Imp to Demon King: A Journey of Conquest

"Oberon... I’m sorry," she mouthed, her voice refusing to come out as her muscles lost all strength.

With those final words, Titania breathed her last—an impossible death made possible. After all, she entered the dreamworld, where Mab’s imagination was law, with her real body through Oberon’s power.

Mab watched her lifeless body, then turned away with a sigh. "This is what you earned, Titania. Yet do not think me untouched. I watched you bloom from nothing. Believe me—it soothes me as much as it wounds me... to end you. And Oberon."

She waved her hand, the dream world turning into floating fireflies with the movement. Slowly, the gruesome reality unravelled. She, Garduck, and Mordred were back in her ravaged capital.

But she had no time to assess the damage. Her eyes instantly locked on Oberon... and Adam’s God Slayer traversing his stomach.

A jolt seized her. Her wing flapped instinctively, and mana exploded from her eyes.

Mordred paled at her reaction. He stopped squabbling with Garduck over the kill and lunged at her.

"Stop, Grandma!" He gripped her shoulder, icy sweat running down his spine as death and frost energy chilled his blood. "Remember? You don’t love this traitor anymore! We gave him chances to surrender. He refused them."

He felt her shudder under his palm and pulled her into a hug. "I know it’s hard. I know he was the sun of a large part of your life. But give up on him like I gave up on killing my father. He’s not worthy of your affection."

Her eyes dimmed, the energy flickering before it vanished. Tears streamed down her cheeks, trailing over her quivering lips. Memories of the smiling Oberon when he was a child flashed before her eyes as her voice cracked. "I-I thought I was ready, but I can’t watch him die. It’s above my strength."

She whispered the last part, hugging Mordred tighter. "I know I won’t hold myself back. Take me away, Mordred. That’s the only solution."

Mordred nodded firmly. "I know. That’s who you are—cruel and fickle in words, but loving and gentle in heart. That’s why you refused to kill Oberon and later, Merlin, in Britain."

At their words and Mordred’s glare, Merlin, who stood behind them, covered his forehead and sighed. Was he just another Oberon?

Mab had shown him love and taught him magic for years before everything changed. Now that he looked back, he felt stupid for trusting the lady of the lake.

According to her, Mab had created him by making a pious woman bear a child from the devil. Then, once her time came, even though she had the means to save her.

The resentment upon learning the truth was still freshly etched in his memory. He had felt betrayed, pathetic, and terrified. Would Mab dismiss him as soon as he had served his role? What was her goal aside from fanning the flames of the old tradition?

He hadn’t known, but couldn’t let such a dangerous person succeed. Blinded by the lady of the lake’s benefits, including Excalibur, he had done everything he could to stop Mab’s influence from spreading for decades. Yet, she had never struck him in person.

He glanced at Mordred, whose gentle smile contrasted with his grimace as he carried Mab away. That was her last creation, the weapon she had used to destroy everything he had built. But was it the truth?

Lancelot hadn’t waited for Mordred’s appearance to betray Arthur. Camelot had been turning into a shadow of his once radiant dream for a while already.

"Did she..." His eyes widened. "Mandate Mordred for my sake? To give me someone I’ve already hated to blame even more for my failures?"

He gripped his chest, his heart pounding and eyes watering. "She also rescued me from the cave Vivian had locked me inside... I’ve been wrong, so wrong."

He shook his head, allowing himself to shed a tear.

Mab and Oberon, then Mab and him. Uranus and Cronus, then Cronus and Zeus. Timat and Marduk. Examples didn’t lack: why did tragedy plague divine families? Was it because of their powers? Greed, perhaps?

He sighed. It was folly in his case, the sweet lies of someone claiming to be Mab’s sister, of knowing how she destroyed everything she touched with her chaotic nature: the lady of the lake—a goddess of order.

So, was order really better while chaos threatened the world, or were they merely two faces of the same coin?

The question stumped him. It challenged the core of his beliefs and his identity as a sage. But he could ignore this forged dichotomy no longer.

He glanced at Adam, the corner of his lips curling. "After all, we all came from chaos, right? Divine or mortal, it is part of our nature."

Mimi rolled her eyes beside him. "What nonsense are you spouting with a wise voice while you’re crying?"

She planted a fist on her hip while she pointed at her face with the other hand. "There are no species more chaotic than humans. Think about it. If we acted on cold logic and probabilities, wouldn’t we have given up on the ephemeral nature of love or emotions? Or perhaps we could have but refused this order. We want to love, feel anger, sadness, and surprise, Merlin. We want to live—not like perfect robots, but flawed mortals."

Merlin observed the lady, raising a brow. That was an unexpected view from someone barely in her twenties.

Amused, she continued. "Come on, old man. It’s from Adam. He said the gods think themselves flawless, but they’re the most chaotic bunch of all. That’s why they treat mortals like puppets. Anyway, give me credit for teaching you what you missed while spreading more chaos than order in your life. Hahaha."

He lowered his face, wiping his tears. "Perhaps. No, you’re right." A smile curved his lips. "I’ll talk to her later. But tell, don’t you have an army to lead instead of bragging? I seem to remember you and Shihan were the next in command after Garduck."