Yoooooo. Dungeon Defense got a manhwa?! How cool is that?!

Anyway, second chapters are always such a bother to make. I just can't be satisfied whenever I write one.

Also, devil names come from pokémon or gundams (Rias comes from garchomp, for example). So, in this case "Ilosander" comes from both Milotic (Milokaross) and Sharpedo (Samehader) replacing the "m" with an "n". I like this naming style, it's cool.

Smashing against the ground didn't hurt as much as I expected. Sure, it rattled my bones and made me groan while gathering my thoughts. But for a first time flight… I'd say it went rather well. Granted, my body had been contorted beyond recognition and it kind of hurt when it twisted back into its previous shape. But it still counted as a successful first run; or at least that's what I told myself while stretching my arms and legs to try to shrug off the lingering pain.

"Fine. I'm fine, that's what matters…" The mud I dug myself in clung to my hospital gown and hair, with the heavy rain that followed my transformation making it even worse. It was sticky, gross, and everywhere. I couldn't even clean my face because I'd just drag the filth on my hands all over it. The only saving grace was that it was nothing but mud, so it didn't stink.

Then, it hit me. I kind of didn't think about it while being overloaded with sensations. The smashing on the ground, the mud everywhere, the rain that made things like digging my feet off the soup of dirt and water even harder. But…

HOLY SHIT! I BECAME A GIANT-ASS SNAKE?! That's so freaking cool! How did I even manage that?! Like. Okay, okay, okay. Yeah. Seeing someone else cast magic was weird, unexpected, maybe even a little scary. It was another thing entirely to be able to contort myself into a giant reptile and surge the sky and blast everything with jets of water and—holy shit, is it raining because of me?! Did I do that? How cool's that?! If I went to, like, Africa and stuff I could end droughts! Hell, I bet people would definitely hire a dragon-looking thing for protection even without being able to control the weather! And there's magic too! So I can do it if I want? Wait, I did some force push-looking thing back then, right? So I can definitely do it. But how? Not sure, but it felt… Natural somehow? Like I could literally will it, but I don't know how or why it worked then…

I extended my hand, palm stretched toward the trees that my snake-like transformation didn't rip off the ground with the landing, and clenched all of my body.

"Bang!" To my disappointment, nothing happened. I looked at my palm and tried with the other hand, ready to experiment "Pow? Or maybe if I call it out? Blast! Fireball! Umm… Destroy?"

I was still looking at my hand with the last one. And to be honest, if I'd blasted my own face with it; that'd have been pretty hilarious. Still, the idea of being able to just cast spells and use mystic arts sounded too cool to sour my mood. I was barefoot, wearing only a hospital gown, in the middle of fuck-all nowhere, and with a heavy rain drilling the cold into my bones. And yet, I felt so excited I barely felt any of that…

Actually, it's not just the excitement. It's the same as with the landing. What.

I looked at myself, dirty and scratched here and there. Flexing my fingers and moving my limbs carried a form of soreness that made me hiss, yes. But… That's it.

That woman, Katerea, electrocuted me. She also made me smash against several walls, and I contorted into a giant snake only to burst through more of those walls. When I couldn't fly anymore, I landed here. Destroying several feet of trees before turning back into a human. And yet… At most, I felt like I'd done a lot of exercise. Even the cold of the rain and my lack of clothes didn't bother me like it should. It was annoying, yes. But nothing I couldn't deal with.

I felt too good to have been through the grinder just moments ago. My body worked too well.

I crouched beside one of the fallen trees and lightly tapped it with my knuckles. I felt the bark, the scrapping of my skin. But it didn't hurt. I hit it harder and harder each time, and at some point I dented part of the fallen tree after punching the same spot over and over again.

I could feel it, but it was just uncomfortable. Nowhere near the pain (or injury of my skin and bones, now that I think about it) that literally breaking part of a tree with my knuckles should give me.

It seems like my skin and hair weren't the only things that had changed. My whole body was… Stronger, filled with more vitality.

Is it because I, indeed, have some non-human blood in me?

