I Died and Became a Noble's Heir

Before anyone could react, S vanished from sight.

His form blurred across the space between himself and Ignar, one hand extending in a casual slash that shouldn't have been threatening.

But when his fingers passed through the air, reality itself seemed to part around them.

A giant red slash flew from his hand like a blade.

Ignar's chest opened in a perfectly straight line from shoulder to hip, dark blood erupting in a spray that painted the black stone crimson.

The fire demon dropped to his knees, hands pressing against the wound in a futile attempt to hold his body together.

S stood over the fallen demon, completely unbothered by the blood now staining his otherwise pristine gloves.

He reached down with both hands and tore open Ignar's chest!

The demon's screams echoed across the mountain as S pulled both hearts from his ruined torso.

Steam rose from the organs as they pulsed weakly in S's grip, flames still flickering across their surface.

S raised both hearts to his mouth and bit into them simultaneously, his expression one of casual appreciation as if sampling fine cuisine.

Dark blood ran down his chin, staining his white collar, but he seemed entirely unconcerned.

The remaining demons stood frozen, unable to process what they were witnessing.

This wasn't combat, it was something far more horrifying.

S finished consuming the hearts, licked his fingers clean with disturbing thoroughness, and smiled at the assembled demons.

"Delicious. Fire demon hearts have such a unique flavor. All that rage and passion concentrated into their hearts. It's such a delicacy."

He raised one blood-stained hand, and the pool of dark blood spreading from Ignar's corpse began to move.

The liquid defied gravity, flowing upward in writhing tendrils that coalesced into solid forms.

Blood spears materialized in the air around S, dozens of them, each one sharp enough to pierce a demon.

With a casual gesture, S sent the blood spears flying toward the remaining demons.

Glacier tried to raise an ice barrier, but the blood spears punched through ice as if it were made out of hay.

One spear caught him in the shoulder, another in the thigh. He roared in pain but didn't fall.

Cyrovek fared worse. Three spears impaled him simultaneously, pinning him to the stone outcropping like an insect in a collection.

He screamed, trying to pull free, but the blood spears had solidified inside his body, making every movement feel horrendous. He wreathed in agony.

Only Luminarch remained untouched, having raised a barrier of fused light and dark that deflected the blood spears.

But even he looked shaken, his dual-colored eyes trembling with fear.

"What are you?" Luminarch demanded, his authority cracking under the weight of watching his pack decimated in seconds.

S retrieved his tangerine from where he'd set it down, examining the fruit with interest before taking another bite.

The casual nature of the gesture, eating fruit while standing among demons impaled by blood spears, was somehow more disturbing than any threat could have been.

"I told you already," S said, his tone patient as if explaining something to a slow child. "I'm someone who ensures my desires will be fulfilled. That boy down there…" he gestured toward the battlefield where Jack continued fighting Permafrost, "...is crucial to anyone leaving this tower."

"Leave?" Cryovek gasped, one of the blood spears having pierced his lung. "What plans? Why is one human so important?"

S smiled, and the expression held genuine warmth for the first time.

He looked down at the battlefield where Jack had just killed another basilisk, blue lightning crackling across his spear.

[Demonic Frenzy Count: 7/25]

"Because," S said softly, his red eyes tracking Jack's every movement with the focus of someone watching the most fascinating thing in existence, "he's going to change everything. The old order of gods and demons, the structure of the realms themselves, the very nature of power and mortality, all of it will be reshaped by what that boy becomes."

He took another bite of his tangerine, chewed thoughtfully, and continued.

"My master saw the potential before anyone else. The Soul Warden bloodline, the divine blessings, the demonic essence. Every piece carefully positioned, every choice guided without him realizing the full scope of what he's becoming."

"The prophecy," Luminarch whispered. "You're talking about the ancient prophecy. The one who bridges mortal and divine, who consumes his enemies and transforms their power into his own."

"Among other prophecies, yes," S agreed. "There are several, actually, from different ages and different seers. They all point to the same convergence point, that boy, at this time, in this place, making the choices that will reshape reality itself."

Luminarch's barrier flickered as he processed this information. "And you're willing to slaughter demons to protect one human's development? Slay your own mind!! That's insane!!!!"

S's smile widened, it looked creepy, like a thing of nightmares.

"Oh, absolutely. Life is so boring. This will.make everything so much more fun. And you nine?" He gestured dismissively at the impaled demons. "You're acceptable casualties in service of something far greater than your limited understanding can comprehend."

The hellhound padded forward, its three heads turning to regard the demons with hungry interest. Blood and bits of Pyrras still clung to its teeth.

"Now then," S said, his tone becoming businesslike, "I'll keep you alive as long as you remain entertaining. Try to escape, and I'll let my pet finish what it started. Try to interfere with the boy's fight, and I'll show you exactly why even Demon Lords avoid provoking me."

He settled onto a nearby rock, crossing his legs with perfect composure despite the blood staining his clothes.

He continued eating his tangerine, his red eyes fixed on the battlefield below where Jack's kill count continued to climb.

"Watch and learn," S said to the demons. "You're witnessing history unfold. The birth of something that will make your new Demon Lords look like children playing with power they don't understand."

Below, Jack dodged another of Permafrost's attacks and countered with a devastating combination that left the Nightmare demon staggering.

[Demonic Frenzy Count: 8/25]

"Oh, Fluffy, be a good boy and go collect the other 4 low grade demons, but dont kill them. I want them alive."

The hellhound's three heads turned toward its master, tongues lolling in what might have been a grin, before it bounded off the ledge into the shadows below.

"Why would you want to leave the tower? What's even the point!" Luminarch's voice boomed across the canyons, desperation creeping into his voice.

S tilted his head, considering the question with genuine thoughtfulness.

Before Luminarch could blink, blood spears erupted from the ground beneath him, punching through his barrier like it was nothing.

Four spears pierced his body. His shoulders, abdomen, and his knees, pinning him to the stone behind him.

Luminarch's scream turned into a wet gurgle as blood pooled in his mouth and spilled down his chin.

S walked closer, still holding his tangerine, his red eyes gleaming amusement.

"Why leave? Isn't that quite simple? This tower is dreadfully boring. The same demons, the same power struggles, the same endless cycle of violence without purpose or evolution. It's a prison."

He took another bite of fruit, chewing slowly while Luminarch struggled to breathe around the blood filling his throat.

"Out there, in the mortal realms, things change. Civilizations rise and fall. Heroes emerge and are forgotten. The game is infinitely more complex and

more entertaining. And having fun with the mortals?" S's smile widened.

"That's always more interesting than watching demons play with each other for eternity."

He gestured toward Jack's fight below. "That boy represents possibility. Something new. And I've been waiting centuries for something genuinely new to entertain me."

S smiled, took another bite of his tangerine, and waited for the inevitable moment when everything would change.