A complex magic circle glimmering with silver light flared to life before the pitch-black altar. A slender figure slowly rose from within it.

His fitted black outfit made him look even more lean and refined. Sharp brows, star-like eyes, and smooth black hair swayed lightly in the turbulent magic around the small altar. Under the moonlight pouring down from the night sky, he carried a cold beauty that felt almost inhuman.

Though he wasn't human to begin with.

“Welcome back, Your Highness Rean.”

The black-clad butler who had long been waiting there gave a slight bow. The ends of the bandages wrapped all over his face fluttered in the wind, leaving only a pair of blood-red eyes that sent chills down one's spine. Yet at this moment, his manner was unusually obedient and respectful. Only after the man he addressed as Prince Rean gave a detached wave of his hand did he straighten again.

“Samuel, why did Father suddenly call me back in such a hurry?”

Rean cast a glance at the castle not far ahead. It was grand and solemn beyond compare, yet it also gave off a suffocating sense of oppression. In contrast, the Demon Realm flowers blooming thick and brilliant along both sides of the road were almost dazzling. As Rean walked down the flower-lined path, he questioned the butler behind him.

Rean Christin, prince of the Seventh Demon King of the Demon Realm, had been traveling abroad for several months. Three days ago, he suddenly received a summons from his father. After handling the matters at hand, he single-handedly constructed, within a single day, a teleportation spell that would normally require ten senior mages working for a full week, and returned directly to this Demon King Citadel.

“I was not informed of the details, sir. I imagine it concerns something highly confidential. You may only learn the truth after meeting His Majesty.”

The bandage-covered butler Samuel shook his head regretfully, making Rean's brows lift slightly.

Samuel was the head butler of this Demon King Citadel, and also the direct confidant of Rean's father, the Seventh Demon King. If even he hadn't been told, then the seriousness of the matter was obvious.

Could it be... abdication?

Thinking back to the situation before he had left home on his journey, that thought suddenly crossed Rean's mind. If it was something like that, then it really would make sense to summon him back directly without informing anyone else.

Ever since thousands of years ago, when the sole ruler of the Demon Realm, the “Fallen Morningstar” Lucifer, perished together with the gods of the Celestial Realm, the authority of the Demon Realm had been split into seven. The new seven Demon Kings had ceaselessly fought one another for sole dominion over the realm. And because the Christin family was relatively weaker, they had always stood in a rather dangerous position.

That was why Rean had always looked forward to the day he could inherit the throne. For one, he had already become the publicly acknowledged strongest prince in the entire Demon Realm, even earning the strange title of “Thousand-Spells Flowing Blade.” Once he ascended the throne, he would surely restore the glory of House Christin.

And besides...

What kind of crown prince stays crown prince for sixty years?!

Still, his old father was in excellent health. The fact that he hadn't let the other Demon Kings seize even an inch of territory over all these years proved his vigor was no less than Rean's own. It was hard to imagine he would abdicate for health reasons.

Rumble—

Samuel pushed open the castle gates, and they let out a heavy, resonant boom. Rean stepped into the main hall and looked at the “home” he hadn't seen in so long, then suddenly let out a sigh.

The dark-toned hall was lined with vast stained-glass windows, each adorned with gorgeous, eye-catching thorned roses. The surrounding pillars were carved with different portraits, though they all shared one thing in common: every image depicted a hideous demon. Directly in front of Rean stood a tall, imposing black throne. A black cat lounged lazily on one armrest, only lifting its head when Rean entered.

Though this was the Demon King's castle, it wasn't some nest packed with monsters. The Demon Realm soldiers under House Christin usually guarded the borders of their territory, so aside from the butlers who handled daily affairs, only Rean and his family remained in the castle now.

But the Demon King who should have been here—his father—why wasn't he...?

Rean walked up to the throne and held out both hands. As if understanding his intent, the black cat let out a “meow,” leaped from the armrest, and landed in his arms, rubbing its head obediently against him.

He cradled the cat with one arm and touched the back of the throne with the other. There was still a faint warmth on it. Someone had clearly been sitting there just moments ago.

“Is that you, Rean? If you're back, come straight to the study.”

No one was there, yet a voice came from the passage behind the throne that led to the living quarters. Rean tilted his head and looked over. Sure enough, traces of flowing magic still lingered in the corridor.

