Screaming.

The civilians were easy to subdue, they only needed to kill a couple of them to put them into their place. The guards were trickier, they tried to resist but the overwhelming force that the monsters possessed was too much to them. The hunters also tried to fight, but the best amongst them weren’t there to support them, making it a matter of minutes for them to fall.

Bei, sitting on a pile of bodies that she just killed, listened to their screams, their cries, their dying breath. Even with her human memories, she has developed a demonic mindset, which is completely different than the one she had. Now to her, this massacre was nothing more than an extermination, a stronger race killing a weaker species. In her eyes, the human race was nothing more than a group of infants, incomplete beings who need her master to complete them.

Yes, be afraid. Savor it, soon you will feel only madness.

“You bitch!”

Somehow, a hunter managed to pass through the wall of nightmares and ran at her, his sword dripping in blood.

A bug. He has no worth.

“Be crushed.”

While she spoke, a purple hue enveloped the hunter, then with a loud crashing sound, he was pressed onto the ground, breaking all his bones in his body.

“Ahhh, this power. I just can’t get enough of it.”

This was her power.

Once someone becomes a demon, they will become specialized in one type of ability, inherited from their creator. Sometimes this power will be a strange variation of a greater ability, so there hasn’t been a case of two demons having the same ability.

Usually, the demon who possesses the power will name it, but Bei insisted that her master names hers.

He named it Domination.

By sending a small wave of energy into the air while she spoke, she could levitate, move, or crush people and objects with ease.

“You should hold yourself back. The party just started, running out of steam now just be pathetic.”

Above Bei, a monster soared in the sky.

It was another demon who wore a black coat and had a pair of raven wings, flapping them with ease. its head was hidden under a hood, the only thing visible was its long white beak.

“Don’t say that. It’s so rare for us to have some exercise these days. We need to savor it!”

“…Can’t argue with that logic. But we need to be on alert.”

“For what? The expedition squad is who knows where and Harvester took care of the hero. There is nothing that can stop us now, so why not enjoy ourselves?”

“…Do what you want. I will continue the evacuation. We have already tran-“

Wham!

From the sky a beam of light descended not far away from where they were, illuminating everything.

Bei and the winged demon felt a chill running down their bodies with a feeling. A feeling that was not theirs, but the power’s that resided within them.

HATRED.

“…I will call Harvester. You fly there and check out what’s there.”

“Do you think it's them?”

“I don’t know, but we can’t take any chances. Go!”

The winged demon flew in the direction of the light beam, that already disappeared.

When it reached it there was already a horde of monsters surrounding a group of people. From where it was it could tell that they were young, around the age of 15. There was a chubby boy with short hair holding a shield the size of his body, a timid ginger girl in a priest’s robe, and a young kid, who had the most ordinary face that the demon ever saw.

“Children? Did the gods really sent them to stop us?”

he flew closer to them, then stopped close enough to hear him.

“You there! This city is ours! Surrender now and we will not harm you. Resist and your death will not be a pleasant one!”

The ordinary boy looked at the demon and asked.

“Who are you? Are you responsible for this?”

“… I am called Raid; I am the Second Lieutenant of Dis’s First Legion. And-Wait why I am telling you this?”

He felt a little bit lightheaded, making him lose some altitude.

Mind control? Without any chant or spell? This kid is dangerous!

“Enemy! Kill them!”

At his orders the horde moved as one, attacking the small group.

It's over. They will soon disperse and there will be nothing but a bloodstain left of them.

Boom!

W-What?!

Where the group was, an explosion occurred blasting away the monsters.

From the torrent, the group emerged blasting away the monsters as if they were nothing more but ants.

“T-They are strong. I should give my all as well.”

The demon called his hands together as if it was praying.

“ Black Harpies.”

His feathers started to detach from his wing, only to be replaced by a new one instantly.

From this rain of black, each feather started to grow and shape, becoming a much smaller version of those crows that Bei used to fly. Soon there were hundreds of these crows surrounding the demon, laughing with their beaks full of teeth.

“Cursed Sirens Laughter.”

At the same time, the crows started to laugh in a high-pitched voice. The force of the voice was so great that it broke the windows of the houses nearby.

The party was caught off guard as well as the monsters. Their eardrums exploded, making blood drip from their ears then they collapsed.

“Well, this wasn’t too hard. They might be strong but without any prepa-“

He couldn’t continue. Not with what was happening before his eyes.

Several light pillars descended upon the city. Pillars that looked very similar to the one that just appeared.

Reinforcements?! Twelve, no 13 of them?! I need to report this to Bei!

While he flew back, a woman’s voice could be heard from the sky.

“HEROES! TODAY IS THE DAY THAT MARKS THE START OF THIS HOLY WAR! THE MINIONS OF THE GOD OF MADNESS HAVE INVADED THE CITY AND THEY ARE KIDNAPPING PEOPLE! STOP THEM AND KILL THEM ALL! SHOW THEM THAT YOU, HEROES WHO DEFEATED THE DEMON LORD ARE MADE OF!”

