"Is that the boss of the final Demon Lair?"
"The Demon King of the Abyss of Lust!?"
"He's probably already close to the demigod realm, isn't he?"
"Knight Aremos should be able to defeat him, right?"
"…Right?"
The moment everyone saw Blue Kai seated calmly within the demon lair, their expressions instantly turned grim.
A being this close to the demigod realm—merely the aura he released unintentionally was enough to inflict the 'Fear' status effect on any unit below level 80, filling them with dread and leaving them unable to move.
"A swarm of ignorant insects."
Blue Kai glanced down at the crowd beneath him, contempt flickering in his eyes. Then his gaze shifted toward the Stellar Knight, Aremos, standing directly before him.
As a demigod-level Stellar Knight, Aremos' strength naturally surpassed his own.
But…
The corner of Blue Kai's mouth curled into a sinister smile as blue lightning crackled across his body.
Before anyone could react—
He transformed into a streak of violent lightning and launched himself straight at Aremos.
Aremos gripped his longsword and calmly met the attack.
But their speed was simply too fast.
To everyone watching, all they could see were blurred shadows and hear the constant rumble of thunder. Their movements were impossible to track.
"It's over."
At that moment, Lucia whispered beside Kurose Akira.
Akira frowned slightly.
He had barely seen anything. From the start of the battle until now, less than ten seconds had passed—and it was already over?
He was about to ask Lucia what she meant—
But in the next instant, a massive figure crashed down from the sky like a falling meteor, slamming heavily into the empty area of the plaza.
It was Blue Kai's corpse.
His enormous body towered more than twenty meters high.
Yet even such a powerful demon had lasted less than ten seconds against the Stellar Knight Aremos.
"What just happened?! The Demon King's already dead?!"
"That was way too fast! It only took a few seconds!"
"So this is the strength of a demigod? That's terrifying!"
"With Knight Aremos guarding us, what demons from the Abyss could the Stellar Kingdom possibly fear?!"
"All hail the great stars!"
"…"
When the crowd saw the Demon King Blue Kai killed in mere seconds by Aremos, they erupted in wild celebration.
The players present were equally stunned.
Ten seconds.
The final boss of the Demon Lair event had been slain in just ten seconds.
However, Akira felt uneasy.
Something about this victory felt… too smooth.
It didn't sit right.
He wasn't doubting the power of a demigod-level warrior.
What troubled him was Blue Kai's behavior.
As the Demon King leading the invasion of the Abyss of Lust into the magical continent, Blue Kai's actions felt reckless… almost foolish.
Even if they were merely the Abyss's vanguard force, surely they wouldn't throw their lives away this casually.
After all, without reaching the demigod realm, Blue Kai had absolutely no chance against Aremos.
He should have known that himself.
At that moment, after killing Blue Kai, the Stellar Knight Aremos slowly descended from the sky and landed beside the demon's corpse.
He raised his sword high—
Then brought it down in a single decisive strike.
An overwhelming surge of stellar power burst forth instantly.
Blue Kai's massive body was completely annihilated, dissolving into glittering stardust-like powder.
Those particles then gathered into Aremos' palm, condensing into a glowing sphere.
The next second, Aremos leapt lightly into the air.
His figure vanished—and reappeared beside Princess Vivian a thousand meters away.
He handed the sphere—condensed from Blue Kai's magic—to her.
Vivian accepted the glowing orb, raised it high above her head, and announced clearly to the crowd:
"The demon has been eliminated!"
The moment her words fell—
Thunderous cheers erupted across the entire plaza.
This victory not only meant that the citizens of the Stellar Kingdom had once again repelled an Abyssal invasion…
It also meant they had slain a Demon King–level demon.
Without question, this achievement pushed the prestige of the Stellar Kingdom to heights unseen in centuries.
Yet just as the crowd was still immersed in their joy—
Princess Vivian spoke again.
"On this meaningful occasion, I have one more announcement to make to the world!"
As she finished speaking, the glowing sphere in her hand slowly floated upward, hovering in the air and radiating a faint light.
All eyes immediately focused on her.
Brilliant runes suddenly began to bloom across Vivian's body.
They shone like stars themselves, reflecting off her breathtaking beauty.
She clasped her hands together and raised them toward the sky, as though accepting a mysterious blessing descending from the stars.
The moment this scene appeared—
Prince Thales exploded with rage.
"Vivian!"
He roared, attempting to stop her.
But in the very next second—
Aremos decisively stepped in front of him, blocking his path.
