《Arm of the Demon》 Chapter 1 - What Are You?! Unlike most people, Damien had led a very unfortunate life. This all began 10 years ago at the age of 8 when he became an orphan with the loss of his mother. Strangely, the only memory he had of her was on her deathbed, when she gave him a necklace that she claimed would protect him from evil. Little did he know evil was closer than he thought. It was the night of his 18th birthday, he had just moved into his new dorm having said his goodbyes to everyone in the orphanage... Only to realize that something was missing from around his neck. That necklace was the only memory he had left of his parents, to him it meant more than the entire world. ¡°W-Where is it? Where''s my necklace?!¡± he said in a panic at the same time a shadow closed up on him. The shadow crept up and enveloped his left arm, progressively making its way up. ¡°AHHHH!¡± he screamed. Needless to say, it was an excruciating experience. He dropped to the floor in the pangs of pain, only to find the necklace directly in front of him. At this point the shadow was crawling up his elbow. He quickly grabbed the necklace and wrapped it around his left bicep, almost cutting off the circulation in his left arm. As if in fear, the shadow retreated back to his forearm, stopping. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.A voice spoke directly into his head ¡°That accursed necklace!¡± the voice resounded in anger. ¡°What the hell are you?!¡± Damien shouted in fear, looking directly at his blackened left arm which had somehow managed to turn back into looking normal. ¡°I am a Shade.¡± the voice chuckled ominously in his mind, only managing to deepen his fears. At that moment Damien knew: this was the night that would change his life forever. Chapter 2 - Shaitan ¡°From now on, you and I are bound together by fate. I am the Great Shade Shaitan.¡± the ominous voice resounded once again. ¡°What do you even want?! Why me?!¡± Damien said angrily. ¡°Shades do not have a physical form in the Realm of Mortals. For that reason I needed a vessel.¡± Damien¡¯s left arm moved against his will, a finger pointing directly at his heart. ¡°A role which I have deigned you worthy of. Unfortunately, I have only managed to possess a part of your left arm thanks to that accursed necklace.¡± ¡°I understand that much, but why would you need a vessel in the first place, and again, why me?! Also, what do you know about this necklace?¡± ¡°Foolish human, you ask much too many questions. That necklace has been protecting you for years, it was an opportune moment to possess you due to your carelessness. As for why I chose you, you seem to have a rather unfortunate aura that attracts demons.¡± ¡°Demons?¡± Damien replied shocked. ¡°Yes, demons. The previous Demon King has passed, as such it has been decided ten years ago that the ceremony for the next Demon King will take place a week from now. Each of the 100 Greater Demon Clans from Hell will send a single candidate to the Mortal Realm to fight, and the sole survivor will be crowned the Demon King.¡± Shaitan spoke condescendingly. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Earth will become the battleground to decide the next Demon King¡­ ¡°That¡¯s crazy! What makes you think I¡¯d even help you!¡± Damien protested futilely. ¡°There are things worse than death, human.¡± Shaitan spoke with a hint of a threat, controlling Damien¡¯s left arm in a gesture that simulated a cutting of his throat. ¡°Besides, you wouldn¡¯t want anything to happen to those in the orphanage, would you?¡± Shaitan said, followed by his trademark ominous chuckle. ¡°...¡± There was nothing left to say. After the loss of his parents, the people at the orphanage were like his family. He would do anything to protect them, even if it meant helping decide the next Demon King. Chapter 3 - Debriefing The entire week was spent preparing Damien for the inevitable battles that would take place during the rite of the Demon King. When it comes to battles, what do you think is the most important thing? Power? Speed? Technique? Courage? It¡¯s none of these. The most important thing is information. This is an undeniable fact. Information on your opponent, to know their strengths and weaknesses. The strongest of people can be felled by the weakest with information on their opponents beforehand. Shaitan, having experienced and being a veteran of many battles in Hell, certainly knew of this, and debriefed Damien on the dangerous types of demons from the Greater Demon Clans to be wary of. Some of the particularly notable ones are as follows: Dragons. They are the epitome of power, perhaps even being able to defy the previous logic about information. Their only downfall is that they are proud and arrogant, believing their strength to be absolute. This means that they are unlikely to form alliances with other demons. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Vampires. Appearing like a normal human at a glance, they possess strength that defies their appearance. What is more frightening, however, is their intellect and ability to control weak-willed people by drinking their blood. They too are proud and arrogant. Zombies. Also potentially appearing like a normal human, one would usually think them as weak, however, they are the quintessence of tenacity. They will continue to regenerate, living forever. They simply will not die if their head is not completely destroyed. Of the 99 Greater Demon Clans, there were several more notable demons. Shaitan explained those notable ones painfully thoroughly, but of the 100, there was a demon that Shaitan did not provide any information on. Shades. Was there a reason for this? Chapter 4 - First Encounter Note: ¡® ¡¯ will now indicate Shaitan speaking only to Damien via telepathy. It¡¯s been an entire week since Damien met Shaitan. Although exhausted, he was slowly getting used to his personality, maybe even building a rapport with him¡­ maybe. He was currently making his way to an abandoned church at night to see Shaitan¡¯s abilities for the first time. ¡°You know, you still haven¡¯t told me anything about Shades.¡± ¡®Do you realize how utterly ridiculous you must look to other humans speaking to your arm?¡¯ He was right. The few people that were walking by were staring at Damien with strange and worried looks. ¡°D-Don¡¯t change the subject! Well, if you won¡¯t tell me anything about Shades, then at least tell me more about the rite of the Demon King. How do we know if we¡¯re the last ones standing, anyway?¡± he whispered this time. ¡®While in the Mortal Realm we have the ability of appearing human and are able sense the presence of other demons. Earlier today, I have already sensed 7 signs disappear, aside from us there are only 92 remaining.¡¯ ¡°They aren¡¯t wasting any time, huh?¡± ¡®Silence. We are being followed.¡¯ Shaitan said abruptly. ¡®Excellent. This will make a perfect opportunity to show you my greatness.¡¯ he laughed ominously. ¡®Begin running to the church.¡¯ The second Shaitan finished speaking, Damien broke into a dash towards the abandoned church. He had already resolved himself. He had an orphanage to protect, and had absolutely no qualms about killing demons. Making his way into the inner parts of the decrepit building, Damien turned to face the entrance. What he was saw was¡­ a normal-looking, if not pretty, girl. A girl about 5¡¯4 tall with shoulder-length straight blonde hair. ¡°Which Demon Clan are you from?¡± the girl said with a commanding tone. ¡®Do not speak.¡¯ Shaitan relayed to Damien. A few seconds passed. ¡°If you do not tell me, I will just kill you.¡± the girl said with a grin. Suddenly, green scales started appearing on her body, and a tail began to grow. ¡°Lizardman?!¡± Damien unconsciously spoke aloud. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°You bitch, how dare you! I am a dragonewt! Just for that, I will slowly take my time and enjoy killing you.¡± the girl retorted. ¡®Ahahah. Good. A weakling. I might have actually been worried for you if it had been a much stronger demon.¡¯ Shaitan said with a hint of amusement. ¡®This is good experience for you, try to survive for as long as you can.¡¯ ¡°Hey, what the hell?! Are you just going to leave me here with this lizardman?!¡± his cry was to deaf ears¡­ except for the self-proclaimed dragonewt. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡± she spoke with renewed anger and ran towards Damien. Damien tried to recall the information he got from Shaitan about lizardmen. Although not as strong as a dragon¡¯s, their scales, claws, and powerful tails were the features he remembered about them. He made a backstep just as a claw swiped at his face, barely dodging it. It had been a feint. As he was jumping back, a tail grabbed him by his foot and swung him across the room. He flew and crashed into the altar, spitting out blood. ¡°So weak. Are you even a demon?¡± the girl laughed and approached Damien slowly. Damien was gasping for air, slowly pulling himself back up when a tail wrapped around his body. ¡°I will slowly crush you to death for your insolence.