Asmodeus

The Demon King felt a stirring within, as the recently awakened hunger began to rumble and writhe. He felt like this power inside him was expanding, and in spite of the discomfort of the compulsion to devour, the Demon King was more than pleased. In fact, he was ecstatic. This occurred almost immediately after the demons started adulating him as Asmodeus. It could only mean one thing.

For beings of the Demon King's status, a name was more than something by which to call them. It encompassed the whole being, imbuing the body with power. The nature of that power was dependent on the name, but a name could not be earned so easily. One had to be acknowledged as possessing that name already, or deserving of it in both power, essence, and character. The only exception would be if the Most High himself called one by a name. He possesses authority over all beings within the universe as the Lord of Creation, Life, and Love, while also wielding the singularly highest degree of power amongst all heavenly and spiritual beings. When he calls one by any name, all of creation acknowledges it as truth.

It was for this reason the Demon King pulled out all his bag of tricks trying to pull his old name from Triac's lips. Naturally, he was seen through right away, and threatened under an ancient primordial concept, one invoked by that supremely powerful being no less.

Now, however, these demons all declared him Asmodeus with pure passion, faith, and fear. As the Demon King was basking in this glory, the growth he was feeling came to a sudden halt. It didn't diminish and had indeed expanded, but it had failed to reach a critical point.

"What? Why?" The Demon King pouted, but rage leaked from every pore in his metaphysical body. "You." He pointed out the only demon that had spoken to him directly, "Tell me what you know of Asmodeus."

"Oh! Of course!" The demon's voice quivered with excitement. He thought he was being given the chance to sing his master's praises. "Asmodeus is the most powerful of demons, the King of Nothing, and Supreme Ruler of Demons! His might will reign supreme in darkness, and none shall fail to tremble at his name!"

The Demon King contemplated these words. Two things stood out. "The supreme ruler of demons, most powerful of demons," he muttered contemptuously. He certainly wasn't a demon. He had demonic properties after his transformation, but his consciousness began as a star. Even when he broke under the pressure of attempting to achieve supernova and later succumbed to the void, under his contract with Death he emerged from the depths of a place from which nothing comes back as a new being. He was birthed from the void a greater existence than even the most powerful nonexistence of demons. As for supreme ruler...

"And how many more of you demons must I find and conquer?" The Demon King addressed the demon before him.

"Ooh, Lord!" The demon cried out in delight, as he envisioned a grand gathering of all demon-kind, united under their king, Asmodeus. "We are many, indeed. billions, no, trillions in number! Gathered at the four darkest corners of the universe, where we've been banished by the Most High. We all await Asmodeus to free us from our prison and lead us in battle against the one who chose Existence over Null. No demon would fight against Asmodeus, but instead, instantly choose to follow him. It is our greatest desire."

Smoke escaped the Demon King's nostril in a huff. He hadn't missed the sly implication in the demon's words, that if he were not Asmodeus, it wouldn't be so easy. He immediately devoured the demon, bit by bit, as it screamed all the way down his gullet.

An intense fear exuded from the crowd of demons who witnessed this sight. "Anyone else have any cute tricks they want to try?" The Demon King growled. He was already certain the name hadn't properly attached itself, because he was unqualified on two counts. It wouldn't do to allow doubt to seep into his followers before he can meet at least one of the remaining requirements. However... he just couldn't allow himself to be known as a demon. It was beneath him, so far beneath him the thought actually made him sick, one who had never known sickness.

"There is one thing all of you must be absolutely clear on. I. Am. Not. A. Demon!" The Demon King glared intensely, his eyes sweeping across the crowded demons. His twisted antler crown blazed with dark flame, "I am at a stage that no demon could hope for! The meeting point of existence and nonexistence! You say Asmodeus, who you call demon, is King of Nothing, and yet also rules in darkness. How then could a demon who only knows nonexistence possibly rule over anything which exists, including darkness? It cannot be!" The Demon King put on a knowledgeable smile, working his famed silver tongue for the first time in a while. He felt immense satisfaction at his deceptive talents being able to once again be put to use.

"I'll tell you once. I am a god!" The Demon King roared out. If he could establish this early on, and use these demons to convince the rest, he would no longer be called something as repulsive as a demon, but among demons he would be God. A crooked grin stretched across his draconic face. This fit quite well into his grand ambitions.

