I almost called out the general right then and there but the more devious side of me thought this was going to be hilarious.

"Apologies General! I had a brief accident with the cleaning crew spilling chemicals on my uniform and they insisted to take it to get cleaned!" I replied with a half-hearted salute.

The General's face when from it's normal deep red to an ugly shade of purple as he steamed in a rage. "Then why and Our Great Lord's unholy name are you still standing around instead of getting a new uniform from the barracks!?!" He screamed at me practically in my face.

"Sir I was assigned this post and one of the mission briefings was I was not supposed to leave this post for any reason other than emergency!" I replied this time trying to hold back my laughter.

"You think this is funny Soldier!?! I know the Demon Lord personally and I will make it so you are working in the lowest pit of rot for the rest of your life!"

He was practically frothing at the mouth when he said this. I never met this man before.

"Sir I was lead to believe that the Demon Lord was not in the capital today?" I asked him with a confused look on my face.

He got this smug look on his demonic face "of course that is what we told the common soldiers. I actually just had lunch with our Lord. And I believe I do speak for our Lord when I say that idiots like you have no place in MY army!"

I frowned a little bit "Your army? We are the Demon Lord's army!" I said as I crossed my arms.

"Oh please we are the true power of this kingdom. With our us the Lord would have nothing. We General's can do whatever we want to you peasants and little you can do about it!" He then took his clawed demonic hand and back handed me.

I flew down the hallway and landed on my feet. "Is that so General?" I growled out as the room felt much colder, not that the idiot noticed.

Just then a maid came by holding my freshly cleaned shirt along side my top general aka my wife.

"Here is your shirt my Lord. Again I apologize for running into you." the maid said as she bowed in apology.

"Think nothing of it little one" I said as I threw my shirt on not taking my eyes off the now confused General.

"Darling why are you wasting your time with this parasite?" My wife asked as she looked at him in disgust. "We are needed in the throne room to meet our next guests."

The mana surged within me as I uttered a spell that helped transfer the memories of the last 15 minutes to both my dearest wife and head maid, who also just happened to be my chief bodyguard.

"Wha-what is going on?" The soon to be dead man asked.

"Well to recap you insulted me, lied and said you knew me personally though I have no clue who the hell you are, and then you backhanded me across this damn hallway. In front of my very sadistic wife and very protective maid." I said as I put my hands in my pockets. "Have fun girls but don't take too long. I'm going to get a snack." The screaming started as I rounded the corner.

This is my first time posting here and on mobile so forgive any mistakes.

"Why are you just standing there and where is your uniform?! You are here to serve the demon king and we can't have someone incompetent like you, get moving!"

I must admit, I froze. Could he truly not recognize me? I, the great Demon King? The Scourge of the Darklands? The Terror of the Forty Lakes? The - well, now that I think of it, I really haven't been getting out much. Running a kingdom is hard work, but building a world-spanning empire is straight up brutal. I may have missed a meeting or two when they introduced some of the lower-ranked generals...

The general was staring at me in growing... panic? Maybe he did recognize me. After all, I do have quite the striking physique, and-

"YOUR UNIFORM! Egads, soldier, do you not understand our lives are on the line? Go! Run! Get in uniform! The Great Demon King's Right Hand Man May His Footsteps Never Tread On Soil will be here in less than an hour! And we don't even have the right bunting for... WHY AREN'T YOU RUNNING!?!"

Out of confusion and habit, I quickly turned and dashed towards the main barracks. I had started there, you know, just a basic soldier. Dragged myself up through the ranks. Huh, I hadn't thought about those days for... well, it's been a while. I should visit more often.

I reached the barracks, where three others were queued up in front of the armory. A harried looking Lieutenant was measuring the first man. "Here, this should fit. Move!"

He handed the fellow a shining pile of armor, and turned to the next man. "Missing corsage? Here! Oh, both of you? Fine, here, move! Less than an hour!"

He turned to look at me, and his eyes nearly bugged out of his head. "You... where is your armor? Where are - are those even regulation boots!? I - I can't - here! Take this, and those, and put this on-"

The man started throwing handfuls of clothing, armor, and apparently flowers at me; a moment later, I was clad head to toe in shiny, heavy, and entirely useless decorative armor, with, unbelievably, a corsage bolted to the front. Bolted! To armor! I was then whisked out with a handful of others to stand in formation with a number of other faceless troops, all wearing the same stupid armor. I really needed to get out more. Which, now that I think about it... this is. I was supposed to go to a number of other meetings, but I think at this point, I may stick around. Standing in the sun was more enjoyable than sitting through that nasty accountant Smarm Lord Deppinger's awful meetings, anyway.