¡± the girl said in a melodic voice, tightening and increasing the pressure of her tail. ¡°AAAHHH! Aaaa-¡± Damien yelled in pain before being unable to even emit a sound. ¡®Well, you need some improvement. That ended faster than I thought it would.¡¯ Shaitan said casually as Damien was struggling to break free. Simultaneously, Damien¡¯s left arm below his elbow disappeared and a black arm materialized behind the female lizardman. The black arm thrust into her chest¡­ and pulled out a grotesque organ. It was still beating. ¡®A lowly lizardman dares harm my vessel?¡¯ Shaitan spoke telepathically to the girl. ¡°W-wh¡­ How?¡± the girl said, spitting out blood. ¡°Black¡­ I-it can¡¯t be, Shaitan?! Why is a monster like you here...¡± Those were her last words as the heart was grasped by the black arm and crushed. Chapter 5 - Shade of Evil *Cough cough* ¡°Couldn''t you have helped me sooner?¡± An arm suddenly reappeared on Damien. ''What fun would that have been?'' ¡°Bastard, I''ll kill you when this is all over.¡± Damien growled in a low voice. ''That would be quite interesting as well.'' Shaitan merely chuckled. The corpse of the lizardman girl still lay before Damien. ¡°Who are you, really? Why was she so afraid of you?¡± Damien asked curiously. ''I have quite the... reputation in Hell. There is no one who has not heard of me. I am the last Shade of my clan.'' ¡°What happened to the rest of your clan?¡± Damien asked, feeling that he was approaching dangerous territories. ''I killed and devoured them.'' a sinister voice replied. For a while, there was silence. ¡°Why? Why would you do that?¡± Damien finally broke the silence after a while. ''Ten years ago when the rite of the Demon King was decided upon on this day, each of the Greater Demon Clans began preparing and choosing their candidates. I was not chosen by the other Shades of my clan. Can you fathom their audacity to not choose me?'' Damien was unsure whether the question was rhetorical. ¡°You killed all of them... just for that?¡± Damien asked fearfully. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ''No, I killed them to devour them for their power, and admittedly, because it was fun. Besides, with all of them dead, I am the only possible candidate left from my clan.'' Shaitan replied, seemingly amused. ¡°That lizardman was right... you are a monster. Doesn''t that mean you''re insanely powerful with an entire clan''s worth of power?¡± ''You are more intelligent than the fool I took you for. Indeed, but that power is only limited to Hell. In the Realm of the Mortals, I am only able to exercise my original power. It is more than sufficient for lowly vermin such as lizardmen. The only way for me to die in the Mortal Realm is if you, as my vessel, die as well. We are bound together for the remainder of my time here.'' ¡°That doesn''t make any sense! If you''re just a rogue demon, will the other Greater Demon Clans really just accept you as the Demon King for surviving this rite?¡± ''Yes. They wouldn''t dare go against the Demon King''s succession ceremony. Only the elites ever survive and go on to become the Demon King, whether the strongest or smartest demon. Even if they did go against it, I will subjugate them with my own power when I return.'' Damien was now beginning to reconsider working together with this demon among demons. Chapter 6 - Endless Night ¡°Let¡¯s go back, that¡¯s enough for one day.¡± Damien sighed in exhaustion, wiping the blood from his mouth. ¡®Wait. I sense two presences nearby. Perhaps they are fighting, or maybe they¡¯re working together if you¡¯re unlucky.¡¯ ¡°Damn! Just my luck. So, what¡¯s the plan Oh Great Shade?¡± Damien said sarcastically. ¡®Let¡¯s go observe the situation for now, they would eventually come to us if we stayed here, anyway.¡¯ Damien left the abandoned church as Shaitan gave directions to the location of the demons. ¡°Isn¡¯t this a bad idea? If they are working together, then it¡¯d be 2 against 1.¡± ¡®Fool. Who do you think I am? I do not believe any of the demons enough to be a threat to us from the notable Greater Demon Clans would lower themselves and work with others to begin with. Besides, it is the middle of night with darkness all around, where I am at my strongest.¡¯ That statement made Damien shiver and recall the prior week, looking at his neck. A silver necklace hung around it, and he was truly thankful for his mother protecting him even after death. He shrugged the thoughts away and continued to follow Shaitan¡¯s directions. ¡®We¡¯re here. Look.¡¯ at Shaitan¡¯s urging, Damien lowered his head to the sight below. They were now standing on a raised platform about 2 meters high overlooking a park. Below, two figures were moving and engaging in combat. One was a blob, constantly changing shapes and forms. The other, a beast that looked to be a mix between a wolf and a human. Damien remembered the information from Shaitan. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Slimes. Demons with no fixed form, and nearly immune to physical attacks. They are viscous liquids that are capable of dissolving things on contact. Werewolves. Demons with high vitality and agility. They are stronger at night, and particularly stronger when more of the moon is out. Damien tilted his head, his eyes scanning the sky. There was a full moon. ¡°Shit.¡± was all he uttered. To the normal observer it looked like the werewolf was pushing the slime back, ferociously swiping its claws at an amazing speed. The slime was constantly being cut apart and quickly forming back together, making pitiful attempts at trying to dodge the claws. Damien too, thought the werewolf would be victorious. Shaitan, on the other hand, thought differently. ¡®If this continues, the slime will win.¡¯ Shaitan said a matter-of-factly. ¡°Huh? The slime¡¯s getting dominated!¡± Damien said in disbelief. ¡®You imbecile, do you not remember a sliver of the information I¡¯ve told you? Slimes are nearly immune to physical attacks. It appears that the slime plans on wearing down the werewolf¡¯s great endurance, or waiting for night to pass before striking. Quite intelligent, given its abilities.¡¯ They watched the battle go on for a few more minutes before the fighting abruptly stopped. The slime and werewolf distanced themselves from one another¡­ and both turned to the direction of Damien. In actuality, both were too focused on fighting one another to notice the presence of another demon. Until now, that is. ¡°...Fuck my life.¡± Damien muttered. Chapter 7 - Unfair Battle? To Damien, time seemed to stop for a moment. The werewolf was clearly faster than the lizardman, he knew he would be torn to shreds in seconds if it got into range. He couldn¡¯t imagine being melted alive by a slime either, surely that would be one of the things worse than death Shaitan had spoken about. At an early age he had already learned that life was unfair, and always took the brunt of the unreasonableness head-on, but this time he felt like life had kicked him in the balls and spat on his face with its cruelty, then proceeding to moonwalk away while giggling. Damien was now just staring into space. ¡®You are without doubt the most pathetic excuse for a human being I have ever had the misfortune to lay my eyes upon.¡¯ Shaitan said, breaking Damien out of his trance. The werewolf and slime started to move towards him, undoubtedly releasing killing intent. ¡°What do we do now? Die?¡± Damien¡¯s manner of speech to Shaitan had become increasingly snarky. ¡®We fight.¡¯ Shaitan responded, eerily calm. The werewolf began to run at an amazing speed. ¡°How am I supposed to fight against that! Do you realize just how unfair this is?¡± Damien shouted, pointing his right arm at the speeding werewolf. ¡®Is whining the only thing you know how to do skillfully?¡¯ Shaitan said at the same time a figure jumped, instantly clearing 2 meters of height. The werewolf was now standing level to Damien, cautiously staring him down. ¡®We can easily defeat it. We have the advantage, it does not know what type of demon I am yet. The most dangerous things about fully transformed werewolves are their vitality and agility, in this case you need only be wary of its speed. I will halt its movements when the time is right. You shall be the one to kill it. With your necklace. Werewolves are vulnerable to silver, especially a holy artifact such as that.¡¯ Shaitan recited calmly. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Damien nodded slowly and took off his necklace, forming a hoop with it in his right hand. As if that were the cue for the battle to begin, the werewolf suddenly lunged forth. Unbeknownst to everyone, the slime was currently slowly scaling up the raised platform. The werewolf furiously swiped at Damien¡¯s face, he barely managed to dodge it by pulling back his head. During that attack, faster than he could perceive, the werewolf clawed with his other arm, slashing Damien across his chest. The werewolf was once again going for his head, aiming for a killing blow. ¡®Now!