Abyssal Sovereign: The Demon's Dominion

"Dead?" the prince of the Blazing City asked with a frown.

"Yes, my lord," the butler replied as a smile crept onto the prince's face.

"But the princess is dead, right?" the prince asked again, his smile slowly fading as silence reigned.

"Those idiots," the prince said angrily, standing abruptly and smashing the wine glass in his hand.

Drip...

A small drop of blood fell to the ground as the shattered glass pieces scattered.

"My lord, your hand is bleeding," the butler said, bowing respectfully but with gritted teeth. "Those peasant assassins... How could they fail such an important task? Even if they died, they should have at least killed the princess," he thought angrily.

"Heal," the prince commanded, and the small cut on his finger disappeared instantly.

"It's quite interesting. I'm curious... How did the plan fail?" the prince asked.

"That's what I am investigating, my lord. You will have an answer by tomorrow," the butler assured him, and the prince chuckled lightly.

"I better do ," the prince said, his smile sending chills down the butler's spine.

************

Sun Set City

Darklord, Celestial Lady, and Blazing Queen stood in a giant hall, waiting while ministers with large bellies murmured amongst themselves.

"Are those the ones who saved the princess?"

"So young... How strong are they?"

"Are they not the ones who harmed the princess?"

"No, the guards saw who harmed the princess."

"Do you think they'll get a reward?"

The ministers chattered as if the three were invisible, their arrogance, confidence, and disregard for the peasantry on full display.

"Here comes the king," a guard's voice rang out, and the murmurs ceased instantly.

Clank... clank... clank...

Steady footsteps echoed, followed by several others.

A middle-aged man with a slightly dark beard and blonde hair entered. Beside him walked a woman of otherworldly beauty.

Darklord gulped in fear. This woman was too enchanting, stirring something deep within him.

Both took their seats on the thrones as the king's gaze fell upon the three standing before him.

"I heard you are the ones who saved my daughter," the king said in a stern tone, prompting the ministers to straighten their postures.

Darklord replied with a slight frown. "Yes, we are the ones."

"You have my appreciation," the king said.

"Thank you for your hard work," the queen added, her charming voice resonating through the hall.

"Damn, this isn't normal," Darklord thought, his frown deepening.

"Where is the princess, if I may ask?" Blazing Queen suddenly interjected.

"Oh, the princess? She is fine. My daughter is being healed by the finest healers. For now, please stay in the outer courtyard," the queen replied with a captivating smile that momentarily entranced Darklord.

Snapping out of it, Darklord and his companions bowed slightly.

"For this commendable act, state your wish, and I will see if I can grant it," the king said with a hearty laugh.

"Here it comes. Brother, what will you wish for?" Celestial Lady wondered.

"A land, Darklord," Blazing Queen thought with a smile.

"I greet the king. I wish for you to grant my colleagues and me a land where we can stay," Darklord said.

"Nice," Blazing Queen thought with satisfaction.

"Only that? Very well! Give them the finest land there is in the heart of the city," the king declared with a hearty laugh, prompting the ministers to bow in unison.

"Thank you for your wise words, my king," the ministers chorused.

"Well, you may leave," the king said as he departed with his wife. The ministers bowed once more before leaving. News of this would soon spread to all corners of Sun Set City and beyond to neighboring cities.

***********

Outside the Palace...

Leaving the hall, Darklord, Blazing Queen, and Celestial Lady emerged outside.

"After we see the land tonight, we leave early tomorrow to level up," Darklord said.

"Huh? Why?" Celestial Lady asked. She was hungry and tired, wanting to rest for a while.

"We've just done something massive. Without enough protection, we could be killed. How was the princess almost assassinated? How did the assassins even get inside?" Blazing Queen asked with a faint smile.

"Someone inside brought them in," Celestial Lady replied.

"Good, but it wasn't just one person—it could be multiple," Darklord added, and they all nodded in agreement.

Soon, a guard approached them. "Follow me," the guard said, leading the three away.

Once they were gone, a shadowy figure appeared.

"Hmm," the man groaned softly before disappearing.

**********

In a few minutes, they arrived at an exquisite palace.

"The princess woke up a while ago but is too weak to meet you now. She will rest tonight and see you tomorrow. Please wait until then," the guard said, bowing slightly before leaving.

"It seems we'll have to delay our plans for a while," Darklord said with a sigh.

"Well, I'm beat. Good night," Celestial Lady said, locating a bed and immediately collapsing onto it.

Blazing Queen surveyed the mansion. The house was spacious, lavishly decorated, and filled with artistic items that intrigued her. There were plenty of rooms, and Celestial Lady had already chosen one at random.