As they waited, the men around me complained about the food, the boots, and the stupid armor. Standing in the boots and wearing the armor, I could only agree. This was terrible. The style was all wrong. All it did was hamper motion, reduce vision, and look absolutely wretched. "How could anyone be expected to fight in these silly things?"

There was laughter that rippled through the soldiers around me. "Fight? Son, how green are you? We ain't seen a battle in a year and a half."

These must be the reserves, then. That makes more sense, the armor is all wrong, but maybe they-

"Not since we beat the Alltrussions, anyway. Nobody left to fight. Though High Lord Death-Bringer says we may need to put down an insurrection near the capital before long. Hope so, this is boring as hell..."

Since... wait. We won that war? Wasn't... in the last meeting, I was sure High Lord Deppinger said the war continued, and asked for more... money. Deppinger. Dep... ing... er. Death Bringer. Surely that pipsqueak wasn't... oh boy. Some heads were going to roll. I could feel my Practiced Booming Voice getting warmed up already.

A commotion near the road drew my attention. Sure enough, a carriage carrying High Lord Gonna Get Court-Martialed pulled up, and His Utter Bullcrap stepped out. That weaselly little...

"Friends, compatriots, I bring you news from the capital. The Demon King has grown ill, and a usurper has all but taken the throne! Even now, he poisons our dear leader's mind! We must travel at once, and destroy the monster before he can lay our good kingdom to waste!"

There was a murmur of disbelief. My own voice was among them. I didn't feel ill! What was the sniveling little worm going on about?

"For the sake of us all, we must retake the city! I shall rescue our beloved King, and - temporarily, of course, until our lord has regained his senses - take control of the throne. The heavy burden of that will fall upon my shoulders, of course."

Ah. Now it all makes sense. High Lord Idiot-Face had always thought he should have more power, more troops, and had always fought the worst of the enemies. Judging by what the men here had said, he was probably just stocking up to take over. Poor fool. It was a really bad day for a coup to begin with, and now my feet hurt, too.

Now, the whole "Demon King" thing is mostly a title, but there's a bit of magic I found along the way that really helped the whole mystique. Mostly lights and sound, but then there was one spell... Hold on, this shouldn't take long.

High Lord Death-Bringer (He Of Many Names, Of Which Few Are Actually Compliments) saw, from the corner of his eye, one of the soldiers brandish a sword. "Breaking rank!? I should-"

And then the lightning struck. From a cloudless sky, a bolt of lightning slammed down into the raised sword, but instead of a boom, there was more of a... sentence.

ALL THOSE WHO ARE LOYAL TO THE DEMON KING... JOIN HIM IN GLORIOUS BATTLE!

The lightning crackled through the crowd. Armor melted and transformed; decorative banners became spears; and all those truly loyal to the Demon King suddenly found themselves clothed in burned, black armor, the function of which was obviously considered first. The helms sported smoke instead of crests; the swords glowed deep red; but importantly, the joints could move freely, the weight was reduced by half, and the crested helmets used a 180-degree mesh instead of a tiny slit. Seriously, it's like no one that designs armor has to actually wear it. It can inspire fear AND be useable! Do both!

It was immediately apparent who was fighting on the side of the Demon King, and who was not. All those on my side were wearing the fashionable yet comfortable armor of a Demon Warrior; all those who decided they would follow High Lord Damp Shoes were still clad in their fancy decorations. High Lord Needs New Pants screamed in terror, and shoved his High Guard towards the nearest Demon Warrior; all across the square, swords were drawn and battle begun. It ended quickly enough; apart from a handful of minor injuries, functional armor won the day over the gaudy stuff the High Lord Screams Like A Baby had outfitted his troops in. Though, in fairness, the shiny armor hid the fact that nearly a third of the soldiers there were Alltrussion.

I casually walked over to the High Lord, who had managed to scream himself hoarse, soil himself, slip in it, and fall out of his own carriage, neatly hooking the back of his high-waisted pants. He squeaked and kicked his stubby legs, trying to get free of what was to be the last wedgie he ever will get. I pointed my sword at his throat.

"Congratulations, High Lord Deppinger! I am hereby promoting you to corpse!"

