Way of the Knights

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Raven woke up nice and refreshed from his 8 hour of sleep. 

Thanks to his efforts of modifying the formation, he wasn't cooked by the terrible heat in Asphodel. In fact, he felt nice and cooled due to the winter breeze circulation around him. 

When he got out, he discovered that Kyrie was still up, just like him she was also refreshed thanks to the cooled air around them. 

Both of them ate something first and then continued on the way deeper to Asphodel. 

Currently they were at the edges of its outskirts, their goal this time is reach the Inner Depths and go closer to the Devil Emperor's Pagoda in order to complete the mission given to him by the Grand Elder. 

Without the formation protecting them, they have to once again bear the heat of their surroundings and raise their vigilance against the Devils lurking around and of course, the curse. 

However just like before, Raven wasn't really in a hurry at all. He casually travelled at a constant speed while maintaining vigilance. Sometimes he would encounter some Devils but weaker ones, those only need a lift of his hand to destroy. 

Of course, Raven also decided to try out the Cleansing Flames since he doesn't know when he'll be here again. 

Thanks to the consistent strengthening of his Chaos Force, the Cleansing Flame Seed had fully condensed into a size of a mere speck. Despite it's size though, the intensity and purity of the flames were taken to the next level. 

A single plume of fire could instantly incinerate any weaker devils he encountered. Additionally, since he's here, he's able to actually witness the effectiveness of his Cleansing Flames against Devils. 

It had to he known that every Devil here was more or less immune to ordinary fires or fire-based attacks, even attacks containing Fire Laws were less effective here. Also, anyone who thinks that Ice based attacks or Ice Laws will prevail here would seriously be mistaken. In fact, in this place, anyone who specializes in Ice Laws are greatly suppressed. 

Needless to say, Cleansing Flames appear to be a variable against this. 

At some point in his travels, Raven encountered mid-level devils such as Devil Dreadbears, Venomous Devil Scorpions, Mad Devil Bulls and etc. 

These things gave Raven some good exercise and they have certain immunity against Cleansing Flames. However, Raven was also glad to know this since he'll be able to formulate strategies in his mind with this information. 

He also discovered strange effect of the Cleansing Flame. Yes, although the flames are very effective against Devils in addition to having some sort of suppression against them, any Devils who saw him using it will instantly turn mad and charge wildly against him without any care for their well being. 

Raven felt their loathing against the flames. It's as if they want to devour it but doing so was impossible and will be the cause to their deaths. 

Truly, likes moths to the flames.

Additionally, unlike when he killed devils normally, when the Cleansing Flames were used against them, the flames will not stop burning until there's nothing left of them. Raven witnessed how the flames persisted for a long time even after there's visibly nothing for it to burn anymore. 

The Cleansing Flame truly was a wonderful weapon against these devils. 

On the side note however, Raven still has yet to meet fellow disciples. 

He clearly remembered that many of them entered at the same time so he thought he'd at least encounter some people by now but he still hasn't. 

'It's either they are hunting within the depths or the situation is dire.' Raven muttered inwardly. 'But then again, if the situation was truly dire then why were there any sense of urgency on the mission? There was no specified time limit for the arrival. Nobody contacted me at all.'

Raven thought there's something strange going on here. There were many chances for them to tell him to hurry up but nobody did so. 

Thinking like this, Raven decided to pick-up the pace a bit more. So far, his instincts didn't give him any warning signs or whatsoever but it wouldn't hurt got him to go a little bit faster. 

Kyrie also noticed Raven hastening the pace. She has some guesses in her heart but she didn't say anything and continued tailing instead. 

Though he picked up the pace, Raven's vigilance remained at an all time high. Sometimes, he would pause and fight some devils he encountered along the way. Thanks to his skills and the Cleansing Flames, he was making quick work on the abominations he met, saving him plenty of time. 

The types of Devils he encounters were getting more and more dangerous as he went deeper. Not only that, the heat and concentration of the curse was steadily rising due to them getting closer to the center of Asphodel.

The Devils on the Inner Depths were already strong enough to threaten Lord Knights id their reckless, therefore he didn't lower down his guard at all. 

"Hmm?" 

Raven suddenly stopped on his tracks. His eyes were glued onto something which caused him to be stunned momentarily. It was a devil, but its unlike those he had seen before. 

It was a Converted Devil. 

Solemnness appeared on his face, he tossed the mission details at the back of his head for now and instead focused on the thing before him. 

The devil was at least 6 foot tall. It had a charred skin filled with cracks revealing some flash underneath. It doesn't bleed and doesn't look sane either. It was slowly walking forward as it it's travelling aimlessly. It was bald, it's face were similarly charred and filled with webs of cracks as well. It's eyes were dull and unlike the rest, this devil was wearing clothes. 

Not just any clothes, but the same uniform that Raven had.

Yes, Converted Devils are precisely former humans. Which is why Raven stopped at his tracks. 

He had never seen them before. This will be his first time confronting one ever since becoming a disciple here. 

Monica from the Cleansing Chapel revealed to him this information before. She said that anybody who experienced a lethal injury caused by Devils will most likely be coerced into converting. 

This is due to the residual Will of the Devil Emperor eroding their soul and consciousness persistently. Once they succumbed to this, there's no turning back. 

Monica also said that the purpose of the Cleansing Chapel is to bring salvation to these poor souls. Unfortunately, they can't use the power of the Cleansing Flames outside of Tartarus since they don't have seeds. Due to that, the borrowed power they can use will be limited within the Devil's Cradle and would be outright ineffective inside the Devil Emperor's Pagoda. 

That's unless, they were a seed bearer like Raven. 

During his time on Tartarus, Raven always wondered if he could return the Converted Devils' humanity to them. It would seem that this will be the time to figure this out. 

Raven slowly approached the Converted Devil, locking it on his focus in order to see all of its movements. At some point in his approach, the devil sensed his presence and without an ounce of a doubt, ran towards him. 

It charged like a mad bull, spit spluttering everywhere and with an erratic movements. Its limbs flailed everywhere and its head bobbed up and down. It opened its mouth wanting to take a bite out of him while groaning in a deep voice. 

This scene caused Raven to flinch, not because he was afraid but because of hesitation. Even the voice inside of him tells him that there's no way that this thing was human before. From the moment it was converted, it no longer was one. The Cleansers also thought the same as well, therefore it would seem that he's too optimistic about his chances. 

Still, Raven fought the urge to end its misery. He shook his head and waved a hand, causing the devil to stop dead at its tracks. It doesn't matter how much it tried to escape, the invisible restrictions were too tough for it.

After locking it in place using the invisible arms, Raven slowly approached the devil. At some point, a plume of Cleansing Flame appeared on his hand which covered it like a glove. 

Upon seeing the flames, the Converted Devil froze. This reaction was noticed by Raven and also Kyrie who's watching from afar. 

Raven took a deep breath and calmed his nerves. He then raised his flame covered hand and placed it on the head of the Converted Devil. 

The Converted Devil released an inhuman screech, Raven ignored it and tried his best to search for the source of the Converted Devil's source. 

He gnashed his teeth as he saw its soul. It was covered in filth, tortured with numerous little creatures that gnawed at it. Raven's flames arrived, trying his best to get rid of these things but as he killed them, part of the its soul vanished with them. 

Raven failed...

He opened his eyes, saddened about his failure. 

But then he saw the little gleam of clarity on the Converted Devil's eyes before it dissipated to ashes.