1 Chapter 1 - At the heels of a demon

Axed by the mighty executioner, his head lay enshrined in eternal darkness. His body had long since eroded and what remained of his head continued to be consumed by the gluttonous pit of the abyss.

'How did I end up here? Where's the rest of my body?' His mind wanders, questioning the unnerving reality. 'Where's my sword? Did I-'

"Such an abhorrent look, suits you not even the slightest," A devious chuckle echoed around him. "Oh my woeful warrior, smile, for it's finally time for you to grace the world with your presence once again."

"Wh-Agh!" As his lips quivered to speak, blood pooled into his mouth, choking him off his words.

The alluring voice shushed him with a hiss.

"You don't need to speak, you simply need to listen," Through what little he could make from his dulled vision, the warrior notices a pair of glistering violet heels approaching him from a distance

"We made a promise, remember?"

'A promise? What promise? I don't remember anything!' Not only the promise but everything of his own had already slipped through his memory.

His eyes wander into the dark, trying to spot anything to help him make sense of the situation. However, no matter where he peered, it held nothing but eternal darkness. As the taste of blood finally dissipated from his lips, the ominous figure in the heels stood right before his eyes. The glowing heels were tipped with small spectral skulls trying to nibble on his face like a pair of rabid dogs.

"Who are you?" He asks, his eyes crawling up her slender frame.

"Don't you dare, not yet at least," As those words fell into the warrior's ears, he felt an invisible force crushing his head against the floor.

The pain seeping through his cranium dejected his eyes downwards in an instant. 'Where the hell am I?! Who the hell is this lady?!'

"Ohh, it seems like your slumber has dulled your memory, but no need to fret, I'm sure you'll remember it all when it's necessary," she said. The phantom force over him quickly disappeared.

His cheeks still pushed against the ground and his eyes facing her legs, a playful tail between her thighs caught his attention. Protruding from her hips it appeared long and slender with a heart-shaped tip. Now, there was no doubt in his mind about what he was dealing with.

"Wh-what do you want from me you devil?!" With a howling screech, he yelled trying to intimidate her.

Leaning over she brings her lips closer to his ears "Save your breath, you're going to need it, woeful warrior," she whispers, her bountiful breasts swaying before his eyes.

Through the edge of his vision, he catches a glimpse of her glowing red eyes. 'What kind of demon is it?' he wondered, his head pounding with the seeping realization. Up until this point, he felt numb to the pain of his deteriorating body, but that too began to creep up on him.

"AGH!" He screamed, his strained eyes bloodshot from the pain.

"It seems I can't confine you here any longer, your mortal body won't allow it," Taking a step back, a gleeful smile appeared on her shadowed face. "Thankfully, I've prepared a new body for you, one that can last forever!"

She giggles in a maniacal frenzy while her feet hysterically stomp the ground. Her voice grew louder and louder by the second until her laughter came to an abrupt halt. Her eyes glared directly at the man grinding his teeth as he fought the agonizing pain of losing his body.

"What do you want from me?!" He heckles, his eyes filled with rage.

"Aghnn! Don't give me that look," She moans, biting her lips.

Her knees squeeze together from his gaze and her hands sink between her plump thighs.

"Unfortunately, we don't have time for this, your body and your vessel in the real world are waiting for you," She announces, composing herself as she walks closer to him yet again.

"What body? What vessel?" He mumbles, perplexed by the whole thing.

"That's right, we made a contract," Squatting down in front of him, she continued with the explanation. "Although you don't remember it, I have it written down on paper with your mark on it, so whether you want to or not, you are going back to the real world."

Entranced by her scent and the clear view of her laced underwear, the warrior felt dazed and his mind grew fuzzy. Even the pain that he felt moments before had started to flee away, but it wasn't just the charm of a woman that had this effect on him, and he knew it more than well.

"The demon lord of lust…Asmodia." His eyes grew in horror as he finally recognized his captor.

Hearing him call her by her name a faint smile appeared on Asmodia's face.

"It's been so long since I've heard anyone utter my name," Clamping her cheeks between her palms, she was brimming with childlike joy. "I knew I made the right choice when I chose you to be my subordinate."

Grabbing the man's head in her hands, she got up to her feet and held it right in front of her face. The man's terror continued to grow as his eyes peered straight into hers.

"Y-your subordinate? Ne-never!" He squealed as her hands began squeezing his face.

"The contract is already signed, you no longer have any choice." Her nails sinking into his skin drew blood from both sides. "Besides, you chose this by yourself, I never forced you. You've simply forgotten your promise and that's no ground to back off from now, is it?"

Painting everything in a sinister glow, a beam of red light glimmered behind him. Despite no longer possessing a heart, the man could still feel his blood rushing through what remained of his body.

"At least tell me why I did this! And why don't I remember anything?!" With an unknown fate awaiting him, he had grown restless and frantic.

"We had a common goal, that's why," With a playful smirk plastered across her face, she continued. "Now, take care of that body, and especially that vessel. I had to wait a long time to acquire it, so make good use of him, especially his name."

As soon as those words escaped her lips, Asmodia, the demon lord of lust hurled the head towards the red portal. Right before passing through the portal, a glimpse of her face rejuvenated some of his memory. As innocent as a maiden she appeared, but that too was part of her trickery.

'I remember now, I was executed for a crime. But I can't remember what it was.'

"Go and conquer that sullied world for me, Haruki Shin." Those were the last words Haruki heard as he was sent back to the world that had him killed.