Chapter 189:

The throne room of the vampire palace was cold.

Not in temperature, but in spirit.

Dim blue fire hovered in antique sconces, casting eerie shadows across the blood-colored marble floor. The walls were adorned with faded banners from a time when nobility still meant something. Now, the only thing that mattered here was power—and keeping it.

Valecar sat on the obsidian throne, one leg crossed over the other, fingers resting lightly on the armrest as he stared ahead in silence. The tall figure of a vampire general stood near the base of the steps, head bowed, waiting to be dismissed. But Valecar wasn’t listening anymore.

His mind was elsewhere.

He’d felt the pressure shift.

Something... had cracked.

He didn’t need anyone to tell him it was Lucifer’s doing.

But not the one he knew.

The one they’d been introduced to days ago had been quiet. Calculated. Polite, even. A man that spoke only when necessary and never gave away more than he intended. That man was in Valena’s charge. Valena, the newly promoted noble who had convinced them to let this group in. Valena who said they were harmless. That the world outside was in chaos, and this Lucifer had brought them here to protect them.

A calm protector. A guest. That’s what they were told.

But the report that had just reached him said otherwise.



He sat up straighter.

"Say that again," he muttered.

The scout—a lean, pale soldier with cracked armor—nodded quickly, still panting. "Sir. The southern gate. Twenty-three guards dead. Minimal spell signatures. No army. One man. Black coat. Horns. Wings. Pale skin. Red eyes."

Valecar’s eyes narrowed.

"And?"

"The commander... he lived. Barely. Said the man didn’t use magic. Didn’t say anything. He just... killed them all."

The king rubbed the side of his jaw.

"Lucifer?"

"That’s the name they kept shouting before they died. And there was a woman with him. Human. Dark-haired."

Valecar stood.

"Valena."

The name left his mouth like a curse. He turned toward the glowing sigil embedded in the wall behind his throne and activated it with a wave of his hand. The circular rune spun once, pulsed, then connected.

The image that appeared wasn’t the usual polished glamour of a noble in control.

It was Valena, clearly shaken, sitting in her home with a man beside her.

A man with black hair.

Black.

Not white.

"Valena," Valecar said, his tone flat. "Where is Lucifer?"

She blinked. "He’s right—"

"I said Lucifer," he cut her off. "The one who just killed a quarter of my southern regiment and is now walking through the city with a human girl."

Valena went quiet.

Behind her, the clone looked up from his seat and narrowed his eyes slightly.

White hair.

That was the difference.

White.

Valecar clenched his fists.

"You said they were in your care. That this man brought them. That he protected them."

"He did," Valena replied, slower now. "He appeared in the outer realm with the others and asked for safe passage. I verified his aura. He was calm. Composed."

"Was his hair white?"

She blinked again. "No. Black."

Valecar’s voice was quieter now.

"Then you’ve never met Lucifer."

Valena stared at the screen, her expression hollowing.

Behind her, the black-haired clone tilted his head slightly, lips curling up just a bit.

Valecar killed the connection.

He didn’t even bother with the usual dismissal gesture. The rune shattered into motes of light.

He turned to his guard commander.

"Put the palace on lockdown," he said coldly. "No one in. No one out."

The general hesitated. "What about Valena?"

"She made her bed."

The doors to the throne room opened wide with a groan.

All heads turned.

Lucifer walked in.

The real one.



White hair flowing down in slightly tangled strands. His coat half-drenched in blood, boots leaving wet prints on the marble. Luna walked beside him, silent, gaze sharp.

Lucifer’s eyes didn’t wander. He locked eyes with Valecar instantly, and for a moment, the throne room felt too small for both of them.

The soldiers didn’t move.

Neither did the nobles seated on the sides.

They knew what this man had just done.

Valecar stepped down from his throne.

The two men stopped five paces apart.

"You’re Lucifer," Valecar said, not as a question.

Lucifer nodded once. "Yeah."

Valecar glanced down at the blood drying across his sleeves.

"You killed twenty-three of my soldiers."

"They tried to stop me."

"They had orders to."

Lucifer didn’t blink. "They weren’t strong enough."

Valecar didn’t argue. He just nodded slowly, then turned his gaze to Luna. "You his?"

"She’s with me," Lucifer answered before she could speak.

"And the others?"

"Still safe. I sent someone to get them."

Valecar’s jaw clenched for a brief moment. "Do you know what you just did?"

Lucifer took one step closer. The guards tensed. None of them moved.

"I’m not here to play politics. I came for something. That’s all."

Valecar raised an eyebrow. "And what would that be?"

Lucifer didn’t answer.

Instead, something shifted behind his eyes. Not in rage. Not even in focus.

In weight.

The room dimmed.

The flames on the wall flickered, shadows stretching longer than they should have. Not from magic. Not from spellcraft. Just... presence.

Lucifer didn’t glow. He didn’t summon an aura. He didn’t chant or raise his hand.

He just existed.

And that was enough.

The floor beneath him seemed to hum. The kind of low thrum that only monsters produced. Not loud. But deep. Ancient. Not because he was old. But because he was built different.

Made of something else.

Not entirely vampire. Not entirely demon.

Something in between. Something beyond.

His breath was steady. His spine relaxed. His hands loose by his side.

But everyone in the room felt it.

Valecar stepped back once—not in fear, but instinct.

Lucifer glanced around the throne room once, taking in the structure, the guards, the hidden archers near the pillars.

And then he looked back at the king.

"I’m not your enemy," he said. "Not unless you make me one."

Valecar held his gaze for a long second. Then two. Then three.

Finally, he nodded.

"You came to the wrong place with the right energy. I can work with that."

Lucifer didn’t smile.

He just stepped forward again.



Luna followed quietly, her gaze flicking from the walls to the guards.

Valecar gestured for his attendants to clear the room.

They moved without question.

When the doors finally closed behind them, the throne room was quiet again.

Only three remained.

Lucifer.

Valecar.

And Luna.

The war hadn’t started yet.

But something had shifted.

And they all knew—

The balance was already gone.