That dealt with, I turned to my soldiers, who had gathered in awe around the carriage. "As for you... you fought bravely. I apologize for not visiting sooner; I may have a few loose ends to tidy up back in the capital, but I intend to make a habit of visiting more often. Now, you there - yes, you, the fellow that called the Demon King 'green'. You're promoted to General. Get these men rounded up, clean the place up, burn Corpse Deppinger, my sword, and his carriage, because nothing will get THAT smell out, and let's go finish squashing a coup, shall we?"

I definitely needed to get out more. I forgot how much fun being a Demon King could be!

The figure was more snarling than speaking. Spittle flying from his lips with every word turning more violent and belligerent. The demon general of some meaningless rank was clad in platemail, only his bright red face and horns gave him away. His eyes glowed yellow and as he approached, with every step his claws began to elongate. It seems he would like to teach me a lesson for my insubordination.

"Are you the one in charge here?" I ask. "It looks as if this regiment is barely able to stand in a circle let alone conquer on behalf of the demon king."

His face puffs with rage as he draws nearer and with a quick swipe he attempts to give me a haircut. The claws now several inches long glide gracefully through the air towards my forehead but what he doesn't know can and will hurt him. His claws pass through me like a hot knife through butter. I grab my scalp and feign backwards pretending to be mortally wounded. After all I appear to just be a man in a suit. There are many faces and bodies that serve the demon king and he has picked the wrong one to mess with. As I clutch my head I holler in pain and bend over for dramatic effect.

The demon general laughs and scoffs at my perceived weakness and then he indignantly states that he doesn't understand why the demon king would allow such feeble souls to serve him. He is after all the great and mighty Balgorath! He should be leading an army of dragons not these poor, wretched, crippled beings gathered around here.

As I straighten back up he notices that I have a smile on my face and not a drop of blood nor injury present upon me.

He looks confused.

"What kind of illusion is this?!" He yells

His body ignites into fire as my smile broadens ever wider. For a moment he is stunned and just standing there.

"Ha ha ha I don't know what magic this is but don't you know fire doesn't hurt demons?" He says with maniacal laughter

I return his maniacal laughter with some of my own. Each hearty laugh I produce, the flames around him grow hotter and higher.

His cackling ceases as unease begins to take over his body. His face contorts in pain while my laughter has bloomed into a deafening thunder. He falls to the ground writhing in pain.

"Are you really so stupid as to not recognize your own master?"

As he lay twisting and squirming I snap my fingers and the fire turns green and he rolls around just like a school child taught to stop, drop, and roll. His breathing becomes labored and his skin begins to melt. With every movement he makes he leaves a puddle of himself where he previously was.

After a couple minutes of agonizing pain and just before his demise I quench the fires with my mind. He is barely a skeleton at this point but everyone knows demons do not die. They are just recycled to the pit of energy from whence they originate.

"Stand up!" I bellow.

He feebly attempts to stand with the weight of his armor holding him down. Once erect he looks at me like a lost puppy looking for salvation.

"Balgorath I crafted the armor you so pretentiously wear and I will not have you disrespect me now or ever. If you so much as look at me the wrong way I will turn your bones to ashes and redistribute your soul and armor to a more worthy being."

His skull bows in defeat while a lick of flame still swirls on the tip of one of his horns.

"You have 1 human year to make this a formidable force and if you do not I will see to it that you spend an eternity burning in a hellfire that you cannot even begin to imagine."

And with that I disappear leaving him and the onlookers in abject horror. Fear motivates and I intend to get what I want.

"Well?! Are you deaf as well as slow, maggot?"

That idiot really doesn't recognize me. I decide to test him and have some fun while I'm at it. I snap back, "Yes and looking at your ugly mug, I wish I was blind too".

The general is taken aback, probably surprised to see a supposedly trained soldier show such a lack of respect to his superior. The man grows somber. "Be very careful soldier. You're looking at some time in a hole but one more word out of your mouth and you might be losing more than just your freedom."

Well that was a better reaction than what I expected. He didn't lose his composure, shows authority, threatens with a strict sentence but also gives a way out if I was to stop now. He is more merciful than many of my officers.

Enough fun for today. I straighten up and regain my regal composure. "An apt reply, general. I only expect as much from the men leading my troops."

The general looks at me, confused, but his dark look doesn't mellow. Weird. Who's being slow now? "A piece of advice: always know who you're talking to and above all, learn to recognize a face, especially that of your leader" I offer with a slightly annoyed smile.

