Two hours had passed since the attack on Annuct Village.
The flames had been extinguished.
The surviving demons had been defeated.
And the Heaven's Army had arrived.
The battle was over.
Fortunately, the villagers had already been evacuated before the attack reached the town center. Many had been injured, but no civilians had been killed.
Still, something about the attack bothered the Angels.
It didn't make sense.
Why would the demons attack a peaceful village?
And more importantly—
Why weren't they afraid?
Uriel stood at the edge of the village, his eyes scanning the surrounding forest.
He carried a beautifully crafted harp across his back.
Beside him stood Ariel, his twin sister.
Unlike her brother, she carried a silver flute.
Both were Angels of Heaven.
And both possessed a rare form of magic.
Sound Magic.
Magic created through music and sound itself.
A melody could become an attack.
A note could become a shield.
And in the hands of a skilled Angel, an entire battlefield could be controlled through sound alone.
Ariel raised her flute and played a single note.
The sound traveled through the forest.
She lowered the instrument.
"Nothing."
Uriel nodded.
"I don't sense anything either."
He looked toward the burning remains of the village.
"Then they're gone."
Ariel frowned.
"That doesn't make sense."
"What doesn't?"
"Demons don't usually retreat this quickly."
Uriel remained silent.
They both knew the same thing.
The attack had been strange from the beginning.
There had been no clear target.
No attempt to occupy the village.
No demand.
No declaration of war.
They had simply arrived...
And attacked.
Uriel looked toward the sky.
"Something is happening."
Far above Earth, in Heaven, an Angel stood alone at the edge of a great balcony.
Gabrael.
The leader of Heaven's Army.
She watched the distant world below.
Her expression was calm, but her thoughts were not.
Why would they attack now?
For centuries, Heaven and Hell had remained in a fragile balance.
Demons existed.
Humans existed.
Angels watched over them.
There had been conflicts before, but never anything like this.
Gabrael clenched her fist.
"Are they no longer afraid of us?"
She turned away from the balcony.
"I need to prepare the army."
Heaven's Army was powerful.
Far more powerful than the armies of Hell.
An Angel's Light Magic could destroy even powerful demons, while Pure Magic could heal the wounded.
But Heaven had one disadvantage.
Numbers.
The Fallen Angels could command enormous armies of demons.
Lucifer, in particular, possessed the authority to control demons throughout Hell.
The Angels did not share that kind of hierarchy.
They fought according to their own wills.
If Hell ever united its forces...
The difference in numbers could become a serious threat.
Gabrael knew this.
And she wasn't willing to wait until the threat became obvious.
Hell
Deep beneath the world, where the sunlight could never reach, four figures gathered within a vast chamber.
The air was heavy with demonic energy.
Lucifer stood at the center.
The other three Fallen Angels surrounded him.
Selaphiel leaned over the unconscious body of Dark.
She studied him with unusual interest.
"Well?"
Lucifer asked.
"Anything?"
Selaphiel tilted her head.
"Hmm..."
She examined Dark carefully.
Then her eyes widened.
"Oh."
Lucifer raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
"This boy is strange."
Michael crossed his arms.
"We already know that."
He glanced at Tera's body lying nearby.
"And what exactly are we supposed to do with the dead woman?"
Lucifer sighed.
"Must you complain about everything?"
Michael's expression darkened.
"She serves no purpose."
Michael was the fourth strongest demon in Hell.
He looked almost completely human, except for the long reptilian tail extending behind him.
Jegudiel laughed.
"You complain so much."
Michael glared at him.
"What did you say?"
Jegudiel grinned.
"You sound like an Angel."
Jegudiel was the third strongest demon.
Unlike Michael, he possessed large bat-like wings.
Michael's tail slammed against the ground.
"What did you call me?!"
Jegudiel laughed even harder.
"Enough."
Lucifer rubbed his forehead.
"You two are exhausting."
The room fell silent.
Lucifer looked toward Tera.
"Michael."
"What?"
"Turn her into an undead."
Michael smiled.
"Finally, something interesting."
"Then send her to the torture chamber."
Michael raised an eyebrow.
"And what do you want done with her?"
"She was a mage."
Lucifer looked toward the dead woman.
"Make her teach our demons how humans use elemental magic."
Michael nodded.
"Understood."
