CHAPTER 1

Enter the Demon Lord

1200 A.D.

With a final exhale from the fabric of space and time, the greatest of the Demon Lords stepped into the mortal plane.

Eyes the color of blood and hellfire shined in the darkness as the great being observed his surroundings.

With his superior eyesight, even the lack of light did not hinder him as the world around him came into focus. He was in a cave that much he could tell from the hanging moss and the cold atmosphere. Looking down the great being could see a ritual circle drawn in blood around him, the bodies of the sacrifices lying lifelessly around the cave. The Demon Lord looked at the only beings still alive in the cave. Three heavily cloaked and hooded figures knelt just outside his circle.

"You have caught my attention, those who have summoned me." He moved towards the edge of the circle until he could move forward no further. The ritual circle acted as a platform on where he could stand upon but where the final line was drawn on the ground was also his limit. Unfortunately the form he was in right now, his spiritual form could not walk on soil not from his world or not covered in innocent blood. The only way he could go pass the boundary was to possess a living body, but that would reduce his powers and abilities greatly. "It is not yet decided whether your actions were wise… or foolish."

One of the three finally looked up from the ground, revealing a human male with long brown hair, a beard of the same color, and blue eyes. He looked rather ordinary to the greater being but the smell coming off of him, death and age, told a different story.

XXXXXX

Desperation was what forced Marcus' hand into performing the summoning ritual. His brother William had been more active than he could remember; invading towns in the daylight and leaving no one unturned. The next thing you know, the werewolves have swept across half the nation and was not stopping their efforts in turning every living human into one of them.

Oh, he tried to contain the problem. He tried to exterminate the Lycans as fast as he could, but the numbers were already bordering the thousands and his coven were losing too many of its members. Month after month their campaign bore little fruit and with such results grew hopelessness in the hearts of his people.

Now, at the brink of extinction Marcus had to use desperate measures to ensure their survival. Finding his father, the great Alexander Corvinus, was an arduous task in and of itself but asking for the man's assistance was near impossible. Alexander told his son that he would not help in killing one of his own children, but instead would give him the means to control the spread of the werewolf curse.

Thus Marcus came into possession of an ancient relic, a scroll older than his father, detailing a ritual to summon a being that could destroy mountains and move oceans with but a thought. He would have laughed and feel insulted at the mere suggestion of such a thought as 'summoning' this great being but the conviction in Alexander's eyes told him that the scroll was no joke.

Thankfully the preparation for the ritual was easy enough. Marcus needed enough blood to create the summoning circle and it had to be twenty feet in diameter. That was the easy part of the ritual. The difficult and frustrating part was actually drawing the circle as it did not consist of simple lines and the like. The whole circle was drawn out with words. The lines consisted of four smaller lines made out of ancient symbols of a long lost language. It took half the night for him and his companions to complete the circle.

The next part, the chanting, was less difficult since Alexander had translated the text into Hungarian to better understand and speak the chant. Marcus and his two companions positioned themselves in a triangle formation around the circle. All of them got down on their knees and bowed their heads. The scroll had warned anyone who tried to summon the great being to bow their heads and never look into the circle when the summoning ritual began. Doing so would blind anyone forever since, if the ritual was a success, a blinding light would emit from the center signifying a tear in the fabric of reality.

Marcus looked into the eyes of both Amelia and Viktor before nodding, the signal for them to begin. As one they spoke the chant.

Édes anyám, édes anyám, küldje el a gyermek hozzám bűneiért a méltatlanok kell megkeresztelkedik a vérben és a félelem…

All three drew knives from within their cloaks and cut the palm of their right hand. As the blood pooled into their hands they pressed the bloodied hand into the stone floor of the cave and created an imprint of their hands.

Édes anyám, édes anyám, küldje el a gyermek hozzám bűneiért a méltatlanok kell megkeresztelkedik a vérben és a félelem…

As the second line was spoken, the blood from the hand prints slowly moved into the ritual circle and lit up the cave with a tremendous light.

Édes anyám, édes anyám, küldje el a gyermek hozzám bűneiért a méltatlanok kell megkeresztelkedik a vérben és a félelem!

With the final line spoken, the light grew brighter than before, heralding the sound of thunder roaring in the cave. And just as soon as the light came to life it disappeared. The cave was bathed in complete darkness once again.

XXXXXX

The greater being flexed his energy to better feel the present world. In mere seconds he could see the planet in its entirety, all the creatures living within and the changes in the land since he was last summoned. The Demon Lord could tell that the humans were progressing towards an age of advances as seen by the inventions they had created. He could feel the energy of the planet mingling with his own and giving him knowledge.

He was in a land called Hungary, ruled by Humans who were secretly led by a race of creatures called Vampires. One such was kneeling before him and from what the planet told him, he was the original Vampire; Marcus Corvinus.

