PART #2

“From this moment on, you’ll be staying here”

The voice of a woman echoes. In front of the child -Kyoushiro- gazed the inside of a house of his aunt; a young child, who had just lost his parents in an accident.

Bandages cover his arms and forehead, covering the wounds he had incurred after the incident happened…

The sight of the crumbling building was still fresh in his eyes and the scent of the blood that had covered him when the slab fell on top of his parents…

“Make sure to be useful for us from now on, alright?”

-

“AAAAAAARGHHH!!!”

Kyoushiro screamed as he forced himself to wake up from a memory he did not want to see. It was the time when he had just escaped from the hands of death…

“Looks like it took a while before it took effect”

“Gah…!! You…what did…. You do?!”

Standing in front of Kyoushiro was Ernest Vern, in a human form, wearing a cocky grin that made Kyoushiro’s blood shot up.

“I didn’t do anything. I wasn’t the one rampaging, killing everything on sight. Those mutated monsters have thick essence of that drug that makes you go insane after all. It’s no wonder you just dropped like that”

“Damn!!” Kyoushiro cursed as he resists the effects of the drug. The incense burned down to ash was the drug itself. Without knowing that, Kyoushiro had been drenched in blood of every mutated monster that had ingested that drug.

Even on opened wounds, the effects of the drug had deeply rooted inside Kyoushiro’s veins. The potency of such thing was terrifying.

“Even someone as strong as you can be put down by that drug”

“Just…kh… keep talking… d-damn…ngh..!? Four-eyes…”

Kyoushiro’s body convulsed. Every muscle in his body was pulsating as thought they had hearts of their own. The pain of his bones getting crushed, his organs getting mauled inside and his sense of pain went up so high that blood had dripped from every hole possible on his body.

His heart beat faster by the minute and as Ernest Vern, the giant that wielded two great battle-axes and the leader of the group of monsters, held one of his axes on one hand, a cold sweat dripped down Kyoushiro’s cheek.

“You bit off more than you can chew”

Ernest Vern held the battle-axe next to Kyoushiro’s neck.

“Now you’ll pay the price for trespassing in my domain”

“Hah…! This land doesn’t even belongs to you… monster”

A sarcastic remark left Kyoushiro’s quivering lips. His complexion had become pale due to the pain he was feeling right now. Hanging on the single thread of his consciousness, Kyoushiro taunted the giant before him.

It was a foolhardy move. Ernest Vern even thought so for himself.

“Humph, let’s see how that attitude of yours works in hell”

Ernest Vern raised his battle-axe above his head, attempting to cleave of Kyoushiro’s cranium from the center. A silent wind drafted about…

“A breeze, here?”

One of Ernest Vern’s giant henchmen reacted as they felt a wind pass under their legs.

“You look like crap there, Black hero”

“Nn?” Ernest Vern stopped his arm and turned his head around as he heard a voice of a woman coming from behind.

There, standing with elves with skins covered in barks, rocks, scales, viscous liquid as well as extra limbs, tails and eyes, had their hands directed behind Ernest Vern’s men.

Countless spears of light, wind, fire, earth and water had gathered there and ready to launch. A single elf woman, Elyria, was at the center, wearing a confident smile on her face; feeling as if she had won this battle…

“Idiot…. You could’ve… kh! Taken the shot…”

“Even though I went my way to save you out of the greatness of my Queen, you still act so arrogant. This is why men are….”

“JUST SHUT UP AND TAKE THE DAMN SHOT!!!”

Kyoushiro yelled, ignoring the needle pains stabbing in his throat. Elyria was too confident right now and was not considering that there were still many monsters around them.

Even though she managed to increase their numbers by rescuing a couple of knights that had worked with her, they couldn’t even match the great amount that Ernest Vern has in his army.

A couple of semi-mutated elves wouldn’t be able to kill every single monster in this cave with their fewness in numbers.

Elyria snapped out as she heard Kyoushiro’s shout. She immediately understood the predicament they were in and knew that wasting time talking would get them killed…

Thus…

“Don’t yell at me you damn Demon-Spawn!! Everyone fire!!!”

The great number of spears, varied in elements, was shot at high-speed.

*GGAGAGAGAGAGAGA!!!!!* *DOGOOON!!!* Loud explosions came about. Heated wind blew over and destructive forces was sent over Kyoushiro's direction. It was unbelievable. As dust clouds formed, the reaction after the explosion finally settled.