Lucifer then turned toward Selaphiel.
"And you?"
Selaphiel was still staring at Dark.
"I'll examine the boy."
Lucifer's expression became serious.
"We need to know why he survived."
"And whether he's what we think he is."
Selaphiel crouched beside Dark.
She placed a hand against his chest.
Nothing.
No reaction.
She frowned.
Again.
Still nothing.
"How strange."
She closed her eyes.
She could sense something inside him.
Something enormous.
Something buried.
Her smile slowly widened.
"Oh..."
Lucifer watched her.
"What did you find?"
Selaphiel didn't answer immediately.
She continued examining Dark.
Then she suddenly laughed.
"This isn't a Demon Lord."
Lucifer's eyes narrowed.
"Are you sure?"
Selaphiel nodded.
"I've encountered Demon Lord candidates before."
She had lived for centuries and had personally examined several of them.
"This is different."
Lucifer stepped closer.
"What do you mean?"
Selaphiel looked at Dark.
"His power is much deeper."
Lucifer's expression changed.
"Impossible."
Selaphiel smiled.
"Not impossible."
She placed her hand against Dark's chest again.
"This boy isn't a candidate."
She looked toward Lucifer.
"He's a Demon King."
Silence.
Even Michael stopped what he was doing.
Jegudiel's smile disappeared.
Lucifer stared at Dark.
"A Demon King...?"
Selaphiel nodded.
"The King of Demons."
Demon Kings were beings unlike ordinary demons.
Their power stood on a level comparable to that of a Fallen Angel.
A fully awakened Demon King could potentially defeat several God-ranked Adventurers.
Even high-ranking Angels would have to take one seriously.
But there was one problem.
Dark wasn't awake.
His power hadn't manifested.
He didn't even know what he was.
Lucifer stared at the boy for several seconds.
Then he sighed.
"So we have a sleeping Demon King."
Selaphiel nodded.
"And he doesn't even know it."
Lucifer rubbed his temples.
"This is troublesome."
Michael looked toward him.
"Should we kill him?"
Lucifer immediately shook his head.
"No."
"Then what?"
Lucifer thought for a moment.
"If his power hasn't awakened, keeping him here is pointless."
Selaphiel looked surprised.
"You're sending him away?"
"Back to Earth."
Lucifer turned toward her.
"If he truly is a Demon King, he'll eventually awaken."
"And when he does..."
Lucifer smiled.
"We'll know."
Selaphiel's expression became strangely excited.
She walked toward the portal chamber carrying Dark.
Before stepping through, she looked down at him.
"Live."
She smiled.
"Grow stronger."
Her voice became almost playful.
"And when you're ready..."
She leaned closer.
"Come find me."
Selaphiel opened the portal.
A massive vortex of darkness appeared before them.
She tossed Dark through.
"See you someday."
The portal closed.
Dark disappeared.
Lucifer stared at the empty space where the portal had been.
"Let's see what happens."
Jegudiel crossed his arms.
"And if he really becomes a Demon King?"
Lucifer smiled.
"Then everything changes."
Michael looked toward the distant ceiling.
"And Heaven?"
Lucifer's smile faded.
"They've already noticed us."
Heaven
Gabrael stood before the assembled Angels.
Thousands of wings filled the great hall.
Uriel and Ariel stood among the front ranks.
The four great Angels of Heaven were finally gathered.
Gabrael stepped forward.
"Listen carefully."
The hall fell silent.
"Today's attack on Annuct was not random."
Murmurs spread through the ranks.
"We don't know what the demons were searching for."
"But we do know one thing."
Gabrael looked toward the assembled army.
"The balance between Heaven, Earth, and Hell has changed."
The Angels listened.
"Prepare yourselves."
Her voice echoed throughout the hall.
"If Hell is preparing for war..."
She raised her hand.
"Then Heaven will be ready."
The Angels raised their weapons.
Light filled the chamber.
Far below them, on Earth, humans continued living their ordinary lives.
Most knew nothing about what had happened.
Most knew nothing about Hell.
And almost none knew that somewhere among them...
A boy named Dark Oorgari had just been sent back to Earth.
A boy who didn't know what he truly was.
A boy carrying the power of a Demon King.
And somewhere in the darkness beneath the world, Lucifer was waiting to see what he would become.