Chapter 117: To Each their own....
The core looked the same from the outside, a plant with black branches, stems, and roots. It had purple and black leaves, along with some small red ones.
It was sitting on a black metallic throne.
Yes, sitting.
Its roots were spread all over the throne, while a black blade rested against the plant.
Alze-beus had been calm when he reached the place with the heaviest density of the blackish-purple mist.
But as soon as he laid eyes on the plant, something primal awakened within him.
Hunger.
For the first time since he had gained awareness in Hell, he felt immense hunger, not because he was starving, but because he desired it.
He could sense it; this plant was incredibly precious. If he ate it, he would probably become a True Devil (God).
Once this thought appeared, it refused to leave his head.
If he became one, would he still need to be afraid of [Zethe-thoth]? Hell, if he became a True Devil (God), he could fight back! If he played his cards right, he might even be able to defeat the Void God and eat it instead.
As for His Highness Aathan? While Alze-beus was currently afraid of him, if he became a True Devil (God), even His Highness would be reduced to nothing more than food.
He could eat anything he wished.
His Patron God, before [Zethe-thoth] had severed their link, had told him that when a being like him became a True Devil (God), the world would stop suppressing him and fully accept him as a resident. This wasn’t because the rules suddenly became lax.
It was because when he was recognized as a full resident, the world would advance alongside him, evolving into a God-Grade World.
He was also a native, though currently, he was suppressed in his own territory in Hell. But that would all change once he became a True Devil (God).
It was not that others like him didn’t want to become Gods, but it was much more difficult for them to reach that realm without the world becoming God-Grade World it was almost impossible to reach that realm.
Similar to the monsters in the Death Zones who became strong using natural treasures form the system, creatures in Heaven and Hell had grown strong by absorbing a type of energy and authority only available in their specific regions.
The stronger they became or rather, the more they gathered this type of energy and increased their authority, the stronger they would be bound to that region.
He was a Grand Duke and a Devil Monarch.
Grand Duke represented his authority, and Devil Monarch (Rank 7) was his rank. It corresponded to Rank 7 (Level 501- 750) of the Evolution System. Currently his is level was 696. He was a lot further behind His Highness, who was already a Devil Sovereign (Rank 8) and above Level 751.
(ABW Note: Check the Power System in the Auxiliary Chapters for more information. I recently updated it; if it’s not showing, try refreshing.)
He had been surprised when he saw the Witch earlier; she had just reached the Devil Emperor rank (Rank 5), placing her just one rank below him, and she had done it without the support of system treasures.
Though her foundations were lacking and most of her strength seemed to come from arrays, it was still an achievement worth admiring.
She was a lot more talented and impressive than that worthless witch who called herself a Chosen, and even that coward of a black-haired sword user.
He almost regretted bringing only two Peak Devil Prince (Rank 4) incarnations to the fight.
But when he saw her soul wound, he realized she was currently even weaker than a normal Devil Prince (Rank 4), forget about matching his Peak Devil Prince incarnations. Because of his immense talent, he could even fight people above his rank, so even a Peak Devil General incarnation at Level 100 (Rank 3) would have been enough.
That was why he had launched a soul attack the very moment they fought, and sure enough, one attack had been enough to severely worsen her soul injury despite it being blocked by the arrays.
But what he didn’t expect was for his final attack, which destroyed her body, to shatter her soul as well.
She would have made an exquisite dinner. If he ate her all the array knowledge she had accumulated throughout her life would have been his.
His authority over Gluttony was feared for this precise reason; every opponent he killed ended up becoming a permanent part of his strength. And he had a special Talent that made him even more fearsome than other Devils walking the same path.
As for the Witch, he had felt regret as soon as his attack landed on her. It was a waste of resources that was difficult to swallow, and all of this was because of the accursed [Zethe-thoth] affecting his judgement.
In Hell, there was the annoying Aathan, and here it was [Zethe-thoth]. All this time, he had thought the world that birthed him had cursed him with bad luck simply because it was envious of his potential.
But now, looking at the plant, all his grievances were washed away. This was the greatest opportunity of his life. This was an opportunity found within a disaster.
Perhaps all this time, the world was just testing him before handing him the chance to ascend and become a True Devil in a single step.
