Wapruberg, the demon continent located in the northern hemisphere of the world is ruled by the clan of the seven sins. Each clan holds their own lands to govern where they specialize in their own demonic magic and live peacefully.
The place they live in has little to no mana, and the barren atmosphere of the lands will kill a mortal if they stayed there for a few days. The miasma and darkness will make mortals insane, if not, dead. Even demons used to kill each other for a single whiff of mana in their lands. It was truly the most barren place in the whole world.
But that was norm before the Demon Emperor came into power.
Currently, compared to the land of the beasts, Thiodan, the demon continent is much more peaceful. There are no wars, no disunity, and no invasions to secure more resources.
It seemed like it is more orderly compared to the Republic, Iavran, and Thiodan.
The reason for that is the absolute monarchical power of the Demon Emperor. He who ruled with an iron fist and treated nobles and commoners alike ushered an era of peace and order in the lands of Wapruberg.
The clans of seven sins serve the Demon Emperor directly, and the will of His Majesty is the will of the entire continent. If he wishes the lands to be arable and fertile, then the lands will be arable and fertile. But don't misunderstand the Demon Emperor for a benevolent ruler; he treats everyone equality, he made the lands of death and rot turn peaceful and orderly, but this is built upon the corpses of billions.
There may be some demons who respect and venerate their Demon Emperor, but there is a universal feeling that that all his subjects has: fear.
Fear not from death, for that is the simplest and kindest punishment a demon could experience. Fear not the torture, for it is considered as a blissful embrace from the Demon Emperor.
Demons fear the gaze of the Demon Emperor. Mortals and humans who never faced the Demon Emperor do not have an idea when the Abyss stares at you. And it would be better for anyone to never experience it.
No one had ever resisted the ruler of Wapruberg ever since he had risen to power and claimed the throne. For he is a direct descendant of a Noble Abyssal, the bane of all the inhabitants in the material plane.
——
The throne room of the Demon Emperor exudes oppressive magnificence, a testament to his iron rule. Dark obsidian walls rise high, adorned with carvings of torment and conquest. Twisted pillars, wrought from nightmares, support a vaulted ceiling shrouded in shadows. Crimson torches cast eerie reflections on the polished black marble floor, veined with fiery red, as if the room itself bled.
At the far end, the Demon Emperor's throne, an imposing construct of blackened bone and jagged iron, dominates the space. Elevated on a dais of jagged rock and surrounded by a moat of molten lava, the throne exudes malevolence. The emperor sits with unassailable pride, his eyes burning with cold fire. His spiked armor glimmers with an infernal sheen, and his crown, a twisted circlet of dark metals, sits upon his brow like a cruel halo. Each movement radiates supreme confidence and cruel authority, embodying tyranny and power.
"Your Majesty, Selvud from the clan of gluttony successfully made a distraction in the human domain. Zara is vanquished from the maps of Ziront."
The Demon Emperor flicked his finger as a signal for the demon to move forward in his report as if the deaths of tens of thousands of humans were inconsequential.
"On the other hand, we have also made the proper plan towards the gates of hell. We were able to send Yves outside of the material plane. The Abyss shall grace the material plane once again."
"What about his son? Have you found him in the Eastern Continent?"
"The invasion has scorched the lands of Iavrin, but the Lightbringer remains free from our grasp. All scrying and detection methods had been exhausted, your Majesty. We could only conclude that the lady Lumenhart found a way to send the kid to a safer place."
"Continue looking for the kid, but refrain from harming him.
"This is my will." The demon emperor's eyes turned darker than the darkest nights as all the flickering flames in the molten lava disappeared.
"I want him to return willingly. To return where he truly belongs."
The reporting demon closed his eyes and shielded his consciousness with his magic as he strained to say, "The night basks in your glory, your Majesty."
——
A platinum-blond haired boy with golden eyes that seemed to radiate the warmth of a gentle morning asked Horace, "Master, what are we training for today?"
"I'm going to teach you the four mainstream magic types that mages try to reach a mastery in: mobility, defense, debuff, and offense."
"So far, you have only used magic in the form of offense. The plasma sphere, and sword materialization were both offensive magic. Why?"
"How can I defeat my opponents if I can't hurt them?"
"Don't answer my questions with questions! Answer me properly." Horace materialized a steel bat behind Kyrian's head and hit him without warning as hard as he could without permanently damaging or injuring his head.
"Ouch, master! You could've killed me with that."
"Are you bleeding?"
Kyrian touched the back of his head and checked if there was blood.
"No."
"Then why are you whining like a little kid?"
"Huh? Because I am a little kid?"
"Oh…"
"What do you mean 'oh…' Do you have no shame?"
"What's shame? Can it be eaten?"
Kyrian had the urge to plant a palm on his face but resisted. He continued the conversation as he knew that arguing with his master won't go anywhere if he continued to press on, "Without offense, I can't defeat my opponents."
"Was it so hard to answer properly?"
"Deep breaths, inhale… exhale…" The boy read in a book that when you are feeling angry, taking deep breaths can help in alleviating the anger that you are feeling.
Horace, no longer amused at annoying his disciple, continued, "In the order I said, a beginner mage must first learn mobility spells first. Although there are many mages that are more talented in a specific field than others, learning how to survive should be the priority. Unlike aura users who can instinctively protect themselves, mana users are a bit more fragile without proper training."
"Then why did you ask me to summon swords as my first spell if you want me to master mobility spells first?"
"I want to see evaluate you first, of course. To see how inclined you are to a specific field. But you fainted before we got to that part; thanks to your stubborn pride."
Kyrian looked down when he was reminded of his foolish attempts in casting rank-4 Expert level magic.
"But don't worry, kid. We have time to waste, I can teach you everything I know, and some."