Chapter 26: Crushing Dissent!

The Varkuun Consortium was located in the Western Region of the Demon Kingdom, so that was where Jax headed once he was ready.

When he arrived, he realized that compared to other parts of his Kingdom, this region was wealthy, very wealthy. The roads were all reinforced, trade routs were all clearly defined with caravans moving under armed escort baring a particular Varkuun insignia.

This was clearly a region that had grown wealthy during the war while others were bleeding resources, a parasite in the Demon Kingdom.

Jax arrived in the sky above the largest trade city in the region, and immediately looked down towards the heart of the Varkuun Consortium.

The Headquarters of the Consortium was a massive black compound, surrounded by huge walls inlaid with dense defensive mana formations.

Still, Jax wasn’t fazed, slamming down onto the outer wall with thunderous impact, the stone exploding outward as various guards were hurled through the air like broken dolls.

~RING~RING!~

Various alarms were immediately set off, and various defensive formations activated in a panic as Jax stepped through the collapsing spoke.

“AEGIS!” He muttered, a golden magic barrier surrounding him and blocking the barrage of magic attacks that were hurled through the smoke.

“What a warm welcome,” Jax said sarcastically as he walked through the broken gate as if entering his own home, watching chaos erupt throughout the compound.

“SOMEONE STOP HIM IMMEDIATELY!”

“KILL THAT INTRUDER AND BRING ME HIS HEAD!”

The leaders of the Consortium shouted orders at their private soldiers, who scrambled into their formation, Mages beginning to chant spells while warriors wielded swords and shields.

Jax saw all of this, and simply removed the Helmet from his Demon Emperor Combat Set, allowing everyone to see his face, and they immediately recognized him, especially those sparkling golden eyes.

“D–Demon King, ”

The fearful word of that soldier spread like a curse, and all anyone could hear from that moment on was swords and shields clattering to the ground.

All the guards and soldiers that were charging at Jax froze mid attack, their breath caught in their throats as Jax’s presence washed over them like a suffocating tidal wave.

Jax meanwhile, just stopped in the center of the courtyard, looking around at all the soldiers frozen in fear, and the bodies laying unconscious under debris due to the sheer force of his arrival.

“Who commands this place?” Jax asked in a very calm voice, but no-one answered.

“I asked a question,” Jax said, glaring daggers at all of the soldiers who didn’t respond, causing him to sigh.

The ground beneath his foot cracked as he stepped forward again, pressure slamming outward. Several demons screamed as their legs gave out, forced flat to the stone by invisible weight.

“Last chance,” Jax said mildly.

A trembling horned demon collapsed to his knees and pointed desperately toward the central spire, “T–Top floor… the board… the Varkuun Elders, ”

Jax nodded once.

“Good.”

He gestured with two fingers, and the body of the Demon who responded was lifted into the air, dragged by an unseen force until he was dangling helplessly in front of Jax.

“You,” Jax said, eyes narrowing slightly. “You’re going to guide me.”

The demon sobbed in relief, nodding frantically.

“Yes, yes! Anything! I’ll take you straight to them!”

Jax released the pressure just enough for the demon to breathe. Then he grabbed him by the collar and began walking, moving through the compound unopposed.

Every demon they passed flattened themselves against walls or dropped to the ground, heads bowed and eyes averted. Those who tried to flee found their legs refusing to respond, frozen by instinct and terror alone.

Inside the central spire, marble floors cracked under Jax’s steps as he looked around, noticing the immense luxury of the environment he had stepped into.

The halls were filled with notably expensive art, the walls were made of the most luxurious of materials as well.

Meanwhile, on the top floor, panic had reached its peak.

The leaders of the Varkuun Consortium, merchants and financiers were in the middle of a frantic evacuation attempt. Teleport circles flared unevenly, destabilized by interference as Jax’s presence warped the air itself.

~BOOM!~

They all turned as the wall behind them suddenly exploded, dust filling the room as Jax stepped through the wreckage, dragging his guide behind him.

The room fell silent. All the scrambling immediately coming to a stop as several demons immediately dropped to their knees. Others backed away with pale faces of fear.

“Demon King…” one of them whispered.

Jax looked around the chamber, particularly at the ones who were previously panicking. They were all wearing expensive robes, body laced with expensive jewelry. Their hands were all clean, no callouses from manual labor or battle.

“These,” he said softly, glancing down at the trembling demon in his grip, “are the leaders?”

