Demon Valley – Throne Chamber
Dark mana swirled like storm clouds inside the ancient throne room. Rick leaned lazily against a black obsidian pillar, staring at the Demon King with narrowed eyes.
RICK:"Wait, didn't you say you could only summon one person per week?"
LUTHOR (grinning):"Well, technically… yes. But I found a loophole.If the targets are in extreme, life-threatening states during the summoning window, I can multi-lock onto them.And these four? They practically lived in chaos during 2014. It was easy."
AKIM (crossing arms):"Hmph. Can't believe my commander is nine years younger and from the future.But he's strong, lets me fight, and doesn't bore me. So, whatever."
Luthor leaned forward on his throne, eyes glinting with cruel satisfaction.
LUTHOR (thinking):"I've gathered one hell of a Gen Z war squad.They're not soldiers. They're psychotic delinquents who thrive in violence.Perfect for Division One. The Holy Empire's young 'righteous heroes' won't know what hit them."
LUTHOR:"With Rick as Division Commander, each of you—Akim, Tokira, Hassa, Sanjay—will lead one of the five squads.Each will command 100 troops. Recruit your own.The Doomsday approaches. My seal weakens. Mana is surging, and demons are resurrecting fast."
LUTHOR: Rick. I cannot give you my mana forever... so I will teach you a cultivation technique.
RICK: Huh?
LUTHOR: It's called The Third Law. As long as your opponent has mana, you can use an equivalent amount for each of your attacks. This works even when you're facing multiple enemies.
RICK(wide-eyed): Hey—what kind of broken skill is this?! If you could give something like this to your subordinates, how the hell did they ever manage to seal you in the first place?
LUTHOR(grinning): Back then, I had law manipulation skills—but my knowledge was limited to Nars. Now that I have access to the Internet, my knowledge and potential... are simply limitless.
SANJAY(adjusts his glasses): So, if Akim has 5,000 mana and fights with Rick... each of Rick's attacks will carry damage equal to 5,000 mana?
LUTHOR: Yes. And if he's facing an army of soldiers, and their combined mana is 100,000, then Rick's attacks will deal damage equivalent to 100,000 mana each time.
SANJAY(staggered): Jeez... that's way too broken. Just that alone... is enough to make him a demon commander.
LUTHOR(turning to Akim): Akim. I grant you the skill Unholy Slash. Once your axe cuts into someone's body, the wound will never heal. If they try using mana, it will bring searing pain, making them useless in combat. And if they try using holy magic to heal...
Luthor's eyes glow red.
LUTHOR: ...The pain will be amplified fivefold. The wound will worsen instead of healing.
AKIM(cracking his neck): Hah. That's brutal. I like it.
LUTHOR(to Tokira): Tokira. Your skill is called Playtime. It allows you to instantly detect weak spots in your opponents, move ahead of time, and completely conceal your own movements from their perception.
TOKIRA(grinning with sadistic glee): A cheat code in a fight. I'm in love already.
LUTHOR(turns to Hassa): Hassa. Your skill is called Fear the Strong. As long as your opponent makes eye contact with you, your presence will become overwhelmingly terrifying to them. Their instincts will scream at them to fear you.
LUTHOR(serious): It's a tricky skill. How far it works depends entirely on your own capability... and how you weaponize that fear.
HASSA(calmly): I'll use it well.
LUTHOR(finally turns to Sanjay): Sanjay. You get a skill called Exposed. It will allow you to detect all enemies who are hiding—and erase your own presence entirely.
SANJAY(quietly smiling): I'll be the ghost in their shadow.
LUTHOR (smirking):"But demons don't respect humans easily.If you want to command them, beat them into submission. Your rise depends on your strength alone…Now go unleash hell."
AKIM (cracking knuckles):"After today, they'll stop calling me human."
SANJAY (dark grin):"They'll be ashamed to call themselves demons."
TOKIRA (twirling his staff):"I'll show them how we celebrate freshers' party—Shibuya Manji Gang style."
RICK (chuckling):"Damn, you really punched their egos, Lord."
LUTHOR:"Good. Demons have never known true desperation like humans do.I intend to teach them that feeling."
RICK (smile turning cruel):"So…You want us to break their pride?Push them to the edge of despair?"
Rick's eyes gleamed, the room darkened from the pressure of his mana.
RICK:"Then consider it already done…"
RICK & SQUAD (in unison, laughing):"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
Demon Forest – A wide clearing deep within the woods.Countless resurrected demons had gathered in the open ground, their presence dense and buzzing with raw energy.
Demon 1: "Hey, don't you think the Demon King's gotten stronger? The mana he released this time… it was insane. And the resurrection came months earlier than usual."
Demon 2: "Yeah. The number of new demons born is several times more than previous cycles."
Demon 3: "I think the division selections will be different this time. I wonder which one I'll end up in."
Demon 1: "Definitely First Division for me. Third Squad Captain's trusted me for five wars now—I've always been First Division."
Demon 3: "Right, and I heard the First Division Commander and his captains are supposed to resurrect today too. They were the first higher-ups to die in the last war."
Demon 1: "All because of that cursed hero... His tactics were a nightmare. Nothing conventional."