¡¯ a voice resounded in his mind. Damien¡¯s left arm disappeared, in turn, a black arm reappeared beneath the werewolf, grabbing hold of its leg and sealing its movement. The werewolf was startled for a moment. That moment was all it took. Damien moved forward, bringing the necklace over the werewolf¡¯s head with his right arm, and onto its neck. He then pulled, strangling the werewolf with all his might. Normally, a single arm would not be powerful enough to strangle an average adult, however, it¡¯s a different story if the weakness of werewolves are exploited, and a holy metal is used. The werewolf spasmed and ceased moving. ¡°I-I did it.¡± Damien said, panting in relief. ¡®Good work.¡¯ Shaitan said and reappeared as Damien¡¯s left arm. ¡®People are most vulnerable when they go for the killing blow.¡¯ Shaitan chuckled. Out of nowhere, a slime jumped towards Damien¡¯s face. Chapter 8 - His Mistake Damien¡¯s left arm suddenly moved against his will to block the incoming slime. ¡®...And when they think they have won.¡¯ Shaitan said, continuing to laugh. The slime was now covering the entirety of Damien¡¯s left forearm. For some reason the arm wouldn¡¯t dissolve, instead turning black. The slime struggled violently as if in pain, trying to free itself in vain. Its once clear and transparent body was now being pervaded by a pitch-black shadow that was emitted from the arm as its source. Before long the slime ceased moving, turning entirely into a muddy-black color, and fell off his arm onto the ground. It was dead. ¡®Only fools drop their guard in the middle of a battle, fool.¡¯ Shaitan said in a serious tone. ¡°Hah¡­.¡± Damien fell to the floor on his butt, exhausted and clutching at his chest with his right arm. ¡°That¡¯s enough fighting demons for tonight, don¡¯t you think? We¡¯ve already killed 3. I¡¯ve lost more blood tonight than I did in my lifetime.¡± Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡®Very well, get your rest, human. It will be inconvenient for me as well if you were exhausted during a battle.¡¯ Shaitan spoke as condescendingly as always. ¡°That¡¯s the Shaitan I know.¡± ¡®As if you know me.¡¯ Surprisingly, they both laughed into the night. ¡­ In the sky at a distance, there was a bird, no, a bat watching the entirety of their battle. It was the vampire lord candidate from one of the 100 Greater Demon Clans. ¡°Only the left arm, huh? I do not fear you as long as we are in this realm, Shaitan. Your mistake was not completely possessing that human. He will be your doom.¡± the bat said, promising despair, before laughing and flying off into the dark. 90 demons remain. Reader Comments Feel free to leave any comments, criticism, and suggestions here. I will read all of them when I have the time. Chapter 9 - Despair & Dissonance It was the following morning of the chaotic night. Damien was sleeping in his dorm, completely spent from the battles and loss of blood from the night before. He had purplish bruises all over his back, and the cuts on his chest were covered with bandages. He was still sleeping peacefully when the ring of his cell phone woke him up. He reached out to answer it. Before he could say anything, a voice came through from the other side. ¡°Hello, Damien.¡± a raspy and feminine voice said. Damien had a bad premonition. ¡°Who is it?¡± he asked, albeit reluctantly. ¡°I am the vampire lord Rose. Pleased to make your acquaintance.¡± At this point he knew things would not be proceeding well. ¡®...¡¯ Shaitan remained quiet. ¡°Great, now what the hell do you want?¡± Damien asked in a tired voice. ¡°Whoa, no need for such hostilities. I would just like to have the honor of meeting you, an hour from now, at the local greenhouse.¡± she said innocently. ¡°And what makes you think I¡¯ll be there?¡± Damien provoked. ¡°If you do not come, I suppose I¡¯ll just have to pay a visit to those at your former orphanage¡­¡± she trailed off before abruptly ending the call. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. There was silence. Pulling himself together, Damien began to leave the dorm. ¡®It is an obvious trap. My abilities decrease drastically in areas with plenty of light and where there is no darkness. She called us out in the morning, to a greenhouse on top of that.¡¯ Shaitan said. ¡°I know, but I¡¯m still going.¡± ¡®You¡¯ll die.¡¯ ¡°I will still go.¡± ¡®We¡¯ll die.¡¯ ¡°So what?¡± ¡®Forget about them.¡¯ Shaitan¡¯s tone became sharp. ¡°YOU DON¡¯T UNDERSTAND. I DON¡¯T CARE IF I DIE, OR YOU DIE. I WILL GO. THE ONLY REASON I AM KILLING DEMONS FOR A MONSTER LIKE YOU IS FOR THEIR SAFETY.¡± Damien shouted. ¡®No, human, YOU do not understand. Vampires are clever beings. Not only will you die, they will die as well. In fact, she most likely already has them under her control and plans to hold you captive to make you watch while she tortures them to death.¡¯ Damien paled. ¡°SO WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT ME TO DO?¡± he cried in frustration. There was a moment of silence before Shaitan spoke. ¡®I have a plan.¡¯ was all he simply said. Chapter 10 - Hell Itself Damien entered the large greenhouse. The first thing that caught his attention were all the plants and greenery, but more importantly, the artificial sunlight that placed a coating of light over the entire structure. He walked further in towards the center, and there he saw them. A beautiful pale woman with fiery burgundy hair, and lined up by her sides were various people. Some he didn¡¯t recognize, and deduced to be the caretakers of the greenhouse, but there were children and another woman he did recognize. The people from the orphanage. The woman named Eclair was the owner of the orphanage, and like a second mother to him. In fact, the entire orphanage was like a family to him. Everyone lined up beside the pale woman had a hazy and empty look in their eyes. Finally, the pale woman spoke. ¡°So nice of you to come here, Damien, it isn¡¯t polite to keep a lady waiting. Let me reintroduce myself, I am the vampire lord Rose.¡± ¡°Go to hell.¡± Damien said bluntly. ¡°I have already been to Hell, it¡¯s quite a nice place, actually. Well, let¡¯s get this over with. I¡¯ll slice off your limbs and have you watch as I torture the people you love.¡± Rose giggled and approached Damien slowly. ¡°Wait! Do whatever you want with me, just let them go. I will never forgive you nor myself if I knew they had been harmed because of me.¡± Damien begged. ¡°Ohhh, you just gave me a good idea.¡± Rose said, and bit into Damien¡¯s neck, drinking his blood. Damien¡¯s eyes became as hazy as everyone elses. ¡°I will have you kill them all yourself.¡± she giggled once more. ¡°I command you, choke everyone you care about to death.¡± she said in a menacing voice. He lost control of his own body, aware of every action he was making, and slowly approached Eclair. He closed his hands around her neck, and began tightening his grip while tears left streaks of water down his cheeks. *Flashback* ¡®I have a plan.¡¯ ¡°Will it be able to save them?¡± ¡®It has a much higher chance of saving them than what you intend on doing.¡¯ ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡± ¡®You need to stay alive long enough to have her decide to drink your blood and control you.¡¯ ¡°How the fuck is that a plan?!¡± Damien asked, confused. ¡®Having you controlled will drop her guard, and buy me enough time to materialize myself in those harsh conditions. I have told you before that the arrogance of some of the notable Greater Demon Clans will be their downfall, have I not? You just need to come up with a way to make her think that controlling you is better than her killing you outright.¡¯ Stolen novel; please report. ¡°I will trust you this once. I will do whatever it takes, sacrifice my body, or even fight all the Greater Demon Clans from Hell itself to protect my family and those I care about.¡± Damien said with a fire in his eyes. *End of flashback* While gripping on to Eclair¡¯s throat, Damien¡¯s left arm vanished. A black arm materialized behind the vampire lord Rose. Before anyone could react, it pierced directly into her chest, and through her body, pulling out an organ. It was Shaitan¡¯s trademark heart grasp. ¡®You know, Rose, you have always stolen the hearts of plenty men in Hell, but am I the one to have stolen your heart this time? Ahahahah.¡¯ Shaitan spoke telepathically to Rose and joked while grasping her heart in his hand. ¡°I am already in enough pain without you having to tell your horrid jokes.¡± Rose said while coughing out blood. ¡°How¡­ Were you able to do it? There¡¯s light¡­ all around¡­ us¡­ you shouldn¡¯t have been able to¡­ materialize.¡± blood was flowing out of her mouth as she spoke. ¡®Where there is light, there will always be a shadow. It may just take longer for the shadow to appear, but darkness will always live. You¡¯ve lost, Rose. If I had fully possessed his body, no matter how infinitesimally small the chance, you just might have overpowered my will and been able to take control of me. It is only because we were working together as one that I was able to defeat you in such a disadvantageous situation.