★7
ASTERI'S POV
We emerged at the edge of the island, the sea wind brushing against us as silence lingered.
"This is it. It's all yours."
She said, gesturing toward the vast expanse before us.
I closed my eyes, exhaling slowly as rippling waves of energy spread from my body, distorting the air and trembling the land beneath our feet.
"What did you do, Asta kun?"
"We're not alone."
I said quietly, my eyes still closed.
The waves of energy continued to pulse outward, brushing against unseen presences hiding within the island's depths.
"Oh, I see. Shall we talk to them?"
"I guess. So they won't feel like we're chasing them away."
We walked deeper into the island until the dense trees gave way to a clearing, a small, quiet village with only five huts standing in a circle. The air was still, unnaturally so.
Ramiris floated ahead, cupping her hands around her mouth.
"Hello! Is anyone here!?"
Her voice echoed through the silence, bouncing off the huts, but no one answered. Only the whisper of the wind replied, brushing through the grass like a sigh.
"They must've noticed us coming, and they hid."
"Probably. Come on out, we just want to ask your permission!"
No response came at first, just the quiet rustle of leaves.
"I can still sense lifeforms nearby."
I said calmly, letting my voice carry across the island.
"It looks like you're not running. Listen, we're not here to hurt you. I have the power to take this place by force, but I'm asking politely first."
The words echoed through the air, reinforced with a trace of magic so every living being could hear them.
Moments later, faint footsteps broke the silence. From between the thick bushes, a group of female elves slowly emerged, seven in total. Their movements were cautious, eyes filled with fear and exhaustion.
Judging from their torn garments and wary expressions, they weren't natives of this place. They must have fled here seeking refuge... or perhaps someone had brought them here, and they had nowhere else to go.
"What do you want?"
One of them whom I should assume is their leader asked.
"I thought this land was uninhabitable, but it turned out I was wrong. I plan to build something here."
"The huge continent you left isn't enough or what?"
She replied coldly, her emerald eyes locking onto mine, sharp, unwavering, and utterly fearless.
<
"Watch your tongue..."
Atlas growled, the air around him trembling as his aura flared, ready to strike at the slightest provocation.
Before things could escalate, I raised a hand. A single snap of my fingers, and the pressure vanished as if it never existed.
"Calm down, Atlas."
I said quietly, my tone calm but heavy enough to silence the storm in him.
"You see..."
I began calmly, my voice carrying across the quiet village.
"All the lands are already claimed by Demon Lords or by humans. As a future Demon Lord myself, I can't live among either. I need a new place."
"De... Demon Lord?"
One of the elves stammered, the colour draining from her face.
The others instinctively stepped back, eyes wide with fear. The air around us shifted, tension, unease, a silent plea for safety.
I sighed softly, unfazed.
"Relax. If I wanted to harm you, this island would already be dust."
That didn't help. They only grew more nervous.
<
"Look, there's no need to be scared. Once I create my nation, you'll be free to join me if you want. So what do you say?"
They exchanged uneasy glances, the tension hanging heavy in the air before their leader finally sighed.
"O... okay then. You can have it."
She said at last, her voice steady but resigned.
Her people immediately turned to her in protest.
"But, your highness, where will we go?"
"That's right! We have nowhere else to move to!"
Their voices trembled, not in defiance, but in desperation. The leader didn't interrupt. She stood quietly, letting each of them speak, their fears spilling into the open.
Only when the last voice faded did she finally raise her hand, silencing the murmurs.
"I know."
She said softly.
"But sometimes... surrendering what's ours is the only way to protect what remains."
Her calm composure carried both sorrow and strength, the kind that comes from a heart used to sacrifice.
<
"We have no choice but to join him unless you want to be captured and sold as slaves."
Her words cut the air; none of them answered. Silence swallowed their protests, and one by one, they bowed to a cruel, inevitable truth.
"That's a sensible choice. I'd do the same in your place. Besides, Asta-kun will make a fine Demon Lord. Trust me."
Ramiris's voice chimed in, sealing their decision with a tenderness that softened an otherwise harsh fate.
"Now, you have the land, Asta-kun. But no labourers to help you build..."
Before Ramiris could finish her sentence, the ground trembled gently. Light surged outward like ripples in water, and before our eyes, a massive white palace began to form from nothingness.
From where we stood, it towered across three elegant floors, its architecture divine yet impossibly smooth as if carved by the hands of a god. Above it hovered a colossal five-headed star, its faint glow casting celestial reflections over the marble walls.
The structure shimmered with life: flawless white tiles gleamed in the sun, vibrant flowers and trees adorned the walkways, and at the heart of the courtyard stood a majestic fountain, its waters spiralling upward in rhythmic motion.
"Done."
