Imp to Demon King: A Journey of Conquest

A golden light erupted from the lord's blazon as his lava cocoon burst open—just in time to meet the green fangs closing on him.

The fiery snake's jaw snapped shut on the solid mana swirling into a sparkling blue shield.

BANG

Demonic and abyssal essences assaulted the barrier, but Xanthikos smirked victoriously.

"Nothing can kill me in my palace, for I'm the lord, dumb dogs!"

His dark laughter reverberated as the rumbling sky drew Luna's attention.

At a glance, she noticed the city's mana barrier dissolving into waltzing wisps. As if called by their masters, they rushed to reinforce the man's protection.

"Troublesome."

Her lips twisted into an ugly grimace, making Xanthikos laugh twice as boisterously.

"Curse your stupidity and flee like the vermin you are!" She rolled her eyes at his disgusting smile as he swept his hand and roared. "Molten castle!"

The sizzling noise of melting stones filled her ears as the palace rumbled.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

The ground rose, dripping with magma and solidifying into dark walls. Bright orange veins pulsed on the surface as stone ballistas and cannons formed on the miniature castle protecting the fool.

She exhaled the sulfuric air, snorting. "I didn't mean you. You're just an ant delaying your inevitable death." She pointed at the clear sky, her brows twitching. "What do you think will happen if you protect yourself with the barrier?" She covered her disdainful smirk with her fingers, her voice dripping with mockery. "Isn't your army fighting the rebels in the inner district?"

Xanthikos' laughter died in his drying throat. Fists trembling, he scrutinised the three demons' leather armor and cursed under his breath. Yet, he recovered with a sharp inhale, a cruel smirk splitting his face.

"So what if you have followers? You can eviscerate the entire city for all I care. Oikos knows I used my blazon. So, enjoy your stay, because I'll revel in your miserable cries when the kingdom's army reclaims the city. And trust me, my barrier can endure for months. Hahaha!"

Despite his strong front, he knew he couldn't defeat Luna, let alone if her two underlings joined her. But he just had to bite the bullet until another city's investigation team reported his situation to the king.

He smirked at the idea. Not only would he regain his treasury and resell the empty infrastructures, but he'd also get rewards for his meritorious resistance.

Dreams of donning a golden crown and leading men to conquer the East with the king's support filled his mind. Yet everything shattered when Luna's icy voice cut through his wishful ideas.

"Bart, Garduck, strike him down." She raised her palm, a fiery snake slithering on her arm. "Let us show you why everyone fears demons... and how a true lord treats his subjects!"

Without giving Xanthikos time to react, Bart and Garduck split the wind like cannonballs. Leaving red and green blurs in their wake, they smashed into the castle's walls like two battering rams.

RUMBLE

The construct cracked, the basalt exploding into flying gravel with horrible noises.

Like a house of cards, the castle crumbled, dust rising and obscuring the falling lord. Yet his glowing barrier made him easy prey for veteran hunters—that's how he appeared in the three demons' sparkling eyes.

BANG

A scarlet blade collided with the barrier before Xanthikos' trembling legs touched the ground. The scraping noise of metal trying to cleave through mana deafened him. But it was the red demon's hulking arms that terrorised him. He could feel the power hidden behind the snaking veins, realising in horror that he was also on the fifth tier!

Still, he repeated inwardly that everything was under control as the barrier repelled the demon. After all, Foliaris' purpose was to resist Elden's potential invasions three thousand years ago. The fifth tier? It could even absorb a spell from an arcanist!

However, his hair bristled, an ominous feeling gripping him by the throat as a blade so dark that light seemed to avoid it cleaved the air overhead.

Instinctively, he raised his wand and roared.

"Infernal surge!"

A bright stream of lava burst towards Garduck's face. Smirking, he shoved his abyssal blade down, cleaving and corroding the searing spell for a few centimeters before halting.

"Behind you, idiot," he snickered, a bitter taste filling his mouth as he lamented his weakness and the blade's limited effectiveness against tier-five spells.

Xanthikos snapped his head back—just in time to see a blazing snake's fangs glint. An icy shiver ran down his spine as he noticed the same abyssal dark coating them. But it was too late to react.

Bracing himself for the impact, he roared, "I'm the great Xanthikos, the chosen one who'll rise to become the next king. You can't kill me!"

But the snake didn't listen to him. Instead, the abyssal energy coating its fangs collided with the barrier. Unable to pierce through, he sighed in relief before noticing dark patches forming on the clear surface of his defense. Worse, cracks began to appear, letting the demonic heat seep inside.

"No!" Eyes wide and icy sweat marring his back, he gripped his lord's blazon tighter, commanding it to increase the barrier's output—in vain since he had already ordered his guards to set it at the maximum two days ago.

"Tell that to Hades and pass him my greetings when you're at it." With her words, the darkened barrier exploded into a sea of glistening shards.

The snake hissed before Xanthikos' pale face, its forked tongue almost licking the tears of unwillingness trailing down his distorted cheeks.

He opened his mouth, the scalding air burning his throat.

"Merc..."

Before he could finish, the snake's gaping mouth swallowed him whole.

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An unbearable agony overwhelmed him as his hair caught fire first. He wailed when his skin darkened and split open. But the most horrifying thing was to feel his blood boil and his organs roast. This horrible feeling... was it hell?

Meanwhile, Luna watched his body turn to drifting ashes before a clang attracted her attention. With a snap of her fingers, she dispelled the snake and rummaged through the tyrant's remains. She felt something cold meet her fingers and, after retrieving the item, noticed it was the lord's blazon.

"Sigh." She pocketed it and turned to Bart and Garduck. "Let's rush back before the kids do something stupid again."