[https://i.ibb.co/4gx5HPn/The-Fake-Demon-Lord-Title01a.png]

*knock knock*

 "Enter."

A large chamber door decorated with silver lining eased open while expressing a slight creak. Beyond the door, a young woman with ashen hair made her way through. Her gait and uniform showed her experience and profession as she moved with hardly any shake and little sway of her torso. Entering the room, the young woman eased the door shut behind her and then headed directly towards her master at the far end of the chamber. As she closed the distance, her silver eyes glanced across her master's desk to see various documents scattered about loosely. The old oak desk laying beneath the papers was completely hidden from view and the sight of her master with a cloth draped over her face and her feet kicked up on the desk belied the history supposedly behind it.

 "My Lord. A report has arrived."

The maid held the rolled document out with both hands and bowed slightly in respect. Exerting what sounded like unneeded effort, her Master grunted under her breath before releasing a rather more audible soft breath.

 "Another one? Is the war going so badly?"

The woman removed her legs from the desk and stood up to move straight into a stretch. Her tanned skin and torso showed through her dress. Her dress left the crest of her shoulders revealed but obscured her sides and flowed down into an elegant plunging neckline. The relaxed fit helped ease its wearer into comfort and its length of just below the knees kept it cool in the summer. She twisted her neck side to side which released a n eruption of cracking. Spurred into action, she rubbed her neck and shoulder before her eyes darted to the maid waiting before her. Those crystal blue eyes continued to the document in hand and she expelled air once more under her breath before retrieving it.

 "Any guesses on the contents this time?"

 "I'd never."

Lapis' silver brows twitched at the maid's response. Her dainty hand brushed back her faded blue hair beside one of the spiraled horns jutting from the side of her head and her two wings protruding from her lower back shimmered slightly when she moved her hips. Each feather reflected a black to silver fade as they moved to their new position and the rainbow edges of the feathers fluctuated in color as if they were holographic in nature.

 "I had told you before, when it is just the two of us, do not keep up airs. It is stifling..."

 "I understand, Ms. Lapis."

The maid relaxed her pose and expression. She returned upright and picked up a slightest of smiles across her Master's face. She rotated the report in her hand aslope and glanced at its thickness before she derived a guess.

 "It'd be about the state of the war, I imagine. Considering the thickness... bad news, maybe?"

 "Is that your instincts as a prophet or the hopeful imagination of a young maiden dreaming of war?"

The young maid standing before Lapis drew another smile before responding. As if considering her answer with utmost care, she hesitates. The young maid is part of the Sorrid race which is known to have especially dense magic in their veins. Though very human in appearance, their ashen colored hair and silver eyes are characteristic of their particular race. It's often said when a Sorrid speaks of the future, it's bound to come true. Though what's said is often rumors on the street, those who heed that advice are whispered to avoid catastrophe and misfortune. Considering their race is unable to control their powers directly, they rarely know themselves if what they speak is prophecy or not. Over the centuries, they as a race chose to select their words with care in fear that what they say may come true.

Marie also considers what she says heavily before speaking, often foregoing the act itself entirely in lieu of actions instead. Her hesitation to answer Lapis stemmed from the strange feeling she felt from the report since the moment it entered her hands. The messenger himself seemed nervous as well and elected to return post haste rather than wait for a response like one typically would. At times like this, she would usually smile and retain her words but she felt the eerie document demanded a reply to Lapis' question. Perhaps unaware of the feeling being expressed on her face, Lapis abruptly continued the conversation on her own accord, releasing her friend and servant from her fateful answer.

 "I see... That bad, huh? Well, we may as well read it then..."

Cleansing her facial expressions, Marie handed the document over and placed it respectfully onto Lapis' out stretched palm. Without hesitation, Lapis unsealed the document and rolled it out across the desk. She placed a rather thick book over one of the extended edges to prevent it from curling back in over itself. Marie watched her long time friend and Master read the document and studied the complex emotions rippling across her face. Nearing the end of the document, Lapis' face contorted in a mix of anger and disgust.

 "Those fools! They rally together to deny peace and progress a war and yet they refuse to properly wage it!"

Expressing her anger, she swiped the desk counter launching the documents and books across the room. Seeing the sight, Marie frowned before breaking the silence that followed.

 "Was it.. that bad?"

 "Exceedingly... The Generals are reporting a total collapse of the front line. In their cowardice, they took hostage the villagers of a border town but was surrounded by the Human's military. Without immediate backup, we will lose critical assets for the future... Argh! Of all the stupid things they could do! They took hostages against the Humans! What were they thinking?! If I knew it would wind up like this, I would have pushed for peace far harder!"

 "Even had you done that, I doubt they would have willingly went along with it."

 "Then I would have forced them even if it meant crushing them beneath my foot. What is the purpose in being the leader of a force when your orders are ignored. Why did I try to become so powerful if it only forced me into the chains and weaknesses of politics. I feel like I have less control now than when I was fighting for survival!"

Watching her dear friend and Master tightening her clenched fists, blood from her nails piercing her palm bled with slow diligence into the crumpled document. Marie stepped forward, moving to her side and embraced with understanding. She knew the situation far clearer than she'd let on. With every blink of her silver eyes, the world turned dark and blood rained across a scene of Lapis forced onto her knees. Within that bloodied world, her friend held tears pouring from her eyes and her screaming visage shook Marie's very soul. That terrible vision always faded after she opened her eyes and yet her heart remained pained as she was unable to see herself beside her friend in that scene. Unable to be by her side in her moment of pain, she felt she could only play out her part as her instincts pushed her forward. She felt Lapis relax in her arms somewhat and she hesitated to speak once more before closing her eyes to see that scene again.

 "Must we head forward and settle this in person? Is there no one else capable of resolving such a situation now that it spiraled so far out of control?"

 "The only other one capable of negotiation and combat required for a situation like this is halfway across the world right now... It would appear I'm headed for the castle, will you come with me?"

 "Of course, my Lord. Where is our destination?"

 "Just off the Northern border near Deiric Castle."

 "Understood. Please wait here while I prepare the rite."

After she released her embrace, Marie took two steps back, performed a curtsy, then exited the study. Marie reseated the door behind her and continued down the hall gathering other servants along the way. On the other side of the door, Lapis was staring somewhat resolutely at the now closed entryway. She'd seen that face on Marie in the past and it didn't bode well for the future. Seeing her friend with such an expression, she was unable to ask further questions on the future she was sure Marie was seeing. Letting a quiet breath slip out, Lapis started picking the documents she scattered earlier up off the ground while lost in thought. Each paper was lightly smeared with blood reminding Lapis of her earlier wound.

Taking the distraction in step, she made her way to a glass cabinet that housed various chemicals and cloths. Selecting a small roll, she wrapped it in a gentle fashion around her hand as she returned to her seat. Atop the desk was the document that sent all her plans awry. Grasping it once more, she let her eyes roll through its contents.

 "Liege,

 During aggressions against the Humans, we were forced to levy local forces consisting primarily of Humans. As the war progressed, we were pressured back into Deiric Castle 3 kilometers South West of Kiev Village. Our tactician suggested utilizing our levied forces against the overwhelming force pressuring us which has bought us time. General Shrack requests immediate reinforcements to the scale of 25000 units. The sub commanders agree that without reinforcements or a pressure of such scale, the Human forces will overrun Castle Deiric with little negotiation for the levied forces.

 Your Vassles,

 General Elric, General Shrack, General Lorean, Tactician Dula."

She relaxed her grip on the document allowing it to slide out and rest back on the desk top. Now that the rush was fading, Lapis was able to calm her nerves further and started digesting the report and its repercussions. Her thoughts deliberately churned out ideas to resolve the situation with as little political and mortal fallout as possible. As she let her thoughts flow, a certain thought crept up from the recesses of her mind.

