The Holy Chronicles of Baator

[Trafford]

Yestera Plane, Ihor Subcontinent, Western Region

If one looked from the coast of the Western Region of the Ihor Subcontinent, on the horizon, you could see three humongous spaceships appearing as they were slowly flying towards the land.

I observed the area, not finding anything weird; there weren't enemies, so that was good. General Borke Zagan was standing next to me in the command center of the Lunar-Class Cruiser as we were observing the coast. It looked like a beach, with sand and sunny weather.

"Where should we go now, My Lord?"

Asked General Zagan while observing the land.

"We shall be eradicating one of the Great Tribes in the Western Region of Ihor Subcontinent, close to the Westcoast, isn't the Tigara Tribe? I don't want any kind of disturbances during the building process of the teleportation array to Ihor. We will annihilate them with Anti-Matter Magicule Batteries installed on cruisers. At least we will see the might of new models of them in practice."

As three Lunar-Class Cruisers went in the direction where the Tigara Tribe was located, I said with a grin.

"Of course, My Lord."

Answered General Zagan as we continued our journey where the Tigara Tribe was located.

After half an hour of flying, this time with high speed, I was not bothered by attracting mighty sea beasts and monsters from the ocean's depths, and soon enough, the Tigara Tribe was in our sights.

It was worthy of the title Great Tribe; it looked huge, with many buildings looking more advanced than the Tribes in the Ewor subcontinent; I even sensed two Legendary-ranked Powerhouses that were there.

"There are two of them... start charging the Anti-Matter Magicule Batteries, including the Main Cannons."

I commanded as everything was being charged on the three Lunar-Class Cruisers, aiming at their target, which was a settlement of the Tigara Tribe.

Soon enough, after several seconds, I got a notification from Architect who was now directly controlling these three voidships that all artillery was fully charged and ready to fire.

"Fire."

I commanded; as soon as tens and tens of Anti-Matter Magicule Batteries started shooting at the settlement of the Tigara Trige, which looked like Starfall. Including the main artillery cannons, which reminded high supernova when it shot three large balls of concentrated energy.

Afterward, one could hear screams of pain and anguish from down below as the entire settlement was bombarded straight to oblivion, destroying everything, leaving nothing standing or alive. Only two Ultimate-Class powerhouses of the Tribe are barely standing after the first wave of artillery.

"Send them a second wave."

I commanded, and immediately, all Anti-Matter Magicule Batteries started shooting again; the sound of firing, steel, and fire was being spread around the three voidships as a new wave of attacks hit the ruins of the settlement.

When the supernova shots of the main artillery fell down, a massive explosion occurred, and a shockwave tore out all trees in diameter of one kilometer; even ships shuddered slightly as we experienced the aftershocks.

After several minutes, the dust finally settled. I looked in delight at the huge wasteland created by my Arcanotech, the former populous city settlement of the Tigara Tribe, populated by tens of thousands of humans.

"Splendid... what do you think, General?"

I asked with a cheerful voice, seeing my weapons work in such a marvelous way. This was nothing more than combining my knowledge from Solar Federation and the magic of this realm of existence, creating even more fearsome weaponry.

And this was only a beginning... as I would grow stronger, so would my Arcanotech, as my possibilities would widen, allowing me to construct and recreate even more wonders from the Golden Age of Technology.

Cruisers had less firepower than combat-oriented Voidships. I wonder how strong upgraded Battleships or even Void Fortresses would be that were the pinnacle of space-faring technology of Solar Federation.

My final aim was to construct Black Fortress.

Black Fortresses weren't technology or anything created by Solar Federation, but something far more ancient. Still, it eclipsed every ship across all fleets of the Solar Federation or Aeldari Empire with such huge destructive power.

Solar Federation had studied one of them, and I was even head of the research team. I have all data saved in the Architects database, waiting for the blueprints to be finished.

"Send down Mechs and Legions to clean out. We will construct the teleportation array here. The Tigara Tribe was located in a suitable location with good defensive possibilities. Secure the location, and build a simple fortification."

I commanded as General Zagan began shouting commands to his subordinates.

The only loss I suffered was that the Ultimate-Class humans' bodies couldn't be recovered as my artillery blasted them to oblivion.

Soon enough, all three Lunar-Class Cruisers started landing down, and soldiers together with Mechs started marching out of them and started their specific tasks, such as cleaning, building, and other things.

The entire place was cleaned in three hours, as if nothing ever happened here, thanks to magic and mechs. Then, the building process of the teleportation array started, which would take approximately 12 hours probably.

I then retreated to the Cruiser to spend some time with Venelana and drink some tea; maybe I would go sleep before I dumped overseeing duty onto General Zagan. Another advantage of being a Lord, I have subordinates, that are doing things instead of me. On the other side, I was inventing new Arcanotech gadgets that eased life for everyone, my people included, so it is even.

When I was back, I already saw Venelana preparing tea for me, albeit a little clumsily; it was apparent this was the first time she was doing something like this, to which I smiled lightly as I sat down.

And after a very long twelve hours, I was notified that the teleportation array was already finished, which was fantastical and terrible. Fantastic for the conquest, as it could continue. Terrible for me, as I wanted to sleep a bit more, as I was tired.

 

[Trafford]

After waking up, I went to the teleportation array to activate it. Fortunately, the activation process was a very short one, and soon enough spatial portal was created of enormous size. Tens of thousands of soldiers started pouring from it and getting into orderly formations.

I was satisfied seeing such beauty, and soon, I will unleash them onto the Ihor and turn it into my playground similar to the Ewor, and then mainland, and soon, the entire Yestera Plane would be my source of resources.

After some time, my entire army with over 1 million soldiers was here, together with half a million Arcane Mechanical Automatons, was on Ihor, and soon, tomorrow, they will march.

After constructing so many Arcane Mechanical Automatons, I have decided to start using them for war. After the conquest of the Ihor, I will begin manufacturing the combat-oriented types.

Some of them were already in the preparation stages.

"General, organize everything for an attack tomorrow, coordinate your attack with the usage of Voidships; we will use them in every attack already. Also, notify me if something happens."

I said before I turned to leave.

"My Lord, there is something that requires your attention."

General Zagan quickly said before I left.

"What?"

I turned around.

"Our last magical scan performed by Lord Mephisto Pheles showed that as we are speaking, almost all Ultimate-Class powerhouses of these tribes are together gathered at one place, probably some meeting. It is highly possible that they are plotting to ally against us. Altogether 15 Ultimate-Class powerhouses are participating in that meeting, My Lord."

Explained General Zagan as I frowned lightly. As much as I hated humans, despite being one past life, their most significant advantage and talent were banding together, depending on unity and numbers.

I will break down one aspect of history when I take control. Something not many races were good at, devils being a prime example. Most of us are too proud or straight arrogant to ask for help.

While among humans, they would join together when faced with threats and fight as one.

Something I didn't want to see. Now, 15 joined together to form a resistance group, annoying me to no end, but alas, they will be crushed and killed as everything that stands in my way.

"Proceed as usual. Without any changes, but include counter plans if the bigger number of Ultimate-Class powerhouses appears. We need to be ready for all possibilities that could happen."

Something that I wanted to prevent happened. I was unaware of such a possibility, but I hoped that human tribes would either be too blind to fight together or put their grievances and hatred first before common interest.

"Also, be especially careful, and tell Lord Pheles to conduct scanning and tracking spells every 12 hours to observe the location of Ultimate-Class powerhouses; we need to be in light of their movements."

I said to him before leaving.

"Architect, start creating counter plans for the Ultimate-Class humans and how to most effectively kill them with our current strength without any major loses."

I said to my MTC.

[Of course.]

Sounded the voice of an Architect in my head.

I wanted to win, suffering minimum losses.

In this regard, the Architect is the best strategist. In Solar Federation, battle strategies were often created by the most advanced Artificial Intelligence due to their superior calculation abilities and analysis skills.

With the help of the Architect's skills, I will have countless possible scenarios I can apply to my situation if we encounter a large amount of Ultimate-Class powerhouses. I also made a mental note to beat up Zekram when I reach his level of power or higher for purposely sending me to a world that is too annoying.

Fortunately, there are no notable threats, as he wouldn't send Vena if it were that case. He was probably here personally to scout the world. Still, so many corpses of Ultimate-Class... exquisite, though, the troublesome quality was low, and I noticed I wouldn't be gaining much increase from them, but probably enough to reach a higher level of Ultimate-Class.

***

Meanwhile, in the Central Region of the Yestera Plane

Fifteen people in tribal clothing were sitting on lavish chairs; as the deathly silence was in the air, nobody spoke a word.

"So... how accurate is that information?"

Asked one of the humans in the fur of a bear and a huge cub next to his chair.

"100%... entire Tigara Tribe has been annihilated by invaders to the last person. Apparently, they used some monstrous flying metal things to shoot at them and annihilated them, including two Legendary people."

Said the chieftain of one tribe.

"We must act immediately, rally armies, and attack vile invaders."

"Yes, together, we will be able to defeat them. How many warriors can each of your tribe rally? My tribe can muster 15,000 warriors."

Asked one of the Chieftains.

"50,000."

"65,000."

"40,000."

"57,000."

"62,000."

Soon all fifteen of them stated how many warriors they could bring to their alliance.

"So in the end, a grand army of 1,6 million is formed, known as the Alliance of Ihor. With this grand army and fifteen Legendary powerhouses, we shall defeat and banish vile invaders to where they came from."

Said the 'leading' chieftain, that became something akin to the chairman of the Ihor Alliance.

"When shall we march unto the enemy? Those vile invaders are currently in the western region, and we don't know what is their next target?"

Asked one of the Chieftains.

"After we mobilize our armies, we will attack them at first. In front of our strength and numbers, they will be nothing."

Said the leading chieftain with a hint of arrogance in his words, as now he was the practically uncrowned king of the Ihor subcontinent.

"Then it is decided. Everyone return to your tribes and start rallying troops; force all tribes to send as much as possible troops for our cause."

Said them, the leading chairman.

 

[Trafford]

Several days later, the provisory fortress Fort West.

I have changed my plans in the past several days thanks to the stupid natives. It was not sarcasm, but they really helped me a lot, as they decided to attack first, which was pretty good for me. My most remarkable advantage is that Arcanotech is better used in situations like this, at least tech that I have in my arsenal.

The next day after my army arrived through the teleportation formation, I was notified that all Great Tribes were mustering their armies and started marching to my location, which I was mildly surprised and amused.

Thus I have settled for defending. With stealth tech, I have hidden my three Lunar-Class Cruisers to give natives the feeling they were not present and encourage them to attack me.

I have also installed all my Anti-Matter Magicule Batteries onto the fort and also hidden a few of them in the surrounding mountains, as this terrain has many mountains, which gave me the idea to build some magic towers so that we can apply magical spells of larger scale or magical formations and traps.

With a terrifying building force, Arcane Mechanical Automatons, I had everything built within the upcoming days, and now I was just expecting the enemy to come. I have also reduced my army of 1 million that was here to just easily 300,000 and let the rest hide within mountains to act as an ambush force.

These humans were stupid, they were just some new and young civilization, and as they were in tribal age, they were pretty aggressive. To maximize the usage of my arcanotech and various traps, I needed to provoke them to attack me recklessly.

"How are your preparations General Zagan?"

I asked my retainer, who was handling some paperwork.

"All my Ultimate-Class Flesh Golems are ready to stall four of their Ultimate-Class powerhouses. Lady Venelana could handle two or three of them, as individually weak, and General Amyke will also be able to take probably two. Lord Mephisto Pheles arrived yesterday, and he would take control of the Penta-Magic Tower Formation that was built by Mechs to cast large-scale spells at the enemy and if needed to cast supportive spells."

Reported General Zagan.

"Very good. What about preparations for using Anti-Matter Magicule Canon Batteries and Lunar-Class Cruisers I gave you?"

I gave him some most useful scenarios of battle created by the Architect to go through them.

"We will do it similarly to the battle in the Skull Valley Pass and try to bombard them with concentrated fire with both Anti-Matter Magicule Canon Batteries to reduce the number of their powerhouses. With our current firepower, if needed, we could even wipe all of them."

Answered General Zagan.

"Yes indeed. But that would also obliterate bodies to dust, and I need them to increase my power, and you can craft more Flesh Golems if they are in an excellent state."

I said to him.

With the usage of so many Anti-Matter Magicule Batteries and on top of that, with Lunar-Class Cruiser, I think we could kill probably at least ten Ultimate-Class powerhouses with two salvos, but that will also wholly obliterate bodies to dust, and nothing would remain.

With controlled bombardment, bodies will be at least partially preserved. Though it will increase a bit of loss of lives on the other side, to prevent that, I will personally join the battle and take as many of Ultimate-Class powerhouses as possible.

"Finish all things needed to be done. I am returning to my room to study magic tome."

As I was eager to study new magic tome, I told him that I found it fascinating. Every day, I learned something new, and it helped me to perfect my new Tier Magic System. Slowly, I steadily improved the might, stability, and abilities of the Tier Magic System even more.

Having Lord Mephisto Pheles here, I could consult with him, which helped considerably.

***

At the same time, several days of travel from the Western Region

If one looked at the roads this time, he would see hundreds of thousands of human barbarians, clothed in primitive clothing made from the fur of animals, armed with cubs, crude spears, and swords, as they were marching to the Western Region.

On huge monsters, be it sabertooth cats, mammoths, huge black-fur wolves, and other creatures.

"Big Chieftain, in two days, we will arrive at a place where the invaders are located."

Said one of the Legendary powerhouses belonging to some Great Tribe, based on his clothing was furrier and more complete, suited for winter, he was from North of Ihor.

"Very well, we need to banish those vile invaders as soon as possible to prevent any slaughter of our blood."

Siad, the 'Big Chieftain' who was the leader of the Alliance between Ihor Human Tribal Alliance.

 

[Trafford]

Day of the Battle, Ihor subcontinent, Yestera Plane, Western Region, provisory fortress Fort West

"Is Lord Mephisto Pheles ready to activate spell formation?"

I asked my Generals, General Amyke and General Zagan, who were standing behind me, armed in their battle armors.

"Yes, My Lord. Lord Mephisto Pheles is prepared to cast the spell with the help of his apprentices. The spell will create a formation that will prevent them from leaving, allowing us to eradicate them in one gulp, basically taking the entire subcontinent in one go."

Answered General Zagan.

This was a plan to annihilate all enemies in the Ihor in one go. Then it would only leave the bigger mainland, which had a higher number of Ultimate-Class, as they were many General Level monsters. Still, there isn't any kind of unity, so they would easily annihilate one by one.

"What about Arcanotech weaponry?"

I questioned as I looked at the huge dust cloud rising high in the sky, several kilometers away.

Evidently, our guests were already here soon enough.

"We have prepared 100 Anti-Matter Magicule Canon Batteries to be our artillery, and three Lunar-Class Voidships are waiting in stealth mode for the time to strike."

Reported General Amyke.

"Very well."

I said we are all waiting on Fort West, with 300,000 soldiers remaining here. Rest was hidden, waiting to ambush them. At the same time, all Arcane Mechanical Automatons were loaded onto the Lunar-Class Cruisers, and they would be dropped into the middle of the enemy when the chaos started.

Thus we waited, and soon enough, twenty minutes later, we could already see the first humans barbarians, in their primitive gear marching at us, under leadership lavishly armed, at least for their standards as much as a primitive tribal society could go.

One of them stepped forwards and shouted something I didn't understand; while the devil's innate talent was Omni-linguist, it wasn't that easy. For it to activate, devil blood needed to be integrated with the World's Core, the Will of the World to recognize.

Afterward, devils could speak all commonly spoken languages that weren't magical or mystic in nature.

I didn't bother the barbarian that was talking and immediately ordered the plan to start. The moment I sent my confirmation from several magic towers, an enormous amount of magical power surged and fused with ambient magic in the air, creating a huge transparent dome over a diameter of several kilometers, locking both of our armies in this space until one side perishes.

Afterward, the formation was cast, and barbarians were still in wonder what was happening; I gave orders for Anti-Matter Magicule Canon Batteries to start their bombardment, under the leadership of three Lunar-Class Cruisers, that fired before the Anti-Matter Magicule Canon Batteries, aiming at the Ultimate-Class powerhouses mixed in the crowd.

Bombardment from the Anti-Matter Magicule Canon Batteries and mainly three Lunar-Class Cruisers armed with more advanced Anti-Matter Magicule Canon Batteries compared to those used for smaller combat Tactical-Class killed already several Ultimate-Class powerhouses on the side of humans and more than two hundred thousand ordinary soldiers.

While they were strong in numbers, they were individually weak, and on top of that, they weren't practically wearing any kind of armor; just some of them had some primitive clothes made from the fur of Warrior Level and Commander Level monsters, which was absolutely insufficient in front of advanced Arcanotech.,

"Should we start another salvo, My Lord?"

Inquired General Zagan as he observed the might of Arcanotech. By now, they must have understood that this would change the future of war. Just like gunpowder changed the style of war for humans completely when it was discovered, we will also change.

Besides individual power, which will always remain the top priority, we will have a lesser one, which would be Arcanotech.

While Arcanotech and even technology were Solar Federation was little threat to Tier 3 existences, which was Apocalypse-Class and higher, it was terrifyingly effective against Tier 1, which was basically Low-Class to High-Class. And most of the armies of all factions in Draconic Deus were composed of Tier 1.

Basically, the entire conquest was won by far with the usage of Arcanotech, and if I had even more powerful weaponry at hand, even stronger worlds would fall. When the production of more advanced Arcane Mechanical Automatons begins and the first Mechanical Legions are constructed, only then will the entire Draconic Deus see the might of my Arcanotech.

"How many Ultimate-Class have we killed with the first one?"

I asked as I looked at General Zagan.

"Detection spells are showing that 4 Ultimate-Class from the present fifteen have died."

