Chapter 21: The Time Has Come And It's Quite Clear….
"Please read the declaration left by the representative of the Baharuth Empire," King Rampossa, who was sitting in his throne, ordered his scribe. The scribe cleared his throat and looked around at the gathered nobles. Among them were the Six Great Nobles, although there were only five of them now after the Demonic Disturbance. Margrave Urovona was the oldest, wisest, and wrinkliest of the nobles, Count Ritton was a man with foxlike features and was known for not caring about anyone else, Marquis Volumlash was a handsome man who was as greedy and disloyal as one could be, Marquis Bowlrob who had been greatly embarrassed when Lucifer threw him out a window, and the enigmatic Marquis Raven. Marquis Pespeya was killed during the Demonic Disturbance. Additionally, there were countless lesser known nobles who weren't important. The scribe hated being brought to meetings where the nobles would be attending. Ever since the Demonic Disturbance, the balance of power had shifted in favor of the Royal Faction, despite the loss of Pespeya. The nobles were desperate to muck up the system and interfere with the Royals now that they had lost power and were hated by the commoners. For the first time in the history of the Kingdom, the nobles were afraid of their peasants. A civil war was on the horizon, a revolution by the people. The nobles were prepared to do anything to stamp out rebellion and stay in power.
"The Baharuth Empire hereby acknowledges the sovereignty of the independent Kingdom of Nazarcik…" the scribe began to read to the gathered nobles who immediately stiffened when they realized the severity of this meeting.
"…Ruled by the Immortal Emperor Lucifer Dracul…." Pontifex Maximus read out while he grit his teeth and his hands that were holding the paper were shaking in fury. The cardinals that were listening gasped and started muttering to each other. "That no good, blasphemous, conniving, sacrilegious, unholy, infidel!"
"…..Originally, the region of E-Rantel and the surrounding area was the domain of the Immortal Emperor Lucifer Dracul…" the Prime Minister of the Draconic Kingdom reported to his queen.
"Hold on! Who the hell is Lucifer Dracul!?" Queen Draudillon demanded, whose appearance is that of a loli in a regal dress. "What do you mean Immortal Emperor!? We don't have time for this while the beastmen are ravaging our country!"
"…..The Kingdom of Re-Estize is unlawfully occupying this territory and must now return it to its rightful owner…" a toadman spokesperson reported to the five Dragon Councilors of the Agrand Council Alliance.
"Let the human's continue to fight amongst each other," Suveria Myronsilk, the Blue Sky Dragon Lord scoffed. "Human matters are of no concern to the council. From how I hear it, this is just another human with too big of an ego. "Immortal Emperor" indeed."
"…..If the Kingdom does not comply with this demand, the Baharuth Empire will aid the Immortal Emperor Lucifer Dracul in reclaiming his territory….." a rabbitman, Mayor Hosif Kellinci, reported to his fellow mayors of the Karnassus City-State Alliance.
"I've never heard of this Lucifer Dracul," Mayor Kabelia of Peibart commented as she raised an eyebrow. "What do we know about him?"
"Not much, Kabelia," a fairy, Mayor Puro Fai responded. "But we are looking into him right now."
"…..This will be a just war fought to end an unjust occupation," Rampossa's scribe finished. There was no way they would agree to these terms and when nobles heard something they didn't like, they always got loud. He held his breath and waited for the inevitable shouting to begin. He didn't have to wait long.
"This is outrageous!"
"Filthy commoner!"
"Meh."
"Isn't he the guy who threw you out a window, Bowlrob?"
"Shut up!"
"How dare he call himself a ruler?"
"Immortal Emperor? HA!"
"Why is the false emperor assisting him?"
"I knew it. Anyone who has so little respect for nobles must be insane! To have the arrogance to call himself immortal!"
"Just in case, I have had scholars examine the Kingdom's history. There is absolutely no mention of Lucifer Dracul whatsoever," the scribe said so that everyone could hear him. "There is no legitimacy to his claim."
"Isn't this just the same declaration of war from the Empire as usual?" Marquis Bowlrob spoke up. "They must truly be scraping the bottom of the barrel if this mad magic caster is all they got."
