Becoming the Demon Lord: Taming the Demon Queen Begins

One sword to pierce the heavens, one sword to sweep the mountains!

When Sylvia and Timothy's sword auras converged, the atmosphere shifted dramatically.

The sky of the Netherworld, which had been a dull, oppressive yellow, devoid of sunlight, now felt even more stifling and cold.

But at this moment, as a vast sword aura spread in all directions, it seemed as though even the sky itself had changed.

A faint, pale green light began to seep into half of the sky, seemingly formed by Sylvia's sword intent.

This sword aura was immense. The soft green glow not only illuminated half the sky but also radiated a chilling, merciless energy that spread outward.

Outside the gates of the Underworld Dynasty, the sky remained that same oppressive yellow.

Yet, despite the lack of clouds, the sky rumbled as if thunder was brewing within it.

The overwhelming power that subtly emanated from above even caused the corrupted, bloodthirsty souls below—those whose minds had been completely consumed by bloodlust—to feel a sudden fear. They looked up in shock.

And it wasn't just them.

At this moment, the million-strong ghost army of the Underworld Dynasty also felt a deep, instinctual reverence from the depths of their souls.

The Netherworld was no stranger to powerful spirits, but even they were stunned by this terrifying force.

"What's going on?"

Erelyn, who had just endured a grueling series of battles and was now physically drained, breathed heavily as she looked up in surprise.

The Underworld Dynasty was on the brink of collapse. She had already resigned herself to the idea of letting the core ghost soldiers escape, having given up hope of surviving herself.

But this sudden change completely shattered her expectations.

Such a powerful sword aura—she had never seen anything like it, not even during her time wandering the continent of Elant.

"Roar!"

Whether out of fear or rage, the bloodthirsty souls let out even more furious howls as they surged toward the gates of the Underworld Dynasty.

Before the million ghost soldiers, Erelyn's crown glowed with a faint blue light. Yet, she didn't draw her sword. She simply gazed up at the sky.

But soon, her expression changed.

Amidst the gathering sword aura, which now resembled a raging storm, she saw a figure she had longed to see for what felt like an eternity.

A figure she had never expected to see again.

A long, pale blue dress fluttered in the air, and amidst the fierce sword aura, the figure's clothes and ornaments clinked softly.

Cold, proud, and awe-inspiring, yet as flawless and beautiful as a perfect jade.

Though the figure had changed greatly from her memories, Erelyn recognized her at a glance.

"Sylvia…"

She whispered the name softly, her voice filled with a deep sense of longing.

With the crown still resting on her head, Erelyn's gaze softened.

"I can't believe it's been so long, and you've grown so much."

In her memories, Sylvia was still that pitiful little girl who used to hide in her arms, crying.

But a hundred years had passed. Now, Sylvia exuded a commanding presence, cold and distant, as if no one dared to approach her.

And beside her…

Erelyn shifted her gaze and finally saw the source of the overwhelming sword aura.

"It's him!"

In an instant, Erelyn recalled the man who, months ago, had slashed through space with a single sword strike, cutting down someone in the Netherworld from the continent of Elant.

Though Timothy had not yet reached the level of a Holy Emperor, that single sword strike had left her utterly astonished.

It was after that strike that Erelyn, who governed the souls passing into the afterlife and could glimpse certain threads of fate, discovered that Timothy and she were connected by a thread of destiny.

But beyond that single sword strike, it seemed there were other, deeper ties of fate between them.

"Strange... aside from Sylvia, I don't have any other connections to the people of the Elant continent. So why is it that…?"

Erelyn gazed up at the sky, confused, only to witness something that left her utterly speechless.

At that moment, the endless sword aura was gathering around the Phoenix Blade in her hand.

The Phoenix Blade, which had been restored from a damaged Heavenly-level artifact, was now engulfed in roaring flames—far hotter than ever before.

The intense heat was so overwhelming that it caused the sword to emit an illusion of a divine phoenix rising from the fire.

Even though the Phoenix Blade didn't have a sword spirit, it seemed to be inexplicably excited, as if it was rejoicing in the profound and unyielding sword intent.

To unleash a strike of such immense power was the lifelong pursuit of any Heavenly-level sword.

Just like the sword aura itself, the Phoenix Blade was now releasing the deepest reserves of its power.

Even though the sword had yet to strike, the scorching heat was already radiating outward.

Bathed in flames, it was clear to anyone watching just how terrifying the power contained within truly was.

"Wow, I've got to hand it to you, babe. Your understanding of swordsmanship is seriously impressive. The sword intent in this blade is just… incredible."

Seeing the phenomenon surrounding the Phoenix Blade, even Timothy couldn't help but express his admiration.

"Hmph, of course. This wooden sword was crafted by a Celestial Realm deity. Over the years, I've gained quite a bit of insight into swordsmanship."

As a Holy Emperor-level powerhouse, Sylvia had heard countless compliments over the years. Find more to read at empire

Some were flattery, others were genuine. But none had ever truly mattered to her.

With her cold and proud demeanor, such praise was usually nothing more than background noise.

Yet, for some reason, Timothy's simple compliment made the corners of her mouth lift slightly, and she felt a rare sense of joy.

"Hmph, swordsmanship is just one thing. When have I ever lost to anyone in anything other than cooking?" Sylvia teased, a hint of playful pride in her voice.

"Uh… so you do know how bad your cooking is, huh?" Timothy paused for a moment, then suddenly thought of something else she wasn't quite as good at.

With a mischievous grin, he leaned in close to her ear and whispered, "There's one area, babe, where you'll never beat me."

"Oh? What's that?" Sylvia asked, genuinely curious, clearly not catching on right away.

"When I took the Dragon's Roar Supreme Vitality Pill."

As soon as Timothy said this, Sylvia's face, which had been filled with playful confidence, instantly went blank, then quickly turned bright red.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"W-what? Even if you took the Dragon's Roar Supreme Vitality Pill, I still…"

"Ahem, babe, you're not forgetting those last two hours by the Holy Sea, are you? You were the one begging for mercy."

"I—! Ugh, you jerk! Don't bring up stuff like that in a place like this!"

Sylvia's voice was filled with embarrassment and frustration as she glanced at the bloody battlefield below, where the fighting was still raging. Her eyes darted around nervously, and she couldn't bring herself to look directly at Timothy anymore.