Chapter 2


    Drakkel opened his eyes and frowned.


    He was sitting atop a throne in a black fur robe, drowning out the sounds of those around him while staring at his master’s pass.


    He rubbed his temple.


    He seemed to be developing a headache.


    He had discovered that after his master died and his demon poison was cured, he had advanced to Sword Epiphany. This only stabilized once he spent a few weeks cultivating alone in his bedroom.


    The demons spoke of the health of the citizens, the state of the city, and the morale of the army, but he ignored them, finding the news uninteresting.


    As always, the city was fine and running smoothly so why was his input needed?


    He sighed.


    His father, Demon Prince Fal-On, had tried to establish a good relationship with the clans after Demon King Fael passed. He approached one of the most influential ones at the time and had run into his mother, Shooting Star, Arcadia Luma.


    Arcadia Luma was there because she was set to be married to one of the clan members from the clan, but this clan member was a known womanizer and disliked by many. Of course she wasn’t willing.


    It’s just that the man had heard of her looks and skills and desired her beauty. Being a Sword Master, she could have run away, but she was an orphan and her clan was like her family. It was her duty to respect their wishes.


    If she did not, other Swords Clans would look down on her clan and she and her clan would suffer.


    But then, she met Demon Prince Fal-On who gave her the desire and strength to go against them.


    They spent a lot of time together and she fell in love with him.


    Later, Fal-On had struck a deal with the well-known clan. They said that the demons could be liberated in return for the guaranteed safety of the clans.


    However, the Clan only pretended to cooperate with Fal-On. In the end, they betrayed him and killed him.


    Around that time, the eighth demon lord and some of the demons that worked under him vanished.


    Since Fal-On kept them in the dark for much of what he was doing, the demons didn’t know who truly killed him. Even when they tried to investigate by looking through the backgrounds of all the major clans including the Enchanting Fans Swords Clan, they yielded no results. The Enchanting Fans Swords Clan pretended like the talks of marriage didn''t happen.


    Afterwards, In fear for their own safety, they moved locations and that was how they came to be in this underground city.


    The demons were aware that Arcadia Luma was pregnant after their leader died, but she ran off before giving birth. Though they wanted to retrieve her and the child, they couldn’t find them. She had disappeared and the baby’s demonic energy was suppressed.


    That wasn''t until, at least, they felt a surge of royal demonic energy in Heaven’s Path.


    demonic energy from a demon of the royal family was different from others. When one was in full control of it, it held the power to influence the demonic energy of others and draw other demons towards it.


    After recovering him, they found out that Drakkel''s demonic energy was suppressed because he was poisoned by a royal demon poison which was possessed by his father and passed down through his family.


    What happened at the Golden Peak Swords Clan caused him to output enough demonic energy for them to find him.


    Soon after he arrived, they showed him how to get rid of the poison. It could only be done by carefully circulating his unique royal demonic energy within his body until the poison was expelled.


    A large and burly man with a long black beard called, “Your Highness? Did you hear me?”


    Drakkel''s attention returned to the Demon Lord of Punishment, Riyuk.


    “Yes?”


    “The man named Enzo has been brought into custody.”


    Drakkel’s eyebrows went up. “Has he? Then don''t waste time. Bring him here.”


    Riyuk left and soon returned with a man whose appearance was far too familiar; his hands were bound behind him as he fearfully gazed up.


    Sweat dripping from his forehead, his eyes widened in realization.


    Drakkel gave him the friendliest smile he could muster and the man’s face paled, his body shivering slightly.


    “Let him speak, but keep him bound.” Drakkel said.


    Riyuk nodded and hit the acupoint that kept Enzo from speaking.


    Drakkel spoke as if he was greeting an old friend. “Enzo, it''s been a while. What have you been up to?”


    Enzo shook his head, his expression twisting into one of terror.


    Drakkel narrowed his eyes, looking down at him with a scowl. “Do you refuse to answer?”


