The Handbook for Completing Demi-Human Girls

Chapter 595: Cidi

"Buzz buzz buzz!"

Fisher first gently placed his hand on this giant tree resting beneath Barbatos's residence. As a wave of bizarre energy transmitted over, the entire giant tree before his eyes was immediately affected by his powerful strength and became exceedingly precarious.

And when he did so, the mana circuits all over his body also became remarkably bright, reflecting the contortion hidden beneath Fisher's human appearance, looking just like an enormous, gaping bloody maw bent on completely devouring the souls of everyone near him.

What he was using was the chaotic power of the Soul Completion Handbook.

Among the several people present, he was the only one who had entered the Mythic Rank. And through reading the Soul Completion Handbook, his mastery of the power acquired from the Soul Completion Handbook had also reached the Mythical level, because he was almost at the end of the entire Completion Handbook, with only a little content left. He had also read more about the thoughts and memories of Caleb Uz, the owner of the Soul Completion Handbook.

According to what Eimhart said, the extremely convenient and useful thing known as demon Portals actually originated from a Demon God among the seventy-two Demon Gods named "Bachin". He possessed spatial abilities of unparalleled beauty, capable of even rivaling the Elf-kin in this aspect.

Therefore, all currently existing Portals essentially harbored his power of approximately the Sixteenth-Tier. Even if left here for Fisher to destroy, he would still need some time. This was presumably also the reason why a person like Eliog—who could shuttle instantaneously back and forth within the Demon Dynasty between her castle at the Gate of Victory and Baimon's palace—needed such a long time.

The others were temporarily resting not far away, waiting for Fisher's side to destroy it.

Taking a longer time was not entirely a bad thing; at least it allowed Fisher to ponder a few questions right now regarding the Soul Completion Handbook.

While reading the Soul Completion Handbook in the Dragon Court, Caleb Uz had once penned down a few thought-provoking sentences in the section meant only to be read at the Mythic Rank. He wrote, "The Dragon God discovered my scheme and attempted to erase me. I had to temporarily flee far from this continent, awaiting the next suitable opportunity."The key to this passage was that the Dragon God was a bona-fide Demigod, and furthermore the most powerfully capable Demigod besides Xuan Can. Yet he had once tried to kill Caleb Uz, only for Caleb to successfully escape.

Fisher developed a hint of suspicion, namely that the Mythic Rank of Chaos seemed somewhat different from the Mythic Rank of the Order of this world.

He knew previously that existences of the Mythic Rank were all of Body and Soul Unity, turning the soul and flesh into a whole entity for tempering and training in order to elevate their rank. But the Mythic Rank of Chaos had a distinct separation; at this stage, their flesh and soul could be seen as independent existences and possessed vastly differing strengths.

This characteristic could be observed between Fisher himself and Eliog—demons were also Mythical Species constructed from the power of Chaos.

For Fisher himself, he had almost finished reading the Soul Completion Handbook, yet was unable to enter the Mythic Rank in the Life Completion Manual due to lacking a "Treasure." Thus, his current situation was that his flesh was at the Fourteenth-Tier, while his soul resided at the Mythic Rank.

Did that mean that the soul inside Caleb Uz at that time very likely also possessed the strength of a Mythic Rank, just that his flesh might not have been as robust, yet he could still rely on his soul to escape from the Dragon God's hands?

If this was the case, if even Caleb Uz could resist the Dragon God solely relying on the power of his soul, could Fisher himself also lean into this extreme, confronting Agreas and the rest by elevating the strength of his soul?

What's more, he still had magic...

He still needed to deconstruct the corresponding Circle Heads hidden behind the Authorities.

But the very moment Fisher conceived this thought, under the urge of his soul power, the giant tree before his eyes developed a hint of grayish decay as if being corroded. In this instant, Fisher seemed to feel the soul power in his hands materialize, drilling into the interior of the Portal transformed from this giant tree like an ulcer on the bone.

