ButcherPete

Chapter 74: A Space Beyond Rage

The clash of blade and barrier roared in every direction, but Mirro no longer heard it.

His ears were ringing. His shoulders ached with the aftershock of failed sigil feedback. His vision danced between sparks and blurs, the outlines of soldiers too sharp one moment, too fogged the next.

And then, a voice cut through it all like lightning.

“MOVE!”

The soldiers hesitated.

Mirro’s gaze shifted.

Up on the hilltop, cloak trailing, blade unsheathed, aura f...

[SchizoDRAFT]Vol 2 Chapter 0: A Lesson in Humility - D3

The Radiant Crest Academy’s gates stretched high like the jaws of a beast, ancient and proud. Gold-trimmed stone reflected the early sunlight, casting warm light over the plaza below, where students gathered in tight clusters. Each of them sixteen years old, freshly admitted into the Foundation Class. Nobles, merchant scions, a few commoners dressed up like they belonged.

And then Damien Sunblade entered.

He didn’t rush. He didn’t speak. He walked like the world had opened f...

100 Devil Slam Jam Extravaganza!

Hello to all Patrons!

It's me, Butcher Pete!

Guess what? We have official reached 100 patrons! Wohooo! It's so exciting to see so many fans and supporters! It makes me really glad the community here is growing in size and engaging so much! Your support, opinions, and ideas make it so much fun and inspiring to write this story! I feel so motivated to make this story the best it can possibly be, for both you readers and myself lol.

To inaugurate our first 100 devilers/VFC mem...

Chapter 73: Moving Parts & Hidden Pieces

It had been ten days since the banquet.

Ten days since the broth that changed how dreams settled behind closed eyes. Ten days since Shela asked for the truth and didn’t flinch when she got it. Ten days since Salitha stopped speaking with warmth and started walking with hesitation.

And now, Hannya stood at the northern path of the mountain, veiled against the morning cold, staring out at a horizon, feeling a wrongness in her gut.

The summons had been formal, polite. Stamped...

Chapter 72: Soft Waters, Sharp Ideas

On a secluded mountain nearest to the fortress city, a hot spring was nearly silent, save for the occasional splash of a settling ripple and the distant hush of wind brushing overhead.

Baku sat deep in the mineral bath, steam curling around his shoulders as he sipped on a gourd of dreamwine. The heat seeped into his bones, loosening old fights, and older grudges. His eyes were half-closed, his usual scowl softened by warmth and wine.

“Too quiet lately,” he muttered. �...

Chapter 71: The Taste That Lingers

The banquet ended not with fanfare, but with long silences and uneven footsteps.The laughter was softer now and voices were more subdued.

It wasn’t the kind of fullness one felt from a grand meal, it was the sensation of something internal being nudged awake, something that hadn’t stirred in years, or perhaps had never moved at all.

Guests drifted out of the Painted Petal like they were emerging from a shared, enlightening dream.

Some clutched their cloaks a little tight...

Chapter 70: Tasting the Future

The fortress did not celebrate Norm’s retreat. It absorbed it.

Word spread quickly, through the Dream Knights, through the kitchen fires, through the couriers and cleaning halls. The dog of the Capital, backed by council writ and legal arrogance, had come roaring up the mountain.

And left with his tail tucked.

No fight. No punishment. No body. No bark.

Those who understood the Council's habits knew exactly what this meant. Hannya’s name wasn’t just recorded in re...

Chapter 69: Nice

The small temple was new.

Tucked into a quiet clearing a distance from the dream fissure, it didn’t advertise itself. No official banners. No religious markings. Just a narrow arch of dark marble and a scent of warm stone and wax. The space beyond was simple, no grand tapestries, no gilded altars. Just a single sculpture at the far end of the room.

The statue bore no name. Its form was only a suggestion of a devil, blindfolded, crouched, bound in heavy script-chains, and pinned ...

Chapter 68: The Appetite That Watches

The lanterns of Hazy Mountains City flickered softly against the gathering twilight, casting dim rays on cobblestone streets slick with lingering mist. From the open window of a modest tavern nestled near the foot of the sloping castle walls, the crisp mountain air mingled with the warm aroma of roasted game and spiced wine.

Inside, Salitha and Shela sat opposite each other at a rough-hewn wooden table, their plates half-finished but largely forgotten. The din of quiet conversation and ...

Chapter 67: Unofficial Pact

The wind that rolled through the high mountain pass smelled like winter, though the calendar still claimed otherwise. It whispered across the peaks with a quiet menace, curling mist over the ridges and coating the breath of the watchers in cold. There was a kind of serenity here, beautiful, even. But Shela did not trust serenity.

Not in Hellnia.

She stood alone at the edge of the high pavilion balcony, eyes fixed on the sky. Overhead, the dream fissure pulsed like a wound in the h...

Chapter 66: Charming Negotiations

The room was quiet for a beat too long.

Hannya leaned back in her chair, draped in the pale blue folds of her kimono, a hand raised to gently stroke the rim of her teacup. The audience chamber had not changed much since the three nobles were dragged from it, high vaulted ceilings carved from mountain stone, murals of past dream knights watching from above in silent judgment. The long, mist-veiled table between the two sides now held nothing but the steaming cups Baku insisted on setting...

