Devil Slave (Satan system)

Chapter 1183: At Its Heart

The center of the None Zone was unlike anything they had ever seen. It was chaos, but not the kind that was mindless—no, it felt more like a puzzle, constantly shifting, solving itself, only to break apart and unravel again. Stars blinked in and out of existence, whole galaxies formed in a breath, spinning with wild potential before collapsing into themselves as though they had never been. Colors twisted and warped, impossible hues blending together into an unrecognizable swirl, while time itself rippled in unpredictable waves. What seemed like a single moment could stretch for eons, and then, in the blink of an eye, vanish into nothing.

It was as if the entire zone was both being created and destroyed at once—a paradox, a riddle that resisted any attempt at understanding.

As they hovered near the center, watching the chaos swirl around them like a living storm, Tomato finally spoke, her voice low and tense. "How… how exactly are we supposed to get the essence of creation out of this?"

Perseus stood at the edge of the ship, staring into the heart of the storm. He clenched his jaw, clearly wrestling with the same question. "Victor told me there’s only one way." He reached into his coat and pulled out a small, polished orb, no larger than a fist. Its surface glowed faintly, reflecting the chaos around them as if it was somehow connected to the wild forces in the None Zone.

"This," he said, holding the orb up for her to see. "Victor said if I place this in the center, it will draw in the pure essence of creation."

Tomato frowned, glancing between the orb and the swirling mass of chaotic energy. "And who’s supposed to do that?" she asked, her eyes narrowing as the chaotic storm outside intensified, as if the None Zone itself was aware of their presence. "Who’s going to survive walking into that?"

Perseus shook his head, his expression dark. "I don’t know."

The storm continued to rage around them, the very air buzzing with raw potential and destructive energy.

One step too far, one wrong move, and anyone who entered could be torn apart by the forces of creation and destruction happening all at once.

Tomato eyed the orb, then the storm. "So, you’re saying we have to place this thing in the middle of that chaos? And we don’t even know what will happen?"

Perseus gave her a grim nod. "Victor didn’t exactly leave instructions for that part. He just said the orb would know what to do once it reaches the center. But the problem is getting it there. Anyone who tries to walk into that storm…"

He trailed off, letting the unspoken truth settle between them.

Whoever went in might never come back.

Tomato’s expression hardened as she took a step forward, eyes fixed on the swirling chaos at the center of the None Zone. "I can enter the center and get what we need," she began, her voice steady but grim, "but if I go, the null field around the ship will dissolve. I’ll need all of my power to survive the storm in the heart of the None Zone."

Perseus glanced at the ship, then at the chaos raging around them—stars blinking into existence and collapsing just as quickly, time moving in erratic waves, and space warping like a fevered dream. The thought of Tomato leaving the ship’s protective bubble made his stomach turn. "If you leave the field… the ship would be destroyed," he said, shaking his head. "We wouldn’t last a minute."

Tomato nodded, her eyes thoughtful. "True," she said, "but there’s another way." She turned to him, her gaze intense. "I can’t go myself, but I can surround one person with my power. I can place the null field around someone and send them into the storm. They’d have a chance to reach the center and use the orb."

Perseus froze, his eyes narrowing as he looked back at her. He knew exactly where this conversation was going. Tomato looked at him, and he looked back, both of them understanding without a word needing to be spoken. He let out a long sigh, running a hand through his hair.

"This is why you wanted me here," he muttered, his voice thick with realization. "You knew from the start that nobody else would be mad enough to do this." He gritted his teeth, hating the feeling that crept up from the pit of his stomach. He despised the None Zone—the chaos, the uncertainty, the way it twisted everything around it. It was everything he hated. But despite that, he was brave. And both of them knew it.

Tomato’s eyes softened, but she didn’t deny it. "Perseus," she said quietly, "there’s no one else who can do this."

He stared at her for a long moment, the swirling chaos reflecting in his eyes. The thought of stepping into that storm, of facing the raw, untamable power at the heart of the None Zone, made every instinct scream at him to turn back. But there was no turning back. He’d come this far, and if he didn’t do this, no one else would.

