Now Daimon had the strength of a hellhound and a dark wolf. He could jump high, run fast, and move with incredible agility. He was never a strong demon before, but his technique had always been excellent. The problem was, he had no strength to back it up. But now, that had changed. Daimon had awakened. He was no longer weak. He was now a threat to an average demon fighter.
He returned to the city and went to a place he used to visit as a kid, a tailoring shop run by an old demon.
"Daimon? You're still alive? I thought you died! They said the soldiers tossed you into the graveyard. It's been years!" the old demon said.
Daimon laughed. "Well, here I am, alive and well."
The store owner's wife came in. "Daimon, look at you! You've grown so much. Here, have something to eat."
This shop had been Daimon's refuge as a child. He used to help out in exchange for food. As he sat and ate, a group of soldiers kicked down the door.
"Time to pay up! Contributions for the Demon Army!"
Five soldiers entered, with a mage waiting outside.
The store owner began to explain. "Sorry, we don't have any—"
One of the soldiers grabbed him by the head and slammed it on the counter. "It's been a month! We're at war! Something's happening in the underworld, and you know it!"
Malzahar heard this. He was reminded that time moved faster in the underworld. The soldiers forcefully took the shop's gold. The wife tried to stop them, but one soldier slapped her to the ground and raised his foot to stomp her.
But Daimon was faster. He blocked the kick.
"So fast..." the soldier whispered.
This was Daimon's moment. He leapt to attack but forgot about the mage outside. A blast of magic hit him, sending him crashing into the wall.
"That's enough, kid!" the store owner shouted.
"Pay properly next time," the soldier said as they left. The wife cried. The store owner hugged her.
As Daimon walked out, the old man warned, "Don't do anything stupid."
"Don't worry about it," Daimon replied. But in his heart, he knew what he wanted. He wanted to kill them all.
"Oh no," Malzahar said. "This boy is getting cocky. He's going to die."
Daimon followed the soldiers. The mage still stood outside, unaware.
"There you are," Daimon whispered. He remembered what happened when he ate the hellhound he gained pouncing power. When he ate the dark wolf, he got speed. What if he ate a demon with a dark magic affinity?
He grabbed a piece of scrap metal and threw it at the mage, trying to expose the mage's position. The metal stopped midair. A barrier.
The mage didn't even look. So arrogant.
"If I can get through that barrier, I can kill him," Daimon thought.
He ran as fast as he could, jumped, and pounced. The mage didn't see it coming. Daimon passed through the barrier. Blood splattered. The mage was dead. Soldiers ran out to see Daimon covered in blood, holding the mage's heart.
"Let's test if it's real."
He ate the heart. Mana surged through his body. His eyes glowed purple.
"Okay. Let's dance."
The soldiers advanced. With his new magic, Daimon used telekinesis, freezing them in midair. He stepped back, charged, ran thru them and killed all five in a flash.
"Okay, this is fun," he said.
He devoured their corpses, growing even stronger. The locals loved him. He promised to protect their side of the town from the Demon Army's tax collectors. In return, they gave him food and shelter. Some called him the "Little Demon Prince."
He hunted magical beasts and defended the town. for a couple if weeks,
That is, until Amon came, a general in the Demon Army, with a horde of soldiers.
Daimon stood tall. No words. Just battle.
But before Daimon could even move, Amon beat him down. Daimon was left half-dead. In desperation, he bit Amon's leg, hoping to devour his power. But he forgot the rule of the Devourer. If the predator is weaker, it cannot devour the prey.
Amon kicked him in the head. Daimon passed out. They left him for dead.
The people threw him away again.
This was the underworld. Survival of the fittest.
Malzahar watched everything. He made up his mind.
"He is the one. I know it."
Malzahar didn't want to disrupt the underworld's balance yet, so he let Daimon be.
Daimon woke up, crying again. But he knew now if he devoured smaller beings, he could still grow stronger.
So he trained in the forest, spending months getting stronger. Then, one day, he saw a group of five demon adventurers returning from a dungeon.
"Perfect victims," he said.
He rushed in using his speed. But the mage in the group had an Evil Eye he could track Daimon's movement. They trapped Daimon with magic. He was about to die.
Then Malzahar spoke telepathically.
"Take out the healer."
Daimon acted fast. He threw a rock at the healer, killing him. Then he blinded the group with magic, rushed to the mage, and stabbed him. He ate the mage's heart, gaining more magic.
Then he used telekinesis, lifted the remaining three, dashed through them, and killed them all. After eating their bodies, he put on armor.
"Okay. Where are you? Reveal yourself."
A shadowy figure appeared. Glowing yellow eyes.
"I've been watching you, Daimon."
"Who are you?"
"I'm your salvation."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Do you want to be strong?"
Daimon remembered all the pain, all the defeats.
"Yes. I want to be the strongest. I want to kill them all."
"Then let me help you. There is a price for everything."
"What is it?"
"Your soul."
Malzahar saw the conviction in Daimon's eyes. He didn't even need to hear him say yes. The answer was clear.
Malzahar shifted into his True Dragon Form. Mana surged across the underworld. Every demon felt it.
In the Demon Castle, Demon Lord Akira a nine-foot-tall figure in dark obsidian armor felt the surge.
"Why are they here?" he said.
He ordered General Lucian to investigate.
Daimon felt terror. In the presence of a True Dragon, he trembled on his knees, crying.
To fully possess Daimon, Malzahar needed to manifest in his full form, then shift into his astral form. He became dark smoke and entered Daimon through his mouth. Daimon cried for help, black tears streaming from his eyes, nose, and ears.
He passed out in the graveyard.
When General Lucian and his troops arrived, they found only corpses. The lingering power of Malzahar was enough to frighten and kill ordinary demons.
That's why in the human realm the Seven Supreme Dragon Lords does not go into full form after awakening; the magic was too overwhelming.
Daimon woke up in an inn, lying in bed.
"How did I get here?"
Malzahar spoke in his mind.
"You're living a good life now."
"How?"
"I took over your body, went to the guild, and sold the adventurers' loot."
"So... we are one now?"
"Only physically. I can take control anytime I want."
"I can't stop you?"
"You agreed to let me possess you."
Daimon didn't fully understand who Malzahar was. But he let it be. He was strong now, but far from his full potential.
As time passed, Daimon trained. Malzahar told him the true story of the underworld.
Their mother, Tessa, the Supreme Dragon, was married to Demon Lord Akira. She was a humanoid dragon; he was a demon. They had many children. But a curse prevented her from giving birth to demons, only dragons.
There was no true heir. Only a demon could rule the underworld. Akira, frustrated, decided to kill all his children.
Tessa warned the dragons. She had birthed 30 dragons, and their numbers grew to 150. Malzahar was the lastborn.
War broke out. Tessa led the dragons against the demon army. But Akira's strength was unmatched. In the end, Tessa used her last magic to open a portal to the human world.
Only 20 dragons escaped. She closed the portal with her final breath. The rest were slaughtered.
In the human realm, they became the strongest beings. They divided the land into 20 kingdoms and brought peace to a war-torn world.
Malzahar rose as king of Beastonia. He built it from a small kingdom into a military power. He achieved complete evolution, becoming the first Supreme Dragon Lord.
The other dragons grew fearful. They massacred his kingdom and banished him to the underworld.
"You and I,"Malzahar said, "will take back what was stolen. I will give you the underworld. You will give me the human realm. We help each other."
Daimon listened in silence.
"Do you hear me, Daimon? You and I... we help each other."