"A mad magic caster who threw you out a window and into a pile of manure," someone snickered. Bowlrob turned to glare at whoever said that, but couldn't figure out who did it among the countless nobles so he went back what he was doing with a grunt.
"Isn't this clown the same one who helped the Warrior Captain save Carne Village?" Count Ritton sneered. "He must have thought he was helping his own peasants." Gazef scowled as Ritton turned his head and leered openly at him. Gazef wanted to beat him to a pulp but he couldn't embarrass the king like that.
"This madman is irrelevant," Bowlrob interrupted. "The real question is how do we intend to respond to the False Emperor?"
"It's obvious that we will go to war," Ritton said snidely. "Now is the time to crush them once and for all. We shall take the fight to the Empire's doorstep!"
"Indeed! It's time the Emperor pays the price for purging the nobles of the Empire. At least they were tolerable back then," Volumlash said with a nod as he was no doubt imagining the profit that could be made by looting the Empire's valuables.
"Those fools will finally realize who they're messing with!" Bowlrob declared. Urovona shook his head sadly as he watched the noble faction delude themselves with his wrinkled face twisted as if he had eaten something bitter. Gazef grimaced as he heard the nobles jeer and laugh as they spoke of war as if it was a sport. Of course they would, they never worked but reaped all the benefits. They just went around and conscripted all the commoners they could. But something else was setting off alarm bells for Gazef.
"I don't think this battle will end in a small skirmish as usual," Gazef said. The nobles looked as if they had been splashed with cold water and glared at Gazef. They lived in their own little worlds where they believed nothing could hurt them and that they could do whatever they wanted simply because they were born rich. They were the reason that there had still been some level of underground slavery in the Kingdom. It was their fault organizations like the Eight Fingers were able to run rampant and young girls were stolen from their families to be used to satisfy the lust of those who were wealthy. The fact that he knew it but couldn't do anything about it without causing a civil war that would destroy the country made Gazef hate them and they knew it. As a matter of fact, it made them flaunt about the fact that they could get away with almost anything. That just made Gazef hate them even more. That said, there were some good nobles who truly had what was best for their people at heart. It's a shame that those nobles just don't have the power to change things.
"And why is that, Warrior Captain?" Ritton sneered making his contempt for the commoner obvious with his foxlike features twisted into a scowl.
"Go ahead, Gazef," King Rampossa said kindly, signaling Gazef to speak his mind.
"Your majesty, it is because of that magic caster, Lucifer Dracul," Gazef replied as he remembered Lucifer Dracul himself. The man who saved his life. Death given human form.
"You're the only one who has really seen him in action Gazef. What is your opinion of him?" Bowlrob asked. He didn't like Gazef since he was a commoner, but he respected his prowess with a blade.
"He is extraordinarily powerful," Gazef responded curtly. "I believe it would be best if we simply handed E-Rantel over to him." Members of the Royal Faction immediately stopped bickering with other nobles and turned to glare at Gazef.
"What?"
"You coward!"
"After all that the king has done for you!?"
"You traitor!"
"Stop!" King Rampossa ordered as he sat up. "Although I am touched that my subjects would be so moved on my behalf, I would like to remind you all that Gazef Stronoff has risked his life for mine numerous times and would never betray me. I am sorry Gazef, but a ruler cannot simply give up his land and abandon the citizens who live on it. May I ask just how powerful Lucifer Dracul is?"
"Of course your majesty," Gazef replied. "He managed to defeat the Sunlight Scripture which decimated me and my warrior band without taking a scratch. His power is the kind that makes you think of Demon King Jaldabaoth or the Dark Knight Momon." Ritton scoffed at him.
"Yes, the "Dark Knight Momon", I trust we all remember that incident with him?" Ritton asked his fellow nobles who began scowling. When Momon had defeated Jaldabaoth, the Kingdom had offered him nobility which made the nobles very unhappy that a commoner, and a foreigner at that, was being offered a chance to join their ranks. What absolutely enraged them was when he turned it down. They yelled at him saying things like "How dare you a mere commoner like you deny something we nobles offer you! Be grateful!" or "Who do you think you are?" but Momon had simply laughed at them saying "I don't care about any of that" and walked out while flipping them off. As their thoughts traveled back to how little of a shit he gave about them, it reminded them of what happened when they met Lucifer. The sheer embarrassment they felt at a commoner being able to push them around like that, but now they were being given a chance to get payback in the war against him. If Lucifer was able to push them around without repercussions, it may inspire other commoners to revolt against them. So, naturally, the nobles ignored Gazef's warning and became fixated on punishing Lucifer for his insolence. Gazef furrowed his eyebrows. These people were absolutely out of their minds! They would pick their ridiculous noble pride over concrete facts and benefits!
