The Stellar Abyss Pillar hadn’t been awake long before it sank back into silence.

Yet the oppressive aura it radiated didn’t fade right away.

No one dared linger near the Crystal Tower. After millennia, the Abyssal Demons once again felt the terrifying majesty of the Star Devouring Demon Emperor.

Meanwhile, crowds gathered around Stellar Abyss Academy’s beach. A sea of dark figures scoured the area relentlessly.

“I saw it—a beam of light just crashed onto the shore!”

“Anything falling from the Stellar Abyss can’t be ordinary!”

“If I find it, then…”

Many had witnessed the beam’s descent. They were determined to turn the beach upside down. Even instructors and hall masters secretly joined the hunt.

“That fragment… could it be…?”

Someone spotted a glint in the seawater.

“I saw it first! Back off!”

“I’ve been standing here for ages—you move!”

Instantly, demonic energy surged.

Fights broke out over the shimmering objects.

Soon, skirmishes erupted into full-scale brawls.

Blasts of energy echoed along the beach, mingling with screams. Flashes of elemental power lit up like fireworks.

…

Elsewhere, Luyi and Alices had returned to their inn.

“…”

Alices still looked stunned, unsure how she’d even gotten back. A dreamlike unreality lingered.

She just couldn’t understand.

How had Luyi pulled off something like that?

“Still thinking about that crystal?” Luyi noticed her confusion and smiled. “Honestly, I don’t know. I just saw the Stellar Abyss and thought of a new combat skill. Tried it out. So… probably coincidence?”

*Coincidence my ass!*

*What kind of coincidence causes that much chaos?!*

Alices refused to believe it was luck.

But then…

*Was Luyi saying this to comfort me again?*

She recalled the gentle smile of the golden-haired girl, eyes lowered.

“Luyi-sama.”

“Hmm?”

“Thank you… for everything.”

Alices spoke shyly, a faint blush on her cheeks.

If not for the Stellar Abyss Pillar’s disturbance, she’d have wanted time to freeze right then.

But now…

Luyi-sama’s identity felt even more mysterious.

Watching that golden back, Alices’ admiration deepened with every heartbeat.

…

Night deepened.

Distant clashes still echoed from the sea. Luyi lay on her bed. After setting up a barrier array, she took out the crystal that had fallen from the Stellar Abyss Pillar.

She hadn’t expected a casual wave to awaken the Pillar.

“But this Star Devouring Demon Emperor… seems different,” she murmured.

The Source of Magic within the crystal was incredibly pure. Compared to the crystals the current Demon Emperor granted to Soulfall Royal Family kings, it was worlds apart.

“Let’s see.”

As a thread of soul energy seeped in, she was pulled into a phantom space inside the crystal.

She opened her eyes.

“Huh?”

The scene was surreal.

Stars.

She floated close to ancient constellations, the starfield mirroring the one she’d seen from the beach. Beneath her feet, a vast plane of translucent crystal stretched out. She recognized her location—

She stood on the Stellar Abyss Pillar itself.

As she focused on one twinkling star, it suddenly magnified before her. Trajectories, properties, celestial systems—all flooded her mind.

“A star chart?” Luyi blinked.

She’d expected a combat skill left by the Star Devouring Demon Emperor. Useful early on, but trivial later. Abyssal Demons’ grasp of the Source of Magic was too shallow.

But this star chart?

It was vital now.

With the Constellation Dragon’s authority, she could wield stellar power easily. Yet unfamiliarity with this world’s sky forced her to waste time deciphering star ranks and movements. This chart could save her that effort—if real.

“What is this…?”

“At last… someone has uncovered the Stellar Abyss’s secret?”

A genderless, ancient voice echoed.

The illusion expanded. A massive stargazing platform appeared. A robed figure sat alone, hooded and weary.

“!”

Luyi tensed instantly.

She carefully restrained her power to avoid shattering the crystal. Star Power and demonic energy swirled around her.

“…”

The figure’s eyes flickered with surprise.

*Such immense control over the stars!*

“Visitor, no need for alarm,” it sighed. “I mean no harm. I’m merely a shadow left in this inheritance space, from ages past.”

“Inheritance… space?”

*Wait—this crystal holds the Star Devouring Demon Emperor’s legacy? Getting a Demon Emperor’s inheritance on my first day at the academy? Seriously?!*

Luyi internally groaned.

“My true name was Star Devourer,” the figure continued. “Former Demon Emperor. Founder of Stellar Abyss Academy. I left three inheritances here, paths I walked farthest. The Stellar Path was always the most obscure… and hardest.”

It seemed to connect to the other inheritances, then paused in surprise. “The Stellar Path is the second discovered? I thought it’d be last… or ignored until the Abyssal Demons perished.”

“And…” It studied Luyi. “Its inheritor is so young. So…”

It sensed something unusual in her, falling silent. Its eyes glinted beneath the hood.

“Young one, your talent for the Stellar Path is unmatched in my lifetime,” it finally said. “The world called my true self a genius. But you… you deserve that title.”

“And you… are special.”

The Star Devouring Demon Emperor’s shadow praised Luyi, humbled. Outside, this would shatter reality.

Luyi wondered how it’d react if she fully unleashed the Constellation Dragon’s power. As for “special”—she didn’t dwell on it. She wasn’t like these filthy Abyssal Demons.

Still, the praise made her expect a sudden flip: *“This perfect body shall be mine!”* She’d read—and written—that trope too often.

“Enough flattery. Let’s get to the point.”

But the shadow rose above clichés. It gazed at the stars.

“So, young one—what do you see… when you look up at the sky above us?”