In an atmosphere wrapped in birch wood and scattered leaves, a subject with a face resembling that of a sheep bowed deeply before the throne.

"Your Highness! It's a tragedy!" he exclaimed.

"Our villages have fallen under the dominion of a dark threat."

The king furrowed his brow.

"What?! Who is responsible for this horror?"

"Your Majesty, it may seem surreal, but our soldiers and villages have been subdued by the Demon King."

The king felt a shiver down his arm; he hoped he had misunderstood, but the subject's words were clear: the Demon King had invaded his lands with the intent to dominate them.

News of the Demon King's threat spread quickly throughout the kingdom. Every inhabitant knew that with the return of Artoris came destruction. The king, fully aware of the dark power of his enemy, was not ready to submit so easily. With a decisive hit on the armrest of the throne, he ordered:

"Send the army, surround him!"

"Y-yes, my lord!"

"He must be surrounded and then eliminated!"

"We will do it!"

The sentinel withdrew, leaving the king with a sardonic smile.

"We will show them who we really are. We are one of the world powers and will not yield to anyone, not even to Heden."

Suddenly, the sentinel returned.

"Well?" the king asked anxiously.

"Your Excellency, they have all been defeated!" he announced gravely.

"Already?!" the king exclaimed in disbelief.

"A bat with the appearance of a spider left no trace of our army. We are left without soldiers. We will need to recruit more," the sentinel replied.

The king wiped his forehead with a cloth, in disbelief. In an instant, the army he was so proud of had been so easily defeated.

"We have no choice but to call upon Daltonious," the king declared firmly.

"But, Your Majesty... what are you saying?!" exclaimed the advisor, in disbelief.

"Yes, release him from his chains. Only he can help us in this critical moment," the king ordered.

"But remember the crimes he has committed? He's a deserter, a murderer!" the advisor protested.

"I'm well aware. But unfortunately, we have no choice. If he managed to defeat our best warriors, then we cannot do without putting him into play."

The subject bowed his head and agreed to the order. "I will do as you have decided."

Torches cast light in the dungeons, while dust danced in the air like fog.

A torch illuminated a cell, revealing inside two arms entirely covered in yellowish fur, fluorescent red eyes, and sabers from which saliva dripped.

The creature turned its gaze towards the bars. It noticed a guard, hand trembling, inserting the key into the padlock. When it opened, the creature felt the chains give way slightly.

"Are you releasing me now?" the beast asked in a deep tone that echoed through the air.

"It was the king's decision. You have a task," replied the guard.

"And what would that be?" the beast inquired.

"To destroy an imposing threat," the guard replied.

The beast smiled grimly.

Dawn had broken. The sun was casting its first bright rays, illuminating the picturesque country houses.

Artoris lay on a comfortable bed, and when he opened his eyes, he felt something pulsing between his horns. Slowly lifting his eyelids and sitting up abruptly, he shifted his gaze to the opposite side. A maiden was feeling his horns, even nibbling at them.

Artoris suddenly jerked backward. "W...what are you doing?!"

"Tasting your horns. Are you a demon?!" He saw a beautiful girl with thin, silk-like whiskers and two pointed, soft, and elegant ears. Her brown hair was short, and she wore a tight shirt and pants that highlighted her long legs.

"Yes, I am," Artoris replied with a hint of embarrassment, adjusting his cloak properly.

"Ugh! I couldn't take off your cloak, tried every way to remove it during the night, but it just wouldn't come off."

"And why did you want to strip me of my majestic cloak?"

"I wanted to see...what was underneath..."

Artoris blushed suddenly. "What should be under there?"

"Well, as a child, I thought that demons had three horns, two on the head and another one...on your... you know!"

"A...aren't you scared?!"

From her slender build, she seemed very young. I have no idea who she is, but apparently, I've spent the night with her.

Artoris shifted his gaze towards the window, through which sunlight was streaming, and saw soldiers dancing in the air, tossed around like puppets as Purply defeated them one by one, ensnaring them in his webs.

"It's the end of the world out there!" Artoris commented. "What happened while I was asleep."

"Your subjects are slaughtering our army!"

