Chapter 23: Asmodeus the Demon King

Jasper stepped out of the portal and arrived at the entrance of the castle. As he emerged, he noticed creepy, unsettling bugs crawling all over him.

"Ugh!" he said in disgust...

These bugs were large, with segmented bodies covered in black, chitinous armor. Their many legs moved in a synchronized, unnerving manner, and their mandibles clicked menacingly. Some of the bugs had glowing red eyes, adding to their sinister appearance.

More bugs were spilling out of the portal, swarming towards the castle entrance. Jasper quickly cast a powerful fire spell, engulfing the bugs trying to escape the portal in intense, white-hot flames. The heat was so intense that the air around the fire shimmered, and the bugs were instantly incinerated, their remains turning to ash in seconds.

With a swift motion, Jasper then closed the portal, sealing off the source of the infestation. Turning his attention to the bugs on his body, he unleashed the same high-heat fire spell, burning them away in an instant. The flames roared around him, but he remained unharmed. However, his outfit was completely incinerated, leaving him standing naked at the castle entrance.

"Why can't any of my experiment ever work on the first try?I can't believe I spent 5 days in here" Jasper muttered in frustration. With a heavy sigh, he added, "And the guy who was supposed to fix it... I bet he's already dead"

Jasper looked up and sensed a fight happening nearby. The mana signatures of the combatants felt familiar to him. "What the hell is going on?" he muttered, before teleporting himself to the room where the fight was taking place.

In the room, Velrith and Raven were just about to clash when Jasper appeared right between them. Their attacks collided with him instead, causing both women to recoil in surprise.

Raven's eyes widened in horror as she realized her strike had hit Jasper. "Jasper! Are you okay?" she exclaimed, her voice filled with concern.

Jasper sighed, looking between the two. "What's going on here?" he asked, exasperated. Both took a moment to realize what they were seeing. Jasper was still completely naked from his earlier ordeal.

Raven's face turned bright red. She quickly covered her eyes with her hands but couldn't help peeking through her fingers. "W-why are you like this?" she stammered, her embarrassment clear.

Velrith, on the other hand, was delighted. Her eyes sparkled with mischievous glee, and a slow, sultry smile spread across her face. "Well, well, Jasper," she purred, stepping closer. "I must say, this is quite a sight." She let her gaze linger on him appreciatively. "I didn't know you liked showing off so much."

She moved even closer, her tone becoming more suggestive. "If you wanted some attention, you could have just asked," she said, licking her lips and giving him a playful wink. "You look... delicious."

Raven's concern quickly shifted to indignation. "Don't talk to him like that!" she snapped at Velrith, trying to sound assertive despite her embarrassment.

Velrith raised an eyebrow and smirked. "And who are you to tell me what to do?" she retorted, her tone dripping with amusement.

Raven blushed furiously, momentarily looking away, trying to muster the courage to respond. Finally, she stammered, "I-I'm his w-wife."

Velrith's eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed with interest. "Oh, really?" she purred, her gaze flicking between Jasper and Raven.

Velrith felt as if she had been betrayed and in sad voice she said, "We spent decades together, I offered you my services, but you never saw me as a serious relationship, not even once, did you? and you took that inexperienced woman as your wife?"

Raven looked at Velrith over Jasper's shoulder and asked, "What kind of services?"

As Velrith lowered her hand down Jasper's chest, biting her lips she said, "Would you like to tell her what kind of service it was? Master..."

Raven grabs Velrith's hand and says, "Don't you dare go any further down!"

Jasper, still standing awkwardly naked between them, sighed again. "Can you please tell me what is going on here?" he said, exasperated.

They both said to Jasper at the same time, "Shut up!" Jasper stepped aside, said, "Okay" and sat on the bed, watching their fight.

Meanwhile, a golem entered the room, carrying a suit over its head with both hands, and walked towards Jasper like a penguin, then gave the suit to him.

Jasper sighed in relief as the golem handed him the suit. He quickly put it on, grateful to finally be covered. As he buttoned up the suit, he glanced back at the two women, who were still glaring at each other, the tension in the room thickening by the second.

Velrith, her eyes still locked on Raven, spoke first. "An inexperienced woman like you could never make Jasper happy," she sneered.

Raven, her embarrassment turning to anger, shot back, "And a bitch like you can, huh?"

