4th Day of the 2nd Earth Cycle[1], 2000, g.c.
The air around our fresh destruction drifted with the breeze, dragging charged magitons, wet dirt, smoke, and scorched bark into the back of my throat. Behind us, the Sycamore stump towered like a corpse too big for the grave, its jagged crown cutting into the tri-moonlit sky. Violet frost still clung to patches of dirt, slowly melting beneath the last warmth of Raion's heated presence.
I stood with my hands behind my back, letting the silence breathe while I waited on my answers from the Orishas and Chomei's little sister. I had made the offer. That part was easy. The hard part was letting people choose without choking them with my aura like a villain giving a recruitment pamphlet.
Akai didn't need long. The five-foot-two Red Dragonkin stepped closer to Raion and tugged on his arm with both hands, her violet eyes lifting toward him with the kind of begging look that made refusal dangerous to a man's relationship health. Her red scales caught the moonlight in little ruby flashes, and her Fey-like wings fluttered behind her, scattering faint blue-red sparks from where Chomei's old mana still lived in her body.
"Come on, Rai. Take him up on it. I want to spend some time catching up with my sister."
Chomei folded her hands near her chest, her glasses reflecting a soft blue shine from the leftover mana in the air. "I would definitely love that."
Chomei smiled, but it came slower than usual. She looked calmer than Akai, but the way her wings gave a tiny flutter told the truth of it.
Raion looked between both of them, then let out a long sigh like the universe had handed him a contract written in glitter and fire. His fiery dreadlocks smoldered at the ends, little embers popping free and dying in the breeze. The glowing tiger-like stripes across his body pulsed once, dimming as the fight finally left him.
"Gosh, Akai. Working for a Demon Lord wasn't on my bingo card. But I guess so."
His eyes slid back to me, and after everything that had happened, there wasn't fear in them anymore. Caution, yeah. Curiosity too. Maybe a little "this nigga might interestingly ruin my life," but that was fair.
"You've got a deal, Lord Xiro."
I nodded, appreciating how fast that answer came once Akai put her heart on the scale. Then I looked over to Cali.
He stood a little away from us with the other Brazen Society members, their cloaks torn and dusted with the aftermath of a fight they had only survived because I wasn't in a killing mood. The rookies had been talking amongst themselves in hushed tones, voices dipping and rising with nervous energy. One of them clearly thought Cali should take the offer. Another looked like the idea of leaving the Brazen Society was close to betrayal. Jahil kept glancing between Cali and me like he was trying to figure out if he had just witnessed history or a warning.
I didn't rush him. Chaos had a way of showing up in people's lives like an unpaid bill, and I had dropped a whole stack of invoices on this man in one night. Sonata Siblings. Outer Gods. Fairy Queens. Paradiso attacking realms. A Demon Lord casually asking if he wanted to move countries and help rebuild a kingdom. That shit was a lot to process before breakfast. Hell, that was a lot to process before a cognac drink and three bad decisions.
Cali finally stepped away from his group, adjusting his glasses with two fingers. The lenses were cracked slightly near one edge, but somehow that made him look more seasoned than damaged. His jade eyes settled on me with respect, but his posture still carried the weight of duty.
"As honored as I am for the offer, I would feel like I failed my current obligations. Unless something happens with me and the Brazen Society, I'm going to have to decline for the moment."
I gave him a small nod. No pressure. No threat. I didn't need to beg. I just made sure he knew the seat was open.
"I can respect that. There's no time limit on the offer. Hit me up when you're a free agent."
Cali's mouth curved slightly, more tired than amused.
"Alright. I'll do that, Midnight King."
Behind him, Jahil looked relieved. The girl looked disappointed. Cali noticed both and still didn't turn around.
Dream Flower stepped closer, her armor carrying dust and mana residue from dragging the Brazen Society rookies out of danger earlier. She brushed a few violet frost specks from her shoulder before looking toward the northern road beyond the ruins.
"Xi, since I'm this far north, I'm going to swing by Queen Hyacinth. I need to let her know that the Flower Clan is leaving the country."
I turned my head to her, already imagining the Rabbitfolk Queen somewhere in Endora hearing about my name attached to three problems, a fallen World Wonder, and a political loss.
"Tell her to send me a bill if she needs to about the Sycamore Tree."
Dream Flower's mouth twitched like she couldn't tell if I was joking or being exactly serious enough to worry her.
"Will do. I should be seeing you again in a few month-cycles."
Cali glanced at Dream Flower, then back to me. His tactical mind was already moving again, recovered enough from shock to think in terms of alliances and future leverage.
"The Brazen Society will be in contact with you in the future by carrier raven. Hopefully, we can establish some sort of alliance. It's easy to see you are an unmatched rising war power."
"If that's the case, then I'mma give y'all one of these."
I lifted my palm, letting Omnis Mana swirl above my skin in a small, bright cluster. The energy moved like liquid photons, folding through shades of violet, gold, blue, and black as [Matter Manipulation] took hold. The mana hardened, flattened, and shaped itself into a neat set of small rectangular cards. Runes etched themselves along the edges, thin arcane threads weaving into the material like veins under polished bone.
Call Cards. Same style I had given to Black Plague.
They weren't flashy, but they were useful as hell. Magical business cards with a direct line to the Devil. A little weird from a branding perspective, but effective. Once Cali or Dream applied mana and formed a clear thought, the attached arcane thread would reach me through the aether network I had built into the cards. No courier delays. No lost birds. Clean communication.
I handed one to Cali first, then Dream Flower. Cali turned the card over in his fingers, studying the rune arrangement with open curiosity. Dream Flower held hers like she had just been given something valuable enough to hide under her pillow. They both thanked me.
The Brazen Society rookies, however, still had a different kind of courage left in them. Not battle courage or fan courage. That awkward, sweaty bravery people got when they were terrified but still wanted a signature from somebody famous before they lost the chance forever.
The rookie girl approached first, holding out a scrap of parchment with both hands. Jahil came right after, trying to look casual and failing with historic dedication. I signed two autographs for them because why not? If people were gonna call me the Devil, I might as well commit to the celebrity side quest.
