The sun, still on the horizon, cast long shadows over the streets of Darathor, a city that would soon cease to be what it was. Ethan, Yassmin, and Lyra emerged from the dark slave shop, having heard more than they were told and having seen more than they were shown. The atmosphere in the city was tense. The inhabitants watched them with suspicion, but Ethan seemed indifferent, with a plan already formulated in his mind.
"What do we do now?" asked Yassmin, her tone soft but laden with expectation. She knew that Ethan always had a plan.
"For now, we'll find a place to sleep comfortably, I'm tired of sleeping outside," Ethan replied, his eyes cold and calculating, shining with a darkness that only he understood.
Lyra, unsure and still scared by the way they were being looked at, cautiously approached.
"But how will we do it? No one in this city wants us here." Her voice was filled with worry and an innocence that contrasted with the hardness of her companions.
Ethan looked towards the horizon, a malicious smile forming on his face. He didn't respond immediately, allowing the ominous silence to heighten the tension. Then, with a determined move, he headed towards the largest and most elegant mansion in the city, the residence of the nobles who ruled Darathor.
"This seems like a good place to rest," Ethan said, stopping in front of the imposing gates of the estate. His voice was filled with a cold determination that left no doubt about his intentions.
With a wave of his hand, he released twenty skeletal soldiers, macabre and soulless figures that emerged from Ethan's pocket dimension, where he kept those skeletons modified by him. Showing no emotion or hesitation, the skeletons marched towards the mansion, ready to carry out their master's order: kill anyone who resisted them.
Inside the mansion, the sound of screams and the clash of weapons echoed through the air, mixing with the metallic smell of blood. The skeletal soldiers, showing no mercy or doubt, eliminated anyone who stood in their way. In just ten minutes, the mansion was swept clean of any resistance, leaving a trail of bodies strewn through the hallways and rooms.
When silence once again invaded the place, Ethan advanced towards the entrance, his steps confident and purposeful. Bloodied and mutilated bodies covered the floor, a macabre carpet leading to the heart of the mansion. Lyra, reluctantly following, couldn't help but feel her stomach churn at the sight of the carnage surrounding them. Even so, she clenched her fist against her chest and filled herself with resolve; she would endure anything to stay by Ethan's side.
Upon reaching the main hall, Ethan found some people who had survived by not resisting. They were servants, butlers, and maids, as well as an obese man with a large mustache, all trembling in fear at the sight of the man who had brought death to their home. Ethan stopped in the center of the hall, his figure casting a long and ominous shadow over the blood-stained marble floor.
"You won't get away with this, demon of evil. Our king will come and purify every last bit of you," the obese man, who was the lord of Darathor, gathered his scant courage to declare.
Ethan listened and could only smile, though his eyes showed nothing. Gradually, his body began to change, his skin and hair turning an ashen color, with horns emerging from his head.
"Demon of evil, huh? Well, I guess that fits me quite well."
"D-De-Demon…!!!"
But just as the noble was about to continue his outburst, Ethan ripped his head off with a swipe. The large body fell lifelessly, filling the surroundings with even more blood. Ethan looked at the head in his hands but felt nothing in particular, so he simply tossed it aside and continued.
"From this day forward, this will be our summer home," Ethan declared, his voice resonating in the vast space with unyielding authority. "And from today, all of you will serve me; anyone who disobeys will face death."
His words fell like a hammer on the terrified people, who now saw Ethan not as a mere outsider but as a ruthless demon. Ethan's figure, tall and menacing, alongside his terrible skeletal soldiers, stood as a symbol of terror and absolute power. His cold and calculating gaze made it clear to everyone that resistance was not an option.
"Yassmin, Lyra," Ethan continued, his voice soft but full of an authority that allowed no dissent. "Along with my undead soldiers, you will conquer the rest of the city and gather the survivors in one place."
Yassmin nodded with a cruel smile, delighted by the opportunity to release some stress. Lyra, for her part, was seeing this side of Ethan for the first time, and though she trembled with fear, she wanted to prove her usefulness. Under Ethan's watchful eye, both set to work.
The conquest of the now-called Blackwood was swift and bloody. The skeletal soldiers advanced through the streets, eliminating any resistance with brutal efficiency. The citizens, faced with the unstoppable tide of the undead, soon surrendered or were massacred. Those who survived were gathered in the central square, trembling with fear and despair.
Ethan stood before them still in his demonic form, his presence casting a dark shadow over the crowd. With a firm and authoritative voice, he declared the new rules of the city.
"From now on, Darathor will be called Blackwood and will be under my command. Anyone who attempts to disobey or resist will face death. The law here will be the law of fear, and obedience will be rewarded with life."
His words echoed through the square, marking the beginning of a new era of terror and absolute control. The crowd, terrified and without options, accepted their new fate under Ethan's rule.
The next day, Ethan, now in his usual appearance, met with Lyra, who still felt nauseous after the previous day's events.
"Go back to your people, Lyra," Ethan said firmly.
Lyra, not letting him finish and misunderstanding his words, began to cry almost immediately, fearing being abandoned once more.
"No... I don't want to go..." she whispered through sobs, her voice full of despair. She had even forgotten all she had experienced yesterday at the thought of being sent away.
Ethan, seeing the desperation in her eyes, leaned towards her, his gaze soft as he held her hand.
"I'm not abandoning you. I want you to go and tell the ratkin to come here. From this moment on, they will live in Blackwood. But you have to be clear with them: they will live under my orders, and anyone who resists will die."
Lyra nodded, her relief mixed with palpable fear. She was afraid to deliver such a sentence to her people herself, but she was even more afraid of Ethan leaving her, so she was determined to carry out her task.
To ensure the success of her mission, Ethan asked Neith to accompany her.
"Neith, accompany Lyra. I want you to make sure the ratkin understand my orders," Ethan said, his authoritarian tone replaced by one of request.
Neith, who wasn't very interested, agreed, though not without asking for a small favor in return. Ethan, knowing he had to keep her content, agreed to pay the price.
With Neith by her side, Lyra set out for her people, determined to fulfill the mission entrusted to her. She knew that her life and that of her people would change from that moment on.
Yassmin, seeing that Ethan's plans were progressing as he expected, said to him:
"I'm going out to get all the important information I can. I want to know everything about this city and its surroundings and even beyond. I'm going to take advantage of the fear of you that still prevails. It doesn't matter what method I use, right? Since people in this world are so weak, there's no point in proceeding slowly anymore."
Ethan, with a smile, nodded, allowing her to leave. Yassmin quickly headed out to the streets of the newly conquered Blackwood, ready to beat or torture a few people. She had previously suggested moving forward and gathering information slowly just as a precaution, as there were B-rank worlds that were almost as powerful as higher-ranked ones. It was normal not to initiate a violent conquest without enough personnel; however, now that they knew the humans had only a few mages, that was something the two of them could handle.
Once alone, Ethan sat down to reflect on how to proceed. "Surprisingly, using force to achieve objectives is quite addictive. Although I have to be careful in the future with the demonic nature within me. Even if I didn't want it, I ended up losing my human form. As for this place, it doesn't matter if this world has nothing useful; if necessary, I'll force everyone to farm and turn this entire planet into a granary. I'll start by conquering the forest around the portal and then move on to the rest of the places."