Chapter 4.2. The King is Born continued

  Mephistopheles collapsed once again, anger blazing in his eyes. He charged at Lucifer, swinging his sword, and this time he managed to block Lucifer’s hook punch.

  He grinned and swung his greatsword at Lucifer’s head again. Lucifer ducked and spun, landing a heel kick that sent Mephistopheles crashing into the stadium wall.

  Mephistopheles scrambled out, and Lucifer appeared directly in front of him. Shocked, Mephistopheles raised his sword for a downward slash, but Lucifer struck first with a right hook to the stomach.

  Mephistopheles dropped his sword. Lucifer followed with a left hook to the stomach, a right hook to the face, and a left hook to the face. The punches came fast and relentless.

  Mephistopheles could do nothing to defend himself—it was a one-sided beat down.

  Lucifer paused briefly. Mephistopheles felt relief—until an uppercut sent him flying into the sky.

  Lucifer appeared beside him mid-air and kicked him straight into the centre of the stadium. He landed, and Lucifer walked toward him, looming over the crater where Mephistopheles now lay.

  He started getting up, reaching his knee, and looked up to see Lucifer’s hand in front of his face.

  Lucifer withdrew his hand, turned, and began walking away. Mephistopheles shouted after him, asking where he was going. “The fight is already over,” Lucifer replied.

  Anger flared in Mephistopheles. He summoned his sword back to his hand and charged at Lucifer.

  Lucifer raised his hand, vanished, and reappeared in front of him. A dark energy ball shot from his palm, blasting Mephistopheles across the stadium. Dark matter exploded around the impact, and Mephistopheles collapsed, unconscious.

  His sword spun in the air before landing in front of Lucifer. He turned away, walking off, then sprouted his wings.

  Before flying away, he ordered Kane to take Mephistopheles back to his castle. Kane asked for permission to run a quick errand, and Lucifer granted it.

  The Seven Sins of Hell watched in stunned silence. As their King took to the skies, they sprouted their wings and followed him.

  Lucifer returned to the castle, the Seven Sins gliding down behind him like shadows. As he approached the massive pyramid, the colossal serpent slithered forward from its resting place, its eyes glowing with ancient light.

  The serpent bowed its head in greeting. Lucifer walked past it at first, silent as always—but then a thought struck him. He stopped mid-step, rose into the air with a single beat of his wings, and called out to the creature.

  The serpent lifted its great head until it was level with him.

  “What is your name?” Lucifer asked.

  Its voice rumbled through the air, soft yet immense. “Aurora.”

  Lucifer nodded. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Aurora.”

  The serpent’s eyes brightened. “And what is your name?”

  “Lucifer.”

  “It is nice to meet you as well, Lucifer,” she replied.

  For a moment, neither spoke. Aurora’s eyes narrowed slightly as if searching for something unseen.

  “…Do you feel it?” she asked.

  Lucifer hesitated before answering, “Yes.”

  “A connection,” she murmured. “Strange… powerful… but impossible to explain.”

  Lucifer gave a faint nod, then descended back toward the ground. He entered the pyramid without another word.

  The Sins watched in silence from below. A moment ago, they had seen something no one expected—a gentle exchange, a hint of warmth from the one they believed to be a cold-hearted demon king. None dared to comment. They simply followed him into the pyramid, confusion hidden behind obedience.

  They teleported to the entrance of the throne room. The massive doors opened on their own, and the group stepped inside. Lucifer walked straight to his throne and sat down, while the Sins moved forward and knelt before him.

  He could tell they wanted to ask something.

  “Speak,” he said.

  Pride lifted his head slightly. He felt a faint pinch of Lucifer’s bloodlust—just enough to warn him that a lie would mean death. So he asked directly:

  “…Why did you act that way with Aurora?”

  Lucifer rested his cheek against his fist.

  “My behaviour… even I don’t understand it,” he said. “But I felt a connection with her. Strong enough that I couldn’t ignore it.”

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  The Sins exchanged quick glances, but said nothing.

  “If that is all,” Lucifer continued, “you may leave.”

  They bowed and departed. The moment the door shut behind them, Lucifer teleported to his bedroom.

  He stood before the mirror. A slow, sinister grin spread across his face.

  His battle with the Demon Lords was finished. Now he could finally focus on what truly mattered—taking control of all of Hell. Being called the

  meant nothing. It was only a title. Until every demon knew his name first-hand, until they feared him or worshipped him…

  He would not be the true King.

  A few days passed.

  Lucifer was sitting on his throne when Kane appeared before him.

  “The Demon Lords wish to speak with you,” Kane reported.

  Lucifer raised a brow. “And why didn’t they just barge in like before?”

  Kane lowered his head slightly. “Aurora refused to let them in.”

  Lucifer sighed. “Fine. Let them enter.”

  The throne room doors opened, and the four Demon Lords walked in together. They approached the centre of the room and knelt before him.

  “Congratulations on becoming the Demon King,” they said in unison.

  Lucifer rested back on his throne. “You may raise your heads.”

  They did.

  “For my own sake,” he continued, his voice steady, “does this mean you have accepted me as your King?”

  “Yes,” they replied.

  Lucifer’s eyes shifted to Mephistopheles, whose body still carried visible injuries from their battle.

  “And you?” Lucifer asked.

