Imp to Demon King: A Journey of Conquest

The distant screams of burning demonic kobolds reverberated in his ears as icy sweat beaded on his forehead.

'I messed up!'

Despite his earlier self-reminder, he still blundered in this battle.

Some would say no one could have predicted that the leader would transform, that dark tentacles oozing abyssal mist would replace its cut limbs, or that its pierced chest would squirm under his blade.

But deep down, he knew he should have adapted his plan to cover the 'what ifs'.

'In my worries for my subjects, I made things worse. And now I can't use my demonic essence, or I'll go zerk and kill them myself after the leader. Even if I don't, without the tier-up healing, I'll suffer from long-term issues.'

He gritted his teeth, the weight of this lapse in judgement weighing on his shoulders as he lept back before the leader could strike him.

Meanwhile, the leader's power-imbued laughter echoed as it rose to its feet, two smoldering green eyes locking onto his figure.

"I'll drink your draconic blood and feed on your raw flesh to heal. Then, I'll become a dragon! Hahaha! Die in regrets and curse the day you dared to sully my revered ancestor's bloodline, low-ranked demon!"

Adam's cheeks puffed, blasting his exhale sharply as he ignored the mad leader. Instead, his mind churned to find a strategy to win.

However, without knowing if the creature powered up with the emergence of its tentacles or if they just added to its range, he found it hard to draft an acceptable plan.

'No choice. I must test the waters first. I'll let it strike once and try to counter again.'

His heart drummed in his ears as he raised his sword before him, ready to engage for the unfair second round.

A split second later, the leader roared and swung its tentacle towards him.

The wind howled in its trail, the strike pressure pushing against him as he bit his lips in dread.

'It's stronger and faster!'

Arms tensing and urgency fueling his movement, he hurled his blade to parry the whip-like tentacle, descending to shatter his skull.

CRACK

The ground splintered and caved in slightly under his feet as his arms trembled, numbed by the horrible impact's strength.

But he had no time to think about the limb's steel-like hardness or recover his sensations. He immediately ducked aside to avoid the next tentacle splitting the air.

The snapping noise echoed by his ears, a centimeter away from his face, as he rolled on the ground with the grace of a clumsy goblin.

Then, he kicked the ground, his dark hair swirling as he leapt to his feet.

Heart racing against his chest, he scrutinised his adversary's limbs, wary of a follow-up strike as he clenched and unclenched his fists to chase the numbness away.

Yet, the leader didn't continue and only smirked tauntingly, making him realise something critical.

'Am I out of his strike range? And is this bastard learning not to lunge like a savage beast?'

The first idea comforted him as he assessed the approximately five meters separating them. But the second... it just reinforced the sensation of danger clawing at his heart.

'If he waits to counter me, I have little to no chance to win, considering the strength difference. Do I have something I can use to turn the table?'

An oppressive silence engulfed him as his fingers tightened around his sword's pommel, the clinking noise of his gauntlet distracting him for a second.

However, that noise rumbled in his mind as he sized the kobold's bare chest and crude pants.

'I can use my equipment! I'll have to play it smart, but if I can absorb his strikes with my armor to deliver a fatal wound, I can win!'

The outline of a strategy flashing in his mind, he crouched and charged at the leader.

The second he crossed two meters, he saw the creature's smirk broaden as its tentacle blurred in his narrowed eyes.

Instead of panicking, he focused on the whistling noise and the wind pressure to determine the strike's trajectory.

Without wasting time gazing upwards, he shoved his elbow over his head, the sharp edge of his gauntlet glinting as it met the tentacle.

The chitinous edge cracked upon impact before it shattered. Yet, it had done its job in delaying the leader's strike.

CRASH

The ground exploded, rubble flying behind him as he advanced, crossing another meter before noticing the leader's leg tentacle blur.

He felt the wind part towards his torso, yet he smirked back at the leader.

'With only one leg on the ground and your arm still behind, you can't dodge or parry. I win!'

A victorious roar pierced his mind as his arm tensed.

Against all expectations, he ignored defense to hurl his sword at the creature's smug face.

The kobold's four eyes enlarged as the silver flash registered, and its remaining hand trembled. It knew it was too weak to block, but the demon didn't account for its last weapon!

Its mouth opened wide, revealing its sharp, elongated teeth. They absorbed lights for a split second before its abyssal maw snapped shut on the blade.

CLANG

Simultaneously, the clangor of metal striking metal echoed as its tentacle collapsed on Adam's chest plate. The chitin caved in under the horrifying force, knocking the air out of his lungs and sending him flying backwards.

Despite the pain, he forced himself to cast a mocking glance at the kobold and finally answered its taunts.

"Trying to stop an enchanted blade with your bare teeth? Fool!"

After all, his short sword delivered fire damage! No matter how resistant the leader's teeth became, they would suffer from the impact while the heat damaged them further!

Heart hastening in his chest, he collapsed to the ground as he saw his blade drill through the teeth like a spear. With merciless momentum, it continued on its path, emerging from his adversary's shredded neck in a fountain of blood.

But he couldn't rejoice yet.

His arms trembled when he pushed himself off the ground and stumbled towards the falling leader. A sharp pain accompanied each step, and his chest rose and fell with difficulty, but a steely glint flashed in his eyes.

When he reached the sprawled kobold, he gathered his remaining strength and raised his foot before savagely lowering it on its head.

The noise of a cracking skull reverberated, yet he didn't stop, or rather, he couldn't.

'I won't let you rise and smirk again, saying there was a third phase! I'll bust your head like a rotten melon and end your life once and for all!'

With each stomp, his dark boot took a redder color as more blood coated it until the leader's head shattered in a stomach-churning show.

Still unconvinced, he retrieved his sword and plunged it into its heart, sealing the creature's fate.

Sure it wouldn't rise again with its two most critical organs destroyed, he clenched his trembling fists in victory, his huffs the only noise resounding in this part of the cave.
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However, his face hardened the next second, and even if the thing he wanted the most right now was to drop to the ground to catch his breath, he walked towards the cave's entrance.

'I can't waste time. I need to regroup with the others and help them clean the remaining demonic kobolds.'