Chapter 646: Sol’s Intent

Northern Palace

Sol sat on a makeshift throne in the courtyard of the Northern Palace, his jaw resting against his palm and his eyes closed.

The entire residence was silent.

There were no servants to attend to the Prince of Pride, no officials waiting to receive his orders, and no guards standing watch over the courtyard. The only other person present was Leo, who had spent the better part of the morning walking back and forth across the stone pavement with a thoughtful expression.

Leo finally stopped pacing.

"Why exactly did you come here?" he asked. "You and I both know you’re not interested in the Council of Princes."

Sol did not open his eyes.

"Morning Star," he replied.

Leo’s expression changed.

Sol continued, his tone as casual as though he were discussing the weather. "I need to get my hands on that sealed artifact, and it must be soon."

Leo stared at him for several seconds.

"You’re going to raid the Demon Lord’s Treasury?"

"If I have to."

Sol shrugged indifferently.

Leo let out a defeated sigh before walking over to the throne and lowering himself onto the stone floor in front of it.

Of all the things Sol could have wanted, it had to be that artifact.

The Morning Star was no ordinary treasure. It was the personal artifact of Lucifer Morningstar, the only Sin of Pride in the history of the Underworld to ascend to the position of Demon Lord.

A full suit of golden armour called the Morning Star.

The armour was said to have been forged from materials that no longer existed in the present age, its plates engraved with divine inscriptions that strengthened the wearer’s body, soul, and authority. When Lucifer wore it, his power reached a level that allowed him to fight the Supreme Deity on equal grounds despite being only a demigod at the time.

He had still lost.m, yet the consequences of that defeat were what made the artifact legendary.

For ten thousand years, the Heavens had not dared to invade the Underworld.

Lucifer’s reign was remembered as the only true Golden Age of Demons, a period when the Underworld’s rulers could expand their territories without fearing divine retaliation. The armies of Heaven remained behind their borders, their gods reluctant to provoke a being who had already demonstrated that even the Supreme Deity could be challenged.

Lucifer had eventually fallen, and the Morning Star had been sealed away in the Demon Lord’s Treasury. But the memory of his reign had never disappeared.

And now Sol wanted it.

If he obtained the Morning Star, the balance of power within the Underworld would change completely. His brothers would no longer be able to rely on the threat of collective resistance to restrain him. Even the Princes who had spent thousands of years cultivating their territories and building their armies would find themselves facing an opponent whose strength had increased beyond anything they had prepared for.

They would have to become considerably more cautious or they would have to die.

"It’s too dangerous," Leo said.

Sol’s expression remained unchanged.

"Is it?"

"You’re talking about breaking into the Demon Lord’s Treasury to steal an artifact that belongs to the entire Underworld. It doesn’t matter how powerful you are. The moment you attempt it, you’ll have the royal family, the Council of Princes, and every faction that still recognises the Demon Lord’s authority breathing down your neck."

Sol slowly opened his eyes.

For a moment, his golden irises reflected the light falling into the courtyard. He shook his head, looking almost disappointed by Leo’s concern.

"Actually, this is the best situation I could ask for."

Leo frowned.

Sol shifted against the throne, placing his other hand on the armrest.

"The arrays here affect us all. Without their territories, how can my brothers threaten me?"

Leo did not answer immediately.

Sol’s gaze drifted toward the empty buildings surrounding the courtyard. His fingers tightened around the armrest.

"You know," he continued, "I strongly believe I may just be able to eradicate all five of them here if I put in the effort."

The statement was delivered without excitement. He did not sound like a man boasting about an impossible ambition. He sounded like someone contemplating the amount of work required to complete an unpleasant task.

Leo slowly shook his head.

"That’s not the reason you haven’t taken over the Underworld."

"The reason you haven’t taken over the Underworld isn’t because your brothers can stop you. It’s because wiping out the demons would be too draining. You could kill the five Princes, destroy their armies, and seize their territories, but doing so would consume a significant portion of your strength. By the time you finished, you would be left vulnerable to the one enemy you cannot afford to underestimate."

Sol’s expression darkened.

"The Heavens."

Leo nodded.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Sol’s golden eyes began to glow. The light grew brighter until it illuminated the edges of his irises, and the air around the throne became faintly distorted. It was not a deliberate display of power. His irritation had simply begun to leak through his control.

He hated being restrained by circumstances beyond his immediate control. He hated the fact that he could see the path toward his ambitions but could not walk it without considering what might happen afterward.

Most of all, he hated the Heavens.

"That’s why the declaration of the thirty-first Great War is such good news," Leo continued. "The Princes have committed themselves to fighting Heaven. When it begins their armies will be occupied, their resources will be stretched, and their attention will be directed toward the front lines. Once they weaken the Heavens, we can finally enact our plan."

Sol’s golden glow faded.

He sat upright, nodded once, and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Yes. The war will give us the opportunity we’ve been waiting for."

Yet even as he spoke, his gaze drifted toward the doors of the grand hall. He remained fixed on them, his expression unreadable.

BANG!

The doors of the grand hall burst open.

A hundred demon soldiers flooded into the courtyard, their heavy boots striking the stone pavement in unison. Divine weapons gleamed in their hands, and protective formations shimmered across their armour. Several carried long spears engraved with holy inscriptions, while others held swords whose blades radiated a faint white light.

They spread out in disciplined formation, surrounding the makeshift throne from several directions.

At their head walked a tall Longman demon clad in black and red armour. Red stars were engraved across his chest, and a crimson cape hung from his shoulders. His face was stern, his jaw broad, and his eyes burned with the confidence of a commander who believed he had finally cornered a dangerous criminal.

He stopped several paces from the throne and raised his weapon.

"Tyrant Prince!" he announced in a domineering voice. "By the authority of the Imperial Court, you are under arrest for genocide, treasonous comments, treasonous intentions, and terrorism!"

The soldiers tightened their formation.

"Will you come with us peacefully, or shall we have to drag you out?"

Silence followed.

Sol did not even look at him. Leo, meanwhile, had returned his gaze to Sol as though the soldiers had interrupted a conversation about an insignificant inconvenience.

The Longman commander’s expression stiffened.

"Did you hear me?"

Neither man responded.

Instead, Leo tilted his head slightly.

"I’m guessing this was also part of your plan?"

Sol chuckled.

"Of course."

The commander stared at them in disbelief.

Sol leaned back against the throne and crossed his legs, his hands folding loosely across his chest.

"They’ve spent the past few days slowly positioning their forces around the capital. They’ve been bringing in artillery, reinforcing their formations, and moving their troops through the surrounding districts. They even tried to conceal the movement of their divine weapons. They thought I wouldn’t notice."

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"Amusing."

The commander’s expression grew increasingly ugly.

Leo yawned, apparently unimpressed by the soldiers surrounding them.

"So what’s the purpose of letting this happen?"

Sol tilted his head.

"I plan to kill a few thousand of them, then withdraw."

Leo raised an eyebrow and Sol continued in the same casual tone.

"Naturally, they’ll assume I’m trying to escape the capital. They’ll mobilise additional forces to pursue me, close the roads, and redirect their attention toward preventing my departure. Once they’ve committed themselves to that operation, I’ll use the confusion to make my way to the Demon Lord’s Treasury."

The courtyard fell silent. The Longman commander’s face gradually lost its colour.

Leo chuckled.

"True. But aren’t you worried about sharing your plans in front of the enemy?"

Sol casually shook his head.

"Nope. They all died the moment they stepped into this room."