Imp to Demon King: A Journey of Conquest

A second after insulting her mentally, icy sweat condensed on his paling face, and the weight of the mistake settled like a rock pressing on his guts.

His teeth cracked, the silence only deepening the unbearable pressure.

Would she lash out, obliterate, or, worse, torture him for the offense? He had no answer. But his veins couldn't help but bulge on his forehead.

As he lamented his loss of privacy before these divine fools, the voice thundered through the crypt.

"You poor little thing dares call me a stupid witch?" The fog swirled and battered the tombs and walls, covering them in a frosty layer.

His breath caught in his throat, and his arms trembled around his chest—a vain attempt to warm himself as the chill seeped into his bones. Teeth chattering, he squinted through the rising blizzard, a bizarre sense of regret flashing in them.

From all the mighty gods and demons threatening him and the mistakes he could have committed, how ironic this end was? A downfall stemming from a mere thought.

Powerless, he closed his eyes as the faces of his subjects flashed by one after another until one alone filled his vision.

Her green hair fluttered as if she was close enough for him to touch them. Her conflicted eyes lingered on him before the corner of her lips rose into a subtle smile she tried to hide. Then, her expression shifted: a burning blush, a disdainful snort, and, finally, a rare, bright smile.

His heart thundered in his chest, a raw pain seizing it as if someone was slowly shredding it from the inside. The ache had one source, one piercing question:

Will I never see her again?

His constricted pupils ignited into two chaotic pools of swirling flames at the horrible thought.

"NO!"

His fingers tightened as light particles condensed to replace his fading silver blade.

"I'll use anything to return to her!"

The rough texture of an ancient stone and a wave of malicious whispers replaced it.

"That divine sorceress dares to threaten you?" Suffused with hate, it rapidly increased in volume and overwhelmed his mind. "Kill her, then any divine being, and then everything in creation. Burn the realms and their people. Cut those dogs' supply of divine power and reign over the realms as the uncontested devil. Only then will you find peace. Only then will you find..." The voice lingered, a pause that seemed to dig into his most hidden desire before it gently whispered. "Love."

Under its influence, his veins bulged like snakes squirming under his tight skin. A rush of demonic essence nourished his muscles, making them double in size and almost crack his skin. His emerald eyes darkened, becoming as deep as an abyss.

The frost threatening to engulf him seemed to back a step as his lips parted.

"RAAH!"

Demonic and draconic features melded in his roar as dark flames flickered erratically around him. Vapor swirled out of his mouth to replace the fog and assert his ability to fight back.

With a feral grunt, his head snapped to the skeletons barring his path, a single thought subjugating his mind: find the voice owner—kill her!

But he shuddered inside his mental room.

A swarm of demonic insects drifted, slowly gnawing at everything.

Yet, what could he do? It was that or death.

He exhaled, a steely glint flashing in his eyes as he added his will to the burning madness battling him for control.

"Ignore wounds and enemies. Rush to her throne and find the exit!"

Simultaneously, his now three-meter-tall frame blurred into action.

Fueled by rage, his stomps left deep, burning gouges on the rotten ground as he closed on the skeleton's tower shields like an infernal bulldozer.

CLANG

The shields gave in under his ramming, his shoulder imprinted on them.

Like broken dolls, their arms shattered before they flew back.

Yet, it was only a few among the hundreds patrolling the crypt. Even worse, he constantly fought against the irrepressible urge to revel in the violence and shred them all into pieces.

With a suppressed grunt, he gripped a lunging soldier's skull and drew his arm back.

BAM

Dust rose, and bones crunched as he hurled it with all his strength. A passage littered with shattered skulls but free of enemies appeared before him.

Without hesitation, his feet exploded against the ground, and his abyssal blade drew shining arcs as he charged.

More soldiers fell, but even more pounced at him, forcing him to use every part of his body to keep his momentum.

Like spears, his draconic horns glinted and pierced skulls. His fingers whistled, squeezing spines into dust while his sharp teeth clattered on the approaching weapons. Yet, a few punctured his hard skin.

The burning sensation of his blood marring his skin, however, didn't sting as he would have expected. Instead, his armor's demonic engravings pulsed and absorbed half the pain as he continued his unstoppable charge.

Meanwhile, seated on a frozen throne sprinkled with golden hues, the queen of magic's lips curled.

"Oh, how swiftly you fell into darkness. But I must admit, your tenacity is... curious." She chuckled as she observed Adam's agile and ruthless moves. "You still need to work on your technique, but I see the potential to surpass Gawain's level."

Her fingers tightened around the bright stone.

"Do you deserve my support, though? Will you succumb to malice and reach my throne as a mindless beast? Or will your determination brighten a path to the heart of winter? After all, many creatures linger in its chill, and you're only at the entrance."

She straightened her back, her butterfly-like wings catching the flickering torches' lights as her slender backhand came to support her chin.

"Don't worry, little demon. I won't let your madness spread outside." Her bright purple eyes narrowed into chilling slits, all traces of amusement vanishing from her voice. "Should you fall, I'll keep you safe in a world of endless dreams... forever."

As her ominous words echoed, she focused on Adam and the next enemies he'll face.