The King of Fairies is now a Demon Lord

Chapter 191: The Maggot of Ethereus

Once upon a time, long ago. The All-Emperor, Mahir El Navah had created six magical maggots. Unlike the grotesque creatures in human society and inferior worlds, maggots were a divine species handcrafted by the absolute nirvana.

These six maggots had very important roles and special powers.

The maggots being, The Maggot of Reincarnation- possessing the power to the cycle of life and death, tied to the concept of karma.

The Maggot of Chronosight- possessing the power to manipulate time and perceive events that have occurred in the past or glimpse into the future in an omniscient manner.

The Maggot of Astraforge- possessing the power to energy, being able to manipulate all of them except Null Energy and forge it to weapons, bodies, or arts.

The Maggot of Eclipsarum- possessing the power to manipulate shadows and create eclipses at will. It is said that it can plunge the entire omniverse into temporary darkness.

The Maggot of Animataur- possessing the power to bring inanimate objects to life and last but definitely the least, The Maggot of Ethereus- possessing the power to transcend every realm and travel them.

Johgrub- The Undying Maggot Bard and one of the Six Maggot Lords is the last of the Orignal Maggots. The weakest of them all yet the most dangerous one. The Maggot of Ethereus.

He is known for three things across worlds, dimensions, and universes.

One is his remarkable abilities is asexual procreation, where he can bring together various elements to form a living body made entirely of maggots. Even the body he possesses is made up of his own children.

His offsprings can be discovered in nearly every universe, forming a sort of partial hive mind. This phenomenon is especially prevalent in less advanced worlds and inferior worlds, primarily those dominated by humans.

The second being his deep passion for poetry and singing, though his affinity leans more toward the former. It's an exceedingly rare occurrence to hear Jogrub speak in a conventional manner.

Those fortunate enough to encounter him and survive often recount his unique form of communication through poetic verses, rather than regular conversation.

The third being his occupation as a Bounty Hunter, assassin, and a mercenary. Johgrub could be said to have created the term bounty hunter due to being one of the senior beings to exist and taking a commission to kill random beings. It's widely known much he enjoys a challenge and a good chase due to being eternally bored like many higher beings without proper responsibilities or purpose.

Johgrub's laughter echoed loudly, driven mostly by the wriggling maggots that comprised his tongue, but it was laughter nonetheless. A faint, eerie smile crept onto his face as he observed the shocked Nemodory.

His gaze fixated on his trembling lips as they curled, and he whispered in a poetic and unsettling manner,

"What shadows await, now that your path is through?~~"

An urge to roll his eyes came over Nemodory but he couldn't since his eyes were fish eyes, they stayed in place, unblinking. He kept screaming in his head, weeping as his expression continuously changed from horror to sadness and fear then back to horror.

'I have been bamboozled!'

Johgrub's smile grew, thoroughly amused by Nemodory's reactions. The constant flux of expressions on the man's face entertained him immensely.

The Maggot Lord pondered if even a person suddenly denied during a consensual encounter could match the Cloudfish King's rapid shifts in reactions.

His lips smacked together, and the unceasing maggot's tongue slithered through, moistly licking them as he spoke.

"~Nemodory, we've met in days of yore~

~however not in the game of hare and tortoise, that's for sure~

~but now I ask, in my creation's lore~

~Who are you within it, I implore?~"

Nemodory fixed a steadfast stare upon Johgrub. His expression remained utterly serious and stoic. He was well aware of the Undying Maggot Bard's infamous game known as 'Bitch, are you the Hare or the Tortoise?'

It's a game of tag, where one person takes on the role of the tortoise, and the other assumes the guise of the hare. Both participants are kept in the dark about who is hunting whom. The hare might be pursuing the tortoise, oblivious to the fact that it's all part of the tortoise's cunning plan, while the tortoise, in turn, hunts the hare without the latter's knowledge.

Nemodory was well aware that there was no real answer to it. The question was purely rhetorical, a way for a hunter to gauge their prey. It consisted of menacing inquiries and the elusive answers that accompanied them.

In a soft but confident voice, Nemodory spoke not looking at his attendant.

"Jalear, it's time to unleash our top-secret super move."

Jalear cast a glance at his boss, his expression a mix of suspicion and confusion. He hesitated but asked incredulously.

"We have one?"

Nemodory finally turned to look at Jalear, breaking his eye contact with the formidable senior being, the Maggot Lord, who had existed since the prime days of the All-Emperor.

"We do, Jalear. Didn't you know? All my followers are aware of it,"

Jalear muttered under his breath, a stream of curses escaping as he allowed his deepest insecurity to surface.

"I knew it," he grumbled, "His Grace was always playing favorites. Is it because I don't have a mouth? He and the others always fucking offer me food despite knowing this."

Nemodory's fish eyes twitched upon hearing Jalear's mutterings, but he maintained his warm smile and confident expression.

"....It should be obvious," he responded calmly, "Farewell, Jalear. You've been an excellent servant. Always helped me save on my food expenses."

Jalear blinked for a moment, his expression initially one of confusion. But in the next millisecond, that confusion morphed into absolute shock and disbelief. Nemodory's body shot through the air at a speed comparable to, if not faster than, light.

Jalear screamed in his mind, absolutely horrified.

'WHAT THE FUCCKKKKKK????!'

The Cloudfish King's body had inflated, resembling a balloon, and it seemed as though he had transformed into a balloon cloud. He melded with the air and sliced through space like a supersonic rocket.

Jalear was aghast. It dawned on him that Nemodory had invoked the highest level of his HotAirBaloonSutra technique to nigerundayo. Panic welled up within him as he quickly brainstormed.

'D-did he just leave me here to die??? As a distraction to buy him more time for an escape?!?!'

A voice boomed, causing Jalear to break out of his thoughts.

"Kekekekeke~ Hilarious so very much~"

Jalear gulped his saliva, not daring to turn around for he could feel the gaze of the Johgrub, piercing into his back.

However, the words that followed from the maggoty mouth of the Maggot Lord shocked Jalear to his very core. He remained motionless, scarcely able to believe his ears as he heard Johgrub speak.

"Your name is Jalear? Would you prefer to serve me instead of the Fish King, or shall you meet your fate as prey for my children?"

Jalear remained paralyzed by fear, a feeble croak escaping his trembling lips as he whimpered and stammered, his voice barely audible.

"S-serve you... b-but w-why me?"

Johgrub's smile twisted, extending to where his eyes should have been. It was an utterly deranged grin, reminiscent of a death knell tolling in the darkest depths of hell.

The Maggot Lord let out a soft, eerie whistle, the haunting tune lingering in the air as he whispered with a profound air,

"~Betrayal's kiss, a heart turned blue~

~In darkness dwells, where once was true~"

His vermillion eyes pierced through the surrounding darkness, their glow intensifying with each passing moment. Slowly, he extended his long, bony fingers toward Jalear's face. A few maggots oozed from his nails and burrowed into the four-faced monster.

Soon, the maggots began to procreate, and a single artificial mouth connected all four faces of Jalear. The poor creature screamed in unimaginable agony.

"AAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"

Johgrub's creepy smile persisted as he observed Jalear, who was both astounded and writhing in pain. The servant despite the pain, beggarishly tasted the air like a dog, his new artificial maggot mouth intricately linked to his neural pathways.

Johgrub whispered, his eyes gleaming with a thrill that danced like shadows. He spread his arms wide, embracing the euphoric sensations coursing through him.

"Why, you ask?" he chuckled darkly. "Heh. Obviously, to make the hunt more interesting."

~

[Image in para comment n comments to signify this conclusion arc]