 [In truth, it is not this single instance of failure that has defeated the idea of peace... Each diplomat I have sent has never returned. Every means of negotiation has been declined unless for trading war trophies. Is peace simply impossible in a world with two distinct intelligent species...?]

She glanced up towards the ceiling and leaned back in her chair before chewing on the thought. Certainly, the Demon and Human species have always had a relationship that danced around war and devastation. The Demons would invade Human lands, commit atrocities, and then fall back dragging hostages for pleasure as if to taunt their victim's friends and families. Frankly, Lapis thought the act was despicable, but Demons are a creature that live far closer to their desires than any other species and many of the races that make up the Demon species have highly unique ecologies. For instance, Goblins are unable to reproduce without females from another race. Female Demons that a Goblin can potentially utilize tend to be far more powerful that the Goblins themselves. It's unfortunate that Human females are compatible sexually, but the lack of power housed in a Human female certainly is enticing for a race dependent upon others for their survival.

Problems similar to the Goblins run rampant once you start including their cousins the Orcs, Hob Goblins, Trolls and Ghouls. Even Lapis understood the immeasurable differences between the races that would have to worked out for a chance at peace to even occur to the point where she had drafted up multiple ideas on how to tackle such difficult problems, after all, with her position as the Demon Lord, she couldn't order an entire race that follows her to go extinct because 'we want peace.' In one of her latest drafts, she had thought about utilizing criminals as breeding material for the Goblins and similar races. Assuming a standard Human female was durable enough to survive both the mating ritual and birth of a Goblin, that criminal could be passed around the various races with each utilizing the criminal until death whereby the Ghouls would reanimate the corpse and become part of their coven. With those assumptions and including the birth rate and crime rate amongst the Humans, it had the potential to be a symbiotic relationship. The Humans would have a terrifying punishment and deterrent for heinous crimes while sexually isolated races could maintain their populations.

The problems lie not only on the Demons side though. The Human species tend to be arrogant and racism runs rampant even amongst their own kind when slight differences are pointed out. They tend to hunt weaker Demons for sport and fun while torturing them on large spires near the territorial border. Lapis was made well aware of the arrogance in Humans when she first attempted to feel out the potential for peace merely weeks into her coronation as Demon Lord. At that time, instead of the Human King meeting her, a lower messenger was instead sent. Forgiving the insult, Lapis demonstrated her resolve and continued the negotiations with the messenger as a middleman. It took her days before she noticed the messenger was burning all documents she provided to him and the King had sent him to delay Lapis as long as possible. When threatened, the messenger admitted he had no political power and was sent by the King as a sacrifice for a crime. The King never had any intention to hear her out in the first place and had told the messenger to buy time while they observe the 'thing' playing politics.

Her frustrations with the Humans are seemly non-stop and their attitude is clear. So why exactly is she aiming for peace then? In truth, Lapis had always considered herself to be a researcher. The Human's land held vast mysteries and unexplored territories that would be difficult for her to explore while they were at war. The potential benefits of an alliance far out weighed the benefits of war if they, the Humans, wanted to progress their sciences or we Demons wanted to expand our understanding as well.

Stuck in her rambling thoughts, Lapis heard a knock on the door jarring her back into reality. She refocused her gaze on the door.

 "Enter."

The door opened to reveal the maid Marie once more. She maintained her distance at the door while lightly bowing. Returning to a upright stance, she fixed her focus upon Lapis.

 "The rite is ready. We need only open the gate."

 "Excellent, let us go then."

Lapis corrected her posture before standing up. She made her way towards the door overtaking Marie and progressed down the Castle hall. Marie grabbed a prepared torch with diligence from an awaiting maid and lit it against an already flaming torch in the study before following behind her Master. Each footstep the pair took clearly echoed down the barren hallway reflecting off the marble walls and granite floor. The hallways contained neither decor nor markings signifying what lay at the end with only slight opening near the top of the hall slitted to provide a mediocre moonlight. The night scene lured Lapis and Marie down the pitch black hall without an end in sight. Utilizing the meager light given off by Marie's torch, the two found themselves at a bend in the hall that ran against an abrupt entryway consisting of a solid wooden door whose steel lock was already loosened.

Lapis halted her progress before the door raising her hand to Marie behind her. She looked up once more as if to gaze into her thoughts before lightly speaking.

 "Is there anything I should hear from you before we head over?"

 "..."

 "I see..."

Answered by silence, Lapis steeled herself and reached for the door. Putting some strength into her grip, she forcefully opened it from its snug closure resonating a loud creak that reverberated through the hall. Before her in the room six servants were in the middle of kneading mana for a transportation ceremony. Lapis and Marie walked with a calculated pace into the center of the well lit room standing directly above a hexagonal carving on the floor.

 "Let us begin."

Signaling the servants, Lapis pictured the target location in her mind before mixing some of her magic into the circle below her. A dark blue, viscous fog leaked from her body and drifted with haste to the ground lighting the inner hexagon. Each of the six servants positioned themselves at points along an outer hexagon, kneeling and injecting their own mana into the carving. A slight gust picked up inside the room dousing the strong flames of the torches engulfing the group in darkness momentarily before the light blue hue of the magic formation gently caressed them. The wind picked up speed, spiraling from room walls inward towards the center of the room encircling Lapis and Marie. Taking a final deep breath, Lapis erased her hesitation before initiating the magic. As if lightning struck the inner hexagon, Lapis and Marie disappeared taking the vortex of wind with them.

Across the distant continent in a busy castle preparing for war, a lone room locked away inside the inner rooms suddenly lit up blasting the door that sealed it off it's hinges. As the dust settled, two women, one clad in a formal dress, the other in maid attire suddenly appeared. The two took in their surroundings. The hint of light in the hallway sourced from the sun gently outlined the hall suggesting at least 4 hours of time had passed since they left. Due to the size of the Demon continent though, hints such as light were misleading. Their current location at Deiric Castle was easily distanced more than six weeks of travel by carriage away. A fast messenger on horseback could probably push that down to five and a half weeks if they forced their horse and themselves with little rest. It's said that when midnight is struck at the Demon capital, Deiric Castle sees sunrise.

 "I guess that rumor about the time discrepancy was true after all..."

Muttering her thoughts out loud, unable to hide her surprise as she took in the sight.

 "Our world is large after all."

As if expecting her thoughts, Lapis smoothly replied before starting her walk out of the room. Marie trailed behind still taking in the sights. Her experiences outside of the Demon Castle were limited after joining as Lapis' servant and this was her first time seeing a major outpost in nearly 4 decades. Curiosity stabbed at her internally, but she forced it under control as it was no longer just her an Lapis. At most, she indulged the feeling by sneaking peeks at the various internal designs on the Castle. Unlike their Capital, Deiric Castle was built under supervision of a General in the past who believed a Castle should empower the men defending it through any means, including visual stimuli. Marie passed by various paintings of notorious leaders hung on the wall and floating shelves made of expensive wood were adorned with expensive looking vases. The hall was lightly decorated, but she was surprised how even an inner hall such as this one, something so far out of sight of daily duties, was properly decorated and maintained.

The two walked at a brisk pace and neared a T junction signifying the end of the hall. Weak clattering noises became louder as they neared and the stench of iron and rust filled the air. On approach, an abrupt scream rang out followed by a sharp 'SHWACK' and sobbing. Lapis cringed lightly as pleads for forgiveness filled her ears. She rounded the bend with Marie, who's face became stoic upon first hearing the sobs, only to be faced with a scene of horror.