    Enzo vigorously shook his head and bowed.


    With his voice slightly trembling, he answered, “No, Y…Your Highness! You ethereal presence just gave me a bit of a shock!”


    “Pfft! Ethereal?” He laughed.


    As no one else joined him, the room echoed with the sounds of his laughter alone.


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    When he was done, he smiled. “Always with the sweet talk, aye Enzo?”


    Enzo smiled nervously. However, the corner of Drakkel''s lips turned down abruptly, causing his expression to sink in response.


    “How about you answer a few questions for me. You can do that, right?”


    Enzo nodded.


    Drakkel smiled again. “So, what do you know about the demons who inhabited Shadowy Ridges?”


    “Wouldn''t your venerable self know more than I, Your High…”


    Drakkel shot an angry glare at him and he began to sweat in response, quickly choking down the words that were about to come out of his mouth. “I… I m…mean…”


    He cried, “I was only hired by Town Lord Tincaid as his servant! He didn''t tell me anything! Because I was only interested in making money, naturally I didn''t stick my nose where it didn''t belong!”


    Drakkel scoffed.


    He stood up, walked over, and leaned down in front of Enzo. The man seemed entranced at first, but shook his head, shifting his gaze down at the same time.


    As Drakkel sat, he could smell the nervous sweat wafting off the terrified man’s body. He grabbed the hand that Enzo had used to caress his own a little over a year ago and started to gently rub it. Enzo seemed like he wanted to move, but was afraid of what might happen if he did.


    “Are you certain?” Drakkel gently asked.


    Enzo shook his head.


    Drakkel took his hand and began to squeeze it tightly.


    Enzo let out a light scream.


    “Alright! I remember! I remember now!” He quickly said.


    Drakkel released his hand.


    “Lord Tincaid maintained contact with several people! These people were merchants who he used to contact all his clients! I didn''t see the list of his clients, but I did see the list of the merchants! They all live in Dragon’s Dwelling! They are Mistress Fina, Master Tifu, and Master Som. If you want to find out who benefitted the most from the mines, interrogating them might give you some hints!”


    Drakkel patted the older man’s head. “Good boy.”


    He stood up. “See? Was that so hard?”


    Enzo didn''t dare to answer.


    Drakkel turned around and walked back to his seat.


    “Take him away,” he said.


    Enzo’s eyes widened as he began to beg. “I’ve told you all I know! Please let me go! I… I have a family!”


    Drakkel stopped to think before getting on his throne.


    Finally, he turned to Riyuk. “Keep him in the dungeons for the time being. I have plans for him.”


    Enzo pleaded and begged to be let go as he was dragged out and Drakkel ignored it.


    The man was shameless. He had his people watch his movements for quite a while before he had them capture him. If he had a family, he had surely never visited them.


    “Any additional news for me?” He asked.


    “We have found the whereabouts of the man named Firo Fieren, but his location is difficult to infiltrate,” Illa answered.


    Drakkel was intrigued.


    Even for a demon lord, it was difficult?


    “Why?” He asked.


    “He’s in a fortress close to Dragon’s Dwelling. We were only able to discover it because we had sent one of our people as a spy. The problem is that he’s in a hidden chamber deep within this fortress and that the place is protected by royal guards.


    Even some Sword Fighters have been sent to periodically travel there to assist in guarding it. They say the protection is for the demonic artifact that they have found, but it might actually be for Firo Fieren.”


    Drakkel''s eyebrows shot up. Now this piqued his interest. Maybe it was what he was looking for.


    “It seems we''ll have to make an excursion to Dragon’s Dwelling then.” He said. “Everyone prepare to depart within a week. I will keep some of you here to protect the city. The only demon lords that will come with me are Fargos, Drion, and Shia. Illia will stay to maintain the illusion protecting the caves that lead to the city and the rest of you shall assist her. We’ll travel there as Foreign Merchants and investigate what we must.”


