Imp to Demon King: A Journey of Conquest

'I must find an exit and reunite with Karna first. Then, we'll discuss what to do with the undead.' His teeth cracked. 'I can't die just to put my training to the test, not when so many citizens rely on me.'

His eyes narrowed into determined slits as the Elden soldiers' remains crunched under his steps to the doorless frame.

Jagged fragments covered in layers of rot stubbornly clung to the musty stones—a defiant attempt to withstand the unrelenting passage of time.

The fog thickened behind them, swirling like a living beast asserting dominance over cold, death, and the rows of open tombs covering several hundred meters.

He gulped as the noise of bony feet meeting the ground reverberated against the dreary silence. An icy shiver ran down his spine, his plans to fight small groups shattering like glass at the sight of the hundreds of skeletal soldiers.

Bone spears and blades in hand, they patrolled around the maze of spider web-covered tombs like mindless puppets.

Teeth gritted, his fingers dug against his mask before he exhaled through his nose.

'Brute force won't work while my flames can't melt them before they surround me.'

His eyes darted between their clanging armors and scanned their patterns like he used to in games. Then, a pensive frown creased his brows.

'I have two options: I attract them outside and fight by the frame to negate potential encirclement, or I lower my hood and assassinate a few silently to progress without attracting attention.'

Without hesitation, he lowered an imaginary hood and crouched.

Although a dangerous choice, it was the most time and stamina-efficient. After all, who knew what lay further ahead?

With slow and silent steps, he stepped through the frame. Closer to its source, the scent of decay bypassed his mask, causing his nose to scrunch in disgust as he hid behind a tomb.

The stone's coldness seeped against his back, making him grimace and question his decision for a split second. But he had no time to, not when bones scraped by his ears.

Instantly, his fingers whitened around his swords, and his muscles tensed to the limit. A single mute and decisive strike. That's what he needed to achieve for his plan to work.

And that's what he did.

Like a vicious predator snapping its maws on prey, his blades whistled towards the unsuspecting soldier's neck from both sides.

CRUNCH

The dark flames in its eye sockets flickered wildly as his neck snapped under the brutal blow. Splinters flew in the surroundings while its skull darted away from its body.

In a show of incredible agility, Adam's leg rose. With the tip of his toe, he kicked it back to him and caught it with one hand. With the other, he shoved the skeleton's falling frame into the tomb, erasing any trace of his kill.

Then, breath hastening, he crouched back.

Heart drumming, he perked his ears to catch erratic footsteps or the other soldiers' chain mails clinking against their bones.

Yet, the same dreary silence and soft billowing fog answered his trepidation.

A succession of relieved sighs helped him regain his composure before his eyes trailed to the next tomb and the soldier approaching it.

'Three seconds.'

With this timer in mind, he tiptoed like a feline to ambush his next adversary.

Like the first, a muffled crunching sound and the shifting of the fog disturbed the everlasting silence as another undead found eternal rest.

Then, he scrutinised the others' movements, grasping the timing to avoid as many confrontations as possible as he navigated the labyrinth of tombs.

However, an unexpected obstacle brought his progress to an abrupt halt, rekindling his fears. Dozens of soldiers stood in a tight line, blocking his path halfway through the room and forcing a curse out of his dry throat.

'Let me pass, you bastards!'

His jaws clenched, but they remained as immobile as a skeletal wall despite his wants. Worse, the ones behind him still patrolled cluelessly, making their blockade an insidious, almost calculated way to force him to fight them all.

His eyes narrowed into fiery slits as a suspicion blossomed in his raging heart.

'Someone is observing me and commanding them. And that someone wants to enjoy the spectacle.' His knuckles whitened, and an inferno that engulfed his fears and doubts ignited in his chest. 'Another cheating god?'

As his thoughts rumbled, a playful voice shattered the silence.

"What difference would knowing make? Will it lead you to the door or your knight in shining armor? Hahaha! Call for him like the damsel you are, or perhaps step forward like a man... if you dare."

His brows twitched at her ridiculous taunting. Like a man, or an outnumbered moron?

Still, he contained the sharp retort clawing at his throat despite the pressing desire to engage her in a verbal battle. Instead, his mind raced as he eyed the nearby group.

'What's her goal? If she can interfere so much, why didn't she kill me? Wait...' He bit his lips, the taste of blood filling his mouth. 'How does she know about Karna? D-Did she do something to him?'

"I didn't. Well, I might, but nothing too exaggerated... for now."

His eyes widened as the voice answered his thoughts.

'Can she read minds like Tiamat? And what did you do to Karna?!'

He almost lept to his feet and roared the question but barely contained himself by striking his leg.

"Hahaha! You're a silly little demon, aren't you? Frail, yet possessing the fiery heart of a dragon." Her voice turned serious. "But as interesting as you are, this test of mine has rules you must follow. Struggle through the waves of undead to reach my throne. Only then will I allow you to leave with your unfortunate knight... Should the stars find me gracious, though they rarely do."

Veins throbbing on his reddening face and mouth opening and closing, he roared in his mind.

'I've never spoken with someone so infuriating!' His ragged breath echoed, and his arms trembled, his fury weighing as heavy as the other two divinities he hated the most. 'You just earned a place on my kill list right under Baal and Zeus, you stupid witch!'

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AN: Who guessed who the voice owner is? It might be hard to find, though.