The discussions within the Heavenly Kingdom continued for many long hours.
The Archangel and the Twelve Guardians analyzed the news of the Demon King's recovery from every possible angle.
That single event was enough to alter the balance of power throughout the entire world.
One of the guardians said,
"If he has truly recovered, then we must assume he will begin making moves soon."
Another added,
"The problem isn't the Demon King alone, but his rulers as well. If the entire Demon Continent unites behind him, it will become a terrifying force."
The angels began discussing the options available to them.
Should they form an alliance with the dragons?
Should they attempt to bring the titans to their side?
Or should they prepare for war alone, as they always had?
But despite the many opinions...
They reached no final conclusion.
Everyone understood that only the coming years would determine the shape of future alliances.
Meanwhile, on the Demon Continent...
The Demon King had already returned to his capital.
He sat upon his gigantic throne while the Nine Rulers stood before him.
He looked at them calmly.
Then he began issuing orders regarding the treasure that would be born years from now.
In the end...
He selected the Fallen Angel, the ruler with six wings, to remain stationed near the treasure's location.
As soon as its birth was complete.
The plan was simple.
When the treasure finally appeared...
The demons would be the first to reach it.
And the first to place their hands upon it.
Even so...
The Demon King did not expect things to be settled so easily.
He knew very well that the other great races had not sent guards there.
Not because they were neglecting the matter.
But because they were confident in themselves.
Even if someone managed to seize the treasure first...
What truly mattered was who would still possess it in the end.
While the Demon King was explaining his orders to the Fallen Angel...
Something caught his attention.
Lilith was looking at him as though she wanted to say something important.
He raised an eyebrow slightly.
Then smiled and asked,
"What is it, my little one?"
He added curiously,
"Is there something you wish to tell me?"
Lilith remained silent for a few moments.
Then she raised her head and looked directly at her father.
A great deal of confusion was visible on her face.
Finally, she spoke.
"Why don't we use this time to form an alliance with the titans?"
Silence filled the hall.
Lilith continued.
"It's true that our customs are different from theirs."
"And it's true that we don't think alike."
"But they hate the dragons just as much as we do."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
Then she added,
"And if we ally with them..."
"We might be able to destroy both the dragons and the angels together."
The Demon King stared at his daughter for several seconds.
Then suddenly burst into laughter.
A laugh so powerful that it shook the entire hall.
After calming down slightly, he said,
"We can't do that."
Confusion appeared on Lilith's face.
"Why not?"
The king answered calmly.
"Because an alliance with the titans is impossible as long as the Titan Elder is alive."
Lilith was surprised by the answer.
Then she asked,
"But why does she reject us so strongly?"
The Demon King shook his head with amusement.
"Because she fears us."
Lilith became even more confused.
The king continued.
"She fears our madness."
"She fears our unpredictability."
"She fears the treachery of certain demons."
"She fears how quickly we grow and evolve."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
Then he added,
"And above all..."
"She has not forgotten what happened in the past."
Silence filled the hall.
The king found himself remembering those distant days once again.
The days of the long war against the angels.
One of the most brutal wars the world had ever known.
Back then...
The Demon King had been younger and far more reckless.
Much less patient than he was now.
During one of the great battles...
He had personally joined the battlefield.
Leading the war was not enough for him.
He wanted to end everything with his own hands.
He wanted to exterminate the angels completely.
But that recklessness had been a terrible mistake.
While he was busy pursuing the angels...
The dragons seized the opportunity.
And prepared a perfect trap for him.
A trap that had nearly killed him.
During that battle, he suffered devastating injuries.
Wounds that required many long years to heal.
The king's smile faded slightly as he remembered those moments.
Then he continued.
"I was truly on the verge of death."
He looked toward the Nine Rulers.
"And if things had continued as they were..."
"My life might have ended that very day."
Silence filled the hall.
Everyone present already knew the story.
But hearing it directly from the king himself felt different.
A small smile appeared on his face.
"But the Demon Queen intervened."
The moment he mentioned her...
The expressions of the rulers became noticeably more respectful.
The king continued.
"She was the one who saved me."
"And she was the one who unleashed those terrifying dark clouds."
Everyone remembered that event.
Those clouds had been so frightening that the dragons retreated immediately.
No non-demonic creature had dared approach the Demon Continent at that time.
Merely looking at those clouds had been enough to fill hearts with fear.
The Demon King chuckled softly at the memory.
Then he said,
"That is why the Titan Elder does not trust us."
"She knows we are willing to do things no one expects."
Then he looked directly at Lilith.
His voice became serious.
"And sometimes..."
"Her fears are completely justified."
Silence returned to the hall.
Lilith finally began to understand why such an alliance was impossible.
The issue was not merely a disagreement between races.
It was the result of a long history of wars, betrayal, bloodshed, and decisions that no one had forgotten.
The Demon King became slightly irritated as he recalled those old events.
No matter how much he tried to ignore the past...
