The Demon Among The Knights-Chapter 46 - 42 — "Fall of the Golden Knight"

The crowd was going wild. Knights were chanting Luci’s name now—"Luci! Luci! Luci!"—as Brian, dizzy and sweating, tried to stay seated. His hands trembled as he reached for another mug, but he stopped halfway, giving Luci a sideways glance filled with defeat.

"I... I yield," Brian muttered, his voice slurred.

Luci, completely unfazed, leaned back in his chair with a smirk. "I thought knights had better tolerance."

Christian, still stumbling from the booze, staggered to his feet and yelled, "AND THE WINNER ISSSS... THE DEMONNNN WITH THE IRON GUT... MASTER LUUUUUUUUCI!!!"

The knights roared.

Luci raised his hand, then suddenly grabbed another roasted chicken leg from the table and took a big bite, like it was his trophy. "Victory tastes like poultry," he said.

Daniel, who had been watching with stars in his eyes, clapped wildly. "You’re amazing, Master Luci! I’ve never seen anything like that! You’re like a god of gluttony!"

Brianna snorted, "More like a god of madness... but sure."

Suddenly, a knight stumbled up to the table. "Sir Christian, we’ve run out of mugs..."

Christian looked around, eyes spinning. "Then bring buckets!" he shouted.

More laughter erupted.

Meanwhile... in the King’s secret chamber:

The king stood in front of his cabinet, his hands shaking with anticipation. He lifted the small vial of demon blood he had stolen—yes, Luci’s blood, collected from the ruins after the bathhouse fight. It glowed faintly under the torchlight.

"Finally," he muttered. "With this, the blood of Heaven’s enemy, I shall unlock power no king has ever touched..."

He poured the blood into the large container, mixing it with the others—the blood of angels, cursed humans, and ancient beasts. The concoction turned violet, bubbling like it was alive.

He raised the vial to his lips.

"I’ll rule the Mage Kingdom... the Knight Kingdom... even the Vikings will kneel..."

He took a sip.

Then he screamed.

The room shook violently. His eyes glowed red. Veins bulged on his face. A black aura pulsed out like a shockwave, shattering the glasses nearby.

Back in the banquet hall...

Everyone paused. The ground trembled.

Brian, half-passed out, lifted his head and groaned, "Please don’t tell me we’re under attack already..."

Luci stood up slowly, still licking his fingers. He looked toward the castle wall, where a faint, unnatural red glow was beginning to shine through the cracks.

"Oh," he muttered. "Now things are finally getting interesting."

To be continued...

Chapter 42 – "The Awakening"

A red pulse exploded from the upper tower of the king’s castle. Windows shattered. The clouds above twisted unnaturally, spiraling around a growing vortex of crimson energy.

Luci, still standing by the banquet table, narrowed his eyes. "That aura... demonic. But not mine. Something’s wrong."

Christian, now sobering up from the quake, turned to Luci. "That came from the king’s wing. What in hell was that?!"

Brian, still holding his head from the alcohol, stood up weakly. "That’s... not possible. No one’s allowed in that chamber..."

Suddenly, an explosion burst through the castle’s roof, and everyone at the feast turned as a massive wave of black fire burst into the air, swirling with red lightning. Knights scrambled to their feet, drawing weapons, unsure what enemy they were facing.

Then—BOOM!—the double doors to the grand hall burst open.

The king stepped in.

But he wasn’t the same.

His golden royal armor had cracked apart. His eyes blazed with red and purple light. His hair flowed upward like it was underwater, and veins of darkness stretched across his skin. A crown of fire hovered just above his head.

He smiled wide.

"Citizens of the Knight Kingdom," he said in a voice that echoed unnaturally. "Your king has ascended."

Gasps swept across the hall.

Christian whispered, "That’s not our king..."

Brian’s face turned pale. "No... he drank the demon’s blood..."

The king held out his hand, and the ground beneath him split. From the crack, demonic vines and fiery chains shot out, slithering like serpents across the floor.

Luci stepped forward, calm but focused. "You stole my blood."

The king laughed. "Stole? No. I claimed it. You should be honored. With your power, I’ll be the god of three kingdoms... no, of the entire realm."

Luci’s eyes darkened. "You can’t handle my blood. It’s going to consume you from the inside."

The king’s smile twitched. "Then I’ll devour it before it devours me."

The hall shook again, stronger this time. Pieces of the ceiling began falling. Knights were already evacuating civilians. Christian drew his sword, pointing it at the corrupted king.

But the king didn’t even look at him. He stared only at Luci.

"You want your chains off?" he growled. "Then come take them off. I want to see your full strength before I kill you."

Luci’s towel slipped slightly. He caught it without blinking. "You want me unsealed?" he said, voice cold. "Then don’t cry when I burn down your kingdom just to get to you."

