Cassandra stood at the forefront of the Governor’s Mansion.
Lily stood half a step behind her.
Behind them gathered Bell City’s important officials, nobles, and military officers.
The Governor’s Mansion occupied the highest hill within the city.
Its front gate faced directly toward Bell City’s main gate and the great road leading to the capital of the Silver Blade Kingdom.
Today, that road stood completely empty.
No merchants.
No pedestrians.
No carriages.
The entire street had been cleared for a single man.
General Cedric Clayborn.
The atmosphere remained tense.
Everyone waited.
Then Cassandra heard it.
The distant sound of marching hooves.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
The rhythm gradually grew louder.
Heavier.
More oppressive.
Soon, the army appeared.
At the very front rode General Cedric Clayborn atop a massive red-scaled warhorse.
The beast stood far larger than an ordinary horse.
Scarlet scales covered its body like natural armour.
Its eyes glowed with predatory intelligence.
Every exhalation released streams of hot white mist.
Behind him rode the Black-Fanged Army.
Hundreds of soldiers in black armour advanced through the city streets.
Their mounts were black-scaled horses bred for war.
The synchronised movement of riders and beasts created an overwhelming sense of discipline.
Even from a distance, Cassandra felt the pressure.
Her mood sank.
The Black-Fanged Army was supposed to guard the northwestern frontier against threats from the Blackstone Mountain Range.
They were one of the kingdom’s elite forces.
Yet now they had become her uncle’s private army.
The soldiers did not slow after entering Bell City.
They continued galloping forward.
The earth trembled beneath their advance.
People along the streets hurriedly retreated.
Some stumbled.
Others fled into nearby buildings.
The army ignored them completely.
The distance rapidly shrank.
Halfway.
A third.
A quarter.
Lily’s face paled.
She grabbed Cassandra’s sleeve.
“Princess…”
Cassandra did not move.
The sounds around her gradually faded.
The screams.
The shouting.
The panicked retreat of the crowd.
None of it mattered.
Only the approaching general remained.
Her heart pounded faster and faster.
Every instinct screamed at her to step aside.
To move.
To survive.
Yet she remained rooted in place.
The red-scaled warhorse thundered forward.
Its enormous body filled her vision.
Twenty meters.
Ten.
Five.
Then,
The reins snapped tight.
The warhorse reared slightly before stopping.
Its massive body towered above her.
Hot breath washed across her face.
For several seconds, neither moved.
Then Cassandra slowly raised her head.
General Cedric Clayborn stared down at her.
He was a burly man with broad shoulders and a powerful frame.
Short black hair framed a rugged face weathered by countless campaigns.
A jagged scar ran from his left temple to his jaw.
His silver armour gleamed beneath the sunlight.
Intricate patterns covered every plate.
Runes embedded within the armour pulsed faintly with magical light.
Anyone familiar with enchanted equipment could immediately recognise it.
This was no ordinary armour.
It was a powerful magical artefact.
Cedric looked down at her calmly.
“Princess.”
His deep voice carried across the square.
“One should know when to give way.”
Cassandra immediately understood his meaning.
He was not talking about the street.
He was talking about the throne.
About Marquis James.
About surrender.
A faint smile appeared on her face.
“One should also know when to stop.”
Her gaze drifted briefly toward the silver armour.
“Like you.”
For a moment, silence fell.
Before Cedric could respond, Cassandra spoke again.
“Accommodation has been prepared for you.”
She stepped aside.
“Lily will escort you there.”
Then she turned around.
The conversation was over.
Lily immediately stepped forward.
“General, if you would follow me.”
Cedric watched Cassandra’s retreating figure.
Then he spoke.
“Tomorrow we leave for Brevis Town.”
Cassandra paused briefly.
Then continued walking without looking back.
Soon she disappeared into the mansion.
Several minutes later, Cassandra entered her private office.
She locked the door.
Click.
The sound echoed through the room.
