Chapter 519: The Fives of the Abyss Realm (1/2)
GDK 519: The Five Great Demon Kings of the Abyss Realm
The Abyss realm was ruled by five demon kings: Bechymos, Cecrops, Golander, Leviathan, and Manticole. They possessed vast, expansive territories with millions of abyssal demons under their control. If the Abyss was a pyramid then these five beings would lay right at the pyramidion.
In the Abyss realm where the strong preyed on the weak, it seemed as though every high-level Abyssal creature had to rely on one of the five abyssal demon kings to survive. For countless years, the five great demon kings had been on their ceaseless campaign against each other to rule the whole of the Abyss.
High-level races and existences were different from the ugly, filthy abyssal creatures. They held great power and exceptional intelligence. Outside of combat they possessed the ability to transform into various forms, the human appearance being the most common.
The constant warring between the five great demon kings was like a law unchanged since times immemorial. Everyday low-level abyssal creatures would march to battle and subsequently their deaths under the command of the higher level beings.
The green-eyed and purple-eyed ladies were known as Hemanna and Sylph respectively. They both came from War Demon Valley, of which master was called Crosius. He was one of the seven most capable generals serving under demon king Manticole.
The War Demon Valley neighbored Venomfang Castle, run by general Yeki who served demon king Golander. Yeki was an expert who belonged to a race of Triops. The two sides had been tangled in constant battle against each other.
Hemanna and Sylph were both War Demon Guards under Crosius, the lord of War Demon Valley. The reasoning behind the duel they had was to decide who would get the position of sergeant major.
For the price of two pieces of jewelry, Han Shuo gained some basic understanding of the Abyss realm from Hemanna and Sylph. Compared to the Profound Continent, the competition here was exceptionally grueling. The strong would rule and the weak treated as nothing more than cannon fodder.
Material planes occupied by these high-level creatures never saw a dull moment with all kinds of events and affairs. With all the information the two alien ladies had been briefing Han Shuo on, he learnt that in the Abyss realm, although brutal at times, as long as one possessed great strength, it was no task gaining respectable status and influence.
This world had no sentiment for so-called royal families and nobles unlike the Profound Continent. Everyone in a position of power gained it through bloody battles and combat. Only the most vicious, most savage beings could rise up in the Abyss realm to gain the reverence of others.
Hemanna and Sylph didn’t know much about the endeavors of the higher levels of the Abyss realm. They both had never heard the term ‘planar guardian’. It was apparent that without a higher status or greater power one would have no chance of learning deeper secrets and knowledge in this place.
Hmm, I suppose I’ll have to make a trip to War Demon Valley then, Han Shuo thought. He turned to the alien ladies behind him and said smilingly, “Do you two mind introducing me to the master of War Demon Valley?”
The two alien ladies appeared rather troubled. They stammered and acted like they didn’t quite know how to reply.
Han Shuo was puzzled by their reactions. “Will that be a problem?”
Hemanna looked at Han Shuo and said with a somewhat embarrassed tone, “We are but puny war demon sergeants under Lord Crosius. Before rising to the rank of sergeant major, we would have no chance of speaking to Lord Crosius. We simply don’t have the qualifications to introduce you to Lord Crosius.”
When Hemanna finished, Sylph quickly followed and explained, “She’s right. War demon guards are divided into troopers, bombardiers, sergeants, and sergeant majors. Only sergeant majors are allowed to directly report news and information to Lord Crosius. Before we become sergeant majors, neither of us are qualified to meet him. It’s not that we don’t want to help, but we really are incapable.”
After listening to their explanations, Han Shuo’s expression turned grave. Both Hemanna and Sylph possessed strength even greater than sacred-grade experts on Profound Continent. That being said it was unbelievable that they were merely sergeants, not even sergeant majors!
It was clear to Han Shuo that with the law of constant cruel competition present in the Abyss trealm, it would be impossible to find a situation where somebody without adequate strength climbed into high positions relying solely on family relationships, something quite commonplace in Profound Continent. In other words, a sergeant major under Crosius would have to be stronger than Hemanna and Sylph. Using that same logic, to be the master of War Demon Valley, Crosius would be even more powerful.
Subsequently, Manticole, master of Crosius and one of the five great demon kings of the Abyss realm, had to possess powers Han Shuo dared not even imagine.
“So that’s the case,” Han Shuo said in a grave expression. After thinking for a while, he smiled slightly and said, “If that’s so, do you think I can return to War Demon Valley with the both of you? And if so, could you two get me a position there?”
Having some idea of the state of affairs in Abyss realm, Han Shuo was certain that creatures in this world were much stronger than those in the Profound Continent. The more he thought about it, the more sense it made. With the Abyss world being such a cruel place, every creature spent their entire lives killing each other. Those who survived would naturally be stronger than creatures on Profound Continent who lived a relatively peaceful existence.
Han Shuo was positive that Crosius would possess strength on par with himself or even greater. As for the five great demon kings, they weren’t beings that Han Shuo could possibly contend with at the moment. Han Shuo had to be somewhat cautious, lest he provokes a powerful enemy he couldn’t face off against and gets himself killed before he even has time to familiarize himself with this new world.
“That would be easy, we can take you into War Demon Valley. Given your strength, you could definitely live well in the Valley. If you are so lucky to become a War demon guard under Lord Crosius, your prospects will be even brighter than ours,” said Sylph, the purple-eyed lady.
“Let’s go then! This is the first time I’ve left my native place. I want to get to know this world better!” Han Shuo hurried the ladies as he was somewhat enthusiastic.
The two ladies didn’t say another word before lifting off into the air simultaneously, leading the way for Han Shuo.
The way they flew was not quite the same as how one did on Profound Continent. They seemed to understand the gravitational characteristics of this world, forming some sort of harmonized resonance with gravity using a energy similar to the fighting aura in their bodies. As they flew, they would tread and kick on empty air as though there was a solid but invisible ground beneath their feet.
When Han Shuo learned the rules of survival and the existence of mighty creatures in this world from Hemanna and Sylph, he felt somewhat grave, yet at the same time, had an untamable excitement in his heart. The crueler the world was, the stronger the existences would be, arousing Han Shuo’s fervor for battle.