Hero Scout 104 Chapter 32 - Green Demons = Best Demons

Turns out Demons were a lot like football fans.

Each side was made of about the same players, and yet they supported their own team with an astounding fervour.

As Kenji's Green Boy's (as the Green Overlord had officially named them) smashed the skulls of the last Purple Harlots, their Succubus leader lay open. She was stomped beneath the feet of the Green Boy's, while her own powers were disrupted by well-timed arrows and spells.

Once defeated her Purple Token etched with a loveheard emerged, and Green Boys errupted from the prison cells she had controlled. Each was now scrawled in tattoos, and now seemed to move and react with much greater speed.

"This is...depressingly easy," Kenji muttered, his memories as this Impish Overlord rather jumbled. He knew his spells, he knew of the floor and he knew what quests were possible for adventurers to ask of him. Everthing else ceased to exist, as if Kenji coudln't reach them.

What had this Overlord spent its life doing? What were it's likes and dislikes?

Nothing.

What quests would force Kenji to act?

Being offered the token of another Overlord. Doing so would give Kenji more power, but also require he fight them when all four tokens were provided to him. After being defeated the 'Great Spirit' would reclaim the floor, reward the adventurers, and then let the floor fall back into demonic control after a set time.

Madness, this place felt truly like a video game. A construct. But who had made it?

The orange overlord Lord of Flies sent his own Orange GraveRobbers in a steady swarm. They looked much like the average demon brawler of this level save for the thousands of flies each held and released upon death to inflict a host of de-buffs on their enemy.

Yet Fire proved their undoing, [h.e.l.lfire Web]s even more so, as the exploding enemy were immediately bound in flame that scoured the flies from the air. From there on they could take down the enemy boss with Kenji's own [Green Flames], a rather uncreatively named ability of this body.

Taking the Orange token etched with a fly, Kenji added it to his body and felt his troops grow in number. From the prison cells the Orange Overlord had controlled lumbered green demons with freshly broken chains, and now with swords of spurting green flame.

The Blue Overlord was a lich with the powers of ice. Its creatures were covered in frost that would explode with sharp-pointed ice spears at the slightest touch. Kenji didn't even send in the demons for this one, and just allowed the wizards to throw a few wind blades into the mix. Several Blue Freezers spurted ice spears simultaneously, the spears locking them together and making them easy pickings for targeted arrow fire.

Arriving before the Blue Overlord unharmed, Kenji unleashed the tide of Green Boys to weather the Overlord's blasts of ice to overwhelm him with sheer numbers. When the time drew on, Kenji added his own [Green Fire] to the mix and blasted apart his defensive [Icewall]s so that his minions could claim the Lich beyond.

Picking up the Blue Token etched with a skull, Kenji's own troops swelled in number while becoming armoured in green fire. En route to the last boss, Kenji made sure to stand in the midst of his adventurers.

"Once we destroy this boss, i'll revert back to one of my normal forms. At which point the Dungeon should have no way to turn me into the last boss of the quest...and, well I'm hoping it just skips to the reward part," the adventures looked at him concerned, so Kenji added, "If I am still turned into the end boss, then kill me anyway. Just don't use fire, that body is immune."

That and fire had a chance of damaging Kenji in his boss form hiding within the corpse. That kind of magic could prove a permanent wound on his body, and Kenji was very much looking forward to not getting involved with it.

The Red Overlord was froglike with an army worth of weaponry pulled together into a gigantic mound. From said mound erupted his Red Rockers, who pulled free the first weapon they could reach to fling in the general direction of Kenji's forces with surprising power behind their throws. The clash came soon after, and for all the Red Rockers ferocity there was simply far too much strength collected under Kenji by this point.

"Fools, you're just making the Green Overlord stronger!" Croaked the Red as a spear burst his belly, and flaming swords cut him down to size. From the ash Kenji pulled forth the last Token, printed with the image of a frog With all the tokens collected, they fused, and were pulled into Kenji's core.

Kenji promptly smirked and began morphing into the Boy Knight - only to be frozen.

"Oh no, RUN! RUN YOU FOOLS RUN!" Kenji roared, his impish body growing long and lean, his height increasing, a crown of green flame appearing above his head while a golden sceptre appeared in his right hand. Rows of abilities spun into existence in his mind, powers rushed into his body and a compulsive desire to follow a script entered his very soul.

"Thank you for destroying my enemies," cackled Kenji, who very much was still attempting to pull away from the force using him like a puppet. "You are free to die now and add your corpses to my kingdom. Fear not, your end shall come swiftly."

"Kenji? Is this another test?" Ellie said, not having even raised her guard yet.

"Fool, just- FIGHT ELLIE, ALL OF YOU FIGHT FOR YOUR LIVES - j-just die already!" Kenji rose both hands and unleashed [Armagheddon]. Instantly the prison altered, the sky flashed green, the cracks in the walls were filled with an emerald light, and the demons were driven into a frenzy.

In Kenji's right hand appeared a green crystal, a [Soul Anchor] that would bind their souls to him. Collect enough souls, and Kenji would evolve to a boss of epic proportions. Kenji dropped the [Soul Anchor] and stared at his rebellious hand.

"What is happening?" Kenji muttered, as adventurers were butchered.

"Stop this, HALT EVERY DEMON KILL YOURSELF!" Kenji roared, a dozen demonic blades piercing their own necks.

"Keep fighting worms! Destroy the invaders and bring me their souls!" Kenji corrected, snarling, holding his head high, arms pulled apart by separate wills.

"[Soul Reactor]!" One voice roared, the captured adventurer souls being pulled into the [Soul Anchor].

"[Obliterate]!" The other screamed, and smashed the black sceptre into his own head.

And all became darkness.

In that darkness, Kenji felt limp. His own body, his real body, feeling a great burning.

[Obliterate] had been powerful enough to destroy his enhanced head...

...too powerful, as Kenji felt grey goo splatter-free from a web of wounds.

The Awakened Green Overlord body vanished around him, a chest appearing, the demons quickly restrained by Spirit Warriors that rushed off the path.

"The Prison has been retaken, fear not, we have arrived-"

Sound drowned out, as Kenji lay down. To his side lay the horns of Ram,s her eyes staring sightlessly into the ceiling. To his right was one of the Bloodhorn, convulsing as a fiery demon blade lay stuck into his gut. His also gasp haunted Kenji to the core.

Between them, Kenji became cold...so very cold...

The sky became blurred, hazy, faint.

The colours all merged to white.

And then faded to black.