Are You Alright, Arch- Demon Aragon?
“My purpose here is to request that you appoint Merlin as the leader of the
reinforcements, Your Majesty.”
Liliana raised her eyebrows slightly at the request, fixing Aragon with a cold gaze that carried a hint of mockery.
“Are you seriously suggesting that I make Merlin the leader of the troops? What legitimate reason do you have to convince me?” She inquired nonchalantly, folding her arms across her huge chest.
“Of course there is,” Aragon replied calmly, a faint smile playing on his lips. “As the First Demon General among the eight, Merlin’s strength is beyond question. He possesses extraordinary talent, and his leadership aura is as impressive as his power. If he leads the reinforcement force, I am confident that our Demon race will emerge victorious in the war of the Desert of Chaos.”
After finishing his statement, Aragon maintained his smile and added lightly, “Do the reasons I provided suffice, Your Majesty?”
Standing behind Aragon, Merlin couldn’t help but beam with pride at the praise given to him.
What Aragon said was true, and Merlin firmly believed he was far more suited for the role of reinforcement leader than the stranger named Leon.
Subconsciously, he shot Leon a glance filled with contempt that he couldn’t hide.
“Just because you’re a bit better than me, do you honestly believe you can take
everything away from me? Are you delusional?” Merlin scoffed dismissively.
Though Leon displayed strength that surpassed his own, he regarded him as just a wild demon of unknown origins. He was certain that without Liliana’s influence, Leon would amount to nothing.
Noticing Merlin’s gaze, Leon turned to him, surprised to see contempt reflected in his eyes.
He frowned involuntarily and muttered, “What’s wrong with this guy? Why is he looking at me like I’m a loser?”
After a moment of thought, Leon glanced at Aragon and quickly grasped the
situation.
“Is this guy getting so cocky just because
Aragon is by his side?” He wondered inwardly, a playful smile spreading across his lips.
Other than that, he couldn’t find a more logical explanation for Merlin’s behavior.
A slight chuckle escaped Leon’s lips as he regarded Merlin with a gaze of pity. Despite Aragon’s support, it made no difference to him.
Even with the backing of the other five arch-demons, not to mention Aragon, the outcome would remain unchanged. After all, he had Liliana, the Demon Emperor, steadfastly supporting him.
So, no matter how strong Merlin’s allies might be, they could never rival his own,
right?
Merlin was taken aback by Leon’s pitying look, and an intense anger welled up inside
him.
“This damn man…” He muttered through gritted teeth, his fists clenched.
At that moment, Liliana’s cold voice sliced through the tension in the air.
“Enough? Not at all,” she replied flatly, her
expression completely devoid of emotion.
“Enough? Not at all,” she replied flatly, her expression completely devoid of emotion.
Aragon and Merlin gasped in shock, particularly Aragon, who felt as if he had been slapped across the face.
With gritted teeth and barely concealed anger, Aragon asked in a heavy tone, “Why not, Your Majesty? Can you explain?” Liliana turned her gaze to Merlin, standing
behind him, and replied, “While Merlin is indeed powerful, as you mentioned, he sadly struggles with emotional control. As an Arch-demon, you must understand how dangerous it is for an army leader to have such a flaw, right?”
Her cold gaze shifted to Aragon, leaving him feeling extremely embarrassed. As much as he hated to admit it, Liliana’s
words rang true. Merlin was exceptional in many respects, but his inability to manage his emotions was a critical weakness.
In high-pressure situations, Merlin was prone to anger, a dangerous trait for
someone aspiring to lead an army.
Yet, Aragon could not admit this openly; doing so would be tantamount to embarrassing himself in front of Liliana and
all the soldiers gathered in the palace
courtyard.
Taking a deep breath, Aragon tried to
compose himself and was about to speak when Liliana quickly interrupted.
“Besides, I’ve already found a more suitable candidate than Merlin,” Liliana said nonchalantly, gesturing toward Leon with a faint smile. “His name is Leon Orion, and
I’m sure you’ll agree with my assessment.”
At this, Aragon immediately turned his attention to Leon, a hint of surprise crossing his face.
“Is this him?” he inquired, narrowing his
eyes as he scrutinized Leon from head to
toe.
