I reign supreme in the Western fantasy world for eternity.

Beneath the dome of the banquet hall, the magic chandelier casts warm golden light across every long table.

Crystal glasses were interspersed, silver cutlery was neatly arranged, and waiters carried trays full of hot dishes around the table.

When Ji Tian and his party entered the banquet hall, Count Pompeii and his wife were surrounded by a group of nobles, with congratulations rising and falling.

Some raised their glasses in congratulations, while others leaned closer to whisper something. The Viscount responded to each of them with a polite smile.

It was as if the corpse wrapped in white cloth that had been taken away from the main hall half an hour ago had no connection to this place.

Elena also noticed her parents' situation and transmitted her voice to Ji Tian:

They seem completely unconcerned about the news of the prince's assassination?

Ji Tian pondered for a moment before responding:

[A similar description appears in the additional files in the Forbidden Library: After a shadow is destroyed by holy light, the area it affected will enter a brief 'blank period.' In other words, the person who was replaced is easily forgotten after being eliminated, unless someone mentions it.]

Elena nodded thoughtfully.

Then let's not disturb Father.

Sherry, who was accompanying her, looked around and immediately spotted Sonia sitting at the table near the royal seats.

The little princess changed into a light gold evening gown, with a row of small pearls adorning the neckline. Her two short braids were re-braided, and the ends of her hair were tied with ribbons of the same color.

She was resting her chin on her hand, idly poking at a cherry on her plate with a fork. Several noble ladies around her tried to strike up a conversation with her, but she dismissed them with a few words.

Shirley strode over, sat down in the empty seat next to Sonia, and asked immediately:

"Why did you leave the garden without saying a word? I was just about to ask you if it was okay to pick that gourd."

Sonia looked up at her, then at Ji Tian and Elena who had followed her, put down her fork, and shrugged.

"If I don't leave, those two female knights who followed me will first be severely punished, and then dismissed."

Shirley blinked: "Why?"

"Because they failed to supervise properly, allowing the envoy from the barbarian country to meet with the princess in private."

Sonia mimicked the official's tone, reciting the speech word by word, then popped a cherry into her mouth and mumbled, "Of course, there's another option: kick those two outsiders out. But since you seem to know each other, I think I'll pass."

Shirley opened her mouth, but after a long pause, she managed to stammer out, "This is too..."

"That's how it is in the royal palace."

……

The music from the side of the hall gradually faded, and a master of ceremonies walked up the steps in front of the banquet hall, tapping the ground three times with his silver cane.

The crisp sound echoed under the dome, the conversations at the table gradually subsided, and everyone's attention turned to the steps.

Victor rose from his royal seat, straightened his dark blue suit, and slowly walked up the steps.

After he stood still, his gaze swept across the entire room, his deep blue eyes appearing exceptionally calm under the lights.

"Distinguished guests, thank you for attending tonight. Before we begin our banquet, please allow me a moment to spare."

He waited until the guests looked at him before lowering his eyes slightly and putting on a look of utter grief.

"My uncle, George von Wilhelm, was assassinated this afternoon during an award ceremony."

A commotion arose among the guests as they suddenly remembered that Prince George had been assassinated earlier that day. But before they could ponder why they had suddenly forgotten about this powerful prince, the eldest prince spoke up again.

"He was a kind elder. When I was young, my uncle often taught me about responsibility and commitment. When he was inspecting the western border, he personally went down into the mines to comfort the miners. He also opened the granaries to distribute food when the roads were blocked by heavy snow. He devoted his whole life to working hard for the kingdom."

He raised his head, tears glistening in his eyes, and said with deep sorrow:

"Yet this kind and hardworking elder was cruelly murdered by assassins sent by the demons!"

The commotion at the table was even greater than before.

"What?! They're demons!"

"These barbarians are incredibly audacious!"

Victor didn't give them much time to process it and continued speaking.

"The entanglement between the kingdom and the demon race has lasted for thousands of years, from the war between humans and demons more than 3,000 years ago to the fall of the royal capital 1,700 years ago, when the four heroes followed their ancestors to repel the demon race again, and then to the fall of the old demon king's city 300 years ago."

"Every peace is just a brief respite. Every concession brings no true tranquility. Now, the demons' claws have reached into the capital, into the palace, and into the very heart of our being."

Victor raised his hand and pointed towards the main hall.

"My uncle fell today, but who will it be tomorrow? It will be your family members, your nephews and nieces, every living person around you."

The room fell completely silent; even breathing was reduced to a minimum.

Viktor abruptly changed the subject, his tone suddenly rising:

"But the Kingdom is not without the power to retaliate. As you all know, in recent years, the Kingdom's factories and machine production lines have spread throughout the North and the Central Plains. Our cannon foundries run day and night, our textile looms can weave a month's worth of cloth in a single day, and our steel mills can produce refined iron at ten times the speed. These factories, these machines, these production lines that roar day and night, are fully capable of supporting a large-scale war."

He surveyed the entire room, his gaze sweeping across every face.

"Back then, the first hero fought alongside the four heroes to drive out the demons and establish a kingdom. Today, the kingdom is stronger than ever, while the demons are weaker than ever..."

Ji Tian looked at Sonia, who was discussing with Sherry which desserts at the banquet were the best, and said with admiration, "I didn't expect your brother to be so decisive."

Sonia snorted coldly upon hearing this, and said disdainfully:

"I suspect it's because the factories are producing too much and are unwilling to sell it at low prices, so they're trying to use war to..."

"I'm not talking about starting a war," Ji Tian interrupted her, pointing to the skylight in the banquet hall. "I mean, I didn't expect your royal family to invite demons to the palace banquet hall for an exhibition match."

Sonia looked up, following his gaze.

Hidden in the skylight of the banquet hall, several dark shadows were moving silently along the glass.

Their shadows were indistinct, almost blending into the night in the darkness where the chandelier couldn't reach. They had no magical energy fluctuations, so they went unnoticed by the court magicians.

At the same time, Victor raised his right hand, clenched his fist, and held it in front of his chest.

"In the name of the Crown Prince of the Kingdom, I hereby formally declare: the Kingdom will wage a full-scale war against the Demon Race! Until the Demon Race ceases to be a threat, until the Kingdom's flag flies over every inch of the Demon Realm!"

At the same moment, the skylight glass shattered.

Three jet-black shadow demons leaped out of the shattered window, their figures elongating in mid-air before landing almost silently.

The leader of the Shadow Demons raised his hand and hurled two fist-sized glass bottles into the center of the banquet hall.

One pink and one green.

The glass bottle arced through the air before crashing onto the long table and shattering.

A thick fog of pink and green billowed from the debris.

Where the pink mist passed, the eyes of several nearby nobles suddenly became glazed, and their movements slowed down; the green mist spread along the ground, and the servants who were touched covered their throats and coughed violently, their faces turning bluish-purple within a few breaths.

The banquet hall erupted in chaos.

"Enemy attack!"

"It's the Shadow Demon! Protect His Highness!"

"Scatter! Scatter all!"

Screams, the sound of breaking cups and plates, and the sound of tables and chairs overturning all blended together.