The throne room was heavy with silence. The captured knight knelt broken and bloodied on the obsidian floor, his breaths shallow, his head bowed in defeat. The nobles whispered nervously from the shadows, eyes darting between the boy drenched in fresh bandages and the trembling prisoner.
The Demon King's gaze was like a furnace, molten-crimson eyes glowing brighter than the torches along the walls. He rose from his throne, his aura crashing through the chamber like a storm.
"Take him," the King rumbled, voice echoing like rolling thunder. His clawed hand gestured to the guards. "Lock this insect away. Let him rot in the dungeons until I decide if he deserves to keep his tongue."
The guards obeyed instantly, dragging the knight across the floor. His blood left a dark trail behind, but the captive never raised his eyes, his silence louder than any scream.
The Demon King turned, gaze sweeping toward his grandson. For a moment, the fire in his aura softened, almost imperceptibly. "You did well, Asura. Rest now. Your part in this is finished—for today."
Asura nodded slowly, golden eyes still sharp despite the exhaustion written on his face. Selene's hand rested gently on his shoulder, grounding him, guiding him away from the chamber as the great obsidian doors closed behind them.
✦ The Human Court
Far across the continent, the golden halls of Valoria gleamed under candlelight. The air smelled of wine and steel, yet tonight the atmosphere was colder than frost.
At the head of the marble chamber sat the King of Valoria. His posture was deceptively relaxed, his head resting lightly on one hand as if half-bored. But his calm eyes—steady, unreadable—made every knight and mage kneeling before him tremble as if standing before a beast in disguise.
"Where are they?" he asked softly. His tone was almost lazy, yet it carried through the entire chamber. "The scouts I sent to the Demon Realm. They should have returned by now."
A knight stepped forward, armor rattling with his uneven breath. He dropped to one knee, unable to meet his king's gaze.
"Your Majesty…" His voice cracked, but he forced the words out. "The scouts… are dead."
The hall erupted in gasps. Nobles paled, mages shifted in fear, knights clenched their fists.
The King did not move. He only arched a brow faintly. "…Dead? All of them?"
The knight swallowed hard. "Y-Yes, sire. Slain within the Demon Realm's borderlands. Reports say…" He hesitated, as if even the truth would burn his tongue. "…it was not the Demon King himself. It was his grandson."
The silence that followed was absolute.
The King leaned back on his throne, fingers tapping idly against the armrest. His lips curved into a faint smile—amusement, intrigue, and something far sharper.
"…Eight years old," he murmured, more to himself than to the court. "And the demons already call him a genius. Now he slays ten of my scouts without blinking."
The lazy calm in his eyes never wavered, but the weight in the room grew unbearable. To his knights and mages, it felt as though their king could crush them all with a thought.
At last, he rose, his mantle of midnight blue trailing behind him like liquid shadow.
"Very well," he said softly. "So the Demon King's grandson is no ordinary child. That only makes things… more interesting."
He stepped toward the great map of the continent carved into the chamber floor, his gaze falling on the black edge that marked the Demon Realm.
"Send word to my spies," the King ordered, his voice calm, almost casual. "I want to know everything. His training. His powers. His weaknesses. If he is merely another demon brat, he dies in the shadows. But if he is something more…"
He smiled faintly, the kind of smile that froze every soul in the chamber.
"…then we shall prepare for a storm."
The torches flickered, the shadows deepened, and the whispers of fear spread across Valoria.
✦ The Quiet After the Storm
The citadel was silent. Outside, the Demon Realm's sky burned with its usual crimson hue, clouds drifting like molten embers. But within Asura's chambers, the air felt heavy and close, as if the walls themselves were holding their breath.
Asura lay sprawled across his bed, geta sandals discarded haphazardly on the rug. Bandages wrapped his arms and chest, faintly glowing where regeneration fought to mend the damage. His golden eyes were open, staring at the ceiling without really seeing it.
The fight replayed in his head. Every strike. Every dodge. The silent knight's blade had been sharp, his footwork clean, his killing intent suffocating. That one knight… he actually forced me to use my Awakening. Not even the Behemoth managed that. What are the humans hiding?
He exhaled slowly, flexing his fingers. The ache in his muscles was nothing compared to the gnawing irritation. I had to show more of my hand than I wanted. And all because of some human wearing plain armor.
The door creaked open softly. Selene entered, her steps quiet but purposeful. She carried a silver basin filled with steaming water, a cloth draped neatly over its edge. Her violet eyes flicked over him instantly, sharp as a hawk's—taking in the tightness of his jaw, the tension in his shoulders, the faint glow of his healing.
"You're awake," she said quietly, though her tone carried a scolding edge. "And thinking too hard again. I can see it written all over your face."
Asura smirked faintly, rolling his head to glance at her. "What gave me away? The brooding? The dramatic pose? Or the fact I look like I lost a wrestling match with a wyvern?"
Selene's lips pressed thin. "Don't joke. You scared the entire throne room today."
"Eh," Asura shrugged, wincing slightly at the motion. "I scared the knight more."
She set the basin down with more force than necessary. The water rippled violently, reflecting the flicker of the torches. "You nearly died. Again."
He sat up slowly, elbows on his knees, golden eyes gleaming in the dim light. His voice, for once, was quiet. "…Selene. What do you think humans want with me?"
Her hand froze halfway to the cloth. She didn't answer at first. The silence stretched between them, filled only by the soft hiss of torches and the faint creak of his bed. Finally, she spoke, voice measured but betraying a trace of unease.
"They probably think you're connected to the Behemoth."
