Reborn as a Demonic Tree

Chapter 626: Expansion Plans

”Are you a demon?” Stella asked flatly.

”That I am, Your Highness,” the demon tailor said respectfully. ”Does my presence displease you?”

”Not... particularly. I just didnʼt know there were intelligent demons on the Ninth Layer of Creation.”

”There are a few other intelligent humanoid races besides humans on the Ninth Layer, though they are incredibly rare and often hunted down,” Diana explained. ”Demons especially, as they grow in strength by eating others.”

Stella tilted her head. ”Then why is there a demon operating openly in the noble district, and how did I never hear about it?”

”Thatʼs because Darkfiend & Sons wasnʼt being run by a demon until recently.” Diana stepped closer to the tailor and put a clawed hand on his shoulder. ”Wilfred here ran this bespoke tailor for thirty years despite daily insults and threats from egocentric nobles. He wasnʼt always a demon, but the nobles turned him into one.”

”Really?”

”Well, no... not literally,” Diana chuckled. ”Iʼm the one who actually turned him into a demon.”

”Why did you do that?” Stella asked, more curious than concerned.

Diana grinned widely, showing her fangs. ”Because I could smell his plump heart demon from a mile away and needed a tailor who could survive working on demonic Qi-infused garments,” she said while slowly clasping her fingers around the back of his neck. ”As a bound demon to me, I can also use Wilfred as a clone.”

She tightened her grip, and the tailor obediently opened his mouth. Demonic mist poured out and condensed around his face until it solidified into an imitation of Dianaʼs face.

”To expand my network of clones and influence across the Ashfallen Empire, Iʼve begun slowly turning rotten people into demons,” Diana explained simultaneously through both mouths. Diana then peeled the demonic mist away from Wilfredʼs face, and the tailor almost collapsed as he retched.

Stella stepped back in concern.

”Did Wilfred want to be turned into a demon?”

Diana swallowed the demonic mist and smiled like the demoness she was. ”No. But Wilfred had allowed his heart demon to grow too powerful—it was practically knocking on the inside of his teeth to be let out and would have devoured him at the next opportunity. Really, itʼs debatable if any of the original Wilfred was left. Years of abuse had reduced him to a shell of a man driven by nothing but hatred and disdain for his clients.”

Stella slowly nodded. ”So you can control him?”

”Of course. Archdemons can control all lesser demons, heart demons included. Wilfred is an even more special case as the Qi he uses is mine, so heʼs practically an extension of me.”

”So thatʼs why he felt so powerful, but what is he going to eat?” Stella asked. ”Because there are no spirit beasts around here, only humans, and if youʼre going around and turning many people into demons, thereʼs going to be problems if people start getting eaten under the All-Seeing Eyeʼs watch.”

Diana shook her head dismissively. ”Thatʼs why I bought the restaurant and will buy a few more. They will continue to serve their usual clientele, but Iʼll ensure they stock demonic Qi-filled meat like the imp heads I ate. My demons will eat there in private rooms away from prying eyes, donʼt worry. Iʼve also informed the team captains in the Ashbound Order about my demons, so there will be no problems on that front.”

Stella looked between Diana and Wilfred and shrugged. ”Alright. Seems youʼve put thought into this, not that Iʼd have stopped you anyway.”

”I know, and I understand. You just want to avoid a headache for Ashlock.” Diana stepped back and revealed the void-black long coat draped onto a mannequin that had been behind her wing. ”With that out of the way, Wilfred, can you introduce your work to Stella?”

”It would be my pleasure. Please, Princess, try it on.”

Stella glanced between the two smiling demons and wondered what she had gotten herself into.

”Alright,” she opened her arms and allowed Wilfred to dress her.

Unlike the tattered robe she liked to wear, the long coat was heavy. As she threaded her arm through the sleeve, she noted the masterful silver threading and tasteful red maple leaf cuffs.

Wilfred stepped back and nodded in satisfaction. ”A perfect fit.”

Stella twirled, the coat barely lifting. It was almost like wearing armor, just more comfortable.