To add to my point I decide to summon my infamous armor and weapon, at the snap of my fingers.

snap

...Nothing.

snap snap snap

"What the hell?! Why doesn't it work??"

The general keeps looking at me with a now sad look on his face. He calmly calls to two guards in the next room, who had been anxiously watching the exchange from afar. "You two. Bring this one to the dungeons. Tell the torturer to leave him be for now, I'll check with him later"

"UNHAND ME THIS VERY INSTANT, I AM YØRG-HUL, THE DEMON-KING HIMSELF AND I WILL STRIKE YOU WHERE YOU STAND IF YOU DO NOT LET ME GO!"

The general watches as the two guards drag the fresh recruit away. He sighs. It never gets easier. When he argued against letting the demon king kill the many enemy soldiers driven mad by his magic, he knew he would regret it. And that he did. He ended leading a battallion made up of the poor wretches. The depressive, the shellsocked, the psychotic. And now the schizophrenic, apparently. Some pasty-faced, frail kid, naming himself demon king? That was worthy of rumor and would certainly make its way right to Yørg-hul's ears himself. The kid was as good as dead, he knew that. He needed to focus on the ones he could save. But it didn't make it easier. It never did.

"Why are you just standing there and where is your uniform?! You are here to serve the demon king and we can't have someone incompetent like you, get moving!"

Initially, I opened my mouth to introduce myself, he was far from the first to underestimate me as my form was not that which most considered befitting of my station, especially beside this mountain of a demon general. However, before I could do more than open my mouth, the bellowing buffoon cut me off.

"ARE YOU ABOUT TO TALK BACK TO ME SOLDIER?!?!" he shrieked, his nose almost touching mine as he got up in my face.

So be it. This would be more fun in the end, for me at least. He should have been able to detect the aura of dark power that surrounded me, but it seemed he was too absorbed in himself to even notice it.

"I was, but then I realised my words would be wasted on an imbecile such as you"

He quivered on the spot, like a volcano might before erupting. Most would have quailed before such a sight, I merely turned and began to walk away, disinterested.

The howl of rage that he let out was most satisfactory. Knowing what was coming, I lowered my defences just enough that the following backhand blow sent me careening cartoonishly down the corridor. As I landed and rose to my feet, a trio of armoured demon soldiers came around the corner. Seeing first me, and then their general, and understanding quickly what was going on, the leader of the three quickly tried to speak.

"Sir! Sir! Tha.."

"SILENCE CAPTAIN!!!!" Roared the General "Or you too will be joining this misbegotten miscreant as a sacrifice for our Dark Lord! Now, clap him in irons and escort him to the Grand Hall. I am due to be receiving the Dark Lord there any moment now!"

I offered the captain a knowing wink. Thankfully he understood quickly, and played along.

"As you command sir!" He said with a crisp salute. With that, the captain placed a pair of iron manacles on my wrists and beckoned his two soldiers to each take one of my arms. They began to walk me down the hall behind the General, who was already stalking off to the Grand Hall.

The General barged into the Grand Hall, throwing both of the massive double doors open.

"Is he here yet?" he demanded of the assembled officers, officials and mages.

"No sir!" answered a cowering scribe "He should have been here by now but..." he cut off, seeing the guards leading me in. The monocle fell from his eye and would have shattered on the floor were it not attached to his lapel by a chain. The rest of the crowd fell silent, some looking at me in horror as they recognised, well if not me then at least the aura around me. The others stared with open curiosity at me, wondering who could inspire such horror in their comrades, who were themselves the definition of horror to most of the wise beings of the 13 realms.

The General wheeled around, his cape swirling about him grandly. He saw me standing there, now stood just in front of the guards who had lead me in, carrying myself with a bearing that suggested they were my honour guard rather than tasked to keep me prisoner. Rasing his finger to gesture in anger, he was about to speak when I cut across him

"General, you really ought to learn to think before you act" My voice was not loud, but it was layered with an icy menace that seemed to chill the very air, and freeze everyone in the room. Everyone but the General.

With a roar, he strode towards me, hand raised to strike me again. This time his hand did not reach me, instead stopping just short, as if hitting an invisible wall. His other hand flew at me from the opposite side and was stopped just the same.