The hall exit led into an open courtyard nearly 300 meters in length and width. The ground was covered in pearly white, smoothed rocks raked evenly with a pristine stone path that intersected the courtyard in the middle dividing the area into four quadrants. Lapis steeled her emotions as her gaze walked the inner walls of the courtyard passing by frames containing famous individuals, decorative tassels, gold trim, and symbolic carving commonly believed to be protective talismans. On any other day, the scene would evoke a peaceful, dignified atmosphere capable of persuading even Humans into a agreeable nature. However.

 "This... What... is... this...!?"

The mutterings escaped Lapis' mouth taking with it her inner feelings of disgust and anger. The pearly white, smoothed rocks that previously was maintained diligently were covered with rotted blood. Trails were dug out in the rocks with chunks of flesh mixed into it and when one followed it to the end, the remnants of a creature's corpse could be seen suggesting a cheap disposal location. The various paintings that should have been mounted to the inner wall were instead replaced with jutting spears with Human corpses impaled stacked up to three per stake. Each corpse appeared to have been haphazardly impaled with some being penetrated through the chest, some through the thigh, and others bent backwards with the stack piercing through the corpse twice. It took only a quick glimpse for to easily implied they were being toss on the stakes from a distance. Each talisman and portions of gold trim near the base of the stakes were stained with thickened blood. As if to make best use of the materials available, the tassels that once freely hung below the picture frames now had make shift stalactites formed of partially clotted blood sticking to parts of various organs dangling from the previously soft tips. With corpses stacked in the furthest left quadrant of the courtyard, Lapis' thoughts halted for a moment unable to process the brutal scene before her.

Marie took in the sight around her calmly. She already saw this scene many times when she closed her eyes in the past. Every time she saw it, the scene never changed. Her gaze fixated on her Master for a while and she observed her reaction intently.

Heart rate rising.

Pupils dilating.

Enhanced blood flow. 

Muscles tensing.

Respiration rate increasing.

Perspiration stimulated.

 [Overall, a mixture of fear and anger I suppose... Perhaps it was too early for my Lord to see this extreme side of Demons... She might have been too naive in thinking the issues between the races stopped at the level of torture. While many Demons are inherently intolerant towards Humans and fight for revenge or survival, there also exist creatures who truly deserve the title 'Devil'... And they exist in both the Demon species and Human species...]

Marie finalized her thoughts after moving an icy stare to the group in the farther right quadrant of the courtyard. A pair of individuals were preaching nonsense to a group of Humans forced to sit on their knees. When she focused her vision on the group, she could see dark red gashes laid over each of their heels and blood leaking at a semi controlled rate from the back of their knees.

 [They cut the tendons in their feet and knees? How brutish...]

Her eyes wandered over the group examining each individual. It was mostly adult men who had been staked onto the wall. The occasional female torso was seen, but Marie imagined it was a female who probably tried to protect her husband or child. With most of the fit men taken care of, all that was left in this maimed group were children, women and elderly. Each of them in apparent shock and a few appeared to have died while sitting, probably due to blood loss or heart failure.

Moving forward slightly, Marie clasped Lapis' hand gently with both and rubbed them lightly with her thumb. She spoke softly after seeing no reaction.

 "My Lord..."

No response.

Marie moved in front of Lapis hoping to change her gaze onto her. She gently placed her supple fingers onto Lapis' cheeks angling her face down to look directly at her. She spoke once again after sensing the slightest tremor in her Master's eyes.

 "My Lord..."

 "Mar...i...a..."

 "Yes, my Lord. I'm here."

 "What... What is this?"

The usual power that filled her Master's voice was gone. The innocence she had carried with her clearly shattered.

 "My Lord. This is the nature of creatures far more vile than either Human or Demon. You must come to terms with such existences as they will always exist. They are crueler than any war. They are far more devastating than any disease. They exceed even the Dragon's in their greed. These malformed creatures are part of every race and tend to rise to power through one fashion or another however, my Lord... My Lord, they are only the extreme expressions of everything an average animal requires to survive. When you judge a race and even when you judge an entire species, remember not to judge them based off the actions of a few outliers."

Marie loosened her grasp after seeing her Master's pupils return to normal. She raised the edges of her mouth into a minor smile.

 "What has happened here is atrocious. Luckily, my Lord. You are the Demon Lord. You are free to act as you wish. Even if opinion disagrees with your persuasion, they have neither right nor might to hinder you. Even if they did have the strength, I believe you're not one to fall so easily."

Lapis slowed her breathing and regained control over her emotions. The ice that halted her thoughts thawed and her mental faculties ramped back up. She raised her head and gazed anew at the hell in front of her. She would not turn away from the sight anymore. Rather, she resolved herself to accept everything she sees with neither rejection nor acceptance. It was as she saw and she chose to handle it impartially.

Seeing her Master's composure restored, even when looking back at the sight surrounding them, Marie turned back towards the courtyard and raised her voice.

 "Your Master! Our liege! The great Demon Lord Lapis Lazuli Fardom is present! What discourtesy to not greet them!"

Her voice rippled through the courtyard prompting guards near the group of Humans to drop to a knee. The two individuals who had been preaching to the kneeling Humans rushed their presences before Lapis and knelt down to offer their greetings.

 "My Liege! It's an honor for your visit. This one is Vice General Lakarete. This one is Vice General Tendo."

The Demons who appeared to be a variety of specters glanced at each other during the silent response Lapis returned them. As if deciding through their eyes, the specter named Tendo spoke up.

 "My Liege, is there something we can assist you with?"

 "... I am curious... What is happening here...?"

As if picking her words carefully, Lapis started probing the current situation.

 "These Humans dared to seek refuge in our lands from their own kind. We captured them four weeks ago. We've been administering punishment as per your Liege's direction since."

 "My direction? This is? Who told you such nonsense?"

The two specters glanced at each other clearly confused. Tendo resumed talking after it dawned on him that something was wrong.

 "My Liege, three months ago orders with your seal were passed down through the Generals. I imagine other Castles and outposts received the same order, but in our case, General Elric handed it to this one and Vice General Lakarete at the same time."

 "Three months ago you say? Show me those orders. In the mean time..."

Lapis set her gaze back onto the group of Humans still kneeling. Even if they were fully healed, she wasn't sure how the potent the mental damage was for them. The scene shocked Lapis just from the sight, she wasn't sure how it damaged the children and women who experienced it personally would be. Thinking of the future, she could only try to salvage something from such a dreadful circumstance.

 "Marie, go heal those Humans as far as you can manage."

 "Understood, my Liege."

Marie quickened her gait to the Humans in the distance while Lapis returned her sight to the two in front of her.

 "Quickly, show me the order."

 "Yes!"

The two scrambled to their feet and took off through a pair of doors near Lapis. She followed behind them taking note of the Castle layout and with an uneasy feeling lingering in her heart.

 [If this order exists, what does that mean. Betrayal? Mistake? What intent?]

The three rounded a corner hall while Lapis was churning through her thoughts. Approaching a main office entrance beneath a large archway, all three members halted in place when a loud explosion shook the Castle.

 "What now?!"

Lapis rushed to a long vertically slitted window to catch the scene outside. At the far end of the courtyard, the large wooden gate that had steel joints interlocking massive logs was now in shambles, sprayed into the courtyard. Through the dust, Lapis was able to see figures rushing through into the courtyard. The glints of reflected sunlight through partial breaks in the settling dust cloud convinced her instantly.

 "Humans!"

 "What?!"

 "Quickly, return to the courtyard!"

Lapis broke into a run leaping down stairs and bolting through hallways. In her rush, she clipped the corner of a stone wall with her right horn showering the site in rubble and sparks. Regaining her balance from the turn, she continued her sprint bursting through the first pair of door. The courtyard that opened up before her housed six groups of men donned in white and silver armor. Each group appeared to specialize in different weapons with three of the groups forming a wall in front of her with spears. Though they wore full armor, the helmets were slotted allowing good perception of their surroundings and the slits near their mouths helped to ease breathing when they were exhausted. The sections easily revealed to Lapis the current emotions flowing across their faces. In truth, it wasn't very different from Lapis' initial response to the courtyard. The tips of the spears were obviously shaking and the rough breathing coupled with heavy perspiration and pale faces made the figures inside the armors appear as ghosts to Lapis.