Answered General Zagan swiftly.

"Then send them another one to kill at least five. Afterward, we will be joining the fray. Also, how many soldiers have died on the enemy side? We don't want too many casualties on our side."

I said to him.

"More than 200,000 has died from the first salvo, My Lord. After another one, an additional 300,000 should die; altogether, half a million would die from the initial two million barbarians."

Answered General Zagan to me as I nodded with satisfaction.

At my order, all Anti-Matter Magicule Canon Batteries and three Lunar-Class Cruisers started their fire once more, this time even more aggressively, taking down, this time, unfortunately, only three Ultimate-Class powerhouses.

Apparently, these ones were smarter, and learned from their mistakes, and used their soldiers as cannon fodder, a pretty clever move. Only 8 Ultimate-Class humans remained, while more than 700,000 humans died due to bombardment. Five hundred thousand died solely from the second salvo, as Ultimate-Class powerhouses used ordinary soldiers as meat shields.

 

[Trafford]

'Architect, take direct control of Voidships and supplement the magical barrier created by Mephisto.'

I said in my head to my MTC A.I.

[As you wish.]

Answered back the elderly voice of Architect as I gripped my scythe Rosenkreutz and unleashed my wings as it was time to join the fun. Currently, I was even confident to go in close combat, as I trained a bit and raised my mastery to Expert-Rank.

Still, I will remain with my magic.

Rosenkreutz acted as my Mystic Code, the amplifier one and specialized one. It strengthened my spells by a great deal. When I flew high in the air, Venelana and General Amyke did the same, and General Zagan released four Ultimate-Class Flesh golems upon enemies.

Our side had 7 against 8. That was good, but alas, 7 human Ultimate-Class human barbarians were blasted to dust. Inevitable end, as I wanted to preserve the lives of as many soldiers as possible.

I targeted two Ultimate-Class human barbarians, as Vena and General Amyke took one each, and four Flesh Golems stalled four of them.

I started casting countless Combat-Tier spells, mostly [Grand Fireball], [Magic Missle], and [Thunderclap] spells. I cast tens of them simultaneously as I shot them at the two enemies that were before me.

While they were lower-ranked spells, they mildly injured both Ultimate-Class barbarians. One of them was a pure warrior, and another one was some kind of shaman or something.

Due to their primitive development, their magic system was just based on Elemental Spirit Magic, which lies in borrowing powers from Elemental Spirits.

Primitive societies usually use a relatively easy system. The majority of magic practiced by human tribes in Africa in Draconic Deus or some in Asia was practically something similar. Shamanism was prevalent here and there.

After being injured by me, they started some kind of strategy, as the warrior one stood before the shaman while the shaman started calling upon the elemental spirits. This was rather dangerous, as I wasn't betting my chances on my luck.

If the shaman is lucky, they could summon powerful elemental spirits that could reach even Super-Devil Class / Greater Divinity Stage Gods, which was pretty terrifying. Thus, I immediately cast a huge Strategic-Tier spell, [Chain Dragon Lightning], as a huge dragon made out of lightning materialized above my head and shot with the enormous speed at the shaman that was calling upon the strength of spirits.

When the shaman realized what was going on, the spell fell on him, obliterating him on the spot—instant kill.

"Damm... that body could have been used for Devour."

I cursed a bit as I looked at the Ultimate-Class warrior and attacked him with a barrage of Dark Light spears.

Meanwhile, I was fighting my battle; below me, and the ambush started as the rest of my legions joined the fray together with Arcane Mechanical Automatons, which started dropping from the sky like raindrops.

Slaughter was commenced.

These humans were no match for a perfectly trained, armed, and more advanced civilization. This was inevitable. On the other hand, as I looked around me, I also was aware that we devils could end the same way.

If we are invaded by strong civilizations or factions in the Astral Boundary, like some human Arcane Empires, Mighty Divine Pantheons, or countless strong races.

Soon enough, Venelana killed her opponent by blasting him off with her Power of Destruction. Similar to the effect of bombardment from Anti-Matter Magicule Canon Batteries and three Lunar-Class Cruisers.

The enemy was blasted to oblivion.

Afterward, together with Venelana, we disposed of the rest of the Ultimate-Class humans fighting Flesh Golems of General Zagan. The battle between armies was also coming to an end.

My soldiers now were more experienced than before, and these humans, as poorly armed and trained, were no match for my armies. Arcane Mechanical Automatons, while Drone Types, were very effective against barbarians.

In Draconic Deus, they would be useful only as cannon fodder, but against primitive civilizations such as this, they could be used as effective combat measures.

Within the next one hour, we had disposed of all Ultimate-Class humans, and I obtained the bodies of three Ultimate-Class shamans that would serve as my nourishment. Then four bodies were in good shape, and they went to General Zagan to become Flesh Golems.

I needed a lot of Ultimate-Class Flesh Golems, as they would be handy when conquering the mainland of the Yestera Plane, as there was a high number of General Level Monsters. Fortunately, they fought among themselves for supremacy, so I didn't need to fear any kind of alliance or something.

While the conquest would take a longer time, probably half a year, it will be easier, as I only need to dispose of one or two General Level monsters simultaneously; it will be a hunt or something like that.

'Architect, start cleaning the battlefield.'

Before turning to face my two Generals, I ordered Architect in my head, who was standing before me, with Vena and Lord Mephisto.

"Good work, everyone. General Amyke and General Zagan, you two are in charge of cleaning the battlefield together with Mechs, who the Architect controls. Gather all bodies in one place; they would be processed for energy. Lord Pheles, please cast a protective spell over the entire Ihor for the next one week until we have constructed a proper magic tower structure and stabilized our grasp over the subcontinent."

I said my orders.

With more advanced Arcanotech, I had a new way to create energy: the processing of bodies. The higher the class was, the more energy could be created.

After one week, a proper network of Magic Tower constructed by Arcanotech would be finished, and my hold over the Ihor would be absolute. Then the mining works could also start here, in addition to the Ewor.

With two subcontinents, I can exponentially increase my army and start building combat-oriented Mechs. They would be instrumental in the conquest of the mainland of Yestera.

 

[Trafford]

After giving orders, I took my spoils of war and left the rest of the work to my loyal subject. The next day, General Amyke and General Zagan took the army and even Mechs and conquered and annihilated every human on the Ihor subcontinent.

Within one week, the entire Ihor fell, and the Magic Tower network was swiftly constructed during that week, increasing my fold. Afterward, I could finally enjoy some rest, as an attack on the Mainland was scheduled to happen two to three months later.

Probably three, I needed to manufacture many things for the conquest to be as smooth as possible. Today I was sitting in a particular room in Fort Bael that was named in Vena's honor, or the real reason I sucked at naming things. But alas, Venelana was happy, and I got a kiss, so good deal.

Before me, there were two corpses of Ultimate-Class human shamans before me, and I planned to use Devour Trait on them.

I used the Devour on the corpse on the right and felt a stream of energy enter my body as it soon disappeared.

'Increase?'

I asked Architect.

[4 Units.]

Answered my MTC A.I.

Then I used the Devour on the second corpse, and my Demonic Energy reserves increased once again slightly by 5 Units.

Altogether I had right now 192 Units of Demonic Energy by Architect's calculations.

Not great, not terrible.

I ordered Architect to start constructing a proper Mechanical Legion, and the base would be Arachne Hydralisk. This mech was around 3,5 meters tall and weighed around 500kg. Armed with two scythe-like limbs, it looked like lamia or at, rather some kind of Lovecraftian aberration of greek lamia.

Additionally, it had inscribed a set of protective runes, gaining strong energy resistance; with all things, its power is High-Class. It was also armed with some energy-based weaponry.

After two months, I will probably have one Legion of 200,000 of these Arachne Hydralisks. This was the might of mechs; the more I have faster they replicate.

After one month, the entire Ihor was turned into an industrial paradise. The number of Drones shot up to 2,000,000 from an initial 750,000 just after one month, and now Drones started working on the construction of Mechanical Legions as they started building Hydralisk Mechs. Some other drones were doing mining work; others were doing processing work in many factories.

Having such a world as this was truly profitable. I gained a huge army from resources mined from two subcontinents, and Mainland had to be conquered. With this, I would be able to gain so many Mechs. I will make an astronomical amount of money when I start selling them.

After another month, I gained my long-dreamed Mechanical Legion of 200,000 intimidating-looking Hydralisk Mechs. They looked beautiful and dangerous at the same time. I have decided to wait an additional two more months, have at least two Mechanical Legions, and have some time for Drones to construct a few more Lunar-Class Cruisers.

I spent most of my days silently, studying magic or talking with Mephisto or Vena. Sometimes I wonder about my perception of time is messed up. In my past life as a human, even though there was a long lifespan among even ordinary humans, we perceived time in the way we would die one day, while I was the devil wasn't the same. Devils could spend decades doing literary nothing without any remorse.

Our lifespan was minimally 10,000 years, so we were slow at everything.

After additional two months, all preparations were done. I now had in my disposition 400,000 High-Class Hydralisk Mechs and 14 Lunar-Class Cruisers, together with more than 2,000,000 Drones. Though in the upcoming conquest of the Mainland of Yestera, I won't be using drones even as cannon fodder.

They get broken very easily, and preparing them is annoying. My army that would be invading the Mainland shall be 10 Legions of my devils, numbering 2,000,000. I already replenished the deceased as I called reinforcements from home. Then 2 Mechanical Legions and a small Fleet of 10 Lunar-Class Cruisers. There would be 4 Drone Legions to construct objects and some necessary things as support.

While Hydralisk Mechs could be used as workers, their efficiency was far lower compared to that of specialized drones.

Soon enough, the entire Yestera would be mine. When finally, I would be able to return home, I felt better in the Underworld.

Today, the last thing needed was to consult a strategy and assign roles to each of the Ultimate-Class fighters on my side, and then tomorrow, we could go. Ultimately, it was decided that the invasion of the Mainland would commence with an army divided into two groups.

Each Army group would have 5 Legions of Devils, 1 Mechanical Legion, and 7 Lunar-Class Cruisers. Group 1 would be commanded by General Zagan, while Group 2 would be commanded by me personally.

General Amyke would join Group 1, while Vena would join Group 2 with me. Lord Mephisto would be remaining on stand-by in the Ihor subcontinent in case of emergencies.

 

[Trafford]

After several days, when all preparations were complete, I led my Army Group B numbering 1,000,000 soldiers and 200,000 Mechs, along with several supporting Arcanotech, mainly artillery, to the Mainland of the Yestera Plane.

Within the next two hours, we would be reaching the southwestern shores of the mainland, and I was already in combat-ready mode. The entire mainland was populated by monsters and some goblinoids or other monster humanoid species.

So fight, as soon as we land, was inevitable.

"With two of us, we are enough. There is a low possibility of encountering a higher number of General Level monsters in one place on the mainland, as they tend to be rather territorial. Also, due to the lack of humans on the mainland, the more intelligent species such as Orcs or Bugbears don't tend to group together, but rather the entire mainland in one huge warzone between various species and tribes as they fight over domination."

I explained slowly.

While the mainland had more General Level monsters, numbering in tens, they were too engulfed in inner strife. Not to mention the fact majority of monsters were stupid even at the General Level, so I didn't fear any kind of unified resistance.

We can slowly hunt them one by one. On top of that, I needed a lot of General Level corpses to increase my Energy Reserves through Devour. It would be best if I find some species like Eldritch Giant that had an extremely potent magical power; that would be good for me.

"I know; we just don't have enough Ultimate-Class combatants on our side."

Said Venelana quietly.

"Yes, you are right, but what we have is advanced Arcanotech, which could blast Ultimate-Class to death until even no dust remains. Also, we are a more advanced and developed civilization, so we need to ensure our dominance over these savages. On top of that, both of you and I are top among the Ultimate-Class combatants, even though we are barely at the higher ends of the Ultimate-Class in terms of our Energy Reserves. Our Clan Traits are pretty destructive so it will be alright."

I said to her to lessen her worries.

After two hours, we were finally nearing the shores of the southwestern part of the mainland of Yestera. General Zagan, together with his Army Group 1, should be landing on the southeastern part of the mainland at the same time as us.

"What are those Zeo?"

Asked me, Vena, as I looked through holographic to see tens of thousands of monsters on the shore.

"It is a Voltimeria, a fish monster with a blackish-purple body made of stone. Voltimeria varies from one to two meters in length, have eight fin-like organs, and have a single eye on their forehead. They are able to float up to three meters in the air and charge opponents at high speed. They have incredible endurance due to their stone bodies and are strong enough to destroy heavy armor with their sharp fangs."

Sounded the voice of the Architect through the ship's inbuild A.I.

"How is their general strength?"

I said.

"Majority of their species remains its whole life at the Minion Level; some may reach Warrior Level. Usually, the leaders or some mutated ones may reach Commander Level. The overall threat is low. Still, be wary of their numbers; on those shores, there are almost a million of them."

Responded A.I.

"Use Voidship's weaponry and wipe them all out. While their individual strength is low, their numbers are rather high, and we are near the sea; they could easily call for reinforcements."

I commanded as all 7 Lunar-Class Cruisers started redying up their weaponry. Soon enough, shooting from Anti-Matter Magicule Canon Batteries and main cannons were heard, as they fell unto hundreds of thousands Voltimerias and created massive explosions upon the contact.

The entire bombardment took twenty minutes until I got a response from the ship's A.I. that there were no signs of life below us.

Now, the formerly clean and beautiful beach was full of craters, crimson sand painted from the blood of monsters, and body parts from almost one million Voltimerias.

"Excellent. Now land and order Mechanical Legion to march; we will test the efficiency of the Mechanical Legion in practice."

I ordered, as one Cruiser landed down, several kilometers away from the beach, where the massacre of monsters commenced, and tens of thousands of Arcane Mechanical Automatons started marching out from the Cruiser.

All of them looked like some kind of insectoid snake, marching in orderly formation until all of them stopped and readied their weapons.

"Architects take direct control. Thirty kilometers from us should be a small tribe of kobolds, numbering around forty thousand, without any General Level. March there, maintain the formation and speed, Cruiser would be covering the sky."

I said to Architect as suddenly all Mechs started to march in a specific direction, and all Lunar-Class Cruisers were flying above them, occasionally killing a few monsters that were flying in the sky. Usually, some rogue monsters, or even some flocks, but they were killed swiftly.

Soon enough, we reached the kobold settlement. The entire settlement looked like some ruins of the proper village. Still, most humanoids were not intelligent enough to build proper buildings.

A kobold was a reptilian humanoid, standing between 60cm – 75cm tall, weighing between 16 – 20kg, with scaled skin between reddish-brown and black in color and burnt orange to red eyes. Their legs were sinewy and digitigrade. They had long, clawed fingers and a jaw like a crocodile. Small white or tan horns protruded from their head, and they had rat-like tails.

"Pathetic... annihilate."

As the entire Mechanical Legion of Hydralisk Mechs, I gave out my command and started marching at the settlement. These mechs were brutal and efficient, weak kobolds were no match for mighty mechs and were killed mercilessly, and within the one-hour entire, the settlement was bathing in blood.

 

[Trafford]

"Really terrifying. This level of efficiency is very high, though their production cost is a bit high with the current production abilities of the Underworld. Unless we start investing more into planar exploration and conquest."

Commented Venelana.

While Underworld didn't have enough resources to produce the necessary amount of mechanical legions, that didn't mean that other planes also didn't have them. Devils could always go for planar conquest like I here. I got enough resources from just two subcontinents to build a lot, which wasn't even the end.

From Architect's scans, resources on two subcontinents would be enough to last for five years or so. And when I reach Satan-Class or higher ends of it, I can slowly start cleaning sea monsters at that level and access resources underneath the water.

Everyone can see that Planar Conquest was profitable. And this was true to be said nothing. The stronger the civilization was, the stronger its target of conquest could be. If I had strength, I could conquer some advanced civilizations and absorb their knowledge and power into my own.

Something was done in Draconic Deus by Asgard to magical civilizations they found or Celestial Court if they found some cultivation-based civilizations. In Astral Boundary, such things were a common occurrence.

Stronger civilizations devoured weaker to become even stronger.

"Soon, soon enough. Okey... where to go now... where is the largest tribe?"

I ask Architect.

"Seventy kilometers to the north, there is an entire area that is ruled by various ogre tribes, from which all tribes have one, General Level Ogre. Apparently, they are at war with each other even right now as we are speaking. There are 8 tribes there, so await 8 General Level Ogres to kill; afterward, the entire southwestern region should be done; although there should be at least three or four rogue General Level monsters, they are just some minor threats."

Answered Architect.

Ogres appeared as giant humanoids with very muscular bodies and large heads. They stood around 300 cm high and could weigh 280 kg to 320 kg. In truth, instead of muscular bodies, they were rather fat, as they were gluttonous creatures willing to eat almost anything. They were beyond stupid, while a bit smarter than trolls.

"Then set the course to the ogre area; we will go hunting."

I declared as my fleet, together with Mechanical Legion, went to the next target, which was the nearest Ogre Tribe. Their number was lower than other species, but their strength on average was around Commander Level, while a few young ogres were of Warrior Level.

I sensed one, General Level Ogre, the biggest one in the tribe, standing at 330 cm. Interestingly, he had primitive armor, some plates of crudely hammered iron on his chest.

"Hmm... they started evolving? Or is their civilization progressing? Interesting... sadly, they won't have time."

I said to myself. When I saw that ogre clad in primitive armor, and some crudely made iron weapons, it was apparent that they were in Iron Age by classification of civilization advancement scale. They already found a way to mine and smelt ores. It was sad, at least for them, that they would need to die here.

Truth to be told, I would love to observe their evolution and conduct some experiments... maybe in the future, I will create some kind of safe environment and drop there some primitive species to observe their evolution.

"How many are there?"

I ask.