"We are honored with your presence, Great One. I am called Marcus and I was the one who summoned you into this plane of existence." No one needed to tell Marcus how to act in front of a being such as this one. Anyone with greater powers than you always expected to be respected and the first Vampire would not risk insulting him. "If you shall allow it, I humbly ask your assistance in my time of need."

"Ah yes… I have heard of your 'Lycan' problem. How your brother William spreads his curse throughout the land and bolsters his numbers every day by the hundreds. I know what you want Marcus Corvinus, the Vampire. The scent of fear and desperation cling heavily on you." The Demon Lord slowly walked around the edge of the circle, observing the other two vampires in his presence before looking towards Marcus, "Speak your need and I shall ask a token from you…"

Marcus looked into the blood colored eyes of the demon before slowly standing up. Even with his own impressive height, the Demon Lord still towered above him by at least a foot. Since Marcus was allowed to speak now he took the opportunity to better look at the demon. Aside from the intimidating eyes, he had facial scars, three on each cheek, which looked like they were carved into his flesh with a blade. Long, unruly blonde hair reached the middle of his back. His hands contained black claws at least three inches long and sharper than Marcus' sword. The great being wore an all black ensemble including the long coat he wore over it.

"I ask that you help me and my coven… regulate the Lycan threat. Their numbers are growing too fast and it something that we cannot overlook." The great being looked at Marcus for a while, deciding if the task was worth his efforts. With a silent exhale he spoke again.

"The need is not beyond my powers, I can help you Marcus the Vampire," The small smile creeping up on the vampires face was clear as day and the great being scoffed at the action. "But for a price. Something of greater or equal value to my services shall be exchanged…"

"Name your price great one! I shall pay any sum to be able to stop this growing threat!" Marcus exclaimed as he swept his hand in a grand gesture to symbolize what he would do or give for the Demon Lord's services. The grin that appeared on the beings' lips unnerved Marcus and sent a chill down his spine.

"You have accepted the terms of my contract, and have agreed to a price." The Demon walked towards the hooded figure to the left of Marcus and stopped right in front of the person. "Stand before me, Amelia the second born and step into thy summoning pit." The sudden stiffening of the hooded figures shoulders told the demon that she was surprised that he knew who she was and was nervous of the fact that she was being addressed directly. Marcus watched as Amelia, third oldest vampire in the world, slowly stood up and pulled down her hood.

Without the obstruction, the Demon Lord could now properly look at Amelia's face. A beautiful heart shaped face was framed by long, dark brown hair. Full lips slightly quivered in fear as she looked up into the hellfire eyes of the demon. The demon stared right back into the amber eyes of the female vampire and grinned at her, showing off a mouth full of teeth built to tear and rip. The demon extended his right hand to Amelia with his palm up, a gesture that told her to come forward. Amelia looked to Marcus who gave her an affirming nod in return.

Steeling her nerves, the beautiful specimen walked into the circle and passed through its invisible barrier.

"I am not afraid," she said with conviction to the Demon Lord. His response was to widen his grin further and chuckle at her false bravado.

"Dear sweet Amelia, I admire the courage that you show me, but I can see through even the cleverest of lies… You radiate fear like heat from a flame." He pulled the trembling woman closer to him, letting their bodies touch. Amelia would not look into his eyes again and did her best to look anywhere else. The Demon lord did not mind at all since her actions exposed a good part of her neck to him. "You shall be the key to my freedom!"

Amelia gasped in surprise and pain as she felt the demon's teeth sink into the side of her neck. His hands encircled her and pulled her closer to him. The female vampire could not break from the hold as she felt her strength slowly fading. When the demon suddenly let her go, she found out that she did not have the strength to stand and found herself on the cave's floor.

"I can feel the chains of my prison breaking…" The great being breathed in deep as if it were his first breathe of air. He closed his eyes and spread his arms wide, creating a great and terrible wind within the cave. Marcus and the other hooded companion had to brace themselves lest they get swept away. "Freedom, at last I walk on the mortal plane once again!" The violent winds increased to the point where it could be literally seen with the naked eye and Marcus thought that things would only get worse. Luckily the winds instantly died off and everything was calm once again.

"A deal is a deal, Marcus the vampire. The promise of a being like me is our life so you need not worry about me going back on my word." Opening his eyes revealed that they had changed from the hellish red the originally were to a shining blue hue, much like any other vampire. He stooped down to carry the weakened Amelia into his arms and turned to Marcus and the third hooded figure. "Invite me into your home Marcus the Vampire and we shall talk about your problem."

