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Deep inside the palace, rows of demons sat side by side. But one figure stood out—it wasn't truly present, just a hazy projection sitting alone on the highest throne.
Thump.Thump.
Even though he was only a projection, the sound of his fingers tapping the armrest echoed constantly in the ears of every demon present.
It was heavy. And unnerving.
This was Huoyuan, the founder of Huomu City.
He was currently seated at the heart of Huomu City, projecting his presence across all the major palaces—east, west, north, and south. The one they were in was the eastern palace.
Above, projections of the other three demon lords stationed in the different directions shimmered faintly.
Altogether, counting Huoyuan himself, there were 500 demons in this grand meeting.
The east, west, north, and south each had 100 demons under them. The central palace, where Huoyuan ruled, had 99 demons.
"Everyone," Huoyuan said, his tone grave. "The black aura has informed us—eight Demon Lords have been born. They are to become the future rulers of this world."
"So, I ask you—what do you think? Speak freely."
Huoyuan's expression was heavy. He honestly didn't know what to do.
It had taken him countless years of conquest to rise to the top—one of the eight true powers on this continent.
And now, out of nowhere, the black aura had just birthed eight new Demon Lords. No warning. No discussion. It was like they made the decision behind his back.
As the top demon commander, no one had asked for his opinion. Not even once.
He had worked his tail off to seize this territory, and now these new lords had popped up, threatening to reshuffle everything he built from scratch.
He'd barely had time to enjoy the fruits of his conquest, and now someone wanted to show up and claim the title of "master"? How was that fair?
Earlier, he'd met with the other seven city lords to talk it over, but no one could agree on anything—so now he was here, asking his own subordinates.
"Lord Huoyuan, if you ask me, we should resist these Demon Lords. Why should we just roll over and serve them?"
"Exactly! Sure, they're strong—but so are you, Lord Huoyuan, and the other city lords. We're not helpless!"
"I agree! We've fought for countless years, captured tons of slaves, built massive palaces—why should we just give all that up without a fight?"
"…"
"Lord Huoyuan," someone else said, "according to the black aura, these eight new beings aren't just powerful—they're rulers, in both name and strength."
"Yeah… if it comes down to a real fight, I don't think we have much of a shot."
"I say we just submit. It's just another set of overlords—what's the big deal?"
Suddenly, the whole hall buzzed with hundreds of demons voicing their thoughts.
Most were ready to fight. They weren't about to just give up everything they'd fought for.
But a smaller group had clearly checked out. They figured they already had one boss—Huoyuan—what's the harm in having another? Especially if it meant peace.
And hey, they were stronger than average demons. Changing bosses wasn't likely to get them killed.
The chaotic mess of opinions left Huoyuan even more uncertain.
He wanted to fight the Demon Lords. After all, this land had been claimed through blood and fire. How could he just hand it over?
But… the strength of a Demon Lord? That was like a mountain crushing down on his chest.
These weren't just powerful demons. They were black aura's chosen.
Demons born with authority. With power written into their very being.
And there were eight of them.
Why… why hadn't the black aura chosen him?
Demons like that couldn't be compared to demons like him—demons who climbed their way up the hard way.
But even so, submission? That left a bitter taste in his mouth.
He, Huoyuan, one of the top eight demons on this continent, was supposed to kneel to some demon lord he'd never even heard of?
Hell no.
Looking down at his rowdy subordinates, Huoyuan's eyes gleamed with a sly light as he suddenly declared, "Then we go to war. We'll fight the Demon Lords and defend what we've claimed."
The room fell dead silent.
Huoyuan smirked inwardly. Just as I thought. These demons weren't truly loyal to him.
Demons, by nature, were fickle. Many were probably hoping he would take the fall in battle, and they could swoop in and steal the spoils.
But still… there were some who remained loyal.
Just as Huoyuan started to feel frustrated, several demons stepped forward and shouted, "We'll follow you, Lord Huoyuan! We'll fight the Demon Lords together!"
"Good! Good! Good!"
Huoyuan burst out laughing, then waved his arm. "Then it's settled! We go to war! We won't back down just because black aura played favorites!"
"Let's go to war with the Demon Lords—"
But before he could finish, Huoyuan froze.
From the corner of his eye, he saw a towering figure slowly walk into the hall. Wreathed in black aura, the being had the head of a dragon and the body of a man.
In that instant, Huoyuan's mind flashed with an image—one of the eight Demon Lords, a vision sent directly by the black aura itself.
Only demons like him—those at the very top—had the ability to receive those visions. They were like the prototype for the future demon dragons, able to sense the eight demonic auras.
Matching that overwhelming power in his mind, Huoyuan muttered under his breath, "The Fire Lord… Shendu."
The newcomer, Shendu, heard it loud and clear and raised an eyebrow.
"You know who I am?"
"And what's this I hear about… going to war with the Demon Lords?"
Shendu glanced around at the demons in the hall. Some were massive, almost matching his own size—but that was just bloated muscle.
Others were tiny, but had thick, dense black aura surrounding them.
As he spoke, he casually raised his dragon claw. Flames burst to life, roaring across his hand.
He looked around with a smirk. "Allow me to introduce myself—I'm the future master of this continent."
"You can call me the Fire Demon, the Fire Lord, Shendu… or just your Master."
"I'm a noble dragon—and the Demon Lord of the Fire Authority!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, panic erupted in the room. Every demon sat up, clearly shaken—even the ones who had just been shouting about fighting him were suddenly filled with fear.
Because those flames… every single one of them could feel it.
If even a flicker of that fire touched them, it wouldn't just burn—it'd leave them on the brink of death, if not worse.
The sheer difference in power crushed their previous bravado.
Huoyuan stared at Shendu, whose aura was so overwhelming it completely eclipsed his own.
His heart sank.
Demon Lord… Why is the black aura so unfair?
Still… among the eight city lords, Huoyuan knew he was the weakest.
And this Demon Lord standing in front of him? Yeah, his strength could probably crush him.
But there were other city lords—some who could match that level.
Back during the council, each city lord had different opinions. But Huoyuan had never wanted to kneel before some black-aura-spawned ruler.
So maybe… just maybe… he should take the lead. Be the first to stand against the Demon Lords.
If they united, the eight city lords might just stand a chance.
After all, the power of a Demon Lord's authority… every demon craved it.
Huoyuan thought about it for a long while.
And finally, he made up his mind.
"....."