It was then he heard [Zethe-thoth’s] distorted voice.
"stAnd guArD, aNd wAit fOr mE tO eAt."
Alze-beus fumed. Did the Void God really think he was such a pushover?
Did it think it was so easy to steal my opportunity?
After Alze-beus merged his incarnations, his avatar had reached Level 350.
This meant he was currently at the peak of the Devil King Rank.
During the time they had been looking for the core, he was already preparing a ritual to enhance this incarnation just in case [Zethe-thoth] had funny thoughts, like trying to eat him again.
Losing two Peak Devil Prince (Rank 4) strength incarnations permanently might cripple him, so he had to leave something behind to defend himself.
But he hadn’t expected his preparations to come in handy like this.
As for [Zethe-thoth] hearing his thoughts? Alze-beus had already stopped thinking through this incarnation the moment he laid eyes on the plant.
Instead, it was his main body back in Hell that was doing all the plotting.
Suddenly, he felt a figure move through the mist and appear beside him.
His pupils contracted into pinpricks when he saw it. It was an eldritch horror in humanoid form, fully made of writhing black tentacles, and it gave off the oppressive aura of a Devil Emperor (Rank 5).
Then, he felt something shift in his own body. He felt a presence jump from him and land onto the entity.
As soon as it happened, all the black tentacles retracted, and a human body became visible. It was a man with black hair, brown skin, and dark brown eyes.
Alze-beus knew exactly who this was. This man was someone in whose city his subordinate had managed to create a strong base, even gathering a massive human following known as Demonic Cultivators.
He was Vikram, Ranked 7th in the World Council in terms of strength, and the ruler of Bharat City.
The man or rather, [Zethe-thoth] spoke. This time, his voice was no longer distorted, but it carried a bizarre, elongated accent.
"Finally, Ieee madeaaa soma Progressaaa."
[Zethe-thoth], or Vikram, or maybe both of them acting as one now, looked at Alze-beus and gave a chilling smile.
"You araa finally actinga likaaa good foodaaa."
Alze-beus narrowed his eyes.
This won’t do.
As confident as he was, his current incarnation was not something that could match a Devil Emperor (Rank 5).
Meanwhile, in Hell...
Inside a Secret Realm stood Alze-beus’s main body. It possessed countless arms and heads, and it stood on two massive legs. Its entire body was covered in mouths and eyes.
Alze-beus looked at the ritual before him.
It was a gargantuan curse circle created by sacrificing millions of Devil Slaves. He had even thrown some of his useless Devil Soldiers into the mix so that his Floor’s population wouldn’t take too much of a dent.
Even if it did cause a dent, he wouldn’t care.
They were weaklings anyway. One must not forget that he was a Devil, a true villain, not some fake-ass anti-hero or third-rate antagonist.
The entire Secret Realm was empty except for him and the massive curse circle.
While his actions might not go undetected by His Highness Aathan, after seeing an opportunity to become a True Devil in one step, he couldn’t care less.
After he became a True Devil, it would be His Highness who would be worried about him.
"Haha, after spending thousands of years fighting in the Abyss, I didn’t think my opportunity would come on the surface world," Alze-beus mused aloud.
(ABW Note: Time in Hell and the Abyss works differently.)
"Stupid [Zethe-thoth]... he only thinks about eating. I will show him what it means to be eaten after I ascend!"
Alze-beus paused, his myriad of eyes gleaming. "Let’s not get too cocky, though. Let’s get some insurance, just in case."
One of his massive arms tore a hole in space, reaching directly onto his Floor, his personal territory in Hell. He made a grabbing motion, and immediately, millions of Devil Slaves, Devil Soldiers, and even some Devil Generals were forcibly pulled into the rift.
Screams instantly filled every region of the Floor, a landmass that was larger than the entire surface area of Planet Earth.
"Noooooo!"
"Curse you... you will die a horrible death!"
"Fuck your mother...!"
"Noooo, not my son!"
"Aaahh... Please, at least let my daughter go!"
"Why, Lord?! I have always been loyal!"
"His Highness Aathan will not spare you!"
Looking down at the writhing masses pouring into the Secret Realm, Devil Monarch Alze-beus spoke mercilessly, his layered voices filled with disdain.
"This is the fate of the weak. To become fuel for my ascension."