¡¯ Shaitan stated proudly. ¡°Working together as one, huh¡­ So it wasn¡¯t a mistake.¡± Rose said with a pensive look on her face. No one would be able to tell her that only possessing Damien¡¯s left arm was actually indeed entirely a mistake, and he had planned to take full control of Damien in the beginning. Of course, Shaitan could have, but he deemed it too embarrassing. Shaitan closed his hand, and the heart inside of it was instantly destroyed. Rose¡¯s body collapsed, and the haze in everyone¡¯s eyes disappeared at the same time while they too, fainted and fell to the floor. Chapter 11 - Agreement It was night. The same day as the incident with the vampire lord Rose. Luckily, everyone who was controlled by Rose had no memories of what had transpired, and with the help of Shaitan, Damien had been able to return them all back safely. He was now changing his bandages in his dorm. ¡°What the hell?¡± Damien said, looking at his chest. The wounds on his chest have already healed. ¡®It is the necklace. It seems to be a holy artifact that masks your unfortunate aura from demons and possesses healing properties.¡¯ a familiar voice spoke into his mind. His mother had given him the necklace. The problem was that he had no memories of her after she had given it to him. ¡°Shaitan, did you know my mother?¡± he didn¡¯t realize it, but that was the first time he had called the Shade by name. ¡®I do not. I have only followed you in recent years because that accursed necklace could not hide your unfortunate aura from one such as I. I have never seen your birth mother.¡¯ The questions surrounding Damien had only continued to grow. ¡°You keep saying that I have an unfortunate aura, do you know why I have it?¡± ¡®That is not for me to answer.¡¯ Shaitan said plainly. Damien knew the Shade was hiding something from him, but also realized that pressing the matter would prove to be fruitless. He shook those thoughts away, for now. ¡°Anyway, I still can¡¯t believe we were able to take down Rose.¡± ¡®We were lucky. Lucky that she was an utter fool. She was complacent thinking that I had become powerless, and too busy enjoying herself, reveling in her sadistic tendencies to take notice that you and I are separate entities. She could have fought cautiously, and used only your loved ones to kill you instead of personally coming to meet us. Her pride was the death of her.¡¯ ¡°Can¡¯t you be optimistic for once? We¡¯ve defeated 4 demons, and one of them was one of the prominent candidates to become the next Demon King from the 100 Greater Demon Clans you always talk about.¡± Damien said cheerfully. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡®It is too early to celebrate. Including us, I now sense 85 demons left.¡¯ ¡°We should try to avoid fighting and have as much of them kill each other off first.¡± ¡®So you are capable of producing coherent thoughts. Nevertheless, we won¡¯t be able to avoid battle forever, and there are a few of the notable demon candidates that I am unable to defeat in a direct confrontation with my current state in this realm.¡¯ ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡®Do you recall the Slime and Werewolf¡¯s battle? A werewolf would usually overpower most weaker demons when a full moon is out, however, their attributes conflicted, and it was a bad matchup for the werewolf. Within Hell, I can easily defeat a dragon in a direct confrontation, but the situation here is different. In the Mortal Realm with only my original strength, in addition to possessing only an arm, I would undoubtedly be defeated in direct combat.¡¯ Damien noticed that Shaitan emphasized the word ¡®Direct.¡¯ ¡°So, we just don¡¯t have to play fairly?¡± Damien said with a smirk. Shaitan made no reply, but Damien knew that he found it entertaining. ¡°Shaitan, let¡¯s make an agreement.¡± Damien unexpectedly said with an earnest expression. ¡®Agreement?¡¯ for once, Shaitan sounded confused. ¡°I realized today that I can¡¯t protect everyone in the orphanage on my own. I will definitely make you the Demon King, in exchange, I want you to promise me their safety for as long as you live.¡± ¡®Such insolence! To make an agreement would imply that we are equals. Amusing, human. Very well, I shall accept this agreement of yours.¡¯ On this night, an agreement was made, and a formidable pair was formed. 85 demons remain. Chapter 12 - Vendetta Damien slowly opened his eyes. There was complete darkness all around. He picked himself up off the floor. The last thing he remembered was making an agreement with Shaitan before falling asleep in his dorm. ¡°Where am I?¡± Damien asked dubiously. The only thing he could see was darkness. Several white butterflies appeared and flew through the darkness, before completely disappearing without leaving so much as a trace. ¡°Hey, Shaitan, where are we?¡± Damien asked aloud. There was no response. ¡°Shaitan!¡± Damien asked, worry showing through the sound of his voice. ¡°This is my world. You killed my fiancee, and this is my vindication.¡± a voice echoed throughout the darkness. All of a sudden, Damien felt something biting into his right forearm, and a chunk of his arm¡¯s flesh went flying through the darkness. ¡°Gah!¡± Damien yelped in pain. ¡°I loved her. Even if she might have not returned my feelings, I loved her.¡± the voice echoed. Damien wasn¡¯t able to see what had attacked him, and wasn¡¯t able to pinpoint the location of the voice. He went into a combat-ready stance. It did little and failed miserably. He felt a blow to his stomach, and was blown back, rolling onto the floor. ¡°The pain you are feeling now isn¡¯t an ounce of the pain I felt compared to when I discovered that you had killed her.¡± the voice continued to echo. Damien vomited as he forced himself back up. Something was strange, he knew it was the power of a demon, and that Shaitan would not be here to help him this time. He needed to think, and remember the week spent on his debriefing, which of the remaining 85 demons had this type of ability? Although whether he would live long enough to be able to do it was an entirely different story altogether. ¡°I will make you suffer. Like you had made me.¡± the voice said coldly. Damien brought his arms up together, creating a cross shielding his face with them. He felt a sudden shift in the wind, and cuts and scratches began appearing all over his body. As the cuts kept accumulating, Damien was beginning to piece together the clues. His last memory falling asleep. Total darkness. Not being able to spot the demon. And then it hit him, both figuratively and literally. He was struck below the chin, forcing his head upwards. Damien clumsily jumped back, trying to create some distance between his invisible attacker. It could only have been one demon, this was his conclusion from the information he had gotten from Shaitan. The Alp. A German variation of vampires that appears in dreams and causes nightmares, but the pain he was feeling was very real. He knew if he didn¡¯t do something soon, he would lose his life. They are usually mischievous demons, wearing a hat that grants them invisibility and the capacity to shapeshift. Their special ability is ¡®Evil Eye¡¯ which allows them to create a world of their own in dreams, turning them into nightmares. Shaitan was right about information being the most important aspect of battles. The weakness of alps were their eyes. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Damien began formulating a plan in his mind when he was struck in the back, making him stumble forward. He hastily turned around, facing the direction of the strike. It was a risky plan, but he decided to gamble. He knew he would die at this rate if he didn¡¯t do anything. Then, he shouted ¡°HEY! DO YOU KNOW HOW I KILLED HER?! I PIERCED THROUGH HER CHEST WITH MY LEFT ARM, AND CRUSHED HER HEART!¡± laughing maniacally. ¡°You¡­ Then it is only fitting that you die in the same way.¡± the voice echoed. Damien focused all his senses into perceiving the flow of air around him like his life depended on it. He felt a shift in the air, and reached his left arm forward, grabbing at the empty space in front of his heart. He felt like he was gripping a wrist, and held onto it at full force. Then, with his right arm, wildly waved at the space in front of him. He hit something solid. It was a pointed hat, like one a wizard would wear. The hat was knocked away several feet, and something appeared in front of him. It was a rather small demon with brown skin and sharp ears, it was even shorter than he was. The demon was surprised with its eyes widened, Damien wouldn¡¯t let this opportunity slip past him. Using that opening, Damien flung the demon¡¯s arm that had tried to pierce his heart into the air, and using both hands pushed the demon onto the floor roughly. The demon¡¯s head bounced off the floor, if it were human, it would have definitely received a concussion. Damien continued, dropping onto the demon and using his knees to keep the demon¡¯s arms pinned. He then desperately grabbed for the demon¡¯s head, four fingers wrapping around his face, and his thumbs pointing at the demon¡¯s eyes¡­ and pushed them with all the strength he had left in him. The demon flailed violently, blood squirting and leaking out of his eyes. ¡°Rose¡­¡± it whispered, before it stopped moving completely. The surroundings were wrapped in a flash of blinding light. *Cough, cough, gasp* ¡®Damien!