Chapter 1068: Dawn Of A New Era
"You don"t deserve that crown!" Adam roared as he shot several Dark Lances at the candidate who was currently wearing the Crown of Darkness on his head.
"Futile." The Crowned Demon waved his hand and a barrier of Darkness blocked the Dark Lances, making them dissipate instantly. "You should have worn the crown when you had the chance, but you didn"t. Since you tossed the opportunity away, don"t regret your stupidity!"
The Crowned Demon lashed out at Adam using a Dark Whip that extended hundreds of meters. It was like a black snake that relentlessly destroyed everything in its path, before heading towards Adam who dodged it by blinking away.
"You"re only good at running away!" The Crowned Demon spat before a devilish grin appeared on his face. "Since you"re so scared to fight me then I will no longer play with you."
The Crowned Demon knew that he needed to unlock the final seal on the Crown in order to become the true Heir of Darkness. Because of this, he s.h.i.+fted his attention to the Demon Army that was desperately trying to break through the Dark Barrier that protected his body.
"Your souls are mine!" The Crowned Demon then lashed his gigantic whip at the Demon Army, reaping lives in the hundreds.
Adam, who saw this, felt his blood turn cold because he noticed a small radiance in the center of the last gem that was embedded in the Crown.
"Everyone, let"s work together and stop him from taking any more lives!" Adam shouted. "The last gem is slowly being filled up with Dark Energy. If he succeeds, all of us will die!"
"Hahaha! Your cries of desperation are music to my ears, Adam," the Crowned Demon crooned with a sneer. "Do not worry. Those who wish to become my subordinates will be spared, and will all become part of the new empire that I will build. Everything you"ve ever wanted, be it power, women, or riches, I will give it to you without fail. So, stand by me and witness the dawn of a new era. My Era!"
The Demon Candidates who had already sided with the Crowned Demon, encircled him in a protective formation.
In the beginning, they thought that they could steal the Crown from him, but as the battle progressed, they understood that doing that was almost impossible.
A powerful barrier was protecting the crown bearer, and any form of magic, be it Dark Magic or other Elemental Magic, were unable to shatter its defenses.
Although they were not willing to admit it, they realized that if they didn"t side with the Crowned Demon now, they would face his reckoning once the third and final seal on the Crown was unlocked.
"Die for my empire!" the Crowned Demon shouted as he raised his right hand.
A giant ball of Darkness slowly expanded over his right hand, which made everyone who saw it feel the hairs on the back of their necks stand on end.
"Judgment of Darkness!"
The Crowned Demon hurled the giant ball of Darkness towards the ground with a look of contempt on his face.
Ever since the second seal had been unlocked, he could feel a limitless amount of Dark Magic in his body. The Crown also directly implanted information about all the powerful spells that it was capable of doing inside the Demon"s Head, allowing him to wield them as he pleased.
Invidia and Superbia immediately turned into green and purple beams of light as they shot towards the sky to evade the incoming attack.
The two of them were merely spectators in this struggle, so they had no intention of becoming part of the sacrifices that were needed to restore the Crown of Darkness to its former glory.
The moment the giant ball of Darkness. .h.i.t the ground, no explosions were heard. A pin-drop silence descended unto the battlefield as the entire domain was covered in darkness.
"Commander! Where are you?!" one of Felix"s subordinates shouted in fright as he looked around him. He could see nothing but pitch-black darkness, and it filled him with dread. He couldn"t even see his hands, or any part of his body.
The only thing that remained persistent was the silence in the maddening world that was bereft of light.
Soon, the sound of laughter reached his ears. At first it was only a slow chuckle, but as the seconds pa.s.sed by, it grew into crazy laughter which drove the Demon into a panic attack. Soon, he felt hands touching his body, but he couldn"t see any of them.
Soon, the number of hands that were grabbing hold of his body multiplied. No matter what he did, he couldn"t budge from their grip, and the maddening laughter that was getting stronger and stronger broke whatever resolve he had left.
"Nooooooooooooooo! Don"t kill me!" the demon shouted. "I don"t want to die! Save me, Commander! Save me!"
The crazy laughter that was laughing at his suffering once again intensified, which made him feel as if his head was going to burst from its intensity. After struggling for an unknown period of time, the demon went limp as his entire body slowly turned into a dark mist.
The same thing was happening to the rest of the Demon Army, and slowly, but surely, the last gem embedded in the Crimson Crown was slowly gaining its radiance.
The Crowned Demon who was at the center of the World of Darkness couldn"t contain the excitement that he was feeling. He could feel his power getting stronger with each minute that pa.s.sed.
"Just a little more," the Crowned Demon muttered. "Just a little more and I will be the King of this World! Hahaha--ahh!"
The Crowned Demon felt a sharp object pierce through his back, all the way to the front of his chest.
"N-No!" the crowned demon gasped in pain and shock. "T-This can"t be happening. I am the Chosen One. I will be the one to rule this world!"
The Crowned Demon turned around to see the face of his killer. As if wis.h.i.+ng to grant his dying wish, his killer pulled back the blade that pierced the Demon"s chest, to allow him to see the one responsible for his death.
"Y-You…" the Crowned Demon spat a mouthful of blood as he gazed at the Demon who killed him. "I can"t die… I am the Chosen One. This is not happening."
"Thank you for your effort," a cold and indifferent voice said as its owner took the Crown off the Demon"s head. "You can die in peace knowing that you paved the way for my ascension."
The Demon looked at his killer with an unwilling gaze as he took his last breath. His eyes remained open even after he died as if trying to understand why his grand destiny was s.n.a.t.c.hed away from his grasp.
A teenage demon with green hair and red eyes placed the Crown on his head as the final seal of the Crown of Darkness was unlocked.
He immediately felt the overwhelming Power of Darkness wash over his body, which made him sigh in absolute pleasure.
"Yes. This is the power that I"ve wanted all my life," the green-haired demon said as he bathed in the afterglow of the euphoric sensation that was filling every pore of his body.
—--
Celine, who had just regained consciousness a few minutes ago, struggled to stand up on the palm of the Giant Demon"s hand. In front of her, a pitch-black Dome of Darkness enveloped the Domain.
Suddenly, she felt a stinging pain on her chest, as the Mark of Darkness finished forming. It was also at that moment when she felt a very strong connection from somewhere inside the Dome of Darkness.
"No," Celine muttered as her hand subconsciously pressed over the mark on her right breast.
She knew with every fiber of her being, that the Heir of Darkness had finally appeared. Tears streamed down the side of her face, as the person who was destined to become her Master, beckoned for her to come to him.
"Will…," Celine muttered as she did everything in her power to stop herself from answering the Call of Darkness, but it was of no use. Her body took a step forward, regardless of her will, towards the black dome in the distance.
As the tears streamed down the side of her beautiful face, Celine felt that all hope was lost. She was like a marionette that was moving according to the puppeteer"s wishes.
A puppet that no longer had any control over the Destiny that she could call her own.