In the depths of Pataal Lok…
Chains clanked.
Heavy… metallic… echoing through the dark tunnels like a warning of something far worse to come.
A group of slave demons dragged a man out of the prison.
His hands and feet were bound in thick, enchanted shackles… the kind that didn't just hold the body—
They crushed the soul.
The man looked broken…
Long, tangled hair fell over his face…
A rough, overgrown beard covered his jaw…
His clothes—torn, dirty—like a beggar who had long been forgotten by the world.
He looked around 45… maybe 50.
But his eyes…
His eyes still burned.
They forced him to his knees in front of Takshak.
And Takshak…
Was smiling.
Not a normal smile—
A dark, twisted one.
The kind that promised pain.
Takshak slowly stepped forward, looking down at the man like a predator who had already won.
"Welcome… welcome, messenger sent by the gods," he said, his voice dripping with mockery.
"If it wasn't for you… we demons might never have become this powerful."
He laughed. Loud. Echoing.
"Look at you… how unfortunate. A human sent with divine powers… for some unknown purpose. But your bad luck… became our good fortune."
He leaned closer.
"You stepped into our territory… and we saw the power inside you. That's why you became our prisoner… the moment you arrived."
The chained man slowly lifted his head.
His eyes locked onto Takshak's.
Burning. Furious.
"Demon King…" he said coldly,
"You're lucky. Very lucky."
His voice grew sharper.
"Seven years ago… when I returned to the mortal world after death… I didn't know about the powers the gods had given me."
A dangerous pause.
"But I swear… if I had known…"
His chains rattled as his fists tightened.
"Neither you… nor your demons… would be standing here today."
The air turned heavy.
Takshak's smile vanished.
In an instant—
He grabbed the man's face, gripping it hard.
Painfully.
Then…
That twisted smile returned.
"Foolish human…"
His voice dropped… darker now.
"You don't even realize your true worth."
He leaned closer.
"Because of you… we discovered that the ancient prophecy is about to come true."
His eyes gleamed.
"And this time… we will prove that prophecy wrong."
He released the man's face with a shove.
"When you know a prophecy is coming… when you know your enemy is still weak…"
He spread his arms wide.
"You strike first."
"You humans have a saying, don't you?"
A cruel smirk.
"Strike the iron while it's hot."
His voice rose.
"And that's exactly what we will do."
"I have already begun awakening the most dangerous demons… the highest class… beings powerful enough to destroy the entire Earth on their own."
The fire in the ritual pit behind him flared violently, as if reacting to his words.
"Very soon… they will rise. They will walk the surface again."
His eyes burned with madness.
"And then…"
"You will witness the most terrifying war in history."
"A war where humans… demigods… and every allied race…"
His voice turned into a roar—
"WILL TURN TO ASH!"
He suddenly stopped… then laughed.
"Oh… my mistake."
He looked down at the chained man with cruel amusement.
"You won't live to see it."
"I need your powers."
He pointed toward the blazing ritual fire.
"And for that… I need your sacrifice."
"Your powers may be useless to me…"
He glanced sideways at Mahishasur.
"But my dear minister… Mahishasur… has taken quite an interest in them."
A sinister smile spread across his face.
"And I intend to reward him… by gifting him your divine abilities."
He stepped back.
"So, human… even if you were useless to the gods…"
His voice echoed like thunder.
"At least you'll be useful to us demons."
He laughed again.
Louder. Darker.
"Jump into the fire yourself… spare yourself the pain."
His eyes glowed.
"I'll personally trap your soul… and present it to my minister."
"And then…"
His arms spread wide again.
"This world… will belong to demons."
A pause.
"And above all demons…"
His voice dropped into a whisper of absolute power—
"I will rule."
"That… is my great plan."
The cave erupted in laughter.
Mahishasur… and every demon present… laughed like madness had taken over them.
But the chained man…
Didn't laugh.
He went quiet.
Thinking.
His lips moved slowly… whispering to himself—
"Seven years…"
"And now… the time of the giants awakening…"
His eyes narrowed.
"So it's finally time… the sign has come…"
"The winds have changed."
And then…
He smiled.
A calm… dangerous smile.
He looked straight at Takshak.
And spoke.
"Funny…"
His tone was mocking now.
"Look who's talking."
"A Demon King…"
He tilted his head slightly.
"But not even a real demon."
A ripple went through the cave.
Some demons stopped laughing.
"You're not even of demon blood…" he continued.
"Then what are you?"
A pause.
"Oh right… from Nag Lok."
He smirked.
"The same Nag Lok that threw you out."
Takshak's expression changed.
Just slightly.
But enough.
"And then…"
"You came here… to the demon world…"
"To 'lead' them?"
He chuckled under his breath.
"What a joke."
"A rejected serpent… ruling demons?"
He shook his head slowly.
"That doesn't sound like power…"
"That sounds like desperation."
His voice sharpened like a blade.
"Have the demons fallen so low… that they need someone like you to rule them?"
"A snake… who couldn't stand with his own kind…"
"Who ran from every battle…"
"And now hides behind demons?"
He leaned forward slightly despite the chains.
"Tell me, Takshak…"
His eyes locked onto his—
"If you couldn't stand with your own… how will you stand with them?"
A deadly silence filled the cave.
Even the fire seemed to quiet down.
"Or…"
The man smiled again.
"Is your 'great plan'… hiding something else?"
"I wonder…"
He looked around at the demons.
"Can you really trust him?"
The tension snapped.
Takshak's rage exploded.
His eyes burned like fire.
His fists clenched so tightly that even the air around him trembled.
His anger…
Had reached its limit.