Looking beyond the collapsing structure toward the darkened sky, Shin tilted his head slightly.
A sinister grin appeared at the corner of his lips.
"Give me the key."
Xati, who had been laughing gleefully nearby, suddenly stiffened.
He looked up at Shin and immediately recognised the presence that had emerged.
The Mad Emperor.
"What's in it for me?" Xati muttered, suddenly less eager to cooperate. "What if you refuse to return it afterward?"
Shin's bloodred eyes shifted toward him.
Xati swallowed nervously.
What was the difference between the Demon Emperor before and after the death of his Empress?
The latter had descended into complete madness. He could no longer distinguish between living or things, nor could he comprehend anything beyond his overwhelming desire to destroy.
And the one standing before Xati now was unmistakably the latter.
"All right, all right!" Xati immediately relented, hurriedly taking out the dimensional key and obediently handing it over.
The key floated in the air.
As the book opened, its ancient pages began to burn, the flames devouring the inscriptions one by one.
Shin clicked his tongue impatiently. Had he been in his true form, tearing open a dimensional rift would have taken no more than a fleeting thought.
"Shin, you..." Master Keir could only stare at him, too stunned to utter another word.
"Ahhhhhhh!"
Hiro's deranged scream echoed through the hall as he watched his parents being crushed to death by two colossal serpents before the monstrous creatures swallowed them whole.
Those who remained could only watch in abject horror.
They slumped helplessly upon the ground, unable to move, while the earth continued to quake beneath them.
"This... this can't be real, right?!"
"I know! This has to be some advanced AI! Some new technology developed by KGG! Perhaps they wanted to conduct an experiment on us!"
"But what if it isn't?! Are you saying KGG has the means to manipulate an entire crowd and fabricate an earthquake?!"
Panic spread like wildfire.
Anri, who had failed to escape with the others, trembled behind Jj, clinging desperately to him as she sobbed.
Jj surveyed the devastation around them. He would be lying if he wasn't the least afraid.
Yet Yeri was still in Shin's arms, and his increasingly terrifying behavior left him with a dreadful suspicion.
What if Shin turned that madness upon her?
"Yz! Yz, wake up!" Jj shouted desperately.
Shin, whose attention had been fixed upon the floating key, slowly turned his gaze toward him.
"Why," he asked, his voice chillingly calm, "do you mortals persist in your attempts to wrest her from me? Perhaps I was mistaken to show this realm mercy. If all who dwell within it covet my Empress, then perhaps not a single soul deserves to remain."
"Shin, I don't think you're yourself right now," Jj said, swallowing his fear. "Could you please let her go? You know how fragile my sister is. Just... please, don't do anything you'll reg- "
Before he could finish, Xian Song suddenly charged toward Shin, apparently intending to tackle him but like everyone else, an invisible force erupted around Shin, hurling Xian backward with the same merciless ease.
Jj's throat tightened, his gaze darted toward Xati, though the being before him bore no resemblance to the child he had once known.
Xati merely smiled at him.
Then, raising one finger to his lips, he gestured for Jj to remain silent.
Above them, the heavens began to churn.
Dark clouds spiraled across the sky like a storm summoned from the depths of the abyss. The wind howled with increasing ferocity, while thunder rolled overhead, each deafening clap more violent than the last.
Just as everyone believed they had witnessed the very limits of horror, something enormous emerged within the swirling heavens.
A colossal eye opened in the sky, its dreadful gaze seeming to pierce the very fabric of the world.
Then, from what appeared to be its iris, something began to seep forth.
At first, it resembled a trickle of dark blood. Yet the opening continued to expand, its edges twisting and multiplying until it resembled a monstrous hive.
Countless creatures poured from the opening, swarming outward in waves. Hundreds became thousands, their numbers multiplying until they covered the heavens like an endless migration of monstrous birds.
This time, the calamity was not confined to those gathered within the hall.
The entire realm bore witness.
Across cities, villages, mountains, and oceans, countless people lifted their heads toward the heavens, watching as the sky was swallowed by a tide of darkness.
The eye had stained the firmament crimson, casting the world beneath it into an ominous twilight.
Screams erupted everywhere.
"It's the end of the world!"
"An alien invasion! Those things must be invaders from another planet!"
Panic engulfed the realm as humanity struggled to comprehend the impossible spectacle unfolding above them.
Then, without warning, time itself came to a halt.
Every living being froze in place, reduced to a motionless statue beneath the blood-red heavens.
And into that unnatural stillness came a succession of powerful auras.
"EMPEROR HEXION!"