He strained his eyes to look, only to see the spot where he made contact with the tree suddenly become sticky. A sensation of extreme dampness and chilling cold pierced straight into his brain by following his arm, causing him to shiver.

Looking over, he saw that a faint layer of black substance resembling Black Mud had inexplicably grown over his palm. There was no telling where that Black Mud came from; it seemed to be the incarnated thirst of the soul within his heart. Singing, it drilled into the giant tree, transforming on the tree according to his will into the Circle Heads he was currently conceptualizing in his mind, as if it were the incarnation of his soul and consciousness.

Fisher swallowed a gulp of saliva, staring at the manifestation of this pure, chaotic power that didn't belong to this world. He hurriedly turned around to glance at his companions behind him, but only saw that Jasmine, Eimhart, and the rest were far away and hadn't noticed this side at all.

Caleb Uz had mentioned in the Completion Manual that this "Black Mud"-like substance was the incarnation of the [Soul Authority]. This meant that the density of Chaos within his body had already reached a sufficient extent, entering the final stage and allowing him to use this purest form of soul power.

Caleb Uz referred to this thing as the "Consciousness Abyss." It could extract the opponent's soul power out of thin air, and was also capable of collapsing many existing Rules constructs and powers.

Moreover, looking at the Circle Heads it formed as it stuck to the tree, Fisher also realized that because this thing was essentially a soul itself—meaning the essence of magic—it could also be directly used to engrave magic out of thin air.

"No..."

Just as he was examining the Black Mud on his hand, he suddenly felt the Black Mud adhering to his hand squirm, taking the skin on his body along with it. Subsequently, he seemed to hear a faint echo emerging from this Black Mud, just as if he were talking to himself.

It said,

"Don't be angry... okay..."

"!"

Fisher was startled and hurriedly tried to pull his hand back. As a result, his hand left the tree, yet the sticky Black Mud on the tree remained linked to himself. Only then did Fisher recall that this Black Mud had originally come from his own soul.

He began to realize that the entity conversing with him seemed to be the very Black Mud in his hands; it was like a nascent, immature consciousness, a consciousness growing within his body.

But when Fisher realized this, he surprisingly stopped panicking.

Caleb Uz had written about the properties of this thing in the Completion Manual: when the [Consciousness Abyss] is produced, it might alienate into a brand-new consciousness. This consciousness is essentially yourself, but in reality, it cannot be considered yourself either.

The specialization of this consciousness actually originates from the soul powers you have devoured. For example, Fisher had previously consumed a part of Erwind's soul, a tiny portion of the soul power of those succubi just now, and the power he obtained while recalling his past life.

According to Caleb Uz's experience, when a soul devours the power of other souls, this external soul power would still be mixed with attributes that don't belong to your own soul. This causes your subconscious soul to believe they do not belong to yourself, thereby alienating them.

When the soul power is weak and sluggish, this sense of "not belonging" wouldn't make a person conscious of it. However, when a power of the level of the Consciousness Abyss is produced, it would simultaneously intensify the alienation alongside the strengthening of your soul power, thereby producing varying levels of consciousness based on the souls you've siphoned.

Caleb Uz's own Consciousness Abyss possessed a high degree of intelligence, equivalent to his second personality, because he had eaten many other people's souls, making his alienation extremely severe as well. Fisher, however, hadn't eaten many souls at all.

No, if forced to count, Erwind could be considered one, and her shadow had also appeared when he previously read the Life Completion Manual. That should be proof of her sufficient existence.

Fisher pondered for a moment, pressing his hand back against the tree to continue destroying the Portal. Along the way, he attempted to converse inwardly with this rather immature-sounding consciousness,

"Angry? I am not angry."

"You are."

"Why do you think so?"

"Because... you feel that someone is lying to you."

"Can you read my memories?"

"I can feel that you are angry, and I can also feel why you are angry..."

