Imp to Demon King: A Journey of Conquest

Meanwhile, Adam drew his short swords, their chilly hum a melody heralding the chaos he would rain on this town.

The clangour of Karna and Achilles' spears reverberated behind him, adding to the urgency fueling his steps. Each stomp he took left a trail of charred pit wafting the scent of burnt soil.

Almost reaching the walls, his demonic essence flared, the golden veins on his scales brightening under their influence.

Instantly, vapor billowed around him as his dark flames crackled to life. They covered his palms like searing gloves as he raised his head.

A smirk playing on his lips, he scrutinised the King of Heroes' trembling figure, his eyes sparkling with mockery.

Draped in immaculate armor that seemed freshly forged or never used, his adversary appeared like a teenager dreaming about isekai stories to him. Worse, he clicked his tongue at the thick red cape strapped to the fool's pauldrons and the confident sparkle in his eyes. Even his sword looked ridiculous, with its heavy cross replacing the pommel's cap and impractical length.

Yet, this lord had acted high and mighty with him? He snorted, his disdain reflecting on his twisting lips.

'Thought I'd hide in my territory like a cornered rat? Sit comfortably behind your walls with your clown's equipment. I'm coming for you.'

His eyes darted to the sides, taking in the barking soldiers. Drops of sweat glistened on their foreheads as they loaded heavy bolts on three ballistas. Were the fools hoping to stop his army with a few machineries?

Demonic energy wafter from his narrowed eyes at the idea.

Then, his voice thundered, drowning the flustered soldiers' commands in its authoritarian tone.

"This is my only warning: surrender or die!"

Despite his good intentions, a heavy silence answered him.

He inhaled, his chest expanding with the influx of oxygen before he shouted louder.

"To the citizens! This battle has nothing to do with you. Hide in your houses, and no demon will touch you after breaching your idiotic lord's walls."

Meanwhile, the King of Heroes' eyes twitched and forehead veins throbbed. He munched on his lips before roaring in outrage.

"I want to see his body riddled in holes! Fire before the rest of his army reaches us."

Instantly, a few robbed figures struck their rough staves on the ground. Incantations reverberated as they shaped mana into bright circles to obliterate Adam. By them, soldiers huffed behind the three ballistas as they drew their strings taut and aimed at the invader. The rest of the hundred soldiers stationed on this wall's section knocked threatening arrows.

Faced by the imminent attack, Adam shook his head, his fiery hands raising and his lips parting to let out a mutter mixing confidence and disappointment.

"Wrong answer."

His arms whistled through the air without giving them a second to react. The dark flames' chaotic flickering created a trail of vapor in their wake as he hurled them with soul-chilling strength.

Yet, he didn't stop with two. Instead, he adjusted his aim slightly and hurled five more, then ten more, until fifteen dark bolts blotted the human's visions.

CRASH

Still gawking at the spectacle, no one reacted before they smashed into the walls.

Wood splintered and burned, dark fumes rising to suffocate the King of Heroes' soldiers. Worse, like wildfires, Adam's strikes grew into a blazing inferno, threatening to charr them all.

Meanwhile, Adam smirked at his intimidating display of strength. Yet, under his smile, his cheeks' muscles clenched.

'Surrender now and avoid a chaotic battle during which many will die. It's not worth it!'

Against his wish, the King of Heroes' voice cracked in frustration and unwillingness.

"What are you waiting for?! Fire! The territory won't fall! Not when Achilles will return in a few minutes!"

As his words rumbled, Adam's teeth cracked, and his nose scrunched in disgust.

"Fool! You're dooming your people when you have no chance to win!"

Meanwhile, Garduck and the two hundred demons under his command reached him in a cacophony of footsteps.

Noticing his lord's white knuckles and twisted lips, he patted his shoulder.

"There is no remedy to foolishness. Let's end this farce to limit risks."

Adam clicked his tongue and kicked the ground.

"This sore loser. I wouldn't have minded collaborating with him. Heck! I was even ready to let him rule a city in the future." He passed his hand over his face, exhaling his frustration out. "But not anymore. I do not need someone who can't give up and recoup his losses.

No mercy to anyone trying to stop us."

Simultaneously, the divisions led by Bart, Ifrit, and Luna reached their sections of the walls. Their bombardment and the soldiers' agonising wails filled the air, charging it with the thick scent of blood and ashes.

He shook his head at the ending the King of Heroes chose, his fists tightening around his blade's hilt as bolts, arrows, and spells whistled in his direction.

With a click of his tongue, a dark and silver arc cleaved the air to meet the first.

CRACK

His arms trembled slightly under the impact. Yet an inferno burned in his heart as the wood cracked. Splinters flew around him as his blade dug deep into its frame. With a final push, he sundered the heavy bolts in two before everyone's enlarging eyes.

Despite their shock, his army dodged the other two bolts before preparing to deflect the spells and arrows.

However, Adam moved again before they could.

Replacing the wind, his abyssal blade crisscrossed through the air. A network darker than ink shone in its path. As if physical, the mana composing the spells collapsed in a rain of shining spark after he cleaved them.

Finally, his eyes sparkled with demonic energy as he used his aoe.

Dark flames combusted above his army's heads. Bloating the sky, they vaporised the arrows before they could hit anyone.

In this manner, he demonstrated to the King of Heroes the difference between them—the difference between a lord who fought on the front lines with his soldiers and one who relied on his mythical figure to do everything while enjoying his free time at the back. And by shattering his walls and negating his counterattack, he added weight to his earlier words.

Yet, his voice cracked in suppressed anger as he raised his fist commandingly.

"Follow me in and always favor your safety over anything else. We butcher them!"