The first day felt like hell. Demons' bodies clung to the floor, blood pouring from their mouths and noses. Many tried to stand, only to fall back with the sound of cracking bones. The room was filled with groans, ragged breaths, and the iron scent of blood staining the stone floor.
I sat on a black throne at the side of the room, watching them with cold eyes. Beside me stood Selena Glacivern, an ice demon with long white hair and eyes as blue as arctic ice. A cold aura enveloped her, making the air around her foggy despite the extreme gravity crushing her body.
"Rise or be crushed under the weight of this world." My voice echoed, piercing their hearts deeper than gravity itself.
Thirty demons had already fainted. Fifteen more vomited blood, convulsing. What remained? They crawled like worms, clawing at the stone floor with bloodied claws. But in their eyes, I saw something encouraging—a burning determination that refused to be extinguished.
"My Lord," Selena whispered in a voice as cold as the arctic wind, "some of them show interesting potential. Especially the black-haired one in the corner over there."
My eyes followed her direction. A lesser demon with black hair tried to stand repeatedly, though his body kept falling. Each time, he got back up. His determination reminded me of my own.
Day Two
The situation worsened. Ten demons died in their sleep—their bodies unable to withstand the constant strain. I left the corpses lying there as a reminder to the living.
Zereth was still struggling. He managed to sit up, though sweat and blood soaked his entire body.
"My Lord..." his voice hoarse, "how much longer...?"
"Five days," I replied mercilessly. "If you die before then, you are indeed unworthy to join my war."
In the corner of the room, Rena watched calmly. Her body remained upright despite the relentless gravity battering her. As a high-class demon, her endurance was indeed extraordinary. But even she looked pale.
Suddenly, a strange aura flowed into the room. Holy light mixed with the darkness of hell, creating a stunning yet terrifying aurora. The door opened, and a woman with long, silver hair that shimmered like moonlight stepped in.
Nana—a being half heaven, half hell. Wings rose from her back, strangely composed not only of holy light but also of demonic fragments. Her aura filled the dying demons with a strange feeling—a mixture of fear and hope.
"My Lord," Nana knelt gracefully, her hybrid wings folding gracefully. "I come as you command. Are they worthy?"
Her heterochromic eyes—one heavenly golden, one hellish red—swept the room with an unreadable gaze.
Simon the blacksmith was different. The old man, on the other hand, seemed to have changed. His muscles hardened, his aura darkened. His evolution to Greater Demon was accelerated by this extreme pressure.
Day Three
Some demons began to adapt. Their muscles thickened, their veins seemed like steel holding their bodies upright. But others failed miserably.
A lesser demon tried to stand, his body trembling violently, then CRACK!—his bones broke, and his body collapsed motionless.
I glanced at him emotionlessly. "Weaklings, unworthy of my war." A dark aura enveloped the corpse, burning it to ashes in an instant. No one dared to cry. Only fear and a crystallized determination.
Krix, the demon I had challenged on the first day, managed to stand. His legs still trembled, but he stood. His eyes stared at me with a mixture of respect and hunger for power.
"Well done, Krix," I murmured. "You're beginning to understand the meaning of true power."
Day Four
The transformation began. The surviving demons weren't just adapting—they were evolving. Their skin hardened, their eyes burned brighter, their dark auras deepened.
I rose from my throne and walked among them. "Feel it," I whispered. "Your blood boils, your bones harden, your souls burn. This is what true power is."
Some demons were already running—albeit with faltering steps. Others were still crawling, but their eyes burned with a determination I'd never seen before.
Day Five
The atmosphere changed drastically. Of the one hundred and twenty demons, only eighty remained alive. The rest were either dead or their bodies shattered under the unbearable weight.
Rena stood upright, her body no longer oppressed by gravity. Her dark aura swirled, forming shadowy blades around her. She looked at me, then knelt gracefully. "My Lord, I'm completely used to it."
Zereth forced himself to his feet. Blood dripped from his forehead, but his eyes blazed like the embers of hellfire. "I can still do it, My Lord. Even more so."
Simon, the old blacksmith, was now completely transformed. His muscles bulged, a dark aura shimmering around his body. His evolution as a Greater Demon was maturing. He knelt down in deep reverence. "Thank you, My Lord, thanks to this pressure, I'm evolving faster than I ever imagined."
Selena stepped forward, thin ice forming around her feet despite the extreme gravity. "My Lord, they've shown remarkable adaptation. Even their body temperature has dropped—a sign that their metabolism is changing to conserve energy."
