Becoming the Demon Lord: Taming the Demon Queen Begins

"The spatial power of the Fire Origin Stone has actually been used!"

At the Netherworld Citadel, Erelyn suddenly sensed a disturbance in space and quickly scanned her surroundings.

She could clearly see that on Morganna's broken body, a faint crimson glow was slowly emerging, reflecting off the distorted space around her.

Even the last remaining trace of the Fire Origin Stone's power within Morganna had been awakened. This could only mean one thing...

"Timothy might have gained control of the Fire Origin Stone, and he's even activated its spatial power!"

Erelyn knew exactly what this implied.

Once the Fire Origin Stone was activated, it could very well mean declaring war on the remaining seven Ebon Goddesses.

If Timothy brought Sylvia with him, it might be okay. But what if he was worried about Sylvia's safety and decided to go alone?

If that's really the case...

"Timothy, those are the Eight Ebon Goddesses who have ruled over the Netherworld for years. You need to stay calm!"

Recalling the words Timothy whispered to her before leaving the Netherworld, Erelyn felt a surge of emotion. But now, more than anything, she was overwhelmed with worry.

Even though she desperately wanted to find Timothy, she had no way to reach him. All she could do was anxiously watch the space above, twisting like flames.

...

Sacredfire Mountain.

This was the crossroads where all realms of the Netherworld converged on the path to the Ninefold Underworld, the domain of the Eight Ebon Goddesses.

For years, the King of the Underworld had been in seclusion, leaving the governance of the Netherworld's realms entirely in the hands of the Eight Ebon Goddesses.

As a result, what truly terrified the souls of the Netherworld was this place.

Unfortunately, the Eight Ebon Goddesses were known for their cruelty.

Even Sacredfire Mountain, the gateway to the Underworld, was seen by many souls as a trial by fire—a place where they might be reborn as humans, or face total annihilation.

If they couldn't make it through, they would be reduced to ashes, their souls completely destroyed.

"What did I do to deserve this? Why was I chosen by the Ebon Goddesses and dragged here?"

A young girl with a ponytail, her eyes filled with tears, looked up at the towering mountain before her, its massive pillars of flame reaching into the sky.

Her soul was already scorched and damaged by the flames, growing weaker by the moment.

At this rate, it wouldn't be long before she, too, was consumed by the fire and turned to ash.

"Sigh, maybe this is just our fate."

A few middle-aged souls, looking at the pitiful girl, could only shake their heads.

Many souls had said that the Ebon Goddesses were becoming more and more unpredictable in choosing which souls to take.

Once a soul was thrown into Sacredfire Mountain, unless they could somehow make it over the mountain, they would be consumed by the flames and vanish forever.

The middle-aged souls sighed again. They were once simple farmers, caravan guards, or scholars who had worked hard to serve their country. They never imagined they would end up in a place like this, a place that felt like a death sentence.

The Eight Ebon Goddesses were once revered and respected across the realms of the Netherworld. The Ninefold Underworld, where the eight realms converged, had held an exalted and powerful position.

But in recent years, things had taken a strange turn.

The policies of the Ninefold Underworld had become increasingly chaotic, and the Eight Holy Maidens, without rhyme or reason, had begun punishing the other realms of the Netherworld.

Now, countless souls had been thrown at the foot of Sacredfire Mountain, many of them innocent, with no way to plead their case.

Climbing Sacredfire Mountain was almost certain death, with barely a one-in-a-hundred chance of survival.

But staying here, unable to enter the mountain or return to the other realms of the Netherworld, meant they would eventually be worn down by the relentless flames, until they, too, were extinguished.

And there was nothing they could do about it.

"Maybe we deserve to be here, but the child..."

The middle-aged souls looked at the little girl with the ponytail and shook their heads helplessly.

"Come here, child. Stay with us. If we help you bear the flames, you might last a few more days."

"No, I don't want that. I just want my mom and dad. What's the point of living a few more days if I'm all alone?"

But the little girl shook her head fiercely, showing no intention of moving closer.

Staring at the eight towering mountains, each one spewing scorching flames and radiating despair, the girl clenched her fists tightly.

Tears welled up in her eyes, shimmering as they threatened to fall. She was heartbroken.

She had been holding in her emotions for so long, but today, they finally burst out all at once:

"My dad was taken away to fight in the war when I was just a little girl. He died on the battlefield. After that, I didn't have a dad anymore. Then, a fire broke out and killed both me and my mom. We finally got to see each other again here in the Netherworld, but before I could even hug my dad for more than a moment, I was dragged away to this place. I'm not afraid of dying, and I'm not even afraid of disappearing completely. I just want to be with my mom and dad again. What did I do wrong?"

Her voice trembled, and it was clear she was losing control of her emotions.

Tears streamed down her face as her small body curled up in fear and helplessness, unable to hide the deep despair and sadness she felt inside.

"Child..."

The souls around her sighed as they watched, their expressions filled with sorrow.

They, too, had once had families. Even after death, they had hoped to spend just a little more time with their loved ones.

But reality was often cruel. The Eight Ebon Goddesses, who ruled from on high, had never cared about the small, insignificant lives like theirs.

The souls opened their mouths, wanting to say something to comfort the girl.

But in the end, no words came out.

Because they realized they didn't know how to comfort her.

The road ahead was long, and for everyone here, it would inevitably end in death.

They couldn't even come up with a comforting lie.

Because they knew, no matter what lie they told, it would be meaningless now.

"Don't worry. This isn't where you belong. You'll see your parents again."

Just as the air was thick with despair, a voice suddenly broke through, reaching their ears.

A stranger had appeared, gently placing a hand on the crying girl's head, comforting her.

Then, he turned his gaze toward the eight towering mountains, each one like a pillar reaching into the sky.
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"What the—!"

The souls' eyes widened in disbelief.

Because they suddenly realized that this person wasn't a soul at all.

He was something that shouldn't even be here...

A living being!