Demon Core

Shattered by tragedy, consumed with rage, a young man surrenders his soul for the power to destroy humanity in the first novel of this dark fantasy series. After the death of his beloved mother, Swain is left at the mercy of his drunken father. His only respite from all the beatings and abuse lies in the words he scribbles down, seeking beauty in an ugly world through poetry. He has no friends until one day he meets a girl near his mother's grave. A restless spirit who calls herself Goose, over the years she encourages Swain's creativity, eventually helping him tap into a magical ability he never knew he possessed: a dark energy entwined with his despair, fueled by his anger, and controlled by his poetic verse. But this revelation is swiftly followed by a cruel betrayal that devastates Swain. Unleashing his power, he transforms into the Demon King and spreads a plague across the land, infecting every living creature in his path. He knows there's beauty to be found among the base and selfish people he encounters-the graceful dancer, the perfectionist painter, the master chef-and he twists their artistic desires to serve him. Hollowed out and reborn as undead entities, they join the corrupted army of inhuman beings bent on conquering those the Demon King believes allowed the world to become a horrid ruin. Ruhr, the half-elf river-sorceress adventurer, is in the city when it's besieged by demonic forces. The invasion is her opportunity to earn royal wealth and favor. But while her water magic purifies the monstrous legion, the Demon King marches on to remake the world according to his warped vision of beauty . . . The first volume of the hit LitRPG fantasy series-with more than 300,000 views on Royal Road-now available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook!

An army of darkness marches across the land, wrought by the fury of a demonic young man bent on vengeance, in the second book of this grimdark fantasy. Swain lived for art and beauty. They were his natural defenses against a cruel world populated by greedy and abusive people. He found refuge in poetry, crafting rhythmic phrases out of his chaotic thoughts, desperate to tap into the spiritual divinity of creation. But Swain's naiveté blinded him to an inevitable betrayal by the one person he entrusted with his heart: the girl who uncovered the magic woven within his words. Now he's the Demon King. His poems have shattered the very fabric of reality, conjuring monstrous beings, summoning vicious specters, and twisting people into undead entities-creating a legion of wrathful, despairing creatures eager to do his bidding. With each corrupted soul strengthening his army, the Demon King gains ever more power as he lays waste to one city after another across the realm. He will stop at nothing to expose the hypocrisy buried deep in the hearts of every living thing, bend it to his will, and rip out society's ugliness, leaving his dark vision of beauty to take root and spread. Meanwhile, half-elf river sorceress Ruhr and guardsman Zacarias have brought the war to the Demon King, storming his dungeons, battling inhuman and unnatural things, and falling prey to his devilish sorcery. Tormented by visions dredged up from their darkest secrets and buried memories, Ruhr and Zacarias must prevail not only against the Demon King's forces . . . but against their very own doubts and fears. The second volume of the hit LitRPG fantasy series-with more than 300,000 views on Royal Road-now available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook!