“That…” I was speechless. There were no words strong enough to describe my shock at that point. However, was it even possible for others to guess the thoughts of an existence at that level? He was, after all, the Creator.
Since he was the one who created this world, it could be said that the entire world was in his palms. Given that, the fact that Lucifer managed to sneak into Eden twice, complete his mission and extricate himself successfully…was that even possible? It was akin to trying to steal something from right underneath the nose of the Creator –clearly the probability of that happening was close to zero.
So at the end of the day, the Creator’s goal was to destroy the world? But why did he even create the world in the first place then? Why engage in such a contradictory set of actions? If I had to describe the situation now, the first word that came to mind was messy. With all the information I had now, I simply wasn’t able to make a proper judgement. Besides…the divinity in question had already left so perhaps there was no finding out the truth anymore…
“Since the Creator wants to destroy this world so badly, I’ll just destroy it then.”
The clone of Lucifer declared as such before turning towards me once more: “Little fellow, since you’ve managed to come so far, that means my deal with Hades has been completed. The seal on the Blood Sea has been undone and the Prison of the Dead will no longer stop those who meet its requirements from leaving. From now on, a portion of those who choose to enter Purgatory will be sent to the Remnants of Sable Radiance. Your job is to make use of these newcomers to take over this wasted kingdom. Accumulate more troops and build an army for the Apocalypse…”
“Apocalypse? So you’re saying that you wish the destroy the Western Human Realms then?”
‘You’re kidding me right now…I swear, all these sudden developments are making my head spin. Also, why do I have to destroy the Western Human Realms as well?!’
“The Creator has completely left this world so what happens to it is no longer his concern. Once Hades has conquered the new world, he will send his troops over to aid you. You don’t have to worry on that front. Besides, the greed of humans mean that they will never unite. Without a united front, we can easily divide and conquer…”
Before the Creator left, he must have left behind some kind of restriction on the world, else why would Lucifer resort to all these unnecessary actions like raising an army? Just by himself, he could have easily wiped out a kingdom from the Western Human Realms with a single sneeze…so exactly what was restraining him? The Goddess of Light?
Unable to enter the Western Human Realms himself and wishing to still enact his plan via a non-divine rank battle, his only other option was probably to seal the Blood Sea and help Hades. In all likelihood, his idea was to first wipe out that new world and turn all the inhabitants there into Undead soldiers so as to bring them over to invade the Western Human Realms… The humans must have had some kind of special means to resist Devils and Undead, else why would he go to such lengths?
Moreover, this so-called new world must have been weaker than the Western Human Realms, at least it was so to Hades and Lucifer. Although the clone mentioned that the both of them were still unable to tear down the dimensional barrier guarding that world, there was no doubt in my mind that it must have been born later than the Western Human Realms. In other words, the level on average should have been lower than the Western Human Realms’s.
In a sense, what he was doing was stealing a candy from a baby. Clearly, he, being the adult in this case, was going to win, right?
‘Shoot, he has even offered the Blood Sea to feed Hades more troops…he’s clearly out to wipe out the Western Human Realms! What should I do now…I don’t want Nicole’s world to be destroyed…to begin with, all that talk about destroying the world just doesn’t feel that real to me at all…if it really happens…a lot of people will die, won’t they? No…I must do something…’
“Almighty Lucifer, even if you want me to invade the Western Human Realms, I don’t think it’s possible at all since Sable Radiance is still in a sealed up state. Besides, I’m just a Four-stars pleb who has neither power nor troops. Even if my heart is in this, my strength isn’t.”
“The seal has been set to slowly undo itself once I awaken. This entire capital is a Summoning Zone as well so you can leave this area temporarily by being summoned. However, those outside of the seal still cannot enter Sable Radiance until the seal is completely undone. That’s because you’re still too weak right now. Before you become as strong as a true Overlord, you will never survive an attack from another Devil Clan. As for those few Overlords here, I’ll send out a word to them. If anyone dares to touch you, I’ll help you kill them in the future. And that’s why all you have to care about for now is levelling up, gathering troops and conquering the rest of the clans in Sable Radiance. Once you’ve done that, just await the day of Apocalypse.”
