Abyssal Sovereign: The Demon's Dominion

"How happy you would have been if I did that, Vaelen," Caius said with a sneer as he projected his energy.

A rumbling sound echoed as everyone began to see a vision—different genes emitting a terrifying aura. But that wasn't what stunned them.

What Caius had done was project his genetic information for all to see—and that was what left them speechless.

The energy contained in his genes was a hundred times stronger than that of a normal middle-level Planetary being. And it was vibrant.

If a gene was forced to awaken, it usually carried a dead or unstable energy. But this…

This was not forced.

"Genius," one of the aristocrats whispered, stunned.

"No, no... a monster," another corrected, as the king's eyes dulled.

"This bastard son...? He was hiding this deeply? Was this caused by the organization he just joined?" the king wondered, amused.

"Is this going to be his comeback...? No... no," Theron shook his head.

"What kind of insane adventure did he go through?" Theron thought. His brother had really changed. Now... he had the capability to fight for the throne.

"He's as talented as the Fifth Born," Lyssandra said, shocked. But no one thought she was lying. Caius truly had reached the level of Darius—and it left everyone wondering how.

How had the "waste" of an eldest prince turned into this?

"Caius may be a bastard, but a bastard is still a bastard—even if he has this much talent. I do too," Theron said indifferently, snapping the aristocrats out of their daze.

Yes, he was right. Which among the royal siblings wasn't a monster seen only once in thousands of years?

Still, they had been shaken. After all, the eldest prince was just at the Legendary Realm a month ago—and now, he was at the Planetary Realm. That was a massive leap.

"A bastard who carries the royal family's bloodline isn't a bastard. It seems you all don't respect your eldest. Am I a joke to you?"

Boom! A terrifying coercion was released—specifically targeting his siblings.

Theron remained unaffected, being at the Galaxy Realm. But Vaelen and the two sisters weren't so lucky. Their expressions twisted, and their bodies trembled under the pressure.

No aristocrat or official dared to intervene.

What? You want us to attack the eldest prince just because he's teaching his siblings a lesson? Uh… no thanks.

Everyone turned a blind eye.

"Enough," the king commanded as Caius withdrew his aura.

"Fine... It seems you are qualified for the throne," the king said, pausing before continuing.

"I called all of you here because starting today, I will enter seclusion to break through to the Multi-Universal Realm—which means the throne will be vacant. You all are given a chance to fight for it. Although Theron has been given the position of Crown Prince, it's only a small advantage. We all know the throne only goes to the strongest. Also... Darius will be returning. I hope you're all wise enough to avoid challenging his military power, or else you're screwed."

He glanced at his children and the others present.

"Well, you already have your favorites. I see everything... hahaha. But I think you might want to reconsider. Darius is coming back for the throne. And then… this 'thing'," the king said, gesturing toward Caius, "is the eldest prince. He's back as well."

"Ish... I'd better hurry and break through. You all have a wonderful contest ahead. Also—Caius..."

The king's voice turned cold. "You are the eldest. If you lose… the royal family will be disappointed in you."

"You were never proud of me. There's nothing to be disappointed in. But I will get the throne. And as for my insolent siblings... hah, they still need to be taught a lesson," Caius said arrogantly as he turned and walked away.

"Hah… seems he's an arrogant bastard. But still... he's something, after all. He's been mistreated all these years—his junior brother turned against him, his siblings distanced themselves from him, the ridicule in their eyes whenever they looked at him…

Ugh, wait. Damn, I should be breaking through too—I've got plenty of beauties to enjoy,"** the king muttered as he disappeared from the room with a light smile.

The aristocrats, officials, and royals were all stunned.

"Two big news…"

"First, Darius is returning. And second…"

"The eldest prince is back. He has monstrous talent—and he's fighting for the throne."

Boom. These two revelations shook the federation and quickly spread to the other organizations—like the Mercenary Group and the Night Blood Clan.

***********

Elsewhere…

A spaceship descended on the Federation, and Jake stepped out.

His goal was clear—find out about the mysterious new clan or race in this multiverse and head there immediately.

Right now, he felt full—not from food, but because his realm had peaked. He would break through to the Galaxy Realm at any moment.

Upon arrival, Jake was stunned.

What the fuck...? The royal family...?

The eldest prince is back—and he's fighting for the throne?

He'd heard about Darius too—from the military. Darius was already a general. A terrifyingly powerful one at that. Galaxy Realm—Peak Galaxy Realm.

Now he too was contending for the throne.

"Wow… a lot is happening in humanity right now. Too bad I can't fan the flames… or I'm not even worthy to try. I'm too weak and have no influence. No… I need to find out more about that new race," Jake muttered as he walked through the inner district.

The best place to get human intel?

A place where they drank, laughed, and forgot their secrets.

There, they would spill everything.

Jake entered an inn and booked a relatively small table. He sat alone, sipping his wine.

At his level, alcohol had no effect unless he allowed it. Otherwise, it was just flavored water.

After a few minutes, the earlier patrons left—and a new round of guests entered. These ones were talking about exactly what he wanted to hear.

"I heard the Fourth Prince was already heading toward that new race before he got recalled," one of the men said, waving at the waiter for more wine.

"Yeah, I heard about that too. Efficient and cruel. He wanted to wipe them out just because they were a new race," another added.

A third sneered. "You only know part of it. That new race is destructive—they wiped out an entire galaxy in just a month. Killed countless creatures. Thankfully it wasn't us… just one of our slave races."

Everyone at the table gasped.

"What's the name of this new race?" someone asked, clearly shaken.

"They don't really have a formal name. But based on their appearance and how destructive they are, people just call them… the Demon Race."

Hearing this, Jake smiled lightly.

"The Demon Race…? Interesting," he thought with a slight grin.

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