Chapter 124: Was it really that bad?

The moment Demon General Hosy died, one of the five Life Plates belonging to the Demon Generals in the Dark Demonic Hall shattered with a crisp sound and fell down. The Demonic Hall housed the Life Plates of all the powerful demons working under the Demon Lord, and the sudden destruction of one of the Demon Generals’ plates sent the lower-ranking demon guards into a panic.

First, Slar had died.

Then, two more Demon Servants had met the same fate. And now, just when things had finally seemed to settle down, Hosy’s life plate had shattered without warning!

As the second-strongest Demon General among the five, Hosy was no insignificant figure. His sudden death sent a wave of terror through the hall, leaving the guards to wonder what kind of enemy could have brought someone so powerful to his end!

The demon guards stared at the broken fragments in horror, their faces drained of color. A chill ran down their spines as they exchanged trembling glances, none daring to voice the fear gnawing at their hearts.

Sweat trickled down their faces as they hurried out of the hall, practically crawling over one another in their desperation to spread the news. They needed to find a Demon Servant—any Demon Servant who could relay the message to their superiors.

Yet, as fate would have it, the remaining Demon Servants had all been summoned by Demon General Drak. Following the Demon Lord’s recent orders, Drak had been tasked with gathering an army and launching an attack on the Human Realm, where Slar and the two other Demon Servants had suddenly died. Their mission was to conquer that Human Realm and eliminate any potential anomalies before they could grow into a greater threat.

With all the Demon Servants occupied elsewhere, the lower-ranking demon guards had no means of contacting the Demon Generals directly, let alone the Demon Lord.

As a result, the news of Hosy’s death remained trapped among those too insignificant to reach their superiors, leaving the demon guards scrambling to find a way to deliver the message.

And that delay bought Zephyr some precious time.

After the battle, Zephyr withdrew the shield surrounding the grand hall, which now lay in disarray. Only then did he notice the victims he had previously told to hide cautiously emerging from their hiding places. They gathered at a distance, staring at him with expressions of disbelief and uncertainty. A few had hidden near the grand hall to watch him and had witnessed the battle from outside the Rebound Dome. Now, they stood in a daze, struggling to process what they had seen. Even with Hosy dead, they could hardly believe that the nightmare that had consumed their lives for so long was finally over.

Eventually, the shock gave way to overwhelming relief. Just like Onicus, they burst into laughter, tears streaming down their faces as the emotions they had suppressed for so long finally spilled over. Some wept openly, while others laughed through their tears, unable to express their feelings in any other way. It was a long time before the grand hall finally fell silent again.

Only then did Zephyr speak to them. Through their accounts, he learned that they were in a different realm altogether, one known as the Fallen Realm. It was a dangerous place, far removed from the world he knew, where the weak could easily fall prey to the powerful. Since he and Lucien were now in a realm inhabited by demons, and Zephyr had already killed so many of their kind, it was only a matter of time before someone came looking for them. The castle could be attacked at any moment, making it unsafe for them to remain there for long.

After learning a little about their current location, Zephyr created a Rebound Dome around the entire castle, ensuring that no one could trespass without his knowledge.

Having secured the area, he turned his attention to the people gathered before him.

“You can leave the castle. Find somewhere safe to hide before more demons arrive.”

But, just as before, none of them moved.

Zephyr frowned slightly.

“What’s the matter? Didn’t you hear me?”

Finally, one of them answered quietly, staring at Zephyr as though he were a god. This human was simply too powerful—powerful enough to kill a Demon General whom his entire realm had failed to defeat.

“We did.”

The others exchanged glances, their faces heavy with an exhaustion that went far beyond physical suffering. Some lowered their heads, while others stared blankly at the bloodstained floor, as though they could still see the horrors that had taken place there. They had endured humiliation, cruelty, and endless torment. Even now, when the source of their suffering had been erased from existence, the scars he had left behind remained.

Then, someone finally asked bitterly.

“Where are we supposed to go?”

Their voice hoarse.

“This is the Fallen Realm. We have nowhere to return to, and nowhere we can safely hide. If we leave this castle, we might be captured again. And if that happens…”

The speaker trailed off, unable to finish.

