Only I Am A Reader

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An explosion of scarlet energy had hit the red dragon's wiggling stomach, but the whole body was nowhere to be seen within the dust. The Heavenly Demon could see beyond it using his Qi sense. However, that only made the situation more confusing.

"We are all but helpless pawns in the endless cycle of fate…"

A humanoid figure flew out of the dust before calmly landing in front of Cheon Ma. A face just like that of a human, and a body also like that of a human. Most importantly, the face and body weren't just anyone's, they were none other than that of the Heavenly Demon himself!

This was a… Doppelganger!

"You are a shapeshifter?"

Aside from the slightly tanned skin and the violet eyes that didn't match Cheon Ma's scarlet ones, it was as if the Society Leader was looking in the mirror. The reflection in front of him was even wearing his black-scarlet dragon robes!

"Oh? I'm amazed, you are quite knowledgeable for a backwater world like this."

The Heavenly Demon wasn't caught off guard as he already guessed that something wasn't right, but the momentary smile on 'his' face gave him nothing but unrest.

"It's a close guess, but no. I'm a Devourer."

Shapeshifters were a species of monsters that could emulate other types of monsters after a certain period of close interactions. Depending on their energy level, they could even emulate ancient dragons! Cheon Ma was fully aware of their abilities thanks to the records that had been left behind, but this one looked different from the usual ones.

Shapeshifters were exceptional monsters, but it was hard for a Demon Lord to rise within their midst due to their misplaced versatility.

The Heavenly Demon kept his calm. He had destroyed the dragon that the Demon Lord had morphed into with relative ease. Although the copy in front of him appeared to have made a full recovery, it was okay as long as its peak was that of a dragon.

After all, there was no fraudulent ability that could head someone forever, whatever its cost was, it was bound to run out in time!

"Shapeshifter, devourer… Whatever you may be, all we need to do is destroy you and everything will end."

Cheon Ma flew back to make some distance as he reassured himself. His predecessor knew less than him, yet they had managed to vanquish their invader. As someone who knew much more, he couldn't see himself losing.

Being arrogant was the road to downfall, but founded trust was an entirely different concept!

"I guess that explains why a guardian like you knows this much. Is this trust of yours just because you managed to repel an invader like me before? Do you think things are that easy?"

The smile on the Demon Lord's face crumbled back into a humane expression of despair. Despite being the source of fear in the land, he appeared to be suffering the most.

Seeing the hateful hope in the eyes of the Martial Artists fighting for their lives, he couldn't help remembering the days when he was plagued with the very same emotions. He was just a normal human who found himself in the world of demons. He hoped for someone to save him. However, did someone do so?

'If only I just accepted my fate back then!'

…The answer was yes, he received the help that he had asked for, but that was none other than the start of a long road of suffering.

At the peak of his despair, the chance to survive the world that he was thrown into was granted to him. He only had to accept it! To give up his useless human body and become the heir of the ancient devourers, a forgotten race that's all about surviving in impossible environments, or die under the monsters' fangs, the choice was his!

It wasn't a hard comparison, especially when he was running out of time. After all, was there anything truly worse than death? Without hesitation, he made up his mind, and that was when his hell began…

The bloody wolves no longer threatened his life, but he had to eat them up piece by piece in order to crawl out of death's door. The special chance given to him wasn't like that of fairy tales where everything was conveniently his way. There was no devouring special effect that did away with the disgustingly cumbersome process!

As his powers grew, eating wasn't his only way to fight, but if he wanted to grow stronger to maintain that edge, he still had to eat his victims raw to obtain their physiques and abilities. The endless cycle of fighting and eating left him covered in blood…

However, the former human who was gradually losing his identity and name adapted to his new life after so many years! Once he reached the peak, he would do as he wished! No one would force him to eat more and become stronger! He would attain true freedom! He could even try to find his way back home!

With so many shining stars at the end of the road, he was bursting with resolve to take the fabled title of the Demon Lord for himself!

'I was just as naive…'

At one point, the new devourer chanced upon a human who fell into this world just like him, but for the sake of his dreams, he could only listen to the voice inside him and devour him like he devoured everything else on his path. Humanity was no longer a concept that he was familiar with. All he could see were his targets.

'I should have stopped then!'

The intelligence of a human was the only semblance of difference that separated him from the other monsters, a difference that only grew larger as he accumulated the attributes of the countless victims that he devoured.

Before long, the devouring dreamer knocked on the door of the majestic castle hidden within the icy mountains, performing the action that he would come to regret the most in the entirety of his life...