Chapter 10 — The Reality of Power and the Contract
After Loona's birthday party, Razan and Loona settled comfortably on the couch, the warm glow of the TV illuminating the dim living room. They had spent the entire earlier part of the day celebrating, laughing, eating, and escaping—at least for a little while—the chaos of Hell itself. Now, with the festivities behind them, they were ready to enjoy the rare calm.
On the table in front of them was a neatly arranged pile of movies—DVDs, Blu-rays, and even some old VHS tapes—that Aoi had asked Blitzo to bring from the human world. For Razan, it was like reconnecting with pieces of a world he no longer belonged to. Some films he had watched in his previous life, others he had never gotten around to seeing. But all of them felt strangely nostalgic, like a window to a time that wasn't coming back.
As he watched the screen flicker with the opening credits of Friday the 13th, Razan let out a relieved sigh.
"Good thing I remembered to ask them to bring some movies and series along with the birthday stuff," he said while leaning back more comfortably into the couch cushions.
Loona, curled up beside him with her tail lazily swaying back and forth, let out a small snort of amusement.
"I was getting tired of looking at Vox's face," Razan grumbled, rolling his eyes dramatically.
Loona laughed softly, the sound echoing with genuine amusement.
"Watching a TV inside another TV every day really isn't the best entertainment someone could hope for," she teased.
Razan flashed a grin at her. "At least now we can watch something where he doesn't pop out of nowhere, showing his stupid face on the screen."
With that, he closed his eyes for a brief moment, shutting out the room around him as he switched his focus inward—toward his system.
All right, he thought. Time to see where I stand.
"So, System," Razan said mentally, "how about we do a lottery now?"
The System responded in its neutral, mechanical tone:
"Well, you did win some lotteries this year already, but I assumed you'd prefer saving them up, so you could pull better things later."
"That was the plan…" Razan muttered, rubbing his forehead with mild irritation. "But I woke up in this damn Hell. If I don't get stronger fast, things might go bad eventually."
As he spoke, the memory of the danger Loona had faced earlier flashed through his mind. Even if she had laughed it off afterward, to him it hadn't been funny at all. It had been the single most terrifying moment since he arrived here. As someone who had been an orphan in two lifetimes, he had never truly had anyone to protect—until now. And losing someone so important? That was something he refused to let happen again.
"System," he said, his tone firm, "let's save the lotteries only when I reach a power level where the only one who can threaten me in Hell is Lucifer himself. Until then, I need to get stronger as quickly as possible."
"Well then," the System responded calmly, "let us begin the lottery."
A series of notifications echoed inside his mind:
"Congratulations to the host for receiving a model fragment."
"Congratulations to the host for receiving an item."
"Congratulations to the host for receiving a model."
"Congratulations to the host for receiving another model."
Razan exhaled slowly. "System, open the model fragments first."
"Opening… Congratulations: teleportation ability from Kurogiri, from My Hero Academia."
Razan nodded with clear satisfaction, his eyes opening again as excitement sparkled in them.
"Nice. With that, I'll have high mobility and can escape if things get ugly. And maybe I can even try going to the human world using that power."
"System, open the other fragment."
"Opening… Congratulations, host: you have gained the demonic power of Meliodas, from Seven Deadly Sins."
Razan's eyebrows rose as a slow smirk formed.
"Nice. That power is an excellent combination with my Acnologia model."
"Just take note, host," the System warned. "This power is based on your power, not Meliodas's. How much you can use depends entirely on you."
"I get it… Like, if you gave me a Super Saiyan transformation, it doesn't mean that because my power multiplies by fifty that I'll magically reach Goku's level. If I only have 1 combat point, even transformed, I'd only have 50."
"Yes. It seems the host understands how the system functions."
"All right. System, open the remaining two models."
"Congratulations on obtaining the War Devil model from Chainsaw Man."
"Congratulations on obtaining the ares model, the God of War from the Wonder Woman universe."
Razan twitched the corner of his mouth, letting out a half-laugh, half-groan.
"System… you're really trying to help me become exactly what I told Loona: someone who gets stronger through war and destruction. But you know I'm not stupid enough to start wars everywhere."
"Host, do you want a suggestion?"
Razan immediately stopped joking when he heard the System's serious tone. He straightened his posture slightly and answered, "Speak."
"If you want to reach Lucifer's level or surpass it… these scattered powers won't help you at all. Lucifer is a cosmic being of pure light. As Aizen would say: he exists in a completely different dimension compared to you. Even in the original works, he is 'contained' from head to toe, because otherwise the story wouldn't function."
The System paused for a moment before continuing.
"If you want to reach such a level, my advice is simple: take every 'war-type' power you obtain—Ares, the War Devil, Acnologia—and begin fusing them little by little. Until you become the very concept of war. Only then will you truly have a chance."
Razan went silent, his eyes flickering with the weight of the System's words. He knew the System wasn't exaggerating. Using a bunch of isolated powers to face beings like Lucifer was equivalent to pointing a handgun at Superman—something comically doomed to fail.
"Let's go with that plan then," Razan finally said. "System, fuse all the powers and models with me."
"Oh, and I almost forgot—open the item."
"Opening item: Eternal Life Contract."
Razan's forehead scrunched. "Eternal Life Contract?"
The System began explaining:
"This contract is formed between two individuals. For example, if the host signs it with Loona, she would be able to use the host's powers—up to 40% of his peak strength. But it is an eternal contract. Those who sign it share life. If one dies or betrays the contract, both perish. So choose carefully who you sign it with."
"Now beginning the fusion."
A sudden wave of power coursed through Razan's body, making him grip the couch tightly as the fusion process completed. After some time, he opened his eyes again, breathing slowly and deeply. His entire body felt heavier yet stronger, denser with raw power. Even his Acnologia model had risen to 35%.
His gaze drifted back to Loona, who was still sitting beside him, watching the movie without realizing how much had just changed inside him. He called her name softly. Loona turned toward him, ears twitching slightly.
He explained everything—the contract, what it meant, what it demanded.
Loona stared at him in genuine shock.
"Why… why would you do something like that?" she whispered.
Razan smiled gently—an expression he only ever showed around her.
"Well… I know you'll never trust me completely. You'll always have that doubt in your heart: 'Is he lying? Is he pretending? Does he only want to use me and then throw me away?'"
He raised his hand, the glowing contract hovering above his palm.
"This contract is the way to destroy that doubt once and for all. Even the filthiest demon in Hell has to obey the terms of a contract, right?"
Loona's breath trembled. For him to go this far—just to ease her fear—was something she had never expected. She stared at his extended hand, the contract pulsing softly with dark energy. Hesitating now would be the same as rejecting everything he was offering.
Slowly, she reached out and touched his hand.
The moment their fingers connected, the contract activated. A black beam of light shot upward, tearing through the sky. Shards of dark power exploded outward, rippling across all of Hell. Every powerful being—Overlords, demons, entities beyond classification—looked toward the sky in shock, sensing the energy of that contract for the first time.
Back in the apartment, when the light faded, Loona looked down to find the letter R glowing faintly on the left side of her chest. Razan looked at his own body and saw the letter L marked on the right side of his.
Loona's body relaxed as exhaustion finally took over. She curled up against him and drifted off to sleep in his arms.
Razan looked down at her peaceful expression.
And he knew—without a doubt—that she had finally opened her heart to him