The depths of the Abyss.

The Extinction Sea.

This was a black, dead sea.

Dead water that, over long years, had flowed down from the barren lands throughout the Abyss—yet had nowhere to drain—gathered here, condensing into countless measures of toxicity and death.

This was a forbidden zone of life. Even the Abyss’s most common dark crows did not dare beat their wings and cross it. Only densely packed, ghastly pale corpses floated atop it, sketching a horrifying tableau.

Dead silence and poisonous fog shrouded this place. No living thing would trespass without reason.

But suddenly, the entire Extinction Sea began to quake.

The violently toxic miasma that had long blanketed the sea’s surface was ripped apart in an instant. Storm waves heaved up innumerable bones and corpses, smashing against a shore where only black, rotten stone existed.

Eight grotesque, spire-like towers rose out of the sea.

These were tall towers of some unknown material—bearing a metallic sheen, yet also the texture of enormous bones. The bases were cast from heaps of countless creatures’ skulls stacked together, and at the sharp tips of the towers, clusters of green ghostfire swayed.

One cluster of ghostfire suddenly flickered.

The ghostfire became a hazy shadow. It seemed like the silhouette of a mountain—vast and majestic.

"Hm? I didn’t expect I’d be the first to arrive."

"Heh, you, Magic Mountain—these days you do nothing but eat and sleep. Of course you have the leisure for it."

A second cluster of ghostfire flickered next, then instantly went out. A mist-like phantom rose, drifting.

"Extinction, you want to fight this seat again?" The crimson eyes on the phantom narrowed, and Magic Mountain said coldly.

"Fight now? I’d love nothing more. Tsk tsk—at the state you’re in now, that title of ‘Magic Mountain’ might really be struck from the demonfolk for a while." The Extinction Grand Duke sneered.

"If you hadn’t deliberately held back when facing the Lion King back then—if you hadn’t let him attack and kill this seat at will—how would this seat have ended up injured to this extent!"

"Heh, that’s just your own incompetence!"

"You—"

"Enough. Stop arguing."

A third cluster of ghostfire flickered. This time, what the fire outlined was a figure far smaller than the first two.

So small it looked like an ordinary human.

Yet when that figure spoke in a calm tone, both Magic Mountain and Extinction—two Grand Dukes—fell silent at once, not daring to say more.

Both were cowed by that one’s might.

There was no open ranking among demonfolk Grand Dukes, and several had, through the years, constantly fought and struggled for supremacy... but even with their usual arrogance, they had to admit that in both seniority and strength, there was one existence they absolutely could not shake.

That was the most ancient of the demonfolk... the Divine Will Grand Duke.

"Now that we have finally managed to unite a little, and have hope of leaving this barren land, do the two of you intend to destroy that hope and become sinners of the entire demonfolk?" Though it was likewise a phantom, it felt as if one could see, across an immeasurable distance, the solemn expression on that Grand Duke’s face.

"...We wouldn’t dare." Magic Mountain rumbled.

"Clan elder, please forgive us." The Extinction Grand Duke’s attitude also became respectful in an instant.

"Good that you know your fault. The demonfolk of today no longer have the capital to make mistakes. I hope you can temporarily set aside those pointless grudges."

The Divine Will Grand Duke gave a soft sigh.

And as that sigh fell, four more clusters of ghostfire became phantoms of different shapes, appearing atop the spires.

Magic Mountain Grand Duke.

Extinction Grand Duke.

Enchantment Grand Duke.

Youyan Grand Duke.

Rotten Iron Grand Duke.

Ruinfall Grand Duke.

And that one... the Divine Will Grand Duke.

The demonfolk’s seven Grand Dukes of today had all gathered here... though it was only through some sort of projection, this scene alone was enough to shake the entire demonfolk.

"Ghostblood... is dead in the end, then? I thought that Blood Sea method had some chance of shedding the shell and escaping. Now it seems—Ghostblood was still careless."

The Divine Will Grand Duke looked toward the last, empty spire tip and sighed again.

"I said before: trading with humans is acceptable, but going deep into the Empire is far too dangerous. I didn’t expect Ghostblood would ultimately be blinded by hatred over the previous Ghostblood Grand Duke’s death, sneak into the Empire behind my back... foolish beyond measure."

