Chapter 252: The Demon King Asmodeus
The huge amount of magic and blood remaining made her feel amazed because she could feel the amount that flowed into her body was an immense level, and she could feel magic in the atmosphere, unlike before.
'It seems I cannot leave this cocoon until he has finished?'
[That is true, little queen.]
'Who are you?!' A beautiful voice sounded in her mind, causing Velvet to become on guard—she thought Asmodeus might be in danger. Though his arms and legs wrapped around her body like a vice, stopping her from moving or protecting him.
[Do not fear. I am Serena, the goddess of darkness and your patron goddess. You are the Demon Queen I helped create.]
Velvet felt irritated because there were plenty of other women around Asmodeus who loved him more than she felt she did. It made her feel guilty that she became a demon queen while they were still mere demons or two of them princesses at most.
'I don't deserve such a name or title... I am but a mere witch from Grigor and being here right now is luck.'
[Fufu~ all the girls who are around him are so adorable. Don't worry, nothing was luck. Every step and action was fated to pass as the stars foretold before this world was even created.]
This didn't make Velvet feel at ease. Instead, she became more irritated. To think that everything is fated was something she resisted with all her heart.
'I refuse to believe that all our actions are predetermined!'
A moment of silence passed before the swirl of blood began to flow back into Asmodeus, causing his body to swell slightly with a loud crack and pop. The sounds made Velvet panic, but she could only gaze at his changes because of their position.
[Oh my, is that how you truly feel?]
'Yes! I only act regarding my desires and will! Not some goddess or god who is playing chess in a realm I cannot see or visit.'
[Hahahaha! How wonderful.]
'Are you mocking me?' Velvet's thoughts became violent, her mind's voice sharp and filled with a demonic tone.
[No, truly, I am happy that you are beside him. You are right. We cannot control the world with the disgusting term fate or destiny. However, since you admit it was because of your desire, will you stop pretending you are not in love with him yet?]
'!!!'
Velvet's demonic eyes shrank, and her cheeks turned bright red while looking at the handsome face of Asmodeus, who seemed to sleep peacefully despite the horrible sounds his body made every few seconds.
[See, adorable. Make sure you treasure him.]
[The gift you gained from his choice is beyond anything a god or king could give you. Now you can finally use the magic you desired all your life, little Velvet.]
'Of course, I will... Asmodeus is special.'
[Now you should sleep because the ritual isn't finished. I don't think he would want you to endure the pain from the final transition.]
'Eh?!'
Before Velvet could react, her eyes began to feel heavy. It was like someone began shovelling fairy dust into her eyelids, causing them to droop slowly. Asmodeus was the last thing in her gaze; for a moment, she was sure he was smiling at her.
***
Asmodeus felt a familiar feeling, trapped in a hazy memory, locked in his dreams. He pulled himself together, shaking his head to find out what he was looking at and where he was.
The world was dark—after a long war, Asmodeus destroyed the light. His tall figure stood looking up at the red moon with a dark aura as if it was crying tears of crimson light.
'It's one of these dreams again...' He thought to himself. Previously, he saw the death of all the women he loved and their defeat.
However, now there was nothing, and it was only him in this dark, corrupted world with black earth, dry, cracked and void of life. In his arms, a beautiful woman lay without power, her skin pale and lifeless, without signs of wounds.
Her soft black fox ears and matted hair looked divine even though she slept eternally in his arms.
"There's a reason I cannot hear her voice isn't there..." Asmodeus spoke with a low voice, his hands gently stroking the beautiful fox maiden in his arms. There was something about her that made him curious.
Serena, the beautiful goddess of darkness a woman who saved him various times and likely more than he ever knew in both worlds. Asmodeus would have died for her. That was something he was confident about even before he fell in love with her.
'Yet why... do you look so familiar to me?'
Asmodeus knew this soft, lifeless body was, of course, the woman he loved. However, it could never be just Serena.
Because on her wedding ring finger was the special paired ring he earned in the dungeon when he first came to this world and gave it to his first love. This ring couldn't be removed even in death. It was an artefact that would bind them for eternity.
"It's so dark here. Where did the light go? Is it really like my memory... Did I kill this world's light and hope?"
He couldn't understand why because all the information didn't come to him. It was like a puzzle with various pieces missing or a crossword with no hints. It was impossible to decipher, and he felt his heart become heavy with guilt.
"No... I would never kill Serena! I couldn't ever kill anyone I love!"
Asmodeus looked up at the red moon with a cold, dark gaze. There was someone who killed her, a selfish and disgusting creature who had no right to live in this world.
"I will find you. I will find you and erase your existence from this world!"
A cold wind blew through the blackened and ruined land, carrying the cold whisper of death towards the Demon King.
'Ah... I see, it's you.'
