Starting as Cipher-The Flame-Chaser Identity System(Honkai Star Rail)

Cipher's movements were so swift that several seconds after his arm exploded, the Black-Robed Man's brain finally registered the pain. He crumpled to the ground, clutching his right shoulder with his left hand, cold sweat cascading down his forehead like a waterfall.

Even in this state, the man refused to cry out, a testament to his resilience.

Inevitably, the illusion magic he'd cast dissipated. Cipher stood before the kneeling figure, her small scissors poised at his throat. "Where's the Hell Book?" she demanded.

Only then did the Black-Robed Man realize that Cipher's "weapon" was merely a pair of scissors.

Meaning he had used both swordsmanship and magic against an unarmed opponent, only to be toyed with for ages and then instantly felled by some unknown skill?

"A Monk..." the Black-Robed Man muttered through gritted teeth. The only class that fights barehanded. "Damn it! How did someone from the Eastern Ancient Kingdom get here?"

The Eastern Ancient Kingdom was the only place where Monks existed. Cipher, upon hearing this, could only roll her eyes inwardly. Why do these people always jump to such wild conclusions?

One moment she was an imperial citizen, and the next she'd supposedly changed nationalities, crossed half the world, and moved to the Eastern Ancient Kingdom?

Cipher's lips twitched. "I'm the one asking the questions here! Don't answer a question with another question! Just tell me!"

The Black-Robed Man's expression grew manic, his grin widening to reveal twisted teeth. "You'll regret this! Prepare to pay the price for your actions!"

With those words, the Black-Robed Man spontaneously burst into flames. His entire body was engulfed in fire, forcing Cipher to stumble back several steps to escape the heat.

Her face was a mask of exasperation and speechlessness, her mouth slightly agape. "I..."

She genuinely wanted to curse. Seriously, first the king, now this black-robed guy—do you both have some kind of mental illness?!

She'd used the exact same interrogation technique both times, and both the king and the Black-Robed Man had reacted identically: refusing to answer and instead concocting wild scenarios in their heads. The king had fled using magic, and now this man had inexplicably self-combusted.

Cipher felt like she was dealing with NPCs—no, the king and the Black-Robed Man were the real NPCs here. She was utterly speechless.

Cipher patted her chest and took a deep breath to calm herself. The interrogation had yielded no useful information. As she pondered whether to continue searching the castle or leave, she realized the Black-Robed Man's self-immolation didn't appear to be suicide.

A blazing red circular magic circle materialized beneath his feet. As the flames intensified, the Black-Robed Man's body began to swell, and a pungent sulfurous odor filled the room.

This was a skill known to all warlocks: prematurely terminating their contract with their Lord. In response, the Lord would come to claim everything the warlock possessed.

The skill resembled a priest's Divine Descent, except where priests invited gods to possess them, warlocks summoned their Patron to take over!

While priests might survive a Divine Descent, a warlock's Terminate Contract meant certain death. But... the Black-Robed Man was already doomed. To him, dying at the hands of the "Monk" before him or being consumed by his Patron made no difference. At least the latter offered a chance for vengeance. Which option would anyone choose?

The sulfurous flames gradually expanded, and a pair of crimson demonic wings materialized behind them. Soon, a demon entirely clad in red, with curved goat horns sprouting from its head, stood before Cipher.

Its eyes were red with pitch-black sclera, and it wore impeccably tailored noble attire. A slight smile played on its lips. "Let's see," it murmured, "who dared to slay my amusing Contractor?"

It's important to note that demons and devils are distinct entities. Devils reside in the Nine Hells, possessing immense intelligence and functioning as an ordered, civilized race—though inherently evil. They meticulously adhere to their own rules while devising ways to gain advantages for themselves.

This is most evident in Demon Contracts. They deceive Contractors by using fine print invisible to the naked eye or special clauses concealed by Invisibility Magic, ensuring maximum benefit for themselves. However, once a contract is signed, devils are remarkably trustworthy; they fulfill every term precisely as written.

Demons are savage beasts dwelling in the Endless Abyss. Most possess only rudimentary intelligence, engaging in ceaseless mutual slaughter from birth—a gruesome evolutionary process akin to cultivating gu poison, devouring their kin to evolve and grow stronger.

Wizards of the Conjuration School frequently summon demons as combat thralls. These irrational creatures, fearless in battle and easily controlled, make formidable pawns. However, conjuration rituals often malfunction, or demons may unexpectedly break free from their bonds, turning on their summoners.

Returning to the present, Cipher now faced an unmistakable demon. Though not the Archduke of Demons himself, even a mere avatar of this ruler of the first layer of the Nine Hells possessed immense power—comparable to that of a top-tier Gold-rank adventurer.

The demon scrutinized Cipher, who stood before him, alert and wary. "A Monk from the Eastern Ancient Kingdom..." he began with a chuckle.

But before he could finish, the demon's smile abruptly vanished, replaced by dawning terror. Flames erupted anew, engulfing him completely. Cipher faintly heard the demon cursing—not at her, but at the Black-Robed Man.

"Damn it! What kind of Monk is this?! Did you summon a goddamn Demigod for me?! I'll be damned!"

In this world, one couldn't judge another's strength by mere observation. But note the key word: person. What if the opponent was a god?

Precisely because this demon was so powerful, he could sense a quality called "Divinity" emanating from Cipher. Holy shit, she's radiating Divinity! She's either a Demigod or a full-fledged god! Either way, this demon couldn't afford to provoke her!

