As dusk slowly swallowed the Royal Castle beneath its veil of darkness, icy winds howled between the ancient towers outside, creating ghostly whispers that echoed through the night. Inside, however, the entire castle was drowned in an eerie silence. Deep within its core existed an enormous council chamber — a place where only the most powerful rulers in the world were permitted to enter.
Gigantic black pillars stood across the chamber, engraved with ancient silver carvings. Blue-flamed chandeliers floated in the air, their cold glow painting the entire hall in an intimidating shade of blue. Beneath them, the polished black marble floor reflected every flicker of flame like a dark mirror.
At the center of the hall rested a massive table crafted from dark wood, its surface engraved with the symbols of the continents. Around it stood seven royal chairs… and at the very front was a gigantic golden throne-like seat that still remained empty.
Seated upon those royal chairs were the kings of the seven continents.
Norvia — Lucius Norvia His silver eyes silently observed the chamber. Beneath his calm expression and elegant white royal coat hid a terrifying intellect.
Eldoriva — Morgan Eldoriva Dressed in a dark purple robe, Morgan slowly tapped his fingers against the table as though calculating countless possibilities every second.
Braven — Raymond Braven A man built like a war machine, covered in battle scars and possessing shoulders broad enough to intimidate anyone merely by presence alone.
Frostalia — Victoria Frostalia With ice-blue hair and a freezing gaze, Victoria sat completely motionless. Her eyes were as sharp and merciless as frozen blades.
Kelvrin — Ashoka Kelvrin Clad in dark armor, Ashoka silently observed everyone around him. Yet it was his silence itself that felt the most unsettling.
Morveth — Roman Morveth A faint sinister smile rested upon Roman's lips, as though he already possessed more knowledge than everyone else in the room.
Altheria — Soren Altheria Despite appearing young, an unnatural wisdom lingered within his emerald eyes. Compared to the others, he seemed frighteningly composed.
A deadly silence consumed the chamber.
No one spoke.
Only the faint crackling of the blue flames echoed through the hall… as though everyone was waiting for something.
Then—
A crow suddenly landed upon the giant window of the chamber.
The creature had pale white eyes.
Lifeless. Blind.
Its hollow, ghostly gaze somehow made it look even more horrifying. Twisting its neck unnaturally, it slowly stared at each king one by one.
And the next second Its entire body began dissolving into dark smoke.
Black feathers scattered through the air.
The small body of the crow slowly stretched… until within moments, a human figure stood in its place.
A teenage boy.
Long dark hair.
His body was bare for a brief moment before he calmly grabbed a pitch-black coat hanging beside him and draped it over himself.
Then he slowly turned toward the kings.
His eyes were completely black… and within those endless dark eyes existed only a tiny dot that served as his pupils.
Those tiny pupils silently stared at the kings.
The instant the kings saw him Every single one of them rose from their seats.
All of them immediately dropped to one knee before him, lowering their heads deeply in absolute respect.
"Demon Lord Null."
Null looked at them with an emotionless gaze before speaking calmly,
"Sit."
His voice was quiet… yet hidden beneath that calmness was a pressure terrifying enough to suffocate the entire hall.
Null slowly walked toward a wooden shelf placed at the side of the chamber. From it, he picked up an expensive wine bottle along with a crystal glass.
Then he sat upon the giant golden throne.
Crossing his legs, he placed the glass on the table and slowly poured the wine.
After taking a sip, a faint smile appeared on his lips.
"Tasty…"
Then he spoke softly,
"Human nature is filled with hatred… but I must admit, they are exceptionally skilled when it comes to creating food and drinks."
Silence once again consumed the chamber.
Null slowly leaned forward. One hand rested near his chin while the fingers of the other tapped rhythmically against the table.
"When will the next seal break?"
The moment he asked, Lucius Norvia stood up from his chair. Placing one hand respectfully over his chest, he lowered his head slightly.
"Next month… on the night of the full moon."
Hearing that, Null took another long sip of wine before smiling.
"I can feel it…"
"I'm getting closer."
His eyes slowly began to glow.
"I won't have to wait much longer."
The corners of his lips rose further.
"I will rule this world."
"I will reshape it according to my own will."
"I will create my own laws… and my own order."
And within that chamber, not a single king possessed enough courage to interrupt him.
Then Null's gaze shifted toward Lucius.
"Take me to the 6th Division."
Lucius looked slightly confused.
"Demon Lord…?"
Null's tapping suddenly stopped.
"Too many people have learned about my plans."
His eyes turned cold.
"I want to see for myself… whether they can become a threat to me."
At that moment, Raymond Braven rose from his seat.
"Recently, Chris of the 6th Division requested help from the 9th Division. They explained what happened there… but they hid the matter regarding the cultists."
Null listened carefully.
Then he chuckled softly.
"Oh…"
"It seems my slaves left the 6th Division in quite a miserable state."
He slowly rose from the throne.
"Reject their request."
"They will receive no help."
At the same time…
6th Division.
A deadly silence filled Chris's chamber.
Leo, Ray, and Skye sat on a sofa while Chris remained seated quietly in front of them.
Only revenge burned within his eyes now.
This time, there were no jokes.
No normal conversations.
The situation had become truly serious.
Skye finally spoke softly,
"I already sent the letter to the 9th Division asking for help… just like you said."
But Chris gave no response.
Several seconds passed in silence before he finally asked,
"When are they planning to sacrifice the child?"
The moment he said that, everyone went silent.
Skye answered with a serious expression,
"Next month… on the night of the full moon."
Chris's eyes darkened further.
"We have to stop this."
Then he spoke again, more quietly.
"No…"
"Not we."
"Me."
Pure hatred echoed through his voice.
"They killed my family."
"I won't let them live."
"Their deaths…"
"Will be far more horrifying than anything they can imagine."
Ray then spoke,
"But we still don't know who the Blessed Child is… or where they are among the seven continents."
"No one knows."
Silence once again filled the room.
But Leo's mind was somewhere else entirely.
The dream he saw that day… and that mysterious voice… continued echoing inside his head.
And without even realizing it, a name slipped from his lips.
"Felix Ward…"
The instant he said it—
Everyone turned toward him.
Ray looked confused.
"Why did you say his name?"
Even Leo himself didn't understand why he had spoken it.
But suddenly, Ray stood up from his seat.
"Next month, Felix's family is expecting a new sibling…"
"He told me in the cafeteria."
Leo and Ray stared at each other.
For a moment, both felt as though they had finally discovered the identity of the Blessed Child.
But Skye immediately interrupted,
"How can you both be sure that child is the Blessed One?"
The excitement between them shattered instantly.
Ray slowly sat back down.
But then Leo spoke again,
"Felix also said… the baby's name would be related to the full moon."
The moment those words left his mouth, Chris's eyes widened.
Now his expression had become completely serious.
"Then it's almost confirmed…"
"Whoever this Felix is… we need to find him."
His fists slowly tightened.
"And those three cultists…"
Murderous rage filled his eyes.
"I will teach them the true meaning of death."