"It's obvious we will give in to the Empire ludicrous demands," Raeven spoke up, getting everyone's attention. The usual snakelike smile he had on his face had been missing ever since he lost his wife during the Demonic Disturbance. He had become distraught when she was assassinated and his face had been fixed in a frown with furrowed eyebrows ever since. He hadn't even been able to give her a proper burial because someone had stolen the corpse, an elf had done it if the eyewitnesses were to be believed. The only time he was ever happy anymore was when he was with his son. "Which leaves us with one option: War. Instead of standing around, we should begin preparations immediately."
"You and the other nobles will be participating?" Urovana asked.
"Indeed," Raeven nodded grimly. The members of the Noble faction gaped at Raeven.
"But Marquis Raeven," Ritton said smoothly. "Surely his majesty can handle this matter on his own? Why should we-"
"I suggest you stop thinking like that," Raeven interrupted. "If his majesty's forces are defeated, who knows where the Empire will strike next?" The nobles grimaced. The Kigdom's forces were made up of conscripted civilians who were no match against the Empire's knights. The only way to battle quality was with quantity. After thinking on this and Raeven's words, the nobles panicked as they imagined Imperial Knights ravaging their lands. One by one, the nobles pledged their support to the coming battle.
"I'm in!"
"If he's in, I'm in!
"I will assist in order to secure my domain!"
"I as well!"
"Then it is settled. In order to protect our own lands we will protect the king's. We should delay our response to the Empire and gather our troops in E-Rantel," Raeven said with a nod. As the nobles began discussing amongst themselves about who will organize what, Gazef frowned at this exchange. He thought back to how he met Lucifer, fought the Theocracy, Brain's encounter with the vampire Shalltear, met with Lucifer at the party, the Demonic Disturbance, and now this. He didn't know why, but he had the sinking feeling that it was all connected.
Zesshi was aggravated as she stomped out of the church, as she usually did whenever she was called up in an attempt to get her to choose a husband. She didn't care about things like that. All she focused on was finding someone who could give her a decent challenge, but so far, no success. The only vaguely interesting people around were Corvo and Ruvik. Corvo was currently sparring with Oras Fries.
"You really think you can take me on new guy? Oras asked arrogantly. "I'm the second seat on the Black Scripture! They don't call me "Time Turbulence" for nothing! I can freeze time! I'm practically invincible!"
"And yet, your captain had to drag your corpse back from your last mission," Corvo growled. "Shut up and fight or go brag somewhere else." Oras scowled at Corvo before using his ability.
"[Stop Time]!" he yelled, freezing the area around him. With a smirk, he leisurely walked towards Corvo. As he prepared to attack with exaggerated movements, a fist collided with his face, knocking him down. Time resumed and Oras looked up to see it had been Corvo's fist that had hit him. "HOW!?" Oras demanded angrily.
"I wouldn't have challenged you if I wasn't confident in my ability to overcome your [Time Stop]," Corvo said bluntly. "Your ability makes you stronger than most, but it also makes it so you don't try to improve. You defeated yourself." With those final words, Corvo turned around and walked away from the angry Oras, whose pride had just taken a major blow.
"Hey!" Zesshi called to him. He turned around and gave her the scowl he always had plastered to his face.
"What?" he asked gruffly.
"It's clear you could've made it as an adamantite ranked adventurer, so why'd you sign on with Maximilian?" Zesshi asked. Corvo stared at her for a few moments before responding.
"There are strong people here," he said coldly. "I intend to survive the coming storm. During my time in the Great Forest of Tob I saw things. Things that are preparing to move out of the shadows and swallow the world. I have a better chance of surviving what is to come if I am among strong individuals."
"You're not devoted to humanity at all?" Zesshi asked as she raised an eyebrow.
