Imp to Demon King: A Journey of Conquest

As the mythical figures engaged the griffin in a titanic battle, Luna's eyes snapped open in the streets of Harmony.

She looked at Bart, Ondine, Shihan, and the teenagers, noticing how they returned her confused gaze and how their lips twisted in worry and horror. The soldiers were in even worse states, clutching their heads or hearts and panting on the ground.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

But she understood them. The griffin's appearance, the sheer pressure of its powers... The mere memory made her neck stiffen.

BAM

A sudden cracking noise and a rising dust cloud shattered her thoughts. Compelled to find the cause, she turned, only to see Garduck's fist lodged into the ground. His eyes wrinkled by regret, his lips bitten in guilt, his face livid in terror... What had happened?

No... a horrible idea thundered in her mind as her eyes darted between the generals to confirm it.

Horrified, she dashed to Garduck and gripped him by the shoulders. Shaking him, she yelled.

"Where is Adam?!"

Garduck turned his head aside, his teeth sinking into his lips and the taste of blood filling his mouth.

"Still in the capital. I tried to stay with him. But that damned portal. Shit!"

"No..." Luna's trembling grip loosened, her steps taking her back and her voice cracking. "Why?"

Her mind rumbled, and her heart ached with doubts, anger, sorrow, and a faint hope almost buried underneath.

It made no sense to evacuate everyone but leave their leader in the capital. Even less so when they were too weak to fight the realm's overlord. So why? Why wasn't Adam with them?

Her chest tightened as she pushed through the dense ranks of sweating soldiers and confused citizens.

A few seconds later, she burst through the castle gates and into the throne room, halting dead in her tracks at the sight.

Only Gilgamesh was present, seated cross-legged leisurely as he read from a parchment.

"Why was he left behind?!" She shrieked, not showing any respect despite their disparity in power and experience—they didn't matter when he was in danger!

Without raising his blue eyes from his parchment, Gilgamesh shrugged.

"Mind your manners before a king."

Before his words could linger, she condensed her demonic essence into a fiery green snake and hurled it at his feet.

BOOM

The ground exploded, dust rising with her trembling voice.

"ANSWER ME!"

"Sigh. I told them to leave me out of their stupid ideas." Gilgamesh pinched the bridge of his nose. Feeling her deep emotions and knowing that she was on the verge of committing a mistake they'd both regret, he took a step back and rolled his parchment.

"They all knew the griffin would appear weeks ago. Yet, they didn't bring him back. They also delayed the rescue for whatever reason." He shook his head. "I remember them speaking about using the griffin's authority to banish him into the abyss. But you'll have to ask them if you want to learn more."

All traces of strength left her when she heard his words. Her flames faded, and her legs buckled. Like a stringless puppet, she collapsed to the ground, tears trailing down her cheeks and her teeth sinking into her quivering lips.

How could they? Any place—even the godly or demon realm—would have been better than the abyss. Why this unescapable place? Why did every person she ever cared for either backstab her or suffer from betrayal?

"Why Adam?" She muttered, blind rage overwhelming her grief as she leapt to her feet. "Why didn't you send me with him?! You bunch of traitorous snakes! He only ever treated every single one of you with respect and care. He never ordered any of you around and gifted everything he had to make your stay comfortable. But that's how you thank him? By sentencing him to a fate worse than death, a fate of hellish corruption in a place even the gods fear?!"

Her knuckles whitened, abyssal flames flickering as she spat at Gilgamesh.

However, only a tense silence and Gilgamesh's narrowed eyes met her accusations.

She could read the threat in them, hear the unspoken words, "I told you what I knew. Don't push your luck too much."

But how could she accept it after their relationship had blossomed into something more precious than any treasure she could imagine? Why, why was the world so cruel to her? And him...

She dropped to the ground again, wailing and scratching the room's slabs in despair.

The abyss... it wasn't just a prison. It was a corruption, a slow unraveling of the soul. She knew what it did to demons. It was no coincidence the demon kings shared the purgatory's original flame despite their mutual hate and absorbed its energy rather than go to this godforsaken place to get abyssal essence. The reason was simple. She knew about it. Any demon did: the abyss turned them into mindless beasts.