"4,597 Ogres. From which more than four thousand are of Commander Level, and the rest are Warrior Level and Minion Level. One General Level combatant detected."

Said A.I. of the voidship.

"Vena, you are on, try to kill that ogre as soon as possible; I don't want to see him destroying my precious mechs. Also, try to contain your attacks."

I said to her as she pouted a little and flew out of the voidship.

I understood that containing her attacks was troublesome for her Clan Trait, as Power of Destruction was hard for Clan Trait to control due to its destructive nature. So when someone with that Clan Trait fought, collateral damage was very high if one was not careful, and you can easily kill your allies.

Mechanical Legion underneath my voidships rushed at the ogre village, and ogres in the village, without any second thought, actually did exactly the same thing, and a fight erupted between the two sides.

In the middle of all of that was Venelana fighting with Ogre Chieftain, wielding a huge piece of iron that looked like an iron pipe, probably some kind of failed forging experiment. They probably wanted to create a weapon but didn't know how to.

I watched from the comfortable chair in my voidship how all ogres were overwhelmed and killed to the last specimen until none was remaining. While the mechanical legion was finishing the battle between Vena and Ogre, Chieftain was also nearing an end, as the ogre was tattered and bleeding from all parts of the body and was missing his left hand.

Ultimately, the fight ended when Venelana blasted the head of the Ogre Chieftain with a ball of condensed Power of Destruction, killing the Ogre Chieftain on the spot. As I watched the body fall to the ground with satisfaction, I noticed the entire area was cleanly stripped of all life that could be a threat.

"Architect land voidships and order all troops to land out. Organize into three formations, from which one would take five voidships, Mechanical Legion, and you will command it. The other two groups will take one voidship and be commanded by Venelana and me."

While one group would be significantly bigger, it was due to the lack of an Ultimate-Class powerhouse overseeing that. It was compensated by having five Lunar-Class Cruisers and an entire Mechanical Legion. That should be enough to hunt for General Level monsters without any high casualties.

"It will be done."

 

[Trafford]

Just one week was all it took to clean off the entire region from the Ogres completely. All ogre tribes and settlements were found, annihilated, and burned down within one week until nothing remained.

In front of overwhelming might and advanced arcanotech, these primitive ogres were annihilated to the last one. Good news also came from the group of General Zagan, whose Army Groud A achieved the same results as me and controlled the entire region where they landed.

Currently, I let my soldiers organize their own hunting groups and hunt for the General Level threats in the entire Southwestern Area; as we conquered the region we lanted, I immediately started expanding.

It was predicted that within the next two weeks, my Army Group B would meet with Army Group A of General Zagan, which would also mean that the entire Southern Area of the Mainland of Yestera had been conquered.

My energy reserves have risen to 201 Units from Devouring several General Level Ogres on the other side. Their energy reserves were pathetical, just barely classifying for Ultimate-Class, but what one would await from an ogre. Their physical strength was their main forte. Though, there existed a rare breed of them, called Twin-Headed Ogres.

Twin-Headed Ogres were rare breeds or some kind of mutation of ordinary ogres. As the name said, they had two heads and were excelling in the usage of magical power; often, they were skilled in close combat as they were in magic. On top of that, they were intelligent and comparable to many other sentient species.

Maybe with a bit of luck, I will be able to get my hands on the corpse of the Twin-Headed Ogre. That would be a nice boost.

[There are two General Level entities coming from north to our position.]

Said Architect as I was in the Lunar-Class Cruiser, enjoying my tea and reading a magic grimoire.

"Species?"

I said uncaringly as I sipped my tea.

[Amphisbaena. It is a white twin-headed long-necked dragon more than 20 meters long and several ten times wider than an Orc, with the right head having red eyes and the left blue. It is capable of two different breath attacks; the right head uses a crimson mist that surrounds itself and diffuses magic, while the left head breathes blue flames that burn even on water. In addition, it is capable of using its neck to hit opponents and attack them from underwater. Probably, it was woken up from its slumber... a stroke of bad luck.]

Explained Architect.

Amphisbaena was a monster with fearsome physical strength and defense, and it could even use magic to a certain degree. I will just bombard it with magic until it is blasted to death.

I slowly stood up and took my Mystic Code Rosenkreutz with me as I soon flew out from the Lunar-Class Cruiser and flew in the direction where the two Amphisbaena creatures were.

It didn't take a long time for me to find them, and as they were relatively close to the location of the fortress.

"They look just exactly disgusting as Architect described them... annoying..."

I muttered to myself as I observed incoming Amphisbaena General Level monsters. While they looked disgusting, they had Ultimate-Class energy reserves of magical power, so they could strengthen me by a larger amount compared to all ogre corpses I have obtained this week.

So, due to that, I have decided to kill them in a way to preserve their bodies as much as possible. I don't want to destroy them completely, as that would cause excessive loss of magical power, as I learned during my time using Devour.

Thus I decided to use a combination of Dark Light and Chain Dragon Lightning, a Strategic-Tier Spell, for extra piercing power.

The most simple way was to create two Dark Light Spears and then coat them in the Chain Dragon Lightning Spell. While it may sound simple, in truth, it was pretty hard, as it required enormous precision to not explode anything straight to my face.

Combined usage of Clan Trait and Tier Magic System was something new that I hadn't tested properly yet, only with Lower-Ranked spells, which wasn't that dangerous if something went wrong due to my strength right now. But with the Strategic-Tier spell and Dark Light Spears on the same level, I would be severely injured if it exploded.

Thankfully, Architect did the proper calculation, and thanks to my True Name Dizmason, my own affinity to handling any kind of energy was boosted up to the max, so I was able to construct the spell model for the Chain Dragon Lightning Spells over the Dark Light Spears just within 10 minutes.

I waited for several minutes for the best time to strike, and then when two General Level Amphisbaenas were in my strike zone, I released spells at them that flew at them with thunderous speed, piercing through their heads like a hot knife through butter.

"Nice instant kill."

I muttered to myself as I flew to two corpses and used Devour on the first trait; as I felt a huge amount of energy enter my body, and I felt my energy reserves expand by several points.

"Really good."

I said as I used Devour on the second corpse, and once again, I felt a nice feeling over my body, as I felt my energy reserves expand.

"Architect, scan,"

I said to my MTC A.I.

[Class: Ultimate

Demonic Energy: 218

Strength: 98

Agility: 96

Vitality: 90]

An increase of 17 Units was really nice.

If I should go by an increase from ogres or any other species whose magical ability was just secondary, then this was good. Soon enough, I neared the limit that my current form could hold.

With 218 Units of Demonic Energy, I was already in the higher ends of the Ultimate-Class in terms of Class. I predicted that by the end of the conquest of the mainland, I would either be at the pinnacle or not far from that level.

 

[Trafford]

When a devil approaches the limit of his class, he or she will undergo a so-called metamorphosis or evolution, or whatever one could call it. During that process, one's body would be changed, which would allow one to accommodate more energy in the body.

It also drastically expanded energy reserves and had many other gains from it.

After I was done with these two, I used another Strategic-Tier Spell, Hell Flame, to burn down the remains of the two mummified Amphisbaenas.

Then I just flew back to my Cruiser to finish my tea, snacks, and book.

***

One month later, somewhere in the Southern Area of the Mainland of Yestera

"I see that your part has been successful, General Zagan."

I said while looking at General Zagan, who was sitting across from me.

It was one month from the time I killed two Amphisbaenas. During this one month, my Army Group B progressed smoothly and annihilated countless tribes, towns, settlements, and monster hordes until blood was soaked red.

Thanks to Architect and advanced Arcanotech, the casualties we have suffered were kept to a minimum during the conquest.

Similarly, Army Group A, commanded by General Zagan, progressed smoothly and annihilated everything in its way until we met at a certain point in the southern area of the mainland. Now, we will progress to the Central Region, and when that one is conquered, then Western Region and Eastern Region.

"It was hard, but we made it out without any serious losses. Thanks to my Ultimate-Class Flesh Golems combined with Lunar-Class Cruiser and their high firepower, we were able to dispose of many General Level monsters without any problem."

Stated General Zagan.

"What about Mechanical Legion?"

I asked after a while.

He was given complete control over the Mechanical Legion.

"Truth to be told, I was surprised at their efficiency when I first deployed them... if we conquer the entire plane, then we can build more and more legions like this. They are practically perfect soldiers, especially suited to be best cannon fodder, and in higher number, they could even drown Ultimate-Class experts."

Said General Zagan.

"Continue."

"These little things are more suitable to be our foot soldiers while we may focus on cultivating elite devil armies. Mechs of High-Class such as Hydralisk Type Arcane Mechanical Automaton are perfect close combat cannon fodder foot soldiers. If we manage to replace ordinary soldiers with Mechs, it would drastically lessen the losses of lives of devils, as most devils killed at the battlefield are that of the Low-Class and Middle-Class, with some High-Class being among them, but not that much. Secondly, we could train our armies to be elites or to have proper specializations."

I nodded my head in agreement hearing everything that General Zagan said.

Yes, indeed, as I studied our recent wars, it was true that the majority of Low-Class and Middle-Class soldiers that went to wars or battles died there. The percentage was lower for High-Class combatants but still lingered between 40% to 55%, which was pretty high for my standards.

The main reason was simple, which could be seen in most civilizations and cultures and a bit different.

Most of Devil Nobility didn't intend to groom a proper army, and if there is a call to war, then what happens... there is a mass forced conscription from rows of common devils that have minimal to no training, and they are subsequently dropped on the battlefield with poor gear.

While devils were better in certain areas, as many knew the basics of combat, it was not enough for war.

I planned to develop a trend of constructing Mechanical Legions to fill the roles of cannon fodder soldiers. If you go by price, then constructing Mechanical Legion was only a tad expensive compared to training proper Legion of High-Class soldiers.

The advantages of my Mechanical Legions were much more lucrative. You don't need to pay them salaries, arm them, feed them, or house them. They only spent some money on repairs, which isn't very responsible, as they can mostly repair themselves if needed.

"That is good... I predict that resources from the continents of the Yestera Plane would be enough to build several million of them and plus a smaller Void Fleet. Sadly, without having at least three Satan-Class combatants, it will be impossible to conquer the depths of the oceans."

I said to General Zagan, who agreed with my statement.

Having millions of Arcane Mechanical Automatons and the entire Void Fleet was my main goal to do before the Great War started. With this Arcanotech, I would be able to increase my influence significantly and more easily implement my plans.

Also, it will be much easier to do severe damage to Fallen and Church. If possible, maybe I will cause some collateral damage to the Olympians. Hades would become a threat once in the future as he has immense hatred toward devils for eating souls.

"How is the situation in the Central Region?"

Questioned me General Zagan as we were sitting in my room of this Cruiser.

"Here it is interesting... compared to the other Regions of the Mainland of Yestera, this one has something similar to civilization or at least tribal society similar to Ewor. Apparently, some Orc Tribes have established some kind of kingdom or whatever it is called. Our scans show that they have subjugated tribes of Ogres, Trolls, Hill Giants, and weaker species such as Kobolds or Goblins. It may be problematic, as Pinnacle General Level Orc has probably emerged and conquered every tribe. Problems are their numbers, as they number in millions."

I answered. I chose Central Region first after the South Region fell precisely because of this.

In this region, something akin to the primitive kingdom emerged, which was unacceptable as if given more time, they could grow more and become a threat or cause serious damage.

"So we need to lower their numbers at first..."

 

[Trafford]

"Yes... their numbers are too high, and it may turn dangerous for us once the invasion there starts in the full might. They might drown us in pure numbers, which could cause pretty terrible damages to us."

I stated.

"What strategy do you propose, General?"

I ask.

"Simple guerilla warfare. We will lure them to the predestined locations and kill them in large numbers with traps or with bombardment from Voidships or Anti-Matter Magicule Canon Batteries. Afterward, we can start the invasion with full force. We should focus on the most populous locations and species, such as goblins, kobolds, and orcs. They are the main force of this primitive nation."

Proposed General Zagan, to which I nodded.

"Try to dispose of Hill Giants too... each of them is pinnacle Commander Level, and their defensive abilities are terrifying. They would cause a lot of damage to our troops."

Average Hill Giant that was the pinnacle of Commander Level would need around four to six pinnacle High-Class devils to kill it. When it came to Hydralisk Mechs, then somewhere between ten to fifteen would be needed, which is a pretty high number.

That was mainly thanks to their extremely high defensive abilities and vitality; they were troublesome opponents. I wanted to dispose of their tribes through traps and other means such as bombardment from arcanotech gadgets as that would be the easiest way to finish them off.

"I will give it my best, My Lord. Now, if you excuse me."

Said General Zagan as he bowed slightly and exited the room.

"Hopefully, this entire thing will end as soon as possible... it is becoming too annoying, and I want to return to the Underworld."

I muttered to myself as I was left alone in my room.

"Are you again sulking, Zeo?"

Asked a cheerful voice of Venelana, who had just now entered the room.

"Yeh, probably... it is annoying, you know? If not for the lack of Ultimate-Class powerhouses on my side, I wouldn't come here to fight with a bunch of barbarians and monsters. While this expedition gave me some combat experiences, it is boring at the same time."

I said to her as Vena sat down across me.

"Hmm... I can relate to that."

Muttered Venelana.

"Don't worry. Soon entire thing will end, and we will return home. Then I will return here when I reach Satan-Class to clean the seas out of the monsters. I swear, I will join invasions to strong or interesting places, not ones like this."

I said to her.

Essentially, when the Central Region of the Yestera Mainland is conquered, Western Region, Eastern Region, and Northern Region would fall without any resistance, as they are in the same state as the Southern Region, which fell to me within one month, so no threat.

"Do you want to go on a date when we return to the Underworld?"

I asked out of nowhere, to which Venelana looked a bit surprised, at least on the surface. I bet she was shocked, as I was not a proactive person when it came to our relationships. The main initiative always came from Vena, something I was thankful for.

"Yes, that would be nice."

Answered her with a beautiful smile.

"I heard Agreas Island has a beautiful environment... maybe we could go and take a look."

The most distinctive feature of Agreas Island is that it appears to be a giant floating island suspended in the sky. A popular tourist resort is also the place that controls the airflow in the Underworld.

On top of that, it contains the essential crystals of the highest quality that is used to create both the Evil Pieces and Brave Saints in the future.

So I will be taking a sample of them to conduct some research. I want to see the extent of them. The creation of Evil Pieces is unnecessary and would be a catastrophe right now, as I cannot influence their usage, to minimalize it. It would be best if they were invented after a specific time when my voice would be most important for all Devils.

"I heard that Agreas is a wonderful place. I always wanted to visit it..."

Muttered Venelana as she looked at me.

Afterward, we spent several hours discussing various things to do after returning to the Underworld.

***

Several days later, General Zagan began his guerilla warfare against the primitive kingdom of orcs and other similar species.

I gave him control over all Voidships and the entire Artillery Battalion, which consisted of more than two hundred Anti-Matter Magicule Canon Batteries, and he gave me brilliant results.

As predicted, just with a slight provocation, he managed to rule several hundreds of thousands of orcs, trolls, and ogres into a trap, as they thought that somebody was attacking their territory and lured them to a remote location, where Anti-Matter Magicule Canon Batteries and Voidships tore them to shreds.

The second thing that happened was the continuous process of sending assassins and assassinations of chieftains of tribes that didn't have good relations among themselves to create internal strife and conflicts.

Most of the races that were in this nation were beyond stupid and waged war among themselves, even if they were allies. So when something like an assassination of a chieftain happened, the next day they marched to attack their rival, they thought he was behind the act.

Third thing, several bigger tribes of Hill Giants and Trolls were completely annihilated personally by General Zagan, General Amyke, and Lord Mephisto Pheles working together. That removed probably the biggest obstacle to the successful invasion of the Central Region.

Still, after one week, of this operation, the so-called King noticed something and ordered all tribes to stand down and prepare for an attack.

I must admit that the Orc ruling this nation was a pretty smart one compared to his compatriots to see danger behind. Still, it was already too late, as all major operations that needed to be done were already performed, and now the final push into the Central Region could start.

 

[Trafford]

Several days later, the Central Region of the Yestera Mainland of Yestera Plane.

Unfortunately for my smooth guerilla warfare, it came to an end two days ago, when the nation nicknamed the Gorru Kingdom, as I took a slight inspiration from the Orks in my past life. However, that ones were far more brutal, bloodthirsty, dangerous, and even maybe smarter?

Dunno.

Currently, they were attacking our position from several directions, which was a pretty good move. Still, their higher firepower, which was Hill Giants, were exterminated, and Ogres and Trolls were weakened to dramatically degree where they posed no threat.

While they still held an overwhelming numerical advantage, it wasn't as high as before the start of guerilla warfare. On top of that, heavy hitters were down, and even several General Level entities were killed.

They marched, but their march was not smooth, as I gave orders to use traps and strategical ambushes to lower their numbers without losing a single soldier in direct combat, which was a brilliant achievement.

Mainly thanks to Architect, as he had in his database recorded practically every single confrontation with Orks, be it rogue Warbands or star-spanning Orkish Empires, from the moment humanity of Solar Federation came into contact with them. And compared to the Orks, these goblinoid species were a bunch of babies.

Currently, I was leading Mechanical Legions along with three Devil Legions and one Artillery Battalion to meet one of the armies belonging to the Gorru Kingdom. They were numbering around two and half million, practically outnumbering us by one and half a million, but it was alright.

The problem was that if I didn't finish the battle as soon as possible, they would get reinforcements that were away several hours, and they numbered additional two million goblins and kobolds, so pain in the ass.

Fortunately, only two General Level entities were present here, as I sensed only Orc Shaman and Troll Chieftain that were on the General Level in this army.

Orc Shaman was no threat, as I fought them before and knew their abilities were low. On the other hand, that Troll was problematic. They had a very high healing factor, and all adult trolls had regeneration ability, which made them hard to kill.