What came after was blood spewed all over the place. With broken off limbs, barks, eyes, tails, scales and many more were all scattered around. Elyria was shock. Not at what they did but with what Kyoushiro did.

"Guah....!? You....."

Ernest Vern was coughing out blood. But it wasn't just him, every henchmen beside him had their hearts gouged out from the back with an extremely dark and thin tendrils. 

"I'm no idiot to not see how thick your skins are....."

Kyoushiro snickered at Ernest Vern. Because of how Ernest Vern underestimated Elyria's attack and how proud he was because he was a monster, Ernest Vern did not take into account that something might happened behind him.

Indeed, Kyoushiro was immobile due to the chain reactions of the thick essence of the drug that entered his body unknowingly. His body maybe unable to move due to sheer unbearable pain but his mind that was stronger than ever managed to control the power of Kakal's cursed skull piece.

And so, Ernest Vern made a blunder.

"Damn.... why can't.....I.....hea....l"

*Thud* Ernest Vern fell unconscious. Because of the blood lost and the blocked ventricles Ernest Vern's skill to regenerate any wound did not activate. Kyoushiro made his tendrils split into thin fibers of hair and entered each of Ernest Vern's veins. Blocking any possible means to transport oxygen to the brain and destroy everything inside the mad man's body.

The same went for everyone as well. All of then died from the inside out....

"Ugh.... Now to clean up..... the rest of them...."

Kyoushiro, who was hanging by a single thread of consciousness, was trying his best to manipulate the tendrils that were no a bundle of threads. Elyria, as well as the rest of mutated elves and princess, were breathing out sighs of relief now that Ernest Vern has died.

Surrounding everyone was the monster army that was left behind by their leader....

*Go..gogo...gogogogogogo!!!!!* However, the entire cave began to shake. The rest of the monster starts to panic as soon as they saw dusts for down from the ceiling. Elyria ordered her fellow elf knights to take cover. Immediately, the mutated princess used magic to turn the earth into sturdy pillars and supported the ceiling. Furthermore, she created rooftops that was enough to protect their heads.

Then, as the ceiling was starting to crack, a loud booming sound echoed. The cracks began to enlarge. Chunks of rocks from the ceiling starts to fall down, crush each monster below.

And then, just as the last rock was about to fall, it stops mid air. As if something was pulling it, the ceiling was, everything of it, was gouged out. Like that, a wide open sky was exposed....

"So, this is the human, the Black hero everybody is talking about"

A man wearing a jet black robe with gold and silver ornaments decorating his entire body appeared in the sky, holding up his hand as though doing something inexplicable.

His dark red irises was seething with amusement and death was only directed at one person, Kyoushiro.

"I don't know you"

"Of course you don't. I'm the Dark Lord, Trause"

"!?"

Kyoushiro felt a sudden chill down his fine as the Dark Lord Trause just pushed his hand towards him. Not long after, as if something was blocking the sky, something came down.

Dark Lord Trause grinned.

"Shit!? Get everyone out now!!"

Kyoushiro ordered Elyria to run. After seeing the large chunks of earth coming down from the sky, Elyria immediately pulled the elf princess away and ordered her fellow elf knights to take cover.

Kyoushiro himself felt his heart beat fast but the searing pain of his mutating body was making it difficult for him to move. 

"DAMN IT ALL!!!"

Then in desperation, Kyoushiro pulled out the one thing he doesn't want to use.

"AAAAAAAAAAARRGGHHHH!!!!"

The Elder-God-Blade-Hastur...

PART #3

"What's that?"

Lady Snow felt the earth shook heavily once more. Edsel and Dahlia, who felt the shock immediately jumped into each others arms. 

"Mommy!!"

"D-Don't worry now. Everyone was just fighting"

Edsel consoled her daughter's fears and tightened her embrace. Lady Snow, however, smiled as though she find something amusing. As a Demon Lord, she too was sensitive if there was another one of her kind.

There, she just felt someone like her just arrived.

"Fufu~ It seems that someone insane just arrived"

Saying that, she stands up and walked to the same way Kyoushiro and Elyria left, while wearing a bright smile on her face.

-

"A-AAAARGH!!! D-Damn it!!!"