They did not need to explain what they meant. Everyone present understood.

For them, the fear of being dragged back into the same hell was almost as unbearable as the suffering they had already endured. They had spent so long struggling to survive that the thought of continuing to live under the same threat felt meaningless. Some had lost their families, others their homes, and many had been stripped of everything that once gave their lives purpose. Even freedom felt unfamiliar now, like something they no longer knew how to hold on to.

Another person murmured.

“Besides, now that Hosy and the others who made us go through hell are dead, we don’t have much left to fear. Whether we live or die… it hardly matters anymore.”

A heavy silence settled over the group.

There was no relief in their words, no genuine acceptance of their fate. Only exhaustion. They were people who had been pushed so far beyond their limits that even the prospect of death no longer frightened them.

Suddenly, one of them stepped forward and bowed toward Zephyr.

“Please, allow us to stay. We can clean the castle and take care of whatever needs to be done. At least this way, we can make ourselves useful instead of wandering around until another demon finds us.”

One by one, the others nodded in agreement. They had no grand ambitions or hopes left to cling to. For now, all they wanted was a place where they could live without being beaten, threatened, or treated like objects, even if only for a little while before they had to die if more demons really came to the castle.

Zephyr’s brows drew together.

After a moment, he decided not to argue any further and let them do as they pleased.

Still, a thought lingered in the back of his mind.

Perhaps he should ask Lucien about the ability he had used to bring them to this realm. If it was possible to use it in reverse—or if Lucien knew another way—then perhaps these people could be sent to the world he and Lucien came from. It would not erase what they had endured, nor would it heal the wounds they carried within them. But it would give them something they no longer seemed capable of imagining on their own. A chance to start over.

For now, however, Zephyr kept the thought to himself. Lucien was still asleep, and there was no point disturbing him until he had a clearer idea of what could be done.

He turned away from the group, leaving them to begin cleaning the castle if that was truly what they wished to do. Around him, the survivors slowly dispersed, their footsteps quiet against the cold stone floor. Some immediately set about cleaning the bloodstained floor and clearing away the debris, while others remained motionless a little longer, as though they were still waiting for someone to tell them that their freedom was real.

Onicus, who had finally calmed down, glanced back at the scene behind him before turning his attention to Zephyr.

“You really are strange. You can be so kind, yet you act like a scoundrel. Since you helped them, you could have spoken to them a little more gently. Your face was like an ice cube! I saw how many of them barely dared to speak under your gaze.”

The little dragon did not expect a response from Zephyr, who usually ignored its complaints. It was only trying to distract itself from its own lingering emotions. But who would have thought that Zephyr’s footsteps would actually come to a halt?

Then Zephyr asked, his tone serious.

“Was it really that bad?”

Onicus blinked, caught off guard by the question, before bursting into laughter. Who would have thought that someone as aloof and indifferent as Zephyr could have such a side to him? What the little dragon did not realize was that Zephyr had asked the question simply to lighten its mood.

Hearing Onicus laugh, Zephyr resumed walking, his expression finally easing.

Zephyr reached the bathing chamber where Lucien was in no time and carefully scooped up his sleeping figure, making sure not to disturb him. With Onicus’s help, he searched the castle for a suitable room and finally found one that was relatively clean and free of clutter. Then, he carried Lucien inside and settled him onto the large bed.

The survivors moving about the castle noticed him and even offered to help. When they learned that the person bundled up in the curtains whom Zephyr was carrying was his partner, they seemed to understand his unusual attentiveness and readily lent a hand.

And so, when Lucien finally woke up, he was greeted by a scene entirely different from anything he could have imagined.

He lay on a luxurious bed, covered by soft, beautiful quilts, in a room filled with all sorts of glittering treasures. The surroundings were so extravagant that he needed several moments just to take them in.

Zephyr, who had been nearby, sensed him waking up and immediately asked.

“Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat?”

Before Lucien could even process the question, let alone answer it, several people appeared with an assortment of exquisite dishes and began arranging them before him.

Lucien stared at the spread in stunned silence.

He had just fallen asleep!

So, what the fuck was going on?!

If not for Zephyr’s familiar presence, he might have genuinely thought he had transmigrated again!