Azael was already slipping under the female bear's brainwashing. One by one, his senses were being stripped away, smothered like dying embers. His thoughts were turning foggy, dissolving into nothingness. The only thing left was the heavy pressure crushing his mind
until a whisper cut through the haze.
"Greetings, mortal. This may not be the best time for introductions, but you're about to be enslaved for the rest of your live by her right now."
A deep male voice echoed inside Azael's mind, steady yet impossibly distant.
What? Did I hear that correctly?, Azael thought, or at least tried to think through the mush that his brain had become.
"Yes, you did, child." The voice almost sounded amused, but beneath it was something ancient. "I see your greatest desire is to escape this place… and to uncover your sin. I can help you with that."
Azael's skull felt like it was being kneaded apart. The female bear's influence was still crushing him, and now this unknown man was speaking directly into his mind. It was unbearable. Overwhelming. But even through the chaos, one instinct rose above everything else:
Survive.
That was the only thing Azael had left the single thread he refused to let go. And what the mysterious man said… intrigued him.
Then what should I do to get out of this? Azael managed to ask, forcing the thought outward.
"Since that Archfiend is moments away from erasing your remaining senses," the voice replied, suddenly sharp, "we don't have much time. I'll make you an offer, and you must accept it if you want to survive."
His tone shifted at the end no longer composed, For the first time, it sounded desperate. Like someone who had been waiting ages for this moment.
What's your offer, mysterious man?
Before the voice could answer, a black window snapped open in front of Azael, blocking the massive eyeball looming over him.
[ The Floor Sovereign: Satan is offering you a contract ]
[ Contract Conditions:
You will become a vessel for the Floor Sovereign: Satan.
In exchange, you will receive his Invocation: Fire of Wrath. ]
It sounded good too good. But that one word gnawed at him.
A vessel?
The window didn't mention anything about Azael keeping control of his own body, that'll be pointless right?. He asked Satan for clarification, but only silence answered him.
Then another window appeared, floating beside the first.
[ Write your contract condition: ]
Even though his emotions were nearly erased by the brainwashing, something inside him curled upward. Azael was smirking.
This was a risk. A massive gamble. But he remembered the desperation in Satan's voice when he said Azael had to accept if he wanted to survive. That had been the deciding factor.
So Azael wrote:
My condition is: you may enter my body only if I allow you to.
after that it was silence, a long and heavy one. Then a deep sigh filled Azael's head.
"…Fine, kid. You win this."
[ Floor Sovereign: Satan has accepted your condition ]
[ Do you accept the contract? ]
Azael laughed—only in his heart, since he couldn't move. His gamble had paid off.
Yes. I accept!, he said, his voice inside the void steady and confident. Windows erupted around him like falling shards of black glass.
[ Congratulations. You will now share this body with Satan. ]
[ Invocation Obtained: Fire of Wrath ]
[ Status Changed: Sinner → Abyssal ]
[ Your body will now undergo major changes to withstand the S-Rank Invocation. ]
[ Achievement Unlocked: Satan and Man ]
Azael's body felt like it was burning from the inside out. His skin tingled with a sensation that wasn't pain, but something far stranger as if every layer of him was being peeled away and rebuilt. His consciousness flickered like a dying flame.
Fine… Satan… here. Take my body…
The last of Azael's awareness slipped, fading into darkness, until something else stepped forward and claimed the empty space he left behind.
---
"Yes… another slave."
The female bear smiled, still hypnotizing him. But then Azael's body began trembling first lightly, then violently, his muscles jerking against her hold. She had to brace herself and tighten her grip, even though previously she hadn't needed any effort to restrain him.
"W–what… what's happening—?"
Before she could finish, the air around Azael detonated in a burst of heat. A shockwave blasted outward, igniting the frost-covered room. The archfiend screamed as she was flung backward, her hypnotic eye rupturing under the force, sparks and fragments scattering. Her tail caught fire, half of it already disappearing under the spreading black flames.
"WHAT WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!"
She regained her balance, panting, eyes wide with shock. In the center of the room stood Azael… or someone wearing him. His blonde hair had turned pitch black, shadows dancing across it like smoke. His shirt had burned away, revealing a body humming with unfamiliar energy.
Inside Azael's body is someone that had been waiting centuries for this feeling.
"Hahaha… MUAHAHAHA—"
Satan burst into laughter, the sound echoing off the frozen walls like broken thunder. He ran his hands over Azael's face, down his arms, then through his now-black hair, absolutely delighted.
"Oh, this is too good. I can't believe it. I'm FREE!!!!!." satan jumped up and down in a circle. He stop and caught his reflection in a cracked piece of ice and tilted his head, grinning at his own stolen face.
"Hm… not a bad vessel at all," he murmured, fingers tracing his cheek. "Cute face. Good bones. I could work with this."
His expression shifted instantly from playful to murderous the moment he noticed the female bear struggling to stand.
