The Second Life of Demon King

Episode 2: The Trap of Betrayal

In the shadows of the night, Auron, Eris, and the other lieutenants moved swiftly, avoiding every light and suspicious sound. Auron's face was tense, his jaw clenched. With a single hand signal, he led them to the darker parts of the kingdom, through silent corridors.

“Make sure no trace is left behind,” Auron whispered sharply, his voice full of determination.

Eris nodded with a thin smile, her hand clutching a secret magic scroll she would use later. “Maximus will never know what hit him,” she thought to herself, channeling her energy into her magic.

Auron and his team reached the supply depot, where Maximus’s weapons and protective magic were neatly stored. The smell of metal and dust filled the dark room. Swiftly, Auron led his men to sabotage every piece of equipment. His eyes gleamed with desire, his hands quick to cast curses on the swords and shields.

“Make sure every weapon fails at the right moment,” he whispered with a voice as sharp as a knife. “I want to see their faces when their swords break on the battlefield.” He smiled coldly, envisioning the chaos that would follow.

Outside, a soldier noticed something strange and approached. Silently, Eris intercepted him, whispering a spell into his ear. The soldier froze, his gaze blank, and Eris smiled in satisfaction. “Foolish man,” she thought. “You’re just a pawn in this game.”

The next day, as Maximus’s troops were training, the weapons began to crack and break. The soldiers stared at their swords in bewilderment, some injured by shards of metal that cut their hands. One soldier whispered, “It’s like… a curse.”

Maximus, hearing of the reports, merely waved his hand dismissively. “This must be the blacksmith’s error. There’s nothing to worry about,” he said with a scornful tone. “Do you think I’m a fool?” he thought to himself. Yet a hint of doubt crept into his heart.

Elsewhere in the kingdom, Eris moved silently. Her hands hovered in the air, casting an invisible spell. She entered the room of one of Maximus’s loyal lieutenants, who slept unaware of the danger approaching. Eris’s face was focused, her eyes cold and gleaming. She whispered the final spell, and within seconds, the lieutenant took his last breath in silence.

As she left the room, Eris whispered softly, “Another one down.” In the hallway, Eris paused, observing the kingdom, which was now beginning to crack under their secret assault. “Soon, Maximus himself will fall,” she thought with hatred.

In his throne room, Maximus stood, staring at the reports scattered across his desk. His fists clenched, his face hardening in anger. “Something’s wrong. This isn’t just coincidence,” he thought, his gaze sharpening. But he dismissed the thought, reminding himself, “I am the Overlord. No one can challenge me.”

“Prepare additional guards in the armory,” he commanded one of his lieutenants. “And investigate what happened to our missing soldier.” Meanwhile, Maximus wrestled with a growing sense of frustration but struggled to convince himself it was only a minor setback.

In the army camp, the soldiers began to murmur. One of them spoke in a worried tone, “Have you heard about the missing lieutenant? They say… something’s lurking within the castle.”

Another soldier nodded, fear evident in his eyes. “Even our weapons are breaking. This… this isn’t normal.”

The traitors among them merely listened with thin smiles, ensuring that the fear continued to spread. “Let them doubt Maximus’s power,” Auron thought from afar, watching the growing chaos.

Maximus stood alone in his quiet room, wrestling with his own thoughts. “This is too much to dismiss as coincidence. But… who would dare oppose me from within?” he wondered, staring at his reflection in the mirror.

A voice in his mind suggested that his own lieutenants might be the traitors. But he quickly pushed the thought aside, a cold smile spreading on his face. “No one is strong enough to betray me and escape the consequences,” he told himself. “Whoever dares will face a fate worse than death.”

In the secret chamber, Auron, Eris, and the other traitors gathered once more. Eris looked at Auron with a triumphant expression, her voice a soft whisper, “Our attack is bearing fruit. Chaos is rampant, and Maximus is losing control.”

Auron nodded, his face serious. “But we’re not done yet,” he said. “Maximus still holds great power. We must continue dismantling his foundation before striking directly.”

“Don’t worry,” Eris replied, “I have another surprise ready to shatter his army’s trust.”

In the quiet night, Maximus stood in his dark throne room, surrounded by shadows. For the first time, his face showed a faint trace of doubt, a hint that he sensed the real threat behind the chaos eroding his kingdom.

His gaze fixed on the large door before him, as if he expected the threat to appear there, face to face. “Come to me, whoever you are,” he whispered with fury, his voice echoing in the empty room. “And I will destroy you with my own hands.”

In the grand hall of the kingdom, lined with dark stone, Maximus stood tall, his gaze sharp, radiating power. A soldier knelt before him, his face filled with fear.

