After completing the Induction of the Duke of Sloth and the Holy Supremacy, he also challenged the Trial of Sloth. It was extremely easy in fact, he would be astonished if someone who was capable of entering h.e.l.l without dying had managed to fail it. All that happened was that he was required to complete a certain set of arduous tasks while being forcibly distracted by amenities and other more enjoyable activities. The Trial of Greed and Gluttony were unavailable as he could not march up to the Diabolic One and ask to be empowered despite wanting to kill him."Ah I almost forgot. What is your third request?"
"I believe you already know, my liege"
"Indeed I do but what is this World Traverser?", Atlas asked as he already knew that Revel wanted to kill the Diabolic One but he was a bit baffled when it came to how they perceived his ident.i.ty.
A man devoid of souls shall reap what demons have sown. With wrath and blood, his corruption grants the cruelest salvation. From a ravaged h.e.l.l, he crosses worlds one by one leaving total ruin in his wake.
The moniker matches me but the description is more than a bit off. It reminds me more of Haruto than anyone else. He was raised by demons and also a Darkblood. Also, if I am a man devoid of souls than I want to see what the man full of souls looks like, Atlas thought.
"To be exact, it is called the World Traversing Blight and the Diabolic One"s sole purpose is to stop it. I a.s.sumed you were the World Traverser but.. I did not expect you to be even greater"
He thought that it was a bit ironic though that a being ravaged worlds in order to stop another being from doing the same thing. He did sense that there was more going on in the background than mere hypocrisy though. This "h.e.l.l" was likely a means of entrapping Haruto before he could unleash his true potential through Blood Calamities. He could be considered a disease that gets stronger and stronger with every kill achieved.
"I have no qualms with killing the Diabolic One but before that I"d like to know more about demons"
"I will answer to the best of my abilities", both Dukes responded.
"Where do they come from? So far, the places I have seen are inhospitable and unlikely to develop life"
Idyl, the Duke of Sloth spoke up as it was the topic he was most familiar with.
"There are 4 categories of "demons". Demon n.o.bles, lost souls, and the fodder demons used to weaken worlds. Those 3 are all native to this realm. Only physically though as they were created after their death. The 4th type such as the Flaming Warhorse are creatures we have found from other realms and brought back to entertain ourselves. That is also why I have land specifically allocated to rear these creatures"
"That sounds interesting. I would like to visit it sometime"
"It"d be a pleasure. My specialty is the Entrenched Soullure. It is the only creature other than the succubus that directly alters affection"
Entrenched... Ingrained? Soul-... Seems like I am forgetting about something important, Atlas thought before the remnant of the memory vanished completely.
As he continued to ruminate on his fragmented memory, a tremor resounded throughout the entire realm. A change could be seen across the entirety of the landscape as the bones embedded into the ground began to fracture while the once b.l.o.o.d.y flesh began to rot and fester. Wanting to inquire about the current circ.u.mstances, Atlas turned towards the two Dukes only to find them missing and only the Holy Supremacy remaining.
He then smirked, "Less effort required to locate him"
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Above the clouds in a place separate from the filth below, two men occupied a celestial residence of the highest order. One paced nervously while the other yawned from the constant boredom.
"When will she be back? She can"t avoid me forever", the one yawning said.
"Today is the advent of the World Traverser. How do you have the audacity to think of anything else?", the one gripped by anxiety complained.
"It"s fine. That weakling isn"t the only deterrent, you know?"
"Enlighten me before I start venting on some unworthy DemiG.o.ds", the man retorted with gritted teeth and in an impatient manner.
"The Blight not only has to take control of one of Heaven"s Seven Treasures but he also has to be born nonhuman", he stated with an expression that exuded narcissism. "What are the odds of that happening?"
"How did you do that?"
"I tampered with the Key to Purgatory. To enter, he must be one of the Races of Sin which is literally impossible"
"You have prepared this far ahead with such limited information?"
"I told you that a mere Major Deity like you should not question one such as I"
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A formidable figure stood at a natural bone formation which was shaped like a podium. He faced the tense crowd which felt a sense of dread and trepidation. It was their very first congregation since their conception as demons and that alone made them extremely wary of what the Diabolic One wanted. He had left to them to their whims and wiles but finally took action.
Anyone in the crowd could tell that there were only 2 other people which could compare to the Diabolic One and they did not dare act in case all 3 powerhouses were on the same side. Despite that, everyone in the crowd scowled at the Diabolic One as he was the one that d.a.m.ned them to his horrid dungeon.
"Only 2 Dukes left? How disappointing. I should have locked them up for their own good", the Diabolic One said. His sinister grin caused them to shiver subconsciously as he unleashed a suppressive aura to better a.s.sess the crowd.
He then shook his head in disappointment at the result and shouted, "Come forth, Wygeis"
At his beckoning, a cry could be heard and a slight tremor. Hearing the rumbling behind them, everyone turned to look at the gigantic puddle of acid which caused it. In the middle of it, a sizable mound appeared. It continually expanded in size until it fully emerged. They could see that it had the anatomy of dragon but it was extremely emaciated. When the acid fell off the monstrosity, they realized it was an undead dragon. It possessed minimal flesh and the majority of its form consisted of protruding bones that creaked and groaned with every step.
Pleased by their frightened expressions, the Diabolic One then said in a matter of fact manner, "All of you here will be Wygeis" sustenance"
As soon as he finished his sentence, the undead dragon lunged forward and devoured over a dozen Demon n.o.bles. The Barons immediately began to dissolve into piles of flesh while the Counts screamed in agony. Seeing this, a Marquis charged towards the Diabolic One in anger while another Marquis tried to stop the Dragon. Both attempts proved futile as the Marquis charging towards the Diabolic One was split in half while the Marquis fighting the Dragon lost an arm and was poisoned.
When the remaining n.o.bles were less than half and began to despair, the two Dukes stepped up and finally took action. As Revel rushed forward, he was impeded by a wall of sand that seemed to have a will of its own. While Idyl tried to intercept the dragon, a metallic fist collided with his face.
Satisfied with the performance of the Contingencies, he wanted to initiate the next phase of the plan. Once Wygeis ate all the n.o.bles, it would be on par or even above the 2 other Contingencies and the fight with the World Traverser would be feasible. He would then finally return to Heaven and be rewarded for his meritorious service.
As he turned his back to the fighting and began to walk away, he heard the piercing cry of Wygeis. Surprised by the unexpected roar, he thought that Wygeis went berserk. He then heard the sound of several successive explosions before the dragon let out a peculiar sound. Realizing that it was the death rattle of an undead dragon, he froze in shock.
He was tempted to turn and run but felt an oppressive presence behind him.
"Your corpse will be desecrated in a manner far more vile than what you did to that dragon", the person said in a voice that could freeze h.e.l.l.