RD 4 Ch 48

High above the world, nestled in the Himalayas, lay a mountain even taller than Mount Everest. It was capped with a shining silver city, inlaid with white gold that glistened across its walls. The rays of the sun beamed down on it, and on the tirelessly working and training members of the Heavenly Fist Sect.

On a terrace that overlooked all of it stood a man of indeterminable age. He had the handsomeness of youth but the heavy gaze and the rigid posture of someone far older. He overlooked the mountains with eyes of determination. 

"Lord!" A woman fell to her knees at his side, and he turned away from where he was admiring Mount Everest, devoid of its constant stream of wealthy tourists.

It was sad that the numbers had dwindled; they had made great targets for possession, a way for Camden to seed the upper class of this world with demons. It hadn't even been a plan at first, but when the wealthy started making hiking the mountain a bucket list item, he had simple and easy access to some of the most powerful men in the world. 

He turned his attention away from that to the kneeling woman. "Yes?" He asked, wearing pristine silver and platinum robes. 

"Unfortunately, there have been more issues reported," she hesitated, her body shaking in fear. 

Camden clenched his fists, but didn't lash out at the woman. Not that he didn't want to. It's just his plans had not been going nearly as well as they should have. His generals, and then even some of his replacements, had already died. The nexus of these strange occurrences all circulated around that half-Borrson, half-Heros clan annoyance. Bran Heros. 

Camden released his fist and let out a sigh. The boy was but a singular fly, one that had been disturbing his plans. However, the year and a half of time he had bought trapping Bran in the vault had solved many issues. Camden couldn't help but grin to himself at the surprises he had in store for humanity on their pathetic little planet. 

"Speak. What are the issues now?" He asked.

"We are still unable to locate the missing Hell Gate, Lord. However, we have managed to relocate the one that was in the center of the ocean." She reported. 

"Good," Camden nodded. "That one would have gone to waste anyway. That damned undersea kingdom is as strong as many of the sects. And their princess would only use those demons as fodder to grow strong enough to give me momentary pause." 

"Truly, Demon Lord?" The woman cowered next to him. Although she was a woman no longer. There were only a few humans left alive in the Heavenly Fist sect, mostly to act as a facade to the rest of the world.

Since he had been given a second chance, Camden, the Demon Lord, had swiftly rooted out any and all opposition within the Heavenly Fist sect before the invasion began. The few surprises that had gotten him on his first round were all swept away and tidied up this time, before they could even become a minor nuisance. 

"That sounds like good news. What are the problems you speak of?" He said to the demon reporting to him. 

"We failed to locate two of the items you requested. Also, Winnifred Delery is now with Bran Heros," she wheezed the last few words as he found his grip tightened around her throat in reflex to his annoyance.

He nearly severed her head before forcing his hand to relax and dropping her on her ass. He ran his fingers through his hair and laughed, his voice carrying over the world from its highest point. "I see, I see. The man that your organization is supposed to surveil but keeps losing track of has gone and taken her from her isolation. And I'm only learning of this now… after it happened. Give me one good reason to keep you alive? Clearly, you're worthless," the Demon Lord spat. 

"We don't... we didn't know," she begged, crawling backwards. "We haven't been able to get a single spy into his organization. Anyone who even gets remotely close just disappears, as if they never existed. The cult around him seems to be unique."

The Demon Lord tilted his head and calmed himself. He felt himself begin to lose control over his shapeshifting ability for the first time in millennia. "You're right, you're right. I cannot blame you," he walked over and put a hand on her shoulder. "Not entirely. But you do understand that this must be fixed."

"Of course, Demon Lord," she wouldn't lift her head and look him in the eyes. But then, what could he expect from drivel like the demons in front of him?

Oh, how he yearned to return from the world from whence he spawned, where demons were powerful enough to snatch the stars and ride the billowing waves of dust in the universe, to conquer worlds far and wide. Instead, he had been forced to bide his time on this world for far too long to prepare this invasion that had failed the first time. And by some miracle, he'd been given a second chance. 

His mind suddenly filled with the alternate timelines memories as a weakened version of his soul attempted to take hold. He shoved the soul back down nibbling at its knowledge, making sure that he would take what rightfully belonged to him. He would have dominion of this world. And with it, all the resources that came from one of the burial grounds of six ancient beasts. In order to reap those benefits, he would have to subsume the world of demons and change its very nature. 

Camden grinned at the idea of doing so and returning with enough power to walk amongst some of the greatest demons in the universe. With it, he would be complete. He let out a breath of hot air.

