Demon Lord's Reincarnation

News of Vampiric Lord Darius's death shook the whole demon race. This was the second demon Lord that died within a decade, and it was done by the same person. The slayer of a thousand demons, Kretos. Beating Demon Empress Nimune could have been attributed to his luck but defeating Vampiric Lord Darius cannot be because of luck. 

Vampiric Lord Darius the oldest living demon lord, the eternal rival of Kir the Mighty Lord of the Lycans. He was a demon lord famed for his cunning and strength. Unlike Demon Empress Nimune who relied on her massive army to contend with the other demon lords, Vampiric Lord Darius could not be beaten with luck alone. 

The Demons who didn't take Kretos seriously were now trying their best to find out everything they could about the demon called Kretos. 

Due to his rising infamy, numerous rumors started to spread among the demons. Kretos was no longer an ordinary demon but someone that became the stuff of legends. 

"I heard the title of his, the slayer of a thousand demons is an understatement. It should be the slayer of ten thousand demons." 

"Kretos was part of the shadow clan. Rumor has it that he was the only survivor of the clan after Darius attacked them. That's when he vowed revenge against all demon lords. He wants to rid our lands of the demon lords." 

"Some say he is the lover of the Demon Empress Nimune, and he was betrayed by her, which forced him to kill his beloved. Yet he couldn't stop loving her. Some eyewitness accounts say that he had encased the Demon Empress Nimune in ice." 

"I heard that after each battle his strength and mana doubles. I guess that's why he keeps on looking for someone to fight." 

"There seems to be some debate that Kretos isn't an ordinary demon, but the reincarnation of an ancient human hero. Some researchers who read records of this hero have spotted that the two had similar personalities and their quirks and likes were practically the same."

Many more rumors circulated and the image of Kretos grew bigger and bigger in the eyes of all the other demons. 

...

In the open plains to the east, a golden fox was playfully jumping and dancing. The Golden Fox turned into her humanoid form and started laughing. 

"The old bat finally died! With him out of the picture as well as that conquering fanatic Nimune, I can finally stop being a demon lord." 

The Golden Fox joyfully dance and started singing, this attracted the other nearby demons. When they saw their demon lord happily singing and dancing they joined in the fun and started singing and dancing as well. The whole Eastern lands were now in a celebratory mood and started a festival that lasted for a few weeks. 

...

After hearing of Darius's defeat at the hands of Kretos, Jiro the Overlord of the skies felt that he was next on Kretos's list. He was a prideful warrior that felt like everyone was beneath him, yet when he heard the news of Darius's defeat and what happened to the city of Narkia, the prideful demon actually felt a bit threatened. 

Jiro then started to train on top of the highest mountain in the demon lands. He planned on training while waiting for Kretos's inevitable challenge. 

...

In the forest that was located in the middle of the demon lands, in a stone throne sat the mighty lord of the Lycans, Kir. For the past few days, after hearing of his long time rival and once friend's death he sat on his throne silently.

"My lord I found the wine that you were looking for." A lady appeared before the stone throne and presented a flowery bottle. The bottled wine was not even opened but it still released an amazing aromatic scent. 

Kir who had his eyes closed this entire time opened them and looked at the lady who was handing the wine. Kir took the battle and stood up from his throne. Without saying a word Kir jumped away leaving the lady behind. 

...

Kir with the wine bottle at hand headed to a small hill that you could see the western lands. He then sat on the grass and used an earth spell to make two crude-looking wine glasses. He placed the wine glasses on both sides. He opened the wine and a thick aroma filled the air. Kir then poured wine on both wine glasses. 

While watching the sun slowly set Kir raise the bottle of wine and without saying a word started drinking. After taking one chug of the wine Kir felt like he could hear the voices of his old friends. 

"One day I would become a demon lord, and I promise to change the demon lands into one where we no longer need to fight, where we can all play happily with one another." A young Darius's voice sounded in Kir's ears. 

"That's a wonderful dream big brother Darius!" The voice of a maiden clapping her hands sounded in his other ear. Kir opened his eyes and saw a young Darius, standing in front of him, and at his side was a young maiden who was half-human, half horned demon, she was Darius's beloved Elaine. Kir too was once in love with the young maiden who shined upon the lives of him and Darius. But of course, the more charismatic Darius won that battle. Still, Kir was happy for the two of them. 

Kir who felt like he was back in those days smiled a bit. A tear fell from his face as he closed his eyes. When he opened them again his friends were no longer there. 

"The Game is finally over... I hope that the last game you had was a fun one, Darius... I truly hope you found her again, and this time I wish you two can find your happiness." 

Kir stood up and poured the wine onto the ground. He then looked up at the night sky and started howling.. Kir howled and howled until all of his tears dried up.