The Imperial Demon Domain has been closed for years now, and no one knows what happened. The last news was about the first imperial prince's abdication and the new Demon Empress's rise.
lightsnοvεl At this moment, within the Throne Room of Imperial Demon Palace, Leona sat on the demon throne in a black empress dress and face hidden behind a mask. She was giving off a majestic aura that made her seem out of the world and unapproachable.
Down the throne platform were two rows of seats, all filled with high-ranking palace officers and council members. The atmosphere in the entire hall was suffocating and gloomy.
Every demon had an ugly expression, and they didn't dare to speak and agitatedly looked at the Demon Empress with fear.
"To conclude everything, three days ago, the secret realm was destroyed, three ancestors went missing, and now all those old men are gathering outside the imperial domain. The elusive thief, Sky Stealer, causes all of this. Did I miss something, Eastern Minster?" Her voice was icy and filled with hidden wrath.
The Eastern Demon Minster lowered his head in shame and fear as he hesitantly added, "Her imperial majesty missed the event that happened yesterday in the Life Demon Grand Duchy. According to our spies, the thief robbed over half of the duchy, including the main city. Even the Grand Duke couldn't escape, and now it's absolute upheaval outside!"
Every demon was dumbfounded when they heard this impossible report. Over half of the territory was robbed in one day. What kind of concept was this?
Furthermore, most of them don't know about the secret realm and their ancestors, so they can't understand it. All they knew was that a huge powerful crowd had shown up a few hours ago, and they all demanded to enter.
Some of them even recognized the old imperial demon family members had vanished hundreds of years ago, and there were even two former demon emperors. These were the people they could identify. There were influential figures of devil and hunter races as well, and some of them were overlords of their time.
That's why they were all gathered here in so much hurry to seek Leona's permission. They didn't dare to open a pathway for those terrifying existences. They didn't even let the people they had instated in the three forbidden countries in. nOvelbIn
They feared the terrifying thief would sneak in and rob them of everything!
"Oh, pardon me, Empress, a commoner like me doesn't know the law of the imperial court. Please forgive my audacity. But you see, I couldn't help myself seeing such a decisive act." A jolly yet jeering voice sounded in the hall, which was unfamiliar to everyone.
Furthermore, this voice came from none other than the platform where the demon throne stood, and Leona's heart palpitated when she looked to her left.
A tall figure materialized under everyone's flabbergasted eyes. He wore a long black robe, and his head was covered under a long dark hood. On the back of his robe, a dark blue majestic owl symbol was engraved with mysterious tiny runes.
Before anything could react, a suffocating pressure descended in the hall, suppressing every signal demon. They felt like a mountain suddenly appeared on their backs, and they couldn't move at all.
"Everyone, I humbly introduce myself. My name is Sky Stealer!" Ace nonchalantly stated.
But in everyone else's ears, his name struck like a thunderclap, and a chill ran down their spins, and all they had but one thought in their mind, 'How!!?'
Leona felt like she was in a nightmare as her eyes couldn't blink as she gawked at the dark figure standing a meter away from her.
"W-what...do...you...want!" She spoke with every power she could muster as her heart beat like crazy, threatening to burst out of her supple chest.
Ace looked at the masked empress as he could clearly feel her chaotic emotions: rage, anger, resentment, helplessness...
"Now, now, Empress, we are old acquaintances. There is no need to be so cold." He chuckled darkly, "But I'll quench your curiosity. I'm naturally here to collect treasures from the imperial domain. But sadly, they are only subpar at best. I wonder if the imperial domain is so poor. So, I came to you to seek your opinion. How about you lead me to your treasury and chat while we're at it?"
Despair filled Leona and everyone's hearts. They had never imagined such a day would come when they would be utterly helpless against a thief!