Death.
That was the only thing that could kill a god, to deprive them of their divine through the council, then end their lives using his power.
"Then why am I alive?"
A feeling of regret, his stomach suddenly becoming heavy, and his back drenched in cold sweat because he began to piece together the blurry memories and images in his mind.
'No! It can't be!'
Asmodeus couldn't wake from the dream. Desperate, he hit his face, the force causing the ground to shatter and change shape, yet his cheek only showed a light bruise.
"Let me wake up! This is a dream!"
He felt like his entire body was shaking, looking down at the beautiful woman in his arms with tears of blood in his eyes. She couldn't die. He wouldn't let her die, not in his arms. Not by HIS hands.
The world was destroyed, and the gods killed—however, in his immense rage, despair and grief, he took the life of his wife.
"How are you both related... Serena, Yumiko? Why are you one existence in this horrible nightmare?"
'Can I really believe these visions? I refuse!'
Asmodeus fell to his knees, clasping the woman in his arms and kissing her lips. The taste of death was bitter and cold, the lack of warmth and rough, chapped lips gouging at his already black heart. Yet, even with such a disgusting taste, he felt his heart beat again, the cold blood rushing through his body.
'You won't die, not you, not Serena... Or any of the other women I have given my heart to.'
[But are you even able to do that? You are not the hero of this story. You are the villain!]
A voice, familiar and warm.
"Yes... I am the villain. However, I cannot live in a world without those who make me want to be their hero."
He smiled as the darkness seemed to tremble, a brilliant light shining in the distance on the surface of the moon. A small light, yet Asmodeus would not complain!
"I will become the villain, the demon king, and destroy all the gods, devils, and heroes that try to stand before me to make this world dark, to take away their happiness. Even if I must walk in darkness for eternity!"
With a roar, his eyes opened, the crimson aura flowing from his body while his beautiful ocean-blue eyes remained clear.
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'Give me power!'
[Hmmm~ but what if even with my power, you still fail?]
'Then I will seek more power, no matter how I will find a way.'
[A way to what?]
'Save the women we love, of course.'
[Hahaha~ you got me!]
Of course, it was his voice, the youthful Ryuji Vincenzo's voice, before everything changed and he became a demon. A voice filled with passion, hope and light.
[Can we really do it this time? Discarding nothing from ourselves?]
'Let's be greedy, selfish, lustful, and prideful! I envy those who don't have to make choices. I will avenge those who turn against us and devour them whole! Then, when all is over, enjoy a slow and happy life with them beside us.'
[Hahahaha! You are quite the Sinful King!]
The voice became more bright and positive, the tiny star in the sky growing larger with each exchange between the two; this seemed to be the ritual all demon kings would go through when they awakened. Although the scene and suffering they saw might be different, Asmodeus decided to go big or go home.
[Then~ you know what I really am, right?]
'The divine power from Velvet's blood and my power as a true hero, right?'
[You really are a smart boy. No wonder she passed on this task to her son. The Kingdom of Grigor now worships your name as a martyr. You can thank Alan and Avandar for helping turn you into a true hero thanks to their belief in you and spreading it to the kingdom. You are the second True hero to come in the past thousand years.
It's a shame the other one kidnapped the demon queen instead of killing her, haha!]
'Alright, let me go back; the cocoon will soon break, right?'
[Tsk, no fun. I can't even make jokes with my past self.]
"Whatever, it's not like you will disappear. We are the same person. Idiot."
Asmodeus laughed at himself while looking down at the woman in his arms.
"Next time, I won't let you die, so let's have a grand wedding that everyone in the continent wishes to attend."
With that, he leaned down as the world around him began to crumble, and the light covered the moon.
Their lips met, and the light from the moon descended. It was then Asmodeus realised something important.
'This dream... I saw the future and why Serena chose me. To think I thought becoming the demon king meant I had to deny my existence as a hero...'
[Yeah... what an idiot I was. You won't make that mistake, though... Goodbye, Asmodeus! I am sure you will succeed where I failed!]
'Speaking to myself from the future is damn annoying—why is he so smug, and what is that handsome voice. I am not sharing my wives, even with myself!'
[Hahahaha.....]
The moment after Asmodeus vanished, the light covering the moon followed, leaving only darkness and a broken axe lodged in the ground, covered in blood.
[Well... I did my best and failed. I entrusted all our hope to that guy. Let's hope he doesn't mess up. Serena. I am coming to you now.
Next time we are reborn, you'll be a blonde fox girl—huh, how exciting. A shame I won't remember.]
Asmodeus would have no way of knowing that when he visited these future visions, they were, in fact, timelines where he made different choices. In this world, he was with only Yumiko and could not resist the cult of death because he became close to Alan when it was too late.