"I'm devoted to myself and nothing more," Corvo lied, keeping his cover in mind.
"You said you want to be ready for what is coming. What exactly IS coming?" Zesshi inquired with narrowed eyes.
"Monsters," was all Corvo said as he walked away.
Marquis Raeven sighed as he walked into his manor. Those noble fools were so busy bickering they didn't even notice the fact that their Kingdom was on the brink of collapse! He had used to be as foolish as them. He thought of himself as the puppet master who would take the throne through his sheer genius. Everything he had done from accumulating wealth and power to his own damn marriage had been a step closer to taking the throne. When he learned that was going to have an heir he had thought it would be one more tool for him to use. But then he had met the child not even a day old and when that little hand wrapped around his finger, something broke inside Raeven. His conquests for the throne came to an end and he vowed to become a better man, a man that his now five year-old son could look up to and be proud to call his father. He devoted himself to fixing the Kingdom and ensuring its prosperity, he even came to love the woman he had only married just to gain benefits. They had become a true happy family.
And then Jaldaboath came.
Raeven had done everything he could to try to steer things back in the right direction, but ever since the Demonic Disturbance everything had gone downhill. Nobles that supported a unified Kingdom had died, greedy and arrogant fools had risen to power, his wife was killed and her body was stolen, and he couldn't shake the feeling that someone or something had orchestrated all of this. This was all in addition to the stresses that came with war such as food shortages, lack of personnel, increases in bandits, and that was just the start. He hadn't taken two steps into his manor when a servant came running up to him.
"Sir! There's someone in the lounge! Your son is with him!" he cried. Raeven's eyes widened. He had already lost his wife, HE WILL NOT LOSE HIS SON! He ran up the stairs faster than he thought he could run, burst in the room….
And found a tall, pale man with a pleasant smile teaching Raeven's son how to play chess.
"….And the knights can move in an L shape," the man said before he noticed Raeven. "Good evening, Marquis Raeven, I apologize for entering unannounced but I think it would remain convenient for both of us if my visit was kept a secret." Raeven simply stared at the man and his smiling son who was waving at him.
"W-who are you?" Raeven finally asked.
"My name is Lucifer Dracul. I'm here to make you the offer the chance of a lifetime. Tell me, how much do you miss your wife?"
"This is unacceptable!" the Cardinal of Light ranted. The Cardinal of Darkness rolled his eyes.
"Can we have just ONE meeting without you yelling?" he asked irritably.
"This is hardly ideal," Pontifex Maximus sighed. "However, it does provide us with an opportunity."
"Oh?" the Cardinal of Fire asked.
"We shall temporarily recall Holocaust Scripture from the war with those filthy elves of the Elf Kingdom," Maximus smirked. "When the time comes for war between the Empire and the Kingdom, Lucifer Dracul will be there. That will be our chance to assassinate the infidel. We will kill this "Immortal Emperor" and stamp out his country before it is even built!"
"Yes Archbishop!" the cardinals exclaimed as they bowed their heads.
"Gentlemen," Raeven began. "I have come to a startling realization. We do not know to whom the allegiance of the peasants at Carne Village belongs to."
"Of course to his majesty!" Volumlash declared, but Raeven shook his head.
"Because Lucifer Dracul saved the peasants who lived there, it is possible that they have allied themselves with him," Raeven announced. "We need to send someone to investigate Carne, evaluate where their loyalties lie, and discover any additional intelligence we can about him."
"Father," Prince Barbro spoke up. "I would like to volunteer for this mission!" King Rampossa looked at his son and nodded. It wouldn't be too dangerous a task and his son would have a chance to convince people he wasn't a coward, which had become the popular belief after the events of the Demonic Disturbance.
"Very well, you will have a contingent of Royal Guards and group of nobles. In all you will have approximately 5000 men. Take care my son," the king said.
"Yes father. I will not let you down!" Barbro declared, but Gazef could see what he was thinking. Innocent or not, he was going to kill the villagers and claim that they had conspired with Lucifer to take down the Kingdom. Everyone was so focused on this that they didn't notice Marquis Raeven slip out of the room. Raeven walked over to one of the men he had told the palace guards was one of his bodyguards. He was blonde and had two swords. His name was Hekkeran Termite.