The demons, first stunned to silence by this prideful declaration, roared in excitement as one when the pride swept through all of them like an infectious parasite. They followed a god, not a demon. It brought legitimacy to their nonexistence. The fervent idolization of the Demon King in their hearts reached the heights of fanaticism in this moment. They all firmly believed him to be Asmodeus, though he said he was not a demon.

"Now, first things first. Would all of you please decide on some kind of perceivable form, already? Watching you shapeless idiots float about is giving me a headache. Don't you have any imagination?" The Demon King gave his first official order as a god of demons, at least to these demons.

The demons made incoherent noises of confusion and consternation. Non-existence taking form? It was beyond their ability to comprehend, but since it was their god giving the decree, they did their utmost to comply. Numerous horrid shapes appeared from nothing, ranging from appearances like mutated, monstrous animals, to polygons of such shape and proportion they defied description, perhaps to human eyes appearing as a wall of oddly angled spikes, though that is but an optical illusion. The demons one by one chose their preferred form, their distorted perception on physical and natural things clearly shown in their unsightly visage. Though neither party was aware of this, only because they chose to follow a being that was the point between existence and none were these demons born from nothingness able to take form.

The Demon King clapped his hands with a broad grin. He was truly pleased at some of the choices these demons made, "You, you, and...you. Step forward." he immediately picked out three, calling them before him. One four-legged fiend clearly took inspiration from the demon king himself, taking on wings, hooves, and even antlers, however, his wings were grey and feathered, sitting on his foremost shoulders. His forelimbs resembled thick, black-furred bear arms with human hands. His hooves were on his hind legs,which were long, angular, and furry, like those of a mountain goat. The antlers sprouted from a lion's head. His torso was a brown bear's and he had a serpent for a tail. He took a deep kneeling posture in the space far beneath the Demon King and spoke, "Your servant awaits your orders , Lord."

The Demon King smiled, "Good. You will be called Apollyon."

The demon trembled with joy, as a destructive energy filled its shape. The Demon King observing this nodded, pleased. It seemed his experiment was a success. As King of Nothing he could name Nothing. This was another display of the power he held as their chosen 'Asmodeus.'

The second, a horrific mass of tentacles lined with sharp, bony spines and eyes of various kinds centered around a swirling void took his place beside Apollyon, bowing all his tentacles low, and keeping his eyes' gaze downwards, "Lord, please command me."

The Demon King bestowed a name upon this demon as well; Yogsoth.

Yogsoth too felt a rush of power, and his consciousness expanded as he obtained all measure of forbidden knowledge. His gaze towards his master became more deeply devoted, as he understood all the more how far above them The Demon King stood.

The third, eager to obtain the same sort of gift, rushed beside Yogsoth, declaring, "And I Lord. Call on me as well." He, or rather it, was of the polygon variety, and within his surface that shone like crystal, he reflected scenes of the destruction of stars, across the entire universe.

The Demon King Watched these scenes closely, and his pitch-black eyes swam with malice. The demon sensed something strange, and made the mistake of raising what approximated a head on its chaotic body. The Demon King immediately grabbed ahold of the crystalline body, and squeezed tight, the demon shrieking as cracks slowly formed on its surface. At last the Demon King shattered the massive, insanely-shaped demon into powder, before sucking all the remains through his scaly mouth.

"My apologies." The Demon King smiled, "The way he desecrated the stars so brazenly in front of me... it irked me from the start. Now, you! You're my actual third choice." The Demon King pointed out a demon in the crowd.

This demon, having a humanoid shape, but with leathery skin a deep shade of red, and giant ox horns on his head, while his hands and feet sprouted long black claws. His forked tongue slipped in and out of his minuscule, yet numerous sharp teeth nervously.

"Don't worry, I have no intention of killing you." The Demon King snorted flame from his nostril as he chuckled, but this just made that demon all the more nervous. However, he didn't dare defy twice, that was a guaranteed path to destruction. He took his place by Yogsoth, and bowed his horned head deeply, "My liege, please instruct me."

The Demon King granted the final name.

"I will call you Baal."

Baal's powered exploded within him, with the twin energy of electricity and fire, bearing the properties primarily not of destruction but energy.

The Demon King looked upon his named demons haughtily, "You will be my first generals, and my apostles. Go out to the three remaining dark corners of the universe and tell the demons there of me."

"What shall we say of you, Lord." Yogsoth inquired.

"Everything," answered the Demon King, "but most of all, tell them I'm coming."

Without a word, the three dispersed.

"Hmm, I'll have to work on their communication skills." The Demon King mused.