"Winnifred is of no matter. Even if she has left her island, that curse will make her less than useful against me. Perhaps it may even be a boon. It could cloud her mind enough that I could gain another demon general," he said the last part more to himself than the intelligence officer in front of him. "I need to understand her whereabouts. Perhaps we will launch a group to capture her ourselves."

The demon seemed to gain some composure, no longer trying to press herself against the wall and slowly rising to a kneeling position of subservience that fit her station far better. 

"In other news, your plan has worked. Shiva is now remaining in India and no longer chasing the tails of your operatives elsewhere in the world," the demon reported. 

Camden nodded. Shiva was terrifyingly powerful compared to the others on the planet.

Shiva had almost managed to kill him in another timeline, but only after amassing substantial power. This time, he would not get the chance.

The Demon Lord needed time to train small hosts of demons that were split from his original soul, have them sweep instances, and return to him. Only then could he kill them and reabsorb the strength he had given them in the first place, along with the extra they had accumulated.

This was the true power of a Demon Lord, able to split his soul for growth and have it return to him even stronger. Humans couldn’t hold a candle to demons no matter how hard they tried.

For now, he was actually weakened. His split soul was drastically decreasing his stats. However, from his knowledge of the past war and the modifications he'd made to the first one, the demon invasion should have been well underway.

Yet again, Bran Hero’s name was on the lips of nearly every informant that came to visit him, including the woman still kneeling. She was part of a special team formed of no less than four general-level demons.

They had formed an information network providing complete access to all information pertaining to Bran Heoros and those who circulate around him. They were to develop a plan and eradicate him, as well as this organization that has cropped up. It didn’t exist last time, yet another anomaly around Bran. 

Camden grit his teeth just at the thought. From what the information network had gleaned, the man was poised to turn himself into some sort of god, being worshipped by a large number of people and whose religion was apparently spreading like a rash across the land.

To think that rash would even consume the woman that he coveted all those years ago. It was a shame Winnifred rejected his advances and even managed to bear the weight of the curse of infernal lust. Truthfully, it only made Camden want her even more. After all, only the truly exceptional possessions required effort and patience to acquire. Anything that was too easy was simply a commodity.

Her soul would be delicious and he’d make a permanent split in honor of her.

"And the other sects?" Camden asked, turning to the informant. 

"The plans are well underway, Demon Lord," she kept her eyes on the ground. "We have already planted our seeds in a number of them, and the roots are growing stronger by the day." 

Camden's face split into a sinister grin, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction. "Perfect. We have been denied the experience of one hell gate to a potent enemy, but I will still reclaim the army as it should be. Our forces swell beyond my greatest expectation."  Camden's eyes turned to the informant. "You have done well. I hope your next debriefing includes Brian Hero’s death." He paused, and then handed a small trinket over to her. "To the generals that take up the job, this will let them preserve his head from the system. I want to see it mounted.”

The Demon Lord turned to look over the area once more. “If it weren't for more important matters, I would have dealt with him already. Don’t make me intervene personally." The Demon Lord turned, eyeing the woman on her knees and making sure she understood he was still strong. Though, the truth was he would need his soul fragments back to make any big waves. It was too risky for the clans to try and corner him now. He had to be unpredictable until he could whittle them down.

And he was slowly taking down his enemies. He had yet to find the third figure that appeared in the memories of his death, but eventually they would appear and he would take out another possible challenger. 

"And the final question. The shrine of rulers in this world. Has it been found?" He asked.

"No, my lord." She shook her head. "We've taken your description and spread it out amongst the generals and their elites. We continue to search for the shrine, but it eludes us." 

The Demon Lord's eyes grew hard as he gazed once again over the world. Not once did the mention of its location or its image flicker through the memories of the prior Demon Lord. How had he not found it the entire time? The world itself may protect it from other worlders like him, but if he could find it, if he could seal it, then his worry of the third figure would disappear entirely. Then he would have none to challenge him.

The shrine was a way for the world to protect its own inhabitants, a powerful boost to those who completed it. Sadly, those it didn’t recognize would only be destroyed for entering. It must be sealed before anyone dangerous took on a ruler’s mantle.

But even as he had that thought, the image of Bran Heros, back in the world seed, flickered through his mind and he let out a huff, banishing the thought away. Bran wouldn't live long enough to become a ruler.

Camden would see to that. 

"Lord." Another of the demons posing to be a member of the heavenly fist sect ran in at top speed, panting before he nearly slid to a knee. "Lord, we have visitors." 

"Fine. Serve them tea. Let them enjoy the pretty sights of the sect and keep them away from the inner circles." 

The guard shook his head. "They're here to see you. They're here to issue the Heavenly Fist Sect a challenge."