Fallen Realm Online: Rise of The Fallen Monarch

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At this moment, inside a dimly lit room with shattered windows and gaping holes in the rotting walls, silence ruled like a tyrant.

The flickering glow of a lone torch barely illuminated the space, casting jagged shadows that twisted like sinister figures along the decayed wood.

Gravelkin and the other seven Demons stood rigid against the wall, their bodies currently tense, their gazes locked onto Lilith and the black-robed figure across from her.

The atmosphere itself crackled with tension, heavy with unspoken words that felt like an iron chain weighing down.

On the other, Lilith, who was usually respectful, playful, and mischievous around Xylen, stood before the group of eight like a monarch.

Her posture was regal, her gaze cold enough to freeze bone, and she exuded authority, her presence suffocating, as if challenging anyone to defy her.

She has the aura of a leader, and observing this, and watching from the back in his dark robe, Xylen couldn’t help but be slightly impressed.

However, since this was just a game where a single NPC could have countless personalities without conflict, her stark contrast in demeanor didn’t surprise him too much.

He remained silent. It wasn’t his place to speak yet—after all, he was still waiting to be introduced.

But...

’Why is she dragging this out? We don’t have time for theatrics!’ Xylen finally thought, rubbing his temples beneath the fabric of his hood.

They had been standing like this for over five minutes, and yet not a single word had been exchanged since they entered.

Lilith continued staring down the Demons like a predator gauging prey, while the Demons continued shifting awkwardly, sneaking constant glances at Xylen with barely veiled suspicion.

Xylen sighed inwardly, his gaze instinctively shifting to the countdown in the corner of his vision.

In the next moment, however, his heartbeat quickened. He had less than thirteen hours remaining to the final countdown and he still wasn’t sure if he could secure any allies.

His fingers twitched under the mounting pressure, every wasted second eating away at his nerves.

Finally, Xylen couldn’t bear it again and decided to speak up when suddenly...

"If you ever try what you did tonight..." Lilith’s voice sliced through the quiet like a blade, low and venomous.

The air instantly thickened, tension coiling like a viper ready to strike.

"I won’t hesitate to kill you," she concluded, her words detonating like a thunderclap.

Hearing her, Gravelkin—the target of Lilith’s threat went pale, his body trembling like a leaf in a storm.

His knees instantly buckled and nearly gave out, terror flooding his grotesque features. As for the other demons, they swallowed slightly, their muscles tense, and their eyes darting like cornered animals.

Lilith’s killing intent saturated the room for a moment, radiating a suffocating presence that gnawed at the eight Demons.

It felt like standing at the edge of an abyss — as though death itself loomed a single breath away.

But just then:

"I called this meeting," Lilith changed the topic, her voice sharp enough to cut steel, "because I have important information to announce."

The murderous pressure immediately lifted as though it had never been there.

Hearing her, the Demons, though still rattled, instantly straightened, their eyes blazing with reverence.

"Please go ahead, Mistress," one of them, a flat and brutish-faced Demon with a flattened nose, heavy brows, and a deep scar running down one side of his face rasped, his voice hoarse from the weight of fear.

Lilith inhaled deeply, her expression blank, as if burying whatever inferno roaring beneath her skin.

"Do you all still remember why this group was created?" she asked, her voice steady yet chilling like ice cracking beneath one’s feet.

The Demons directly flinched at the question. It was a strange thing to ask... almost absurd. But they didn’t dare hesitate.

"We would never forget, Mistress," they answered in unison, their voices trembling with fervor.

"To bide our time and to strengthen ourselves until the day we destroy the tyrant town leader!"

Their eyes burned, their fingers twitching as if longing to wrap around their enemy’s throat.

Feeling their emotion, Lilith nodded her head slowly and deliberately.

"The time has come," she announced.

Although the words were spoken softly, they instantly rang like war drums in the stillness.

The demons froze for a moment before their chests heaved, their claws twitched, and their pupils dilated like wild beasts catching the scent of blood.

"Mis—mistress..." Embergnats, a sharp and angular-faced Demon rasped, his voice almost inaudible. "Are... are you saying... it’s finally time to fight the evil leader?"

The others’ breaths immediately caught, their hearts pounding so violently it felt like they might burst from their chests.

Lilith didn’t respond right away. Instead, she first cast a glance behind her, seeming to seek Xylen’s validation — a last, fragile hope that he’d change his mind.

But Xylen simply nodded his head underneath the robe.

Lilith released a small sigh at this and turned back to the Demons, her expression hardening like iron.

"Yes," she announced and for a second, the Demons’ mouth opened.

Then...

"Yeh!!"

The room exploded.

The Demons bit down their screams of joy, their bodies shaking with barely contained euphoria. They stomped, fists clenched, tails whipping violently against the walls as they celebrated as quietly as their frenzied excitement would allow.

It was like they had been waiting for this moment their entire existence — a dam of rage and longing finally rupturing.

"Mistress, what changed?!"

"Mistress, we’ve been begging to attack him for years!"

"Why now, though?!"

The questions tumbled out one after the other, their voices urgent, their hunger for vengeance palpable.

Lilith, however, stood unmoving, her face an unreadable mask.

She waited calmly — waited until every question had been hurled until their restless energy finally burned down just enough.

And then:

"I will answer all your questions," she said.

Immediately at her words, the demons fixed their glowing eyes on her, waiting in silence. But then without any forewarning, Lilith suddenly inclined her head, bowing toward it.

Not to them.

But to the black-robed figure behind her.

"My Lord," she said, her voice reverent, "the stage is yours."

Time seemed to halt.

The demons’ excitement quickly turned to confusion. Then their jaws went slack, their eyes wide as they struggled to process what they had just seen.

"M-My Lord...? Again?" one of them whispered, his voice cracking like brittle glass.

Just then, Lilith shifted respectfully to the side and Xylen finally stepped forward.

He ignored the eight’s gawking, his eyes narrowing as he glanced at Lilith.

"You said there was an organization," he muttered. "Is this all of them?"

Lilith instantly blinked, momentarily stunned. Then, realization dawned on her, and her lips curved into a small, almost amused smile.

"No, my Lord," she replied softly. "These eight are just the leaders."

’Oh...’ Xylen was stunned. But before he could react:

"We still have tens of members scattered across the village," Lilith added.

Relief flooded through him.

Although securing allies was just a bonus—something he hadn’t even considered until time became his enemy, he knew that the more he gathered, the better.

Moreover, the mission never stated he had to complete the quest alone, so right now, all that mattered was getting as much help as possible.

Suppressing his relief and masking the emotion with a curt nod, Xylen finally turned, his gaze sweeping over the eight Demons, who had finally stilled, their eyes also locked on him — their confusion, their suspicion, and their mistrust plain as day.

None of it mattered, because...

Royal Scan

Xylen activated the ability in his mind, his vision sharpening in the next second as he locked onto the first Demon like a predator sizing up its prey.