So he's upstairs...

Rean set down the still-clingy pet and walked toward the passage behind the throne. This corridor led directly to the area above the hall, the place where the Christin family normally lived.

He climbed the winding staircase, his crisp footsteps echoing through the empty space. Rean left the solemn hall of the Demon King Citadel and entered the place that truly counted as their everyday living quarters. The colors and decor gave it a somewhat sinister air, but to someone long used to it, it felt strangely warm and familiar.

Rean stopped before a black door. After he raised a hand and knocked, it opened on its own without anyone touching it, revealing the scene inside.

He had indeed come to the study at his father's request. But by any normal standard, calling the room before him a “study” was seriously underselling it.

A magic crystal lamp on a desk deep inside the room lit up the space before him. Bookshelves packed with books of every kind nearly filled the entire massive chamber, which was close to half the size of the hall below. As for the clay tablets and stone steles that weren't made of paper, they were embedded one by one into the walls. Rather than a study, it looked more like a grand library or even a museum.

Even Rean himself had long since lost count of how much time he'd spent here from childhood to now, reading through most of the collection. Yet even now, seeing this enormous archive still made him marvel at its scale in silence.

It's only been a few months, and there's already a lot more in here.

“Father, what exactly was so urgent that you had to call me back?”

Rean walked behind the wide chair positioned directly opposite the study entrance. The moment he arrived, he went straight to the point and asked the question he cared about most.

A man's sigh came from the other side of the chair, followed by the sound of a book closing. Then a tall figure rose from in front of it and slowly turned toward Rean. That sturdy yet slightly weathered face belonged to none other than the Seventh Demon King who had held his territory firm through the chaos of the Demon Realm—Bysain Christin.

Rean looked at his father. The man who was usually full of vigor and heroic bearing now wore a weary expression, as if he had aged several hundred years. Rean felt his tension rise even further.

What kind of grave matter could make this powerful, resilient Demon King show such a face? Could it be that the other six Demon Kings had joined forces to attack?

“Rean, while you were away, your mother and I discussed it. We decided it's time to hand this over to you.”

Bysain let out a soft sigh, removed a ring set with a purple gem from his index finger, and held it out to Rean.

The moment Rean saw that ring, he sucked in a sharp breath. His hands trembled as he reached out, yet somehow he couldn't bring himself to take it.

Because that ring was the symbol of the Seventh Demon King's authority.

The ring itself held no special power. But to the people of the Demon Realm, it was the symbol of the Demon King. To wear it meant inheriting the throne and becoming the new Demon King.

So this summons really was for me to inherit the throne...

“Why so suddenly?”

The unexpected joy left Rean a little dazed, but at least his mind was still clear. More than the happiness of inheriting the throne, he cared far more about why his father was passing it to him so abruptly.

“It isn't sudden. The time is simply ripe, so it's time for you to take this position.” Bysain shook his head. “Do you think you can do better than I did?”

Rean froze, carefully turning over the meaning in his father's words.

If the time was ripe, then that meant Father had already been preparing for him to take the position of Seventh Demon King. He must have made many arrangements in advance. Rean had indeed heard that in the human world, some fathers would pave the road ahead for their children, so that once they inherited everything, they could immediately accomplish something impressive enough to win people's trust...

“Father... you've been opening the road ahead for me all this time...?”

Faced with Rean's slightly trembling question, Bysain didn't answer. He only gave him a smile full of fatherly love.

As expected, the man before him wasn't just an outstanding Demon King. He was also a great father.

Rean was so moved he was almost in tears. But he knew that if he was going to become Demon King, he couldn't let emotions show so easily over something like this.

He turned away and firmly slapped both cheeks, burying all excess emotion. When he turned back again, his expression had become one of a man's resolve.

He no longer wanted to think about anything else. Since the throne of Demon King had been entrusted to him, then he had to act in a way worthy of that station.

He took the ring his father offered him and smoothly slid it onto the index finger of his right hand. Then he clenched that hand into a fist, pressed it hard against the left side of his chest, and declared in an utterly resolute voice:

“I, Rean Christin, the new Seventh Demon King, will lead House Christin into a new age of glory!”

With his own power, he would make House Christin's influence continue to grow. He would deal with the other Demon Kings one by one... sweep away all rivals, and the day was within reach. When that time came, he would become a great existence equal to the “Fallen Morningstar” himself!

