★52
ASTERI'S POV
"I'm just a bit worried what if Barak can't handle them. I mean he's an Arch Demon but they're terrifying Demons there."
Hinata asked. She clearly can't see what we see so it's obvious.
"I guess a non-mage like you can't sense it. Simply put, he's trying hard to suppress his powers."
I answered.
"Yes. The Great One is right. Barak being a kid is also another way to contain his powers. He's the only demon I couldn't tame. He came under me willingly. The black lineage is only interested in strong individuals after all."
"He followed you even though you're weaker than him?"
"Yeah. He's that kind of demon. Common traits of the black lineage."
We walked for minutes in the Underworld but to my surprise, we weren't attacked.
"Is the Underworld this boring? I was sure when Eto and Ban came here, it was swarming demons."
"Your mere presence is repelling them even though demons love to fight stronger opponents."
Majo began explaining, but before she could finish, a thunderous impact shook the ground. Someone had landed before us with overwhelming force, leaving a deep crater in their wake.
As the dust cleared, a powerful aura surged through the air. Shinn, who had been absent until now, stepped in front of Hinata, shielding her with a calm yet unyielding stance.
"I didn't call for you but you did well."
"It's natural for me to protect her."
He replied, his gaze locked on the impact site.
From within the settling dust, a child draped entirely in white hovered silently above the crater. The hood of his robe extended seamlessly from his garb, concealing his features until he spoke.
"The World is becoming... complicated."
The boy said, his voice unnervingly calm yet laced with contempt.
"A human or rather, that thing, bearing such an aura, walking alongside humans? Such existence cannot be tolerated."
As he lifted his hood, the faint light revealed a pale face framed by short crimson hair and eyes that glowed faintly like burning coals. He looked no older than fifteen, yet his presence felt ancient and suffocating.
Majo's eyes widened in disbelief the instant she saw him.
"Impossible..."
She whispered under her breath. Amri, standing beside her, had gone completely still frozen in a mix of shock and fear.
"Scarlet King!?"
Majo called out.
"You know him?"
"T....the strongest Archdemon. Second only to the Progenitors."
She stammered.
"That's good."
Shinn took the words right from my mouth.
"He's an Archdemon but can rival a Deamon Lord. No... aside from the Progenitors, he's the only one fit to train with the Red King."
"A Demon second only to Red, aside from the Originals?"
I smirked.
"This will be fun."
"How dare you say that name lightly!"
The boy's voice thundered across the ruined field, shaking the air itself. His killing intent flared violently, and before the echo of his words could fade, he vanished.
BOOM-
He reappeared right before me, moving so fast the ground beneath him cratered from the sheer force. His hand wrapped in red bandages now ignited with a blazing crimson aura lunged toward my face. The heat distorted the air, and the shockwave of his charge tore through the dust and debris like a violent storm.
He wasn't bluffing, his speed was truly monstrous, nearly rivalling Guy's, though just a shade beneath it.
I didn't move. I only waited, patient, unreadable and let out the smallest of exhales.
The breath itself came like a blade; it snuffed his crimson aura and slammed him backwards, sending him flying.
He recovered in an instant, planting his feet and standing rigid as a statue.
"I'll play with you. If you can beat Majo."
This is an opportunity to test Majo and this wild demon.
I caught the flicker of fear in Majo's eyes and couldn't suppress a chuckle.
<
"Don't worry, Majo. Even I lost a few battles. Just try your best, ok?"
It is a plain lie of course. I never lost and never will. Majo took a step forward, my words clearly motivated her.
"You've even got a name now, Majo."
Scarlet King sneered, crimson aura rippling across his frame.
"But that won't change anything. The outcome will still be the same."
<<'Will be the same?'>>
I thought, my eyes narrowing.
<
Scarlet King descended like a meteor, Majo reacted instantly, conjuring a radiant barrier but it shattered on impact, the sound echoing like splintered glass. She darted back, hands flashing through sigils.
In an instant, countless magic circles flared into existence, launching spikes of condensed mana toward her foe. The barrage tore through the air with deadly precision yet when the dust cleared, the boy floated unharmed, not a single scratch marring his pale skin.
<
"Eat this. Frozen Flare!"
It was fire yet ice at the same time.
The flames howled forward, devouring the air in streaks of scarlet frost, burning and freezing with equal fury. Scarlet King didn't flinch. He raised one hand and caught it effortlessly, the dual-element inferno writhing against his palm.
"Is that it?"
He taunted, voice dripping with contempt.
Majo's eyes gleamed.