"Active the Anti-Matter Magicule Canon Batteries and start bombardment on their position. Stop only if you are ready to go into close combat. If needed, use the main artillery of Lunar-Class Cruisers, but only if needed. Who knows if any more General Level monsters appear, so we need to be ready."

I ordered Commanders of the Legions and flew high in the air, searching for my opponents.

The problem here was that anytime more General Level entities could appear, as we were in their territory, I wanted Lunar-Class Cruisers to be on standby because their main artillery cannons could quickly dispose of if the situation called for its of threat.

Soon enough, I found two monsters with Ultimate-Class signatures in the middle of the marching army as I heard sounds of shooting from the Anti-Matter Magicule Canon Batteries, as thousands upon thousands of monsters were blasted into meat paste and blood flew like a river.

When I noticed them, I immediately chose the Troll as my first target; I conjured Dark Light Chains, pinned him down, and barraged him with tens of Dark Light Spears. Countless bleeding scars appeared around his body, but not even one fatal injury.

The regenerative abilities of this one were indeed something. I flew closer, watching as the Troll struggled to destroy the Dark Light Chains Enkidu without any success, not forgetting the Orc Shaman that tried to escape. He probably noticed that he was no match for me, so he went to call reinforcement... not on my watch.

I turned around in a split second and started casting Strategic-Tier Chain Dragon Lightning with the help of my Mystic Code, and when the spell was done, I released it at the escaping Orc Shaman that was running for his life while dodging projectiles from the Anti-Matter Magicule Cannon Batteries that were falling on the army.

One hit, one kill, and the Orc Shaman was killed just by a single spell. As he was running, he couldn't properly cast any defensive spell to at least lessen the damage and was killed on the stop.

I turned around the Troll, that was still kept by Dark Light Chains Enkidu, and started firing at him tens of Tactical-Tier Spells, overcoming his regenerative abilities, until his bones and flesh became visible, though not stopping for a second until the regeneration of Troll was not able to keep with my spell output and was slowly killed in agony.

When the Troll Chieftain died, all monsters were screaming in a panic as I killed the Troll Chieftain. When he fell, the artillery bombardment stopped, and my legions entered the fight; spearheaded by Mechanical Legions, they slaughtered panicking monsters like cabbage.

Especially the Mech Hydralisks were like death gods on the battlefield.

Basically, the death of two General Level monsters that acted as leaders of this army signified their swift end, as within half an hour entire army was annihilated properly, with minimal losses on my side.

Afterward, I gave the order to proceed deeper into the Central Region, as our next engagement would be with that army of goblins and kobolds numbering two million individuals. Fortunately, there weren't any General Level existences, so they were pretty vulnerable.

As I returned to the Cruiser, I got a message from General Zagan informing me about their victory over their enemy, and they progressed deeper into the territory of the Gorru Kingdom, as they annihilated two smaller armies and five General Level monsters.

The last Army Group that Venelana led also managed to dive deep into the Central Region. She annihilated a huge monster horde and was currently advancing deeper, and soon met with one of the biggest settlements in the entire nation.

 

[Trafford]

Half a day later, we were already conforming to the army consisting of kobolds and goblins. Still, instead of combat, I ordered bombardment as they were individually too weak and numerous, so we just blasted them off.

I helped with several Strategic-Tier Spells as I released them upon my enemies. After annihilating goblins and kobolds, I led my army group deeper into the central region until we finally encountered some settlements that I swiftly destroyed.

Unless there were General Level monsters or huge numerical disproportion, I let Mechanical Legions deal with them. They didn't need rest or anything, so they could be used 24/7 if required.

Thanks to that, our progress was very smooth until we achieved our destination, which was the capital of the Gorru Kingdom. When imagining the capital city, it wasn't some city, I thought it would be built from stones, but instead, it was an enormous settlement, just like any other.

Huts, tents, wooden houses, and some palisades from huge trees. We started lying the siege, as I have seen other two Army Groups belonging to General Zagan and Venelana, who arrived half an hour after me.

Now, there was a high probability that enemies would play a defensive battle with us, but that was okay with me. I had enough arcanoctech artillery, Voidships, and three Ultimate-Class powerhouses with fearsome long-range attacks, including me.

From early detections, I have detected that there were more than twenty General Level monsters in the settlement, maybe even more, which was a bit troublesome. That was too much to fight against in open combat, as they could easily destroy many of my common troops, which won't be pleasant.

"What to do... Architect, what is the probability of killing all of them in several salvos from 14 Lunar-Class Cruisers?"

I ask Architect.

[68,78%. The probability itself is rather low; if they are not killed simultaneously, it could be troublesome. Problematic is their strength, as there should be at least 4 or 5 pinnacles General Level monsters.]

Answered Architect.

"So, what do you propose?"

I asked him, knowing he had already formulated some kind of plan.

[Using on Cruiser to detonate itself. The Anti-Matter Magicule Warp Drive explosion would be so great to annihilate even Monarch Level monster several times over. This could be the easiest way to end this entire conquest of the Central Region. There is a very high possibility that General Level monsters there would be annihilated if there is a confrontation, but losses inflicted on the army would be between 40% to 50%. While Mechanical Legions could be completely destroyed.]

Explained Architect.

"Chances?"

[100%. In every simulation from 1,356, the result is the same. Complete annihilation of every single living enemy in diameter of several kilometers. I would recommend casting a defensive barrier to prevent unnecessary collateral damage.]

In truth, this could probably be the best-case scenario. While the loss of a single Cruiser pained me right now, as I wasn't in a state where loss even of the entire fleet would be just a minor obstacle, alas, it could prevent unnecessary losses.

The problem is that inside that settlement are many General Level monsters, and several of them are terrifyingly strong. Now it made sense; we didn't encounter as many General Level enemies on our way.

They were all on their way to the capital to prepare for the final defensive battle.

On top of that, I wanted their corpses to be my nourishment, but alas, fate has other plans.

"Then start implementing the plan."

I ordered as 13 Lunar-Class Cruisers started changing their location and surrounding the capital from a distance of fifteen kilometers. When they were far enough, I started casting a spell with Lord Mephisto Pheles. Soon enough, with energy support from all thirteen Lunar-Class Cruisers, it created an enormous barrier that enveloped the entire settlement, creating a huge dome.

Only one Cruiser was in that dome, which was empty, loaded with additional explosives, which were small unfinished cores for Anti-Matter Magicule Canon Batteries. Architect controlled the Cruiser from a distance, and he directly crashed it at the settlement.

When the Cruiser crashed, the earth shook a bit, but soon it substituted, and everything went quiet. After several seconds, everything went white as the ship exploded, creating an enormous explosion that I felt even through the defensive barrier, shields, and hull of the voidship. Soon enough, the barrier started having cracks all over until it cracked in full force.

"Damm... that self-destruction is too fearsome... how strong it was?"

[Comparable to the full power of Pinnacle Level Satan-Class / Intermediate Divinity Stage God in terms of energy reserves. Fortunately, the barrier absorbed most of the damage before it cracked, and the void shields of the Cruisers absorbed the rest. Altogether, the ship's damage level is only between 5% to 9%.]

If left unhindered, that kind of explosion could destroy an entire continent and annihilate all life on it. Thanks to the barrier, it absorbed 99% of the power that was released during the explosion, but it still cracked and was destroyed.

It took almost half an hour for the dust to settle, for me to see a crater in the earth that was deep several tens of kilometers. Really terrifying thing. In the future, If I would want complete annihilation, I could always send some voidship to self-destruct.

"How long till we can once again access this area?"

[Due to post-radiation released from the explosion, probably one month if we include all purification of magic and arcanotech. This entire area is now a pure death zone, just like on the planets Federation used those things.]

Informed me, Architect, as I nodded before turning around to give orders.

"Continue in original Army Groups to conquer the rest of the mainland. Now that this thing is finished, there should be practically zero resistance. General Zagan will go to Northern Region, Venelana to Western Region, and I to Eastern Region."

Everyone nodded in agreement, eager to finish the entire planar conquest and return home.

 

[Trafford]

After one week of travel, I arrived with my Army Group in the Eastern Region of the Mainland of Yestera Plane. After arriving in the Eastern Region, I immediately unleashed my Mechanical Legion, which started annihilating one tribe after another.

I have even killed several General Level monsters, mainly those that could be used for Devour ability, while the rest of those, who weren't suitable, were blasted to meat paste by main cannons of Lunar-Class Cruisers.

After another weak, the entire Eastern Region was almost wholly cleaned from any signs of life. All monsters, goblinoids, orcs, trolls, giants, and other species were killed.

One week later, the entire Eastern Region was entirely under my control when the last General Level monsters were slain by me yesterday. I got reports from General Zagan and Venelana that they were too done with their part.

Only General Zagan had some problems, as he was forced to fight sea monsters that attacked the shores of the Northern Region, and countless merfolk attacked the mainland under the leadership of three Pinnacle General Level merfolk.

Thanks to his ten Ultimate-Class Flesh Golems and help from General Amyke, they were able to kill them all and push merfolk back to the sea. He also started constructing the fortified lines through the shores due to fear of merfolk invasion happening again, which was realistic suspicion.

They too were returning to meet with; only General Zagan left the majority of his Army Group in the Northern Region until the fortified line on the shores of the Northern Region was constructed.

It was understandable that those sea monsters would try to conquer the mainland when they sensed the death of countless General Level monsters. Fortunately, only weaker ones came, and they didn't wake up and bring those Monarch Level entities from the depths of seas and oceans.

In the future, when I reach Satan-Class and have several Satan-Class subordinates under me and more advanced arcanotech, I will hunt every one of them. The bottom of the sea was probably the most precious bank of resources.

From Devouring all those General Level monsters, what was a good thing, my Demonic Energy reserves have risen to 240 Units. Thanks to my mastery over Tier Magic System and Dark Light Trait, I had terrifying combat prowess among the Ultimate-Class powerhouses; the only thing that was limiting me was my energy reserves.

Before the Great War started, I wanted to reach Satan-Class.

Rizevim was already one for a long time, and as a Satan-Class entity, I would have probably the best chances to survive the Great War without being killed or crippled. On top of that, It would give me freedom during the war and an opportunity to increase my social standing and prestige.

After the Great War ends, it would be the best chance to execute a coup d'etat and rule the Underworld.

I left my adjutant in charge of clean-up works, and construction works in the Eastern Region were left to Architect's overseeing as I took one Cruiser and left for the meeting with Venelana and General Zagan to conclude this entire thing and finally return home.

After more than ten hours of traveling in the Cruiser, I finally arrived at the meeting point, where General Zagan was already waiting for me.

"My Lord."

He bowed slightly as he greeted me.

"General."

I said to him.

"Good job with the merfolk, I must say... I didn't think they would attack this soon."

I praised him sincerely. As my best subordinate, who served my family for centuries, he did splendid work with invasion attempts from the side of merfolk.

"Thank you for your praise, My Lord."

He said to me.

"When the plane is industrialized, I will reward your family with one Mechanical Legion and five Lunar-Class Cruisers and a battalion of Anti-Matter Magicule Canon Batteries."

I said.

I deemed this as an appropriate reward for his service and merit achieved during the planar conquest.

"I am honored, My Lord."

He bowed slightly, expressing his gratitude.

"And now even Venelana is here."

I said as I saw another Lunar-Class Cruiser coming. This Plane was still developing, and due to certain factors, it wasn't the best decision to travel through teleportation spells in the Yestera, at least yet. Even me building a teleportation formation to transport troops from Ewor to Ihor was a great risk.

"Now, where is Lord Mephisto Pheles?"

I ask as we gather here.

"My Lord, Lord Pheles has decided to stay here and study the development of the Laws of the World. Currently, this Plane is undergoing evolution to reach the Grade 7 Plane. He suspects that there may be a reason why there were already several Monarch Level monsters in this Plane, even though this Plane is right now Grade 8 and shouldn't possibly hold them so well..."

General Zagan attempted to explain to me, but his knowledge about this topic was low, so it sounded pretty terrible, but I was aware of why Mephisto would stay here.

Typically for planes to evolve into higher grades, there are two possibilities. One is natural by aging. This path could take hundreds of thousands of years at the shortest, and millions usually. The second path was letting the Plane devour other planes. Or rather, it was done by extraction of the World's Core and letting another World's Core absorb its energy.

From what I read about Astral Boundary Universe, the second most common reason behind planar conquest was precisely this. Strong factions would often wage wars to obtain more World Cores to fasten the evolution of their own Plane. That would bring them many benefits, such as more God Slots, higher energy density, size expansion, and many others.

A long time ago, there were even wars between Universes, but I didn't have many records about that.

"Then let him stay. Additionally, General Amyke will stay here permanently, together with all Mech Drones, all Voidships, and Mechanical Legions. Half of the Devil Soldiers we brought here would be stationed here to protect the Plane until the complete defense system is done and fortifications are constructed."

 

[Trafford]

Draconic Deus, Underworld, Territory of the Gremory Family, Castle Fuerig

As I breathed the air in the Underworld, a fascinating, unnaturally satisfying feeling went through my entire body. After six months or so, I was finally back home. I even felt a bit stronger when I returned back.

Really, devils were stronger in the Underworlds.

Now that I was back home, I had some time before departing for the Asgard and Nine Realms. At first, I needed to hear a report about the development of my territory during the half a year I was gone, but probably not much has changed. As on long-lived race, devils accepted changes very slowly.

After several hours, I finished meeting with Castellan of Castle Fuerig after learning nothing much had changed. Venelana went to enjoy luxuries of the Underworld that weren't available during the planar conquest, while I sent a message to old Zekram that the conquest was successfully made.

Just as I sent a message to Zekram, I thought about Crom Cruach and the contract I had with him. Maybe I should send him to the Yestera to kill those Monarch Level sea monsters, as he would be most suitable for the job.

What was surprising was that after twenty minutes, I informed Zekram that I had already sensed his energy signature in my castle, as he was already here, waiting for me in the castle's lobby.

"Lord Zekram."

I greeted him when I entered the lobby.

"Lord Gremory Lucifer."

Said he with a slight smile.

"I see that you were eager to hear about my success. Though I must say, there were small complications; I think I should get an excellent mark for your test."

I said with a slight grin.

"Indeed you have. I didn't expect you to finish it so soon; probably, those magical technology things are powerful. So, how are the results? Is it enough to affect the incoming war?"

Asked Zekram with a serious voice.

"Yes. Just half of the resources from the Yestera Plane, which is located on the continental part, are enough to construct several Mechanical Legions, Artillery Battalions, and even Voidfleets. If we gain complete access to the bottom of the sea, then our gains would be much higher. Alas, the sea is ruled by seven Monarch Level sea monsters, and my current abilities in this matter are minimal."

I answered truthfully, to which Zekram nodded in satisfaction. Apparently, he was astonished at my quick and splendid success.

"In this regard, I can help you a bit and kill some of them. From Venelana's letter, I know that you, Arcanotech, would be a great boon to the devil race. Additionally, I want to personally see Mechanical Legion in combat before deploying them on the battlefield."

Said Zekram, to my shock.

"I would be grateful for your help. We could depart after I finish my tasks to the Asgard and Takagahamara and, of course, reach Satan-Class... with my current progress, it won't take much time. Till then, we will leave it be."

I answered as I led old man Zekram to my garden, as I wanted to drink some tea. We soon arrived at the garden and sat down.

"Currently, the state of the Yestera is peaceful, as all sentient life on three continents was annihilated to the last one. Sea is still full of monsters, but they are now lying low after their defeat on the mainland when Merfolk tried to attack the northern shores of the mainland. I have left half of the expeditionary army together with Mechanical Legions under the supervision of General Amyke, as there are still many things to do there. Within one or two months, I expect that all the entire three continents of the Yestera Plane would be completely industrialized, from mining to manufacturing."

I said to him about the current state of the Yestera Plane.

"That is good. I need you to manufacture defensive arcanotech structures and weapons, especially artillery, to fortify our position further within the next year. Most fortresses and fortified positions depend on some magical technology bought from Aesir, but they are selling us only basic things or old ones. Your Arcanotech is more advanced, and most importantly, it is available for us."

Stated Zekram.

If all strategic points, such as military Fortresses and some strategically located Castles, could be armed with Anti-Matter Magicule Canon Batteries and Arcanotech Towers, it would drastically increase their offensive and defensive capabilities. They would be much harder to breach and could cause tremendous damage to the enemy during siege or battle.

"It shall be done. I will accept payment in raw materials such as ores, metals, and magic crystals in addition to classical payment in Soul Coins. Within two months, the factories would start production first products that could be sold immediately. Operating most of the Arcanotech weaponry is very easy and accessible through the terminal installed in each weapon."

I informed Zekram when I expected things to work to their fullest.

"Excellent. I would like to order 10 Mechanical Legions, million Drones, 1,000 Anti-Matter Magicule Canon Batteries, and 25 Lunar-Class Cruiser Voidships if that is possible."

And then he dropped a bomb. The sheer size was enormous. Fortunately, with my current production abilities, producing such a size was indeed possible with enough time.

"You need to pay half of it in raw materials. Currently, mining and processing work in the Yestera are just in the infant stage, and the supply of materials obtained from that world is still rather low. To produce an army of such size would take a long time without sufficient materials; if you give at least half as payment, then it could be finished within four months."

For Zekram to have him on my good side, I will give him a discount so he would have it cheaper. If he supplies the raw materials at least for half an army, then he would get it for free as I won't charge anything for the manufacturing process.

 

[Trafford]

"Hmm... then I thank you for your efforts. I will have the materials delivered within one week at the slowest. Also, when will you depart for Asgard? The situation there is getting worse, day by day."

Stated Zekram slowly.

"How so?"

I asked slowly. I was aware that the situation in Asgard was messed up absolutely. I hope that the civil war hasn't erupted, or all my plans will be done for.