¡¯ a familiar voice resounded in his mind. It was the first time he had heard Shaitan sound worried, and the first time he had called him by his name. Damien was in his bed, gasping for air. ¡®Was it an alp?¡¯ Shaitan asked. ¡°Yeah, I killed it, I think.¡± Damien was now calming down. ¡®I see. Commendable, human.¡¯ Shaitan was sounding like his old self again. ¡°Hey, just curious, but what would have happened if I died there?¡± ¡®You would have died in the Mortal Realm, as well.¡¯ Shaitan said, lacking emotion. ¡°...¡± Damien remained silent, he felt like a load had just been lifted off his shoulders. Then, he looked at his right arm. What entered his sights were red marks detailing bite marks and numerous red lines. It caused him to shiver. It had been a difficult fight, but he had succeeded in defeating a demon on his own. 84 demons remain. Chapter 13 - Hell on Earth Morning. It was the day after the battle with the vampire lord Rose and the alp, the 3rd day since the start of the Demon King¡¯s selection ceremony. Damien was getting out of bed and preparing for the day ahead of him. ¡°Hey, Shaitan, we should be getting a trophy for this. 5 demons in two days! What¡¯s the record killcount for the Demon Kings in previous ceremonies?¡± ¡®Hmmm.¡¯ Shaitan sounded deep in thought, ¡®If my memory serves me right, the most amount of kills was done by the last Demon King that had passed 10 years ago. I believe it was around 20 demons that he had slain.¡¯ ¡°What type of demon was he, a dragon?¡± Damien asked curiously. ¡®I do not know. At least, I do not suspect that he was a dragon. He always made his appearances in a human¡¯s form. The only thing I do know is that...¡¯ Shaitan trailed off. ¡°What?¡± urged Damien. Shaitan remained quiet. He did not mention that the last Demon King had an overwhelmingly dark and unfortunate aura that naturally drew demons to him. ¡®It is nothing.¡¯ Shaitan said after a while. ¡°Fine, be that way, I didn¡¯t want to know, anyway.¡± Damien said childishly. He was now ready to exit his dorm when a voice stopped him. ¡®This is...¡¯ Shaitan spoke slowly. ¡®We are in danger. I sense the presence of several demons around this area. There are at least 5 different types of them. I am unsure whether they are working together.¡¯ ¡°Every single time!¡± Damien shouted in frustration, ¡°Well, at least we have a better chance of setting a new record with this, right?¡± he was trying to convince himself to think optimistically. It was not working. ¡°So, how do we go about this?¡± he was quick to recover, maybe having gotten used to abnormal situations as of late. ¡®First of all, we need to leave here.¡¯ Shaitan said calmly. They quickly made their way out of the dorm, and what they saw could only be described as a Hell on Earth. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Dead bodies were scattered all over, puddles of blood beneath them. Blood was scattered and splashed across the buildings and streets in broad daylight. People were running and screaming, figures resembling humans chasing after them with a variety of different types of weapons such as knives and machetes. At a closer inspection, those humanly figures were actually wooden dolls. ¡®So it finally decided to make its move. How interesting. Most demons would rather go unnoticed than to cause such a commotion.¡¯ Shaitan said gravely. ¡°What the hell is this¡­¡± Damien was barely able to murmur. ¡®The Marionette. A demon that controls puppets. It probably intends to cause chaos to draw out other demons, disregarding the casualties and attention it gathers from humans in the process. This is a bad matchup for me in my current state, it is also still morning, we are at a severe disadvantage. We should try to avoid a direct confrontation with it as much as possible.¡¯ ¡°Can we win?¡± Damien asked, the question excessively prolonged. ¡®There is a possibility. I doubt the marionette will overcome this ceremony to become the Demon King, anyway. If it became the Demon King, it would only be¡­ a puppet ruler.¡¯ Shaitan chuckled at his own terrible pun. ¡°God dammit, Shaitan! Just stop it. Is this really the time for that?!¡± Damien barked at Shaitan. Meanwhile, one of the wooden dolls that was chasing people around the area broke off their pursuit having spotted the pair, and approached them. On the morning of the 3rd day since the beginning of the rite of the Demon King, it had made its appearance. One of the notable demons from the 100 Greater Demon Clans that Shaitan had talked about, and a top contender for the throne of the Demon King: The Marionette. Chapter 14 - Congregation of Demons The puppet came running, pushing and pinning Damien down onto the ground, holding a knife to his throat with one of its arms, the knife was slightly cutting into his throat, but was barely stopped in the nick of time by an arm that turned black. ¡®Pay attention!¡¯ Shaitan reprimanded. ¡°Shit!¡± Damien cursed. His left arm was looking less vile than it usually did when it turned black, appearing more of a gray hue than its normal pitch-blackness. Shaitan¡¯s powers were probably weakened due to the light. The usually dominant black arm was struggling with the strength of a mere wooden doll. Damien knew Shaitan wouldn¡¯t be able to help him out of this one. He brought his knees up close to his chest, and kicked at the puppet with both of his feet like a spring, launching it away into the air. Damien quickly staggered to his feet, fleeing in the opposite direction of where the puppet flew. ¡°What do we do, Shaitan?!¡± Damien asked while running and panicking. ¡®First, calm down, fool! Secondly, we have two options: we can make an attempt at trying to escape the area, although I highly doubt we will succeed with all the puppets around, or we can go in the direction towards one of the five demonic presences that I sense around the area, and hope that one of them is the marionette. The limitation of the marionette is that it must be within the vicinity of the puppets it controls, with more puppets likely to stick close to the marionette itself. What will it be?¡¯ ¡°Do you even need to ask?¡± Damien replied with a smug look on his face. ¡®So it shall be. I will guide you to the closest demonic presence.¡¯ The dolls were everywhere, stalking people and hunting them down. There were swarms of them. Several wooden puppets were personally on his trail, but he was too focused on running to concern himself with looking back. There were some puppets blocking his path, trying to cut him off and catch him. Damien spun like a football player, narrowly avoiding sharp weapons that brushed by him. ¡°How much further?!¡± Damien asked while panting. ¡®The presence is just around the left corner.¡¯ A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Damien ran, clearing the distance, and turning left around the corner of a building. ¡®Another bad matchup for me...¡± Shaitan said quietly. What they saw was not the marionette. It was a 2 meter giant made of stone. A Golem. A demon made of rock, its special qualities being the outstanding strength and defense they boasted, but they were slow, and unfortunately, as Shaitan would have surely said if the situation were any less dire, golems are as dumb as rocks, before laughing. The golem was in the midst of battle, surrounded by several puppets, and even a fool would be able to tell that it was losing. There were five puppets around the golem, four of them binding each of its limbs with a wire, and the fifth was attacking it with a spiked mace. Pieces of rock flew from its large body, and it roared in agony while trying to free itself from the wires. ¡°We need to help it!¡± Damien said to Shaitan while closing the distance to the golem. ¡®Have you gone mad?¡¯ Shaitan asked perplexedly. ¡°Just trust me! Teaming up with other demons is the only way we¡¯ll be able to defeat the marionette like this!¡± ¡®...¡¯ Shaitan remained quiet, before transforming Damien¡¯s left arm into a black claw. ¡®Run towards a wire binding one of its arms.¡¯ he commanded. Damien did as told, and ran towards the wire closest to him. Shaitan moved the claw, and a wire was cut. With an arm loose, the golem rampaged unimpededly, freeing itself from the rest of the wires. Just like that, the golem bashed and broke the five puppets surrounding him into pieces. Strangely, it spent extra time crushing the wooden doll holding the spiked mace. Damien approached cautiously before saying ¡°Hey! Let¡¯s work together. We¡¯ll all die if we don¡¯t team up against the marionette.