Black Swamp Archipelago, a few days later…
Somewhere in the middle of the Black Swamp Archipelago, there was a small, unnamed island that sat between two larger lands. It wasn't much, just a small stretch of black soil, twisted trees, and a large pool of black water.
It was the kind of place that no one would ever live, yet someone was walking there, leisurely following the path forward.
He looked like a wanderer, old and disheveled, his clothes were soaked and torn from a long period of travel. In one hand, he carried a long spear formed from something akin to pitch-black obsidian, and on his shoulder sat a fat, restless pigeon.
The man's hood blocked out the rain.
Despite his ragged appearance, the man carried himself with a strange nobility. His posture stayed straight, his steps were steady, and his gaze remained calm and almost lazily relaxed. If the emperor were to walk the streets, perhaps this would be his disguise.
Upon closer inspection, this man wasn't human.
From the top of his head, two crystal-like black horns protruded upwards, faintly transparent, and refracted the dim light of the surrounding storm. Their shape was almost captivating, but their presence was unmistakable…
These were the horns of a Demon.
This man walked through the Black Rain as if it didn't exist. The water rolled off him without reaching him, almost as if it were afraid of something.
He muttered to himself as he walked, like a dissatisfied old man.
'Why wasn't there anyone waiting?'
'Such a spectacle and I wasn't welcomed?'
'Odd, how odd... has it really been that long?'
His tone was one of annoyance, but there was something else, something strange, and that was confusion. This man seemed to be adjusting to something. It was obvious that he didn't understand the current state of the world.
He wasn't from this time, after all…
The pigeon on his shoulder gave a quiet caw, shaking water from its feathers and onto the man's face.
The man wrinkled his nose and wiped it off.
He sighed. "Even the Cross Continent smells so different now," he said, stepping over a half-sunken root. "So much decay… so much rot. What happened to this place?"
He continued to talk to himself.
He walked a bit further, before suddenly stopping.
His gaze shifted towards a nearby pool.
There, on its shore, a small group of 'people' were fishing.
That alone was unusual in this weather, but what made it worse was…
He blinked. "Hm?"
The group of people were a bit odd.
They stood near the water, rod in hand, chittering quietly among themselves as they fished up strange, wriggling creatures from the mud.
The man's eyes narrowed.
He scratched at his chin, only to realize he didn't have a beard anymore. "Right. Forgot about that," he muttered under his breath. "The wildlife seems to have changed a lot too..."
The group ahead was naturally Petra's group.
The man began to walk over.
Petra sat near the edge of the swamp lake, her small figure half-hidden beneath an umbrella. The umbrella was held by a much larger, feminine ant, while the mischievous trio worked together to pull whatever massive things they caught from the water. The guardian ant stood nearby, motionless, like a black statue under the rain, ready to move when needed.
Feeling the man's gaze, Petra turned her head.
Her black eyes pierced through and met his gaze through the rain.
The man stopped moving and shuddered.
'What the hell?'
A moment later, he realised that something was off. How could this little child send shivers down his spine? What was he, hundreds of times her age? He narrowed his eyes and concluded that this little shrimp was only ten, so her cultivation couldn't be past the second realm.
For a moment, both of them simply stared at each other.
The fat pigeon shifted uneasily, letting out a soft caw, its feathers puffing up as if sensing something.
'Wait…'
The demon's expression changed slightly, from interest, to curiosity, then surprise. 'She noticed me?' he murmured. This man had been using a special technique that made his presence almost zero. To discover him could only mean that she was a big shot in disguise, sitting at a level even higher than himself. But… how was that possible?
Both he and the small ant-girl studied each other for a few more seconds before Petra finally shook her head and sighed, looking away.
The man's eyes darkened, feeling that he had been underestimated.
"Not a Beastmen… weird," he muttered, scratching at the side of his face. "Are there crouching tigers and hidden dragons everywhere these days. How odd, how odd." Then, without another word, he turned and continued down the flooded path ahead, ignoring Petra and her party.