"When everyone saw that the relationships between Odin and Princess Hela are done for, and it very apparent rebellion will occur, others took their chances. Currently, we have some incomplete information about Jotuns, Flame Creatures of Muspellheim, and Dark Elves of Swartalfheim are rebelling."

Said Zekram in a grave voice.

"So Laufey, Surtr, and Malakith can't take it more?"

All three of them were on the same level as Super-Devil, and while as individuals, they weren't posing a threat to Asgard's rule over the Nine Realms of Yggdrasil, together, they could pose some threat. Not to defeat Asgard, but they would be able to cause them tremendous damage, from which they would be recuperating for centuries.

"Yes... what is even more surprising, Hela, while being of only an Intermediate Divinity Stage God, could fight with even Greater Divinity Stage Gods not specialized in combat. Jotun King Laufey has long longed for revenge for the last war, and Surtr wishes to destroy Asgard. While Malakith wants to wipe our Aesir and Vanir species respectively for genocide done by previous King Borr, which was done even before Asgardians arrived at Draconic Deus."

Explained Zekram, the situation there was getting even worse. Jotuns, the Ice Giants were all of High-Class in terms of Energy Reserves and Physique. Additionally, they had extremely fearsome Ice Manipulation innate ability, and countless of them were in Ultimate-Class.

While Musphelheim had a wide range of countless flame-related species that lived there under the rule of Surtr, the strongest Fire Giant that ever existed on the Draconic Deus. And finally, the Dark Elves of Swartalfheim, fearsome assassins and warriors with terrifying stealth skills and masters of magic.

In the past, they were almost brought to extinction by Odin's father, King Borr, but some of them survived and chose to hide in the depths of the Swartalfheim, waiting for their revenge,

"I may have a solution to this. Odin is a lost cause, he turned into a peace-loving fool, and now his enemies are rebelling and probably would march to war. So, I will go and convince Hela to leave Asgard and settle down in the Underworld with her followers. I will even provide her territory."

I said to Zekram, to which he nodded in satisfaction.

"What about the severing connection with Asgard? She will lose her Divinity and fall to Ultimate-Class the moment Odin will cast her out."

Stated Zekram.

Aesir and Vanir had different power systems, as they took Divinity directly from the Dimensional World Asgard, not from their followers. Additionally, they could get stronger even without becoming gods.

For example, Hela became a god when she was already Ultimate-Class, as she was given Divinity over Death and Slaughter by the God-King of the Pantheon Odin. He could also take it back as he gave her access to it.

This was the advantage of the Divine Pantheon from the Astral Boundary.

"Still better than being chained like a half-beaten dog, to live as a slave for the rest of her life. Also, like any other Aesir or Vanir, she could get stronger even without it, and don't forget that they can transform into Innate Gods. You know that someone like Hela won't be able to exist under Odin's rule after he decided to be a peace-loving idiot. Millions of Aesir and Vanir will follow her if she comes here because, like us, they are also a battle race."

I said.

If Hela joins our side, it won't be just her but also millions of their people. Asgard was built on blood and the corpses of countless enemies in the Astral Boundary, and now their God-King has decided to be a pacifist. From many of them, it was like thunder from the clear sky.

Countless Asgardians, all Berserkers, and many Einherjar would rather leave Asgard to continue their war-like lifestyle than be turned into ceremonial soldiers who would see battle once per century, and their main job would be catching thieves.

"If you can convince her, then it would be great. Also, be careful of Odin. All-Father is a mighty being. Even if he softened, he is still one of the top Greater Divinity Stage Gods in Draconic Deus, and he uses the might of the entire Asgard as God-King he can obtain the power of Apocalypse-Class for ten minutes."

Warned me Zekram as he soon departed from Castle Fuerig while I returned to my things.

After he left, I experimented with a new type of spell that I had been thinking about. More precisely, Dimensional Spells. It was a branch of Space Magic and a very strong one, capable of tearing down the fabric of reality itself.

I focused on one peculiar spell, called a Dimensional Slash, that is able to space itself. If I master this spell and transport it to the Tier Magic System, I would probably be unrivaled among all Untlimate-Class powerhouses on Draconic Deus. If not unrivaled, then at least in the Top 3.

I went to my training field to conduct my experiments, where I usually tested new magic spells. It didn't take me long before I already had a functioning spell matrix that could be tested.

By the initial analysis, the power of this spell was a top-notch Strategic-Tier spell. If more demonic energy was used in constructing the spell matrix, it could reach even higher tiers. The possibilities of the Dimensional Spell were infinite.

After a few tests, I ensured the Dimensional Slash spell was wholly stable and suitable for combat. In the future, I would have another powerful spell in my arsenal.

 

[Trafford]

After finishing my magic experiments, after a long time, I finally went to take a look at my familiar, which should have finished digesting all corpses I left to it, before departing for the Yestera Plane.

I arrived at the place where the Spitting Thorny Flower was located and looked around. It looked almost the same as before, but the energy fluctuations were drastically different compared to before.

Now, it was at the Pinnacle of Warrior Level and was in the evolution process of evolving into the Bloody Thorny Flower.

To boost up the evolution speed, I took out several Commander Level corpses that I had in my stash that were in a perfect state and threw them to the Spitting Thorny Flower, which immediately pierced them through with her roots and started absorbing their blood and magical power at the tremendous speed.

Soon enough, I saw the changes on the Spitting Thorny Flower, as it started growing bigger and its previously green leaves turned into bloody crimson color, giving an overall bloodthirsty feeling around it.

"Architect scan it. It should have already evolved into the Bloody Thorny Flower."

[Race: Bloody Thorny Flower

-

Level: Warrior

Magical Power: 37

Strength: 35

Agility: 15

Vitality: 59

-

Abilities: Take Root, Corpse Feeding, Poison Spit, Basic Elemental Magic]

I observed the Architect's scan with mild wonder. While it didn't obtain any new abilities aside from the ability to cast some Basic Elemental Magic, which was good, its stats grew tremendously, and this was right after evolution.

I have prepared thousands of Commander Level Corpses to bring this little fiend to the strongest state possible. I needed to evolve this familiar as soon as possible, to use it in direct combat.

Additionally, it would obtain even more combat-oriented abilities when it evolved even further. Now, as it was, it shouldn't have a problem dealing with several Middle-Class devils at the same it, as its vitality is too high for an ordinary Middle-Class entity to break through.

I then took out around three thousand Commander Level Corpses belonging to various moínsters, goblinoids, or human barbarians and gave them to the Bloody Thorny Flower. In the end, I didn't have a lot of Commander Level Corpses due to the fact that most of them were in a horrible state.

For Bloody Thorny Flower, to maximize the effect of the corpse, it needed to be in a perfect state. So enemies that were killed by Anti-Matter Magicule Canon Batteries or with various Clan Traits or wide-range spells were absolutely unusable for it.

But I still had enough for my Familiar to evolve into the Devouring Thorny Flower, which had a limit of General Level. Then after I supply enough fertilizer for it, I would have an additional fearsome combatant on the Ultimate-Class, which is extremely troublesome to deal with due to its vitality, defense, and various racial abilities.

I had prepared several hundred thousand Commander Level Corpses for the situation when it evolved, but alas, after evolution, it would be classified as a Tier 2 Being, and the effect of a corpse belonging to a Tier 1 entity was about 0,97% by Architects calculations, due to extreme disparity of quality.

It was the same for me; for example, If I used Devour Clan Trait on High-Class being, then I won't be able to do anything. Maybe If I used it on several thousand High-Class beings simultaneously, my reserves would increase by one or two points.

That was due to a huge disparity in energy density, purity, and quality.

Additionally, it was also due to something called Universal Law. Basically, all it was about was balance. If an ability such as Devour was unbalanced, I could probably get to Super-Devil just by Devouring all those monsters in Yestera.

After finishing my responsibilities with feeding my familiar so that it could be useful, I went to the training ground to strengthen my body. One of my goals was to reach Ultimate-Class in my physical abilities too.

If I reached Satan-Class without having an Ultimate-Class body, it would be risky, as my physical body may not be able to accommodate a properly overwhelming amount of Demonic Energy. In the best-case scenario, it would cause me some internal injuries and other troublesome things. In the worst-case scenario, I can explode, literary explode.

My body was currently at the High-Class pinnacle, and I planned to use an extreme gravity environment coupled with Magical Power refinement, from using Magic Crystals to strengthen my body even further to reach an extreme state.

According to Architect's scans, the extreme state basically had a maximum limit, or in a numerical way, having 99 in all physical attributes.

I prepared a magic formation in the courtyard. After I sat down, several already pre-prepared Magic Crystals started releasing their Magical Power after the barrier was erected around the entire courtyard to prevent leaks of Magical Power, as I wanted to have a small space with extremely dense Magical Power.

Soon enough, after the spell was activated, I felt my body being crushed by enormous gravitational force, but it was quickly adapting to it, and thanks to the extremely high Magical Power density in the air, my body was getting slowly stronger and stronger.

After several hours of strengthening, I already felt that gravity didn't have any effect on my body, as I felt it fully saturated with Magical Power.

"Architect, scan."

[Class: Ultimate

Demonic Energy: 240

Strength: 99

Agility: 99

Vitality: 99]

I looked at the increase with satisfaction, as I was already thinking about what to do in order to advance my physique to the Ultimate-Class.

"Hmm... If I am going to Asgard, then Hela may have some of those..."

I muttered quietly as I thought about certain objects that could greatly help me in my endeavors.

And that thing was the Golden Apple of Idun.

Mysterious fruit that was grown by Goddes of Life Idun, which had the ability to turn humans into Aesir or prolong life for other Aesir. For me, I could either directly eat it or use it in the potion, depending on its best usage.

 

[Trafford]

Two months later, Castle Fuerig, Gremory Territory.

I took some time before departing for Asgard, as I wanted to practice magic and train a bit, as there would be absolutely no possibility to avoid combat during my trip there.

Additionally, mining and industrial progress in the Yestera Plane was going very well, as currently, from the latest reports, factories have already started producing the first Mechs, now giving more focus on Drones, as there was a deficit of Drones for all things that needed to be done.

After finishing the entire conquest of the Yestera Plane, I have decided to experiment more with the Dark Light Clan Trait, and I have developed a new style of usage called Truth-Seeking Orb Style. This technique consisted of compressing a massive amount of Dark Light into an orb-shaped ball that generally floats behind the user's back in a circular formation.

My limit was creating four balls, currently.

These "balls" are called Truth-Seeking because they can be used on a subconscious level to attack, defend or support. Additionally, if needed, they could also change their shape, split, merge or self-destruct, creating a huge explosion of Dark Light.

I created this technique because I lacked proper usage of the Dark Light Trait aside from the Gate of Babylon Style, which included weapon creation from Dark Light and, subsequently, even Chains of Heaven.

What surprised me was that, after gaining my True Name and my talent reaching the top, I easily reached Master-ranked mastery in the Norse Rune Magic and Abyssal Runic Magic. It was also because they were similar to Tier Magic System, as Abyssal Runic Magic was one of its bases.

My casting abilities increased with higher mastery over Runic Magic of various types, even when using Tier Magic System.

Additionally, my mastery over Devour Clan Trait went from Novice to Adept, which was pretty good, as I could now use the Devour more skillfully.

"My Lord, a messenger is waiting for you in the Hall, bearing the sigil of the Lucifer Clan."

Said the butler that entered my training room as I opened my eyes.

"I will be there in a moment."

I answered as the butler bowed and left the room while I stood up and clothed myself.

"Dammed old man... still, it was just a matter of time until he ratted it to Lucifer."

I muttered as I went to the waiting lobby, where I saw an average-looking middle-aged devil as he bowed deeply to me.

"Lord Lucifer-Gremory, I bear the summons from the Great Satan Lucifer for you to come to the Capital City Lucifaad within the next seven days."

Stated the Envoy from the Lucifer Clan.

"I will be there within one day."

I replied to the Envoy.

When Lucifer was aware of my existence and wanted to meet me, I needed to be there as soon as possible. For several reasons, the smaller one was to make a good impression. I was inquisitive about the major one, though Lucifer summoned me. Still, I had some thoughts about what he wanted.

After that, the Envoy went back to where he came from, and I went to prepare for my short trip to the Lucifaad.

Probably the biggest reason for this summons was due to getting assigned a Lucifuge Clan member, and the only one suitable was Grayfia. Right now, she was around the early stages of Ultimate-Class, as she was probably the most talented member of the Lucifuge Clan ever born.

Her father, Lord Gerstahl Lucifuge, even declared her his Heir.

I also was a bit scared, truth to be told, about this entire meeting with Lucifer. I didn't know the exact relationship between him and my mother, Rayla after she escaped from home. Still, it would be best To get into his good graces; currently, I was too weak and too strong.

After several hours, I went to the teleportation formation and teleported away.

***

Underworld, Lucifaad

Lucifaad was an enormous city that was home to millions of devils. The glorious and magnificent capital of the Devils, which was inhabited by all Four Great Satan Clans and also, Six Houses of Lucifer that guarded this city.

I looked over and cast a concealment spell over myself, so no one under Satan-Class specializing in magic won't be able to sense me. I didn't want to attract attention, as with my appearance; after my blood changed my appearance, I looked like Lucifer.

Currently, the entire Lucifer Clan has three people, including me, Original, and Rizevim.

If possible, I wanted to avoid meeting any descendants of Satan Clans, as they are problematic entities. Not that they are strong but rather arrogant, so it would be highly possible that I would either kill them or cripple them, bringing me necessary trouble.

I went to the greatest castle in the entire Lucifaad, which belonged to the Lucifer Clan. When I entered the perimeter of the place, I noticed that it was heavily guarded, as hundreds of High-Class soldiers were patrolling the area, and I even sensed ten Ultimate-Class devils present.

As I looked around, my eyes were on the silver-haired middle-aged man in a gorgeous, aristocratic-looking outfit as he was standing near the entrance to the castle.

"I can sense you; you know, youngling. I am a master of more than ten types of magic, so while your mastery is almost perfect, it is meaningless in front of me."

Siad the silver-haired man indifferently as I undid the concealment spell.

"Greetings, Lord Gerstahl Lucifuge."

I greeted the man politely as I slightly bowed.

Head of the Lucifuge Clan, the right hand of Lucifer, and probably, he would be my father-in-law in the future. From what I sensed, he was at the Satan-Class, and he was pretty strong, judging from his energy signature.

I remembered that he died during the civil war in canon, but now with my presence, as I planned for no civil war to happen, he would survive. It would be a shame to lose such a powerful person.

 

[Trafford]

He looked straight at me, scrutinizing me from toe to head.

"You look similar to your mother, Rayla, while at the same time, you have many traits from your grandfather Lord Zeldris."

Said Lord Gerstahl Lucifuge after a short time.

"He is expecting you already; come, I will lead you."

I just nodded my head and followed after Lord Lucifuge.

He then led me to a huge, lavishly decorated throne room, where a lone man with silver hair and hazel eyes was sitting on the throne with closed eyes.

I observed the man and felt enormous Demonic Energy from his, truly standing to the Super-Devil Class entity he was. He was the strongest Devil in the Draconic Deus and soon-to-be corpse due to the Great War.

"Lord Grandfather."

I decided to bet on the familial card as I greeted him. He remained unmoved, just he slightly opened his eyes and observed me slightly before nodding his head a little.

"Hmm... you are quite strong, but not enough."

Said Lucifer coldly while looking at me.

"Still better than all descendants of Satan Clans with the exception of Rizevim... but he is way older than you. Here use, this... it should help you to reach Satan-Class faster."

He said as he threw me the crimson-colored crystal. When I caught the crystal, I sensed an enormous amount of Demonic Energy from it; it was around maybe 300 Units to 350 Units of Demonic Energy.

After a closer look, I realized what it was. It was Demonic Energy Crystal, probably of Mid-Grade. These little things were naturally birthed by certain places in the Underworld, where Demonic Energy was extremely dense.

They were especially precious for devils, as devils could absorb energy inside the crystal and advance by leaps and bounds by expanding their Energy Reserves. For example, this crystal would be enough to bring me to the Pinnacle of Ultimate-Class.

Though, I have decided to use it when undergoing evolution to the next Class, as during that time, I could reach mid-tier Satan-Class in one go and become a solid powerhouse in Draconic Deus in a matter of hours.

"Judging from your look, you have found the most suitable usage for this crystal."

Said Lucifer, to which I bowed my head slightly, expressing my gratitude.

"I am most deeply grateful, Lord Grandfather, for this gift."

I said. He wanted me to reach Satan-Class as soon as possible, to have another powerful combatant on his side. As I was walking through the Lucifaad, I heard some rumors that Rizevim already became absolutely uninterested in everything connected to ruling and war.

"Come here and sit down."

Motioned him with his right hand to the chair next to him as I went there and sat.

"So, Zekram told me a lot about you."

He said casually as he looked around the empty throne room.

"From when?"

I asked as I was curious when he told him about my lineage.

"Short time after he found out. Rayla was always my favorite... more than Rizevim. While she was getting stronger slower than Rizevim, at least she had some interest in ruling and governing the Devil Race. I was amazed to find out that she had a descendant, on top of that, with the son of that madman. On the top, you have succeeded in awakening the Devour Clan Trait... very good."

Answered Lucifer.

"So it was you who sent me the Book of Lucifer."

I noted it as a matter of fact, to which Lucifer nodded in agreement.

"Indeed. For me, it was no longer useful, and truth be told, I wanted to see how strong you could become if you awaken Devour, and it didn't disappoint me. In such a short time, you are already higher-ends of the Ultimate-Class, with a good chance to enter Satan-Class within the next two years."

Said Lord Lucifer.

"Devour is really wondrous thing, but after I reach Satan-Class, it would be harder to advance unless I enter places like Sunset Monster Mountain Range that had a high concentration of Monarch Level monsters and creatures, but as you know, my Grandfather Zeldris was torn apart there, by Pinnacle Monarch-Level Monster."