“My lord, there’s a large attack on the border. The enemy seems to be led by a mysterious force,” he reported, voice trembling.

Maximus gave a thin smile, seeming dismissive. “They think they can challenge me?” he thought scornfully. He stepped forward, his eyes shining with unshakeable confidence. “Inform the troops. We will welcome the enemy with destruction,” he said coldly.

Before the battle, Maximus stood before his line of soldiers, who looked weary after a series of sabotage incidents. The soldiers’ eyes showed unease, but Maximus was undeterred. He raised his hand, looking at them with fiery determination.

“Look at me!” he called, his voice echoing. “Is there any force in this world that can conquer us?” He emphasized each word with intensity, his gaze igniting their spirit. “We are the strongest army, and I—Maximus—will show the world that this power is unrivaled!”

Among the soldiers, Auron and Eris stood silently, watching Maximus closely. Auron observed Maximus's expression, a sly smile appearing on his face. “Go on, Maximus,” he thought. “Your arrogance will only hasten your downfall.”

Eris glanced at Auron and whispered softly, “Our plan is in place. Let’s make him show everything he’s got.”

The battlefield was filled with the rumble of soldiers and the explosions of magic. Maximus stood at the front, raising his left hand, which glowed darkly, and in an instant, an explosion of energy shot forward, destroying the enemy line in front of him. Bodies fell, the ground shook. Each step he took shook the field, displaying immense power.

“Is this all you have?” Maximus shouted, his voice booming. “You think this can tire me?” Yet deep inside, he began to feel a strangeness. The enemy’s attack was relentless, coming from all directions like an endless river.

In the midst of the battle, Eris quietly chanted a spell, creating shadow illusions to confuse Maximus’s soldiers. Some soldiers saw enemies that weren’t there and struck at empty air in confusion. Auron slipped among them, whispering instructions to the hidden traitors. “Sabotage their weapons,” he said quickly. “Throw them into chaos.”

In the chaos, Maximus began to feel cornered. He struck down enemies one by one, but more kept coming. He looked at his soldiers, who appeared exhausted and confused. “What’s happening? Why are you all so slow?” he roared angrily.

One of his loyal lieutenants approached, panting. “My lord, something seems amiss. The enemy… they keep appearing out of nowhere.”

Maximus grabbed his shoulder, his eyes blazing with anger. “Nothing is too strong for us! Focus, and keep fighting!”

Inside, he began to grow suspicious. “Could this all… have been planned?” But he quickly dismissed the thought. “No. I am the strongest. They couldn’t possibly defeat me.”

After hours of fighting, Maximus finally subdued the last enemy. He stood in the middle of the battlefield filled with destruction, his breathing heavy. His body felt tired, but he remained standing tall. However, as he looked at the fallen enemy bodies, he noticed something strange—a fallen enemy was smiling before his body disintegrated into ash.

“They weren’t fighting to win…” he thought, a bad omen filling him. “They just wanted to exhaust my strength.”

After the battle, Maximus gathered some of his loyal followers who survived in a large, dim tent. Incense smoke filled the room, adding to the tense atmosphere between them. “Did any of you sense anything unusual?” he asked coldly, his eyes scanning their weary, anxious faces.

One lieutenant dared to speak. “My lord, this felt… different. They didn’t attack like usual. This assault seemed to only tire us.”

Maximus scoffed. “You think someone could challenge me with trickery?” Yet, deep down, a seed of suspicion began to grow within him. “Could they be right? Is there a traitor among us?”

But he pushed the thought away with arrogance. “I’ll prove to them that no one dares betray me.”

In the shadows of the camp, Auron and Eris regrouped. Eris grinned with satisfaction. “He used a lot of his power. His energy is nearly drained,” she said with a pleased tone.

Auron patted her shoulder lightly. “Our next move is ready. We’ll keep pressing him until there’s nothing left of him.”

In the dead of night, Maximus returned to his grand yet silent castle. He stood in his dark throne room, the only light coming from small flickering candles. His eyes scanned the room, a hint of doubt on his face.

“Something’s wrong,” he thought to himself. “This threat… is closer than I thought.”

On his face, usually brimming with confidence, there now lay a shadow of fear.

Maximus began to realize that the threat wasn’t just from outside but perhaps among those he trusted most. And within, for the first time, he felt a genuine, growing dread.

In a grand room filled with shadows, Maximus stared at the kingdom’s map with a sharp gaze. The torchlight highlighted his stern face, yet there was a faint wrinkle on his brow. His heart raced, sensing something lurking behind the recent battle he had won.