Lapis glanced past the knights ignoring their threatening postures and flicked her eyes searching the scene. Her first thoughts were the safety of her long time friend and loyal retainer followed by the soldiers of the castle. As she scanned the site, she noticed something strange.

 [Where is everyone?]

The soldiers who should have been on the ramparts of the castle were no where to be seen. She couldn't find any corpses either and the sound of battle was non-existent. The lingering feeling she felt earlier was digging into the pit of her stomach at a slow crawl. In light of the situation, she changed her priorities. Lapis looked for a knight that could pass as commander of the group. She scanned the men in front of her and yet... None. None of them looked qualified to be anything greater than a grunt. She looked into the group that was behind the knights talking to the recently healed Humans. Judging by their condition, Marie must have healed them in time and hid herself. She felt somewhat relieved by that but maintained her vigilance.

A sudden scream resounded from the group of Humans. One of the children saw Lapis through a small gap in the row of knights and was in the middle of having a mental break down. A knight whose armor had a golden trim around its edges stepped out from behind a stone pillar near the little girl. He traced the young girl's gaze connecting his eyes straight into Lapis'. He's in charge. Lapis felt certain of it. The man yelled a few orders to some surrounding knights having them calm the young girl and take her along with the rest of the group away through the gate. As the Humans held hostage hobbled in retreat from the castle through the broken gate, the Knight leader returned his focus to Lapis. He issued more orders to the surrounding knights then brought his face close to the ear of someone Lapis assumed was a trusted aid. They conversed briefly before the aide rushed from the area and the Knight leader began to make his way near Lapis.

Lapis could hear the light clanks and scrapes of his uniform get louder over time as he closed the distance. She examined his face, scrutinizing every detail, trying to read anything be it emotion, opinion, or disposition. The man approached the back of the line of pike wielding knights gently brushing to the side one of them to pass by. Standing before Lapis without fear, her opinion of the man rose. He appeared to be sizing up Lapis as well as his gaze walked her from head to toe. Seemingly he finalized his evaluation as he fixed his gaze directly at her eyes and spoke.

 "I'm Captain Hickmann of the 3rd Hero Support division. Who're you?"

Lapis ignored the impolite speech on account of the situation. She returned his introduction.

 "My name is Lapis Lazuli Fardom. I hold the title for current reigning Demon Lord. Why are you in my Castle?"

She decided to be aggressive from the start since there was little she could say to defend the gruesome sight surrounding them. Visuals aside, even the air itself carried a thickened characteristic loaded with iron and rust. In such a situation, it's imperative for her to take control of the situation.

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 "You are...? Young? I remember the Demon Lord to be an old Demon with a partially skinned arm."

 "I have replaced him. Is my age a problem?"

The man looked around at the scene again before he continued speaking.

 "It might be. I see my fellow countrymen strewn up on your walls. Forgive my impoliteness, but many of our soldiers vomited on sight at this scene. Frankly, I don't know how the people who just left will even survive after witnessing such a sight. Children are adaptable and although it will be a future trauma, they can probably recover to a certain degree. The real problem is... Many of the elderly and adults in that group were in a state of persistent shock, you know? I guess... How old are you? Do you perhaps just look young by trait of your race?"

 "It's truly unfortunate what happened to that group. I only arrived a moment ago myself."

Captain Hickmann's eye twitched when he heard Lapis' arrival time.

 "As far as my age goes, my race does enjoy an extended youth however, I have only existed for 23 years."

Something was wrong. This man was too calm for the situation. Certainly, someone who went through many wars and experienced the front lines would have a more solid mental fortitude but would they be able to exhibit such a calmness to this degree? Lapis saw his reaction when she replied earlier as well. The feeling that was sinking into the pit of her stomach suddenly started pulsing. The sickening feeling spread to the rest of her and the alarm bells that were gently ringing earlier were now reverberating at full force.

 "It's fine either way. I hadn't thought you'd be so young, but the world is cruel sometimes."

The man took a stern stance as if delivering orders to his superior commander.

 "Demon Lord Lapis Lazuli Fardom! By the power of the Sky Council and King Oris, you've been charged with extreme cruelty towards Humans. We've found evidence in multiple outposts now that prove your guilt to include the order of implementing extreme torture, maiming and forcing a mental collapse against forces captured during war."

Lapis went wide eyed at the assertion.

 "Extreme cruelty towards Humans? Your King refused all attempts I made for peace! By power of the Sky Council and King? They have no power here! Evidence in multiple outposts? If anything, you have found evidence targeting the previous Demon Lord title holder, all policies I have passed down are benign in nature! How dare you accuse me on circumstantial evidence alone. I told you a moment ago I arrive here hardly minutes before you. Who do you think healed the humans you escorted out!?"

Feeling her emotions starting to rise, Lapis ended her comments. Her thoughts instantly returned to Marie. The man maintained his stance and as if on cue, the aide he chatted with earlier came to his side, handing him a rolled parchment and whispering in his ear. Lapis' sensitive ears picked up partials of the conversation now that her emotions were running high.

 "... clear... captured... healer..."

Lapis' eyes dilated at the words.

 "Hey... You. I told you we healed those Humans. I've yet to see the healer assigned to it. Did you see her?"

The man ignored Lapis until the aide finished his message and then left. The man stood stern again to deliver what appeared to be a rehearsed response.

 "You claimed innocence and yet, here in my hand is the proof."

He held the parchment along the edge allowing gravity to pull it down. The document unfurled with vigor revealing a series of orders.

 1. Probe border settlements and capture all Humans available

 2. Execute any Humans incapable of being herded back to outposts

 3. Execute any Humans resisting capture

 4. Execute any Humans attempting to escape

 5. Utilize physical and psychological methods to prevent escape mentality from rising

 6. Have fun with it.

 Demon Lord

 Lapis Lazuli Fardom

Lapis felt her face flush. The order in front of her was ridiculous but the issue lay at the end of the document. Her name was elegantly signed and beside the signature, her seal was clearly marked. Such a thing was impossible without a traitor close to her. Her thoughts were reeling as she explored those with access to the seal. If she limited it to direct access, it could only be servants in the Castle however, those servants were absolutely loyal to Lapis. Immediately after her coronation, she exiled anyone who she found suspicious by suggestion of Marie. Lapis used a variety of methods to determine who was loyal and who wasn't, but she was highly confident in the results and as such, eliminated the servants in the Castle. Following her thoughts further, outside of immediate access, the next likely suspects were those who visit the Castle often.

 "A General then, is it? I'll ask you once more, where is the healer?"

Hearing her muttering, the Captain was slightly surprised on how astutely she picked up on the situation. He rerolled the document securing it at his side before raising his left hand into the air.

 "Bring the girl! Notify the Heroes!"

At the edge of the gate two knights rounded the bend dragging a woman behind them. They each held her by the shoulder and without mercy, yanked her over the minor ledge at the entrance. A small groan escaped her dangling head. Behind the two knights, three individuals trailed behind. After reaching a minor distance away, the two knights tossed the body onto the ground in front of them. No sound emitted from it. As if disappointed, the Captain swiveled his wrist twice with a finger pointing up. One of the knights unsheathed a short sword and sank it deep into the woman's calf. As if woken from a slumber, the woman screamed in pain raising her face slightly.

 "Marie!"