Staring at my hands didn't answer anything, however. I could muse about it all I wanted, but I still didn't know the limits to this new reality. I didn't know the limits of my newfound strength, I didn't know how different my body actually was from before, and I definitely had no idea where I was or what I should do now.

Looking around, I could only see trees. From the flight, I knew this was some sort of flying island of sorts. I couldn't compare it in size to anything, as I'd been bigger when I looked at it. But I smashed against it, and smashed a clearing into the forest. So this place isn't safe. I have to leave, and I have to do it quickly. If even I, with no idea of what I'm doing, can turn into a flying snake-thing; then other people can definitely search the skies. And they'll do it more efficiently and with a lot more discretion.

Problem is… How do I get off? I can't just jump if I find the edge. I don't know how much punishment my body can take, and I still don't want to go through anything painful. If I survive the fall at all. The fact that my body still hurts tells me that I didn't miraculously obtain any form of healing or regeneration, so I definitely have to be careful about exploring my newfound limits. Hiding should be an option, but how safely can I do that and for how long? What if there's magic monsters here or something? Also, I have no clue how to do foraging or basic survival things. I never went camping, and mosquitoes are the death. So it's not like I can stay around for that long, even if this place had things I could use to wait and recover.

I still fled deeper into the woods with the idea of leaving the clearing behind. It'd be stupid to stay around, and nothing would get done by just thinking about it. I needed a plan, and the first item in it had to be a way to either leave this island or stay hidden. Magic would be great, so I didn't give up on casting spells.

As long as I walk forward, I should eventually reach the edge of the floating island. And in the meantime I could brainstorm ways to activate my magic. It was a win-win scenario, even if I didn't necessarily pay much attention to my surroundings. After all, as long as the trees didn't change that much it didn't seem necessary for me to waste time trying to look around.

…

But, in the end… Am I not just running away from what happened back then?

"That was messed up." Opening and closing my hands felt strange, like my nerves still resented being zapped. Maybe magic was indeed cool enough to compensate, or maybe I simply wanted to avoid thinking about it too much. But if I hadn't had power of my own, I'd have probably been… "Damn."

I couldn't help the shivers running down my spine. Reality had a way of carving itself even in the most fantasy-like events, and I really didn't want to think about it. Still, I couldn't help going back to it. Feeling, sensation, made the brain remember a lot more than pure logic and ideas.

"I know it. I knew already, so…" Since my mind kept going back to that, I tried to switch the focus of it. If my own brain wanted to repeat the experience over and over, then I better get something out of it.

That woman, Katerea, claimed a lot of things that didn't necessarily matter. But they could probably give some context. Maybe even help me work out what to expect from now on. My own experience through the encounter should also help, no matter how much my brain insists on relieving the sensation of electricity… If I focus, I should be able to get something out of that miserable spot I was in…

"Was already doing that, but y'know. Brain's messed up after that scare."

Magic, magic, magic… Concentrate on the cool aspects. That way, the frame of reference doesn't have to be scary. Remember, nervousness and excitement have the same core physical reaction. Whether it's expectation or apprehension, the body answers to them in the same way. The same feeling in the chest.

Okay. Magic, right? So this body belongs to a half-devil. What does that mean? Aside from Katerea's borderline nazi discourse about clean blood. Does that make an actual difference? Katerea hit me with her power, yet I did not die. So not being a complete devil doesn't ban me from growing strong enough to oppose full-blooded devils. Funny how that works, even in fantasy land.

Come to think of it, how strong am I? I didn't want to test the full extent of my physical power. But I am stronger than a regular human. Probably more so than an olympic athlete too. I can't really think of another grounded example, but that thought alone seems kind of promising by itself. Maybe if I figure out how to use magic, I can use it to put my strength into perspective?

Magic, huh. What did I do? Force pulse, transform into a dragon-snake, fly in that state, distort the weather. Pretty cool repertoire, but not exactly anything I can use to work out how the system functions. Maybe if I manage to transform again I can escape this island, but that makes me a more obvious target. Especially since Katerea already saw me in that state.

Katerea… Katerea? Katerea Leviathan. Devil names as clans, dragons, a comically evil baddie that has more ego than sense.

