Demon King Atofe

"Like I said, a minute ago I was in the Asura Kingdom on the Central Continent. I suddenly appeared here. I truly have no idea where I am."

The knight gazed deeply at me, trying to see through any lies I might have uttered. Seeing that I was telling nothing but the truth, the knight nodded.

"You are in the Gaslow Region of the Demon Continent. This is Fort Necross. It is ruled by our lord and master – the immortal Demon King, Atoferatofe Ryback."

Shit.

Atoferatofe Ryback. This was not a name that was familiar to me. But anyone who had the title of 'Demon King' had to be bad news. Although this era was one of peace, Demon Kings were individuals who inherently held a grudge against humanity. Theirs was a storied history, warring against the small and weak human tribes that had now grown into kingdoms.

Two knights held on to my arms and shoulders. They assigned a full squad of 7 knights to escort me into the baleful, pure black castle. As I walked, my mind raced. A dozen plans to escape were thought up and scrapped because of their unfeasibility. No matter how I tried to think my way out of this situation, I couldn't figure out a way to escape.

I had no choice but to comply. I could only hope that this Demon King would show some mercy to a human child that was unwillingly transported into her domain.

Escorted by the knights, I was brought through the tall and imposing main door of the castle.

The interior of the castle could not be considered lavish or splendorous. There was an almost Spartan-like style of furnishing, with the exception of devil-like images carved into certain walls and pillars.

I was led up a long flight of stairs and into a large spacious room. It was surrounded by candles burning with violet flames, and in front of each candle is a soldier clad in black armor standing at attention. If the strength of the knights guarding the castle's portcullis was any measure to judge by, there seemed to be even more knights located in this castle that were at least of the Saint-rank.

In the center of the room was an ominously decorated throne. Now this was real demon-lord shit, with spikes and skulls that adorned the throne.

This was probably an audience chamber, I surmised.

Casually resting on the throne, was a woman. She wore a black armour similar to the rest of the knights. What was odd, however, was her appearance.

This woman had blue skin, white hair that was tied up in a loose ponytail and eyes that were crimson red with black sclera while a single horn protruded from her forehead. A pair of bat-like wings unfolded from her back, as she lazily leaned back on the throne. Leaning against the throne was a massive broadsword that looked like it was taller than me.

She had been lounging on her throne, looking almost bored, before her crimson eyes lit up upon seeing me.

"Hmm? Who is this? Why have you brought me a child? I stopped eating human children like 400 years ago y'know?"

I stayed silent, though I could feel the trepidation filling up my heart. This woman fit the description of a demon precisely. If someone asked me what a demon looked like, the image that appeared in my head would look almost exactly like this person sitting on the throne.

"Mistress, we caught this human child trespassing in your castle. He claims to be from the Asura Kingdom in Central Continent, but 'suddenly appeared above Fort Necross'."

Atoferatofe Ryback leaned forward slightly with a look of amusement, "Hoh, the Central Continent? That's rather interesting."

She raised her hand and gestured towards me with a come hither motion, "Come here, human child. Tell me your story."

The guards let go of my arms. They were fully relaxed now, as though not at all worried that I posed any sort of danger towards their lord. They were completely confident that I would not be able to do a thing towards the Demon King.

I approached her carefully, thinking how I should handle this situation. I fell to one knee, and lowered my head respectfully.

"This one is named Rudeus Greyrat. It is an honour to meet you, Demon King Atoferatofe Ryback." I greeted.

She smiled faintly, but waved away my courtesy. "Blah, blah. Get on with the story already."

I looked up at her and saw a pair of eyes that still held interest but was quickly growing bored once more. I see, so she is one of those types huh? I did not want to know what she would do if she started getting fully bored.

"I understand. As your knight has reported, I am from the Asura Kingdom on the Central Continent. I am a bodyguard for the young lady of a noble family there. Above our city of Roa, there had been a red orb that appeared around 5 years ago. This orb slowly started expanding-"

As I started explaining the situation, I spotted Atoferatofe yawning. Not good. My life rests on whether she will be entertained by this story.

"-and a just a few minutes ago, a massive amount of mana started to gather in the clouds above Roa. I estimated it to have enough mana to fuel a God-rank spell."

I paused for dramatic effect, and let the audience process the information.

Atoferatofe's eyes widened slightly with interest, "Mm, continue."

"Yes. I was in the forest outside the city at that point, and I thought it looked dangerous, so I started running back to Roa. But I was suddenly attacked by someone!" I began incorporating some hand gestures in the retelling of what happened, and my tone shifted from one of narration to that of storytelling.

