Is this truly what humans wear?

He tightened the noose around his neck apparently referred to as a tie. According to Karla, it would help him project a dignified and regal appearance. As the ghost had put it, “the royals are always strutting around in fancy suits and junk.” Who these royals were he’d had to do a bit of digging to find out. Much to his surprise, kings and queens weren’t entirely abolished in this new world. Though it seemed they were little more than figureheads for humans to gawk at.

“Ahem.”

He cleared his throat, taking a moment to ensure his horns had been polished to shine. His suit blemish free. His captives fully incapacitated behind the walls of ice. Neither newscaster moved an inch, Luizitine noting their lack of a heartbeat. He’d made sure to up his Soul of Cold output so as to keep their bodies in tact, a clean block of ice showing the humans already dead inside.

But that wasn’t for him. No, he would have been fine simply freezing their bodies and shattering them like he’d done with so many others. But not today. Today, was a special occasion, afterall. And if he’d learned anything in the centuries he’d been killed, reincarnated, and revived, it was that he should never underestimate the value of a good presentation. This was their first official moment in the spotlight, afterall.

“Good evening, humans of Angelas City!” he announced beyond the screen. A little louder than he anticipated, the mic on his collar emitting a slight pitch that made both him and Gingee wince. The devildog stood just out of the cameras reach, their ears twitching at all the distant sounds. Luizitine lowered his voice a bit so as not to further disturb his minion. “My name is Luizitine. It is a pleasure to meet all of you.”

From beyond the podium, he gave the most regal bow he could manage. The human suit felt much too restrictive, even as he’d bought one large enough not to rip when he transformed. Still, compared to the corsets and dresses he’d worn whenever he’d gotten reincarnated in maidenly bodies, the fabric was at least somewhat tolerable.

Karla came dropping from the ceiling, the ghost staying out of sight but signaling behind her with one hand. The connection had been secured, but there were bound to be complications. They had hijacked a city-wide broadcast, afterall. But by the way she signed in the air with a smile, Luizitine knew she had only good news to share. He sighed with relief, knowing that she’d managed to keep things from veering off course too much.

“You’re on, boss,” she silently mouthed, giving him a thumbs up. He dipped his head in gratitude. Hopefully Jeffrey could handle the rest.

“I’m sure many of you are shocked to see me,” Luizitine continued, looking directly into the camera. “And I’m sure just as many of you don’t know who I am. Which is fine. So long as you stay out of our way, I have no qualms in letting most of you live through what is to come. I’ve stockpiled enough humans to last a few months, at least. Perhaps longer. But rest assured, only a small portion of you will become nourishment for my subjects.”

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

He gave a fanged smile at that, letting his demonic mask hang over the humans’ screens a few moments. In truth, he had more than enough supplies to last several seasons, but a little urgency never hurt. The more panicked the prey, the easier they were to snuff out.

“Consider this your first official warning,” Luizitine continued. “And the last. Over the past several months, my people and I have prepared extensively to overtake the beautiful city of Angelas. We’ve satiated are appetites by living in the shadows, avoiding your authorities, and biding our time to strike. But no longer. I promised my subjects a place they could live in peace, and as king it my duty to deliver on that promise.”

He looked to Gingee, who had paused their lookout duty to watch. He looked to Karla, who floated just beyond the camera, sitting forward in the air as she too listened intently. And though he was handling logistics elsewhere, he knew Jeffrey was paying close attention as well. They were all putting their faith in him to deliver their message to the word, something Luizitine couldn’t help but feel a surge of pride over as he gathered his next words.

“As of now, the Kingdom Of Luizitine is declaring war on Angelas,” he said with authority. “We have already eliminated your ruler. And we will proceed to eliminate all of you who stand in our way. Including you mages watching beyond the screen.”

His smile wavered, expression turning more serious.

“And you, wizard. I imagine you’re watching now too, aren’t you?”

He felt a chill just making the declaration. For months he’d been avoiding the man and anything to do with him, always looking over his shoulder for fear that acting too rashly would draw his wrath. That it would end his plans before they started. That he’d get his kingdom killed. But that wasn’t a sentiment he could harbor forever. If they were to truly come out of the shadows, he couldn’t be afraid to face the man once again, even if their powers were roughly equal. His minions deserved a better ruler than that.

Fixing his gaze on the screen, Luizitine let his voice convey his full power as their king.

“I know you’re out there watching,” Luizitine said. “You have your army. I have mine. And I’m sure you’re already preparing to strike against us. But no this. On my honor as king, you will not bring down this kingdom. Bring as many mages and policemen as you wish. I will rend them all to dust before your eyes.”

As he finished speaking, he nodded to the camera, which turned away to instead move to the final piece of the puzzle. Something Luizitine knew would put all the onlooker’s doubts to rest once and for all. The trophy he’d taken from Tupwell’s dwelling. It was a bit cumbersome to bring into the studio, but Gingee had been gentle in handling the frozen block of ice. The mayor’s body was still mostly in tact beyond a few bite marks here and there.

Gingee placed a paw on the top of the block.

“Your mayor believed he could stand in our way,” Luizitine declared. “Let his death be a warning. You humans are no longer in control.”

He gave a final nod to Gingee, the devildog finally lowering their paw to shatter the ice into pieces.