Chapter 15 - Human Kingdom

Within the castle of the Human Kingdom, Demon Prince Drago stood in front of the king, bowing his head.

"Welcome, Demon Prince Drago, to the Human Kingdom."

The king continued as he sat on his throne.

"Demon Prince Drago, you came earlier than expected."

Drago raised his head.

"A lot of things happened back in the Demon Empire."

Drago looked at Shoichi, then at the king.

"My father is back from Hell earlier than expected."

The king felt a cold chill run down his spine.

"I thought you said you were going back to Hell to finish him?"

Drago crossed his arms.

"When I tried to enter Hell myself, I couldn't enter the gate."

Shoichi stood silent while Drago continued.

"I am a prince in my own right. It's just Hell never accepted me."

Drago looked at the stained-glass window.

"My Ichor is not as pure as Exe's and Luna's."

He stared at two normal rabbits eating some flowers.

"They have overshadowed me since the day they were born."

The king put his hand on his chin.

"So is Demon King Ash a threat?"

Shoichi finally spoke.

"King Alfred, please hear me out for a moment."

Shoichi stepped in front of Drago.

"The battle against Demon King Ash and the queen wasn't easy."

Shoichi started to walk around the room slowly.

"Without Drago's quick thinking on freezing his mother, we wouldn't have been able to focus our strength against Demon King Ash."

King Alfred relaxed as Shoichi continued to explain.

"The moment my friends and I defeated Demon King Ash, his body turned into Ichor and soaked into the ground."

Shoichi paused, then said,

"His main body was never there."

King Alfred gripped his chair hard.

"What blasphemy is this?"

He stood up and stared at Shoichi.

"What do you mean his body was never there?"

Drago moved in front of Shoichi.

"His Cindercore was always in Hell."

Drago rubbed the back of his neck.

"It's something only my father can do."

Drago started to speak like he was reciting an old demon prayer.

"If our king falls, the Cindercore will pull his Ichor back to the pits of Hell."

Drago's hands shook with grim certainty.

"There, he'll weave himself into a cocoon of ash and blood, only to crawl out as a boy with a blade."

King Alfred started to sweat.

"What the hell does that mean?"

Drago looked the king in the face.

"It means my father is weakened, but not defenseless."

King Alfred gave Drago a look as if he were hiding more than he was saying.

"What proof do you have?"

The king turned his gaze to Shoichi.

"How can I trust a demon's word?"

Drago gritted his teeth.

"Trust?"

Drago's eyes flared.

"I froze my mother in the demon-freezing sword that you handed to me."

He started to walk forward while reaching out his hand.

Clayemore formed from his own Ichor.

He grabbed it and pointed it at King Alfred.

"You owe me for betraying my own family!"

King Alfred raised his hands.

"Fine… I get it."

Drago absorbed Clayemore back into his body.

"My father is already on the way here to retrieve my mother."

Drago's eyes went wide.

"And he is not coming to talk about politics."

King Alfred sighed, then looked at Drago.

"Why didn't you take this into account then?"

Drago bit his lip.

"You think Demon King Ash would reveal his entire hand to his own children?"

King Alfred tapped his armrest.

"I must've forgotten how demons act."

The king gave Drago a smug look.

"Only the strong must survive… right?"

Drago stood silent for a moment and stared at the king as if he had just insulted him.

Drago moved his gaze across the room.

"Since Hell didn't accept me, they welcomed Exe with open arms."

King Alfred fixed his crown.

"So what about your sister?"

His eyes returned to Drago with an evil grin.

"Is she willing to join our side?"

Drago turned his head to the side.

"I doubt it."

The king sat back down while giving Drago a mean look.

"Fine then. So what do we do now?"

Shoichi put his hand on Drago's shoulder.

"If I may, may I take the lead here, Drago?"

Drago nodded, then took a step back.

Shoichi spoke.

"Since we are expecting some company…"

He turned toward the shadows.

"I brought some friends who didn't have anything to do."

Shoichi raised his hand and said,

"Nick, come here."

A young boy stepped from the shadows.

He looked almost the same age as Exe.

He had his own jumper and a staff with a chained morning star connected to it.

Nick wore a cloak with his hood up, along with a bone mask.

The skull came from a demon beast with sharp teeth.

Shoichi smiled.

"Nick is one of my closest friends, you see."

Shoichi snatched his mask off.

"He is one of the best tamers within the Human Kingdom, and I think he will be the best person to handle your little brother."

Drago looked at Nick.

"You know Exe is not a tamer, right?"

Shoichi took another look at Drago.

"So what is he?"

Drago looked at the ground.

"The demon rabbit colony chose him to be their prince."

Drago turned toward the door.

"Even Demon Rabbit Lord Axel favored him."

Shoichi looked amazed while laughing at Drago.

"So you're telling me your younger brother is a threat?"

Drago nodded while staring at the ground.

Nick looked Drago up and down.

"Demon rabbits, huh?"