"You… you're activating the Blessing of the Stars ahead of schedule?! Vivian, have you gone mad?!"
Prince Laps also stepped forward at that moment, his face filled with anger as he shouted at her.
Even the second princess, Katherine, wore a troubled expression.
She had never expected Vivian to attempt to draw the power of the stars a full day early.
"Vivian," she urged anxiously, "the timing of the Star Blessing ritual is strictly regulated! Changing it on your own and forcibly drawing the power of the stars will only bring endless disaster!"
"Disaster?"
Vivian smiled calmly.
Then she looked down at the crowd below and spoke with unwavering clarity:
"Everyone! Today is not only the moment we witness the fall of a Demon King…"
"It is also the once-in-a-century grand event of the Stellar Kingdom."
"At that moment, the power of the stars will descend from the heavens."
"And it will herald the birth of a new king!"
As her words ended—
The glowing sphere formed from Blue Kai's body suddenly exploded.
Terrifying magical power erupted outward, shooting straight into the sky.
In the next instant—
The previously clear daytime sky was suddenly swallowed by darkness.
It was as if time itself had been forcibly reversed.
Day turned to night in the blink of an eye.
Countless stars gradually appeared across the suddenly formed night sky.
As though responding to some mysterious summons, they began shining with dazzling brilliance.
"W-What's going on?!"
"Didn't the sun just rise not long ago? Why did it suddenly turn into night?"
"The Star Ritual? I thought the ritual was supposed to be tomorrow!"
"…"
The players exchanged bewildered looks, completely confused.
But at that moment, a voice sounded in Akira's ear.
Edith.
"Get ready. We need to deal with another problem first."
Akira frowned slightly.
He had a whole pile of questions he wanted to ask Edith right now.
But judging from the situation unfolding around them—
There clearly wasn't time.
At that moment—
A jet-black beam of light suddenly descended from the sky and poured directly into Princess Vivian's body.
Her aura surged instantly.
A tidal wave of magic engulfed her.
"Stop her!"
Prince Thales gave the order.
Several black-clad assassins immediately rushed toward Vivian.
But the instant they approached—
Aremos casually swung his sword.
Each of them was cut down in a single stroke.
Prince Thales' face darkened.
Staring at Aremos, he asked coldly:
"Aremos! Didn't you say you wouldn't take part in the struggle for the throne? Why are you protecting her?!"
Aremos replied expressionlessly:
"I changed my mind."
That simple sentence turned Prince Thales' face livid.
He drew a black staff from his waist and threatened coldly:
"In that case, don't blame me for abandoning old ties. How long can that broken body of yours still hold together?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Prince Thales' aura exploded outward.
Though he hadn't reached the demigod realm, he was very close.
Meanwhile, amid the chaos—
Delegations from other nations simply watched like spectators.
"It seems we'll witness civil strife in the Stellar Kingdom firsthand. How interesting."
Winnyshan lounged inside a lotus-shaped carriage, smiling as she leisurely ate fruit.
Just then—
Lucia's voice suddenly reached her ears.
"Come help."
"Ah! Your Holiness!"
Winnyshan quickly set aside the fruit plate and replied hurriedly:
"I'm coming!"
Meanwhile—
Akira had already led his guild's adventurers to a hidden corner, where they met up with Edith.
"What exactly are we doing?" Akira asked.
Facing his confusion, Edith calmly explained:
"We're going to kill Blue Kai."
"…Wasn't he already killed by the Stellar Knight?" Akira pressed.
"That was all an act. He didn't truly die."
Edith let out a soft laugh.
"Right now, he's most likely hiding in the king's bedchamber of the Stellar Kingdom, waiting for the moment when the power of the stars gathers."
"He plans to use that power to break through into the demigod realm."
"And he's not the only one with that idea."
"I see…"
Akira finally understood the situation a little more clearly.
"So first we eliminate Blue Kai," Edith continued, "and then we deal with Princess Vivian."
"If a demon obtains the power of the stars, it'll be far harder to deal with than if Vivian obtains it."
"However~"
Edith's gaze swept briefly across Lucia, then landed on Akira.
"When it comes to dealing with Princess Vivian…"
"We'll have to rely on you."
"Me?"
"Exactly~"
Edith stepped closer.
Her fingers gently lifted Akira's chin—
And before he could react, she kissed him.
"?"
Behind him, the women of the guild stared in shock.
At the same time, as Akira felt the heat of Edith's passionate kiss—
A system notification appeared in his vision.
[You have obtained a contract from the Mother of Demons…]
…
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