…

Didn't I watch this when I was like 14? I don't remember much except the bouncing boobies. Man, why a fanservice world with a loose plot? The magic tools or whatever were cool, but c'mon. I'm no longer a hormonal pre-teen! Being around hot girls is only half of the fun.

I don't know what is more embarrassing: Admitting that I have a rough idea of what sort of world I ended up in, assuming that I'm not drugged to the gills and this is real; or admitting that I almost got clapped by one of those badly written villains.

It makes the memory a bit easier on my mind, but c'mon! I'll take it, but I don't have to like it. I'll protest all I want!

"With that said, it'd be great if I had someone to talk to." The rain hadn't stopped at all, and the forest didn't exactly end. Walking around while trying to center my thoughts didn't exactly translate to covering a lot of distance. And the dirt and roots felt weird against my bare feet. It didn't hurt, my skin felt too strong for that, but it did make for an uncomfortable walk. Like having a small black spot on the upper side of a foot and wearing sandals… But on the lower side. It made walking just uncomfortable enough to keep me from going at a better pace, but not enough to make me need to stop moving.

I ran my thumbs through my face and arms, taking off a bit more of the mud as I kept being soaked by the rain. I'd have to wait again to get it to a point where I was just a little dirty, but every small piece of progress helped me center myself. It helps keep my mind sharp, keeps making the information I already have giving new clues.

Katerea was like a season's big bad or something. The rest of her forces were nowhere near as strong as her, right? So, in theory, if I can defend myself I shouldn't be scared of anyone coming for me. The only real problem would be if I was caught by anyone around her level. Because even if I figure out my magic right now, it's safe to assume the experience would give them the advantage in any engagement.

Fighting is scary, even in fantasy land. I'd rather not have to cross paths with someone that is trying to hurt me, that much I learned well enough.

"And it keeps coming back to magic. Guess I'm not just running away from-and I'm talking to myself again."

I sighed. How much better would it be if I sit down and try to squeeze out my powers right now? Can I be detected somehow? What if I don't get it right before being found? No. Even if I assume Katera's level is needed to harm me, it's pointless to have that safety net if I can't fight back. A croc with no teeth is as good as a cat if someone puts their mind into capturing them.

I need to figure out magic, but I also need to keep moving. Even if it's just to find the edge of this floating island.

Clues. I need more ideas, more context. Even if this is a world I sort of know, it's all pointless if I don't remember the right information. What do I do to make this work? Did they even cover it? Maybe in one of the fanservice scenes?

…

I might need to try to remember all that.

"God…" I covered my face in embarrassment, but even that served a purpose. I can say the funny word. Hell, didn't Katerea threaten to be more violent if I said it? "God? God Father? Jesus Christ Superstar? Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name…"

Okay. No problem with praying either. Cool, cool… This is progress! Progress. Devils should feel pain when I pray, right? So if nothing else, I can sort of defend myself with this… Okay, good. That should make sense. Let's keep thinking positive.

I stopped, looking up through the branches and leaves above me. Blinking when the drops hit my face to keep them from getting in my eyes.

Back at home we didn't have spells or transformations, but being shot in the face wasn't off the table. Not even at school. People can try to learn all the martial arts they want, but all it takes to be crossed off the senses is facing one trigger happy guy with nothing to lose. In such a situation, the one in control is the person with the gun. The one that dictates who lives and who dies.

Back in the lab, only Katerea managed to make me feel hurt. Only she and I hold a 'gun' in this place. There has to be others, but in the here and now, only she can mobilize and oppose me.

If given time, that'll change. But thinking logically, if someone else was capable of challenging me, I wouldn't have made it this far.

I have the gun. Or, I guess I am the gun. I don't know how to use it, but I showed the willingness to do so. And no one worth their salt should risk forcing me.

Okay.

Making finger guns in this situation was beyond silly, but it helped keep the idea in my mind. I tried to clean myself off a bit more, then I put up the most serious expression I could muster. The muscles of my face did not feel right, but I ignored the signs.