I began to see in his eyes an understanding of who he was dealing with, but he seemed unable to back away from his rage, unable or unwilling to lose face in front of his court

"I grow tired of these games General, if you will not learn, then perhaps you can be a good example for your men"

The aura around me shifted, flexing, pulsing. The iron manacles quivered, and then simply fell away from my wrists as if they no longer were solid. I rose up into the air, and hovered 8 feet off the ground, my eyes now level with his. He stared into my jet black eyes, whilst I stared into his very being. Mostly it was just rage, all consuming and overwhelming, some ambition and not a little lust. But in amongst that, deep down and buried, there was a nugget of fear. Fear was something I could work with.

Smiling, I placed my finger on the bridge of his nose, right between his eyes. I drew on that fear, feeding it, stoking it, letting it grow until it was all consuming. It was subtle at first, the Generals eyes looking around from one side to the other. Then he began to twitch. I floated away from him as he began swiping at the air, striking at unseen assailants.

"Get away!" he bellowed, a howl of the purest, most primal fear. "No! Not... Nooooo!" he shrieked, unable to contain himself. He ran to the corner of the room, trying to escape the fears I had unleashed on him, but where was there to run when they were in your head? His howls became shrieks, which dwindled to sobs and then mearly whimpers as he curled into a ball in the corner, trying to draw in on himself in a futile effort to escape, but there was none.

I looked about at the assembled powers of this region, the soldiers, Lords, mages and administrators who the General had gathered.

"Does anyone else wish to challenge me? Are any of you under any delusions as to who I am?"

The silence in the hall was broken only by the pitiful wails of the once mighty general. After a long moment, one of the Lords in the front rank stepped forward and dropped to his knees

"We live to serve you, my Dark Lord"

I looked about the room expectantly, and as one the rest of the assembled demons followed suit. As one they fell to their knees and proclaimed

"WE LIVE TO SERVE YOU DARK LORD!"

"Then rise, rise my demons and gather your forces, for I have work for you to do!"

A hulking monster made of Brimstone approached me, slowly, growling as he did so. I stopped in my tracks, curious.

As the monster grew closer, I recognized it as a low-level General. Most Generals of this rank were these types of monster. They were large, intimidating, and could pack one hell (teehee!) of a punch if they had to discipline any underlings. I’d never actually met one in the flesh (er… stone?) after designing their appearances. If you were promoted to this rank, you would become one of these.

I better back up a little. Every new soul arriving in Hell will first be assigned their own personal Hell. Time runs differently down here, so after a millennia or seven, you’re given the option to enlist in Hell’s Army. The overarching goal of this army is to eventually storm the Silver City, but we’re still quite a ways off that. Most souls, eventually growing tired of their own Hell, confronting their own sins, and having their assholes filled with spiders over and over, join without hesitation.

Only in the past few Earth decades, have there been weapons made available to us down here that mean we have a chance of actually overthrowing my stupid Father.

“YOU! Why are you just standing there? Where is your UNIFORM!?” the General roared. I blinked despite my best efforts. “Mawp… mawp…” I started, clapping my ears. I’d heal from this deafness as an eternal, but it miffed me a little, so I decided to play a game.

“SIR!” I said, saluting. “A few of the butt spiders broke out from one of the New Soul Encampments! I squished them, and they stained my Uniform! Sir!”

“EXCUSES!” The monster screamed, even louder this time. “Mawp…” I said, clapping my ear again. I did enjoy watching Archer on Netflix — what, did you think we didn’t have entertainment in Hell?. The monster hurled a rock in my direction, and before I could vanquish it into atoms, it connected and sent me flying.

I landed a full ten meters away, leaving a crater. I cast the rock aside, and made my way back over to the General. “My apologies, Sir!” I said, snapping another salute. The General pointed a large rocky arm toward a shed behind him. “GO!”

I ran for the shed, retrieving an old Uniform. I paused to look around while I put it on. Man, they were OLD. Many of them were threadbare and in tatters. Yet they were a point of pride for the Army. I decided to redesign them and send new ones down when I finished my little game. The uniform on, I ran back to the General. “YOU PASS” he yelled, pointing to the next place I was to be.

I went, curious. I’ll admit, sitting in the Throne Room all day was boring. I rarely got out, and I rarely met anyone else anymore. The same old duties — check progress on the overthrowing, sign off on New Soul reports, design torture for terrible Humans, scare religious New Souls by appearing in their Hells, walk the hounds, then Dinner.

Arriving at the Stadium, I was ushered in by a higher ranking General. “QUICK!” He whispered, gesturing “You’re late! His Terribleness will be here soon!”

Entering the grounds, I found the entire Army standing at attention, waiting for His Terribleness — Me — to arrive. After a while, the soldiers and other officials began to grow concerned.

