After Veen left, Lilith stood alone in the room, staring at the World-Devouring Sword on the table. The more she looked at it, the more uneasy she felt.
“Keeping this thing is far too dangerous,” Lilith muttered, reaching out to poke the blade.
She stood up and began pacing the room.
“It's too dangerous to keep, but I can't destroy it. Sigh...”
Suddenly, Lilith’s eyes lit up. “I can seal it!”
“I'll find a place to lock it away, seal it up tight, and hopefully it will never see the light of day again.”
No sooner said than done.
She strode out of the room, and as she pushed the door open, she ran straight into a group of high-ranking demons.
These were the same people who had been shouting in the plaza that Orosius was the true Demon King just a moment ago. Now, they were all wearing fawning smiles, bowing and scraping like lapdogs greeting their master.
“Your Majesty! You've come out!”
The bone-winged general leading the group squeezed out a sycophantic smile and rubbed his hands together as he stepped forward.
“Earlier... that was all a misunderstanding! Our loyalty to you is absolute, as heaven and earth can witness!”
“Yes, yes! A complete misunderstanding!”
“We were... we were coerced by Orosius!”
“Your Majesty is wise and martial; we have long wished to pledge our fealty to you!”
The cacophony of voices gave Lilith a headache.
She stopped and swept her gaze over them, a hint of impatience flashing in her red eyes.
“A misunderstanding?”
She repeated softly, a cold smile curling at the corners of her mouth.
“It was indeed a misunderstanding. I forgive you.”
Hearing this, joy instantly broke out on their faces.
But in the next second, Lilith added:
“Just make sure you don't sleep too soundly tonight.”
With that, she ignored their instantly pale faces and turned to walk away.
She left a deathly silence behind her.
Once she was some distance away, Lilith could still hear the faint sounds of gasping and teeth chattering.
“Tsk. Once everything is stable, I'll have Veen deal with all of them,” she muttered to herself.
But for now, she had more important things to do.
...
Behind the Demon King City, there was a vast stretch of empty wasteland.
Lilith stood in the center of the wasteland, raising her hand with her palm facing upward.
Magic began to take shape, gradually condensing into the phantom of a tall tower.
As magic was poured into it, the phantom of the tower solidified.
“Perfect.”
Lilith nodded in satisfaction.
She stepped inside the tower.
The interior was empty, save for a stone pedestal in the center.
She placed the World-Devouring Sword on the pedestal, then took a few steps back to begin applying the seals.
In an instant, the space within the tower began to distort. Pitch-black cracks appeared out of thin air, and the sound of howling winds and chaotic energy fluctuations echoed from within the fissures.
Spatial turbulence.
Anything that entered this area would be banished to an unknown dimension by the turbulence.
“This should be safe now.”
Lilith clapped her hands, feeling a bit more at ease as she watched the World-Devouring Sword being enveloped by spatial turbulence.
But just then...
“Your Majesty.”
Veen's voice came from outside the tower.
Lilith turned and walked out.
Veen was standing outside, holding a thick ancient book, a hint of gravity in his golden eyes.
“I've found it.”
He opened the ancient book and pointed to a page.
“Regarding the origin of the World-Devouring Sword... the former Demon King’s records mention that the original creator of this sword may have come from the God Realm.”
Lilith’s expression changed.
“What? Gods again?”
She took the ancient book and scanned it quickly.
On the page was an illustration depicting a blurred figure holding a pitch-black longsword. The blade was entwined with dark red patterns, looking exactly like the World-Devouring Sword.
Below the illustration was a passage written in ancient demon script.
“Deep within the Void Rift, a supreme deity perished. Their blood soaked the Void Godstone, and after ten thousand years of gestation, it finally transformed into this sword.”
“On the day this sword was born, the myriad worlds trembled, and all life was plunged into ruin.”
Lilith finished reading and remained silent for a few seconds.
“So... this sword was forged from the blood of a god and Void Godstone? To be able to do this even after death, that god certainly wasn't an ordinary one, was he?”
Veen nodded.
“The records say as much. But there is no detailed explanation of which god it was or why they perished.”
He paused before adding, “However, the former Demon King mentioned in another notebook that he once sensed a trace of divinity remaining within the sword. Though faint, it definitely exists.”
Lilith rubbed her temples.
“I knew it. Nothing good ever comes from getting involved with gods.”
“How does Your Majesty plan to handle this?” Veen asked.
Lilith pondered for a moment.
“Let it stay here for now. It’s already sealed, so there shouldn't be any problems in the short term.”
She handed the ancient book back to Veen.
“However... I need to investigate.”
“Investigate what?”
“The origin of this sword,” Lilith said, a flash of determination in her red eyes. “If it really is related to a god, there might be even bigger trouble lurking behind it. I don't want to be caught off guard when trouble comes knocking.”
Veen bowed slightly.
“Would you like me to accompany you?”
Lilith thought about it and shook her head.
“No. The demon race has just stabilized; someone needs to keep watch. You stay here and keep an eye on those fence-sitters.”
She paused and added, “Also, help me check if there’s been any unusual activity in the God Realm recently. Orosius caused such a stir there; it’s impossible for the God Realm to have no reaction.”
Veen nodded.
“Understood.”
He turned to leave, but after a few steps, he stopped and looked back at Lilith.
“Your Majesty.”
“Yes?”
“Be careful.” Veen’s voice was soft but very serious. “The God Realm... is not like the Demon Realm.”
Lilith smiled.
“Don't worry, I’m quite fond of living.”
...
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