Dauner walked over to his desk, taking a seat behind an empty book, a quill, and an ink pot. It had been forever since he arrived on Arethil, and during this time, he'd witnessed a lot, done a lot, and now, he was going to immortalize them. Though, he'd probably only release the book into the world in a few hundred years. As the saying went, aged wine, is the finest wine. And so, he picked up the quill, and thus began to write.
Chronicles of The Heavenly Demon Chapter 1: Lost in The Void
Before I get into writing down all that happened during the 7000 years I was trapped in the void, I believe it's only right to start from how I ended up in that shithole.
It was a day just like every other day in my life as the Great Demon Monarch, except for the fact that this time, there were a few million idiots at my gates. Yet another crusade by the morons from the Divine Alliance. How many such crusades had I already defeated? I lost count ages ago. In any case, that number was about to increase again. Or so I thought.
As much as it pains me to accept it, the fact is, I was a terrible ruler. The fact that I failed to realize that my underlings had colluded with the enemy was my greatest blunder. I should have paid more attention. Perhaps I was too easy going. In any case, for the first time, I lost to mortals, and that too, because one of my blades dared backstab me with a soul eroding poison. Yet they knew well enough that they couldn't kill me, even in my weakened state, So they prepared ahead of time. By using the teleportation array, that I created, they successfully banished me into the void.
Well, the void... that place was as unforgiving of weakness as any place could ever be. And for the injured me, it was hell. The first few years, were all about running from void beasts as I recovered from my injuries. It wasn't easy. I almost died to them more than once. But I persevered. I bid my time, till I was strong enough to face them. I must say, I admire myself for having survived that long. Without my demonic powers, I was like a fish out of water. That place had a natural restraint on demonic energy. As expected of the void.
That was when I realized, I needed to train my swordsmanship. If I couldn't use demonic energy, then I'd just use my sword. And so began 7000 years of painstaking training, in both the sword, and the refining of void energy. I found myself a decent place in the void and stayed there to train. I had to move every few years because of the void beasts that would usually show up. Despite being able to beat them, I was already well aware of the power structure in the void.
There was a group of void beasts, I named them the void warlords for convenience. These beasts commanded others very naturally. They were just about as intelligent and cunning as anyone I'd ever met. Above them, were the void overlords. Then the void kings, and finally the void emperors.
Killing a void beast would attract the attention of the void warlord above it. Killing a warlord would attract the attention of his overlord. An overlord, would attract his king, and a king, his emperor. For this reason, I avoided conflict as much as possible.
Funny isn't it. I, who once stood at the pinnacle of the world, was now just living like a dog in hiding. But I wasn't stupid enough to through myself into the fangs of all those predators. So I bid my time. And so, 6000 years, many near death encounters, many more void beasts and void warlords killed later, I had achieved perfection in the way of the sword, and had gathered enough void essence to rival that of a void emperor. If there was ever a time for me to run wild in the world, it was then, and I knew it, and so I ventured out, in search of a way to break the void!
Striking out into the void, at first, was as easy as charming a girl. With my void emperor level strength, all void beasts I encountered, be they ordinary void beasts, void warlords, void overlords or void kings, were no match for me. Killing them was too easy. So much so that it got boring.
I had finally regained the dignity that befits my status as the Heavenly Demon. Or Great Demon Monarch. Well, those were just two of the titles by which I was called during my time on the continent of Segora. Another of my most common titles was the Lightning Reaper. I got that one during my younger days. Basically, it means 'grim reaper of thunder and lightning'. Mainly because back then, I hadn't learned how to use my demonic powers well enough, so I only used my innate lightning powers when going on rampages. Those were the good times.
Anyway, back on topic. Though I strong enough to roam the void as I pleased, I still avoided the void emperors. Those beasts weren't just strong. They were also huge. Just one of them would probably cover the entirety of the Allir Reach and its surroundings, and that is no exaggeration. If I had been told there were bigger beasts than those, I probably wouldn't have believed it then. Back then, I still thought there weren't any stronger beasts than the void emperors. Thinking back on it, I can't help but laugh at my naivety.
As a void emperor powerhouse, my reputation spread throughout the void in just a few years. For the first time in more than 6000 years, I had void beasts bow whenever they saw me. Even void kings, who used to act all high and mighty back then, tried their hardest to satisfy my whims, so I wouldn't kill them. Guess I ended up reestablishing my reputation as cold-blooded and cruel, even in the void. Till that day, I still impatiently waited for when I would return to Segora, and let the wrath of my vengeance drench the land in blood and turmoil.
Eventually, my first encounter with a void emperor came. The Emperor of Dawning Chaos. That was what the inhabitants of the void called him. As his title implied, he was a warmonger. He hated such absurd notions as peace, and reveled in the presence of absolute and abject chaos.
Now, don't go comparing me to him. Although I am a harbinger of chaos and destruction, I do not particularly revel in them, nor do I hate peace. Without peace, there wouldn't be as many beauties walking the streets, now would there. I'm the kind that only sees chaos as a means to an end. But that guy, saw chaos itself as an end. A huge difference.
To save myself the trouble of writing his name out in full, for the scope of this book, I shall call him Chaos.