His silhouette faded slowly into the falling rain, leaving only the faint sound of his steps echoing wetly between the trees.
Petra blinked once, then turned back to the swamp.
The trio cheered as they pulled up what looked like a snake with too many eyes.
In her head, she couldn't shake a faint sense of familiarity.
That pigeon… it felt like she had seen it somewhere before. A certain obese bird from Sevensen popped into her head. Could they be…. siblings? Surely not…
Her gaze drifted back towards the direction the man had gone.
He was a demon, without a doubt, but what stood out wasn't his presence, no, it was how casually he carried himself. He didn't seem to care that other people could see him, he didn't seem to notice the danger in walking so openly under the Black Rain. He didn't even seem to realize that he was standing in the middle of the second calamity. Disdain for the church, disdain for the sky tower, that old man was just a bucket of uncaring, huh?
Petra frowned slightly, her thoughts drifting back to Raina.
That man was definitely stronger than her.
Who could he be?
She sighed softly, then cast her line back into the swamp. Now, you may ask, why was Petra fishing in the first place?
The answer was simple.
She was collecting samples for her 'western collection'.
Every region had its own spiritual ecosystem, and the western region was home to dozens of unique amphibious and aquatic species, that could only be found here. Petra was currently fishing to finish filling out her 'BloodDex' for the western region. The water rippled as her line sank beneath the surface. Tiny bubbles rose where the hook disappeared into the mud.
Petra hummed quietly to herself, the sound faintly muted under the rain.
Despite the storm, the death and decay, and the strange demon that had just passed, she looked perfectly content as a small ant girl sitting by a poisonous swamp, happily fishing beneath an umbrella.
Life was good!
* * *
A few hours later.
The strange demon with the spear stood before a group of people.
This place was a few small islands away, hidden beneath a massive root that had burst through the ground and buckled back on itself, forming a natural overhanging cave.
After escaping from his imprisonment, this unnamed demon had discovered a secret message addressed to his kind, telling them to come here and regroup with the other survivors.
He didn't know who had placed it, or who had saved him, but he was grateful, nonetheless.
And now, he was here.
This place was shrouded in a gloomy aura.
When he arrived, he found a small group of demons waiting in the hollow beneath the overhang. The lesser demons looked up at the sound of footsteps, ready to greet the next arrival. When they saw who it was, their expressions froze, then turned to shock.
The demon glanced around the group, then noticed another demon sitting on a rock, his back turned, and his shoulders slumped.
He was reading a book.
This man was Petik, one of the fifteen demon commanders.
The old demon heard him sigh quietly. "It was a complete failure, a complete failure! We couldn't save him, and our numbers have fallen even further. What a disaster. I hope the ancestors can forgive me…" Petik's voice was exhausted.
"S-sir…"
One of the younger demons stammered nervously, trying to get Petik's attention, but he didn't notice at all and shrugged off the hand.
Nodaba tilted his head slightly, entering the hollow, "What are you talking about?"
Petik didn't turn around. "You don't know? How lucky… You must have been too slow and missed the battle in Imai. We tried to save lord Nodaba, but it was a disaster. Most of our remaining numbers were wiped out. It's going to be hard to recover from this."
Nodaba frowned. "You didn't save him? Then who did?"
Petik let out a hollow laugh. "Didn't you just hear me? We failed! Haven't you heard? A few days after we retreated, the entire city of Imai went into full lockdown. Even the Sky Tower was sealed, and nothing can get in or out. It's a complete void, and everyone who didn't escape is doomed!"
He swung his fist and slammed it against the rock beside him. "We even lost Raina! She gave her life to give me a chance, and I still failed! Damn it… damn it all!"
Bang bang bang! Petik struck the rock again and again, his rage echoing under the root. Blood dripped from his fist, clearly broken, and he gritted his teeth, cursing himself with self-blame.
