The Cathedral Meeting Room was a stark contrast to the overwhelming grandeur outside. It was just a small room, with walls etched in demonic runes to block sound or any sort of divination.
At its center sat a round obsidian table, smooth and ancient, surrounded by heavy chairs carved from demon-steel. At the far end stood a single throne-like seat, unmistakably different from the rest, broader, higher-backed, and faintly pulsing with dormant enchantments that resonated with Jax's presence alone.
Jax took his seat without ceremony, leaning back comfortably, one arm resting on the throne's side as Crimson Maw faded from existence. The moment he sat, the runes along the walls flared once and then stabilized, as if the room itself acknowledged him.
The Clan Leaders settled into their places around the table, and the discussion immediately began.
Orianna was the first to speak, tail flicking once as she leaned forward, elbows resting on the table. "Enough spectacle," she said bluntly, amusement still lingering in her eyes. "Let's talk about what matters. The Heroes."
With a casual snap of her fingers, raw mana condensed above the center of the table, forming a translucent, rotating projection. Six figures emerged in perfect detail, battling a massive swarm of Demons.
However, the Six Heroes handled the Demon easily. The party was made up of one man and 5 women.
The man was the stereotypical fantasy hero, brandishing a Golden Sword and Light Magic, while the women all had different roles, like Healer, Paladin, Assassin, Scout and Mage.
"That man is the leader of the Heroes, his name is reportedly Killian," Orianna said as she pointed to the man, and that name made Jax raise an eyebrow.
"Killian?" Was what Jax said, taking a closer look, and the closer he looked, the more he found the similarities.
To confirm his suspicions, Jax looked at the women who he was fighting with, and although they looked more mature than he remembered, there was no messing them up.
These were the group of students who had gone missing for 1 month before he was teleported to this world, and Killian was the Son of Jessica, who he had been fucking the night before he was summoned here.
Killian stood at the forefront of the projection, his previously black hair and eyes were now golden, shining offensively bright and eyes filled with the kind of self-righteous arrogance Jax hated.
He held a radiant sword aloft, its blade screaming of divine favoritism. Even frozen in illusion, the man looked like he was posing for worship.
Jax's lips twitched, "So that's what you became," he murmured.
Orianna glanced at him sideways, "You know them."
"Yes from my World," Jax replied calmly. "All of them."
His eyes shifted to the others. Alexi was hovering just behind Killian, her previously brunette hair was now red, the same color as her eyes, and she was the group's Elemental Mage.
Lizzy was the Hero Party's Saintess. In the projection, her hands were clasped in prayer as light magic saturated her body to an unhealthy degree. Beneath that saintly exterior, Jax knew she was an insane Yandere for Killian and that must've been amplified in this world.
The Archer & Scout of the party was Alicia, the Paladin was named Touka, and finally the Assassin was Natasha, Killian's Cousin who Jax hadn't actually met before being summoned, as she lived in a different city.
"They were summoned six months ago," Nulissa said smoothly, breaking the silence, "Since then, they have destroyed Seven frontier cities, eradicated multiple demon villages, and crippled our supply lines near the eastern borders of the Kingdom. The only reason we haven't been destroyed is the Divine Barrier around this City the Goddesses gave us,"
"They call it liberation," Lyla added quietly, fists clenched, "My people call it slaughter."
Jax straightened slowly, expression unreadable.
"They're weaker than they think," he said.
Orianna's grin widened, "Oh?"
"Trust me, I can handle them," Jax said.
Sabrina's wings trembled faintly behind him, devotion burning hotter as she admired her King's confidence in his abilities.
Xara chuckled, resting her chin on her palm, "I like that confidence. But arrogance gets Kings killed."
Jax glanced at her, golden eyes sharp for a fraction of a second, the weight behind them making even Xara's smile falter, "Confidence is knowing the difference."
"That's my King!" Sabrina said confidently as the illusion of the heroes dissipated, no longer useful.
Jax leaned back in his throne again, fingers tapping once against the armrest before he spoke, his tone calm, decisive, final.
"I'll deal with the Heroes."
The words were simple, but they carried an unshakable certainte.
Orianna's grin sharpened, scales along her arms faintly shimmering, "Alone?"
Jax met her gaze without hesitation, "Yes."