"What?!"

Artoris moved swiftly, and once outside, he saw the beastmen soldiers torn to shreds, unrecognizable. If Artoris didn't put an end to the massacre, Purply would continue until a real genocide occurred.

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Artoris caught Purply's attention with his presence.

"Who ordered you to attack them!"

"Master! They came at us!"

"I see."

Artoris held his forehead in despair.

Purply, you could have spared at least one! I wanted the beastmen army to ally with ours. What a disaster!

Suddenly, a gust of wind swept through the village, so strong that the straw thatching the roofs scattered like grains of sand.

"And now?!" Artoris cursed. "As if bad weather was all we needed!"

Lightning flashed across the sky, numerous bolts cutting through the darkness, followed by the rumbling of thunder echoing like a wail.

The rain poured down, flowing across the ground and mixing with the blood. The corpses were swept away by the torrent of water that had struck.

Artoris had taken refuge inside the maiden's house, the ceiling replaced by Purply's webs that served as a shelter.

The girl placed her pale hands on Artoris's horns and slid them up and down again. Drool trickled from her mouth.

"I'm...thinking something naughty, eh eh!"

"DON'T SAY IT OUT LOUD!"

"My name is Amelia,"

The girl shook her head in frustration, slapped herself twice to regain clarity, and then fixed Artoris with a serious look.

"So, you're trying to conquer our lands?" she asked firmly. Artoris straightened up, expressing his vision:

"Unfortunately, it's the only way. Demons are a race infinitely superior to others. However, I notice a certain warmth from you towards me. I've decided: you'll be my right hand. You could even be a great substitute for Kira."

Lightning illuminated the moment, completely lighting up the maiden's face with sparks.

In a moment of pure agility, she performed an acrobatic leap followed by a spin. With the grace of a meteor, she lunged at Artoris, delivering a well-aimed kick right to his face, sending him flying out of the house.

"What the?!"

Artoris, with no time to think, found his hands completely immobilized. He felt a chilling cold on his wrists and saw that the handcuffs binding his hands prevented him from channeling his power.

"Damn it! Not again!"

The girl charged at him like a missile, wielding two daggers in her hands. Her legs moved with the ferocity of a velociraptor, reaching the king, who lay helpless and unable to react.

"Die!" the girl shouted, jumping at him with the blade aimed at his throat. "I am Amelia, a class warrior, serving the beastmen kingdom!"

The blade grazed his throat, slowly opening a wound, but a high-speed strike broke through, causing the dagger to crack. It was as if a whirlwind had manifested in the clash and hindered Amelia.

The beastwoman leaped backward, performing two consecutive somersaults. Kira had come to Artoris's rescue, as always.

"Good job, little cousin."

Artoris got up and attempted to clap.

"Did you get seduced by her? A king must never let his guard down in such acts."

"Pff… She must have used some kind of seductive spell."

Instead, I got fooled like an idiot!

Kira's legs bulked up, the immense weight caused by her muscles made the ground beneath her collapse, leaving an imprint, and she charged at her opponent with a furious wrath.

"She's gotten huge!" thought Amelia. "I sense weak magical power in her, but…" Before she could finish her thought, Kira lunged at her, unleashing a kick. Amelia was quick enough to dodge it with a swift forward leap. While airborne, she noted the sublime power of that kick; had she not been so quick to move, she might have risked breaking her jaw.

But Amelia's agile movements didn't fully allow her to aim at her target. She was slender but incredibly skilled in hand-to-hand combat.

The rain rendered fire spells ineffective, forcing Kira to focus solely on her earth element rank. However, nothing seemed to affect the acrobatic skills of that circus artist, who dodged every blow with perfect precision, as if she were light as a feather.

It was clear Kira needed help, but her pride and determination wouldn't allow for external interference. Even though she fought tenaciously, she hesitated to accept help; she felt the need to prove her strength. However, if anyone, even the king, dared to interfere, they would face serious trouble.

Artoris watched the fight; Kira unleashed numerous uppercuts and kicks, which the beastwoman avoided with various leaps as if performing an artistic gymnastics exhibition. It was phenomenal, and Artoris suddenly grinned, wishing such an opponent would join his army. His wrists were still cuffed, and no amount of striking against the iron could break them.

