Surrounding a massive building made of reddish-green bricks, countless demons form a tight encirclement, all peering into a dilapidated entrance decorated with debris and countless rubble. Beyond the entrance is a majestic hall where one can see hundreds of demons of all shapes and sizes surrounding a single figure.
The figure, blue in color, dressed in black khaki pants, black dress shoes, and a white dress shirt, sits leisurely on a chair made of polished bones.
A strange feeling of tension fills the air. The words previously spoken by the figure, although taunting, fail to prevent the surrounding demons from losing their rationality. Fourteen bodies lay before the figure, each providing a testament to the figure's strength.
Although, in all actuality, the surrounding demons could care less about the strength of the demon before them, after all, at most, they'll be facing a high-level demon. Not to mention, there are 4 demons of the same level present.
What they are truly concerned with, is whether or not this is a scheme concocted by a neighboring city. With that thought in mind, Turtum, a humanoid Jackal demon, standing at a height of 3 meters, and holding an axe the size of his body, takes a step forward and opens his mouth to question the seated figure.
"Who the F*ck are you?! You have two options, either explain yourself and die, or I'll torture the information out of you, then kill…"
Before Turtum could finish speaking, Cuniculus, the seated demon, raises a finger in the air, causing a barrier to surround the entire city. Then as if directing an orchestra, he slowly lowers his finger. As his finger descends, his presence, previously that of a midlevel demon becomes weaker and weaker, finally vanishing. Stopping his finger from going any lower, Cuniculus then draws a curve in the air, his vanished aura then slowly returns, Low level, Mid-level, High level. As soon as his aura reaches high level, the previous look of confusion on the demon's face turns into realization, as they can finally confirm that the seated demon is indeed capable of taking down Minkeu.
Turtum on the other hand, instead of realization, feels an immense sense of rage at being interrupted in such a disrespectful manner. Clenching his axe, Turtum takes a step forward.
Crack, spurt
Not even paying attention to the Crushed head of an unconscious demon he accidentally stepped on, Turtum raises the axe above his head, preparing to cash in a limb in advance to quell his anger.
Boom
Before he could swing his axe, Cuniculus continues to raise his finger.
Following his movement, a massive pressure of a demon general engulfs the entire city. A look of horror flashes in the eyes of all the demons.
Still holding the axe above his head, sweat drenches Turtum's fur as he's now filled with panic, fear, and disbelief. But, before he could decide what to do, Cuniculus, still maintaining his cute smile, raises his finger a bit higher.
What follows is silence…
And then,
Boom, boom, boom
As if under the effects of 100 times gravity, all the demons within the city crumble onto the floor, their bones creaking and cracking under pressure.
Turtum, who also collapses, gets split in half by the axe above his head.
Satisfied, cuniculus stands up and once again scans the city for every demon's location, then, with a bit of exertion, he forcefully drills commands such as loyalty and obedience into the minds of all demons.
Under the mental stimulation, all the demons in the city finally lose consciousness.
---time skip---
2 hours later
four demons; Minkeu, a goblin demon, Orntall, a winged skeletal demon, Celrus, an orc demon, and Decipitur, a pig demon, each stand with their heads lowered in front of Cuniculus. "Report to me the current situation of the city." After a brief silence, Cuniculus commands in a casual tone.
Orntall, in charge of information gathering, steps forward and begins explaining in a ghostly and hollow voice. "My liege, Mockrail city has a population of 72 thousand demons, there are 720 demons under the command of Celrus, each of which is responsible for the management of 100 demons.
The deceased Turtum was responsible for protecting the city from outside threats. He was in control of 13 thousand jackal demons. Those demons reside underground within the sewers of the city. Although they protect the city, they only abide by the orders of Turtum, so they aren't considered residents of the city.
Next is the training camp, which is under the jurisdiction of Minkeu, the demons used by myself, Celrus, and Decipitur are all trained and recruited by Minkeu.
Then you have me, I'm responsible for collecting information from neighboring cities and sending spies to various organizations surrounding Mockrail. I'm also responsible for deploying scavengers to scout for resources we can control, or steal if already occupied.
Lastly is Decipitur, it is best for Decipitur himself to give sir an explanation of the city's exact assets."
With that, Orntall takes a step back, allowing Decipitur to carry on the explanation.
"My Lord…" Stepping forward, Decipitur continues where Orntall left off. "The city has 157 businesses, of which seven are major businesses and two of those seven have branches in other cities.
Those two are the Sanguis clothing store, which sells fancy attire, and Sanguis ale, which are bars that sell the unique fermented blood brew of Mockrail City. The staff of Sanguis ale reports to Orntall, as they gather information from their customers, keeping us informed of the common happenings in other cities. There is a 78% tax on all businesses in the city, altogether, the city can gain a profit of 34 Sardonyx and 768 Pietersite per beat.
Listening to the report, Cuniculus isn't really satisfied with the current power of the city. His first step to hegemony is to gain control of a territory. As a demon lord, taking control of the first layer of the abyss is just a matter of thought, but if he were to recklessly do so, then Cuniculus would undoubtedly be targeted. But…
That poses a question, Why?
Well, the answer is quite obvious, the first layer is a training ground of sorts. A place to breed minions, soldiers that are responsible for aiding the kings in conquering worlds. Threatening the first layer is no different from threatening the interest of the demon kings.
But, as long as cuniculus manages to increase the strength of first-layer demons on a notable scale. Even if he is eventually found out. The demon kings are more than likely to turn a blind eye. After all, the first layer is like a foundation, with a stronger foundation, won't the demons they can command become stronger, thus rendering their conquest of worlds easier?
Most importantly…
Cuniculus dismisses the four high-level demons, then after closing his eyes, he peers into his consciousness, where he can see a blue seed-shaped holographic bead slowly materializing.
Once the seed fully matures, I will plant it into all demons under my control, turning them into my roots. With every increase in their strength, I will gain feedback.
A smirk makes its way onto Cuniculus's lips, How many trillions of demons are in the first layer alone?
Letting alone becoming a demon king, surpassing it now seems a bit trivial.