Petik didn't know how many of the commanders would survive, but so far, he was the only one. There were originally 99 demon commanders, but that number dropped to only 15 in recent years. After the events in Imai, Petik didn't know if any of them survived. Demon Commanders were different from the normal demons and lesser demons. Demon Commanders couldn't be produced, so they were all that was left.
At that moment, a new voice cut through the rain.
"Did someone say I'm dead? That's news to me. Haha!"
A female figure stepped out of the darkness behind them. Her tone was cold, but faintly amused.
Upon hearing the voice, Petik froze.
That voice, he would recognize it anywhere! "R-Raina…?"
He turned sharply, his eyes widening towards the voice, but before he could find her figure, he caught sight of another figure standing between Raina and himself. The man with the bird on his shoulder, the man with a spear in his hand, and…
"Ah…?"
For a moment, Petik's brain stopped working.
Then, as the unnamed demon turned to face Raina, Raina's eyes met the strangers', and both of them screamed at once.
"Nodaba!?"
"Nodaba!?"
Their voices overlapped, loud enough to make the pigeon squawk and leap into the air.
Nodaba winced and covered one ear. "Tsk, why are you two so loud? You act like you've seen a ghost."
Petik stammered, pointing. "Y-you're alive!? You escaped!? How is that possible!?"
Nodaba frowned slightly. He lifted his spear and slung it over his shoulder. "Didn't one of you save me?"
Petik and Raina exchanged a confused look, then both of them shook their heads.
"Then who knocked down the Sky Tower?" Nodaba asked.
"…What?"
Petik's eyes widened. "W-wait… the Sky Tower actually collapsed? That's real?!"
Their original plan had been simple. Interrupt the reward ceremony, use the commotion as a distraction, then infiltrate the Sky Tower and find the King's Spear, Nodaba. Unfortunately, before they could even begin, a group of completely unknown demons appeared out of nowhere and plunged the entire event into chaos.
During that moment, Petik was already prepared to attack the Sky Tower, so when everything erupted around him, he simply went with it. What he didn't know was that these 'unknown demons' were actually lesser demons sent by the Sky Tower itself. Their sole purpose was to stir chaos and create an opening for the tower to capture the Heavens Chosen.
This unexpected twist aligned perfectly with several other disasters at the same time. The mercenary assassins attacked Rotell, the true demon commanders each took their own actions, the Church of Light was already waiting to start a slaughter, especially the Angels, and Petra, Wind, Bell, and the twins each attracted their own enemies.
Everything spiraled out of control.
In the end, the demon commanders barely managed to escape, slipping away after paying a heavy price. Their current conditions were unknown. They failed to rescue Nodaba, and they sacrificed most of their remaining clansmen.
A day after their retreat, an earthshaking crash echoed throughout the central region, loud enough to spill out across the continent. No matter who heard it, none of them could have imagined that the sound was the collapse of the Sky Tower, regardless of the rumors that spread out a few days later. Such a thing was simply impossible, so everyone assumed it was connected to the opening of the Secret Realm instead.
Petik believed that the rumors were exaggerations made by people who misunderstood the noise, but knowing the truth now, Petik was shocked beyond words.
Raina blinked, then her mind flashed back to a certain green-haired little imp who couldn't stop bragging about 'kicking down the sky tower, Muhahaha!' At the time, she'd thought the girl was joking.
Could that really…?
Nodaba scratched his head, finally realizing that neither of them had been responsible for releasing him. "So, it wasn't you two. Strange… Well, whoever it was, they did me a favor."
He shrugged. "So it doesn't matter, I guess."
He was about to ask about the current state of the Demon Clan, when something caught his eye. He turned towards Raina, frowning slightly as he narrowed his eyes. "By the way… what happened to your horns?"
Raina tilted her head. "My horns?"
She raised a hand to touch them. They were still wrapped in bandages, from when Raina had volunteered as a test subject.
Petik also looked at her with some interest.
He had no doubt that she had to use them in the battle with the angel, but after knowing the true power of those angels, there was no way that was enough.
