The King's secret chamber was far less opulent and far more pragmatic than his public throne room. Maps lined the walls, marked with troop movements and ominous red splotches marking the cult's known strongholds. The atmosphere was that of a siege, the weight of the kingdom resting on the slumped shoulders of its ruler."Ard Meteor," the King began, his voice strained. "The cult is stronger than we feared. Their tendrils reach deep within our borders and beyond. Our armies falter, our spies are hunted… We are losing this war."Sir Eldrin slammed a fist on the table. "We need a decisive blow! Something to break their spirit, topple their leaders." He glared at me, a silent challenge in his gaze."An assassination, then?" I countered, my tone deceptively light. "A touchy business, even for 'The Circle.'"Lady Olivia's smirk was a razor's edge. "We have identified their central conclave. A gathering of their highest echelons, protected by magic and monsters, of course.""Of course," I echoed dryly. "So, you want me to stroll in and slaughter them all. How…quaint.""You have faced worse," she retorted, her eyes gleaming with a hunter's thrill.True enough. In my demon lord days, storming fortified keeps was more of a pre-lunch activity than a strategic masterpiece. But this… this was playing with delicate threads of power and consequence. One wrong move, and the ripple effects could plunge the kingdom further into chaos. Delicious."My fee has…tripled," I declared. The King choked, Sir Eldrin scowled, and Lady Olivia just laughed. This was starting to get fun.The cult's conclave was nestled within the ruins of a forgotten city on the far eastern border. Its crumbling walls held an ancient power, corrupted and twisted into a labyrinth of wards and magical deathtraps. Just getting close to the place made my skin crawl with a mix of anticipation and long-forgotten instinct. This wouldn't just be a battle, but a test.Alongside me were several of 'The Circle's' best – shadow mages, assassins, and a grizzled old relic hunter with more scars than teeth. They were competent, hardened…expendable. I mourned them preemptively, of course.Lydia and Ireena were absent. I'd forbidden Lydia's involvement, her righteous fury more liability than asset in this particular game. Ireena…well, her ambition now had a ruthlessness that was better honed elsewhere.The infiltration was a masterpiece of blood, timing, and more than a little luck. Wards flared and fizzled under my touch, ancient constructs awoke to their doom, and cultists died in droves. My old demonic self was having a gleeful time.The inner sanctum was a cavernous chamber, its mosaic floor stained with unholy sigils, the air humming with foul power. The cult's leaders were there, cloaked figures exuding an aura of malice that had me salivating in anticipation.The fight was a glorious mess. I wove illusions to mask the others, my raw power shattering defenses as the relic hunter slipped past, aiming for a glowing artifact that throbbed with tainted energy. Eldritch blasts singed my hair, shadows writhed beneath my feet, and the sweet scent of ozone and burnt flesh filled the air.Just as the relic hunter reached the central artifact, an inhuman screech tore through the chamber. The shadows in the room pulsed, coalescing into a fanged monstrosity the size of a small castle. This, clearly, was the cult's secret weapon.Chaos erupted. My companions were flung aside as tentacles lashed out, crushing two against the unforgiving stone. The relic hunter roared in defiance, artifact clutched in his hand, but his triumph was short-lived. A blast of concentrated darkness dissolved flesh from bone, leaving nothing but a smoking crater.The creature turned its glowing crimson eyes towards me, a malevolent hunger in its depths. This thing was powerful, fueled by corrupted energy and raw hate. A worthy opponent, even for me."Ard Meteor!" a voice hissed, barely audible over the creature's roars. One of the cloaked figures stood defiant, his voice laced with a desperate energy, "The artifact, destroy it! Only then can their creature be slain!"It was a gamble, a chance to shift the tides. I surged forward, a whirlwind of destructive magic. The creature was fast, its inky appendages surprisingly agile, but my reflexes were honed over centuries of brutal combat.With a final, desperate surge of power, I slammed the full force of my magic not into the creature, but the ground beneath its clawed feet. The mosaic floor, weakened by the constant barrage of spells, shattered. The artifact, the creature's source of power, tumbled into the abyss below.The creature howled in rage and disbelief. It thrashed, momentarily bound by its own panic. It was my opening. Channeling every ounce of my strength, I wove a binding spell that shimmered with ancient might. The creature roared, a primal sound filled with fury and fading power.