[Cy and Bella → Beelzebub's Territory]
[Luna → Belphegor's Territory]
[Orion → Satan's Territory]
[Findir → Mammon's Territory]
[Aisa → Staying in Leviathan's Territory]
…
Coming out of my meditation, I found myself in a dark room. It was lined with cracked stone brick but didn't seem much like a prison. My ankles and wrists were free to move, and in fact, my entire body felt more free than ever before.
I was a bit confused as to where I was until memories of the recent events that had just occurred between me and my friends flashed through my mind. I didn't really mind it as having powerful allies was never a downside, and as we trust each other, I doubt there would be any betrayal unless… hmm…
Demon lords were slippery beings. They were not only hella strong, but they were extremely manipulative. Using their strength and intelligence to their advantage, they can control others to an almost unfair degree.
"Okay…" I muttered, swiveling my head around until I saw a thick metal door. Judging from the cracks all over it, it had to be deteriorating to the point I could just kick it down. But I gave it the courtesy of pushing into it, and unsurprisingly, it creaked open.
A gaping cylindrical prison revealed itself. There were absolutely no signs of life, and due to the fact that it was so dilapidated, I doubt it had been in use for at least a couple of centuries. Each tiered layer of it was practically about to fall onto the other, but a strange amount of mana kept it held together… almost as if somebody wanted to preserve it.
"So you're finally awake… feeling any of those voices?" A voice chuckled lightly across the prison. It didn't come from any notable direction, so I kept my eyes grazing the entire stone prison until it spoke again. "Hahahaha… I can't believe you. You left for a little trip with your girlfriend, and your friends presented me with a schizophrenic man… who would've thought something like that would ever happen to you!"
That life, that condescending way the voice talked, its tone, almost scratchy emission… yep, it was him: Satan. His voice echoed across the entire prison, and as I began to walk around, trying to pinpoint just exactly where his voice was coming from, I soon noticed that it came from everything. Every brick, every metal door, every shifting gust of wind… it was him. He was here with me. It was almost like he was the prison itself.
"Okay… you must have tons of questions, but a smart man like you must have figured something out already, right? Come on, don't disappoint me. Throw out a few potential ummmmm… what is it… mortal guesses."
"It's your Throne World," I bluntly responded, receiving a long silence from the demon lord.
"Tch… lucky guess… anyways, I'm sure you're feeling better, so I feel like we can proceed with your training."
"Oh, you're actually going to be a good teacher for me now?"
"Well, of course! I always intended to teach you… but now that you're something so beautiful, I just can't help myself from getting a good grasp around your neck~."
I felt a breeze tickle the back of my neck as if the man was closely watching me from behind. So, I quickly snapped my head around, only to find myself back in a cell. Its musty stench, and dilapidated sight became a very friendly touch that almost seemed to welcome back.
"You must be wondering… why oh why are you like this? Why is your throne world like this? Why is it a prison?" The voice echoed through the prison cell, the large metal door now having a thick lock, keeping me inside. "You must be wondering such things… right?"
A gust of wind once again tickled the back of my neck, and as I turned around, I saw a monstrous face with hundreds of eyes and hundreds of mouths lined with razor-sharp teeth. Its black overhaul was disgusting to look at as the eyes churned and twisted in that mass of dark flesh.
"You're uglier than I imagined…"
"Oh?" The mouths stopped, moving with that man's words. "Did you already figure it out? The true form of a demon lord?"
"I could assume it after I met a few beings much stronger than you…."
"Kekekeke… gods? Were they gods? Come on, tell me! TELL ME! I WANT TO KNOW WHAT COULD POSSIBLY BE STRONGER THAN ME! I AM THE PERFECT PRODUCT OF THE GODS, AND I HAVE SURPASSED THEM! IT'S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE I BRING THEM DOWN! ALL OF THEM! I WILL SLAUGHTER ALL OF THEM EVEN IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO!"
"Then we have similar goals," I replied as the black head soon erupted from the stone brick floor, revealing the rest of its body. It was humanoid, for sure, but the way its entire body twisted and churned like it had no tangible form, and it had to keep up this appearance with all of its might… was inhumane. It was monstrous. Demonic. "You were an angel before, correct?"
"Indeed I was… before I was banished to this creation of molding souls and disgusting perverts. I have to live amongst these vermin for the rest of eternity… or that's at least what my creator wanted me to do… and it's not the gods you're thinking of. Beings that control everything. Beings that are all-powerful. Everything dances in the palms of their hands."
"I know what you mean. I've met two of them before."
"I know you have. I smell them on you. I was an angel, a servant of them, but they banished me under the guise of balance. They needed to make sure the gods living up there in peace and harmony had something to balance them out… how thoughtful of them… right?"
"I guess-"
"WRONG! I WAS CREATED BEFORE THOSE FUCKING GODS! BEFORE THOSE FUCKING GODS WERE SENT TO THE OVERWORLDS TO TRAIN AND GROW THEIR POWER! WHILE I WAS FORCED TO DO SUCH A THING DOWN IN HELL!"
RECENTLY UPDATES
