Is this really a Game?!

The demon leaders, including Alszenom, were buried beneath the rubble of their once-mighty stronghold. The shockwave caused by the artifact's destructive power had decimated the inner chambers and left no survivors. The remaining demon forces, witnessing the devastation, were thrown into disarray, and their leadership shattered.

Reign, Basred, and the rest of their group wasted no time capitalizing on the chaos. They swiftly advanced through the stronghold's outer areas, subduing any remaining demon resistance. With the Tier V beings leading the charge, the demon guards stood little chance. The tide of the battle had decisively turned in humanity's favor.

Liara, still wielding the artifact's power, continued to manipulate the environment to her advantage. She reinforced barriers and shields to protect her comrades while weakening the fortifications of the demon forces. The artifact's abilities made her an invaluable asset in the ongoing battle.

As the remnants of the demon forces scattered in retreat, Reign's group pressed forward, determined to secure the stronghold and establish a foothold in this region. The capture of such a significant demon stronghold was a pivotal moment in their campaign to reclaim their world.

Inside the ruins of the central tower, Alszenom and the other demon leaders lay trapped and gravely injured. The collapse of the tower had left them pinned beneath massive stone blocks and debris. The situation was dire, and they knew their chances of survival were slim.

Alszenom, using the last of his strength, managed to create a small pocket of air around himself and his fellow leaders. They gasped for breath in the dimly lit and cramped space. Bloodied and battered, they exchanged glances filled with desperation.

"We underestimated them," Alszenom muttered, his voice weak but filled with regret.

Abalor, still seething with anger, growled, "Our leader went to get the artifact, and yet they possess it now, it is clear that the two leaders are dead."

The other demon leaders nodded in agreement. Their failure to obtain possession of the artifact and the fall of the stronghold would have severe consequences. They knew that their actions, or lack thereof, had brought disaster upon their kind.

As they lay trapped beneath the rubble, they could hear the sounds of battle outside—the clash of weapons, the roars of demons, and the powerful energies being unleashed. It was a grim reminder of their defeat.

Back on the battlefield, Reign and his comrades had secured control of the demon stronghold. The surviving demon forces had either fled or surrendered in the face of their overwhelming power. The region was now under their control, and they began the process of fortifying their position.

Reign couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. They had not only avenged the deaths of their comrades but had also dealt a significant blow to the demon forces. The artifact, in Liara's capable hands, had proven to be a game-changer in their battle.

With the stronghold secured, Reign turned his attention to their next steps. They had four more days on this planet before they could return to Earth, and they intended to make the most of their time. Their success in this region had boosted their morale, and they were eager to continue their campaign to reclaim their world.

Reign knew that there were many more demon strongholds scattered across the planet, each with its own set of challenges. They would need to plan their attacks carefully and coordinate with the other regions to maximize their chances of success.

As they began the process of establishing a base within the demon stronghold, Reign couldn't shake the feeling that there were still many unanswered questions. The revelation about the system's creators and their connection to Jared, the advanced AI, had opened a Pandora's box of mysteries.

"Master, we have apprehended the demons, those still alive have been captured, including this bunch, they were beneath the ruins of the central tower." One of the guardians approached Reign and spoke, prompting him to glance at the demons, his gaze staying a bit longer at Alszenom and Abalor.

He remembered their faces.

He had taken the souls of many demons and had browsed through their memories together with Aethion, so he knew that the two in front of him were the strongest two demons beneath the demon leader, and Alszenom, the right-hand man of the leader, was also the one that had spied on them before.

"Ah, I didn't think the first meeting I would have with the one behind the spying locator would be like this." Reign said with a smirk as Alszenom's eyes narrowed at him.

"Don't look so surprised, you should already know my powers, after all, you did spy on us for multiple days." Reign smirked at the demon before opening his mouth again, "I'm sure you're now regretting the fact you kept quiet about what you knew about the leader, and this bunch here."

"Alszenom, you bastard, what have you done?!" Abalor spoke with fury as he tried to struggle against the chains wrapped around his body.

"Be quiet, your voice is annoying."

Reign's cold words made Abalor feel even angrier, but upon being stared at by Reign, he found himself feeling as if he was an ant. Reign's cold gaze, coupled with his imposing aura, made it impossible for him to speak any longer, it was as if he was frozen.

"Now, a person like you definitely knows a lot about the other regions and their strongholds, right?" Reign asked Alszenom, who kept quiet and didn't even dare to look him in the face.

"Listen, you can speak now and tell me what you know, or I will simply get the answer after you die." Reign told Alszenom who suddenly glanced up and stared at him with hatred.

"We both know you won't trust my words and will end up taking my soul, so just be done with it, human." 

"Ccc, another mistake, you have spied on us, I'm sure you have heard that I'm not really a human." Reign said as light and darkness appeared deep inside his eyes before they turned purple.

All the demon leaders suddenly froze before collapsing on the ground, their bodies lifeless as Reign had taken their very souls.

'I need information about the other regions, the one next to this one will be easy to take, as will most regions close to us, but I need to know if there is anything weird in any of them, or if there are more powerful demons present nearby.'

"Don't worry, just go and take the other region, I'll have the answers shortly," Aethion said as he started interrogating Alszenom's soul while keeping Abalor's soul, as well as the souls of the other leaders, locked nearby.

'I also need to make a trip to the vortex with Liara later, but first, we need to utilize our advantage here, the faster we take over the regions, the better as the demons won't learn of what had happened right away.' Reign thought as he walked to Basred and the others who were standing in the middle of the stronghold.

"With the region taken, we can connect to the will at any time, it will retake it and create the walls here while taking down the front wall of my Lumon region, but I don't think that's a smart thing to do right now, the demons will notice it and we will lose our greatest advantage, and that is the fact they have no idea what is going on right now," Basred said with a sigh as Reign nodded in agreement, as well as understanding.

"Our biggest advantage is the fact that we have the element of surprise with us, if we do allow the Will to take over and create the walls right away, then that will be gone, could you contact the Will though, and make it take over the region but not create the walls?"

"No, the Will is very weak right now, the tree it created in the dungeon was probably one of the last things it could do before being forced to go to a slumber, contacting it would only result in it taking over the region," Basred said while shaking his head.

"To take over a region, we have to get rid of most of the demons present, as well as take over the center of the region, where one of the demonic cores has been planted, which is right beneath us." 

"The demons planted the cores, dividing the planet into many regions and slowly draining the world of its power, with us present here, we can immediately go down and stop the core from working, which will stop it from draining any more power and allow the Will to counter it when we contact it."

"I have never done that before, nor have any of the other leaders, but that is what the Will told us when it chose us as the guardians of humanity, the leaders of the regions." 

"Before, some regions were connected, it was after one of our own betrayed us that each region was separated by the walls, it was done so that a traitor wouldn't be able to cause even more damage."

"Alright then, let's go down and check that core out, we still have a lot to do after that, we need to hurry."