Imp to Demon King: A Journey of Conquest

The ground rumbled under his soldiers' march as the army split into three divisions. Five thousand extended in a semi-circle on both sides while he stood before the remaining twenty thousand.

Opposite him, a human sea rose to collapse on him. But he was ready. His soldiers were, too, and not a speck of fear tainted their burning hearts.

"Archers! Nock arrows!"

His generals echoed his commands, engulfing the lush plain with their roars as his elven soldiers and the Amazon warriors prepared for the massacre.

Behind them, the djinns and human mages channelled their energies, ready to rain hell on their adversaries.

But the most notable ones were the eighteen Jotuns. Before everyone's wide eyes, they ripped the soil and formed giant mud balls. With a chilly blow, they froze them solid, improvising boulders out of nowhere.

However, before the humans entered his shooting range, they shattered their formations and spread on the plain. Then, keeping a space between them, they continued their mad rush, eager to tear him down.

"Clever bastards."

He snorted, understanding they used their numerical advantage to limit area damage.

"But it won't be enough, not when I'm here!"

Without wasting a second, he unfurled his draconic wings and leapt to the sky. The wind whipped against his armor as each flap brought him higher until he smirked.

With a wave of his palm, he manipulated the clouds to gather above his enemies. He hurled a flickering ball of chaotic fire inside, making them rumble and darken.

Rain drizzled first, stunning the enemy's army, but he roared in laughter.

"After so long, witness my class's power."

With his words, he felt the traces of chaos brewing in the clouds roaring in rage. But lightning was a gentle outcome compared to his strike.

Instead, dark flames erupted from the clouds and swirled down. The temperature increased, scalding vapor washing over his enemies.

BOOM

Three swirling pillars of flames collided with the soldiers underneath, spreading devastation. Agonising yelps echoed as hundreds fell, then thousands.

The acrid scent of sulfur and burning flesh filled the fleeing soldiers' noses as they turned back in horror.

Yet, he grinned as his army's projectiles filled the sky. Whistling, he observed them rumble down like meteors.

"I guess they put me against weaklings in the first round to encourage my participation in the second."

He shrugged before a roar broke his focus.

"Get down, Adam!"

His instincts kicked in, urging him to fly aside before his neck flew off.

Eyes wide, his wings shoved the air, pushing him back just in time to see his reflection in a silver sword frame.

Fear finally settled in his heart as he observed the attacker's golden hair and intricate armor. But more importantly, his noble features and gaze. It was as though he was a moving corpse in that knight's eyes.

"You dodged that?" The man started, his eyes narrowing into slits as he kicked the air to remain airborne. "I can't let an evil dragon develop. Die!"

Adam shuddered as he watched the silver blade blur before him. He knew where it would strike, but his heart sank.

'He's too fast!'

As dread crept over him, a firm hand gripped his foot and hurled him down before an irritated voice reverberated.

"Where did you see a lord acting before his army? Stay at the back, and don't overwork us!"

CLANG

Metal clanged, sparks flying as a golden staff met the silver sword. The air cried and burst outward with the collision as Wukong smirked.

Meanwhile, Sigurd's eyes narrowed into determined slits.

"Another evil creature... A monkey? In Odin's name, I'll obliterate this lord and his lair of demons."

"Try, princess." Wukong chuckled, his Jindouyun spreading to support him as he spun his Ruyi Jingu Bang. "I'll entertain you before heading for the main dish."

Though confidence filled his voice, a hint of worry flashed into his eyes as he gazed at Heracles and Adam. But he couldn't disparage his focus, not when he hadn't undone his seal yet.

As they began clashing, Adam's eyes trembled in his descent.

"Shit! I underestimated them."

He scanned the battlefield, noticing a tri-colored-haired man charging toward Achilles. But he paled the next second.

Unbothered by his burning tornadoes, he saw Heracles' muscular figure pierce through the middle like a tank.

Landing on the ground, he drew his abyssal blade, trembling in horror. Muramasa and Ozymandias didn't come. Even if they did, they had no chance against Heracles. With Karna supporting Luna and Achilles locked with his own adversary... he had no one to protect the center.

'Think fast. What can I do?!'

His mind raced, but no solution magically appeared... and Heracles had already reached the front lines.

A behemoth of unmatched power and endurance, invulnerable while wearing the Nemean lion's hide, crashed against the powerful Asuras and Amazons.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

The wind howled with each swing before heads exploded like watermelons.

He trembled and stumbled behind the Jotuns as the crunching noises of bones shattering filled his ears.

Truthfully, he was terrified. Dueling a mythical figure was out of his capabilities, and he was the first to admit it. So, how could he turn the tables before his army collapsed?

"Damn it!" He roared, despair engulfing his heart. "I can't let everyone die for nothing before the second round." His knuckles whitened around his blade, and his jaw clenched hard enough for his teeth to crack. "Wukong will soon kill the knight and return. Karna will also rush back to help us, but I need to buy time. I-I..."

He hesitated, his eyes darting to the more than a thousand corpses already watering the ground with thick blood, then the opposing lords' army charging through the freshly opened gap in his formation. A butchery, that's what he witnessed, and what forced his next decision despite his twisted lips.

"I'll use the fragment!"

A surge of energy coursed through him, a dark power not much younger than time itself, whispering alluring promises at the cost of his sanity, of course.

'Kill this weak half-god who dares to defy a devil! Bathe in his blood to steal his strength! Burn his body and devour his bones, then burn his father and his forefather. Hahaha!'

Blood rushed to his eyes as his energy swelled.

However, he didn't become a deformed abomination like last time. Instead, his essence rose to the sixth tier and increased his stats by a horrifying thousand.

His neck bulged, and his mouth cracked open as he roared like a dragon and scrutinised Heracles through the burning veil of rage engulfing his vision.