"Who the hell were those guys Ikari? Seemed like you knew them." Zang asked as he sat on the ground catching his breath.
"Who the hell were those guys, Ikari? Seemed like you knew them." Zang asked, sitting on the ground, still catching his breath.
Ikari brushed the dust off his body, exhaling. "Those three were the sons of Count Cel Rau, a High-tier Demon. One of the strongest beings in the Demon Realm right now." His tone was casual, but his words carried weight. "I don't know why they left or why they started a rebellion, but I heard rumors that they were planning to betray us—trying to join another legion."
Zang exhaled sharply, shaking his head. "Great. So what now? Do we report back to the Demon King?"
"Yeah, we do." Ikari replied, rolling his shoulders. "Let's head back to the Demon Realm."
Zang frowned. "How? Didn't we teleport here?"
Ikari smirked. "Yeah. I'll just write a summoning circle. Give me a sec."
Zang gave a tired nod. "Alright. I'm ready."
As Ikari etched the final rune into the ground, the summoning circle flared to life, glowing with an eerie crimson and black light. The air trembled, distorting like ripples on a lake. A powerful gust of wind erupted from the sigils, swirling debris and dust around them. Zang took a step back instinctively, shielding his face from the energy waves radiating from the circle.
"Alright," Ikari said, standing up and dusting off his hands. "This should take us straight back to the Demon King's palace. Just step in, and we're out of here."
Zang hesitated, the weight of the battle still pressing down on him. The brutal fight against Lucien, the power he had awakened in himself, and the fact that they had just killed three of the Vampire King's sons—all of it felt heavy, like a storm waiting to break.
"What's wrong?" Ikari asked, noticing his hesitation.
Zang exhaled sharply. "Nothing… just thinking. Those guys were strong, and you said their father is one of the strongest demons in the realm. Won't this cause serious problems later?"
Ikari shrugged nonchalantly. "Probably. But that's not our problem right now. We did our job—killed some traitors, wiped out their little rebellion. Whatever happens next is up to the big guys up top. Now quit overthinking and get in the damn portal."
Zang sighed and nodded. He stepped into the summoning circle. Instantly, his vision blurred, and a rush of vertigo overtook him. The sensation of being pulled through space—like his entire body was unraveling and reconstructing at the same time—overwhelmed him. A flash of darkness swallowed everything.
Then, in the blink of an eye, they emerged back into the Demon Realm.
They landed in the grand hall of the Demon King's palace, a vast, ominous chamber lined with towering obsidian pillars and glowing crimson torches. The very air here was thick with power—an overwhelming, suffocating presence that made even someone as strong as Zang instinctively tense up.
At the far end of the hall sat the Demon King. His presence alone was enough to make the chamber feel smaller, heavier. He had short, neatly cut hair, an angular beard and mustache, and wore a sharp black tuxedo with a blood-red undershirt. He sat upon a massive throne of black stone, gazing out of a window to his left, his expression unreadable. His aura was an endless abyss, a crushing force of authority that demanded obedience. His piercing eyes, glowing like molten lava, locked onto them the moment they appeared.
Ikari smirked and gave a lazy salute. "Yo, boss. Mission's done. The rebellious little vampires have been taken care of."
The Demon King didn't react at first. He simply leaned forward slightly, his voice deep and resonating like a thunderclap. "You succeeded?"
Ikari gestured toward Zang. "Kid did pretty well, actually. You should've seen it—Lucien nearly pissed himself when he realized he was about to die."
Zang swallowed hard but remained silent. The power he had felt during the battle still lingered faintly within him, but standing before the Demon King, it felt insignificant.
The Demon King studied him for a long moment before finally speaking. "You've done well. Both of you."
Relief washed over Zang.
"However…" The Demon King's gaze darkened. "Killing three sons of Count Cel Rau will not go unnoticed. This will bring consequences."
Zang clenched his fists. "So… he's going to come after us?"
"Perhaps. Perhaps not. That depends on how he values his dead sons," the Demon King said simply. "But regardless, this incident will cause a shift in power. Prepare yourselves—this is far from over."
