Chapter 1 Demon Realm

Beneath a sky thick with thunderclouds, the Demon King's castle, veiled in mist, flickered in and out of existence like a phantom, accompanied by eerie music.

The castle's dark gray stone walls and towering turrets were faintly visible in the gloom, their spires almost piercing the heavens. Ancient runes twisted and intertwined across the barrier, silently whispering the secrets of the Demon Realm. A winding path sliced through the demonic gardens, leading to the castle's imposing gates.

Beyond the gates and corridors, the courtyard floor was paved with intricate stone slabs, and the indoor fountains scattered faintly glowing particles.

Deeper still lay the throne room, its corridors lined with suits of black armor, the hall itself permeated with an aura of profound darkness.

"Hmm..."

Hyperion slowly stirred from her slumber, a drowsy hum escaping her lips.

Her long silver hair cascaded down, softly covering the pale blue gown that billowed gently around the base of the throne.

Her amber eyes, no longer disguised as human, had reverted to their true demonic form. Her hair, no longer simply bound with a ribbon, felt the cool weight of elaborate hair ornaments.

Hyperion looked up, as if awakening from a dream, and found herself seated upon a majestic throne.

The hall was filled with a multitude of demons.

Their appearances varied greatly, some regal and imposing, others grotesque and terrifying.

Many emanated magical power rivaling or even surpassing that of Antanas, preventing Hyperion from meeting their gazes!

Hyperion instinctively wanted to activate her invisibility and flee.

But then she reconsidered.

She seemed to be the one sitting on the throne…

Remaining still might prevent anything from happening, whereas fleeing would not only result in her capture, but also in the dreaded question, "Why is Your Highness fleeing?"

Hyperion forced her expression to remain calm.

Having just arrived in this Shadow World, she had opened her eyes to a hellish scene resembling a demonic pantheon, clearly a high-level demonic gathering. And she was at the heart of it all.

"Your Highness, were you thinking of running away again?"

A level female voice spoke from behind.

Again?

Hyperion whirled around.

Standing beside her was a seemingly gentle and harmless female greater demon, her eyes calm and deep.

Despite being so close, Hyperion hadn't sensed her presence at all.

This greater demon possessed a friendly aura; aside from her demonic features, she seemed even safer than a human.

But Hyperion could clearly tell that this greater demon was the most dangerous, capable of discerning her fleeting thoughts of escape.

Below the dais, the other demons present outwardly displayed respect towards Hyperion, but she quickly realized that their true fear stemmed from the greater demon beside her.

For other greater demons to be so submissive to her, there was essentially only one explanation: she was a ninth-order greater demon.

Her presence made the atmosphere in the throne room even heavier, every demon carefully weighing their words and actions to avoid incurring her displeasure.

"..."

Hyperion was unsure whether to acknowledge or deny the words of the woman beside her, who was possibly a ninth-order demon.

Having just arrived in the Shadow World, she was surrounded by terrifying greater demons, while Lan Qi, who was best suited for this place, was nowhere to be found.

Every answer could determine her fate.

Until she understood the situation, she chose to remain silent, waiting for the other party to speak first.

Although she was used to being around greater demons, surrounded by her friends and family who were demons, she still felt fear when faced with a group of wild greater demons.

As for ninth-order greater demons, that was a bit much… she had never seen a living ninth-order demon in the real world.

"Princess, you must understand that you are the last of the royal family capable of opening the ancestral grounds. We know you are fond of the human kingdom, but please do not attempt to leave the Demon King's Castle again, or you will cause us considerable distress."

The mysterious greater demon behind Hyperion sighed.

She didn't seem to find Hyperion's reaction to flee inappropriate, or perhaps she was used to the princess's escape attempts.

"..."

Hyperion remained silent, gazing at the greater demon.

Although she couldn't make out her exact features, the more she stared, the more she resembled Tata, and then, upon further inspection, her own mother, Ifatia.

Hyperion immediately understood that this was not the other woman's true face. The other party would present the image of the observer's most beloved woman, and no one could see her true form.

