NOVPUBDemon World.
Under the sky dense with thunderclouds, the Demon King Castle, shrouded in a layer of mist, appeared and disappeared like a phantom, accompanied by eerie music.
The deep-gray stone walls and the towering spires were faintly visible among the clouds, their tips nearly piercing the sky. Ancient runes twisted and intertwined on the barrier, silently telling the secrets of the Demon World. A winding path split the garden of the Demon World, piercing through the castle’s many heavy doors.
Passing through the castle gate and down the corridors, the floor of the central courtyard was covered with complicated patterns of stone slabs, with an indoor fountain scattering softly glowing particles.
At the very depths was the throne hall, with corridors on either side lined with pitch-black armor, filling the hall with a deep and solemn atmosphere.
"Hmm..."
Hyperion slowly awoke from her slumber, letting out a tired hum.
Her silver hair cascaded down like a waterfall, softly draping over her pale blue gown, the hem fluttering lightly at the foot of the throne.
Her amber eyes no longer masqueraded as human but had returned to their truest demon form, and her hair wasn’t simply tied with a ribbon, but she could feel the cool touch of an exquisite hair ornament.
Hyperion looked up as if waking from a dream, finding herself sitting on an imposing throne.
The hall gathered a number of the Demon Race.
They varied in appearance, some majestic and stern, others fierce and frightening.
Many among them possessed magic power that rivaled, or even surpassed, that of Antanas, rendering Hyperion too intimidated to meet their gaze!
Hyperion instinctively wanted to turn invisible and flee in fear.
But then she thought again.
She realized that she seemed to be the one sitting on the throne...
By remaining calm and seated, she might avoid trouble, whereas fleeing would not only result in being captured but also in being questioned, "Why does Your Highness flee?"
Hyperion did her best to keep her expression composed.
She had just arrived in this Shadow World, opening her eyes to a scene like that of the Ten Thousand Demons Hall straight from hell. Clearly, it was a high-level Demon World assembly, and she was at the heart of the meeting.
"Your Highness, you thought about running away again?"
A female voice, devoid of much fluctuation, came from behind her.
Again?
Hyperion turned her head sharply.
She saw, standing beside her, a seemingly gentle and harmless female of the Great Demon Clan, with a calm and profound gaze.
Despite being right by her side, Hyperion had not noticed her presence at all.
This member of the Great Demon Clan had a congenial aura, and aside from the characteristics of the Demon Race, she looked even safer than a human.
But Hyperion clearly judged that this Great Demon was the most dangerous of all, even able to perceive her brief intention to flee.
Down the steps, although the other demons in attendance outwardly showed respect for Hyperion, she soon became convinced that their real fear stemmed from the Great Demon by her side.
All being Great Demons, yet others were so submissive to her. There could only be one explanation—this was a Ninth-order Great Demon.
Her presence made the atmosphere of the entire throne hall even heavier, as all the demons carefully weighed their words and actions, so as not to incur her displeasure.
"..."
Hyperion was uncertain whether to agree or deny the words of the presumably Ninth-order Great Demon beside her.
No sooner had she arrived in the Shadow World than she was surrounded by terrifying Great Demons, and Lanci, who would fit in best here, was nowhere to be seen.
Every answer might decide whether she lived or died.
Until she understood the situation, she chose to remain silent, waiting for the other party to speak.
Although she was accustomed to associating with Great Demons, being surrounded every day by friends and family from the Great Demon Clan, faced with a group of wild Great Demons, she still felt fear.
As for a Ninth-order Great Demon, that was a bit too much... She had never seen a living Ninth-order in the present world.
"Princess, you should know that you are now capable of unlocking the ancestor’s land, the last of the Royal Clan. We understand that you hold affection for the human realm, but please refrain from trying to leave the Demon King Castle again, as it would also cause us considerable trouble," the mysterious Great Demon behind Hyperion sighed.
It seemed she didn’t find anything inappropriate about Hyperion’s instinct to flee or maybe she was already accustomed to the princess’s attempts to escape.
"..."
Hyperion still remained silent, observing the Great Demon.
Although she couldn’t make out her true features, the longer she stared at her face, the more she felt a resemblance to Tata, yet after staring a bit more, she thought she looked a bit like her mother Isatia.
Hyperion instantly understood that this wasn’t the demon’s true appearance. The demon would show observers the female image they favored most, and no one could see her true form.
One could easily and naturally develop a slight closeness and dependency towards her without even realizing it.
