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“Should we be wary?” he asked without much concern. The wooden floor before was filled with seductively dressed demons. All bore figures and facial features of actresses; the dissimilarities were added per the client’s request. Leches of carnal pleasures knew the art of enticement. Stairs clopped to the side and halted at the door.

“Come in,” the guest stopped short of knocking.

“You sensed me already?” exhaled a nicely dressed éclair. Top hat, a fitted suit, a lavishly carved cane, and a comfy overcoat, “-are preparations in order?” dark shadows hid the eyes socket, the casted gloom iced the guests with a single glance.

“Yeah, the aura’s pretty intense for a spirit,” the parted curtains shut.

“What about the uninvited guests?” narrowed Asmo, “-éclair, mind scanning them?”

“Goons from Alice’s nightmare,” he sighed, “-nothing that important. I mean, Kul can wipe them out pretty easily.” The spoken tone set the feel for the whole room. Asmo’s harem salivated at the prospect of potential prey. Demons weren’t the only excited ones, the moment the clocks struck nine, traffic deeper in the district flourished. News of the gambling house spread using whispers. Ladies of the night sprinkled the bait of a place where easy money could be made. Preparations for tonight were throughout. Money talks, and so, the humble opening attracted attention.

.....

Roulettes and poker tables were filled, the stench of cigar and alcohol permeated. Ruffians were most abundant. éclair and Asmo partook in a friendly game of poker, they dominated the table. The drunks kept on buying in and losing. Once in a while, the luck of the draw would have the guests win. A mist of gambling and addiction spanned the floor.

‘Here they are, the bait,’ thought Asmo, ‘-I sent an invitation to Esvalo,’ the clock showed 22:30, ‘-for the first day, I say it went pretty well.’ Blacked-out vans screeched before the entrance, armed men rushed, “-HANDS UP!” cried the masked men.

“We’ve been betrayed,” whispered éclair.

“Heya,” said Esvalo, “-I heard you handled the crew of brothers.” In behind approached men in baggy trousers, “-wrong move,” said they.

“Esvalo,” glanced éclair, “-how much did they pay?”

“10 million,” he said, “-ain’t nobody stupid enough to refuse that amount of money!”

“You sold us out,” puffed Asmo. The dealer shuffled cards without much of a concern. Petrified gasps escaped the few guests.

“Everyone, get out,” said Esvalo, “-we’re taking over the building. Asmo, you better hand over the paper and not make trouble,” the gambling rooms emptied.

“Esvalo,” cold stare befell the intruders, “-the property belongs to me legally. I paid the agreed amount. We decimated the 50 blood brothers’ gang, what can twenty men do?”

“A lot,” he smirked, “-grenades should suffice to destroy the investment.”

“Grenades?”

“Stop talking,” said the gang representative, “-we’re taking over this place. Clear out people or we’ll bury in the back garden.”

“Foolish humans,” sighed Asmo, “-Listen here,” he teleported, “-I don’t care what you think, this establishment is rightfully the Raven’s. Trust when I say, make a move on this place, and I’ll be sure to treat the Vermillion family to an explosion.”

“Good try,” he chuckled.

“Oh, I doubt that,” a tablet flipped to display the damning locations.

“You know the address, now what?”

“Oh, simple,” the screen flipped to an aerial view of a drone, “-this baby is equipped to fire rockets by a simple press. Care to experience destruction first hand?”

The bravado soon muddled, “-you’re not going to get cold feet now, are you, Esvalo?” frowned the gang member.

“See,” proclaimed Asmo, “-traitors and unfortunate profiteers will fall sooner or later. You betrayed us and allied to the gangs. The tables have turned, and we hold the advantage, quite the predicament. How does the two-faced leader escape this mess.”

“No, he’s fine,” fired the hoodlum, “-Alice’s nightmare is backing this traitor here. Raven is weak and unknown, I say, rot in hell, we don’t care.”

Other armed men swarmed the front, the vans neatly blocked the view to the public. Curious bystanders were welcomed by a gun or a foul-mouthed shout.

“Rot in hell you say?” a gust shook the entrance, “-I say think again.” Heels clopped menacingly until the entry, “-Esvalo,” greeted Kul, “-how nice to bring companions.” Warm droplets splattered the wall red, “-gang or not,” her blood-soaked palms wiped on his shirt. A feeling of doom buckled his knees, ‘-this is bad,’ went across the mind. The gaze slowly drifted to the side, *gulp,* any presence of life vanished. A pile of dismembered corpses laid on the floor, blood spread and followed the mildly inclined tiles.

“Why?” he said.

“Because you’re Asmo’s poker friend,” she glanced past and to the bar, “-have your men clean up the mess. Betray us and it’s thy head.”

A startling start reigned havoc. Schemes planned by the gangs were foiled one after the other. No matter the date and time, spies gawked vehemently. Kull took notice and cleanly deposed of the bodies.

A few days elapsed, Igna showed no sign of return, “-where’s pops at?” inquired an infuriated Saniata.

“On a trip,” replied Gophy, “-he should be back soon.”

By trip, she innocently referred to an idyllic retreat at a beach house. Her words couldn’t have been any wrong. The frozen tip of the monster isle cackled by the sound of thunder. Countless ships stride to the spawn of death, “-FIGHT MEN!” screamed the captains, “-the emperor has decreed humanity to revolt against the MONSTERS!”

‘Brainless fools.’ A chilly breeze perturbed the crimson-stained white hair, ‘-pride didn’t allow for our agreement to be digested.’ Flashback to the day of retribution, precisely at the time when Igna proposed the mutual understanding, “-I refute thy kindness,” rudely said the emperor. “-A lowly demon shan’t dare shake hands to an exalted being such as myself. Give us one month, and we’ll face thee in a frontal attack. Will the all-powerful demon king cower before the might of our race?”

