I took to the sky and screamed through the sky like an airstrike. My wings were tucked tight to my back, increasing my speed further.

  The operator of the fireballs didn’t notice me at first. They continued to hurl their spells into the fighting below. By the time one of those massive spells turned down to meet me, it was far too late to do anything about it.

  Besides, even the flames I had felt were nothing when I invested everything into magic and health. It felt no different than standing near a bonfire on a cold night; pleasant until you were downwind.

  I punched through the arrow loop window and smashed into the hallway beyond. It was poorly defended, only a few guards were posted in the vicinity. They looked at me with surprised expressions and froze; the aura of fear paralyzed them in place. They were easy meals sent quickly to the void.

  A fireball smashed through the opening I created. The shockwave shoves me forward and make my scales feel like I left them in the oven too long.

  I kept walking as a barrage of heat rained down on my position. Explosion after explosion like I’m a hero in an 80’s action flick.

  “That’s right, I’m Bruce Willis.”

  The hallway ended in a large chamber. I took a single step in and a whip cracked on top of my foot. A metal spike impaled my foot. It snapped back, disappearing into the chamber.

  A demon dressed in all white stood before a throne. Two large black horns jutted out of the robes like two obsidian stalagmites. In each of their hands they held bull whips. Blood dripped from one of them; blood stolen from me.

  “You the one in charge?” I asked.

  I was not dignified with an answer. Instead, the whips lit on fire and struck at me like flaming snakes.

  I danced around the snapping weapons. I wanted to get a feel for their timing. I wanted to feel how badly it hurt to get hit by them. I wanted to be entertained.

  The whips moved in a hypnotic rhythm. The sounds of the weapons slapping against the stone played out a pleasing melody. They started to cross each other’s paths. They wove together to mask which one was which. They struck down in a staggered pattern, forcing me to take uneven evasive maneuvers to avoid being caught by the following strike.

  One whip wrapped around my ankle. Heat poured into the whip and it all ripped away violently. I looked down to see much of the flesh there torn away to leave a leaking mess behind. My exposed nerves burned with white hot pain that made me clench my teeth.

  They passed my test.

  I rushed them at full speed. The reduction in points to my health made my leg roar in pain. It felt like my entire foot was dipped in molten iron. I winced through the agony, relieved that I was able to feel anything.

  They dodged out of the way. A spray of white-hot fire washed over me. Smoke billowed from my scales.

  I pivoted my foot and took off after them with momentum. A ring of burning orbs appeared over the robed figure’s head. They started to rain down on me with the speed of a machine gun. Explosions sent smoke and debris flying all over the room. Burning impacts covered my body, chipping away at my enormous health reserves.

  Then, an orb the size of a watermelon flew at my head. I backhanded it with my left hand, sending it smashing into a nearby wall. A sound like a grenade explosion rattled my ears and left burning residue on the plain stone walls. I understood now why this room had no decoration.

  I slapped away another large explosion while I charged forward. Smoke filled the room, obscuring my target’s location. My senses were overwhelmed by the acrid smells; something that my opponent did not seem bothered by.

  Whips struck out through the smoke, strapping my on the shoulder before slipping away into the darkness. I hunched over and narrowed my eyes. The next attack would not escape so easily.

  Fireballs came instead from every direction. Flashes of light caused brief illumination to fill the room. I could see and shape moving in my periphery and I rushed in the direction.

  There was nothing, just a shadow. I felt a spike dig into my back as punishment for my impatience.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  I flexed my back muscles, keeping the spike buried in my flesh. I felt the demon yank on the whip to recall it back, but the molten weapon was trapped in my back.

  They tried to strike me with the other whip. I turned around and grabbed the burning rope with my left hand. I pulled as hard as I could. The robed demon was flung in my direction, appearing through the smoke. They manage to rip their other whip free and try to strike me in the face while I load up a punch.

  And then I hit them.

  I ducked beneath the whip. It snapped over my head and warmed my back. From my crouched position, I sprang upwards with a heavy uppercut. The full force of my punch collided directly with their chest, breaking numerous bones and sending them flying across the floor.

  A single punch crippled them. I had fought so many bruisers that I forgot how frail some of the mages tended to be. I shrugged, they must have potions or some other way to get back up again. Even if they didn’t it was still a good fight.

  Until they opened their mouth.

  “Spare me,” the demon leader requested with a hissing voice, their arms held out in front of them.

