Rise of the Immortal Black Dragon King

Omniscient POV

Kouske spent the next few days showing the girls the ongoing developments in his territory. There were already many infrastructures being built, such as a new library, hospital, school, and large shopping malls.

Kouske was planning to educate the commoners in his territory. They were already deprived of many things, so he wanted to give as much support as he could.

Sona was very interested in learning about the school. The nobles might frown at him for this, but does he care about those old coots? No!

Serafall was interested in the hospital he was building, where many of Akatsuki's medicines would be used, though he planned to make these hospitals only in his territories.

She was also intrigued when she heard Kouske would be selling various products from Akatsuki's website in the large shopping complex at a discount, exclusively for the citizens of his territory.

Since his territory was redeveloping, with many vacant plots and a smaller population, Kouske aimed to attract more citizens using these projects.

Additionally, Kouske expanded the farmlands with fertile soil and cultivated rare or extinct plants of the Underworld, purchasing them from the Shop.

This would boost his territory's reputation and significance. Kouske spent the next few days with the girls, trying to make them all comfortable in his territory while ensuring Serafall got the rest she needed and buttering up the pouting Sona.

One day, while Kouske was having his rare bathing session with Sakuya, she asked him something.

"Kouske-sama, are you sure you don't want me to join your peerage?" Sakuya asked as she wiped Kouske's back, feeling a bit hesitant and unsure of herself.

Since the first time, even though it's rare, Sakuya sometimes helps Kouske in the bath.

Honestly, Kouske would like her to stop wearing swimming suits under the towel like that! It leaves so much to the imagination and gives mixed signals!

It makes Kouske feel quite 'itchy' in places and leaves him wanting 'more' but seeing the rare shying face of Sakuya makes up for all of it.

Kouske and Sakuya normally do this sometimes after everyone's asleep and stay in the bath together for hours, talking about mundane things to bond a bit more. Kouske doesn't mind spending such times like this with her.

"I have already said this before. I don't want to force you to forsake your humanity for me. You can do whatever you want. To be honest, being a devil doesn't benefit you in any way; if anything, it has its own demerits. And we are already connected on a deeper level with the falna, right? So, whatever you wish, I will respect it," Kouske said, turning back and looking into Sakuya's eyes.

For a moment, there was an intense emotion in Sakuya's eyes as she smiled, leaned in, and suddenly kissed Kouske, leaving him stunned.

"Thank you, Kouske-sama," whispered Sakuya before the kiss.

The kiss wasn't lewd or anything. It was a pure sign of affection. After the sudden kiss, Sakuya leaned back and realized what she had done.

Her face became as red as a tomato as she tried to avoid Kouske's eyes.

"I am sorry, Kouske-sama. If I was being rude... I think I will leave now," Sakuya quickly said, stammering a bit in a low voice as she quickly got up and tried to flee the bathroom.

Just as Kouske heard her, his mind caught up with the incident. He quickly stopped Sakuya by pulling her hand and leaning in for a hug.

Sakuya yelped at the sudden pulling and buried her head in shame against Kouske's chest to hide her face, as Kouske wrapped his arms around her body.

"Why are you even apologizing?" asked Kouske.

"It's just I couldn't control myself at that moment and I..." replied Sakuya in a small voice, her face still buried in Kouske's chest.

"You don't have to apologize. If anything, I should apologize, as it should have been me taking the initiative and not forcing you..." said Kouske, while Sakuya just listened closely to his every word.

"Sakuya, I love you. It's already been six years since we first met. And I have liked you for a long time. I mean, no one would be able to not love someone like you, staying by their side. But I need your answer. Do you have the same feelings?" Kouske asked.

Sakuya, still in his arms, could feel something warm in her chest hearing all this as her heart beat faster and she felt a rhythm in both their hearts beating together, slowly in sync.

"I... I..." Sakuya replied in a voice too soft for normal people to hear her. Kouske wanted to hear it from her in a clear tone.