The room exploded into fire and darkness.

To be continued...

Chapter 43 – "Demon vs. King"

Smoke and red light filled the banquet hall. The corrupted king hovered midair, tendrils of demonic power swirling around him like a cloak of nightmares. Tables were flipped. Shields shattered. Even the grand banner of the Knight Kingdom was set ablaze, crumbling into ash behind him.

Luci stood still, completely unfazed. His eyes locked onto the king’s glowing form.

"Last chance," Luci said coldly. "Return what’s mine before I rip it out of you."

The king laughed, voice layered with something not human. "Try it."

BOOM!

He launched forward like a meteor, fist cocked back with crimson fire. Luci didn’t move. The king’s punch came inches from Luci’s face—

—but Luci caught it. With one hand.

The floor cracked beneath them from the pressure.

"You thought drinking demon blood made you me?" Luci growled. "You’re not even close."

WHAM! Luci twisted the king’s arm and slammed him into the ground with a shockwave that shattered every window in the hall.

Christian and Brian backed away, both stunned by the force.

Brian whispered, "He wasn’t kidding when he said the chains weren’t holding all his power..."

The king rose, growling, body already regenerating. "You haven’t seen anything yet."

He opened his mouth and let out a demonic roar, shaking the heavens. The blood he drank began to twist his body further—horns erupted from his head, his mouth split wider, and a tail of molten chains whipped behind him.

"You will regret ever being born!!"

Luci’s chains glowed faintly. The left one cracked—just a little.

Luci looked at it, amused. "Huh. Looks like it’s breaking on its own. Guess I can stretch my arms a little..."

Then, without warning, Luci dashed forward, faster than light—

BOOM!

He kneed the king in the chest, sending him flying through five walls and into the open night sky. Before anyone could react, Luci vanished again, appearing mid-air above the castle, grabbing the king mid-fall.

"You’re in my sky now," he said.

SLAM! He drove the king down into the garden below, sending a mushroom cloud of dirt and flame into the air.

Knights watching from the towers could barely see what was happening—only flashes of black and red, two monsters clashing like gods.

Back inside, Brianna stared up at the destruction, whispering to herself, "That’s... our guest? He’s terrifying."

Daniel, still holding a drumstick, muttered, "He’s also hungry. I bet he hasn’t finished eating yet..."

Meanwhile, in the ruins of the garden, the king coughed, blood dripping from his lips, body beginning to twitch.

"You... you’re a freak..."

Luci stood over him, a small smirk on his face.

"You still want to rule three kingdoms?" he asked, grabbing the king by the throat. "You can’t even handle me."

The king screamed and unleashed a final demonic blast point-blank—

To be continued...

Chapter 44 – "The Bloodline Breaker"

**The king’s final demonic blast hit Luci point-blank—**a roaring explosion of fire, void energy, and corrupted holy essence.

The ground beneath them split. A crater formed instantly. Trees were incinerated. A portion of the castle wall collapsed from the shockwave.

Smoke rose.

The knights on the upper tower shielded their eyes, some even ducked behind stone barricades. Christian’s hand hovered near his sword, eyes wide. "Did he... take that head-on?"

For a few seconds, everything was silent. Then— 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

A low gust swept through the smoke.

And there, standing completely untouched, Luci emerged, chains glowing dimly, his shirt now half-burned, revealing markings that looked like glowing runes etched into his skin.

"Is that... writing on his body?" Brianna whispered, stunned.

Luci looked at the king, who was lying in the center of the crater, twitching and gasping. His monstrous form was unstable, his arms twitching like broken puppets. His horns began to recede.

"You wasted the blood," Luci said, walking slowly toward him. "That was ancient power. Meant for someone worthy."

"W-Worthy...?" the king coughed, one eye melting from the heat. "I am a king... I am power..."

Luci crouched beside him.

"No. You’re a greedy man in a shiny chair."

Then, with two fingers, he touched the king’s forehead—and the demonic power began to burn out of him like black steam. The blood he drank evaporated, screaming as if alive.

The king collapsed, unconscious. The corrupted power gone. The garden quiet.

Moments later, Christian and Brian arrived. Christian, still swaying a bit from alcohol, blinked at the sight. "Damn... you didn’t even use your full power, did you?"

Luci shrugged. "Nah. Didn’t want to wreck your castle. Still haven’t finished my roasted chicken."

Brian sighed, both impressed and concerned. "That’s... honestly fair."

A group of high-ranking knights carried the unconscious king away, still unsure what punishment would be appropriate.

Christian turned to Luci and said, "You might just be the most dangerous thing on this continent."

Luci smirked. "That’s cute. I’m barely warmed