While Devour was good to advance fast in lower ranks, as we are in Draconic Deus, there was a limit to powerhouse numbers. If I was in Astral Boundary, with my financial abilities, I could just buy Cores of Monarch-Level Monsters or other Tier 2 Powerhouses and be done with it.

Here, even if someone obtained something like that, they would never sell it.

"That is understandable... but as you already know, the Great War is approaching; with a bit of luck, there would be many powerhouses on that level that would be killed, so either you kill them yourself or play a scavenger, it doesn't matter, but you will obtain strength you need."

I nodded in agreement.

"Still, you did a good job with proposing bringing other factions to this conflict. Zekram already told me that Pale Blood of Old Yharnam, Olympians, and Werewolves Tribes has agreed to attack Church and annihilate their influence from the face of Draconic Deus, greatly weakening Yahweh and Heaven."

He sounded happy saying that.

"I will be going to Asgard and Takamagahara soon. Additionally, I may convince Celtic Pantheon to take their part and attack the influence of the Church in Britannia and Ireland. If everything goes according to plan, then the influence of the Church would be limited to only Central Europe, Italy, and some smaller parts of the world."

I said. Crom Cruach would probably be able to convince God-King of Celtic Pantheon Dagda to make a move. Especially with someone like Goddes of Death Morrigan and God of Light, Lugh would be eager to jump at this opportunity.

It was a unique one; if they let it pass, their religion would be forced out of Britannia and would lose much of their worshippers, causing the strength of their Pantheon to deteriorate, as they are mostly Faith Gods significantly.

 

[Trafford]

"Crom Cruach? You have come into contact with that madman?"

Asked Lucifer with an apparent distaste for Crom Cruach.

"In Familiar Forest, before I went to the Planar Conquest,"

I answered truthfully.

"So he went to Tiamat... he should have already then reached Heavenly Dragon Class."

Muttered Lucifer.

I was surprised to hear that; he should have sensed the fight between Crom Cruach and Tiamat. If Crom Cruach really has reached Heavenly Dragon Class, then it was for the best, as I would have another powerful combatant on my side.

Additionally, as Heavenly Dragon, he would have the best chance to create a dragon faction and bring it to join my nation in the future. Together with Tiamat, and Tannin, I could get probably 60% of all Dragons in Draconic Deus to join my future nation, expanding my power a tremendous amount.

"Show me your Dark Light."

Said Lucifer in a bit commanding voice, as he wanted to see the Dark Light I inherited with his own eyes.

I did as he instructed and condensed a ball of concentrated Dark Light with my new technique, the Truth-Seeking Orb Style. He observed it calmly before I dispersed the orb of Dark Light with a wave of my hand.

"Very good, you can be considered a true member of the Lucifer Clan and bear the name of Lucifer. I will announce to the Underworld that we have another inheritor of the Dark Light."

Said Lucifer proudly, and while I wanted to refute it, I rather chose to remain silent. Announcing something like this is plainly stupid and idiotic. Now our enemies would know that another bearer of the Dark Light has appeared and would come for my head.

In truth, I doubt any Archangel-Class would come for me, as they were on the same level as Super Devils in terms of Energy Reserves. I would be dead for sure, but as long as Lucifer is alive, no Archangel from Heaven or Grigori would dare to attack Underworld before the Great War.

Still, that didn't mean some Cadre-Class Angels or Fallen wouldn't come.

Persuading Lucifer to conceal it was meaningless. He was as arrogant as he was stupid. Probably this was also the reason why mother escaped from home. And now, I would become a living target. I needed to become Satan-Class as soon as possible. Then it won't be much of a problem to deal with assassins and other enemies on the same level as me if they decide to come for me before the Great War starts due to the Dark Light.

"Here, take this."

Said Lucifer as he threw another crystal at me.

"That is a Memory Crystal that can record a person's memories and experiences. I had recorded some of my experiences and training of the Dark Light; it should help you substantially to increase your mastery over the Dark Light."

I looked at the Memory Crystal in wonder and immediately crushed the crystal as I felt a huge amount of memories enter my head; all of them were related to the usage and mastery of the Dark Light Clan Trait of the Lucifer Clan.

After it stopped, I felt that I had attained Master-ranked Mastery over the Dark Light, and my control over it exponentially increased. Now I could fully open the Gate of Babylon, create Dark Light objects with minimal consumption or create more Truth-Seeking Orbs with it.

Overall my combat prowess could be considered as the top of all Ultimate-Class entities, even in the Astral Boundary as a whole, if I raise my reserves a bit.

"Excellent; based on your current control, you should have attained mastery of the Dark Light, right?"

He asked, to which I nodded in agreement.

"Well done. Additionally, do not forget to tell you, after you reach Satan-Class, come to the Lucifaad. You will go with Rizevim to perform some mission for the Devil Race."

He said seriously.

"What missions?"

I asked curiously as I wondered what needed to have two Satan-Class members of the Lucifer Clan to deal with, one with Sacred Gear Canceler and one with Dark Light Trait.

"You will go and hunt some rogue Sacred Gears user or some affiliated with Church. They are a threat, and during the Great War, some Sacred Gears, whose location is known to us, need to be dealt with as they are dangerous. Additionally, while we have obtained the assistance of other Pantheons and Factions, aside from Pale Blood, it won't be good if they obtain Sacred Gears."

Said Lucifer seriously.

This sounded logical. While Zekram obtained the support of Olympus, Pale Blood, and Werewolves, I would obtain the support of Takagahamara; Lucifer didn't wish any of these factions to obtain Sacred Gears for their faction aside from Pale Blood, as they weren't interested in power plays in Draconic Deus and wanted to return to the Astral Boundary.

"What about Sacred Gears themselves?"

I asked seriously.

"If possible, bring them to Underworld for study; if not, seal them in hidden locations."

"Can I keep Incinerate Anthem if possible?"

I asked.

"You want to fuse with Sacred Gear? Are you aware of side effects?"

Asked Lucifer with a serious tone.

"Not now, as I am perfectly aware of the dangers, but Incinerate Anthem is perfectly suited for me due to Dark Light, and I always wanted to have the flame-related ability. On top of that, I will just study it and see... fusing with Sacred Gears currently is too dangerous due to him."

I answered casually.

"Then it is good. Also, there is another matter why I have summoned you to the Lucifaad."

Said Lucifer with a weird smile.

"As for every Lucifer needs to have a Lucifuge."

He said shortly afterward.

'So I was right... I would probably get engaged to Grayfia now. This is good; she is the most powerful Lucifuge and has the potential to reach Satan-Class within the next decade, not to mention the fact she is a very good administrator and combatant.'

 

[Trafford]

After he said that, I saw a person enter the throne room.

She was a beautiful young woman appearing to be in her early twenties with back-length silver hair that features a long braid on each side with small blue bows at the ends, while the rest is let down, which ends in twin braids and red eyes.

She wore an outfit that was a black shirt with golden caramel accents at the edges of the shirt and spread horizontally near the bottom, with two light golden trims going down the shirt, and the shirt splits slightly above her stomach, exposing her midriff. Her jeans are blue, with a white outline at the top. Around her neck and shoulders is a long, cyan scarf made from light material that reaches her hips.

"Lord Lucifer."

She bowed to Lucifer after she turned her attention to me.

"Young Lord Lucifer."

And then she bowed again.

"Now that you are all here, it is time to test a bloodline resonance between you two."

Said Lucifer, as Grayfia and I cut our fingers a bit to bring out a drop of blood, to which Lucifer started casting some incarnation, and soon enough, the two drops of blood combined and shined brightly before they dispersed into nothing.

"Excellent... your bloodline resonance is powerful. That is good, Grayfia; from today, you will be destined to be with the blood of Lucifer for all eternity."

He said with a commanding voice to which Grayfia just nodded her head in agreement, as this was the moment she was mentally prepared for. One could say that from her earliest childhood, she was groomed to become an aide to Lucifer.

As always, a Lucifer must have a Lucifuge. It was her destiny.

"Now that everything is done, you both can go."

Said Lucifer as he basically sent us away.

Both of us, Grayfia and I, bowed slightly before we left the throne room, leaving the original Lucifer alone sitting on his throne.

As he was sitting on the throne, he revealed a slight smile on his face as he watched me departing, which I just barely caught, and it looked creepy.

After we left the throne room, I saw lord Lucifuge, father of Grayfia, waiting in the hall, before the entrance to the throne room, with rather an anxious expression on his face.

When he saw us both exiting the throne room together, he sighed in relief.

"So, the bloodline resolution between you two must be high, right?"

Asked him, to which I just nodded my head while Grayfia looked at her father without saying a word.

"Now we would become family, Young Lord Lucifer. Your grandfather must have been delighted to see another person with Dark Light... with this, we would have another powerful combatant on our side before the war starts."

Said Lord Lucifuge.

"It is exactly as you say, Lord Lucifuge, just with the declaration, Lord Grandfather, I will soon become a prime target for assassinations from Heaven and Grigori."

I said to him, to which he nodded in agreement, as it was an undeniable truth.

"Indeed it will, but also, it will be a test for you..."

Said Lord Lucifuge before he bowed slightly and went away.

"So, what now, Lady Grayfia? Shall we depart for the Fuerig, or do you wish to do something else before?"

I ask her.

"No, we can go, Lord Zeoticus."

She answered mildly before we went to the I used teleportation spell for Castle Fuerig.

***

Meanwhile, in the throne room.

"So what do you say, Gerstahl?"

Asked Lucifer, his attendant.

"He has potential, immense one... I have never thought that someone, too, would inherit the Dark Light. Are you sure about the announcement? If unlucky, someone like Kokabiel would come to assassinate him, and it could spell problems if he doesn't reach Satan-Class quickly, and this is just between our Three Factions. Maybe even other factions would make a move to prevent the rise of another powerhouse on our side."

Answered Gerstahl Lucifuge.

"Heaven and Grigori won't send anyone above Ultimate-Class as they won't risk war erupting prematurely before they complete their preparations. By now, it is set in stone that war would happen. At most, they would send several Ultimate-Class powerhouses to kill him. If he can't survive that, he won't be worth being my descendant."

Said Lucifer.

"And why exactly you gave him the Demonic Energy Crystal? It was of Mid-Quality; they are pretty rare to come by."

Lord Gerstahl Lucifuge was aware that Demonic Energy Crystals were pretty rare these days, as the energy density in the Underworld was worse compared to what it was in the distant past.

"If my guess is current, then he will use it during his metamorphosis to Satan-Class, to directly reach the higher ends of the Satan-Class. At least he would become useful. With additional Lucifer at Satan-Class, we will surely win the war, and Devils will dominate everything."

Siad Lucifer with mad glee in his eyes.

"As you command, My Lord."

Said Lord Gerstahl Lucifuge with a slight bow before he left the throne room.

'His mental state is once again deteriorating... same with the other three. Where this will lead...'

Thought Lord Lucifuge as he went away.

 

[Trafford]

As I returned to the castle Fuerig, my thought was a mess, and I was overwhelmed with anger. I didn't feel for a long time, as I always used Architect to suppress my emotions, not to cloud my judgment.

'Bastard... just wait once I am done; I will give you a fate worse than death.'

I thought in my head.

That bastard made me a prime target for assassination from Heaven, Grigori, and other factions just to satisfy his pride and superiority over others. All Original Satans were the same, arrogant beyond even heavens.

Unfortunately for me, right now, I was in no position to oppose his decision as he was too strong for me to handle, and If I was correct, he had something that allowed him to control all devils. And I was not talking about power, but rather about some kind of blood magic.

In the end, he was the one who created the devil race with the Book of Lucifer, and I noticed that several pages were missing from the book as they were torn out. He probably didn't want anyone to learn about the method of controlling devils through blood.

I read about similar spells that allowed one to control everyone through blood. Ancient blood magic was long forgotten but still practiced by certain individuals.

In canon, it remained lost due to Lucifer's death, but I wonder If I could get my hands on it. If yes, then it would be great insurance for me to control devils and prevent possible rebellion against my rule.

"You seem to be distracted, Lord Zeoticus."

Said a gentle female voice of Grayfia behind me, to which I stopped my track of thought.

"Call me by my name. We are to be wed one day, and you are my part; calling me Lord sounds distant."

I said to her.

"That is not appropriate, My Lord. As your servant, I should follow a protocol of behavior to my best."

She said, befitting to her strict expression.

"You are not a servant Grayfia; you are my partner."

I said with a rather complicated face as I didn't know how to deal with her. My relationship with Grayfia was complicated, to say at best. In a certain sense, she wasn't and was my servant.

A Lucifuge was a partner for Lucifer, a companion, and a friend. I could observe at least that when I noticed her father Gerstahl Lucifuge and Original Lucifer.

As I said that, I noticed her surprise seeing this, probably even though she was mentally prepared for her fate and just accepted her duty, deep down, she was still dissatisfied with all of this, as her entire life was just some kind of scheme for the great cause of all things.

"Then, in private, I will call you by name."

She said this was probably the best thing I could get from her right now. She was still not so comfortable around me right now and too focused on her duties.

"Right, now there is almost nothing for you to do in the Fuerig, but there is still some work that needs to be done in the Yestera."

I said to her.

"Yestera?"

Asked Grayfia with a confused expression on her pretty face.

"Small world, I have conquered for resources. You will go there and help General Amyke with guarding our factories there. Lately, sea monsters have been unruly once again, with General Level ones attacking our positions there, and I need their second Ultimate-Class person."

I explained. I knew that sea monsters would be causing trouble, and now they were even some General Level sea monsters attacking fortified positions and fortresses. Grayfia was Ultimate-Class with very high combat prowess, so she would be a great help there and, hopefully, solve the problem as soon as possible.

"Also, as we are to be wed, you need to be aware that I already have a fianceé, Venelana Bael, from the Bael Clan."

I said, just to be sure.

"I am very well aware of that fact."

She said with dangerous glee in her eyes, but I ignored that.

Probably she viewed Venelana as competition, which was true, but it wasn't my matter to meddle in that. Both of them were pretty strong and prideful, so it would probably be hard for them to accept each other.

Afterward, we talked a bit before Grayfia departed for the Yestera Plane, and I went to do what I have always been doing, reading magic tomes to perfect my Tier Magic System.

One month later, I was surprised to see that Grayfia had already returned from the Yestera, and she also brought a message from General Amyke. It was surprising that such a gentlewoman on the surface at least annihilated more than ten General Level sea monsters attacking the shores of the Mainland in the Yestera.

Truth be told, I was delighted with the results as Grayfia was a great help. If not for her, I would either need to go there personally or send General Zagan, who was tasked with reorganizing the army and implementing Mechanical Legions into my military structure.

"Splendidly done, Grayfia. Also, have you brought their corpses? My familiar would have great usage for them."

I asked her. Now my Bloody Thorny Flower will soon be finished devouring all the fertilizer I gave her. I would need something on Ultimate-Class to evolve even further to reach a new evolution stage called Devouring Thorny Flower, which was a General Level entity.

"Yes, but only eight of them are in a suitable state according to your instructions."

Said Grayfia as she handed me the interspatial pouch that stored those corpses. Eight of them is a pretty good result and should probably be enough.

"Well done. I can also sense that you have grown stronger."

'Architect, scan her.'

[Class: Ultimate

Demonic Energy: 285

Strength: 76

Agility: 80

Vitality: 50]

 

[Trafford]

'Class wise her Demonic Energy Level is higher than mine, but her body is lacking, but still admirable; she must have undergone strict physical training and strengthening. Not something many devils would do.'

I thought in my head.

She was pretty strong among the Ultimate-Class powerhouses.

"I will be departing for the Nine Realms soon enough. In the meantime, when I am gone, look over the Fuerig and borders with a demilitarized zone with Fallen."

I said to her, to which Grayfia nodded. With her overseeing Fuerig and my territory, I could rest that they were secure.f

Soon I would be departing for the Nine Realms, with my prime target being to reach Hela, who was in Helheim.

The only way for me to get into the Nine Realms was to go through the Draconic Deus and find a portal that is connected to the Helheim in the Draconic Deus. If I am lucky, I will be able to find it relatively fast.

I studied a bit about the Nine Realms; they were huge interconnected dimensional realms, created from the nine realms of Asgard, Vanaheim, Alfheim, Jotunheim, Swartalfheim, Niflheim, Muspelheim, Midgard, and Helheim. There were also some minor realms, such as Nidavelir.

Yggdrasil, the world tree that connected all of them.

Asgard was home to the battle race Aesir, which ruled over the entire Nine Realms. Vanaheim was home to the Vanir, species with immense talent in magic and sorcery. Jotunheim is a frozen world inhabited by Ice Giants. Muspelheim, a vulcanic world of raging flames under the rule of Flame Giant Surtr. Alfheim is home to Light Elves, a special breed of elves with a high affinity for light magic.

Niflheim is home to endless cold, freezing fog. Swartalfheim, currently a dead world, was destroyed by an ancient war between King Borr and King of Dark Elves Malekith. And finally, a small world of Nidavelir, home to several dwarf tribes.

Some may not distinguish Midgard and Earth, but in reality, they were different places. Midgard was a plane that was eternally in the Viking Age. Almost all Einherjar that started as mortals were selected from Midgard. One could say it was like a factory for soldiers that supplied Asgard with its armies.

I teleported to the Draconic Deus, to Norway. I didn't bother looking around; humans here were still beyond primitive in culture and barely had anything of interest to me.

Immediately I cast the spell to search for spatial disturbances, to search for the tunnel to the Helheim. I was in a hurry, as I could no longer prolong this matter due to extremely high tensions in Asgard.

"There."

I muttered as my detection spell finally found something several miles away from my current location.

I also needed to be cautious because two people could easily sense me entering the Helheim. One of them was Odin, as God-King had absolute control over the Nine Realms and could easily detect if someone entered.

