Round Seven: Heart

“It’s useless for you to do this…”
The succubus chuckled lightly but stayed cautious, keeping a distance from the metal man: “The devil’s heart isn’t something that can be easily exploited…”
Clearly, the succubus thought the metal man wanted to use the devil’s heart to transform himself into a half-Purgatory creature.
From the moment she first saw the metal man, she hadn’t considered him merely a simple construct. That was a simplistic definition for those unenlightened—perhaps the metal man had no life, but she was certain he possessed some kind of unique thought or soul. It was an intuition born from countless attempts at temptation over the years, and her intuition had always been accurate.
The metal man stared at the succubus.
Pipi took the opportunity to escape from his grasp, flew behind the succubus, and peeked out with half of its head.
Pipi was surprised because it noticed the metal man’s gaze suddenly becoming intense—seemingly interested in the succubus’s naked body. This made it reassess her abilities entirely. Could even constructs have lust?
“Morrill…” The metal man uttered some vague syllables, seemingly a name. But then he stood up and staggered deeper into the camp. The succubus bit her lip lightly, as if she’d discovered something interesting—was the metal man’s behavior a kind of memory flashing through him?
The following days were filled with minor conflicts.
Seemingly due to some instability in space, the most common occurrence was soldiers who were patrolling the desolate banks of the River of Darkness one moment suddenly finding themselves facing enemies the next. The few teleportation gates also frequently changed locations—what might be the entrance to the camp one day could be the bottom of the River of Darkness the next.
The succubus now spent most of her time trying to seduce the metal man, finding him much more interesting than Stephanie.
The metal man participated in every battle he could, as if he were born for fighting.
The demons also welcomed this tireless killer more and more, as he rarely attacked his companions—unless they attacked him first.
“I really wonder who created this metal man—he’s clearly born for bloody battles.”
The succubus sat on a solitary stalagmite, watching the battle below with Pipi.
“Hmph… Idiot! Idiot!” Pipi flew around, commenting disdainfully.
A few lesser demons muttered angrily and rushed at the metal man, but they quickly crashed down in a shower of fragments.
Chain blades swirled around the metal man’s hands, like the sharp tongues of a great serpent.

The commanding demon shouted angrily, and a massive monster pushed aside the obstructing lesser demons from behind the ranks. It stepped forward, shaking its head with each step, appearing rather gentlemanly in demeanor, though its appearance was far from pleasing. Its body was covered in a thick, dark hide that seemed impervious to ordinary iron weapons. Its triangular head was topped with six long, bone-like spikes covered in bloodstains, clearly evidence of many battles. Its six strong hooves had barbs attached, with pieces of flesh dangling from them and swaying constantly. At the front of its head was a mouth filled with serrated fangs; its breath caused a gust akin to a small typhoon. The lesser demons chattered nervously. Rather than a monster, it resembled a man-made biological weapon.

“Oh?” The succubus tilted her sharp chin with interest. “A Half-Purgatory Triangular Monster? Those demons must mate with all sorts of things all day long~” Her tone was melodious, but sadly, no one appreciated it.

The triangular monster first took an interest in the lesser demons closest to it and charged at them with a thunderous roar.

This was not a battle but a massacre. Though there were many massacres in bloody fights, such a swift and decisive action was rare in such a small space. The monster’s huge size did not affect its agility. It shook its head from side to side, threading the lesser demons onto its six spikes like skewers. Those who tried to attack it from the side or behind were always struck accurately by its hooves. The barbs on its hooves, seemingly mere decorative elements, could inflict wounds severe enough to kill a person seventy-two times. Soon, all those who dared stand against it were utterly annihilated.

It took less than half a minute—a stunningly efficient display.

The remaining demons nervously reformed their ranks, while the demons on the other side advanced step by step behind the triangular monster.

A human warrior facing the monster’s head seemed unable to bear the sight. His face turned pale as he watched the eyeballs swinging back and forth on the monster’s spikes. Suddenly, he let out a loud scream and turned to run—

“Those who flee in battle die!”

Before the sole commander, the Flo demon, could react, the metal man had already beheaded him. The headless corpse sprayed a gush of black blood, ran a few steps further, and then collapsed with a thud.

The unskilled, guttural Abyssal language sent chills down everyone’s spine.

The metal man faced the massive triangular monster alone, while the monster continued to sway leisurely, observing its opponents with its eyes and gnawing on the remains of a lesser demon.

Suddenly, the monster charged forward at a speed far beyond what its weight would suggest.

The metal man remained motionless—the monster stopped abruptly in front of him.

The dust raised by the monster’s charge gradually settled. In the blink of an eye, the others failed to see clearly what was happening. By the time they regained their senses, almost everyone was stunned by what they saw.

The Metal Man stood firm, while the Tri-Headed Monster stopped in front of him. Although it still had six spikes on its head, the foremost one had been broken off and now jutted out like a spear, pinning the monster’s head firmly to the ground. Its massive head even created a sizable dent in the soil, which was quickly filled with blood and flowed around the Metal Man’s feet.

It was clear what had happened: the moment the monster’s spikes pierced his body, the Metal Man reached out and pulled one of the spikes out, then nailed it to the ground as if preparing a specimen.

The demons’ morale soared, while the devils began to retreat. Even in a bloody battle, temporary tactical maneuvers were permissible, right?

The succubus stood up excitedly, “Over there! Over there! Ignore the Tri-Headed Monster! It’s worthless!”

She was referring to a devil using some form of spell-like ability to teleport short distances and escape.

The Metal Man pulled the spike from the monster’s head and weighed it in his hand. It seemed very heavy, spiral-shaped, and a terrifying natural weapon.

That pointed-eared demon had already fled a long distance. Although each of its teleportations was short and its irregular movements made it difficult to aim at, the Metal Man seemed unconcerned.

A streak of cold light shot from his hand. Without the usual preparatory movements—stepping forward, bending, or stretching—the Metal Man simply swung his arm in a large arc, and the long spike flew out at an unimaginable speed in a nearly straight line. It even spun rapidly in the air, emitting a sharp sound as it sliced through the air. Just as the devil finished one teleportation and wasn’t ready for the next, the spike struck its head squarely.

“Perfect!” The succubus clapped her hands like an enthusiastic cheerleader. “Dig out its heart!”