Imp to Demon King: A Journey of Conquest

Eyes wide in horror, the greater demon grunted and gripped the wound. With his other hand, he seized the snake by the throat and clenched his fingers with a wrathful roar.

"Who dares sneak an attack on me?"

The snake exploded in a shower of green sparks under his fingers terrifying pressure as his eyes landed on Luna\'s trembling figure.

She bit her lips, the taste of blood filling her mouth as she pierced them and lamented about the minor damage she had caused.

Besides some blood and burnt skin, the greater demon seemed as fresh as a moment ago.

"I\'m still too weak. If only I recovered just half of my strength..."

She gripped her forehead, tears of frustration rolling down her teeth.

She had failed. And now, Adam would either die after her or turn into a demonic beast driven by power and madness.

"I\'m sorry."

She closed her eyes as death loomed over her in the form of the demonic sergeant\'s whistling red blade. Still, in her last moment, her heart sighed: she had done everything she could to redeem herself for abandoning him, something she never thought she would do in her life.

"RAAAAAAH."

However, they snapped open the next second as the air trembled under a soul-chilling roar.

Pupils trembling, she saw Adam\'s deformed figure tackle the distracted, greater demon.

The blade flashed a centimeter by her face, sending her green hair to flutter in a mad dance. But she didn\'t even realise how close to death she had been.

Because Adam\'s actions drew all of her attention.

"Get off me, shitty imp!"

The demon\'s arm bulged as he struck the beast-like imp\'s abdomen.

Despite the loud crushing of shattering bones, he remained firmly planted on their enemy as if the pain couldn\'t stop his mission.

Then, she saw Adam\'s row of razor-sharp fangs glint ominously as he shoved his maw into the area she had struck earlier.

"ARGH!"

The once steel-like flesh tore open, and a river of blood flew into his mouth in a terrifying spectacle of gore and agonising screams.

The lord of the nine realms\' legs chattered behind as he saw his acolyte rain punches that engulfed the monster in fire.

Yet, with each second crawling by, the sound of impacts that resounded like hammer strikes at first grew weaker and the bright orange flames became wisps that only licked Adam\'s skin without dealing noticeable damage.

The soil took a redder sheen next, and crunching noises echoed.

"RAAAH!"

SNAP

With a final roar, Adam\'s mouth closed on the demon\'s neck, shattering his spinal cords and ripping its head off its body.

PTUI

With a guttural snarl, he spat it to the ground, revealing the disbelief etched on the powerful demon\'s face, and the terror branded in his dim eyes before his gruesome death.

Smoke billowed with his exhales in a threatening show as he turned toward the second fool who dared go against him. Two deep infernal eyes burned with unbound rage and landed on the trembling lord of the nine realms.

"W-Wait! It was my mistake! Please, don\'t kill me! I\'ll join your territory. I can even become your slave!"

The lord dropped to his knees, pleading for his life like the pitiful backstabbing worm he was.

But would a beast listen to human words?

The wind howled as Adam\'s arms blurred like two spears. His fingers entered the lord\'s open mouth. Just like Garduck had done with the goblin, his muscles swelled as he pulled and shoved simultaneously.

SHATTER

In a cacophony of shattering, he shredded the demonised man\'s face in two, flinging its upper skull next to the greater demon\'s head before an atrocious grin split his lips.

"RAAAAAAH!"

With an excited roar, he pounded his chest and raised his hands in victory for a moment. Yet, something was off.

His nose scrunched as he sniffed the air, and his eyes blazed with violence. He had detected a sweet foreign smell nearby, probably from another enemy.

Growling threateningly, he turned and saw Luna\'s dark, chitinous armor and her beautiful face.

But why would her beauty matter? He had to obliterate any living beings and become the strongest! Everything else was irrelevant in his path of carnage.

Still, his fingers twitched in hesitation as he approached her.

She seemed... familiar.

"It\'s me, Adam. Please regain control over your essence before it rampages through your body too much."

Her cracking voice seemed, too, but the tone didn\'t match somehow, making him doubt and clench his fingers into a fist.

However, he squinted before delivering his blow, noticing the tears streaming down her cheeks and hearing her emotionally charged voice.

"You still have a sliver of sanity left. You protected everyone, so please wake up and join them. Wake up and lead them as you did!"

Her tone still seemed weird. It was as if he knew it, but not like that.

Hesitation struck him again. Under its influence and curious to know where this feeling came from, his fist loosened, and his finger inched towards her face.

Luna shuddered in response before a fierce, uncontrollable glint flashed in her eyes. She stomped on the ground, raising dust as she screeched defensively.

"Humph! Do you think you can touch me now? Try to see if I don\'t burn your hand!"

Despite her sudden aggressiveness, his pupils trembled. That was the tone matching her voice. Proud, sometimes aggressive, and other times overbearing.

He knew her, like the group of ten he had protected earlier.

Did it mean he was safe enough to rest now? After all, his body ached after the many blows he had endured.

"Gragr krk."

With guttural yet incomprehensible words, he dropped to the wet ground and sighed a mouthful of billowing smoke.

He didn\'t know why, but her presence lightened his world of dark madness a little. So, maybe he could trust her while he recovered.

As these chaotic thoughts passed through the rampaging demonic energy coursing in his body, he closed his eyes and lowered his head, falling into an exhausted sleep.

Meanwhile, Luna sighed in relief and exasperation.

"Why did you only recognise me when I got angry?!"

Yet, her lips curled into a hopeful smile because now that he slept, she could save him!