I am the gun. Show no fear, show no hesitation. As long as they don't know, I have the advantage. This thought comforted me, gave me some warmth that I didn't know I needed.

Okay.

The forest didn't seem to thin out, but I walked forward with more purpose. Ordering my thoughts had to be put aside for now, because it was more likely that I'd find another problem before needing to to interact with someone: The edge of the island.

Now, think. What is there that I know that can be useful? I can act more boldly right now. Later is too late. What is there aside from breasts and nudity that I know? Well, two things stand out: I have wings, as I am a half devil. So I should be able to fly. And this whole devil thing works… Loosely. Like, magic can apparently do anything? But I need to be able to imagine it.

From teleportation, lasers, or even stripping off women (?); it seems to be able to do it all. But in working like that, it doesn't help me figure out what I should do next. If I imagine a ball of light in my palm, do I get a laser? How about flying? I'm sure I can't just imagine myself leaping and then flying off. What if I panic midair and fall to my death?

Ok, let's not go there. Go back to the imagination thing. If I've experienced it, I should be able to imagine it. I did magic already, I can do it again. What did it feel like? Force push, becoming a dragon. Ignoring the unrelated pain, how did I do it? Remember, remember, remember…

The wings were there, in my back the whole time. While thinking about the transformation, the sensation of knowing where Katerea was when I woke up, I turned my attention inward. To somewhere that shouldn't be there.

My wings extended from my lower back, bat-like and sort of distorted. Moving through nerves and muscles I shouldn't have. The moment robbed me of breath and ideas, and I felt compelled to touch them. They felt leathery, and it felt like touching both hands together: They were, without doubt, a part of my body.

I snapped out of the stupor. Time was running, and I could explore my new body later. Right now, I need to act.

Moving the wings felt weird. I literally just discovered a new part of my body, so the movements were awkward and slow. I couldn't help taking my time here, as these wings should be my passport for flight. I needed to get used to them, see what movement goes where. And so, I slowly made them flap.

…

It's… It's kind of nice, actually. The slow flapping moved the air around me, they made me feel strange by their presence. But having wings… Something in my body knew what it meant.

C'mon, Lucius. You can do this. You can imagine the displaced air around you. It's only a matter of daring. What would your siblings say? What would dad say?

Taking chances is only a matter of luck when you don't have enough information about them. I am in the dark, sure. But I understand that I don't have to understand this to work. I did magic already, I transformed already. And if magic really is about willpower, then it doesn't have to make sense. It only has to look doable.

I flapped the wings even harder, just once. I moved my whole body up with the movement. Like jumping but without pushing against my full weight. Making it seem like one of those huge winged beasts in movies when they take off.

My feet left the ground.

"...!" I couldn't help covering my mouth. I willed myself to stay still, not even an inch of my body moved as I saw myself leave the ground while keeping my wings extended sidewise. It was… A completely surreal experience. Less and less I believed that I was hallucinating or dreaming, but instead of being afraid I couldn't help marveling at the open possibilities in front of me.

Then, I blinked the wonder off. Because while I could hover in place, I still didn't know how to move in the air.

"H-How do birds do it…?" Honestly, it scared me to move again. It felt as though I'd fall to the ground the moment I moved even a finger. But I couldn't just hang around in this place all day.

There's a million things to do out there. If only I can hide and wait it out, I should be able to explore more.

More. Yes. Somehow, the idea of experimenting motivated me a lot more than simple survival. I rubbed my fingers together, taking off some filth. Then I scrubbed my arms again. Slowly, fearfully, I used the rain to keep cleaning myself.

My face was finally free of most of the mud. The hospital gown was a lost cause, but my hands should be clean enough. It kind of caught me off guard how awkward it was to look at my new skin tone but… My heart was throbbing.

There's a million things I can do now, I just need to get out of here.

"Okay…" How do birds do it? Just flap them around? No. That'd logically push me upwards. Maybe… Maybe just tilting them slightly forward? Think about the air. It's no different from swimming, right? "Okay…"

The swimming comparison helped me a bit. Floating, in water and right now, felt similar enough to test it out. I knew I wouldn't get hurt from falling a couple of feet, so I had no better chance than to test this. So I tipped myself forward slowly, testing the waters so to speak.

