Kara, a thriving material world, is home to countless true dragons from various worlds and planes.
In the skies of this planet, one can see numerous large figures soaring amidst the flowing clouds, with mighty dragons darting by from time to time, their wings tearing the clouds apart in an instant.
On the surface of the planet.
No matter where one is, a look up is enough to catch a glimpse of the dragons crossing the firmament.
There are only three categories of creatures on Kara.
The first includes unintelligent beasts, magical creatures, various plants, etc., serving as essential food sources and decorative elements of the planet.
The second category consists of intelligent species like humans, trolls, ogres, winter wolves, and harpies, all of which belong to the dragons' brood, living under dragon rule and serving them loyally.
The last category is naturally the dragons themselves, the rulers of the planet.
Chromatic dragons, metallic dragons, gem dragons—besides these common types, Kara is also home to ferrous dragons, secondary gemstone dragons, and other rare and lesser-seen breeds. Here, encountering any kind of dragon is hardly surprising.
"This is Kara, the material world belonging to the dragon race," stated a silver dragon calmly, looking around as the Dukes of the Wind arrived via teleportation.
Garon's arrival caught the attention of many creatures both within and outside his territory, including dragon brood and true dragon lords. All who saw the dragons in the sky bowed their heads, showing reverence to the exalted court of dragons.
At the same time.
Accompanied by fluctuations of fire elemental energy, Anya appeared beneath the dragon's body, bowing respectfully, "My lord, the City of Fire welcomes you."
Garon had landed near the city of the Alpha spellcasters.
After her greeting, Anya looked up, her gaze sweeping over the hundreds of peculiar creatures carried by the wind, curiously observing the surroundings of Kara. The aura of the many Dukes of the Wind startled Anya, especially the elders among them, whose demigod-like existence was perfectly concealed, making them inscrutable, yet their ancient and serene demeanor revealed their extraordinary nature.
"My lord, who are these beings?" Anya asked with a puzzled look, speaking softly.
Garon looked toward the City of Fire nestled among the mountains and forests. Having visited the Alpha Empire's timeline and seen cities built in the high mountains and forests, Garon felt a sense of familiarity with his own clan's city, although without inheritance, the Alphas instinctively continued the imperial architectural style.
"Dukes of the Wind, a race of immortals older than your empire."
"Like you, they are now my kin and will live within my territories in the future."
Turning to Anya, Garon assigned her a simple task, "Assist the Dukes of the Wind in getting to know about Kara. I leave it in the hands of your fire clan."
Anya nodded and turned back to the Dukes of the Wind, "As you wish."
At that moment.
The dragon waved its claw gently.
Whoosh!
In the central area of the City of Fire, near a lifelike, gigantic statue identical to Garon, a dimensional space opened.
Books poured out like a waterfall from the dimensional space, quickly forming a small mountain, and they kept coming.
Many Alpha spellcasters, attracted by the mountain of books, looked on with curiosity but did not act rashly without Garon's command.
Under Anya's watchful eye, the silver dragon spoke solemnly, "These books contain the ancient heritage of the Alpha Empire, all suitable for your fire mages to use."
"Use them well and do not disappoint my expectations."
"I want to see a reborn Alpha clan, forged in fierce fire, in the near future."
Hearing Garon's words, Anya's face lit up with excitement and joy, "My lord, the Alpha clan will not let you down."
"With this heritage, I assure you, the Alpha spellcasters will become the fierce flames that sweep and burn all enemies for you."
Subsequently, Anya guided the Dukes of the Wind around and helped them familiarize themselves with this material world. Meanwhile, she instructed some spellcasters to carefully handle each book of fire magic heritage before constructing a magical library to house these traditions and provide knowledge for the clan's spellcasters.
Garon and Yuna then returned to the Dragon Court.
Deep in the Eternal Hall's dragon nest.
The dragon lay atop a pile of gleaming gold and gems, quietly observing a staff segment emitting a faint golden glow before it.
At that moment.
At Mount Heaven, the divine Garon briefly communicated with Garon, then invited the God of Light to visit his divine realm.
The God of Light accepted and left the seventh layer of Mount Heaven to descend to the first layer
, Lunia Heaven, in the Eternal Divine Realm.
"Eh?"
"The Queen of the Wind Element is also here."
"It's rare to see the true face of the Primordial Wind. Lady Arcadia, on behalf of the gods of Mount Heaven, I welcome you."
Upon arriving at Garon's divine realm, the God of Light was surprised to see the Wind Element Queen, who seemed to have a close relationship with Garon. The Wind Element Queen had come to Garon's divine realm quietly and without fanfare. Before this, aside from the metal dragon god who liked to visit, no other deities knew of her arrival.
"Hello, God of Light who illuminates all realms."
"I won't disturb your meeting."
The Wind Element Queen responded briefly and then fell silent, transforming into a breeze and leaving the temple to drift elsewhere in the divine realm.
Now, only Garon and the God of Light remained in the vast temple.
The servants who usually attended to the dragon god were not present.
"Garon, why have you invited me to your divine realm?" asked the God of Light.
Having dealt with each other extensively and resolved past misunderstandings, the God of Light and Garon had become relatively close. In the whole of Mount Heaven, apart from the metal dragon god, the God of Light had the most interactions with Garon.
"I remember you are a neutral deity, but you seem to have participated in the ancient war between Order and Chaos," Garon noted.
The God of Light nodded gently, "The war between Order and Chaos was far-reaching."
"It initially started as a battle between the gods of Order and the demons, but it later evolved into a war involving many upper and lower plane deities, with the gods of Order and demons as the main parties."
"Mount Heaven was a primary target of the demonic and evil gods' invasion, and as a member of the gods of Mount Heaven, I naturally participated as well."
I see. The silver dragon, draped in divine light, nodded in understanding.
Garon had some knowledge of the war between Order and Chaos but not much, as he had not participated directly. His information came from other deities and dragon heritage.
"Did you encounter something related to that war?" asked the God of Light keenly.
Garon replied straightforwardly, "My saints in the material realm encountered the Dukes of the Wind under the push of the mantle of fate and rescued this poor immortal race from the clutches of Chaos."
When demons invade the material realm, they often use the power of the abyss to form barriers that block the gods' sight and sense and somewhat hinder the gods' avatars from descending. If the gods were aware of significant demonic activity, they would respond immediately.
Therefore, the gods were still unaware of the events occurring in the material realm.
Garon continued, "After Chaos, they took away two segments of the staff. The Dukes of the Wind, feeling unable to guard the staff, entrusted the last segment to my saints for safekeeping in the Dragon Court."
These matters were bound to come to light eventually.
Thus, Garon chose to speak openly.
Hearing Garon's words, the God of Light's expression became serious.
"Chaos later will surely go to the Howling Abyss to assist in freeing the Wolf-Spider Miska."
"This is not good news."
The divine light on the God of Light's body flickered slightly, revealing his unsettled emotions.
"This is the area range I locked on through the staff's sensing."
"Pass this message along with the coordinates to the gods who participated in the war."
"Whether they can thwart Chaos later's plan to unseal the demon prince depends on them."
Garon's main reason for inviting the God of Light was to prepare the gods of Order.
Otherwise, if the demon prince were to escape unnoticed and the gods only realized it after tracing the origin back to Garon, who had known about Chaos later taking the staff but had not informed them, it would lead to trouble.
"Since you discovered Chaos later, why not personally summon the gods of Order and inform them of these matters?" suggested the God of Light.
Garon shook his head, speaking righteously, "Chaos later is immensely powerful. In the material realm, my saint barely survived a battle with her true body, managing to safeguard a segment of the staff. The saint was severely injured and has been slow to recover, affecting my own condition as well."
"Preventing the demon prince from breaking free will likely lead to a great battle, and I am not in a condition to participate."
The God of Light, looking at Garon whose divine light had dimmed as he feigned weakness, said reluctantly, "I understand. I will communicate with the gods of Order later."
Garon smiled, "Thank you for the trouble."
The Howling Abyss is not in the material realm but belongs to the lower planes. Chaos later, an ancient and powerful demon lord, can fully exert her strength in the Howling Abyss. For
Garon, participating in such a high-level battle is not impossible, but it is indeed risky, especially since Chaos later would definitely target him.
Most crucially.
There's no tangible benefit, and it's a thankless task.
"Many demons have always been active in the Howling Abyss, searching for the seal of the demon prince. Now, with the staff's location, they will act immediately."
"The range confirmed by your staff segment is not as precise as that of Chaos later."
"Let's hope we're in time. It's best if the demon prince remains sealed."
After speaking, the God of Light immediately left the Eternal Divine Realm to notify the gods of Order about the stolen staff and Chaos later's actions.
Only seconds later.
Garon looked up, his gaze piercing through the divine realm space, catching sight of Lunia Heaven's silver sky. In his view, streaks of light, almost like shooting stars, streaked across Lunia Heaven and vanished in an instant.
Each streak of light represented a divine messenger.
Those radiating profound divine power were the deities themselves.
The gods of Mount Heaven sprang into action, leading armies primarily composed of sub-space divine messengers, heading to the Howling Abyss to stop Chaos later's rescue operation, including the God of Light who had just been in Garon's divine realm.
Aside from Mount Heaven.
Located in other upper planes, gods who had participated in the war between Order and Chaos also moved toward the Howling Abyss upon receiving the news.
However, not all the gods who had fought in the war went.
The current gods believe that even if the Wolf-Spider Miska escapes, it could no longer shake the gods' dominant position in the multiverse, so they are not very concerned, with only those extremely unwilling to see the demon prince free taking action.
"The Howling Abyss is about to witness an encounter between the gods and demons," Garon thought silently.
The Abyss' strength is undeniably robust.
During the war between Order and Chaos, in fact, only a portion of the demons participated. Mysterious ancient demons like the King of the Deep Sea, Dagon, did not respond to Chaos later's call and did not participate in the war.
However.
As the gods' prestige deepens and their control over the multiverse increases.
The demons also started feeling threatened.
Undoubtedly, if the gods had sufficient power, they would immediately think of eliminating such god-like powers as the demon lords to maintain the absolute authority of the gods of Order.
For example, shortly after the war between Order and Chaos ended, taking advantage of the demons' defeat.
A small pantheon of gods invaded the Abyss, and the gods together shattered and destroyed an Abyssal plane, but at the same time, all the gods of that small pantheon died in the counterattack from the Abyss.
Right.
It was a counterattack from the Abyss.
Not a counterattack from the Abyss demons.
It was then that the gods began to suspect that the Abyss, this most evil plane, has its own independent consciousness and is a living plane. As time went on, the gods grew wary of the Abyss while their hostility towards demons increased.
The Abyss, as a plane, has always been a major concern for the gods.
Unfortunately, although the celestial beings are high above and have become the true rulers of the multiverse after successive wars, eradicating the Abyss, this hub of evil, is still not feasible.
As the gods rushed to the Howling Abyss to block Chaos later's unsealing of the Wolf-Spider, the eighty-eighth layer of the Abyss, the Brine Swamp, also stirred.
Here lies the domain of one of the most powerful demon princes, Demogorgon, formed from the Saltwater Sea and the Rock Mountains. Flying demons use the rocky outcrops as their lairs, while bottom-dwelling demon fish, deep-sea squids, and demon rays wage wars in the deep waters, but all creatures must bow before Demogorgon's power.
In the center of the Saltwater Sea, a skull-shaped, twisted and leaning spire juts out from the water.
Inside the Skull Spire resides the king of the Brine Swamp, Demogorgon, whose palace extends mostly underwater, in the eternally dark, cold caverns. Lacking a head, Demogorgon's body burns with flames formed from the power of the Abyss, extending all his senses to embrace every inch of the sky and land of the Abyss.
"The Abyss, the cradle of endless demons, the will of the Abyss, my true mother."
"I know you truly exist, I know you have always watched over me, protected me, and hoped for me to become the king of demons, to turn the multiverse into the sole domain of the Abyss."
"Great, selfless, evil mother."
"Your child, the prince who loves you most and believes most in your existence, now faces a slight difficulty and implores you once again
to bestow your mighty power, to help me smooth over my injuries and restore my strength."
Always terrifying, bloodthirsty, and savage, Demogorgon now showed a look of affection.
It was like a child pleading for a mother's touch, whispering softly.
Demogorgon had a secret.
A secret known only to itself.
Originally, as the first created Tanar'ri demon, Demogorgon was ugly, frail, and completely different from what Chaos later had envisioned, thus being immediately abandoned and thrown into the muddy depths of the Brine Swamp.
Newly born, weak, and helpless, Demogorgon struggled to survive in the Brine Swamp.
During one instance when it was attacked by a demon beast and about to die, it suddenly felt an unprecedented warmth and embrace. At the same time, its exhausted body surged with overwhelming power, allowing it to kill and devour the demon beast, absorbing all its life energy and the power of the Abyss.
Demogorgon awakened a terrifying power of devouring.
It did not show off but began to develop discreetly, silently devouring other demons to strengthen itself until it killed several demon lords, severely wounded Chaos later, and killed the King of Insects. What was considered a discarded Tanar'ri demon made a shocking debut, becoming a formidable demon prince.
Only Demogorgon knew.
Its success was not its own doing.
The Abyss is a terrifying, dangerous place filled with death and crises. Even Demogorgon, which had awakened the power of devouring, was initially the weakest being of the lower layers.
It had faced countless deadly crises.
Yet, every time, an invisible presence helped it escape from danger. However, as Demogorgon grew stronger, this unseen presence became increasingly difficult to perceive.
But it firmly believed the presence never left.
It also firmly believed that this presence, which helped it become a demon prince, was the legendary—Will of the Abyss.
Because of the experience of being ruthlessly abandoned by Chaos later, Demogorgon saw the Will of the Abyss, which had protected it all along, as its true mother, harboring immense affection and trust.
However, Demogorgon, having waited for a long time, still received no response.
It showed a look of disappointment.
"Mother, I long for your embrace."
"What must I do to please you, to receive your caress again?"
In the silent, cold underwater cavern, Demogorgon whispered softly.
Suddenly, its gaze sharpened, and a ferocious look appeared.
A familiar demonic scent intruded into the Brine Swamp.
"Demogorgon."
"I, Obokos, once killed by you, the King of Insects, have personally come to visit you, deemed most likely to become the king of demons."
Demogorgon's gaze pierced through layers of saltwater and rock mountains, spotting a demon lord writhing with endless segments, entwined around a towering mountain.
Its appearance was like a hybrid of a giant scorpion and a centipede.
The sound of countless segments moving and grinding against each other was like the worst nightmare, with actions that shattered mountains and sent countless stones tumbling down.
This demon lord was one of the oldest Obirith demons.
The King of Insects, Obokos.
"Demogorgon."
"I have forgotten the taste of being killed by you. Could you please satisfy me once more? Kill me again."
While calling out and provocatively approaching the Skull Spire, the King of Insects displayed a threatening demeanor.
Ever since Demogorgon was severely wounded in the star realm, the King of Insects had sent demons loyal to him to the Brine Swamp from time to time to probe Demogorgon's condition. After several probes, due to Demogorgon's restraint, the King of Insects gradually became bold in his conjecture—the despicable two-headed baboon, no, now the beheaded baboon, indeed suffered a horrific, seemingly irrecoverable injury.
Therefore.
He personally came to the Brine Swamp, boldly provoking, to finally determine the true state of Demogorgon's condition.
Even if Demogorgon was fine, just pretending, it meant dying one more time at most.
The King of Insects was accustomed to it.
Death was not unacceptable to the King of Insects because its resurrection was much simpler than that of other demons. After reviving and hiding to recuperate for a while, it could quickly recover as before.
In direct combat, it was not the match of other demon princes.
But its ability to die and be reborn repeatedly was quite special.
The King of Insects firmly believed that its undying self would eventually wait for the day to ascend the throne again, to once again become the 'Demon Overlord' of the Abyss.
"This dead but not stiff bug!"
Demogorgon showed a fierce expression.
Due to its severe injury and the lack of response from the Will
of the Abyss, it was already feeling aggrieved. The King of Insects' provocation and mockery nearly drove it mad with rage.
"Bug! Even if I've weakened, it doesn't mean you've grown stronger!"
Boom, boom, boom!
From the sea formed by saltwater, Demogorgon's sleek tentacle arms emerged, and the entire ocean seemed to boil like hot water.
Amidst furious roars filled with rage, Demogorgon burst forth from the sea, furiously attacking the King of Insects.
The King of Insects, initially showing a hint of apprehension at Demogorgon's frenzied state, but upon noticing the stump where its head used to be, realized Demogorgon's weakness and immediately perked up.
"Demogorgon, come on, I look forward to you killing me again."
In the meantime, countless demons panicked as the entire eighty-eighth layer of the Abyss trembled violently under the battle between the two demon princes, struggling to return to calm.
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