The memory of that war still stirred annoyance within him.
Especially when he remembered how the dragons had exploited his moment of weakness and lured him into that deadly trap.
Because of that, he decided to end the conversation there.
But...
Before he could say anything else...
The atmosphere within the hall suddenly changed.
A cold spectral aura appeared throughout the chamber.
A strange aura unlike any known form of power.
The moment it spread...
Terrifying ghosts began emerging from thin air.
Distorted spirits.
Unreal creatures.
Some possessed dozens of faces.
Others had limbs that belonged to no known species.
And some appeared to be nothing more than living shadows moving through empty space.
Had any ordinary human seen those beings...
Their mind would have shattered instantly.
Merely looking at them was enough to induce hallucinations, terror, and madness.
But...
Unlike humans.
Everyone present immediately recognized the owner of that aura.
And for that very reason...
Any trace of surprise vanished from their faces.
A few seconds later...
Space itself split apart before them.
A woman appeared, floating in the air.
She wore a long spectral robe that concealed her entire body.
As for her face...
It was hidden behind a mysterious mask.
Not a single piece of skin was visible.
And yet...
No one needed to see her face to know who she was.
Everyone recognized her instantly.
The Demon Queen.
The Demon King's wife.
Leader of the ghosts.
Ruler of the entire Spectral World.
Bloody Mary.
The moment she appeared...
The Nine Rulers immediately dropped to one knee.
Without hesitation.
They knew their queen's temperament very well.
She disliked seeing anyone remain standing when she appeared.
Especially her own subordinates.
So everyone knelt quickly.
Only three figures remained standing.
The Demon King.
Lilith.
And Bloody Mary herself.
Silence lingered for several moments.
Father and daughter looked toward the spectral woman.
Yet instead of happiness...
Annoyance appeared on both of their faces.
As though her sudden appearance was far from welcome.
The Demon King frowned.
Then spoke while trying to suppress his irritation.
"Oh..."
He released a long breath.
"So you've finally appeared."
He looked directly at her.
"Where have you been all these years?"
Then his tone became sharper.
"I didn't see you when I was fighting that war."
"I didn't see you when I was wounded."
"And I didn't see you throughout all that time."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Did something happen?"
Mary did not answer immediately.
Instead, she calmly raised her hand.
Then made the slightest gesture.
But what happened afterward was terrifying.
Suddenly...
The world became still.
All sound vanished.
Time itself seemed to stop for everyone present.
The rulers could neither see nor hear what had happened.
All they felt was a strange sensation sweeping through the hall.
So they quickly raised their heads.
Their eyes widened.
Because the three figures...
Had vanished.
The Demon King was gone.
Lilith was gone.
And Bloody Mary was gone.
As though they had never existed at all.
Yet none of the rulers moved.
Nor did they appear alarmed.
Instead, they calmly returned to their previous positions.
They understood exactly what had happened.
The Ghost Queen wanted to speak privately with her husband and daughter.
Nothing more.
Elsewhere...
In a place unlike any natural world.
Everything appeared unreal.
An endless gray sky.
A cracked land covered in mist.
Countless ghosts drifting through every direction.
Distant screams echoed endlessly across the horizon.
Spectral creatures moved through the fog like fragments of an eternal nightmare.
There...
The Demon King and Lilith stood.
Facing Bloody Mary.
And their annoyance had only grown stronger.
After briefly glancing at the surrounding world, the Demon King said,
"This was unnecessary."
Then he looked directly at his wife.
"Why did you bring us here?"
His tone became sarcastic.
"Were you worried that my rulers might overhear some secret?"
Mary remained silent.
The king let out a short mocking laugh.
Then continued,
"Don't worry, my dear wife."
His demonic aura slowly began spreading throughout the area.
"My followers are not traitors."
His smile grew colder.
"And they would never turn their backs on me in a time of hardship."
Silence followed.
But those final words carried another meaning.
A meaning Mary understood immediately.
It was obvious the king was not speaking only about his rulers.
He was referring to something older.
To her long absence.
And to the years during which she had not stood beside him.
Because of that...
The atmosphere between them became heavier than ever.
Meanwhile, Lilith stood between her father and mother.
Looking from one to the other.
And slowly realizing that whatever came next...
Would not be an ordinary conversation at all.
(Author's Note):
Hello everyone! Thank you for your continuous support of this novel; your comments and interactions mean the world to me.
Stepping away from our story here for a moment, I wanted to share another project I've been working on with great passion. I have started publishing a webtoon (comic) on the Webtoon platform titled "Me and the Wolf."
It is a [Comedy / Fantasy] story about a miserable young man and a cunning wolf who is constantly getting him into trouble! If you enjoy my writing style and the way I build scenarios, I promise you're going to love this comic.
I would be so grateful if you could go check it out, subscribe to the series, and let me know what you think in the comments there!
🔍 Search on the Webtoon app for: [Me and the Wolf]