"Looks like we’ll have to choose a new Ghostblood Grand Duke." The Rotten Iron Grand Duke said without the slightest change in tone.

"Heehee. In today’s demonfolk, where are you going to find another Crowned One-level powerhouse?" The Enchantment Grand Duke let out a charming laugh. Enchantment had never gotten along with the Ghostblood line, so of course it was pleasing to see the name “Ghostblood” swept into the dust of history.

"Chinu Haza might work. The strength is a bit lacking, but with that level of magical attainment—"

"Chinu Haza’s bloodline is deficient. Chinu Haza cannot endure the baptism of the Ten-Thousand-Blood Transformation."

"Heehee, now that’s troublesome. Then why don’t I work a little harder, and shoulder it together—"

"Enough." 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

The Divine Will Grand Duke snapped, "Did you forget what I just said? I summoned you here not to have you carve up the Ghostblood line’s benefits! Raise your sights farther!"

Over the Extinction Sea, silence returned once more.

The Divine Will Grand Duke looked at the phantoms of the demonfolk Grand Dukes, and inwardly noted: though the demonfolk currently held an obvious advantage on the battlefield, these Grand Dukes each had their own schemes. To truly make them exert strength in one direction was no easy matter.

Then again—if the demonfolk could really be twisted into a single rope so easily, why would the demonfolk have been trapped in the Abyss for a thousand bitter years?

The demonfolk’s temporary unity today was also because...

"Let’s talk business."

The Divine Will Grand Duke’s tone returned to calm.

"Youyan—was the intelligence you sent back earlier true?"

"Naturally true." The Youyan Grand Duke said. "Not long ago, before Dolongslei Fortress, I did indeed encounter an Evil God’s projection. Its appearance was a pitch-black sun. For safety’s sake, I temporarily withdrew the army."

"That was a wise choice. However..."

The Divine Will Grand Duke pondered. "Why would an unfamiliar Evil God’s projection suddenly appear on a battlefield between demonfolk and humans? Was it drawn in by the blood and flesh on the battlefield?"

"In a situation like that, the ones drawn in are usually Evil God believers." Magic Mountain rumbled. "Those high and mighty deities don’t look twice at this rotten meat. If they could seize the souls before death, perhaps they might have a chance to cast down a projection—but doing that requires too much preparation. Even an Evil God couldn’t complete all of it without us noticing."

"I don’t know the exact reason either, but what confuses me more is this—an Evil God whose believers are even Crowned Ones, and yet up to now, it has been so unknown?" The Youyan Grand Duke’s black robe billowed. "Forgive my shallow knowledge. Up to this point, I still cannot find the origin of that deity’s projection at all. It’s as if it appeared out of thin air. Sometimes I even suspect it was some little trick made by someone skilled in this path, meant to deceive us."

"A black sun... it resembles that sun, but it truly is different, and moreover..." The Divine Will Grand Duke’s gaze tightened slightly. "Crowned One believers? When that Evil God projection appeared, its believers voluntarily revealed an aura to you—don’t you find that far too strange?"

"This... I don’t know either."

"It seems this matter truly is full of doubts."

The Divine Will Grand Duke said flatly, "But no matter what, the offensive against that fortress cannot stop. Starting tomorrow, continue the attack."

"Such behavior—won’t it—"

"It doesn’t matter. Don’t mind anything else. Attack."

The Divine Will Grand Duke cut off Youyan. "An Evil God ultimately cannot interfere completely with this world—especially the Abyss, which is even ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) more distant to them. Perhaps that Evil God projection really was only passing by."

"Understood." The Youyan Grand Duke nodded. "I will hurry and regroup the army again."

"This time, you must break Dolongslei Fortress as quickly as possible. We don’t have much time."

The Divine Will Grand Duke gave a few reminders, then, in a voice only the Divine Will Grand Duke could hear, murmured to himself,

"As for the other possibility... given what we have been doing lately, drawing an Evil God’s gaze is normal, isn’t it?"

"Not only the siege—everything must speed up."