”I thought you were going to commission me a skin-tight dress,” Stella admitted. ”Iʼm rather surprised by this choice.”

Diana snorted. ”As much as Iʼd love for you to wear such a dress, I know no amount of convincing would get you to wear something like that—besides, itʼs not your style.”

Stella raised a brow. ”And this is?”

”Sure. Itʼs practical, suitable for many occasions, and most importantly, itʼs badass.”

”How is this practical?” Stella scoffed.

Wilfred was the one to answer. ”If the Princess could inspect the inside...”

As requested, Stella opened the coat and noticed the inner layer was raven feathers. ”Diana, are these...”

”Donʼt worry,” Diana chuckled. ”They grow back.”

”As youʼve noticed, Princess, your coat is lined with three layers of feathers plucked from an Archdemon,” Wilfred explained. ”They make this coat more robust than any runic metal at a fraction of the weight. Meanwhile, the outer layer is made from spirit-beast silk treated with Grand Elder Dianaʼs demonic mist to make it self-repairing and absorb surrounding light.”

Stella was speechless. She had expected a joke, or something vulgar. Not a coat with so much love and thought put into it.

Diana placed a hand on Stellaʼs shoulder, making her look up to meet the Archdemonʼs gaze.

”I wonʼt always be there to protect you, but my hope is this coat can in my absence,” Diana smiled as warmly as an Archdemon could. ”I was worried to death when you were captured by the Crowned One, Stella. Iʼm just glad youʼre okay—”

Stella pulled her into a tight hug.

”Thank you for this,” Stella said, her voice muffled. ”I love it.”

Diana patted her head. ”Iʼm glad.”

They pulled apart after a long moment, and Stella awkwardly put her hands in the coatʼs sizable pockets. ”So, what are we doing next?”

***

The ”date” lasted well into the evening. As the scattered light beams turned a golden orange, the pair enjoyed drinks at a hidden bar run by another of Dianaʼs demons. The number she had scattered through the city was only slightly concerning.

Though Stella found it quite nice to have servants who didnʼt tremble or sweat in her presence and were simply there to do their job. Not that she blamed anyone for such a reaction, mind you. Diana could be rather scary-looking, and Stella was well aware of her terrible reputation for violence.

”This was fun,” Diana said, setting down her empty glass and peering out the window at the fading light. ”It reminds me of old times, before the Ashfallen Sect became an Empire and it was just us two, on a bare mountain peak with Ashlock, trying to survive each day.”

Stella snorted. ”You make it sound like it was centuries ago.”

”True. It was what, a few years at most?”

”Something like that? Honestly, Iʼve long lost track of the passing of time.” Stella shrugged and set her own glass down. After ten glasses, she barely felt a buzz. ”The Eternal Realm makes it feel like itʼs been many years.”

Diana nodded in agreement. ”The Eternal Realm does mess up the timeline. Especially because time in there feels so much longer than out here. I wandered hell for so long it started to feel like a second home.”

”A second home? Interesting, I kind of feel the same about the Tessellate Citadel. I have a house there and a friend—”

”By friend, do you mean Kael?” Diana asked pointedly.

Stella slowly nodded. ”Yeah... why?”

”Just friends?” Diana leaned back in her chair with a sigh. ”A shame, I hoped something would blossom between you.”

”Mhm,” Stella thought on it for a moment. ”Heʼs not bad-looking and a nice guy? I just donʼt feel anything for him in that way. Same with everyone, to be honest.”

Stella picked up the next glass and downed it in one gulp.

”Is there something wrong with me?”

”Thereʼs something wrong with everybody, Stella,” Diana mused and tasted her next drink. ”I simply brought this topic up as I hoped it might spark something you might not have been aware of before. But it seems my hopes were misplaced.”

”What hopes?”

”For a little romance, a love story, or some drama!” Diana slumped onto the table like a sad cat. ”All we do is fight, kill, scheme, and have meetings. Iʼm bored and worked to death, Stella.”

”And me being in a relationship would save you from that boredom? What about Douglas and Elaine?”

”They are nice people, but a perfect couple is terribly boring.”

