Behold, my dominion of the world's wretched refuse. Legions of the undead, swarms of ferocious beasts, and those branded heretics who have long abandoned their petty gods. My castle that tears through the sky, striking fear into all creatures. And beside me, my ever-loyal commanders. It was supposed to be us.
The machinations of creation were within our grasp!
With me as the charismatic head, we would have made the cultists of that shitty goddess bow to us! So why, why...
"Why are you doing this!?"
A precise strike narrowly misses my face, cutting my necklace and taking strands of shining black hair with it.
"Answer me! Agnes!!"
The slender knight does not reply. Her midnight armor, accented by the moonlight, would be mesmerizing were it not for her trying to kill me. As I reach for the flying necklace, she lunges again.
"I really will hit you. Stop this, now!"
I pocket the necklace with a dodge.
A weave.
A dance between the two of us, narrowly avoiding her unconscious comrades, my former subordinates.
A blue light gathers around her sword.
With my free clawed hand I gather my own magic, compressing it further and further until the castle halls begin to shake. The torched souls that line the grand hall begin to shriek and grow in size.
Taking an almost rehearsed step forward, I prepare to unleash this spell. Agnes drops to a kneel, and with an irreverent look I dissipate my magic to squat beside her.
"Finally listening again...the punishment will not be light. Now answer: Why did you all betray me?"
I glare at the unreadable face cover.
"...A new King has come. He will lead us to world domination!"
The last sentence was said with near reverence. I felt a pang deep where my heart used to be.
"Agnes, Agnes, Agnes... I am the only one fit for such a grand goal. My goal. Where is your loyalty?"
My finely sharpened nail taps on her helmet. Her and her comrades I raised myself, clearly I had messed up somewhere.
I think back to how she was so long ago in the slums of the demon sector. The Little Bandit, successfully stealing from my underlings at such an age. Such unparalleled potential. And yet...
"You are not strong enough. He is."
Step, step, step
Mana begins to pour from my very being. A dark aura emanates, replacing the air, suffocating the castle. As I rise I speak-
"Not strong enough!? I AM THE STRON-"
WHAM!
A fist slams my skull from behind, dropping me to my own knee, half-turning when-
BAM!
My face is met with another fist, this time laying me flat.
A bloodied hand grabs me by my wine-red horns and lifts my head. Muscles start to strain, giving the feeling of immobility. Is this person taking my mana?
"So this is the Demon King? No wonder you're all still stuck in this realm."
The voice comes from the cloaked figure before me.
"Who..the hell..."
I give all the killing intent I can with a scowl. The knight behind him trembles, but he simply stares back with those damned golden eyes. Red aura begins to surround the man as he takes off his hood.
This...this is just a kid?
"That damned goddess." I spit through clenched teeth.
The kid smiles.
"Sorry, I'll be killing you now."
I clench my fists with what little strength my body has left, gathering mana to force my arms to move.
With what has been mustered, my hand reaches for the arm holding onto me. Upon contact, undiluted mana is unleashed, burning through the cloak and making skin boil.
"Do not... touch me with... such sullied hands."
He recoils, allowing me to arise. The absence of much of my mana leaves me woozy, to say nothing of the punches that took me down. But this was far from over.
I take a deep breath in, take a rag from my overcoat pocket to polish the horn he had touched, and breathe out.
Red mana had begun to fill the hall. I responded in kind.
"Who are you?"
"Ahh, it's a bit of a sob story- "
He says as he appears in front of me in an instant, fist at the ready.
"- I'll tell it to your corpse."
Eyes wide with barely any time to react, the fist scrapes my cheek, and I... I bled. Brows furrow as I prepare an attack of my own, but as I throw my own attack, he has launched himself at me again.
Every ounce of strength is squeezed to intercept his fist with mine.
Our mana collides and destroys each other as if to create a vacuum, leaving my hand tattered and coat sleeve eviscerated.
"How is this possible!"
Despite my situation, the kid has not let up. Another fist followed, this time connecting with a perfectly sculpted face.
I am sent flying.
Over the unconscious traitors.
Over the still kneeling knight.
Yet my throne remains there to catch me.
Step, step, step
Seeing this kid slowly approach through bloodied eyes, I reach for the necklace in my pocket.
Step, step, step
Up the throne steps. Monstrous aura gathers around the kid. This time even I feel it's pressure. He grabs my horn once more, preparing another, more final, strike.
Through blood and cracked teeth, I mutter-
"I..."
"Hm?"
He pauses for a second, a final mercy perhaps.
I debate the consequences of my next words, but my pride won't let things end like this.
"I surrender..."
He gives a disgusting grin, leaving me now with just a moment before death.
Just then- light emits from one of my hands. Blinding. Everything becomes a glowing, impenetrable white. The man lets go once again to cover his eyes.
"What the f-"
Crack
Space itself shatters, and when all snaps back to place, what now surrounds me is no longer the blackstone walls of my castle or kid about to kill me, but a lush forest and creek under an afternoon sun.
Looking and my hand, the necklace turns to dust, scattering with the wind.
The now empty hand turns to a fist held to my head as I tightly shut my eyes.
"How unforgivably humiliating..."
I take a deep breathe and soften up. A true Demon King never kneels.
Going to fix my hair, I notice something. Or rather, lack of some things.
Rushing to the water, the reflection before me notes a very serious ailment.
"My...beautiful...horns..."
And with that, I collapse to my knees.