Chapter 735: The Apex of the Demon Race

Supreme Castle, top floor conference room.

When Shien, Shafney, and Lilith arrived, several figures were already present.

“Finally decided to come?” Sara, sitting at the head of the conference table, looked at them with a displeased expression.

“Lilith!” Millu jumped from her seat and ran towards her friend from the Elven Homeland.

“Hee hee.” Lilith also beamed, being put down by Shien and going to meet her little friend. The Evil God and the Ghost Demon, what a combination.

“Welcome to the Demon Realm, Shien,” Lid greeted, standing on the conference table.

“We meet again, Lid,” Shien smiled at the small, fluffy beast.

Lid, however, wasn’t as cheerful. “It hasn’t been long since we parted ways in the Elven Homeland,” she said, looking at Shien with a mix of wonder and reproach, “I didn’t expect you to be the Hero.”

She hadn’t known his identity back then in the Elven Homeland. Therefore, seeing him again, now as the Hero, it was natural for her to feel emotional.

Shafney went to her seat and sat down. “Big sister knew his identity long ago,” she said, looking at Sara with a smirk.

“It’s not that I didn’t tell you, I just needed to investigate some matters,” Sara shook her head, unfazed by Shafney’s teasing, then looked at Shien, her eyes flickering, “Of course, I also didn’t expect that in just a short time, you’ve already reached our level.”

Shien rolled his eyes at her words.

“Cut the crap,” he said bluntly, “Don’t think you can fool me with your sentimental act.” He wasn’t buying it.

“Fool you?” Sara feigned confusion, “Fool you about what?”

“Still pretending?” Shien walked over and sat down in one of the six seats at the table.

Seeing this, Hartley frowned, and Shafney, Lid, and even Millu were startled, then their expressions turned playful, helpless, and amused, respectively.

Hartley seemed to want to say something, but Sara stopped her. She didn’t seem to mind Shien taking that seat, or perhaps she thought he was qualified, smiling without comment.

But she still addressed his words.

“You’re referring to the engagement with Airi, right?” Sara finally dropped the act.

“You know it,” Shien glanced at her, “I really want to know what you mean by this.”

“What?” Sara asked back, “You don’t want to marry Airi?”

“This…” Shien was momentarily speechless, but he didn’t back down, “Even if I want to marry Airi, that’s for us to decide. Since when does the Demon Race have the right to decide my marriage?”

This was Shien’s only complaint, and one of his reasons for coming to the Demon Realm. He liked Airi and felt he couldn’t live without her, but their relationship had just begun, and the Demon Race unilaterally announced their engagement. Although it seemed advantageous for him, couldn’t he have proposed to Airi himself? A marriage decided by himself and a marriage forced upon him were different.

Moreover, this engagement was clearly a political move to quell the unrest in the Demon Race and the undercurrents among the three races.

Shien naturally had objections to such a politically motivated marriage.

And Sara and the others clearly knew this.

Especially Shafney, who, having developed a preliminary mental connection with Shien, said playfully,

“That’s what he said. What are you going to do, big sister?” Her tone was clearly gloating.

Sara ignored her mischievous younger sister and looked deeply at Shien.

Shien met her gaze unflinchingly.

The atmosphere gradually became heavy.

But soon, it lightened.

“I knew it, you Heroes are all stubborn. Even you, a special Hero, are so headstrong that it’s a headache,” Sara sighed, then said frankly, “I can tell you directly, if Airi hadn’t agreed, we wouldn’t have announced this to the world. Do you understand?”

Shien naturally understood.

This matter had Airi’s consent, or at least her tacit agreement. Otherwise, even for the sake of the Demon Race and the world, she wouldn’t allow herself to be sold off by her sisters as a political tool. She was also a Demon Lord, and although she respected Sara as their leader, she wasn’t her subordinate. Sara couldn’t force her.

Of course, Sara also had her own considerations.

“If it weren’t for your unclear relationship with Airi, I wouldn’t have proposed this engagement to quell the unrest,” she said directly, “I, Sara, the Moon Demon, wouldn’t sacrifice my sister’s marriage for the sake of peace.”

Although she wanted to see harmony and peace between the three races, if the price was her sister’s marriage, she wouldn’t do it, and might even start a war. The Demon Race was the strongest, possessing immense power that even the Goddesses of the God Race couldn’t match. Now, with the Supreme God in seclusion, if a war broke out, the Demon Race wouldn’t be afraid of the God Race and the Human Race. At the very least, Sara, as the renowned strategist of the Demon Race, could come up with other solutions to quell the unrest, although they might not be as direct and effective as the engagement between Shien and Airi.

Therefore, Sara only proposed this marriage alliance after seeing the close relationship between Shien and Airi. She used this to quell the unrest and then proposed the three-race meeting to discuss important matters.