The Brimstone General was standing under the stands, looking around. I hadn’t gone to a seat yet, as I was caught unaware by the entire Army standing faithfully, waiting for my arrival. “YOU! GET TO A SEAT!” He roared, and I felt every pair of eyes focus on me.

I snapped my fingers, and my true Terrible form was revealed.

The raucous applause was stymied when I turned my attention to the General. “YOU!” I yelled, and the creature became a slug. I squished it.

I turned to face the Army. I could’ve unleashed my Wrath, but instead I decided to show mercy. I could see that everyone was hesitant.

I gave a wave of my arm, and all the Uniforms renewed themselves. Snappy, clean, not threadbare. Crisp.

“If you’re all going to gather for me, we have to at least LOOK GOOD!” I said, to more applause. Even the tentacle monsters were flailing about in excitement.

“Now, where should we start?” I asked, raising an eyebrow at a General to my left.

“S-S-sir!” He yelled, snapping a salute, and he flicked to the next PowerPoint slide.

There were always those who tried to abuse their positions within my army, who ruled through fear where respect and camaraderie would better suffice. The lower-ranked general regarded me with an icy stare as he repeated his question, "Why are you just standing there, and where is your uniform!?"

He stank of corruption, and not the kind I preferred. I admittedly didn't have the time nor the energy for the small details, trusting that my Thirteen would take care of problems as they came up.

Still, it is on occasion worthwhile to investigate yourself.

I immediately straightened up and delivered a sharp, crisp salute. "Apologies, sir, I was just returning from a plainclothes operation and needed a moment to gather my thoughts for my report." Eh, some minor bullshit never hurt. The General couldn't hurt me in the long term, certainly he could harm me, but outright killing me would just result in me possessing his body.

"Give your report then." He said.

Let's see, of the top of my head, I knew of some need-to-know details that not many did know about. "My investigation regarding the embezzlement of Imperial funds has revealed that there are some lower-ranked generals who are funneling money into non-regulation activities, sir." I replied.

It was easy to play the part of a low-rank soldier, back when I'd started my unholy crusade against the corrupt Gods of the world, I'd regarded my army as my equals, wore the same armor as them, showed the same decorum, proved to them that unlike those who squandered their fertile lands, I was going to treat them with respect, and had stressed the importance of this throughout the ranks as we grew larger.

"Is that so?" The general pulled the gun on me faster than I could react, but the moment the bullet pierced my skull, I'd already shunted his soul from his body, using it as the fuel for the adjustment of my new body into my usual, preferred form.

The few others who had been present immediately knelt once they realized who I was and what was going on. I briefly regarded the gun and holstered it. I was going to need a new general, but for the time being, I was willing to manage affairs here, at least until I absolutely needed to leave.

"You ten." I said, imbuing them with a fragment of Command. "Order the other generals to convene on the chapel, I have a few traitors to execute."

"Yes, my Lord!" They called out before hurrying to fulfill my desires. I briefly considered the armor I was currently wearing and used the remains of the general's soul to make it look like footsoldier armor.

As the Demon Lord, I had to set an example, otherwise the ambitious would tear my Empire apart. What better way to put them in their place than wearing the very armor they thought themselves superior to?

The general before me stood at least twice as tall as I was and was practically a wall of a man. His crimson armor was heavily ornamental, medals most of which I couldn't even decipher the meaning of, some sort of cape and various fine cloths fit for nobility, and some other weird choices.

Even a lower ranked general was a high position to be in, how could he not recognize the very person he claimed to be fighting for? Well, it likely wouldn't be long till High General Astaroth arrived for a surprise inspection considering he loved handling these matters, I tagged along and happened to arrive early. I liked playing an act, so this was going to be fun.

"Right away, sir!" I exclaimed immediately standing firm at attention with a salute. I had spent a lot of time with even lowest ranks of the army, but with all the bureaucratic work and being the years of being the highest authority. Doing this now felt off.

The general frowned his brow and made a guttural growl. "Tch. Thought so you worthless imp. Here's a little reminder for those that don't follow my orders!" He shouted raising up his right arm and smacking me across the face. I had to suppress my since natural instinct to go ethereal and let the hit pass through me. I covered the part of my face that had been hit, and immediately ran to go get a uniform.

