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DN : [412] Demon King
🕑 Added 2025-01-13 16:00:04 +0000 UTC"Hey, they’re not even here. What are you planning to do now?"
Natsuki Minamiya shot a wary look at August, who stood before the sleek entrance of Magus Craft's headquarters. Though an enforcer of the island’s regulations, she knew that Magus Craft operated within the bounds of the law—at least on paper.
August’s response was a sharp, amused grin. "Not here? That’s not for you to decide. I’ll determine that for myself."
Natsuki narrowed her eyes, her suspicions mounting. This man—this so-called “interest-driven Demon King”—was nothing if not trouble incarnate.
With a subtle motion, August's shadow seemed to ripple unnaturally. A second later, a razor-sharp tendril of darkness surged forward, cleaving the sleek humanoid receptionist robot in half with an audible crack.
The destruction was instantaneous. The air hummed with residual power, and pieces of the automaton clattered to the polished floor.
"Seriously?!" Natsuki gasped, her voice rising in frustration. "You’ve just turned a corporate building into a crime scene! If you don’t have a good reason for this—"
But August barely acknowledged her, his expression eerily calm as his shadows coiled around his feet, expanding rapidly. He chuckled softly. "What kind of Demon King would I be if I didn’t act with impunity?"
Deep within Magus Craft's laboratories, Beatrice Basler froze mid-step, her face darkening as she watched the security feed. Her glossy, golden hair glinted under the lab's fluorescent lights as she glared at the carnage on her screen.
"He’s bold," she muttered through clenched teeth. "Destroying my property as if it’s nothing."
Her assistant, a younger researcher clad in a white lab coat, looked uneasy. "Should I—"
"Stay out of it," she snapped, her crimson eyes gleaming dangerously. As a T-class vampire, Beatrice knew better than to take an affront like this lightly. "I’ll handle it personally."
Back at the entrance, shadowy forms began to emerge from the floor, materializing as sleek, clawed creatures. Their glowing eyes scanned the environment with predatory intent.
Natsuki stiffened. "These… shadows… Are they familiars? Or some kind of unique beast?"
"Find them," August ordered simply.
With a blur of motion, the shadow creatures dispersed, melting into the building’s darkened corners. Walls and locked doors posed no obstacle—they moved like ghosts, phasing seamlessly through solid matter.
"You’d better have a plan, August," Natsuki warned. Her tone was sharp, but the triangular magic circles forming under her feet betrayed her readiness to intervene. The spell would summon the divine chains of the Covenant if needed—tools capable of binding even high-level supernatural entities.
"Natsuki-chan," August murmured, his tone now deadly serious, "if I were you, I wouldn’t interfere."
The sudden intensity in his gaze froze her in place. Gone was the playful rogue she had sparred with earlier; this August was a man shaped by purpose, with a resolve that left no room for compromise.
The two stood locked in a silent battle of wills until Natsuki sighed heavily, lowering her stance. "Fine. But if you cross the line, I’ll stop you myself."
August’s faint smile returned. "Fair enough."
From above, the sound of shattering glass broke the tense silence. A split second later, Beatrice Basler descended gracefully, landing in front of them. Her tailored suit and piercing red eyes gave her an air of predatory elegance.
"So, you’re the one wreaking havoc in my domain," Beatrice said coldly, her voice carrying a barely restrained fury.
"Beatrice Basler, CEO of Magus Craft," August greeted, his tone casual yet calculating. "We meet at last."
"You know me?" she asked, her expression unreadable.
"I make it my business to know the people behind... problematic endeavors."
"Is that so? Then tell me, what quarrel do you have with me?"
August's smile faded. "I’m here for Kansei Kanase. Specifically, I’m here to secure Kanon Kanase’s future—and take her out of his reach."
At the mention of Kanon’s name, a flicker of recognition crossed Beatrice’s face, followed by an almost imperceptible flash of crimson rage.
"You dare meddle in my business over a girl like that?" she hissed.
"It’s not a request, Beatrice," August replied coolly. "It’s an order."
The air between them thickened with tension. Natsuki observed quietly, her instincts screaming that something far darker was at play within Magus Craft’s walls. August’s mention of Kanon had elicited a visceral reaction from Beatrice, one that spoke volumes.
"Your arrogance knows no bounds," Beatrice spat, summoning her weapon—a writhing mass of crimson tendrils that coalesced into a whip-like form. "Let’s see if you can back it up. Snake of Scarlet Bonds!"
Her vampiric bloodline gave her the power to manifest her familiar as a living weapon, a hallmark of T-class vampires descended from the Third Primogenitor.
But August barely blinked. "How trivial."
With a wave of his hand, his shadows surged forward, manifesting a bladed creature of inky blackness. The two forces clashed mid-air, the sound of metal slicing through flesh ringing out. Beatrice’s weapon was shredded instantly, her familiar reduced to fragmented wisps of blood energy.
Beatrice staggered, her confidence shaken. "Impossible…"
Before she could recover, a new threat descended. Lowe Kirishima, her beastman enforcer, leaped from above, his claws aimed directly at August’s head. The sheer force of his attack would have obliterated most opponents.
"Beastman," August said without looking up, "if you’re going to ambush someone, don’t announce it with noise."
A shadow blade arced upward, cleaving through Lowe with brutal precision. His body split cleanly in two, blood spraying across the floor as his lifeless halves crashed to the ground.
Both Natsuki and Beatrice froze in shock. For Natsuki, it wasn’t the gore that disturbed her—it was the fleeting but unmistakable aura of death that had radiated from August. This man was no stranger to bloodshed. He had bathed in it.
"You… monster," Beatrice whispered, her voice trembling as fear replaced anger.
August turned to her, his expression cold and unyielding. "From this moment on, Magus Craft is history."
"You… What are you?" she demanded, her voice cracking.
With an unsettling calm, August replied, "I’m August. The Demon King, driven by whim."
Beatrice stared at him, and for the first time, the title "Demon King" felt entirely fitting.
