On his way to return to his home, Akil Ras took a walk outside to admire the peaceful times.

“It’s a miracle that it’s so peaceful, I wish the days when there are no conflicts could last forever.” Due to the wars between humans and demons and the fact that demons were divided into factions, conflicts were very frequent.

There was just no sense of unity unless it was to stand up against common enemy-human beings.

The worst part was that there were many power holding clans, many of them have the intention of dominating other clans, and what Akil Ras was feared the most –extermination of demons that opposed them.

The fact that they have the natural instincts to kill each other doesn’t help the matters.

During his time as Demon King, Akil Ras had to suppress countless rebellions and uprisings. Because he was also the head of Ras clan of Blazing Eagle demons, the other clans thought it was rather unfair of him to have such power-the authority of the ruler.

He was chosen by the Great Ones as a worthy demon to become the Demon King during the last selection. Due to this, many preferred to not go against the judgment of Great Ones during his reign. But as years passed by, Akil Ras started losing his former strength, leading to other demons to overthrow him.

Akil Ras personally did not have much power aside from having the authority to command all of demon kind. It was a necessary power, after all without the threat of the Demon King the human kind would have exterminated demons long time ago. It was the fear of provoking the strongest and the mightiest demon that has kept human beings at bay. In order to have the demon kind survive, Demon King is a must.

Like the fifty five Demon Kings before him, Akil Ras carried out his duty to the best of his ability. His top priority was the survival of demons. Unlike the Phoenix family that focused on power and riches, Ras family’s main focus was leading and nurturing. Due to this many demons have deemed Akil Ras to be a weak ruler. By the time Akil Ras grew weaker with age, the opposing factions came to have the audacity to directly challenge him. They ignored the will of the Great Ones and wanted to lead the demon kingdom by themselves. Phoenix family in particular, Akil Ras knew, is just waiting for the chance to strike. They have slowly conquered the territories of weaker families and either subjugated them or completely annihilated them. Phoenix clan had many strong members, with the members of main family being especially powerful to the point it was outrageous.

If Great Ones did not grant Akil Ras the power, there would have been no way to stand against Phoenix family. While there certainly were demons strong enough to oppose Phoenix family in the past, now most of them are broken and maimed. Just look at Korgan, his old friend, who lost his dominant arm, his wife, and both of his sons because of Phoenix clan. It is rather obvious that Phoenix clan would stop at nothing to gain ultimate power within Kalkan kingdom, even if it meant killing every other demon in it. Phoenix clan is rather famous for their cruelty, so much that many fear their wrath.

“I just hope my successor as the Demon King would find the solution to this mess” Akil Ras secretly hoped. He could only wish that a better leader would arrive in his place and be able to unite demon kind once again.

As Akil Ras entered the entrance to his clan territory, he felt that something was amiss. The smell in the air, no way, it was the smell of humans!

Akil Ras ran towards his family mansion. Unlike usual times, there were no servants walking on the street. It was oddly quiet, too quiet. As if the residents of Ras clan territory suddenly disappeared. Akil Ras has only entered the outer wall of the territory. Inside there was an inner wall that housed the inner buildings and Ras family’s living quarters.

As he opened the inner gate, Akil Ras made a grisly discovery.

All of the servants were dead. Their bodies were littering the streets. Multiple stab wounds, many missing internal organs. Some mutilated beyond recognition.

“NO! It can’t be!” Akil Ras’s eyes opened wide with terror. He never expected disaster to strike so close to home. Yet, if all servants were dead, then does that mean…

Akil Ras ran at full speed to his house that was at the center of the territory.

“Please, Great Ones, just let them be safe, I am begging, please!” Akil Ras prayed in his heart as he entered into his home. One empty room after the next. He barged into each room, looking for his family members.

Finally, when he entered the living room, Akil Ras found a horrifying sight.

On the floor, there were bodies of two of his sons, Senro and Heliom, and near them was the body of his oldest daughter, Kokjan. There was a headless body lying motionlessly on the floor. Akil Ras immediately recognized the body of his wife.

Tears streaming down his face, Akil Ras approached bodies of his children with trembling heart. All of them looked bloody. His wife was beyond his help.

Akil Ras checked the pulse on his sons. They were both dead. Akil Ras bit his lip at his inability to be there for his family when they needed him the most.

Then he heard a voice.

“Father…” A weak voice said to him. It was his daughter who was barely speaking while lying on the pool of her own blood.

“Kokjan, don’t speak! I will tend to your wounds… you are going to be ok, you are going to be ok… ”

“Father…it’s a trap. He is…” Kokjan said while mustering all her strength.

Just as he heard that, Akil Ras’s eyes revealed an expression of alert. He quickly turned as he sensed that his life was in danger. He quickly activated his demon eyes-his normally brown eyes turned to glowing white and proceeded to slash with his arm in the direction of his would be attacker.

But, that was too late. Just as she whispered her warning, the attacker came from behind Akil Ras and plunged his arm into Akil Ras’s back, rupturing his heart. Akil Ras’s attempt to slash his attacker only resulted in him hitting the mask the intruder was wearing.

Now face to face with the assassin, Akil Ras stared at his opponent with his demon eyes focused on him.

“Oh, how bothersome. You destroyed my mask. Oh well, not like it matters anymore.” The assassin said in a casual tone. The voice was polite but it seemed filled with malice.

“You!” Akil Ras cried out. The mask that assassin was wearing cracked and shattered into pieces revealing the face underneath. It was awfully familiar face.

“And I thought you would be tougher than this, lord Demon King. How disappointing. It seems years have done a number on you. Just a simple trap was enough to have you lower your guard enough for me to make a decisive strike.” The assassin’s face was clear. His face was human-like, but he had demon eye in his left eye while right eye was brown. He also had a single horn on center of his forehead. He definitely is a demon.

“Who the hell are you?” Akil Ras said while blood was spilling out of his mouth. Assassin really was a professional; he ruptured Akil Ras’s internal organs and crushed his heart. There no longer is a chance of surviving this.

“Oh, it’s our first time meeting face to face is it not? I am one known as Hand of Death. Greetings from my master Morphus.”

“You are Morphus’s servant?”

“Correct, one of the Divine lords to be exact. Well, it seems I told you enough about myself” Assassin’s right arm was embedded in Akil Ras’s back preventing his movement. “Now it’s time for you to die.” Assassin raised left hand in a chopping motion down upon Akil Ras’s neck. The head was cleanly severed from the body in a swift motion.

Akil Ras’s head rolled down on the ground.

“As for my name it’s Shengyn, my consolations, former Demon King” Shengyn said with a smile on his face. His left eye started glowing bright white and then he vanished without a trace. It was almost as if he turned to dust.

Unbeknownst to Shengyn, there was one demon left alive in the room- Kokjan, who possessed two hearts. Shengyn critically injured her through one of her hearts, but having one more heart she managed to survive. Yet, she was forced to watch as her father was cut down right before her eyes.

She memorized his face, and now she knew his name. When the time comes she would take her revenge upon him even if it’s the last thing she does, even if it costs her life.

Another member of Ras family managed to survive, but it was due to the fact she was captured by human beings that invaded the Ras territory. They captured and put her inside of a large wooden chest.

Now that chest was carried by those humans, carried off to the impending doom. At least that was the human intention for the demon inside the chest.

The Ras clan’s mansions were promptly burned down by the humans leaving it, leaving nothing but destruction behind them.