His footsteps echoed sharply as he approached her.
"You archfiend."
Satan's voice was frost and fire mixed together. The archfiend backed away, her massive form trembling despite her size.
"W-who… who are you?" she stammered.
"Don't talk to me like that," he snapped, grabbing her by the front of her fur and lifting her head up to face him. "How dare you turn my domain into your personal nest."
The glare he gave her froze her in place. All strength drained from the archfiend's face, leaving only terror.
Her voice cracked as she whispered, "A-are you really… the Floor Sovereign… Satan…?"
"HAH! Of course I am!" he bellowed, his grin twisting into something sharp and unhinged. "And after all this time… I am finally free."
He released her, letting her drop to the floor. She scrambled backward, but stopped when he lifted his hand toward her.
"Tell you what…" he said with a soft, chilling smile. "I'll let you go. But first, I want to test something."
She stuttered.
"S-sure… please… please just let me live…"
"Excellent," Satan said, stepping back. "Are you ready?" He extended his hand, his fingers spreading as a dark pulse gathered in his palm.
"1% Fire of Wrath."
Black fire erupted from his hand not spreading, but devouring. It didn't burn like normal flame it consumed everything it touched in an instant, swallowing light and sound.
The archfiend didn't even have time to scream.
A pillar of black fire shot upward, melting the frozen walls like they were made of wax. The flames left behind drifting sparks, tiny ember-shadows that continued burning even after the main fire had vanished.
When the smoke cleared, the archfiend was simply gone.
Only scorched stone, melted frost, and lingering black flames remained flickering silently in the ruined room and even spreading into the hallway beyond.
[ Congratulations, you have defeated an Archfiend: "Mama Bear" ]
[ You have been rewarded: 1,000 soul energy]
"DAMN— and that was only 1%," Satan said, jumping like he'd just won a festival game. "Ha! I really am still in my prime!"
But mid-celebration, his body swayed. His knees buckled. His voice slurred. "Great… you really want your body back now?"
That was the last thing Satan managed before he collapsed onto the icy floor, consciousness snapping off like a candle in wind. For a few long seconds, everything was still.
Then Azael gasped sharply, sucking in air as if resurfacing from underwater. He pushed himself up, touching his face, his arms, his bare chest.
"What… was that? I felt like I was watching everything from a third-person view."
He shivered at the memory.
While Satan controlled his body, Azael had seen everything like a ghost tethered to himself unable to move, unable to interfere, only witnessing.
The moment he reached for the arm Satan had used for the invocation, he flinched. A sharp, pulsing pain shot through him. The skin was scorched not gore, but a severe, angry burn left by power far beyond his limit.
He clenched his teeth and steadied his breathing, trying to push through it.
Then he caught sight of his reflection in a slab of cracked ice.
His breath hitched.
His hair, once soft gold, had become a sweeping black midnight-dark, but with a subtle metallic sheen that made every strand catch the dim light. It framed his face differently, sharper, more mature. His physique… was thicker, broader. His torso was wider, his arms more defined.
And his eyes, azael stared.
His gem-like pupils glowed brighter than ever. Deep, royal blue, like polished sapphire submerged in starlit water. Against the black hair, they looked unreal, the contrast striking and beautiful.
"…hmm. Not bad," he whispered, rubbing a hand over his now-solid abs and tracing the new bulk of his arm. "Actually… really not bad."
"Okay, kid. No time to be touching yourself."
Azael jolted.
Satan's voice echoed directly inside his skull.
"How are you talking to me?" Azael asked, glancing up at the ceiling like Satan might be floating there.
"Telepathically," Satan replied. "Anyway, you should've received a notification by now. Something like: "Congratulations, you defeated a Floor Sovereign."
As if on cue, a window materialized.
[ CONGRATULATIONS, you have defeated the 66th Floor Sovereign: Satan ]
[ Will you stay on this floor? ]
"Stay? What a joke," Azael muttered. "Of course I won't stay."
[ Processing… exiting Floor 66: Satan's Treachery ]
A doorway materialized before him tall, and opening onto a violent world. Through it, he saw a massive red sun hanging over a raging storm. Waves clashed like creatures fighting in the dark, and thunder cracked loud enough to sting his ears.
Azael froze.
His legs wouldn't move. His fingers trembled. Every instinct in him screamed danger.
He had just barely survived this floor. Whatever came next… could be worse.
His heart hammered in his chest. He backed away half a step
"You really gonna back down now?" Satan's voice pushed through his fear. "You made it this far. Why turn back?"
Satan comment was annoying.
But honest.
Azael exhaled deeply.
He was terrified but the desire to escape this world, to find his sin, to regain his memories… burned harder than his fear.
He stepped forward.
One breath.
One decision.
And he walked through the door.
[ 1/66 Sin Fragments Collected ]
[ You will now receive a portion of your missing memories ]
[ A memory fragment is now playing ——— ]