With a smile, Blazing Queen turned to Darklord.

"Leader, you should rest too. A rested mind is more active than one that isn't," she said before picking a room and retreating for the night.

"Well, today was eventful," Darklord muttered, yawning as he entered a room.

The room was luxurious, with a large bed spanning two meters in width and three meters in length. Its interior was painted in captivating blue tones, adorned with expensive furnishings.

Darklord's eyes grew heavy, and he succumbed to sleep, embracing its sweet relief.

Meanwhile, news of their actions spread, causing many across the city—and beyond—to lie awake, unable to sleep. Among them was the Renega Clan.

*************

Inside the Renega Clan.....

In the Renega Clan's study, an old man and a young man were deep in conversation.

"Ancestor, what should we do? The Blazing City assassins failed," the young man said. He was Calen, the only heir of the Renega Clan.

"It's fine. The royal clan won't be able to trace this back to us. Lay low and avoid sudden moves, especially involving your third uncle in the royal army," the old man advised, prompting Calen to bow in agreement.

With a wave, Calen left as the old man sighed, his face seeming to age dozens of years in an instant.

"We really made a grave mistake this time... I only hope your third uncle was smart enough and did the right thing," the old man muttered, sighing once more.

**********

At the Military Base.....

At the edge of the military base lay a man surrounded by corpses.

"I didn't expect the prince to fail. I need to talk to him," the man said, licking the blood off the short sword near his mouth.

Around him were the mangled corpses of his brothers-in-arms.

*********

Sunset City..... Enjoy exclusive content from empire

Early in the morning, Darklord and the rest were woken by a guard's knock, summoning them to the palace. Upon arrival, they were led to a small room where the princess, with her rosy complexion, awaited them.

"I want to start by saying thank you for saving my life," the princess said with a smile.

"Oh, it's nothing," Darklord replied with a slight smile. He felt pleased with his decision, having already secured land for his guild.

"Oh, it's something. A life isn't something that can be bought with riches. If I had died, there's nothing my father could have done to bring me back," the princess said, her voice trembling slightly. Darklord and the others offered comforting words.

"Because of this, I've decided to give you a gift. This is a ring I've used as my lucky charm. I hope it serves you well," the princess said, removing the ring from her left finger.

The glistening ring tempted Darklord to grab it immediately, but he resisted.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"The Ring of Anfos," Darklord thought in excitement as he accepted it.

"Thank you, Princess," Darklord said, bowing, while the two girls beside him smiled.

"You're welcome," the princess replied, blushing slightly. Darklord, Celestial Lady, and Blazing Queen stayed to converse with her for a while before departing.

"Well, we're done here. Time to level up," Darklord said, leading the way. The two girls nodded in agreement and followed him.

********

On their way, Darklord closely examined the ring:

Host: Anfos Ring

Rank: S - SS+

Level Requirement: 10

Stat Boosts:

Luck: +5 to +6

Strength: +0 to +2,000

Speed: +0 to +2,000

Defense: +0 to +2,000

Agility: +0 to +2,000

Active Skill:

Luck Wish: Grants the ability to make one wish per month in exchange for a certain amount of lifespan or gold.

Darklord studied the stats over and over in shock, marveling at the ring's power.

"It seems the ring adapts based on the wearer," he muttered with a grin as he equipped it.

His stats underwent a massive transformation:

Host: Darklord

Race: Celestial

Rank: E

Level: 17

Mana: 63,000

Strength: 3,400

Speed: 3,234

Defense: 3,100

Agility: 3,760

Health: 17,000 / 17,000

Luck: 10 / 10 (Heaven-defying, 100% drop rate)

Free Stats:

EXP: 0 / 1,000,000

Gold: 500

Silver: 700

Bronze: 2

Points: 1,203 / 10,000

Skills:

C - Nine Heavenly Steps: Each step increases the host's speed by 500%. Costs 50 mana per step.

"Incredible," Darklord said with a smile. With the Anfos Ring in hand, he couldn't help but feel invincible.

********

Darklord glanced at the stats of his partner:

Host: Demonic Black Horse

Race: Demonic Beast

Rank: E (SS)

Level: 17

Strength: 2,500

Speed: 2,750

Defense: 1,500

Agility: 2,758

EXP: 0 / 745,000

Skills:

Demonic Flame: Deals 100,000 damage for 30 seconds. Cooldown: 1 hour.

Speed Blitz: Increases speed by 100% for 5 minutes.

****************†******************†***************