Fisher paused for a moment before saying,

"Don't you think one should be angry after being deceived by someone else?"

"Yes, but being angry makes me feel uncomfortable too."

"Why?"

"I don't know... because I can feel it..."

What magical Black Mud, it was simply like a little child.

Caleb Uz advised paying no heed to the consciousness produced from the Consciousness Abyss, as it wouldn't influence you either unless you had already completely lost control and sunk into madness. Because fundamentally, even though this thing is formed due to your soul siphoning consciousness power within your body that doesn't belong to you, it is still you yourself.

Once your own soul grows accustomed to those absorbed powers, the pseudo-consciousness within the Consciousness Abyss will gradually disappear as well.

He had also prepared to heed Caleb Uz's advice and ignore this entity within the Black Mud that seemed to be a consciousness. However, he felt a bit of compassion due to the slight sadness revealed closely at the end of the other party's words, so he offered a final perfunctory reply.

"Mm, I'm not angry anymore."

"Great, love you the most."

"..."

Could it be that he was truly far too much of a scum, such that even the Black Mud produced from within his body took on a slight girlish demeanor?

Or perhaps, was it because Erwind's soul power was within his body, making the thoughts of this Black Mud lean more toward the feminine?

At the same time, the Black Mud in his hand penetrated deeper into this giant tree. The Circle Heads on the tree's surface contorted bit by bit, twisting continuously along with Fisher's thoughts.

This tree contained the power of elves. From the "Blessing of Destiny" bestowed upon them by the World Tree, Fisher suddenly remembered that the power of destiny was composed of time and space. Coincidentally, both of these Circle Heads were manifested in magic. Therefore, using these two Circle Heads should be able to form the corresponding Mythic Rank magic.

The Black Mud shaped itself into "Time" and "Space" on the surface, soon generating a wonderful resonance and slotting into each other without any hindrance.

"Fisher... Fisher..."

That Black Mud was still calling out to him. Fisher hadn't originally planned to pay attention to it, but then heard it say,

"The Circle Heads of Dreamscape and Soul."

Fisher raised an eyebrow. He had seen the former for the first time on the necklace Valentina's mother had left for him, whereas the latter he had constructed on the ship returning from the Southern Continent to Naris. Both of these should be Dagon's Authorities.

And if the Sea of Souls in the Spirit World had an owner, then the 'Soul' Circle Head he had conceived previously actually referred not to the soul body itself, but rather the power maneuvering within the Crevice that operated the soul, because the cycle process of souls presently all required the operation of the Crevice.

The Black Mud on the tree changed bit by bit, shifting into two Circle Heads. Just like before, they became inset within each other without any obstruction.

"Smart," Fisher praised the Black Mud with a sentence, then mumbled to himself, "Which of the souls I've completely devoured do you come from exactly? Could you really be Erwind? She was also a scholar, though she shouldn't have been proficient in magic."

"Do I have to be called Erwind? Is this the name you're giving me?"

"No, it's not... I wasn't talking to you."

"Oh..."

The immature voice of the Black Mud sounded somewhat disappointed, but it quickly cheered up and said to Fisher,

"I don't like this name either. I want to be called Raphaela."

"No."

"I feel like you really like this name... then what about Helaire, Elizabeth, Jasmine, Valentina, Alajina, Eliog?"

Are you reeling off a menu here?

Fisher was somewhat speechless. Seeing that this Black Mud indeed could sense the emotions inside him, he stated unquestioningly,

"None of them will do, these are all names belonging to other people."

The tone of the Black Mud also grew increasingly low, seemingly disappointed because it couldn't pick a name it liked.

Seeing it stop talking, Fisher thought it had given up. Having obtained two Mythic Rank Circle Heads all at once, this haul could be considered plentiful. The giant tree taking the role of Barbatos's Portal before his eyes also grew increasingly fragile, until the runes above completely lost their luster, and the spot Fisher touched snapped completely, emitting a violent crunch.

