Showdown

“Sorry, but our church cannot officiate your wedding.”

A middle-aged pastor holding a book of teachings shook his head at Xia Lun with a blank expression. The light streaming through the stained glass windows cast a long shadow behind him, and the air was thick with the scent of old books and pine resin.

Xia Lun sighed and tugged the hand of Aina beside him. “Let’s go.”

But he couldn’t pull her this time. Her feet seemed rooted to the ground, her figure beneath the black robe stiff and straight. The hood concealed her features, leaving only a strand of silver hair hanging from its edge, gleaming faintly in the dim light.

“Why?” Aina asked the pastor coldly, her voice piercing the church’s silence. “Why can’t you officiate our wedding?”

Xia Lun had already taken her through three cities, visiting three churches, but all had refused their request.

Aina clearly lacked Xia Lun’s patience.

The pastor’s expression turned icy. He no longer bothered to hide his disdain.

His face hardened, a sarcastic curl twisting his lips. “Hmph, don’t you already know why? You’re a demon. With all the battles between demons and humans lately, relations are worse than ever…” He looked Aina up and down, his gaze lingering on her blood-red pupils and pale skin. “Ha, when will you demon whelps finally get out of human territory!”

Aina’s eyes flickered with a bloody light.

Xia Lun quickly grasped her hand tighter, speaking softly to calm her while stepping between her and the pastor to block his hostile stare. “It’s okay, we can keep looking. Some church will be willing to take us.”

“Young man, I’d advise you to break up with this one soon, or you’ll regret it later… Don’t just be fooled by her beauty. Find a steady, good-natured girl if you want a proper life.” The middle-aged pastor snorted and turned away without looking back, disappearing into the church as the heavy doors slowly closed.

Aina stood still outside the church, head bowed, the expression beneath her hood unreadable.

“Let’s go,” Xia Lun said gently, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. He could feel the tension in her muscles.

“If the conflict between demons and humans never ends… does that mean we can never get married?” Aina’s voice was so soft it seemed it might be carried away by the wind.

“Maybe… that’s the case,” Xia Lun said, pausing for a moment. “But it’s okay, Aina. We’re together. We don’t need anyone else’s approval.”

“I won’t accept that,” Aina said, lifting her head abruptly. Her hood slipped back, revealing a pale, beautiful face with crimson eyes burning with stubborn fire. “If it can’t be perfect, then I won’t marry you.”

A helpless smile tugged at Xia Lun’s lips. Aina could be inexplicably stubborn sometimes.

“Alright, then let’s try another place,” he said softly, reaching out to adjust her hood. His fingertips accidentally brushed her cold cheek.

Aina let him fix her hood, but her gaze was fixed on the cross atop the spire. “What if all the churches refuse?”

“Then… maybe we could go to the demon realm?” Xia Lun suddenly remembered, his voice carrying a hint of hope. “I’ve never been to your home, Aina… What are the wedding customs like on your side?”

“Among the blood clan, couples unite on a moonlit night, on the rooftop, bathed in moonlight. The moonlight blesses the mingling of our blood,” Aina said flatly.

Xia Lun sighed thoughtfully. “Sounds pretty romantic.”

Aina shook her head. “I don’t like it. People might see.”

“Scandalous!” Xia Lun declared in righteous indignation.

“Even if we hold the wedding in the demon realm, I still want one in the human realm,” Aina said, clenching her fist slightly. “Moke, Liyana, Musen… If they can’t come, it would be a pity.”

Xia Lun was briefly surprised. He hadn’t expected Aina to think so thoroughly.

“In that case…” Aina slowly raised her head again, looking at the church before her, her eyes glinting coldly. “If the demons conquer humanity, then these people surely won’t have anything to say.”

“Aina, what are you saying?”

Her words startled Xia Lun.

“If I were to lead the demons to dominate humanity… Xia Lun, would you stop me?” Aina turned to face him. Her black robe fluttered in the wind.

The seriousness in her tone made Xia Lun realize she wasn’t joking.

The sunset cast a long shadow behind her, as if merging with the church’s own deep shade.

“I’m human…” Xia Lun said, finding it difficult to speak those words.

Aina’s gaze fell upon him. “So that means you would stop me, stand against me.”

Xia Lun pursed his lips. “Yes.”

“At least you’re honest,” Aina said with a cold laugh.

“Aina… do you really have to do this?”

“Yes. Even if it’s you—if you try to stop me, I will defeat you and conquer all of humanity.” Aina stood across from him, and a chasm seemed to open between them—invisible but absolute. “After all these years, I’ve come to see that most humans are ignorant and foolish, arrogant and greedy. That’s why you keep fighting each other. Humanity needs a stronger ruler to curb their behavior.”

“That’s wrong, Aina,” Xia Lun shook his head. “Violent rule only breeds more hatred and resistance.”

Aina continued as if she hadn’t heard him. “Among the demons, every major race has a strongest chieftain… the Beast King, the Sea Emperor, and I, the progenitor of the bloodline. With such leaders, chaos and conflict rarely arise within their domains. Everything remains orderly. I believe humanity also needs the rule of a Demon King.”

“Every species has different ways of life, Aina. You can’t generalize,” Xia Lun argued. “Humanity will never willingly bow to any other race.”

“Then I’ll use force to make you bow.”

Aina looked at Xia Lun. In name, he was still her boyfriend.

“I think I’m already stronger than you now, Xia Lun.”

“Is that so?”

Aina slowly raised her hand, dark red magic swirling at her fingertips. “I am actually the demon king, Xia Lun.”

“I see.” Xia Lun nodded, seeming unsurprised.

Aina reached out and tilted his chin with her finger, forcing him to meet her crimson eyes—something she had never done proactively before.

“Come join me, hero. Help me conquer humanity…” Her voice suddenly softened, carrying a faint hint of pleading. “And then we’ll get married.”

Xia Lun looked into Aina’s eyes, seeing his own reflection inside them.

But he shook his head again. “I can’t do that.”