Ikari sighed. "Yeah, yeah, we expected as much. But hey, no use worrying about it now. What's next?"
The Demon King leaned back into his throne, his expression unreadable. "For now, you both should rest. But be ready. War may be coming sooner than you think."
With that, the audience was over. Ikari stretched, placing his arms behind his head. "Well, you heard the boss. Guess we get a little break before things get crazy again."
Zang exhaled deeply. His body still ached from the fight, and his mind raced with everything that had happened. But one thing was clear—this was only the beginning.
As they walked out of the throne room, Zang glanced down at his artificial arm, still pulsing faintly with residual energy from his awakening. The sensation was strange, like his body was still adjusting to the new power surging within him.
They entered the main hall, the torches casting eerie shadows along the dark stone walls.
"What does he mean, war?" Zang asked.
Ikari ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah, the powers of the Demon Realm are in a constant feud. The Vampires, the Central Demons, the Mystic Demons, the Banished… they all have their own rulers, and they're all locked in a struggle for power." He shrugged. "Been like that for a few hundred years."
Zang narrowed his eyes. "So what, we're just going to sit around and rest?"
Ikari smirked. "Of course not. Back when we were in Germany, I sensed something—other energies. Probably humans in the area that got bitten or had their blood drained." His expression darkened slightly. "Spreading the vampiric disease."
Zang's jaw tightened. "So there are more out there?"
Ikari cracked his knuckles. "Oh yeah. And I think it's time we pay them a visit."
Zang and Ikari stepped through another portal, emerging in the dimly lit alleyways of a city in Germany. The air was damp, filled with the scent of rain-soaked concrete and lingering cigarette smoke. Neon signs flickered overhead, casting eerie colors onto the wet pavement. Unlike last time, when they had been dragged into a fight, this time they had come with a mission: to hunt down the humans infected with vampiric blood before things spiraled out of control.
Zang pulled up the hood of his jacket, scanning the busy streets. "So, how exactly are we supposed to track these people down? It's not like they have a sign over their heads that says 'infected.'"
Ikari smirked, tucking his hands into his coat pockets. "That's the fun part. We ask around, listen for rumors, maybe shake down a few people. Vampires aren't exactly subtle—they get cocky, start making a mess. Someone's bound to have seen something."
For the next few hours, they moved through the city, hitting bars, clubs, and back alleys, talking to anyone who seemed like they might know something. Most people brushed them off, others gave vague stories of "weird" individuals with pale skin and an aversion to sunlight. Nothing concrete.
It wasn't until they reached a rundown tavern near the outskirts of town that they got their first real lead.
A burly bartender eyed them skeptically as he cleaned a glass. "You two are asking a lot of questions," he muttered. "You cops or something?"
Ikari grinned. "Do we look like cops?"
The bartender snorted. "Fair enough. You're looking for weird folks? There's been talk of people going missing near the forest outside town. Some say they see strange figures moving through the trees at night. Might be what you're looking for."
Zang glanced at Ikari, who shrugged. "Good enough for me."
The Forest Encounter
That night, they made their way to the forest. The deeper they went, the quieter it became, the sounds of the city fading behind them. Zang could feel something—an unnatural stillness in the air.
"Something's off," he muttered.
Ikari nodded, eyes scanning the trees. "Yeah. We're not alone."
Then, a low growl echoed through the trees.
Zang tensed, drawing his weapon. "That didn't sound like a vampire."
Branches snapped, and suddenly, something massive moved in the darkness. A pair of glowing amber eyes appeared, followed by a deep, rumbling snarl. The creature stepped forward, revealing its enormous form—a dragon.
Its scales were a deep obsidian, blending with the night, and smoke curled from its nostrils as it locked onto them.
Ikari let out a low whistle. "Well… that's new."
The dragon roared, the force of it shaking the trees, sending a gust of hot wind blasting through the forest.
"You sure we're in the right place?" Zang shouted over the sound.
Ikari smirked, cracking his knuckles. "I dunno, but we're about to find out."
The dragon lunged.