That was too harsh, for something so mild. I searched the barracks, armory, even warehouses yet couldn't find the proper uniform, or armor for that matter. Just some rags and twisted pieces of thin metal that I wouldn't even make a pan out of. Even the weapons were of poor quality, they weren't standard issue. A soldier found me rummaging through a warehouse, on a single glance I knew that for some reason they were being forced to wear this...filth.

"Y-Your Majesty..?" The soldier staggered dropping his spear with a loud thump. "I-It's an honor w-why are you...?" He asked, he was visibly nervous even shaking.

"Be at ease, my subject, what is your name?" I asked with a smile. "G-Guidonis...M-Ma'am!" He shouted.

"Guidonis, what is the situation here? Why don't you have any standard issue gear?" I asked

"G-General Malum said the gear hasn't arrived yet! That's all I know I swear!"

That couldn't have been right, supplies did arrive here. At least it was supposed to, nothing indicated there had been an attack on shipment. Even if supplies were scarce, why waste what little you have just to look better?

"So he's been...Ah, Guidonis, I promise to set things right around here. Also please don't tell him who I am." I spoke, holding back my desire to go rip Malum's head clean off his body. General Ruby Red had been selling off supplies, treating the people he was supposed to command horribly, and daring to hurt me.

I went back outside departing from the soldier, I needed a more thorough inspection of this place but I could sense the presence of a friend rapidly approaching the base. Astaroth was arriving.

I reached the main gate just as the carriage arrived, it was a very small force that came with Astaroth. It made transport easier, but it was also because he himself was as strong as a calamity. He always favored his small guard composed of people he trusted unquestionably.

The carriage door opened up, a man entirely covered in dark green armor with the insignia of the now united Demon Kingdoms walked out. Two equally armored figures holding shields walking out behind him. Malum looking around frantically with worry, finally standing at attention and saluting. Soldiers rushing to formation behind the low ranking general.

"Welcome High General Astaroth! It's a pleasure to meet a man of such prestige as yourself!" Malum yelled, his voice full of nothing but praise.

I then stepped out and approached Astaroth. Malum's expression going from pure anger, to sheer terror in one single instant.

"As expected, you arrived here before me, Demon Lord Asmoday." Astaroth bowed.

"Glad you are here, High General Astaroth..." I spoke touching where I had been hit earlier, only a light mark was left.

"I'm sure you've already noticed the current condition of this place, but I also have more to tell you. I already have a punishment in mind for that general."

I froze when I heard the general shout.

I slowly turned to look at the man, a towering wall of muscle and opulence. He was covered in medals that didn't actually exist, and his armor was covered in awful points.

He wasn't even picturesque!

"Um, me?" I asked.

"Yes you! Go get your armor and get in line!" He shouted at me.

I nodded and went to the supply tent to grab my armor. What I was provided was almost as awful as what the general had, but with much less flair. It was still impractical.

will be visiting us, so make sure to be perfect."

I stayed in rank and waited for the royals to be here, hoping that I wouldn't be recognized by anyone.

When Roza and her father walked down the lines, I couldn't help but notice that her movements were more stiff than usual. I almost betrayed my disguise, but my acting was impeccable. I stayed still.

I felt a gaze on me, so I moved my eyes to see its origin.

A nod from the King.

I knew that I was spotted, but my father-in-law was different. He knew that he would be the only one to spot me, as he was looking for how I would fit in his assignment.

They moved out of my hearing and I had to endure the training that the other soldiers had to endure.

A little after noon the exercises were postponed for lunch and we were able to take off our armor. I snapped my fingers after taking off my gauntlets and I felt the familiar tug of magic from the fae as they pulled me away from the soldiers and brought me to a carriage, leaving my equipment.

I curled up on the floor, trying to face how awful that made me feel to lie in the face of so many people just to prove something.

I'm just glad that Roza and her father both loved me as part of their family. With that final thought, I drifted off into a troubled sleep.

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What are demon? Demons are, for humans, selfish creatures who seek violence and wreak havoc to all they touch. Demons represent everything that’s bad in the world, the human fault doesn’t exist, only demons that have so much time under their hands to manipulate the mind of the weak, to encourage them to sin for them to go down in hell. Sometimes, people remember that demons were once angels, sometimes they even go as far as to say demons were protecting a lower part of a hash world.

