Chapter 453: A Demonstration Of Servitude

Nathan and Jillia, especially, looked as though they were struggling to comprehend any of it.

The Demon King—the feared ruler of the entire continent, the being whose word carried enough authority to command every province—was Morgana.

And Morgana was Isabella’s Blessed.

It was, quite possibly, the most absurd revelation they had ever heard.

Isabella noticed their expressions and smiled. "Well, I suppose it would be better if you heard it from her directly, right?"

The others looked at her with varying degrees of confusion.

Alter-Bella then lifted her gaze toward one far corner of the ceiling. "Morgana," she called. "Please come to me, darling. Just for a moment."

Nothing happened at first, but suddenly the shadows beneath Alter-Bella’s feet suddenly began to spread.

Everyone’s attention turned to it.

The darkness expanded across the floor before rising upward, gradually taking the shape of a person.

A figure emerged from the shadows, and as the darkness finally receded, the monstrous appearance of the Demon King stood before them.

Enormous horns rose from her head, while dark markings stretched across her pale face.

Alter-Bella looked her over. "Oh, we’re back to the disguise now?"

The Demon King glanced back. "It’s not exactly a disguise."

Her voice carried the same eerie, layered quality both Nathan and Jillia had heard from the Demon King before.

The sound alone sent an unsettling sensation through the room.

For most of them, this was their first time standing directly before the ruler of the Demon Continent.

The sheer presence was intimidating enough to leave them almost frozen. And this was apparently a Blessed of their friend, Isabella.

Several of them could do little more than stare.

The Demon King then turned toward Nathan. "The order given to you has been rescinded."

She look across the room at the others. "You are all permitted to remain within my kingdom for as long as you wish. Any request you make will be granted."

Her gaze moved across the room once more before settling on Ethan for a slightly longer moment.

She then looked back toward Isabella. "Is there anything else you would like to do to humiliate me, Mistress?"

Isabella immediately laughed, placing a hand over her shoulder. "No, no, no. Oh, come on. Aren’t we all friends here?"

Morgana said nothing.

Bella gave her a small wave. "All right. You may return to your throne room."

Morgana’s figure then dissolved into darkness, sinking into the shadows before disappearing completely.

Nathan and Jillia remained staring at the empty space where she had disappeared from.

Then they looked at each other, unable to make words.

Bella smiled. "I’m sure that should be enough to do the trick now, right?"

Nathan looked as though he was about to say something, but he stopped himself.

"All right," Alter-Bella said, noticing his expression. "It seems you all still need a moment."

The dark veins beneath her eyes gradually receded, while the glossy darkness on her lips faded away as well.

Isabella blinked several times.

Her surroundings slowly came back into focus as she looked around at the stunned faces surrounding her. It only took her a moment to understand what had just happened.

She simply walked back over to sit beside her husband.

Nathan tried again. "Um..."

Then stopped, shook his head and turned away, with Jillia following closely behind him.

The entire situation was too much for him to process.

For as long as anyone could remember, the Demon Continent had always been ruled by a single figure: the Demon King.

The ruler preceded the countless families and noble houses scattered across the continent; holding this position since time immemorial.

There were even stories claiming that the Demon King was the progenitor of all demons.

Some demons went further and revered the Demon King as a god.

And now, Nathan had just watched that very being emerge from the shadows as Isabella’s Blessed.

He already knew his daughter-in-law was a goddess. That revelation, strange as it had been, was a whole lot easier for him to accept.

This was something else entirely.

He simply couldn’t find the words to make sense of it.

So he left.

⸻

Hayley turned toward Isabella. "Girl..."

She paused, then broke into an amused smile. "You really do know how to pull some of the most surprising shit."

The entire room burst into laughter.

Even Isabella had a wry smile at that.

——

Back at the Demon King’s Palace...

Morgan was currently in her private quarters, now seated on the same imposing seat Alter-Bella had occupied earlier.

She sat in silence, her expression dark and thoughtful.

Her breathing gradually grew heavier as irritation built within her.

Her fingers tightened around the armrests, and the frustration she had been suppressing finally broke through; giving way to a roar of anger that erupted from her throat, reverberating throughout the throne room.

⸻

Elsewhere, within a more private section of the palace, Nathan stood before a large window, staring out into the night.

His thoughts were still occupied by all of it.

Jillia stood a short distance behind him. "That was certainly a surprising revelation," she said.

"Yes," Nathan replied.

Silence returned, but after a few moments, Nathan turned toward her and said, "There is one more thing."

He walked toward the adjoining room. "Come with me."

Jillia followed.

When they stepped back into the throne room,

Nathan immediately looked toward the Watcher standing beside the throne, his designated position within the chamber.

He raised two fingers and said, "Watcher Singon. Come here."

The Watcher approached immediately. He had barely reached Nathan when Nathan suddenly drove his palm into the demon’s chest.

A violent force erupted from the impact.

The Watcher’s astral body was blasted out of his physical form, emerging behind him with an expression of complete terror and confusion.

Nathan paid it no attention. Instead, he caught the Watcher’s now-unconscious body by the neck and held it in one hand.

Then he extended the hand toward Jillia who understood immediately.

Jillia drew her sword and stepped forward.

With a single clean slash, the blade cut through the Watcher’s waist, severing his body in two.

The astral body of the watcher stared in horror as its presence began to fade, the soul gradually losing its connection to the physical world.

Nathan released the upper half of the body still hanging from his grasp and let it fall to the floor.

He stared down at it with disgust.