  “No, no. Don’t spoil this for me,” I scolded. “Don’t fuck this up with your sniveling and your whining. Don’t make me lose respect for you at the last moment.”

  “Please.”

  “No, that’s wrong!” I shouted in response. “You have to get back up again. Everything is collapsing around you. But, if you kill me, you can reverse it. So why are you cowering? Get up!”

  “I…I can’t win.”

  I punched them in the head with everything that I had. I wet crunch spread across my knuckles. Web-like cracks spread from the impact site and a large red splotch stained the floor. I reluctantly summoned my mouth to consume them. They almost weren’t worth the stats.

  It was all ruined; my gourmet meal with a cockroach hiding in it. The crunch between my teeth makes me forget about any of the enjoyment I’d had. Now, all that was left was bitterness and dissatisfaction.

  “You should have just stayed quiet.”

  I sat down on the throne and listened to the sounds of battle dying out. The rumbles and booms and shouting were replaced by triumphant cheers. At least someone enjoyed the struggle. At least someone can walk away with some satisfaction. Being here wasn’t going to cut it. I was too big a fish for such a pond. I could feel the shore surrounded me one each side, constricting my growth.

  This would not do.

  “It looks like things were cleaned up well enough here,” Charles commented.

  My generals, if you could even call them that, filed in the room with smiles on their faces and blood staining their clothes.

  “I was…left wanting,” I answered.

  “Not everyone is going to live up to your standards,” Charles replied. “Be glad that things went as well as it did. We could have lost weeks of progress if they were just a little bit more impressive.”

  “I would have preferred that.”

  The table and map from the stronghold appeared in the center of the room. The dot that I selected to bring us here was changed to our symbol. Now, only miniscule clusters of dots remained. If this was what a large dot provided, I had no interest in finding out what the small dots were like.

  Charles looked at me expectantly.

  “Take your temporary control, Charles,” I said with a dismissive wave to Charles. “I am not suited for this slow burn.”

  “Now that we’ve gained hegemony over the region, it’s time to rally the rest of the area under our banner,” Charles announced. “Slaughter them and then recruit them. We need to increase the size of our forces considerable before we can go further north.”

  Charles pointed at a large cluster to our northwest, about five or six times larger than the dot we just attacked. I raised an eyebrow in interest. I wondered how many strong demons were there. If there were any actually worth my time.

  “That is when we will need you to return,” Charles reminded.

  “I don’t intend on abandoning this project,” I reiterated. I would not let Charles choose the narrative around my departure. “There is no room for me to grow watching over all of you. Listen to Charles and you might be worth sparring with.”

  “Are you saying you’ll fight us when you get back?” Herzblatt asked.

  “Sure, I will fight you,” I confirmed. "If you think you have a chance."

  “I look forward to it,” Mutya added.

  I was fortunate that it appeared Herzblatt and Mutya were battle addicts, I’d feel like a complete outsider if they were all schemers like Charles. I dangled the proper bait in front of them to keep them highly motivated. It’d be a relief if they were worth fighting when I got back.

  “Since these are all lower threats, I am going to break you up into squads to manage these quadrants. Herzblatt, split your followers up and assign them to a commander. I will manage things from the center.”

  “I’ll get started right now,” Herzblatt said. “Ishmael’s impatience seems to be rubbing off on me. I too wish to reach even greater heights than this.”

  “How about we have a little competition to see who can conquer their area the faster,” Mutya suggested as the commanders walked out of the room. “I’ll even be generous and take the hardest area.”

  “A kind offer, but the most difficult region will be mine.”

  “At least they’re self-motivated,” Charles commented as the voices faded into the hallway. “And where do you plan on going so that I can contact you?”

  I stood up and wandered over to the map. I tapped on our current position and examined the nearby clusters with great interest.

  “If our plan is to go northwest, then I will go northeast,” I reasoned, pointing at the largest cluster in that direction. “That won’t interfere with the growth of the others, will it?”

  “I doubt it,” Charles answered. “Do you plan on leaving soon?”

  “As soon as we stop talking. Then, you will be in charge until I return. Manage it well.”

  “I will treat it will the same care I gave to my enterprise,” Charles said with a nod. “Be careful that it’s not completely under my control by the time you get back.”

  “I’d almost encourage it,” I said with a chuckle. “I wouldn’t mind devouring all of you.”