The second one, even more problematic, was Heimdall. He was an all-seeing God, directly connected to the source of the Nine Realms and his perception was even superior to that of Odin's. To evade his All-Seeing Eyes would be highly problematic; fortunately, right now, he should be focusing on Hela and her army, and with a bit of concealment magic, it should be okay.

I went to search for the spatial tunnel leading to the Helheim. Surprisingly, I found it rather fast, and it was guarded by several powerful warding spells and even magical formations around the entire area.

The first thing I needed was to break down the magical formation, but that was done rather quickly, as I did it with brute force, as the formation was weak and crudely done. After I was done with it, I moved to the warding spells that were blocking the entrance to the cave, where the spatial tunnel was located.

The Master of the Aesir Magic appropriately did these spells in Aesir Magic. These ones proved to be more problematic. To break them down would require some time, but with help from Architect, I could easily locate weak spots in the warding spells and barriers over the entrance to the cave, break down the barriers, and enter the cave just within one hour.

Afterward, I entered the cave and quickly located the portal, which was at the deepest part of the underground maze.

I entered the portal and soon enough appeared in the Helheim.

"Damm, this place is even worse than Underworld."

I muttered as I looked around.

The sky was dark black, just like death. The air here stanched with the aroma of rotting flesh and blood.

This was really a shithole, a realm of the dead.

I needed to find Hela as soon as possible and strike a deal with her, or whatever, as I was aware that my concealment spells could not last for eternity, and sooner or later, they would be found out by Odin or Heimdall, and then I would be fucked up.

'Find Hela, get her only my side, and depart for the Underworld with her army as soon as possible. Still, if Odin chooses to banish her and strip her of her godhood, then she will fall back to the Ultimate-Class, as she got her godhood when she reached Ultimate-Class. But, Aesir has an innate ability to awaken godhood; naturally, I read that Odin did it, but from current Asgardians, almost none have achieved such feat.'

I thought in my head.

Still, I was in a hurry; from the latest reports I got, enemies of Asgard, namely Laufey and Surtr, had started moving their armies against All-Father already. While Malekith was still lurking in the dark, hoping to strike when Odin was at his weakest.

Truth to be told after I get Hela to join me, I don't really care what will happen to Asgard, though some of their technologies, magic, and treasures are too precious for me to ignore.

Maybe I will steal them and admit the chaos.

 

[Trafford]

If I replicate things like Bifrost, that would be a great boon. Not even Solar Federation had such an advanced method of travel during my age, though there were some proposals to use Immaterium for that, which was too dangerous.

Asgard was a very advanced civilization that had fallen in terms of strength since the ages of God-King Buri, who founded Asgard in the Astral Boundary. During the age of God-King Borr, they lost in some conflict in the Astral Boundary, suffered great losses, and were forced to flee.

And truth to be told, Dimensional Gap was just a poor, backward, primitive area even when it was part of Astral Boundary and not a sealed dimension. Here resources were scarce; energy density was low and magical laws were weak.

I was currently located in the Helheim outskirts and was far away from the central location, where Hela was with her army and followers.

Here in the outskirts of the Helheim, it was filled with countless undead that was walking here and there aimlessly. Skeletons, Zombies, Undead Creatures such as dragons, giants, and many others.

The especially entire place was filled with Draugrs. A type of undead that inhabited the entire Helheim. They looked like a weird combination between mummy and a zombie with azure glowing eyes.

Most of them were created or birthed from deceased aesir warriors whose corpses were dropped into the Helheim, where the unique energy of the Helheim resurrected them.

I walked through the plains of the Helheim while I was in a constant state of vigilance. While I was in the Ultimate-Class, Helheim was a hazardous place, even for those far stronger than me. Additionally, I was worried whether Odin's army had already arrived at the Helheim.

Tensions were high, and it was highly probable that Odin would send an army to pacify Hela and her army. Soon enough, the entire Helheim would be turned into a battlefield.

Soon enough, I sensed a huge horde of Draugrs coming in my direction, from which I sensed one Ultimate-Class Draugr. I was even tempted to kill it, to see their combat prowess and how strong they were.

I stood in the direction of the Draugr horde and started casting a [Dimensional Slash] spell. In ten seconds, I had already completed the spell model and released the spell at them. From a distance, I observed how the [Dimensional Slash] tore the fabric of reality and the entire space where they were just disappeared into nothingness.

Soon enough, the Helheim just repaired itself just like nothing happened. I also had the Architect record this entire fight for research purposes as it was how Laws of the World influenced the strength of spell and energy-based attacks.

"How strong are the Magical Laws of Helheim compared to those in the Underworld?"

[Weaker by several-fold. Underworld has a higher level of Magical Laws, which is more suitable for the growth of powerhouses, though Magical Laws here are still stronger compared to the other planes such as Yestera. If the Dimensional Slash spell were cast in Yestera, it would take several days for the plane to heal the damage on the fabric of reality; here, it was done in minutes.]

Stated Architect his analysis.

"Why are Magical Laws stronger in Underworld compared to those here?"

I ask.

[Probably due to the nature of the Nine Realms itself. They are getting weaker due to not being properly assimilated with the Magical Laws of the Dimensional Gap; probably the reason is they didn't have any Being of Law when they transported the entire Yggdrasil to the Draconic Deus and when the Dimensional Gap was created. From my analysis, if Nine Realms were in the Astral Boundary, your spell wouldn't even be able to tear the space there, as Magical Laws in Astral Boundary should be even a hundred times stronger than here.]

Answered Architect.

"That is understandable. Draconic Deus is much weaker than the Astral Boundary. While the creation of Dimensional Gap saved a few, it doomed the rest to be on the bottom of the food chain."

I said.

Mighty Stage Gods, who were Being of Laws, created Dimensional Gap to protect their civilization from the strife in the Astral Boundary, where civilizations and factions perished each day. And another result of this action was that the entire Dimensional Gap was getting weaker and weaker with each passing millennium.

As it was completely severed from the Astral Boundary, its Magical Laws were being developed in different ways, or rather say, they degraded, energy density lessened, and it was harder for powerhouses to emerge.

Even now, Dimensional Gap had maybe fifteen Apocalypse-Class entities at best and zero powerhouses above the Apocalypse-Class.

"Hmm..."

I muttered some incomprehensible sounds before I started moving once again, going deeper into the Helheim.

After several hours and skirmishes with a few monsters and undead, I finally arrived at the deeper parts of the Helheim.

I recognized the simple fact as I saw outposts and sentries of the Hela's army that was patrolling the area.

 

[Trafford]

I sneaked around beyond their fortified lines in my search for Hela's main camp. I easily caught her signature, as she was a person with the strongest Divinity in this entire region, so she was relatively easy to locate.

With my concealment spells, it was easy to arrive unnoticed at my location, where I finally found Hela in a remote place as she was training with her Necroswords. Those swords were pretty interesting, from what I could tell.

A mixture of various metals, but at the same time, they seemed to be alive.

'Maybe it is some kind of Soul Weapons like Sacred Gears or something similar.'

I thought in my head.

In truth, Hela was as beautiful as she was deadly. She had shoulder-length pitch-black hair as darkness night and emerald green eyes. She was around 200cm high, higher than me by five or six centimeters.

She wore an armor-like bodysuit of green and black colors that were combined.

"Come out, devil, while your stealth spells are flawless, I still control part of the Helheim's World's Will Source."

Said she with a cold voice as I undid the stealth spells and revealed myself, to which she redied her Necroswords and aimed them at my neck.

"Easy, easy there, my Lady. I come in peace."

I said quickly before she decided to kill me. I was very well aware that she wasn't the most reasonable one.

"Make one wrong move, and your head will leave your shoulders."

She said coldly.

"So what do you want, the devil? I haven't dealt with your kind for decades."

Said she.

"Of course, my Lady. My name is Zeoticus Gremory-Lucifer, and I have come here to negotiate with you."

I said, and I felt that her Necroswords disappeared when I introduced myself.

"Lucifer... Gremory... you are a descendant of two madmen that even outshined my family."

She said, to which I nodded in agreement. Original Lucifer was nuts, and my paternal grandfather Zeldris Gremory was a battle maniac and a power-hungry madman who died due to lust for power.

"I admit that my genealogy is far from the best."

I said in a low voice.

"Do you know how Asgard became pathetic as it is now?"

Asked Hela with some melancholy in her voice.

"Tens of thousands of years ago, a long, long ago before I was even born, in the vast Astral Boundary, there was a man of rather average species similar to humans. He was called Buri, the first God-King of Asgard Pantheon. He rose from nothing in the Astral Boundary to heights that he once could not even imagine. While Asgard wasn't among the strongest factions in the Astral Boundary, it was still considered a rather strong faction, with many Mighty Stage Gods and even Supreme Stage Gods."

She stopped for a while. Supreme Stage God must be a stage above Mighty Stage God in the Divine Path.

"But then, one day, an Asgardian Military discovered an unprotected Grade 3 Plane that was on the verge of becoming Grade 2 due to some occurrence. Only a few tens of millions of humans and beastmen lived there, but they were surprisingly weak, as they had only several Apocalypse-Class experts and a few Mighty Stage in their native Pantheons; even for a Grade 4 Plane, it would be considered weak. Nothing could stop the glory of the Asgardian war machine. We invaded the world and soon enough pushed natives to the brink of extinction, but then it happened."

For now, it sounded too good to be true.

"A truly strong factions of the Astral Boundary noticed a newly evolving Grade 3 Plane. You need to know that Grade 2 planes are rare and could bore peerless experts and mighty powerhouses that could destroy the entire Draconic Deus with even the simplest spell. As we were fighting there under the leadership of King Buri, another competitor appeared. It was one of the human empires, the Arcane Empire that occupied the Grade 1 Plane by itself. They arrived with hundreds of Apocalypse-Class warriors and mages, tens of Dimensional-Class powerhouses under the leadership of their Emperor, Lord-Class entity."

I just stood there and absorbed new knowledge. Now I had answers to what stood above Apocalypse-Class, namely Dimensional-Class, and above it was Lord-Class, but I was aware that there existed ranks above. Just from mentioning Emperor was Lord-Class, meaning true powerhouses would not spend time running a nation; they would rather seclude themselves to train and research.

"Great-Grandfather Buri refused to retread, who knows why... maybe due to confidence, maybe due to arrogance, maybe due to foolishness. In the end, it didn't matter, as the Emperor of the Arcane Empire killed him in split seconds before God-King could even summon the might of Pantheon. Other Mighty Stage Gods and Supreme Stage Gods were butchered, caught and human warlocks and arcanists extracted their Divine Sparks. The Main Asgardian army was completely annihilated to the last man, and the only person who survived was his son Borr, who was sent to Asgard moment God-King Buri sensed the strength of humans, as his son was just an early Mighty Stage God. After he returned to Asgard, he realized that the entire strength of Asgardian civilization was gone, with just a few Mighty Stage Gods remaining, but that was all. They have lost their strongest gods, with their godhoods were taken. Their own Apocalypse-Class and Dimensional-Class magicians were killed. Most advanced magical technology devices and weaponry were lost during the war. Nothing remained. So, he resulted in the last option. He used Yggdrasil to move the entire Nine Realms plane to the outskirts of the Astral Boundary, where he joined local gods in creating a Dimensional Gap, dying in the process due to internal injuries suffered from previous battles. From then on, Asgard was and is getting weaker with each passing century; we are nothing more than just former glory. Living on the lost wonders and golden glitters."

Now hearing this story from Hela, it would be an understatement to say I was shocked.

 

[Trafford]

"And now, my father has decided to abandon the ambition of returning to the Astral Boundary. In past years, he has decided to just meddle with natives and become Pantheon to the Draconic Deus, forever being trapped in the Dimensional Gap. When I was little, I have always heard stories about the vast Astral Boundary and wished to lead conquest there... not to be confined in this prison."

She said with mild anger visible in her voice.

In a certain sense, the entire Dimensional Gap was a prison, as nothing could go in and out. Resources were finite here, and planes were also finite. While here there may appear a new one, it was an extremely rare occurrence, not comparable to the vaster world, where it is common.

Leaving the Dimensional Gap was something I had wished to achieve when I learned about the grand world beyond. And now it even seemed possible to leave it with an entire plane on your back. If Asgard did it, I will too...

"I have a proposal for you. Leaven Asgard to join Underworld, and I promise you that you can lead armies to conquer, kill and slaughter as you wish. In the future, even in the Astral Boundary, as Dimensional Gap is too small for my ambition."

I said with a small smile.

Hela looked at me, surprised; perhaps she was considering the option.

"And how do you plan to evacuate approximately 160 million people from here?"

She asked me, to my shock. I didn't await for about 160 million Asgardians to follow Hela; this was good.

She had a critical resource that I lacked... a combat-ready population.

"I can easily open large-scale portals with a bit of Arcanotech and your control over Helheim that would allow transporting even such a large population. My lands are able to accommodate such a number of people."

I answered swiftly. I already had such an Arcanotech device prepared at my territory; the only thing that awaited was Hela's help.

"Hmm... then swear Lifeblood Geass and I will agree. Sooner or later, Odin will strike, and as hypocritical as that bastard is, he will strike hard to annihilate my followers and seal me in some god-dammed pocket dimension, never seeing the light. Then he will fabricate some lies about how nothing happened and how I never existed."

She said with a sarcastic laugh, and I nodded in agreement.

We swore Lifeblood Geass to don't betray each other and fulfill some things, nothing serious. At least I have gained a little bit of her trust.

"How many soldiers do you have from your total population?"

I asked one of the things that interested me most.

"30 million Bersekers and 10 million Einherjars. Around 5 million Magicians. The rest are civilians, mainly families of soldiers, craftsmen, artisans, and similar. Also, I have around 20 Ultimate-Class followers."

Damm... these numbers were overwhelming; if I could have her follow my lead, then I would probably have the same military strength as Archduke Agares, only a bit below Great King Zekram Bael.

"I have a question. Why did you accept?"

Something that bugged me. She was far stronger than me, had far higher military strength than me, so why willingly follow.

"While it may seem I have something, in reality, I lack the means to leave Helheim with my army and civilians. I could leave with my strongest ones, but for what end? I will lose everything, and all of these men and women that followed me here were personally trained and cultivated by myself from the moment they joined the military and are loyal. They chose me over their King, something I cannot betray. If I leave, Odin will kill them all, to silence them and bury the truth, as always he did. So what should I do? Go to other Pantheons? Not an option, as I have harmed them too much, and bad blood is among us. So the Underworld is the only opinion. Additionally, soon Odin will banish me and strip me of my Divinity, leaving me at the pinnacle of the Ultimate-Class."

She said.

They were valid arguments. I came in the direst time with a solution to her problem.

"He will probably sense that someone from outside entered Helheim and sent Royal Guard and some Gods to capture me and annihilate my followers. So, I don't have much time to make decisions. When can you open the portal to the Underworld?"

She asked me, to which I threw her small ball-shaped device with a runic inscription.

"Active it, and use Helheim's source. This thing will subsequently open several portals around locations you wish."

I said, and Hela immediately did what I had said and activated the device.

In a split of a second enormous space-rifts appeared around the entire Helheim.

"How long will the evacuation last?"

I asked.

"Two to three days. What about when Odin notices this and tries forcibly to cancel those portals? What then?"

She asked rather nervously.

"Not possible, as now, they have already obtained the Source Code of the World's Will and are able to bypass all magical restrictions. Additionally, energy is fueled by the Underworld itself and Dimensional Gap. Unless Odin uses the strength of all Nine Realms and Yggdrasil to disrupt it for a chance to shut them down, portals will remain open."

I answered. I made many countermeasures to the situation if Odin attempts to destroy portals.

"He won't. The strength of Nine Realms is not great as it was, and Yggdrasil is sleeping. If he used it, he would risk the destruction of Asgard itself, as he won't have an advantage in the fight against Malekith, Laufey, and Surtr. Maybe even other Pantheons will attack Asgard. Divine Power reserves of Pantheon are small."

Said Hela, and now I was sure the evacuation plan was secured, at least for some parts.

"And what if he sends in a larger army than just Royal Guards and some Gods?"

"Not possible. When I left, I took around a third of the soldiers in our military. Asgard's army is around 150 million largely due to constant de-militarization, and most of its strength comes from Berserkers, which all to the last one followed me."

Said Hela with a victory grin.

 

[Trafford]

"Then good for us."

I said.

After two days, the evacuation process was going very well, and practically all civilians were already in the Underworld, accommodated in my territory, where they started building their own city, Inselheim.

Meanwhile, at Asgard, things were beginning to move.

In the Royal Palace of Valasjafl, an old man in golden battle armor was sitting on the throne in the Throne Room.

He had white hair and a white beard, missing his right eye; a gold eyepatch covered that. He was gripping a huge spear.

"Well, played my daughter, well played."

Muttered the old man with a cold voice.

He was Odin, The Allfather, the current God-King of Asgard Pantheon, and ruler of Asgard.

"Vidar, Göndul."

Said Odin in a neutral voice as two figures stepped forward and knelt before the throne of Asgard, the Hlidskjalf Throne.

One of them was an elderly woman who wore a deep blue colored robe. She had a fearless look on her face as she looked at the God-King. She was Göndul, the current Commander of the Valkyries.

Another one was a huge man, over two and a half meters tall, clad in black metal armor with animalistic features. He was Vidar, a pinnacle Intermediate Divinity Stage God who acted as the Commander of the Royal Guards.

"Your Majesty."

Both of them said.

"Take a Division of Royal Guards and Valkyries and depart to the Helheim immediately, and catch Hela. She and her rebels are leaving Helheim."

Said Odin solemnly to both of them, widening their eyes in shock.

"How is that possible, My King?"

Asked Göndul as she was well proficient in the many magic systems across the Draconic Deus and even a few from the Astral Boundary.