Demon 2: "The 'Dancing Spear,' right? That guy never gave a damn about saving human lives—he only cared about slaughtering demons."
Demon 1: "Yeah. Hopefully this time's summoned heroes are the usual type—idealistic idiots preaching righteousness, fighting with the power of friendship. Or just homesick losers trying to get back to their world for a can of Coke."
Demon 4: "HEY! Everyone, gather! First Division Commander BANOS is resurrecting!"
A stampede of demons rushed toward the center.A massive red magic circle had formed in the clearing, with four smaller ones around it. From the largest one, a towering, muscular, bald demon emerged—skin a deep purple, horns glowing crimson, eyes gleaming like molten lava.Banos, the First Division Commander of the previous war, had returned. Around him, four more figures materialized from the surrounding circles—his captains.
As their physical forms fully manifested, hundreds of demons dropped to one knee.
"All hail First Division Commander Banos!"
Banos: "Seems our lord has grown stronger."
Hujo: The humanoid hedgehog demon—green eyes, black skin, spikes protruding from his forearms and head.Hujo: "Commander, should we greet the Demon King?"
Banos: "The Lord dislikes empty gestures. First, we organize the newly resurrected demons. Select those suited for First Division, then we'll proceed to the Lord's chamber."
Recruitment Underway
Banos stood at the center of the clearing, surrounded by dozens of unconscious newborn demons—each having passed out after undergoing his brutal recruitment test.
His captains, each with their own recruitment criteria, worked methodically:
Hujo selected demons with mid-range projectile skills and high-speed short-range combat ability.
Kola—a towering 9-foot bear demon wielding a massive battle hammer—recruited demons with raw destructive power.
Fujios, a demon with a single black horn, chose only close-combat specialists.
Waka, a stunning feline demoness with red hair and golden eyes, picked those with great stamina and exceptional climbing skills.
Banos, armed with a double-edged saber, personally tested demons with high endurance to form the vanguard unit.
None of them were aware yet—they were no longer the First Division's leaders.
Sudden Disruption
Banos paused, his attention drawn toward the dense treeline. He narrowed his eyes, sensing something unfamiliar. His captains and a few veteran demons quickly gathered around him.
Waka (sniffing the air, then scoffing): "…Tch. Humans."
From between the trees, Rick strolled into view—smug as ever—followed by the other four.
Demon 1: "Wait, what?! Why are there humans here? Did the human empire summon heroes this early?"
Demon 2: "And what's with that smug bastard? I wanna crush his face."
Kola (growling): "I don't know how strong that brat is, but he's itching to fight me. A human this calm standing before me… It's pissing me off."
Rick (grinning): "Relax, demons. We're not your enemies. We're not heroes. We're on the same side. We're devils—summoned by the Demon King to wipe out humanity, just like you."
Banos: "So that explains it… I can feel the Lord's aura radiating from you."
Rick (voice turning cold): "Smart of you to notice, ex-Commander of the First Division—Banos."
Demons (mocking laughter): "Ex-Commander?! What the hell is this tiny human saying?"
Rick (serious, sharp tone): "Do I look like a joke to you? Kneel—now—and pay your respects to your new First Division Commander… and your captains."
Banos (calm but firm): "So you're saying… the Lord appointed you five human brats to lead his First Division? Then you must already know—only strength grants authority in the demon realm. If you want our positions… you'll have to defeat us."
Rick (sinister chuckle): "Uhuhuhuhu… Exactly. That's why we're here, Thanos."
Tokira (grinning wildly): "Wait… Now that you mention it… he DOES look like Thanos."
Sanjay (joining the madness): "Maybe he'll snap his fingers and erase us all."
Rick, Tokira, Akim, Sanjay—all burst into maniacal laughter, faces twisted in insanity.
Waka (startled): "What the hell… They're not just unafraid—they're actually enjoying this."
Kola (fuming): "Tch. They're barely holding themselves back. It's insulting."
Meanwhile, Hassa and Fujios stared each other down in absolute silence. The air between them trembled with suppressed aggression.
Banos (suddenly enraged): "How dare you mock my name like that… Just like that cursed spear hero. Who the f**k is Thanos?!"
He raised his saber.His captains surged forward.
Hujo launched a spike straight at Rick's head.
CLANG! — Sanjay intercepted the spike midair with a flick of his dagger, eyes sharp behind glinting glasses.
Sanjay (coldly): "You're mine." He licked the blade with a slow grin.
Akim (calmly stepping forward, dragging his axe along the ground): "You don't know how long I've waited to fight you."
Kola (gripping his hammer): "The feeling… is mutual."
WHAM! Their weapons collided with a shockwave, sending dust exploding into the air.
Tokira (mocking): "So the rumors about Russo-bear intimacy were true."
CLANG! A sharp iron claw halted inches from Tokira's face—Waka had lunged at him.
But with perfect timing, Tokira placed his staff horizontally across her midsection, halting her advance.
Tokira (grinning): "Don't rush, kitty. We've got all day to play."
Banos (impressed): "So… you're not weaklings after all."
He spun his massive double-edged saber and brought it crashing down on Rick.
Rick, still smug, formed a glowing mana bullet on his fingertip.
SHOOM!