Imp to Demon King: A Journey of Conquest

He stood inside Tiamat's familiar room a moment later, the setting sun casting its orange sheen on their figures.

Seated on the silver elven throne, she extended her palm, her blue eyes sparkling and her lips curling into a knowing grin.

Without hesitation, he presented the event's reward with a warm smile.

"I'll get you the next ones soon."

She gripped her right leg, her shoulders trembling and her fingers twitching in delight. Though she wanted nothing but to focus on recovering, she dismissed the urge and smiled at Adam.

"I'm pleased by your performance, my dear contractor." She clapped her hands, a bright smile curving on her lips. "A reward is required, especially for reclaiming the first piece of my essence."

She stretched her palm out, a chaotic water vortex swirling and permeating the room with the scent of salt.

His heart drummed in anticipation as he noticed the golden glow hidden in its depth.

As if to confirm his suspicion, a notification window appeared in a fiery flash of dark flames.

[Chain quest: 1. Retrieve one of Tiamat's body parts completed.]

[Reward: Uruk's golden standard.]

The water parted to reveal a rectangular standard forged in an age of legends. Slightly curved at the edges and reinforced with artistic metalwork, it appeared more like a ceremonial shield than a mere flag to him. This impression was further reinforced by the mythical beasts and winged deities depicted at its center.

Almost failing to control his impatient legs, he gripped the obsidian pole rising from the water. Feeling its cool surface and the engraved cuneiform writings, he widened his eyes at the encrusted lapis lazuli shining the color of the ocean.

As he trembled in wonder and excitement, Tiamat chuckled.

"I'll be busy for the next few days, so have fun with the kid. Oh, and before I forget." She snapped her fingers.

DING

[The primordial goddess Tiamat issued you a chain quest: 2. Retrieve two of her body parts.]

[Reward: The Dragon's Maw Citadel.]

An icy shiver ran down his spine, and his jaw dropped. 'She can do that?!'

"Not only can I, but I will." Tiamat waved her fingers. "Go now."

With a smile that reached his eyes, he held the standard high and rushed to the Gate.

However, he frowned midway and gazed at the darkening sky and the citizens discussing their hard day's work.

'It's almost night... Summoning such an illustrious king now, only to part ways for sleep? Too embarrassing.'

Instead, he turned toward the towering castle in the distance and smirked.

'Can't become a liar, right?'

Putting the standard aside, he returned to Luna's living room before he rolled his eyes at the spectacle.

"I know you missed her, but... you realise you aren't imps anymore, right?"

His voice emotionless, he gazed at the six troublemakers playing with Shihan's tails. Zane even stood behind her back, caressing her fox's ears.

Shihan chuckled and waved her hands.

"I don't mind it. I missed them, too." She brought the six of them into a hug. "It feels like I held your small hands and put you to sleep yesterday."

A soft smile played on Adam's lips as he watched their warm interaction. Then, he pointed outside and grinned.

"I bet you all want to explore our first castle. Let's go together." He winked at Luna, causing her to frown.

Intrigued and eager to see it, everyone followed him.

The stars illuminated their journey as their voices enlivened the dim streets until their eyes widened.

From this close, they could only lower their hats at the intricate towers engraved with elven symbols. A few hieroglyphs broke their uniformity but added an antique charm that made his eyes sparkle.

His eyes darted to the broad mosaic window depicting demons, dragons, and...

'Of course, he had to put himself.' He rolled his eyes at Ozymandias' flying figure in the background, then smiled. 'At least everyone else is there.'

A soft smile tugged at his lips as he noticed Wukong surfing on his cloud staff in hand, Achilles charging on his chariot, Karna blazing like the sun, Merlin gazing at the sky with a pensive look, and Muramasa pounding metal in a rain of sparks.

But the thing that warmed everyone's heart was their presence. Each of the generals stood valiantly behind him as if silently declaring that they'd protect the town's peace.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Amazed, they observed the lush gardens' multicolored flowerbeds and enjoyed their sweet scent in the night breeze before the massive doors rumbled open, revealing immaculate white slabs covered in the red carpet he had retrieved from the crypt. And on it, Ozymandias crossed his arms over his chest.

"Took you long enough to show up." He sneered, pointing through the statues lining the hall to a double flight of stairs. "We claimed our rooms, so you'll have to content yourself with the leftovers."

Adam frowned.

"Are you planning to live here?"

Ozymandias nodded, turned, and climbed the stairs.

"Only a palace can house an emperor. The others are just parasitising my building. Anyway, good job on beating Leraje during the event."

An icy shiver ran down Adam's spine, the noise of his plan shattering like glass filling his trembling mind before he could savor the rare praise.

'It's Luna's castle, not yours! But can I chase them out? Ugh... fine, it's hers in name.'

His lips quivering, he turned to Luna. Find more adventures on empire

"Remember our deal? This castle is yours." He chuckled at her widening eyes before he scratched his head. "Well, our friends claimed their rooms already, but you'll have powerful bodyguards like that."

Luna's shoulders trembled, her clear laughter brightening the night.

"Hahaha! I only demanded it to expose your empty promises, but you really built me one." She brushed his hair, smiling yet shaking her head. "I don't need it. Having my house beside yours is enough."

'Why did I rush its construction then?!'

Dark clouds hovering above his head, he stumbled to the stairs—just when Achilles emerged from the corridor.

"Adam? Great! We were waiting for you to activate the castle's barrier. Follow me to the control room."