The wind whistled through the tree branches, joining with the birdsong, forming a symphony that only nature could grant.
Aku walked calmly, invaded by a sensation of peace and tranquility.
No one would say he had just killed a person.
Though to be more precise, technically the one he had murdered would be revived, so he hadn't really taken a life.
The boy with white hair and black eyes wore polished black armor with purple reflections.
This was much lighter than the armor he had just used, Behemoth, and was no less resistant for it.
It was adamantine armor, the most resistant natural material in his world.
"Mmm, I've been walking for quite a while and I still haven't run into anyone. If I keep this up I'm not going to pass the trial," the demon king said to himself as he walked calmly through the forest.
The boy stroked his chin. Perhaps he should start covering more ground.
"Mmm, I have an idea," Aku then said as he closed his eyes.
The demon king molded the azoth within his body, shaping the flow, then expelled it in an omnidirectional shockwave.
Like a dome that grows with Aku as the center.
What he had constructed was an [imaginary area].
He used azoth as material to give form to an immaterial construction.
An imaginary area was a section of space that united the environment with his mind, so that he could obtain information from it.
In other words, it was like an artificial radar connected directly to his mind.
The mental dome extended twenty meters, then fifty, and kept growing until it found movement more than a kilometer away.
"Interesting," he said. It seemed a battle was developing not far from there.
If he arrived in time, perhaps he could finish off a few heroes.
The boy raised his hand as purple sparks began to create themselves above it.
"[Vessel of a Thousand and One Shadows]," he said as an old, grayish vessel began to slip into his hand.
The boy took the vessel and tilted it slightly while opening the lid slightly.
"Come out [Slaignir]," Aku then said as a liquid darkness began to overflow from the vessel.
The black liquid spread on the ground, forming a puddle, while Aku closed the lid and stored it back in the subspace.
Suddenly, that black liquid began to mold, taking shape little by little.
Then that mass of darkness took the form of an imposing six-legged horse.
Its eyes were an intense red, and its mane electric blue.
The animal let out a proud snort while pawing the earth with its front hooves.
"Perfect," he said as he mounted the fierce animal with a jump.
After that, the boy raised his hands above his head.
"[Aidos Kyne]," he said as purple sparks scattered above his head, materializing a black helmet which he put on right away. "[Gae Karnak]"
The demon king subsequently pronounced, as a long silver trident materialized in his hand.
"Giddyup!" he then said, indicating to the horse that it should start running.
The animal obeyed, neighing proudly as it began to run at great speed.
Then the helmet activated. That enchanted helmet had the capacity to mask presence and make its wearer and everything it touched invisible.
Even making it emit no sound.
Aku shot out like a silent missile as he crossed through the forest toward the desired location.
As he did, he gripped [Gae Karnak] tightly. A trident spear with the ability to absorb the user's acceleration.
The faster the spear went, the stronger it would be, able to store that acceleration and convert it into destructive power.
Slaignir kept running until they arrived at the nearby place.
There they were.
At the entrance to a cave, a chubby boy with glasses was surrounded by goblins and orcs.
Though looking closer, the boy noticed those monsters seemed to be in formation to protect the boy, not attack him.
"Pffft, idiot, do you really think those disgusting creatures are going to be able to do anything to me? You should surrender, stupid," a voice then said.
The speaker was a woman with dark skin, curly hair, and ostentatiously dressed in fur garments.
Beside her were some goblin corpses and a few skeletons equipped with medieval armor and weapons.
She appeared to be a necromancer.
Goblins and skeletons? Were they really heroes?
The hero didn't know. He just kept accelerating toward them.
"Fallacies! Everyone knows skeletons are the weakest creatures not counting slimes! Goblins and orcs are stronger. Have you never played video games!" the chubby boy exclaimed as he adjusted his glasses with one hand and pointed at her with the other.
The necromancer made an annoyed grimace as she put her hands on her hips.
"You damned cretin! These aren't—"
But before she could continue her chat, a silver spear fell and stuck in the ground between them, releasing an explosion of light that divided into multiple rays that impacted the summons.
The demon king had arrived.