    The demon lords bowed. “Yes, Your Highness.”


    “You are all dismissed.” Drakkel said.


    The demon lords dispersed and left the room.


    Afterwards, Drakkel walked down the hall to the lavatory located near his bedroom. He nodded at a servant who had just replaced the water in it as he walked in.


    Standing in front of a water basin, he observed his cuts on his hands for a moment, before beginning to wash his face. Once he was done, he stared at his reflection in the water.


    It had already been a year since he agreed to take over as Demon Prince. His hair was now fully white and his appearance had changed as well.


    His skin was pale as the moon and soft as silk. His sunken eyes and slightly wrinkled face had disappeared, being replaced with a more youthful look.


    He looked like one of the Demon Lords.


    Continuing to gaze at his features, he thought back to what had happened during the past year.


    He was taught a few things from Re’ila during his time as Demon Prince and even inquired about some additional things on his own. Once she finished teaching him the basics and was assured he would be fine by himself, she returned to Waterfall''s End.


    He recalled some of what she had told him.


    Demon Lords were the most powerful demons, being equal to or above Sword Masters in power. Like humans, the higher that Demons rose in cultivation, the longer they lived. However, demon cultivation wasn''t the same as humans. They had several ways to cultivate.


    One was to devour meteoric stones, another was through fighting, and the last was through killing. The third way was the best method, but it was also the most frowned upon.


    Ever since Demon King Fael had died, most of the demons wanted to live peacefully; only the faction that split off from them didn''t agree.


    He wiped his face with a cloth that hung from the tall basin.


    After placing the cloth back, he touched his birthmark.


    It no longer brought him physical pain, but he couldn''t say it brought him no pain at all.


    Once he was done cleaning up, Drakkel walked over to the memorial hall.


    Standing at the entrance, he couldn''t bring himself to walk in.


    Finally, he shook his head and decided to go to his chambers instead.


    Before these events occurred, he was so naive. The thought had crossed his mind that someone was manipulating things in the dark, but he hadn''t foreseen the circumstances of ignoring these doubts.


    Now everyone he loved was gone and he regretted it.


    Back then, if he had acted when his doubts appeared. If he had told his clan, then maybe…


    The doors to Drakkel’s chambers came into view. When he got in, he settled into a lotus position on the bed and began to cultivate. Two energies now flowed within his body and balancing them proved difficult.


    Sword Energy and demonic energy were not meant to be together as the medicine Demon Lord Lif had told him. He suggested completely expelling one of the energies. He said that for Drakkel''s current body, demonic energy would work best and could be efficiently utilized directly unlike Sword Energy, which could also be used by the body but would severely weaken the strength of the energy.


    But Drakkel didn''t want to let go of the energy he trained with- especially now that he was the only surviving member of his clan.


    Demonic energy could not be utilized through weapons. If he expelled it, he would never be able to practice his sword skills again.


    So, although it was dangerous and severely drained him, he decided to keep a hold on both energies.


    In the dark landscape where only the remnants of a fire lay, swaying back and forth without the presence of wind, he resolutely held his sword. When he swung it, the fire turned to ash.


    Using his sword energy, Drakkel leaped forward, performing a sort of dance with his clan’s sword moves: Glistening waves, Gusting winds, Fierce Tiger, Divine Moon, Eternal Torrent, Illustrious Sun, Blazing Moon, Immortal Ring, Jade Dragon, Soaring Phoenix, Sword heart, Sword Soul.


    However, just as he was in the middle of rising into the air to perform Soaring Phoenix, he began to cough profusely.


    Righting his stance, he gracefully descended and opened his eyes.


    A line of blood had dripped down his lips and for a few moments, he found it hard to move and laborious to breathe.


    When he regained the ability to move, he wiped the blood from his mouth as he continued to catch his breath.


    Yes, because Sword Energy and demonic energy were not meant to be together, he had a stall in his cultivation. But even with the stall, he could still face his enemies.