Chapter 419: Chapter 419: King of Insects: Thirty Thousand Years to the East, Thirty Thousand Years to the West, Never Underestimate a Desperate Demon!
"Fast runner."
"Ah, to think he slipped away right under my nose, that detestable demon."
"Don't let me catch you."
Yuna, fuming, swished her tail, voicing her discontent.
Upon spotting the Master of the Shadow Shallows, Yuna immediately launched an attack. Unfortunately, despite her aggressive and confrontational style, she found herself somewhat powerless against a demon lord skilled in evasion and concealment like the Master of the Shadow Shallows, who was wholly focused on avoiding combat.
After the departure of the demon, the tremor-inducing great battle in the material world ceased.
A ray of sunlight pierced through the dark clouds, bringing a faint light and warmth.
The world, which had been dark and stormy, finally regained a semblance of its former peace, though the scars it bore were not so easily healed.
Meanwhile, the two dragons reverted from their gigantic god-like forms to their considerably smaller, yet still massive, natural dragon forms.
With a whoosh of their wings, the silver dragon swiftly appeared inside Garon, landing at a higher rocky peak, folding its vast wings, and gazing toward the center.
Protected by the Duke of Wind elders, the last segment of the scepter in the center of Garon still radiated a faint golden glow, covering the entire area and rapidly restoring the environment previously eroded by abyssal forces.
Dry rivers filled up again, and wilted red flora revitalized.
The chaotic and evil aura of the abyss was being cleansed, bit by bit.
"Noble Lord of the Dragon Court, we failed to protect the scepter as you entrusted," the Duke of Wind elders said, their faces showing shame.
When chaos attacked, Garon couldn't retrieve the scepter in time.
He didn't ask the demi-god level Dukes of Wind to risk their lives in battle for him; his only request was to safeguard the scepter, preventing it from being exploited by enemies. However, they had failed even in this.
The Dukes of Wind felt their incompetence deeply.
The scepter was snatched by the demon lord right before them, and had it not been for the scepter's own resistance, they wouldn't have even noticed the demon's arrival, making them feel unworthy of their ancestors who fought demons.
"What's done is done; regret and self-blame are pointless now," the silver dragon said calmly, not blaming the Duke of Wind elders.
"What do you know about the relationship between the scepter and the spider demon Miska?" Garon asked.
He knew the seven segments of the scepter sealed away Miska, and that demons could unseal him using the remaining parts of the scepter, but the specifics of how this was done were unclear to Garon.
Under Garon's scrutiny, the Duke of Wind elders pondered for a moment, then began to reveal some secrets.
From their stories, Garon gained a deeper understanding.
He looked at the last segment of the scepter, thinking to himself: "Chaos thereafter probably doesn't know this; otherwise, she would have tried by any means to take this last segment, not leave so easily."
The battle between Garon and chaos thereafter was just beginning.
Despite the intensity, neither had been seriously injured or significantly depleted their energy.
Had it not been for obtaining two segments of the scepter, chaos thereafter would not have returned to the abyss so directly.
During the ancient war that sealed Miska, seven segments of the scepter broke, with four remaining inside Miska's body, forming the core of his seal, while the remaining three were taken away by the Dukes of Wind for safekeeping.
To prevent chaos thereafter from resurrecting Miska directly in the abyss, and to keep demons from finding his location, the gods sealed Miska in the most impregnable prison in the multiverse.
The Sealed Hollow of the Howling Abyss, a level of the abyss where countless closed spaces contain uncontrollable artifacts, lost languages, unknown cosmologies, and indomitable and banished evils and monsters.
It's possible that beings older and more terrifying than Miska also reside there.
One important note is that the sealed spaces of the Sealed Hollow have no fixed coordinates; they continuously shift their positions. After the passage of ancient times, even the gods themselves would need considerable time and effort to find the specific space where Miska was sealed.
As for the role of the scepter, it's used to lock onto a general area, making it easier for demons to find Miska.
However, there's another effect of the scepter unknown to demons.
The four segments embedded in Miska's body, blessed by divine power, have nearly merged with him, transforming into countless particles of golden light flowing through every vein, suppressing his powers.
The material used to forge the seven golden segments came from the second layer of the heavenly
Mount Mochuia, the physical holy light of the golden heaven.
Essentially, the scepter is formed from light, naturally dividing into particles of light. As it is made from holy light, it is particularly effective against demons, which is one reason the seven segments could severely injure a demon prince.
Moreover, compared to the first four segments, the divine blessings contained in the last three segments guarded by Garon are minimal.
After all, when the scepter broke, the gods concentrated their main power in the first four segments.
To reassemble the four segments and extract them, restoring all of Miska's powers, requires the remaining parts of the scepter to attract the holy light particles within Miska to coalesce.
"Chaos thereafter took two segments."
"Even if she finds her prince and frees him from the Sealed Hollow, it's unlikely that Miska can regain all his strength."
"Lacking one segment, Miska's power might at best return to two-thirds of his prime."
