Before the demons entered the bodies I created for them, Solarys whispered into my mind—calm, precise, impossible to refute:
«Demons follow strength alone. They obey only the one who can crush them.»
It made sense.
Looking at them—bruised, shaken, clearly handled roughly by Diablo—it was obvious they hadn't come here willingly. They hadn't submitted.
Not yet.
If Diablo dragged them here, then these demons would absolutely want to know exactly how strong the master of Diablo truly is.
So I would indulge them.
I stepped forward. The seven archdemons in
front, the seven hundred behind them—all restless, cautious, glaring, measuring me.
My voice echoed through the chamber:
"Diablo may have brought you here to be my subordinates…but none of you actually know who I am. And demons respect power—so allow me to show you a glimpse of mine."
Every demon froze.
I gave Solarys a mental command.
"Amplify it. Make my aura absolute."
«As you command. I shall refine it—denser, heavier, more commanding.»
Because we were inside the Labyrinth, I had already reinforced the area with layers of barriers—thick enough to contain a god's wrath.
Then I released my aura.
Not gently.
Not cautiously.
But as a royal decree of raw force, a dominion woven from chaos, divine light, and the scorching wrath of ancient gods.
The effect was instant.
The standing demons collapsed to their knees, not from choice, but because their bodies simply gave out.
The ground vibrated.
The air screamed.
The light itself bent around me.
"Wh—What…is this…pressure—!?"
"His aura burns—my chest—!!"
"This is…not mortal…not demon…this is divine punishment!"
The three lady demons who were Diablo's old comrades—Testarossa, Ultima, and Carrera—stared wide-eyed, their pride shattered by a power they could not comprehend.
This was only my aura.
Only a fraction.
I tightened my grip on the primordial three. My presence wrapped around them like a crushing vice, a silent reminder of the difference between us.
I said quietly, but with absolute authority:
"Remember this. I do not tolerate insolence…nor betrayal."
My aura flared harder—denser, hotter—and the three primordial demons nearly screamed.
Even Diablo, standing beside me, shook in reverence, his knees trembling despite his pride.
Solarys spoke into my mind:
«Your aura alone is enough to crush their souls beyond repair. Recommend decreasing output by 14%.»
"Very well."
I reined it back, but only slightly.
With their spirits broken and their loyalty secured through fear and awe, it was time to give them bodies.
Since demons were spiritual beings without physical forms, their mana would gradually dissipate in this world. They couldn't last long without a vessel.
My method was simple:
Use Devouring Sun to consume each demon's essence—not killing them, but holding their souls inside a solar cradle.
Use Solarys to fuse their souls with the emulated bodies growing inside the capsules.
The process was perfect.
Flawless.
Absolute.
After obtaining vessels, the demons began morphing into their preferred physical forms.
But the three demonesses…
They were Diablo's old friends. It felt wrong to treat them like ordinary subordinates. They deserved refinement.
And truthfully—they were beautiful. A king respects beauty.
So I offered:
"Would you like me to refine your appearance for you?"
Their reactions were immediate.
"Could you truly…?"
"That would be wonderful…"
"Then please—help us."
I nodded.
With Solarys guiding each calculation down to the micron, I reshaped their bodies—removing demonic traits while preserving their allure.
I reinforced their skeletons with orichalcum by infusing gold into magisteel—dense, beautifully resonant with magic. They admired the golden bones shimmering inside the capsules.
"Thank you so much, Atem-sama!"
Their voices overlapped, overflowing with gratitude.
And so, my task here was done.
All that remained was to wait for them to awaken.
Since leaving them nameless was inconvenient, I acted.
I raised my hand and declared:
"From today onward, you shall be Testarossa… Ultima… and Carrera."
Their bodies reacted instantly.
Flesh grew.
Blood surged.
Magicules flared.
The capsules shattered from the force of their rebirth.
Each of them evolved into Demon Peers—their power exploding outward in waves that shook the chamber.
They were terrifying. Beautiful. Divine.
Even Veldora and Ramiris, who barged in to spectate, swallowed hard.
"I've never seen demon power like this…"
"If these are just his subordinates—then what is Atem himself…?"
But no one dared say more.
I continued over the next days:
Moss
Veyron
Agera
Esprit
Zonda
Cien
Venom
The strongest received names first.
Testarossa's lieutenants: Moss and Cien
Ultima's lieutenants: Veyron and Zonda
Carrera's lieutenants: Agera and Esprit
Venom—the idiot who challenged Diablo—also evolved, becoming an archdemon.
By the end, seven hundred demons kneeled before me—each one now at least Rank A, many far stronger.
It was overwhelming.
Even I had to pause and reflect.
Six Demon Peers, including Diablo.
Hundreds of greater demons.
Even more archdemons.
The power gathered here… Eterna now held a force rivaling ancient kingdoms of gods.
At the front, Testarossa bowed deeply, hand to chest.
"Atem-sama, thank you for granting us names—and power beyond our imagination. We pledge our eternal loyalty."
I nodded.
"Serve well."
And with that, their fate—and mine—intertwined.
