Volume 1 Chapter 7

After Uno's punch sent Azire sprawling to the ground, Azire took a moment to collect himself. "I know it sounds unbelievable," he began, struggling to his feet. "But I am the Demon King. The humans are after me because they believe I pose a threat. I had to hide my past, but now it's all coming back to haunt me."

Uno listened intently, his expression shifting as realization dawned. "It all makes sense now. No wonder you passed all the tests. And that eye of yours..."

Suna stepped forward, her eyes wide with betrayal. "Why would you lie to us, Azire? We're like family!" She charged at him, fists flying as she wailed in frustration.

Hollie, watching the emotional scene unfold, couldn't help but laugh. She approached Azire, kneeling dramatically before him. "Sir Demon King, let me be one of your servants!"

Azire blinked in surprise as he found himself slipping into a trance-like state. A dark, ethereal voice echoed in his mind. "Hello, Azire," it said.

"Who is this?" Azire asked, feeling disoriented.

"I am the spirit of the Demon King," the voice replied. "There's one thing I forgot to tell you. In this world, gods and generals have teams—servants who will fight alongside them or serve them however they choose. In my past life, I had my servants as chess pieces—a bishop, knights, a queen, and a rook. They were all female." The spirit chuckled, and before Azire could ask more questions, he was snapped back to reality.

He returned to see Suna on her knees beside him. "Me too, Sir Demon King!" she exclaimed eagerly.

"Alright," Azire said, placing his hand in the center, and a magic crest appeared on Hollie. She laughed, excitement gleaming in her eyes.

"Now it's time for Suna," Azire continued. "But you know angels will hate you forever."

Suna nodded, determination etched in her features. Azire created the crest for her as well, and with that, he had the first few members of his team.

"One explained," a voice rang in Azire's mind. "Now they're your servants. You can make them do whatever you please, even control them in battle."

Azire grinned widely, feeling a rush of power. However, he sensed Kumai's presence and turned to see him dragging his claws across his throat, signaling his distress.

"We should accept the fallen angel's proposal," Azire suggested, glancing at Suna and Hollie. They both agreed.

"Let's summon him." Azire placed the letter on the ground and infused it with magic. In a flash, the robed man reappeared.

"Well, I see you're ready," he said with a nod.

"Let's go," Azire replied, and the man cast a spell, transporting them to the fallen angel kingdom.

When they arrived, they were greeted by a dark atmosphere. Fallen angels soared through the sky, and the landscape was painted in shades of purple, with towering buildings stretching into the distance. At the end of the village stood a massive castle.

"Hard to miss, huh?" the robed man said, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Yeah, definitely," Azire replied, awe-struck.

They followed the man through the fallen angel kingdom, feeling the stares of the inhabitants, curious about the "devils" in their midst. But no one dared to speak up with a general present. Once they reached the castle, two guards greeted them and allowed them entry.

Inside, the castle boasted purple walkways and gray brick walls. They made their way to the throne room, where the fallen angel king awaited. Clad in a black robe and wielding a massive sword, he had striking blonde hair with black highlights. His commanding presence was unmistakable.

As everyone knelt, the king gestured for Azire to remain standing. "Hello, Demon King. My name is Leviathan, and I have summoned you."

Azire nodded, introducing himself. "What have you summoned me and my people for?"

Leviathan chuckled darkly. "I see you and your people are struggling, and I despise the angels and humans. Why not help the devils?" He shrugged, a wicked grin spreading across his face. "I also wish to be entertained, and you seem quite interesting."

"Well, how will you help me?" Azire inquired.

"I shall train you myself, sharpen your team's skills, and provide a safe haven. Plus, the gods won't be able to reach you here," Leviathan assured him.

Azire thought to himself, considering his circumstances. "It's not like I can say no. I'm kind of backed into a corner here."

Just then, Uno began to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Suna called out.

"I shall not seek refuge from Leviathan," Uno replied, his tone resolute.

Leviathan laughed. "You don't like your king?"

Uno vanished, leaving behind a gust of wind.

