Chapter 6: The First Blood Moon Battle
They say the first taste of blood changes a man. I never believed that—until today.
We stood at the edge of the Crimson Vale, the land below covered in a thick fog of cursed ash and old magic. My demon armor hummed against my skin, responding to the energy pulsing inside me. Around me, the Legion of the Demon Queen—my Legion now—stood ready.
Thousands of eyes stared at me. Some doubted. Others worshipped. But all awaited the signal.
"My king," Lilith's voice broke through the tension. She stood beside me, regally armored, her gloved hand resting lightly on my gauntlet. "Your command."
Gods. That word still did something to me. My king. It wasn't a title I asked for. But it was mine now. And if I was going to wear the crown, I'd wear it drenched in victory.
"We move," I said. My voice came out deeper than usual. Like it had weight.
With a wave of my hand, the banners of the Demon Court flared to life—midnight black with scarlet sigils. Horns blared. Ground trembled.
And the war began.
The enemy was a coalition of rebel beasts and banished knights—a savage force hiding in the ruins of the Forsaken Temple. According to the scouts, they were led by a former high knight of the Sacred Flame—Darian, once a protector of kingdoms, now turned mercenary warlord.
He wanted Lilith's throne. My throne. Over my dead body.
As we advanced, Vera leaped ahead with her usual ferocity, smashing through barricades with her flaming glaive.
"Try to keep up, husband!" she roared, slicing through a trio of armored were-beasts.
I chuckled, gripping the obsidian hilt of my new weapon—one forged by Lilith's own magic. A blade that pulsed with heat, as if alive.
Neve stood silently to my right, casting frozen arrows that pierced straight through armor and bone. Her eyes never blinked.
Iria danced across the field with maddening grace, healing and harming with the same smile. Her laughter echoed over screams.
Then came Syla. She floated lazily above, releasing waves of sedative energy, sapping the will of enemy forces who collapsed into magical sleep, never to wake again.
And me?
Something inside me was waking up.
When a brute nearly cleaved through a battalion of my front line, I stepped in. He was massive—twice my size, armored in shadow-forged plates. But the moment he raised his weapon, something primal burst out of me.
Heat. Not fire. Heat itself.
His armor turned red, then white, then cracked.
He screamed as molten metal ran down his flesh. My body moved on instinct. I punched him—one strike—and his chest caved in.
My men looked at me with awe. Even Lilith's eyes flickered with surprise.
I had barely started.
Darian finally showed himself midway through the battle.
---
They said Darian was unbeatable—an armored juggernaut who tore through armies like paper, the one who razed the Sapphire Barrens in a single charge. I believed the rumors… until I stood before him.
The ground trembled beneath our boots as the battlefield roared with anticipation. My cloak fluttered behind me, the sigil of the Demon King blazing crimson against the dark fabric. My troops—demons, succubi, warlocks, and beasts—stood ready behind me, their breaths held tight. In the distance, across the scorched valley, Darian waited.
He was massive.
Towering nearly seven feet, his obsidian armor pulsed with blood-red energy. His weapon? A brutal greathammer crackling with void energy, etched with glowing runes that looked like they'd been carved by the gods themselves. But I wasn't afraid.
Not after everything I'd gone through.
Lilith's brutal etiquette drills.
Neve's frost combat techniques.
Vera's punishing battle spars.
Syla's… unconventional energy syncing.
Iria's twisted healing training.
And Lysa's surprise guidance in heat and lightning control.
I was ready.
"Demon King!" Darian's voice thundered, echoing across the battlefield like a war drum. "You wear the crown, but can you bear its weight?"
I stepped forward, electricity dancing over my skin.
"Come and test it."
With a primal roar, he lunged. The earth cracked beneath his charge, chunks of rock sent flying as he brought the hammer down.
BOOM!
I sidestepped at the last second, my instincts guiding me. Heat surged through my veins, responding to the danger. I raised my hand—and a torrent of flame exploded from my palm, crashing into Darian like a wave.
He staggered but didn't fall.
"Impressive," he grinned. "But fire alone won't win this."
He swung again. I leapt back, lightning trailing from my feet as I hovered mid-air for a split second. Then I dove.
My fist met his armor with a burst of heat—molten red, superheated. Steam hissed. His armor cracked.
Darian swung wildly. I twisted under it and released a bolt of lightning straight to his gut.
CRACK!
He screamed. The valley lit up like a thunderstorm. My body tingled with the raw power pulsing from my core—my mana overflowing, reacting to the intense emotion, the thrill of battle.
But he wasn't done.
He slammed the ground with his hammer, sending a shockwave rippling outward. I was flung into the air.
Time slowed.
Above him, I could see everything—the cracks in his stance, the rhythm of his attacks, the energy pattern of his hammer.
I exhaled.
Heat built in my chest. I focused it, condensed it.
Lightning surged along my arms.
And then—
I dove.
Like a meteor.
Flames wreathed my body. Electricity wrapped my fists.
Darian looked up. "What—?"
I hit him like a bolt from the heavens.
BOOOOM!
The impact shook the battlefield. Dust erupted. Troops staggered. The sky itself seemed to shudder.
When it cleared…
Darian was on his knees, helmet shattered, blood dripping from his mouth.
He looked up at me, panting. "You… really are the Demon King."
I raised a hand.
"No. I'm just getting started."
And with a final crackle of thunder, I brought him down.
The battle was over. My forces erupted into victorious cries. They had seen it—the power. The heat. The lightning.
They had seen me.
As I stood over Darian's broken form, flames flickering around me and lightning crackling at my feet, I realized something:
I wasn't just surviving in this world anymore.
I was ruling it.
---
We returned to the throne city at sunrise.
I led the army at the front, blood on my armor, power still humming through my veins.
Cheers erupted. The people knelt. Even the nobles bowed.
In the throne room, the queens stood waiting. Lilith approached first, her eyes unreadable.
"You led them to victory," she said.
I nodded. "We did."
She studied me for a long moment, then gently reached out—her hand resting over my heart.
"Your flame... it's awakening."
"What does that mean?" I asked.
She smiled faintly. "It means this kingdom might survive yet. And you… might be far more dangerous than any of us realized."
She leaned close, her lips brushing my ear. "Be careful, my king. Even power has a price."
Later that night, in the war chamber, the system appeared again.
[System Notice: New Skill Unlocked – Primal Heat Surge]
[System Notice: Title Earned – The Crimson Strategist]
[System Sync Progress: 27%]
I stared at the notifications.
Somehow, I had only just begun.
And the world had no idea what was coming.
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