"No...explode!"
The frozen flame detonated in a surge of crimson smoke, engulfing the battlefield in chaos. The ground cracked, and for a brief moment, all sight was lost to the storm of searing mist.
When the haze cleared, Scarlet King's voice pierced through, calm yet laced with menace.
"You've improved… since you were able to graze me. But as I said before..."
He vanished. Majo's pupils widened a fraction of a second before his hand tore clean through her torso, crimson blooming across her robes.
"...it won't make a difference."
"Ati chan, shouldn't you intervene?"
Hinata's expression tightened with worry, but I said nothing my eyes fixed on the chaos unfolding ahead.
Majo, bleeding yet unyielding, seized Scarlet King's arm, locking him in place with a defiant snarl.
"Now, Amri!"
Amri extended her hands, her voice sharp as a blade.
"Demonic Blood Spike!"
The air twisted violently. From every droplet of blood hers, Majo's, and Scarlet's, razor-sharp spikes materialised, glowing with crimson light. They shot forward in unison, tearing through the battlefield like a storm of vengeance.
A thunderous explosion consumed the area, painting the area in red and smoke. The shockwave rippled outward, cracking the ground beneath our feet. For a moment, all sound vanished just the hiss of settling dust.
When the smoke finally cleared, the silence was chilling. Majo lay collapsed on the ground, blood pooling beneath her. Scarlet King... was nowhere to be seen.
"He's gone. Mistress!"
Amri let her guard slip, relief softening her features as she sprinted toward Majo's fallen body.
That's when it happened.
A ripple, a distortion in the air then his voice, low and almost fascinated.
"I don't know what it is, but... it left a mark on me."
He materialised behind her, eyes glowing scarlet, his right hand already thrusting forward aiming to pierce her heart just as he had done to Majo.
Amri's pupils dilated; she felt him, sensed his killing intent sharp.
<
Even I was taken aback. But her body refused to move; fear had rooted her in place.
"Never let your guard down, Amrita."
Her breath caught.
When her eyes opened again, she wasn't dead, she was in my arms. The attack had missed. I'd already warped through the air, pulling both her and Majo away from the blast zone.
We reappeared in a quiet corner of the field, the air calmer, but the tension unbroken.
Despite the looming threat, Hinata's expression darkened as she caught sight of me holding Amri. I set her gently on the ground, ignoring the flicker of emotion in Hinata's eyes, and turned to Majo.
A soft glow formed around my palm as I began the healing. Majo stirred, consciousness returning. The moment her eyes opened and found me, she immediately bowed low.
"Forgive me.. I couldn't win."
"Never mind, it was expected."
My gaze drifted toward the Scarlet King.
He was still standing. Jagged crimson spikes jutted from every inch of his body, glistening with his own blood. His left arm was gone entirely, torn away at the shoulder; dark mist seeped from the wound like evaporating magma.
Even so, his eyes burned with defiance, unyielding despite the ruin of his form.
<>
"Are you gonna face me now?"
He asked, as his wounds regenerated.
"As promised."
I replied, stepping toward him with a calm smile playing on my lips.
"I've always wanted to fight a demon in the Underworld."
The air itself seemed to freeze. The faint crackle of energy between us fell dead silent-as if the world were holding its breath. Scarlet King lifted his head slowly, his crimson eyes gleaming with curiosity and fury.
"Let's make a pact before we fight."
"...A pact?"
He asked.
"Yes. If you lose, I'll name you and have you as my subordinate."
He laughed, his laughter was so loud that the demons who were miles away were terrified and were forced to flee.
"If I win, I'll take your soul, magicule and everything you own!"
He barked, charging forward with reckless fury, his fist cutting through the air like a cannon. I caught it effortlessly, my expression flat.
"Too predictable."
A flick of my finger displaced the air with a sharp crack BOOM!...Sending him hurling backwards like a ragdoll.
I appeared above him before he could recover and slammed a kick into his chest, the impact shaking the ground. He bounced once across the shattered terrain, and before gravity reclaimed him, I seized his leg and flung him across the battlefield.
Predicting his trajectory, an orb materialised at a calculated distance and space itself seemed to twist.
"Reverse Gravity."
The world inverted. The force around the orb exploded outward, and Scarlet King was crushed beneath an invisible tide that sent him crashing through his own crimson aura. I watched him crashed like a meteor, the ground cracked like glass under the pressure.
I lowered my hands behind me, golden light glinting off my eyes.
"This is boring."
I said coldly, voice echoing across the silent wasteland.