"I will have teachers for each strong point of your team," Leviathan said, walking away from the throne room. "But first, I need to introduce you to someone."

As he led them through the castle, he explained its layout to Azire, Hollie, and Suna. They finally arrived at a room with a bunk bed. On the top bunk lay a boy, while a girl occupied the bottom.

Leviathan smiled. "This is Maya, my daughter, and Belial, my son. Please allow them to join you on your mission to restore the demon race."

Maya was a lively young girl with black hair and purple eyes. She wore a black dress, her energy barely contained. Belial, her brother, was a young man with white hair and the same purple eyes. His all-black leather jacket and pants gave him a serious appearance.

Maya and Belial both nodded as they greeted Azire and the group.

"Can we fight first, though?" Azire asked, grinning.

"Of course," Leviathan agreed, guiding them to the courtyard. "Let's see it, Demon King. I wish to see you fight."

Azire nodded, instructing Hollie to join him. They took their positions, as did Maya and Belial. Leviathan cast a spell, and a screen materialized above them.

"This will be broadcast across our kingdom," he announced, excitement dancing in his eyes.

"Fight!" he bellowed.

Hollie charged at Maya with Verdant Fang, but Maya quickly conjured a magic barrier to deflect the attack. She then placed a magic sigil on Hollie, sending her flying back with a gust of air.

Azire leaped behind Hollie, using his demon magic to gently push her down. He hurled a demon orb at Maya and Belial, but they dodged swiftly.

Maya summoned a whirlwind, and Belial ignited it with fire, sending it barreling toward Hollie. She sprinted away, but Azire jumped in front, activating his demon eye to block the tornado, which dissipated in an instant.

Behind the debris, Maya and Belial lunged at Azire. He conjured a barrier just in time, while Hollie followed up with a powerful sword slash. The attack struck both Maya and Belial, knocking them back.

Belial grinned and charged toward Hollie. "Fallen Counter!" he yelled, touching her and inflicting the same pain he felt upon her. She gasped, feeling the sting before he landed a solid punch.

"Miss Hollie is knocked out of the fight," Leviathan announced.

Now, Azire found himself facing a 2v1 situation with Belial's Fallen Counter. He shifted his focus to Maya as they exchanged blows. The fight was intense, both of them delivering punches and kicks until Azire jumped back, strategizing his next move.

"It's my turn now," Belial said, stepping forward. Azire thought quickly, "There's got to be a secret to his move, but I don't have time to figure that out. Time for plan B. I need to land a hit and make it count."

Azire jumped up, summoning a demon orb and activating his eye to amplify his magic power tenfold. "DEMON THRASH!" he shouted, launching the orb, which broke into multiple smaller orbs that rained down on Belial.

The barrage hit Belial hard. "Belial has been knocked out of the fight," Leviathan declared, excitement clear in his voice.

Now it was just Azire against Maya. Exhausted, he fell to one knee and then passed out.

"Welp!" Leviathan chuckled.

Azire was carried to the room where he'd be staying, while Belial and Maya lingered until he woke up. When Azire finally opened his eyes, Maya greeted him, checking him for injuries.

"Stop it, Maya!" Belial yelled, exasperated.

Maya pouted. "I can't help it! I wonder what would happen if we had kids."

Belial kicked her out of the room, apologizing to Azire as he did so.

Azire chuckled, feeling a sense of warmth he hadn't experienced before. "This is all so different from my past life."

"Speaking of your past life, what was it like? I heard you aren't from this world?" Belial asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Well, since you already know," Azire began, "in my past life, I played soccer and enjoyed Pokémon. That's about it," he said, chuckling at the memories. "I never found love, so if you think about it, I was a virgin," he added, mock-crying with exaggerated vanilla tears.

Maya, eavesdropping outside the door, jumped for joy upon hearing this revelation.

Belial, noticing her peeking, opened the door suddenly, causing her to tumble in. "Owww," she groaned, rubbing her head as she glared at her brother.

Azire sat back, laughing heartily at the unfolding antics, feeling more at home than he ever had before.