The next moment, the silence of the room was shattered.
"AUGHHHH!!!!"
He screamed in pain, clenching his head so hard his knuckles turned white. His face went pale, a cold sweat breaking out across his brow as his mind felt like it was being split open by a hot iron.
His wife beside him was shocked, her face turning even paler than her husband's.
"Are you ok, Husband?!! What is wrong?! Please, please don't leave us??" she pleaded, her voice cracking as fresh tears rolled down her cheeks.
He simply sat there, his body numbed from the sheer volume of data, as countless memories flashed through his eyes—images of a golden villa on Earth clashing with visions of obsidian towers and blood-soaked battlefields.
As the seconds ticked by, the red-haired wife grew even more anxious. "What should I do?"
Desperate, she placed her palm on his hand, her body glowing with a soft, crimson light. She began sending her Life Force into his body, a taxing process meant to stabilize his flickering soul and ease his agony.
'His emotions... they're all over the place. He is feeling pain, anger, confusion, and disbelief… What is happening here?' she thought, her own strength waning as she funneled her energy into him.
'I understand... he must be feeling bad about what happened to our people and kingdom. I understand his feelings.'
She gritted her teeth and increased her output, sending a surge of Life Force into his cooling skin.
After one agonizing minute, the static in his mind cleared, and a cold, mechanical voice resonated in his skull:
{Memories successfully merged.}
{Guide fully activated.}
{Activating Rewards:}
{Host has been rewarded with the Ancient Demon Emperor Bloodline.}
{Host has been rewarded with Demonic Transformation (LOCKED).}
{Host has been rewarded with the legendary Dark Primordial Flames.}
{Host has been rewarded with 1,000 Villain Crystals.}
{Note: Host's power, body, and life force have declined significantly after the World War.}
{Host's body system is low; hence, Host won't be able to use Demonic Transformation.}
{Congratulations, Ancient Demon Emperor Bloodline activated.}
{Congratulations, Host's blood has been altered by the Ancient Demon Emperor Bloodline.}
The screen flickered red, flashing a notification that chilled even the former Evil Emperor's heart.
{Host's powers, life force, and body are low; hence, Host will be given a Quest to strengthen himself.}
{Quest: Eat the Heart of 20 Soul Formation Realm or above.}
{Failure to complete quest will reduce Host's realm.}
{Host is currently in the high stage of the Soul Formation Realm.}
"Huh?" He was stunned. The brutality of the system matched his own nature perfectly.
{Good Luck, Host…}
{I am here to help guide you in your journey to power.}
He blinked, staring at the floating notifications. The quest was quite absurd, but he wasn't disgusted. If anything, a dark spark of curiosity flickered in his chest. He actually wanted to try it.
"Husband?"
'Oh! I forgot I am not only.' he muttered to himself. He turned around to face the beautiful wife who had been depleting her own life to save him.
"I am ok. Can you get me a glass of water?"
"Glass of water?" She was confused by the mundane request, but she nodded quickly, stood up, and rushed out of the room, her red hair swaying behind her.
"Such a beautiful woman. On Earth, she would be a breathtakingly beautiful milf. But still… it's still unbelievable." He sat up, placing his feet on the cold wooden ground and scanning the room with new eyes.
"With the memories, I finally got the full picture of what happened to this body." He slowly stood up, stretching his arms over his head, feeling the new bloodline thrumming weakly in his veins.
'The previous owner of this body is known as Darren. Funny how we have the same name. And same personality. We are both ruthless creatures… There is only one difference: I am a human, he is a demon. The Demon Lord; ruler of the demons race.'
He sighed, rubbing his head as the political map of this world, Amavera, unfolded in his mind.
'He held great powers—so much power he could have easily taken over the whole world. Amavera has five races: Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Beastmen, and lastly, Demons. Even with the Demon Lord's great power, he chose to live in peace and avoid war.'
He walked toward the mirror, his handsome face clouding with rage as he realized the depth of the betrayal.
'But still… the Humans take the demons as their nemesis. With a little manipulation, the other races turned against the Demons and joined in one alliance. Then came the war.'
He stared at his reflection. He had short, inky black hair and piercing red eyes. His skin was so smooth Darren himself was speechless.
'Well, I gained something good in return,' he said, rubbing his cheeks.
'Truthfully, I feel nothing towards the previous owner. He was too stupid. Due to his spineless nature, his people and wives suffered… Oh yeah, wives.'
A dark smile appeared on his face. The previous Demon Lord had only married the best of the best, in both strength and beauty.
'The red-haired beauty I sent for water is Liliana, the first wife. The second is Aria, then Hazel, Lena, and Anna.' He exhaled, the memory turning bittersweet.
'Even though he married them, he didn't touch any… They were still virgins, and these women love him to the core—'
Darren froze. A jagged, painful memory struck his head, causing him to grimace. His eyes widened in shock as the final moments of the war played out.
"The War… Why are those seven beings created so strong? They not only weakened the Demon Lord but also the demons. In this war, three of his wives were killed in battle."
His breath hitched as he saw the vision of a battlefield swallowed in light.
"When the leader of these seven protectors planned to kill him, his second wife, Aria, risked her life by taking the attack head-on, ending up seriously injured… If it hadn't been for Liliana, who teleported them away… My Goodness! What have I gotten myself into?!"