Lapis instantly moved. Simultaneously invoking two magics, she enhanced her body strength and ruptured a pole from the ground. With her enhanced strength, she snatched the pole shattering its base and kicking off the ground towards Lapis. The captain who had been stoic for most of the engagement instantly went into action drawing his long sword with a slight grin.

 "Kill her!!"

By his order, the Knights who were previously forming a line with their spears engaged Lapis following their Captain. Without hesitation, she closed the distance to the Captain and swung her pole with her full power behind it from the bottom right diagonally to the upper right. The Captain, following the years of experience that were screaming at him, dodged the swing rather than blocking it. As it passed over him, the gust created behind it launched him into the men behind him blowing 4 of the men in the direction of the two knights and 3 individuals surrounding Marie. An older knight, unable to dodge the swing, moved his pike into a defensive block.

On contact, the pike instantly conformed to the pole bending around it. Lapis carried her strike through fully connecting the bent pike into the soldier's chest plating which collapsed the moment it connected. As the chest plate caved in, the man's expression contorted into a mixture of surprise and pain before he was launched with a sickening thud into a knight beside him. The two impacted the inner courtyard wall shattering the stone's surface. Their silver armor flattened against the wall while a viscous red ooze leaked from the joints.

Utilizing her momentum from the swing, Lapis followed through with her body spinning on her left foot. She planted her right foot kicking off once more while stabbing the pole straight out. The knight's armor did nothing but scream as it crumpled under the force of the strike eventually fracturing and piercing through the Knights torso. The chunk of metal penetrated the knight's chest impaling through the back plate of the armor and into the knight behind it.

Lapis withdrew the pole, swinging it in a wide arc in the shortest time possible, parrying the spears of the knights who had approached her. The knights lost their balance falling backwards. Accelerating with light feet, Lapis raced towards Marie preparing her pole once again to spread the four enemies surrounding her...

 [Four?!]

From her periphery a shadow approached with speeds that evaded her standard perception. Her enhanced body reacted before her thoughts shifting her weight down forcing her into a roll. Scrambling to her feet, she scanned where the object should have landed at. A young man with a wry smile raised himself from a braced position. He must have expected that surprise attack to hit as he held an obviously disappointed sneer across his face. The young man readied himself for another strike moving his short sword to his side with swiftness. Shattering the ground. the young man closed the distance in a slow instant between him and Lapis.

Lapis was kneading mana since her first magic invocation and prepared another magic. Before her eyes, she overlaid her imagination while tracking the young man closing in on her. Spiking her mana, she instantly invoked the prepared magic. The young man suddenly disappeared with a thud. In his place a massive earthen pillar erected itself, ascending to the sky. Without wasting a precious moment, Lapis turned towards Marie's direction and kicked off sprinting towards her once again. Captain Hickmann who was just blown away finished regaining his balance and moved into a defensive position.

Ignoring the Captain, Lapis subtly angled her trajectory to slip by his side. As her field of view revealed the scene laying behind him, she collapsed her balance, flinging herself into the ground and rolled repeatedly to shed off the momentum. She lifted herself off the ground with great caution and observed the path she was just running through. Sticking out of the ground were six golden arrows leaking similarly colored particles. As she returned her gaze to the individuals near Marie, the two who were previously inactive finally assumed a stance.

 [Are they on guard now that the boy was taken care of?]

In contrast to the young man with a short sword, the woman responsible for the attack on Lapis just now was standing ready with a bow drawn in her hands. The bow radiated a golden light and Lapis could sense Holy power emanating from it. The young woman drew the bow back once more and an arrow materialized notched onto the string. Without any hesitation, she released the arrow targeting Lapis. Using her pole, Lapis smashed the arrow out of the air showering her with the destroyed holy magic. Pulling back the bow once more, the girl began to fire repeatedly.

***

I watched as the holy arrows were shattered out of the air by Master. In my weakness, I was caught while trying to escape after I healed the Humans. With diligence, I scrutinized my body and checked for injuries. My calf was injured from a stab earlier, but the wound was at least healing at an accelerated pace due to my inherent vitality. My body checks continued as I flexed each toe, foot, calf, thigh, chest, arm, hand and every individual finger. Hazy memories from just after I healed the Humans were vague at best and the soreness in my neck suggested the obvious story.

 [I was ambushed...]

I adjusted my body with care to see my surroundings. The woman who was still firing arrows stood in front of me. One of the two Knights who carried me into the courtyard had gone to their Captain's side. They must have been worried after my Master knocked him away and braced him while he helped him walk.

 [Did Master injure him when he was blown back?]

My leg was still in pain, but I couldn't sit still while Master was under attack. She had looked at me earlier with a questioning gaze. Luckily, we knew each other long enough for me to reply with only my expressions. Considering her current actions, she must be waiting for my injury to recover to where I can walk. Repositioning my leg under myself and bracing my torso with my hands, I silently angled myself into a more reactive position. Refusing to be a hindrance to my Master, I focused what little mana that a Sorrid race member could into my leg where my wound was. I ignored the cold sweat and stress that I broke out into from the excessive effort. When I returned my focus to Master, she was now fighting three different heroes.

The short sword user she had launched earlier into the sky must have descended and started the attack once again. I watched as Master twirled her makeshift staff knocking sparks to the side on each deflection of the short sword. Every deflection immediately flowed into another as she shattered yet another holy arrow showering the scene in golden particles. Fighting in tandem with the short sword user was the young man who was originally next to me. I must have blacked out for a moment to not have noticed him join the fray.

The young man wielded a Katana like a novice but utilized thrusts whenever the opportunity arose. I could tell Master still had some leeway, but she was incapable of hiding that she holding back. Even in this type of situation...

 [Master's mercy is going to get her killed someday...]

Just as the thought crossed my head, I saw a shadow closing the extreme distance with haste approaching Master from the outer entrance into the inner courtyard. It appeared Master was too caught up in the fight to notice the approaching presence. I flexed my calf slightly to check its state only to be disappointed. It wasn't even close to being functional. I considered my options, but the shadow was closing the distance with celerity. Lacking much time to deliberate, I made my choice with a particular memory flashing across my mind once again.

 [Has the time come...? Then...]

 "Master! Behind you!"

I abandoned the oversight afforded to me by my injury and called out as loudly as I could. The results of my actions were instantly noticeable. Master must have realized the inbound attack since she performed a short range teleportation the moment before the shadow reached her. The two young men who were in mid strike against her continued their attack ricocheting their weapons off each other. The shadow changed trajectory instantly to Master's new location, springing from the ground with a thin dagger in hand and in mid thrust. Master was surprised for a brief second, delaying her actions. That small delay was all it took. The dagger tore through her, drawing a vigorous blood spurt from her shoulder after piercing through to the back. Without leaking even the slightest scream, she invoked another short range teleportation taking distance from the new attacker. Master's face was mixed with anger, confusion and sadness. I watched all three emotions vie for supremacy as she observed her new opponent who was walking over to the heroes who had just recovered.

It was clearly strange. They seemed to know each other. There was no confusion between them and yet the slightest bit of frustration was clearly seen on the faces of the heroes. It appeared they were discussing something so I strained my ears and refocused the magic that was originally healing my leg into my sense of hearing to sharpen it further.

 "... have ended it with the first ambush. You didn't hold to your end of the deal."

 "If you had better skills, she wouldn't have had the leeway to dodge me. At least I landed a hit though, it's more than anything you can say."

They were in cahoots with each other! The ambusher didn't even bother hiding his intent. I watched Master compose herself before asking out to the group.

 "General Shrack. I had not expected you to be the traitor. Why?!"

 "You're not worthy to hold the Demon Lord title. It's as simple as that. You're in the way, so we're going to remove you."

I found my heart tearing as I saw the self deprecating smile spread across Master's face.

