Imp to Demon King: A Journey of Conquest

With the kobold leader's death, the swirling demonic essence dissipated, plunging the cave into a veil of darkness only broken by the few flickering torches.

Their lights cast dancing shadows on his grimacing face as he limped away.

His dented breastplate pressed painfully against his wounded chest, each step an excruciating agony. Still, his narrowed eyes remained fixed on the entrance, the kobold army's rear now in his field of view.

The noise of battle filled his ears a louder, the pungent smell of blood and charred flesh melding into his nostrils as he heard Luna's commands.

"Step back, Zane! Ifrit, you reinforce his side. Ondine, cast more water bubbles to slow them down!"

Despite his confusion as to why she took charge of the battle, he heard the exhaustion and worry in her voice. And soon, he understood why.

A sea of corpses.

That's what he walked on a second later. Stomach-churning sounds and rising ashes accompanied each of his shaky steps before he finally reached the first lines of enemies.

He exhaled sharply, his hold tightening on his sword's pommel and, enduring the pain, he charged at them.

'I can't distract my subjects, not when I insisted so much on holding the formation no matter what happens. I must carve a path through the horde myself.'

With this thought in mind, he swung his blade, the power he had shown a dozen minutes ago a distant memory. Still, the creatures were weaker than him in the first place, not to mention that they hadn't spotted him yet. Therefore, his blade flashed a silver hue as it descended in a wide arc towards the first roaring kobold.

The sharp edges dug into its skull, the shattering bones reverberating in the surroundings. Yet, the mad creatures didn't bother to check the source.

Was it because the battle raged and their focus was on his subjects, or did they grow accustomed to hearing agonising screams and shattering bones during this battle?

He didn't know but sighed in relief as he slowed down, and a steely glint flashed in his eyes.

As silent as a ghost, he approached the next kobold. The hand holding his chest until now moved first to obstruct the kobold's mouth. Then, like an assassin, he ran his blade through its neck.

He felt it twitch for a few seconds as its sticky blood painted his fingers scarlet before it died.

Just like that, he had killed another one without endangering himself. Yet, at least a hundred, if not more, separated him from Luna, Garduck, Bart, and the others.

'There is no way they won't notice me once I reach the center, even if they're mad. But I can continue assassinating them until then while I try to recover.'

Acting on his thought, he moved without a sound or hesitation.

As he silently decimated the kobold's back line, Luna's palm cut through the air in the front as beads of sweat rolled down her temples.

"We didn't even kill half yet, and he's still not back!"

She hurled two fiery green snakes, charring a few rushing kobolds, as she muttered in a mix of worry and anger.

Even if she was powerful, did he expect her and the fifteen others to defeat three thousand enemies?

Her brows twitched at the ridiculous idea.

With each second passing, they consumed more demonic essence and stamina. And by now, they were both running low. Honestly? They wouldn't hold for over two minutes if he didn't return to reinforce and inspire them.

As she bit her nail in worry, the sharp scream of Zephyr echoed in her ears as a kobold's nails dug into his left leg.

"Damn it! Push him behind and tighten the formation! We must hold on until the lord returns!"

At her command, the Asura pushed the wounded teenager back and swung his fist at the bastard's head. The wind whistled before it exploded in a rain of bloody mist under the strike's impact.

But how could they rejoice? They had killed so many already, yet like the sea's waves, more crashed on them, and their number didn't seem to dwindle at all.

Yet, amidst the chaos and from her safe spot in the rear, Luna's eyes sparkled as she finally saw his battered figure and his blade cutting through a kobold's back.

"He won! The lord defeated their leader! Hold on for a little longer until he joins us. We'll retreat right after!"

She clenched her right fist and pointed at him to raise everyone's morale.

However, the kobolds' attention was on them, meaning they saw and heard her, too. An unnatural silence descended on the cave for a second as everyone paused to turn toward him.

Then, like a pack of outraged wolves, the sea of kobolds roared at him.

"..."

Meanwhile, Adam's lips quivered, and his shoulders slumped.

'Are you my subjects or a hidden traitor working for them?! Is it because of the maid's outfit? Are you taking revenge? Seriously, what did I do to deserve this?'

He facepalmed as now, instead of a few dozen, every single kobold locked onto him and already moved to block his path. After all, they had struck the demonic wall for so long but failed to pierce it. Therefore, they didn't see him as an isolated demon but as a lamb who had lost the protection of its flock, an easy prey they would rip to shreds to vent their frustration.

Luna understood her blunder, too. She bit her lips so hard that her teeth pierced them, the taste of blood filling her mouth as her chest tightened with guilt. She didn't know what to do, but one thing was sure: Adam couldn't die, much less because of her!

"Break the formation and form a circle! We rescue him and return!"

However, the other subjects shook their heads, refusing her command.

"We won't break the formation. That's the lord's command."

Garduck's guttural voice echoed as he beheaded a kobold who rushed to Adam but didn't move further from the entrance.

The others did the same for a good reason: they knew going there would only make things worse for everyone. After all, they'll stand in the middle of an army numbering almost two thousand kobolds in an open area, meaning that instead of defending from the front only as they had done until now, they would face an omnidirectional assault while exhausted and covered in wounds.

They didn't hold it against Luna, though. She wasn't a general and probably had little experience leading an army because of her noble rank. On the contrary, their opinion of her rose in recognition of her efforts to protect everyone.

Still, they wouldn't listen to this command.

Meanwhile, Luna's shoulders trembled in suppressed rage as she pointed her finger at the enemies surrounding Adam.

However, the words about to burst out of her throat remained stuck as a comforting yet firm hand gripped her shoulder.

"You did well, little one. I witnessed your courage and care for each other since this expedition started. I must say that I'm impressed to see demons this united. Relax in the back, and let me handle the rest."

She turned to look at the speaker, seeing the monkey king's bright smile and wink.

Then, Wukong stepped forward and outstretched his clenched fist before him.

A golden headband suddenly appeared on his head, followed by a golden staff ending with blunt edges on both sides. Intricate engraving covered it alongside miniaturised eastern dragons, testifying to its history-filled origin and authenticity.

With a mischievous smirk, he yelled, "I can't let you have all the fun, brother!"

----

AN: We are so close to reaching 1k unlocks in privilege chapters! You'll help the story tremendously by taking the first tier. It only costs 2 coins and can help it gain visibility on the platform. So, if you're enjoying the story and don't feel like buying the fifth tier, please buy this one. It'll make Adam really, really happy. :D Experience tales at m v|l e'm,p| y- r

-If we get Win-win, I'll keep the fifth privilege tier at 90% off and double the chapter count!