I said simply, letting the silence that followed speak for me.
Ramiris and the elves froze, their eyes wide in disbelief.
"How..." How is this even possible?"
One of the elves whispered, her voice trembling.
Before any of them could blink, the transformation continued. The once-wild forest around us reshaped itself, trees bent gracefully outward, replaced by blooming gardens that arranged themselves in perfect symmetry. Petals floated through the air like gentle snowfall.
The earth beneath our feet hardened into smooth white concrete, forming a path that stretched from the grand entrance of the palace all the way to where we stood. The atmosphere shifted, warm, serene, yet carrying a faint divine pressure that made the heart tremble.
Even from here, the palace seemed to breathe, its doors parting slightly as if welcoming us inside. It wasn't just a building. It was alive. And it was waiting.
"S...seriously? You did this without even moving Asta?"
"I create worlds for fun. This is nothing."
"As expected of the Young Master."
Elaine nodded approvingly.
"Lady Elaine, I need help with the flowers."
She didn't see this coming but quickly accepted it.
"L.. leave it to me."
"I'm sure I also have a role to play in this new world."
Atlas spoke.
"Aaaaaa... worlds for fun!?"
Ramiris interrupted. I relayed the message to the Stars at once, Ramiris was seconds away from dragging me into something far too deep.
"Do you mean the world with an infinite universe, all with complex worlds within them?"
Ramiris still floated in disbelief, her tiny wings fluttering erratically, spinning around mid-air.
Elaine stepped toward the gardens.
"He isn't normal, Ramiris. That's why he's the Young Master."
She extended her hand, and the once-barren soil instantly bloomed with dazzling flowers, each glowing faintly with a soothing, ethereal hue.
Atlas stood tall beside the elves, his tone calm yet authoritative.
"This way. You'll find your place in this Palace soon enough."
His aura alone was enough to calm their shaking hearts as he led them toward the massive white gates.
The green-eyed elf turned back once more, eyes shimmering with relief and uncertainty.
"Um... thank you so much."
"Thanks to you, I have this land. We'll talk later, for now, follow Atlas."
As they walked away, I closed my eyes once more, feeling the pulse of Energy weave through the foundations of the new palace. The land was alive, breathing under my will.
My home... our new beginning.
They all left, leaving Ramiris and me.
"So, how can I repay you, Lady Ramiris?"
"Hey, stop with the lady, act ok?"
She flushed.
"So, what do you say?"
"Ahh, I was just thinking maybe... You could create a small pocket dimension for me, not that much."
She said, clearly beating around the bush, but I already knew what she wanted.
"Go straight to the point. You want a world system, don't you?"
Ramiris screamed, flailing her arms as if trying to deny it, but after a brief moment of silence, she finally gave in.
"Y-Yes!"
I raised my right palm, and an orb filled with countless smaller orbs materialised above it, each one rotating slowly like miniature worlds. A fragment of Paradis, my personal World.
"This is yours, a world."
Ramiris was surprised but pleased.
"All this is mine?"
She asked, her eyes wide.
"You asked for it, and..."
I gently touched her tiny arm.
"That should do it."
"A? Do what? What did you do?"
"I just transferred the authority to you. Now it's officially yours. The world can be reshaped to your liking."
"Seriously!?"
Ramiris snatched the orb and flew around excitedly, hugging it like a prized treasure.
"You can also change its size and even make it invisible." But I'll still be able to see it because within it lies a chaotic world that contains nothing but my energy."
I added.
"Oh really?"
She shot back, her tone suddenly sharp and possessive. "And why does your energy exist inside my world?"
"You want to go inside the world?"
"Heh? Is that possible?"
"What's the point of creating a world you can't live in?"
"O..oh. I really want to, but how can we get in? It's really small."
"The choice is yours. How I access mine is just linking my imagination to the world, and we'll be transported inside. Try that."
"Link my imagination to the world?"
"Yeah, or you can create a portal to any universe or world you want. But that's after you've seen what's inside first."
"Oh...can I... really do this?"
"Ok, try this, think about us falling into an infinite universe while linking us to the world."
Since that's the first thing we'll see when we enter the world, it should work.
Ramiris closed her eyes, focusing. The instant she opened them, she started screaming.
"Aaaaaaah! We're falling!"
"Yeah, because that's exactly what you imagined."
I replied calmly.
"You can also control the space here, like this."
I remained perfectly still in the vast emptiness, holding Ramiris.
"You have wings, but you should learn this just in case."
Ramiris couldn't believe what she had done.
"Heh? It feels like earth, but it's nothing."
"That's because you manipulated the space to your will. Now try cancelling my spatial domination."
"Are you sure?"
"Just do it."
