Chapter 33: The Demon King's Birth [1]

'...'

Lancelot stood in silence, the darkness surrounding him as the crackling braiser faded a strange glint of gold in his normally grey eyes.

[My Lord?]

[Is everything alright?]

Morgana's voice sounded, but it was all a blur to him.

The faces of his fallen troops, watching them crushed and torn apart, some begging for forgiveness while their entire family were burned to ashes.

'Ah...'

'I cannot bare this pain...'

Looking to the stars, he thought memories long sealed the reason he broke and could no longer fight even before his blade was shattered.

His hands were still stained with the light blue blood of the Frost Hares, trembling as he looked down at the arms that carried their weight a moment before.

He didn't even meet them.

'I let them die again.'

He should have been here.

'I made a mistake.'

[Lancelot?]

One more time, the soft voice of Morgana, more concerned, but she couldn't hide how exhausted her body and voice were due to using the Summon Drive.

'Say Morgana...'

[My Lord! What is it!? I will help in any way!]

She sounded worried and filled with more concern, wanting to soothe his heart as someone who knew Lancelot better than most others.

As someone that watched him for many years.

[Are you calm?]

[If you must blame someone, then blame me...]

[I am the one that left the wall for quick glory...]

He stepped towards his throne, the bloodstream glowing brightly as it collected all the Ether from the dead demons, and only he could distribute the rewards.

"There's so much..." Lancelot spoke with a dull but emotional voice.

'Silly girl, how could I blame you.'

'Thanks to your actions, there were only two casualties, just two. Still... two...'

[Lord...?]

Lancelot's hand touched the throne, a throbbing sensation filling his palm.

The strange bloody Ether entered his body slowly before countless ethereal strings formed between himself and the 18 Hares, 4 succubi and Morgana.

'Where did they come from?'

[...]

'Answer me, where did they come from.'

[...The North... Northeast... But master, I cannot fight their base must have countless-]

'Morgana, thank you for trying to protect my heart.'

[My Lord!?]

He adored her gentle and kind actions, wanting to avoid him being hurt or agonise over losing his troops.

To others, troops might be mere tools to attain their goals—wealth, popularity, pride, women or even the crown.

However, from the very start, Lancelot was different.

His troops, whether a day or ten thousand days...

They were his family!

A man, a boy abandoned by humanity, his pride and feelings trampled on.

Those inferior trashy troops that others would pawn off were those who supported him, fought alongside him, and never abandoned or betrayed him!

"They can laugh at my feelings."

A strange flame began to swirl around his feet, the dissonance of the throne vibrating as his body absorbed more and more Ether.

"They can say I am pathetic, that It was merely a unit I never met!"

[My Lord, wait! I am coming to you!]

His eyes began to glow a brilliant silver before the small pupil split apart, forming a slit along the middle and spreading apart to become a cross with four stars forming in the gaps.

[L-Lancelot!? What are you doing!]

"I cannot change who I am, even if I am reborn once again..."

Morgana's shrill voice sounded as the Ether inside the throne was completely drained, most going to Lancelot, whose body began to bulk up, his muscles and veins under his skin twisting and writhing.

'Do not worry, my little succubus.'

'I will make it all go away.'

His feet moved elegantly—blood started swirling from a small cut on his right wrist.

The blood was too much to be a human's amount as it covered his arms, body and legs.

A strange flame entwined with the blood as the liquid formed solid scales identical to the ones from the succubus queen's Domina.

[!!!]

He could feel her worry, anxiety and feelings pouring through their connection, even her body exhausted as it was moving closer to him, rushing towards him.

"Any eye for an eye."

Lancelot's body began to dart forward his body with the perfect posture for speed and balance, leaving the throne rapidly as more and more scales formed on his body.

Slowly a film of blood began to cover his face, hiding it completely and forming a strange visor or helmet hybrid hiding everything but his eyes...

Black sclera...

Golden iris with the black cross pupils with stars.