Asura blinked. "Connected…?"
Her gaze met his, steady but troubled. "You stirred it once. You survived where no one else could. To outsiders, that's not coincidence—it's suspicion. They may even think…" Her lips curved in a small, bitter smile. "…that you're its little brother."
For a second, Asura just stared. Then, he snorted—loudly—before bursting into laughter. He clutched his stomach, ignoring the pain, his fangs flashing. "Me? The Behemoth's little brother? Hah! What's next? They'll say I take it on walks? Feed it steak dinners? Put a leash on it?"
Selene's lips twitched, almost against her will, but her eyes didn't soften. They stayed sharp, watchful.
"Selene," Asura said between laughs, wiping a tear from his eye, "imagine it—me walking down the street, Behemoth trailing behind, nobles fainting left and right." He puffed his chest out dramatically. "'Fear me, peasants! For I am the proud owner of one Behemoth, patent pending!'"
"You're insufferable," she muttered, but the corners of her mouth betrayed the ghost of a smile. Still, the tension in her shoulders didn't fade. She dipped the cloth in the basin, wrung it out, and pressed it gently to his cheek where dried blood streaked his skin.
Her hands were steady, but the silence between them grew heavier again. Deep down, she was on edge. She had watched him bleed, regenerate, and laugh all in the same hour. She had seen the way the knight looked at him—not with disdain, but with recognition, as if he had been searching for something.
If the humans suspected the truth—if they knew the boy sitting in front of her could already shake kingdoms—then the world would not remain still for long.
Asura, of course, noticed her stiffness. He saw how her fingers clutched the cloth too tightly, how she avoided his gaze for just a second too long. But he didn't push her. Not tonight.
Instead, he flopped back on the bed with a lazy grin, hands behind his head. "Still… if humans really want me, they'd better send someone stronger next time. That knight was tough, sure, but he wasn't main villain material. More like an early boss fight. I'm waiting for the final arc villain to show up."
Selene sighed, shaking her head. "You speak nonsense half the time."
"Not nonsense," Asura corrected, eyes glinting with childish mischief. "Foreshadowing."
Her exasperated groan filled the chamber, but Asura just closed his eyes, chuckling to himself. Deep down, though, beneath the jokes and bravado, his thoughts lingered on the knight's silence. On the humans' intent. On the Behemoth's roar that still echoed in his bones.
The fight was over. But the storm it promised was only just beginning.
✦ Hidden Numbers
The moment Selene left his chamber, the door closing with a soft click, Asura let his playful grin fade. He sat up, golden eyes narrowing as he whispered the word that only he could hear.
"Status."
His system flared to life, luminous windows spilling across his vision.
System Log – Battle Summary
Enemies Defeated: 9 Knights, 3 Mages, 1 Elite Knight (Alive, Captured).EXP Gained: +580,000.Level: 305 → 327.
Skill Progression
Swordsmanship: Lv. 100 → Lv. 107Conqueror's Will: Lv. 4 → Lv. 6Armament Willforce: Lv. 2 → Lv. 5Sovereign's Dominion: Lv. 1 → Lv. 3Demonic Regeneration: Lv. 1 → Lv. 2
Hidden Evolution: Precognition + Omniscient Thought Process synergy detected. New trait unlocked: Probability Reading (Passive) – Calculates favorable outcomes beyond foresight.
Asura's lips curled into a sharp grin. "So even when I'm messing around… I'm still evolving. Heh."
He leaned back on the bed, resting one arm behind his head, staring at the glowing windows. "At this rate, I'll break the system before I even finish growing up."
But then his grin faded. He stared at the line marking his Sovereign's Dominion—a skill born not just from anime memories, but from mixing powers no one in this world had ever seen. A skill that bent probability itself.
His golden eyes narrowed. "…Yeah. This is fun now. But if the wrong people find out what I can really do…"
For a brief moment, his playful childlike mask slipped, leaving only a dangerous glimmer in his gaze. Then, with a snap of his fingers, he dismissed the windows.
"Eh," he muttered, flopping back onto the bed. "Future Asura problem."
✦ The Throne Room
Meanwhile, in the grand obsidian hall, the Demon King sat upon his throne. The Grand Duke and Duchess stood nearby, courtiers and generals gathered in uneasy silence. Selene knelt at the center, her violet eyes steady, though her words made the chamber ripple with unease.
"Asura told me himself," she said. "There were ten. Nine knights, several mages among them. And then the tenth—the one he dragged into this very room. He fought them all. Alone."
The hall erupted in murmurs. Nobles shifted nervously. Even the generals—hardened by centuries of war—traded uneasy looks.
The Duchess pressed a hand to her lips. "Ten knights and mages… defeated by an eight-year-old?"
The Grand Duke's jaw tightened. "No. By a monster wearing the shape of one."
The Demon King raised a clawed hand, and silence slammed over the hall. His crimson-gold eyes burned, smoldering with pride and fury both.
"My grandson," he said, voice deep enough to shake the braziers, "is already strong enough to draw human blades to our gates. They sent scouts into my realm. To test him."
A low growl built in his throat, making the pillars tremble. "The humans dare lay eyes on what is mine."
Selene bowed her head deeper, but her hands clenched tightly against the stone floor. She had seen Asura bloodied, trembling, regenerating before her eyes. He had laughed it off—but she knew how close he had come. And now, the entire realm would know the humans had marked him.
The Demon King leaned forward on his throne, gaze burning hotter than fire.
"War moves in shadows," he rumbled. "And the humans have just cast the first."