"What is this? System? No?"
The awareness came from within, from the accumulated knowledge of countless Demon Kings who'd ruled before him. Their inheritance, awakening as he proved himself through conquest.
William's eyes widened. So this is how it works. Each victory feeds the power within me.
"Ah, maybe this is the reason why the demon king in the novel always starts a war when the demon king is alive."
But there was no time to process it. A Dire Wolf lunged at him from the side.
William threw himself backward, wings flaring for balance.
The beast's jaws snapped shut where his throat had been a second before. He slashed at its face as it passed, opening a gash across its muzzle. The wolf snarled and came at him again.
This time, the golden-haired warrior was there. She drove her stone blade into the beast's hind leg with enough force to shatter bone. The wolf stumbled, and William didn't hesitate. His claws found its throat and tore it open.
[+1 Sovereignty Point]
They fell into a rhythm after that. The fox girls would harry and wound, creating openings. William would dive in and finish the kill. His claws were the only weapons on the battlefield that could pierce the wolves' thick hides in a single strike.
But it wasn't easy. William's juvenile body wasn't built for sustained combat. Each time he used his Authority to slow the beasts, exhaustion hit him harder. His wings grew heavy. His limbs trembled.
A Dire Wolf caught him during one dive, its claws raking across his side. Pain exploded through his ribs. William hit the ground hard, rolled, and barely got his wings up in time to block the follow-up attack. Fangs tore through the membrane, and he screamed.
Two fox girls threw themselves at the wolf, driving it back with a flurry of strikes. William scrambled to his feet, his vision swimming. Blood ran hot down his side.
"Master William!" The golden-haired fox warrior was at his side in an instant, her eyes wide with concern.
"I'm fine," William ground out. He wasn't fine. But he'd made a promise. "Keep fighting."
She hesitated, then nodded and turned back to the battle.
William forced himself to move. The pain helped, actually. It burned away the exhaustion, sharpened his focus. He couldn't afford to slow down. Not yet.
The next wolf died from its claws through its eye socket. Then another, its spine severed. The Sovereignty Points accumulated with each kill, the crimson text flickering at the edge of his vision.
[+1 Sovereignty Point]
[+1 Sovereignty Point]
The Dire Wolves began to break. Pack hunters were dangerous because of their coordination, but that coordination relied on confidence. And William had shattered that confidence. They'd come expecting easy prey. Instead, they'd found a Demon King.
Three of them tried to flee. The fox girls cut them down before they made it ten meters.
The last few wolves fought with desperate fury, but it changed nothing. The golden-haired fox warrior moved through them like a dancer, her crude weapon enhanced by something William's inherited memories recognized, a battle aura, a faint golden glow emanating from her body. The manifestation of fighting spirit and life force, incredibly rare for someone with no formal training.
She was talented. Probably the strongest fighter in the tribe besides the Tribe Elder.
William decapitated the final Dire Wolf, and silence fell over the battlefield.
[Domination Achieved: Direwolves Defeated]
[Total Sovereignty Points: 20]
"Ughhh..."
William stood there for a moment, breathing hard. His side burned where the claws had torn him. His wing membrane was shredded. But he was alive. They were all alive.
The fox girls stared at him with something like awe in their eyes.
William ignored it. He had more important things to worry about. Like the fact that his juvenile body was about to collapse from exhaustion. He needed to get back to the village before...
His vision blurred. His legs gave out.
The golden-haired fox warrior caught him before he hit the ground. "Master William!"
"I'm fine," William said again.
This time, it was almost believable. "Just tired from my first battle."
Behind him, he could hear the fox girls already moving to harvest the Dire Wolf corpses. Meat, pelts, claws, everything that could be used or traded. Nothing went to waste in the fox tribe. They couldn't afford to waste in their current state.
She didn't look convinced, but she nodded. "We'll process the corpses and return to the village."
William nodded slightly, appearing calm, then asked her, "What is your name?"
"I apologize, Your Majesty, I don't have a name, but because of my golden hair, everyone in the tribe calls me Gold." The fox girl named Gold answered respectfully.
This serious demeanor reminded William of the beautiful maidens with knights from his previous life. Especially when he saw her golden fox tail, somehow William began to recall a flower that would suit this golden fox.
"Why don't you have your own name?"
"Because my parents didn't have the chance to choose a name for me."
"Is that so? Hmm... You seem like a girl full of loyalty, devotion, and courage. Like the knight maiden I once imagined. In that case, you shall be called Marigold from now on, the name of a flower that symbolizes your character."
Gold, who had been bowing her head while listening to William's words, suddenly raised her head, but all she saw was William's back as he began to fly away.
Although in legends, the demon king was always described as very cruel, unfriendly, arrogant, and could even be portrayed as a villain, now, in Gold's opinion, their current Demon King was very kind.
Watching the distant figure of the other party, Gold—no, she should be called Marigold now.
Marigold turned to the fox girls beside her and said earnestly, "I have decided, after we return this time, I will ask the tribe elder to become Master William's personal knight, guarding him during the day, serving him at night, and even—I want to try to bear Master William's child!"
The other fox girls were stunned by Marigold's words, but fortunately, they also reacted quickly and expressed their excitement for Marigold.
At the same time, they also cheered for Marigold.
None of the fox girls were jealous that Marigold would be favored by William. Throughout the entire fox girl clan, everyone was like siblings, so they were very happy that Marigold could find her own path in the future.