Imp to Demon King: A Journey of Conquest

His eyes enlarged, joy and urgency dancing in their depths as the text shifted.

[Tiamat: After killing the lord, you'll have thirty seconds to convince him. If you fail, Achilles will return to Zeus, but if you succeed...]

Chaotic flames engulfed his eyes, and his heart drummed in his ears.

Of course, she didn't need to end her sentence because he already knew what would happen.

Without hesitation and before Achilles' eyes, he crushed the King of Heroes' neck.

Like clay, the fool's spinal cords shattered under his fingers' pressure. A disturbing crunching echoed to accompany his gruesome yet painless death.

Contrasting the brutality and suddenness of the kill, an eager smile split his face as he peered into Achilles' narrowing eyes.

He saw the raging torrent swirling in them and how the legend's hands tightened around his chariot's reins. The leather groaned as his voice echoed in suppressed anger.

"Now, I want to kill you."

Before he could act on his words, Adam raised his hands in surrender as his voice resounded with passion.

"We only have thirty seconds before you disappear. Instead of returning to Zeus, why don't you join me?" He bent a finger towards Karna. "You want to fight him? Great! You'll have the opportunity to do it daily."

Meanwhile, Karna's lips rose, and his hand tightened around his spear. Yet, he remained silent despite the excitement making his heart race. His desires and hopes didn't matter when Achilles faced a choice that could reshape his destiny. And more than anyone, he knew how much the gods loved to pay with theirs. But would Achilles accept to work for a demon?

A tense silence hung in the burning air for five seconds before Achilles leapt down from his chariot and towered before Adam.

"Working with demons? Me? Hahaha."

He clapped his hands, his amused laughter echoing through the plain for a second before his eyes darted to Karna.

"I've been offered two paths: a long, obscure life or a short, glorious one. I didn't hesitate when I picked the second one." The grey water of the Styx swirled around his hardening eyes, and his teeth cracked. "Yet, Zeus, this bastard, undermined my achievements. He brought me back from the dead to play with my destiny once more."

His voice cracked, all the rage he had accumulated exploding.

"I'll never forgive him for sullying my honor!"

Adam nodded, agreeing with his words wholeheartedly.

Then, he outstretched his palm toward Achilles fearlessly.

"I know you accepted the god's meddling the first time. But do you want to continue? I'll repeat my offer. Join us and take your revenge! We already plan to kill the demon kings and Ra. Adding Zeus and a few others won't change much."

The preposterous words reverberated in Achilles' ears, making them tremble and forcing his rage down. Did this demon lose his mind? Oppose Zeus?

The Titan's executioner, the absolute ruler of the sky, the giant slayer. Zeus went by many titles, each screaming his achievements and powers louder than the last. So why did the weak demon's mad ideas cause his heart to pound?

In the blink of an eye, he found the answer.

What greater glory could exist than slaughtering this high and mighty overlord with his own hands?

He cracked his neck, a pensive frown creasing his brows before his lips curled into a smirk.

"Let's imagine I accept. How are you going to break Zeus' contract?"

Adam smirked back as light particles gathered and condensed into his outstretched palm. A second later, a scroll sealed with a wax stamp and wrapped with a red ribbon appeared.

"We can then imagine that I have my own contract. With it, I can hire your services as my knight and null Zeus'."

Before his words could linger, he broke the seal and unfurled the scroll.

Chaotic energies tainted the parchment, giving it a dark color and a cosmic scent.

"We're running out of time, so let's stop imagining things. Also, to answer your earlier concerns, I'm not a typical demon. I want every species to live in peace in my territory. That's why Karna decided to follow me despite my appearance."

Achilles turned towards Karna and noticed his bright smile and nod of confirmation.

Then, he gripped the contract. His hand trembled as he felt its power. Even if weaker than Zeus', the chaotic element could really shred the golden leash of order that strangled his destiny.

A steely glint flashed in his mind as he made his choice.

"You can't learn more about someone than through a duel to the death. I trust your judgment, Karna."

Without hesitation and feeling Zeus pull at him with irresistible force, his bronze sword flashed and cut his finger before he penned his name with his blood: Αχιλλεύς.

As his blood seeped into the parchment, the chaotic energy rumbled to life.

Like a snake, it slithered to his finger and engulfed his arm, then his entire body before he could react.

Then, it seeped deeper, ignoring the muscles, organs, and bones to infiltrate his soul.

An icy shudder ran down his spine as he felt it rummage through it, yet his lips trembled. Not because of fear. When had he ever felt it? No, they trembled as they rose to form the broadest smile that had ever split his face as the chaos worked inside him.

More potent than the hydra's venom, it dissolved any influence the gods had on his life, fate, and choices. And now he was free!

The realisation rumbled in his mind as he roared against the heavens.

"From today, I walk my own path unhindered by your interferences! Oh Zeus, watch me as I head to the underworld and plunge my heel into the Styx before I behead your beloved brother for bringing me back." His eyes narrowed and his fists cut through the wind, his veins pulsing under the adrenalin rush. "But don't worry, you'll follow him to the grave soon after."

Meanwhile, Adam yelled in victory, his fists drawn high above his head and his eyes fixed on the notification floating before him.

[Congratulations on recruiting the mythical figure from antique Greece: Achilles.]

"Hahaha! Serves you right for cheating, Zeus!"

However, a sudden notification shattered his short-lived joy.

[World announcement: Zeus will inspect the lords competing in Hestia's realm. The one who shows the most promise shall receive a contract from him and his son's support.]

"This son of a... !"