CHAPTER 292: MASSIVE AND TERRIFYING

In the emptiness of space near Earth, the whole area was swallowed by a thick miasma. No light could exist there. Even those with nine rings were caught off guard — they couldn’t see anything around them, even with their powers.

Then...

Two pairs of eyes opened in the middle of the darkness. Pure white, yet giving off a strange, conflicting feeling.

"!"

Every demon felt something that made their blood run cold. Their bodies and souls began to tremble, and the demonic blood in their veins was completely suppressed.

Suddenly, the miasma shook and twisted. An overwhelming power swept through the area, and in the next moment, everything was forcefully blown away.

Everyone’s eyes locked onto a stunning female figure in the sky. She stood a bit over two meters tall, with no wings or horns. Her skin was light blue, her hair long and black, her eyes scarlet and piercing. On her forehead, a golden mark pulsed and warped everything around it.

Everyone held their breath — this Demoness was one of the seven Spiritual Sovereigns of the universe.

She moved forward without hesitation, drawn in by the commotion. She’d come in person to see it... her eyes locked onto a certain figure, her face showing clear surprise.

When everyone turned to look in the same direction...

They saw a humanoid figure, pitch-black like the abyss. It was like a living shadow, radiating an intense, unfathomable demonic power. Just looking at it sparked a deep, primal fear in the demons.

But... something was off.

Those white eyes carried that same conflicting feeling — like two supreme forces were fighting for control. But it was obvious that the darkness had almost completely won.

Darian felt a strange, overwhelming power coursing through his body.

His soul had completely merged with his physical body, like they were one and the same.

And for the first time since his recent changes, he faintly sensed the existence of that white power again. It had been hidden in him all this time, almost completely suppressed. But when the supreme artifact forced everything in his soul to the surface, it managed to rise just enough to be felt.

Darian reached behind his neck and pulled Niara out from under his hood. She looked at him tensely, affected by his energy. But seeing the calm look in his eyes, she relaxed a little.

"...D-Devil Lord..."

A slightly trembling voice spoke.

Darian turned and saw Beleth staring at him, just as stunned as everyone else.

"Indeed..." the Demoness’s dry voice echoed.

Darian took a deep breath... clenched his fists, testing the power...

Suddenly, a sharp pain tore through his body. Cracks spread rapidly across his skin. The smell of blood filled the air, and everyone who saw it froze in shock.

"Careful! Your body can’t handle it!" Beleth shouted in panic.

Darian’s body trembled, and then he suddenly vomited a mouthful of blood. It felt like he would explode if he even thought about moving. Everything inside him was breaking apart.

"DARIAN!"

Camille shouted, rushing to his side — but she turned pale when she felt his energy completely out of control. There was no way he could last.

Niara was the most terrified. She clung to him tightly in desperation, until suddenly... she felt something stir inside her soul.

The rune the Divine Dragon had given her, carrying his lineage, pulsed and unleashed its full power. Through her connection with Darian, that draconic energy surged into him.

Niara felt like everything she had was sucked out all at once, and then her mind went blank.

In that instant, Darian felt immediate relief and his body stabilized.

He closed his eyes and lost consciousness as well. At the same time, all the black power withdrew, and within seconds his human form began to reappear.

"The effect’s over..." Beleth murmured, relieved.

A human body with only four rings was far too fragile to handle the kind of power that had erupted. Just trying to move it had nearly blown him apart.

Camille caught Darian and checked him over, then let out a sigh of relief herself.

***

Not knowing how much time had passed, Darian slowly opened his eyes, feeling something heavy resting on his body.

He took a deep breath, then saw Niara lying on his chest. When he moved, she lifted herself up a little and looked at him with trembling eyes.

"Dan!" She jumped, hugging his face tightly.

Darian calmed her down, gently stroking her scales for a few minutes. Then...

"Hm?"

He realized he was in a strange room. The walls were red and gave off a peculiar aura. The bed he was lying on was made of small, soft stones, apparently composed of some extraordinary material.

"...Are you feeling anything wrong? Any pain or weakness?" Niara asked quickly, still a bit distressed.

He shook his head to reassure her. Now that he no longer had the white power, Darian depended on external resources to heal.

That brief surge of white power earlier was just a leftover, a reminder that he could one day get it back. But right now, he could still feel only a single ring on his wrist.

"Looks like I’m fine. Where are we?"

She took a deep breath. At that moment, the door in the back opened slightly.

Darian saw a small blonde woman with bright blue eyes.

"Big brother."

It was Irana, giving him a wide, cheerful smile. To her, Darian had become exactly what he had promised before — someone as close as a brother.

"We’re on planet Aethel," Niara said.

Irana walked over calmly and explained:

"I heard a bit about what happened. When you passed out, Lord Beleth had a huge argument with the other demons. Those two bastards wanted to take you away immediately, but obviously no one trusted them."

Darian narrowed his eyes. "Why am I here?"

"You don’t know it yet, but you’ve ended up caught in something massive and terrifying — something that’s got every demon in the universe hyped up and going crazy. I can’t give you the details right now, but Earth isn’t safe at the moment. If you stayed there... everyone would be in danger," Irana said, taking a deep breath.

"Where’s Beleth? I want to get this over with," he asked quickly.

"He’s somewhere that would’ve been considered impossible before — visiting the demons to arrange everything for you. It should take a few more days, so when he comes back, he’ll meet with you and explain it all. I don’t know much about it either, but I do know you won’t be able to go back for a while."

She paused briefly, thoughtful, then continued: "But don’t worry — now that you’re awake, we can use my planet’s resources to secretly get you wherever you want. If it’s urgent, we could even make a trip to Earth..."

"No, it’s fine. I’ve already left everything ready in the clan. Just tell Lucy and Lucius that I’m fine and to take care of everything. They’ll manage."

Darian spoke, and Irana’s eyes lit up.