"Sakuya, you have to speak clearly. And if you don't have the same feelings, I will stop immediately. I won't force you, nor do you have to feel obligated to reciprocate my feelings," said Kouske softly.

"NO! I... like... you... too!" said Sakuya meekly, her face burning and her ears turning red.

"Just like? You don't love me?" Kouske teased, feigning sadness, but he was happy nonetheless to hear her confession.

"Lo... ve."

"Hmm? I can't hear you."

"I said I also LOVE you, BAKA!" exclaimed Sakuya as Kouske held her face in both his hands and looked into her eyes directly.

"I love you too," said Kouske as he leaned in to steal her lips.

*
*
*

Before Serafall had come to Kouske's territory, some groups had been snooping around quite a bit. Kouske finally decided to take care of them.

They had a secret hideout in the jungle behind the main Sabnock city. There were around thirty people living in a secret cave. Well, it's not a secret anymore.

"Hey, where's Rivan? It's been so long since he went out," asked one of the spies guarding the cave entrance.

"He is probably taking a shit somewhere," said the other guard with a laugh.

"How long do we have to stay like this? I feel like we have become cavemen! Can't we just enter the city and stay in an inn? There are so many bugs here!" sighed the other guard as he complained.

"Well, we have many wanted criminals with us, and they can't really show their faces in public. Our boss is also among them," replied the guard.

"So we are just staying here as collateral because of our boss, huh? But I think disguising ourselves would have worked too. But after the last guy who easily got caught and killed in the city, they are afraid of using illusion or disguise too much, to not get caught," said the other one, frustrated.

*sigh*

Just as they were engrossed in their conversation, they saw a shadow emerging from the right side of the cave entrance, from afar. It was nighttime, so they couldn't see properly, and the handmade torches weren't helping much.

Seeing the shadow suddenly running towards them, they got alarmed and took position, charging their magic in a fit of panic.

"Stop! Who are you?" yelled one of the guards.

But as the figure got closer, they recognized Rivan, the one they had been talking about earlier. They relaxed momentarily upon seeing him.

However, Rivan had a look of panic on his face, and his left hand was completely melting. He was shouting something, but they couldn't hear anything due to a loud buzzing sound that drowned out all other noises.

Just as they were trying to comprehend what had happened, Rivan emerged from the dense trees into a clear spot and was suddenly engulfed by a swarm of flies.

They could finally see what was making that hideous, ear-piercing sound.

Before they could react, the swarm of flies secreted some kind of liquid, and Rivan's entire body melted instantly, leaving nothing behind.

The guards, more shocked than scared, watched in horror as the swarm of flies began moving towards them.

Rivan was a beginner Middle-Class devil, as were the two guards. Seeing him die so easily made them panic.

In their fit of panic, one of the guards conjured fire and shot it at the swarm of flies. To their surprise, the flies burned and died quite easily, in an uneventful way.

Feeling relieved, they relaxed a bit. But their relief was short-lived as the same buzzing noise surrounded them from all sides.

Amidst the chaos, a few flies from the initial group had survived. As the guards were preparing for the incoming swarm, one of the flies landed on a guard's leg and secreted its fluid, creating a sudden, excruciating hole in the devil's foot.

"Aahh! My leg!" he screamed in agony.

He quickly swatted and killed the fly, gritting his teeth in pain, and refocused his attention on the encroaching swarm.

The realization that these flies could not only melt but also disable them with a single touch intensified the panic.

As they were surrounded by these strange, hideous creatures, both guards frantically fired magic attacks, but it was to no avail.

"Nooo!"

"Please, let me live!"

"Pleeasee! Don't come any clo..."

The swarm overwhelmed them, and their bodies melted away like Rivan's.

The commotion woke up the people inside the cave, who came to check what was happening. Seeing how three Mid-Class devils died so easily, they all panicked.

Most of them were also around Middle-Class devil strength, with only two having the power of a High-Class devil. Everyone was in a state of frenzy, running from place to place, trying to find a way out.

