Round Twelve: Degeneration

The succubus wandered aimlessly, sulking.
That damned old witch seemed to have grasped the mage’s lifeline…
Now the succubus dared not provoke the mage too much, as he was increasingly obsessed with risky deals and deceptions, with an old witch by his side who couldn’t be seduced at all—not only couldn’t she be seduced, but she seemed to hate her to the bone. The succubus had no doubt she would tear her face apart the moment she got the chance and sell it to the most vile creature.
Ugly women are always jealous of beauty.
Suddenly, the succubus darted to the side, obediently lowering her head to stare at her toes, not daring to make any rash moves.
A sinister aura, mixed of heat and filth, enveloped her, causing small bumps to appear on her delicate skin—
The succubus instinctively sensed a powerful presence watching her, possibly even a Balor demon. She inwardly groaned—had she caught his attention?
“Hehe! Hehe!” Pipi’s smug laughter made the succubus raise her head in surprise. When had he gotten such a powerful ally?
It took the succubus a while to recognize the metal man before her.
He was dressed—or rather, wrapped—in a purplish-black robe made of some unknown material. The metal man seemed to like this hooded robe style, with strips studded with spikes tied haphazardly around it, along with bloodstained chains serving as belts and decorations. Those chains might have been trophies taken from chain demons. The exposed parts of his body no longer had the silver and brass metallic luster it had when the succubus first saw him; instead, they were a dull rusty color like the hellish sky. Under the constant burning and scorching of flames, the once golden patterns and runes had turned into dark, twisted stripes, like rivers of blood winding across the barren land, extending beneath the robe.
Now this metal man was no different from a demon—at best, he was more ferocious, more twisted, and more terrifying.
“You’re right… the heart of a prison-demon forger is indeed different. Look, it’s still alive… though I don’t know how much longer it can last.” The metal man pulled open his chest garment, revealing a wound on his chest that seemed to be healing. A deep red, hot mass filled the hole, gently pulsing, with tubes running inside him connecting it to himself.
The metal man placed his hand on his heart; now his metal fingers even had sharp black nails. “I feel much better.”
“You… you really got the demon forger’s heart?” The succubus’s sharp tongue seemed less effective now. “Then congratulations…”
“Hehe! Are you still with that stupid mage?” Pipi fluttered around, clearly proud to have found such a good companion.
“Shut up, you little brat!” The succubus seemed a bit embarrassed. “Be careful—I might tear off your wings!”
“My promise still stands, girl.” A faint smile appeared on the metal man’s angular face. “Do you need me to help you kill the mage?”

“I’ve spent so much time—how could I not obtain his soul personally!” The succubus raised her head proudly; she couldn’t bear others to think her prey was beyond her reach. “I’ll ask for your help when I need it.”
“That’s good.”
The metal man turned to leave. “By the way, I heard that mage is looking for a way to leave the abyss. Maybe you can help me find out something.”
Only by entering the lowest levels of the steel fortress could one truly understand why the temperature grew hotter as one went deeper and where the steel used to build it came from.
At the bottom of the fortress lay a scorching lake—filled with boiling molten iron. This lake functioned like a natural white-hot furnace. All the laborers had to do was take out the molten iron and pour it into molds to cool it, thereby obtaining an endless supply of iron blocks and plates for crafting weapons, armor, and expanding the steel fortress.
Since he was allowed to enter the lower levels, the metal man spent most of his time here, even when not fighting.
He inhaled the scorching air greedily. Though he didn’t require metabolism, he did so to let the heat in the air circulate within his body.
A Balor demon flew overhead, its flaming whip sweeping up a seemingly unresisting demon laborer and tossing him into a mold just filled with molten iron, leaving him with an expression of eternal pain.
That ornament must be worth a fortune.
A demonic smile appeared on the metal man’s lips. Now, he was thinking more and more like a demon.
War destroys humanity, everywhere and at all times.
Stephanie leaned against the wall, pale, vomiting violently—but nothing came out.
“Hehe… don’t be so nervous… it’s just a larva.”
The old witch tried to pat Stephanie’s back, but she shoved her away abruptly, then turned to point at her, deadly magical energy gathering at her fingertips. “I would never eat such disgusting stuff! How dare you try to deceive me with illusions!”
“But you’ve already eaten it…” The old witch held up the plate, still containing a few elf biscuits. But upon closer inspection, they had all turned into shrill-screaming larvae. “Isn’t it delicious? Well, just a joke. My partner, you can’t really be upset over this…”
“Get out!” Stephanie screamed.
“Alright…” The old witch put down the plate and left the room. “As you wish… But today, your magical power seems much faster and stronger…”
Stephanie watched as the old witch disappeared outside, then sat down in anger.
But after a while, he began chanting spells softly again, gathering magic power.
After repeating it several times, he found that, as the old witch had said, his mastery of magic had improved dramatically, and his power seemed to have increased as well.
Stephanie tested it in delight, but after a while, he noticed that the wonderful feeling began to fade…
Anxious, he tried various methods to bring it back.
Finally, his gaze fell on the larvae in the plate.
“That mage is completely finished.”

The succubus lay beside the Metal Man, gently kicking her feet. Now, she too began to act tough like Pippi, pretending to be stronger than she was.
The Metal Man was installing a new heart.
Even a powerful heart like the Demon Forger’s could not sustain itself inside the Metal Man for long; it would gradually wither, as if drained by those pipelines.
“He’s completely enslaved by desire… It’s only a matter of time before he becomes that old witch’s food. It seems impossible for you to leave the abyss with him.”
“Hehe! Hehe! A succubus is no match for that old witch!” Pippi laughed mockingly as she fluttered around.
“Hmph! If not for the solid foundation I’ve laid, could that old witch have succeeded so easily?”
“Desire…” The Metal Man fastened the belt of his robe again. His clothes were now darker, stained with so much blood.
“Having desire might be a good thing. Without desire, there’s no hope.”
“Talking about hope in the bottomless abyss isn’t a good topic…” The succubus stretched. “So you’re still searching for a heart that isn’t really that important to you?”
“Maybe…” The Metal Man stood up. “It seems I need to find another way to get out of here.”
Otherwise, I’ll be trapped in this bloody battle… the Metal Man thought to himself.