Chapter 212 - Trail Of Darkness [Pt 1]

Somewhere within the Eastern Kingdom, in the territory of a noble far north… was chaos!

Bloodied corpses littered the ground and flames licked the devastated ground. Signs of a fierce battle pervaded the vicinity, from the settlement of the commoners… even to the castle ground of the noble in charge of such estate.

The stench of blood and death, so pungent it would crinkle the nose just by a whiff, hung in the air. Walking down the path of carnage, it was easy to see a trail, so straightforward in a line. Someone had certainly been moving, slaughtering any in his path.

Finally focusing on the manor of the distinguished lord of the land, it was not a very different sight from the commoners’ residence. Other than the beautiful and sparse grounds that surrounded the exquisite buildings around, carnage still rang true.

The soldiers and Mages who had died were beyond number, and the once beautiful sight had turned into a scene of pure despondency.

Who could have done such a thing? What manner of creature could have wrought such horror? They most certainly weren’t human! If anyone thought like this, they would be right.

After all… the one who perpetrated this horrific sight was a DEMON!

Seated within the mansion and watching as the last of his prisoners died, the figure in the darkness made a slight grumble.

It had two pointed ears that ascended upward, its body was enveloped in darkness and spikes came out of his shoulders… like battle armor. He was an epitome of darkness and a personification of evil!

This was a Shadow Demon, a specie belonging to the six tribes of the beings of darkness… Demons!

Demons dwelled in their lands, far to the North. It was a place filled with so much terror and eternal darkness. The miasma was said to be so intense that a mere whiff was fatal to normal beings, and contact with this demonic aura would corrupt the soul and put one in a state worse than death!

Why was such a creature, who belonged to such a terrifying realm, be in a human settlement? The answer was known only to the Shadow Demon himself.

“I’m done here… I should head over to the next one…” The black being mumbled to itself.

Kahn, the murderous creature of carnage, was on a path of redemption and ‘soul seeking’. After being cast out of the cadres of Demon Lords, unable to directly serve his liege, the Demon set forth to redeem himself.

Hoping to find an answer, he made it to the Eastern Empire and now wreaked chaos wherever he went. So far, he had brought down five noble territories, tasking a while to extract information concerning the Kingdom he was in… and whatever else he fancied.

As a result, he was currently up to speed with human history, but that also proved to be somewhat problematic. According to the information he received, the humans had grown more civilized and powerful since the war against the Demons all those years ago. While the had lost their heroes from back then, they had gotten strong ones in return.

Compared to the evolution of humans, the Demon race was…

“If I take this knowledge back to the Demon Realm… will my Lord be pleased?”

This knowledge simply meant that the Demons were at a growing disadvantage since their civilization was at a standstill and they had lost a great deal of their influence. If humans kept growing more powerful at this rate, then… it was only a matter of time before his entire Species was threatened.

That very thought aggravated Kahn!

He ground his teeth in annoyance and a murderous aura enveloped him once again. If they could stop the humans from evolving even further, no… exterminating them entirely was the only option.

He had to report what he knew as soon as possible, but…

“No! This isn’t enough…”

Information without proof was as good as a lie. If he didn’t provide evidence to support his claims, many would only view it as a desperate attempt to return to his seat as a Demon Lord. While the prospects of returning to his previous estate was appealing to him… Kahn wanted nothing more than to serve his lord and master, the Demon King!

“I have to… get something to use…”

He knew he couldn’t act recklessly anymore. So far, he had been fortunate to encounter weak humans, but if it was a strong Mage that approached him, perhaps he wouldn’t stand a chance. With no Miasma to recover his expended energy, the only way to make do was to use the corrupted souls of the humans he slayed.

But since their souls were weak, the amount gotten from them was barely enough!

Caught within this precarious situation, Kahn was at a dead end. He thought hard on what to do, but the answer evaded him. He wasn’t the smartest of Demons, after all.

“It looks like you’re a little lost…” A voice suddenly appeared from the darkness.

Kahn’s white eyes bulged the moment he heard the sound and felt the strange presence of someone in the room with him.

Instantly, he sprang up on his feet and took an offensive stance. Whoever the person was, Kahn felt they were strong. He hadn’t even sensed the person until he spoke!

“Whoah, easy there… I have no intention of fighting you.”

Kahn narrowed his eyes and got a glimpse of the man in the shadows. Both his hands were raised in surrender, but the Shadow Demon knew he possessed great strength.

“Who are you…?” Kahn spat, still wary of the human, yes, human that just showed up.

“Who am I? Well…”

Kahn was a little shaken.

Thanks to him spending quite a while in the human world, he fairly understood their language. He could interpret their words with no difficulty. Still, Kahn found it a bother to speak it so he still used his Demon tongue whenever he spoke.

Yet…

… This human understood him!

‘He knows our language?!’