"Entertain me more... descendant of Red."
<
Majo, who was effortlessly defeated by Scarlet King, watched as I turned the tables on him. He got up, boiling with rage.
"Y...you'll regret this bastard!"
Red marks like molten veins flared across his skin, pulsing with infernal light. The ground beneath him cracked and burned with every step as his aura roared back to life, sealing his wounds in a violent surge of regeneration.
"So much aura. Interesting."
I murmured, lifting a hand to form a barrier around my companions, a translucent dome that shimmered like liquid glass. The rest of the environment fell away; only he and I remained in that desolate space.
His killing intent became tangible, heavy and suffocating, almost alive. It rippled through the air, distorting the ground and sky alike.
Then he moved. A red flash, and he was upon me again. His fist collided with mine, and this time, crack!
My boots slid back, gouging deep lines into the scorched earth. The shockwave tore through the field, bending the barrier behind me.
I smirked faintly, golden eyes narrowing.
<
A blinding blue light burst from my palm the moment our hands met, rippling through the air like shattered lightning. Yet, Scarlet King didn't flinch. His crimson eyes gleamed with predatory focus as he suddenly vanished from my front.
The next instant, red afterimages streaked around me, circling faster and faster, until the entire field became a storm of burning trails.
Flames bled into smoke, forming a ring of molten crimson that spun with enough heat to warp the air.
<
The sound itself broke, my ears caught nothing but distortion and pressure. My surroundings blurred into streaks of red and black as the ground cracked beneath his rotations.
Yet, I didn't move. I didn't even pay attention to his location or pattern. My stance remained steady, one hand behind my back, the other slightly raised.
"I said, entertain me."
I whispered, a faint smile crossing my face.
"Not dance around me."
"We'll dance forever in Hell. Crimson Storm!"
<
I had already made up my mind to take the full brunt of it. The air thickened, vibrating like it was about to collapse in on itself. Then, BOOM!
The explosion tore through everything, sound, light, and gravity all devoured in a wave of pure annihilation. My barrier around them flickered for a split second before shattering like glass, fragments of divine energy scattering into nothing.
My entire vision turned red. Then silence.
When the dust finally cleared, there was no trace of me. Just a crater carved through the earth.
"Hehe..."
Scarlet King chuckled darkly, his hand lowering as if the act had been inconsequential.
"I suppose I overdid it. His entire existence… wiped."
He muttered, his voice laced with arrogance.
He spun around, his smug smile stretching across his face, only to halt abruptly.
Hinamatsuri, Majo, and the others remained standing, completely unharmed, their forms bathed in a soft golden shimmer that lingered faintly in the air. The subtle radiance suggested a protective barrier, one that resisted even the Scarlet King's overwhelming force.
He blinked, confusion and disbelief flickering across his features.
<
As he turned, I was there. Towering over him with a calm yet intimidating presence.
My hands were clasped behind my back, every inch of me untouched by the destructive energy he had unleashed. The air around us seemed to hum with restrained power, a quiet assertion that no casual attack would reach me.
For the first time, the Scarlet King felt the unsettling weight of someone who had not only survived his onslaught but had also rendered it utterly meaningless.
A suffocating grey aura bled from my form, warping the air with its pressure. The Scarlet King froze. His eyes widened in raw terror, pupils quivering as instinct screamed louder than thought. His body trembled, strength abandoning him, and with a shuddering gasp, he collapsed to his knees before me.
<
Even Majo and Amri, who are my subordinates, were forced to their knees.
"Ha..have mercy..please."
Hinata couldn't comprehend what was happening. She was the only one untouched by the crushing weight of my presence the immunity I'd granted her shielding her from the madness that devoured the others.
Even Shinn, who stood firm mere moments ago, was paralysed where he stood. His expression remained composed, but the tremor in his eyes betrayed him. Fear had taken root in his soul, freezing his body in place.
"It's over, you say?"
The charred remnants of my clothes slowly mended, threads weaving themselves back into perfection.
"Get up."
I commanded. Before the words even left my lips, he rose, trembling, yet the submissive aura had vanished.
Four blue portals erupted beside me, two on each side. From each, golden rods shot forth, piercing the air like spears of light, searing him with a heat that promised agony beyond imagining.
<>
"Demons resurrect after death and are bound to serve the one who extinguished them."
My voice was calm, almost gentle.
"I'll see you after your resurrection."
A fifth portal bloomed before me, its light colder than the others. The final golden rod launched forward, aimed squarely at his forehead. He shut his eyes, surrendering to the inevitable waiting for death's embrace.