"There was a flash of gold light and a man in a mask appeared. He introduced himself as Almanfi the Radiant, a servant of-"

Atoferatofe suddenly stood up, her eyes wide from excitement or surprise I couldn't tell.

"Almanfi!? Servant of that Perugius bastard!?" She interrupted, her face scrunched up in displeasure.

I was taken aback from her reaction, but nodded nonetheless. "Yes. He introduced himself as a servant of Perugius, who had ordered him to slay the source of the magical phenomenon. Almanfi accused me of being the culprit, and tried to kill me."

Atoferatofe sat back down, but her expression now reflected an eagerness to hear the rest of the story.

I continued, "I told him that he was mistaken, that I was not the person responsible for the mana gathering in the clouds, but he did not listen. Because of that we fought."

The Demon King laughed, "Good, good! Those familiars of that Perugius needs to get beaten up a couple times to be taught a lesson! Did you win? Did you beat up that mask wearing brat, Almanfi?"

I shook my head, "My apologies, Demon King. Almanfi was too fast for me. Though my sword managed to reach his chest, he teleported away before I could do any real damage. And before our fight could conclude, the mana that had been accumulating in the sky exploded. I was swallowed by a large sphere of white light, and the next thing I knew, I was already soaring in the air above your palace."

Though my Demon God tongue was clumsily spoken, it became smoother as I continued talking. I managed to finish my story without any noticeable errors in my speech.

Atoferatofe reclined back, her excitement doused a little. "Oh? You couldn't kill him? That's too bad. I would have loved to see that bastard Perugius' face when he found out one of his familiars died."

Her gaze turned to me, examining and assessing. "You fought that mask wearing brat and managed to wound him? That's admirable, considering you are only a human. And you look like you're, what, 13, 14 years old?"

"I could only scratch him, Demon King. And I just turned 10 today." I added.

"Hoh? Happy Birthday then, human child. Now... what to do with you? Perhaps you deserve a present?" She mused aloud.

This is it, I supposed. Make or break time.

"Demon King. The light that swallowed me and brought me here, before I was transported I saw that it had consumed the entire city of Roa. I am worried for my friends and family. I implore you, extend your magnanimity and forgive this one for accidentally trespassing into your domain. I must leave and return to the Central Continent."

I pleaded with the Demon King. My only concern right now was getting out of this place and returning to Central Continent. I did not care if I had to beg.

Atoferatofe's furrowed her brows with displeasure, "What are you saying? I don't understand. Humans are always like this, always saying things I can't understand. Talk simply."

What a handful. It seemed that my eloquently planned speech backfired. Throughout this interaction, something bugged me about this Demon King. Her personality, mannerism and the way she talked reminded me of someone I knew. Someone very familiar.

She's just like Eris, I realized. An adult Eris? Maybe this is what Eris would have been like if she was born in the demon continent... A person that has more muscles in her skull than brains.

"Demon King Atoferatofe Ryback, please let me leave." I requested succinctly.

"Good! Simple and straightforward. But the answer is no. Hahaha!" She responded immediately before laughing heartily.

My heart sank. I also felt a little anger inside seeing her laugh so carelessly. It might be a laughing matter for a Demon King who was not at all involved with this, but for me the life and safety of my family was at stake here.

My fists clenched by my side and I gritted my teeth. I stared back at her, and could feel the façade of respectfulness and courtesy slipping from my expressions.

"Demon King Atoferatofe… My family might be in danger. No matter what, I must return to the Central Continent! Respectfully, I beg of you. Let me leave."

She smirked, gracefully resting her chin on her fingers, while leaning against the arm rest of the throne she sat on.

"That's a good expression. I like your eyes. It tells me that you are willing to fight and risk your life to get what you want. Answer this first, human child... Are you prepared to die?"

Defiance blossomed in my heart. I narrowed my eyes and glared at her with undisguised bravado. A cold fury settled on my features, and killing intent leaked out from my child-like form. Words were not necessary. She could understand my resolve from my expressions alone.

Atoferatofe laughed and clapped her hands, as though truly delighted by what she saw.

"Excellent, excellent! It is rare to see a human with such guts these days. Brings me back to those days when Heroes would barge into my palace and stake their lives to challenge me. That was also when I first met my beloved Kal. You want to leave? I won't stop you. But first, you will fight for your life. The results will determine whether you stay or leave."

It was a chance. And it was something I would seize with both hands without hesitation.

"I agree, Demon King. Thank you for this opportunity. I am ready to lay down my life and challenge anyone you wish for me to fight. Who will I be facing?" Though thankful, the killing intent and resolve to die emanating from my eyes did not rescind. Instead, it flared like a fire stoked by the addition of gasoline.