The stage was set.
In the dark region of the world, where the sun is perpetually blocked by looming black clouds and demon-kind wielding unimaginable powers run amok, a majestically large castle stood tall in the middle of this depressing territory. Despite it being midday in the human region of the world, only in the demon region will it always seem like night.
Some say it's a curse they brought upon themselves from the Goddess of the world while others will claim it's because of their dark magic and strange rituals that cause the immense amount of black clouds in the sky. While the demons have learned to live with it and even adapted to the lack of light, it is by no means ideal, especially when in the middle of a war such as right now.
For miles leading up to the pitch-black castle, dead bodies of various demons are strewed about. Severed limbs and sliced-up bodies from young and old demons littered the hero's path. As the clouds begin to thunder and rain down its polluted waters and wash away the purple blood from the brick road, a hero and his companions can be seen making their way toward the Demon King's iron gates. Looking at the marble orb, the Demon King merely hums and makes his way towards his bedroom door.
"This time, I'll be sure to end you, Hero."
His deep green eyes glint dangerously in the dark as he opens the door and steps out his bedroom. Making his way down the hall, his long black hair sways elegantly loose around his waist, for such a special occasion he wore his favorite dark red royal suit and a pitch black cloak with black fur around the neckline.
Just as he rounds a corner, he pauses in front of a mirror. He inspected his flawless and masculine face, his straight nose, rosy lips and long lashes looked perfect. His large sharp devil horns shone like obsidian in the little light the candles in the castle could provide. His powerfully strong feathered wings rustled in excitement, making some black feathers come loose and fall to the ground before disappearing from the world. Turning his attention to his body, he stood at nearly 6ft 3in, having trained for hundreds of years, he had a very sturdy build with broad shoulders and tight muscles. He had a good balance of toned body mass and a slim figure, not appearing too bulky but looking to be very strong, enough that many would think twice before confronting him, that is if they didn't know his identity. Despite there being no sun, his skin was a delicious caramel color which he attributes to his aptitude for dark magic.
By all accounts, this man could be said to be comparable to a god with how good-looking and perfect he appeared. However, it didn't matter if the whole world were to agree, he only cared about one being's opinion of himself.
"Sigh, come on Talo. You can do this. For him."
Peeling himself away from the mirror, Talo the Demon King continues walking down the hall until he reaches two large doors. The one to his left had intricate ancient writings that no one is supposed to know what they say, as the language has long been lost to time, except for Talo, that is. Talo merely glances at it and sneers before turning his attention to the door to his right which looked the same however, didn't have any writing but did have a pretty design and a symbol of his demon kingdom, a pair of devils horns with wings attached to an upside down star.
Taking another deep breath to calm his nerves, Talo pushes open the right door while taking out a small white marble from his inventory. As he channels his mana into the marble, it begins to glow and a lovely smooth voice fills the air, sending shivers down Talo's whole being.
"My Lord? What can I do for you?"
"Ah, Yu, take the Saintess and meet me in the throne room." Talo manages to say albeit with a somewhat flushed look.
"Understood, My Lord!" Yu cheerfully replies before cutting off contact.
Talo can just imagine the owner of such a sweet voice grinning silly as Yu called him 'his lord'. Walking to his throne, Talo tries his best to slow his fast-beating heart for he fears his beloved would hear it, once this all ends he won't have to keep such fears to himself. Taking his seat, Talo brings out a bowling ball-size purple marble from his inventory and continues to monitor the hero and his party as a way to distract himself from his anticipation of Yu's arrival.
***
In the vastly large throne room, the night's beauty was tainted by the strong storm lashing out beyond the castle's walls. Talo began to be annoyed as each thunder roared with each passing minute Yuliain wasn't here. Finally hearing the familiar sound of metal chains dragging and clanging against the floor and themselves, Talo put away the marble, and attempted to appear cool yet dominating like a true demon overlord, which technically he was now. Placing one leg over the other and putting one hand against his cheek, he tried to relax as each second made the sound grow louder. He knew his magic barrier would keep the hero from entering his domain, at least for now, so he had no problem putting all his focus on his approaching beloved.
As soon as the main doors opened, Talo unconsciously held his breath. There stood the most stunning man he's ever come to love.
