Imp to Demon King: A Journey of Conquest

His abyssal short sword, enchanted to cleave through energies as if physical, drew a wide vertical arc.

CRACK

Like glass, the barrier shattered under Adam's decisive swing.

Mana drizzled into the surroundings, only to disappear after a fleeting moment.

And without its protection, the large iron badge lay exposed to his eager grin and whooshing hand.

His scales glinted dark and gold as he snatched it, its coldness and weight pressing against his hand. The weight of his new responsibilities over this town's citizens and that of his future conquests.

Still, he smirked at it and enjoyed the notifications congratulating him.

[Congratulations on retrieving an Iron I Lord's badge.]

[Two options available: 1. Bring it back to your territory to upgrade its rank. 2. Place it back on the altar to keep the town's facilities operational.]

"Hmm."

He tucked his fingers around his chin, a pensive frown creasing his brows.

'Increasing my territory's rank was what I've been striving for, but I can't dismiss a functional town either.' He scratched his head, a gale blowing the thick scent of blood into his nostrils. 'After cleaning it, of course, not to mention that I'll get more badges when I visit the less developed lords. On the other hand, keeping it would mean dividing my forces to protect two places.'

His brows creased further while his eyes darted to the few demons scurrying through the streets.

'Even if we can cross the distance separating both places in half a day, I don't have enough manpower. I'll go with the first option.'

As he turned to leave, eager for his territory to reach the bronze rank, another notification appeared before him.

However, it was a message from Tiamat this time.

[Tiamat: What do you think are the facilities mentioned? Think about it a little more, my dear contractor.]

Surprised by her sudden question, he froze in his steps. His fingers drummed against his scales, a rhythmical noise echoing as he pondered her words.

'She's not talking about standard buildings, or the system would have mentioned it.' His eyes sparkled, and his heart hastened as he thought about the only unique buildings lords possessed. 'Does she mean the Gate and the barrack?'

A sea of questions swirled in his mind. Would the buildings be converted into demonic ones, or would they keep their human functions? Would he have to upgrade them, too?

Curiosity engulfed him, causing his fingers to twitch around the badge and his figure to turn towards the altar.

"Only one way to know!"

Without hesitation, he placed it back in its place.

As the badge hovered again, a burning wave engulfed the immaculate altar in dark flames. Demonic and draconic protrusions and pulsing engravings carved themselves into its darkening surface before the flames encased the badge in a fiery barrier.

Then, a notification reverberated, and a notification appeared before him.

[Congratulations on capturing a town. The Gate, barrack, and warehouse are now connected to your territory as auxiliary buildings. From the main ones, you can decide where your new citizens will spawn. Your territory will expand to encompass the town and its surroundings.]

[Note: the auxiliary buildings' levels align with the mains.]

The more he read the short yet shocking information, the more his eyes enlarged.

After a brief moment of muted stupor, his arm trembled, and his voice thundered.

"Hahaha! That's incredible! Doesn't it mean I can enter any of the two warehouses but take out any resources? The same goes for the daily and military summons! I can choose to send them here directly without wasting time travelling!"

He struck his palm with his fist, taking determined steps out of the mansion. Achilles followed him out, silently observing his pondering.

Meanwhile, his mind raced as the blood covering the streets sploshed on his way to the walls.

'I must assign a trustworthy mayor for the town.' He tilted his head from one side to another. 'I can send Puck and Asna. They're strong and aided in most of our raids. Unfortunately, they fell short when compared to the others.'

He nodded, eager to offer them the post.

Lost in his thoughts, he emerged at the southern wall without realising it.

Hundreds of terrified humans trembled before his eyes. He noticed their pale faces and the nervous sweat sticking their clothes to their skin.

Then, he followed their eyes, noticing they all fixed their former lord's crooked neck in terror and how Garduck had attached the corpse to the wall for all to see. And even he gazed at it in horror.

'I brought it back to bury, or at least burn him! What the heck are you doing?!'

However, Achilles laughed at the scene.

"Reminds me of when I attached Hector's corpse to my chariot and dragged it before Troy for three days." He patted Adam's shoulder. "You effectively shattered their morale. Well done!"

"..."

He lowered his head, not finding the right words to retort. Instead, he sighed and leapt on the walls, focusing more on his return than on those macabre tactics.

Facing the crowd, he raised his fist above his horns, commending their attention. His voice thundered next, charisma and authority melding with an underlying tone of care and gentleness without forgetting a touch of humor.

"Dear citizens. I'll recount everything your lord did from the beginning. But first, let me introduce myself. I'm Adam, the demon lord living in the forest south." He pointed at his mangled cheek and naked torso and chuckled. "You'll have to excuse me for my appearance, though. I did my best to avoid injuries, but your army's bright archers still got me."

He noticed the humans' confused faces, and that was what he wanted—to make them doubt their beliefs about demons. And to achieve that, he had to show that he wasn't different from them. Therefore, he sat by the walls' edge and untied the King of Heroes.

After offering them the corpse, he began his narration.

A few among the surviving soldiers nodded at his words before Achilles confirmed everything.

And soon, the citizens' lips twisted in scorn.

The King of Heroes, unhappy to let them and Achilles do everything for him, had the great idea of starting a war with demons!

Meanwhile, Adam scratched his head as he watched some of the most angry ones spit on the carcass.

'That's what happens when you don't work on your subjects' loyalty.'