‘I’ll help you kill them in the future…hey, why is it in the future and not now?! Bah, I don’t even have the energy to poke at his words anymore.’
“…you’ve…really thought this through, haven’t you? But I don’t have the strength to conquer the other clans for now. In fact, I don’t think I can even recruit those devils from the Blood Sea…”
“Your lack of strength is definitely your biggest weakness now. However, I’ve already prepared for that, catch.” Having said that, a chestnut shaped ruby, roughly the size of a fist, descended slowly from the air. My first thought was to reach out and grab it but on second thought, I decided to retract my arm. Not too long ago, I had suffered quite a bit at the hands of that feather…this time…
Seeing me hesitate, the clone of Lucifer explained as such: “Don’t worry, there’s nothing wrong with this ruby.”
“…” Having my thoughts seen through like that left me slightly embarrassed. However, the one to blame here was me for thinking too much about such matters. After all, it wasn’t like every object that fell from the sky had the ability to melt my body…
My hands tightly gripped down on the ruby. It was strange; slightly warm to the touch but still pleasant.
“Almighty Lucifer, may I inquire about the purpose of this gem?”
“It’s a key component in controlling the Abyssal Golems —the Gem of Authority. As long as you have it, you can control all the Abyssal Golems in Sable Radiance and also give out control rights temporarily. I’m sure you’ve met them already. Each golem is at least at the level of Six-stars with some of the higher grade ones even reaching Seven-stars. There’s even a hidden golem that has the power of a Eight-stars. With its help, you should be able to conquer the entire Sable Radiance as long as the Overlords do not interfere.”
“Abyssal Golems…”
‘Is that the name of those golems I encountered…I have to admit, those darned things can really deliver on the combat power, they are even immune to fire damage and have an impressive defensive power. As long as I have enough of them, I can pretty much run rampant throughout Sable Radiance. After all, creatures of Purgatory are all of the flame element. With their flame immunity, those golems can just stomp all over those clans who rely on fire damage.’
‘Like those Hellhounds for example, with their dual nature attacks, their power would basically be cut in half right off the bat. Adding on the fact that the golems were all built with an insane level of defense, they really can’t do much except flee. Had it not been for Nola, I really doubt we would even be able to make it this far.’
By now, my mouth was basically watering at the mere thought of controlling those golems. I hurriedly asked: “Almighty Lucifer, I’ve encountered a number of golems on the way here, they are still outside right now as we speak. But where are these Seven-stars you speak of? Why haven’t I seen them yet? Also, how do I activate this stone?”
“Use your psyche to communicate with it.”
“Like this?” I brought the gem up to my horn and as I did so, a wave of psychic energy started to flow into it via my horn. Immediately, the gem sucked up the outflow of energy before spitting it back out a second later, albeit a smidge lesser than before. However, that amount was truly insignificant and didn’t affect my body all that much; basically a short rest should be enough to recover it.
In exchange for that, I managed to establish a connection between the gem and me. Simply put, I could now use my psyche to communicate with it directly, not that it had any soul to speak of. Still, it was amazing the way I suddenly knew how to use it!
Just as I was about to continue trying to communicate with the gem, the clone of Lucifer suddenly coughed lightly. Upon confirming that I had come back to my senses, he continued answering one of my other questions: “Abyssal Golems were crafted by a Devil King who employed techniques learnt from the ancient humans. While they still look like toys to me, they are at least amusing ones. The remaining Six-stars and the Seven-stars are all stashed in the weapon factory hidden in the lower half of the palace. As for that Eight-stars Abyssal Golem, isn’t it looking at you right now?”
“In front of me…isn’t what’s in front of me just…” ‘Holy potatoes, so the carving of Lucifer is actually a Eight-stars Abyssal Golem?!’
“Alright, I’ve said what needed to be said, all you need to do is follow my instructions and I guarantee that you won’t regret it.”
“If…”
“I know you used to be a human, but you aren’t anymore.” Even without me speaking, the clone of Lucifer already knew what my mind was thinking. This time, his voice was chillingly placid as he laid it out for me: “If you fail, well, good luck to you then.”
