Dragon King: Throne of Demons and Gods

Multiple battles were happening across the dreamscape.

In one corner of this warped world, Kardrax clashed with Akedios in a battle of thread and beams.

Elsewhere, Maël was locked in a deadly maze with the demon Flaga. Even the knights and adventurers scattered across the distorted city were fighting their own fights, but only the Sacreds were making real progress.

And now, at the heart of the storm, a public garden had become a new battlefield.

Bel was calm as ever. Airi spun her twin swords once, scowling at the distorted sky. Crest shifted his stance, unsure, trying not to fall behind.

Mirrors floated into place, spinning slowly through the broken sky.

They hovered like traps, forming a circle around the public garden. Each one showed the same demon.

His shape moved swiftly as if he weren't fully real.

"Of course," the demon muttered, sounding annoyed and tired. His voice echoed from every mirror at once. "As if today wasn't already a disaster. Minions are collapsing in the east sector. That damn monster's pets ruining everything. Akedios improvising again… and now, the Ravager himself shows up."

He sighed loudly, dragging it out like he wanted the whole world to hear his suffering.

"Fine. I suppose I should introduce myself before things fall apart completely. General of Illusions. Guardian of the Slumbering King's World. You may call me Morpheus, Lord Ravager."

Bel frowned slightly. He couldn't feel any pressure coming from the demon. But the title, guardian of the king's world, meant something. Probably Archdemon level, just like Novaria.

Airi groaned.

"Ugh. Now what? Another Demon Lord?"

"Not a Lord," Bel corrected. "An Archdemon. Probably the highest rank under the Lords."

Crest froze.

"Archdemon...? A real one...? Then we're screwed."

He took a shaky step back, but then clenched his fists.

No. No, I said I wouldn't run anymore. Not again.

He lifted his head, trying to sound stronger.

"We... We just need a plan."

Airi narrowed her eyes. For once, she didn't have a snappy line ready. Even she could feel it, her instinct screaming danger. Archdemons weren't just another monster. Her hands tightened around her blades.

Then she looked sideways at Bel.

Right. He had just casually decapitated one of them like it was nothing.

"…Wait," she said, blinking. "Didn't you already kind of kill him once? Is he really that tough? Or are you just better?"

Bel glanced at her for a moment, then looked back at the mirrors.

"Yes."

Meanwhile, Morpheus was thinking fast behind his many faces.

I can't fight the Ravager directly, he thought. If I do, he'll mark us too as enemies. But if I try to reason with him, if I treat this as a misunderstanding... maybe he'll back off. If I can keep him from joining the Sacred fully, there's still a chance.

Just as he was starting to put together a diplomatic plan, Airi pointed her sword up at one of the mirrors.

"Hey, Glass Face. You done rearranging your brain there or do you need a sword in your ass?"

Morpheus twitched.

"...Charming."

His gaze slid toward Bel. Still immobile, just watching.

He's not reacting. Good. If I frame this as a duel... he might stay out. Honor among fighters, or whatever ancient rule he follows...

Morpheus took a breath and straightened inside the mirror.

"Very well," he said with false grace, raising one arm. "If the little sacred swordswoman so desperately wants a duel, I shall accept. I am nothing if not merciful. Let it be a proper one-on-one, as custom demands. Lord Ravager, surely you will respect this and not interfere. This is between us now, yes?"

Airi grinned.

"Yeah, yeah. You're doing me a huge favor, right? Cute how scared you are."

Crest grabbed her arm.

"Don't! This isn't a game! We are three, you don't need to prove anything..."

But it was already too late.

The mirrors flashed.

A giant mirror bloomed open beneath their feet, smooth as a lake of glass. The ground shattered, and they were swallowed by light.

The garden vanished, and the trio fell into fire.

A wave of burning heat hit them hard. Everything turned red as the world shifted around them.

They dropped into a place full of lava and fire.

Rivers of lava bubbled below them, and flames shot up from cracks in the ground like huge fire fountains.

Above them, there was no real sky, only smoke, ash, and glowing clouds.

Bel moved first. His white wings spread out, slowing his fall until he floated above the lava.

Airi didn't need wings. Her Blessing of the Sky activated, and she soared, slicing through the heat.

Crest, however, plummeted.

"What the... Hey, dead weight!" Airi snapped.

