The maid squad is too strong, what use is there for me, the Demon King?

Faced with the ever-flowing, terrifyingly powerful energy of the runic chains that formed the barrier, a low-ranking servant stepped forward to probe it. Her hand cautiously reached towards the edge of the barrier, attempting to sense its energy structure.

However, just as her fingertips were about to touch the ephemeral, purplish-black runes—

hum! ! !

The barrier seemed like an enraged beast, and the originally slowly flowing chains of runes suddenly accelerated.

A highly condensed, purplish-black lightning bolt, imbued with an absolute will of repulsion, suddenly erupted from the point the waiter touched.

"Ugh!" The waiter groaned, as if he had been struck by an invisible giant hammer and was instantly sent flying.

The shadow energy around her fluctuated violently. She barely managed to adjust her posture in mid-air before staggering to the ground. The fingertips covered by her gauntlets were charred black and trembled slightly, clearly indicating that she had suffered a considerable loss.

"Such a powerful backlash!" Sita's eyes narrowed, and she waved to stop the other waiters who wanted to try. She carefully observed the barrier and said coldly, "An energy barrier, containing immeasurable magical power. With such repulsiveness, a forced attack might trigger an even more violent counterattack."

Upon witnessing this scene, the old village chief and the hunters lost all color in their faces, their awe of the barrier reaching its peak.

This fortress protecting the royal court is truly extraordinary!

Ordinary waiters are repelled by the barrier, but what about the eighth-tier Shadow Waiters? Can this barrier stop such powerful professionals?

Aita scoffed, then flashed forward, attempting to break through from another angle at lightning speed. But while she was fast, the barrier reacted even faster.

Several runes instantly combined to form an invisible wall, not only bouncing her back violently but also reflecting some of the force of her claw strike, leaving her arm numb.

"Meow! This lousy cover!" She angrily shook her hand.

Aita's attempt to break through failed, but she didn't get frustrated. Instead, she added more power to her attack on the barrier.

After all, their Shadow Lord hasn't given any orders yet. It's fine to test the barrier a little. Before Gray gives any orders, forcibly trying to break through the barrier with more power is something that only that stupid dog would do.

Sita, also one of the Ten Shadow Attendants, personally took action. She tried to penetrate or distort the barrier with her own magic, but the barrier seemed to be a world of its own, and her magic became extremely sluggish in front of it. Her purplish-black ripples only made some of the runes flicker more intensely before being mercilessly annihilated and pushed away, unable to penetrate even a little bit.

Xita was also considering whether the barrier would block people other than demons. After all, the building in front of her looked just like a demon king's castle. It would be reasonable for a demon king's castle barrier to block creatures other than demons, right?

Unfortunately, the attempt failed. As a demon, and an eighth-tier professional as well as a descendant of the Demon King Marshal, Xita also suffered from the barrier's rejection.

Does this mean the barrier might be indiscriminate, excluding everyone?

Of course, maybe... it just means we won't rule out specific individuals?

Multiple attempts ended in failure. This barrier was like an absolute dividing line, coldly rejecting all unauthorized existence.

Gray stood still, his deep gaze fixed on the raging runes.

He could sense that if he unleashed his full power (please be aware that unleashing your full power might blow up the entire world...), drawing upon the vast and unfathomable magical power within him, he might be able to forcibly tear apart or even blast open this barrier. But... what would the cost be?

This barrier resonated with his bloodline, clearly set up by the ancient demon king himself, and its very existence might be closely related to the "secret" hidden within the city. Would forcibly destroying it trigger an unpredictable destruction mechanism? Or even damage the crucial object concerning the "secret of bloodline continuation"? Moreover, this desolate royal court was a relic of his ancestors; both morally and logically, he was unwilling to destroy it.

Just as Gray was weighing his options, a thought flashed through his mind. Since the barrier resonated with his own bloodline, did that mean…?

Without further hesitation, Gray slowly stepped forward and walked straight toward the barrier that was still flashing with dangerous runes and had just repelled several powerful figures.

"Your Majesty!" the old village chief exclaimed, his face filled with worry, "This is unacceptable! This barrier is incredibly powerful; your precious health is at risk..."

Sita also raised her hand slightly, seemingly wanting to dissuade him, but seeing Gray's calm and firm posture, coupled with her own unfounded but not unreasonable speculation, she slowly lowered her hand again.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Gray approached the barrier step by step. The violent runic chains, powerful enough to repel servants and withstand even stronger magic, not only did not erupt as he drew near, but instead... calmed down slightly?

The flow slowed, and the flickering light softened. Just as he was about to touch the barrier, the dense runes, as if possessing a life of their own, spontaneously and slowly parted to the sides, silently splitting open a portal just wide enough for one person to pass through, its edges flowing with gentle energy! Outside the portal lay a dangerous forest, inside lay a deathly silent royal court, the boundaries clearly defined.

The barrier did not hinder him. On the contrary, it opened the path to the interior for him like the most obedient servant.

Gray didn't stop, safely passing through the portal and standing inside the barrier. He looked back, and the portal silently closed again after he had fully entered, the runes slowly flowing once more, re-isolating the inside from the outside.

In an instant, everyone understood.

The law of this barrier is simple—only the Demon King may enter!

This perhaps proves once again, from another angle, the authority of the Dark Lord Grey's identity.

"I see..." Sita understood, her worry vanishing and replaced by absolute trust. The lower-ranking servants also sheathed their weapons and stood at attention again. They had blind faith in Gray's strength; since the barrier approved, Lord Shadow would be able to travel alone without hindrance.

Or perhaps there are obstacles, and the interior of the barrier is extremely dangerous.

Now that Lord Demon Shadow has gone inside, what they should be more worried about is the safety of the barrier and this demon king's castle-like building.

Looking at such a huge and magnificent building, it's hard to say whether it can withstand a single blow from Lord Demon Shadow.

Only the old village chief and the hunters still looked worried. "Your Majesty... I wonder what the situation is like inside the city, and you are all alone..." The old village chief's voice was full of anxiety. Even though he knew the rules of the barrier, the unknown fear of that desolate place still prevailed.

Gray stood within the barrier, his voice coming through the runic shield, still calm yet filled with undeniable power: "It's alright. This was set up by our ancestors; it will not harm me. You may wait here."

His gaze swept over Sita and Aita: "Sita, maintain perimeter security. Aita, stay put."