General POV:
Slasher was devastated. He had once again failed his mistress. How could he have known that the Demon King of Knowledge was also aware of this demon and sent his own minions, in her territory no less. She had to be warned.
He began to retreat, only to stop himself. He couldn't go back. He had wasted too many of her resources to come back empty-handed. No, there had to be a way for him to let her come out on top of this.
There was barely any time to think, as one of his commanders approached him. The other was no doubt the demon named Warden, who possessed the ability to imprison any demon a rank under her. All the Demon Kings coveted this ability, and she was the number one wanted on everyone's list. If I could just capture her, I would be redeemed tenfold. But first, I would have to deal with this guy.
Hovering towards him, was her companion. From the constant struggles, Demon Lords tented to fight each other constantly, therefore, we knew of each other's capabilities. This guy was new, which wasn't good for me in this moment. But I had little choice in the matter.
He immediately remembers some crucial information and turned to see his own companion had left already. That was good to know. While the Warden was the Demon King of Knowledge's prize, Azure was ours. A demon with the similar to the one we were hunting, who was capable of transversing to the human world on a whim but was also capable of blocking the teleportation of others. He must have left as soon as things started going awry.
Now, he could just focus his attention on..... He never got the opportunity to finish his thought. Just as he turned back to the demon approaching him, he was spinning wildly in the air. He felt no pain, no sign of an attack, so he was confused.
However, as the demon reached out and held him, and he saw a familiar body behind the demon, he realized. Oh, he cut off my head. As he stared into the demon's eyes who looked at him with pity, he could only feel nothing but depression. Why was he so weak?
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General POV:
The demon held the one he knew to be Slasher's head in his hand, watching his final moments. It was a shame the violence that always happened between demons, and it saddened him that they could never unite against their common enemy. But he would never voice his opinion as not only would no one care, but it wasn't his place. He was just there to follow his master's orders.
As the remnants of Slashers forces scurried off into the distance, he felt his companion's presence nearing him. Tossing Slasher's now lifeless head to the side, he turned to her.
"Well done, Nightcarver. Truthfully, everyone expected you to blunder this mission, but I had full faith in you. I'll make sure to talk you up to the boss, eh." Warden tells him, slapping him on the back.
He ignores her, thinking instead on Slasher. As Warden had filled him in, Slasher's ability was a literally cut anything. Unfortunately, he needed to come into contact with it before his ability could take effect. However, Nightcarver's was the same as Slashers, but he just needed to see his target before he could use his ability. He was a better version of Slasher. Which is another reason he felt bad for Slasher. There was always your counter out there. A demon that makes everything you do obsolete. You were going to meet them eventually.
"Oh, cheer up. Now's not the time to get all droopy now, we're still in enemy territory. Anything can happen. Plus, this guy is a bit more than I thought, so I have to focus all my attention on keeping him contained, so you'll have to remain vigilant while we return." Warden reminds him. Nodding his head in agreement, they both begin their return to their territory.
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General POV:
The space within the castle began to fizz as the Demon King looked to her right. Knowing who it was, she allowed the ability to go off. Azure pops out right next to her, his aloof smile on his face. She sighed, as she could guess that if he was here without Slasher, then that idiot failed her again.
She listened as Azure explained everything that happened to her, as she kept her anger at bay. She couldn't beat Azure up for Slasher's mistake, or hurt him in general. He was too precious of a resource to afford losing. So instead, she hurt herself.
While doing so, she thought about what to do. She knew Slasher was dead, she could feel her contract to him expire. But the idiot took well over a thousand Archdemons with him to subjugate that demon, who was snatched up by the one demon she knew she shouldn't let get.
As blood began to trickle down her arm for how intensely she was cutting herself, an idea pauses all her actions.
In all his pride for knowledge, she was willing to bet her rank as Demon King that he had no idea of what that demon's abilities were. If it was true that he was captured by Warden, then that would only make matters worse for him. In fact, if she was lucky, then Warden was sure to lose her life today.
As her self-inflicted wounds began to immediately heal, she turned to Azure. "There isn't going to be a raid for us in the human world this time. So whatever energy you've accumulated is going to be spent on something I need you do instead."
Azure's smile grew wider as he caught the hint she was giving off as he rushed to go complete it. It was a shame that she lost three high ranking Demon Lords in the span of days, but she was over it. They were just the ones she had available at the time, and she had far better help.
One such approached her, kneeling with the utmost respect for her. She was proud of him, as he was her favorite, one who could always produce results. "Summon the legions. An opportunity has presented itself which allows us to attack my fellow Demon King's territory."
He doesn't even hesitate or question her judgement, immediately disappearing to carry out her orders. Satisfied with his response, she looks out the window to where the Demon King of Knowledge's territory was.
'Well, demon who eats. You better fulfill your role and cause chaos.'