After that, we waved goodbye and separated. Dream Flower took the northern route toward Queen Hyacinth's territory. She paused like she wanted to say more, then settled for touching two fingers to her chest in farewell. Cali and the Brazen Society gathered themselves and headed back into Endora's dark roads, carrying enough new information to ruin a normal person's sleep for half a year. Raion, Akai, Chomei, and I loaded into Nightcrawler.
And just like that, my abandoned car rescue mission turned into a road trip.
The drive back from Endora was more enjoyable than I would've guessed. Although I didn't leave the Sycamore stump with three new powerhouses for my kingdom, I didn't leave empty-handed either. Raion and Akai alone were a damn good pull. Chomei had her sister back. I had Nightcrawler back. And nobody tried to steal my tires, so the night had ended better than it started.
Thirteen and a half hours to Talasi should've felt long. Nightcrawler made it feel like the road was the one doing all the work.
My car ate up the distance with that smooth, low growl I missed more than I wanted to admit. The engine's vibration sat beneath us like a steady heartbeat, strong and familiar. The six wheels rolled over dirt roads, stone paths, and stretches of open terrain with almost disrespectful ease. Outside the windows, Arcadia raced by under shifting light: dark forests with glowing fungi tucked between roots, open plains silvered by moonlight, distant hills rolling like sleeping beasts beneath Gaia's sky rings.
Every now and then, I caught a glimpse of the missing space where Trappist used to dominate the heavens. Still weird. Still my fault. Still kinda impressive and shit.
Inside the car, the mood warmed up faster than expected. Chomei and Akai sat together like no time had passed, filling the vehicle with sibling chatter that bounced between sweet, random, and oddly specific. They talked about cute things seen in marketplaces, little trinkets, food stalls, pretty fabrics, charm bracelets, and some tiny clay dragon Akai once wanted to buy but didn't because Raion said it looked like a cursed potato. Chomei laughed at that so hard her wings fluttered against the seat.
While they caught up, I put Nightcrawler in cruise control and let my eyes flick toward the rearview mirror. Raion sat behind me, one arm stretched across the seat, looking too relaxed for someone who had just agreed to follow a Demon Lord into a rebuilding kingdom.
I figured it was as good a time as any to poke around.
"Yo, Raion. Orishas are usually Godwalkers, right?"
He blinked, pulled out of whatever thought he'd been rolling around in his head.
"Huh? Yeah. Orishas are Godwalkers who are high S-Class in combat rating or above."
"That's impressive. S-Class is a small pool of people. Not many can say they've reached it."
Raion leaned forward a little, eyes narrowing at the back of my head.
"I know you're not S-Class. Not with how you were controlling the fight. What's your real combat rating?"
I kept one hand on the wheel and spoke casually, like I wasn't about to mess up the whole car's vibe.
"If I'm sharing... I'm currently labeled as Z-Class, my nigga."
The quiet that followed was loud as hell. Even Nightcrawler's engine seemed like it lowered its voice to be respectful.
Akai and Raion stared holes into the side of my head, waiting for a laugh, a grin, some kind of punchline to come running behind the statement and save them from believing it. But the car kept humming, the road kept passing, and I kept driving like I hadn't just told them I was walking around in a combat tier most people only heard about through exaggerated tavern stories and wartime trauma. Nobody laughed. That made it worse.
Akai slowly turned to Chomei.
"Thing One, he's serious... ain't it?"
Chomei nodded with a cute little hum, as casual as somebody confirming the weather.
"Mmhm. That usually happens when you're an Archon."
Akai shot forward in her seat, wings flaring halfway open.
"He's a fucking Outer God?!"
Raion's voice came right over hers, equally betrayed by reality.
"You're a fucking God, homie?!"
I shrugged, eyes still on the road.
"I mean, yeah. But I just became one."
Raion dragged both hands over his face, then pointed at me from the backseat like I had personally complicated his worldview.
"Like divine and all? That's crazy. So, you're like a True Demon Lord and shit."
That made me glance back.
"Damn, that's the second time I've heard y'all remark like the title Demon Lord is meaningless. What's going on with that?"
Raion leaned back again, recovering enough to explain.
"That's cause lots of Majins like to claim it when they think they're stronger than others. It's rare to run into a real one."
"So a lot of false kings. Got it."
"Why'd you ask about Godwalkers, though?"
"I was curious to know what your V-Skill was. And I didn't wanna invade your privacy using [Appraisal]."
That was a clean lie. A polite lie. A classy lie, even.
My [Moon Sage: Tsukuyomi] had already used [Appraisal] on Raion, Akai, and Cali during the fight because Tsukuyomi didn't believe in privacy when tactical intelligence was on the table. Respectfully, he was nosy with a purpose.
Raion didn't catch it, though. He scratched at his jaw, then answered.
"My shit is a Grade 2 Kami named [Sacred Protector: Narasimha]. I earned it like five years ago, so it's still unreliable in serious fights. I ain't mastered it, yet."
[Moon Sage: Tsukuyomi] chimed into my thoughts with that calm, perfectly timed delivery.
"Raion's Vessel Skill appears to strengthen him with an empowering fiery rage that's only triggered by his desire to protect others."
I gave a small nod as the information settled. A protector skill tied to rage. Fire. Defense through violence. That explained the way his power spiked when he saved Cali and why he had that weird overlap between vanguard and support.
"You don't know if you wanna play the Tank or Support position, huh?"
Raion laughed through his nose.
"It's a curse. You seem like you can play every position in the party, so you understand the plight of being awesome, right?"
I pointed toward the rearview mirror, giving him that one.
"1-0, your score."
Our conversation rolled naturally after that, shifting into why he left the Brazen Society. Apparently, Raion had gotten into a violent disagreement with the leader of the company, Jenna Mayhem. Before they relocated their camp, their group had been stumbled upon by some Human kids and teenagers. Jenna didn't want witnesses. She was against letting them live to tell their parents where the Brazen Society had been hiding and wanted Raion to kill them.
Raion's face changed when he talked about it. The joking eased off. His eyes moved toward the window, watching the dark land pass by. His jaw worked once before he spoke, like he still had a bad taste in his mouth from that day.