I moved from my spot, I felt trepidation.

The connection broke, I tried to move my hands as if to swim forward, I pushed my wings in a similar motion.

My descent slowed down and I moved forward. My legs joined the motion and my back arched up as if I was trying to resurface after running out of air.

I left the trees behind while my wings carried me higher.

"YO!" I looked back, getting my hands to leave the swimming position. I didn't move that quickly, but it still felt out of this world. Like I was dreaming.

The island was very high up, though.

"Oh, shit…" I caught myself before I could fall again, getting in position while trying not to move around too much. Flight was different from swimming in how easily I could maneuver. One small tipping felt like I'd fling myself in that direction here, and trepidation still caught up to me as I moved in the sky.

Still, flight is flight. I have wings, therefore I can fly. Simple as that.

Easy peasy. Not scary at all! As long as I imagine I'm invincible, I can endure the rock forming in the pit of my stomach whenever I look down!

"Okay, maybe we try to descend slowly…" Tilting down scared me a lot, but keeping the swimming comparison helped. I didn't go at the pace that gravity dictated, I only accelerated with my wings. This was probably magic, as I actually moved more like a fish than a bird. Keeping my flight constant, ignoring gravity. This… This might actually be even bigger than expected. Plus, after some time, it was no longer just imagination; it was more like a 'norm' I could accept.

I didn't bother trying to look around. Again, I guessed only one person would be strong enough to give me trouble. I didn't anticipate what'd happen if I was hit in midair, but at this point I needed to commit to my course of action. Boldness would only work now. So I had to grit my teeth and pretend that the chance of being taken down like this did not exist. Statistically speaking, the chances were slim but not zero. So let's not worry about the small amount and trust blindly in the big one. At least while we're flying and need all our concentration into staying airborne.

The idea is sound. Covering more distance is better right now. So let's…

The rain stopped in midair… No. It didn't. Its momentum simply died out, and instead of going down it reversed its course and moved upwards instead.

I didn't know what to do or how to react. My mind momentarily made me believe my movement should follow the rain and thus I ascended some more before I managed to stabilize and stay put. I watched as miles of rain around me reversed course and flew up and into a vortex, flying in circles as a helix of something manifested where the rain congregated. Taking clouds and wind alike, making the world mostly dry as the water kept on moving, kept on being willed into a huge sphere that grew with each passing second.

My heartbeat accelerated. I distinguished a figure, although I couldn't make out the actual features, with a hand up as if they were holding the water sphere with their mind.

Miles of rain… Just gone in under a minute. I was thinking about being a gun while on the island. But this… What the hell is this?

A cannon, a bomb. I didn't know enough about magic to really tell. I did know that I caused the rain. But seeing such a display of power and how easily it was exerted… It robbed me of air.

What the fuck. Who is that? What are they doing here?

I… What does that mean? Is that strong? Is that, like, baseline devil power? It can't be, right? The memories I have of this world don't really match with that display of power. Even Katerea couldn't…

Move.

Move!

MOVE, LUCIUS! You gotta keep moving!

I didn't know what to do, so I stopped imagining things. It was as though I had opened my hands and let whatever was between them drop. Gravity caught up to me and the air stopped feeling like a liquid.

I fell. Gaining speed as seconds passed. I didn't really know where I was going, all I knew was that I needed to get out of range of whoever that was. All I knew was that the only person I knew in this world would've killed me if she was able to.

I didn't want to give that devil my back, but my balls were caught up in my throat the moment I realized I'd free fall to my death if I didn't do anything. Just about five seconds, nothing too slow.

I yanked myself to face down and extended my wings again, flapping them to move forward while falling, slowly forcing the air pushed down to break my fall as my forward momentum increased.

Water, water, water. I'm in water, I'm in water, I'm in—.

Oh MY GOD IDON'TWANNADIE!

I put my hands forward, or down I guess. willing them to push me up, to kill my momentum. Power surged through my palms. Pushing against the force that kept me going down, making my body strain as the energy obliterated whatever was below me in a cascade of power and killed my momentum enough to help me get my bearings and be able to keep flying.