¡± The golem gazed at him for a while, then it slowly nodded. That was when the swarm of puppets chasing Damien made their way around the corner, and Shaitan said ¡®I only sense 4 demonic presences around us now. One has perished.¡¯ 83 demons remain. Chapter 15 - Highest Point ¡°Shaitan, where are the 3 other presences you sense?!¡± ¡®Two are close together, either working together or fighting one another in that direction, and the third is at a high elevation in that direction.¡¯ Shaitan pointed with his left arm. Damien knew which one had to be the marionette. The highest point in the direction that Shaitan pointed out was a skyscraper. ¡°I¡¯ve got you, you bastard¡­¡± Damien said sinisterly as the swarm of puppets closed in on them. The golem took the vanguard, swinging his arms and sending waves of puppets flying, while Damien together with Shaitan covered its openings and the gaps in its defenses with their speed. While fighting, Damien shouted ¡°We¡¯re making our way through to the skyscraper!¡± ¡®The top of the skyscraper? That¡¯s where the light is at its strongest...¡¯ Shaitan said while sighing. Tens of puppets, wooden limbs, and weapons could be seen all over the ground as they paved a path towards the direction of the skyscraper. Together with the golem, they formed a pocket of space among a swarm of living wooden dolls. Whenever a wire was wrapped around the golem, it was immediately cut by Shaitan and Damien. Whenever a weapon was about to cut into Damien, the puppet holding it was blown away by a stone arm. The group worked together, synchronizing with one another until they finally arrived at the tallest building. The skyscraper. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. They entered it, and oddly, it was completely devoid of people and dolls. ¡°Something isn¡¯t right¡­¡± Damien said, tensely. Then, at the entrance to the skyscraper, puppets came swarming in. ¡®It¡¯s a trap!¡¯ Shaitan said to both the golem and Damien telepathically, notifying them of their arrival. ¡°Fuck! We need to make it to the elevator!¡± Damien said as they moved towards the elevator. Puppets came flooding in through the entrance, filling up the room as Damien pushed the button for the elevator. ¡°Open, you fucker! Slow elevators will not be the death of me!¡± he shouted to no one in particular. The golem was covering his back, barely keeping the wooden dolls at bay. Finally, the elevator¡¯s doors opened, and Damien rushed inside of it. ¡°I need you to hold them off long enough while we deal with the marionette!¡± he said to the golem. The golem nodded, and the elevator¡¯s doors closed shut. The elevator was progressively making its way up the floors. The number 1 was slowly increasing towards the highest number, 50. Then, the elevator shook. The lid from the top of the elevator was torn off, and two puppets jumped down inside of it. ¡°You have got to be kidding me!¡± Damien said in disbelief. Chapter 16 - Puppet Show ¡®Enough of this foolishness!¡¯ Shaitan roared angrily, and a black claw immediately decapitated both puppets. Damien had forgotten how strong and frightening Shaitan truly was in dark areas. He sighed in relief, and waited for the elevator to stop. ¡®Damien, listen to me very closely¡­¡¯ Shaitan started. ... A while passed, and the doors to the elevator opened. They were on the roof, at the peak of the skyscraper. Standing near the edge of the roof and looking down off of it, admiring its own personalized version of hell, was a figure. It was a wooden doll like all the others, except it was excessively ornate, looking finely carved and sophisticated. Damien knew that it was the marionette, the origin of all this chaos. Then, it spoke in an almost mechanical voice. ¡°Beautiful, isn¡¯t it? The screams, the red, the dying. Look at my creation. Isn¡¯t it all so beautiful? AHAHAHAHAH,¡± it laughed as if possessed, reminiscent of a madman. ¡°You¡¯re batshit crazy.¡± Damien said, spitting in disgust. The marionette turned around to face them. ¡°I was not addressing you, filthy human. I was speaking to my old friend. So, what do you think, Shaitan? Who would have thought that we would both meet each other here like this.¡± the marionette said. ¡®As usual, your tastes are quite¡­ unique. It is repugnant.¡¯ Shaitan simply said. The marionette made dramatic and exaggerated gestures, acting like he was shocked. ¡°Ahhhh. It is a pity. Well, we never really did get along with each other in Hell, anyway. I will take pleasure in killing you, but does no one understand my art? CAN NO ONE SEE ITS TRUE BEAUTY?!¡± the marionette said, sounding as excited as a mechanical voice possibly could. ¡°This nutjob almost makes the other demons sound sane¡­¡± Damien said, preparing himself and getting into position for the inevitable battle. He knew Shaitan would be useless with the sun shining down on them so intensely. ¡°Well, let¡¯s get started, shall we? I will bring my Puppet Show to an end, and the finale will be your deaths! AHAHAHAH,¡± the marionette laughed psychotically, and wires began appearing from between his fingers. Damien made a mad dash towards the marionette, dodging the barely visible, thin wires attempting to wrap themselves around him. He pulled out the dagger he had hidden from behind his back that he had picked up from one of the wooden dolls from before, and stabbed into the center of the marionette¡¯s forehead. The marionette fell flat on his back with a dagger in his head, spasmed, and ceased moving. They were both near the edge of the skyscraper. ¡°What the hell? That was easier than I thought it¡¯d be. You made it sound like it¡¯d be hard, Shaitan.¡± Damien said, turning around and beginning to make his way to the elevator. ¡®You fool! Dodge!¡¯ Shaitan shouted. Damien quickly jumped to the side, but it was too late. The marionette had already risen up from behind him, removed the dagger embedded in his head, and stabbed at him. Thanks to Damien¡¯s jump, the dagger missed his back and had pierced into his right arm. ¡°Ahhhh. Such a beautiful red.¡± the marionette happily said. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Damien quickly turned around with a knife in his arm to find the marionette still very much alive. ¡®It¡¯s almost time.¡¯ Shaitan said. Damien pulled out the knife, the wound in his arm bleeding profusely. ¡°You should just embrace death, I promise to make it as painful as possible. AHAHAHAH.¡± the marionette said while laughing. The laughter was seriously beginning to annoy him. The marionette moved his hand, as if it were conducting an orchestra, and wires flew forth at Damien. ¡®Do it now!¡¯ Shaitan shouted. Damien ran towards the marionette, and threw the knife. The marionette casually took the knife without even trying to make an attempt at dodging it. ¡°Was that supposed to hurt?¡± it asked. ¡°No, but this sure as hell will.¡± Damien said while grinning. The knife was a distraction. He tackled the marionette, and it stumbled before falling off the edge of the roof. ¡°Do you think I will be defeated so easily? I will see my Puppet Show to its end!¡± the marionette said while falling, and suddenly wires appeared and sprung forth from the edge of the roof. Damien was unable to dodge them, and the wires wrapped themselves around his arm. He was slowly being pulled off by them towards the edge of the building. ¡°Why the hell won¡¯t you just stay down?!¡± he screamed while being dragged. *Flashback* ¡®Damien, listen to me very closely. This will be an incredibly demanding battle. The light of the sun will be too strong. I will be unable to aid you in this fight.¡¯ Shaitan said. ¡°You can¡¯t seriously expect me to fight the marionette alone, do you?¡± he questioned. ¡®No, that is why I will now tell you of my plan. I will be observing the clouds. When I give the signal, I want you to push the marionette off of the skyscraper.¡¯ Damien nodded. *End of flashback* The wires that bound his arm were suddenly holding onto nothing. His left arm had vanished. ¡°WHAT?! MY BEAUTIFUL PUPPET SHOW!¡± the marionette yelled, and fell off the skyscraper. Shaitan had timed it so that he would have enough power to be able to dematerialize himself using the shadows of a cloud that had drifted on top of them. At the same moment the marionette had died, the puppets around the area had vanished completely. ¡°How many demons can you sense nearby?¡± Damien asked while he took off his shirt and wrapped it around his right arm¡¯s knife wound. ¡®None. I do not sense anything. They have all fallen.¡¯ Shaitan replied. ¡°I see¡­ then, that golem¡­¡± Damien lamented. ¡®...¡¯ Shaitan remained quiet. Then, Damien collapsed on the spot. The ordeal had taken too much out of him. They had killed a total of 6 demons thus far. One of the top contenders for the title of Demon King had just been defeated, and the Puppet Show drew to a close on the same morning of the 3rd day of the rite of the Demon King. This massacre would later be known all around the world as ¡®The Bloody Marionette.