A few years ago...
It was a nearly pitch-black space, devoid of all light but the dim glow of lamps strewn across the stone walls. At the end of the large, auditorium-like room, there was a majestic throne at the top of a set of stone steps, adorned with precious metals. However, there was no one seated upon it.
Right before the throne was a huddle of shadowy figures surrounding a pile of corpses—humans, elves, dwarves, dragonewts, beasts, and demons. Blood flowed from the bodies, wetting the floor below.
Beneath this carnage was an elaborate and majestic magic circle. It was packed to the brim with mana, and when it glowed, the countless glyphs and markings that constituted it emitted a purple light. The demons surrounding the circle let out a breath of wonder as it activated.
They were currently in the middle of the demon king resurrection ritual. Typically, the demon king was reincarnated into a new body without any further intervention, but this time was different. This time, the demons were trying to resurrect the demon king, Ighnoa, rumored to be the strongest of all.
The previous generation of heroes, themselves considered the strongest generation, had had a great impact on the demons. In order to expand their territory, restore the confidence of their people, and get revenge on the humans and the demi-humans, they needed power that surpassed that of the previous demon king. They were not willing to wait for a strong demon king to be born. The death of the previous demon king had only emphasized the greatness of the king who had come before him.
Demons had long life spans. Some of their oldest members had been alive six hundred years ago, when the old demon king still walked this world. They had very fond memories of Ighnoa and firmly believed that he was the one true demon king.
Over time, they offered many sacrifices and much mana in order to lay the groundwork for his revival. And after he was revived, they would once again crown him demon king. The magic circle began glowing more fiercely, and the departed souls from the pile of corpses began to combine into one.
The demon with the highest authority of them all—the vampire Heriu—gazed upon the ritual, looking conflicted. The stronger a demon was in battle, the higher an authority they possessed. Simply put, she was the strongest demon present.
If they hadn’t resorted to resurrecting Ighnoa, it was likely she would’ve ascended to become the demon king of this generation. However, some of the greater demons argued that she wasn’t suited for the role, and so proceeded with their ritual.
Heriu accepted this without protest. Of course, as her ambitions were great, she wasn’t too pleased with the outcome. Vampires lived a long time. Though she may have looked like she was only in the latter half of her teen years by human standards, in actuality, she’d already lived for seven hundred years. She’d been alive when Ighnoa had ruled, and she had served him. She had great respect for him, though, so she had set aside her ambitions and instead devoted herself to ensuring that the ritual succeeded.
The light grew even brighter, eliciting sounds of wonder from the demons. The flesh forming before their eyes began taking the shape of a human, which meant that the summoning had been a success. In the face of his overwhelming power, they felt fear, awe, respect...and an incredibly strong urge to kill him.
Heriu and the other demons were confused by the instinctive urge to kill that they felt rising in them. As fear and the desire to kill washed over them, they stiffened. None of them were able to move a muscle or even make a sound. At last, when the light finally began to fade, they were able to lay their eyes upon the visage of the demon king. None of them had witnessed this form before, which only made them more bloodthirsty.
Heriu was especially confused. She knew Ighnoa. Even if time had passed, the pressure he put out, as well as the sensation of his mana, was none other than that of the demon king Ighnoa. So why did she feel the urge not to revere him, but to kill him? She hadn’t felt this way seven hundred years ago.
To demons, the demon king was irreplaceable. They could not oppose him. Nobody would dare even think about betraying him. There was not a single demon who would see the demon king as his enemy.
“Heh heh...” Ighnoa laughed lightly.
Everyone present trembled. Despite the fact that all around him were stricken by the urge to kill him, Ighnoa had laughed so naturally. An unknown fear washed over Heriu, but the intent to kill remained. Ighnoa stood up and looked around at the demons. His eyes landed on Heriu, and he pointed at her slowly.
“It’s you, right?” he asked, in a low voice that nevertheless made the room shake. “You’re the strongest here.”
Heriu looked into the crescent-shaped eyes which saw right through her.
“Look at her. She’s your new demon king. Obey her.”
His words made no sense. Why would a demon king toss away his authority and entrust it to someone else? None of it made sense. Despite these confusing words and the persistent killing intent, however, the demons had no choice but to obey his orders. When receiving an order from one with more authority than you, the only option was to obey. Usually, a demon addressed in such a manner would respond in the affirmative, but they were too frozen from fear to do so. At this, Ighnoa snorted and began to walk away.
“P-Please, wait!” Heriu was the first to shake off her fear. She called out to Ighnoa, who stopped and slowly turned to face her. She wanted to ask him what his intentions were...but how could she question the intention of one with a higher authority than her? Also, she remained filled with murderous intent. She had no right to ask. Still, she was able to force out a single question. “Where... Where are you going?”
“No clue. Anywhere but here.”
This didn’t answer her question, but she knew better than to question him again. Instead, she decided to ask something else.
“What will you do?”
Ighnoa’s lips curled into a smile. “Destroy the world.”