"I'm not with killing innocents or kids, mayne. They weren't soldiers or a threat to me. So, after a small tussel with Jenna, I packed my shit and left."
The car got quieter again, but not from shock this time.
That statement told me a lot about the man. Raion could fight. He could kill. He had lived in enough blood to know the taste of it. But he still had a line he refused to cross, even when crossing it would've made his life easier.
"A man of principles and morals. That's admirable."
He gave a small shrug, but I could tell the compliment landed somewhere.
"Since I met Akai two month-cycles before, we decided to form a party and register as Artists with the RIAA."
That reminded me of another weird gap in my own life.
"Come to think of it, I never got a chance to register as an Artist. I always worked directly under my Mom or Grandma."
Raion laughed like I had accidentally admitted to dodging a scam.
"Ahh, mayne, as an Artist, the pay sucks. Unless you're taking those really hard or really long requests, those shits that are really dangerous, you ain't makin' no real money."
"For someone like me, those sound like the fun quest."
Raion leaned forward again, looking at me like I had just compared a toddler's wooden sword to a nuclear weapon.
"Someone like you? You're an Outer God. That's not even close to relatable or a fair comparison to a normal Artist. It probably ain't a quest you couldn't handle."
Akai leaned between the front seats, tail shifting behind her as curiosity sparked in her eyes.
"Hey, Lord Xiro, how did an Oni become an Archon? Like, how'd you get that strong?"
Raion immediately backed her up. "Real shit. How do you become a deity?"
That question sat heavy for half a second. "How did I become a deity?"
Depending on how honest I wanted to be, the answer could've been trauma, love, bad luck, divine conspiracy, reincarnation, a broken Soul Core, a goddess with abandonment issues, and my personal inability to mind my business. But I kept it digestible. Nobody needed the full cosmic documentary while we were riding through the woods.
"I'm not really a fair example. I was born with a Soul Core that was created to be a weapon of destruction by the woman I love."
Chomei couldn't stop herself from giggling. "Master Xi is being dramatic."
I lifted one hand from the wheel, palm up.
"If I'm being frank about it, I have a unique skill called [Adaptive Predator] that forces me to grow stronger in the face of adversity. And I've gotten into fights for my existence with really strong people. All because I wanna create a paradise to enjoy my life in."
"Most of it wasn't glory," I said. "Most of it was surviving shit I had no business surviving."
Raion looked out the window again, his reflection glowing faintly over the passing moonlit trees.
"Folks nowadays want to fight over every little thing, it seems. Makes it hard to see any real peaceful days."
I laughed because the irony had kicked me in the shin.
"Hahahaha. I'm no better. I kinda like the violence with the hedonism."
That was when a familiar smell hit my nose.
Earthy. Sweet. Musty. A little spicy once it mixed with Raion's heat.
I glanced into the rearview mirror and saw him in the backseat grinding up Elysian Trees with practiced fingers, the shredded herb falling into stretched-out papers laid across his lap. My man had the focus of a craftsman, carefully breaking it down while Akai kept talking with Chomei beside him. I knew a smoke session was coming from a mile away.
That shit made my heart smile with a nostalgia I never thought I'd feel on Gaia.
Hotboxing with friends while cruising down country roads. Windows cracked just enough for the smoke to pretend it was leaving. Music loud enough to make the seats vibrate. Somebody laughing too hard in the back. Somebody else claiming they weren't high while staring at a gas station sign like it had revealed a prophecy. Earth had a lot of pain in it for me, but not every memory tasted bitter.
"I should have known that the man with the fiery dreadlocks was a smoker."
Raion paused, looking up.
"Oh shit. Are you against the herb? I know some folks don't fuck with it."
"It's the opposite here. My life has been hella lore-heavy and packed with drama lately. From completing a labyrinth to learning about a lot of cosmic shit like the kenoma and pleroma..."
I let out a breath and relaxed deeper into the seat.
"I could use a moment of relaxing and gettin' high. I mean, we still have a couple of hours left on the drive."
Raion's smile grew before he knew it, bright and easy, like he had just learned one of the most important cultural details about his new Demon Lord. He went right back to rolling multiple cigarettes of psychedelics, fingers moving faster now with excitement.
"You know, Demon Lord, you're pretty cool."
"So are you, my nigga. That is, for a man with burning panther stripes."
The inside of Nightcrawler was filled with laughter after that. Chomei's soft giggles, Akai's brighter cackle, Raion's deeper chuckle, and mine, sitting somewhere between tired king and reckless road-trip menace. Outside, Arcadia kept rolling by beneath the moons, all dark roads and silver grass and distant glowing forests.
For once, nothing was exploding. No Angels. No world-ending lore bomb. No one trying to kill me over a prophecy, throne, Soul Core, or bloodline. Just a few hours of road, smoke, conversation, and the weird comfort of realizing my kingdom might be gaining more than soldiers. It might be gaining people worth keeping.
The four of us made it back to Talasi right as the morning light started breaking open the horizon. Nightcrawler ate through the last stretch of southern road with that deep engine growl vibrating under the floorboards, the six wheels gripping dirt and stone like the terrain had signed a contract to behave. We shot past a couple of carriage drivers on the way in, and I watched one poor man nearly drop his reins when my black metal monster blurred by in the late-night darkness. I doubt he could make out what the hell he had just seen, but I knew that man was going home with a story that sounded like a demon beetle raced past his horses.
The sky over Velonica folded itself into pinks, oranges, and baby blues as nighthalf gave up its last breath. Gaia's rings shimmered above us in broken arcs, catching the first morning light while the three moons faded like tired queens stepping behind a curtain. The missing planet of Trappist still left a strange openness in the horizon, a gap where something massive used to sit. But under all that new space, Velonica felt different. Like the country had survived a nightmare, looked in the mirror, and decided it wanted therapy and a better tax system.
Raion and Akai were beside themselves the moment we rolled into town. Their eyes bounced from the paved road to the buildings, from glowing mana streetlights to glass storefronts, from the clean signs hanging over shops to the organized foot traffic already waking with the city. Their faces carried that glossy, wide-eyed shock of people realizing they had underestimated a place by several centuries. Talasi wasn't no Human capital, but with my magitech upgrades, the town had started looking like it was cheating on history with the future.