Shit! Shit! Shit! This is bad this is really bad! We need to retreat!

‘raid it’s me Bei. Did you hear that?’

“How could I not hear it!? This is bad, we need to get out of here! What did Harvester say?”

‘…He says that we are regrouping at the church. The monsters will buy us some time, but hurry.’

“Already at full speed!”

Raid flapped his wigs at full speed, followed by its cloud of crows.

“…Found you.”

Wha-

Before he could defend he was cut half from the waist down.

“F-Fuck!”

He grabbed the hero’s throat and channeled all his magic.

“Death Cla-“

Too late, too slow. In a split second his head was impaled.

“N-No…”

It was too late, he died still in the air.

While falling with his assailant the magic circle on his chest shined in a blue light, while the skin around it was becoming black.

*****

“…Number 9, Raid is dead.”

He was the first demon who was originally a demonic beast without intelligence. After his transformation, he gained a humanoid body and mind. Thanks to him I learned the way of mass-producing my demons. It’s a shame really, I wanted to know how strong he could get. Oh well, at least he will thinner their number once his body is becoming a hybrid thanks to the magic circle on it. Not to mention I still have the queen, who has been making more and more offspring.

“Bei. Open a portal and go back home. I will personally deal with these guys.”

‘Please, be careful, My Lord.’

I cut the communications and looked at the altar. There, I got rid of the cross and put the floating energy ball in its place that was getting bigger by the second.

I now wore my true armor. Black coat, deer skull mask, two huge skeletal arms from my back.

“Here we go.” I took a deep breath then yelled with all my might. “Atera, you handicapped bitch! You are the most useless being in the entire universe! Bet, you can’t even talk, you are so scared of me! You are definitely on a hospital bed still shaking, like the pussy you are!”

It didn’t take long. A ray of light shined into the window and from it, an apple-sized particle separated.

“Who dares insult me? Wait….Desmond!?”

The light particle turned a hint redder.

“Hey there, Queen. Love the new look. It really shows how insignificant you are. Or is it because the wound on your stomach isn’t fully closed yet? “

“You! How dare you insult me?! I will kill you for this! I will destroy everything that you hold dear.”

“Good luck with that. Not very threatening, when it comes from a blob of light.”

Before she could restore, the church's doors opened and a big group of people barged in. I didn’t even need to think, I immediately knew that they were the heroes.

“Mornin’. Good day we’re having, aren’t we?”

“You demon! You will pay for the crimes you committed today! Us. The Hero Alliance shall crush you into dust!”

“Hero Alliance? You have prepared something so special for me? I am touched.”

“Screw you!”

The heroes, especially the ones that looked like priests seemed chocked by the talking particle.

“Goddess? is that really you?”

“…Yes, my children. Excuse me for this foul language. This monster has caused me so much suffering I lost myself for a moment.”

What did that bitch just say?

“He. He He He.Hehehehe HAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! SUFFERING?! YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT SUFFERING?! AFTER THE THINGS YOU HAVE DONE TO ME?! YOU KILLED ME, LOCKED ME UP, SHATTERED ME INTO PIECES THEN TURNED ME INTO A MONSTER! NO, NOT INTO A MONSTER! SOMETHING MUCH WORSE!” In my anger, I released some of my mana, which covered this puppet in the form of a thin wail of smoke that shaped itself in the form of a crooked cross.

The heroes backed away, their bodies wet from their sweat and some of them fell on their butts.

Feeling that my emotions will destroy this body, I collected myself and suppressed my power.

“ Hey kids, did this celestial whore even told you who I am really?”

Not hearing an answer, I touched my mask making it disappear, showing the face of the puppet, that I modified so that it looks like the one I had when I was still a humanoid.

“I am the Infant God of Madness, the Beast, King of the Lonely City Dis, Dealmaker. But before all this, I was a human living my life, but this bitch summoned me as a hero candidate and threw me away when I didn’t make the cut.”

I put some magic energy into my words trying to hypnotize them.

Strange. There is something not right here.

The heroes looked at me in horror, they turned at the light particle, that was silent as a tomb.

“She threw me into the void, try to destroy my soul for energy. I somehow managed to survive, but it destroyed my memories and shattered my soul. Then while I was trying to fit in, you know, trying to find a job, going on dates, buy a house, she sent an inquisition after me. A fucking prince who had the blood of a hero! I fought in self-defense that resulted in more violence, ending in me being imprisoned in the void only able to interact with the outside by possessing humans and monsters. Tell me, O heroes of justice, those this sound fair to you? Just wonder. How many were there? How many were thrown into the void only to seas to exist? Were they all students? They were maybe children amongst them, baby even, whose only sin was to not have enough strengths. Can you follow the orders of someone who those this on a whim? ”

It felt good, letting it out from my system. I wonder…

I kept on talking, concentrating some magic onto my chest.