"FUCK!" I gained some altitude, but I couldn't just stop there. My wings made me gain forward acceleration, and I almost didn't look back.

I caught the moment when the ball of water compressed enough to just… Disappear. Now, I don't know about anyone else. But that just made me freak out a lot more.

I didn't know if I could go full jet mode, but I did my best regardless. Pushing through the air like an airplane, a comet, I don't know. A person-sized bullet. I—.

My fight stopped altogether. Momentum killed, basically being frozen midair.

I didn't feel the backlash of such a sudden stop, but I did feel something holding me in place. An invisible force that didn't let me move an inch.

I was moved, turned around to face a man that simply appeared there. Green hair, a very cool-looking armor and cape, and a scowl that left no indication that I wasn't in trouble.

"Young man, you just attacked the city below. Why?" His words made my eyes open wide, although I kept enough presence of mind to keep my mouth shut. My heart was in my throat, my ears buzzed.

And yet, I would not give up. I could not give up.

"L-Leviathan." I blurted out the first thing that came to mind. This man felt familiar, but I couldn't piece from where. Was he a bad guy? A good guy? None? Not a chance, right? This world wasn't so nuanced.

His expression changed. He didn't look any less angry, but at least I could see an opening. However small it was.

"Leviathan is after me." I blurted out when he didn't ask any following question or parrot what I said. However little I remembered of this world, I'd have to bet on this guy not being irredeemably evil just by his reaction to me alone. It didn't feel like a safe bet at the moment, but I really hoped that I was right about this world being way simpler than real life.

"That's very unlikely." The man stated before his focus went to my face "Although your mug is…"

"I'm the heir." I interrupted and cringed inside. That hadn't been the smartest thing to say "Or, well, not really. But I—."

His expression changed into that of understanding, making me shut the fuck up to not contradict whatever conclusion he came to.

"You're the one that caused the rain."

I nodded vigorously.

"I don't know how I did it." I wheezed as I felt my invisible bindings loosen up. When I fell for a moment, I was caught again. I extended my wings, lifted myself up.

The restraints were gone.

"Thanks." I didn't have any choice but to lower my head, metaphorically speaking, and hope for the best. This is a world where the good guys always win, so they must be powerful. And thus, I have to hope that this guy is—.

"The Leviathan clan has mostly girls, though." His words interrupted my thoughts, making my expression turn blank.

Why does that matter? And why did that make him cradle his chin like he was considering the facts?

"I… I'm not a girl."

"Yes, I can see that." His voice came with some edge, almost like he didn't care about what I was saying "Young man, where did you come from?"

"I don't know." I admitted "I don't even know what year it is."

Katerea mentioned something about being under the clan's care for some time, right? What was it? A century? It wouldn't be a stretch to say that I had no clue about anything anymore.

The man kept staring at me like he was looking for a lie. I didn't have any to offer yet, so I didn't look away. I couldn't just play my cards half-heartedly. If I committed, it had to be full stop. Nothing held back.

"I am Ajuka Beelzebub." He finally spoke after a moment of silence "Does that ring a bell?"

Kinda?

"No."

If that surprised him, he didn't show it.

"If I were to tell you I'm not a descendant from Beelzebub… Would that make sense to you?"

What?

"I… What?" Honestly, I almost felt glad that the questions went in that direction. I had little idea of almost everything, and something told me that my bet would go really well. I could feel it, I was betting on him being on the right side.

"Oh, boy." He sighed.

"I, huh, I'm not in trouble. Am I?" I asked as sheepishly as I could. Making no attempt to move or look around. I couldn't feel him the same way I could with Katerea, but his display of power was enough to deter me from trying to take my chances.

Ajuka kept staring at me for a moment before speaking.

"We'll have to see." He looked down with some annoyance "How big of a mess you made down there."

"I…" I could've made excuses, but this didn't feel like the right time to do so "Who's 'we'?"

Ajuka Beelzebub looked back at me.

"The Four Great Satans, the people in charge of this place."