Akai leaned toward the window, her red scales catching flashes of blue-white from the streetlights as we passed beneath them.
"Holy shit! Where are we?"
Chomei sat beside her, looking proud enough to start charging tour fees.
"This is Talasi, Velonica. Heart of the new Mikazuki Kingdom."
Akai's wings fluttered slightly against the seat as she looked out at a row of lit storefronts.
"This place looks more advanced than the Hedaria capital, Xianxia."
Raion shifted forward from the backseat, one hand braced against the seat as his eyes scanned the street like he was trying to memorize every detail at once.
"Aye yo, the building designs here are crazy. Look, there are two humans over there. I even see Light Elves walking around."
Raion pointed at a glowing streetlamp like it owed him an explanation. "That's mana-powered?"
"Yeah. Keeps the roads safer during nighthalf."
Akai leaned closer to the glass. "And those are Human shops?"
"Some. Some Celestial. Some Dark Elf."
I kept one hand on the wheel, slowing Nightcrawler as a beast cart crossed ahead of us. The morning air carried the smell of wet stone, fresh bread, faint woodsmoke, and that clean electric hum from mana bulbs warming up for the day.
"The country of Velonica is known for collecting outcasts and people looking to mix cultures. But, like most places, some prejudice can still linger. It ain't perfect, here."
Raion nodded slowly, his gaze staying on a Human woman speaking with a horned shopkeeper near a produce stall.
"I can understand that. It's worse in some other countries."
"I mean, it took these same people years to even see me as more than just a 'Dangerous Majin'. Once the roads got safer, the lights stayed on, and food stopped costing a prayer and a kidney, folks suddenly remembered I had a name and not just horns. Shit became a lot more welcoming around here."
Raion chuckled, but there was a dry edge to it.
"People only love you when you do things for them."
"True. But luckily, I have the ability to do for them all. I blame my Savior Complex."
That got a real laugh out of him, but I caught him eyeing me in the rearview mirror afterward. He knew I meant every word. I had a bad habit of saving people, adopting problems, and then pretending I wasn't emotionally invested until somebody got hurt and I started threatening entire countries. Very healthy isekai behavior. Totally normal for the insane.
When we pulled into Castle Midnight, I parked my six-wheel beauty near the front garden, letting the engine settle into a low purr before cutting it off. A pair of guards near the front arch saluted as Nightcrawler rolled in, though one of them still side-eyed the vehicle like it might bite his ankle. Raion and Akai stepped out slowly, and their shock didn't decrease. If anything, the castle made it worse.
Castle Midnight stood beneath the morning sky like a dark dream made into architecture. The keep rose tall and wide, built from black stone, obsidium accents, and polished surfaces that drank in the sunrise while reflecting hints of violet and blue along the edges. Tall windows caught the new light. Tower spires pierced the soft pink-orange sky. The courtyard stretched clean and grand, with pathways curving through gardens of midnight roses and hydrangeas. Their scent controlled the air, rich and floral, sweet enough to soften the sharpness of the castle's gothic design.
Raion looked up at the keep with his lips slightly parted.
"I don't know why I wasn't expecting something like this."
Akai turned in a slow circle, taking in the sharp walls, glowing runes, and alien elegance of the place.
"It's strangely beautiful. In a dark, alien way."
"I appreciate that. Y'all will be staying here. I got plenty of room."
Before either of them could respond, I heard movement from the nearby corridor. A soft shuffle came from the shadows, followed by a familiar mana signature that slipped into my senses like warm water over your back.
Karma Nova. My favorite liquid Void Armoire.
She emerged from the shaded walkway with a bright smile already blooming across her face, and the morning tint made her rich chocolate skin glow with a soft bronze warmth. Her hair moved around her shoulders like a dark curtain, and all four of her arms lifted with excitement, fingers wiggling as she bounced toward me on her toes.
"Papi, you're back!"
I smiled before I could stop myself. "Good morning, sexy."
Karma reached me with her lips first, pressing into a deep kiss before she even bothered acknowledging Raion or Akai existed. Her affection came warm and immediate, wrapping around me like she had been waiting all night to refill her favorite cup. Two of her hands rested against my chest, one slid around my neck, and the fourth gently brushed my jaw like she needed to confirm I was really there.
Raion blinked. Akai blinked.
Chomei just giggled because she was used to this harem nonsense. Well, "used to" might've been putting it lightly. She was part of the nonsense. Founding member, really.
After Karma finally pulled back from me, she turned and hugged Chomei with the same intense familiarity. Both of them slid their hands lower during the embrace, feeling each other's booty with zero shame and the kind of casual intimacy that would've made a priest drop his holy book. The Three Twilights had their own unique bond among themselves, one that moved around me and through me at the same time. My harem wasn't just a line of women waiting for attention. It had layers, affection, rivalries, sisterhood, shared divinity, and enough perversion to make a brothel manager take notes.
Karma looked over Chomei's shoulder at Akai.
"I was wondering where you went. So, this is the half-sister?"
Chomei gestured with one hand, her smile bright.
"Yes, this is Akai Ryuu and her boyfriend, Raion Hoshi. You two, this is one of my halves, the Noir Empress, Karma Nova."
Akai gave Karma a polite nod, her curiosity still written across her face.
"Nice to meet you, Karma."
Raion lifted one hand in greeting.
"Hey there."
Karma's smile warmed as she looked between them.
"Hello. I know you both are going to enjoy it here. Welcome."
I clapped my hands once, because if I didn't keep moving, I was gonna stand there all morning admiring Chomei and Karma's smile like a man with no schedule.
"If you two will excuse me. I gotta handle some things before planning a royal ball. Chomei will show you around the grounds."
Chomei stepped toward the corridor and waved Akai and Raion along.
"You two, come with me."
The three of them headed deeper into the courtyard, Akai already asking questions before they even reached the next archway. Raion looked back once at Nightcrawler, then at the castle, then shook his head like he still couldn't believe he had signed up for this. Understandable reaction. I would've been concerned if he adjusted too fast.
