Arlen returned to the demon realm like a man stepping into legend — and the realm reacted accordingly.

  Everywhere he walked, demons whispered, laughed, stared. A human boy… passing the Hollow Court? Drinking the Queen’s blood? Wielding a sacred relic

  In the underworld, that wasn’t fame —

  It was blasphemy made flesh.

  Nyx grabbed his wrist and yanked him forward.

  “Don’t look at anyone. Don’t talk to anyone. Just walk.”

  Her voice was sharp, almost… anxious.

  Arlen blinked.

  “You’re… rushing me?”

  “You’ll see why,” she muttered, speeding up.

  They almost reached the entrance of Cornea’s palace when the entire corridor exploded

  A huge crimson-skinned demon with stone muscles cracked his knuckles.

  “So is the brat who survived Solon’s trial.”

  He grinned, voice loud enough to shake dust off the ceiling.

  “I am Grom

  Before Arlen could answer, a soft, silky voice cut through the smoke.

  “Grom, you oaf… don’t scare the child.”

  A woman stepped forward — slim, pale, beautiful in an eerie, parasitic way. Black butterfly wings shimmered behind her, dripping a quiet, venomous charm.

  She smiled at Arlen, eyes drinking him in.

  “Come with me, little human. I am Aura

  Nyx instantly stepped between them.

  “That’s why I was rushing you.”

  She kept her voice low.

  “They’re the other two Royal Guards. They want to you — to outrank me — to climb closer to the Queen. So keep your mouth shut.”

  Then she raised her voice.

  “Move. He doesn’t answer to either of you. The Queen summoned him.”

  Grom growled. Aura smiled dangerously.

  And then—

  The temperature dropped.

  A shadow spread like ink across the walls.

  Cornea appeared on the palace steps, and the entire realm seemed to bow by instinct.

  “I have business with the boy,” she said, voice like silk soaked in poison.

  “Save your petty ambitions for another time.”

  Grom instantly lowered his head. Aura clicked her tongue but stepped aside.

  No one disobeyed the Queen.

  Cornea touched Arlen’s hand — and the world folded.

  In an instant, he found himself in her bedroom: black velvet, obsidian walls, red candles flickering like sinful stars.

  Cornea lounged on her bed, crossing one leg over the other with a predatory grace.

  “So… how was the trial?” she murmured.

  “How does it feel to hold a sacred relic in those fragile little hands?”

  Arlen unsheathed .

  The dark blade hummed—almost breathed.

  “It feels… right,” he said quietly. “Like I finally have the weapon I was meant to hold.”

  Cornea’s smile sharpened.

  “Good. I expected no less.”

  She reached for a goblet of wine, swirling the dark red liquid lazily.

  Then her voice dropped — soft, low, dangerous.

  “Since you’ve come this far, Arlen… shall we begin your first real hunt?”

  She leaned closer, her lips almost brushing his ear.

  “How about a little practical test

  Her eyes gleamed with wicked delight.

  “A lesser god hunt to test your new powers and weapon. Actually—two of them.”

  Arlen’s heart thudded once — fear, thrill, hunger all mixing.

  His right eye glowed black.

  His pulse beat like war drums.

  “I’ve been waiting for this,” he whispered.

  “I’m ready.”

  Cornea licked a drop of wine from her thumb, smiling like a devil who had just fed on a soul.

  Her smile twisted into something wicked and intoxicating — the kind of smile that promised chaos and demanded blood.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  “Your first prey,” she purred, “are the twin gods of the sky

  Her eyes gleamed with a predator’s delight.

  “Helios, the God of the Sun. Lumen, the God of the Moon. Brothers. Arrogant. Young. Barely a million years old — children, by divine standards.”

  Arlen frowned. “They’re gods?”

  Cornea nodded.

  “Yes. Helios cannot ignite a flame without the blessing of the God of Fire, Vulcan

  And Lumen’s ice arrows mean nothing without the permission of Boreas, God of Frost

  She smirked as she sipped her wine.

  “They’re parasites, Arlen. Kiddie kings. Divine toddlers playing with borrowed toys. Weak compared to the ones you truly want.”

  Arlen’s grip tightened around Soul Eater. His demonic eye glowed faintly.

  “And I get to decide how they die,” he murmured.

  “Parasites who leave on the mercy of another parasite. Perfect.”

  Cornea leaned back against her pillows, one leg crossing over the other like a satisfied cat.

  “Go on then, my little executioner.

  Show me the beginning of your legend.”

  Arlen stepped out of the underworld and into the human realm.

  The air felt wrong — too still, too clean, too peaceful for the place where he had once died. Months had passed since Chronos brainwashed his family and slaughtered Darian beside him.

  The sky was bleeding orange.

  Sun sinking.

  Moon rising.

  Dusk

  Arlen stood on a cliffside overlooking the city he used to call home. His right eye burned black as he raised Soul Eater toward the setting sun.

  “Let’s begin,” he whispered.

  “Time to free you… Sun.”

  A fiery streak tore through the sky.