Without realizing it, she naturally felt a sense of closeness and dependence towards her.

"Mm..."

Hyperion nodded as if just waking up, feigning agreement with the greater demon.

Since the other party didn't intend to harm her, she would simply act compliant.

However, Hyperion was still somewhat confused, unsure why this was how things started for her.

Although she possessed demon royal blood, and her corresponding witch identity in this Shadow World was also of royal lineage, which made sense.

Having grown up in the human kingdom, the idea of actually sitting in the position of demon princess was terrifying!

She had never seen so many demons in her life.

The more Hyperion thought about it, the more anxious she became, unsure how to deal with these greater demons.

Just as Hyperion felt at a loss, she finally saw the information appearing in the Shadow World—

[Sixteen years ago, after that banquet, you were hunted by the vampires and scattered in all directions.]

[After escaping Lichtenstein Castle, you restored your true demon identity and returned to the Demon Realm through the far north.]

[Originally, as a half-demon, you were not liked or valued by the demons.]

[However, due to the Demon King's deadly battle with the Second Progenitor of the vampires many years ago, the Second Progenitor suffered severe injuries, and the Demon King also sustained fatal wounds.]

[After returning to the Demon Realm, the Demon King soon passed away in the ancestral grounds. With no new ninth-seal king in the Demon Realm, you, the last one with royal blood, have become the only demon capable of opening the ancestral grounds.]

[Even though you are now a true demon princess, you have never forgotten his promise to you: that if you were separated, if he were still alive, he would be waiting for you in the highest place.]

[Originally, this was supposed to be an impossible promise, but due to the altered ending of the previous node, a slight shift has occurred.]

[Sixteen years later, you heard the latest news from the human kingdom, learning that he had transformed into a high-ranking member of the Polant Empire's political circles. You were overjoyed and wanted to go to the human kingdom to find him, but the greater demons stopped you...]

[Mission Objective 1: Find the key to defeating the vampires.]

[Mission Objective 2: By the end of the Shadow World, increase the human side's odds of winning against the vampires to over 1%.]

[Mission Objective 3: All challengers must survive until the 45-day time limit expires.]

[……]

"..."

After reading this backstory, Hyperion initially found it quite romantic, but recalling her actual experiences in the real world, she only felt a bit of a stress response.

Moreover, she didn't understand what this 1% win probability was, or how to increase it. All she could currently see was [Overall Win Probability: 0.0000%].

Perhaps this mission was related to Lan Qi's side.

"I'm sorry, I won't cause you any more trouble."

Hyperion said to the greater demon beside her after a brief silence that seemed like she was spacing out.

"Thank you for your understanding."

The female greater demon nodded.

"But there are so many greater demons, I don't know all their names. What should I call them…?"

Hyperion turned to the greater demon and asked softly.

"You don't need to worry about what they are called. All you need to know at this moment is that I am Zhui Luo Qing."

The female greater demon confidently shook her head, her words filled with the domineering aura of an absolute powerhouse.

Hyperion paused for a moment.

Zhui Luo Qing, which meant the greater demon's title was [Fallen].

Hyperion recognized this title.

The fourth level of Hellrahm Prison's demon trial, [Fallen's Gentle Paradise], was the supreme barrier transformed from the ninth-order greater demon Fallen Kaliella after her death.

Did this mean that the greater demon beside her was Fallen Kaliella?

In that instant, Hyperion dispelled all thoughts of forcibly escaping from the Demon King's Castle.

Hyperion still remembered how difficult it was to escape from Fallen's Gentle Paradise.

"Princess, I think you wouldn't want to experience my magic again, would you? Or would you rather just indulge in that dream?"

Kaliella smiled faintly.

At least in the current Demon Realm, no greater demon could break her Gentle Paradise. Trying to fight her was simply absurd, let alone for a princess who wasn't even a greater demon.

"No, no, no."

Hyperion shook her head, cowering in fear.

Although she desperately didn't want to be a demon princess.

But since things had come to this, she should see what this group of demons wanted to do, instead of constantly thinking about escaping to find Lan Qi.

(End of Chapter)