Ring, ring.
"Hello," Zenrei Tanaka answered.
"Am I speaking with Zenrei Tanaka?" a male police officer asked on the phone.
"Yes, you are," Zenrei replied.
"There was a car accident, and we identified the victims as Mr. and Mrs. Tanaka. I'm deeply sorry to inform you that both of them have passed on. I'm very sorry for your loss," the officer said in an empathetic manner.
They were supposed to celebrate New Year together. If only Zenrei had turned down their offer to pick him up from college, they would still be alive.
Four years passed.
Zenrei graduated from college after working multiple part-time jobs to pay his tuition and settle his bills. He pushed all his friends away, becoming a loner. Even after all those years, he never recovered from the death of his parents.
Eventually, he jumped off the roof of a building and ended his own life. He had grown tired of the sorrow, the pain, and the unending despair.
"Honey, Tenmaru is so cute, isn't he? Though he takes after me," a woman with white hair and golden eyes said in a delighted tone. She wore a gold-and-white dress.
"Hahaha, you are certainly right, Lylia. He is going to make a great king one day," a man with black hair and green eyes said calmly, dressed in red-and-black royal attire.
What is going on? I thought I died. Who are these people? Zenrei wondered.
It turned out that he had been reborn as the child of the Demon Lord, Kasmel, and his wife, Lylia.
When he turned two, he was taken to the Grand Sage of the Demon Kingdom to have his skills and abilities appraised. After multiple attempts, it was confirmed that he possessed two common skills: Navigation and Wood Slicing. As for an innate ability—he had none.
No one needed to tell him that those skills were useless. He knew the moment he heard their names. He was the son of the strongest demon and the former commander of the angelic legion—how could he be so weak?
Still, he had a mother and father who loved and cherished him deeply. He promised himself that he would try his very best to be useful.
At the age of five, Tenmaru learned that there were eight main kingdoms in this world, including the Demon Kingdom. The Demon Kingdom had been at war with the other seven kingdoms for the past six years.
This world was filled with an energy known as mana, the primary source of an individual's strength. Tenmaru's mana level was only ten, but his mana output was 400 percent.
When he turned seven, his parents introduced him to his tutor and trainer—Aspen, the commander of the Demon Lord's army.
Over the years, Aspen taught him about the world, along with numerous offensive and defensive spells, sword techniques, and stances. He was truly worthy of his title: The All-Rounded Master General.
Even though Tenmaru showed no visible improvement, Aspen continued to believe in him, even when Tenmaru did not believe in himself.
As time passed, the Demon Kingdom continued to lose territory. The number of warriors declined drastically due to relentless attacks from the Zonac Alliance—a temporary coalition formed by elves, vampires, dwarves, humans, angels, dragonoids, and elves to destroy the Demon Kingdom.
Eventually, the demons were reduced to a single territory: the demon capital, Harken.
The Grand Sage, Volic, deployed a powerful protective barrier and cloaking spell to conceal and defend Harken from the Zonac Alliance.
"Tenmaru, I know your birthday is in three days, and I promise I'll be back before you know it," Lylia said in a shaken tone.
"Papa is the strongest demon there is. Don't worry—I'm going to wipe the floor with those bastards," Kasmel said confidently.
"We love you, Tenmaru," they said together as they embraced him.
On his sixteenth birthday, Tenmaru opened his drawer and found a letter from his parents.
"This is our birthday present to you—the sacred treasure of the Demon Kingdom, the Onyx Gem. It hasn't been active since the era of the First Demon Lord, Bal, but we hope it will grant you strength in your moment of despair."
"My lord, you must leave Harken immediately. The Zonac Alliance is on its way," Aspen said urgently.
"How is that possible? What about my mom and dad?" Tenmaru asked.
"The king and queen were killed and hung like trophies on the battlefield. Volic and I will hold them off while you escape," Aspen said as tears rolled down his eyes.
In that moment, Tenmaru was overcome by an emotion he knew all too well from his previous life—despair.
Just as he thought everything was over, the Onyx Gem began to glow blue instead of its usual transparent form.
"Demon scum, surrender yourselves as slaves, and we might consider keeping you alive," a human commander in armor shouted.
"Tenmaru, you must escape now," Aspen urged as he tried to drag him away.
"Only cowards run, and I am no coward. I am the new ruler of Harken, and I will not abandon my home, my people, or my kingdom. Let's show those bastards the true terror of demonic determination," Tenmaru declared, breaking free from Aspen's grasp.
"But you have no army. The remaining demons are demoralized and badly wounded," Aspen said.
"Then I will go alone," Tenmaru replied, turning toward the battlefield.
"And I will follow you to the very end," Aspen said, stepping beside him.
"Have you finally chosen to surrender?" the human commander asked mockingly.
"We surrender to no one."
"Light those bastards up, Emile," the knight commander ordered as he turned away.
"Supreme Skill activate: Lightning Calamity," an elven mage shouted, unleashing her power against the barrier.
"It seems you are in quite a pickle," the Onyx Gem said as it took physical form—a teenage girl with purple hair and yellow eyes, wearing a simple nightgown. "Nexus Barrier."
"Why isn't that barrier broken?" the knight commander demanded.
"They must have somehow nullified my skill," Emile answered.
"I am Misha. Would you like to form a contract with me, Tenmaru?" she asked, extending her hand.
"Yes, I do," Tenmaru replied.