Devouring Dragon Heir

The Riverdale army advanced without slowing down. The march of the death legion reached the eastern border of Lionhart by midday.

The soldiers of Lionhart had been reassigned in a rush after the news of desertions, but the lines were still disorganized.

Men who had never fought together were now ordered to hold the most important border of the kingdom.

Many were sailors who had been taken from the navy and handed spears. They had little knowledge of how to fight on land.

The walls were high, and the barricades had been built quickly, but the morale of the defenders was lower than the height of their walls.

Klaus stood at the front, meanwhile the Zero Division was hidden in the shadows. Behind him were the death monsters, thirty-eight thousand strong, and also the Riverdale's human army, which was ten thousand strong.

The bodies of the monsters carried the stench of decay, their movements unnatural but steady. When Klaus raised his hand, the death legion stopped as one. The silence itself created fear in the defenders.

The commanders of Lionhart shouted from the walls, ordering their men to ready arrows. They tried to appear calm, but their voices were cracked.

The soldiers obeyed but with trembling hands. When Klaus pointed forward, the death legion advanced. The defenders released volleys of arrows, but the arrows struck rotten flesh and clattered uselessly.

Those death monsters that fell stood back up moments later. The sight broke what little courage the navy-conscripted soldiers had left.

The Riverdale human army followed behind in tight formations. They also had artillery units, which struck at the weak points Klaus had pointed out earlier through his scouts and other information he had gathered.

The walls that should have taken days to breach were overwhelmed in less than two hours.

The defenders were scattered. Some ran, some surrendered, and others were torn apart by the death monsters.

By the afternoon, the eastern border was completely in Klaus's control. The banners of Riverdale replaced the Lionhart sigils. The road to the capital was now open. Klaus gave the order for his army to move forward without delay.

He knew hesitation would give the enemy time to regroup, and that was the only advantage Lionhart could hope for.

The news of the border falling spread like wildfire. Messengers on horseback galloped into the capital, shouting warnings that the Riverdale army had already broken through. Civilians who had been protesting silently in the streets now rose into full revolt.

Crowds gathered at the palace gates, throwing stones and shouting that the king had failed them.

The soldiers stationed at the gates hesitated. Some pointed their weapons at the crowd; others lowered them, unsure of what to do.

Inside the city, mobs began attacking nobles' estates. Storehouses were raided. Food was stolen. Fire spread from one district to another. The chants of protest turned into screams of battle. Civil war had erupted within the capital itself.

The three princes reacted with cruelty. They ordered their armies to march into the streets and kill anyone who revolted. Soldiers loyal to the foreign princes clashed with the citizens of Lionhart. Blood flowed in the marketplaces.

Bodies lay scattered near temples. The city that had once been a center of culture became a battlefield.

The princes believed that showing absolute force would crush the rebellion quickly, but in reality it only deepened the hatred of the people. Every act of slaughter created ten new enemies for them.

While chaos consumed the capital, a pair of dark eyes watched from another plane.

Far away behind the clouds in the sky, the demon general Xylos observed Klaus's advancing army while sitting atop his demonic mount, whose vast span of wings kept him afloat in the air.

His sharp eyes scanned everything happening in the human capital, then they focused on Klaus's marching army, which was slightly visible over the horizon.

"Their marching speed is even faster than the demon army, which is unreasonably swift. These people in the Lionhart kingdom think that they have more than half a day, but with the speed at which their enemy is moving, they don't even have two full hours."

Xylos had lived for centuries, and his instincts told him that this messenger was unlike any human he had seen before. His power was too dangerous, too rare, and too precious to remain in the hands of a human—the weakest race in the universe.

"just barely stronger than lowly goblins"

Xylos clenched his hand and looked at the black ring he wore. It was the artifact given to him by his lord. The Ring of Invisibility.

It could mask his presence even from transcendents. Even beings with special detection skills would not sense him when he wore it.

Among all the treasures of his lord, this was considered the most valuable.

