Imp to Demon King: A Journey of Conquest

Thor's eyes swept over Adam's battered form with the dismissive confidence of a god who had never known defeat. Lightning scars traced jagged paths across Adam's pale skin, and blood—some his own, some divine ichor from fallen Olympians—painted his face in crimson streaks. The Draconian Emperor's breathing was still labored from his battle atop Mount Olympus, his dual blades flickering with unstable energy.

"Another pretender to a divine throne you weren't born to sit on," Thor sneered, his grip tightening on Mjolnir's leather-wrapped handle. The hammer thrummed with barely contained power, lightning dancing between its runic engravings. "You reek of Zeus's death, little dragon. Did you think slaying one thunder god would prepare you for the true master of storms?"

Adam said nothing. His chaotic essence swirled within him like a hurricane of dark matter, and the three divine authorities he had claimed sang in harmony with his fury. The Helm of Darkness pulsed on his brow—a crown of shadow that drank in the light around him.

"I'll make this quick," Thor declared, raising Mjolnir above his head. "Mjolnir hungers for—"

Adam vanished.

Thor's hammer crashed down with the force of a falling mountain, pulverising the tree's inner wall and sending splinters of ancient wood flying in all directions. But his target was no longer there. The thunder god's eyes darted left and right, his divine senses straining to locate his opponent.

"Coward's magic," Thor growled, spinning in a slow circle. "Show yourself!"

The answer came from directly above. Adam appeared in mid-air, his chaotic plasma that burned cold and hot simultaneously surging from his hand into twin blades. His first strike aimed for Thor's skull, but the thunder god's reflexes were lightning-fast. Mjolnir swept upward in a defensive arc, catching Adam's descending blade with a clang that shattered windows throughout the fairy city.

The impact sent shockwaves through both combatants. Adam was launched backwards, his invisibility flickering as he struggled to maintain the spell under the hammer's divine disruption. Thor staggered, his eyes widening as he realised his opponent's strength was far beyond what he had expected.

"Impossible," Thor breathed, then roared as he swung Mjolnir in a horizontal arc. "You're nothing but a mortal with stolen power. You can't match my strength!"

Adam twisted in mid-air, his body becoming incorporeal just as the hammer passed through the space where his torso had been. He solidified an instant later, his left blade slashing toward Thor's exposed ribs. The thunder god threw himself backwards, but not quickly enough—chaotic plasma seared through his leather armor, leaving a smoking gash across his chest.

Thor's blood was the color of molten gold, and it hissed as it hit the ground. The god of thunder looked down at his wound in shock, then back at Adam with newfound respect and rage.

"You drew first blood," Thor admitted, his voice a rumble of distant thunder. "But Mjolnir will draw the last."

He hurled his hammer with the force of a thunderbolt. The weapon spun through the air, trailing lightning that split the very atmosphere. Adam didn't try to dodge—instead, he created seven perfect illusions of himself, each one appearing solid and real. The duplicates scattered in different directions, making it impossible for Thor to track which was the true target.

Mjolnir struck the nearest replica, and both vanished in a burst of dissolving energy. But six Adams remained, and they converged on Thor from all angles. The thunder god's eyes darted between them, his divine senses unable to penetrate the chaotic nature of the illusions.

"Clever," Thor snarled, extending his hand. Mjolnir flew back to his grip, but the brief moment of vulnerability was all Adam needed.

The real Adam blinked behind Thor, his blades already in motion. The first strike carved through the god's back, tracing a line of fire across his back. Thor spun with a roar, his hammer sweeping in a wide arc that would have crushed Adam to a pulp—but struck only empty air as the Draconian Emperor flickered back into invisibility.

"Face me like a warrior!" Thor bellowed, his voice shaking the wounded tree. Lightning erupted from his body in all directions, a storm of divine energy that should have revealed any hidden enemies. But Adam's new authority made him immune to such detection. Zeus's power flowed through him, granting him dominion over the very lightning that sought to expose him.

Instead of being revealed, Adam absorbed the electrical discharge, his chaotic essence converting it into raw power. He appeared to Thor's left, his blades already mid-swing. The thunder god barely managed to interpose Mjolnir between himself and the attack, but the force still sent him skidding backward.

"My turn," Adam said quietly.

He raised his right hand, and chaotic plasma erupted from his palm in a concentrated beam. Thor tried to deflect it with Mjolnir, but the beam split into three separate streams that curved around the hammer like serpents. Two struck Thor's shoulders, spinning him around, while the third slammed into his chest and sent him crashing into the tree's wall.

The ancient wood groaned under the impact, and Thor's golden blood splattered across the bark. But the god of thunder was far from finished. He pushed himself to his feet, his eyes now blazing with white-hot fury.

"Enough games!" Thor roared, raising Mjolnir above his head. The hammer began to glow with an inner light that hurt to look at directly. "I call upon the storms of Asgard! I summon the lightning of the nine realms! Thunder and storm, come to your master!"

The sky above the fairy realm split open, and a column of pure lightning descended from the heavens. It struck Mjolnir and flowed through Thor's body, transforming him into a living conduit of divine electricity. His muscles bulged with power, his beard crackled with energy, and his eyes became twin stars of blazing light.

But Adam only smiled. "Lightning?" he said, his voice carrying the authority of Zeus himself. "You're trying to use lightning against me?"