Countless beings from the Light Realm materialized across the heavens, their luminous figures emerging in formation as they surveyed the catastrophic scene below.
At their forefront stood the Emperor of the Light Realm himself.
His expression darkened the instant his gaze fell upon Shin. "What madness is this, Emperor Hexion?! Have you forgotten the covenant between our realms? You are in violation of our ancient accord!"
With a sweeping motion of his hand, the Light Emperor summoned a vast barrier of radiant energy across the heavens.
The wall of light stretched from one end of the sky to the other, sealing the monstrous eye and obstructing the advance of the demons pouring through it.
Shin merely chuckled.
"Do you truly believe such a paltry barrier can thwart me?"
His crimson gaze drifted toward the heavens, his expression one of faint amusement.
"Wait until I reunite with my true body. Then you shall learn the futility of standing in my path."
The Light Emperor's expression grew increasingly grim.
"Why?! Why would you bring such calamity upon this realm? We honored our covenant! We helped you resurrect a fragment of your Empress's soul, allowing her to be reborn and live within this world! Is this how you repay our grace?"
"Ah, that."
Shin glanced at him indifferently, as though the destruction of an entire realm were a matter scarcely worthy of discussion.
"Do not misunderstand me. I have no intention of eradicating this realm entirely."
He lowered his gaze to the unconscious woman cradled in his arms, his expression softening for the briefest moment.
"I merely thought it would be more convenient to make this realm an extension of the Demon Realm. That way, I shall no longer be confined to this frail human vessel merely to remain by my Empress's side."
The Light Emperor stared at him in disbelief. "An extension of the Demon Realm?! You would transform an entire world to suit your whims?!"
One of the Light Realm knights stepped forward, his face contorted with indignation. "To annihilate the existence of humanity is no different from destroying this realm itself! You demons have never honored your word! We were fools to have placed our trust in you!"
"Emperor Hexion, must we remind you of the very reason your Empress could not remain within the Demon Realm?"
The Light Emperor pointed toward Yeri.
"Her soul has been reborn within a mortal vessel. She no longer possesses the divine aura necessary to withstand the environment of your realm! Just as this human world cannot endure the presence of demons of your stature, it shall inevitably collapse beneath the weight of your power! Even if you refrain from destroying it with your own hands, this realm will crumble of its own accord! Its inhabitants shall perish, and your beloved Empress shall be no exception! You shall condemn the very woman you claim to cherish!"
Shin's smile faded.
His crimson eyes narrowed as he lowered his gaze toward Yeri, studying her unconscious face in silence.
Before he could respond, a childish voice rang out from beside him.
"These feeble, wretched humans dared to lay their hands upon Empress Mother! Every last one of them deserves to die!"
Xati spoke with the air of someone discussing an entirely reasonable matter.
"And if the Demon Realm cannot accommodate Empress Mother in her present state, then why not transform this entire realm into her palace and personal domain? We need only preserve a handful of obedient humans to attend to her needs! Wouldn't that be splendid?"
Shin burst into laughter. "An intriguing proposal. How remarkably endearing. I approve."
Xati rolled his eyes, though a trace of pride crept into his expression. "Naturally. That was my intention from the very beginning. Why else would I have gone to the trouble of stealing the dimensional key?"
The Light Emperor's face darkened until it resembled the gathering storm behind him.
He looked from the father to the son, both of whom regarded the fate of an entire realm with the casual indifference as if they're simply discussing the arrangement of furniture.
"Your Majesty," one of his subordinates murmured grimly, "there is no point in reasoning with demons. Has history not taught us this lesson time and time again?"
Another knight clenched his fists, his eyes burning with fury. "Indeed! They are nothing but a horde of barbaric, lawless creatures! This so-called grievance is merely a pretext for waging war against our realm!"
The surrounding knights exchanged furious glances, their indignation mounting with every passing moment.
To them, the matter was perfectly clear.
The Demon Emperor had broken the covenant, summoned his legions, and threatened to turn an entire realm into his personal playground.
The Light Emperor knew that this was no longer a matter that could be settled through mere words.
"Why do you still waste your breath reasoning with him? There is no reaching the mind of the Emperor Hexion we face now."
Everyone turned toward the source of the voice.
Tristan strode into view, looking as though he had rushed there in haste. Yet what drew their attention most was the bandage wrapped around his forehead and the blood seeping through his shirt.
The explosion aboard the plane had left his human vessel grievously damaged. Had he been an ordinary mortal, he would have perished long ago.
In truth, Shin himself had sustained severe injuries as well. With the wedding approaching and so little time remaining, there had been no opportunity to restore either of their vessels to an unscathed state.