the crises unfolding within its walls, and that colossal beam of light had absolutely nothing to do with the Black population in Queens.

To them, any fleeting curiosity was easily eclipsed by their fundamental physical needs.

Namely, the pressing question of what they were going to eat today.

Ever since Golden Hair signed a series of Executive Orders ostensibly aimed at "Making America Great Again"—but in reality forcing the poor to foot the bill for the wealthy—life for the destitute here had only grown more difficult.

They were shocked to discover that the free food and subsidies they once relied on now required proof of employment and tax records.

Even temporary workers were barred from receiving benefits; only those with formal, full-time jobs qualified.

Not to mention the street donation spots and food banks—those places had already begun to be demolished.

This intensified exploitation made survival even more agonizing for the poor who were already living in dire straits.

Even the number of homeless persons had noticeably decreased. Those without money had no choice but to work for a gang or participate in dangerous trials for a pharmaceutical company, only to vanish shortly thereafter.

None of this was mere speculation, of course; it was exactly what Remus was reading from the mind of the Black man standing before him.The man was currently in a deeply disoriented state, allowing Remus to effortlessly deconstruct his identity.

As a Demon's Favored One, Remus naturally would not die so easily, though his current state could hardly be considered "alive" either.

During that terrifying pursuit, he had witnessed firsthand how the Demon Lord known as Baphomet—rumored to be a top-ten great Demon in Hell—was relentlessly hunted down by the archangel Michael.

Originally, Remus had lacked any real concept of this mythical archangel.

But after surviving that chase in the dimension known as Hell, he finally understood just how unfathomably powerful Michael truly was!

This Six-Winged Seraphim had practically slaughtered his way through the entirety of Hell. Any Demon, structure, volcano, or obstacle that dared to stand in his path was cleaved apart with a single strike of his sword.

It was only at the very end, when the archangel's descent timer ran out and he was forced away by a brilliant cross of light, that Baphomet managed to escape with his life.

And as the vessel for Baphomet, Remus naturally did not fare well either.

The great Demon had merely stated, "Your Contract is not yet complete," before tossing him back to the mortal realm, leaving him to crash into this exact area.

The moment he landed, he felt that terrifyingly intense light radiating from afar, carrying a fearsome, holy aura that forced him to instantly conceal his own power.

That was the power of the holy light. It was the Holy Power belonging to those Angels and the heavenly kingdom, the very same agonizing force that had just pierced deep into his flesh and bone.

Even though Remus's emotions had been heavily dulled from his repeated acts of vengeance, he could still feel that bone-deep agony and terror. It was a mighty power he was utterly unable to resist.

Such torment was not lessened by his demonic nature, nor could it be ignored through emotional apathy. Only in this moment did he truly understand why Angels and Demons were natural Sworn Enemies.

Of course, the current Remus lacked the strength to go looking for trouble with his targets anyway.

The myriad of injuries ravaging his body had practically reduced him from an invincible Demon to a half-crippled husk of a man.

He simply lay in this cramped shack within the slums, relying on his ability to sense the joys, sorrows, loves, and Hatred of the people around him. He was observing human emotions through the lens of a Demon.

This was the only thing Remus could manage to do. Michael's methods had been far too ruthless, virtually shattering his entire physical structure and robbing him of all mobility.

Had his demonic body not been so resilient, his soul would have already been thoroughly scattered to the winds.

But as a Demon, his tenacious vitality and the Contract from Hell were the core reasons Remus could survive. Even more miraculously, as resentment, malice, and wicked thoughts brewed within the people of the slums, Remus actually managed to siphon a sliver of restorative power from them!

As he absorbed this energy and felt his body slowly mending, Remus's initial inclination to just lie low quietly was suddenly replaced by a different idea.

"The wicked thoughts of others can heal my body?" he deduced in surprise.

Thus, Remus swiftly prayed to Baphomet, hoping for guidance. Since Remus was a direct vassal, Baphomet actually took a moment from his own recuperation to provide an answer.

"If you can cultivate your own vassals, the fear, malice, and chaos they bring will all become your power!"

"Pass on your power, transform others, and harvest fear. This is the way a Demon grows!"

This was the essence of a Demon: absolute chaos and absolute power, cultivating absolute fear and indulgence—and doing it openly, right out in plain sight!

Perhaps this was precisely why Demons were so incredibly powerful, capable of rivaling the Seven Heavens.

For Remus, this was nothing short of a rebirth!

No longer content with merely siphoning off meager droplets of malice, he resolved to forge his own special squad. That way, even if he eventually returned to Hell, he would be a Demon with his own loyal faction rather than a solitary loner!

During his time in the military, Remus had not been an ordinary soldier. He was a Lieutenant who had commanded a platoon of dozens of men, possessing extensive leadership experience.

Therefore, he knew exactly how to make someone willingly submit as his subordinate and spread panic on his behalf.

After inspecting numerous individuals from the slums, he settled on the man standing before him.

Tain Ward, an African American, a lowly grunt in a local Black gang, a street-loitering scum, and the type of person who got shaken down by the cops the moment he stepped outside!

However, unlike his peers, Tain had actually attended school.

While everyone else was wasting their days away, Tain had chosen to study. Through sheer hard work, he had nearly secured an acceptance letter from a prestigious university.

Then, he was rejected. How could a Black kid born in the slums of Queens ever pass the initial screening of those elite Ivy League schools? It did not matter that he was the brightest student in his community.

His spot was usurped, his identity was swapped, and the stellar grades he had earned through over a decade of effort—while racking up tens of thousands of dollars in debt to a gang—became the academic credentials for someone living on the Upper East Side!

Tain quickly realized this harsh truth. Understanding the original sin of his background, he completed his descent into darkness, joining the most radical local gang, the Black Lives Gang. There, he vowed to drag those greedy, wealthy elites down from their pedestals.

Then came the brutal crackdown. The Black Lives Gang was dismantled under heavy police suppression. Having lost an arm in the chaos, a delirious Tain stumbled his way right in front of Remus, becoming the perfect subject for him to read.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk!" Remus felt that this individual was simply too perfect.

His pure Hatred, expansive knowledge, deep social awareness, and crystal-clear understanding of himself all pointed to one fact: if Tain were not Black, he would have likely already been happily saddled with student loans.

But it was precisely this kind of person who suited his needs perfectly!

Remus could sense that the Hatred burning within Tain was more than enough to turn him into a sculptor of fear. This would undoubtedly grant Remus the abundant power needed to mend his body, and perhaps even push his strength to new heights!

"Let me think... what should I transform you into?" Remus did not want a disposable pawn. He needed a pack of creatures capable of continuously harvesting fear for him, making the exact nature of the transformation crucial.

"Woof! Woof!" Suddenly, the sound of a dog barking nearby made Remus's eyes light up. "Ah! Would turning him into a dog... or rather, a Werewolf, be a bit more fitting?"

And so, when a groggy Tain Ward finally opened his eyes, he was greeted by the terrifying visage of the Demon right in front of him!

"Holy Shit! What the fuck! Motherfucker?!"

The immediate reaction to such mind-numbing terror was, of course, total paralysis.