dark descendent lurking fate

Far beyond the mountains of the human realms, past the shattered veil of light, deep into the land where night never fades—the Demonic Realm boiled in turmoil.

The storm had ended five days ago in the human world. But in the Demonic Realm, it had only just begun.

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The Realm Under Pressure

Massive obsidian towers trembled.

Cursed skies twisted.

Lakes of boiling soul-fire frothed.

Demonic spirits howled in pain, reacting to the seismic spiritual shift brought by the birth of the Yin-Yang storm. Entire battalions were pulled to their knees, vomiting black blood, as the spiritual balance tilted out of their favor.

A towering fortress of jagged bone and soul-iron rose in the center of it all—Hollow Crown Citadel, the capital of the Demonic Realm.

Within its throne room, the Demon King sat with narrowed eyes. For the first time in centuries, he looked… worried.

Before him stood a warrior clad in bloodsteel armor, his body wrapped in dark red chains that moved like serpents.

He was known only as:

> General Khur'Zhal, the Slaughter Titan.

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The Demon General

Khur'Zhal did not bow.

He never bowed—not even to the king.

His bare chest bore ancient scars from past wars—proof that he had once stood against three Throne Manifestation stage warriors alone, and not only survived... but wounded two.

His eyes gleamed violet, not red.

A sign of one born from pure demonic royalty, with ties to the First Bloodline.

> "This… storm," Khur'Zhal growled, his voice like crushed stone, "it has torn open the barrier between realms. Even the Shadow Gates flicker. We can walk between worlds again."

> "But should we?" asked a nearby duke, cloaked in green flame.

> "We must," Khur'Zhal snapped. "The boy who awakened that power… he walks a path neither demon nor human can afford to ignore."

> "Do you believe he has fused with the Yin-Yang Guardian?" the king asked quietly.

> "I don't believe. I know." The general turned his back to them. "And if we allow him to grow, he will become more than a threat—he will become a wall that separates us from conquest."

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March Orders

The Demon King stood.

> "Then send the Third Legion."

Gasps echoed across the chamber.

> "That force is meant to stay in the Demon Core! You would break our defense line?"

> "Yes," the king replied. "Because if we don't take him now, there will be no next chance."

Khur'Zhal smirked.

> "I will lead them myself."

The King paused.

> "If you cross into the mortal realm, we risk exposure."

> "I will not be seen," Khur'Zhal growled. "And if I am… I will remind them of why they built the Barrier."

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Behind the Curtain – Dark Intentions

After the meeting ended, a shadow slipped through the cracks in the walls. A tall woman emerged, her crimson hair flowing like silk.

She was known as Lady Seraphine, the Demon King's advisor—and former lover of the previous throne guardian.

> "You truly wish to kill him?" she asked Khur'Zhal as he prepared to depart.

> "No," he said coldly. "I wish to see him. I want to know if the boy who shook the sky can look me in the eye and still stand."

> "If he survives?"

> "Then I'll offer him something no human ever refused—power beyond thrones."

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A Flicker in the Mortal Realm

At that same moment, hundreds of leagues away, far below ground in the glowing Yin-Yang sanctum, Ash stirred.

His fingers twitched. His breathing changed.

And somewhere in the spirit plane, Shen Mu's voice echoed sharply:

> "Ash… wake up. Something's coming."

The Yin-Yang Lion's gaze turned toward the ceiling, as if it too could sense the tremble in the boundary of the worlds.

> "He comes," the lion whispered. "The butcher of thrones. The demon general…"

> "Khur'Zhal."

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