Star vs. the Forces of Evil : Marco Diaz The Conquest Devil

Marco's POV

After my words, I knocked out Brunzetta with a karate chop to the back of her head and planted a chain in her to start controlling her.

Of course, I didn't make drastic changes like Makima in Chainsaw Man for several reasons.

For instance: A warrior of her level, with millennia of experience, would definitely notice massive changes in her memory.

Hence, I was content to slightly modify her perception of me. From now on, Brunzetta will feel more comfortable in my presence and trust me more.

The only thing I concretely altered in her memory was our encounter. In her memory, we had a fight, but it was interrupted by a monster in the region.

Unfortunately, all the warriors died during the confrontation. She remembers losing consciousness after helping me mortally wound the creature.

"You can come out, Hekapoo," I said calmly, turning towards a nearby tree.

"Oh my, I've been discovered~," Hekapoo declared, emerging from behind a tree. Although she displayed a frivolous air, I could perceive a slight nervousness, or was it fear? As a devil, I can sense fear emanating from her.

"Are you afraid of me too?" I asked, staring her straight in the eyes.

A silence fell. Anyone in this clearing could feel the atmosphere becoming slightly heavy.

"I wouldn't blame you for being afraid of me," I added before turning to Brunzetta to pick her up and carry her like a princess.

"It's just that..." Hekapoo began, searching for her words, but I continued.

"Didn't I tell you already? I'm a devil, or more precisely, the devil of conquest. In my past lives, I've always been alone."

Whether it was Makima, Nayuta, or Claude, none of them truly knew how to love or be loved in return.

Of course, Nayuta had an adoptive big brother(denji), but her feelings for Denji more closely resemble those of an owner towards their possession.

That's why Nayuta doesn't appreciate Asa approaching her property (Denji).

So yes, the destiny of a control devil seems to be eternal solitude.

"So I understand that you're afraid of me now, haha." I let out a bitter laugh.

As I was leaving with Brunzetta, I felt warmth on my back.

"Idiot! I was just surprised by your decapitation, I'm not afraid of a kid like you," Hekapoo declared, positioning herself in my path.

"I don't appreciate that such a young person can kill people, but you didn't really have a choice given the situation," she added, with a sigh mixing weariness and concern.

*Tap*. A small telekinetic nudge.

"Stop treating me like a kid. I'm as old as the concept of control in the consciousness of intelligent beings, if we count my past lives," I responded with a smile.

My past life as Claude will remain a secret I'll take to my grave, but my identity as an incarnation of the fear of "control" will never be hidden. The more people fear me, the better.

I just need to keep crucial information secret, like the exact workings of my control or how many people would die before my life is taken if someone tries to kill me.

"*Ouch*, that hurts, you'll pay for this later," she said with tears at the corners of her eyes.

"Uh... Hekapoo," I hesitated for a moment before pronouncing a word foreign to all my past lives.

"Thank you for trusting me and not being afraid."

After all, I can sense fear, and she truly wasn't afraid of me anymore after our conversation.

"Idiot..."

...

"From now on, I am the ruler of this forest, and you are under my control," I declared to the indigenous person standing before me.

Upon arriving at the village, a small group of warriors had attempted to stop me, but a few telekinetic strikes had been enough to solve the problem.

I simply wasn't in the mood to fight today. I prefer to crush all resistance through a pure demonstration of raw power.

"What's going to happen to us?" asked a thin old man, speaking on behalf of the village.

Judging by the other elders behind him, he must be an elder or something of the sort.

"Nothing that will fundamentally change your way of life, except two things: from now on, your lives belong to me, and in exchange, I will protect my interests without risk," I responded directly.

I learned a valuable lesson fighting Brunzetta: the more lives I control, the more my own safety is assured.

Thus, I prefer to bind them all by contract to dispose of their existences at my will.

If I meet interesting people, I can even share part of my power through Contracts.

An improvement like increased regeneration or a slight increase in strength through blood and flesh consumption is already a great advantage for mortals without real powers.

After all, I am the devil of conquest.

Conducting rapid conquests over vast territories is impossible when alone.

If I want to increase the fear that conquest provokes, I need subordinates to wage my wars.

To trigger wars legally and avoid attracting Hekapoo's hostility, I must play with the principles of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: Famine, War, Conquest, and Death.

The primary cause of war in human history has always been natural resources, intrinsically linked to lifestyle and its incessant need for food.

Many wars have been triggered because of famine. So, if I want more conquests, I must provoke a resource crisis to trigger a war.

Of course, this will cause deaths.

That's why I must avoid being caught by Hekapoo. I don't particularly want to subjugate her if it can be avoided.

Being surrounded only by puppets would be walking in Makima's footsteps, and that's not what I want.

My subordinates and concubines will be puppets, but neither my friends nor my allies will be.

If I have to lie a little... then it's just a necessary evil for my selfish happiness.

"Monster!"

As I sketched a smile imagining a future where I would take control of this dimension, a young girl's voice rang out in the crowd.

She had a familiar face, and, judging by her difficult gait and the bite mark on her neck, she must have been a recent victim of my attacks.

"Why are you calling me a monster? I never killed a member of your tribe, right?" I said, watching Hekapoo out of the corner of my eye to observe her reaction.

I've never told her about my ability to control people or the conditions surrounding it, but if she's been observing since the beginning of my fight with Brunzetta, she might have deduced its existence.

Apart from a "seriously?" look, Hekapoo didn't react to my lie.

It's better for her to think my power is still limited... for now.

"Where are the warriors and warriors of our tribe who went to fight?!" the young girl cried out, determined not to let me go.

The tribe's elders have already ceded me leadership authority with a good contract, so the tribe members' lives now belong to me.

It's a similar case to the Japanese Prime Minister offering Makima the life of every Japanese citizen, or American politicians who sacrificed numerous lives to the Gun Devil.

Both acted without their citizens' consent.

"You can confirm my statements with Brunzetta. I didn't kill any Oja warriors," I declared in a serious tone.

Without further ado, I headed towards the tribal chief's residence to claim my due.

On the way, the elders followed me docilely, surely to display their support.

Dealing with simple people is really convenient. For indigenous people, the law of the jungle is the only truth.

I was the strongest, they were the weakest, so I had the right to dictate the rules.

"Grrr... bloody smile," the unknown young girl muttered, clearly furious. But that's not my problem.

"Chief... your throne," the old man said, pointing to the seat adorned with various animal skulls.

I nodded and sat down, with Brunzetta still in my arms.

I couldn't help but glance at this indigenous goddess's sculpted body. I wonder if I could have offspring with her to manage this dimension and perpetuate an infinite cycle of war and conquest.

After all, I can't stay here forever.

"The child of a devil and a goddess... that would be interesting."

Anyway, if I'm unable to fertilize her due to my race, I'll definitely find some magical product in Quest Buy's warehouse to succeed.

*bam*

"Stop saying nonsense and remember your quest, grrr," Hekapoo growled before walking towards the exit.

You'd have to be an idiot not to sense her jealousy.

"Don't worry, H-Poo~, we have years ahead of us. And if you want... I can also give you a child. Wink."

At first, she turned to glare at me, but as I continued my "suggestion", her usually confident face turned red, and she quickly left the chief's cabin.