For a moment, Astro Forge was overwritten, and I began falling. However, I quickly organised myself before catching up.
"See, you can manipulate other people's actions too, giving you an overwhelming advantage."
"Seriously, that's great. But how did you get back up?"
"Unfortunately, even I can't use my spatial domination Art here. Why? Because you're forcing me not to. It is as if there is a law that prohibits the use of spatial Arts. I had to use raw speed to get back up and gravity manipulation to stay suspended."
"Wow, you really are amazing, Asta kun."
<>
"Let's go deep, shall we?"
"Yeah."
I led the way through the vast cosmos, where countless universes shimmered like distant stars in an endless sea. We drifted past galaxies and nebulae, each glowing with its own rhythm of creation, until we stopped before a particular universe, one that pulsed faintly, as if alive
Before us floated a single universe, suspended in the void, waiting.
"What's wrong, Asta? Why did you stop?"
I stood in silence, and at that moment, a black barrier wrapped around Ramiris.
"Heh? What is this?"
"For protection. Let's go."
"Protection from what?"
We dove into that universe with Ramiris next to me, coming to a halt when we were almost at the core.
"From this."
"What's this? I can't see any...."
Her body tensed as she began to feel the ominous energy from the core of the universe.
"Wh..what is this chaotic force? This... this must be the world you were talking about, right?"
"Yeah, this is my energy as a universe. This universe is capable of destroying the world system I've given you. But don't worry, I am preventing that from happening. This is also nothing compared to the atmosphere in the Star Realm."
Ramiri's eyes widened.
"You... Do you guys live in such a harsh realm overflowing with force stronger than this?"
I nodded.
"The atmosphere in the Domains is far superior to the worlds below them. Just like fish live comfortably in water bodies, we live the same in the Star Realm."
After taking a moment to steady myself, a radiant light began to pour from my body. It started softly, then intensified until it engulfed the entire world, its brilliance setting this realm apart from the infinite others scattered across the cosmos.
As the light faded, a young boy stood in my place, white-haired, robed in flowing ivory garments, and eyes of molten gold that mirrored Asteri's own.
Ramiris could only stare, speechless, captivated by the ethereal beauty before her.
"This... this is my true form, Lady Ramiris."
I said, my voice now softer, innocent, echoing the tone of the self I had long forgotten.
"As... Asta?"
"I've grown older before I came here. But everyone at home knows me in this form."
"You... you're really cute."
Her cheeks flushed.
"Hehehe. As a child, I suppose I should at least look cute."
A faint smile crossed my lips. It brought back the old days when emotions were scarce, and the world was nothing more than a vast playground for my curiosity.
The peaceful silence was suddenly shattered by a distant explosion, its shockwave rippling through the air.
"Oops... It looks like I'm out of time."
I murmured, the light around me dimming as I reverted to my vessel form. Without hesitation, I took Ramiris by the hand and ascended swiftly into the space.
"What's happening?"
"Those explosions were an effect of my transformation on the neighbouring universes. This one is next."
<
Due to the lingering effects of my True Body, her thoughts shimmered before me in Etherium, clear, unfiltered, and alive.
Every emotion, every fleeting idea pulsed like threads of light weaving through the air around us as we soared out of the Nest.
"I'll destroy this whole thing to prevent any further damage."
I said, my gaze focused on the universe. It shrank under my gaze as it approached me. After turning into a pebble-like size, I absorbed it.
"Good, let's go."
Without a reason to say here, we flew out of the world system back to Cardinal World.
"Now you know how to access your world and manipulate what is inside."
"Yeah, thanks to you."
"And also, no need to worry. None of the world here has my energy. I only created that to show you my true body."
"Ok.. I appreciate it."
"Yeah, you should. You're the first otherworlder to see my true form."
"So you really are a child?"
"Physically, yeah. I decided not to increase my height, I like being small."
She couldn't help but chuckle.
"Hey, can we be friends like how I am with Red?"
I
asked. It's one of the reasons I'm here, after all.
"We are friends already, Asta kun."
She smiled warmly.
"I see."
"So, now Asta kun you have a land, a Palace, but no people to look after. What are you gonna do?"
"Well, this is by far going to be the hardest part. Basically speaking, I can create lifeforms to serve me, but that'll just be boring, right?"
"The previous me would've been surprised, but after seeing what you've done, it's possible. And yes, it'll be boring cause you are the one controlling them."
"I am also an otherworlder, so I can't bring my friends here."
"Why not?"
"Not everyone knows I left the Star Realm."
"Oh, I see. Then, this is your last step to achieving your goal."
I nodded.
"Now all that's left is to find people I'll protect. People who will at least make them trust me."
"Yeah."
"But nah...human have heroes to protect them."
