CHAPTER 94: POWER’S PRICE

[Infernal Sovereign Protocol – Online]

Host: Liam Cross

Essence: 23,000

Evolution Points: 47

Stage: 4-Star Greater Fiend (3000 TE required for 4-Star Ascension)

True Essence: 1800

Dominion: 5%

Infamy: Dreaded Tier

Status: Supreme Commander (Ascending)

Belief Network: Very Stable

---

Liam stood in the training grounds at dawn, staring at the interface that only he could see.

[Evolution Points Available: 47 EVP]

[Current Skills: 12 Active, 3 Passive]

[Recommendation: Optimize for upcoming offensive operations]

Two months until they marched on Sanctum Lux.

Two months to transform from demon who’d barely survive Orin into force capable of leading assault on most fortified city.

Two months to become actually, genuinely powerful instead of just performing divinity through clever use of limited abilities.

He pulled up the full skill list, studying what he’d accumulated and what remained available.

Current Active Skills:

- Sovereign’s Dominion (Evolved) - Demonic aura affecting multiple targets

- Hell’s Flame (Unevolved) - Control of abyssal fire

- Hell’s Summon (Evolved) - Opening gates to summon entities

- Primordial Authority → Absolute Command (Evolved) - Irresistible commands to multiple targets

- Martial Combat (Unlocked) - Foundation of all fighting techniques

- Swordsmanship (Unlocked) - Specialized blade mastery

- Blink (Unevolved) - Short-range teleportation

- Echo of the Abyss (Unevolved) - Psychic terror projection

- Oblivion’s Gaze (Unlocked) - Null-energy beam from eyes

- Abyssal Plate (Unlocked) - Manifested shadow armor

- Worship Conversion (Unevolved) - Passive faith-to-essence

- Soul-Drinker (Unevolved) - Passive damage-to-essence and regeneration

Forty-seven evolution points to spend. The question was where to allocate them for maximum effectiveness.

"Hell’s Flame needs upgrade," he muttered. "Used it constantly but never evolved it past basic function."

[Hell’s Flame - Evolution Options:]

[Option 1: Infernal Conflagration - 15 EVP]

[Effect: Increases range, intensity, and control. Fire becomes difficult to extinguish even with holy magic]

[Option 2: Flame Manipulation - 12 EVP]

[Effect: Allows shaping fire into constructs and weapons. Less raw power, more versatility]

"Infernal Conflagration. If I’m burning things, might as well burn them properly."

[Hell’s Flame → Infernal Conflagration]

[15 EVP Consumed]

[Remaining: 32 EVP]

The knowledge settled into him like second nature. Understanding of how to push demonic fire beyond normal limits. How to make flames that ate through magical defenses and resisted conventional countermeasures.

"Blink next. Short-range teleportation is useful but limited."

[Blink - Evolution Options:]

[Option 1: Phase Shift - 10 EVP]

[Effect: Increases range to 15 feet, reduces cooldown, allows mid-combat repositioning]

[Option 2: Shadow Step - 12 EVP]

[Effect: Can teleport to any shadowed area within 30 feet, but requires darkness]

"Phase Shift. Reliability over situational power."

[Blink → Phase Shift]

[10 EVP Consumed]

[Remaining: 22 EVP]

"Soul-Drinker passive is keeping me alive in extended fights. Should upgrade that."

[Soul-Drinker - Evolution Options:]

[Option 1: Essence Feast - 10 EVP]

[Effect: Doubles conversion rate. More damage dealt = more essence gained and faster regeneration]

[Option 2: Life Drain - 10 EVP]

[Effect: Can actively drain life force from enemies in addition to passive conversion]

"Essence Feast. I need sustainability more than active draining."

[Soul-Drinker → Essence Feast]

[8 EVP Consumed]

[Remaining: 14 EVP]

He studied the remaining points. Fourteen EVP left. Enough for one more moderate upgrade or saving for future evolution.

"Echo of the Abyss. The psychic terror worked on Orin. Should make it stronger."

[Echo of the Abyss - Evolution Options:]

[Option 1: Abyssal Scream - 12 EVP]

[Effect: Affects area rather than single target. Projects terror to everyone within 20 feet]

[Option 2: Mind Shatter - 15 EVP]

[Effect: Single target but devastating. Can break concentration, disrupt spellcasting, potentially cause temporary insanity]

"Not enough points for Mind Shatter. Abyssal Scream it is."

[Echo of the Abyss → Abyssal Scream]

[12 EVP Consumed]

[Remaining: 2 EVP]

[Status: Evolution complete]

[Recommendation: Test new capabilities before combat deployment]

The upgrades settled into his essence like new muscles growing into place. More power. More options. More ways to kill things that needed killing.

Now he just needed to actually practice using them.

---

The castle training grounds were empty at dawn.

Which gave Liam privacy to test upgraded abilities without audience.

He started with [Infernal Conflagration].

Black and crimson flames erupted from his hand, and immediately he felt the difference.

The fire was hotter, more intense, with a hungry quality that made it feel almost alive. He shaped it into a sphere, threw it at training dummy thirty feet away.

The dummy didn’t just burn. It was consumed. The flames ate through enchanted wood that was supposed to resist fire, leaving nothing except ash and the smell of something fundamentally wrong.

"Okay. That’s significantly more destructive than before."

Next was [Phase Shift].

He focused, activated the skill, and reality fractured.

Instead of the short three-foot hop that Blink provided, he moved fifteen feet instantly.

No cooldown either—he could chain teleports in rapid succession.

He practiced the pattern. Teleport left. Teleport forward. Teleport right.

The movements became fluid, allowing combat repositioning that would have been impossible before.

"This is actually useful. Could dodge attacks I can’t block, close distance on ranged opponents, create confusion about positioning."

[Essence Feast] was passive, so he couldn’t test it without actual combat. But he could feel the difference in how his demonic core processed energy. More efficient. More hungry.

Ready to convert damage dealt into fuel that kept him fighting.

[Abyssal Scream] was the most concerning to test. Psychic terror that affected area rather than individual target.

He focused on a group of training dummies arranged in formation, channeled the skill, and—

The wave of primal dread crashed outward like a physical force.

Every dummy within range seemed to shudder despite being inanimate.

The wooden constructs didn’t feel fear, obviously, but the psychic energy still affected them in ways that made the air feel off.

"It’s best to not use that around allies. Area effect terror doesn’t distinguish between enemy and friendly."

He practiced combinations next.

[Phase Shift] to reposition, [Infernal Conflagration] to burn, [Abyssal Scream] to disorient, [Phase Shift] again to avoid counterattack.

The pattern felt natural, like his combat instincts were adapting to upgraded capabilities.

"You’re up early."

Liam spun, hand already moving toward where Igar’s Shard would be if he’d brought it, and found Lilith standing at the training ground entrance.