Kael Ashborne learned early that being born was already a sin.
In Blackstone City, bloodline was everything. Pure-blood humans ruled the upper districts, demon-bloods lurked in the shadows, and those like Kael—halflings—were treated as something worse than beggars.
Trash.
"Hey, half-breed! Didn't I tell you not to walk on this street?"
The shout echoed through the narrow stone alley. Kael froze, his thin fingers tightening around the bundle of firewood on his back. Slowly, he turned.
Three boys stood behind him, all wearing the gray robes of the Iron Vein Sect. Their auras rolled out deliberately—cultivators. Not strong ones, but to Kael, they might as well have been gods.
One of them sneered, eyes flicking to the small, curved horns hidden beneath Kael's messy black hair.
"Tsk. Disgusting," another spat. "Half-human, half-demon. Pick a side already."
Kael lowered his head. He had learned that silence hurt less than resistance.
"I-I'll leave," he said quietly.
He took one step forward.
A boot slammed into his back.
Kael crashed to the ground, firewood scattering across the filthy alley. Pain exploded through his ribs, knocking the breath from his lungs.
"Who said you could leave?" the first boy laughed. "You halflings exist to entertain us."
Another kick followed. Then another.
"Useless trash!"
"Your demon blood is diluted. You can't even cultivate!"
"Born wrong and still breathing—how shameless!"
Kael curled up, arms shielding his head as boots rained down. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, warm and bitter.
Why… am I still alive?
He had asked himself that question countless times.
His mother had died giving birth to him. His demon father had vanished before he was born. No sect would accept him. No cultivation manual worked on his mixed blood. Even demon techniques rejected him violently.
He was a mistake that refused to disappear.
A final kick struck his chest.
Something cracked.
Kael's vision blurred as he was sent flying, his body slamming against the ancient stone wall at the end of the alley. The impact knocked him unconscious—but not before something else happened.
The stone beneath him lit up.
A faint, ancient sigil etched into the ground drank in Kael's blood greedily.
The world went silent.
Then—
[Ding.]
A cold, emotionless voice echoed directly inside his soul.
[Detecting compatible bloodline…]
[Analyzing: Human Essence 47% | Demon Essence 53%]
[Condition Met.]
Kael's eyes snapped open.
Darkness surrounded him. Endless, suffocating darkness—like standing at the edge of a bottomless abyss.
A massive throne floated before him, forged from black bone and crimson fire.
Upon it sat… nothing.
Yet the pressure alone crushed his soul.
[Demon Sovereign System Activated.]
Kael's breath trembled.
"What… is this?" he whispered.
The voice responded instantly.
[You are a Half-Blood of Demon Origin.]
[You are rejected by both races.]
[You are perfectly suited.]
Kael clenched his fists. "Suited for what?"
The abyss shook.
Words burned themselves into his mind.
[Exclusive Path Unlocked.]
[Objective: Ascend as the Next Demon Lord of the Demon Clan.]
Kael laughed weakly.
"Me? A Demon Lord?" Blood dripped from his lips. "You picked the wrong person."
The throne pulsed.
[Correction.]
[You are the only possible candidate.]
A sharp pain pierced his soul.
[Failure Condition: Death and Erasure.]
[Success Condition: Dominion over the Abyss.]
Kael's laughter faded.
For the first time in his life, something had acknowledged his existence—not with pity, but with expectation.
His eyes burned crimson.
"…If I succeed," Kael said slowly, "what happens to those who treated me like trash?"
The system paused.
Then—
[Answer: You may decide their fate.]
Silence.
Kael's heartbeat thundered in his ears.
He raised his head, staring into the endless abyss.
"Then," he said, voice hoarse yet steady, "I'll climb your throne."
The darkness surged.
[Stage 1 — Abyss Awakening Initiated.]
Far above the alley, Blackstone City slept peacefully.
Unaware that a halfling it had trampled on had just taken his first step toward becoming its nightmare