"They were destroyed in a fight against an eight-winged angel," Raina explained. "But since 'then', they've been growing back faster than normal… and, slightly differently." Her tone shifted slightly, almost uncertain near the end. "I met someone, and she offered me help in exchange for something. A strange little girl… named Petra."
Petik raised an eyebrow. "Petra?" He felt like that name was a bit familiar. It took him a minute, but he realized that it was the strange little girl he met in the medicine Shop.
Raina nodded. "I didn't have any money, so I offered her an old treasure, but she refused to take the compass, so I had to pay her with my body instead."
Petik choked. "W-what!?"
Raina rolled her eyes. "Relax. I mean as a test subject."
Nodaba frowned, still studying her closely. The shape of her horns was unusual, not the typical outward curve of a demon, but closer to ram horns, hugging the skull before curling back. They had barely started to regrow, but he could already tell that they would be a lot bigger than before. His face turned serious, thinking to himself that they reminded him of a diagram that the Demon King had shown him many years ago.
But what caught his attention wasn't her horns.
It was the compass hanging from her neck.
"Show me that," he said sternly.
Raina hesitated, but obeyed soon after. She handed over the broken compass, somewhat reluctantly. The moment Nodaba took it, his expression changed completely. "This… this is a Black Compass!" he said in disbelief.
Raina blinked. "That little girl said that it could reunite families, was she wrong?"
Nodaba's eyes sharpened. "Reunite families? Ha! No, what she said was true, but… The Black Compass can only be activated by those with the same bloodline. In this case… only a direct descendant of the Demon King."
Raina's eyes widened in horror.
It took Petik a second to understand, but when it clicked, he shouted.
"What! You mean… that girl is the Demon King's descendant!?"
Raina trembled. "That can't be…"
Nodaba nodded slowly. "Tell me, what's the current state of the Demon Clan? Why does no one seem to recognize our own princess? What's going on?"
Neither of them answered immediately.
Raina's gaze fell, while Petik clenched his fists.
Nodaba felt a cold weight settle in his chest. "How much have we lost?"
Silence.
"Did we lose the Demon King's castle?"
No response.
"What about the Demon Realm itself?"
Nothing.
"At least the commanders…?"
Still nothing.
Nodaba's voice became frigid. "Don't tell me…"
Raina finally spoke. "Sir, this meeting wasn't only to call you back. It was to gather the last of us, those that survived the chaos in Imai. We're the remaining demons."
Nodaba's heart fell. "Remaining…?"
He turned and looked around again.
Two commanders and a few dozen lesser demons.
"…Is this it?"
Petik lowered his head. "We're still waiting for others, but yes… this is all for now."
Nodaba sat down heavily, resting his spear against his shoulder. "What about Lilith?" He asked with a hollow voice.
Raina answered. "She's been missing since you disappeared. We came to the western region because this was where she was last spotted. We're a bit desperate…"
Nodaba went silent.
He finally understood how bad things were.
'Damn the Church of Light! Damn that Sun God!'
Even if they found the princess, they couldn't protect her, not like this!
He had no idea that he had passed her only a few hours ago.
When Nodaba eventually saw the portrait, his reaction was indescribable.
After a long pause, he looked up. A resolute light ignited in his tired eyes, and he announced his decision. "Let's use the compass." That was their only hope.
Raina and Petik looked at him, then nodded.
Nodaba opened it. The needle pointed away from the western region and towards the south, to the Hellion Empire.
He closed it again, his face unreadable.
"Then that's where we'll go," he said. "Three days from now, we'll move south. Those that don't arrive will be left behind." The surrounding demons nodded.
They didn't ask about Petra, nor did they ask about Lilith.
For the first time in many years, the remnants of the Demon Clan had a direction, and a leader.
That was enough…
* * *
Somewhere far away, under the same storm, a small green-haired girl hummed to herself softly, unaware that one of the world's oldest demons had just decided to follow the path her unusual existence had opened.