Beneath the pitch-black night, the blizzard whistled relentlessly as silvery moonlight poured through fissures in the heavy clouds, spilling across the snow.
The golden lightning crackling amidst the howling storm stirred only one memory in the demons—
Their mighty ancestors.
That boundless power.
As demons, even though daylight had faded, they could still choose to perish in the sunset's afterglow.
Count Gregory's laughter cut off as though his breath had been abruptly snatched away.
His expression shifted swiftly from joy to pallor, his lips trembling as panic descended before his eyes like a shroud of black fog.
He stared up fixatedly at this Glow Demon.
"Luoqi McCarthy... what on earth are you?!"
Why was a citizen of the Polant Empire, an obscure royal craftsman, secretly a great demon of the Demon Realm?
Gregory could have imagined ten thousand ways today might unfold, but never in his wildest dreams had he suspected that this frail human was merely toying with him.
Before the count could utter another offense, Lieutenant Colonel Luka had already rushed forward, raising his weapon and slamming it down upon Gregory's head.
"How dare a mere count of the Blood Clan offend this esteemed lord!"
Lieutenant Colonel Luka's attitude shifted in an instant, and he bellowed with fury.
If a Blood Clan count struck a great demon first and the great demon subdued him in return, the Blood Clan bore full responsibility under the North-South Treaty!
A Tier 7 Blood Clan count mistaking a great demon of their Demon Realm for human and attempting to capture him was courting pure death!
Apart from marks bestowed by other great demons, an individual had to possess at least one disposition mark and at least one martial mark among their markings to qualify as a great demon and inspire submission in ordinary demons.
A disposition mark signified a psychological trait that defied common sense, enabling one to overcome the strong from a position of weakness. A martial mark signified reaching at least Tier 8 with a distinct combat specialization.
Yet Luka was certain that neither martial presence nor fluctuations of mana could be detected from this great Glow Demon. He gave off no sense of danger whatsoever!
It was precisely this that chilled Luka to the bone.
He could no longer tell whether the demon before him was Tier 8 or Tier 9.
In the end, Lieutenant Colonel Luka severed Count Gregory's entire head and kicked it far into the distance, which finally all but extinguished the Blood Clan count's voice.
"May I ask how we should address you?"
Lieutenant Colonel Luka sheathed his sword once more, sank to one knee before Lanqi in formal salute, and inquired respectfully.
Every great demon in today's Demon Realm belonged to an unreachably exalted noble house.
Not even the general of their Second Army possessed six title marks.
A demon bearing six completely unfamiliar marks was likely not from this era.
"..."
Lanqi pondered for a moment, as though asked a question he had not heard in a very long time.
According to Demon Realm customs of address, one generally used a title as an honorific—for instance, Pranay of Truth could be addressed as Lord Truth.
Yet he possessed no title.
"Just... call me Lord Nameless."
Lanqi answered softly in an unhurried tone.
Pranay had told him he could answer this way if he ever encountered other demons.
"...?"
Lieutenant Colonel Luka's shoulders trembled. He raised his head in dread, peeking at the demon from beneath the brim of his officer's cap.
This was the first time he had ever seen a living nameless great demon.
If one's three marks included the trial of ancestral spirits, or if one gained the current Demon King's acknowledgment, one would further obtain a title. Otherwise, even if one attained the rank of great demon, one would remain a "nameless great demon," unacknowledged by the demon race.
To demons, a nameless great demon was inherently a taboo existence. A great demon whom even their own kind refused to recognize was often far more dangerous than a recognized one.
Let alone an ancient demon bearing six whole marks.
Caliera of the Fall, current ruler of the demons, bore only seven marks.
"Rest assured, I am no enemy of the Demon Realm. I have come this time on important business."
Seeing the demon officer's reaction, Lanqi smiled helplessly.
That he had become a nameless great demon was purely a matter of timing; there was simply no way for him to undergo the trial in the ancestral land or receive the former Demon King's blessing.
"So that is how it is..."
Lieutenant Colonel Luka instantly grasped the mysterious great demon's purpose.
This great demon had concealed his identity and lived outside the Demon Realm for many years masquerading as a human, evidently rising to high status within the Polant Empire.
Now that turmoil gripped the northern continent and the former Demon King had perished, he intended to claim the last princess for himself.
Though a relic of a great demon might have an immense generational gap with the princess, demons had never cared about age differences; betrothals across centuries or even millennia were commonplace.
"My lord, is there anything you require of us? I will do everything within my power to make amends for my earlier offense."
Lieutenant Colonel Luka knew he had no right to pry, and he had even offended this great demon moments before.
However, he was confident that a great demon absent from the Demon Realm for so many years would surely need guides. Furthermore, if his objective was the princess, he naturally would not go on a killing spree and violate the Demon Realm's laws.
"I would not want to trouble you. It was your duty, which is understandable."
Lanqi waved his hand affably, indicating he harbored no resentment and required no amends.
"Still, have you ever considered that serving as lieutenant colonels and officers on this border means you may frequently encounter such trouble in the future? From my perspective, the human nations are currently far from peaceful, and the Blood Clan is growing restless. The North-South Treaty will leave you caught in an impossible bind."
He glanced at the count's remains in the distance.
Lanqi had seen earlier that Officer Luka had not been particularly decisive regarding the count's demands. Every step he took was laden with hesitation, his heart full of reluctance.
From what Lanqi knew of demons, even someone with Pranay's patient temperament would be infuriated if the North-South Treaty were shoved in his face.
"..."
Luka fell silent, his grip tightening slightly on his hilt.
"Doesn't it feel too humiliating for demons to live like this?" Lanqi continued.
He did not sound like he was interrogating Luka, but rather asking out of genuine curiosity from his perspective after being away from the Demon Realm for so long.
"..."
Lieutenant Colonel Luka could not answer the great demon's question.
In truth, he too wished to possess an untroubled mind like this lord, free from groveling before the Blood Clan. But that was not something he could change; he was merely a mid-ranking officer.
"Think carefully about what kind of demon you want to become."
Lanqi patted Luka's shoulder with one hand and said no more.
He felt that Lieutenant Colonel Luka possessed a solid grasp of worldly affairs, and wasting his years on the border might be a pity. Along the way, Lanqi intended to converse with him and his subordinates to see if he could offer them some inspiration.
Shortly after, Lanqi looked back in the direction they had come.
There should be little danger left on the snowfield now. All he needed was to borrow a skeletal steed from the demon officer, and Xigelei should be able to reach Little Night City within ten hours.
Chapter 561