 "How ironic... That Humans and Demons would advance to the degree of a political friendship where they would even fiddle with internal relations... Perhaps you should have taken the title, Shrack. You've accomplished the one thing I have desired all along and yet failed to achieve..."

Her gaze lightly floated onto me and her expression loosened somewhat. I could understand by that gaze, Master was done. The stress of being an unwanted leader. The stress of being hated by a sworn enemy and by her own kind. The despair of fighting for a dream that refuses to manifest in this world. From that face alone, I could tell her intent.

 [I guess this is as far as Demon Lord Lapis Lazuli Fardom goes... The history books are going to make fun of you Master...]

I smiled lightly back at her. I was sure my intent to follow her decision was passed along, but her expression stiffened in an instant. I was confused as I watched the blood drain from her face. Her eyes widened and her face flushed. Without warning, I saw her invoke a short range teleportation much to the surprise of even the heroes on the sideline. When she materialized a mere meter of so away from me, I felt a protrusion from my chest. I could feel a viscous hot liquid pouring from the area surrounding the site, yet there wasn't any pain. My shadow casted along the ground in front of me had suddenly shown with a large hole in its center. I felt my body lose its strength and the world began to tilt.

Catching me mid fall, I saw Master paling even further with tears streaming down her face. I reached out with the little strength I had to wipe away what I could, but exhaustion overcame me and my arm fell back down. My gaze drifted as dizziness wafted over my consciousness and my sights briefly laid itself on the group Master had just fought. Another member was standing beside General Shrack holding a large lance in hand. Ah... I see, we were betrayed even by those in the general military... We truly have no allies here, do we...?

 "Marie!!! Stay with me!! Marie!!"

I focused my mind slightly after a shake assaulted me. The blood loss must be pretty bad if even the Sorrid race's natural healing can't keep up. What a shame to die here... I tried to focus my gaze once more on Master's face. I wanted to see her smile before I left her side... I guess it wouldn't be possible. My breathing became slightly ragged as one of my lungs finally filled with blood. The lance must have grazed it when it passed through my chest...

 [I don't think I can talk anymore...]

Well, I guess this is why I never saw myself beside her in my visions. My thoughts churned slower and slower as the world bogged down to a crawl. I saw the tears and emotions flooding from Master's face without stop. She must not have even considered protecting her pride. Was I worth that much to her? It makes this cold body warm to think I was such a large existence in her heart. My drifting eyes focused on the sight of a figure materializing behind her. How much time had passed since I'd been stabbed? 10 seconds maybe? The sneer on the man's face was obvious. He was targeting Master and Master... She was completely unguarded. While she was in such a state, that vulgar man was trying to defile Master. Utilizing my last strength, I grasped Master's leg that was supporting my hips. I didn't have the degree of control most Demons have over their magic. The most I could do was transmit my feelings at this time.

 [Survive. Revenge. Hate.]

In the end, I could only transmit such feelings. My dislike towards the individuals who put such a defeated face on Master. My hatred for the men who betrayed her. My fury against the man taking advantage of her weakness. I would not allow it. I felt a spark inside me shatter. As if God had pity on my fate, I came to know of a power that required an extremely dense magic to perform. It was something that existed as if for the sake of the Sorrid race. I consumed any magic that was left in my body. Without hesitation, I threw away my soul and converted it into pure mana. And then, I invoked the magic at cost of my life.

...

My heart was torn and yet a sense of relief seemed to spread as well. The man before me may have betrayed me, but his efforts to topple me established two way dialog between Humans and Demons. If my downfall is all it takes to establish dialogs, it's probably worth it...

 "How ironic... That Humans and Demons would advance to the degree of a political friendship where they'd even fiddle with internal relations... Perhaps you should have taken the title, Shrack. You have accomplished the one thing I have desired all along and yet failed to achieve..."

Should I accept such an outcome? I turned my gaze to Marie. She was still healing her leg, but I felt she received my intentions accurately. Judging by her gentle smile, I guess she wont be scolding me too badly. I was about to relinquish the position easily when I saw a figure instantly blur into existence behind her. The Demon was in mid thrust with a large lance. I consumed mana without thought performing the furthest short range teleportation I could manage only to materialize merely steps away. The orange glow of the sun glimmered off the tip of the lance as it easily pierced through Marie's chest. 

I continued running to her at full speed as the man retreated with nimble steps and circled around me. I could feel his presence join the other enemies behind me, but it was nothing more than a side thought. Instead, I desperately accelerated further. As I saw Marie topple and start to fall, I lowered myself and braced her by sliding under and catching her before she hit the ground. I pulled her up to me, embracing her and I invoked healing magic. From the feedback of the magic, I could tell I was only slowing down the process. Marie was beyond my ability to heal. She reached out momentarily before her hand fell to her side. I watched as her face paled under the continuous blood loss from her wound. I tried to plug it with my hand, but my hand covered too little. Her eyes appeared to drift along with her consciousness and in my fear, I shook her.

 "Marie!!! Stay with me!! Marie!!"

It seemed to work, I saw the focus come back to her eyes but it seemed she was struggling to breathe. It only took a glance into the opened wound to see her lung was punctured and flooded. The gargled noises that escaped her mouth shredded my heart. The tears wouldn't stop and the pain only grew. In my hazy, throbbing consciousness, I felt a presence behind me but, I no longer cared about such things. I was able to ignored it with ease, willing to accept whatever happened. There was no way in hell I'd leave my only friend's side on her death bed. In that moment, Marie grabbed my leg. A flood of emotions rushed through me but in particular, her desire for me to survive was the most potent. My heart tore. My heart shattered. I felt as if the emotions I had been feeling up to now suddenly faded. Did I break? I felt my tears stop while I was still looking down at Marie. Inside her eyes, I saw a weak, flickering light. It pulsed in repeating fashion, growing brighter and brighter... And then Marie exploded.

I was covered in blood. She disintegrated right in front of my eyes. Shaking slightly, I reached out for anything that could have been left behind in my confusion. The presence that had originally been about to kill me was suddenly frozen in place. While disoriented, I looked around and took in my surroundings trying to piece together what was happening. The lance wielding Demon was still in mid thrust, yet he was completely frozen in mid air. Blood was splattered across his torso in lesser degree than mine, yet he was clearly affected by something while I wasn't. In my confusion, the light I saw in Marie's eyes came to me along with the emotions she conveyed before her death. Revenge. She wanted revenge against these people.

I took a step forward and swung my arm diagonally at full power. There was no reason to hold back anymore. There was nothing left to save. There were no hostages I cared about. Drenched in the blood of my best friend, I cleaved the Demon in half. His upper and lower torso were reclaimed by time and gravity. A momentary scream later and the Demon was dying in a pool of his own blood while grasping his lower torso between his hands. Such a beast deserved a slower death, but I couldn't control my strength anymore. I walked with grace towards the Heroes, the Captain, and General Shrack. My feet stopped just before them and my eyes observed the expression of terror spreading across their face. Was I that scary? I attempted to take another step forward. however a screech reverberated through the air interrupting me.

The sound of metal tearing echoed throughout the courtyard. Looking for the source of the noise, I glanced around. In front of me, I saw my enemies doing the same. Was it not their work? The blood covering the site started to glow lightly. No, to be exact, only certain person's blood was glowing. My body emanated a light blue glow as I was covered in the blood. As if by design, the glowing blood crawled under its own force, completing a circle that surrounded everyone in the courtyard. As it neared completion, I saw the Heroes and General Shrack break into a run. They had probably wanted to escape before it completed, but I wouldn't let them. This is what Marie desired in her final moments. The hatred she felt and her desire for revenge... I'll be the one to complete it in her place. Whatever this magic is supposed to accomplish, I fully intend to let it complete.