Merlin had mentioned someone named
“Leon, “but Aragon hadn’t expected him to be so young. “Leon Orion? Why does his name sound so
similar to the Sword Hero of Mankind,
Leon Kruger? Could my earlier suspicion that he’s a sword hero be right?” Aragon pondered, instinctively shifting into a more alert posture. Leon’s mysterious appearance and his close association with Liliana made him
suspect that he might be the Sword Hero
of Mankind, reported dead by the Holy Empire of Elysium.
Yet, the hair, eyes, and aura that Leon
possessed were so different from “Leon Kruger” that he felt a flicker of doubt.
At that moment, Leon approached Aragon and casually extended his hand. “Hello, Arch-demon Aragon. It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Leon Orion. I’ve heard about your prowess from Her Majesty, Demon Emperor Liliana, and I
admire you greatly,” Leon greeted him with a light tone, accompanied by a small smile. Though Aragon was tall, he appeared somewhat shorter in the presence of Leon, who towered at about 1.92 meters.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Aragon glanced at the hand Leon had offered. An
intriguing idea suddenly flashed in his mind, prompting an involuntary smile. He examined Leon’s face, partially concealed by the mask, before reaching out to shake his hand.
“Nice to meet you,” he said briefly, deliberately channeling his demonic power.
That power surged through his hand and
flowed toward Leon, causing Leon’s expression to shift instantly. eyes widened, and his body stiffened
His
like a statue.
Aragon couldn’t help but chuckle and was
about to speak when an unexpected event occurred.
The altar beneath him and the soldier-filled
courtyard suddenly warped and crumbled
like torn pages, plunging everything into an abyss of darkness.
Leon, along with Liliana, Lyra, and Merlin,
who had been nearby, vanished from sight, leaving Aragon utterly alone.
Stunned by the scene, Aragon stared in disbelief, his eyes wide with shock.
“What on earth is happening?” Aragon exclaimed in astonishment, glancing around but finding only an endless expanse
of darkness.
As he grappled with his confusion, a
sudden explosion echoed from above, startling him once again.
He quickly looked up and froze, astonished
to find stars and two moons shining
brightly, illuminating the darkness that surrounded him.
“Stars and moons? What is this-” Before he
could finish his thought, the two moons morphed into enormous eyes.
In that moment, the surrounding stars
vanished, leaving only a single golden star
shining brightly between the two eyes.
*Whoosh!*
The two colossal eyes slowly opened, emanating a blinding white light.
They bore down on Aragon, instantly freezing him in place as a surge of fear washed over him.
The intensity of their gaze felt like it was penetrating his very soul, leaving him paralyzed with terror as cold sweat soaked
his robe.
“Aragon, you have committed countless crimes. It is time to accept your
punishment.”
A powerful, majestic voice suddenly echoed, causing Aragon’s heart to race.
“Punishment?” Horror filled Aragon’s eyes
as a glowing white sword materialized
above him.
What began as a single sword quickly multiplied—ten, fifty, a hundred—until it reached an unfathomable multitude.
Panic gripped Aragon as he faced the overwhelming sight of thousands of swords pointed at him, and he instinctively tried to summon his demonic power. To his shock, he found that he could not
mobilize his power at all! “What’s happening!? Why can’t I mobilize my power!?” Aragon shouted frantically, his
voice echoing with desperation. He fought to mobilize his demonic power,
but the growing sense of hopelessness made it clear that his efforts were in vain!
In a flash of light, all the swords surged
toward him.
“No!” Aragon cried out in fear, but the
swords continued their relentless assault, piercing straight through his body. His chest, stomach, head, neck, and limbs, along with his internal organs-heart, liver, and lungs-were ruthlessly impaled by the thousands of swords.
“Argghh! Arghhh!” Aragon winced in agony,
but with dozens of swords lodged in his
throat and mouth, he could only gasp in
pain.
At that moment, an incredibly bright light
appeared above him, illuminating the entire dark expanse around him.
With his entire body pinned by thousands
of swords, Aragon glanced up with his right
eye and saw a massive white sword
descending toward him.
Panic surged through him, and he winced
loudly. “Argh! Arghh! Argggh!”
*Boom!*
The sword fell swiftly, shattering Aragon’s
body into pieces…
***
“Arch-demon Aragon, what happened to
you?”
A voice suddenly echoed in his ears, and Aragon instantly snapped back to reality. He looked around, pale and disoriented,
and saw the altar, as well as Liliana, Lyra,
Leon, Merlin, and the assembled army, all standing in their designated positions. His gaze quickly shifted to Leon, who was smiling faintly at him. “Are you alright, Arch-demon Aragon?”.