“Cower?” he spat into the wrinkles-ridden face, “-the way I see it,” a spark of ire lunged for the emperor’s neck, “-I could kill you right here and now!”

“EMPEROR!” cried the knights.

*Mana Control: Ice Variant – Niflheim,* ice froze to conjure sharped spears, “-take a step and I’ll kill everyone in attendance,” *Mana Control: Void Flame Variant -Abyssal Wrath,* a giant ball of white and black eclipsed the sun, “-tell me, emperor, what is in it for me if I wait?”

“Salvation!” he coughed.

“Pitiful old man,” the grip eased, “-see you in hell,” *Dispel.*

The memories fuzzed to the present, “-Kaleem, Cora, and Yuria.”

“Yes majesty,” three shadows materialized, “-how may we be of service?”

“Go exterminate the humans. Today is when we strike the final blow. Kaleem, Cora, heroes led astray by the foolish gods, Yuria, fallen priestess of a weak god, you’re the chosen three of the fifteen who perished. Natural selection has deemed thee worthy of inheriting the blood of demons. I see the horns are growing rather fast.”

“As you wish, majesty,” clouds of black puffed. ‘They survived the grueling process of demonification. The world turned its backs for having failed. After my visit, they were teleported to the royal capital. Three days later, they returned to the island with two dead bodies and one severely scarred.’

“Demon-king, please,” the snot-filled begging began onshore, “-help us!”

“Why?”

“Because we were betrayed, the humans rejected us for having failed. The emperor sentenced us to death, if not for magic, we’d have been hung.”

“How can worthless shells serve my purpose?” he mercilessly ignored the fallen, “-the weak must perish; the strong will strive. Survive two weeks and I promise to grant an audience,” the cold man flapped away, a horde of monsters rampaged their crash site.

‘I never thought they’d survive. The horde was ordered to kill but was butchered instead. Cora showed signs of cunning. Bodies used as bait, he dowsed himself in the scent of the dead. Yuria used her abilities to create a tunnel towards an underwater reservoir. Kaleem, perhaps the most promising, singlehandedly stood his ground and fought day in and day out to protect the hideout. The more days passed, the harder it grew. The weak fell, some mauled, others drowned, and a few choosing suicides. The plummet from hero to zero broke spirits, shattered souls can never be reforged. Two weeks later, three battered heroes clawed their way inside. A single look sufficed, acceptance of their fate and alteration of their morals.’

“Hear us!” trembled Cora, “-we survived two weeks, please, allow us to join your ranks,” a draft carried the stench of death.

“Impudent fools!” thundered the general, “-no hero can transition to chaos.”

“General,” coughed Yuria, “-I was rejected by my god. Nothing else matters in this world, I want to see it be destroyed, I want my revenge on those who wronged us.”

“You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the devil,” gritted Kaleem, “-accept us, master.”

“On one condition,” *snap,* chained hostages thrown at his feet, “-kill them,” he said.

“Kill?”

“Yes, they’re humans and also,” familiar faces cowered alongside the crowd, “-the dead heroes have been revived. Slay them all, and I’ll consider your allegiance.”

The rest was a merciless slaughter of friend and foe alike. They didn’t care, the mind and body wanted but one thing, revenge, and blood. Humanity gathered an army of 300,000 strong to march against the monsters. Man, woman, children, none mattered, the people were forced into war. To face the army, Igna chose three, the rejected and the powerless. A drop of demon blood transmuted the humans into half-demons. With it came the power to harness part of the Shadow Realm’s power.

“Won’t you join the battle?” said a whisper atop the tallest tower.

“Vesper, why the sudden visit?”

“Kul and the prince of lust are asking for thy return.”

“Tell them I won’t be long... no, forget it. Stay here and watch the conquest of a lower dimension.” Sea of the dark had ships of various sizes making for his location.

“Isn’t this unfair?” shrugged Vesper, “-those three are weak half-demons. If they push, they’ll die.”

“Wait and watch,” he said, “-wait and watch.”

Floating clouds flew across the island, “-Kaleem takes the left, Yuria, take the right. They’re on ships. I’ll use the water spirit to conjure the wrath of the sea.”

“Understood, I’ll bombard the right.”

“Typhoon warning,” said Yuria.

‘Here’s the moment of truth,’ halted Cora, ‘-we were granted temporary access to the power from the Shadow Realm. The King of Monsters is truly strong, I doubt we can ever match his prowess,” glances exchanged, “-regardless,” a heavy upward motion rose the sea into a massive wave, “-revenge is a cold dish,” he thrust, a tide of at least ten-meters crashed onto the center formation. Explosions rattled the right, the ships crumbled, the left had people and boats being flung across the sea.

“ARE YOU READY!” cried Cora.

“HELL YEAH!”

The auras linked, *Wrath of the sea, the wrath of the wind, and wrath of fire. Fan our burning ire, dowse and drown those who’ve shunned us, and bury the lives we’ve taken. Combination spell – Three elemental Dragons.* Three giant entities crashed to utterly annihilate the unified army.

Clouds vanished, ‘-out of mana,’ they fell, a vortex swallowed the remains of humanity’s last attempt, ‘-in the end,’ the bodies plummeted, ‘-we were used and cast aside by everyone.’

*Poof, poof, poof,* “-we’re alive?” coughed Cora.

“Obviously,” said Igna, “-didn’t I say, the strong must win?” invisible palms cupped the trio, “-welcome to my family, fallen heroes.”