Demon realm.
It wasn't like what one would expect to see. The red sky, barren lands, dead trees...
No, the demon realm didn't have such things. It was similar to Earth in terms of its nature. There weren't cities with high buildings. There were smaller cities and villages. Of course, they didn't look like Earth's villages.
There was also no high-end technology. Of course, this wasn't because they couldn't have it, but because they didn't need it.
Demons had powers, but it was different than the ones given to humans. Demons' power came from their soul.
To be correct, there were two kinds of demons. One was the demons that were made, just like Colt. When a demon passed a part of its power to a lower being, the lower being could turn into a demon.
And there were also pure blooded demons. They weren't pure since their ancestors were also pure. It just meant that they were born as demons. For example, if two demons who used to be humans were to give birth, their child would be a pure demon.
The difference wasn't something like blood. It was just that a demon used their soul from when they were a baby was inevitably stronger. It was true for everything.
If one used their left hand when they were a baby, they would become left-handed. But if they tried to change their dominant hand when they were an adult, it wouldn't work that well.
Of course, there were always exceptions. Still, both demons used their souls as power.
The power a demon had was also random. They could have magic power, healing power, anima power, elemental power, etc...
And that was all Colt knew about demons. He didn't even know if there were demons with more than one power since he was only a servant, though a strong one.
But this time, he would find out about everything. The reason behind the monsters' invasion of Earth. The reason the Earth was merged with the demon realm. And who was behind all of these? A god? A demon? An angel? Whoever it was.
---
After entering the demon realm, Colt looked around after breathing the air filled with soul power. It was familiar. More than the last 200 years of his life, except the ten years after his regression, were in this place called Ymira.
It was a village in the middle of a forest. But it looked more like a city with its high walls and the castle that could be seen even behind the walls.
Colt followed Inuth as he passed through the gates between the walls. There were even guards that looked just like humans, since demons' appearance didn't differ from the humans' as far as Colt knew.
Inuth didn't talk, and the guards didn't stop him. Instead, they bowed when he passed.
Shitty security! What if I disguised myself as him?
Of course, Colt didn't know if there was a way to understand it. Maybe both the guards and Inuth had a stone that would vibrate when they approached each other. This way, they could differentiate between an enemy and Inuth.
Inside the walls was a lively city. Again, it wasn't much different than a guild. Inuth was the Demon of deception, and he had his own city. But there weren't only servants in the city. There were those who worked under him, but not as servants.
For example, there were soldiers who were different from servants who also acted as a soldiers in a way that they were paid and they were free. There were also strategists, shop owners, and even normal citizens and their families.
Servants were counted as all. If Inuth told them, they would fight, work, or do whatever was necessary. And Colt knew the first thing he would do...
After they walked all the way to the huge castle, Inuth entered and told Colt to wait outside. After waiting for an hour or so, one man and one woman came.
"Are you Colt?"
"Yes, I am."
"Come with us," they ordered. Colt followed them. He wouldn't see Inuth for a long time after this, but it was okay.
He needed to hide his power while also getting stronger. But it was impossible in the demon world since, unlike Earth, this place was a lot more chaotic. Demons lived like barbarians. They loved fighting each other.
So, if Colt didn't create dominance, or if he didn't go under someone else, he would be swept. And he was on his way to his first trial.
They didn't enter the castle. Instead, they headed somewhere else. It was something akin to an arena. Colt knew what this place was. It was really an arena where demons fought. People could bet and have fun watching the fights.
But... it also doubled as something else. Something he hated in his previous life. It was known as the newbie crusher. When someone was brought into this realm, they had to fight here.
It wasn't a rule or anything. Well, it was an unwritten rule. This way, the other demons could measure his power. They would maybe take the newbie under their wings if they were strong. But if they were weak...
Then, they would continue to be weak. They would be loaded with more jobs than others. So, in short, this place was the heaven or hell of all the servants. It depended on them whether it was one or the other.
---
Colt was led to the challenger's entrance and was left there. He wasn't told anything, so he acted like he didn't know what was happening and waited in front of the iron door.
Soon, the door opened by itself, and the audience started cheering. Of course, it wasn't for him. They wanted to see a fight. Probably all the demons or demon-to-be, a.k.a half-demons, were here.
Half-demons were those who were on their way to becoming full demons. It was hard to become a full demon. It took around 100 years for Colt to fully transform in his past life. But, unfortunately for his enemy, he was much further in his training this time.
When he entered the arena, he saw another human. He was probably in the same situation as he was, also at the same age. But he seemed older since he didn't know how to train as a demon before coming here, and his body had aged more.
Colt looked around to check the audience.
They aren't here...
Like gang leaders, there were also half-demon leaders. They were, like any other half-demon, all deceived by Inuth or Inuth's men to come here as servants. But they were higher in the hierarchy of servants.
Colt preferred going under someone's wings so that he wouldn't need to waste his time with continuous unnecessary trouble. If he were under one of the five strongest leaders, the only ones that would bother him would be the demons in the strongest "gangs."
And to do that, he needed to start impressing others without revealing his full powers. If he were to become a leader, then his load would only increase with continuous fights going on. He wasn't sure if he could be one right away anyway.
But now wasn't the time for that. It was time to fight.