“You should also understand that without Airi’s consent, or at least her tacit agreement, I wouldn’t have been able to implement this so smoothly, right?”

Sara said this seriously to Shien.

Shien was speechless. He could guess that Airi knew about this and had agreed, or at least tacitly agreed.

“But I really didn’t know about this. You announced it unilaterally, without even asking me.”

He was only slightly displeased about this.

“There was no helping it. At that time, the sooner the news was released, the sooner the chaos would be quelled. Otherwise, it would only escalate and become more difficult to control,” Sara said, “If that happened, even in the Human Realm, you wouldn’t have any peace.”

At that time, Shien had already been challenged by the Demon Race, even besieged in the Imperial Capital by their army. If not for the sudden announcement of his engagement to Airi, he might have faced endless trouble. The Human Race would also definitely take action, some wanting to protect him, some wanting to investigate his secrets, and some wanting to exploit his identity and status as the Hero. If that happened, Shien would definitely cause a lot of trouble in the Human Realm.

“Airi probably also considered this when she tacitly agreed to the marriage,” Sara shrugged, “Anyway, your engagement is settled, the only difference is the occasion, time, and circumstances. If you have any objections, then go talk to Airi. You two can resolve this yourselves. If you can’t, then canceling the engagement isn’t impossible either.”

Sara’s words made Shien shut his mouth. Canceling the engagement was impossible, absolutely impossible. If he dared to suggest it, Airi would definitely incinerate him with her dragon breath. He had no objections to the marriage itself, only to the fact that it was unilaterally decided by the Demon Race.

Now that Sara had explained, he wouldn’t pursue the matter further.

However…

“Not everyone agrees with your engagement to Airi,” Sara suddenly said with a meaningful smile.

Shien was startled, then, sensing something, he turned and looked towards the entrance.

There, a figure had appeared.

It was a young demon girl. She had delicate features, snow-white skin, a somewhat dull expression, but incredibly deep eyes. Although her aura seemed ordinary, those with keen senses could detect a hidden danger within it, a chilling and terrifying aura. It felt as if she wasn’t a beautiful girl, but a black hole capable of devouring everything.

The girl appeared there, her gaze fixed on Shien.

Then…

“Hmm?” Shien’s expression suddenly changed slightly, a faint purple hue appearing between his eyebrows.

He had been poisoned.

“—!?”

At this moment, Shien felt a slight dizziness, and a burning sensation, gradually turning into pain, spread through his body. The dizziness and pain intensified with each breath.

Shien’s expression changed, and he instinctively activated his [Outer Awareness of Heaven’s Decree], sensing a harmful gas in the air.

It was poison, a potent toxin capable of bypassing the defenses of [Inner Manifestation of Heaven’s Decree].

Realizing this, Shien immediately grasped his Holy Sword and unsealed all its seals.

“Clang…” A holy wave emanated from the sheathed Holy Sword. The dizziness cleared, and the burning pain subsided. The Holy Sword’s power had neutralized the poison he unknowingly inhaled.

The Demon Lords couldn’t help but look at him.

“This fluctuation…” Lid’s expression turned serious.

“Amazing,” Millu also looked at Shien in surprise.

“Is this the Holy Sword of the current Hero?” Sara’s eyes flickered.

Only Shafney watched with a smile, as if unconcerned about Shien’s well-being.

The newly arrived demon girl also looked at Shien’s waist.

“Quite a powerful Holy Sword,” she said, her tone a mix of praise and sarcasm, “Able to resist my poison even before transcending. No wonder you could cut through my aura.”

Shien looked directly at her.

“Kamina, the Poison Demon?” he asked.

“That’s me,” the girl nodded.

This girl was Kamina, the fourth of the Six Demon Lords, the older sister of Airi and Millu, and the younger sister of Sara, Shafney, and Lid. She was known as the Poison Demon, considered the most ruthless among the Demon Lords, once on par with Airi, who killed two Heroes and suppressed the Goddesses of Life and Nature. She was the most feared of the six sisters due to her terrifying abilities. Her entire being was poisonous, even her breath a colorless, odorless toxin that could cause instant death.

Shien had just experienced this. If not for the Holy Sword’s protection, even with the [Supreme God’s Blessing], he would have suffered.

“Your reputation precedes you,” he said, his tone also a mix of praise and sarcasm.

Kamina looked at him, a chilling, beautiful yet dangerous smile appearing on her pale face.

“Likewise,” she said, then, shifting her gaze, added with narrowed eyes, “Although I’ve already met, and even fought, the goddess beside you.”

Kamina was looking at Lilith, who had returned to Shien’s side and was now glaring at her, as if ready to attack.

Their gazes clashed, evil aura and poisonous energy fluctuating around them.

The terrifying evil aura, capable of corroding souls.

The dreadful poison, capable of melting flesh.