Diablo, naturally, would be responsible for educating them.
I simply fulfilled my end of the promise.
And so, the King's Shadow grew—quietly, dangerously, magnificently.
While Atem was calmly withdrawing from reality—
a quiet sigh, a hand on his forehead, dignity unshaken—
"Noir-chan— I mean, Diablo. I finally understand why you revere Atem-sama so much."
"Mhm… truly an unbelievable ruler."
"Not only did he see through all of us instantly… he dismissed us like we were nothing. Yet that ancient Demon Lord went pale just from standing near him."
Testarossa, Ultima, and Carrera chattered excitedly, voices overlapping.
The three Primordial Demonesses originally never intended to pledge loyalty to him.
They were only planning to lend Diablo temporary aid because their old friend reached out.
Their plan changed the moment they felt Atem's presence.
...
...
...
They all possessed unimaginable longevity.
They were among the strongest beings to walk this world.
So were the demons who served them.
Under human classification, two of their servants were considered prehistoric species—older than kingdoms and empires, older than war itself.
Moss and Veyron.
Moss—undefeated for tens of thousands of years—stood second only to the Primordials.
Veyron—over four thousand years old—was sly, cunning, and ruthless.
He had lost to Moss many times and reincarnated repeatedly, always coming back sharper.
The others were no joke either:
Agera — viscount, early modern species, a weapon specialist who mastered the katana.
Esprit — a viscount who hadn't lost in 500 years.
Zonda — a baron undefeated for 300 years.
Cien — another undefeated baron of the same age.
Venom — young, but born with a Unique Skill and growing frighteningly fast.
These were elite monsters even among demons.
All of them had been gathered by Diablo.
Their bodies awakened power that defied the laws this world was built on.
Thus, a legion beyond comprehension was born.
The Black Numbers—Eterna's Supreme Demonic Legion.
Less than a thousand in number.
More terrifying than an army of nations.
—At least, this is how history would record them.
The moment the demons stepped out of their evolution chambers, reborn in their new strength, the Black Numbers truly came into existence.
...
...
...
Testarossa's white cheeks colored faintly as she murmured, entranced:
"Ah… how fascinating. Corrupting kingdoms or fighting you two gets so repetitive. But observing that king… that ancient presence… it's so much more fun."
"Right?" Ultima nodded, almost giddy.
"Torturing naive demons gets boring. But working in Eterna under a ruler like him? I actually feel excited."
"Indeed," Carrera agreed.
"Just like you said—Atem-sama is unbelievable. The Menace I unleashed earlier was like throwing a pebble at a mountain. He didn't even acknowledge it! Serving a king like that… I felt honored. And after receiving this name from him—"
She smiled like someone who found a new addiction.
"I've genuinely decided to devote myself to him."
"I was planning to kill you then, you know?" Diablo reminded her, tone dead serious.
But her sincerity was obvious.
So Diablo let it go.
Seeing his expression, Testarossa spoke next.
"By the way, Diablo… I should thank you. When you first found me, I intended to kill you."
"I know. You're that type of woman," Diablo chuckled darkly.
"I was actually curious why you listened to my proposal. Normally, you would have fought until satisfied."
The "Blanc" he knew never bowed to anyone.
Demon duels were all about cunning and skill, and even as a Demon Peer, Diablo wasn't fully confident he could beat her.
That uncertainty thrilled him.
"Indeed," Testarossa continued. "We demons are strong. Tell me, Diablo—do you think anyone in this world surpasses us?"
"No," he replied with a satisfied smirk.
Her smile widened beautifully.
"Right? That's why your Pharaoh interests me. Someone who could command the loyalty of you—one of the strongest of our kind. Had Atem-sama been boring, I would've killed him instantly."
"Me too," Ultima chimed in cheerfully.
"Hmph. Even though I've given up the idea, I did consider dueling him," Carrera added.
Diablo clicked his tongue.
"It was commendable that you didn't embarrass me in front of Atem-sama.
But if any of you had—"
"Relax, Diablo," Testarossa said smoothly.
"I like the name Atem-sama gave me. I swore upon it to serve him. Isn't that right, Ultima?
Carrera?"
"Yes!"
"Just like I said."
The three nodded in unison.
Diablo exhaled sharply, rubbing his temples.
"Anyway, apart from you three, the rest of those idiots won't be much help to Atem-sama. That can't be helped. Just don't trouble me. You three answer not only to Atem-sama—"
His eyes sharpened.
"—but to me as well."
Testarossa smirked.
"I should be the one saying 'you're the one who can't be helped.' But since this is payback for introducing us to Atem-sama, I will allow it."
"Fine. I don't object."
"All we need to do is serve Atem-sama, surpass you one day… and until then, I suppose we'll tolerate your orders."
Diablo grimaced but accepted it.
The number of people Diablo tolerated could be counted on one hand.
That alone showed how special these three were to him.
And so—
without Atem knowing—
a massive internal hierarchy quietly solidified within Eterna.
A chain of command centered around the resurrected Pharaoh who now ruled them.
The world would never be the same.