?Boom!

The ground cracked open, the wide tarmac for landing airships was destroyed, and ravines formed everywhere. The entire army of soldiers that the four commanders had brought now lay flat on the floor, and the four commanders groaned while being restrained on their knees.

They gritted their teeth, trying to stand up, but an invisible force kept them down and continued to increase the more they struggled against it. Every bone in their powerful bodies rattled under the pressure.

The soldiers trying to stop Sylvester were left behind as he continued to walk and eventually arrived in front of the four Supreme Commanders. He looked down on them, but they couldn’t look up due to the gravity.

“Tell me your names,” Sylvester asked. “Every moment spent unanswered, your bodies will feel more pressure and eventually reach the point of breaking.”

Crack!

“Ugh!”

They fell face-first on the ground with the increase in gravity.

“Speak,” Sylvester repeated.

“Commander Bakillan.”

“C-Commander Koznox.”

“Commander Jaek”

“Commander Onik.”

Sylvester nodded while humming and looked behind at the Oracle. “Why are you after her? What did you mean by sacrifice? What can you possibly get by sacrificing her? No doubt, if I was the Emperor, I would have beheaded you long ago.”

“S-She’s… she’s the perfect sacrifice for the ritual…”

“To get a direct blessing from God.”

“A blessing to grow stronger.”

“Like Zama’tar.”

Bam!

Sylvester chuckled and slammed a foot on Commander Bakillan’s head, pushing his face further down into the dirt. “Zama’tar? But he was weak! Getting that stronger is worth killing an Oracle who can tell you your fortune?”

Bam!

Sylvester stomped on the second commander, giving them the genuine boot camp experience. What could they even do since it was impossible to even move. “Because of your meddling, my visit here was delayed.”

Yes, Sylvester became the young master. But, a young master who had actual power to back it all up couldn’t be a ‘young master’. No, this was the main character energy.

‘Maxy, should I eat them?’ Just then, the real main character whispered into Sylvester’s ears. ‘They will come after you when you let them move. They always do.’

Sylvester agreed with that assessment. That was what normally happens in such scenarios. “Do you know how I’ve kept you on the ground?”

“Gravity!” Supreme Commander Koznox said. “W-Who are you, Sire?”

Sylvester rubbed his chin and tried to think of a good demonic name for himself. But then he chose to go with the old, tried and tested name. “I am Lucifer, a hermit from the southern mountains.”

“What’s a hermit?”

‘They don’t have this concept?’ Sylvester realized and proceeded to spout a more believable nonsense.

“A hermit is a man who lives his life in seclusion and focuses every moment of his life on one goal—devotion and power,” he explained. “Like I did, and received the gift of boundless magic—enough to hold all four of you down.”

‘Maxy, you tell me to never lie. What is this?’ Miraj complained from his shoulder.

Sylvester sighed, ‘Chonky, sometimes you do bad things for the greater good. And no, stealing cookies is not the greater good.’

“W-Why have you come here?” Commander Jaek questioned.

“Fate wills it.” Oracle stepped forward at that. “He is to be the Empress’ guest. Step aside, Commanders. Your animosity with me should not become the reason for the destruction of this world.”

Bam!

Sylvester stomped on their heads once again. “Bullying an old lady while being powerful Supreme Commanders, such pathetic weaklings you truly are. Has mind rot gotten you? If you desire power, then go and pray to God, train until your body breaks, and live as an honest man.”

Without realizing it, Sylvester began singing a hymn as a reflex, since it came so naturally to him to scold subordinates and push them towards the right path with a few words. .𝘤𝘰𝑖𝘦.𝑐𝘰𝘮

“You serve the people at God’s behest.

All your struggles are nothing but his test.

When the time is right, you shall be blessed.

Honesty and worship—hold them in your chest.”

“Y—” Just as Sylvester was about to continue singing, he realized the mess he had caused. But to his surprise, the halo hadn’t appeared behind his head. Yet, when he looked down, he noticed the four men shaking.

‘They’re exploding with anger.’ Sylvester stepped back and freed them from the gravity a bit.

But the four of them raised their faces at the same time and stared at Sylvester. Two had four eyes, and two only had two, some red and some blue—all were shining with a watery hue.

‘What did I do?’

“Sage Lucifer! Take us as your students!” Commander Jaek roared, his blue scales akin to a reptile shining on his smooth forehead.

Right then, Commander Koznox started. His head was adorned with three horns akin to a crown. “Sage, after our leader, Zama’tar, left us. We’ve become aimless, stuck in our struggles for even a minute increase in comprehension of magic and might. Please teach us.”

‘No, no… You are supposed to fear me, not admire me.’

Sylvester scratched his face, “Well, I’ll meet the Empress first. If she can satisfy my curiosity, I might be willing.”

“Oracle, lead me into the Imperial Palace, please.” Sylvester stopped talking and walked away, the woman and Dalgan following behind in rapid steps.

“You did not have to do that,” Oracle said.

