The Demon Revealed

Bo Aibiyi stood on the podium, taking a moment to compose his agitated emotions. ‘Now, where is my treasure? Where could it be?’ he mused, his gaze drifting towards the intoxicating, covetous golden glow emanating from the crowd.

The foolish girl was waving her arms, a joyous, excited smile gracing her face as she looked directly at him.

‘This poor, foolish girl had no idea what awaited her,’ Bo Aibiyi thought, a smirk playing on his lips. ‘Yet, that light, no matter when I see it, truly is breathtaking.’

He wrestled with the surging impulses within, straining to keep his face from betraying the raw desire contorting his soul. He managed to conjure what he believed was his most benevolent smile for the unsuspecting girl.

Then, under the effect of his [Distorted Mirror] spell, he subtly blurred the villagers’ perceptions. Without a moment’s hesitation, he channeled his magic, aiming the small, exquisite staff directly at Jing.

Upon acquiring the small staff, Bo Aibiyi had secretly experimented with its effects on several death row inmates within Morgan City. By channeling magic into the artifact, he could transform a human into a demon.

While the metamorphosis demanded a colossal amount of magical energy, it was a manageable cost for Bo Aibiyi, a peak Archmage.

Crucially, the staff’s transformation was not instantaneous; it had a delayed effect. During this period, the target would lose their hearing. Once fully demonized, only their outward appearance would change, with no enhancement to their actual strength. Most significantly, they would be rendered completely speechless.

These specific conditions were, for Bo Aibiyi’s intricate scheme, nothing short of perfect. As for the condemned prisoners used in his trials? Their lives held no value. Unseen and unheard, Bo Aibiyi had simply disposed of them.

The staff’s light struck Jing with unerring precision. As Bo Aibiyi observed Jing’s suddenly lost expression, a wave of triumphant joy surged through him, envisioning his plan’s imminent success.

“Esteemed villagers! As I just said, my next words may strike you as utterly incredible. However, I swear in the name of the God of Wisdom that every single word I utter is the truth!” Bo Aibiyi declared from the podium, his right hand raised in a gesture of pious vow.

“I am a peak Archmage, yet I possess a unique gift: [Detect Race]! And with this ability, I have discovered a demon hiding their true identity right here, in Balyaas Village, lurking amongst you!” Bo Aibiyi proclaimed with a look of profound anguish.

As Bo Aibiyi’s words fell, a cacophony of murmurs and exclamations erupted from the villagers. Some wore expressions of utter incredulity, while others sported looks that clearly questioned if he was jesting. A few even guffawed, as if Bo Aibiyi had just delivered the punchline to a particularly amusing jest.

“This is a true demon! Do none of you comprehend the implications of a demon’s presence? They will annihilate every soul in this village! Demons are a ruthless, terrifying, bloodthirsty, powerful, and profoundly malevolent race! I was wounded at the time, which is why I dared not disclose the demon’s existence, fearing that an unleashed fiend would imperil all your lives!” Bo Aibiyi cried out, his voice tinged with agitation, as he watched the villagers’ faces.

“Hahaha~ Oh, Master Mage, please cease your jesting. If a demon truly lurked among us, surely our village would have been wiped out ages ago? Do demons truly fatten us like Uli beasts, only to then butcher and consume us?” A villager guffawed loudly, his voice carrying across the square as he addressed Bo Aibiyi.

“Indeed, Chief Rica, is this Master Mage perhaps someone you arranged to invite, merely to add some entertainment to today’s festivities?” A dame chortled playfully, looking towards Chief Rica.

“That is because this demon has not been concealed within the village for an extended period. Rather, it was only recently summoned into this world and is still in a weakened state!”

“I implore you all to reflect: has anyone appeared in this village suddenly in recent times? And, following their arrival, have peculiar occurrences begun to plague our community?” Bo Aibiyi exclaimed, his voice throbbing with urgency, all the while subtly steering their collective thoughts.

“What nonsense is this mage spouting? Our village has always known peace. The only sudden arrival recently has been you, the half-dead mage Jing so kindly rescued!” An old woman grumbled indignantly, glaring at Bo Aibiyi on the podium.

“Yet… now that it’s mentioned, Jing did indeed appear quite suddenly near the village some time ago, brought back by Grandpa Joseph from beyond our borders.” A voice murmured with a hint of uncertainty.

“Jing? Are you mad? She’s such a lovely child! However, it does seem that ever since Jing’s arrival, the normally tranquil Velsen Forest has grown somewhat peculiar. Just recently, that monster, the… the Rampaging Uli, burst into the village. Fortunately, Jing intervened to help…” The old woman’s face was a mask of disbelief, but her words abruptly caught in her throat as the memory of Jing single-handedly defeating the Rampaging Uli resurfaced.

Suddenly, every eye in the crowd swiveled to fix upon Jing.

“Do you even comprehend the words leaving your mouth, you accursed wretch? How dare you cast suspicion upon Jing? She saved your life, you ungrateful dog!”

Hake, who had been standing behind Bo Aibiyi, erupted in fury upon hearing the accusation. His eyes blazing crimson, he lunged forward, seizing Bo Aibiyi by the collar and lifting him clear off the ground with a guttural roar.

