Dark Epoch
Chapter 5: The Weight of Disrespect
The air above the capital city of the Southern Empire in Hermes was still recovering from the brief appearance of the Tyrant Emperor and his retinue. Asmudeus, flanked by the obsidian armor of Azatoth, the Dark Knight, and the glacial aura of Cocytus, the Frost King, strode through the main thoroughfare toward the central palace.
The terrified populace scattered before them. The humans, unable to comprehend the scale of power, had settled on the term most familiar to their lore.
Human Merchant (Whispering): "That is the largest Demon Lord I have ever seen. And the one made of ice… we must inform the Church of Arcadia."
Good. Let them think what they wish, Kai thought, the persona of Asmudeus holding strong. A Demon Lord is a manageable problem. The Tyrant Emperor is an extinction event.
The initial fear gave way to a fresh wave of panic as a high-ranking official, Lord Valerius, accompanied by nearly two hundred uniformed Royal Guards, realized the truth. Valerius was a historian who had recently examined the same forbidden ancient texts that Ren Tachibana had studied.
Lord Valerius: (Voice strained with a combination of dread and duty) "Cease your approach, abominations! I know who you are! You are not a Demon Lord! You are the progenitor of darkness, the Sky Conqueror, Asmudeus! On behalf of King Regulus and the Southern Empire, I demand your surrender and custody for the safety of Ingrasia!"
The guards, though shaking, raised their pikes, their formation tight but visibly trembling under Cocytus's cold pressure.
The Cost of Disrespect
Kai felt the familiar surge of adrenaline, but this time, it was different. It wasn't the panic of being caught; it was an overwhelming, unconditional anger. The audacity of this fragile mortal, speaking the name of the Tyrant Emperor and then demanding his surrender, ignited something primal deep within the Black Winged Race essence.
How dare this ant address me with such insolence? He knows my power, yet he attempts to assert his pathetic authority!
The thought was not his own—it was the pure, crystalline ego of Asmudeus, filtering through Kai's mind. The anger was intoxicating.
Asmudeus: "Safety?" His voice was a flat, contemptuous whisper. "Your existence is predicated on my non-existence. You have acknowledged the King of the Dark Epoch and then offered chains. That level of disrespect must be purged from the timeline."
He did not raise a hand or speak a word of power. He simply unleashed.
A tidal wave of pure, concentrated, Infinite Mana pressure surged from his core. It wasn't an attack, but a sheer application of his presence.
The two hundred Royal Guards and Lord Valerius were instantly pinned to the ground. The pressure was so intense, so localized, that it bypassed their flesh and crushed their life force directly. There was no scream, only a sickening, wet sound as two hundred bodies and one noble collapsed, lifeless, their eyes wide with the final, absolute terror of facing the cosmic ceiling of power.
The silence returned, heavier than before.
Kai stared down at the fresh corpses. He had not used a named skill. He had killed two hundred mortals instantly just by feeling annoyed.
I just… killed them, Kai realized, the student's conscience fighting to the surface. Two hundred people. Over an arrest attempt.
But the terror and disgust were muted. A terrifying thought eclipsed it: I don't feel anything. The emotional weight of mass murder, which should have been crushing, registered as nothing more than the consequence of a minor nuisance.
My humanity… it's still here, but it's being submerged by the Tyrant Emperor's ego. I am becoming different. And that is the most terrifying reality of all.
The Prince's Folly
The horrifying display had been witnessed. Moments later, the palace gates burst open as the assembled forces of the Southern Empire—nearly five thousand soldiers—stormed the square, led by Prince Lydian, a pompous figure in polished armor.
Prince Lydian: (Riding a warhorse, his voice ringing with bravado) "Vile Demon! You have murdered the King's Guard and my advisor! You will pay with your wretched lives! Charge! For the Empire!"
The assembled human army, driven by rage and loyalty, raised their weapons, preparing for the suicidal charge. The sight of such futile defiance ignited the rage of the two Primordials.
Cocytus, the Frost King, acted first. He was quiet, efficient, and lethal.
"The King has not commanded a battle, little mortal. You overstep your reach," Cocytus stated, his voice a dry, rasping sound.
With a single, effortless motion, Cocytus slammed his staff—a pillar of carved ice—onto the stone. The effect was not explosive, but systemic. A kilometer-wide ring of absolute sub-zero energy erupted outward.
Two thousand Royal Guards at the front of the charge instantly shattered, their bodies becoming statues of pure, frosted ice that crumbled into dust on impact. The temperature drop was so severe it flash-froze the air, and a crimson mist—the blood of the slain—instantly evaporated.
Prince Lydian's warhorse, caught in the outer edge of the blast, was turned into a block of ice, throwing the prince violently against a fountain, severely fracturing his arm and helmet.
The battle lasted less than three seconds and cost the Empire two thousand lives.
The King's Surrender
The remaining soldiers, horrified by the instant destruction of their comrades, halted their advance. The tension became a suffocating, unbearable weight.
When the tension was at its absolute peak, a desperate, commanding shout cut through the deadly silence.
King Regulus—an aged man wearing simple crown, flanked by his personal elite guard—rushed from the palace entrance, bypassing the injured Prince Lydian. The King knew the true lore of Ingrasia and had been warned by Elder Faelan about the Sky Conqueror's return.
King Regulus: (His voice cracking with raw despair, yet carrying absolute authority) "Hold! Stand down! All of you! I command it!"
He ignored his screaming, injured son and advanced, dropping his sword to the ground.
King Regulus: "Sky Conqueror, I am King Regulus of the Southern Empire. I apologize for the insolence of my noble and the impetuousness of my son. This foolishness must cease. We knew the legends were true. You are the ultimate hierarchy. The Southern Empire surrenders unconditionally, effective immediately. We will serve Asmudeus, the Tyrant Emperor, without conditions."
The massive assembly of remaining forces lowered their weapons, staring in stunned silence as their King effectively dissolved the independence of the human Empire with a single decree, choosing servitude over extinction.
Asmudeus looked at the King, then at the terrified army, then at the trail of dust left by the frozen guards.
Two thousand lives, gone by a minor Primordial action. And they surrendered. Again. The cost of his existence was staggering, but the control he now wielded over this new reality was absolute.
The Southern Empire has fallen in a matter of minutes, yielding a vast network of human cities and intelligence to Asmudeus.