Karma stayed behind, standing in the garden path with that grin of hers growing slower and more mischievous as she walked closer to me.
"A ball? What is this party you are talking about?"
I leaned lightly against Nightcrawler's side, crossing my arms.
"I'm throwing a Royal Ball, you could say. I'm about to make my announcement as the new sovereign of the lands."
Her eyes lit up instantly.
"Oooouu, A party sounds fun. That means I get to design new dresses to wear. I'm so excited."
"This ain't just a party, alone. It's the first time I stand in front of Velonica and make the crown official. Now, I gotta run a few errands before noon."
Karma leaned closer, her body language shifting from playful to affectionate with one soft step.
"If so, then let me join you. I'm free at the moment, and I miss you."
I gave her a look up and down, then nodded toward the passenger side.
"Well, get your little cute ass in the car. Let's go."
Seconds later, we were both back in Nightcrawler, speeding out through Castle Midnight's front gate while the guards tried to look professional and not stare at the absurd metal beast I called transportation. The morning roads of Talasi opened before us, glowing with the first full kiss of dayhalf. Folks were beginning to move around town now, vendors setting up stalls, children being dragged by sleepy parents, workers carrying tools, and a few people stopping mid-step to watch the Demon Lord drive by in something that looked like it came from another reality.
Which, technically, it did.
My first set of stops was at the three blacksmith shops in town. Talking to Raion on the ride back had given me an idea I couldn't shake. Talasi needed money, identity, and exports. We couldn't keep being a small southern town that only had blackwood, tough people, and trauma. So, I decided to turn Talasi into the origin home of the newest alien metal I found back in the labyrinth.
Obsidium. That mineral was incredibly tough, unnaturally dense, and carried a resistance profile that would make most known Gaia metals look like they were made from wet cardboard. Equipment made from it would instantly reach rare quality, maybe higher depending on the craftsman. Weapons, tools, armor, saw blades, mining picks, reinforced ax heads—Talasi could become famous for making shit that simply didn't break.
The only problem was the need for heat and pressure. A lot of it.
Every blacksmith I visited gave me the same look when I explained the forging requirement. They stood in their soot-stained workshops, surrounded by anvils, bellows, coal bins, blackwood handles, iron hooks, and half-finished blades, listening to me talk about needing fire like a star's core to mold the ore properly.
At the first shop, the old smith laughed so hard he coughed.
At the second, two sisters looked at me like I had told them to forge with dragon teeth and unicorn blood.
The third smith, a big-chested, red-haired Celestial woman named Ceyda Aylin, stopped laughing the moment I touched her furnace and the bricks started glowing like they remembered being stars. That's how it went. People thought I was joking until I started bending physics in their place of business.
I upgraded their equipment one shop at a time, using Omnis Mana and [Matter Manipulation] to reinforce furnaces, reshape internal channels, and install magickal flame cores designed to mimic extreme stellar heat without vaporizing the building around it. The work required ridiculous precision. Mana threads sank into stone, iron, and rune plates, rewriting their tolerance from the inside. When I pushed too hard, light bent around the forge mouth, briefly warping into a dark pinch that made the whole room look like it had been sucked inward for a blink.
Every time that happened, the nervous laughing ended real-damn fast.
Karma watched me from the side of the final shop, all four arms crossed as her brows lifted.
"Beloved, that's the second almost-black hole."
"I noticed that. That's why I made the Remix version. You see, I'm learning and shit."
The smith behind us swallowed so loudly I heard it over the furnace hum.
Obsidium Remix was my safer variation. Still absurdly strong, still rare, still far beyond standard metals, but less likely to make a poor blacksmith accidentally create a cosmic sinkhole because he hammered wrong on a weekday. I gave each blacksmith a large supply of different-sized obsidium and obsidium remix ores. Some pieces were ingot-sized, others raw and jagged, each one dark enough to swallow torchlight with faint violet specks shimmering inside like trapped stars.
I instructed them to create their tools and weapons out of the mineral first. Blades that could slice through blackwood and ivory trees like butter would change Talasi's entire economy. Stronger axes meant faster lumber. Stronger tools meant better building. Stronger weapons meant better defense. And rare-quality equipment meant outside buyers.
They thanked me like I had handed them the keys to a treasure vault. One of them had tears in his eyes while holding a chunk of obsidium remix.
That was when I reminded all three that local residents were getting a discount. I would be the one providing shipments every month-cycle, so if they got greedy with my people, I could also become the one cutting off their supply. No need to threaten them hard. Just enough to remind them that capitalism worked best when the Demon Lord was in a generous mood.
Karma and I left the last blacksmith shop with soot in the air behind us and a new goal of making deliveries to the tailors. The morning had warmed slightly by then, and sunlight slid down the buildings in soft gold layers. People moved around us with little bows, quick waves, or nervous smiles. Some still said "Lord Mikazuki" like the name might bite them. Others smiled at Karma because she had that effect on folks when she wasn't scaring them with four arms and goddess-tier beauty.
She hooked one arm around mine and looked up at me with those indigo heart-shaped irises.
"Can we grab a snack on the way?"
That face. That damn face. Morning twilight painted her cheeks with warmth, and the kawaii softness in her smile hit me right in the chest. I had thirty-two silver coins in my pocket, and she could've gotten every one of them with one more blink. Hell, I might've robbed myself for her.
Before I could answer, someone called out from behind us.
"Demon Lord!"
The voice was breathless, urgent, and coming closer fast.
I turned around to find a face I hadn't seen since before the labyrinth. A dark brown Ogre with large white horns and blonde-golden braids sprinted toward us like he had been chasing the moment for weeks. His boots slapped hard against the road, and his chest heaved as he slowed in front of me, bending over with both hands on his knees while trying to catch his breath.
It was the same Majin I rescued back in the Goblins' Cave. He forced himself upright, still panting.
"Demon...Lord... Xiro. Sorry, milord. Just a sec... Hi, Your Majesty. I'm not sure if you remember me, but my name is Jawz. Jawz Eight. You saved my life before."
I looked him over, memory clicking into place. The Goblin Cave had been a whole different era of bullshit, but I remembered him. Hard not to remember somebody who had enough heart to stand against the Goblin King even when the odds had already dug his grave.
