Imp to Demon King: A Journey of Conquest-Chapter 331: Who Are Your Enemies?

"Shit..." With a curse, Adam snapped to his weakened companions, then the huffing horses on the verge of collapse.

They were in no state to fight, and his body was still adapting to Muspelheim’s horrible heat. The last thing he wanted was to burn his energy with useless movements, but would the Eldjötnars listen?

’Not if they deem me inferior.’ His eyes narrowed into dangerous slits, his fingers wrapping around his war hammer’s handle. He had to make them kneel in fear. Only then would they listen... or die.

He turned to Achilles and commanded. "Wait in the chariot."

Then, he leapt down, his arms raised as he smirked at the giant, who sounded the alarm. "You talk too much."

With a powerful swing that made the wind roar, the hammer’s flat side connected with the molten face of the giant.

CRACK

The flames vanished, blasted by the impact. Glowing rocks cracked, and shards flew, lava dripping from the wounds like blood. Yet, that was only the beginning.

RUMBLE

A lightning strike tore the sky, swooping on the giant’s head. The lightning condensed into divine energy before dispersing, then exploded into a shockwave.

BOOM

The giant’s neck crumbled under the blow before the hammer shattered everything until it struck the ground, making it quake.

As a sea of rubble exploded and the surrounding Eldjötnars’ legs buckled under the shockwave’s pressure, pain and horror distorting their features.

Their broad weapons froze, and their will to fight vanished into puffs of smoke as Adam raised his hammer and observed it with a grin.

One of them broke the silence with his cracking voice. The horror contained in the single word he pronounced sent icy shivers down everyone’s spines. "Mjolnir..."

Adam spun the hammer, making it blur in a silvery circle before he slammed it on the ground. "Not really. So, do you want to die meaninglessly or offer weary travellers hospitality?"

The Eldjötnars exchanged hesitant glances and whispered before their faces lit up the moment a voice rumbled from the mountain’s belly.

Commanding attention, its deep and guttural feel made Adam frown.

"That’s not how you ask for hospitality, do you? Spilling blood on my land has a price—one you can’t afford."

Ominous stomps echoed, the weight of the sounds making Adam frown. "Try me, but I doubt you can afford the consquence."

As his words hung heavy in the air and the giants scrambled, a head the size of the walls emerged from the mountain.

Unlike the giants Eldjötnars, the skin was a swirling amalgamation of fire, the eyes two blazing miniature suns, and the mouth a glowing abyss filled with magma.

"Arrogant insects, you dare mock me? I’ll..." The giant paused, his eyes widening in confusion at Adam’s looks. Intricate armor? Mjolnir? Handled by something looking like a demon but not quite?! "What the hell are you?"

Adam snickered in response. "I’m the one who can offer you a free trip to Helheim if you don’t listen to reason."

The giant shuddered, not because of the threat but the language and expressions. They felt too human to come from a demon. Wait... a lord? He tilted his head, his lips curving. It was worth testing.

"Hey, bastard. Didn’t your mom teach you how to talk to others, or was she too busy selling herself?"

Adam’s eyes narrowed into slits, plasma swirling in a scarlet dance heralding utter annihilation. "Good, very good. Amongst the millions of bastards who want me dead, you’re the first who insulted my mother." He clenched his jaws, his grip tightening around his hammer. "I don’t know what gave you the courage, but I hope you’re ready, you dumb piece of shit."

However, the giant’s eyes curved into two delighted crescents, and its laughter reverberated as he confirmed his suspicions through the modern insults. "Sorry, sorry, hahaha. I just wanted to confirm you were a lord. I’m one, too, so stop glaring like you would eat me. You’re Adam, right? Hard to get it wrong when we only have two demon lords alive. Wait, weren’t you imprisoned in the abyss or something? How did you get out?"

Adam paled in horror. He had to kill that fool before he used the lord chat to warn the others!

Without wasting a second, he lunged, his infernal essence roaring in his veins.

However, the giant’s head suddenly exploded into a swirling inferno that forced him to back a step.

A youth in his early twenties emerged from it, his fiery eyes the only shared trait with the giant. Shorter than Adam by half a head, he tucked his messy red hair behind his ear and grinned. "I had no chances against you in the past and, to be honest, I believe they only dwindled after you miraculously escaped the abyss. Aya, don’t glare at me. I stopped using the chat even before your imprisonment."

He paused, his voice growing solemn. "These fools never listened to my advice, and all signed contracts with the gods. Think about it. Why would I continue to talk with them when it’s no different from pouring water on sand?"

Unconvinced but intrigued, Adam stretched his fist, plasma flickering around it. "Give me a single reason to believe you. You have three seconds."

The youth shrugged. "My lord’s name is Behemoth. Ask Mimi if she ever saw me write in the chat after the second event. Anyway, wouldn’t it be stupid for me to warn the others? I mean, I never accepted any contract, not to mention that something tells me you’d kill me the moment I do."

A pensive frown creased Adam’s brows. That name rang a bell. ’The one who helped the others with Pharaoh? He indeed said he wouldn’t waste time with fools. But he’d become a variable if I left alive.’

He sighed, unsure about what to do. Though he leaned toward killing Behemoth, he also remembered his last message: the gods are our enemies. If his mindset hadn’t changed, he could believe him.

"Who are your enemies?" He asked, his voice firm and his eyes burning.

Behemoth’s lips curled into an icy smile reflecting his disdain and barely suppressed hatred as he pointed toward the sky. "Who else? Those suckers who’re watching us tear each other with delighted smiles: the gods."