My Ultimate OP System: Summoning All Dragons, Gods, Heroes & Villains

Chapter 375: The Ultimatum

Much later that night...

After returning from the hot springs, Ethan and Hayley had hurried back together, only to find Prince Rayleigh and the others gathered in the living room.

Since hearing there had been trouble, Hayley hadn’t felt comfortable returning home on her own. Instead, she had followed Ethan back to the residence to hear what had happened.

Eventually, Rayleigh finished recounting everything that had transpired at Gritnia’s border.

"...That’s everything," he said. "But what I found strange is that they never attempted to attack. They simply passed over us before disappearing. They’re coming for her." He gestured toward Ishtar.

At one corner of the living room, Ishtar sat with both her hands and body trembling. Her head remained lowered, as though she were afraid to look at anyone. The thought of a Family Leader coming all the way for her was mind-numbing.

Francesca, who stood behind her, noticed this and gently placed a hand on the girl’s shoulder before saying in a kind tone, "Come upstairs with me. You don’t have to listen to all of this."

Ishtar slowly shook her head. "No... I... I want to know," she said in a low, broken tone.

Francesca looked at her for a few moments before giving a nod.

Ethan watched the rest of the room from where he stood in another corner, both arms folded. "Just how strong are these people? And have any of them been tracked down?"

Rayleigh shook his head. "As for tracking them, no. They just vanished completely."

He paused briefly before continuing. "As for their strength..."

His expression became noticeably more serious.

"Every Demon Lord has a right hand, and every one of those right hands is, at minimum, a Grade Eight demon. They never appoint anyone beneath that level."

"As for the Demon Lords themselves, they range anywhere between Grades Nine and Ten."

"Hmm..." Ethan muttered. "Grades? That’s how they’re ranked?"

The unfamiliar term immediately caught his attention.

Rayleigh nodded.

"Yes. Demons are classified by Grades. Like I told you before, their growth depends on the amount of life force they absorb throughout their existence. The more they consume, the stronger they become and evolve."

He paused before adding,

"But they also have their own limits, although those limits are much higher than those of ordinary demons. That’s precisely why most Demon Lords come from noble bloodlines. They’re the ones capable of climbing to the highest Grades."

"I see," Ethan nodded in understanding.

"Yeah," Rayleigh said before continuing. "In terms of strength, the right hand of every Demon Lord is considered comparable to one Grand Class."

"And if you ever intend to fight a Demon Lord head-on, you’d realistically need the strength of at least three Grand Classes working together just to face one... or a Grand Class ranked Extraordinary."

There was a brief silence in the room as everyone wore varying degrees of surprise after hearing the comparison.

Isabella, who was seated beside Rayleigh, then said, "Even if everything you’ve said is true and it really takes three Grand Classes to defeat a Demon Lord, he’s still outnumbered. He entered a country like Gritnia with only his right hand or assistant, or whatever she is."

Hayley, who was seated on one of the dining chairs, added, "Yeah, that’s true. When you put it that way, it sounds dumb for just the two of them to be here."

Ethan slowly shook his head.

"And that’s exactly what worries me. The fact that he came here with only his right hand... is the problem."

Everyone turned to look at him.

"I refuse to believe someone of their status would be foolish enough to walk into another nation’s territory without fully understanding the disadvantage he’d be putting himself in."

"They know exactly how powerful this country is and probably know that we have members of the Grand Class. So if this Demon Lord still chose to come here with nothing more than his right hand, then he’s almost certainly convinced that whatever he’s here to accomplish can still be done."

"Perhaps he possesses some unfair advantage that we are yet to see."

***

——

At the same time, at the palace...

"Are you trying to tell me that a demon of that caliber entered my kingdom, and not one of you can tell me where he is?!"

King Carson’s furious voice thundered through the audience hall as several of his high-ranking officials stood before the throne with their heads lowered. Captain Luther, who had returned to report the situation, was among them.

No one said anything. Until he yelled again, "Answer me!"

"My apologies, Your Majesty," General Iroh said. "We’ve exhausted every available tracking method and location spell. There isn’t a lingering trace of his mana."

He hesitated before adding, "Even Norman, who has been flying throughout the city, has had no luck finding them either."

The King’s face twisted with rage. "I’m highly disappointed!"

All the while, Beilong had been standing quietly beside the throne.

Then, suddenly, her golden eyes ignited.

At that very moment, the figure of Lord Krygon appeared a few meters before the assembled audience.

Everyone reacted in shock.

Meanwhile Beilong released a deafening roar as her body expanded at an astonishing rate.

In less than a second, she transformed into her true dragon form, her enormous body stretching across the throne room as overwhelming draconic pressure exploded outward.

Without warning, she opened her jaws and released a concentrated torrent of flames toward the Demon Lord. The orange inferno swallowed Lord Krygon’s figure whole, and the explosion shook the entire palace.

The ground cracked and scorched, while several windows shattered from the sheer pressure.

For several long seconds, the compressed flames continued pouring into that same point before Beilong finally stopped.

Smoke drifted through the throne room as every pair of eyes remained fixed on the place where the Demon Lord had been standing.

Then it gradually cleared, only to reveal Lord Krygon still standing at that very spot, completely unharmed. Not a single thread of his robe had been scorched, and that realization sent a chill through everyone present as their eyes widened in disbelief.

Lord Krygon calmly looked around the throne room before speaking in an indifferent tone. "Astral Projection."

In essence, this was merely a projection of Krygon’s consciousness. He wasn’t actually here, even though his astral body carried an overwhelmingly strong presence.

Unless an attack possessed a peculiar property capable of harming spiritual manifestations, any attempt to damage that astral body would be futile.

"You dare step into my palace?" Carson’s voice thundered at the projection before him.

Captain Luther felt his body tense involuntarily. Even knowing this was only an astral projection, the pressure emanating from Lord Krygon made every instinct within him relive the shock from earlier.

Lord Krygon’s gaze remained indifferent as he addressed the King in a calm tone. "You should be grateful. Despite your soldiers attacking me, I chose not to kill them."

The words caused them to clench their fists, but no one interrupted.

Lord Krygon continued. "I’m not here to exchange words. I only came for one purpose... one person, to be precise... Ishtar."

"I am fully aware that you know of this girl. For the safety of your kingdom, I advise you to surrender her to me. You have until noon tomorrow."

King Carson’s face darkened. "You show yourself as nothing more than a false image and try to make demands of me inside my own kingdom?"

Lord Krygon’s expression never changed. Instead, he raised his hand and revealed a projection of the dark purple crystal.

"Several hundreds of your citizens already carry Beelstones within their bodies."

Carson’s eyes widened slightly at the sight of the crystal and at his declaration as Lord Krygon continued speaking.

"With a snap of my fingers, the demons sleeping inside those stones will awaken and possess every one of those hosts."

A heavy silence settled over the throne room.

Then Lord Krygon looked directly into the King’s eyes. "I will return tomorrow, and if Ishtar has not been surrendered to me by noon, I shall awaken every demon hidden within your people."

"And your own citizens will become the instruments that bring your kingdom to ruin."

The moment those words left Lord Krygon’s mouth, his projection simply vanished.