"L-Lady Ariel, what exactly is going on here?" A Demon Noble stammered, his nervous mood reflecting the general level of anxiety of the dozens of other Nobles gathered in the Palace's throne room. The, at this point, former Princess-Regent had asked any and all members of the Nobility that were within a few days travel from Targul to come to the Palace immediately. Most had presumed it was to report on the war effort, but upon approaching the city, the lack of an encamped army had caused confusion and alarm.

"It seems everyone has arrived, so we can begin." Ariel said as she took a seat on the small throne next to the larger one that was reserved for the Demon King. As her Father's Regent, she never dared sit on the actual throne as that would have numerous political complications, and thus used an alternative one that was much less flashy. "Let's get things started, shall we?" She said as the other present and alive Elector-Kings sat at a long table off to the side of the thrones. "Listen up! I have several announcements to make!"

"What became of the army sent southward?!?" Another Noble yelled, interrupting her. "Where is the Royal Army and the Armies of the other Kings?!?"

“They-” Ariel tried to answer but was interrupted yet again by another anxious Noble.

"We've heard nothing from those who went with you! Where is Count Galish? Marquis Dividel?" A Noblewoman joined in, questioning where high-ranking and esteemed military commanders of the joint force were and why they were not here to answer their questions. "They should be here as well!" Her words caused other Nobles to begin grumbling and making comments, which caused Ariel no shortage of agitation.

{You all are quite rowdy for a bunch that had every excuse in the book not to join the Army and march with us despite being quick to praise the operation at its inception. Now that something may have gone wrong, you began to hiss and whine like the cowards you really are. I hate people like them, and our Nobility has been filled with such rot for far too long for my taste.} (Ariel)

"Sile-" Ariel was about to quiet the rowdy Nobles down when she was interrupted by a certain Vampire who threw open the throne room doors with a great gusto and a swagger in her step.

"Demonkind is truly a pathetic bunch if you lot are what pass as Nobles these days." Silfana said as she entered the throne room and walked up the red carpet that divided the room in two. "No wonder your nation was brought to its knees if this is who you've been led by." She smirked as the Nobles became quiet, confused as to who she was and why she'd barged in on the meeting.

"A Human?" One of the Nobles said as she walked by.

"Why is a Human in the throne room? And how dare she insult us?!?" A Noblewoman yelled out and was soon joined by the others who began to shout insults and racial slurs at the Vampire they presumed was Human.

"Even in this world, it seems your kind only knows how to buzz like flies." Silfana said as she ignored their jeers as she walked up to the Demon King's throne and took a seat, an action which sent the entire room into a frenzy. "But don't worry, we'll be changing that." She smiled as she crossed her legs and leaned on one of the armrests in a dramatic pose.

"How dare a Human touch the Demon throne!" A group of Nobles yelled, seemingly ready to rush Silfana.

"Lady Ariel! I demand an explanation!" (Noble A)

"That woman should be killed immediately for disrespecting the throne!" (Noble B)

{She really wanted to rile them up, didn't she...} (Ariel)

"BE QUIET!" Silfana yelled, using magic to amplify her voice to cause immense pain to everyone else in the room and make their ears ring.

"Owwwww... Maybe a little warning next time..." Ariel hissed as her brain seemed to buzz from the pain.

"It's not my fault you're weak enough to be damaged by something so mundane." Silfana replied off-handedly as the Nobles collected themselves. "Now then, you all are going to keep your mouths shut until I say otherwise. My patience for worms like you is minimal at best, so I'd advise against testing it."

"How dare a Human order a Demon-" A Noblewoman tried to raise her voice in protest, only to find a blade running her through from the back. "Ack!" She coughed up blood before falling to the floor, dead, and causing other Nobles to panic.

"Let that be a warning to the rest of you." Silfana glared at the others, who quickly clammed up. "I will not tolerate insubordination. I speak and you listen, that's how this works. Understood?" She asked and received no answer which was exactly what she wanted. "Good, now allow me to formally introduce myself. My name is Silfana Tildeshide, and I am the new Demon King."