"She found a helper who allowed her to open transdimensional space-rifts to the Underworld that cannot be closed. Apparently, some devil with high knowledge of magic is helping her escape; not only that, but they also have some magical technology that rivals ours to stabilize and protect the portals as I cannot close them. I even stripped Hela of her control over Helheim, but it appears those portals are fueled directly from the Underworld's World's Will and Dimensional Gap."

Explained Odin, which left Göndul and Vidal deeply surprised.

"This is an unexpected development; they have even managed to conceal this matter for two whole days before I found it. Most of them should already be gone, but Hela would be leaving as last; she is probably waiting for you, be prepared."

Said Odin, as both Vidal and Göndul bowed and left the throne room to mobilize their troops and depart for Helheim.

Each Royal Guard was a Pinnacle High-Class warrior, while many of them were even at High-Class in terms of energy reserves. The same could be said about Valkyries. Additionally, with their formation and tactics, they are able to match even Intermediate Gods, not talking now, when they had the support of Vidal, a peak Intermediate God, and Göndul, who was the same as Satan-Class in terms of magical power.

***

Helheim

"Lucifer, Odin has severed my connection to Helheim; now we have two to three hours before his attack dogs will arrive. Fortunately, evacuation is already complete, and now only several of my most loyal and strongest subordinates remain here."

Said Hela to me as I was meditating and preparing to hear something similar to this.

"He still hasn't banished you?"

I asked while I looked at her.

"No, he probably fears if he did that, and I lost my divinity, then as Ultimate-Class, I would flee, and he would gain nothing. He is too arrogant for that; he needs to achieve at least partial victory now when a third of the deserted army is in Underworld."

She said.

"Who will come? And how many?"

This was a pretty important question.

"With the current situation? I think he will probably send one or two Divisions of Royal Guards that should be 2,000 pinnacle dual High-Class warriors and battlemages. Additionally, with Valkyries, maybe altogether maximally 3,000 people. Also, he will send Vidal, the Commander of Royal Guards. He is the pinnacle Intermediate Divinity Stage God who is a fearsome warrior."

Said Hela with a grim voice.

"Here, take this."

Said she as she threw me something.

I was surprised to see what it was.

It was the Golden Apple of Idun.

"It should push your physique to Ultimate-Class. It will give us better chances to bring some of them down. Among one Division of Royal Guards, there should be minimally ten Ultimate-Class warriors or Lesser Gods."

Really, the strength of Asgard was high, even after their sharp decline.

I immediately ate the Golden Apple of Idun as I felt huge energy enter my body, as It was absorbed and refined by Devour, and I felt as if each cell of my body was being strengthened to a new level. Everything was being pushed to a new level of existence, be it my flesh, bones, or organs.

Even my energy reserves expanded by a significant amount.

Golden Apples of Idun were one of the priceless treasures of Asgard. Just one could turn an ordinary mortal human into Aesir and even directly push him to the Middle-Class of physique and energy reserves.

Additionally, people used them to break the shackles of their bodies to reach a higher level of power.

'Architect, scan.'

[Class: Ultimate

Demonic Energy: 254

Strength: 118

Agility: 106

Vitality: 124]

I was surprised to see this; my strength was now many times higher than before. With a stronger body, I could accommodate my already high energy much easier, and handling it became easier. I will also suffer less backslash if I overuse my magic.

Most magicians have paper-like bodies, and due to that, if they overuse their magic, they would often suffer terrible internal injuries, as their bodies could not handle such power.

It was an unwritten rule for magicians to have one class with a lesser physique than your energy reserves to be okay, but now many cared for that.

Still, even if you don't suffer some terrible backslash, you will slowly accommodate many hidden injuries that will make your progress much slower or even outright impossible.

 

[Trafford]

Golden Apples of Idun were peerless treasures of Asgard, and I was pretty happy that I got my hands on one of those.

"Thank you very much. Perhaps you have saplings or trees that could be planted in the Underworld?"

I asked with hope.

If she had tree saplings or even an entire tree that could be planted, that would be heaven-sent. I could grow these apples and use them to strengthen my subordinates.

"I managed to get only some saplings that could be planted. Fortunately, I also took the growing method for them. While I could probably not raise them as effectively as Idun, as she is an expert in that, I could yield some results."

Said Hela, to my surprise. This was better than I had expected.

"So, what is our plan for combat?"

She questioned me.

While she was aware that she was Intermediate Divinity Stage God, she was aware the moment Odin banished her; she would drop to the pinnacle of the Ultimate-Class. She was probably also testing me in a certain way.

"While I am tempted to fight them to death and send some gift to Odin, that is not possible right now for me, but not for you. I will lay several magic formations around here, and you will act as bait for Vidal and Royal Guard and lure them to the formation. I will tie the activation moment for the moment when Odin banishes you. When he banishes you, you will be teleported out, and the entire space will explode, taking as many of them as possible. We could try to kill Vidal and slaughter Royal Guards if they are severely injured afterward."

I explained to Hela.

I wanted to kill them for a simple reason. Their Divine Sparks were priceless, and I could use that Divine Power to strengthen my body with special magic spells.

"Killing Vidal? You sure are ambitious."

Chuckled Hela slightly.

"His body and Divine Spark are priceless treasures. Among Royal Guards, there should be additional Lesser Gods, so their Divine Sparks are there too for me to take. With some time, I could use them to increase my strength, and you too."

For my plan to become a reality, I needed Hela to work for me.

"And how do you expect your magic formation to kill Pinnacle Intermediate God? His physique is terrifying; to wound him, you lack firepower. Additionally, how will you deal with his soul escaping?"

She asked me.

Gods were really problematic beings.

Divine Path was one of the oldest ones and strongest ones in the entire Astral Boundary in the long-forgotten ages until new paths like that of Warlock and Arcane emerged among humans, and then various races imitated it to create their own power systems.

Gods fundamentally could be divided into two basic categories. Innate Gods created one. They didn't need faith to ascend to godhood and could do it naturally, mainly due to their racial pre-dispositions for such a thing.

Faith Gods created the second.

They created all Gods of Divine Path, as Innate Gods were incredibly rare across the Astral Boundary. To ascend as a God, you need worshippers to supply you with faith.

Faith Gods were especially problematic to deal with. Even if you kill them and destroy their physical body, they could reform given enough time if they had enough worshippers. You could make it harder by the destruction of their Divine Spark, as that would basically destroy their godhood. If that happened, God would need a hundred thousand years minimally to recuperate if he had several million worshippers at least.

While Innate Gods didn't have such miraculous abilities, they, on the other hand, weren't so dependent on the Faith Power of their worshippers. Faith was like a two-handed weapon. On the one side, it could quickly raise the power of God; on the other, you are closely tied to your worshippers.

If, for example, someone slaughtered all worshippers of Lesser God, then such God would suffer terrible backslash and injuries. And fall into the Demigod stage, which was something between High-Class and Ultimate-Class in terms of Devil Power ranking.

"Simple, you will power up those magic formations with your full power. I have some Divine Crystals so that you can charge it with power equivalent to the three Pinnacle Intermediate Gods. Then you just need to attack Vidal and Royal Guards to enter formation, and I will do the rest. Afterward, you are teleported, and I and your subordinates will take care of the rest. Regarding Vidal's soul, after his Divine Spark is taken and used in ritual by me, the only option for him to revive would be to use an enormous amount of materials and Faith Power to construct a new Divine Spark, and only then his body. That alone would take tens of thousands of years, as resources in Dimensional Gap are scarce."

I explained my plan.

So essential Asgard would be losing one Pinnacle Intermediate God for good.

Dimensional Gap is a poor place. In the Astral Boundary, even an ordinary Lesser God or Moonlight Warlock would be far richer than Greater God here.

"Hmm... that could work, but I want half of those Divine Sparks. When Odin banishes me, and I lose my Divinity, I want to become Innate God."

Said Hela with a confident voice.

Aesir and Vanir had the ability to become Innate Gods, but due to lack of resources, nobody chose that Path, as even in the Astral Boundary, it would take an enormous amount of precious resources to achieve.

"No problem. Just try to play along and play for time."

I said to her.

If I obtain those resources, I could quickly raise the strength of my physique to the later stages of the Ultimate-Class, which would, in turn, tremendously increase my combat prowess. While I am not a close-range fighter, I will utilize every advantage I have.

And having a strong physical body was one of them. When you have a strong physical body, it will also affect the speed of healing and even the regeneration of energy reserves.

 

[Trafford]

I was instructing Hela on how to make a proper magical trap.

While Hela was skilled in magic, I could proudly say that I was far above her in terms of magical knowledge, not to mention having superior advantages such as Architect A.I. MTC.

It only took one hour for the magical formation to complete, as Hela used all of my Divine Crystals in the creation, as I also helped her by adjusting the formation and spells.

I was lucky to get some Divine Crystals I bought from some auction in Hindu. In Hindu Pantheon was often brutal competition, and Divine Crystals were precious for gods; some god was selling them for an enormous amount of war resources, which I supplied in the end.

Divine Crystals were practically an enormous amount of crystalized Divine Power.

"Now the trap is complete, and just bait. Our guests should arrive soon enough."

I said as Hela grimaced, clearly not happy for being used as bait, but alas, there was nothing else to undergo this quest.

I then cast several concealment spells and disappeared as I waited for the show to start.

And so It happened, one hour later.

Clouds darkened, Bifrost opened, and a line of pure light shot from the sky to the ground as countless people came out of the light. All of them were clad in golden Asgardian armor powered by runic inscriptions and armed with swords and spears crafted from the most advanced Asgardian magical technology.

Soon enough towering figure of Vidal emerged from the portal of light, followed by hundreds of Valkyries as they flew on their pegasi high in the sky.

"So Odin has decided to send his loyal hound to end me?"

Asked Hela Vidal with mockery in her voice, as she was aware of his short-tempered personality.

"Traitor, you and all your brethren."

Shouted Vidal in anger as he was called a dog.

"Traitor? Maybe in a certain sense, yes. To Odin, but not to our Asgardian Ancestors. Maybe you and the Gods of Asgard, Dimensional Gap is heaven-sent, but to me, it is nothing more than prison for our disgraced nation, where we will ultimately perish. Asgard belongs to the Astral Boundary and not here, and If that hypocritical old man refuses to admit that, then I will achieve what he thought to be impossible."

Said Hela in anger as I watched everything from the shadows.

"It is not your right to question King's choices. Peace is here, not your endless bloodshed and wars that will doom us. We have been here for thousands of years, living in peace, without fear of being attacked and enslaved, destroyed by Fiends of Abyss, Warlock Dynasties, Arcane Empires, other Pantheons, or other factions."

Said Vidal with a serious voice.

"And for what? For that, we are getting weaker and weaker with every generation? That we don't have any Mighty Divinity Stage Gods? For that, we are not even getting stronger but weaker instead? Peace is never a solution; it is the only path to destruction, as once someone appears and destroys us, we won't even be able to think due to the peace."

Shouted Hela at him, like Vidal, Valkyries, and Royal Guards were approaching Hela and encircling her so she could not escape.

"Warmonger, as you can never understand that peace is possible."

Said a voice belonging to an old woman in magical robes as she said from Vidal's back.

"Göndul, he sent here too?"

Asked Hela, surprised.

Göndul was one of her teachers when she was little, but she was too loyal to Odin to think otherwise about his orders.

"Göndul is right, Hela; surrender to the judgment of Allfather for betraying Asgard and allaying with devils."

Said Vidal with a rather commanding voice with a stoic expression as he looked at Hela. At the same time, she watched around and lured more and more Royal Guards and Valkyries to the magical formation. Vidal was already only several steps away from her, while Göndul was more cautious and wasn't even thinking about approaching her position.

'Maybe that is for the best.'

Thought Hela, as she didn't really want Göndul to die here.

"Hmm... do you know what, Vidal? Go fuck yourself."

Cursed him Hela to provoke him, and it paid off.

"Capture her! Immediately!"

Screamed Vidal in absolute anger as she went for Hela, and hundreds upon hundreds of Royal Guards and Valkyries rushed at her position.

She could only hear a faint voice in her ears.

'I Odin Borson, son of Bor, grandson of Buri, King of Asgard and God-King of Asgard Pantheon, I hereby banish Hela Odinsdottir from the Asgard and Asgard Pantheon forever till the end of ages!'

It was Odin's voice as he was banishing her, and she felt her Divine Power being stripped from her as his strength significantly decreased, and she fell to the pinnacle of Ultimate-Class.

At the same time, countless magical runes, spells, and formations appeared around the place where Hela was standing.

"Vidal retreat! It is a trap!"

Shouted Göndul at Vidal, Royal Guards, and Valkyries, but it was too late.

Suddenly Hela was enveloped by light and disappeared from the place, and at the same time, everything went blank, as everything exploded and destruction embraced everything in diameter of several kilometers.

Göndul and several Valkyries by her side managed to teleport away as Heimdall activated Bifrost to save at least those who could be saved.

'Damm, that was one of hell explosion; I wonder how many it survived.'

I thought as I observed it from a safe distance with Hela's Generals, who were all Ultimate-Class warriors.

There were even several Lesser Gods among those who came for Hela with Vidal, as he wasn't the only god present.

'Now, we will go and kill everything that managed to survive before Odin comes here personally or sends reinforcements.'

"General Ragnar, shall we go?"

I asked a bearded Asgardian in black armor as he held an enormous two-handed hammer in his hands.

"Of course, lad, we will spill some blood."

Said General Ragnar with a bloodthirsty grin.

 

[Trafford]

After the dust settled, ten of Hela's generals and I arrived at the explosion scene. The entire field was filled with corpsed, blood, and body parts, and the stench of blood was heavily present in the air.

"Kill everything that moves; Ragnar and I are going to finish Vidal."

I said to them, as I was something like an unofficial leader.

As I went with Ragnar to the center of the explosion, we killed a few surviving Royal Guards and Valkyries that were barely alive as they were rolling on the ground, bleeding and slowly dying due to their injuries.

"Ohh? Lesser God of Weak Rank."

I muttered as I looked at the golden-clad man who was still alive but unconscious.

Lesser Divinity Stage was divided into two sub-stages.

Feeble Rank and Weak Rank.

Take out my Scythe Rosenkreutz; with one slash, I severed the head of the unconscious gGod and cast a spell as I tore out his Divine Spark out of his body. His soul attempted to escape, but alas, as he was weaker than me, I caught his soul and destroyed it with a special spell.

Ragnar was doing the same thing as me, though more brutally, as he was crushing the skulls of warriors that survived my trap with his enormous Warhammer.

After half an hour, I gathered around 12 Divine Sparks; all of them were of Lesser Gods of Weak Ranks, which was pretty good loot. As Lesser Gods were essentially on the same stage as me, I could kill them permanently by crushing their souls.

Of course, I couldn't do that with Intermediate Gods; that thing was impossible.

As we were killing all survivors, mostly those strongest ones, as the rest of the Generals were focusing on finishing off ordinary members of the Royal Guards and Valkyries, I finally found Vidal.

He truly lived to his fame as Pinnacle Intermediate Divinity Stage God. While he was severely wounded, he was still able to stand on his two legs and even fight as he charged at Ragnar and me the moment he saw us slaughtering unconscious Royal Guards and Valkyries.

'His physical strength is surely terrifying. I could see as he is visibly healing.'

I thought in my head as I spread my wings and flew away from enraged Vidal, as Ragnar took him head-on. With few spells to strengthen Ragnar's defenses and strength, he was able to hold off raging Vidal.

As I created distance between us, I started casting countless Tactical-Class spells as I started showering Vidal with spells, causing him additional injuries. But alas, that was still not enough, as to really kill Vidal would take more, so I decided to go all out and use my strongest attack.

Strategic-Tier Spell, Dimensional Slash.

I started creating a spell matrix in my head, and soon after it was completed, I released it at the Vidal. As Vidal was engaged in a fight with Ragnar, he didn't have enough time to complete as it severed his left hand.

Vidal screamed in anger as he was subsequently hit by a two-handed hammer by Ragnar and enveloped by Chains of Dark Light as I barraged him with a bombardment of the Dark Light Spears and several more destructive spells.

Injuries on Vidal's body were worsening with every spell that hit his body, and I could see with my bare eyes that his energy was slowly diminishing.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, several pitch-black swords appeared and pierced through Vidal's legs, causing him to fall to the ground; Ragnar took his chance to use all of his power and crushed Vidal's right hand into a bloody mess of disordered flesh with his war hammer.

Apparently, Hela was hiding in the dark and waiting for her time to strike, like the ruthless predator she was.

While at the same time, I coated my scythe with the power of Dark Light and Devour at the same time and stuck it directly at Vidal's heart, piercing his heart and causing him to shout in pain as his heart was being destroyed.

I stretched my right hand, pierced it through the wound on the heart, and brutally tore out his Divine Spark as Vidal lifelessly fell onto the ground.

I could see that his soul was too strong for me to destroy, and it was sucked up back to Asgard.

Evidently, Odin has used a bit of his power to save his favorite servant. It was clear that he had lost this time; as Hela could leave, Royal Guards Division and Valkyrie Battalion were slaughtered, together with twelve Lesser Gods of Weak Rank, and even Vidal was basically killed, only his divine soul remaining.

He would either could choose to reincarnate as a mortal and start anew or spent countless millennia recuperating.

"We won!"

I screamed as blood dropped from my mouth in happiness.

"Fuck, you are right, batling! We won! To hell!"

Laughed Ragnar in delight.

I achieved something not heard of for the last thousand years in Draconic Deus. As an Ultimate-Class, I killed the pinnacle Intermediate God with millennia of combat experiences.

I stored corpses of all Gods and Divine Spark as I would have use for them.

The most priceless thing from god is his Divine Spark. The second one was, of course, the body itself, as it was a peerless treasure, often used to make medicines or various things ranging from magic materials to weapons.