The demon nodded weakly.

Jax released him and looked towards the leaders, “Well then, give me 1 reason why I shouldn’t kill you all where you stand,”

The chamber remained deathly silent after Jax’s words fell. For a heartbeat, none of the Varkuun Elders dared to speak.

Then one of them—an elderly demon with polished obsidian horns capped in gold, staggered forward and dropped fully to his knees, forehead slamming against the marble.

“Y–Your Majesty,” he stammered, voice shaking, “p–please understand. Everything we did was for the Demon Kingdom. The war strained supply lines. We merely… adapted.”

Another stepped forward, beads of sweat rolling down his painted cheeks. “Yes! We ensured weapons, food, and materials continued to flow when others failed. Without us, entire fronts would have collapsed!”

A third raised his hands placatingly, “We never opposed you directly, Demon King. We only sought stability. Our private forces were necessary to protect trade. Merit-based armies are… unpredictable.”

Jax listened, his eyes just moving from one speaker for the next, while the pleading Demons mistook his silence for consideration.

“We can offer tribute,” one of them rushed out. “Gold, artifacts, information networks—everything we have. You don’t need to kill us. We’re useful.”

“Yes! Useful!” another echoed desperately, “Money moves armies, not ideals!”

Jax exhaled slowly through his nose.

“That,” he said quietly, “is exactly the problem.”

The temperature in the room dropped.

“You adapted,” Jax continued, “Which is fair, but where was all this money helping the Demon Kingdom fight back against the Heroes. All I see is you all stockpiling wealth while Cities burned and your fellow men and women suffered,”

He took a single step forward, the floor cracking beneath his boot.

“You didn’t protect the Demon Kingdom,” he said, “You fed on it, like a parasite, and now you want to throw money at me to convince me,”

Jax’s eyes hardened as he continued, “I am not a King bought by coin.”

One of the Elders screamed as pressure suddenly crushed him to the floor, bones snapping audibly as his body flattened into the marble like wet clay.

The rest barely had time to react as Jax moved, a flick of his wrist sent one Elder slamming through a pillar, his body bursting apart in a spray of blood and shattered jewelry.

Another tried to activate a hidden artifact, but Jax’s gaze alone detonated it inside the demon’s chest, blowing him apart from within.

“Please!”

A hand closed around the throat of the gold-horned Elder who had spoken first. Jax lifted him effortlessly off the ground.

“You mistook survival for worth,” Jax said softly.

His fingers tightened and the Demon’s neck snapped, before he was dropped to the ground like a piece of garbage. Within seconds, rivers of blood ran through the room as broken bodies lay twisted among ruined teleport circles and shattered treasures.

Only one demon remained standing.

The horned guide.

He was frozen in place, trembling so violently he could barely remain upright, eyes locked on the carnage in absolute terror.

Jax turned to him.

“Round up every subordinate,” Jax ordered calmly. “Do it quickly,”

The demon swallowed hard and nodded frantically, “Y, Yes! Yes, my King! Immediately!”

“Bring them to the central plaza,” Jax continued, “No exceptions.”

The demon bolted, nearly tripping over his own feet as he fled.

Minutes later, the compound’s remaining personnel, thousands of demons, were herded into the massive courtyard. They knelt instinctively as Jax appeared before them, blood staining his boots, cape fluttering behind him.

Fear radiated from them in waves.

Jax looked over them slowly.

“Look at me,” he commanded.

Heads lifted as they all looked at him, still with fear in their eyes.

“I am your King,” Jax said, his voice carrying effortlessly over the courtyard, “Not gold and not influence, me. Those who ruled you before are dead.”

A collective shudder rippled through the crowd.

“They taught you that wealth was power,” Jax continued. “That survival belonged to the clever and the greedy. That demons must claw over one another to live.”

He raised a hand.

“That ends now.”

Silence reigned.

“I will lead this Kingdom to a future where strength is earned,” Jax said. “Where loyalty matters more than bloodlines. Where effort and merit decide your worth, not how much money you hoard.”

“If you serve,” Jax said evenly, “you will be rewarded. If you work, you will rise. If you betray the Kingdom, well then you all see what happened to your previous leaders,”

“For now, you will manage these properties,” Jax continued, “Operations will continue as usual until my subordinates arrive and take over everything here. Then, you all will be evaluated, and given work based on what you specialize in,”

No one dared speak as Jax finished speaking, vanishing without another word, and leaving behind another legend in his wake.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep