Coal and flint lined the bottom of his throne, and above them, iron and steel joined together, along with many, many other materials and gems. Each was a story, a story of his rise to power.

Coal was the first, the first thing he ate and climbed out of, and flint, which caused his body to be engulfed in fire. Iron and steel, which made up his black skin, with an outer covering of coal and flint. Gems in his fists, and all the other various metals of the Abyss.

The Martial Star was a Demon born of a Succubus and a Pit Fiend. From his mother, he gained his ’beauty’, although that had long been ruined by his ascent, but he still had an alluring pair of eyes. Blood red was their color, and they could strangely draw you in.

From his father, he got his height. He was a demon two meters tall, not the biggest, but not the smallest either. His massive tail and somewhat large wings also came from his father, whoever he was.

An oddity about his experience was present in his face, unlike the normal horns of a pit fiend, which extended from the pits of their forehead to the sides or back. His ’horns’ actually extended from the cheek or chin, and into a crescent shape, like axes.

He was actually glad over this unusual development; many a time, this mutation had saved his life. He had bashed his face against his opponent, and his axes often came in clutch.

Most Demons give themselves a name, as their parents couldn’t be bothered to give a damn. Only a few demons were given names, either noble or ’virtuous’. The latter referred to Demons allied with the House of Death.

Oddly enough, Demons regarded giving themselves a name as of great importance. In their eyes, it added value to their existence. For the purpose of giving themselves a name associated with something they valued, demons would actually go and study, or seek knowledge wherever they could.

Names held great priority to demons; they were their identity before they uncovered their true name, and more often than not, their True Names held similarities with the names they chose for themselves.

The Martial Star was the same; in his youth, he had done the same, uselessly spending money on knowledge and books and trying to figure out a name for himself... and the one he had settled upon was Mukka.

Mukka, meaning Fist, in one of the many languages of the Universe. He had chosen it because he mainly used his fists to deal with matters, disregarding weapons. He liked it when he was young, and it stuck with him.

His throne comprised his trophies, his story of ascendance, but his greatest trophy? It lay on his body, in the form of a cape. It was the hide of a God Beast, one from the White Tiger Tribe, regarded as one of the strongest. They were like the Metal Dragons, one of the strongest of the species. It was the most difficult battle in his life, and one that had cemented his authority in the abyss.

Even now, the wounds from that battle still ached, the gashes in his body, long since healed, ached with pain now and then. Nonetheless, Mukka wore the hide of his opponent with pride, for it was his greatest achievement till now.

He was not alone in his hall, accompanied by another Epic Being; however, this one was not an ’ally’, nor was he a subordinate. He was another demon, an incubus with purple skin and alluring features. He calmly said.

"And those are the rules for the war, satisfied?"

Mukka did not answer and merely grunted. The incubus chuckled.

"Heh, you should be lucky those foolish humans chose the House of War, because of them, we actually have a chance at three dragon hearts! Three! Many Demon Lords are watching this conflict, even Baal himself. Lady Paimon expects a lot from you, you know?"

Had they chosen the House of Death, we would have no choice but to withdraw."

In the Abyss, the House of Death was feared more than the House of War. There were common sayings about each house of dragons.

Always treat Life with care.

Accept the Law of Order.

Never underestimate Death.

Never mess with War.

War was a faction that was ’divided’ along many fronts, and due to their infatuation with battle, they enjoyed actually fighting on somewhat equal odds. Death, however, would never attack unless provoked first. Also, they responded with ’full’ force always, not caring about equal odds.

And no Demon Lord was stupid enough to piss off Valus, much less Ariel. When even the Abyss didn’t dare approach him, who were they to? Also, unlike the other houses, Death had a large presence within the Abyss. Due to their belief, they treated everyone equally.

Demons and other such races that were oppressed were welcomed by Death, for it came for all, so all are equal before it. Other species under other houses looked down on Demons and other ’demonic’ or abyssal races, but in Death, they were all equal.

Many Demon Lords had good relations with the House of Death, as well as Demons. The Church of Darkness was a powerful force within the Abyss, one that shouldn’t be trifled with. Many demons believed in Valus as well, seeing him as the other authority equal to Lucifer, although they were in a minority.

Other than that, the House of Death had many Abyssal Layers under their lord and a faction of Demon Lords ’loyal’ to them. Paimon, Rank 9, although a bitter enemy of Barbatos, rank eight, who was the current leader of the faction loyal to Death, wasn’t stupid enough to actually challenge Shivalkulan.

Mukka, a subordinate demon ’king’ under her, had to follow some rules. In the eyes of every demon lord, this ’war’ was a blessing in disguise; none of them regarded Earth as a major threat, and they were basically salivating at this.

This ’war’ was basically an opportunity for them to take three dragon hearts! Three! Often regarded as the most valuable treasure in the Universe. Agares, rank two, possessed a Dragon Heart, hailing from an Elder Dragon, and it was the most valuable thing he owned. It was also why nobody really dared to challenge him, even Baal was hesitant about fighting Agares, precisely because of that Dragon Heart.

Although there was a stark difference between the heart of a Baby Dragon and an Elder Dragon, everyone still wanted it. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that the entire attention of the Abyss was currently focused on the conflict between Abyssal Layer 555 and Earth.

If it weren’t for the rules, Paimon would have gladly sent every demon under her command to aid Mukka, even herself. But if it weren’t for the rules, such an opportunity would have never presented itself.

"It seems War and Death have had an altercation. War, more precisely, Her Excellency Izima, is exercising her authority to ensure those Dragons stay on Earth. I wonder what it could be? There are rumors that she feels threatened by Alan Peccator, thinking he can take her place as the current strongest, youngest dragon.

Whatever it may be, it’s the best opportunity for us. Let the Dragons fight amongst themselves, and we will reap the benefits..."

The incubus rambled on and on, and Mukka sighed in his mind.

’Fucking idiot...’

He cursed the noble-born incubus from the depths of his heart, confused as to how someone as dim as he was able to become an Epic being. His ’conjectures’ couldn’t be more wrong. Mukka, a Demon that actually rose in the field and wars, knew more than a noble-born brat raised in his castle.

Although the four houses of the Dragons may indicate some ’division’, never ever believe it. The unity of the Dragons is like a monolith. It is unshakeable, unbreakable. War is simply doing its job and following tradition.

Only the Fire Dragon is stuck on Earth, following the Tradition of War. The Dragons of Death were certainly given a choice... and if they chose to stay, that meant that both they and Death were confident about their strength.

As for Izima, as someone who had actually seen the Princess of War from afar, Mukka knew she likely didn’t give a damn. Actually, she might be excited at the prospect of an equal. The incubus in front of him knew nothing and was simply drooling with greed,

As for the one who actually had to fight in the war, Mukka had other thoughts, but didn’t voice them in front of the Idiot Incubus. He sighed and stood up from his throne. The incubus smiled and said.

"We are all watching this with anticipation. Do not disappoint the Empress of Secrets."

He then flicked his finger, purple flames consumed his figure, and he disappeared. It wasn’t teleportation, just a simple trick to conceal himself to imitate teleportation. Mukka didn’t know why he did something so insignificant.

"Hmm..."

He grunted as he descended the steps.