Nana observed intently, her hybrid wings trembling gently. "Interesting, some of them are developing dual-nature energy signatures. Neither fully divine nor demonic, but something new."
I smiled faintly, satisfied with their transformation and the comments from my two valued assistants. Good, those who survive will be the most lethal fangs of my army.
Day Six
Today was the final day of preparation. I increased the gravity to 120 times—just to make sure they were fully prepared. Some demons who felt safe immediately fell again, but this time they got back up more quickly.
"The enemy won't give you warning," I said, watching their struggle. "Heroes won't stop when you're tired. Angels won't wait for you to recover. So neither will I."
Krix could now jump in this gravity. His movements were still stiff, but his progress was impressive. Some of the other demons were even starting to fight each other—albeit in slow motion due to the gravity.
Day Seven – Final Selection
The final day arrived. The runes on the floor glowed a fiery red again, brighter than before. Gravity increased 150 times, pressing down on them until their bones cracked loudly.
I stood up from my throne, an aura of darkness and lunar energy swirling around me like a dark storm. "This is your final test," my voice boomed throughout the room. "Survive my attack or die as your final trial."
My hand rose, pitch-black energy condensing into a giant spear that spun at terrifying speed. An aura of death radiated from it, chilling the air around it.
"Those who remain standing after this," I continued with a cold smile, "will be the true Elite Guards of the Demon Lord Army!"
With one explosive movement, I hurled the energy spear into the crowd of demons.
[PIERCING VOID]
BOOOOOOM!
The floor shook violently, the explosion hitting them with such force that it shattered the stone walls. Dozens of demons were sent flying in all directions, some instantly dying as their bodies exploded under the combination of extreme gravity and my magical energy.
Dust and debris flew. When the smoke began to clear, I saw a sight that shocked me.
Fifty-seven demons remained standing. Not only did they survive—they stood tall, their wounds already beginning to heal. Their eyes blazed with a darker aura than before. And most surprising of all—they stared at me not with fear, but with a burning hunger.
A hunger for power. A hunger for battle. A hunger to prove themselves worthy of my command.
I nodded slowly, a proud smile spreading across my lips. "Excellent. You didn't just survive—you thrived."
My dark aura enveloped the remaining survivors, healing their wounds and leaving glowing runes on their chests—a seal of absolute loyalty that would endure until death.
"From now on," I declared, my voice echoing throughout the castle, "you are no mere legion. You are the Legion of Hell—the Hellish Legion that will bring doom to this world!"
I stared up at the ceiling, as if challenging the gods who must be watching from their high heavens.
"Heroes... gods... anyone who thinks they can stop me... you have no idea what I am preparing. This legion will be the beginning of the destruction of your hypocritical world."
A low laugh escaped my throat, echoing and mixing with the cheers of the surviving demons. Their voices merged in a terrifying harmony, loud and passionate even though their bodies were still covered in blood:
"LONG LIVE OUR LORD!" "LONG LIVE THE ABYSS!" "FOR THE DEMON LORD!"
Rena stepped forward, kneeling before me. "My Lord, allow me to lead the next training. They are ready for the next stage."
I looked at her with interest. "Next stage?"
"Combat formation, magical enhancement, and weapon mastery," she replied with a faint smile as evil as mine. "If they can already survive extreme gravity, it's time they learned how to kill with maximum efficiency."
Selena stepped forward, an ice crystal appearing in her hand. "My Lord, I can teach them ice magic combat techniques. Attacks that freeze from within, defensive barriers, and torture methods."
Nana flapped her hybrid wings once, creating a small aurora in the air. "And I can teach them to harness conflicting energies—light and dark, creation and destruction. They will become unpredictable on the battlefield."
Zereth rose, his now much larger and more muscular body standing tall. "My Lord, I request permission to become the captain of the first division."
Simon approached with a confident stride—his transformation into a Greater Demon was complete.
"And I will prepare special weapons for each member of the Hellish Legion. With Selena's help, I can create ice-forged weapons that will never dull."
Krix, the small demon who had nearly died on the first day, now stood with an aura that rivaled that of a mid-class demon. "My Lord, we are ready for any battle!"
I looked around—the remaining demons were no longer a mere horde. They had transformed into bloodthirsty killing machines, with absolute loyalty to me.
"Good," I muttered as I walked out of the training room. "Prepare yourselves. In three days, we will launch our next attack."
The first phase was complete. It's time for phase two—war.