Chapter 65: The 6th Luxuria & The Imp Guard

The High Hall of Chains in Hellnia’s capital rarely held silence; noise was its pulse, politics its lifeblood. But now, with the main session adjourned and only whispers crawling across its obsidian halls, silence had come.

The noble council had made their decision and chosen their move.

The matter of Suziana’s death had been closed behind layered politicking, deference, and strategic disinterest. A punishment, yes, but not a provocation. Too much risk in retaliating against ...

Thanks To All Members! Quick Poll!

Hey to all fans and readers! Butch here! I just wanted to thank everyone that joined the Patreon! I like to think you readers are the core audience and contributors to this rollercoaster of a story! XD

A Special thanks to all the new contractees that joined to read ahead and offer support! I write this story as a hobby, and I would still do it for free, but you people had to throw money at a wagie. I am now forced to evolve my writing and hotblooded will to make this story the best it c...

Chapter 64: Scheming Big Sister

The sky overhead was a bright blue, a cerulean expanse that evoked a sense of peace and wonder. Palm trees swayed in the breeze while the sand crunched with every step of the happy residents strolling with carefree strides. Each would stop occasionally whenever they passed a grand golden temple, bowing in reverence and thankfulness before continuing their journey through the vibrant city.

Sweet Oasis.

It was, as always, beautiful here.

And yet Gula lay sprawled over her comf...

Chapter 63: Belle Of The Ball

Devils came from mountain passes slick with mist and starless skies. They came wrapped in fine silks and rare cloths, draped in charms, talismans, and bones, pulled in carriages drawn by horned beasts, or drifting on flying chariots. Not the high nobles, not yet, but the second and third sons of falling families, exiles, house agents, fortune seekers, and quiet opportunists came in droves.

The garden outside of Hannya’s pavilion had been reshaped with demonic elegance. Red-glass lante...

Chapter 62: Hannya, the Cannibal

The temperature in the pavilion dropped like a corpse sinking into a lake.

Hannya’s smile vanished. She rose slowly, as if pulled upward by invisible wires. Her form shimmered, subtly at first, then began to flicker in and out of focus. The air distorted around her.

“You actually tried it.” she spoke. Her voice no longer held its earlier charm or performative elegance.

It was hollow.

Distorted.

Damning.

The petals spun as her lips parted slig...

Chapter 61: Taking The Bait

The study atop Hazy Mountain Fortress was dimly lit, the flickering flame of a single paper lantern painting shadows across the old stone and smooth wood. A strange calm settled over the room, as though even the air had paused to listen.

Hannya sat cross-legged beside the window, the veil folded neatly at her side. She sipped from a lavish cup of bitter black tea, a new habit gained from her etiquette enforcer, Noh. Across from her, Baku sat at his desk, scribbling notes onto a scroll w...

Chapter 60: Eyeing the Lowborn

The audience chamber loomed ahead, cavernous and dark like the maw of something that had learned patience. A gate of silent promises, dark promises, though, the trio failed to sense it.

Dozeuff yawned. “This whole trip’s been a mistake. We could’ve still been at the Pleasure Palace…”

“Don’t remind me,” Showeuff said, dragging a hand down his face. “That lavender tub. That succubus flute trio. The palace master's wife…”

Suziana cleared her throat pointed...

Chapter 59: Unbalanced Nobles

Somewhere in the sweltering southwestern wastes of Hellnia, two devil nobles lay face-down in the dirt, surrounded by broken carts, wine-soaked silks, and the faint scent of burnt flesh.

Showeuff, the taller and much louder of the pair, groaned and rolled over, a gold-plated fang glinting in the sunlight. 

His tan skin shimmered with dried blood and glitter, half from battle, half from a party that had apparently ended in fire and screaming.

“Ugh... what day is it?”...

Chapter 58: 6 months

Hellnia, Hazy Mountain Range, Baku’s Personal Training Area

Sawyer, vice commander of the Dream Knights, sat atop a tree overlooking the training area, legs dangling as he bit on a fruit, the kind that tasted quite juicy and sweet. 

Below, the mist was rolling in thick and theatrical, and he had a front-row seat to the chaos brewing in the garden courtyard.

Beside him stood Noh, the crimson-eyed deviless wrapped in her usual tight blue-and-gold kimono, a fan tucked un...

Chapter 57: Young Master Damien

White fire licked the stone beneath Damien's boots, but Arden didn’t flinch.

The boy’s awakening was premature, wild, and dangerous. And yet, all Arden felt was a distant pang of disappointment.

Not fear.

Not anger.

Just the measured chill of expectation unmet. It was hard to be patient with such rashness in front of him.

The flame wasn’t just holy; it was pure. It hummed with a resonance Arden hadn’t felt in decades, a flame that imposed order on the wor...

Chapter 56: Evangelist Corrine

The young warlock moved. No windup, just a sudden, precise dash. She pivoted on her heel mid-step, avoiding the direct line, opting to close in from the flank. She leaped up, her spear lashed out not to stab, but to harass, to enrage.

The principality blocked high, the radiant steel of a long-fallen knight meeting the pact-borne spear of the young girl. But Corrine had already slipped past the block, using the momentum to spin and slash low at the ankle.

Another block.

A voi...