"So, how did it go?" Hekkeran asked.
"Tell your master that everything will proceed as he had hoped and that he should begin assembling his forces at Carne Village as soon as possible," Raeven said glumly. "He will keep his side of the bargain?"
"My lord has yet to go back on his word so I think you will be fine," Hekkeran replied with a nod before he walked out. Raeven leaned up against a nearby wall and slowly slipped down until he was in the fetal position. After making sure no one was looking, he began to sob silently. Today he had made a choice. Save his family or betray the Kingdom he had dedicated his life to building. Yesterday, after meeting Lucifer Dracul in person and discovering what kind of man he was, he had been struck with the horrible realization that the Kingdom was doomed anyways no matter what he did to try to save it. Raeven was damned if he did and damned if he didn't, and this was only the beginning. Lucifer would ask for many more favors like this if he wanted to reunite his wife with her child and release her from Lucifer's clutches.
Enri Emmot, who was now the chief of Carne Village, was surprised by what Nfirea had just come in yelling about.
"Lucifer Dracul is here!" he exclaimed excitedly. As the words sunk in, Enri's eyes brightened. She grabbed Nfirea and the two of them ran down the road towards Lucifer, who was speaking with Jugem, the head goblin summoned from the Horn of the Goblin General. Lucifer had deactivated some of his vampiric traits in order to look relatively human. He wouldn't need to keep doing this forever though, just for a little longer.
"Lord Dracul!" Enri called out. Lucifer looked over and gave her a pleasant smile as he walked over to her and Nfirea.
"It is good to see you again Enri," Lucifer said, sticking with the appearance of a kind and caring man that he had sold these fools. "How is your sister, Nemu?"
"She is fine my lord, thank you," she said before she sweatdropped. "Although, ever since the day you saved us she's been running round pretending to be a vampire for some reason."
"Children will be children," Lucifer smiled while internally noted that Nemu may still recall bits and pieces of the memories he altered. Note to self: practice memory alteration on prisoners before killing them and turning them into more Death Knights. "Nfirea, you're looking well. How has that lab equipment I sent you been working out? I understand you're on the verge of a breakthrough."
"The instruments you've supplied me with are amazing, Mo- Lord Dracul," Nfirea replied as he almost called him Momon. "I should have a potion never seen before by next week!"
"Splendid," Lucifer chuckled as he mentally smirked. It's about damn time the investment he put into this human started to pay off.
"But Lord Dracul, why are you here?" Enri asked.
"I'm afraid this isn't a social call," Lucifer frowned. "According to one of my spies, the Kingdom has sent an army led by Prince Barbro. Because they believe that you have sided with me in this war, they seek to burn Carne Village to the ground," he lied.
"Do you hear that everyone?" Enri, in her anger, yelled to her fellow villagers. "The Kingdom has decided that they need to kill us because Lord Dracul saved us!"
"What!?"
"How could they?"
"Bastards!"
"We will protect you General Enri!"
"They abandon us when the Theocracy attacked and now this?"
"Meh."
"They don't give a damn about us when we're in need, but the moment they declare our savior an enemy, we're guilty by association!?"
"If Lord Dracul is their enemy then I'm their enemy too!"
"I ain't going out like a bitch!"
"Fucking nobles think they can do whatever they want? We'll show them!"
Lucifer resisted the urge to grin evilly. It was all going exactly as he had planned. He had his witnesses and he had his troops nearby ready to engage. If things hadn't gone as planned he would've used his vampiric abilities to hypnotize Barbro into being a scapegoat.
"My forces will engage them before they can reach the village," Lucifer informed them. "Stay up on the perimeter wall and use you bows and arrows to shoot anyone who get past my men. Fair warning, they won't be human."
Barbro was excited to be on this mission. Not only would he have the chance to prove himself against these "rebels" but in battle against the Empire as well. Of course, he wasn't expecting the villagers to actually fight him. For mere peasants to rise up against their prince was ridiculous, it had never happened before in history, at least not successfully.
When I finally take down these villagers and tell father they rebelled, the nobles will think highly of me for putting down those peasants who dared to turn against them. My brother Zanac thinks he's so smart, using Raeven's men to secure the city during the Demonic Disturbance. It's too bad I have to be in a backwater village like this though.
