Imp to Demon King: A Journey of Conquest

Muninn's anguished shrieks haunted the dust-laden throne room, chilling Sylvie's and the elven council's blood.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

However, a shadow stirred beneath the fuming rubble of the collapsed eastern walls. His red figure struggled, blood marring his limbs as he cursed under his breath.

"Adepts are in another league, damn it. That last spell... It almost vaporised me." He shuddered as he shoved aside the several hundred kilograms of wood burying him.

Then, his eyes trembled as the worst scenarios flashed in his weary mind. Did his lord survive the blast? His breath caught in his throat as the question rumbled. Yet, what had happened in the last second before light engulfed the room resurfaced.

Adam hadn't dodged. He couldn't have with his velocity. Instead, he had... He staggered, confused about what he had seen.

"He encased himself in a scalding cocoon of chaotic flames. I know he's resistant to heat, but this?"

He shook his head. Horrifying burns were a given. If it were him? He knew his skin would have melted after a few seconds. But it wasn't about him. If Adam used this method, he could only trust and join him. But these annoying dust clouds impeded his search. He couldn't focus on dissipating them either, or he'd reveal his position to Sylvie. Therefore, fists tight, he stumbled forward.

The swirling clouds swallowed him as he searched the unknown. Icy sweat prickled his forehead, and worry ravaged his heart for a moment until he crouched low.

Holding his breath, he saw the hateful Sylvie stumble before him. With a whip in her left hand and the magic circle responsible for this devastation fusing in her right palm, she seemed to search for Adam's trail, too.

He couldn't let her find him or use that spell again!

His fingers whitened around his broadsword as he narrowed his eyes at the mana barrier glinting around her. It felt much thinner, probably because her spells devoured her energy pool.

Determination blazing in his eyes, he ignored the burning wounds on his aching muscles and lunged at her back. One strike—it was all he needed to butcher the schemer.

Dust swirled and stuck to his bloodied skin as his broadsword split the air. His snake-like veins throbbed in his bulging muscles as he chopped down with all his strength.

CRACK

The weakened barrier shattered, the noise of glass breaking alerting Sylvie. Dread filling her heart, she urgently spun on her heels and raised her right palm to hurl her spell before Adam reached her.

However, a voice—not Adam's—forced her eyes wide in shock.

"Die, snaky bitch!"

She bit her lips, disbelief and rage drumming in her heart. She couldn't use her spell against that weak demon with her exhausted mana. No, she had to keep it for Adam!

Instantly, she retrieved her palm and swung her left arm, a hysteric shriek leaving her quivering lips.

"Damn you all! You can't kill me! I'm Sylvie. This realm is mine!"

Her whip cracked through the air, the mana forming it humming in Bart's ears.

However, he was a demon who had given up on spells to focus on overwhelming foes in melee combat. His demonic essence's only use was to boost his physical prowess. And against a mage who had lost her barrier? He gritted his teeth, his eyes sparkling emerald as he stomped forward.

PAH

The whip tore his torso open, the gash so deep that his bones appeared for all to see. Yet, he stomped the ground again, his teeth cracking as he suppressed the agony. Even as decay worked its insidious magic on his withering muscles, his eyes remained firm as he swung his sword like a bat.

It drew a scarlet arc before Sylvie's trembling eyes as his voice thundered in his mind.

'We've lived our entire lives as fearful weaklings. But we evolved, became strong, and learned about genuine camaraderie, trust... and love.'

His blade sliced through Sylvie's left arm, sending it flying in a bloody arc. Yet, he didn't watch as he swung again. He didn't see her shove her right palm at him in panic or hear her shrieks, either.

Decay had already invaded his senses and robbed him of his bulky appearance, leaving only a rickety shadow of his former self... and his thoughts.

'I'll watch how you developed your territory, Adam, and... I'm sorry, Shihan. I won't see your return... I love you...'

As the clutches of death tightened around Bart and Sylvie, chomping noises echoed dozens of meters behind them.

Adam's sharp teeth ripped through Muninn's flesh. Like an insatiable dragon, he devoured the divine raven until its last dark feather vanished into his mouth.

He stood still, his eyes swirling chaotically for a second before he dropped to his knees. Acid melded with saliva in his mouth, drooling through his open lips as he clawed at his neck and growled like a wounded beast.

In agony and beginning to recover some sparse memories, a sudden notification almost shattered his eardrums.

[Divine being: Muninn, The Raven of Memory, consumed. Alert! Divine energy is flooding your body. 10 seconds left before it crumbles.]

His skin cracked as the words reverberated in his mind. What the heck was happening with divine beings and nonsense? He only remembered that he had to go to high school today. But the notification didn't end as more memories returned to him.

[Strong reaction detected from Tiamat's chaotic factor. Genes are trying to adapt. Forceful evolution process initiated.]

His eyes trembled. Everything was confusing. Who was talking to him? Why did he feel as though his skin would split open and his muscles would burst the next second? He only remembered about his noob days in his first MMORPG...

[Error. Tier five's quest not complete yet. Defeat a tier five boss to resume the process.]

And now, he finally remembered this realm's rules, Tiamat, and how he became a draconic imp and... almost fainted.

'I'll die in five seconds! How do you want me to rise to the fifth tier from the second? What the hell is happening, damn it!'