The Monster King's Legacy

After gathering the bodies, they went ahead and burned them as per tradition. This time, Lance didn't try to stop them. Once that was done, they had to decide on what to do with the demon's body. Despite being rather decay and corrosion centric, its body remained intact. They sealed it inside the cave it had been resting in in the end, with the plans of handing it over to either the human and elven race for whatever research they may want to conduct, if they needed it. Apart from that, Lance made sure its head was separated and placed far from its body, just in case it happened to possess some form of regenerative ability.

Once they were done, they left, and after a certain point, Lance healed everyone, purifying them of whatever residue may have been left behind by the demon's magic and abilities.

…

While they dealt with their problem, something was about to happen elsewhere.

Within a huge castle, the dim glow of the infernal throne room flickered ominously as the Demon Lord sat in silence. The walls of the chamber pulsed with a dull crimson light, living veins running through black stone, giving the entire hall an eerie, breathing presence. The demon lord himself was an imposing figure, towering even while seated, his dark armor seamlessly fused with his flesh, emphasizing the oppressive aura. His four curled horns framed his angular face, his deep-set crimson eyes burning with an unnatural glow. His body radiated a suffocating pressure, a force that was enough to cause any weak minded soul to bend in fear and submission.

Before him knelt his two children, one a tall and fairly well built with two horns shooting out of his head and backwards, while the other an almost elegant looking female demon, wrapped in battle-like attire, with a thin reptilian tail trailing behind her. They had been summoned without warning, but they knew why.

The Demon Lord's voice rumbled through the chamber like rolling thunder as he spoke. "Report."

The brother, calm and disciplined, gritted his teeth as he responded. "The armies sent to slow their advance have been defeated. Part of the unique demons, the one tasked with the purification of land, has also been slain. The humans are adapting quickly. We are witnessing something unprecedented."

The Demon Lord leaned forward slightly, his presence pressing down on the room. "And you tell me this without deception. Why?"

The brother did not flinch. "You already know the truth, my lord. There is no point in lying to you." Read new chapters at My Virtual Library Empire

His sister finally spoke, her voice smooth yet sharp like a blade. "How can you be so certain? You've remained here, unmoving, and yet you know everything. Even the fall of the rot demon?"

The Demon Lord chuckled for a second, a deep, unsettling sound that sent a tremor through the room. "Do you think I rule merely through power? Every soul under my domain is bound to me. When they perish, I feel it. Their deaths feed my authority... Lies are meaningless in my presence." He said the last part, his gaze focused on the male demon for a moment.

Listening to his father answer his sister's brazen questions, the male demon could not help but wonder just how favoured she was… well, he didn't think much of it, he never had.

The male demon gave the faintest nod, confirming what he had long suspected. "Then I assume you will take action yourself?"

Slowly, the Demon Lord rose from his throne. The very air in the room seemed to grow heavier, warping under the sheer force of his being. His obsidian-black armor gleamed in the dim light, and the ground cracked beneath his feet as he took his first step forward.

"You will not interfere," he commanded, looking at his children, his feet and entire body rising above the ground slightly as his body floated forward into a portal that opened up out of nowhere.

The male demon rose quietly with his sister as they watched the demon lord disappear into the portal, a pensive look in his eyes. He had spent years studying ancient magics, preparing for this very moment. The tide of battle had been shifting in the enemy's favor for some time, and now, with their father moving directly into action, the final confrontation was imminent.

He turned to his sister as their father vanished into a void of swirling black and red energy. "It is time."

She nodded her head in an understanding manner.

He turned away, already walking deeper into the fortress. "Come on, when Father falls, we cannot be here."

His sister froze for a bit, staring at him before she followed behind him. "You believe he will fall?"

The brother stopped but did not look back. "I do not believe. I know."

The words hung in the air, heavy and ominous. "The real threat aren't the ones who have shown themselves, the true monsters are yet to reveal themselves." He said, before continuing on.