"Crack crack crack crack!"

The entire tree trembled violently, subsequently carrying Barbatos's residence above to topple toward another direction.

Barbatos's Portal had been destroyed.

Just at this moment, the Black Mud—having thought for a long time—spoke up again,

"Then can I be called Cupid?"

"...No."

"Is this someone else's name too?"

Fisher opened his mouth, momentarily at a loss for words.

Could Cupid be considered that person's name?

It was probably just a name she casually blurted out to flirt when she was teasing him, right?

Seemingly acting out of spite, and seemingly as the price for that fellow Helaire deceiving him, Fisher suddenly said to this pseudo-consciousness within his mind that couldn't even be counted as an existence,

"Then you shall be called Cupid."

"Great, I love you the most."

This Black Mud said this again, sounding both immature and joyful, who knew what it was happy about.

Fisher couldn't help but ask,

"Why must you love me?"

"Why wouldn't I love you?"

"..."

Fisher paid no further heed to Cupid. Meanwhile, Jasmine, Eimhart, and the rest waiting behind for him to finish their work also heard the loud noise of the tree breaking from this side. They turned their heads and walked over simultaneously.

"Professor Fisher, is it already done?"

"Mm, we are setting off to the Gate of Knowledge to rendezvous with Eliog... She only has Fourteenth-Tier power right now, so I don't know if she has finished."

The giant tree tilted more and more, causing all the corpse birds resting on the branches to spread their wings and take flight, waking up Holland, who was sleeping on the sandy ground nearby, making him look over in a daze.

"Thump!"

But right at this moment, the toppling process of the giant tree behind them came to an abrupt end, simply halting tilted mid-air, accompanied by a loud bang emanating from behind it.

Fisher froze slightly and also turned his head to look, rapidly noticing that there seemed to be a shadow standing behind the tree.

"Who is it?"

He spoke coldly. The Black Mud that had initially retracted into his body also dropped down bit by bit and trailed off his fingertips. Behind him, Jasmine also assumed a combat stance, while Eimhart hid behind Jasmine.

After Fisher's voice echoed out, they saw a... wildly handsome and alluring male with long red hair suddenly stretching out from behind the tree?

He tilted his head and smiled, winking his left eye at Fisher, while the other right eye that remained open flickered with brilliant pink stars resembling starlight.

And between his brows, there were two moderate-sized, black curly horns resembling those of a goat, highlighting his demonic characteristics.

Large patches of his skin were laid bare; only because the majority of his body hid behind the tree did it solely expose down to his fair and chiseled collarbones.

He charmingly stuck out his tongue at Fisher, busting out a sweet smile capable of seducing most people in the world, and pleaded to Fisher with a somewhat effeminate male voice,

"My apologies. Since everyone has already destroyed the Portal, could you show some mercy and let my husband's and my home remain?"

"You..."

Fisher's earlobes artificially turned red. It was as if this demon before his eyes could stir up his most primal and instinctive desires merely by existing, not to mention that Fisher himself possessed carnal desires far exceeding that of a mortal in this aspect.

This desire didn't actually have any specific target; it was simply as if the existence before his eyes ignited the desire itself, only wanting to partake in illicit acts.

Even Jasmine behind him blushed slightly, inevitably looking at Fisher in front of her with eyes as gentle as water. She reached out and tugged at his clothes, speaking in a low voice,

"Professor Fisher... this demon is not right."

And as if pulling wasn't enough, Jasmine even more excessively stroked his muscles, like a silent demand expressing her dissatisfaction at this moment.

Hiding behind Jasmine, Eimhart didn't dare look at the situation ahead, but when he heard the word "husband" along with that male voice, a conjecture couldn't help but burst forth from the bottom of his heart.

Could it be...

But before he could speak, the red-haired demon hiding behind the tree smiled and spoke up,

"Ah, I've forgotten to introduce myself...

"Hello, I am the Demon God Cidi, Barbatos's partner."