"Well, why not form an alliance with someone, anyone."
"Red doesn't have an alliance. He works alone. Besides, you want me to form an alliance with humans or with other Demon Lords? That will make me look weak. It's a bad image, I don't want that."
"Yeah, it seems that way. But if you wish to follow Guy's solitary path, remember all the threats and challenges will be coming your way."
"It's better to take all the heat than have some innocent lives pay for it."
"I understand, but being a strong leader doesn't mean just protecting your nation, but also making wise decisions to ensure long-term protection for your people."
"I have Atlas and Elaine. They'll also contribute to such tasks."
"Ok then, that's good."
"Wait, how about monsters?"
I asked after ringing a bell.
"Heh? Monsters?"
"Yeah. If I can't protect humans, why not protect those who are vulnerable?"
"Interesting, helping helpless monsters and giving them home in exchange for subordination it's not a bad idea. After all, humans have been mistreating and discriminating against monsters all over the world. Being their saviour will definitely help both sides."
"If you say so. I'll have that as my option."
"Remember though, strength alone will not suffice. Wisdom and compassion must be present to avoid causing any harm."
"I'll keep that in mind. So, any place you know monsters face discrimination or something similar?"
"Well, we have Great Jura forest is a home to monsters, but they rarely face any threats as the land is protected by Veldora."
"Veldora, who's that?"
"Guy, didn't tell you about the True Dragons?"
"No."
"True Dragons are the strongest being in this world, and Veldora is one of them."
"Strongest in the world, huh? I hope he's ready for me."
Ramiris freaks out and starts screaming.
"I knew you'd say that, but Veldora is actually asleep, so it's good not to wake him up. Or should I say sealed."
"Sealed? You mean some were able to seal a being from the strongest race?"
"Rumours has it that a Hero fought and overwhelmed him, and she sealed him."
My hand squeezes my chest to contain this new sense of excitement.
<
"Wh...what's this feeling? First, I thought Red was the strongest, but there's a race who was superior to him and then stood a hero who sealed someone from that race. Yes... I've found it. My journey here was worth it."
"Well, don't get too excited. It's super rare to encounter a True Dragon. After all, they're masked within human society."
"Ok... so Jura Forest aside. What about slavery? Is there any nation where monsters are sold as slaves?"
"Almost all human nations partake in slavery. But why ask?"
"It's simple, I'll purchase their freedom and give them two choices.."
"What are they?"
"First, they either follow me and be my companion, or they go their own way."
"That's a noble intention as most will definitely follow you. But are you good with monsters that don't?"
"Of course, it's their choice after all, I won't force anyone to be part of my journey."
"You'll make a good leader, Asteri. I'm the first to tell you that."
"I'll keep that in mind."
I snapped my fingers, summoning five humanoid figures. Antares's personas. Unlike Nyxon and Wú Jí, these guys weren't tested in the real world and are thus considered incomplete.
"What are you gonna do?"
"I'll send them to various nations to start buying off slaves."
"Oh. Getting straight to business, huh? That's great."
"You five dispatched individually to Farmas, Ingrassia, Lubelious, Western States, and Eastern Empire. Buy all slaves and return them here if they choose to follow me."
Ramiris interrupted.
"Wait, Lubelious is a holy nation. They oppose the existence of monsters, so I doubt you'll find any."
"Well, Shinn, you'll pair with Eto and head to Western States."
"Your wish is our command, your highness."
"Roger."
Said the two clones, Shinn and Eto.
"Yami, Ban, and Sai, you head to the remaining nations, respectively."
"Yes, sire."
"Consider it done."
"As you wish."
The remaining clones replied before teleporting away.
"Your clones, how strong are they?"
"They're just average humans."
"Heh? Hey, they'll be at risk of being attacked, you know?"
"Don't worry, I see what they see, and I can give them access to my arsenal to defend themselves."
Ramiris sighs.
"Well, that's better."
"Well, want to see my Star Palace?"
"You've given it a name already?"
"Yeah."
"It sounds good, though. I mean, you're a Star, so you'll name it after your race. And you can name this island, Star Island, if you want."
She laughed.
"Of course. I am also thinking about my name. I can't use my real name, nor can I use the nicknames my friends gave me."
"I see. But Demon Lord Asteri sounds great, don't you think?"
"It does. I'll have to ask Red if he's ok for me to use it."
"You don't need his permission to choose your name."
"I know. Everyone calls him Guy Crimson, but he made an exception for me to call him Red. I don't want anyone calling me Asteri besides him, nor will I want anyone calling me Asta besides you."
"Ahhh, I see. That's great. It means you value your friendship."
"Of course, it's one of the reasons I'm here after all."
(Cliche xd)
We talked as we headed to the palace.
To be continued...