The air around them crackled with hostility as they moved towards each other, ready to clash again. Just as they were about to fight, Jasper stepped between them, his presence commanding immediate attention.

"Enough!" he commanded, his voice firm and authoritative. Both women froze, their eyes fixed on him.

Jasper turned to Velrith first. "Velrith, listen. I closed myself in this castle and didn't leave for 300 years. As a man, I had needs, and as a succubus, you need to extract lifespan from your prey. Since I have infinite life, it was a mutually beneficial arrangement. That's all it was."

Velrith's eyes softened slightly, but her expression remained guarded. "Is that all I was to you? An arrangement?"

Ignoring her question for the moment, Jasper then turned to Raven. "And you, Raven. I thought we married because you wanted to get rid of your family's pressure. What happened? Did you fall in love with me?"

Both fell in silent, the room filled with a heavy, awkward tension. Jasper looked between them, his expression a mix of frustration and weariness.

"I have business with Asmodeus," he said, breaking the silence. "Don't fight with each other anymore." With that, he turned and left the room, leaving Velrith and Raven to grapple with their emotions and the complexities of their relationships with him.

Jasper made his way to Asmodeus' castle, the seat of the Demon King. As he walked into the grand throne room, he was greeted by a dramatic scene.

Asmodeus, the Demon King, stood tall and imposing, his crimson armor gleaming under the torchlight. His black wings were spread wide, and his eyes glowed with a menacing red hue. His voice boomed through the hall as he addressed a hero party.

The hero party consisted of a burly warrior wielding a massive sword, a nimble rogue with twin daggers, a solemn cleric holding a glowing staff, and a determined mage whose hands crackled with arcane energy. They were battered but stood their ground, determination etched on their faces.

Asmodeus was making a grand speech, his voice filled with dark charisma. "You thought you could challenge the might of the Demon King? You are nothing but insects before my power!"

Just as the battle seemed to reach its climax, Jasper stepped into the room. The moment he did, everyone stopped, turning their attention to him. The silence was palpable.

Asmodeus, not missing a beat, broke the silence. "Oh my, my butler has come."

Jasper raised an eyebrow, "What are you talking about?"

The heroes exchanged wary glances. "Now we have two enemies. Stay focused," the warrior said, tightening his grip on his sword.

Asmodeus coughed, making a subtle gesture to Jasper to play along. "Yes, my butler. Jasper, what news do you bring?"

Jasper caught on and cleared his throat. "Oh yes, Ehm, My Liege, I received some urgent matters to report."

Asmodeus waved dismissively. "I am busy right now, wait there."

The mage in the hero party whispered, "Should we be careful about the butler? Is he really going to just watch?"

Asmodeus, resuming his dramatic flair, declared, "Of course, he's just going to watch. Nobody intervenes in my fights!" He struck a pose, his wings flaring out behind him, and his eyes blazing with intensity. "This battle is mine and mine alone to conquer or crush!"

The fight resumed with Asmodeus intentionally dragging it out, clearly enjoying himself. The heroes attacked with everything they had. The warrior charged, swinging his sword with all his might. Asmodeus deflected the blow effortlessly with a flick of his wrist, sending the warrior stumbling back.

The rogue darted forward, attempting to find an opening, but Asmodeus moved with lightning speed, parrying every strike. The cleric cast a healing spell, trying to keep their companions in the fight, while the mage unleashed a torrent of fireballs, which Asmodeus dodged with ease.

Suddenly, Asmodeus allowed a few of the mage's fireballs to hit him, his armor singed and smoking. He let out a dramatic laugh, spreading his arms wide. "Is this the best you can do? Feel the might of your strongest attacks! See how they do nothing but amuse me!" His eyes glowed brighter, and he continued, "I am Asmodeus, the eternal flame, unquenchable and unyielding!"

Jasper watched the scene in the corner and started to get annoyed by the fight taking too long. He cleared his throat loudly. "Ahem!"

Asmodeus paused, turning to look at Jasper. "Oh yes, you were here," he said, almost as if he had forgotten.

With a single, mighty strike, Asmodeus unleashed a wave of dark energy that sent the heroes flying across the room, their weapons and spells rendered useless. They lay on the ground, defeated but alive.

Asmodeus turned to Jasper with a grin. "Now, what was so urgent that it couldn't wait?"

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A/n: If you liked the series so far, vote for me