"I won’t be careless again," he muttered to himself, his voice low yet full of resolve. "Strengthen the surveillance, increase security across all territories," he commanded his loyal followers, his voice echoing in the empty room.

Unbeknownst to Maximus, in a dark, hidden place, Auron and Eris were planning a major betrayal.

In a shadow-filled cave, Auron looked at the faces of the traitors with a cold smile. “We have the perfect plan to rid ourselves of Maximus,” he said, his voice as sharp as a knife. Eris stood beside him, her face filled with a mysterious calm.

She raised her hand, creating a dark fog illusion that spiraled around her. “With this, Maximus will be trapped in our world of deception. He’ll see enemies everywhere, but none of them will be real.” Eris laughed softly, her shadow merging with the fog.

“All this time, he’s believed in his power. Now it’s time we make him feel how weak he truly is,” Eris thought with satisfaction.

When news of a massive attack arrived, Maximus hurried to the location, his steps firm and full of confidence. However, upon arrival, he was met by a dark forest filled with thick fog and a bone-chilling cold.

"Where are they?" he muttered, his red eyes gleaming through the mist. Yet, no one appeared except for faint shadows moving at the edge of his vision.

Suddenly, from within the fog, enemy soldiers appeared, ready to strike. Maximus stomped, creating a wave of energy that instantly destroyed them. But when the smoke cleared, the figures reappeared, smiling mockingly before vanishing again like mist.

“What’s happening?!” Maximus roared, his anger flaring. He began to realize that every time he attacked, these enemies only reappeared somewhere else. “This… this isn’t an ordinary attack. Are they just trying to drain my power?” he wondered, a bit wary, though he pushed away his fear.

Maximus unleashed great energy, blasting his power at the mocking shadows. But each strike only made his body more tired, while the enemies continued to appear like undefeatable phantoms.

“Come out from hiding, cowards!” he shouted, his face filled with anger and frustration. But the enemies only laughed, disappearing as quickly as they appeared. Inside, Maximus began to feel a new fear. “No… I’m trapped? No one can trap me.”

Eris smiled from afar, watching in satisfaction through her magical illusion. “The stronger he is, the deeper he becomes trapped,” she whispered to Auron. “And look at him, losing control more and more. The invincible Maximus turns out to be just an ordinary human who can’t think clearly when cornered.”

Maximus felt his body start to weaken. Every attack only ended with the fog once again surrounding him. “Is this my fate? Have I been too confident in my power?” he thought, his red eyes now filled with unease.

In his ears, whispers began to emerge, illusions created by Eris. "They’ve all betrayed you… there’s no one you can trust… your power isn’t enough to save you…”

“No!” Maximus shook his head forcefully, trying to dismiss the whispers. "I am the strongest. No one can challenge me!" But deep down, for the first time, he began to doubt his own words.

Within the usually well-guarded castle, Auron and several traitors moved swiftly. They infiltrated the throne room, taking control of key positions and subduing the remaining soldiers.

“All this power, and look how careless he’s been,” Auron said with a tone full of triumph, observing the throne room now filled with their loyal followers. “Now, this kingdom is ours.”

Eris stood beside him, pride in her eyes. "Maximus didn’t even realize he’s been defeated by those closest to him. He was too arrogant to see his own weakness."

In the midst of the fog, Maximus shouted in anger, his voice echoing without direction. He attacked with massive power, but his strikes only worsened the trap that held him.

“Stop hiding! Face me with honor!” he roared, his voice trembling with a mix of anger and despair. But the fog only answered with silence and whispers that continued to mock him.

“Why… why can’t I destroy them?” he thought, his face showing desperation. “Is this truly the end for me?”

In the distance, Auron and Eris stood, watching Maximus locked in their trap. Smiles of victory shone on their faces.

“Eris, this is the beginning of his end. And we will keep pressing until he’s completely broken,” Auron said, his voice cold yet filled with long-held hatred.

Eris nodded while strengthening her magical trap. “There’s no one who can save him now,” she whispered with satisfaction. “He will keep fighting illusions until, finally… he tires and surrenders to his fear.”

Maximus knelt in the thick fog, his breath heavy and desperate. His hands gripped the cold, frozen ground, his body trembling from exhaustion and unbearable anger. For the first time, he felt truly defeated.

The illusionary voices continued to whisper in his ears, taunting his power that was no longer enough to face an enemy craftier than him. He clenched his teeth, trying to resist the fear that was starting to grip his heart.

“This… isn’t… over…” he muttered with the last bit of strength he had, though deep inside, he

knew his power alone wasn’t enough to escape this trap.