She cursed, dove, and caught him by the back of his collar just before he hit the lava, yanking him up like a sack of laundry.

"You're lucky I'm nice!"

She flew upward, straining under his weight. Crest didn't answer at first.

He clutched his chest, gasping. The heat was unbearable. His armor glowed faintly at the edges. His face was red, his skin was sweating, and he was twitching.

Airi looked down at him. Then at her own arms. Nothing. She wasn't even sweating.

"Wait... Oh yeah, of course. My blessing..."

She looked to Bel. Still floating unbothered.

"He too... He's probably just immune to death. Tch. Of course."

Crest groaned weakly in her grip.

"Idiot," she muttered. "You're not even helpful, and now I've gotta babysit you?"

She scanned the terrain. No land, no cover. All her current blessings were for the offense, nothing to cool him down or protect him.

She looked around, brain racing.

How do I get him out? I can't fight and carry him forever. Maybe Bel...

"Oh, I do enjoy a good panic." Morpheus's voice echoed from the air itself.

"This is the world of the Slumbering King, Sacreds. A world of death. A hundred ways to die. A thousand places to burn. Your powers, your logic, your comfort zones, they mean nothing here."

Airi gritted her teeth.

"Welcome to the dreamscape."

Suddenly, everything darkened.

A deep pulse echoed through the air. The lava below stopped bubbling. The heat vanished. The red glow faded into cold blue, and then...

A violet shockwave rolled across the land.

The fire collapsed. The mountains crumbled like dust. The world cracked like glass underfoot. Then everything shattered.

In the blink of an eye, they were back.

The distorted garden reformed beneath their feet. The mirrors flickered. The last pieces of the lava realm dissolved into nothing.

Morpheus didn't speak. He stared, wide-eyed, at the source of this event.

Bel.

He stood in the center, almost indifferent. A soft violet glow pulsed around his body.

"You're wasting my time," Bel said. "Show yourself, so I can kill you."

Crest could barely process what just happened. Airi said nothing, floating down then setting Crest gently on the broken garden path.

All this time her eyes were fixed on Bel.

He'd erased an entire realm.

Not an illusion, a real place. Gone in one moment.

She narrowed her eyes, then grinned slowly. She didn't say it aloud, but she liked that.

Morpheus however was living a nightmare.

This wasn't just strength. It was something more powerful than the authority of his Lord.

Not just because it was so fast, but it worked. Bel erased the power of the Slumbering King in the Slumbering King's territory.

This couldn't be happening.

He erased it, the demon thought. In here. In the dream world. My world.

That wasn't supposed to be possible. This place bent to his will. The Sacred were strong, but even they had to play by the rules.

However... Bel wasn't a Sacred.

Morpheus flinched.

Is it... Of course, it is... he used Authority. That's the only way. His authority can erase other's authority? If that's the case...

He forced himself to speak, voice a little too smooth, a little too eager.

"Wait, Lord Ravager. You've seen how bad this has become. You know your real enemy is the Gilded Maw, not us. We should be working together, not—"

Bel ignored him.

His eyes scanned the mirrors, thousands still floating across the space.

One of them had to hold the real Morpheus. He just needed a moment.

[Demonic Essence: 1,978/2,000]

One good use of Authority, and Morpheus would be finished. But he had to manage his saving. The Slumbering King was still ahead.

He looked up.

Morpheus flinched again.

"L-Lord Ravag—"

The mirrors started breaking.

Bel formed a tight sphere of compressed air. But he didn't raise his hand.

He thought, and it fired.

Morpheus panicked, shifting mirrors, and was instantly sliced down the middle by Airi.

"Shit," she grinned. "Too slow."

Morpheus groaned, clutching the line where Airi had cut him, smoke rising from the wound.

He slipped backward into a nearby mirror, his body fading into the glass like mist.

Bel's eyes followed him, narrowing.

New mirrors bloomed in the air. Dozens. Then hundreds. Swarming like insects.

Airi spun toward them, one sword flaring bright with energy.

"Oh no you don't!" she shouted.

She jumped into the air, her blade sweeping in a sharp arc, slicing through the first wave of mirrors.

Glass exploded, fragments raining down in glowing shards.

Then, a new mirror opened in front of her and she passed through.

She landed hard, but not on stone.

It was soft and wet.

She started staring around, when something cold grabbed her right thigh.

