A hush fell over the training hall after Piers's victory. The sheer power of his Hellsfire, piercing through Astarte's stronger attack, was the subject of immediate debate. A student from the Demonic Badger house stepped forward. "You all aren't getting it, are you? The pillar of fire that Piers made pierced right through Astarte's power. It's no wonder he won." Another said, "But Astarte's power was great too, I guess Peirs won due to his battle technique."
Suddenly, the Dark God's Dendrogram glowed, and Piers saw a vision. An upper-class boy walked through the halls, his body already heavily covered in black marks, signifying he was on the verge of corruption. The vision then delved into the boy's soul, watching it rot, before focusing on the corruption itself: an invisible hand from Hell reaching out to claim the boy's essence.
Piers snapped out of the vision. He quickly took out the Dendrogram, and a message instantly appeared: A boy is going to turn into a devil, not just from body but soul itself—a true devil. The upper echelons are not going to help you, so take care.
Piers authoritatively and coldly looked at the Demonic Badger student. "Give me a pen." The student shivered from Piers' cold look and quickly complied.
Piers wrote: But the teachers will be able to help us, right? Most of the students will die if this will happen.
The Dark God replied: No, teachers won't help you either. Even if Severin will help, the other teachers don't do hand-holding. They just chose the person they like and protect them only, nothing more, nothing less. They do it to harden the students and reduce resources.
But what will happen to the students? Piers wrote.
At least 100 students will die if you remain far from the boy when he devilifies, and even if you remain closer, the teachers would take some students and kill them behind the scenes as collateral damage. There is no way for you to save them; they will die either way.
Piers used his Mephisto power to rush out of the room. The four houses watched in disbelief. "He still has more power?" one asked. Halfway through his journey, Piers's Mephisto power wore off—he could only sustain it for about an hour. He coughed up blood but decided to press on, eventually reaching Zen, who was practicing new moves.
"Master Zen, I want to ask something," Piers said.
Zen turned. "What is it, Piers?"
"Master Zen, I suddenly got a vision. I saw an upper classmate turn into a devil, not just from his body, but his soul."
"Piers, visions are not true," Zen replied. "They are just a part of one fate, and within the multiple fates that exist in this world, they have a very small chance of occurring."
"But if this vision is true, that boy will turn into a devil, and he might kill hundreds of students here. And even if I save the students, the upper echelons will kill them," Piers insisted.
"For good, there must be sacrifices. It hardens the students and..."
Piers shouted, "Stop with those nonsense! Master, I have always followed you and decided to be a devil holder because you told me you lived in the darkness to protect light, but all I am seeing is darkness! I even killed a person who was surrendering just because of you!" Zen remained silent. Piers continued, "Either you show me that there is indeed light in this darkness, or don't mind accepting the darkness to create light!"
Piers took out his Phantom Insignia, challenging Zen. Zen sighed. "Fine, then I will show you that within this darkness, a light still dwells." Zen held out his hand, and a small ball of light shone, then turned toward Piers. "This light is my promise to you that I will save all the students within this fight."
Piers smiled, but it quickly dropped as Zen continued, "Only if you and only you fight the devil. If anyone else interferes, then our deal is off."
"Only me?" Piers asked.
"Yes, only you. Either you fight with the devil to save the people, or you save yourself and let the people die." The wind swished through the area, the tension palpable in the deathly silence between them.
The next day, Piers strode through the halls, the Black Serpents trailing him out of fear and respect for his power. Still uneasy about fighting a devil alone, he unknowingly activated his Mephisto power in frustration. "Why do I have to do this?" he demanded, smashing his leg on the ground. The shockwave shook the ground, causing nearby students to tumble. No one dared to speak; Piers was visibly enraged.
Suddenly, a person spoke. "Master Piers, please don't get angry." Piers looked at the boy. "And who the hell are you?"
The boy replied, "I am the leader of the Demonic Badger house disciples. My name is Garth." He and the other Demonic Badger students knelt on one knee. "I have witness your power first hand due to which I want you to be the leader of the Demonic Badger."
Astarte then approached and knelt with the Death Vulture students. "Since you defeated me, from now, Death Vulture is under your command."
Another boy, Silas, the leader of the Dark Lions, came forward and knelt. "Like the other houses we too withness your power and we too want you to be the leader of our Dark Lion."
The Black Serpent students also knelt. The upper disciples who witnessed this were stunned; it was the first time a single disciple had captured all four houses under his command.
Piers looked around. How did I not realize this before? I don't just have people under my command, but a responsibility to protect them. They trust me, and now all I need to do is trust myself, he thought.
In his cold, authoritative voice, Piers said, "Get up, all of you." Silas, Astarte, and Garth stood. Piers looked at his new command. "We have work to do now."