Abyssal spawns? Wrong! They were depraved demons who succumbed to the abyssal corruption. And Adam... the person she loved... he would become one of them.

"NOOOO!"

The thought drove her mad. This couldn't be happening. She would tear them apart with her bare hands for this.

Her vision turned red as she lunged at Gilgamesh, her hands blazing and scalding snakes surrounding her.

However, Gilgamesh's hand rose in her path. Moving like a beam of pure light and with a titan's strength, it wrapped around her neck and sealed her movement. Even worse, her flames dissolved upon contact. Your next chapter awaits on empire

"You knew, you traitor! You could have warned him!" She gripped his fingers and pushed, yet they remained as unmoving as mountains.

Her legs blurred into a rain of vicious strikes. But against Gilgamesh, they were as effective as a light summer shower against a vast plain.

Meanwhile, Gilgamesh sighed without bothering to rise.

"Sleep for now. I'm sure they have reasons..." His voice trailed off into a worried whisper as he cut the blood supply to her brain. "I hope for them."

The last thing she saw before her distorted vision turned dark was Gilgamesh's deep frown and the dangerous glint that flashed in his otherwise clear eyes.

But she wouldn't fall for it. She'd never trust someone again if Adam didn't return. She burned that vow into her heart as she lost consciousness.

********

Meanwhile, an eerie sky, perpetually dark and covered in layers of dust and ashes, saw a flash of light brighten the blackened earth for the first time in millennia.

Creatures more hideous than the darkest nightmares growled in displeasure and scattered upon seeing the foreign occurrence. After all, light didn't exist in this place—only the cold, all-encompassing darkness did.

And from the receding light, Adam's crying figure emerged before his voice shattered the oppressive silence.

"What have I done to deserve this?!"

He shoved both his fists into the ground, revealing the eroded dark stones hidden underneath the sand-like dust. However, the cracks he expected to create didn't form, and only a dull, painful thud echoed.

He groaned in pain as an icy wind seeped into his bones and a weight pressed down on his body as though space itself moved to shackle him.

And to make matters worse, notifications he had no desire to see rang in his ears and popped before his eyes.

[The gods wish you a warm welcome to the abyss. They're gloating at your misfortune and wish to see your sufferings.]

More taunts followed, saying that was what he deserved for allying with Tiamat or for going against them. The demon kings joined the dance, insulting him for his foolishness in refusing their many offers. But did it matter anymore?

"I lost..." He choked on his tears and clutched his aching heart. "In the most painful way. I-I trusted them."

Images of his training with Achilles, Karna, and Wukong resurfaced, followed by his warm discussions with Muramasa. Ozymandias came next, his proud posture and arrogant voice reverberating in his mind. He hadn't had time to speak much with Gilgamesh yet, but even he mentioned his admiration for the town he had built. So why?

"Why did Merlin bother to give me Excalibur's scabbard, only to betray me two weeks later?"

His eyes narrowed into slits, and a deep furrow creased his brows. Why did he give it to him?

"He knew." His voice turned icier than the abyssal wind, and his eyes darker than the sky. "Why didn't Tiamat message me? Why did she suddenly offer me to appoint a proxy two weeks ago?"

A surge of anger coursed through his veins and made his heart boom. But he suppressed it. More than ever, he needed logic and a calm mind, or this place would swallow him whole.

"The scabbard is too precious. To me, it's more valuable than the blade itself. That's why Merlin kept it." He exhaled a cloud of smoke through his nose. "Tiamat can't lose her contractor, or she won't ever recover. So, is it really betrayal, or did they feel too guilty to warn me?"

He pushed himself off the ground and wiped his tears.

"I'll return." Determination ignited in his eyes to replace sorrow and anger. "I'll return to ask you for your reason, shove my fist in each of your faces, and reunite with Luna."

His lips quivered as he took his first step into the darkness.

"Wait for me, Luna. I'll find my way back home, no matter what."

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AN: End of the first volume. I hope you enjoyed it and are ready for the second. (It'll be much shorter and focused on Adam.)