They all, including the High-Class devils, fired magic attacks to kill the flies. Despite the flies having low defense, their sheer numbers were overwhelming.

No matter how many they killed, the flies' numbers didn't seem to decrease. Many started running low on mana and began to panic.

Realizing the dire situation, the leader decided they needed to escape. It was fortunate for the spies that the cave had only one narrow opening, limiting the number of flies that could enter at once, making it easier to aim their magic in one direction.

But the weaker devils were reaching their limits, and the others would soon follow. The leader knew they couldn't hold out much longer and might get cornered, with no place to run.

So he ordered those who could teleport to quickly escape, while the others should break through the cave walls to find an exit.

Everyone followed the orders, and soon, chaos erupted as they fought for their lives. Those who could teleport vanished, while the rest desperately tried to break through the walls.

In the ensuing chaos, the group became separated, each devil fighting frantically to survive.

One group had three devils on the other side of the cave. Seeing that they were not being followed by those flies, they sighed a sign of relief.

"What the fuck were those things?! I almost died to a stupid fly!" yelled one of the devils.

As he was shouting, the other devil noticed that their third companion was eerily silent, staring at a floating orb of bioluminescent foliage.

It seemed to call to him, compelling him to follow. Despite their frantic calls, he remained unresponsive, drawn closer to the orb.

Suddenly, plants wrapped around his entire body. The others panicked by the sudden attack and in an attempt to 'save' him, began casting fire magic at the encroaching plant and the strange orb, disregarding their fellow devil's safety.

Before the flames could reach him, two glowing eyes appeared in the darkness beneath a large tree, sending chills down their spines.

In an instant, their companion turned to stone, shielding the orb. The impact of the magic shattered his petrified body into rocky fragments.

More floating orbs emerged, and the eyes under the tree moved, revealing a reptilian creature covered in moss and lichen, its body camouflaged with scales that blended seamlessly with the jungle.

In a matter of moments, the surviving devils' screams faded into the night, silenced by the strange orbs and the menacing reptilian creature.

Foliage Wisp: A floating orb of bioluminescent foliage, the Foliage Wisp lures creatures deeper into the forest with an enchanting glow. It can manipulate plant life, creating illusions to confuse intruders.

Mossveil Basilisk: A reptilian creature covered in moss and lichen, the Mossveil Basilisk can petrify its prey with a gaze. Its scales blend seamlessly with the forest floor, allowing it to ambush unsuspecting victims.

On another side, the leader had managed to regroup with eight of his members, including the other high-class devil. The rest were mid-class at best.

As the leader was formulating a plan and pondering what those things were, an intense, awful, almost nauseating smell filled the air.

They were immediately alert, scanning for the source, when suddenly, the leader was kicked from behind, and sent flying into the trees.

No one had seen the attacker, nor could anyone react in time. But one thing was certain: something was there.

They felt gusts of wind and heard the sound of something moving at extreme speed. The stench confirmed their suspicions—it smelled like awful poop.

Soon, they were all being kicked and tossed around by the invisible creature. Trembling in fear, they begged for forgiveness, offering any concessions they could think of.

But nothing worked. All they heard was a hideous, eerie laughter echoing from all directions. They knew the creature was toying with them.

Despite having the power to kill them easily, it chose to torture and play with their lives, finding amusement in their misery.

Then it came into view: a giant, monstrous, hideous monkey, unlike anything they had ever seen. The creature's grotesque appearance and the overwhelming stench paralyzed them with fear.

But the strangest and most obviously disgusting feature of the monkey was its two large, jewel-like balls, which it seemed to show off with pride.

They jiggled as the creature danced around, making the sight even more grotesque. The monkey had a terrible stench, likely from the excrement it used to travel so fast.

With a mocking gesture, it flung the foul substance towards the high-class devil, other than the leader.

The devil was soon covered in the vile muck, the intense smell rendering him unconscious. But the poop continued to envelop him, entering his mouth and finally causing his body to burst.

