Imp to Demon King: A Journey of Conquest

Soon, he found them engaged in an excited discussion by the river and noticed the rough furnace they had built.

"Ah. I envy you so much! Why was I summoned as an old man when you're so young despite your experience?"

"Hahaha. I believe Izanagi would've been too ashamed to let an old man appear before another primordial goddess."

"Hello, guys. Good job building it!"

He chimed in, pointing at the crackling wood releasing black smoke in the stone construct.

"Don't mention it. We were waiting for you to get permission to craft tools for my new friend using the territory's iron."

He slapped his forehead as Muramasa's words registered. What a mistake!

"Take the iron you need in the warehouse. Don't let your enthusiasm spill, though. We'll need it to upgrade the other facilities, and it's a hot commodity in this forest."

Muramasa nodded, pleased by the show of trust and eyes sparkling as he saw Adam retrieve the three chitinous blueprints they had gotten during the ant raid.

"Can you forge these items? We have enough materials for five pieces."

He extended the papers to Muramasa, waiting for the expert to scan them.

Then, he noticed his confidant nod and smile.

"No problem. It's a pity you don't have the boots and chest plate."

"I'll try to get them and more chitin this afternoon. Alright, gentlemen. I need to leave you for now."

He waved his hand and left the two artisans.

After a short walk, he proceeded with his two daily summons at the Gate.

Fortunately, both demons' loyalty hovered around forty, causing his lips to stretch into a smile. Sadly, they were regular citizens and didn't want to join in battles, preferring to do menial tasks.

After an introduction to the territory, its rules and objectives, he sent them to the two artisans before gathering the others before the ethereal walls. Of course, he let the imps at the altar under the tomte's supervision to hasten their evolution.

"We'll return to the oversized ant colony today. We're more and stronger than before, so we aim to kill a thousand of them!"

"A thousand? I hope you mean a thousand per person."

Bart's boisterous laughter echoed as he gripped his brand-new battle ax, his eagerness to test his new baby apparent to everyone.

"Overconfidence will lead to mistakes. I want everyone to continue working with each other. Now and in the future. Even if we all become noble demons, this rule will never change. Understood?"

His voice echoed sternly as he hoped to douse their excitement.

Yet, a fire ignited in everyone's eyes instead.

Noble demons? Could they reach that tier?

"We'll follow your orders, now and forever, my lord. Show us the path to becoming noble demons!"

Shihan's yell pierced the silence like a flaming knife, causing their demonic hearts to drum.

"We're already veritable demons because we followed you. We'll continue until we see the end of the path or die trying!"

Garduck added, fingers whitening around his trembling black cleaver.

"Calm down. No one will die on the path."

He smiled mischievously, letting a silence settle.

Then, he continued.

"But my target is to become a demon king and nothing else! Follow me, and we'll climb to the top despite our start at the bottom!"

The subjects exploded into excited roars. Even the newly summoned Ondine joined in, feeling a rush of adrenaline jolt through her body and a dream form in her heart: the dream to protect this unique demon lord who upturned her knowledge about their species.

"March onward. Ondine, you stand with Shihan in the middle. We'll use the same strategy as last time!"

The nine demons calmed down and crossed the protective walls, hearts beating as one and eyes sparkling to reach the same goals.

Dreams and hopes fueled their determined march through the tranquil forest. Each step echoed their conviction and trust. The fresh air blowing their hair cooled their excitement just enough not to make them charge into battle.

He nodded at their improved control over their natural impulses and clear eyes as they emerged before the colony.

The acrid stench of acid wafted from the gaping hole on the slope, accompanying the entering and emerging creatures the size of dark cars on their quest for food.

He smirked at their imposing size yet weak constitution for a second, then swung his finger at them.

"Kill everything on the way. Ondine, can you use your energy to wash the carcasses out of the hole?"

"Leave a gap to let them pass, and I'll focus on it, my lord."

She nodded in response, her confident voice reaching his ears.

Unlike last time, they could camp the entrance without fearing to see the colony's path to the ant grinder they formed halted by their fallen brethren. Even better, they wouldn't engulf themselves in the darkness and could retreat any time by manually blocking the hole, making the setup much safer.

'I'm impatient to control my essence like Shihan and Luna.'

His eyes sparkled at the thought as he thundered his next command.

"Into position. Advance!"

Bart, Garduck, and Ifrit joined him on the front line while the satyr, Asna, and Puck covered their back. Ondine and Shihan stood in the middle, protected by their circle as they already conjured their demonic essence.

Like a storm of steel, claws, shadows, and water, they wiped out all the ants outside in a cacophony of crunching chitins before rushing to the hole and standing in a line.

Alerted by their cry and antennas' movements before death, the ground rumbled under their feet as a swarm moved to meet the invaders who dared return.

However, he scanned the tunnel, a furrow creasing his brows a second later.

'Why is nothing emerging?'

An icy shiver ran down his spine as the rumbling stopped, and two bright eyes pierced the darkness.

An eardrum-shattering screech followed, forcing him to shield his ears with a grimace and scrounge his nose at the wave of acidic-smelling air crashing on them.

Then, his eyes widened at the humanoid insect approaching. Its thin yet powerful legs echoed its nonchalant steps as its armored arms, glinting like steel, moved to point at him.

SCREECH

Its razor-sharp mandibles parted, acid dripping and raising smoke upon contact with the ground in a terrifying display.

"I hope no one has a phobia of insects, or they'll drop dead after seeing your ugly face."

He smirked at the creature, understanding it should be at the second tier.

'But so what? We have the number and experience dealing with the bandit leader!'

A silent face-off ensued as tension rose between them.

Then, a dark blur replaced the insect, shattering his confidence.

"Tightened the line! Odine, shield us. Shihan, focus on its legs!"

He blurted his commands, tightening his fingers around his short sword and his eyes darting to spot the moment to counterattack.

Simultaneously, a thin veil of water swirled before them, and shadow spikes condensed like teeth on the ground.

Yet, they shattered under the insect general's stomps, which only slowed after lunging through Ondine's protection.

But it was all they needed.

"Now! Behead it!"

His voice pierced through the splashing noises as his blade, Garduck's and Bart's ax descended like three beams.