Finally, Carne Village came in sight, but there was a problem. The walls around Carne Village were occupied by archers and in front of the main gates were four creatures that looked like avatars of death and brutality. In front of those monsters was a tall, pale man in dark clothing and a red cloak. He had a cold smile as Barbro approached. It was only when he got closer did he recognize him as the man from the party, Lucifer Dracul.
Good, I can kill this commoner here and now, bringing an end to the Empire's reason to fight and ending this year's war altogether. I'll be a hero and the throne will be mine for sure!
"You, Lucifer Dracul, are an enemy of the Re-Estize Kingdom! Surrender now and I will let you live!" Barbro lied. Lucifer laughed as he let his vampiric red light shine in his eyes for Barbro to see. Those red soulless eyes. It was like looking into hell.
"Do you take me for a fool?" Lucifer asked as he continued laughing. "You came to kill these villagers because they were saved by me when you abandoned them." Barbro fearfully stared at those eyes a little longer before he looked up the villagers armed with bows and arrows.
"You! Peasants! Assist me in killing this mad magic caster! I, Prince Barbro command you!" Barbro demanded as if it were only natural that they obey him. All they did was glare at him and one them even had the balls to shout back:
"Fuck you!" Barbro became positively livid.
"Kill them all! They are traitors to the Kingdom for disobeying a royal decree!" he shouted to his guards. The guards knew that whatever those things Lucifer had with him were dangerous but they had the advantage in numbers so they charged into battle. Four of whatever those things were and a magic caster against 5000 soldiers, the odds were in their favor.
Or so they thought.
"Death Knights, attack," Lucifer ordered calmly. One of the soldiers got in close and swiped his sword across the Death Knight's leg in an attempt to cut off its leg. His sword broke on impact with the monster who simply kicked the offending soldier sending him flying through the air. The Death Knights began their onslaught slashing at the soldiers with their twisted swords, bashing them with their massive shields, and simply used their feet to stomp them into a pulp or send the enemies flying.
"Die Dracul!" one man yelled as he stabbed at Lucifer, who simply leaned forward and put his hand to the soldier's head, using his height and arm length to keep the man from approaching him. It would've been funny to look at if it wasn't so pathetic.
"[Zebel Blast]," Lucifer said quietly as a large ball of black energy appear in his hand and struck the man who he had his hand against, causing the fool to explode in a mass of bloody chunks of meat. Another brave soul ran through the pieces of his exploding comrade and went straight for Lucifer. He jumped up and tried to stab him through the torso but the blade shattered on impact with his chest. Lucifer smirked down at the man whose eyes widened.
"Monster….." he said. That also just so happened to be the last thing he ever said as Lucifer grabbed him by the neck and choked the life out of him. The soldier squirmed and struggled to get free but no matter what he tried he couldn't break free. When he finally released his last breath, Lucifer unceremoniously dropped his corpse to the ground and looked up to see how the battle, if you could even call it that, was progressing. It had been a one sided massacre from the very beginning. About 300 of the Kingdom's men had been killed so far and Barbro was freaking out.
"This is taking much too long," Lucifer said in an annoyed tone. "[Negative Burst]!" he exclaimed as a shockwave of unholy energy was released. They were far enough away from the village for it not to affect them and the Death Knights wouldn't take damage from unholy energy it would heal them instead since they were undead. The Kingdom's soldiers on the other hand, weren't so lucky. Out of the 5000 men Barbro had brought with him, 2000 ended up getting caught in the blast and it killed them instantly.
"Retreat!" Barbro screamed when he saw that terrible magic. Such a thing should not be possible, there couldn't be a monster, a god like this could there?
"Do not let them escape!" Lucifer commanded. "If they make it back to the Kingdom they will bring reinforcements!" With his orders given, he turned back to the villagers and saw Enri waving at him from on the wall. "Enri, is everyone in the village safe?" he asked out of concern for his own personal intrests, not that they needed to know that.
"We're fine my lord!" Enri shouted back. "What are you going to do with them?"