“Hear me out. Not as a monster, but as a former human. Even in my prison, I didn’t give up. I learned how to use summoning magic and dimensional manipulation. I am now able to open up portals into other worlds. If you swear that you will leave me alone, I can take you to another world. it is probably not your own, but it has the same continents, internet video games, and hamburgers. You can even use your magic there! You can become famous there, live a life as you want. Just let me complete my revenge. Look I will even open up the portal for you. “

Using a small amount of my liquid coat I created a black mirror.

I leaned forward and whispered three times my name, followed by a command.

Soon from the mirror, the head of the Lamia that I meet at my bar came out.

“How may I assist you today, Sir?”

"I want you to take them to the portal at the forest. Don’t harm them in any way.”

“…As you wish, sir.”

I turned to the heroes.

“It's your choice. Live a better life or stay as a slave. Please put down your weapon and armor and, live a life of your choice. I swear on my name, to the name of those who were lost to me and my past as a human that I am not lying.”

There was a dead silence. if someone would vend rope a pin, we would hear it.

Then…

“Don’t believe his lies! He just wants you to give up your destiny! Kill him! Kill this monster! Fulfill your roles as heroes!”

The light particle flew around them, screaming in anger.

“I will go.”

Finally, someone spoke.

“…Me too.”

“..S-Sorry. I just… sorry.”

“WHAT?!”

The particle became crimson red, showing its anger.

“…It’s been years. You promised us that when we defeat the demon lord you will send us back to our world. But you never did. You just erased our memories then sent us out to do your bidding.”

“W-What?! How are you able to remember this?!”

“I believe it's because of me.” I lifted my hand up. “While I spoke, I use this thing on them.” I showed them a necklace shaped like an eye that was on my neck.

“This beauty is quite powerful when supplied with enough mana. I went straight into their brains a little, unlocking the memories in their brains. They should be able to remember everything that you did to them now. There was quite a lot in there, you must have been using them for at least a century.”

“Y-YOU! HAVE YOU EVEN THE SLIGHTEST IDEA OF WHAT YOU HAVE DONE?! CENTURIES OF HARDWORK, RUINED! DO YOU THINK IT'S EASY TO BIND A HERO’S SOUL?!”

She continued screaming, sowing her true nature to the heroes.

I won’t lie, this was very satisfying for me.

One after the other, more than half of the heroes, who had their eyes opened, put their weapons and armors down on the ground and went through the mirror, leading them to my city.

I waited, but the rest of the heroes didn’t budge. In their eyes, I could see some sort of determination.

…Sigh, I even gave you a choice. You guys aren’t the smartest of the bunch, aren’t you?

I snapped my fingers, absorbing the mirror back into my body.

“So, what are we going to do? You will kill me and bring my head to the gods? Will you let me escape, only for me to return another day, as if this was a cartoon show? Come on, I am waiting! What will you do?”

Silence. They kept quiet.

What is wrong with them? Was my truth bomb too big for them to handle?

“Of course, they will kill you! Come on! He will kill everyone in the capital! Kill this fiend!”

Yo, you are starting to sound super pathetic!

“Astera, use your head for a second. They have obviously left some of their comrades outside who are currently taking the civilians out of the city. Why do you think they took so long to come here?”

“… Very well. I didn’t want to use it on insects like you, but you give me no choice.”

The particle of light started to shine brightly.

Soon ray of light broke through the window, like a laser swallowing the remaining heroes, leaving only one person behind.

He was a tall man in his forties, with blonde hair and a beard. His entire body was covered in armor that was decorated with magic circles and there was a red cape attached to it.

His entire demeanor reminded me of someone, but I could just not put my fingers on it.

“Another pawn? Do I really have to spile it out for you? With this artifact, they are useless.”

I channeled my energy into the necklace.

Yes, I can feel his mind. It's…clean.

There was no trace of mind control or memory falsification.

“You waste your time. This hero is devoted to me and he has a grudge against you.”

“Against me? I am flattered, but I do not remember doing anything to you. To tell the truth, lately, I have been fighting with women. OH, is that it? Did I kill someone who you loved? My bad.”

He said nothing, just took his sword and slowly draw it out, shining its blade into my face.

“…Hehehe. Interesting. Fine! I will play with you! But I should tell you about the rules of the game we will play.”

Without turning back, I pointed at the ball of energy on the altar that was now the size of a watermelon.

“It’s a bomb. The name is still pending, but I think I will call it Soul Shock. Or maybe Spirit Bomb…Anyway, this baby is made out of ghosts, hundreds of discorporate souls. If one human soul has the power of a fusion reactor then I wonder what will happen if I release this bad boy onto the city. A blast of this magnitude will not only vaporize everything in a hundred-meter radius, but it will surreally affect the souls of those who are tat proximity.”

“Y-You can’t do that! If you use a weapon like this, you will upset the balance of this world! You have no idea what you are doing! It’s beyond madness”

While smiling like a madman. I made my mask reappear.

“Please, don’t underestimate me. Blowing this place up will do me nothing. And the consequences can bite me later. Now Come at me big boy! You have 5 minutes before this baby go Boom! Can you stop me before that?”

The uncle swung his sword without a word, creating a ripple in the air. While he did that I heard something.

“Proetus.”