Imp to Demon King: A Journey of Conquest

As mana hummed and the air distorted around Merlin, the hate burning in Adam's eyes receded.

For the first time since Merlin had shoved him into this spatial prison, his flames stopped crackling, and his blade stopped whistling.

Instead, bloody tears rolled down his cheeks from his reddening eyes, and an insurmountable pain engulfed his heart, tearing it into millions of pieces as he gazed at Karna's charred body.

"No..." he muttered, his eyes darting to Heracles' slow movements towards Karna. "No!"

Dark flames flickered in his hand as his voice cracked. Accompanying it, the fragment's laughter exploded into his mind.

"This hate is yours, Adam. And through it and your chaotic body, we'll merge into a being never seen before, a sublime one that will bring the realms and gods to their knees."

The fragment paused, its voice growing solemn and weaker as it fused with Adam's mind.

"Abyssal rift." The prison cracked open, burning air seeping through the opening. "You don't need me to tell you what to do, right?"

Adam scrunched his nose, abyssal hate coloring his scleras dark as he flapped his wings through the opening.

"Burn Heracles, then everyone alive!"

Despite his thunderous declaration, tears continued to stream as the pain of losing his teacher and friend tore a hole in his chest—one he'd fill with hatred to escape the pain and guilt.

As he burst free and rocketed, Merlin's eyes trembled.

He hurriedly stopped his staff in its descent, canceled his spell, and roared.

"Everything we've done so far will be for nought if he dies. Stop him, Achilles!"

The loud clap of the reins being flung reverberated as horror wrapped around Achilles' heart.

ROAR

However, Adam opened his mouth and roared his rage and grief like a dragon, forcing the horses' legs to tremble.

His signature chaotic flames receded, giving way to infernal ones. They encased him, burning bright scarlet as he cleaved the air like a meteor. The wind battered his body, deafening shockwaves spreading.

He reached Heracles in a heartbeat and, before everyone's widening eyes, plunged into the gaping hole in his chest.

Inside, he heard the thumping of a gigantic heart amidst melted flesh and veins. The sickening scent assaulted him, but he didn't care. Instead, he flapped his wings towards the noise.

"You'll accompany him in the afterlife. Burn, bastard!"

Fires engulfed his blade as he swung it with all his hatred and grief in a terrifying blow.

"ARGH!"

Heracles wailed in pain, his legs buckling before Karna's body. Yet, his eyes remained firm.

He knew he'd die, but not before taking down the bastard who had wounded him so deeply. His legends wouldn't allow it, and neither would his pride.

However, Adam didn't give him a second's respite.

Animated by burning vengeance, he rained a hellish avalanche of strikes against the heart. Though it resisted his onslaught at first, the scarlet flames corroded the divine energy—like its natural enemy—with each blow until golden blood spurted onto his face.

He licked it, a cruel smile creeping onto his lips as he chopped at the flesh mercilessly until he emerged from the other side.

Outside, Heracles collapsed but smiled. With his giant form, he'd crush Karna under his weight.

However, his pupils constricted the next second as his enraged roar pierced the sky.

"Since when are demons working together?! Curse you all to the depths of the abyss!"

Under him, Ifrit and Maven gripped Karna's hands and legs. Enduring the burning air, they scrambled.

"We fight as one! Learn about teamwork in Hades' realm, dumb bull!"

Humiliated and defeated, Heracles cursed and coughed out golden blood as he collapsed onto the unforgiving ground.

But his defeat didn't matter to Merlin and Achilles, who finally caught up. Instead, they both leapt from the chariot and rushed inside Heracles' chest... only to be met with a disturbing spectacle.

Before them, Adam laughed and cried as he shoved pieces of Heracles' heart into his mouth.

Despite the horror clawing at his heart, Merlin waved his hand, muttering his spell.

"Somnus Veil"

Instinctively, Adam leapt back and hurled his blade in the same movement.

CLANG

The clangor of metal colliding with metal reverberated as Achilles parried the projectile.

Then, Merlin's voice echoed, soft and guilt-ridden.

"It's my fault if everything spiralled out of control. I'm sorry, Adam." He bit his lip, a steely glint flashing in his eyes. "I'll fix my mistakes before you wake up."

As he spoke, smoke swirled and condensed into Luna's and Tiamat's images. They gently hugged Adam, forcing him to pause as they released a sweet, addictive scent.

His eyes rolled back upon inhaling it before his mind drifted into a forced sleep.

Meanwhile, Achilles picked up the abyssal blade and shook his head.

"What now?"

Merlin narrowed his eyes into determined slits.

"I planned to summon a Beast Glatisant after we reached the seventh tier." He pointed at Adam's missing left hand. "Then graft its hand onto him. But we have a better option now. Get me Tyr's hand while I prepare the ritual."

Without looking at Achilles, he unsheathed the sword Muramasa had forged and planted it beside Adam. Mana engulfed his palms next. Each time he waved them, magical symbols pulsed to life on Heracles' organs.

They connected into intricate circles around him and the sword before he stepped toward the bleeding heart.

"It took me centuries to find it."

He stretched his hand out, causing a golden chalice encrusted with jewels to appear. Ancient in design and releasing a divinely mysterious aura, it hummed in his hand as Heracles' golden blood flowed inside.

Yet, the chalice continued to devour more blood, no matter how much it collected. And when there was no more, it trembled and clinked.

With the noise, the heart and muscles exploded, and the divinity hidden inside rushed into it. Just like that, it consumed three-quarters of Heracles' body before feeling satisfied.

Merlin nodded, a brilliant smile tugging at his lips.

"I'll lose it, but saving a friend is more important."

He placed the chalice between Adam and the blade as Achilles returned with Tyr's glowing hand.

"I'll guide his chaos to assimilate it. Place it beside him."

After Achilles did as told and stepped back, Merlin's voice rumbled.

"O holy grail, with the purest divinity as a sacrifice, and justice as my only desire, I request thee to grant my wish."

Space distorted as divine light emerged from the chalice, signalling it recognised his just intention.

"A fragment of my father's will merged with my friend. I beseech thee to separate them and extinguish this evil consciousness."

The grail trembled before a blinding light engulfed the area. It rushed into Adam without warning the next second and seeped into him.

More precise than a surgeon and as gentle as the morning sun, it untangled the fragment's hatred from Adam's mind.

Yet, its gentleness vanished the next second. As though facing an enemy, it shredded the burning hatred into pieces and shoved them outside.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

With the wish granted, it glowed and turned transparent before it faded entirely, forcing Merlin to sigh.

"I'm not searching for it again. I'll let Arthur have a second chance at finding it."

He smirked, gathering the fragment's pieces with his mana as the magic circles hummed.

"Time for the main show!"