Only then did she walk toward the centre of the office.
Silence filled the chamber.
Then she spoke.
“What do you think?”
A pale hand suddenly appeared upon her shoulder.
“What do I think?”
A familiar voice answered.
“I think General Cedric Clayborn already has one foot in the grave.”
Cassandra’s eyes widened.
She spun around.
A painted clown face greeted her.
White skin.
Red lips.
Dark eyes filled with amusement.
The Bone Clown.
“You cannot kill him,” Cassandra said immediately.
The clown chuckled.
“I’m not going to kill him.”
His smile widened.
“The armour he’s wearing will do that for me.”
Confusion appeared on Cassandra’s face.
Then understanding struck.
Her expression darkened.
“The Devil Armour.”
The Bone Clown nodded.
The Divine Puppet Sect’s infamous creation.
A peak Extraordinary Warrior wearing the armour could temporarily possess the strength of a Mysterious-Realm expert.
The price, however, was severe.
The armour continuously consumed the wearer’s vitality.
Every battle shortened their lifespan.
Every victory brought them closer to death.
Cedric’s strength suddenly made sense.
So did his rapid rise.
Cassandra frowned.
If Cedric possessed Devil Armour, then there was only one explanation.
Marquis James had connections to the Divine Puppet Sect.
A dangerous connection.
And potentially a treasonous one.
The Bone Clown simply smiled.
“Interesting times, Princess.”
Far away, atop the broken hill, Kaelan finally completed the refinement.
An entire day had passed.
The enormous alchemical formation gradually dimmed.
The crimson light faded.
Then Lucas’s corpse collapsed into grey dust.
The wind swept across the hilltop.
The remains scattered.
Only a single pill remained.
A deep blue pill rested within Kaelan’s shadow hand.
Dense vitality radiated from its surface.
Mixed within it was the essence of a Demon Lord.
Kaelan examined it silently.
Then he swallowed it.
The moment the pill entered his stomach, a surge of power spread throughout his body.
The medicinal energy was far greater than anything he had consumed before.
It was not merely vitality.
It contained fragments of Lucas’s cultivation.
Fragments of his understanding.
Fragments of his affinity with the Wind Element.
The pill dissolved rapidly.
Dense energy flooded every corner of Kaelan’s body.
His Demon Seed spun faster and faster.
Shadow Energy and Demon Energy circulated through his meridians like raging rivers.
At the same time, his consciousness sank into a world of wind.
Gentle breezes.
Raging storms.
Invisible currents flowing across heaven and earth.
Everything became clearer.
Lucas had spent centuries studying wind.
Although most of that understanding had been lost during refinement, traces still remained within the pill.
Kaelan absorbed those traces greedily.
His understanding of Wind Energy increased with every passing moment.
Meanwhile, his cultivation began rising.
The energy contained within the pill far exceeded the needs of an ordinary Demon General.
Hours passed.
The medicinal energy continuously nourished his body.
The Demon Seed absorbed everything.
Eventually, a powerful pulse erupted from his dantian.
His cultivation advanced.
From Low-Level Demon General.
To Intermediate-Level Demon General.
The transformation continued.
The pill still contained enormous reserves of energy.
As the sun set and darkness covered the sky, Kaelan remained immersed in cultivation.
His feathers absorbed Spiritual Energy from the surroundings.
The medicinal energy refined itself continuously.
The Demon Seed expanded.
Shadow Energy became increasingly condensed.
Then dawn arrived.
As the first rays of sunlight crossed the horizon, another pulse erupted from his body.
Boom!
A powerful wave of Demon Energy spread across the broken hill.
The surrounding stones cracked.
Dust scattered into the air.
Kaelan slowly opened his eyes.
His cultivation had reached High-Level Demon General.
He summoned his status panel.