…

Meanwhile, outside the Demon Lord's domain, the alliance of the major races pushed forward. A shadow of elite warriors making their way toward their ultimate goal, the heart of demonic power itself. The final fortress stood ahead, its jagged spires reaching toward the storm-laden sky.

They had cut through all opposition, defeating every demon that had tried to delay them. Now, nothing stood in their way. Then again, as they neared the castle, the air itself split apart.

A swirling portal of black and red energy tore through reality, crackling with unstable power. The march halted as all eyes locked ahead toward the disturbance.

From the portal, the Demon Lord stepped onto the battlefield, his presence alone sending a shiver down the spines of even the strongest warriors present. If not for his enormous form that appeared to be perhaps twelve feet tall, or at least around that height, his aura was something else.

The battlefield was silent for a moment, as if the world itself was holding its breath. Then, like a crashing wave, the tension snapped. "The demon lord himself, how amazing that we dn't have to look any further?" Cervic said, stepping to the forefront, his black armor radiating its eerie mix of dark and white energy, his sword gleaming in his grip.

Behind him, the mightiest warriors of the alliance gathered; human kings adorned in enchanted armor, dwarven kings gripping their elemental weapons, and elven spellcasters preparing their magic.

Before them, the demon lord remained, his black armor reflected no light, an abyssal void that seemed to consume the very air around him, accentuating his bulking form like a second skin. His four horns curled upward like a crown, his crimson eyes burning with something far beyond mere malice, absolute dominance. His aura alone was enough to shake the earth, his mere presence warping the flow of magic around him.

Cervic narrowed his eyes as he observed his enemy. "Did we perhaps take too long? He is not at all normal." He had faced many powerful beings in his time, but this was something different. Even standing still, the Demon Lord exuded the overwhelming presence. The amount of abyssal energy within him was like an ocean at this point.

Even then, there was no way they could avoid this fight, there was no choice but to fight.

"You insects will do well to at least entertain me." The demon lord said, his deep resonant voice breaking through like a low rumble.

Cervic lunged first, crossing the distance in a single step, his sword slashing forward with enough force to cleave a small mountain's peak. A streak of black and white energy followed his blade, an attack capable of erasing most things in its path, but faced with such an attack, the Demon Lord didn't dodge, Instead, he raised a single hand and caught the blade between his fingers.

A deafening shockwave burst outward from the clash, ripping apart the earth beneath them, sending jagged cracks racing across the battlefield even though they engaged mid-air. The force alone sent some of the weaker warriors flying backwards, and some were sent back down to the earth.

Cervic's eyes widened as he felt an unimaginable resistance. It wasn't just raw strength, his blade refused to cut through, as if the Demon Lord's very flesh rejected damage itself.

"Is that all?" The Demon Lord's voice was deep, unhurried. Then, with a simple flick of his wrist, he sent Cervic flying backward.

Cervic crashed into the ground, carving a trench through the battlefield. He rolled to his feet just in time to see the other kings charging in.

The dwarven kings struck with all their might, their enchanted weapons flaring with elemental power; a hammer that crackled with lightning, a war axe burning with flames hot enough to melt steel in an instant, and the likes. Their swings tore through the air, aimed to crush the Demon Lord under sheer force, yet, with a mere step forward, the Demon Lord didn't even attempt to dodge their attacks. Using his fist, he slammed it into the chest of the lightning-wielding dwarf. The dwarf was sent hurtling through the battlefield like a cannonball, his body crashing into a distant steep face of a rocky mountain with an earth-shaking explosion.

The second dwarf who had come from the side, swinging his axe in a deadly arc was disappointed. The Demon Lord lifted a single finger, touching the flat of the axe as it neared him. With that one touch, the entire axe rusted and crumbled into dust.

The dwarf barely had time to react before the Demon Lord delivered a backhand strike, sending him flying as well. He then set his eyes on the elves who had began chanting spells.