I overlaid my imagination across the scene. Targeting the path the Heroes were running in, I invoked without hesitation earthen magic. I erupt sharpened spikes directed straight at them forcing them to halt their run. I maintain the magic and invoke yet another magic and encase the inner portion of the blood circle in a pressurized water shell. The young female archer launched multiple arrows at the shell only to see her holy arrows shredded on contact. As if in disbelief of what he just saw, the young man with a short sword drove his sword into the shell. To my surprise, the sword must have been of considerable quality. It punctured the shell without shattering or flexing at all. Was it a holy weapon maybe? While having those thoughts, I watched as the blood circle finally enclosed us.

The ground below me began to fracture while the water shell itself was unharmed. I could sense the magic had a barrier and so released the earthen and water magic I had in play. This was something Marie invoked using her life force and I fully intended to see it through to the end. The fracturing ground shattered further with pieces of it falling into infinite blackness. The arena we stood on peeled away starting from the outside. For every piece that fell, I watched the Heroes, the Captain and General Shrack step further from the edge. They moved closer to the center while I chose not to move at all. The ground below me had already disappeared. It had fallen away before the edges even suggesting Marie didn't have any intention to hurt me. Well, I wouldn't have minded even if she had since it was my fault she died in such a way. I watched further as the ground was eaten away at and the group was now forced onto a small island. As if abandoning the Captain, General Shrack kicked him into the void. Stumbling forward, I watched him step onto the groundless void without falling through it. I sneered at the sight of the group relaxing slightly at his safety.

Moving my sight from the group, I watched the rippling darkness below Captain Hickmann. The ripples became more violent when golden chains broke the surface as if it were water. The chains wrapped around the Captain securing him in place. Without allowing him any escape, the chains tightened around him and started dragging him into the depths of the blackness despite his screams and efforts to work himself free. The relaxed expressions the group originally held disappeared and they enacted various escape attempts in haste. The young woman launched a series of arrows at the ground, but they submerged themselves in the void as if fired at water. The young man with the holy short sword attempted to stab the void and yet it appeared like he was stirring water. The ground neither resisted his thrusts, nor reacted to it in any way. The final Katana wielding hero appeared the most calm, but I could see his paling face. He probably thought it would be useless if his ally's sword had no effect. General Shrack on the other hand...

 "How amusing you are."

The Demon General was desperately invoking spacial magic to teleport. I watched him repeatedly cast it to no avail. Even from the distance I was at, I was able to feel the massive mana expenditure he put in to try and break through. Each of his attempts allowed me to feel the space out slightly as if I were a bat reading the echolocation of the mana being expended. With every reflection, my understanding of the magic deepened. It was something near the level of the Gods. A power similar to spacial magic, yet different. It had far more control of the local space than spacial magic allowed so it must be a grand magic of some sort.

 [And you always said you were not good with magic, Marie...]

The last chunks of earth fell away off the island the group was standing on. Chains similar to the ones that restrained Captain Hickmann reached out and wrapped around each of the members jerking them to the ground. Despite their resistance, they began to sink into the infinite depths of the void space. I looked down only to see the Cimmerian darkness give way to feet, sinking them bit by bit as well. Resigned to my fate, I waded through the liquid darkness towards the chained group. I still had to fulfill Marie's desire for revenge. The blood coating my body ate away at itself, evaporating and leaving nothing behind. I sank deeper with each step, yet I felt no resistance to my movement like I would have to water. I stopped my movement after seeing the group that was covered in chains become submerged in the void. Without the ability to see them, I could only wait for my turn. The void encroached my chest and then neck as I sank deeper and deeper. There was no discomfort and in fact, if not for the pitch black void consuming all light that entered it, I'd have hardly even realized it was engulfing my body. I sank deeper allowing the void to reach my chin. Closing my eyes, I felt a cool ripple cover my face before a short sensation of weightlessness.

An unknown time slipped by me as I kept my eyes shut. I took a deep breath testing the waters of the new environment I found myself in and then opened my eyes. Around me was a pitch black emptiness with nothing below me nor above yet I was somehow able to understand what direction was up. My balance was fine as I walked across an invisible platform in confidence towards a group of individuals chained down. The subspace seems to have determined me to be an ally, and allowed me to roam free. Utilizing that freedom, I approached the group. As they saw me approach, General Shrack overcame his fear first and spoke up.

 "Where are we!?"

 "Is that really the question a man on death row wants to ask?"

 "Death row? Under whose authority? You were stripped of the title Demon Lord years ago! We just let you act the part until we could remove you without issue, don't let it go to your head!"

 "I see, so it was that way after all... Well, any last words then?"

I was continuing to knead mana since even before I was consumed by the void. I was currently as powerful as I could be and every fiber of my being was ready to enact revenge for Marie. I used the conversation to buy time as I chose what method would be best to dispatch a traitor. Rolling through the options she elected for a particularly painful approach.

 "Let me go and I'll let you live once we return."

 "Return? Hahahaha! You really have no idea where this is do you? It matters not anyhow. You and the other traitors have already accomplished what I wanted as Demon Lord. It is a useless title. You can have it. You can die with it. It was your subordinate who killed Marie and she desired revenge in her final moments. It is only right that I, her supervisor, would enact revenge against you. Then again, even if she hadn't I would have killed you anyhow."

I overlaid my imagination on the scene. The magic I chose required incredible amounts of precision and concentration. I focused on General Shrack's body and willed my mana to encase him. Utilizing that power, I exchanged my sense of sight with a sense of mana and examined his body even closer. Forcing the mana into his cells, I felt around until I found what I was looking for. A smile broke out lightly across my face as I invoked my magic. Judging by Shrack's reaction, he must have felt a jolt of electricity as he seized momentarily before shouting out.

 "What have you done?!"

 "I have adjusted you. Give it time. I am sure it will be painful. It will be good reference material for the future as well."

Strangely, the inhibitions that would normally have prevented me from torturing someone had disappeared. As I thought, something broke... I invoked another magic solidifying mana around his mouth keeping him from making anything beyond incoherent sounds. As if understanding my intent, the golden chains that had latched onto him ratcheted him to the ground immobilizing him entirely. I turned my head to the four other members who remained silent through the entire scene. My hatred for the heroes was relatively light. We were enemies to begin with and I don't have any evidence to say they knew I was being set up. For now, I skipped over them and turned to Captain Hickmann.

 "Hello, Captain. If I remember correctly, you accused me of rather vile acts."

My smile must have been twisted as each of the four members withdrew and paled to varying degrees. Regardless of how much he pleaded though, I had already decided on the Captain's fate. Perhaps he knew what I had in mind as his face contorted with fear and the blood drained from his face. I knew the exact magic to use on such a person and so, I enforced my imagination across him and invoked my magic.

 "You are guilty of framing me. I realize it is your orders, however it was so blatant and personal that you pissed off both myself and Marie. I hope you are ready for what is in store for you. Humans are fun in a way. Did you know your mind is relatively easy to influence? When I was a small girl, I was subjected to the same magic inflicting you now. My parents were rather ruthless you see. I grew up learning cruelty from them. Luckily, I had a talent with magic and was able to break the 'curse' they placed on me. One of many I had to break in order to survive really. Regardless.... where was I? Right! Humans are fun! Similar to us Demons, your brains have such a high degree of control over your body that if you hallucinate yourself getting burnt, your skin will react as if you were actually burned. Amazing right? So then... Question! What do you suppose happens when a Human with magical talent hallucinates that instead? You did not know? Of course you don't... Humans are suppose to be far more kind than us Demons. Let me tell you then. When a Human with magical talent hallucinates a fire burning themself, their brain forces it into reality through magic."

The man's eyes widened greatly and his breathing rose in panic.