  Mephistopheles held his gaze. “Yes… I have.”

  Mephistopheles straightened himself and asked, “What are your plans from this moment onward?”

  Lucifer fell silent for a moment. Then, calmly, he answered.

  “I plan to spread my name across all of Hell. I will make sure every being knows who their Demon King is.”

  The room fell still. Even the Demon Lords looked stunned.

  Mephistopheles swallowed. “And… how do you intend to do that?”

  Lucifer leaned forward slightly. “I will create an army. Demons, demonic beasts—anything that can fight. Then I will unite every kingdom under one rule.”

  Apollyn narrowed his eyes. “And what would you give them to make that possible? What could all of Hell desire?”

  Lucifer’s expression didn’t change. “I will open the Gates of Hell.”

  Silence crashed over the room. The Demon Lords stared at him in disbelief.

  The Gates of Hell had not been opened in more than ten thousand years.

  With that said, everyone began to leave. Kane stepped forward and asked for permission to run an errand, and Lucifer granted it.

  But just as Kane reached the doors, Lucifer called his name.

  Kane stopped and answered. Lucifer told him that when he returned from his errand, he wanted to hear what the job of the Demon King’s adviser was.

  Kane turned to respond—but froze.

  Lucifer sat with his legs crossed, an elbow resting on the throne’s armrest, his fist supporting his cheek. His blood-red eyes glowed, and the bloodlust pouring from him filled the entire room.

  Kane understood immediately. If he answered now, he would die.

  So he bowed his head and simply said, “Yes, my lord,” before quickly leaving the throne room.

  Lucifer started thinking about his idea to open The Gates of Hell. He knew the demons had been locked inside for countless years, and only rarely did a demon manage to escape. The conclusion was obvious.

  He suddenly said, “Lokie,” and closed his eyes.

  When he opened them, he was in a dark space. It looked like he was talking to himself when he asked out loud how long it would take to appear this time.

  Large red eyes opened in the darkness and greeted the Demon King, Lucifer.

  Lucifer asked the eyes if it was true that he could open The Gates of Hell, just as it had claimed before. The eyes replied that now that he had officially become the Demon King, he did indeed have control over The Gates.

  But not only The Gates—he could even create his own Gate to the human world.

  However, the eyes advised against it, since doing so would require an extreme amount of demonic energy.

  Lucifer was surprised to learn that he could create his own Gate to the human world, and he knew he would need to test it himself before using it on a large scale. Lokie released him, and Lucifer finally had something new to focus on.

  But before he could leave, Kane returned.

  Lucifer reminded him of what he had asked before he left, but Kane told him that something more important required his attention. The Elder Demons Council had requested Lucifer’s presence. Lucifer wasn’t surprised to learn that a council of elders existed, and he left with Kane immediately.

  As they walked, Lucifer saw countless demonic creatures. They came in all shapes and sizes, and each one sparked his interest. He imagined building an army from these monsters for when they returned to the human world.

  They finally arrived. A gigantic pillar stood before them, shaped like a door, with stairs spiralling up along its side. That was their destination. Kane explained that because of the violent wind currents above the pillar, entering from the top was impossible.

  They reached the steps and began climbing.

  Eventually, they arrived at the summit. An ancient door awaited them, sealed by a special key. Fortunately, Kane had it, and the door opened as they stepped inside.

  Lucifer followed Kane through a dark passageway, and when they exited, he saw a large circular area surrounded by ten pillars. As they walked toward the centre, Lucifer noticed demons seated around them, and he could sense a powerful demon behind him. He paid it no mind.

  When they reached the centre, Kane went down on one knee and introduced Lucifer as the Demon King, welcoming him to the Council of Elders.

  One of the elders immediately had a problem with Lucifer standing. He ordered Lucifer to show respect and kneel before his elders. But Lucifer, naturally, wasn’t going to do that. Instead, he ignored him completely and asked why the elders had called for him.

  The elder grew furious and used gravity to force Lucifer to kneel, but it only pushed Lucifer’s upper body a quarter of the way down. Lucifer told him that once upon a time he had been put in the same position, the only difference being that he had been completely forced to his knees.

  The elder demanded to know what he was talking about and what that had to do with anything. Lucifer told him that the point was simple — the one who forced him down back then was far stronger than him. But this elder was far weaker than Lucifer, so what exactly did he think would happen?

  Lucifer snapped his head toward the elder, his eyes glowing bright red, and the elder was instantly slammed into the wall behind him.

  Lucifer kept applying pressure, forcing the elder deeper and deeper into the wall. Suddenly, a voice boomed, “Enough!”

  Lucifer turned and saw the elder seated above the entrance. Kane introduced him as the Grand Elder of Hell, but Lucifer didn’t seem to care—he still hadn’t released the pressure on the other elder.

  The Grand Elder asked Lucifer to release him, and Lucifer obeyed. Then Lucifer asked once again why he had been called here.

  The Grand Elder said they had heard Lucifer planned to open The Gates of Hell. Lucifer confirmed it without hesitation.

  The elders—including the Grand Elder—immediately rejected the idea, insisting that The Gates The elders were mistaken. Lucifer had no intention of asking for their permission.

  Furious, the Grand Elder warned him that all the elders would do whatever it took to stop him from opening The Gates. Lucifer simply replied, “I hope so.”