Imp to Demon King: A Journey of Conquest

"You wanted to know where the lord is, right? He drew that bastard from Baal's legion to the other lord's territory."

Ifrit's fiery voice echoed by her, reigniting the frozen embers of hope in her heart.

Fists clenched, she pushed herself off the charred ground, straightened her back, and wiped her tears.

The sound of her fist colliding with her breastplate twice echoed as her heart drummed against her chest and her eyes narrowed into determined slits.

"I won't ask for your forgiveness. I'll just say that I'll bring him back."

"Good luck with that. Do you think we're not rushing to help big brother because of our wounds?"

Silas rolled his eyes at her and spat in disgust on the ground.

"You left him no choice. The big brother we knew is gone, and something terrifying replaced him."

"W-What do you mean?"

Her voice cracked, and her pupils constricted as she imagined the worst possible scenario. After all, she was the one who explained to him how demons could become stronger and the price they'd have to pay.

And her legs trembled once Zane confirmed her suspicions.

"He made his demonic essence go zerk to increase his strength. But..."

"He lost his sanity, and his powers are consuming his body. I must stop him!"

As a master of essence control, she knew better than anyone what dangers he was in. Therefore, she completed Zane's sentence as her feet already struck the ground to save him.

However, Bart shouted from behind.

"It's useless. The lord is not a common imp anymore. Tiamat made sure to modify him thoroughly. And now that demonic essence boosts him, he has become a literal beast. You have no chance against him or that greater demon. So, leave!

Leave and rebuild your life somewhere you won't have to think about the past."

Instead of stopping, she accelerated, rocketing through the forest like a missile.

Her guilt and regret-ridden heart sang a different melody as her lips stretched into a gentle smile.

"There is no way Bart could have said something like this. He knew! He knew I would return and trusted me until the end! Hang on, Adam. I'll save you, and we'll build the best territory with everyone!"

A moment later, she reached a devastated clearing and quivered at the spectacle.

The metallic smell of blood and burnt wood assaulted her nostrils as she stepped onto the sticky sea coating the ground scarlet. Human corpses littered the place with shredded limbs sprawled randomly in a nauseating spectacle.

Further away, smoke rose from the sparse intact buildings, and the noise of intense battles reverberated behind them.

ROAR

The air itself seemed to tremble as a demonic roar shook her to her core.

Quickly, she forgot about the gruesome spectacle and rushed to the battle noises.

And finally, she saw Adam, or rather, what he became.

"No..."

A pained whisper escaped her quivering lips, and her heart sank for a second as she saw his deformed appearance.

Instead of the smiling 1.3-meter-tall imp, a tall demon with disproportionate muscles swiped his claws with furious abandon at two bickering individuals.

"Shit! How did my territory end up destroyed?! Didn't Baal say you would behead that fool in a second?"

The lord of the nine realms roared in outrage as he narrowly dodged five glinting claws.

However, she gritted her teeth, noticing the horns piercing his skull and the small tail bulging from his lower back.

"He threw away his human pride and accepted the demon king's demonization process."

Simultaneously, the greater demon swung a red demonic sword encased in blazing flames at Adam's side, roaring in fury.

"Die, you shitty imp!"

However, the scale-like keratin covering his body, boosted by his demonic essence, swallowed the impact, leaving a thin cut dripping blood and a reddened patch of skin as the only damage.

Then, two infernal eyes burning green locked onto the greater demon like prey. Adam's mouth opened, revealing razor-sharp teeth as sticky drool flowed out of his lips.

ROAR

"ARGH!"

Hidden behind a ruin, Luna covered her ears, feeling her eardrums on the verge of shattering and a deep sense of terror clawing at her heart.

But she couldn't waste time on emotions. She would get rid of the two pests. Then, bring him back to reason and to do so, she had to deliver a single strike that would end the battle.

"His roar has faint traces of draconic might. I must strike when they're affected."

A calculative glint flashed in her green eyes as she hid under a heap of broken wood and observed the battle, waiting for the right moment.

Meanwhile, Adam closed his mouth and lunged at the staggered enemies.

Arm muscles tensed like springs, he propelled them at the fool who tried to strike him with a sword.

"I'm a battle expert, you dog-like imp!"

With an elegant movement, the man's orange hair fluttered, and his intricate armor glinted as he swung his blade.

CLANG

Sparks flew upon impact as the greater demon struck Adam's nails and shoved his arms down.

"Your only redeeming quality is your defense! I'm still stronger, faster, and better! Don't watch from the sidelines and attack him from behind, shitty lord!"

Provoked by the repeated failure to kill his target, fiery flames surged from the demon's body to answer his rage. They encased his blade before he swung it with unexpected mastery.

Each movement blended into another in a dance of steel and fire aimed to obliterate Adam without delay.

Simultaneously, the lord of the nine realms slid behind and rained an avalanche of punches on his back.

"RAAAAH!"

Luna bit her lips and held her hand to resist jumping in to help as Adam yelled in pain.

From this close, she could see the many shallow cuts covering his body and the blood dripping down his bare muscles.

Her chest tightened, and her heart ached as she mouthed a silent prayer.

"Please, roar again. I'll endure my eardrums shattering, so do it."

Faced with the pressure and the pain, Adam soon opened his mouth in rage.

ROAR

Heart drumming against her chest, she stifled the agony and her distorted perception of space. At this moment, only one thing mattered: to strike down the enemies and return with him.

Without wasting a second, she rose from the rubble, her green eyes burning with demonic energy and her chitinous gauntlets aimed at the disoriented greater demon.

"Taste that, bastard!"

Her essence condensed into a gigantic fiery snake hissing through the wind. Mouth wide open, it charged at the greater demon and dug into his neck.

"ARGH!"