Darkness swallowed Heaven.
Not at night.
Not shadow.
Something alive.
The moment the Devourer released its power, the cathedral disappeared beneath blackness so deep even vampire vision failed to pierce it.
Interesting.
Very terrible.
Very interesting.
For one heartbeat—
Nothing existed.
No sound.
No light.
Only instinct.
Then the screaming started.
Outside the cathedral.
Across the city.
The war had begun.
I stood completely still inside the darkness, the throne's power pulsing violently beneath my skin.
The bloodline hated this place.
No.
Not the place.
Presence.
The Devourers didn't feel like enemies.
They felt like something the world itself rejected.
Like reality had once tried to erase them and failed.
Good.
I hated complicated ancient horrors.
The bond marks on my body flared instantly.
Seraphina.
Selene.
Lilith.
Valeria.
Warmth cut through the darkness like anchors thrown into a storm.
Home.
Perfect.
Then—
Silver light exploded beside me.
Raphael.
His spear ignited like a miniature sun, holy flames tearing through the black fog around us.
The cathedral returned piece by piece.
Broken pillars.
Burning marble.
Hunters gather defensively.
Queens are moving into formation.
And at the centre—
the Devourer.
Unchanged.
Unaffected.
Its crimson eyes glowed within the darkness wrapped around its body.
Watching.
Waiting.
Interesting.
Very annoying.
Very interesting.
Raphael's voice cut sharply through the cathedral.
"Formation!"
Instantly, the hunters moved.
Disciplined.
Fast.
Silver barriers ignited across the room.
Holy scripture spread through the air like chains made of light.
Good soldiers.
Wrong war.
The Devourer looked almost amused.
"You still build cages."
Raphael answered coldly—
"And you still deserve them."
No hesitation.
No fear.
Interesting.
I respected him more every minute.
Deeply inconvenient.
Seraphina stepped beside me, crimson-black flames wrapping around her body like royal armour.
"They're multiplying."
I looked carefully.
And realised she was right.
The darkness across the cathedral floor was moving.
Not flowing.
Growing.
Shapes began crawling from it.
Humanoid.
Wrong.
Thin black creatures dragging themselves from living shadow with too many arms and far too many eyes.
Wonderful.
Absolutely wonderful.
Valeria cracked her neck.
"Finally."
There she was.
My favourite disaster.
The creatures screeched.
The sound made several hunters collapse instantly.
Not physical damage.
Mental.
Interesting.
Very dangerous.
Selene's moonlight erupted outward immediately, silver frost covering the cathedral floor.
The screeching weakened.
Good.
Moonlight remained emotionally supportive.
Lilith stepped forward.
Royal authority exploded from her bloodline like invisible gravity.
The lesser creatures froze instantly.
Kneeling.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
The Devourer tilted its head toward her.
"Royal blood."
A pause.
"Still pretending power creates order."
Lilith's crimson eyes sharpened.
"Order is what stops monsters from eating children."
The Devourer smiled faintly.
"Children become monsters eventually."
That sentence hit the cathedral wrong.
Because somewhere—
deep down—
Everyone feared it a little.
Good.
Truth should feel uncomfortable.
I stepped forward slowly.
The throne's aura spread behind me like crimson smoke.
The lesser creatures hissed instantly.
Fear.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
The throne remembered these things.
And they remembered it.
I looked at the Devourer.
"You still haven't answered the important question."
Its eyes narrowed slightly.
"Which question?"
I smiled coldly.
"Why are you here now?"
Silence.
Then—
The creature answered honestly.
"Because the seal broke when the throne awakened."
There it was.
Cause and effect.
Kings have been waking ancient nightmares since the beginning of history.
Classic royal behaviour.
The Devourer continued—
"The First King sealed us beyond Heaven's borders."
Its gaze sharpened.
"He died for it."
Elena's expression darkened instantly.
Pain.
Old.
Deep.
Interesting.
The creature looked toward her.
"You watched him sacrifice everything…"
A pause.
"…for people who still feared him afterwards."
Silence.
Heavy.
Cruel.
Because once again—
It wasn't entirely wrong.
I looked at Elena carefully.
She said nothing.
But her hands were trembling.
Tiny.
Almost invisible.
Enough.
Raphael suddenly drove his spear into the cathedral floor.
Silver light exploded outward violently.
The darkness recoiled instantly.
The lesser creatures screamed.
Good.
Very good.
Raphael's voice became pure command.
"We end this now."
The hunters answered immediately.
Thousands of silver symbols ignited across the cathedral walls.
Holy barriers.
Execution formations.
Ancient anti-monster warfare.
Interesting.
Extremely expensive.
Very interesting.
The Devourer finally looked annoyed.
Excellent.
Progress.
It lifted one hand slowly.
Darkness answered.
The cathedral shook violently.
Outside—
more screams.
More explosions.
The city was falling apart.
I realised something dangerous then.
This wasn't an attack.
It was a siege.
The Devourers weren't targeting Heaven.
They were targeting the throne.
Me.
Interesting.
Very personal.
Seraphina touched my arm lightly.
The bond pulsed.
"You're thinking too loudly again."
Fair.
Very fair.
I looked at her.
Then at the others.
Selene is already controlling battlefield movement with moonlight barriers.
Lilith is organising noble forces instinctively.
Valeria smiled like War was finally flirting back.
Raphael is leading hunters beside vampires despite hating every second of it.
Elena is standing between past grief and present disaster.
And suddenly—
Everything became simple.
Lucian failed because he carried the burden alone.
I wouldn't.
I stepped forward.
The throne's power answered immediately.
Crimson-black energy erupted around me, pushing back the darkness inch by inch.
The Devourer watched carefully now.
Interested.
Good.
I pointed Father's silver-black blade directly at it.
"You wanted the throne."
My voice echoed through the cathedral.
"You wanted history to repeat."
Another step.
The darkness recoiled slightly.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
I smiled.
Cold.
Certain.
"Too bad."
The queens moved beside me instantly.
Four presences.
Four bloodlines.
Four reasons kings survived longer than legends expected.
Seraphina's flames burnt crimson-black.
Selene's moonlight froze darkness itself.
Lilith's authority bent the battlefield around us.
Valeria's war aura turned fear into aggression.
Perfect.
Exactly perfect.
I looked at Raphael.
He looked back.
One second.
Enough.
Not allies.
Not friends.
But soldiers are standing before extinction.
That was enough.
Raphael raised his spear beside me.
Silver fire and crimson darkness collided without destroying each other.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
The Devourer finally stopped smiling.
Good.
I preferred monsters, seriously.
Then Raphael spoke.
Cold.
Sharp.
"King."
I raised an eyebrow.
"Hunter."
His grip tightened on the spear.
"We kill it first."
A pause.
"Then I reconsider executing you."
Honestly?
Reasonable compromise.
I nodded once.
"Acceptable."
Valeria whispered loudly.
"This relationship is becoming weirdly healthy."
Seraphina ignored her professionally.
The Devourer looked at both of us standing together.
And for the first time—
Something like concern entered its crimson eyes.
Tiny.
But real.
Excellent.
Because Heaven had finally remembered something important.
Wars older than kingdoms were never won by one side alone.
And now—
The Blade of God stood beside the King of Blood.
Good.
History was about to become extremely inconvenient.