¡¯ 79 demons remain. Chapter 16.5 - Marionette Gaiden *Marionette¡¯s POV* I was standing atop a skyscraper, the sun shining intensely, only resulting in making my aesthetics more magnificent, looking down at the pathetic existences known as humans beneath me. Ahhhh. This must be how a Demon King feels like. Almighty. I love it. I want to become the Demon King already. I want to make everything beautiful. This farce of a ceremony is taking much too long. I will hasten this undertaking. I will be the one to kill all the demons. ¡°Such a dreary city. Yes, this will do nicely¡­ I will make it beautiful. AHAHAHAH.¡± From the roof of the skyscraper, I began to employ the use of my ability. My ability ¡®Puppet Show¡¯ allows me to control and share the senses of up to 500 puppets. The puppets I held within my ability started to appear, and poured down the roof in waves. I kept two puppets together with me on the roof to partake in this beauty with me. I will show this city the true essence of beauty. My puppets permeated the area, making it so much more beautiful. Humans were fleeing for their pitiful lives, praying to a god that did not exist, and beautiful red was painting the city in the name of my art. ¡°AHAHAHAHAH, this is ecstasy.¡± I was sharing the senses of my puppets cutting and piercing into human flesh, enjoying the crimson liquid that spread throughout their killing. The humans put up a pitiful resistance. Some were actually attempting to impede the spreading of my art, trying to destroy my puppets with some kind of tool that fired small lead projectiles. My puppets will not succumb to such crude weaponry. ¡°They¡¯ve finally come out of hiding.¡± I sensed the presence of 5 demons, and sent my puppets towards them. ¡°A golem, a goblin, twin ogres, and¡­ a human?¡± I wonder, why won¡¯t you transform in a situation like this? Then, I saw. A black arm. Shaitan! Oh, joyous day! Old friend! Fate surely knows how to tantalize. But, why are you so weak? This is not the Shaitan I know of. ¡°Why will you only transform your left arm, Shaitan?¡± He pitifully fled and ran across the city, almost like¡­ a human. What is this?! Shaitan came to the aid of the crude golem while he was at the mercy of my children. Unforgivable! My beautiful puppets had already slain the goblin, and the twin blue and red ogres were being swarmed by tens of them, barely holding on to their lives. ¡°What?¡± Shaitan began to slowly move towards my approximate location. ¡°AHAHAHAH. Old friend! I want to meet you too! But, must fate be so cruel? To be in the ceremony together, I have no choice but to kill you.¡± I don¡¯t understand. No matter how many of my beautiful puppets I sent towards their direction, the golem and weakened shade continued to destroy waves of my creations. ¡°...¡± anger was seeping its way into me. ¡°HOW DARE YOU! I WILL DEFINITELY KILL YOU. DIE, DIE, DIE!¡± I concocted a plan, and gathered nearly all but the two puppets on the roof with me around the skyscraper, hiding them from view. Shaitan and the golem entered the building. Then, I had all the puppets enter the building at once. ¡°AHAHAHAHAH!¡± Hordes of my children approached them at once. There was about 300 of them flocking in. Surely, this will be enough for their demises. Contrary to my expectations, Shaitan made it to an elevator. ¡°...YOU TWO, GO AND STOP THEM.¡± I commanded the two puppets by my side. I shared their senses, and saw both get instantly decapitated. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°If you dare go against my art, even if it¡¯s someone as powerful as you, old friend, I WILL NOT FORGIVE YOU!¡± Some time passed, and Shaitan entered, standing on the roof of the skyscraper together with me. ¡°Beautiful, isn¡¯t it? The screams, the red, the dying. Look at my creation. Isn¡¯t it all so beautiful? AHAHAHAHAH,¡± I questioned Shaitan, knowing that he would share my sentiments. However, I did not expect a response from another, much less a lowly human. ¡°You¡¯re batshit crazy.¡± a voice replied. I turned around to face the source of the voice, and then I knew. Shaitan had not entirely possessed this human, only the left arm. I spread my arms wide, and said ¡°I was not addressing you, filthy human. I was speaking to my old friend. So, what do you think, Shaitan? Who would have thought that we would both meet each other here like this.¡± A voice resounded within my mind, it was the familiar sound of my old friend ¡®As usual, your tastes are quite¡­ unique. It is repugnant.¡¯ I was hurt. If anyone would be able to understand the true nature of my art, it would have been Shaitan. A shade which had killed and eradicated the members of its own clan. I truly thought he would share my sentiments, and understand that true beauty cannot be achieved without death. ¡°Ahhhh. It is a pity. Well, we never really did get along with each other in Hell, anyway. I will take pleasure in killing you, but does no one understand my art? CAN NO ONE SEE ITS TRUE BEAUTY?!¡± I asked, already knowing that they did not comprehend such artistic tastes. I sensed the presence of the golem and twin ogres vanish. My puppets had given them the gift of death. Everyone should just die. They should just go gentle into that good night. Then, we fought. The foolish human had thought I had been defeated, not knowing that I will not die unless my body is broken into pieces. I feigned death. I rose, stabbed him, and saw a beautiful red. We continued our battle. I was pushed off the roof, but I knew I would not die like this. I have yet to spread my beauty across the realms. I sent my wires to wrap around the human¡¯s left arm, pulling him to the edge of the roof. I was hanging off the building, the wires holding me. MY PUPPET SHOW WOULD GO ON. Then, suddenly my wires felt nothing. The left arm disappeared. I did not understand. It had been bright, how would a shade have enough power to dematerialize? I found myself falling. Falling to my death. Will I die like this? Without having to spread my art throughout the realms? No. I will not die. I REFUSE TO DIE HERE IN A PLACE LIKE THIS. ¡°AHAHAHAHAH,¡± I laughed while falling. Just as I was about collide with the ground, my consciousness faded away, and my vision turned black. At the same time, my Puppet Show ended, and all of my puppets and their weapons disappeared. ... All but one. I had used the hidden ability of my Puppet Show, and switched my consciousness with one of my creations far away. I rose up in my new body, that of a wooden doll. I would have to create more puppets, and I would have to make myself more beautiful yet again. Yes, I will go on to become the Demon King. NO ONE WILL GET IN THE WAY OF MY ART, NO ONE! NO ONE WILL STOP ME FROM MAKING EVERYTHING BEAUTIFUL! ¡°I swear to you, Shaitan, I will be the one to end you. I will show you and this Mortal Realm my art¡¯s true glory! AHAHAHAHAH!¡± ¡­ 79 demons remain? No, 80 demons remain. Chapter 17 - Survivors A few minutes after the hectic battle with the marionette, Damien awoke on the roof of the skyscraper. It was still morning. He winced at the pain in his right arm, and began sitting up when a voice entered his mind. ¡®Something is off¡­¡¯ Shaitan began speaking, ¡®The total amount of demonic presences I sense have just increased by one. Aside from us, I now sense a total of 79 presences.¡¯ ¡°What¡­? Did another demon just come here from Hell?¡± Damien asked, strangely looking hopeful. ¡®No. No other demons can travel across realms during the Demon King¡¯s ceremony after the initial 100 candidates have made it to the Realm of the Mortals. The only possibilities are that a demon had just gone out of hiding its presence, or that a demon that has recently been defeated has just revived.¡¯ ¡°...¡± ¡®...¡¯ The duo both had the same thoughts. It could only have been one demon. The Marionette. ¡°FUUUUUUUUUUUCK!¡± Damien suddenly shouted, his scream echoing across the sky from atop the skyscraper. ¡°Did you know, Shaitan? I typically don¡¯t enjoy fighting art obsessed lunatics on my mornings. What the hell is up with that psycho?! How is he still alive?!¡± ¡®Well, he IS one of the top competitors that I had warned you about. I surmise that he had used an unique ability that I was not aware of. The new presence is quite the distance away from us.¡¯ ¡°Still, the fight with the vampire lord Rose wasn¡¯t nearly as difficult as this, even if he is one of the noteworthy demons.¡± ¡®It is because of our elevation. The sunlight here is stronger than it had been at the greenhouse with its artificial sunlight, so I was not able to assist you as well as I could have. In addition, I have already told you that the marionette and I are a bad matchup. We would have to completely destroy his body into pieces in order to defeat him.