”Why wouldnʼt I be part of a perfect couple too?” Stella asked, narrowing her eyes.

Diana glanced up from her slump and snorted. ”Stella, be for real. Anyone who cares to court you is going to be an insane person, and youʼre far too... unique for the relationship to go smoothly. The drama will be juicy.”

”Rude.”

”But true,” Diana chuckled and sat up. ”Say, Stella...” She traced her finger in circles on the table. ”Do you want to have fun with me until the meeting tomorrow morning?”

”Fun?” Stella raised a brow. ”Like what we did last time?”

”Yeah.” Diana glanced up to measure her reaction. ”You down?”

Stella thought about it for a moment but eventually waved her off. ”Iʼm good. You promised this date wouldnʼt become anything more, remember?”

”I know, I know,” Diana assured her. ”Canʼt fault a girl for trying, but itʼs fine. Iʼll just have some demons accompany me tonight then.”

Stella blinked. ”Huh?”

”See you tomorrow,” Diana said, and quickly disappeared into a cloud of mist that flooded out of the ajar doorway.

Perhaps she got embarrassed for asking, Stella reasoned as she finished off the rest of the drinks on the table.

The admittedly beautiful demon waitress who had been serving them drinks all night didnʼt return to clean up or ask for payment, so Stella assumed Diana had kidnapped her and decided to see herself out while shaking her head.

Exiting into the cool night, Stella took a deep breath of the Qi-rich air. The streets were emptier in the noble district at this time, but there were a few couples outside enjoying the nightly air. None of them paid her much attention as they went about their business.

I learned a lot about Diana tonight that I didnʼt know, she mused with a smirk. Were these tendencies of hers always there? Or did they manifest since becoming an Archdemon?

Either way, Diana was a vital pillar of the Ashfallen Empire and her best friend.

What she did to let off some steam wasnʼt Stellaʼs concern.

”I should get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be annoying.”

***

The worst kind of meetings were those that couldnʼt be avoided.

It was early the next morning, and Stella was slouched in a chair around a large, round table. The table was carved from cold stone, with the All-Seeing Eye emblem etched proudly in the center.

Almost everyone else had arrived already. Douglas, Elaine, Magnus, and Morrigan were in the Eternal Realm, so their seats were empty. Otherwise, everyone else of importance to the Ashfallen Empire was here.

The Ashbound Orderʼs leaders, Amber Redclaw, Ryker Silverspire, Mr. Choi, and Evelyn Duskwalker sat together in a row. Surprisingly, Ryker looked the least nervous out of the four as he sat there with a poise that didnʼt match a five-year-old at all. Amber was shifting in her seat, her eyes darting around the room.

Beside Amber sat the Elders of the Redclaw family, Margret, Brent, and Mo. Elder Margret and Brent were reviewing documents with Kane Azurecrest, who notably avoided Stellaʼs wandering gaze, while Elder Mo hummed to himself and stared off into space.

Jasmine sat with her father and smiled when their gazes met. Zephyrine stood in the corner of the room in her human form alongside Larry, who floated as a cloud, looming over the entire room. Kaida sat without Nymeria at his side and looked visibly annoyed about it, while Mistress Veilshade and the Celestial Warden, Tiberius, looked oddly out of place in the meeting.

However, despite how busy the room was, a notable person was missing, and it wasnʼt Ashlock.

A minute after the meeting was set to start, the doors swung open, and Diana finally strode in. If being a Monarch Realm Archdemon wasnʼt attention-grabbing enough, she had two enslaved Monarchs in tow, Evaline Brynhold and Aurelian Vasthorne. They moved to draw the seat out for her, and Diana sat down with a grace that made the bashful Diana of last night seem like a dream. That was until Diana shot Stella a knowing look.

”Sorry Iʼm late, everyone,” Diana addressed the room with a fang-filled smile. ”I had a busy night.”

The doors clicked closed behind her, and defensive wards rippled to life across the roomʼs walls.

Thanatos condensed out of the ceilingʼs shadow and descended upon the center of the table. Ashʼs thick spiritual pressure settled onto the room like a blanket, and Stella could feel her motherʼs vague attention too.