Name: Kaelan
Species: Shadow Crow (Void Monster)
Cultivation: High-Level Demon General (Tier One)
Life: Immortal
Essence: 3.20 (1)
Energy: 10.50 (1)
Spirit: 4.60 (2)
Constitution: 13.00 (1)
Intent:
River Intent (Stage One)
Spells:
Shadow Demon Body (Proficiency)
Energy Bullet (Master)
Energy Missile (Master)
Mist Reflection Avatar (Master)
Shadow Walk (Entry)
Shadow Fire (Unlearned)
Water Burst (Unlearned)
Kaelan studied the panel silently.
Among Demon Generals, his cultivation had entered the High-Level stage.
The Energy range of a High-Level Demon General extended from ten to fifteen points.
Beyond that lay Peak Demon General.
Fifteen to twenty points.
Only after reaching twenty points would a demon encounter the bottleneck preventing advancement into the Demon Lord Realm.
Most demons spent decades, sometimes centuries, trapped there.
The problem was not Energy.
The problem was Spirit.
The Demon Seed had to be transferred into the Soul Space.
Without sufficient Spirit, the process was impossible.
Yet Kaelan possessed no such weakness.
His Spirit had already reached Tier Two.
Far beyond what most Demon Generals possessed.
That was why consuming the Demon Lord Pill had not been wasteful.
Ordinary demons would have saved such a treasure for the bottleneck at twenty points.
Kaelan did not need to.
His obstacle was not Spirit.
His obstacle was accumulating enough Energy.
After stabilising his cultivation, Kaelan rose to his feet.
The pill’s medicinal energy had not been completely exhausted.
A portion remained hidden within his body.
It would continue nourishing him for years.
More importantly, the fragments of Lucas’s Wind comprehension remained within his consciousness.
Kaelan spread his wings and took flight.
As he flew northward toward the Silver Fox Clan, he simultaneously studied the three newly purchased spells.
Shadow Walk.
Shadow Fire.
Water Burst.
To his surprise, the spells were exceptionally easy to learn.
Far easier than the Shadow Demon Body.
The reason quickly became obvious.
His Spirit had already reached Tier Two.
Furthermore, his control over Demon Energy was nearly perfect.
Spells in this world were ultimately transformations of energy.
The stronger one’s Spirit and control, the easier they became to master.
Only the Shadow Demon Body had proven difficult because it altered the caster’s very foundation.
The other spells merely manipulated energy.
Several weeks later, Kaelan arrived at the mist-covered hills surrounding the Silver Fox Clan.
Clan Chief Fae personally received him.
The two discussed the upcoming exploration of the Danube Ruins.
The arrangement was straightforward.
Kaelan would publicly support the alliance formed by the Silver Fox Clan, Blue Feather Sparrow Clan, and River Hound Clan.
His presence alone would greatly strengthen their position.
In return, the three clans would grant him access to their collections of Water- and Shadow-Attribute spells, including spells reaching the Mysterious Realm.
Kaelan readily agreed.
Such resources were exactly what he needed.
During the discussion, he also learned that Francis had already departed.
Something had happened to the Iron Crow Clan.
Fae provided him with the location of the clan’s territory.
After leaving the Silver Fox Clan, Kaelan immediately set off.
As he crossed Human Territory, danger suddenly erupted.
His instincts screamed.
Without hesitation, Kaelan activated Mist Reflection Avatar.
His body exploded into mist.
Grey fog spread across the sky.
When the mist dispersed moments later, dozens of identical crows appeared.
At the same time, Kaelan slipped into a distant shadow and vanished.
A powerful attack passed harmlessly through one of the avatars.
Far below, a human cultivator stared upward in shock.
Kaelan briefly observed him.
Tier Two.
Dangerous.
Then he sensed another presence hidden high above the clouds.
Another Tier Two cultivator.
His eyes narrowed.
One against two.
Not worth the risk.
Kaelan memorised their faces.
Revenge could wait.
Strength came first.
Without looking back, he accelerated eastward and left Human Territory behind.