"Yeah, I remember you. That was pretty brave of you, Jawz. Trying to go against the Goblin King took guts. I'm glad you weren't killed."
His eyes widened slightly, and the sincerity in his expression hit harder than I expected.
"Thank you, milord. That kind of praise from you means a lot. It wasn't until I heard all of the stories afterwards about you that I put together who you were."
He swallowed, nerves gathering in his throat before he pushed through them.
"I don't want to freeze up the next time people need me," he said. "I don't want courage to be the only thing I've got."
"A Majin as strong as you must house incredible knowledge of Arts and techniques. So I'm here to beg you to take me as your student. Please teach me, milord."
Jawz bowed before Karma and me, lowering his head with genuine sincerity. Not the fake humble shit people did when they wanted favor from royalty. This was clean. Honest. The man placed his pride on the floor and hoped I didn't step on it.
Karma's eyes shifted before I answered.
Her [Kaleidoscope Eyes] activated, a gankyil of three different purples bloomed through each of her eyes. The morning light around her seemed to bend softly, reflecting off those rings as she looked Jawz over. Whatever she saw made her smile. Not seductive. Not mischievous. Warm. Similar to the smile Chomei made when she looked at Akai.
"He has a beautiful soul, Master. You should do it."
I looked at her, then back to Jawz.
I had to give her credit. The potential inside his Soul Core was impressive. He wasn't a Sonata user, but that didn't make him ordinary. His soul carried a sturdy brightness, something reinforced by will, courage, and the kind of stubborn goodness the world loved testing. I knew a future Herowalker when I saw one. Ignoring him would've been foolish, and contrary to popular belief, I tried not to be foolish before noon.
"Jawz, was it? I'm not against taking on a pupil. But right now, I have a royal gathering to prepare. After the ball, I will test you. Find me at the castle in a fortnight."
Jawz looked up like I had just handed him a winning lotto ticket wrapped in divine approval. His face lit up so fast it made him seem younger, all that nervous tension breaking apart into pure happiness.
"Thank you, Lord Xiro. I won't disappoint you, I promise. I'll see you on test day."
He bowed again, quicker this time, then took off down the road with the air around him practically glowing from excitement. Watching him run away like that made me feel something awkward and warm in my chest. Responsibility, probably. Nasty little emotion. Sneaks up on you while you're trying to mind your business.
Karma watched him go with a pleased expression.
"The School of Xirotation is finally about to gain new followers and practitioners. So exciting, papi."
I rubbed the back of my neck.
"I can't say I'm the best role model. I suck as a moral hero."
Karma turned toward me, her smile softening into something that felt like starlight through honey.
"But you are you. You are always yourself. And I love you for that."
The indigo heart-shaped irises of her eyes complemented that kawaii smile in a way that made her extremely hard not to find adorable. When Karma wasn't being perverted, possessive, or casually trying to rewire my common sense with her body, she was loving and warm any time she was around me. Her affection didn't just comfort me. It fed something in my soul that had gone hungry longer than I liked admitting. Like nurturing starlight.
And yeah, I still bought her that snack. Two honey-glazed rice cakes, one fruit cream bun, and the smug little smile of a goddess who knew she had won before she asked.
Many of the citizens were more than happy to see me wandering about the city, which was still wild as hell to experience if I was keeping it a hunnit. Talasi had always been home, but it never used to look at me like that. Back then, I was Fann's chaotic grandson, Glynis's dangerous nephew, Vericka's lil' headache with too much mouth and not enough common sense. Now, folks looked at me like I was the answer to prayers they had been too scared to say out loud.
Nightcrawler rolled smoothly through the rebuilt streets, her dark body catching the morning light like polished obsidian. The engine purred low and confident beneath me, drawing stares from half the town like I had brought a mythological beast into the marketplace and slapped wheels on that motherfucker. Magitech lanterns lined the streets now, their glass chambers glowing faintly with stored mana, while fresh stone roads stretched through Talasi with clean-cut precision. No more muddy ruts. No more splintered walkways. No more buildings leaning like they had given up on life.
I swung by a few more shops to finish my errands with Karma, dropping off supplies and checking on the people like a responsible king and whatnot. Don't get it twisted, I still had no damn manual for this monarchy shit. I was mostly freestyling with confidence and divine spyware in my head. But the people didn't seem to notice the difference, and if they did, they were polite enough not to tell me.
Children started chasing Nightcrawler down the street after the second stop, their little feet slapping against the stone roads as their laughter bounced off the shopfronts. Celestial kids with bright eyes fluttered behind the car in short bursts, while Elven children sprinted with flowers woven into their hair and wooden charms swinging around their necks. A few of them called my name like I was some folk hero from one of Grandma's old stories, and I would be lying if I said that shit didn't make my chest feel warm.
The praise and worship kept me smiling, so I gave the lil' ones a show. I lifted my hand out the side of the car and let tiny streams of mana curl from my fingers. The dark-blue shimmer of my Omnis Mana folded into itself like living ink, then burst into soft sparks of silver and violet. With a few lazy twirls of my wrist, I shaped the mana into wrapped candies, small wooden dragons, tiny moon-shaped tops, and miniature toy swords that glowed with harmless light along their edges.
The kids screamed like I had just handed them the key to the universe.
One little Celestial boy nearly tripped over his own feet trying to catch a floating candy before it drifted too high. A young Elven girl cupped a toy wolf in both hands and held it as a treasure. The mana constructs were real enough to touch and taste, but temporary enough that they would fade after a while. I didn't need these babies running around with permanent magic swords. Talasi had enough chaos without toddlers starting a street tournament.
A couple of the little boys and girls broke away from the group and ran toward a nearby field, plucking flowers with all the seriousness of tiny royal attendants preparing a sacred offering. They came back with a hand-picked collection of bright wildflowers, some red as blood-orange sunsets, some pale blue like morning dew, and others white enough to look painted by clouds. One of the little girls held them up to Karma with both hands, her face glowing with the type of innocence Gaia tried its hardest to beat out of people.
