Imp to Demon King: A Journey of Conquest-Chapter 342: Shattering Authority

Without giving anyone time to blink, Adam’s clawed fingers wrapped around Achilles and Garduck. He cradled the two men against his torso, protecting their bodies behind his massive hands and thick scales.

"Wait! We can think of a better solution!" Achilles pleaded, icy sweat drenching his shuddering back.

Yet Adam ignored him, his gaze on the temple’s court-like interior and his legs throbbing as he crouched. Nine jets of condensed plasma erupted from his back, the beams distorting the air with deafening sizzles. The ancient pavements whitened, threatening to melt before he adjusted their angles behind him.

Ready to find salvation or face doom, he smirked. There was no turning back—nothing would stop him.

Echoing his determination, the plasma beams thickened into roaring columns as he pounced inside the underworld’s judgement hall.

WHOOSH

The wind wept, bursting into concentric circles that spread like waves in the twisting space as he flashed through the hall like a draconic arrow.

Staggering on their unsteady legs, souls concerned about their imminent judgements, didn’t see Adam’s shadow. No, even the wind came with a split-second delay. A forceful gale ruffled their spectral hair, shoving them against the walls. They yelped in confusion, eyes darting in search of the cause.

Before they could, a rumble... No, the deafening blast of a thunderbolt crashing down from the heavens rocked the temple.

BOOM

Was Zeus descending to punish them? The question tore through their souls as they trembled like leaves battered by a divine storm.

They waited for a second, then two, yet the horrifying lightning they had expected didn’t follow. The dreaded Zeus didn’t appear either. Instead, they noticed the judgement hall’s cracked walls and the dust swirling by the doorway.

Meanwhile, Adam cursed as his plasma beams moved erratically to restore his balance. ’I’m too fast to turn. Shit! I almost shattered my shoulder.’

Despite the burning sensation and the numbness, his eyes shifted to the three wide-eyed men overlooking the hall from their lofty platform.

They gripped their lion shaped armrests, propelling themselves on their feet. White togas fluttered, the soft fabrics hardening into dark plates carved from the purest shadows and darkness.

One of them reacted faster, his long brown hair fluttering as he swung his palm before him and roared. "In Rhadamanthus’ authority, halt!"

Instantly, Adam shuddered, the plasma propelling him almost vanishing. Those simple words felt as if an invisible boa coiled around his neck and constricted his limbs on a fundamental level.

Yet, another sensation burst forth to battle the invading power—a blazing defiance amplified by his species’ irreverence to the divine and his chaotic nature.

However, his momentary loss of speed made him curse under his breath as the other two slammed a staff and a spear shaft on the ground, their thundering voices adding to the pressure.

"Minos commands you to halt, trespasser!"

"Trying to slip past Aeacus’ eyes? Drop to your knees and bear your sin!"

Cradled in against his chest, Achilles clenched his jaw. His face reddened, veins bulging on his neck and forehead as he tried to resist the command. Kneel? Never! Not to the gods, not to their judges. Not even to Adam. This was not why he had chosen to pursue glory. An equal, no—a superior. That’s what he had always aimed for during his fleeting life.

Yet, his legs buckled, inching toward Adam’s trembling palm against his will as his mind boiled with a scalding tsunami of curses. How he wished to roar them, but the judges robbed him of the most basic ability to speak his thoughts in their presence.

Next to him, Garduck noticed the rage and despair twisting his features. Though, fighting the judges’ influence, he passed his trembling arms under Achilles’ armpits. "I’m with you. Hold on until we’re out!"

The pressure lessened slightly on Achilles. But the real game-changer was Garduck’s presence.

He wasn’t one of those flowery heroes who drew strength from their friends, far from it. Instead, he couldn’t let them see him falter before adversity. His back had to remain an inspiringly steadfast wall—the sturdier in human history.

His lips rose, revealing his teeth clenched so tight that his gum bled. Shoving his body upwards, he growled like a beast supporting the underworld’s weight on his shoulders. "RAAA!"

Simultaneously, an even worse pressure tried to swallow Adam like a ravenous beast.

Plasma erupted from his scales, his infernal essence roaring in a cacophony of sizzles against the orderly authority as he swung his blazing claws with a snort.

Like a thick leather sheet, five burning marks ripped through space. Something snapped, causing the judges’ pupils to constrict on the colossal dark blur. This creature had shredded the divine authority Hades had granted them? How?!

The question thunder in their minds louder than the blaring noise of Adam shattering the sound wall on his way out. But Rhadamanthus recovered—just in time to see space roil to mend the five claw marks and Adam’s tail.

"I command you to identify yourself!"

Before the echo of his own question faded, the wind settled, and the blur disappeared into the centermost exit.

Minos’ lips twisted as he sank back in his seat and massaged his forehead. "When did a mortal ever resist us?" freewēbnoveℓ.com

"It’s a first." Aeacus slammed his fist on his armrest, his eyes narrowing. "Check how it bypassed Cerberus’ watchful eyes, Rhadamanthus. Minos, collect information with Charon. We can’t let this creature wander the fields of Asphodel unchecked!"

They all gritted their teeth and nodded. Someone slipping right before their eyes was a personal humiliation they wouldn’t let slide. In fact, they almost hoped the trespasser had killed Cerberus or Charon.

Just like them, they were irreplaceable cogs of the underworld’s well-oiled system. And Hades wouldn’t tolerate anyone who jeopardised it. And his divine intervention would fix the problem in the blink of an eye.

Yet, they frowned at the unrealistic idea. The blur had probably just passed them using its monstrous speed. In this case, they would have no chance to catch up and could only wait for it to create enough chaos for Hades to move.

Still, Aeacus wouldn’t remain cross-armed. Without wasting a second, he rushed to the Asphodel fields’ entrance.

Souls draped in onyx armors greeted his eyes as he commanded.

"Relay my words to each city: a dangerous creature wanders the field. Keep the population inside and report to Minos or Rhadamanthus the second you spot it."

One of the souls struck his chest with a nod. "What about you, sir?"

Aeacus’ eyes narrowed into slits, his voice growing somber. "I’ll mandate the Erinyes to hunt it down."

Horrified gasps escaped everyone’s quivering lips. Those ruthless Chthonian goddesses feared by everyone and only tolerated by the gods?