Chapter 657: Peace

Imperial Capital, Imperial Palace.

Thanks to Shien Buztout’s forceful actions, the pressure that had been hanging over the Imperial Capital finally dissipated. The citizens breathed a sigh of relief, still shaken, and a new wave of discussions arose, bringing life back to the city.

The Imperial Knight Order could finally focus on their work, rebuilding the capital and the palace.

Shien and his companions returned to the palace, sitting in a bedchamber, finally having a chance for a proper conversation.

Giacinta came to the Imperial Capital with two objectives: to prevent the demons who came to the Human Realm from causing too much trouble and breaking the hard-won peace, and to discuss future matters with Shien after learning his true identity.

“Let me be clear,” Giacinta said seriously, sitting across from Shien with Jess and Liz, while Harvis, Capeline, Rockto, and Tilly were also present, along with Lilith and Diere by Shien’s side, “Your current situation isn’t very good.”

These words made everyone exchange glances.

Shien’s expression remained unchanged. This was to be expected.

“Because your identity has been exposed, the Demon Realm is in chaos,” Giacinta said bluntly, “Perhaps a thousand years is a long time for humans, but many in the Demon Race have lived since then, personally participating in the war between the three races.”

Time could make people forget many things, like the horrors of war and past hatred.

However, for the Demon Race, a thousand years wasn’t long enough to forget everything.

Therefore…

“Many demons overreacted upon learning that a Hero has appeared again in this era,” Giacinta looked directly at Shien, “The Demon Race’s fear and wariness towards Heroes are definitely greater than you imagine. Coupled with the fact that we’ve lost the Demon King, I believe you understand how many demons are afraid of your existence.”

The Demon Realm was indeed in chaos.

Otherwise, Legendary-level demon executives like Guran wouldn’t have been able to freely pass through the gate between the Demon Realm and the Human Realm.

Airi had said that to travel between the two realms, special tokens were required.

But so many demons came to the Human Realm these past few days. If they all came through official channels with proper permission, any intelligent person would find it suspicious.

Therefore, just as Giacinta said, chaos in the Demon Realm led to this problem with inter-realm travel. Perhaps those demons in charge of “guarding the gate” deliberately violated orders and opened the gate, allowing them to come to the Human Realm and cause trouble for the Hero?

This showed the unrest in the Demon Realm.

“What about Airi and Sara? What do they say?”

Shien didn’t care about the situation in the Demon Realm, only about Airi and Sara’s attitudes.

Giacinta’s expression darkened.

“All territories in the Demon Realm are experiencing some level of chaos. Many long-lived Higher Demons and even executives are likely inciting this, causing unrest in many places.”

What kind of unrest?

It was simple.

“Many are demanding that the God Race and the Human Race give the Demon Race an explanation,” Giacinta said in a deep voice, “Even many conspiracy theories have emerged, making many demons suspect that the God Race and the Human Race are plotting against them.”

The Hero’s appearance was that much of a stimulus for the Demon Race.

After all, he was their nemesis, the weapon used by the God Race to defeat the Demon King.

Now, the Demon King was gone, and the Demon Race was willing to coexist peacefully with the God Race and the Human Race. But only a thousand years later, the Hero, the nemesis of the Demon Race, was summoned again. Therefore, as demons, they would naturally suspect that the God Race and the Human Race were planning to attack them.

It was like agreeing to nuclear disarmament, only to secretly develop new nuclear weapons. Who wouldn’t be suspicious and enraged?

The Demon Race was currently in such a state, the chaos intensifying.

“The God Race has issued a statement, claiming that the Hero summoning wasn’t restarted, and the Hero’s appearance was an accident. They’re currently investigating the cause,” Giacinta said, “But the Demon Race definitely won’t believe it so easily.”

Under such circumstances, one could imagine what the radical faction in the Demon Race would do.

“There are already many voices claiming that since the God Race and the Human Race are plotting against the Demon Race in secret, then the Demon Race shouldn’t hold back anymore,” Giacinta said, “In just a few days, the voices calling for war against the God Race and the Human Race have spread throughout the six Demon Lord territories.”

Upon hearing this, everyone present changed their expressions.

“Is… is this a joke?” Tilly, unable to hold back, asked hurriedly, “The Demon Race wants to start a war just because the Hero was summoned again?”