Dalgan wasn’t much different from the four commanders, however. “I feel nothing but admiration. They’re supposed to be the strongest powerhouses of this world.”

“It’s not that they’re weak,” Sylvester replied, trying to sound as less smug as possible. “I’m simply stronger than you can imagine.”

Soon enough, the three arrived at a normal, small entrance that looked futuristic as it was completely electrified. The massive metal door slid aside and revealed a long lobby.

“The main palace is further from here. This lobby will take us through the buildings that surround the palace,” the Oracle explained everything. “Let’s take the moving road.”

Yes, as Sylvester expected, it was a moving walkway in the middle of the lobby, going far into the distance ahead. ‘The advancements are insane. It’s impossible for the Empress to have done this in one lifetime. Other reincarnations have to be the reason.’

The entire walkway was an extremely long lobby with hundreds of passing doors on the sides. They saw nobody else there, and only beautiful paintings on the walls were there to greet them. Huge, showcasing battles and many faces he had no idea about.

Even the lights on the ceiling were definitely similar to LED lights, unlike him who had just reached the light bulb recently. ‘This world is a goldmine that I can use to kickstart many things back home. But it all rests on how this meeting goes.’

“Here.” The Oracle stepped away from the moving walkway and proceeded to open a small, regular wooden door on the side. As soon as they entered, they saw another much smaller lobby with hundreds of armored guards standing against the wall at a similar distance.

The Oracle didn’t lead them further from there. “Please inform the Empress that the fated day has arrived.”

Sylvester assessed the guards in the meantime, since they appeared accustomed to Oracle’s cryptic words. They were different from the soldiers under the Commanders. These guards had much more extravagant armors, but they weren’t primitive like his world.

No, they seemed futuristic, full-bodied exoskeleton armors. Golden in color, with many lines on them, as if they were circuitry. He had no doubt they were running on magic, but what they did was confusing.

‘Unless I destroy this world, there’s no doubt the Demon World will win against my world in a battle of civilizations and worlds.’

Sighing, he waited for the permission to enter. There was nothing else to look at around him but much to prepare to meet the ruler of the world. So much death and chaos had been caused because of the demons. It was time to get their answers.

“The permission to enter has been granted.” The soldier returned with someone else behind him, an old-looking Demon with typical red skin, and there were spikes on his back hidden inside oversized white and golden robes.

“But only the visitor may see the Empress.” the old man stepped forward. “I am the Empress’ adjutant. Please follow me.”

Oracle gave him a nod, while Dalgan waved his hand as if he had come for a special tour. Clearly, he was on the verge of changing sides sometime soon.

Sylvester silently followed behind the old man while maintaining his sharp senses. It was the home of the enemy, and the Empress was one demon he chose to remain vigilant against. Miraj also sat on his shoulder, ready to spew out his weapons, and also beams of light that he had eaten beforehand.

However, as soon as they exited the small lobby and entered the main palace, he realized it was just another regular building. There were massive glass windows on one side overlooking vast gardens, while on the right were doors upon doors. There were also servants passing by, keeping their heads low, but they didn’t seem like slaves.

“This way.”

A turn came, and Sylvester found himself descending down the stairs. It felt neverending as half an hour passed, and they were still walking down. The only source of light became the artificial lights on the ceiling, this time magical.

The paved and painted walls and stairs had receded long ago. Now, all he saw was a crude staircase made by carving the rocky underground exterior, seemingly made of some sort of black stone.

Eventually, he noticed heat rising from further down. ‘Why would the Empress meet me here?’

“Please go further down on your own.” The old Demon stopped there. “The Empress will see you there.”

Sylvester nodded and continued on the path. He picked up his pace and ran downwards, almost gliding over the stairs. Even then, it took him minutes before he noticed two massive gates made of bronze with unknown engravings on them.

‘The heat is overwhelming.’ He felt and pushed the gates.

Woosh!

A strong gust of warm air brushed against his face, throwing off the hood on his head and making his hair flutter.

Sylvester firmly looked around while walking. It was a massive cavern with a lake of red-searing lava, illuminating everything. But his gaze never left the string of stones protruding in the lake leading to its middle where what he came to see rested.

A throne made of the same black stones that constructed the cavern. On top of it was a figure vastly different from most demons he had seen before. Covered in shining black, body- hugging armor from head to toe, with two massive horns arching upwards from the sides of her forehead. Her claw-like fingers tapped on the armrest, while her red eyes dug into Sylvester’s figure.

There was mostly silence other than the searing and boiling of lava. Sylvester could sense she was dangerous, but her true strength eluded him.

“To send your most powerful Commander to die, just to hand me a message of invitation.” Sylvester measured his words carefully. “I hope the reason is equally substantial.”

The Empress didn’t respond at first and rose from her throne. The hint of caution and distrust in their eyes went both ways.

“Follow me, Sylvester Maximilian.”

_________________

See the Empress Here

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𝘪𝑎.𝘤𝑜𝑚