Becoming the Demon Lord: Taming the Demon Queen Begins

To be the Keeper of the Soulbridge, guarding the Bridge of Souls, one must possess unfathomable power.

Even after taking on the mantle of the Lord of the Underworld, Erelyn had never crossed paths with her in the past century.

If it were anyone else, Erelyn would never have been able to open this rift in space.

But now, standing before Timothy and Sylvia, she seemed to trust them completely.

What others could never achieve, perhaps they truly had a chance to turn the tide.

The Sepulcher of the Sacred on the continent of Elant was on the verge of collapse, and no one knew when the Netherworld would face its second attack.

If there was any hope of ending this war that threatened both realms, it might rest in their hands.

The rift slowly opened. Erelyn, once again drawing on the power of the Netherworld, was now extremely weak. Even the color of her soul seemed to be fading.

But when she looked at Timothy and Sylvia, her eyes were filled with boundless hope.

On the other side of the rift, a scene slowly came into view.

A vast river flowed gently, shrouded in endless mist.

The fog was so thick that it obscured the vision of all the wandering souls, making it impossible for them to see their surroundings. They forgot their past lives and had no idea what awaited them in the afterlife.

Above the river, a small bridge stood quietly.

The names carved into the bridge were all too familiar.

The river was the River of Oblivion, and the bridge was the Bridge of Souls.

And at the edge of the bridge...

Through the dense fog, a single figure could barely be made out.

The aura that seeped through the rift was so overwhelming that it crushed any presence Erelyn had ever felt in the Netherworld.

A faint scent of blood drifted through the air, eerily similar to the atmosphere within the Sepulcher of the Sacred.

Clearly, on the other side of the rift stood the Keeper of the Soulbridge, waiting by the Bridge of Souls.

Even without crossing over, it was obvious how difficult this battle would be.

"Don't worry, Sister Erelyn."

Despite her small and fragile frame, Sylvia glanced at Timothy beside her, then turned back to Erelyn with a confident smile.

It was as if no matter who they were about to face, it didn't matter at all.

Walking over to Timothy, the two exchanged a brief smile.

His large hand held her small one, and together, they stepped toward the rift.

"How strange..."

Watching their backs, Erelyn stood there, dumbfounded.

She had heard about human emotions before.

But in her understanding, those strange feelings were always distant, foreign, and not to be trusted.

Yet between Timothy and Sylvia, those emotions she thought she knew so well felt entirely different.

It wasn't just the overwhelming sweetness between them. More importantly, it was the trust they had in each other, like an unbreakable bond that nothing could sever.

For a moment, Erelyn's gaze was completely frozen.

More than her current weakened state, her attention was entirely captured by the scene before her.

...

Holding Sylvia's small hand, Timothy stepped through the rift. As their figures emerged on the other side, Timothy opened his eyes.

Just as the legends described, the area around the Bridge of Souls was shrouded in a thick, white mist.

The fog was so dense that it almost completely obscured the view. The only sound was the quiet flow of the River of Oblivion.

Through the mist, they could barely make out the distant outline of the Bridge of Souls.

The silence was suffocating, so still that it felt almost eerie.

Finally, a figure slowly emerged from the mist.

Though she wore simple, rough-spun clothes, the golden hairpin tucked into her intricately coiled hair was unmistakably valuable.

Her attire was plain—straw sandals and a modest robe—but the thick fog obscured her face, making it impossible to discern her features.

More striking than her appearance, however, was the calm, unshaken aura that surrounded her. It was as if she wasn't the least bit surprised by their arrival.

"Is this... the Keeper of the Soulbridge?" Timothy immediately sensed her identity.

But this scene was far from what he had imagined.

Anyone tainted by the Dragon Blood Formation—whether they were practitioners, powerful beings at the level of Holy Emperors, or even spirits—would be severely affected.

They would eventually become twisted, violent, and bloodthirsty.

Timothy had expected the Keeper of the Soulbridge, as the source of it all, to be even more deranged, her mind completely consumed by the Dragon Blood Formation.

But to his surprise, the Keeper was nothing like he had imagined. Though her face was hidden, her aura was clear—there was no trace of the bloodlust or madness he had anticipated.

If that was the case, why had she done something so insane, something that threatened to destroy both the continent of Elant and the Netherworld?

Even Timothy couldn't help but feel confused.

"A living soul from the continent of Elant?

Have you come to kill me?"

The Keeper of the Soulbridge spoke, her voice calm, as if she had long expected this moment.

"Oh? So you already know?" Timothy's eyes narrowed, a sharp glint flashing in them.

No matter what, she had thrown both realms into chaos, and she would have to pay the price.

After all, it wasn't just about ending the disaster in the Sepulcher of the Sacred. Right now, Holy Maiden Aeliana and Azura were probably trembling behind that door, hiding in fear.

"I'd like to see what kind of power the Keeper of the Soulbridge from the Netherworld has, to dare strike at the Sepulcher of the Sacred," Sylvia said coldly, her small frame standing tall as she stared into the mist, undaunted.

Even though her body had become much smaller, her presence was no less imposing.

"I knew you would come," the Keeper of the Soulbridge replied, her voice laced with a hint of disdain. "But a little girl who can't even lift a sword, and a boy barely twenty years old, not even close to reaching the level of a Holy Emperor?

Do you really think you have the strength to defeat me?"

Her words were dripping with scorn.

The thick fog began to dissipate, and the face hidden within it slowly came into view.

When Timothy and Sylvia finally saw her clearly, both of them froze, their expressions filled with shock.

The title "Keeper of the Soulbridge" was just a position in the Netherworld. Anyone who took on the role would become the new Keeper.

Even Erelyn didn't know much about the current Keeper's identity, only that she had once been an incredibly powerful Supreme Emperor in life.

But as the mist cleared and her face was revealed, Timothy and Sylvia instantly recognized her.

The Keeper of the Soulbridge, the one guarding the Bridge of Souls, was none other than... Supreme Emperor Verena, whom they had once encountered in the Sepulcher of the Sacred!