Karma stood beside me in that calm, elegant way of hers, looking like night itself wearing heels. The Noir Empress accepted the flowers with both hands, her dark beauty softened by the tenderness in her eyes. The children complimented her first, then me, and one of the little boys said I had a "pretty Queen" with the confidence of a man who had solved international politics before breakfast.
I chuckled and leaned down toward them, resting my forearm on Nightcrawler's door.
"Be sure to mind your parents and take your studies seriously. You want to be able to help your clans when you grow older."
Their little backs straightened like I had just given them a military order from heaven. A few saluted. One of them saluted with the wrong hand and almost slapped himself in the face. I respected the effort.
"Yes, sir, King Mikazuki!"
They ran off after that, each giddy with joy and excitement, waving their toys and candies around like they had survived a boss raid and collected rare loot. Their laughter trailed down the street, mixing with the hum of mana lanterns, the distant chatter of shopkeepers, and the warm smell of baked bread drifting from one of the newer bakeries. For a moment, I just stood there and watched them go.
A weird feeling of bliss formed in my chest. It settled there, soft and heavy, like sunlight through a window after a long night of rain. Whether I wanted to admit it or not, life was sweet. Those small moments made much of the insanity I witnessed in between worth every second. All the blood, all the screaming, all the divine bullshit, all the cosmic family drama with beings who had too much power and not enough therapy. Somehow, moments like this stood in the middle of all that madness and told me there was still something worth protecting.
Karma stepped closer, the flowers resting against her chest as her gaze followed the children down the street. Her voice came soft, almost too gentle for the world we lived in.
"Beloved, you will make an excellent father, one day."
I looked over at her, trying not to let that sentence hit me too hard. Being a father was one of those thoughts that carried a whole suitcase of feelings with it. Some good. Some heavy. Some were wearing Frost's missing face and making me want to throw the suitcase into the ocean.
"You think? I don't know. Maybe one day."
Karma's smile didn't push me, and I appreciated that. She just let the words breathe between us, then tucked the flowers carefully in the bend of her arm like the children had given her something sacred. Knowing Karma, she probably would preserve them inside some shadowy pocket dimension and glare at anybody who touched them wrong. That woman loved intense as hell, and honestly, I respected the dedication.
Karma and I wrapped up our deliveries of voidsilk to the tailor and leatherwork shops. The voidsilk moved like liquid shadow, darker than midnight but threaded with violet starlight. The tailors damn near cried when they touched it. One older Dark Elf started mumbling design ideas like she had found religion in fabric form. A leatherworker with arms thick as tree roots carefully laid his bundle across the counter and promised me he would make armor worthy of the crown.
That sounded hard, but I mostly just needed durable fits that didn't tear every time somebody with divine trauma tried to kill my future soldiers.
We ended our errand run with a stop by Talasi's town guard barracks. The building had been upgraded like most of the city, reinforced with smooth stone walls, mana-channeling support beams, and dark iron gates etched with protective runes. Training dummies lined the yard outside, some of them already scarred from practice strikes and mana burns. A rack of fresh weapons sat beneath a shaded awning, their polished edges catching the light with a clean, hungry shine.
The guards gathered quickly when I arrived. Some were young, still carrying that anxious stiffness of people who had been forced to grow into soldiers faster than life should allow. Others were veterans, their eyes sharper, their shoulders heavier, their scars telling stories they probably didn't bring up at dinner. All of them thanked me for the upgrade in equipment, voices overlapping in gratitude as they inspected the new armor, weapons, and mana tools.
Then the mood shifted into something more desperate.
A young guard named Kopestetic stepped forward, helmet tucked under his arm, and begged me to find them a captain. Since the old one died during last month's invasion, they had been taking orders from my second mother. And while Billie Holiday could absolutely command a military force through pure violence and disappointed eye contact, that didn't mean the town guard needed to keep living under the daily pressure of possibly being called a dumbass by the Crimson Lady before dawn.
I folded my arms and looked over the barracks yard, letting the request sit with me. I already had a few names moving through my head. None perfect. But perfect was expensive, rare, and usually came with trauma.
"I'll send y'all someone soon."
The guards erupted in cheer and praise like I had already solved the issue. A few slammed fists over their hearts. Some bowed. Others shouted my name until it rolled over the barracks' walls and spilled into the street beyond. Talasi truly saw me as their king and leader, and they placed all their trust in me.
And if I'm being honest, all that weight on my shoulders felt a bit comfortable to me. I was actually enjoying the new pressures of the crown. Responsibility had a strange taste when it came with worship. Heavy, but sweet. Dangerous, too. My God Complex was living its best life, feet kicked up, sipping something expensive, acting like this was exactly what we deserved.
Meanwhile, right outside of Talasi's northern front gate, a special two-horse-drawn carriage was finally making its arrival.
The carriage rolled along the northern road with old-world elegance, its polished wooden frame creaking softly over the smooth path leading into town. The horses were strong beasts with dark coats and silver manes, their hooves striking the road in a steady rhythm. Dust rose behind them in thin gold sheets, catching the morning light before drifting into the grass along the roadside.
Dr. Kairos, Frost Mayonaka, Charles Mayonaka, and Cecil DàShèng were all in for the surprise of their life when they laid eyes on Talasi and its infrastructure.
From the outside, Talasi no longer looked like some old lumber mill town clinging to survival with cracked fingernails. The northern gate stood tall and reinforced, built with a mix of dark timber, polished stone, and mana-woven metal. Runes glowed faintly along the archway, pulsing in soft purple waves whenever someone passed beneath them. Beyond the gate, clean roads stretched into the city like veins of silver-gray stone, guiding wagons, pedestrians, and magitech carts through a place that had been reborn from ash and stubbornness.
Charles pressed his head through the carriage's glassless window frame, his eyes widening as he took in the magitech and architecture all around him. The Oni looked like somebody had replaced the world outside with a more expensive version while he wasn't paying attention. His nostrils flared as a faint smell of sulfur blew in from the east side, likely carried from the industrial work zones and mana-forges, but the bakeries softened it with warm waves of bread, sugar, and roasted nuts.
Charles leaned so far out of the window that Cecil had to grab the back of his cloak.
"Hey, Kairos... wasn't Talasi an old, poor lumber mill town?"
