Reborn as a Devouring Dragon with a System-Chapter 136: The Abyss (6)

News spread like wildfire.

The massacre had been discovered. The entire Empire stood shaken, fury rising like a tide—someone had dared to commit such a slaughter within the borders of their mighty domain.

The news reached the Imperial Palace, and the Emperor himself commanded his guards to scour the ruins, searching for any survivors.

They found one. A lone, trembling survivor—a young girl. Recognition flashed in their eyes. She was the granddaughter of the head of the annihilated clan.

They saw her weeping, cradling her mother’s lifeless corpse. Her cries echoed through the ruins, haunting. Many were moved, hearts heavy with sorrow—but not all. Among the crowd, some faces bore cruel satisfaction.

No one knew why, but the Emperor took the girl. He abducted her from the ashes of her clan and bestowed upon her the title of "Princess." An investigation began, swift and brutal. To slaughter one under the Empire’s protection was not only a crime—it was a desecration of the Empire’s honor.

Then the culprit was revealed. A name whispered in fear and drenched in blood:

"The Butcher."

The Empire trembled. Some were consumed by rage.

But none dared venture into the Demon Realm, where the Butcher reigned. It was a suicide mission. Even the mightiest Empire lacked the courage to charge into such a nightmare.

Meanwhile, in the shadows of the Demon World—Daniel returned.

But something in him was gone.

Emotion had died.

Hatred had consumed everything else—compassion, fear, pain, even care. And now that hatred had faded too, what remained was nothing but a hollow vessel. Daniel was a killing machine—emotionless, relentless.

He kept to the darkness, hidden, cultivating his strength.

Apart from a few hidden demon ancestors and the Demon Emperor himself, none could face Daniel in a one-on-one battle and live.

Ten years passed in the blink of an eye.

The girl, once three, had become thirteen—and her transformation was astounding. Her strength soared, placing her among the strongest in the world.

Her beauty, too, was unparalleled—ethereal and untouchable.

Young talents bloomed across the continents. It was as if a new golden age had dawned. And at its pinnacle stood the girl—now known as the "Heavenly Queen."

Suitors pursued her from all corners, but none could melt the ice around her heart.

The Heavenly Queen was like a glacier—cold, immovable.

Not that she slaughtered without reason, nor that she was cruel to the innocent. But her expression remained unreadable.

And one thing about her was undeniable—her hatred for demons was absolute.

At the age of eight, she entered the Battle Gorge, where demons bled and legends were forged.

She survived countless brushes with death and emerged a nightmare to the demon race.

Within five years, she had slain scores of demons and led humanity in reclaiming their lost lands.

One day, seated in a war camp drenched in the scent of steel and smoke, a messenger arrived.

News reached her ears: The Butcher had dethroned the Demon Emperor and taken the throne himself.

The message spread like thunder.

The Heavenly Queen gritted her teeth, her fingers tightening around the scroll.

That name—The Butcher—was carved into her soul.

And she had sworn—one day, she would kill that demon.

Ten years passed.

During these ten years, countless events had unfolded. After the Butcher ascended the throne—though many remained shrouded in confusion—the Heavenly Queen stormed into the Demon Realm time and time again, each time aiming to slay the Demon Emperor—the Butcher himself.

Each time she vanished from her Empire to strike, chaos erupted across the realms. The Empires scrambled to retrieve her, fearing her death. Yet, against all odds, she always returned—unharmed, yet with a somber expression etched across her face, like someone who had failed her mission.

What they didn’t know was that every time she clashed with the Butcher, Daniel would simply shake his head.

"You’re still too weak," he would say, pointing out the flaws in her technique with cold precision. His calmness bewildered her.

But one thing never escaped her notice—those golden eyes. Once, they should have shone like the sun. But now, they were more lifeless than death itself.

And yet...

They flickered.

They flickered with a faint glimmer of life when he looked at her—only to dim in disappointment when he sensed her feeble strength.

This contradiction gnawed at her. Curiosity took root where hatred once flourished.

She could see it—he had no will to live.

As if he were merely... waiting to die.

Over the ten years, the Heavenly Queen continued her battles with the Butcher. But the world remained unaware of the truth: the Butcher was training her.