"Hmm..."
Hyperion nodded, her voice tinged with drowsiness and a hint of confusion, pretending to be subdued by the Great Demon Clan member.
Since the other party had no intention of harming her, it was appropriate for her to show compliance.
However, Hyperion was still somewhat baffled and did not understand why she was in such a scenario to begin with.
Although she herself possessed the bloodline of the Demon Royal Family, her corresponding identity as a Witch in the Shadow World also being royalty made sense.
But having grown up in the human kingdom, sitting in the seat of Princess of Demon Clan terrified her to no end!
She had never seen so many members of the Demon Race in her life.
The more she thought about it, the more anxious Hyperion became, unclear on how to deal with these Great Demons.
Just as Hyperion felt completely at a loss, she finally saw the information that had emerged in the Shadow World—
[Sixteen years ago, after that banquet, you were hunted by the Blood Clan and scattered to different places.]
[After fleeing Lichtenstein Castle, you regained your true Demon Clan identity and traveled through the extreme north, returning to the Demon World.]
[Originally, as a Half-Demon, you were neither welcomed nor regarded highly by the Demon Race.]
[However, due to the battle to the death many years ago between the Demon King and the Second Progenitor of the Blood Clan, the Second Progenitor was severely injured, and the Demon King was also struck with a fatal wound.]
[The Demon King returned to the Demon World and soon afterward, passed away in the Ancestral Land. The Demon World is currently without a New King bearing the Nine Seals, and you, being the last of royal blood, are the only one who can unlock the Ancestral Land.]
[Even though you are now a true Princess of the Demon Clan, you have never forgotten the promise he made with you—that if you were ever separated, as long as both of you were still alive, he would definitely wait for you at the highest place.]
[This was a promise that seemed destined to be unfulfilled, yet due to a slight shift caused by the altered outcome of the last node, it became possible.]
[Sixteen years later, when you heard the latest news from the human kingdoms and learned that he had risen to become a high-ranking official in the Palante Empire, you were overjoyed and wanted to go to the human kingdoms to find him, but you were stopped by the Great Demons…]
[Mission Objective 1: Find the key to defeating the Blood Clan.]
[Mission Objective 2: By the time the Shadow World ends, raise the human side’s chances of victory over the Blood Clan to 1% or above.]
[Mission Objective 3: All Challengers must survive until the 45-day limit is reached.]
[…]
"…"
After reading through the story background, Hyperion originally felt it was quite romantic, but recalling her actual experience in the real world, she only felt a bit of a reactive response.
Moreover, she couldn’t understand what this 1% chance of success was all about, or how to enhance it, since all she could currently see was [Overall Chances of Success: 0.0000%].
Perhaps this task was related to Lanci.
"I’m sorry, I won’t cause you any more trouble,"
After a brief pause that looked like daydreaming, Hyperion said to the Great Demon beside her.
"Thank you for your consideration,"
The female Great Demon nodded.
"But with so many Great Demons here, I don’t recognize all of them. How should I address them..."
Hyperion turned her body slightly and whispered to the Great Demon.
"You don’t need to concern yourself with their names; for now, just knowing me as the Fallen Queen is enough,"
The female Great Demon shook her head confidently, her voice exuding the domineering presence of an absolute powerhouse.
Hyperion was stunned for a moment.
The Fallen Queen, it should mean that this Great Demon’s title was [Fallen].
Hyperion had an impression of this title.
The Great Demon trial of the [Fallen Wonderland] at the fourth sublevel of Herram Prison was the supreme Barrier created by the Ninth-order Great Demon Calila after her death.
This meant, the Great Demon beside her was that very same Calila of the Fallen?
In that instant, Hyperion dismissed any thoughts of forcibly escaping the Demon King’s Castle. n𝚘𝚟𝚙𝚞𝚋.𝚌o𝚖
Hyperion still remembered how difficult it was to break free from the Fallen Wonderland.
"Your Highness, I presume you do not wish to experience my magic again, or would you rather simply lose yourself in that dream?"
Calila smiled enigmatically.
At least in the current Demon World, no Great Demon could break her Gentle Town, and the notion of anyone, let alone the Princess who wasn’t even a Great Demon, attempting to confront her was utterly ridiculous.
"N-not at all,"
Hyperion shrank back, looking completely cowed, and shook her head.
Although she was extremely reluctant to be the Princess of the Demon Clan.
But given the situation, it was better to see what the Demons wanted to do rather than always thinking of escaping to find Lanci.
