MIGHT AS WELL BE OP

As the Second Supreme Monarch sat cross-legged in a lotus position, attuning himself to the unfamiliar sensations of his new body, a faint sound brushed against his heightened senses. His sharp ears twitched instinctively. The air shifted, subtle, but noticeable enough to make his instincts roar awake. His black eyes snapped open, and without hesitation, his entire being entered combat readiness. Muscles tightened, aura stirred faintly within him, and he rose fluidly to his feet, poised and alert.

He didn't know what was approaching, but one thing was certain, he was about to encounter the first resident of this strange and hostile world.

A gentle thud followed by the rustle of branches broke the stillness. Three figures dropped onto the thick bough of a nearby tree. They were demons, their presence was unmistakable, their dark energy swirling with faint malevolence. Each stood casually, looking down at him with calm, predatory eyes, as though assessing prey rather than an opponent.

"Look at what we have here, people. Isn't this a fine catch?" one of them sneered. His voice was deep and unrefined, carrying the arrogance of someone accustomed to easy hunts. He appeared male, lacking horns but bearing sharp nails and a long, twitching tail, typical traits of a lesser demon.

"Indeed," another responded, this one female. Her lips curved into a cruel smile as her crimson eyes glinted with amusement. "With him, we could earn quite a sum. The markets always pay well for strong bodies. Besides, I'm about to break through soon, I need the resources."

"Let's make it quick," the third demon said curtly, his tone cold and efficient. "We should sweep through this forest while we're at it. There might be others like him wandering around."

The Second Supreme Monarch remained silent, studying them with careful calculation. A few hours ago, he could have eradicated this entire group simply by standing near them, his mere presence would have crushed their existence. Now, weakened and stripped of his full strength, he actually had to fight.

'They're armed… and I'm not,' he thought calmly as his eyes traced the weapons hanging from their belts and backs, spear, blades, and small daggers gleaming faintly in the dark light.

He analyzed them swiftly with the ease of a veteran strategist. 'One SS-rank… two S-ranks. My earlier scream must have drawn them here.' His mind processed every variable in seconds, terrain, positions, power levels, just as it had done countless times before during the wars of the Supreme and Demon Monarchs.

"Who are you?" he asked calmly, his voice steady despite his disadvantage. It was a question meant to probe, to gather information. Barging into questions like 'Where am I?' would be foolish and reveal his ignorance too soon.

The first demon tilted his head mockingly. "What's your name?" he asked, responding with a question of his own, his smirk widening.

The Second Supreme Monarch felt the familiar surge of irritation crawl up his spine, but he quickly quelled it. Rage would gain him nothing here. He was no longer a Supreme Monarch, not now, not in this weakened form, and he was in a world he did not understand.

"My name is Arkon," he said at last, fabricating a name he remembered from one of the demon clans he'd once wiped out in battle.

"Arkon, huh?" The demon's grin widened, showing rows of serrated teeth. "Nice to meet you. Now, as a polite demon who dislikes unnecessary bloodshed, I'll give you a choice. You can come with us quietly… or you can lose a few limbs before we drag what's left of you back. Either way, you're coming with us."

The Second Supreme Monarch, now Arkon, eyes narrowed. If it had been another group, he might have complied just to learn more about this world. But from their earlier conversation, it was clear what they were, slave traders. Following them meant being captured, branded, and sold like livestock.

Although the Blue Planet and the Military Alliance he once ruled had long abolished slavery, he had seen it elsewhere, on countless worlds, among countless races. He had seen the despair in the eyes of the enslaved and the cruelty of their masters. The demonic slave system, however, was infamous even among the stars, brutal, merciless, and dehumanizing beyond imagination.

He refused to fall that low.

Without a word, Arkon shifted his stance. Though he was once a master of the sword, that did not mean he lacked knowledge of unarmed combat. His body loosened, breath steadying, as he entered a martial posture that allowed seamless transition between offense and defense.

The female demon moved first, her body blurred as she vanished from the tree, the branch cracking beneath her explosive movement. She appeared before him in a flash, her right leg sweeping forward like a dark scythe aimed straight at his temple, intending to knock him unconscious with one swift strike.

But Arkon was ready. His instincts, sharpened through centuries of combat, flared awake. His body moved on its own, a calm step to the side, an effortless pivot. The demon's kick sliced through empty air, the force whistling past his face.

Before she could recover, Arkon's hand darted forward, too fast for the naked eye. In one fluid motion, he unsheathed the sword hanging from her waist, her own weapon, and with lethal ferocity, slashed horizontally.

The blade sang once.

A thin red-black line appeared across the demon's neck. Her expression froze in disbelief before her head separated from her shoulders, soaring into the crimson-stained sky. It fell moments later, thudding against the ground and rolling to a stop as black blood sprayed violently across the grass.

Her body collapsed lifelessly.

"Next," Arkon said quietly, his tone calm but cold. His black eyes shifted toward the two remaining demons, his grip firm on the stolen blade.

They had come to enslave him, and though they didn't know it, they had just offered themselves as vessels for his wrath. The anger he felt toward Anthony needed an outlet, and these demons would serve as perfect sacrifices.

The two remaining demons didn't flinch at their comrade's death. They were demons, empathy was not in their nature. Death meant nothing; only strength mattered.

"He's formidable," one of them muttered. "For Lele to fall that easily…"

"Take the sky. I'll handle the ground," the other replied.

Without hesitation, the demon lunged forward, his body vanishing in a blur of speed. His spear flashed from his back mid-motion, and before Arkon could take another breath, the sharp tip was already driving toward his skull.

Arkon reacted instantly. He raised the sword, intercepting the strike with the flat of the blade. The clash rang out, a harsh metallic cry that echoed through the trees. Sparks flew.

Above him, the air rippled, heat gathered rapidly. Arkon's head snapped upward just in time to see a second demon floating in the sky, dark flames spiraling around his body, shaping themselves into a massive spear of black fire.

Without a second thought, Arkon twisted his blade, parrying the spear strike to the side and retreating several paces in a fluid blur. The fiery spear crashed into the earth where he had stood.

The ground erupted.

A deafening boom tore through the forest as the impact shook the ground. Rocks split, trees bent under the shockwave, and dust exploded into the air, swallowing everything in a haze of destruction.

Through that rising dust, a dark silhouette emerged, the spear-wielding demon, relentless and calm, charging through the chaos. His spear lunged again, cutting through the smoke like lightning, each thrust meant to end the fight once and for all.

And so, within that desolate, crimson-lit wilderness, the Second Supreme Monarch's life in the Abyss truly began.

On his very first day, stripped of his power and identity, he was already locked in battle against slavers, a grim introduction to the Abyss that would soon learn the name he had chosen for himself.

The Abyss would know Arkon, but not for the reason he assumed.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: I hope I did justice to you all with these chapters. My fingers are hurting me, only gifts can soothe them at this point.