Nick chuckled.

"Good thing there aren't any of them here. Only rats."

A big rat poked its head out of Nick's jumper.

Nick walked around Drago.

"I want to try something, Shoichi."

Shoichi gave Nick a dull look.

"Don't do this now."

Drago looked confused.

Before he could speak, Nick raised his hand and used his tame skill.

Nick took a deep breath.

Then he said one word to Drago.

"TAME!"

Drago shut his eyes, thinking something was going to happen.

He opened them to Nick looking confused.

Nick put his hand down, then pouted.

"Awwwwwww!"

He stomped his feet.

"I wanted to tame a demon!"

Nick stopped his tantrum, then looked up at the ceiling as if he was being scolded.

He nodded, then returned his gaze to Shoichi.

"Alright, let's focus on the mission."

Shoichi looked at the king, then at Drago.

"Sorry for the display my friend showed here."

He grabbed Nick's shoulder and pulled him close.

"Nick here tamed a few special Alpha beasts right outside the Human Kingdom."

Drago shrugged his shoulders while turning toward the door.

Then he looked around.

Drago's face started to panic.

He called for a soldier.

"Where is my mother?!"

A soldier nervously answered,

"We tried to relay the message to you sooner, but—"

Drago brought out his Blood Clayemore again and chopped off the soldier's left leg clean.

The soldier fell in pain while Nick and Shoichi made room for what was about to happen.

With a low, guttural groan, the soldier clawed at the ground, forcing the words out through gritted teeth.

"The soldier escorting the carriage took a sharp left down an intersection."

The soldier gulped while holding his leg in pain.

"We tried to look for him and the carriage, but once we checked, there was no sign of either!"

The king stood up from his throne and started to leave.

"Seems like you lost your last wall of protection, Drago."

Drago snarled, then killed the soldier by impaling him with his Blood Clayemore.

"What now, Shoichi?"

Drago retracted the Blood Clayemore back into his body.

Shoichi put his arm over Drago's shoulder.

"Let me handle things from here, Drago."

Drago and Shoichi walked out of the castle.

"I know the perfect place for you to relax."

Drago and Shoichi started walking down the stairs, leaving the Human King's castle behind.

Nick, a female gunslinger, and a holy knight followed behind them.

King Alfred watched the door close.

"Demon King Ash is on the way, huh?"

King Alfred rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Is choosing Drago the right thing to do?"

King Alfred turned his head to his knights, who were detaining the black demon named Daniel.

"So what should I do with you?"

Daniel was currently gagged and couldn't speak, but his body language said he was ready for another fight.

King Alfred waved his hand and stood up.

"Take him to the prison."

The knights grabbed Daniel, pushed him, and moved him by force.

They forced him downstairs into the prison cells.

Back at the Human Kingdom station, Demon King Ash and his loyal Hell soldiers' train arrived.

The door opened.

The Hell soldiers stepped out, looking around the area before Demon King Ash followed.

"Are you all ready?"

The Hell soldiers nodded without saying a word.

"Go find my wife first."

Before they left, they stood by Demon King Ash.

"If any of you find my son, come back to me with his location."

Demon King Ash raised his hand from his cloak.

"Now go."

The Hell soldiers moved fast, entering the shadows of the Human Kingdom.

Demon King Ash sat down on a chair within the station.

"Having to take that ridiculous train is very troublesome."

Dante walked next to Demon King Ash.

"This is the only way us demons can enter the Human Kingdom."

Dante sat beside him.

"It's like a screening system for us."

Demon King Ash looked at a knight walking toward them.

"Demon King Ash?"

He looked at the soldier.

"Who's asking?"

The knight showed a document with King Alfred's signature.

DEMON KING ASH MUST MEET WITH KING ALFRED

Demon King Ash sighed.

"I'm not here to talk with that old bastard."

More knights showed up, surrounding Dante and Demon King Ash.

"I don't want to spill human blood."

Demon King Ash said that while staring at all the knights.

They all took one step back, but they steeled their resolve.

The knight put the document back inside his pocket.

"No more delays, Demon King Ash."

The knight reached for the back of Demon King Ash's cloak.

The moment he touched it, Demon King Ash's dagger pierced him.

The knight's body withered to skin and bone as the dagger continued its feast.

"Humans sure are naive," Demon King Ash said.

Dante stood up and moved away from him.

"Do these human souls feed your dagger, my king?"

The knights started to panic and run for their lives.

"He just stabbed him with a small dagger!"

The dagger pulled itself free, then returned to Demon King Ash's hand.

Another knight ran out of the station.

"I HAVE A FAMILY!"

Demon King Ash jumped from his seat and dashed toward the knight before he could escape.

"Leaving already?"

He stabbed the knight and dragged him back inside.

The door slowly closed, showing Demon King Ash as he walked toward the knights who had nowhere else to go.

"You all will be fodder for my dagger."

Dante watched Demon King Ash slaughter the knights.

"Welcome back, my king."