A moment ago: Huh? A Contractor terminated their Contract early? Time to harvest some souls? Sweet!

Looks like this Contractor is fighting a Monk. Perfect! I can swing by the Material Plane while I'm at it, flex my power, and have a blast.

The next moment: Holy fucking shit! A Demigod?! What the hell?!

The demon nearly pissed himself in terror!

As the flames dissipated, the demon had already fled back to the Nine Hells, leaving only the one-armed Black-Robed Man standing there, dumbfounded. He glanced down at his severed limb, his eyes filled with disbelief and confusion.

Theoretically, terminating the Contract prematurely should have meant certain death for the Black-Robed Man. But the demon had clearly been terrified by Cipher, fleeing in such haste that he forgot to collect his "harvest," leaving the Black-Robed Man alive.

Everything had happened so suddenly that Cipher hadn't quite grasped what had transpired. She looked at the Black-Robed Man with a bewildered expression, and after a moment, he stared back at her blankly. Their eyes met, and Cipher abruptly asked, "So, can you answer my question now?"

The Black-Robed Man broke into a cold sweat.

Truth be told, he had barely retained consciousness as the flames engulfed him. He had only vaguely heard the word "Demigod" and, recalling his Patron's panicked flight, slowly realized the true nature of the enemy before him.

His legs trembled as he stammered in terror, "I... I don't know where the Hell Book is! The location of that Divine Artifact has always been a secret, known only to His Majesty the King!"

Cipher frowned slightly. "Then what does the King intend to do with the Hell Book?"

The Black-Robed Man stammered, "I... I don't know either! I was just following the Lord's orders to assist the King. Neither the Lord nor the King ever told me the purpose of the Hell Book..."

Cipher was speechless. How could this man know so little? She glanced at his legs, which were shaking like leaves, and realized he was genuinely clueless.

So, the situation seemed to be this: The Black-Robed Man's Lord, a demon from the Nine Hells, had somehow learned of the King's plan. Whether driven by demonic nature or some ulterior motive, the demon had ordered his Contractor, this Black-Robed Man, to assist the King.

Cipher suspected that if the Hell Book's true effect was to summon 'Hell,' the demon might be exploiting this to invade the Material Plane.

A sudden thought struck her. "What's the Red Earth in those warehouses for?"

"Red... Red Earth?" The Black-Robed Man paused, then his eyes widened in realization. He had suspected someone was following him, but his Invisibility Magic hadn't detected anyone. Now it seemed the Demigod herself had been tracking him.

The Black-Robed Man stammered, "Red... that Red Earth is soil summoned from the Nine Hells using conjuration magic. Just a sprinkle of it on farmland will kill all the crops, leaving nothing to harvest..."

Upon hearing this, Cipher's delicate silver eyebrows furrowed, her eyes filled with disgust. She considered whether she had any further questions. If not, she was already contemplating how to kill this man.

Since her arrival in this world, this was the first time she had felt such an intense urge to end someone's life. One swift kick could easily snuff out his existence.

Cipher glanced down at her high heels. Well, not that I can see them, she thought, but I don't want his blood on my shoes. After a moment's thought, she reached into her satchel, retrieved a Gold Dragon, and gently rubbed the coin between her thumb and forefinger. Then, she tossed it into the air.

Aiming for the man's head, Cipher kicked out, guided by instinct alone.

It was like holding an empty water bottle and aiming for a trash can five or six meters away—whether you hit the target was entirely a matter of "feel." What Cipher had just done was essentially the same, except her body's "feel" was extraordinarily precise, and her exceptional coordination and balance further enhanced her accuracy.

The Black-Robed Man was still trembling, waiting for Cipher to continue questioning him, when a golden streak flashed toward him. In the next instant, he lost consciousness.

The Gold Dragon pierced through the Black-Robed Man's skull, continuing its trajectory to strike the wall behind him, leaving a small hole. Peering through the hole, one could see fragments of a shattered, blood-stained coin.

Only then did the belated footsteps of patrolling soldiers approach from outside the room. In less than two minutes—from Cipher's sudden appearance, threatening the King, to scaring off the demon, and finally killing the Black-Robed Man—the soldiers' swift detection of the disturbance was remarkable.

Cipher glanced impassively at the corpse before her. This was the first time she had personally killed someone. To her surprise, she felt surprisingly unmoved. Perhaps it was because her victim had been a truly heinous criminal?

With a final sigh, Cipher quietly concealed her presence and left the castle. To be honest, she had lost all interest in aimlessly wandering the castle in search of the Hell Book, especially since the Divine Artifact was highly unlikely to be found there anyway.

Leaving the castle, she arrived at the city's marketplace. Though the crowds were thin, almost everyone wore respectable attire; peasants in coarse burlap clothing were conspicuously absent.

Most people sported smiles as they purchased expensive snacks and delicacies. These goods were likely either stockpiled reserves from shrewd merchants or imports brought in from abroad. Regardless of their origin, in the midst of the current famine, such luxuries were outrageously expensive, affordable only to the nobility.

The merchants raked in exorbitant profits, and the nobles hardly noticed the expense. Everyone seemed perfectly content, utterly indifferent to the masses of starving commoners dying en masse outside the city walls.

Normally, Cipher might have indulged in some local treats herself. But now, she merely glanced around before moving on.

P.S.: This warlock's class is Warlock - Lord of the Nine Hells (Level 7). His lord, the Archduke of Demons, is Level 15.