Chapter 25 - Volume 2 Prologue

On the southeast of the Demon Continent lies the infamous capital city of Arucas, the land ruled by dragons. Here, all manner of demons can be seen living together in harmony, and in the basalt hewn castle which stands in the center, a meeting of the Demon Council is held.

Around a large, circular table stand seven thrones, each belonging to a representative of one of the Demonic races.

"We can not afford to start another war with the Humans! Especially not when the treaty has yet to reach its end!" A lithe figure, indistinguishable from a human if not for two sharp canines which could be seen hanging from the roof of his mouth, proceeded to sit down after his outburst, one far louder than you might expect coming from someone of his stature.

Across the circular table, a tall, muscular Oni wearing exotic furs, a stark contrast to the slim yet refined man who'd just spoken. From its mouth, a strong yet unmistakably female voice spoke out.

"Still as soft as ever Rodrigo. Have you forgotten the glory of our ancestors? The ones who united us, who stood up against those bastard elves and humans and claimed this continent for our own?"

Grunts and voices of assent could be heard from various members of the council and their retinue as the Oni leader spoke, gradually getting louder as she reached the end of her speech.

"Just like you, the humans have gotten complacent during these times of peace. Now is the time for us to act. To take back what we lost. And to bring about a new era!"

"AYE!"

The council chamber erupted into a cacophony as her followers and accomplices cheered, yelling words of admiration and agreement.

Gradually, Rodrigo's face crumpled into a frown.

Then a grimace.

Finally he could no longer hold himself back, and the room was silenced with a single noise.

"AHEM"

As the sound echoed throughout the room, Rodrigo swept his gaze across them.

The countenances of the smiling and cheering members shifted dramatically into ones of solemness and fear as they hurriedly returned to their seats and stared hard at the ground, afraid of being caught in the gaze of Rodrigo's blood red irises.

A wave of bloodlust filled the hall and the air grew thicker by the moment as it became harder and harder for the weaker ones to breathe.

The only sound remaining in the chamber was that of shuffling as they tried to find a comfortable position only to be met with failure as the ever looming presence of Rodrigo hung over their heads, watching them like a hawk, as if one mistake would cost them their lives.

Eventually even those sounds could no longer be heard, and the room became silent enough to hear a pin drop, like time itself had stopped.

Rodrigo couldn't help but nod slightly upon seeing this and proceeded to speak.

"The glory of our ancestors?", he spat.

"I remember this 'glory'. The lands were black, barren, and bare, the poor starved while the rich grew fatter each day, and our race was headed on the path of destruction. Regardless of whether or not the Humans invaded, even if we had taken control of the world, you cannot build a nation when the foundation is rotten to the core. Soon enough we would have turned the planet towards extinction."

Several members of the council looked at eachother and sighed, each one wrinkled and grey, yet their presences were not diminished in the slightest compared to their younger counterparts, instead restrained, like crouching tigers ready to utilize their full strength at any moment.

"Though our defeat 500 years ago was tragic, it was necessary. Look now at the state of our people. The farmers no longer worry about finding fertile soil and the streets are void of beggars and ruffians. Even the poorest can find safety, free to live lives without fear of being slain by their own for what meager amounts they have, and the scent of life can be smelt throughout the continent instead of that of ash and blood.

Do not speak to me of our past 'glory' for I was there to witness it, unlike you, Catarina. I have seen the ruthlessness of Humans yes, but more importantly I have seen the ruthlessness of Demons too.

There is little to gain from starting a war, yet we have everything to lose."

Hearing his words, even members who once stood out to side with Catalina now seemed to be deep in thought, but before any of them could rethink their positions, she raised her voice once more.

"Pah! You would let the Humans think they are superior to us and have our ancestors go unavenged?"

"I care not for the honour of the dead, I care about the prosperity of the living!"

"You have become weak, old man. Maybe I need to show you what true strength looks like."

"Try it, whelp. It's been a long time since I've tasted Oni blood."

Two 9th Tier auras erupted from the two as they stared at one another from across the table, one cold and the other raging, however they were dissipated as soon as one figure opened their mouth.

"Enough."

Rodrigo settled calmly back into his seat, while Catarina seemed far more nervous. Both looked to the one who'd just spoken, a mature woman with two large red horns growing from her head and a scale studded reptilian tail that held a vine of grapes in front of her face which she plucked from at her leisure.

Despite her lackadaisical appearance as she lounged in her throne, nobody on the continent, nay the world, would doubt her strength, and though each member of the Demon council were supposed to be equals, none had the audacity to treat her as such.

"Every year you two argue about the same thing. If there are no more important matters to discuss, let us adjourn this meeting."

Not a soul spoke out as she scanned the room, and so ended the 498th meeting of the Demon council.

Not long after, people began leaving, whether through walking through the door, disappearing into thin air, or by taking flight, and as the last person exited the room, the doors shutting behind them, the room was at long last silent.

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Catarina, along with an Orc and a Kobold were sat in a carriage as they left the capital and headed towards their domains, the compartment filled with the noise of the Kobold's armour rattling as the carriage travelled the worn and bumpy road.

A high pitched hissing voice came out of the Kobold king's mouth as he scratched his dog head in confusion.

"Those ancient ones will never change their mind regarding our plans, how will we ever get our motion for war passed?"

Nodding in agreement, the Orc Chieftain continued.

"They not see like we see Catarina. Humans must be destroyed."

"Don't worry you two. I've been preparing for this moment for far too long to stop here."

Catarina took a deep breath as she assuaged their doubts.

"While it's true we might not be able to convince the three old fogeys, we can still convince that little Goblin. All he sees is profit, but the reason he hasn't joined with us is because he doesn't think our current odds are worth betting on, understand?"

Quickly the Kobold nodded, and a while later so did the Orc.

"So all we have to do is show him that we have a good chance of succeeding, right?."

Again, the other two nodded in understanding.

"Luckily for us, the seeds that I have waited so long for are about to germinate. Soon enough we will be able to get our revenge on the Humans, and once we defeat them the world will usher in a new era."

A grin appeared on each of their faces as she finished her speech, each member in the carriage contemplating on what the future would have in store.