A hand.

Dozens, then, hundreds of black, clawed hands dragged at her body. Wrapping around her legs, her arms, her throat. Grabbing her face. Covering her mouth. Smothering her.

She tried to breathe and choked.

Darkness closed in.

Then her eyes blazed.

[Blessing of Light]

Her aura flared in a sharp burst, a pulse of gold and white.

Light exploded outward.

The hands shrieked and dissolved, burned to ash by the light burning from her body. Airi stood, coughing once, then pointing her sword forward.

"You think I'm scared of shadows?" she snapped. "Please."

The dark world around her shook but didn't vanish.

She was still trapped.

On the other side, Bel and Crest watched Airi through the giant mirror she accidentally entered.

She was fighting alone a swarm of hands, so far from them.

Crest couldn't take it anymore.

"Airi!"

He ran forward, sword raised, ready to smash through the mirror. His voice cracked as he shouted.

"Hold on! I'm coming...!"

But a new mirror appeared beneath him.

He vanished in a flash. The next second, he was underwater.

The pressure crushed his chest. His arms and legs flailed. He couldn't breathe.

No sound, no sky. Just the cold, endless blue swallowing him.

His hands reached up, trembling, covering his face as panic took hold.

Not again...

He couldn't help her.

Once again, he couldn't save her.

The guilt sank deeper than the sea.

Morpheus's laughter echoed from every mirror, sharp and cruel.

"Look at you two... one flailing in shadows, the other nearly drowning in a puddle. Sacred, they said? Please. You're just ornaments for someone else's war."

He was smug again. Confident, until he heard the footsteps.

His voice caught for a second.

He looked down, and saw Bel, walking through the chaos like none of it mattered.

Morpheus stiffened.

"W-Wait. You misunderstand, Lord Ravager. I'm a soldier. A servant of the Slumbering King. I follow orders. That's all."

No response, Bel kept walking.

Morpheus's voice sharpened, faster now.

"You have no reason to attack me. None! Your real enemy is the Gilded Maw. They're the ones who antagonized you. Not us! You're wasting power... risking your life, for what? A meaningless fight?"

Bel stopped. Finally, he spoke.

"As a Demon Lord… isn't all the others already my enemy?"

Morpheus flinched.

"But... Yes... No, I mean no! We can help each other.. the most important thing is the throne..."

Then Bel smiled.

"You're missing the point."

He raised his hand, palm open to the air.

"There's an update on my activity, and the Slumbering is now a target."

A pulse exploded from his hand. Violet light surged outward in a wave, ripping through the air.

Every mirror shattered in an instant, glass turning to dust, dimensions crumbling.

Airi was freed from the nightmare, Crest burst out of the water dimension, coughing and wide-eyed.

The garden was back into place,

Morpheus grit his teeth. Fighting a Sacred was manageable.

But Bel? That was suicide.

Airi straightened, spun one sword once over her shoulder, then rested it on her neck.

"He's not that tough," she said, eyeing the broken mirrors. "I mean, I already cut him once. But… it's like what they said about Midas. Guys like that always have a trick."

Bel glanced at her.

"This is different."

She tilted her head.

"Yeah?"

"He doesn't regenerate. He doesn't disappear neither. I feel like the one I killed earlier was really him. But there's something about this world," Bel said. "I'm starting to understand how it works. But I need confirmation."

She raised an eyebrow.

"Like what?"

"Your power. The blessings you receive, can you see their names when they activate?"

Airi blinked.

"How'd you know I have blessings?" Then she smirked. "Wait... don't tell me you've been watching me. What are you, a fan? A stalker?"

Bel didn't even blink.

"Who doesn't know? You talk so much, everyone knows you."

Airi stared. Then laughed.

"Okay. That's on me. You win that one."

Bel stepped forward, voice low.

"I have a plan. But I need you to play the lead role. You need to get pulled into as much illusion as it is necessary."

She hesitated, then grinned.

"Tch. So I'm the center of attention again?"

"You're the only one who can counter everything this world throws at us, and see exactly what it is," Bel said. "This is basically learning the enemy's trick without him knowing. I'll assist from here everytime you'll be in danger."

Airi looked at him for a beat longer. Her grin softened, just slightly.

"…Alright then. You want a show?"

She stepped forward, blades igniting with light.

"I'll show you a fireworks."