Nulissa studied him closely, crimson eyes narrowing with careful consideration rather than doubt, "And while you hunt them," she asked smoothly, "what would you have the rest of us do, my King?"
Jax gestured lazily with one hand, and a new projection appeared, a rough outline of the Demon Kingdom's territory, fractured and scarred, borders bleeding inward where Heroes had advanced.
"You all should be rebuilding, starting with this City, we'll make it the Official Demon Capital," Jax said.
Sabrina inhaled sharply behind him, her expression lighting up instantly, 'This Place holds value, it has the Divine Barrier and the Goddess' Cathedral, so we expand outward from here,"
"I want this city to grow until it dwarfs anything the mortal kingdoms have ever built. Larger than any city from my world. Districts for every clan and more,"
Lyla's eyes widened slightly. "You're proposing coexistence on that scale?"
"I'm proposing dominance through stability," Jax corrected. "Each clan will be granted territory within the capital and beyond it. Clearly defined land and resources. Once that's finished, we can design other Cities which come under each clan's control, but the Capital will be a stronghold for everyone,"
Orianna laughed quietly. "You're turning us into an empire."
Jax smiled faintly. "Exactly."
Xara leaned forward now, interest fully piqued as a Businesswoman, "You're talking about a complete restructuring of demonic society. That takes a-lot of time and money,"
"We have both of those," Jax said, "and more."
Nulissa nodded slowly, "We only became a Kingdom to protect against attacks, but we have never centralized things. If this City becomes the heart of the Kingdom, that would be the first step,"
"And morale skyrockets," Sabrina added softly, devotion shining through every word. "A capital worthy of our King."
Jax's gaze shifted toward the walls, as if seeing far beyond them, "Eventually, we modernize."
Orianna raised a brow, "Modernize how?"
Jax paused for a moment, choosing his words, "This world is quite backward when it comes to technology, it's missing a-lot of things we can use to make cities efficient. Like mass transportation systems, trains running underground. moving goods and people faster than any caravan,"
The room went silent as there was a sense of awe and confusion from the Clan Leaders, 'What are Trains?"
"Metal beasts that run on tracks," Jax explained casually, "Capable of moving thousands at once. They can be improved once we integrate magic into them,"
"This will take years," Nulissa said carefully.
"I'm immortal," Jax replied flatly. "Time isn't a problem."
Jax let it linger for a moment longer before speaking again, "Now, we also need to focus on our Army. The Demon Army definitely isn't useless. It held strong against the Divine Goddesses attacks for a long while until the Heroes arrived. That is commendable, but from what the Goddesses told me, this army is quite disorganized,"
That drew Orianna's full attention, her posture straightening.
"You all have your own armies correct?" Jax asked.
"That is correct," Lyla responded.
"That's fine, but we also need a consolidated Demon Army, a unified force where only merit matters and not connections,"
A faint rumble of agreement echoed from Orianna's chest, though she didn't interrupt.
"I want us to create a Demon Army, one made up of men and women from all the various Demon Races," Jax said, "Promotion through accomplishment. Clear command structures. Specialized divisions. Strike forces, defensive corps, logistics units, intelligence wings and more,"
"I need it to be able to function with or without me present," Jax said.
Aurora nodded slowly, "That would also reduce internal conflict. Clear hierarchy prevents challenges born from resentment."
Jax's gaze shifted back to Orianna, golden eyes steady. "This task falls to you."
The Dragon Queen blinked once, then laughed, deep and genuine, "Me?"
"You respect strength," Jax said. "And warriors respect you. You understand combat instinctively, but you're not stupid, you know the value of structure. I want you to create the Demon Army from the ground up."
Orianna leaned back in her chair, arms crossing beneath her chest, considering. The room waited.
"Merit-based promotions," she mused aloud. "Clear chains of command. No exceptions for bloodline or clan status." Her grin returned, fierce and eager, "That's going to piss a lot of old generals off."
Jax smiled faintlym "Good. Anyone who can't accept it doesn't deserve command."
A low, pleased chuckle escaped her. She stood from her seat, tail swaying slowly as she placed a clawed fist over her chest in a warrior's salute. "I accept. I'll forge you an army worthy of conquest, Demon King. One that can tear Heroes apart even without your intervention."
"That's the idea," Jax said.
"Now, let's get to work!"