“Aren’t you afraid?” Capeline also asked in shock, “You no longer have the Demon King. Aren’t you afraid of being completely annihilated if you start another war?”

It was Harvis who answered Capeline and Tilly.

“The Demon Race is inherently stronger than the God Race and the Human Race, so they’re naturally not afraid of war,” Harvis said calmly, “Besides, without the Demon King, the Supreme God has also fallen into an eternal slumber. The conditions are equal.”

Therefore, the Demon Race wasn’t afraid of war.

“What about the Hero?” Rockto glanced at Shien and asked in a deep voice, “Isn’t the Demon Race afraid of the Hero?”

This time, it wasn’t Harvis who answered.

“The Demon Race is afraid of a fully grown Hero,” Diere said indifferently, “That’s why they’re so nervous about the Hero’s appearance, not wanting to give him time to reach Transcendent Level.”

Once the Hero reached Transcendence, that would be truly terrifying.

The Hero’s Transcendence was accompanied by the Holy Sword’s Transcendence.

At that time, the Holy Sword would be reborn, its true power unleashed.

The Holy Sword, considered closest in essence to the Demon King and the Supreme God, would become its most terrifying form after the Hero reached Transcendence.

In history, several Heroes who successfully transcended became as powerful as Demon Lords, even making them helpless.

Mitra, considered the strongest Hero in history, after reaching Transcendence, became an existence on par with Lildas, the Goddess of Fate, the closest to omnipotence.

Such a Mitra, with the help of Omnis, even successfully vanquished the Demon King.

If there were many in the Demon Race who experienced that battle, then they would naturally be terrified upon learning of the Hero’s appearance, unable to eat or sleep, wanting to nip him in the bud immediately.

If it weren’t for the fact that some knew Lilith was protecting Shien, powerful beings might have already invaded the Imperial Capital, attempting to kill him.

Of course, they didn’t do so, saving their own lives.

After all, the current Shien, although not yet transcendent, could rival a Transcendent Level being before his magic power was exhausted by [Samsara of Heaven’s Decree].

Powerful beings?

As long as they weren’t Demon Lords, they weren’t a major threat to Shien.

That’s why there were so many dissenting voices in the Demon Realm.

Among these voices, some must have believed that the Demon Lords should immediately come to the Human Realm and eliminate Shien.

“Those who came these past few days are mostly just pawns being incited,” Giacinta said worriedly, “If this continues, many won’t be able to sit still.”

In other words, Shien was truly being targeted by the entire Demon Race.

Moreover, even within the Human Race, there were many plotting in secret, trying to take advantage of the chaos.

As for the God Race, after issuing their statement, they seemed to be preparing for something, but suddenly stopped all activity.

“Not long ago, the Demon Lords, unable to suppress the various voices within their race, decided to gather and discuss the matter in advance,” Giacinta revealed.

Shien knew that the Six Demon Lords originally planned to discuss the Original Demon incident in the Tegor Forest.

This time, with his identity exposed, they might not even have time to discuss that matter.

“Before leaving her territory and heading to the Moon Demon’s territory, my master ordered us not to come to the Human Realm and oppose you. Those who disobey will be killed without mercy.”

Giacinta’s tone turned slightly resentful.

“It seems my master cares about you quite a bit.”

His tone sounded like a neglected wife complaining about her husband.

Shien, however, was somewhat relieved after learning about this.

Fortunately, his “little darling” still supported him.

Knowing this was enough for Shien.

As for Sara and the other Demon Lords’ intentions, although he was somewhat concerned, he wasn’t too worried.

He had already done his best.

As a visitor from another world, his sense of belonging to this world wasn’t very strong. He naturally wouldn’t wrong himself to prevent the collapse of peace.

If the Demon Race ultimately decided to fight, he would probably take Airi and his “family,” leaving this world and finding a place to live happily ever after.

If that happened, a world war probably wouldn’t truly break out.

Giacinta felt he should warn Shien.

“You killed many demons today, and more trouble will definitely come,” he said, “If this escalates into a large-scale conflict, leading to an irreconcilable situation, it might truly destroy the world’s peace.”

So, Giacinta came to advise Shien.

“Do you want to avoid the limelight before things escalate…?”