"Because he is the prince he believes himself and all other nobles to be above approach," Lucifer proclaimed. "I am going to dole out a harsh punishment in order to send a message to all nobles that no one is above reproach and no one can get away with attempting mass murder like they did!" and with that, he teleported after his Death Knights as the villagers cheered.
Barbro was terrified. These hulking creatures, Death Knights, had caught up with him and his men so easily. Every time one of his men tried to flee they were instantly cut down by those jagged swords. It wasn't long until their master, Lucifer Dracul, arrived.
"Do you know who I am? I am Prince Barbro Andrean Ield Ryle Vaiself of the Re-Estize Kingdom!" Barbro shouted. Lucifer just rolled his eyes.
"Shut up human," he said coldly as he reactivated his vampiric traits giving all of his captives a view of his soulless red eyes and his fanged grin. Barbro was sweating.
Vampire! He can't be thinking of killing me can he? No, I have value as the first prince. Even a monster like this can understand I'm too important to kill. He's probably here to negotiate or take me prisoner. Either way this won't end well for me. Although, perhaps I can negotiate to cede one quarter of the Kingdom's territory to him in return for his assistance in making me king. I would have to kill him afterwards though. I can't give up that much territory and no one would respect me if I worked with a bloodsucking abomination like him!
"I hope we can come to a reasonable agreement, Lord Dracul," Barbro said, masking his fear. "As the first prince I can help you get whatever it is you want."
"No, your death is required for my plans," Lucifer said coldly. "Your entire country will fall to me before the year is out and your death is part of making that happen. So I am going to kill you and your men to send a message and ignite the fires of a civil war within the Kingdom."
"WHAT!? What nonsense are you spewing! Didn't you hear who I said I am?" Barbro shouted foaming at the mouth. "Do you not realize my value? How dare you even THINK about killing me! You're supposed to take nobles as hostages or ransom them! Or is it territory you want? You need to keep me alive to use for a more advantageous position in negotiations!"
"There will be no negotiations," Lucifer smirked. "I will take what I want and you humans will cower before me. You saw what my Death Knights were capable of back there. I have thousands more at my disposal. You have nothing I can possibly want and I have every advantage. Why negotiate when you can dictate?" Barbro's heart felt like it was going to explode when he realized that he had no value and that Re-Estize was going to be destroyed. "If it makes you feel any better, I won't be killing you just yet. We're going to put on a performance together."
"Y-y-you're really going to kill me?" Barbro asked as if he couldn't believe it.
"Obviously. Death Knights kill the rest of them. Bring the bodies back to Nazarick and the heads to Re-Estize. It's time to send a message," Lucifer commanded.
The sun had just risen. At this point, the commoners of Re-Estize would start waking up while the nobles continued to snooze. Usually, that is.
"Your majesty!" a guard called out knocking on King Rampossa's door. "Your majesty please wake up and look outside! Look towards the town hall!" Rampossa groggily got up out of bed and walked onto his balcony. He looked into his telescope and saw….. heads.
Surrounding the entire capitol of Re-Estize was a grisly display of human heads impaled on spears and set up in a manner that they were put there specifically to be seen. The king was now wide awake and swiveled his telescope to look at the town center. Countless commoners were gathered there and all were looking up at a roof and shouting. As he turned to look at the roof, he saw Lucifer Dracul there, pacing and shouting to the crowd, getting them riled up. The king's heart sank when he saw who was on the roof with him. With him was his son, Barbro. He had a noose tied around his neck with the other end of the rope tied around a chimney. In a panic, the king threw on his royal garbs and rushed out, followed by Gazef and a few guards. The noise from the crowd was deafening as they approached, but Lucifer could still be heard clearly.
"…. And what gives them the right to behave in such a manner?" Lucifer called out, rallying the crowd. "They were born in a mansion so they can do whatever they want? No I say! The nobles rape, steal, kidnap, murder and do whatever they please to the commoners because they believe that they have the power! They want you to be their slaves! But do you know what they don't want you to know? They fear you, the people! They know that their power is fragile and that if you unite there is nothing they can do to stop you from claiming the power that is rightfully yours!" The crowd was cheering like mad and cursing the nobles.
"Hell yeah!"
"A nobleman kidnapped my little girl!"
"A noblewoman killed my husband!"