Kyoushiro somehow pulled out from the mind breaking effects of his curse. Black lines of his curse have slowly covered the right side of his face. Even the skull piece was starting to turn black. It seems that even other cursed objects were no match for the curse on Kyoushiro's right arm.

Then while biting down his teeth, he swung the sword at the sky. The sword's base that was gold spewed out black and white light, creating a dense and sharp kind of blade that headed towards Dark Lord Trause.

"Do you think that you'll kill me with just that?!"

Dark Lord Trause dodged the blade lightly by merely changing his position. The dense blade then flew passed behind Dark Lord Lord Trause.

"I wasn't aiming for you dumbass"

Behind the Dark Lord, an explosion occurred. The large chunks of rocks that was supposed to land over Kyoushiro's heads was instantly obliterated by the sheer power of a condensed energy that came from a sword made from a throne of unknown material.

Even though the sword grants immense power, the price to pay just to use it was too high. On top of being cursed himself, Kyoushiro, who was losing his grip of his sanity was using such weapon.

Be that impressive or insane, either way, Kyoushiro was in the right star of mind to not get overcome by two curses....

Dark Lord Trause grinned once more and flew down.

"HAHA!! Now we're talking!!"

"!?"

Dark Lord Trause charged. With his intensive knowledge of magic spells, he conjured vortex of flames with his hands.

"Burn and die!! <Flare Vortex>!!"

Dark Lord Trause shot the flames in his hands towards Kyoushiro. Sensing the impending attack, Kyoushiro coiled the tendril strings allover his body and forced himself to move. Just how a marionette is controlled by a puppeteer, Kyoushiro forced himself to move.

*GOUUU!!* The flames met nothing and charged merely the earth. 

"HAHAHAHA!! Fight Hero!! Fight!!"

"Kh-!?"

When Dark Lord Trause landed, he kicked the ground and reached Kyoushiro's chest. Kyoushiro groaned and tried to push the Dark Lord away with a kick but his face received a heavy blow from Dark Lord Trause's hard fist.

"Guagh!?"

Kyoushiro was flung away by Dark Lord Trause' heavy punch, spinning, and tumbling pve the ground before hitting his back on a large boulder.

"Kuagh...kaha!"

Kyoushiro spat blood as his internal organs got smashed. Unknowingly, Kyoushiro dropped his sword somewhere as he felt nothing on his hands. Dark Lord Trause was looking well amused at what he did. Slowly, he walked towards Kyoushiro dauntingly.

"Is this all you got? I was kind of expecting a good fight. Those Demon Lords did praise how impressive you are after all"

Stopping just a centimetre away from Kyoushiro, Dark Lord Trause put his foot on Kyoushiro chest.

"Kh...agh!!!?"

"What? Is my feet to heavy? Here, I'll lift it for you!!"

"Ka-aghak!!?" Kyoushiro coughed up more blood as his chest was pressed down by Dark Lord Trause. Cracking noise began to echo inside Kyoushiro's body as his bones couldn't withstand the pressure of Dark Lord Trause' foot on his chest. It was getting hard to breathe; Kyoushiro then held Dark Lord Trause' ankle and tried to push it away.

"The hell are you doing?! You're a damn hero!! This should be a cinch right!"

"Kogh-!!" The Dark Lord kicked Kyoushiro's face, where he punched Kyoushiro, and tossed him away once more. Kyoushiro, who was launched several feet away once more, was now barely clinging to his consciousness.

"Hah! Is this all that you got? I though you killed that worm Kakal yourself? This is really disappointing"

As Dark Lord Trause scoffed and insulted Kyoushiro while walking towards him, he sensed a familiar magic power from somewhere. There, he faced the direction where that magic power came from. Only to see, woman of pure snow, walking towards him.

An arrogant smile appeared on Dark Lord Trause' face.

"Hahaha!! I didn't think I'd see you here, Lady Snow"

"You are as vile and ruthless as ever, Dark Lord Trause. Haven't your savagery disappeared after all these years?"

"I just don't learn your Highness. I'm the very epitome of a genius so I've already learned everything that I know about this world"

"As arrogant as ever..." Lady Snow sighed behind her fan. She did not expected that a Demon Lord would come. Shadow King Crats merely sent scouts to see Kyoushiro for himself but he didn't came out personally.