With this ring, Xylos believed he could walk into the heart of Klaus's army, strike him down, and leave without being seen by his transcendent subordinates.

His confidence rose with every thought. He had waited for centuries for a chance of using this legendary treasure. Now the time had come.

----

Elsewhere, in a realm far above the mortal world, a different conflict began.

Zeus, the ruler of the celestials, barged into the opulent golden palace of Yama. The halls were lined with statues of kings and warriors who had passed into death. Flames burned in golden lamps. Servants scattered at the sight of Zeus's storm-filled eyes.

He walked without slowing until he reached the throne room, where Yama sat in calm dignity.

"Yama," Zeus said, his voice echoing like thunder, "tell me the location of my daughter. I want her whereabouts before Behemothos gets to her."

Yama did not move from his throne. His eyes glowed faintly, and his voice was calm. "It is against the universal law.

I am not allowed to reveal the location of a soul who has already passed the door of reincarnation. If I break this law, punishment will fall upon me, and upon you as well. Actually, the balance of the whole universe will shift. I hope you remember that breaking a universal law is a taboo."

"I do not care about laws," Zeus shouted. Lightning sparked across his body.

"She is my daughter, and I will not let Behemothos reach her first. Tell me where she is, or I will take it by force."

The hall trembled as Zeus's power filled it. Yama stood, his face stern.

"Zeus, your arrogance blinds you. If you fight me here, you will bring calamity upon countless realms. Think carefully."

But Zeus did not think. He raised his hand, and bolts of lightning struck the golden pillars, shattering them. Yama answered by raising his staff. Flames of judgment burst forth, and the throne room turned into a battlefield.

The clash of the two celestials shook entire planes. Lightning and fire tore through the palace, shattering walls and echoing across the heavens. Servants fled, gods in neighboring realms turned their eyes toward the disturbance, and even other supreme races decided to watch from a distance.

Despite Yama's strength, everyone knew the outcome. Zeus was the lord of storms, and his power was unmatched.

Yama fought with dignity, but he was slowly pushed back. Finally, when the fight reached its peak, Yama raised his hand in surrender before Zeus could erase his existence.

"She is in the mortal realm," Yama said, his voice heavy. "That is all I know. The mortal realm has countless planets and planes. You will have to find her on your own."

Zeus lowered his lightning but did not calm down. His eyes burned with determination. He turned to leave the palace.

Far away in the distance, a hidden black shadow had been watching the entire confrontation. When it heard the words that Zeus's daughter was in the mortal realm, it wasted no time.

The shadow left immediately, carrying the information to unknown masters.

A moment later, a thunderclap unlike any other shook the universe. A tremor passed through countless realms.

Gods, demons, mortals, and beasts all felt it. The universe itself had spoken, silently declaring that one of its laws had been broken. Every being felt the shift.

Yama looked at Zeus with grave eyes. "You have done it, Zeus. The law has been broken. Now the universe itself will interfere. Fate lines will shift, balance will tip, and countless lives will be drawn into this storm. Your daughter, you, and many others will be affected. The course of history itself will change."

But the retreating figure of Zeus did not reply and just disappeared into the clouds.

Back in the mortal world, the Riverdale army finally reached the outskirts of the Lionhart capital. The city was already burning from the civil war inside. Smoke rose into the sky. The princes' armies had set up defences around the palace, waiting for the enemy.

Barricades were raised, and archers filled the walls. The citizens were locked down inside their districts. Anyone caught outside was killed by order of the princes.

Klaus stood at the front, watching the capital. His eyes scanned the walls, the soldiers, and the chaos within. He raised his hand to give the signal to attack.

Before he could lower it, the earth itself rumbled. The ground shook, the sky twisted, and the air trembled. A system message appeared before him, words written in bright light.

[Host: The universe is behaving anomalously.]

Klaus narrowed his eyes.

"Once in a while you detect anomalies here and there, so I am not surprised. Let's focus on the battle ahead of us, these minor anomalies are very common in my life anyway."

Klaus dismissed the system's alarm and just looked at the three transcendents in front of him.