¡¯ ¡°Hah¡­¡± Damien sighed in defeat. Later into the same day, other demons would be having their own battles, and doing things of their own. ¡­ A figure that looked like a human had just had its heart impaled by the sword of another demon. However, it did not fall, on the contrary, it simply pulled the sword out of its chest, and claimed the sword as its own. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. The humanly figure moved with a new sword in hand, and similarly impaled the heart of its demonic attacker with it. The attacking demon fell to the ground, dead. The survivor slightly curved its lips into a menacing grin. It was a zombie. ... Meanwhile, a demon had been ambushed and surrounded by a group of five other demons. This demon had a black tail and scales with piercing red eyes. It was a dragon. The dragon lifted up the one assaulting it directly from behind by its feet with its tail, and easily swung the giant body around in a full circle, blowing away its 4 other attackers. The one being swung around and was being used as a meat bludgeon was a 2 meter giant cyclops. The dragon made quick work of its attackers. Shortly afterwards, the same dragon could be seen musing while sitting atop a pile of 5 corpses. ¡­ Somewhere in a small and dark room, another figure that appeared human could be seen horrifically driving a knife into itself, and dragging the knife across its body. However, no matter how much it cut into itself, it simply would not bleed. It was, in fact, not human at all. The blade seemed to carve designs onto the body of its wielder. ¡°Ahhhh... I will make myself beautiful once more.¡± The figure simply said, before laughing hysterically. ¡­ A headless figure in armor, wielding a scythe, had just decapitated another demon. It picked up the freshly decapitated head, placing it over its own headless body. ¡°This isn¡¯t my head.¡± it said, before tossing the head to the side. ¡°I wonder, how many more demons will I have to kill to find my head?¡± it spoke while stalking off solemnly. ¡­ Elsewhere, a small red demon was agilely fleeing from a large beast that looked like a mix between a human and bull in a forest. The pursuing demon was a Minotaur. It gave chase, following the small red demon when suddenly, there was no ground beneath its feet. It had fallen into a pitfall. ¡°Eheheheh¡­¡± the small red demon laughed incessantly while picking up a crude, hidden spear from behind a tree. ¡­ 72 demons remain. Chapter 18 - To Kill a Dragon It was the evening of the 3rd day of the rite. Damien was currently in his dorm room, planning to sleep early to get some rest due to the physically demanding morning. He would not be able to get any. There was the sound of knocking on the door of his room. He went to open it. The moment the door opened, he saw what he dreaded to see the most. Standing outside the door to his room was... A human-sized wooden puppet. A familiar mechanical voice began to say ¡°Old friend! It is so good to see you aga-¡± ¡°DO SOMETHING, SHAITAN!¡± Damien shouted, cutting him off. ¡®Silence, Damien. What is it you desire, Marionette?¡¯ ¡°Ahhh, you are as intelligent as I remember you being.¡± The reason Shaitan had not killed him on the spot was because he did not sense the presence of a demon from the puppet, which meant that an ordinary wooden puppet had come to them instead of the marionette himself, and it had come unarmed. ¡®Enough flattery, speak, before I change my mind and decide to kill you.¡¯ ¡°I would like to propose a momentary truce, and an alliance.¡± the doll plainly stated. ¡®For what reason?¡¯ Shaitan asked. ¡°WHAT! You can¡¯t seriously be considering this, Shaitan! He nearly killed us just earlier today!¡± Damien was dumbfounded by the sudden development. ¡®Yes. He cannot be trusted. Him not coming here with his real body is enough evidence of this. He most likely plans to betray us, but we should judge the merits of his proposal before deciding.¡¯ Shaitan spoke telepathically to only Damien. At that, Damien remained silent, closing his fists tightly. ¡°Are you aware of the dragon participating in this ceremony?¡± the puppet questioned. ¡®I am.¡¯ Shaitan lied. He did not know which dragon was participating in the ceremony, but he did not want to reveal that piece of information to the marionette. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. The marionette¡¯s doll went on, ¡°Then that will make things easier. Let us combine our forces against the dragon Rhysthart. You, with your power in the night, and I, with my legion of puppets.¡± The statement had shocked Shaitan. Rhysthart was a powerful black dragon, perhaps as well-known as Shaitan had been in Hell, and he was unsure whether or not the dragon could be defeated alone with his current power. ¡°I have been tracking him for quite some time today with one of my puppets. Rhysthart had slain 5 other demons just earlier today, surely you must have felt their presences disappear, as well? If we, among the strongest of demons, do not ally ourselves to vanquish him, I fear no one will be able to. If the dragon becomes the Demon King, that would be rather unsightly, nay, unbeautiful.¡± The marionette had left out that another reason he wanted to slay the dragon was because he had also secretly wanted the dragon¡¯s beautiful red eyes. Disregarding that, he was right. 8 other demons have died throughout the day, and the dragon Rhysthart had been responsible for the deaths of 5 of them. Shaitan was weighing the benefits of the offered partnership inside his mind. ¡®Very well. We shall be comrades until the defeat of Rhysthart.¡¯ Shaitan finally decided. Damien only shrugged. ¡°I knew I could count on you, old friend!¡± the marionette¡¯s puppet said mock-happily. Both demons had their own ulterior motives amidst this alliance. Shaitan had thought it was an opportunity to dwindle the marionette¡¯s fighting potential by having Rhysthart eradicate the majority of his puppets. While the marionette, on the other hand... Chapter 19 - Common Enemy Damien was following the marionette¡¯s wooden puppet towards the direction of the dragon. He whispered quietly, ¡°Are you sure this is a good idea, Shaitan? What if it¡¯s a trap?¡± ¡®It is unlikely. If the marionette had intended to trap us, it would not be at night. He is wise enough to know to avoid me during the time when I reign supreme. In addition, I sense 2 demons near the general direction we are headed, they are at a distance apart from one another.¡¯ Eventually, the two could see a humanly figure on the outskirts of the city at a distance. The marionette¡¯s main body. The pair approached, the wooden puppet leading the way. ¡°How happy am I to see you!¡± said a mechanical voice. ¡°Let us prepare ourselves for the battle with Rhysthart.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll never be prepared enough for this shit¡­¡± Damien said. Ignoring his remark, the marionette waved his hand, and a rip in the air appeared. It had been the first time Damien had seen the marionette¡¯s ability ¡®Puppet Show¡¯ in person. There was pure darkness in the rip in space, and puppets began to pour out of it. The puppets moved out in an orderly fashion, forming rows of 10. They exited the rift relentlessly. Finally, they stopped. There were 20 rows of puppets in total. 200 wooden dolls. Each row carried their own weapons that varied from swords, daggers, spears, maces, battle axes, and much more. The majority of them, however, were wielding wires. ¡°Shall we?¡± the marionette said giddily. ¡°How the hell were we ever able to defeat him?¡± Damien questioned Shaitan. He did not receive a reply. ¡°What¡¯s the plan this time, Shaitan?¡± he asked instead. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡®There is no plan for this battle.¡¯ ¡°Huh? But you always have a plan.¡± Damien remarked, baffled. ¡®The only way we will be able to defeat a renowned dragon such as Rhysthart is by force. We will just have to wound him more than he does us.¡¯ Shaitan stated straightforwardly. ¡°He is right, human. We will just have to overpower and overwhelm him. This is why I requested your assistance. My children will overwhelm him with numbers, while you and my old friend will give the finishing blow.¡± the marionette added. ¡°Aren¡¯t your puppets made of wood? Won¡¯t they be burnt to ashes in an instant?¡± The marionette made an exaggerated sigh, ¡°This is why I dislike humans, so foolish. I do not know how my old friend tolerates your idiocy. My puppets are special creations made from the power of my ability, they will not burn so easily.¡± ¡°Well, someone has a stick up his ass.¡± Damien huffed. ¡°...If it were not for this ceasefire, I would have already shown you my art collection.¡± Even though Damien found that statement hilarious, he found himself unable to laugh due to being cognizant of the marionette¡¯s sense in art. ¡®Enough idleness. Let us go slay a dragon.¡¯ Shaitan said, having grown weary of their bickering. Damien nodded. The marionette spread his arms wide and said ¡°I will show Rhysthart the beauty of my art!¡± while laughing deliriously.