Sali raised his head.
At some point, the sky above Starlight Palace had become covered in thick, heavy dark clouds.
Amid the flashing lightning and roaring thunder, the massive silhouette of a dragon was illuminated within the clouds.
The giant dragon soared through the sky like the ruler of the heavens.
“Roar!!”
The dragon’s roar exploded alongside the thunder, echoing above Starlight Palace and causing the entire ground to tremble.
A pitch-black giant dragon seemed to tear open the sky as it descended onto the square with overwhelming pressure.
“Mmm…”
The shockwave from the dragon’s landing carried dense abyssal aura, forcing Sali to stagger backward. He raised his arm to shield himself.
The leaders of the ancient families squinted with difficulty, peering through their fingers to see several figures riding atop the giant dragon amid the fierce winds.
They couldn’t comprehend who could possibly control such a powerful dragon.
“Mr. Sali, that doesn’t look like an ordinary dragon… It’s… an abyssal beast!”
Hels’s tone grew heavy.
Once the wind and waves subsided, Sali stared at the giant dragon with a strange expression. “What? You’re right. This is an abyssal beast—a very special dragon-type abyssal beast!”
In all his long years, this was the first time he had seen a dragon-type abyssal beast with his own eyes.
It was said that dragon-type abyssal beasts lived deep within the Thousand Sea Abyss and rarely ever ventured into the outside world. There seemed to be only one person capable of controlling such a creature.
Hels seemed to realize the gravity of the situation. “Could it be her?”
A name immediately sprang into Sali’s mind.
“My, my. Is some kind of bloody ritual happening here? Why are there corpses everywhere?”
A petite figure appeared on the head of the black dragon.
Sashaya, wearing her oversized witch hat and holding her staff, looked down at the square below.
Nicholas was currently gripping the now-defenseless Luca by the neck. He turned his head toward Sashaya.
“Eek…!!”
Luca tried to cry out for mercy, but Nicholas gave him no chance. With a powerful squeeze, he snapped the young noble’s neck.
Nicholas glared at Sashaya. He tossed Luca’s corpse aside like garbage, then stomped down with one foot, crushing it into two pieces. The action was a blatant provocation.
“What a barbaric fellow. Did your mother never teach you any basic manners?”
Sashaya’s expression remained unchanged, her eyes showing only contempt.
Just as Nicholas prepared to move, Sali tapped his cane on the ground. Using the gem on it, he regained control of Nicholas and forced him to stop.
“Hmm?”
The knowledgeable Sashaya quickly realized that Nicholas was being magically controlled, and the controller was most likely the old man standing nearby.
“You must be the Abyssal Demoness, correct?” Sali asked.
“Oh? You actually know who I am?” Sashaya lifted the brim of her hat. “And who might you be, little boy?”
“Little boy… That tone confirms it.”
Sali determined that this young-looking girl was indeed the legendary Abyssal Demoness.
“Why has the Abyssal Demoness come here?”
“This is going to be a big problem.”
“Could she be planning to compete for the Demon King position?”
The leaders of the ancient families looked quite worried.
They sensed that the Abyssal Demoness had come with ill intentions.
“Lady Demoness, please save us!!”
The injured demonkin lying on the ground shouted desperately.
With no other choice if they wanted to survive, they turned to the feared Abyssal Demoness for help.
“It seems I arrived at the perfect time. So this is the selection ceremony for the new Demon King?” Sashaya quickly understood the situation.
“Yes. We are members of the ancient families, and we intend to nominate Nicholas as the next Demon King,” Sali attempted to negotiate with her. “Abyssal Demoness, you have always stayed out of worldly affairs. May I ask what brings you here today?”
“I was bored and came to watch the show. Is that not allowed?”
“…Don’t tell me you’re also interested in the Demon King position?”
“The Demon King position?” Sashaya laughed. “With my strength, taking that seat wouldn’t be too difficult. If I said I wanted it, would you all kneel and crown me as your king?”
Sali fell silent. His gaze turned cold and sharp.
He didn’t believe the Abyssal Demoness would side with him.
“Lady Demoness, the position of Demon King isn’t easy to hold. It’s not enough to simply be powerful—the Demon King must also lead us demonkin forward,” Hels advised.
“Look at all your faces—so terrified, haha!” Sashaya shrugged. “I was only teasing you. If I really became Demon King, I’d be swamped with endless annoying problems. The thing I hate most is dealing with you idiots who only care about profit.”
Hels adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses. “Then what does Lady Demoness mean…”
“You’d better steel yourselves.” Sashaya smiled. “I only came to watch the show. The one who will compete for the Demon King position isn’t me—it’s someone else.”
“Someone else? Who is it?”
Hels was genuinely surprised.
He had heard that the Abyssal Demoness had a strange and eccentric personality. She was extremely reclusive and never interacted with others.
Anyone who entered the Thousand Sea Abyss without permission would almost certainly meet their end if they encountered her.
Just who could have earned such favor from the Abyssal Demoness?
Sashaya turned her head and said, “Go on. Don’t disappoint me, okay.”
Her words immediately drew the attention of every member of the ancient families.
Their gazes converged as a black figure emerged from behind Sashaya. Under everyone’s watchful eyes, the figure jumped down smoothly from the Abyss Dragon and landed firmly on the ground.
“Im… impossible…!!”
Hels’s pupils shook violently.
“No—you should be dead!” Sali’s breathing grew rapid. “I personally destroyed your corpse!!”
The leaders of the ancient families showed expressions of extreme horror, beginning to doubt their own eyes.
The surviving demonkin in the square erupted into an uproar.
“It’s him!”
“There’s no mistake—it’s Demon King Ville! I’ve seen him before!”
“Demon King Ville! It’s Demon King Ville!!”
Almost no one could believe what they were seeing. The supposedly dead Demon King had appeared once again.
“Hmph.”
Via, fully equipped in her Demon King Armament, let out a cold snort.
She looked at Hels, who had betrayed her in the past, and at Sali, the mastermind behind everything. She slowly raised her hand, as if grasping all these traitors in her palm, then clenched it fiercely, crushing them without mercy.
“Traitors, I have returned.”
I was hoping she wouldn’t return as her old identity tbh. She has no reason to hide.
As she told before.
I guess she wants to faceslap first