It was clear that this was going to be a meeting unlike any other, and Stella wanted to be literally anywhere else.

”Thank you all for coming,” Ash began, using Thanatos as a mouthpiece. ”I know youʼre all terribly busy with the development of the Ashfallen Sect into an Empire. Our territory has increased sharply alongside the population we oversee, and the number of mortals depending on us has become unfathomable. But every one of you is a vital pillar to the Ashfallen Empire and its future—hence, you are in this meeting. The main topic of discussion will be my ascension to the Monarch Realm, and what that entails for you all and the Ashfallen Empire.”

Those who werenʼt aware that Ashlock was ready to ascend to the Monarch Realm showed surprise, mostly the Monarchs from the old Empire like Mistress Veilshade.

”My ascension wonʼt affect most of you or the populations we oversee. I will conduct my ascension above the World Treeʼs canopy, allowing the World Treeʼs canopy and my own shields to protect everyone from the wrath of the heavens. The main concern is what happens after, because my ascension will trigger the Era of Ascension, connecting our layer of creation to the next.”

Surprised murmurs rippled through the meeting room as that was a secret known only to a select few, such as Stella and Diana.

”The Era of Ascension is an inevitable and unstoppable consequence of my ascension. Cultivators from the higher layer of creation will be able to come down here and attack us, which is why... we will go to them.”

Stella sat up in her chair. This was new.

”What do you mean by that?” Diana asked what everyone was thinking.

”Just like how I lifted Red Vine Peak and the cities of the wilderness into the sky, I can lift our cities further, even into the next layer of creation. The Ashfallen Empire wonʼt settle for simply conquering the 9th layer. We will rise through the realms until we have conquered the very heavens.”

A shocked silence blanketed the room, and Stella heard Dianaʼs head hit the table with a groan. ”I understand Douglasʼs pain now,” the Archdemon lamented. ”The work just never stops piling up.”

Ignoring Diana, Ash continued. ”With this in mind, I will need everyone to work hard for us to survive the troubling times ahead. I understand we have barely established ourselves as an Empire, but our enemies wonʼt wait long. For now, the remnants of the Chairmanʼs egos are at bay and awaiting the Era of Ascension—”

”Except the Hollowed One,” Stella pointed out.

Thanatos turned to her. ”What do you mean?”

Stella wondered why Ash sounded surprised, and then realized she had failed to mention this vital fact.

”Um, I forgot to mention earlier, the Sin of Sloth told me that the Sin of Gluttony has already begun feasting and that the other remaining Sins would stay out of our way until the Era of Ascension is complete.”

”Can you hunt the Hollowed One down for me?” Ash asked.

”Certainly,” Stella smiled. It sounded far better than the tasks Diana was assigned, and she wasnʼt being scolded.

”Good. Track him down until those in the Eternal Realm have returned. The timing is tight, but I will need you to go in again, as the next layer will have cultivators in the Sovereign of Realities Realm, and we currently have nobody to match them.”

Stella blinked and pointed at herself. ”You want me to be the first to reach the Sovereign of Realities Realm?”

”You canʼt do it?”

Stella pouted. ”Of course I can.”

”Thatʼs my girl,” Ash chuckled. ”I will have other tasks that I will inform people of individually. If thereʼs nothing else anyone wishes to add, this meeting is dismissed, and my ascension will begin before noon. Nothing? Then you are free to leave.”

Nobody said a word as Ashʼs spiritual pressure lifted from the room and Thanatos vanished into the shadows. Most sat in their seats, staring ahead blankly. Even Kaida seemed to be struggling to process what he had heard as he had a serious expression for once.

We are going to the next layer? Stella couldnʼt believe it, honestly. It sounded surreal, but since it was Ash saying it, then it was possible.

Diana stood, drawing everyoneʼs gaze.

”Iʼm... going back to bed,” Diana muttered and left with her Monarchs.

Stella followed her out.

”Coming with me?” Diana asked, a little hope in her voice.

”Sadly, I canʼt,” Stella said, walking past while twirling her daggers. ”I have the Hollowed One to hunt.”