Gazing at the last segment, Garon thought silently: "Who would have thought this segment represents a third of the divine power of the first Tana'ri demon prince, a mighty demon lord."
Chaos thereafter definitely doesn't understand this detail.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have left laughing so wildly.
Imagining chaos thereafter's laugh as she left, then visualizing her frustration when she realizes her demon prince's significantly reduced power, Garon couldn't help but chuckle.
"A demon prince missing a third of his power, even if he barely maintains the level of a mighty divine force, would merely be at the bottom, hardly deserving of the title 'prince.'"
Such a demon prince returning to the abyss.
Not only would he fail to support chaos thereafter, but he would also attract the covetous gaze of many other demon lords.
In the abyss, powerful beings are plentiful.
Apart from demons, there are evil gods, sinister gods, ancient evils, and more.
The Eye Demon Main Mother of the Six-Layered Eyes Abyss, the Misfortune Goddess of the Thirteenth-Layered Blood Rock, the Spider Queen's Court of the Sixty-Fifth Layer, and the Deep Pit Web's Abyss Spider Queen Rose, among others, are numerous.
Powerful demons abound, like the King of the Deep Sea Dagun, the Shadow Lord Graz'zt, the Mother of Demons Cangye, the King of the Undead Okus, and other demon lords, some possessing power that even demon princes fear.
But what attracts the most attention among the demons are the three demon princes.
"Speaking of which, I wonder how Dimogogon is doing now."
Thinking of the demon princes, Garon couldn't help but think of Dimogogon, whose head had been severed.
"There are three demon princes."
"The Lord of Insects, the King of Insects Obokson, the Spider Demon Overlord, General Miska the spider demon, and the first Tana'ri demon, Dimogogon."
"Now, even if Miska is unsealed, he can't fully recover his strength, and Dimogogon's injuries are probably still unhealed. The King of Insects, having done nothing, has benefited from this fate, which is indeed capricious."
Garon's expression was full of interest.
If the abyss's demons could be compared to a demonic divine system, then this system has undergone three successive changes of its chief deity.
The first demon chief god was the King of Insects Obokson, an ancient Obirith demon born from the original chaos and evil, also considered a demon desolation god.
This original demon chief god sounds formidable, but in the abyss, he is more often just a background figure, a stepping stone, having been killed twice.
The first time was by an ancient being from the Sea of Chaos, chaos thereafter, who entered the abyss and transformed herself into a demon.
Chaos thereafter, ambitious, plotted a surprise attack on the King of Insects before the war between chaos and order, not expecting any demon to challenge her authority. Caught off-guard, the King of Insects experienced his first death.
The centipede does not stiffen in death.
The King of Insects, having avatars throughout various layers of the abyss, did not die completely. After a weak resurrection, he hid and recuperated.
Many demons, attracted by the crazed chaos thereafter, revered and supported this new demon lord.
From then on, the position of the chief demon god was taken by chaos thereafter.
With her ambitions inflating, chaos thereafter created the Tana'ri demons and led them in a war between order and chaos, only to be utterly defeated.
As a result, the first Tana'ri demon she created, considered a failed creation, Dimogogon, gained terrifying power, killed and devoured more than a dozen demon lords, defeated chaos thereafter, and became the third demon chief god.
During this time, the background figure,
the King of Insects, encountered Dimogogon.
After a great battle, he was killed again.
In the entire abyss, among the three powerful demon princes, Dimogogon's reputation is the most significant, and he has always been considered the most likely to unify the abyss and become the Demon King.
Next is Miska the spider demon.
Many demons believe that once this first demon prince is freed, he will join chaos thereafter to sweep away obstacles, kill the King of Insects and Dimogogon, and become the Demon King.
Lastly is the King of Insects.
As the oldest Obirith demon, the King of Insects is supported by many Obirith demons.
However, this does not change the fact that he has been used as a background figure twice, killed by chaos thereafter and by Dimogogon.
As for now, the situation in the abyss has completely changed.
Many demons are unaware of Dimogogon's situation.
But Garon has some understanding.
During the Glorious War era, in the battle for ascension to godhood in the celestial realm, Garon, upon seeing the ability used by the future Garon for the first time, vaguely understood its effects, knowing that Dimogogon was likely severely injured and might never find a way to recover, possibly remaining in a severely injured state forever.
"Dimogogon was severely injured because of me."
"The full unsealing of Miska the spider demon, now likely to significantly reduce his strength if unsealed, is also indirectly caused by me. Hmm, it seems I have a knack for attracting demon princes."
"However, this has directly led to the rise of the King of Insects, who has always been a background figure."
Garon shook his head, thinking strangely: "If the King of Insects manages to win the war among the demon princes and become the Demon King, the one he should thank the most is me."
"However, if a true Demon King does emerge, the multiverse is likely to face an unprecedented, bloody war."
At this moment, the voice of the Duke of Wind interrupted Garon's thoughts about the abyss's situation.
"Please take the last segment of the scepter," they said.
"Garon no longer wishes to suffer because of the scepter."