At the thought, Rean felt his blood boil.

“Hm? Are you two done in here already?”

A beautiful woman with two horns on her head and long, wavy cherry-pink hair appeared from within the great library. At that familiar voice, Rean hurriedly turned around.

“Mother... where did you go just now?” Rean quickly walked toward the woman at the doorway, his voice carrying a trace of complaint. “How could you not be here for something this important?”

The woman—or more precisely, the Demon Queen, Rean's mother, Glena Christin—gently stroked Rean's hair and showed a faint smile.

“Silly child, of course I wanted to witness the moment you inherited the throne with my own eyes. But I only just finished what I was doing, so I couldn't make it in time. I'm sorry.”

What she was doing? What could possibly be so important in the Demon King Citadel that finishing it mattered more than her own child inheriting the throne?

“Now that everything's ready, I'll take Rean with me first.”

Glena lifted her head and spoke to Bysain. Bysain, meanwhile, wore an expression that said, I'll leave the rest to you, and nodded in agreement.

At that moment, Rean's rich life experience made him sense that something was a little off. Yes, he had already put on the ring symbolizing royal authority, but under normal circumstances, the enthronement of a new king should have been a much grander affair. They should have even recalled the generals guarding the borders to witness the ceremony.

So why did this feel like they were sneaking around in secret? Even the butlers in the castle didn't know about it.

“Rean, come with me now... It's time for you to learn the very first thing a king must do.”

Glena lightly patted the top of Rean's head, then turned and walked out of the great library.

Rean paused for a moment, but still suppressed the doubts in his heart and followed his mother out.

The two of them climbed another staircase one after the other, heading toward the upper levels of the castle. And the higher they went, the more confused Rean became.

As they continued upward, he and Glena passed the upper treasury, the alchemy workshop, and the residential quarters, only stopping when they reached the training grounds at the very top of the castle.

The training grounds were an entirely empty space, but the surrounding walls had been reinforced with multiple layers of defensive magic, making them incomparably sturdy. It was also the place where Rean practiced whenever he learned new magic in the library. Back in his youth, he had spent a full third of his time here, so he knew it very well.

But the training grounds now were different from what Rean remembered.

In the center of the training ground—once utterly empty—a small altar now stood inexplicably. A teleportation magic array was already drawn upon it. But as Rean stepped closer to inspect it, he noticed this array was even more intricate than the one he’d used to return to the Demon King Citadel. Array complexity dictated the “weight” it could carry—that is, the grade of the object being teleported.

What could possibly require such a complex array to be summoned here…?

Rean felt a trace of unease. Then he shook his head. This was the Demon King Citadel, deep within their territory. With two Demon Kings and a Demon King Consort possessing peak strength in the Demon Realm, what was there to fear?

“Mother… what is this…?”

“You’ll see soon enough.”

Glena waved a hand, signaling Rean to stay quiet, and snapped her fingers midair.

*Snap!*

Golden light flared as magic energy shot from her fingertips, activating the array. Tiny luminous specks drifted upward like feathers, scattering softly through the air.

For some reason, Rean instinctively felt repulsed by the golden glow. Had this not been something his mother brought him to witness, the array—and the altar—would already be dust.

Arms crossed, Rean observed calmly. Then—a powerful surge of magic energy rippled from the array. Even the usually composed Rean frowned slightly.

Finally, two figures materialized at the array’s center. Unlike Rean, who had risen *from* the array during teleportation, these forms appeared directly *upon* it—outlines forming first, then sharpening into clarity.

The moment one figure fully took shape, Rean locked eyes with her.

Four snow-pure white wings unfurled behind the girl. Feathers drifted like swirling snowflakes.

A silver flash cut the air. A violent gust tousled Rean’s hair. Steel glinted across his face—yet not a flicker of panic touched his expression.

Six Nights.

Rean flicked his wrist. Six black spatial distortions bloomed around him. Six streaks of darkness shot forward like meteors.

Silence fell. Time itself seemed frozen. Rean stared coldly at the silver blade pressed to his throat—halted completely by six floating black swords, unable to advance a hair’s breadth.

“Why…?”

“How…?”

Rean and the golden-haired girl locked eyes, turning their heads in unison. Lips parted, voicing the same indignant question:

“An angel (Demon King) is here!?”