Lady Snow was merely accompanying Kyoushiro because he seemed useful to Lady Snow. Killing him would be a waist and since Vlad had already taken a liking to the hero that killed a Demon Lord, Lady Snow was sure that even the 1st Demon Lord won't like it how Kyoushiro was killed.

Glancing over to the barely breathing young man, Lady Snow gave a scoff what she just witnessed.

"Hmph, quite a sorry state you have turned into, Black Hero"

"How heartless. I expected no less from the ice Queen"

Dark Lord Trause scoffed once more before turning his head to the mutated elves that was unconscious the whole time due to the loud explosions made by Dark Lord Trause. Elyria and the princess were keeping the other monsters at bay while Kyoushiro was facing Dark Lord Trause.

It was thanks to this that, no one have attacked Kyoushiro yet.

"Those girls are impressive. It'd be a waste if they died here"

"What? You were planning of sparing them? How ironic. Weren't they part of the reason why you became a Demon Lord?"

"Haha, that's right. But I made a deal with an elf guy so I'll just garb the princess. Well, that was the initial plan but...."

Dark Lord Trause' deal with Pernicious was to make Princess Lydia succeed Elfianna by force. That is to ensure that Pernicious would be able to manipulate the government behind the scenes. Most of Elven government officials have taken part of this plan, that's why, Dark Lord Trause, whom had a past with the elves in the past, made a deal with them.

It would be a greatest pleasure to watch the very same elf itself from the inside out. Despite being a near divine beings themselves, they too are too greedy for their own good.

"It's really fun see them kill each other off"

"You have one disgusting hobby. Any chance of turning to a new leaf?"

"At this point? And you're asking a Demon Lord no less?"

It wouldn't matter even if a Demon Lord change. Be they turn good or not, at the end, they were still monsters that everyone would fear. Then, what is there to change when everything have already been fixed? Dark Lord Trause was evil incarnate, there was no changing. 

A Demon Lord would have fun being a Demon Lord. That was how Dark Lord Trause operates.

"Anyway..." Dark Lord Trause returned his gaze to Lady Snow "You've been stalling aren't you?"

"My, what ever do you mean?"

Lady Snow was smiling. It was a smile that was both playful and cynical. Her intentions were obvious, Dark Lord Trause noticed that she wasn't here to help nor came to rescue. All Demon Lords are enemies of one another, but from the 6th down to the 1st Demon Lords, none of them were battle junkies.

Suddenly, Dark Lord Trause felt a horrible chill down his spine. Something was coming, an ominous feel very similar to them Demon Lords. But,this one was different. It was deep and heavy, a shadowy living mass organisms like feeling. It was inexplicable....

There, he glanced at the fallen hero....

"What did you do to him?"

"I have done nothing of the sort. Have you seen me move from this spot?"

It was true. Dark Lord Trause have been watching Lady Snow ever since she arrived and not one bit she moved from the very same spot she stopped. 

Did she truly do nothing? Then what am I feeling? This.... this is....- Those were the words streaming inside Dark Lord Trause' mind.

Then, as though something snapped, mass of black tendrils sudden sprouted from Kyoushiro's shadow and squirmed to every corpse and living monster that was inside the cave.

Lady Snow floated gently upward while laughing "Ufufufu~" as though enjoying this sort of event. Dark Lord Trause jumped and floated as well to take distance but even the tendrils were following him.

"Just what the hell is that guy....." 

Dark Lord Trause was sweating profusely somehow. His heartbeat was unexpectedly fast and his dark complexion was looking pale. What kind of being was the Black hero to exude such unknown power within him?

Or was he ever human to begin with....?

"Dark Lord, you might want to get serious now. Your opponent have just obtained a power that even us Demon Lords would never have"

"?!"

Switching his gaze from Lady Snow to Kyoushiro, his eyes widened as he felt something welling up inside Kyoushiro. Something was wriggling inside him, as though wanting to break out and devour everything.

The sound of Dark Lord Trause' heartbeat echoed as this was the very first time he had felt "fear" from an enemy that was a mere human....

"I, Lady Snow Wight, hereby proclaim the rise of a new Demon Lord.... The Black hero, the Demon Lord of the Chains, Kyoushiro Kagami"

Lady Snow raised her voice, for everyone to hear the news of a new Demon Lord, rising from the very position of a Hero. Then, as if the world was celebrating, everything trembled as Kyoushiro spoke and let out a skill he just obtained....

"......<Evolution>......."