"What?!?" A Noble yelped in surprise, only to find himself cut down in the same way the Noblewoman was.

{What part of shut up do you not understand?!?} (Ariel)

"Your pathetic Demon Army was crushed at the Battle of the Simoea plains. Well, calling it a battle is probably giving your troops too much credit. Most were slaughtered without putting up a fight." Silfana smirked, briefly flashing her fangs which clued the Nobles in to the fact that she was a Vampire not a Human. "But that's fine, we don't need weaklings in my new Empire anyway. I'll make certain we purge such bloodlines from your ranks post haste." She said, her words causing every Demon in the room to shiver in fear. "With your forces utterly defeated I forced your so-called Demon Kings to accept my ascension to your throne. Henceforth the Demon Kingdom be ruled by me and will serve as the first step in my conquest of the continent and fulfillment of my birthright. Rejoice, Demons! You have been blessed by the Demon Lord with a ruler capable of leading you into a bright new age. She has graciously given me the task of pulling your people out of the backwards civilization you call a Kingdom. All you need to do is accept me as your ruler and do as I say and I promise you a future you can look forward to." She smiled warmly, though Ariel knew it was anything but. "You may speak now."

"L-Lady Ariel... What is going on? Is what she said true?" A Noblemen asked nervously. "Has the Army been vanquished? Has the Demon Lord won?"

"I witnessed the destruction of our forces firsthand." Ariel answered in pained resignation. "The only reason we were not sent to join them on the other side is because the Demon Lord found value in our continued existence, but yes it's true. The Demon Kingdom has fallen and per the terms of our agreement with Demon Lord Akagi... Silfana is to ascend to the Demon throne and we are to join the Demon Kingdom as a vassal state." Her words sent shock waves through the Nobility, with most trembling in fear as they imagined what was going to happen to them and their people.

"B-But what about our fealty toward the Gods?" Another Noblemen asked, concerned that this would drag them into a war with the Pantheon. "We've worked hard to separate ourselves from the sins of our ancestors. We can't just turn our back on the sacrifices our people have made over these last few centuries!"

"You're Gods hate you." Silfana said matter of factly. "Frankly they wish you never existed in the first place. All your hard work to earn their and the greater world's approval was pointless." She said though it was clear that none of the Nobles believed her. "However, none of that even matters anyway. Demon Lord Akagi is going to destroy the Gods, so there is no reason to care about what they think about you anymore. It won't be long now until this world is purged of their pathetic Pantheon of liars and the world will be better for it."

{They've done nothing but keep the population of this world subservient and ill-developed. I have no love for Gods in the first place, but their purpose should be to guide a world into a better future not crush its people to keep them ignorant in order to preserve their power and status.} (Silfana)

"This... This is madness..." A Noble said. “This can't be-”

"It's the truth." Ariel replied harshly. "The Gods were never our friends... Our people were lied to and deceived. A fact confirmed to me by Lady Elariel herself." She shook her head. Ariel was never a truly devout worshiper of the Gods but she'd been raised to respect them, and much like every other member of the Demon race it was expected that she would do everything in her power to prove to them that her people were worthy of their acceptance.

"Such a claim..." The Noble paused, still not wanting to believe it.

"None of that really matters right now anyway." Silfana said before clapping her hands to get everyone back on topic. "When I call your names, step forward." She said before listing off ten different Nobles, all of who which stepped forward, albeit with a heavy dose of reluctance.

"Good, I've heard from Ariel that you lot are some of the more useful Nobles in the area." Silfana said. "From what she told me you actually take your job of governing earnestly and your records are clean of any major corruption." She said as magic circles appeared through the room and shot blades into the rest of the Nobles, killing them all and shocking the ten that were called forward. "I'd encourage you to keep that up, lest you join your former colleagues on the floor." She smirked, flashing her fangs as her eyes seemed to glow.