Kairos leaned slightly toward his own window, his refined gaze tracking the buildings with careful interest. He had the calm look of a man whose theory had just grown legs and started dancing in front of him.
"I believed so."
Charles pulled his head back into the carriage just enough to glance at him, one brow lifted.
"This ain't old and poor looking."
Kairos's eyes narrowed with thoughtful amusement.
"It was much less advanced the last time I visited."
Charles looked out again, watching a small magitech lift carry supplies up the side of a newly built structure. The device hummed with pale green mana, gears turning with smooth precision.
"This place reminds me of something I've seen before. Back in Xanadu."
Cecil sat with one leg angled lazily, his bottle resting in hand like it was an extension of his personality. His sharp eyes studied the passing buildings, tracing the clean lines, the unfamiliar mechanisms, the mana-powered conveniences that didn't belong in a backwater town this far south.
"It looks like Xenohuman technology."
Kairos smiled faintly, the confirmation settling deeper behind his eyes.
"Meaning that strange horseless carriage was indeed returning to this place."
Cecil didn't respond. He turned his gaze back outside his window, popped the cork on his bottle, and swallowed a heavy gulp of liquor. The smell of alcohol cut through the carriage for a second before fading beneath leather seats, travel dust, and the faint cold presence rolling off Frost.
Frost continued to remain quiet. He sat like a statue carved from winter and bad decisions, observing the citizens carrying on with their day-to-day lives. From behind his mask, no one could tell his facial expression. His lack of movement made him even harder to read. He didn't lean toward the window like Charles. He didn't drink like Cecil. He simply watched.
Citizens laughed outside. A Celestial woman carried a basket of fruit across the road while two Light Elven boys helped an older Dark Elf stack wooden crates beside a shop. A blacksmith tested the weight of a fresh blade in front of his forge. A mother scolded her child for running too close to a mana lantern. Normal life moved around them with a peace that didn't match the reputation of Sociovore cities.
Kairos ran his fingers through his silk-like hair, smiling at the thought that he would finally get an answer to his theory on me. That man had been waiting on confirmation for a long time, and Talasi was damn near screaming it from the rooftops now.
Charles kept looking around, still amazed like he had wandered into a future he wasn't supposed to see yet.
"This place is amazing. And roads are so smooth here."
Cecil tilted his bottle toward the window without taking his eyes off the city.
"I guess we can safely say that your speculation about him being from another world is correct. But what will his agreeing to that do for you?"
Kairos's smile didn't fade, but something older moved behind it. Something patient. Something carrying the weight of a promise that had outlived plenty of people.
"It will let me know that he's the one I've been waiting for. Someone I'm supposed to give something to."
Cecil's gaze finally cut back toward him.
"What could you give a man that may have everything already?"
Kairos looked forward as the carriage rolled deeper into Talasi, the morning light catching along his beard.
"Something created for him alone."
Silence followed that. Thick, curious, and just a little uncomfortable. Cecil answered it the only way he seemed to answer most things that required emotional processing. He took another gulp of his drink.
That was when Frost's stoic voice dropped the temperature in the carriage by a degree.
"The people here appear relaxed. At ease. That's not something you commonly see in Sociovore cities."
Charles glanced toward him, then back outside at the people moving through town without fear, tightening their shoulders.
"Either my nephew is a great leader, or life in Arcadia got a lot easier."
Life in Arcadia had not gotten easier. Let's be real. That continent was still a blender full of politics, monsters, divine schemes, and people who thought "peace treaty" meant "reload quietly."
Kairos turned the carriage down the old street where my grandmother's house used to be, guiding the horses with the confidence of someone following a memory that should have still been reliable. But when the carriage stopped, the scene waiting for him didn't match what he expected.
There was an empty lot. No old house. No familiar porch. No worn steps. No cozy Mikazuki chaos packed behind wooden walls. Just open space, clean ground, and the strange absence of something that used to matter.
Kairos stepped down from the carriage, his boots touching the smooth road as he scratched the bottom of his beard. His brows drew together with honest confusion. He looked left, then right, then up the street, as if the house might have gotten shy and hidden behind another building.
Charles climbed out behind him, staring at the empty lot with a blunt expression.
"Why'd you bring us to an empty lot?"
Kairos looked genuinely bothered now.
"I don't understand. I'm sure this is the right place."
And almost as if the Prime Realms were ready to answer his question, he heard the voice of my auntie calling out to him.
"I thought that was you, Dr. Kai."
Glynis Mikazuki walked toward them from down the street, moving with that casual confidence Mikazuki women tended to inherit from somewhere between violence and divine audacity. Her presence cut through the confusion immediately. She looked between the carriage, Kairos, Charles, Cecil, and Frost, her gaze lingering on the masked man for a breath longer than the others before returning to the doctor.
Kairos brightened at the sight of her, his posture straightening with polished warmth.
"Ahhh, Lady Glynis Mikazuki, my dear. What a pleasure to run into you here. Would you be so kind as to inform me of what happened to Lady Fann's abode?"
Glynis gave the empty lot a quick glance, like the answer was normal as hell.
"Mom's house was moved. You'll find everyone over there."
She lifted her hand and pointed toward the horizon.
That was when Dr. Kairos and the others saw Castle Midnight.
The castle rose over Talasi like the city had grown a crown overnight. Dark stone towers pierced the sky, their edges trimmed with silver architecture that shimmered beneath the morning light. High walls curved around the structure with elegant menace, while mana veins glowed through the stone like constellations trapped inside obsidian. Banners moved in the breeze, carrying the weight of a new reign. The entire thing looked impossible to ignore and expensive enough to make a treasury start sweating.
Charles stared with his mouth slightly open. Cecil lowered his bottle for once. Kairos stood in complete awe, his eyes reflecting the castle's distant glow as more pieces of his theory snapped together in his mind.
Frost remained still, but even his silence changed. The air around him sharpened.
Glynis started walking again, gesturing for them to follow as if she hadn't just pointed toward a whole-ass castle that used to not be there.
"I'm headed there now, myself. Come on, I'll take you to meet the new Demon Lord."
[End of Chapter]
[1] May on Earth.