******
Still at the village square, the poor and weak Demons lay strewn across the ground, most trembling uncontrollably, and in contrast, the less fortunate ones continued coughing up blood, their bodies convulsing in agony.
At this moment, they did not, in any way, resemble the terrifying creatures they were known to be. Instead, they appeared like fragile beings crushed beneath the weight of pure fear. Their eyes, wide with dread, continued darting around as if searching for escape — but there was none.
They hadn’t seen the owner of the voice that had just spoken, but how could they not remember it?
They would recognize it anywhere.
Even in death, they would remember it, and it would scare them awake.
It belonged to the demon they despised the most in this world after the Celestial race — the monster who had turned their lives into an unending nightmare.
Kaelrik.
The villagers’ breathing slowly grew shallow, the suffocating pressure still bearing down on them like an iron vice.
Yet, they barely noticed their broken bodies because right now, a cold dread was slithering through their veins, which was far more overwhelming.
Finally, with painstaking effort, the villagers slowly turned their heads toward the platform, hope flickering like a dying ember — hoping, praying, that their fear was unfounded.
But there he stood.
Kaelrik stood like a towering shadow, his muscular frame dominating the square. His obsidian skin, rough and gleaming in the dim morning light, seemed sculpted from solid darkness, and scars... both fresh and faded, marked his body like trophies of countless battles.
Two massive, serrated horns curved back from his forehead like the blades of a reaper’s scythe, and his crimson eyes gleamed with predatory coldness.
He wore a flowing crimson robe that billowed behind him, giving him the air of a tyrant king., and right now, a small smile played at his lips — a twisted grin that made their skin crawl.
As soon as this Demon was sighted, the guards bellow the massive platform dropped to one knee, heads bowed, their loyalty as unwavering as ever. But the villagers?
It felt as if death itself had arrived to drag them to hell, and many began to tremble uncontrollably, their faces consumed by sheer terror.
’How many of us will he butcher again today?’
’Would he perhaps go on another killing spree again today?’
Countless thoughts swirled through the villagers’ minds like poison, their expressions filled with horror and despair.
But then suddenly...
"Kakaka!"
Kaelrik’s laughter erupted like a thunderclap, sharp and grating, echoing through the village square. The sound instantly twisted the hearers’ stomachs, more terrifying than any threat he could have made.
The guards remained frozen, unmoving in their reverence, while the villagers flinched, their hearts pounding frantically like war drums in their chests.
But Kaelrik acted as though he did not see this, until finally, he stopped laughing and wiped a nonexistent tear from the corner of his eye, his chest heaving with mirth.
"Look at you all," he sneered with playful amusement. "Shaking as if I’m about to rip you apart. Can’t you fools take a joke?"
He asked and in the following second, flicked his wrist.
Immediately, the suffocation pressure that had enveloped the Village Square vanished as though it had never been there, but the Villagers dared not relax.
If anything, their anxiety only worsened, their hearts pounding frantically in their chests as their fear grew stronger.
’This is worse than we had thought!’
’He is definitely up to no good!’
’Laughing at us?’
’No! This is scarier than his aggressive face!’
Various thoughts echoed in their minds, and though they dared not voice them, their expressions revealed everything.
Kaelrik, of course, noticed and could read their thoughts, but... he couldn’t care less.
Instead, his grin stretched wider, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth. He drank in their fear, savoring it like a rare delicacy.
"My dear people!" he suddenly bellowed, his voice laced with mocking affection.
The villagers flinched, their bodies stiffening as if struck by an electric shock.
"I have two great news to share with you today!"
The guards erupted in cheers, their shouts of praise echoing through the square like the chorus of the damned.
The villagers, on the other hand, simply stared, looking as if the announcement they had just heard had been spoken in a language they couldn’t comprehend.
The only sign that they understood Kaelrik’s words was in their eyes.
They exchanged glances, and though none dared to speak, the message in their expressions was unmistakable.
’Two great news?’
’From an evil monster like him?’
’Is he planning another massacre?’
’Is he going to increase the suffocating tax again?’
’Hopefully, he wasn’t planning another twisted game to see how many of us a monster could devour.’
’Has he finally found buyers willing to purchase us as slaves?’
Their hearts pounded even more frantically in their chests, but Kaelrik simply showed no care.
He simply watched, letting the guards’ cheers die down before finally continuing, lifting his chin as his eyes gleamed with sinister delight.
"I have decided to elevate this pathetic village," he declared, his voice reverberating like an imperial decree. "From this day forward, I will build it into a city — no, a kingdom." He announced excitedly.
But in the next moment, the village fell into a hushed silence, as if time itself had frozen.
Whether it was the villagers, who had never dared to speak in Kaelrik’s presence, or the fanatical guards, who always blindly praised his every action, right or wrong—
They all stood there, stunned to the core, staring at Kaelrik in a daze, unable to believe what they had just heard.
Even Lilith, who had been subtly trying to undo her bindings since she was dropped, froze, her mouth falling open.
Kaelrik took his time, savoring their disbelief.
"I’m tired of ruling over a backwater village," he said, his grin stretching wider. "I want to forge a kingdom where we demons reign supreme — a land where I am worshiped as a god."
He suddenly paused, his crimson, demonic eyes scanning his surroundings, absorbing the shock on his guards’ faces and the sheer horror frozen on the villagers’ expressions.
His lips curled into a grin, revealing rows of serrated, shark-like teeth.
"Doesn’t that sound wonderful?", he suddenly purred, but before they could react—
"Everyone!"
His voice exploded like a thunderclap, badly snapping everyone back to reality.