Imp to Demon King: A Journey of Conquest

'I knew Ra would rig the odds into forcing me to summon someone useless or problematic, but this? What kind of man thinks he is better than the Egyptian sun god and expresses it aloud?'

He scratched his forehead, a drop of cold sweat dripping from its side as he bit his lips in worry for a second.

Then, a steely glint flashed in his eyes as he gazed at the man intently, putting up a strong front not to look weak.

"Welcome to my territory. You are the second mythical figure I summoned, and I hope you'll get along with everyone. Could you please introduce yourself?"

"Who doesn't know of me? And no matter who's the first, I'm divine, I'm the strongest, I'm the smartest, for I'm the greatest pharaoh Egypt ever saw throughout history. My military campaigns are etched in legends, and those so-called developed mongrels still gawk at my edifices millennia later. Kneel before me and chant my name! I'm the grand Ozymandias!"

He saw the man's posture shift to one dripping with arrogance as his hands moved in theatrics to emphasise his words. Experience the best from m|v|l|e|mp|y|r

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"Oh!"

His eyes wide, he clapped his hands at the performance, his heart hastening in his chest in genuine admiration for the man's history. After all, if what he said was true, he had the right to be a little arrogant... even if he felt it was too much and that Ozymandias would be hard to work with.

Still, he didn't know of anyone having this name, so he scrutinised the arrogant man to make his stats appear.

Name: Ozymandias

Race: Antique Human (Mythical figure)

Affinity: Sand and Sun

Job: Pharaoh Builder

Class: Monumental Architect

Loyalty: 30

LVL: 1

Exp: 0/20

HP: 30000/30000

Vitality: 3000

Strength: 2500

Agility: 2000

Mana: 100000

Divine energy: 5

"The heck am I seeing?!"

He couldn't help but gawk in shock at the man's stats. Why were they so much higher than Muramasa? Was it because of his military background?

He didn't know but couldn't focus on it, not when Ozymandias' only low stats had such a compelling name.

However, Ozymandias frowned in displeasure at the disrespect, and his voice echoed his anger.

"You dare look at me without kneeling, imp? Do you want me to loop your head off and let it burn under the blazing sun for eternity?"

'Bro! I'm the lord. How can you get angry when I check your stats?!'

With a shaky smile and rolling his eyes, he looked at the man in the eyes as his voice cracked with uncertainty.

"I have to look at you to know what you're best at. I think you're probably one of humanity's best engineers, so I would love to have your expertise in construction. In all honesty, I'm also intrigued by your divine energy and would like to know more about it. Finally, I'm sorry if you felt offended. It wasn't my intention, and I was just too excited by your presence."

"Oh? A job as an engineer? Not a general?"

He noticed Ozymandias' eyes lit up for a second before he answered.

"Yes. Even if you are strong, I need sturdy habitations and facilities more than fighters."

"Mhh."

Ozymandias tucked his finger around his chin in interest, the corner of his lips rising into a subtle smile.

"Let me ask you a question. My cooperation will depend on your answer, so think about it thoroughly. What's the ultimate strength?"

A furrow creased his brows at the sudden question.

'Can't you just help me and see my character like the others? And why a question about strength? I don't know!'

Icy sweat formed on his back as his mind raced to find an answer.

'If I think logically and from my perspective, the ultimate strength should be the horrible weapon humanity developed since they made physical prowess irrelevant. But we're in a realm where magic and strong power exist... Still, to master them, you need knowledge.'

Convinced by his train of thought, he delved deeper to summarise everything in a single word and delivered his answer.

"Intelligence. With it, you can outsmart the strong, build weapons, and gather knowledge."

A smirk split Ozymandias face as he slapped his legs in amusement.

"You're not bad for a lowly creature! I'll work with you, but I want you to make two promises: give me a realm to rule after your conquests and don't oppose my departure to the divine realm later."

He noticed the pharaoh's face turn somber when he mentioned his second condition and shrugged.

"We can go together. I plan to visit these fools and weed a few of them out when I grow strong enough."

"Hahaha! Sure! I've been collecting divine energy for this sole purpose! I'll kill Ra and replace him as the new sun! But let's not speak about these matters for now. Instead, I'll tell you about divine energy because I enjoyed your answer."

Ozymandias crossed his arms over his muscular chest and continued.

"To summarise, it's much more potent than mana and allows me to conjure miraculous phenomena. Unlike the former, you'll need fervent believers to collect it, and it doesn't regenerate on its own. That's why I spent most of my life building statues to glorify myself in the eyes of the people."

Heart drumming in his chest, he listened in intrigue before Muramasa's voice surprised him from behind.

"Your path is different, my lord. As a demon, you'll have to devour and assimilate abyssal beasts like I did in the past. But I believe Tiamat's influence on you might open up another possibility, or perhaps a mix of several methods. Anyway, I came to greet this esteemed guest after feeling his energy."

Ozymandias shrugged, aware of Muramasa's hidden presence and nodding at his loyalty despite his ant-like strength compared to him.

"What he said is true. Many paths to power exist, but I'm tired of speaking with inferior beings."

Stunned by the new knowledge and the man's overbearing demeanor, he watched him leave before a notification resounded in his ears.

[Congratulations! Ozymandias' loyalty increased by thirty points.]