“You have all guessed correctly… and I myself am profoundly pained by this revelation. For it was none other than Miss Jing who personally rescued me from beyond the village, making her one of my saviors. Yet, even a savior’s kindness cannot blind me to a demon lurking among our people with sinister intent.”

“Mr. Hake, I understand your skepticism, but I shall unveil the truth for all to see. Observe! The demon is already in disarray, its disguise shattered!”

Even as Hake held him aloft, Bo Aibiyi merely shrugged with casual indifference. Then, with a righteous finger, he pointed directly towards Jing.

Jing, now ensnared by the collective gaze, felt an unusual flush bloom across her beautiful face. Tiny beads of sweat dotted her forehead, and her eyes, devoid of focus, darted aimlessly.

She seemed to be helplessly pleading for aid, as if her deepest secret had been violently torn open. Her mouth opened and closed, yet no sound escaped. To the onlookers, she appeared like a prisoner burdened by a heavy secret, now irrevocably exposed.

The crowd, who had initially scoffed, were now thrown into disarray by Jing’s unnatural stillness. A nascent unease, palpable and chilling, began to ripple through their exchanged glances.

“Jing… she can’t really be a demon, can she…” A dame whispered, her voice laced with a tremor of fear.

“You damned fools! Do you truly believe the words of that ungrateful scoundrel? If it weren’t for my Jing’s help, that swindler would have perished in the forest long ago! My Jing is absolutely not a demon! Stop looking at her with those strange eyes!” Grandpa Joseph roared, seeing the villagers staring at Jing as if she were a monster. His eyes bloodshot with rage, he stepped in front of Jing, shielding her with outstretched arms.

“Jing… Jing… are you alright? What’s wrong? Why aren’t you speaking? Are you feeling unwell? Let’s go home, let’s go home, don’t mind these people. Grandma will take you home.” Grandma Ila looked at the sweating Jing with a pained expression, pulling out a handkerchief to wipe the beads of perspiration from her forehead. She took Jing’s hand, intending to lead her home.

Yet, Jing remained motionless, her face still lost in a haze. Jing could feel Grandma Ila’s affection, and the villagers’ peculiar stares. But she didn’t understand what was happening to her. She couldn’t utter a single noise, as if her own time had been brought to a standstill. What was wrong? Why was Mr. Bo Aibiyi looking at her with such a terrifying gaze? It hurt so much… Mama… Papa… Umi… Grandpa Joseph… Grandma Ila… It hurts so much, Jing’s body hurts so much, so much…

Accompanying the intense physical pain, streaks of blood-red light began to spread from Jing’s head and limbs. Involuntarily, a pained cry, like that of a monstrous creature, tore from Jing’s throat due to the agony wracking her body.

The onlookers could only watch as Jing’s entire being was enveloped in a blood-red glow. From the usually quiet Jing, an incomprehensible roar, akin to a monster’s cry, erupted, yet everyone could discern the profound suffering within it.

The clustered crowd recoiled in a panic, retreating from Jing. Only Grandpa Joseph and Grandma Ila remained within ten meters of her, both elders watching Jing with worried, tear-filled eyes, listening to her agonizing cries. Yet, the blood-red light surrounding Jing prevented them from touching her, fearing they might only intensify her pain.

As the blood-red light faded and Jing’s pained screams ceased, everyone stared in horror at the humanoid creature that now stood beside Grandpa Joseph and Grandma Ila.

It was a being that still possessed Jing’s beautiful face, but its eyes and hair had turned a startling blood-red. From either side of its head, two thick, coiled horns, as robust as human arms, had sprouted. Her original dress seemed to have been incinerated, replaced by what appeared to be scales composed of various hard, chitinous plates. These scales covered Jing’s chest and hips, as well as her hands and feet, leaving only her pale neck, rounded abdomen, and slender, elongated arms and thighs exposed. The most terrifying feature to emerge on Jing’s body was a bony tail, nearly two meters long, its tip resembling a sharp greatsword, hovering just behind her head.

“What has happened to me… Grandpa Joseph… Grandma Ila… Mr. Hake… and Mr. Bo Aibiyi… Someone tell me, why has it come to this…”

Jing’s consciousness returned, and she realized her state had normalized; she could hear sounds again, and the sensation of time standing still was gone. But before she could rejoice, she heard the surrounding villagers staring at her with monstrous gazes, murmuring,

“Demon!” “It really is a demon!”

“Will she kill us…?”

“Old Joseph, run! That’s not Jing, that’s a demon!”

“Sister Jing is looking at me… so scary, Mama, I’m so scared, Sister Jing has turned into a demon…”

These voices flooded Jing’s ears. She raised her hands to cover her ears, hoping to block out the strange words, but as soon as she lifted them, she saw her once delicate hands had transformed into a pair of terrifying, sharp claws covered in horny scales. Jing spoke, bewildered, attempting to seek help from those closest to her, yet she found that the words escaping her lips were not her familiar language, but an unknown tongue, like… a demon’s whisper.