Those without backing began calculating quietly.
What would this announcement mean for them?
Opportunity?
Danger?
Or a ladder to climb?
Meanwhile, the lower-ranked Fiends were in open celebration.
After years of steady expansion, the Fiend Castle had finally revealed a true heavyweight.
And the moment he appeared—
He pointed directly at the Prefecture Lord of Nightblaze Prefecture.
For countless millennia, the one hundred and eight Prefecture Lords of the Infernal Realm had stood as publicly acknowledged titans — figures ranked among the top hundred experts in all of Hell.
Every single one had climbed to that seat through slaughter.
Their hands were stained with the blood of challengers.
Their reputations were forged in corpses.
In Hell, the name of a Prefecture Lord alone could silence a crying child.
Some of the more terrifying ones did not even give face to the Sovereign Army stationed in their prefectural capitals.
And the Sovereigns?
They would not offend a true apex Highgod over minor grievances.
Within their territories, Prefecture Lords were absolute monarchs.
Unquestioned.
Unchallenged.
Every challenge to a Prefecture Lord drew the gaze of all Hell.
Because today he challenges Nightblaze Prefecture's Lord—
Tomorrow, could it be me?
The news spread with terrifying speed.
Someone was challenging the Lord of Nightblaze Prefecture.
And along with that news came something else.
The Fiend Castle.
And its ranking system for god-level strength.
Highgods across Hell began calculating in silence.
Was their strength merely several times that of an ordinary Highgod?
Dozens of times?
Hundreds?
Where did they stand on this newly drawn ladder?
No matter how they measured themselves, they could find a place within that system.
Those ranked below them were dismissed without thought.
But Seven-Star Fiends?
Asura?
Were such beings truly that terrifying?
For a time, the Infernal Realm churned with debate.
Nightblaze Prefecture – Prefectural Capital
Kurusus listened calmly as his subordinates delivered their report.
His brows lifted slightly.
"Oh?"
He leaned back against his throne, fingers tapping lazily against the armrest.
"Interesting."
"It has been over eight hundred thousand years since I killed the last fool who dared challenge me."
"And now… someone comes again?"
A faint smile curved at his lips.
"Very well. Let him entertain me."
After receiving the formal challenge, Kurusus emerged from his cultivation chamber and sent his response through the dueling platform's adjudicator.
Ten years from now.
The battle would take place.
Once the adjudicator departed, Kurusus turned his gaze toward the armored man standing to his right.
"Dalton."
"Tell me about this challenger."
Confidence did not mean carelessness.
In this position, the weak died early.
Those who dared issue challenges were never fools.
Dalton stepped forward respectfully.
"Yes, Prefecture Lord."
He retrieved a projection stone from his interspatial ring and activated it.
A clear image appeared in the air.
A refined young man.
Calm eyes.
Unassuming presence.
Beside the image, glowing orange text hovered:
Locke — Seven-Star Fiend
Kurusas read it aloud slowly.
"Seven-Star Fiend…"
Dalton's face changed immediately.
"What?!"
His voice cracked despite himself.
"Seven-Star Fiend? That's impossible!"
Kurusas glanced sideways at him.
"Dalton. Explain."
"Is this man famous?"
"Some newly risen powerhouse?"
Dalton inhaled sharply, forcing himself to steady his voice.
"It's not the name, my lord."
"It's the rank."
He spoke carefully.
"Over the past few centuries, a rising faction has expanded rapidly within Nightblaze Prefecture's sphere of influence."
"They call themselves the Fiend Castle."
"They classify god-level strength into detailed star rankings."
"Seven-Star Fiends… stand just beneath Asura."
Silence settled.
Dalton continued.
"My lord… based on their classification, I would be roughly a Five-Star Fiend."
"You… would be Six-Star."
He swallowed.
"For them to publicly send a Seven-Star Fiend to challenge you…"
"That means this is no simple gesture."
For a moment, tension hung thick in the air.
Then—
Kurusas laughed.
Not nervously.
Not angrily.
But with genuine delight.
"Interesting."
"Very interesting."
Dalton blinked in confusion.
"My lord?"
Kurusas stood, eyes gleaming.
"Dalton, do you know how bored I have been?"
"Since that last challenger died eight hundred thousand years ago, I have felt…"
He paused, searching for the word.
"Alone."
"In this vast Infernal Realm, perhaps only the other one hundred and seven Prefecture Lords are worth taking seriously."
"The rest?"
He waved dismissively.
"Insects."
He turned back toward the projection.
"But according to this ranking system…"
"There are beings ten times stronger than me?"
"Perhaps even a hundred times?"
He smiled.
"In their eyes… am I the insect?"
Dalton stiffened.
"My lord—"
"This is wonderful."
Kurusas's aura surged faintly, excitement flickering in his gaze.
"I have been trapped at this realm for over ten million years."
"No path forward."
"No direction."
"I have often wondered…"
"Beyond the Sovereigns… is there truly anyone stronger than me?"
Now his eyes sharpened.
"But this Fiend Castle."
"They classify strength with such precision."
"That kind of system cannot be fabricated without foundation."
"They must know something."
"Dalton."
He looked directly at him.
"Do you not wish to advance further?"
Dalton froze.
Who in this world did not wish to grow stronger?
But loyalty ran deep.
"I follow you, my lord," he said quietly.
"If you choose war, I will lead the charge."
"If you seek another path, I will walk it beside you."
Kurusas chuckled.
"You misunderstand."
"I desire what they know."
"But I will not beg."
His voice dropped.
"I am Kurusus — Lord of Nightblaze Prefecture."
"If they think a mere title of 'Seven-Star Fiend' will frighten me, they insult us both."
"Only absolute strength earns my respect."
He stepped forward, aura flaring like a storm barely restrained.
"Let this battle prove whether their Seven-Star Fiend lives up to the name."
"If he is truly that powerful—"
"Then I will see with my own eyes the road beyond my current limits."
"But if this is empty boasting…"
His killing intent thickened, cold and merciless.
"Then I will wipe every Fiend Castle from Nightblaze Prefecture."
"And drag out the faction behind it."
"And destroy them completely."
The temperature in the hall seemed to drop.
One did not become a Prefecture Lord through kindness.
In Hell, strength was the only morality.
For the weak—
Whether it was thunder or rain—
It was all divine will.
Dalton bowed deeply.
"I understand."
"I will compile every record of the Fiend Castles within our territory."
"When your battle concludes…"
"We will be ready."
Yet as he withdrew, one thought lingered uneasily in his mind.
Until recently, the Fiend Castle possessed barely more than a dozen Five-Star Fiends.
Not a single Six-Star.
And now—
Just before challenging a Prefecture Lord—
A Seven-Star Fiend appeared?
The timing…
Was too perfect.
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