Far away in the dim, ominous council chamber of the Demon Realm, a heavy, suffocating silence was suddenly shattered.
A tall demon lord slammed his fist onto the stone table, his voice echoing against the dark walls. "Mantra actually lost?!"
Another demon lord sprang up, panic evident in his glowing eyes. "If Mantra failed, what happens to our domain on Earth? How are we going to secure our worlds now?"
In the quiet corner of the table, a soft-spoken female demon lord raised her hand with hesitation. "I... I want to ask something..."
The surrounding lords turned toward her, shouting in frustration. "What is it?!"
She flinched, shrinking back slightly under their intense gazes. "We received news that Lord David survived... where is he right now?"
A lazy demon lord slouched back in his chair, resting his boots on the table while picking at his claws. "He's recovering at his fortress. Kael left him badly injured, so he's treating his wounds."
The timid demon lord let out a long, quiet sigh of relief.
"Regardless," another demon lord interjected, his tone grave, "that domain needs a ruler. We must find a new Demon Lord for that realm immediately."
The quiet female demon lord timidly raised her hand once more. "What if... what if we make David the new Demon Lord?"
She paused for a second before adding softly, "All the lower demons in that realm already rely on him."
The other lords went quiet, humming thoughtfully as they considered her words.
"She has a point," one of them conceded, nodding. "David has the strength, and the local demons respect him."
"Then it's settled," the head lord declared. "David will take the throne as the new Demon Lord."
BOOM!
Before another word could be spoken, the massive iron doors at the front of the hall burst open. A suffocating wave of dark magic flooded the room, making the air heavy and cold.
An imposing figure strode through the mist, walking past the standing lords without a word before settling onto the supreme throne at the top of the dais.
Instantly, every demon lord dropped to their knees, bowing their heads in absolute reverence.
"Greetings, Supreme Demon Commander!" they chorused together.
The Commander rested his head on his hand, sweeping a cold, distant gaze over the room. With a lazy flick of his wrist, he gestured for them to rise.
"I hear embarrassing rumors," the Commander stated, his deep voice rattling the floorboards. "You are all panicking... over a single, mere human?"
One demon lord stood up trembling, sweat pouring down his forehead. "C-Commander... it's not just a human! He is wielding the power of Nyxara!"
The Supreme Commander's brows raised in slight surprise, a slow, dark smirk spreading across his face.
"Nyxara...?" the Commander murmured, leaning forward as his eyes glinted in the darkness. "How interesting. If a former Supreme Lord is personally backing this mortal... then I suppose I will just have to meet him face-to-face."
Deep inside the dark stone fortress, David sat back in a carved iron chair. A demon attendant stood behind him, carefully wrapping bandage strips around David's bruised shoulder and popping his joint back into alignment with a dull crack.
"Master David..." the demon attendant asked hesitantly, wiping dark blood from his hands. "Is Lady Mantra... still alive?"
David rested his chin in his hand, a look of solemn sorrow on his face. "No. She is dead."
The demon froze, his eyes widening in horror. "Dead?! Master, how could she die?! She was one of our strongest!"
"Because Kael Redgrave is no ordinary human," David replied, his tone heavy. "He possesses the true soul of a Supreme Demon Lord."
"No way..." The demon backed away, trembling violently. "Tell me you're joking, Master! A human with a Supreme Demon Lord's soul?!"
David shook his head slowly. "I am telling you the absolute truth."
"This is impossible..." the demon gasped, clutching his head.
"That isn't all," David added, raising his hand calmly. "He has four other souls dwelling inside his body as well."
"What?!" The demon nearly jumped out of his skin, his voice cracking in sheer terror. "Five souls total?! What the hell kind of monster is he?!"
As the demon began pacing nervously around the room, frantically rambling about defense strategies and how they could possibly beat Kael, David's attention drifted completely away.
He wasn't listening to a single word.
In his mind, David was picturing a single face—the breathtaking green-haired girl standing beside Kael.
Sara...
A quiet, dark desire bloomed inside David's chest. I'll use all of them. I'll gather more power, climb higher, and crush anyone in my way. Because that green-haired girl... she will belong to me.
David's lips curled into a faint smirk. "I have void magic," he muttered under his breath. "I could kill Kael in a matter of seconds if I really wanted to."
The demon stopped mid-sentence, realizing David was staring blankly into space. He stepped closer and waved his hand in front of David's face. "Master David? Are you listening to me?"
David snapped out of his trance, his expression turning instantly cold. "Right. I need to rest now. Leave the room."
"Ah—yes, Master!" The demon bowed hurriedly and scurried out, sealing the heavy iron doors behind him.
Once the room fell dead silent, David let out a soft, dark chuckle. He stood up smoothly, walking over to the side table to pick up a steaming cup of soup.
"Thank you, Master Shion," David whispered to the empty room, a sinister grin spreading across his face. "Thank you for teaching me void magic. Now I possess both demonic power and void power."
He raised the cup to his lips, taking a slow, relaxed sip as his mind wandered back to his fight with Kael.
A sudden burst of quiet, wicked laughter escaped his throat.
He actually fell for it... David thought, his eyes glittering with pure malice. Kael really believed that pathetic sob story about Mantra killing my parents.
David remembered the truth vividly. Mantra hadn't killed his parents at all. In fact, she had tried to save them. It was David himself who had plunged his own dagger into their hearts, framing Mantra just to gain power and sympathy.
David swallowed the warm soup, his eyes turning cold and void of any humanity.
"Your future is pitch black... Kael Redgrave."