XXXXXX

They rode towards Castle Corvinus in the distance, their horses running as fast as possible. The vampires had lost track of time and soon the sun would rise and bathe the land in its harmful light. Marcus and Viktor, the third hooded figure, rode ahead of the group while the demon rode on Amelia's warhorse while said vampire lay asleep on his lap.

The Demon Lord looked to the sides and with his superior eyesight saw that they were being followed by dozens of Lycans. He smirked as the thought of fighting filled him with a sense of excitement. Slowly positioning Amelia into the horse's saddle he jumped off and landed gracefully on the dirt path. This of course caught the attention of Marcus who stopped to ask what he was doing but was cut off.

"Go back to your castle before the sun raises itself on the horizon, Marcus the Vampire. I shall deal with our unwanted followers." Marcus did not hesitate to go as by then he saw that they were indeed being followed by a large pack of Lycans. The three rode towards the safety of Castle Corvinus and left the Demon Lord behind.

As though he was not facing a deadly threat, the great being slowly took off his overcoat and hung it on a nearby tree branch. By the time he turned around to face the dirt path he was already surrounded. He took the time to observe what these werewolves looked like and found them visually intimidating. They stood at least seven feet tall and were heavily muscled. Their heads resembled the faces of wolves but with a mix of human traits to them. Their long arms held sharp claws, much like his and looked as if they could cut cleanly through a fully grown tree. What gave the height boost and probably a speed boost as well was their canine-like feet. Their skin was coal black and was covered by fur they did nothing to hide the muscle on these creatures.

"I can see why the vampires fear you, Lycans!" Turning on his heel the Demon Lord cleanly sliced a pouncing Lycan in half with only his hands. "Come at me then! Let me bathe in your cursed blood!"

Roaring at the challenge, the Lycans charged as one, intent in ripping the man to pieces.

The greatest of the Demon Lords response was to spread his arms wide as if he was greeting an old time friend.

XXXXXX

When the three Vampire Elders arrived in the main chamber of the castle, they found the council waiting for them. Marcus did not find anything wrong with the situation as usually the twelve of the wisest and oldest vampires, not including the elders themselves, spent most of their time in this very chamber. Amelia was the last to stumble into the council chamber still weak from the demon's feeding of her blood.

"My lord's, we were worried that the Lycans may have gotten to you on your recent hunt!" Coloman, one of the council members stood up from his seat and helped the staggering Amelia into her throne. "Has she been bitten?" He asked as the wound on her neck had yet to heal fully.

Without prompting a squire had approached and handed Amelia a goblet full of fresh blood. Marcus and Viktor sat at their own thrones wanting a reprieve from the tiring events. "Calm yourself Councilman Coloman. Amelia was not bitten by any Lycan and we are all well." He let out a tired sigh as his body slowly relaxed from the lack of action. Now that the excitement had died down, Marcus had time to think of the events that transpired on this night. Did he make the right choice in summoning such a being into their presence? The scroll had warnings all over its surface telling of the dangers that might come in striking a deal with such a being. Marcus had yet to decide whether it was wise to let the Demon Lord taste the blood of a vampire. One of the warnings on the scroll had stated that this particular being asked for only one kind of token in exchange for his services. Blood

What was more unnerving was that the demon was able to acquire the same life force from the blood that he was offered, meaning that he would get the same lifespan as the person who gave him their blood. If a normal human gave him their blood then the Demon Lord would be able to walk on the mortal plane for a century. He would then return to his own plane until he was summoned again. Now when he drank the blood of Amelia, the blood of a vampire, he was granted an unlimited amount of time to be in their mortal plane. The only consolation he could get from this situation was that beings such as him, particularly demons, could not break their contracts to those who summoned him. Breaking the contract would mean that they would be banished back into their own plane of existence.

"We did the right thing Marcus. A being such as the Kilenc Farkú Róka Démont will make the Lycan threat and soon everything will be the way things were. Once the wolves have been cut down we can continue looking for William." Viktor glanced at the first vampire's worried face and sighed. It was best to leave him to his thoughts for now. Once the Demon Lord returned, they would begin the extermination.

XXXXXX

The Lycans just kept on appearing like ants into the clearing. What started as a dozen strong pack increased into at least a hundred Lycans, all rushing in to try and kill the new threat before them. The demon did not mind the increase of foes; he just smiled and continued to hack them to pieces. A swipe of the claws rendered three of them headless while a kick sent one rocketing into a group. He built up energy into his throat and released it into a deadly wave of sound waves easily clearing a ten foot circle around him.