 "It seems you understand your circumstances. Tell me, what is it you are imagining right now? Are you itchy? Did you think it was simply an illusion because you could feel it but not see it? While I'm not inclined to avenge myself, I do believe in returning good for good and evil for evil. In this case, I will return Marie's good will to me into evil for you... Can you feel it growing inside you? How did you imagine it? Could you tell me or must I wait for it to birth itself first?"

I watched the man shout out once and the golden chains surrounding him vanished into thin air. Despite the release, he was clearly in no condition to celebrate. The man shuddered and groaned in pain clutching his chest. He gripped various parts of his body with a strength known only to those on the verge of death. On closer inspection, small lines bulging from the underside of his skin slithered about, scratching the subsurface. I watched in fascination as the bulges became more pronounced. A sloppy tearing noise resounded from the man's body as various black splotches started appearing across his skin. The internal bruising consumed his pale skin as the cancerous lumps invaded his body with excessive aggression. Now screaming in gibberish, the man was clutching himself as he rolled across the ground. Knowing his fate was sealed, I moved my attention to the Heroes who were watching the scene with a look of sheer terror on their face.

 "Now what to do with you three..."

Amongst the many who did her and Marie wrong, these three weren't on that list. They were instead unwitting participates of a plot. I observed them carefully, but I couldn't come to a conclusion. Considering the failures of my past, is negotiation out of the picture now?

 "What are your names?"

They clearly didn't expect my question. I maintained my silence while keeping a fixed gaze on the group. Unexpectedly, the young man with the Katana spoke first.

 "My name is Sakamoto Hiiro. The one with the short sword is Soas Sahib and the girl with the bow is Walker Allison. What do you plan to do with us?"

 "I am currently debating that myself. You are heroes, right? Were you summoned, created, or maybe you were actually born on this planet?"

 "No. As far as I can tell, all three of us are from the same world. I'm from a place called Japan, the girl is from Britain or America probably and the boy is from Afghan I think."

 "Summoned then, eh? That must have taken quite a bit of mana... You look quite young, why did you not wait until you were stronger before fighting me?"

 "We were told the Demon Lord was new. The new Demon Lord still hadn't established their power, so the earlier we struck, the better."

 "And that convinced you? It never occurred to you that I had to forcibly remove the old Demon Lord in order to establish myself? I am amazed at the strength of your trust in your fellow Humans."

 "I don't know about them, but I didn't trust it. I was forced into participating."

 "Forced? A Hero?"

 "It's easier than you think considering we knew nothing about this world when we were dragged into it. If I didn't participate, I was told they wouldn't send me back. I didn't have enough knowledge of the world yet to know if that was the truth or not."

 "How long has it been since you were summoned?"

 "Just under 6 months now."

 "Six months? You are quite strong for six months... I guess that is a Hero for you... What about you two, where are you from?"

I directed my gaze at the woman first since she looked the calmest after the Japanese boy.

 "Walker, was it? Where are you from?"

She appeared to hesitate on whether telling me or putting up a front was better. Seemingly come to her decision, she met my gaze.

 "It's Allison. Walker is my family name and I'm from America. Sahib doesn't speak. I think he has something wrong with his throat, but judging by name and skin tone, the Middle Eastern area sounds about right."

 "I see. Then Allison, Sahib, and Hiiro. It's about time we discuss your future. As of now, I don't plan on killing you, but I can't exactly let you go either."

 "Are we prisoners?"

 "All of us are. I can not escape this either. This is not my magic. My colleague converted her soul into pure mana to invoke this. It is not something we can simply escape from. I should add I have no intention of escaping either."

 "Do you intend to stay here?"

 "Yes. Marie would never harm me. I believe that to my core. Whatever this is, I feel it is an extremely complex spacial magic. I think it is similar to summoning magic, but reversed... Shall we make a deal?"

The group looked at her in surprise. Ignoring them, she continued.

 "Like I said earlier, only those two guys are targets of revenge. Time is pretty much frozen in this space and eventually, it will release us someplace. When that time comes, what will you do? I have no plans of rising to power if I can avoid it. If anything, I would rather explore wherever we end up. It was what I wanted to do previously anyhow."

I explained myself with resoluteness. As the three appeared to think it over, a loud scream started beside us. I turned my attention back to the screaming man beside me. Captain Hickmann was slowly turning black since a while ago. His internal bruising must have peaked. It probably wont be much longer now... I slowly moved to his side and narrated what was happening to him to the group behind me.

 "You three may not be use to evils such as this. However, revenge is one of the most basic desires a creature has. You might not have been aware, but this man dragged you into this mess. He had a scroll with fake orders from me. They were signed with my seal so... I guess it's better to say they were forged orders instead. Regardless, this man set me up and ordered one of you to take Marie hostage essentially framing you as well. I guess he thought the great 'Demon Lord' would be cruel enough to kill anyone who resisted... Well, if it had been that previous brute, he would have been correct. In a way, you are quite lucky... Back to the topic though, in short... I cursed this man the way my parents cursed me. It causes you to hallucinate your worst fear and materializes it. In his case, it seems he had a fear of being infested with something. It appears his mind invoked a manipulation magic of some sort and his own veins tore themselves free."

I studied the faces of the three Heroes keeping track of their expressions. The young man Hiiro seemed to accept the situation, though he seemed somewhat disturbed by the sight of the Captain. I don't think he would hold it against me. The young girl Allison held contempt on her face. Judging by her expression, she was completely against the actions I took. The other young boy seemed disinterested. I'm not quite one for the emotionless... The Captains body slowly stopped seizing until it fell limp to the ground. As if to eject the corpse from the room, the body slowly sank into the void floor. The slow groans of the creature still in the room drew my attention.

 "I guess it is going well here too."

Hiiro walked up next to me. The chains must have released him after I judged him a potential ally. This space is quite responsive to me, isn't it?

 "What did you do to him?"

 "His pride is the one thing he would never want to lose. Since I do not know where we are going, it is his job to be a slave for the rest of his life to me. I fully intend to use him until his life runs dry."

A smile even I considered to be evil looking warped my face.

 "I adjusted his DNA slightly. It should boost his magical power, but sadly... His physical ability might have dropped somewhat."

 "You can manipulate genetics?"

 "I have experimented on flowers in the past. I originally wanted to cure the race attribute that prevented the Sorrid race from utilizing their mana. When I researched it, I came across an interesting principle of balance. Increase mana control here, it decreases mental acuity there. Increase intellect there, it decreases muscle development over here. It is as if I am sliding bars but limited by a maximum value called 'talent'. Admittedly though, this is the first time I have tried it on anything but plants. The result appears quite good."

 "So in return for greater power, you've decrease his ability to think on his own?"

 "I left his ability to think since he schemed well enough, however I have implanted the concept of loyalty towards me into his core persona. Such a weak willed man, yet he was filled with so much pride. He should make a good servant after the transition completes."

I turned around facing the two individuals still held in chains.

 "It is time to make a choice. Regardless of your decision, I do not intend to harm you. If you want to follow me, we can travel around in the new world. If you do not, we shall part ways once this seal breaks."

The young Japanese answered almost immediately.

 "As far as I can tell, you've been more honest to me than the guys who summoned me. I'll travel with you."

The young woman looked at me in disgust.

 "I refuse. I'm not going to follow someone capable of brainwashing and torturing those she doesn't like."

The young boy in chains nodded his head. He must have agreed with her statement. Their answers were surprisingly refreshing. I couldn't detect any trickery behind their words and it contained honest emotion. It made me smile somewhat.

 "Then we will split up once this seal breaks. Although time is frozen in here, the outside world is moving at a rapid pace. We do not know when, where, or even what dimension we will pop out into. I suggest you sleep for a while. I doubt we will be sealed much longer."

I asked the golden chains in my mind to relax its grip on the two slightly. With that, I walked away with the stranger Hiiro beside me.