These two, who had fought a fierce battle in the Poison Demon Territory, a battle that lasted for a whole day and night, devastating nearly one-third of the territory and leaving countless mountains in ruins, now glared at each other again.

Their auras made even Hartley feel slightly uncomfortable.

Seeing the increasingly hostile atmosphere between them, Shafney poked Shien’s side.

“Aren’t you going to stop them?” she asked, her tone suggesting she was enjoying the situation.

Shien, however, was more direct.

“Why stop them?” he asked with a bright smile, “Since they’re evenly matched, with me here, we can finally determine a victor, right?”

His meaning was clear. If they fought again, he would join forces with Lilith and defeat this Poison Demon.

“…You’re quite bold,” Kamina said, her momentum faltering as she looked at Shien again, surprised by his words.

“Do you think two against one is unfair?” Shien blinked, meeting her gaze with a fake smile, “A Transcendent Level being attacking a Legendary-level being is even more unfair. At least I’m openly planning a two-on-one.”

His implication was clear.

A dangerous glint appeared in Kamina’s eyes.

Shien, however, remained unfazed, even looking eager.

Clearly, if Kamina tried anything, he wouldn’t hesitate to make his words a reality. He wouldn’t mind teaching this Poison Demon a lesson. After all, she came here with hostility, had fought against Lilith, opposed his marriage to Airi, and had even suppressed him with her aura and poisoned him silently upon his arrival. If he didn’t find a chance to retaliate, that wouldn’t be him.

Even though he knew the other Demon Lords wouldn’t let them fight here.

“Alright,” Sara finally spoke.

“This is Central City, the Supreme Castle, the most important place in the Demon Realm. I won’t allow a fight between beings of our level here, for both personal and official reasons.”

Sara’s warning even treated Shien as an equal. This showed how much she valued him. Although he hadn’t truly transcended yet, he had already reached that level, and with his special identity and his complex relationship with them, it was understandable to treat him as an equal.

“Indeed, Kamina, don’t cause any more trouble,” Lid said seriously, “Your last fight with Lilith already caused unimaginable damage to the Poison Demon Territory. You know the consequences of fighting here.”

“Mm-hmm!” Millu nodded seriously, her small face filled with concern, “Fighting is bad.”

“It’s a pity,” Shafney said, seemingly regretful, “I really wanted to see if Kamina could defeat this guy.”

The Demon Lords had different attitudes, but none wanted to see a fight between Shien and Kamina here.

Kamina herself also knew this.

“Don’t worry, I was just saying hello,” she said calmly.

“Your greeting is quite rough, Poison Demon,” Shien said, not letting her off the hook.

Kamina, however, didn’t mind.

“That level of ‘greeting’ is nothing to me,” she glanced at Shien, “If you can’t even handle that, then you’re not qualified to be here, not qualified to sit in that seat, and not qualified to discuss marriage with our little sister.”

“Really?” Shien raised an eyebrow and smirked, “Then have I passed your test, Poison Demon?”

“Who knows?” Kamina replied indifferently, then glanced at him again and smiled, “However, I somewhat understand why my sisters think you’re special. You’re truly different from past Heroes.”

Saying that, she walked to her seat and sat down, not giving Shien a chance to reply.

That seat happened to be beside Shien’s.

The Six Demon Lords’ seats were fixed, arranged in a circle around a round table.

Naturally, Sara, the eldest and the supreme being, sat at the head.

Across from her was Airi, the youngest, where Shien was currently sitting.

Then, on either side of Sara were Shafney and Lid.

As for Kamina and Millu, they sat beside Airi.

In other words, from left to right, the six Demon Lords’ seats were Sara, Shafney, Kamina, Airi, Millu, and Lid.

Therefore, Kamina’s seat was beside Shien’s.

Shien frowned slightly. The moment Kamina sat beside him, a faint fragrance drifted into his nose, a seductive scent that made his heart race.

Unfortunately, this fragrance was poisonous, literally.

At least, Shien felt dizzy, and if not for holding onto his Holy Sword, he might have been poisoned again.

(Is this the Poison Demon’s Unique Skill, [Heavenly Poison Body]?)

Her entire being was poisonous, capable of instantly creating any toxin, even those that didn’t exist in this world.

Such a Demon Lord was naturally feared and avoided.

Shien suspected she was doing this on purpose, sitting beside him and releasing poison silently, enjoying his reaction.

However, he wouldn’t back down.

So, Shien moved his chair closer to Kamina, sitting right beside her and even putting his arm around her, like a wealthy customer in a brothel.

“???” Kamina was dumbfounded.

“???” The other Demon Lords also stared with wide eyes.

“?” Lilith tilted her head, confused.

“!!!” Hartley shuddered, her heart pounding.

At this moment, everyone had only one thought:

“This Hero is ruthless.”