*Content Warning: This chapter contains mature themes, violence, blood, and morally dark actions. Reader discretion advised.*
The tavern master wheezed, chest rising and falling like a broken bellows. "O‑okay… I'll tell you everything. Just… let me catch my breath first. I'm talking too fast, so… please, wait."
Void watched him without sympathy. "You have ten seconds," he said, standing up. "Catch your breath. If you aren't talking by then, I'll take one of your toenails. Okay?"
The old man shuddered. "O‑okay… I understand…"
Everyone else in the tavern stayed silent. Bound, shaking, they could only clutch at their ropes and pray to distant gods that had never answered them before.
Void swept his gaze over them, then smiled lightly. "Ten… nine… eight… seven… six… five… four… three… two… one."
"I'll talk! I'll—"
Void's face stayed blank. *This is taking too long,* he thought. *If this keeps up, the gods will find my location. How troublesome.*
His expression cooled. "Shut up."
He turned away from the tavern master and walked toward the men who were praying the loudest. One casual swing of his arm—no techniques, no glowing qi—just force.
Flesh burst.
More than six people died instantly, bodies slamming into walls and floor like crushed insects. Three more screamed as their hands were sliced off at the wrist, blood spraying across overturned tables.
The tavern master stared, eyes empty, lips parted in a soundless gasp.
Those still alive began sobbing, including Violet. A few simply stopped breathing altogether, their hearts seizing from sheer terror. When the echo faded, only ten people remained alive in the tavern.
Void returned to the tavern master and stopped in front of him. "Now," he said softly, "please continue."
The old man's eyes were dull, too drenched in fear to show anger or grief anymore. "T‑the current Heavenly Demon," he whispered, "is the very definition of fear. He has slaughtered countless righteous sects… even their sect leaders."
"Nobody in this world knows how strong he really is," he continued. "No one knows his limit."
Void's expression didn't change. "Oh? No one knows his limit. He must be strong, then." His gaze sharpened. "Tell me why they named their cult 'Heavenly Demon.' And how it was established. You know that much, right?"
"Yes," the tavern master said, voice flat. "Everyone in this world knows how the Heavenly Demon Cult was founded."
He stared up at the ceiling, as if reading words only he could see. "Where should I start… how should I put it… In this world, a few chosen sects inherited power from old gods. But unlike those sects, the first Heavenly Demon God was different. It began in a time when there was no Heavenly Demon Cult, no Heavenly Demon God. There was only—"
He stopped and coughed blood onto the floor. "Tsk… telling it properly would take too long. And this old man doesn't have much time left anyway. So I'll make it short."
He sucked in a shaking breath.
"In the beginning, there was no Demon God, no 'Heavenly Demon' title. Just normal cultivation and arrogant sects ruling everything.
"A nameless cultivator was born with terrible talent but insane will. Everyone said he would never reach the peak. He decided to prove the whole world wrong, and swore one thing:
> 'If Heaven blocks me, I'll become a demon.
> If demons block me, I'll become Heaven.'
"He climbed step by step with nothing but effort—stealing techniques, surviving assassination attempts, mastering both 'righteous' and 'demonic' arts. He didn't inherit any old god's power. He **forged** his own path by combining heavenly laws and demonic taboos, until his existence no longer fit inside the world's rules."
The old man's voice trembled, but the words came out clear, like a story carved into bone.
"When he finally broke past the last boundary, the world's 'Heaven' tried to erase him. But instead of dying, he devoured Heaven's judgment and turned it into his own authority. In that moment, he became something new.
"Not just a peak cultivator.
Not a borrowed divinity.
The first and only **Demon God**, born from his own effort and defiance.
"People who hated the current order gathered around him. He showed them a mixed path of heaven‑grade techniques and demonic will, and built an organization that stood above both 'holy' sects and 'evil' clans."
The tavern master wet his lips with blood. "To mock everyone who used Heaven and Demon as excuses, he named it:
> **Heavenly Demon Cult**—
> 'Heavenly,' because they seize the sky's power for themselves.
> 'Demon,' because they reject every chain Heaven puts on them.
> 'Cult,' because they follow only the will of the one who became Demon God with his own hands.
"Every later Heavenly Demon is just a successor carrying a fragment of his path. There was no Demon God before him. He's the original source…"
His voice faded into a ragged cough. Blood dripped down his chin.
Void stared at him. "To put it simply?" he asked. "That's all?"
The tavern master shook, exhausted. "To put it simply… there's a rumor. They say the Heavenly Demon God never died. They say he's still alive—and that he already broke the shackles of the mortal realm."
Void's eyes widened slightly, amusement flickering across his face. So the old man thinks his Demon God already slipped past the mortal leash, he thought. If I play this Heavenly Demon Cult correctly, I might be able to move outside the gods' sight for a while.
And if that rumor is true… then their first Heavenly Demon God really did become a god. I wonder how strong he is now. A faint grin tugged at his lips. Sorry, my dear Heavenly Demon God. I'm going to use your cult for a bit, okay? Hehehe… hahaha.
He looked back at the tavern master, smiling pleasantly. "Is there anything else you know?" he asked. "If there is, spill everything."
The tavern master drew a ragged breath. "No… there's nothing else," he whispered. "I don't regret this life of mine. I guess my time has come, huh." His eyes softened for the first time. "Hey, young man… no, Void. Can you leave me here for a moment… and let me die in my tavern?"
Across the room, Violet pressed her forehead against the floor. I'm going to die here too,she thought numbly. Mother… I'm sorry. I couldn't even keep my promise…
Void's smile widened, almost gentle. "Of course," he said. "I won't touch you. I'll let you die here. Hahaha…"
His voice twisted mid‑laugh.
"Is that what you thought again? Kekekeke."
His hand shot out, clamping around the tavern master's neck. Bone cracked with a quiet snap. The old man's eyes bulged for a heartbeat—and then emptied, all light gone.
Violet slapped a hand over her mouth as another wave of tears burst out. "N‑no…" she choked. "He… he isn't human. That man is a demon. A demon… There's no way a human would do something like that. He's a devil…"
Void let the corpse drop like a sack of meat. It hit the floor with a dull thud.
He tilted his head toward the remaining survivors, eyes calm, voice light. "Now then," he said, as if discussing the weather, "I should finish things with you lot. I don't think you have any use left."
A slow, crooked smile spread across his face.
"Kekekekeke."
***
**Author's Note:**
If you reached this point, you're a real one.
Tell me what you think about Void in this chapter (even a short line or emoji is fine). Your comments help a lot and keep me motivated to write the next chapter faster.
If you're enjoying Throne Beyond the Veil, please add it to your library and drop a power stone / review so more readers can find Void's story.