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Devil's Knight: The Last Hero

นักเขียน: D3vilL0rdM4ch1na

บท 1: The Terror Begins

He sat on his throne, contemplating the achievements of his predecessor. The throne was made from the bones of many, Monsters, Humans, Demons. The thin strips of tattered cloth lay around him, once symbols of a terrifying reign of darkness. Bodies lay limp over them, each one once a leader of demonic armies, now corpses on the ground.

He sat there, holding a dark steel great-sword. Brynhildr, a blade tainted by his opponent, a curse of eternal life to its wielder. The very same blade that, in the end, killed its former master. It now serves a new lord. The new ruler had a single thought on his mind.

'How…did I get here?'

He remembered flying through a window, an explosion…then nothing. He had no memory of his former self, even his very name was a blur. All he has now are voices in his head, and a pentagram on his hand that glows a shade of twilight.

The voices ran through his head, talking of monsters, destiny, domination. He just couldn't take any more, getting up and swinging the sword out of frustration. It released a black phantasm that ripped through the front of the building he was in, revealing the sight of a fallen city. He wondered just where he was, and what could've caused so much destruction. In this wonder, he took to the streets to see what had happened. He had reached the square of the twisted desolation, where it was empty. No breath of life existed at all in this citadel.

Just when he thought that he was alone, he felt a nearby presence. Brynhildr glowed white and its energy took form as a person, the blade was no longer in his hand. Before him stood a raven-haired woman, with knife-like, emerald eyes that illuminated with an esoteric energy. She took a bow.

"Welcome home. I do hope that you're doing well, Domine mi." Brynhildr said in a reverential manner of speaking.

He was confused, his sword had not only taken form, but was talking to him.

"You appear to be…out of the loop. I, Brynhildr, shall fill the gaps." She explained, "You, a nameless human, flew through the window of the Devil's citadel. You then flew directly into me, forcing me to stab my former master. I took an interest in this little twist of fate, so I controlled your body and finished off the Arch-Devils. Now I serve you."

"I…think I understand." He replied, "So, what happens now?"

"Now," she smirked, "the world requires a Demon King to subjugate it. You fit that perfectly. So, what shall I call my new master?"

He thought on it for a while, eventually coming up with a response.

"Well," he said, "if I have to do this then…call me…Hikage."

She bowed once more.

"Of course, Lord Hikage, Ruler of Darkness."

Hikage sat down for a while on a pile of rubble. He looked upon his new home. It needed some work done on it.

"So…" Hikage said, "What do I do first?"

"Well," Brynhildr commented, "we could build our army. All it takes is some summoning."

She handed him a book.

"A Grimoire, it should contain all of the spells used by my previous masters." she said.

Hikage flicked through it, eventually finding a page of summoning incantations.

"Here goes." He began to chant, "Armies of Shadow, come, heed the call of your master. I, the Lord of Shadow, command thee to rise. My blood-kin; the Daemons, my eternal servants, rise and fight for your master. I am Hikage Lukaefer. Heed my call!"

As he said this, the clouds turned an ominous black and a large circle encompassed the square, the symbol was a crimson pentagram. From it, monsters of all shapes and sizes rose out of the ground. Imps, Lamias, Fiends, Arcane Knights. One thing they all had in common was that they were demons. After being summoned, they unleashed a hellish cry and fell on one knee in front of Hikage, his demonic aura spreading and influencing them.

"My followers!" He called out to them, "My Citadel is in shambles. But we shall make it into the seat of terror in the world! My first royal decree is the rebuilding of the Devil's Citadel, make it something that shall instil fear into the hearts of humans. Do this in the name of the Shadow Ruler!"

He instantly found recognition, and amongst those that could speak, he found a unanimous response.

"Yes, my Lord!" They all replied in reverence of his name.

"If there is anything you require, I ask that you direct your message to my right hand, Brynhildr…and above all else, failure will not be tolerated. You are dismissed!"

They all moved to receive orders from Brynhildr at once. Hikage walked back into the main hall of the Citadel, and sat on his throne. The Terror was about to begin.

Meanwhile, in the Capitol, someone had other plans.