"A noble burned down my home when I said I wouldn't let him sleep with my wife!"
"They work us to death and take all the money we earn away with taxes!"
"They all deserve to die!"
"He's right!"
"Down with the nobles!"
"All hail the Immortal Emperor Lucifer Dracul!"
"Lucifer! Lucifer! Lucifer! Lucifer! Lucifer! Lucifer! Lucifer! Lucifer! Lucifer! Lucifer! Lucifer! Lucifer! Lucifer! Lucifer! Lucifer! Lucifer! Lucifer! Lucifer! Lucifer! Lucifer! Lucifer! Lucifer! Lucifer! Lucifer! Lucifer! Lucifer! Lucifer! Lucifer! Lucifer! Lucifer! Lucifer! Lucifer! Lucifer! Lucifer! Lucifer! Lucifer! Lucifer! Lucifer! Lucifer! Lucifer! Lucifer! Lucifer!"
Lucifer grinned as the crowd became exactly what he wanted. An angry mob. The seeds of revolution had been planted and when the time came, he would be seen as their messiah.
Humans are so predictable.
"Wait!" King Rampossa yelled. "Emperor Dracul, surely this doesn't have to end this way. I'm sure we can negotiate for my son. What is it you want? Money? Land? Our surrender?"
"This has nothing to do with our war and no amount of land or money will make this problem go away! This is about what's right!" Lucifer lied while making sure the entire crowd could hear him. "This man, Prince Barbro, is guilty of attempting to kill the innocent people of Carne Village just so he could claim that they were rebels and use their deaths to elevate his status among the nobility! This selfish, heartless act cannot go unpunished! Noble or commoner, NONE are above reproach!"
"I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry," Barbro muttered out as tears rolled down his face.
"Do you hear that? He said he's sorry! Do you accept his apology?" Lucifer asked the crowd.
"NO!" they shouted back.
"Then how shall we punish him?" Lucifer demanded.
"Kill him! Kill him! Kill him! Kill him! Kill him! Kill him! Kill him! Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!"
"The people have spoken!" Lucifer declared as he kicked Barbro off the roof. Barbro's scream was cut short as he ran out of rope and the noose tightened around his neck. He didn't even have a chance to suffocate as the rope had snapped his neck and his eyeballs popped out. The people didn't care though. They had survived the Demonic Disturbance and all its horrors so this was nothing to them so instead of gasping in horror they cheered as the life of a horrible man was snuffed out.
"NOOOOOO!" came the anguished cry of the king. "Lucifer Dracul I swear I will kill you! I WILL KILL YOU!"
"[Greater Teleportation]," Lucifer said with a smirk as he disappeared. Gazef looked at his king. He had never seen an outburst like that from his old friend.
"Gazef!" Rampossa yelled as he turned his head towards Gazef revealing a crazed look on his face. "This is an order! When the time to battle on Katze Plains comes, kill Lucifer Dracul!"
Bonus Story: Arche's Sisters
Lucifer stared at the three blondes before him, Arche and her little sisters. Arche was still a little scared of him but her sisters, who had never seen him before, were shaking from fear.
"Arche," Lucifer said with a sigh. "When I told you that you may leave to take care of some personal matters, I didn't say you could bring them back."
"Please my lord- I mean my Emperor," Arche said with a bow. "When I got there, my father was selling them into slavery and I didn't know what to do! I couldn't just leave them there!"
"Is he dead?" Lucifer asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Y-yes," Arche replied.
"Just as well," Lucifer said as he leaned back in his char. "From what I've heard he deserved it. Also, referring to me as "my lord" is fine."
"I'm glad you agree, my lord," Arche said as she let out a sigh of relief.
"For the time being, you and your sisters shall remain on the 6th Floor in the Demihuman village," Lucifer decreed. "You will live there until it is time to establish a church that worships me. When that happens they will go with you and help around the church. Understood?"
"Yes, my lord," Arche responded, happy that her sisters were safe.
"Now if you'll excuse me," Lucifer said as he stood up. "Albedo is being examined by Jigsaw and I'm concerned that he doesn't actually know what he's doing."
Can anyone guess what the next chapter will be called? Also, today I learned that Hail and Kill is an actual song.
HAIL AND KILL!