There was some truth in those statements. After all, it was indeed a hash world, where the sun was beneath us and our capacity to adapt was crucial. Cold didn’t exist in this world, only a burning excruciating heat that only our hardened body could support, now as much live. We were all surviving here and helping each other out didn’t really work in those conditions. You should try kindness, when you are at the lowest point, where every fiber wants you to breathe, to get out, to drink or feel anything other than pain, to be complacent, to have empathy, to not let your body numb your feelings of compassion, of anything. The eternity of suffering for a new project of the one above all that couldn’t make mistakes and offered trials to strengthen the bond. What first came to a blessing of them, a gift bestowed upon a selected few quickly became an insufferable poison, all of it to punish humans that couldn’t follow their cryptic rules. Yet, everyone was suffering together before the project of the new life began, the real problem began when they came to us.

Human’s soul lowered the temperature, giving us a nice break. But giving one piece of meat to a horde of starving beasts is doom to end in a massacre. This is where factions started, legions separated in 666 came to life. The weak and greedy were thrown into the lake of lost souls, everyone wanted their piece of land, dominating it to get closer to the cooler air as much as possible and it was, for the most of it, a blood bath. I wasn’t proud of myself, but someone had to do something before no demons would be left to keep the souls inside their punishment chamber. They were tricky creatures, bargaining, manipulating and slithering around as soon as our backs were turned, they even found cracks to their world we never encountered ourselves. Yet, when that fact came to my ear, in fear of receiving worse punishment from the one who abandoned us, I took action.

Decimating as low people as I could, I gathered a little troop of loyal people to the cause and together we reunited the land by a firm and violent hand: me. I retrieved every last soul I could get and separated it evenly around, created a chart for upcoming souls, having them sorted by name and place they had to go. Taking care of the people that help me, I nominated them generals and have the land have a few more souls to be more able to interrogate them. With some organization and a bit less burning sensations, it was a lot easier to focus and build a society based on optimizing the ‘’gift’’ of god. I made the rift secured and guarded. I did so much that time went so fast. If I were mortal, I would be dead millenia ago. So I guess I didn’t properly introduce myself to the world as much as I thought I did. Even if I was the king of the underworld, and my work was renowned and even feared, they never, for the most part, saw my face. Wish made a funny situation.

I got out of my cave to enjoy quietly the landscape, sighting as I thought of taking myself up for a stroll, looking at the nice architecture they were able to build, looking back at all the danger we faced and the work that was always in progress, but the conditions were getting better as more and more people came here and the space began to lower at a nice 60 degree. The air was finally breathable, the world could work and share and even if it wasn’t as pleasant for other lands, we weren’t struggling as much and only greed were stopping us to achieve greater accomplishment and truly make this place feel like a home some of us once longed for.

I watch, to a piece of something we managed to grow after centuries, a leisurely I was happy to see shared with more common people. It was great, yes, we all really did a great job.

- What are you doing as an intern, in THAT attire? Go put this and change quickly, we need to be ready to serve the demon king!

I got thrown some military garments, which granted me some fond memories and accepted the offer. After all, when have I taken a real break since? This could be fun. I executed myself quickly, but my amused smile wasn’t pleasing my ‘’general.’’

- Why are you so happy to recruit? Don’t you know who you’re working for?

- The demon king? I thought he was quite lenient.

The minor general laughed out loud and put a hand on my shoulder in a compassionate manner which made one of my eyebrows raise.

- Didn’t they tell you anything at the training camp? The legend of the bloodthirsty demon king? Let’s just say if you screw up, even a minor fault could get you centuries of torture, or even an eternity in the lake of lost souls.

I pretended to be frightened as I looked right into the eyes of the general. I can understand why Belzebuth or Amon could have spread those rumors about me to keep everyone in check, but the reality was far less thrilling. I just like to talk and know different opinion, I wouldn’t torture anyone if it wasn’t for crucial reason, the lies were… cute and I couldn’t help but decide to play a bit with it.

- Oh no! I am so sorry, because of me you had to bad mouth him in his own castle!

The general turned a bit red and squeezed my shoulder a bit harder. This was a way to… threaten me I think and I hardly retained my composure towards this. But he soon screamed some order toward me that I tried to execute. I kind of like having a new perspective, and this was something I’ve never done before. It has been a while since I’ve done some physical work. Most of the time I am trapped inside my chamber, writing, approving, listening to the same five people or the casual use of magic to obtain some books to far to reach, now I had to put bag after bag of heavy metal like part, then grains, then it was transporting some souls, then, the most shocking, was to accompany beautiful demons toward another room, which cough my attention, how could it not?

- Is it for the King?

- Who else could it be for? I told you, the king is a beast, but at least he has taste.

- I don’t- … I have to go, I’ll be right back.