"Fine," he said at last, his voice low and resigned. "Let’s get this over with."

Tomato placed her hand firmly on Perseus’ back, her touch cool and steady. A soft, shimmering glow enveloped his body, forming a thin, translucent membrane—the null field. The chaotic energies that surged through the None Zone, the wild magic that twisted and warped reality, would now have no effect on him. But it came at a cost.

"You’ll be safe from the magic," she said softly, her voice carrying a warning edge. "But you can’t use your own. The null field blocks everything—magic from the outside and from within. So be careful. You’re going in there defenseless."

Perseus nodded, feeling the weight of her words as the field settled around him. He felt… strangely empty. Like a part of him had been silenced. He could no longer sense the pulse of magic inside him, no longer feel the comforting hum of power that had always been a part of him. The void, now more tangible than ever, wrapped around him like an unseen hand.

Without another word, Tomato gave him a gentle push, sending him drifting into the chaos. He floated through the void, the swirling storm of creation and destruction mere inches from him, yet unable to touch him through the null field. His movements were slow, careful, his eyes scanning the ever-shifting landscape as he ventured deeper into the heart of the None Zone.

Around him, universes formed and died in an instant, stars bursting into life and collapsing into nothingness, planets spinning through cycles of creation and annihilation. He could see it all but felt none of its power. It was like being trapped in a dream where he was an observer, powerless to influence anything around him.

Finally, the chaos thickened, and the storm’s intensity deepened as he reached the core of the None Zone. Here, everything looked even more distorted—space twisted upon itself, and time had no meaning. It was like a puzzle that refused to be solved, endlessly shifting and warping into new configurations.

Perseus stopped. He was at the center now. Slowly, he reached into his coat and pulled out the orb Victor had given him. The moment he let it go, the orb floated into the void on its own, glowing faintly. Then, with a sudden flash, light—like stardust—began to stream into the orb, flowing from the very fabric of the None Zone itself.

A small meter appeared on the orb’s surface, ticking up slowly: 0.1%.

Perseus watched, waiting as the orb drank in the essence of creation. The percentage climbed, bit by bit, the stardust swirling in a mesmerizing dance. 0.2%... 0.3%... The process was slow, painstakingly so, but it was working.

He could only wait now, floating in the eye of the storm, as the orb filled with the essence they had come so far to retrieve. But he couldn’t shake the feeling that something—or someone—was watching him from within the chaos.

Perseus suddenly felt the cold whisper of danger before the blade even touched him. His body reacted instinctively, shifting just enough to the left to avoid the strike. The blade whizzed past his side, so close he could feel the sharp wind it carried. He spun around, eyes scanning the void around him. There was no one there.

Suddenly, the blade came again, fast and silent. He barely managed to twist out of the way. His movements became frantic as he dodged, again and again, the invisible strikes coming from all directions. The assailant was unseen, a ghost in the swirling chaos of the None Zone.

Then, in a moment of clarity, he caught the blade. His hand wrapped around its hilt, feeling the cold steel under his grip, and with that, the figure materialized before him. From the shadows emerged a tall, menacing figure—its body dark and ethereal, shifting with the shadows. The demon’s eyes gleamed like two burning coals.

A shadow demon.

Perseus’ heart sank. These weren’t ordinary demons; they were from the Abaddon family, creatures of destruction, feared for their ruthlessness and terrifying abilities. And worst of all—they hunted in packs.

The demon grinned, its sharp teeth gleaming in the dim light. Perseus knew what that grin meant. He was outmatched. The shadow demons were immune to physical attacks, their bodies little more than shadows that passed through anything solid. Only magic could hurt them, and at this moment, with Tomato’s null field surrounding him, Perseus was completely cut off from his magic.

He glanced down at the blade in his hand. Useless. The demon stepped forward, its form shifting like smoke, ready for the kill.