Giacinta was about to suggest this.

However, at this moment, a messenger rushed in, panicked.

“Your… Your Highness…!?” he shouted at Harvis, “S… Sara, the Supreme Being of the Demon Race, just announced something to the God Race, the Human Race, and the Demon Race!”

These words stunned everyone present.

“Announced something?” Harvis asked, stunned, “What?”

The messenger looked shocked, then said,

“Airi, the Dragon Demon, one of the Six Demon Lords, will marry the Hero Shien, to ensure everlasting peace between the three races!”

When these words echoed through the room, everyone was dumbfounded.

Especially Giacinta, who froze, completely stunned.

Shien was also shocked.

After a long while…

“Whaaaaaaaaaaat!?”

A cry of surprise echoed.

The Demon Realm.

The largest and most vast of the three worlds of Omnipotence.

Unlike the God Race, whose population was inherently limited, and the Human Race, whose history of reproduction was relatively short, the Demon Race had been continuously increasing its population since its birth, never facing extinction even after tens of thousands of years of war.

Moreover, known for their power, the Demon Race had always been recognized as the strongest race, even after the Demon King’s demise.

If it weren’t for their defeat in the war a thousand years ago, the Demon Race would have had the power to rule all of Omnipotence.

And now, although the Demon Race had chosen peace, their status remained high, and in many ways, they were even more unique than the Human Race.

Over a thousand years, the Demon Realm had developed its own culture and order.

This vast world, larger than the Human Realm and the Divine Realm combined, was now ruled by six Demon Lords:

—The Moon Demon.

—The Succubus.

—The Beast Demon.

—The Poison Demon.

—The Ghost Demon.

—The Dragon Demon.

These six Demon Lords divided the entire Demon Realm, each with their own territory, subordinates, and armies.

As the eldest of the Six Demon Lords, and the true supreme being of the Demon Race, Sara, the Moon Demon’s territory was located in the center of the Demon Realm, mostly plains, and was currently the strongest force in the Demon Realm.

As the second eldest, second only to the Moon Demon, Shafney, the Succubus’s territory was located in the east of the Demon Realm, with fertile soil and the most abundant resources.

As the third eldest, Liddomar, the Beast Demon’s territory was located in the west, mostly forests, inhabited by numerous magical beasts.

Kamina, the Poison Demon, the fourth of the six, had her territory in the south, mostly swamps and wetlands, the most dangerous place in the Demon Realm.

Millu Pesh, the Ghost Demon, the fifth and the most immature of the six, also had her own territory. However, because she wasn’t good at management, her territory was located on the outer edges of the Demon Realm, surrounding the other Demon Lords’ territories, mostly canyons and mountains, without cities, a lawless zone, and thus quite chaotic, a gathering place for outlaws.

As for Airi, the Dragon Demon, the youngest of the six, her territory was in the north, with varied terrain, including mountains and wilderness, inhabited by numerous dragons, recognized as the Dragon Kingdom of Omnipotence, mostly populated by dragons and their subordinate races, the most legendary and rarely visited of the six territories.

These six territories, belonging to the Moon Demon, the Succubus, the Beast Demon, the Poison Demon, the Ghost Demon, and the Dragon Demon, divided the entire Demon Realm.

Naturally, since the Demon Race was known for its power, in their world, the strong were respected, and the weak held a low status.

The lowest were the Lower Demons, who made up more than half of the Demon Race.

Higher Demons were those who reached level seventy or above and held a considerable position in the Demon Realm.

And the most outstanding among the Higher Demons were recruited by the Six Demon Lords, becoming their subordinates.

Like Kilian, he was recruited by Giacinta after becoming a Higher Demon, becoming Giacinta’s subordinate, and also a demon warrior under Airi.

Then, if one could reach level ninety and become a Legendary-level expert, they could become a direct subordinate of a Demon Lord through recommendation, selection, trials, and tests.

Demon Lord executives were second only to the Demon Lords themselves, enjoying the highest status and treatment among the Demon Race, a position coveted by countless demons.

Even becoming a Legendary-level expert didn’t guarantee this position.

After all, the number of executives under each Demon Lord was fixed.

The Moon Demon had three executives.

The Succubus had eight.

The Beast Demon had six.