But it never came.
When his eyes opened again, the rod hung suspended mere inches from his skin, frozen in the air. One by one, all five rods shimmered and began to fade into nothingness.
"You gave up too early. Did Red teach you that? No. He wasn't like that."
Disappointment flickered in my eyes as I exhaled softly, shaking my head. The suffocating aura that once filled the air vanished in an instant, replaced by a faint, almost teasing smile.
Majo and Amri slowly rose to their feet, still shaken, watching as I turned my back on the broken battlefield and began to walk away.
"I guess you won..."
His strained voice echoed behind me.
"But what about our pact?"
"I don't want to disrupt Red's balance anymore. The pact has been dissolved. Besides, you couldn't entertain me as he did. But that was to be expected of course."
I spoke without turning around nor did I stop walking. However, Scarlet King appeared in front of me kneeling.
"This is my choice. I've chosen to follow you. So please, accept my proposal."
"The red lineage is known for its pride. The fact that he's kneeling and begging proves his sincerity."
Majo spoke up.
"So he got it from Guy, huh? What about your life here? Your master?"
"I've found a new path. As for my master, it'll be an honour to be at your service."
"I meant Guy, wouldn't he protest?"
"He might be my Progenitor but that doesn't make him my master."
"Hmm, if you're cool with it I don't mind. Are you sure? One last time though."
"I'll never regret this."
"Good, your name will still be Scarlet.. Scarlet King."
A low rumble rolled through the air as crimson smoke erupted from his body, swallowing the battlefield in a blinding surge of heat and power. The ground cracked beneath him, red sparks scattering.
When the smoke cleared, his new form stood revealed. He had grown taller, his once-fiery eyes now a solemn grey, the colour of surrender and rebirth. His torn armour had reshaped into red and white garments that shimmered faintly with divine undertones. A single red glove covered his left arm, pulsing faintly with energy.
Behind him, two broad white wings unfurled, radiant, ethereal, and fleeting. They symbolised his purity, his acceptance, his submission.
As the wings faded into motes of light, he descended to one knee before me, head bowed low.
His voice trembled with reverence.
"I, Scarlet King, will use all my powers to dispose of those who anger the Monarch or his properties."
"You only know destruction don't you. Oh, you'll need a body up there."
I remembered the pact, and as I raised my hand, his body began to glow with a blinding white radiance. Streams of light poured from my palm, wrapping around him like living silk. My magical energy flowed freely denser, purer, and far greater than what I had ever granted to the demons or Tokito.
The ground trembled under the sheer magnitude of energy coursing through him. Instead of collapsing, he withstood it, his body adapting, reshaping, solidifying.
When the light dimmed, he stood renewed no longer a spirit of chaos but a being of flesh and will, reborn under my power.
<
<<'Opps, I overdosed him.' Will be my reply.>>
"You took in a portion of my energy yet it's like nothing happened."
"I'm concerned about what will happen to the Underworld in your absence."
"Great Monarch, with the boost you've given me, I can't visit both worlds instantly without any delay. With your permission, I'll get down here and eliminate all the threats."
"Heh? In...instantly?"
Majo surprised. I'm sure one needs a portal or something to access the Underworld. Perhaps my energy awakens something new within him.
"Here are the rules for joining me."
I said, my tone softening as a faint, almost childish grin crept across my face.
"No bowing, and no calling me by those fancy superiority names. Got it?"
I waved a finger in mock seriousness, outlining the words as though it were a game. For once, the air around me lightened. Maybe, just maybe, I could have someone who saw me as I am, not as the others do.
"As you wish, All Mighty Monarch."
He said, lowering himself in a respectful bow.
I sighed, the faint smile slipping from my face.
"I guess not."
I shook my head, strands of white hair falling over my eyes as a quiet sigh escaped my lips.
"Ok, let's head home."
I opened a swirling portal of azure light. Shinn was the first to step through, his usual composure restored, followed closely by Hinata and my Star Demon Generals.
(heh, I actually like that name).
One by one, they disappeared into the radiant vortex until I was the only one left, the faint echo of their footsteps fading into silence.
"Nice masking."
I said, my voice echoing through the desolate air. "But you can't hide from me... Blanc."
Even from afar, her crimson eyes gleamed back at me through the haze, cold, unflinching, and unreadable.
"We'll meet again."
I murmured, a faint smirk curling on my lips before I turned and stepped into the swirling portal. The world folded behind me, swallowed by silence.
THIRD POV
Blanc was surprised and frightened at the same time.
<
To be continued...