William stopped walking and looked around, frustration building. "Why hasn't that bastard shown up yet?" he muttered, scanning the area for any sign of the Barren Land Demon.
[Maybe he's scared. You did kill two of them, after all,] Sera teased from within his mind.
William scoffed. "Very funny. You know demons don't feel fear. They're not afraid of anything."
[That's where you're wrong,] Sera replied. [Everyone, no matter how brave, has something they fear.]
William shrugged, continuing to scan the barren landscape. "I don't fear anything."
[Oh?] Sera's voice turned more serious. [After what you went through for a year, you might think you're fearless. But deep down, you dread the thought of facing that kind of torture again.]
[I was just reminding you that overconfidence can be the downfall of many,] Sera replied with a nonchalant tone. [You were close to crossing that line.]
William shook his head and refocused on the barren land before him. "Looks like I'll have to bring it out," he mumbled, realizing the Barren Land Demon wasn't going to show itself.
Kneeling down, William placed his hands on the cracked ground. The rough, dry surface crumbled slightly under his touch. "Domain of Death."
From his hands, a wave of death energy began to spill out, saturating the area. The land blackened and decayed as his domain expanded, transforming the once barren landscape into a realm of death and desolation.
Far away, the worm demon who had been plotting with the other two suddenly tensed as he felt his power dwindling. His territory was being devoured. "Come on! We don't have much time. The Pure Soul is destroying my land!" he shouted, alarmed. The mountain and forest demons exchanged sly glances behind his back, but followed him as he rushed to his territory.
When they arrived, the worm demon's eyes widened in fury and disbelief. Half of his land had already withered under William's influence. "Bastard! Stop!" he roared, spotting William at the center of the domain. Around him, skeletons, raised by the Domain of Death, were fending off lesser demons.
The worm demon growled, confused. "I can sense him, but what are these...?" he muttered, looking at the skeletal warriors.
The forest demon was equally stunned. "Death demons," she whispered, her voice filled with fear. Without warning, she ran toward William, dropping to her knees before him.
"I greet the Esteemed Death Demon," she said, trembling.
William raised an eyebrow, surprised at her submission. [Your Death Domain is hiding your soul fluctuations,] Sera explained quickly. [She thinks you're a death demon.]
William shifted his gaze to the other two demons, his voice chilling as he asked, "Do you two need an invitation?"
Hearing the cold edge in his voice, both the worm demon and the mountain demon scrambled to kneel before him, fear flickering in their eyes.
[You sure know how to act] Sera said amused seeing the trembling three Demons.
"Well, if I fight them all together, it'll be a hassle," William muttered, shrugging as he casually sat on the forest demon, his gaze fixed on the other two demons.
"Why didn't you two greet me the moment you saw me?" he asked coldly.
The worm demon cursed his luck. First, the Pure Soul, and now this. "S-Sir, we were blind to not recognize your greatness," he stammered, trembling with fear.
The mountain demon quickly nodded in agreement, following the worm demon's lead.
"Blind?" William tilted his head with a mocking smile. "But your eyes seem fine to me."
The worm demon froze for a moment before realizing what William wanted. Without hesitation, he broke off one of his own teeth, then gouged out his eyes, groaning in pain. "As I said, we were blind," he repeated, trembling but trying to mask his suffering.
The mountain demon, horrified but desperate, ripped out the antennae on his head and blinded himself as well, kneeling beside the worm demon.
"Seeing your devotion, I'll grant you both a painless death," William said slowly, his voice like ice.
The two demons were stunned but saw no other way out. When William tossed his grey energy sword before them, they understood. Both picked it up, their trembling hands lifting the blade to their throats.
"We will be happy to serve you in death," the worm demon said, forcing a smile, convinced he could be resurrected as a stronger entity by the Death Demon.
The mountain demon followed suit, smiling despite the agony, and they both thrust the sword into their necks, ending their lives.
William turned to the forest demon, his expression unreadable. "Do you want to join them?" he asked.
The forest demon, without hesitation, picked up the sword, knelt in submission, and plunged it into her own throat, offering her life without a word.
William waited for a moment before bursting into laughter, tears forming in his eyes. "Hahaha! If I told anyone about this, I'm sure none of them would believe me!"
He laughed so hard, his sides ached. Meanwhile, Sera sighed, shaking her head. [I really wonder how these brainless fools ever managed to lead territories.]
Demons followed a strict hierarchy. At the bottom were Rogue Demons, wandering without land or a master. Next were Subordinate Demons, who served territory lords. Then came the Territory Demons, who ruled over entire regions, their power growing with the size of their land.
As their territory grows, demons evolve too—from commoner demons to knight demons, to lord demons, and eventually to noble demons. Each rank has sub-ranks, with every step granting them more power. These demons William had just encountered were merely low-grade knight demons.
Not only that, but they hadn't even evolved fully. Probably because all five of these demons had been watching each other, ensuring that the moment one tried to evolve, the others would attack. As a result, despite holding territories, they hadn't yet ascended to the rank of true Territory Demons. They were stuck as the lowest-grade territory demons, barely a step above the highest-grade rogue demons.
"Seems like their rivalry has kept them in check," William thought, realizing that their ambition had crippled their potential.
[They were so busy keeping each other down that they never grew stronger,] Sera added, her voice dripping with amusement.
William smirked. "Good for me, I guess".
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