601  The Original Me Part 1

    The pain didn''t dissipate; instead, it grew more intense, wrapping around him.

    He clenched his teeth and dug his fingers into the earth, his nails leaving furrows in the soil.

    A strained laugh escaped him. "Is that all you''ve got?" he muttered, almost welcoming the pain.

    This didn''t worry him in the slightest. The pain was just a distraction, something he could push past.

    Then, through the haze, a vision emerged. It started as a flicker, then solidified into a tree—no, not just any tree.

    It was the Tree of Life, a giant that stood tall and proud, its branches stretching out to the heavens.

    And there, nestled within its trunk, was the seed. The very essence of creation itself, now a part of him.

    He could feel it, pulsating with power, merging with his soul.

    "Fuck," he exclaimed, the word torn from his throat with a mix of amazement and exhilaration.

    "I''m fucking lucky. That stupid devil actually has a part of that seed." His laughter grew louder, more manic. "Come on, give me more power," he urged, his voice filled with satisfaction. He began to imagine how much further he could push his power, his thirst for strength endless.

    BOOOOM!

    His aura erupted outward, a wave of raw energy shooting toward the sky.

    It was the same phenomenon that had occurred when he surpassed demon god status, but this time, he wasn''t teleported away, and the energy didn''t dissipate.

    Dark red and blinding light engulfed everything, spreading out in all directions, swallowing up anything in its path.

    A dome formed, stretching across 20 kilometers, erasing everything in its wake—trees, rivers, and even the very air itself.

    Once the chaos subsided, a massive crater replaced the landscape, its edges unnervingly clean and precise. The depth looked endless.

    "That''s it?" He raised an eyebrow, his expression hardening with frustration. It made no sense that he only gained a little power up after consuming it.

    Well, technically, it wasn''t that small, but given the size of his reserves, it barely made a dent. He was expecting at least a 200% increase, at the very least.

    That was the Seed of Life, a godlike item that should have pushed any organism to the very limits of its potential.

    Even Lilith, a weakling, had reached unimaginable heights with it. So why was the effect so minimal for him?

    ''Maybe it''s because I''m already too strong?'' he wondered.

    It was highly plausible that he was already at the peak of his race''s potential, making the increase negligible.

    Lightning and negative energy crackled and twisted together within it.

    Still no response.

    "Three!" It expanded further, now larger than an entire house.

    "Four!" In an instant, the ball quadrupled in size, now looking like a massive building, its energy pulsating with destructive force.

    The demons below could only hoped that this would be resolved without the need for a fight.

    Even Draven and the other demon gods felt uneasy. The dark energy surrounding Reign was powerful enough to level the entire city.

    "Is that really the being who killed Satan?" Draven asked, turning to Ariel."Yes," Ariel replied, her voice steady.

    "We saw it with our own eyes. He defeated Satan like he was nothing more than a child."

    Draven and the others swallowed hard, their gazes fixed on Reign''s terrifying visage.

    It was a look that made them want to flee, though they knew they couldn''t.

    The bloodlust and killing intent radiating from him were overwhelming, even for demons. It was so intense that, for a brief moment, they felt like saints in comparison.

    "Six!" The dark orb expanded to the size of a mountain, completely blocking out the entire city.

    The demons below were losing their composure—this wasn''t even more than halfway to ten yet.

    "Stop!" Ra''s voice echoed through the air, and from within the barrier, a giant hologram materialized, perfectly mirroring Ra''s appearance.

    "Oh, so you finally show yourself, thief," Reign laughed, but he didn''t dissipate his attack.

    Instead, he kept it suspended in the air, its power crackling ominously over everyone.

    "I should be the one saying that," Ra shot back "You''re the one who stole my original body."

    "Stole your body?" Reign struggled to control his laughter. "A little bitch like you thinks you''re the original?"

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    --Authors Note:

    Sorry for the delayed upload. I''ve been busy, but I''m back to daily uploads now.