"Send me everything you have you mangy curs! Bear your fangs at me and brandish your claws!" A punch to the chest instantly crushed a Lycans heart in his body; a simple headbutt crushed another's skull. When the Lycans figured out that going one on one against the menace was futile they decided to pile on him, utilizing their vast numbers to their advantage. "Bite, Rip, Tear, Shred, Maul, and Devour, Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! KILLKILLKILLKILL!" As his bloodlust grew, so did his power. Soon enough the buildup of power was visibly shrouding his body. A red haze that burned everything it touched covered his body, keeping the Lycans at bay as they saw one of their brethren burn into ash in the blink of an eye. "Come hither blights of nature… Offer your souls to me!" He dove into the retreating group of werewolves leaving none alive.

When all was done the great Demon Lord was sitting atop the piled up bodies of the werewolves he had slain. His whole body was covered in blood and grime but he didn't mind. After countless of centuries trapped in oblivion it was a good change to be able to feel something for a change and not just exist in a dark void. Looking at his blood covered hand; the great being slowly dragged his tongue over his palm getting a good taste of Lycan blood.

"Methinks it's time to find my hosts…" He looked to the horizon where the castle stood, built into the side of a mountain and walled off to the outside world. Slowly standing up from his throne of bodies the demon took a step towards the direction of the castle before disappearing in the blink of an eye.

XXXXXX

The Lycans never knew what hit them. One moment they were sweeping across the land like a storm, killing and turning every human they came across with. Then out of nowhere a being of shadows and blood swept across their ranks. Oh they fought; there was no doubt about that! Thousands of Lycans charged into battle with teeth bared and claws glinting. But nothing could stop it! Not even one of them could get a scratch on him. Even when he was facing dozens at once, he would just grin like the devil and become a blur of blades. When the whole pack started to converge on the single spot where he was, that was when the greatest of the Demon Lords, a being considered to be a god who could move the very earth with only his mind unleashed the most devastating attack the vampires would ever witness in their immortal lives.

"Maelstrom Flash"

In the middle of the night, the inhabitants of Castle Corvinus laid witness to a miniature sun coming to life in the distance. It was the first time that the masters of the night witnessed something as close to sunlight since their rebirth. The sky turned blue and they could see clouds in the supposed night sky. For sixty seconds, the vampires saw the most beautiful and the most deadly sight any living creature ever saw.

Marcus, Amelia and Viktor looked on in amazement as they rode on their war horses, fully clad in their armor. Behind them were a hundred of the best Death Dealers their coven had. Viktor had thought that they would need to back up the Demon Lord but he was proven wrong. "Such amazing power…" Amelia looked on amazed as the miniature sun slowly died out and the night was plunged into darkness. "Glad he's on our side, eh Viktor?" Amelia teased as she took of her helmet as the heat was getting to her.

The Hungarian warlord did not take the bait as he was deep in thought. Amazing Power indeed

A mere week after the Demon Lord was summoned the Lycan crisis was suppressed and all was right once again for the coven. The whole castle was in celebration and the main star was the Demon Lord himself, if they could find him.

Meanwhile, at the outer wall of the castle stood Marcus and the Demon Lord looking out into the forest that bordered the castle grounds. When Marcus had found him he didn't start a conversation instantly, choosing to enjoy the night air. The silence was broken when the demon handed a goblet full of blood to the first vampire.

"Do demons drink blood?" Marcus asked with a smirk as he drank heartily from his goblet. The demon let out a bark of laughter before downing his drink in one gulp.

"Little known fact about my kind is that our stomachs are like fire pits. As long as it can burn, we can convert it into energy…" The Demon Lord looked to Marcus as he extended a hand to him, smile never leaving his face. "This contract was possibly the most exhilarating one I had the pleasure of fulfilling. For that I thank you, Marcus the vampire." The demon and vampire shook hands after that and quickly fell into silence once again.

When it was evident that the demon was not going to continue the conversation anymore, Marcus decided to ask the question that was on his mind for quite awhile. "Now that the contract has been fulfilled," The first vampire started as he took another sip from his goblet, "What happens now?"

"Usually after the contract has been fulfilled, I wait for the blood offering to expire. Now usually, that takes at the most a hundred years. Do you see my predicament?"

"Yes, since you drank vampire blood the 'time limit' that you usually have is now nonexistent." Both of them tapped their glasses together one last time before drinking the rest of their drink, in the demon's case his fourth goblet full of blood. "If it means anything, you are forever welcome in our coven."

The Demon Lord smiled at Marcus and gave one final nod before slowly turning to ash, from his feet going up. "Being with you immortals has turned out to be the most fun I had in millennia. Whenever you have need of my services, call on my name and I shall be there. Free of charge."

As half of his body turned into ash, Marcus only then realized that he did not know the demon's name or ever bothered to ask. "Wait! What's your name?" The first vampire was worried that he would not be given the answer when the Demon Lord grinned at him.

"My name is Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto, Marcus the vampire! Remember it, for it shall save your life in the times to come!" With those last words, Naruto the Demon Lord, greatest of the beings in Oblivion scattered into the winds.