'Marimo, have all the Hares take full rest and do not watch the gate for the next 30 minutes.'

'That's an order.'

Marimo couldn't respond yet, only able to hear his voice as he rapidly passed the cooking station and their huts like a rapid gale of wind.

His feet were so powerful they crushed the ground with deep cracks and holes from his blood-scale demon feet.

"A horde for my Hares!" He spoke distortedly as four blood wings unfurled from his back. They were glossy and sharp but contained a strange, neither demon nor angelic beauty.

"MY KING!" A lovely voice sounded from the top of the wall as he began to dash up the ramparts.

'Morgana...'

'How beautiful you are when I can see your true form and not become a drooling mess..'

Standing in a dark dress swaying in the night sky like a raven's father, it danced, amplifying her otherworldly beauty and charm.

The sweat from her forehead and wounds from the battle were still slowly healing as she looked at him with soft, glistening golden eyes.

"My King... You don't have to do this..."

"I can--"

Before she could finish, a blood-red finger, hard like an iron gauntlet, pressed her soft pink lips flat, a slight squelch as her saliva dribbled from the cracks.

"Forgive me, my queen." A gentle, distorted voice, yet it caused her heart to stir.

More than his flirting before, than the kiss when she exchanged mana, his words were sincere, and he called her "my queen" for the first time without joking.

"L-Lancelot... I...."

"I promise that I shall not get hurt."

"I promise to return to you within 6 hours."

"I promise to take you on a date if you let me go and clear my heart."

"!!!"

Morgana stood watching her lips, kissing his finger to pass what little Ether she recovered into him.

His words were sincere...

She didn't want him to go, but she knew this feeling was not just about the Hares today but the thousands of goblins that died because of his errors...

Because of Lancelot's former weakness.

"You promise?"

Lancelot's wings billowed with blood and flame the former purple blades created with his [Phantasmal swordsmanship] were now blood red, forming sharp jagged daggers designed to kill and cause intense pain.

Morgana closed her eyes, taking a step back.

"Hah!"

"My King, please return safely and do not forget yourself to that power."

Her body dropped to one knee, ignoring the pain in her abdomen and the stinging from the sharp spines of the Volken.

"The enemy is likely a demon."

"He sent a subbordinate Lord to test you, and when I used my power, he was 10 miles to the Northwest..."

"You lied..."

"Hmph... you are my future husband!"

"I didn't want you to go out with half-hearted resolve!"

"I see... Hahaha!" Lancelot's laugh was deep, causing the entire ground and air to vibrate.

Beyond Morgana's Domina, his Dominus form seemed a level above!

Woosh! Woosh!

His wings began to flap the sight of Morgana's naked body revealed as her dress created from Ether was torn apart completely, yet she remained idle and kneeling.

Pah!

His body shot into the air vanishing towards the Northwest at a rapid speed, maybe reaching his destination within 1 hour at most.

'Your true figure is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. Morgana, I will make you fall for me and submit as my queen one day.'

'Not because of fate or destiny. I hate that rubbish.'

She no longer looked fragile, with a smile coming to her face as she looked to the sky again covered with the raven-coloured dress.

[Oh? Then why do you want me.]

'Because I fell for you at first sight!'

'I want you to be mine!'

'No, I will make you mine!'

[I'm not easy~ are you sure Mommy will be conquered by her cute Lancelot?]

Her four succubi sisters appeared in better condition but were shocked to see the fabled Succubus Queen Morgana laughing with a heartfelt smile and her eyes filled with tears.

'Watch me.'

"Aria, Nel, Tera, Sima!"

"Yes, My Lady!"

"Prepare the ritual for our race's sacred training method. There is a man I MUST conquer with my own body!"

The four were shocked as this wasn't usually used even for spouses, but the face of Morgana left them with no choice.

"Ah~ my cute Lancelot~ so cute~ what is that... are you trying to make my heart explode...!"

"I will c-o-n-q-u-e-r~ you."