Kira charged at Amelia, delivering rapid punches. At one point, Amelia whispered some syllables, and suddenly, a celestial aura surrounded her.

"Explosive wave!"

The blue wave crashed down on Kira with force, completely overwhelming her and violently propelling her to the other side. She skidded to a stop against the curb's edge. The rain poured incessantly, Kira rose from the puddle she had fallen into and clenched her fists and teeth.

"A beastwoman, a mere insignificant being, dares to face a demon like me, of royal lineage... it's intolerable!"

Kira's gaze ignited with an almost chivalric fervor, and she significantly quickened her pace, rushing towards Amelia. The beastwoman's eyes widened, seeing Kira's legs move like lightning, showing a new determination. Her speed seemed to increase, and her blows were no longer heavy or slow but now more fluid.

Artoris smiled at seeing her move that way.

"Kira is learning to master the art of earth, she's learning to accept herself for who she is."

Kira went back on the attack with a fury of punches so fast they tore through the air, while Amelia leaped backward with a somersault to avoid contact. With a swift movement, Kira launched a kick that squarely hit Amelia's rear, making her soar into the air like a firework.

A piercing scream escaped Amelia's lips as her body rose, and the palms of her hands landed on the flames now enveloping her bottom.

"HAAAAA! My butt!"

Amelia fell to the ground, dragging herself through the mud. Her ears twitched, shaking the water off her wet fur. With a distraught gesture, she brought a hand to her eyes, trying to dry the tears, but she gave in to heart-wrenching crying.

"Gweeaah! Right on the butt? You're cruel!"

Artoris stepped forward, his wrists still handcuffed, deprived even of the chance to strut by letting his cloak sway.

"Listen, beastwoman," he said in a deep voice, "I will now give you two options: the first, join us demons; the second, die."

Amelia raised an eyebrow. "And the third?" she asked with a hint of sarcasm. Artoris smirked mischievously.

"The third? Receive another fine kick in the rear."

Amelia bowed deeply.

"Your Majesty, from this moment on, I will address only you."

Kira tilted her head in astonishment.

"She seems sincere..." she muttered.

Artoris approached the girl, who stood up and shook off all the mud that had clung to her clothes. Suddenly, the cloak detached from Artoris and floated over to envelop Amelia.

"You said your name is Amelia, right? Now you're one of us, and I assure you, no harm will come to you."

Artoris lifted his wrists. "Please, can you remove these now?" he asked pleadingly.

"Ah, right! I'd forgotten about those," Amelia responded with a wry smile.

Standing up, Amelia stretched her arms more than necessary, closed her eyes, and focused entirely on Artoris's wrists. Slowly, the handcuffs began to unlock and fell from Artoris's wrists to the ground.

The clouds dissipated, leaving the sun to illuminate the entire village, though it was now reduced to a horrifying scene. The damage was evident: huge mud puddles swallowed the corpses, and houses had been destroyed by Purply's assault and the storm.

Suddenly, an imposing shadow obscured the view. Amelia, terrified, crouched to the ground. "W-who is that monster?"

Artoris raised an eyebrow. "Monster?" He turned and saw that Purply was rising on his long legs.

"Ah! It's just Purply," he commented with a calm smile.

"M... master, may I devour her?" Purply asked eagerly.

"No, Purply, she is now our friend," Artoris replied firmly.

"I do not eat Master Artoris's friends," Purply retorted kindly.

"See? He's harmless. He might seem scary at first, but you get used to it," Artoris said, trying to reassure Amelia.

Purply tilted his head. "Is he referring to me, master?"

Artoris patted his leg. "Never mind!"

"Now that the village has fallen under our control and we have an ally, we can proceed to the dwarves' valley."

In the midst of total silence, a strange dark figure appeared in the sky, plummeting at an astonishing speed. Artoris looked up, and as soon as the individual touched the ground, the houses collapsed like in a landslide. An icy gaze, akin to that of a lion, struck him. "Are you the demon king?"