Imp to Demon King: A Journey of Conquest

Adam felt the demons scrutinise his every pore with curious frowns.

Broad grins spread across their faces before they raised their broken arms toward the ceiling. Fists clenched, head held high despite the blood trailing down their wounds, they slammed their chests, roaring with the same conviction.

"We’ll prove it to the universe!"

"Do you want to give them a speech?" Luna asked, but noticed Adam’s eyes slipping to the side. "A few words would do. You know, to raise morale and show you care about them like you did back then."

"They were boring yaps of a clueless weakling surrounded by subjects more powerful than he was." Adam rolled his eyes.

Before he could refuse, however, Luna’s soft hand wrapped around his shoulders. She nudged him slightly, whispering. "We all knew, yet your words still inspired us." She tilted her head, then nodded. "Because no demon would have believed them. Yet, you uttered them genuinely in your ’cluelessness’."

"I guess..." Adam grumbled, his gaze shifting to the crowd of bright-eyed demons.

Instantly, their clamor died down. They leaned forward, eager to hear the divinity they had pried to speak to them for the first time. Some shuddered, while others’ legs grew numb. But the feelings raging in their drumming hearts and boiling blood were the same: awe, excitement, hope, and fear.

Adam coughed into his fist, forcing a smile. "Let me introduce myself first. I’m Adam, an imp who ascended. I don’t know you yet, but you’re welcome to my territory if you seek peace."

His eyes narrowed into slits, an inferno that made everyone stagger flashing in his eyes as his voice grew deeper. "Eternal peace, however, is still a dream. If you’re tired of witnessing gods and demon kings manipulate your fate as if you were powerless sheep—if you’re tired of their tyranny—follow me."

He raised his fist, his voice thundering through the ruined city. "I’ll eviscerate these pompous fools and store their heads in the universe’s deepest parts. No one will remember their fake perfection, and even their crimes will disappear in the meander of time. Total annihilation down to their very memory. That’s what I seek—that’s what I’ll get."

As he clenched his fist before him, a heavy silence descended on the throne room. Everyone stood in their spots, pants rustling softly against their trembling legs.

If they were shocked, Luna was the most concerned. Her hand loosened around Adam’s shoulder, mouth opening, then closing. Where was the peaceful and meaningful life speech? The one about everyone surviving no matter what?

This new speech felt... too forceful. The care she, Garduck, Shihan, and Bart had felt was gone, replaced by deep hatred. Did the abyss change him this much, or did the gods target him again? She didn’t know. But losing the part of Adam that had charmed her suspicious past self made her fists tighten.

The group of demons’ reactions were entirely different. After a moment, someone stomped the ground once, then twice. Soon, stones rumbled beneath his feet as a war rhythm echoed. Someone else followed, then another until the castle trembled beneath their war drumming. Answers didn’t need words. Their determined eyes and inspired faces spoke louder.

Adam nodded at them. "Recover your wounds and sharpen your blade, for in three days, we’ll drown Vinéa’s territory in the sound of our drums and the scent of his ancestral blood." He raised three fingers. "In three days, I’ll kill the first demon king."

Luna stepped in front of him. Jaw clenched, she waved her hand toward the door. "Share our victory with the friends awaiting our return. We’ll meet here in three days."

Decisive nods answered her before the demons reluctantly turned away. They felt as if Adam were a charismatic magnet to their eyes—a demon king who would shoulder their dreams of a different future.

Once the echo of their steps faded, Luna planted her fists on her hips and leaned toward Adam. "What was that?"

"Huh?" A grumble left his lips, then he raised his palms. "You asked for a speech."

"I know, but... not that kind of warlike declarations." She shook her head. "You promised them blood, just like the current demon kings. So, what’s the difference between you and them?"

A frown creased Adam’s brows. "You know the difference."

"They don’t. You... have changed." She bit her lip. "I know it was necessary for your survival. But not this much, not like that. Where’s the imp who spoke about meaningful lives filled with choices, joy, and peace? I-I feel like we’ve exchanged places: you, fueled by revenge, and me freed from it..."

Adam shrugged. "You speak as if revenge is an impossibly heavy burden. Yet, I’ve carried it ever since the gods cheated. Do you remember the first event, their ploy with Maven’s tribe, the second event and my exile?" He scoffed. "My revenge is where it should be: at the top of my priority list. Once it’s complete, it will naturally fade."

Luna sighed dejectedly. "What if it’s too late by then? I’ve gone through this. Trust me, I wouldn’t recognise myself if you didn’t help me out of that dark pit."

She placed her palm on his chest. "The more you cast aside things that used to matter to you, the emptier you’ll feel. So, tell me, Adam. How much will you sacrifice for your revenge? What’s the limit?" She paused, her lips twisting. "Could you forsake me for a chance to kill Baal?"

An icy shudder ran down Adam’s spine as a grimace distorted his face.

Wounds and death didn’t scare him. But his generals would fight the strongest creature in the universe at his side. He knew of their loyalty and the choices they would make. So, would he really let them sacrifice themselves for a better chance?

The answer made him bite his lip. He felt his sharp teeth pierce the skin as a metallic tang of blood filled his mouth. ’I would if there were no other choice. Since when... did I become so detached? Do I need to lose everything to notice how hollow my victory would be?’

He gazed at the red sky through the collapsed ceiling as an unsettling silence filled the throne room. ’I lost something in the abyss, but what? I need to find it again.’

Luna watched him grapple with his emotions like she had. And like the support he had been to her, she hugged him tenderly. "We’ll work to mend the scars of the past, Adam." She winked. "After all, how quaint would external beauty be if you were ugly inside? If you’re truly sinfully handsome, be it both ways."

"It’s divinely handsome now." He leaned his head on her collarbone, enjoying the warm hug. "Thank you."