Although the Dukes of Wind had always been evading demons, because they had never directly encountered one, they believed deep down that they had some fighting chance against a demon.
But having witnessed the mighty powers of a demon lord like chaos thereafter, the Duke of Wind elders no longer wanted to guard the scepter.
Compared to the scepter, the increasingly rare members of their race were more important to the Dukes of Wind.
Even though only the last segment remained, the scepter was still an extremely hot potato.
If Miska could escape his confines, he would surely join chaos thereafter in a ruthless attempt to seize the scepter, and only a deity backed by a divine system could likely keep the scepter from being taken by demons.
Saying this, several Dukes of Wind elders extended their arms, releasing streams of wind.
Surrounded by the winds, the last segment of the scepter slowly rose from the core of Garon.
Hum!
The faint golden glow covering Garon disappeared, and the recovering Garon no longer changed, leaving the Dukes of Wind feeling a hollow emptiness.
The dragon opened its claws.
The floating scepter turned into a beam of golden light, flew over, and then quietly hovered in Garon's claws.
The last segment of the scepter, resembling a golden handle, was entirely golden, with mysterious patterns and extraordinary divine fluctuations.
The god of justice, the god of light, the lord of dawn. Upon close observation, Garon sensed the presence of many gods who had participated in the war between order and chaos.
After carefully observing it for a while, Garon put away the last segment of the scepter.
He had a feeling that he would soon have dealings with chaos thereafter again.
"Once chaos thereafter realizes the full effects of the scepter, she is likely to try to communicate and negotiate with me to trade for the scepter, rather than attempt to seize it again."
"If the price is right, giving the last segment of the scepter to chaos thereafter might not be a bad idea."
Garon thought this way for a reason.
Under the premise that Miska is freed, if Dimogogon hadn't been severely injured, it wouldn't matter whether Miska was fully unsealed or had reduced strength.
But, as Garon had just considered.
If two of the three demon princes lose the power to contend with the other, the King of Insects might indeed fulfill the legend of the abyss, kill Dimogogon and Miska, and become the unprecedented Demon King.
Although the legend that a Demon King would bring calamity to the multiverse might not be true, it cannot be completely ignored.
Moreover, even if the legend is false, if the demons of
the abyss, the most evil and chaotic accumulation in the multiverse, end their internal strife and are led by a Demon King, it would be a terrifying event.
At the very least, among the three demon princes, two must be able to oppose each other.
After a brief contemplation, Garon looked down at the Duke of Wind elders and asked, "Now that Garon no longer has the scepter and can't move freely, what are your plans for the future?"
Hearing Garon's question, the Duke of Wind elders thought for a moment and said somewhat sadly, "We're probably going to abandon Garon and take our people to hide in a new material world, hoping not to have to flee back and forth anymore."
"We're tired of this life."
The silver dragon raised its chin slightly, scanning the Duke of Wind, and calmly said, "I can offer you protection."
Pausing, under the gaze of the Duke of Wind, Garon continued, "If you wish, you can follow me to the dragon-dominated planet, Kala, and live in my territory as my clan to recuperate."
Elder Krin shook his head, smiling bitterly, "Noble Lord of the Dragon Court, we appreciate your kindness."
"Unless absolutely necessary, we don't want to be involved in conflicts anymore."
"Our people are too precious, and their growth takes too long for us to serve you."
Garon said calmly, "You're overthinking it. I don't lack a declining race to serve me."
"Protecting you is a trivial matter for me, and it's out of pity for you poor creatures, considering that you are ancient immortals."
Garon's collecting habit isn't limited to treasures; his desire to seal various demi-god creatures of different races is proof.
For creatures like the Duke of Wind, on the brink of extinction, Garon sees them as rare and valuable, wishing to collect them as his clan. His initial desire to collect the Alpha Fire Mages as his clan stemmed from a similar mindset.
"Of course, if under my protection, your Duke of Wind can thrive and grow again, I will unhesitatingly ask you to fight for me."
The Duke of Wind elders were moved.
They desperately wanted a stable environment to live in, and living under the protection of a powerful dragon god, without any initial cost, was undoubtedly a good thing.
Seeing that Garon could fight on par with chaos thereafter, they knew that this Lord of the Dragon Court was no ordinary dragon god.
"If that's the case, we are very willing to follow your lead," the Duke of Wind elders said. "The young Dukes of Wind in our tribe are precious and have long growth periods, making them unable to serve you, but we elders are not afraid of death and have lived long enough to be at your disposal."
Although Garon himself said he didn't need their service, since they were living under his protection, the Duke of Wind elders knew they couldn't just comfortably enjoy the benefits without any contribution, so they voluntarily offered that the demi-god elders would serve Garon.
"Very well."
"Now follow me to Kala, to your new home," the silver dragon said solemnly, simultaneously locking onto Kala's coordinates and constructing a large portal.
Then, under the leadership of Garon and Yuna, the Dukes of Wind passed through the portal, heading to the material world dominated by dragons.
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