Yuliain the King of the Lust Demons and boy, did his appearance give credit to his title. Though his true stature was a petite 5ft 4in, in his high heel boots, he stood a proud 5ft 8in. His long hip length white hair clung close to his body, navigating stylishly around his round white horns and avoiding his white devil wings that sprouted from his lower back, right above his tail with a heart shaped tip. His red eyes shone delightfully with joy like freshly cut rubies and matching were his red lips, like budding roses. As an incubus, his outfits were always exposing as much of his delicate white porcelain skin as possible, both for convenience and necessity. Today he wore tight black booty shorts that hung low, below his mid-drift and what looked like barely a black cloth that wrapped around his chest and hooked to itself in the back, its only purpose seeming to cover his delectable nipples. By all accounts, if not for his devil horns and wings, he would be revered as an angel to mankind going based on looks alone. In his elbow length black gloved hand, he held a silver chain tightly.
As Yuliain made his way towards Talo, he dragged along with him a small girl attached to the other end of the chain. She had pale skin, though not as beautiful as Yuliain's. She nearly reached Yuliain's height, standing at 5ft 6in. Her once vibrant blue eyes had dulled significantly and her beautiful lush blonde hair was now a tangled bird's nest. Her priest clothes had various stains from the filth of the dungeon she had been living in for the past few months. Seeing her in such a state, Talo gave a smirk for a second before refocusing on Yuliain.
"My Lord! I've brought the Saintess. Are we finally going to kill her?" Yuliain beamed happily as he ignored all demon etiquette and basically hopped over to Talo.
Talo gave a little chuckle at seeing how happy Yuliain was and how he made the Saintess stumble as she tried to keep up with him. Rising from his throne, he makes his way off the platform to Yuliain, counting each step of the staircase as to appear less nervous than he actually felt. His eyes soften as he spoke to Yuliain in a doting way.
"Yu, I can't kill her just yet. The hero and his party are making their way here, I will do it the moment they approach the throne room."
Talo beings to undo his cloak, stunning Yuliain for a moment before a slight blush appears on his cheeks. He looks down and away as he fidgets with his hands, completely flustered. This reaction makes Talo want to tease Yuliain more, however there was plenty of time for that later. After undoing his cloak, Talo places it around Yuliain's slender shoulders. Confusion replaced his blushing face, which didn't disappoint Talo but he found it even more charming and endearing.
"Yu, I want you to take this cloak. It's a cursed item that will protect you. After I kill the hero, there's… something I want, no, I need to tell you. So, wait for me, okay?"
Yuliain was shocked. He didn't think his lord, the demon king, would care so much for a subordinate such as himself! Especially since he was known as the weakest of the Sinister Seven Sins. Yuliain gave a positive hum, feeling joyful in knowing how confidant his demon king was in killing the hero, who has been on a murdering spree since his summoning by those retched humans! Maybe his lord was going to finally let him take that vacation he's been hinting at for the past month!
Sensing his excitement, Talo finished tying the cloak to Yuliain and then took the chain, roughly pulling on it so the girl's hands violently jerked forwards, nearly pulling her to the floor. Talo glanced at her in disgust before reaching a hand and moving some stray hairs to behind Yuliain's elf like ear. Talo gave a small heavy sigh, he didn't want to leave Yuliain's side. If possible, he wanted Yuliain to always be within eye sight, however this fight against the hero will be very dangerous and there was no way Talo was willing to risk even a slight chance of Yuliain getting any sort of mark or injury. Seeing his lord acting strange, Yuliain clasps Talo's hand that was froze on his cheek and spoke with worry:
"My lord? Will you be okay? I know you're the strongest king to be born in the history of demon-kind and I have full confidence in you winning… however… if it looks like you're in danger, I'll definitely come to your side and protect you! So… so please, don't look so sad…"
It was Talo's turn to be stunned. Everyone in the demon region knew how weak lust demons were compared to the average demon. Let alone in the Sinister Seven Sins, but lust demons in general were known as the weakest amongst demon-kind, so for Yuliain to be king of them wasn't really speaking much to the power he has. To anyone else, this would have seemed like an insult but to Talo, it melted his heart. His cheeks gained some color and his sensual lips curled up into a charming smile. He wished to embrace this man in his arms and never let go. Pinching Yuliain's cheek allowed him to get his hand back as he gave a positive hum.
Seeing that his lord was in a much better mood, Yuliain took that as his cue to find a suitable hiding spot so he could watch the demise of that bastard hero! As he made his way to the hidden door near the throne, Talo never took his eyes off Yuliain until he was fully out of sight. Softly he mumbles what he truly wanted to say:
"This time, I'll protect you, no matter the cost."
This earned him an irritated eye roll from the Saintess, who was unable to move or voice out her scathing opinion due to a curse placed on her from the moment of her kidnapping. However, unbeknownst to the two demons, she has been building up her power for the right moment to break free from her chains.