The monkey laughed maniacally, delighting in his slow struggle and false hopes of survival before delivering the fatal blow.

The sight left everyone paralyzed with fear and disgust. As the monkey turned its attention to the remaining devils and smirked as they screamed and ran in all directions.

The monkey allowed them to flee, focusing solely on the leader. It pursued him, torturing him slowly and deliberately.

The leader was repeatedly smashed by the monkey's enormous, glowing balls, the grotesque sight of the creature's smirk and its jewel-like appendages seared into his mind as he died.

His last thought was one of despair and humiliation: what had he done to deserve such a degrading and horrific death at the hands of this lunatic?

The others who fled were also slowly hunted down. Some were lured by succubus-like angels of their dreams, seduced and deceived by their enchanting forms.

These devils, entranced and vulnerable, were slain before they could comprehend the danger or mount any form of retaliation.

The creatures' touch left their entire bodies paralyzed, rendering them unable to defend themselves as they met their gruesome end.

The dreamlike allure of their captors was the last thing they saw, leaving them helpless and unable to escape their fates.

Ballboons: Unique monkeys, sport lanky bodies with dark, ruffled fur and web-like coats covering specific areas. Notably, they feature large, bright-toned hands and feet with dark nails, accompanied by a long, powerful tail. Their distinctiveness lies in the large, shining pair of testicles resembling high-quality jewelry.

- Powers: Possess "Vision"—advanced sensory perception and foresight. Additionally, they can transform into a smaller, lankier form by covering themselves in organic webbing. Noteworthy is their ability to produce Flying Nimbutts, large gaseous feces solid enough for transportation, making them unique in their capabilities.

Phantom Nymph: Ethereal beings with an otherworldly allure, capable of manipulating illusions to deceive and distract their foes. Their touch induces temporary paralysis.

The remaining members of the spy group were slowly but surely hunted down, each meeting a gruesome fate.

Some fell victim to the swarm of flies, others were ensnared by ancient ents resembling creatures, while some succumbed to the deadly poison of vine-like creatures with razor-sharp leaves, moving similar to a serpentine creature.

Some spies met their demise at the hands of innocent-looking plant girls, who appeared angelic and harmless on the roadside, pleading for help.

Despite their demonic nature, the devils couldn't resist feeling empathy and a desire to aid them.

However, as they let their guard down and approached, they were ensnared and devoured whole by these seemingly innocent creatures.

Unbeknownst to the spies, the seemingly innocent plant girls, known as the Tranquility Girls, were actually Kouske's familiars, alongside the Briarback Entling and Vorpal Viper Vine.

Tranquility Girls: They are deceptive plant-type creatures resembling injured innocent girls, luring travelers for protection. They can manipulate and instill guilt in their victims, cursing them when near death. They entice victims with addictive but nutritionally worthless fruits, often near their trees. Upon their protectors' death, they consume corpses as fertilizer through their own tree roots.

Similar hunts occurred in multiple locations outside Sabnock's main city and beyond the territory, targeting spies from different groups.

Some were dispatched by shadow blades, drowning in the darkness of Noctis's shadow, while others were torn apart by razor-sharp hurricanes conjured by Hawk's wind manipulation.

Elemental slimes claimed the lives of others, their strength inexplicably overwhelming the hapless spies. Even in death, they were in disbelief that they lost to the weakest creatures.

With the aid of his familiars, Kouske successfully eliminated all hostile spies from his territory, ensuring its safety from external threats.

[A/N: Did the romantic interaction between Kouske and Sakuya feel weird? Should I have done a time skip before this? Kouske is twelve but looks like a typical teenager with his build and all. He is a devil, you know. Devil hormones develop fast!]

[A/N: How is the chapter? Leave a comment.

Unlock Exclusive Content Early! Join my Patreon for just $2 or $5 to read around 7 or 15 advanced chapters, respectively!

https://[email protected]/Sol_Pendragon

Change @ to a

Leave behind a review!

Discord: https:// discord. gg/BkyvNkxC]