And within those same ten years, she achieved the impossible—uniting all Empires into a single dynasty.

Her hatred began to wane, replaced by questions. What had hollowed him out so thoroughly?

She remembered vividly—the moment her parents had seen the Butcher’s true face. The shock in their eyes had not been fear, but recognition.

As if... they had known him before he became the infamous Butcher.

She recalled his words:

"I came for revenge."

So she dug.

She unearthed her family’s history—and the truth emerged like a blade.

She read of the Butcher’s past—of how her parents had once treated him kindly, only to cast him aside the moment it was revealed he lacked talent. That single revelation changed everything.

The more she uncovered, the more repulsed she became.

Until she found it.

The final piece.

Her family—her parents—had sold him to demons as a slave.

Everything crumbled. Her beliefs, her hatred, her righteous fury—they all collapsed.

Now she understood.

Now she saw why her family had been massacred.

"Your Majesty, the Demon Killing Spear has been successfully crafted."

A subordinate knelt before her, offering a sealed spatial ring. She took it and drew forth the Golden Spear—its glow magnified her aura, complementing her beauty like divine fire.

"Now Your Majesty can slay the Demon Emperor!"

At those words, rage surged.

Her aura exploded, rippling outward like a divine storm.

"Yo... your... Maj... esty..."

Her subordinate staggered under the pressure, barely able to speak. Only then did she realize—she had released her aura unconsciously.

She quickly withdrew it. He coughed, barely recovering, and she dismissed him with a wave. Everyone—guards and attendants alike—was ordered to leave.

Left alone, she stared at the Demon Killing Spear in her hands.

Her thoughts drifted.

Her eyes turned to the distant Demon Realm.

And without another word—

she vanished.

Left her palace, her dynasty, and the world behind.

In the Demon Realm

Daniel sat upon the throne.

No smile graced his face.

Only silence and stillness remained as he sipped from a goblet of blood wine.

He preferred solitude now.

He hated being surrounded by people.

Then, something shifted.

His eyes turned—

And for the first time in years, his lips curled into a smile.

Across the open space stood the Heavenly Queen.

Golden Spear in hand.

Gaze unwavering.

"Oh? It seems the Demon Killing Spear has finally been crafted,"

Daniel said, his smile tinged with amusement.

"You’re here to take your revenge... and it seems your strength has grown powerful, Heavenly Queen," Daniel said with a cold smile curling his lips.

But something unexpected happened.

If it had been before, she would have glared at him with hatred.

But now—there was no hatred in those eyes.

Only sadness.

He stared at her, confused.

What had changed?

"I wonder... how painful it must have been to go through everything you did," he said softly.

Her golden eyes glistened.

Tears threatened to spill, trembling at the edge of her lashes.

Daniel frowned.

He could feel it—her hatred for him had vanished.

He sighed.

"It seems... you found out about me."

The Heavenly Queen nodded, solemn and silent.

"So, what are you going to do?" Daniel asked, his tone unreadable.

She didn’t speak.

Instead, she smiled gently and walked toward the throne where Daniel sat.

This wasn’t her first time stepping into this place.

But before—each visit had been laced with hatred.

This time... something else stirred in the air.

Something unfamiliar.

Before Daniel could fully comprehend, she stood before him—closer than ever—

And then, she kissed him.

Softly.

Deliberately.

Her lips pressed to his, slow and unhurried.

Daniel’s eyes widened, stunned.

When she pulled away, she looked directly at him.

It took him a long moment to gather himself.

Finally, he blinked and gave a crooked, amused smile.

"I hope you know... you’re in pajamas.

And they’re... quite revealing."

The Heavenly Queen froze.

Then her scream echoed through the entire Demon Palace.

After she calmed down—still red-faced—she mumbled in a voice barely above a whisper,

"Well... it’s you. I don’t mind."

Daniel’s mind faltered.

He looked at her, bewildered.

He couldn’t deny it—something inside him had stirred.

An emotion he thought long dead had flickered back to life.

But then, the weight of his past returned.

What he had done.

What he had become.

He sighed and looked at her, eyes clouded in a storm of regret and wonder.