Luceris stood proudly before the lagoon crowd, leaf-toga flapping like the world's cheapest royal robe. His golden eyes glittered with manic confidence.
"So," he said, hands on his hips, "where do I find these smaller lords? You know, the imps, the beasts, the lycans? I think I'll start my conquest tour with them."
The merfolk exchanged nervous glances. One finally cleared his throat. "Uh… you want directions to the demon warlords?"
"Yes." Luceris nodded gravely. "Please drop a pin."
"…Drop a what?"
He waved dismissively. "Never mind. Just point me the way. And don't worry—I'll be back by dinner."
The young merfolk who had explained the chaos earlier lifted a trembling hand and pointed east. "T-The Imp Lord's territory is that way. But—you'll die!"
Luceris grinned. "Wrong. They'll die. I'll snack."
.
.
The Imp Lord's tribe was a filthy encampment of jagged tents, bonfires, and screeching goblin-like creatures tossing bones. The Imp Lord himself was a hunched, wart-covered creature the size of a pony, wielding a massive club.
When Luceris strolled into camp wearing a leaf and a smirk, the imps roared with laughter.
"Look! A lost merman!""Should we roast him?""Or sell him?"
Luceris raised one hand. The lagoon nearby trembled, then exploded into a towering wall of water. It crashed down with crushing force, sweeping the entire camp away like ants. Imps flew in every direction, squealing.
When the water receded, Luceris stood calmly on a rock, his leaf toga somehow still stylish.
The Imp Lord sputtered, clinging to a tree. "W-Wait! Mercy—!"
Luceris grabbed him by the scruff, hoisted him up like a kitten, and smiled. "Congratulations, you're prisoner number one."
.
.
Next was a valley where enormous wolf-like beasts prowled, fangs dripping, eyes glowing red. Their Beast Lord was a hulking monster twice Luceris's height, covered in scars.
Luceris cracked his knuckles. "Alright, Fido. Sit."
The Beast Lord roared and charged.
Luceris flicked his tail (still figuring out legs, he preferred his aquatic mode). A jet of water the size of a cannon shot from nowhere, slamming the Beast Lord into a cliff wall so hard it left a crater.
The pack of beasts whimpered. Several lay down immediately.
Luceris sighed. "I was expecting more. Bad dog." He tied the unconscious Beast Lord with conjured water chains and dragged him along. "Prisoner number two."
.
By the third hour, Luceris had stormed through five more tribes like a man on a tight schedule.
The Lycans? Drenched them until they couldn't shift forms, then hog-tied their Alpha.
The Succubi? Tried seduction. He folded space around their leader mid-flirt, trapping her in a floating bubble. "Sorry, sweetie. I only date mechas."
The Werebeasts? Flattened with a giant spinning whirlpool. Luceris declared it "hydro-cyclone kung fu" and struck a pose.
The Demon Boar tribe? Turned their camp into an Olympic swimming pool, complete with a slide.
A rogue band of ogres? He made them dizzy by warping space until they fainted in their own footprints.
By the fifth hour, Luceris strolled across the battlefield dragging seven unconscious or sulking warlords strung behind him like party balloons.
"Seven tribes, five hours," he said smugly. "New record."
.
Word traveled fast. By the time he reached the Vampire Lord's gothic citadel, the entire place buzzed with panic.
The Vampire Lord was elegant, pale, draped in velvet. His red eyes glowed as he floated down from a balcony, cape billowing dramatically.
"So. You are the upstart causing chaos. You think you can claim the Demon Realm? Foolish merman." His voice dripped contempt.
Luceris clapped politely. "Nice cape. Love the aesthetic. Shame I'm about to wreck it."
The Vampire Lord hissed, summoning a storm of bats. They blotted out the sky, shrieking as they dove.
Luceris raised one hand. The air cracked. With a thought, he folded the space around the bats. One second, they swarmed overhead. The next, they reappeared trapped in a neat cube of warped air, squashed together like flapping sardines.
The Vampire Lord froze, eyes wide. "Impossible—!"
Luceris grinned. He clenched his fist. Water surged from the ground, forming a spiraling column that wrapped around the vampire, pinning him midair like a bug.
"You're prisoner number eight," Luceris said cheerfully. "By the way, your bats smell weird."
The Vampire Lord spat curses as he was dragged off.
.
The Dark Elf Lord's fortress was even more intimidating—shadowy spires, black mist, armies of elves with obsidian armor. Their leader appeared atop the walls: tall, cruelly beautiful, skin dark as midnight, silver hair flowing.
"You dare stand before me, child of the sea?" His voice was cold, lethal.
Luceris waved. "Hi. Yes. I'm here to conquer you. Let's get this over with, I've got a coronation to attend."
The elf sneered. Arrows of pure shadow rained down like a storm.
Luceris rolled his golden eyes. "Cute trick."
He snapped his fingers. A tidal wave rose from nowhere, so colossal it blotted out the fortress. The elves screamed as it crashed down, flooding everything in seconds. The Dark Elf Lord barely leapt free—only to find Luceris waiting above him, space folding to deliver him midair.
Luceris slammed his palm out. The water surged, wrapping around the elf and forming a massive glowing sphere. The Dark Elf Lord pounded against it, but the hydro-magic held like steel.
Luceris leaned casually against the floating bubble. "Prisoner number nine. You'll get along great with Fangy back there."
The elf's silver hair plastered to his face as he snarled. "This isn't over."
"It is, though," Luceris chirped.
.
By sundown, the impossible had happened. Seven lesser lords, the Vampire Lord, and the Dark Elf Lord—dragged in chains behind one annoyingly pretty merman.
Luceris marched into the central arena of the Demon Realm, a colossal amphitheater where thousands of demons gathered daily to watch blood matches.
Today, they watched something else.
Luceris dumped all nine lords in the middle of the arena like a sack of potatoes. He turned to the stunned crowd, leaf-toga fluttering in the wind.
"Attention, demons!" he bellowed, voice echoing. "Your regularly scheduled chaos has been canceled. Effective immediately, I am your new Demon King."
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
"You can't just—" one imp screeched.
Luceris raised a finger. The imp was instantly swept up in a miniature whirlpool and deposited head-first into a barrel.
"Any other objections?" Luceris asked sweetly.
Silence.
One demon muttered, "The strongest rules. That's the law."
Luceris spread his arms. "Exactly. And since I've just mopped the floor with all your so-called strongest, the throne is mine."
The crowd hesitated. Then, slowly, cheers began to spread.
"Demon King!""Long live the King!""Finally, someone actually strong enough to stop the wars!"
The arena shook with voices as millions of demons shouted in unison.
Luceris raised his chin, basking in the glory. "Excellent. Coronation complete. Someone get me a crown, and maybe pants that aren't made of leaves."
He turned back to the nine prisoners still groaning on the ground.
"Oh, and you guys? Congratulations—you're now my cabinet. Don't worry, it's a very prestigious role. Mostly involves not rebelling or I'll drown you."
The Vampire Lord howled in rage. The Dark Elf Lord glared death. The other lords whimpered.
Luceris flashed his brightest, most infuriating smile.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the new era begins now. The Demon Realm finally has a king. And spoiler alert—he's fabulous."