Chapter 666 Therefore, Fear (1/2)

As for the actual mission… What else was there?

Mycroft reignited their Flame Seed, even aiding Kronos in reshaping the world. There was no question that they have the essence of Creation, meaning that they held possession of either Initial Flame, Flame Seed or Primordial Steel.

”Find it.”

The demon king that existed only as a shadow in the Valley of Tears Fortress had told them with a faint voice. ”It must be in the hands of a certain 'Monarch', but I can't foresee who it is… I need more information.”

”Helm, Saluka. Your previous missions were failures that caused great damage to the Sixth Abyss… You must assume the responsibilities for the destruction of the Dark Water City and the Magma Fleet.”

The Demon King was neither violent nor intimidating… Abyssal Lieges, king and ruler of demons must be powerful and embody strength that inspired fear in fearsome, blood-lusting demons. That, however, did not mean it must be feral at all times, and in fact, demon kings have sufficient sharp thought and wisdom, maintaining composure at all times. That was the only way they could lead a bunch of maniacal demons to invade other worlds without stopping.

Compared to an enraged Goliath, both Helm and Saluka feared the demon king before them that was calmly judging the situation in that very moment. They could not help lowering their heads, listening to every last word uttered by their king.

”Find that person at all cost—or, at least bring me more information.”

The calm and awe-inspiring voice wafted, and Helm stopped recollecting. The humanoid Beholder Demon General could sense the Abyssal Will barrier encircling itself weakening as the Multiverse Sacrificial Grounds kept depleting the power from the Demon King. Having delayed the warp for almost ten minutes and prepared fully, it was time to see what traps the people of Mycroft had set in place.

”Let's go.”

Exhaling, Helm removed the barrier around himself and was instantly pushed by the surging dimensional tide to the destination, while Saluka followed suit beside it. The two Demon Generals hence flowed along the angry ripples, descending upon a world they felt unusually familiar with.

Dimensional rifts spread, vision became vivid at once, and what the two Demon General saw was an immeasurably vast world of air that seemingly had no horizon. It had neither top nor bottom, with countless shattered stony isles floating in the air, while flowing water assembled into spheres that slowly wandered within the world.

And above all the floating islands was a colossal sanguine moon—it was burning, emanating incandescent radiance that made the two Demon Generals both uneasy and extremely yearning at once. Still, the conflicting sensation promptly jolted both Helm and Saluka: they now know where they actually were.

The Bloodmoon Abyss.

After a winding detour, the demons had returned to familiar territory… But this time, things were not the same.

In the first seconds they arrived at the Bloodmoon Abyss, Saluka abruptly raised its head, the Insectoid Demon General that could freely shift between a variety of forms instantly changing into its most defensive state, 'Iron Wall'.

”Someone's fighting!” It hissed gravely.

Helm realized the fact at the first given moment as well, even without Saluka's warning. It quickly raised a circle of high-energy beam barrier around itself, and in the very next moment, the direction it and Saluka were looking at exploded violently.

Boom—Bang!

As a stone mountain high above shattered beneath the tremendous burst into dust and earth that spread everywhere, they could see two powerful beings fighting high above the Bloodmoon Abyss. One was controlling negative energy akin to the Nether Sea, while the other showed nothing extraordinary—but at present, the one side who showed nothing extraordinary was assaulting its opponent singlehandedly. In return, the Nether Seas that covered half the heaves surged, shattered and tried to reassemble time after time, only to be dispelled on every turn, as if tides that were splashing against reefs.

”There was sympathy in their hearts, Kanor.”

It was in that very moment that both Demon Generals heard voices they were very familiar with. Be it the black dragon's anguished wails or the accent so cold it was almost inhuman, Saluka remembered the battle above Kronos as if it was yesterday, while Helm was no individual that forgot its own failures.

It's that man… it's that man!

Then, that man's clearly indignant voice which echoed again.

”Both Barnil and William's heart holds conscience and kindness—they could never stomp defenseless dragon eggs or magically incinerate young dragons crying in their nest. They would stay their hand from your kind if you beg, pray, repent, cry and plead. They read and know of your history, which is why they would show you mercy over your friendship.”

”But I wouldn't.”

The voice came from high above the Bloodmoon Abyss as if it was a voice of heavenly judgment. The two demons that had just come out of warp could only see a draconic shadow plunging from the skies, crashing into a massive stone island that started to plummet as well, spiderweb fissures spreading from where the dragon crashed. In one split second, the kilometer-wide island was shattered into a thousand shards, while a golden-red ray rapidly shot down, crashing down amidst the shards.

Then came an echoing dull thud, as if a steel hammer was striking against a body of flesh.

”I have no sympathy.”

”Damned human!”

The wrathful draconic bellow resounded over the remains of the island, just as the two demons saw endless negative energy bursting instantly, a gray ocean consuming all islands and shards. That negative energy swiftly assembled into a massive but distorted dragon head, fixing its cold gaze upon the world.

Kanor the Dragon King could now no longer hold back from unleashing its full power—it howled, and a series of bizarre distortions appeared in the space where the negative energy stirred. As if sinking into water, every stone isle within the boundary of its powers began to sway along the ripples.

Such was the true depth of Nether Sea. Overwhelming negative energies would erode the dimensions, causing it to weaken and destabilize, even as all substance within would distort as if being seen from beneath seawater. All things would occasionally protrude or compress, and the Black Dragon King could easily destroy any object within.

In such an unstable space, the distorted black dragon projection widened its maw as if to devour the entire world. Within its mouth, space has already been utterly shattered into glassy shards, all substance engulfed within diced into base particles, almost with no exception.

Almost.

In the distorted and destabilized Nether Sea, a single silhouette maintained its normal form. It was a Steel giant as majestic as a mountain: all dimensional shift had nothing to do with it, while rays of leg were bent behind him. Against the Black Dragon King's attack that could shatter all things, the giant spread its four arms, and space itself broke under such a move that could not be more normal.

Then, the golden-red core before his chest turned an incandescent white.