Dancing on the golden ashes

"To think that a rookie like you could reach this realm so fast..." the original demon's voice trembled—whether in awe or fury, I couldn't tell. Her eyes shimmered like ten thousand stars, impossible to read, but far too focused on me. Her body moved, and in a blink, she was gone from where she stood. Too fast.

I had barely begun to breathe in this new power—barely felt the weight of what I had become—and already, she was upon me.

Her claws tore through the air itself, slashing the very fabric of this realm. The shockwave came first, howling like a hurricane birthed from hell, followed by the heat of her strike. It wasn't just speed. It wasn't just strength. It was the kind of attack that ended bloodlines. A blow meant to kill. Meant to erase.

And yet…

I stood my ground.

Of course I did.

The Pride in me refused to flinch. It roared inside my veins, deafening me to doubt, anchoring my feet like roots clawing through the core of this dimension.

Take it.

It screamed at me with divine certainty.

Take it. Show her. You are the one who walks through storms without kneeling.

This wasn't about surviving the strike. No. This was about owning it. About letting the blow land and proving that even death itself could not force me to bow.

I didn't move. I didn't need to. The sins burned within me like an inferno given purpose. This was no longer a battle of power. It was a battle of identity.

And I would show her—show the whole world—exactly who I was becoming.

I spun my scythe with a flick of my wrist. It became a whirlwind. A violent storm of steel and soul power, a force that would shred anything caught in its path. My energy had grown. No—evolved. The soul inside me now wore the crown of a king, sharp and radiant, forged not by mercy but by fury, by dominance. It didn't just amplify my strength—it declared it.

It was the arrogance of a ruler made manifest. The kind of divine pride that didn't need permission to rise above others. That simply was.

I am not beneath anyone.

I am the god now.

And so—I became one.

We clashed.

Her claws met my scythe in a burst of flame and force that ripped the air apart. My tail whipped behind me like a coiled serpent and struck, following right after my first blow, diving into her guard like a second heart that burned only for battle.

The impact hit me like a falling star—and so did my tail, slamming into her with a force that rattled her core. I could see it. I could feel it.

My hands screamed in pain from the backlash—my bones rattled, my veins throbbed—but I didn't stop. Couldn't stop. That one strike from her… it wasn't a technique. It wasn't even layered with killing intent. It was casual. A simple, clean slash. And yet, it carried the weight of entire galaxies behind it.

And still, I endured.

"Not bad…" she said, her voice melodic, almost tender. This was a battle of life and death—so why did she look at me like that? Why did she smile?

"Shut up, and die!"

My power exploded. A shockwave of pure flame erupted from within me—wild, furious, uncontained. It was like the final collapse of a dying star, bursting outward with enough force to tear this entire realm apart. The blast sent the demon woman flying, her body vanishing into the storm of fire.

It gave me a moment—no, a gift. A brief, precious chance to unleash.

And I did.

My body began to transform once again, bones reshaping, muscles expanding, skin glowing like molten obsidian. It was a change I didn't resist. This time… this time it felt right. My form twisted into something not entirely human—no, something closer to her—but even more refined, more me. And for the first time, I could feel it… a thread, a current, a pulse—

I was connecting to the demon realm.

And the moment I felt it, I saw the change in her expression.

Panic.

A flicker, maybe. But it was there.

"It's not possible..." A mutter, barely audible, drifted through the smoke and fire, slipping into my ear like a ghost.

Her face said the rest.

I could feel the world worship me. The space itself bent to my presence. Behind me, a halo of six-colored brilliance bloomed, radiant and terrifying. It sucked in the energy from all around, feeding me with an impossible, divine power. My body reshaped—transformed—to fit this realm. I felt it in my blood, too. A shift. A change.

Until now, even in my demon form, my blood was still human… in some way. But not anymore.

Something ancient was replacing it. My veins surged with raw, unfiltered might. This realm—this planet—it was changing me. Accepting me. Feeding me.

No.

Crowning me.

In this battle, at the very core of this hellish domain, I was becoming something else.

The Realm Demon.

The rightful ruler of this entire world.

She looked at her own hands. There was a faint mist drifting from her fingertips. Something was escaping—and it chose to drift toward me.

"NO!" she screamed, rage and pain flooding her voice. And then, she finally went all out. Her eyes burned with killing intent—pure, unfiltered, and directed solely at me.

But who was I?

I was the Demon Empress.

And all demons submit to me.

"Kneel!" I commanded, and she froze in place. The world obeyed. The realm bound her where she stood, and for the first time... she panicked.

"How did you—?! That slut... she planted something in you!" Her voice cracked, wild with betrayal. "I knew she was a fake friend! All along, she planned to take over! This planet will die because of her wishes! You—you must die!"

I see... so that's how it is...

"After all," I said calmly, "it was this world that chose me, not anyone else. So die, and let me raise this dead world from its ashes. You've failed as a ruler."

My command was final. And with a flick of my wrist, my scythe flew at her neck—merciless, unrelenting.

But before I could claim her life…

A powerful aura burst from her body—and a phantom of me appeared before the blade, blocking the attack.

"Stop this meaningless fight..." the phantom said in my voice.