  BOOM.

  A blazing sphere smashed into the ground where Arlen had stood a heartbeat earlier. He rolled aside, heat licking his skin. Smoke rose, thick and choking.

  Inside that smoke, a silhouette appeared — tall, glowing, radiating heat like a miniature star.

  Arlen’s eyes narrowed.

  A voice echoed out — proud, sharp, dripping with divine disgust.

  “A human wielding demonic power… revolting.”

  The smoke cleared — revealing a beautiful but cruel young man. Skin glowing like molten gold. Eyes burning like miniature suns. Flames coiled around his arms like serpents.

  Helios. God of the Sun.

  “You dare point that filthy blade at MY sun

  His fire grew hotter, shimmering white.

  “You tainted your humanity with demonic blood. Trash like you deserves nothing but purification.”

  He raised his hand — a miniature sun forming in his palm.

  “Prepare to die, mongrel.”

  Arlen laughed — a sharp, reckless sound that cut straight through the twilight air.

  “The sun

  That one sentence shattered Helios’s divine composure.

  “WHAT DID YOU SAY, MORTAL FILTH—?!”

  The sun god’s pride ignited hotter than the flames around him.

  Helios thrust his hand upward and dozens — dozens

  “Burn.

  They rained down like divine meteors.

  Arlen sprinted, twisted, slid — each explosion lighting up his heels. He laughed between breaths.

  “As expected… Gods really predictable.

  Big ego.

  Low brain.

  Zero discipline.”

  Helios snarled, fury boiling over.

  “You dare mock me?! I’ll reduce you to ASH!”

  Arlen dodged another barrage effortlessly — slicing through smoke and flame, closing the distance inch by inch.

  “And after I kill ,” he taunted, voice icy, “I’ll take care of your moonlit brother next.”

  That line was gasoline on Helios’s rage.

  His attacks became wild — sloppy — each blast hotter, stronger, and more unfocused. Perfect.

  Arlen lunged.

  Soul Eater gleamed.

  Point-blank.

  Helios reacted purely on instinct.

  BOOM.

  A sun detonated right in front of Arlen’s face — half his skull evaporated in the blast. Flesh. Bone. Blood. Gone.

  Helios smirked as Arlen’s body fall on the ground.

  “You underestimate a god, pest. Predictable YOU.

  All I had to do was charge a sun ball for the moment you got close. A tainted half-demon like you is nothing. This ends here.”

  He turned away—

  SHLICK.

  Helios froze.

  A cold sting pierced his back — straight into his glowing golden core.

  Helios collapsed to his knees, trembling violently.

  “…h-how—”

  He coughed blood, eyes wide.

  “HOW are you still alive?! What demon’s blood did you drink?!”

  Arlen’s mouth curled into a wicked, triumphant grin — the kind only someone who had died a hundred times could wear.

  “I drank the Demon Queen’s

  Helios’s face drained of color.

  “D-Demon Queen—?! Impossible. She—she hasn’t shared her blood in—”

  “And the pain of burning?” Arlen leaned in close, whispering like a nightmare.

  “I got used to that during training.”

  Helios trembled, horror creeping into every crack of his pride.

  “And your core isn’t healing,” Arlen continued softly, lovingly cruel.

  “Wanna know why?”

  He raised Soul Eater — black edge glowing red with stolen flame.

  “Because this blade is the SOUL EATER.

  The moment the name was spoken, Helios’s entire divine body convulsed.

  Even gods feared that name.

  Arlen threw his head back and laughed — a raw, euphoric laugh that echoed across the cliffside.

  “Hahahahaha… THIS… this is what I’ve been waiting for.

  A god who can actually fear

  Behind him, Cornea materialized like a shadow sliding into shape.

  “Arlen,” she purred, eyes glinting,

  “Drink his blood.

  The more gods you devour,

  the more sacred relics you’ll be able to wield.”

  Helios’s breath hitched in pure terror.

  “A—a Solon survivor… demon queen’s blood… and Soul Eater…

  Heaven is doomed…”

  The sun finally dipped — its final light reflecting in Helios’s horrified eyes.

  Arlen leaned down, lips brushing against warm divine flesh—

  And bit.

  CRRRUNCH.

  He tore through a divine artery like it was paper.

  Helios twitched, then stilled.

  The Sun God was dead.

  The sky darkened instantly — a cosmic shiver pulsing through creation.

  And from above, the moon brightened violently.

  A scream tore through the air.

  “BROTHEEERRRRR!!!”

  A pale figure descended — silver hair trembling, frost gathering at his fingertips.

  Lumen. God of the Moon.

  He landed beside Helios’s corpse, tears spilling from his luminous eyes.

  “N-no…”

  His voice cracked.

  “No, no, no… brother…!”

  His grief twisted into rage.

  He raised his bow of ice, divine frost gathering.

  “You monster…

  You DARE take him from me?”

  Arlen wiped blood from his lips and smiled — slow, cruel, hungry.

  “Oh don’t worry…

  You’ll join him soon enough.”