The Poison Demon had ten.

The Ghost Demon had seven.

The Dragon Demon had four.

The number of these executives was fixed, determined even before the Demon Realm’s appearance.

There were only two ways to replace an executive:

One was to directly challenge and defeat them.

The other was to be selected through recommendation, selection, trials, and tests after an executive’s death, choosing the strongest Higher Demon in the territory.

In other words, the direct subordinates of a Demon Lord were always the strongest beings in the territory besides the Demon Lord themselves.

Only those stronger could replace them.

Because of this system, the executives generally only became stronger, never weaker.

Especially the three executives under Sara, the Moon Demon, the supreme being of the Demon Race, were all Limit Level experts at level one hundred. In the war a thousand years ago, these three shone brilliantly, each withstanding the siege of at least three Legendary-level experts without being defeated, demonstrating their power.

However, even this powerful Demon Race had recently become somewhat restless.

Various levels of chaos and unrest appeared in the different territories of the Demon Realm.

The reason was naturally the recent shocking news that shook all of Omnipotence:

“After a thousand years, a Hero has reappeared.”

This single piece of news caused unrest in the Demon Realm.

…

Demon Realm, Moon Demon Territory.

In the central city of the Moon Demon Territory, there was a Supreme Castle.

The Supreme Castle belonged to the supreme being of the Demon Race, the palace of Sara, the Moon Demon.

On this day, in a conference room on the top floor of the Supreme Castle, where no one was allowed to enter, six figures gathered.

Sara sat at the head of the table, looking around.

“Finally, everyone’s here. It’s truly not easy to see my sisters,” Sara complained, her tone filled with resentment.

Someone chuckled.

It was a captivating laugh that seemed to gather all the enchanting elements of the world, making one’s heart race.

“Are you asking us to handle your work again, big sister?”

The one who spoke was a stunningly beautiful woman with a face as delicate as white jade, skin as fair as pearls, and a voluptuous figure.

Her appearance wasn’t seductive, but rather pure and angelic, a stark contrast to her devilishly alluring figure, with its incredibly sexy curves and naturally seductive movements. Especially when she chuckled, her ample bosom jiggling, it could drive any man mad.

Sara was already very sexy and alluring, but this beauty surpassed her.

Perhaps, in terms of appearance, this beauty wasn’t much more beautiful than Sara, but there was no such thing as perfection in this world. Even if Sara was incredibly beautiful, she might not be everyone’s type.

This stunning beauty, however, seemed to possess all the elements that men, and even women, found attractive, a perfect woman who met the preferences of all, normal or not.

In fact, this demon beauty had countless admirers, followers, and even fanatical pursuers.

Because she was recognized as the most seductive being in the world, a peerless enchantress, one of the Six Demon Lords – Shafney, the Succubus.

There were many legends about her.

For example, it was said that with a single glance and a single laugh, she caused hundreds of countries, big and small, to destroy themselves fighting over her.

For example, it was said that she had several Heroes fall for her charms, being played and manipulated by her, almost becoming accomplices of the Demon Race instead of defeating them.

She could drive all men mad and even captivate women.

She was a true enchantress who could topple countries and cities, leading countless people to ruin.

At this moment, as this enchanting demon’s laughter echoed, the serious atmosphere in the conference room instantly turned ambiguous.

This displeased the others present.

“There are no men or women here for you to play with. Restrain yourself a little, Second Sister,” said a small, fluffy beast lying on the conference table, the only one not sitting in a chair.

It was Lid.

“Second Sister! Bad!”

Millu, sitting beside Lid, made a face at Shafney, as if playing a prank.

“It’s a good thing no one else is here,” said a demon girl who seemed only slightly younger than Sara and Shafney, older than Millu, like a vibrant seventeen or eighteen-year-old.

This demon girl was also quite beautiful, her skin fairer than anyone present, her expression blank, but her eyes incredibly deep, exuding an aura even more dangerous than Millu’s, a terrifying sight.

This demon girl was the fourth of the Six Demon Lords, the Demon Lord known as the Poison Demon – Kamina.

Naturally, the last Demon Lord was also present.

“Aren’t we having a meeting? Hurry up and start!” Airi said impatiently, holding her pillow.

“I still have to go back to the Human Realm!”

That’s how it was.