Chaos, sent me an invitation to his domain. Apparently, the pile of bodies, and trail of blood I left in my wake, had caught his attention. No surprise there. Funnily enough, he wanted me to enter his service. I know, right. Totally crazy. I, the Great Demon Monarch, cultivate the precept of the seven virtues. As the demon king of the seven virtues. One who walks the path of ascension, to one day become a demon god. And one who cultivates the virtue of pride. It is absolutely impossible for me to bow my head before anyone.
Back then, I didn't bow to the gods, so there was no way I would bow to a beast who became a slave to his desire for chaos. I made sure to tell him that, but he didn't look so happy when I was done. He uttered some clichéd villain lines, and then asked one of his underlings to kill me. The fact that he had a low level void emperor serving him was quite impressive. However, he died after barely exchanging 2 moves.
I might have been at the void emperor level, but I still had my demonic powers, innate lightning powers, swordsmanship, and my mind-sword enlightenment. That was more than enough to defeat any void emperor. However, I'm no mindless brute. I was well aware of how the balance of power in the void was distributed. And I knew that the death of one void emperor would bring about an era of chaos, as other void emperors would go to war to obtain the domain which belonged to the dead emperor. That was, if nothing else, counterproductive to my goal. That was why I was actively avoiding them.
However, I wasn't going to simply forgive those who came to me, asking for death. So I searched for Chaos' real body. The projection I met when I arrived had the same size as me. But compared to its real body, I felt like an ant. No even smaller than an ant. Its size was terrifying. Twice that of the emperor I had just killed.
A battle ensued. It lasted for over 300,000 ticks. You see, time in the void was hard to keep track of, so I used ticks as a unit. 1 tick was equivalent to 1 second, so the battle technically lasted for more than 3 days. In the end, I emerged victorious. The fallen emperor was a great help to me, as my strength skyrocketed to another level after I devoured its void origin.
I was somewhat upset that in the future, it would be harder to find a way to break the void with all the chaos that was dawning. But I still felt glad that I got a boost in strength from devouring Chaos' void origin. After that battle, my reputation got inflated, and many more emperors began to pay attention to me. Little did I know, that there was also a higher existence that had taken note of me.
Now where was I again? Oh, right! After killing that fat sheep, Chaos.
A few decades passed, and I was yet to find a way to break the void. I explored far and wide. Found a number of pocket worlds within the void. But none of them had what I sought. I knew it was going to be hard, but damn. It was proving to be harder than expected. There came a time when I began to wonder if it was even possible to escape. Was I doomed to remain in the void for all eternity? The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. And the angrier I got, the more uncontrollable I got.
What do you think happens when 2 tigers rule over a single mountain? Now, make that 7 tigers. I had become a hungry wolf. A raging bull. An angry beast. There was no way I could let things be. I was never one to submit to fate. That was why I dared wage war on the heavens While I still lived on Segora. My destiny was something only I had the right to weave. And it wasn't going to end in the void.
If there wasn't a flaw I could exploit to break the void, then I could only grow stronger. Immeasurably stronger. So strong that I would break the void with a single slash of my sword. The fastest way to achieve this, was to devour the void emperors.
Now, don't get me wrong. Although I like meat, I'm no fan of oversized meat balls. I wasn't gonna eat their meat, but their origins. Else, I might really have suffered from eternal indigestion.
Well anyway. I set out to devour the emperors. Along the way, I encountered many difficulties, such as armies and trap formations set up to capture or kill me. But I survived them all. One after the other, the emperors fell, paving the way to greater strength for me. I grew stronger with each emperor I devoured. But then, I hit a wall.
After having swallowed all 7 void emperors and their quasi emperor subordinates, I reach a level of power i never thought I could obtain before. But there was no emperor left to devour. The small fries were too weak to make a difference. I had become the lord of the void, but I still lacked the strength to break the void.
'Hell hath known no tyrant like the one that ripped it apart'. That was the best I could describe my stay in the void after devouring the emperors. Once, several rulers sat upon the thrones that governed the void. They were tyrants, yes. But that was something they needed to be in order to govern a world ruled by the law of the jungle. In the void, the saying 'might makes right' was not only true, but was also explicitly made obvious. Unlike in Segora, where the rule of law, and righteousness was a tool used by the hypocrites to control the masses, the beings of the void didn't try hiding their nature. They ruled with pure strength, and lived by it.
Now, all emperors were gone, and remained its sole ruler. For years, I sought a greater power than that of the emperors. A power that would let me break out of the prison that was the void. For years, I searched, and search, and search, but alas, there was naught to be found. And then I broke down. Never before had I ever felt as helpless as I did then. Not even when my family was destroyed, and all I loved was snatched from me before my very eyes, and all I could do was watch it all happen. Not even when I was denied the right to life, simply for being different, and when I had to run and hide, with no one to trust. No one to lean on. For the first time, I felt truly hopeless.
My despair quickly turned to resentment, which in turn, turned into hatred. Hatred for the hypocrites of the church who had used underhanded trickery to get me. Hatred for the disciples whom I had groomed from a young age, but who turned on me, and stabbed me in the back. Hatred for the cursed void that would see me rot in it. Truly, I hated it all. And thus, the greatest tyrant the void had ever known was born.
My life in the void had never been easy. It had always been a constant struggle to survive. The stronger I got, the stronger the opponents that sought to see me dead. But I survived, and I prevailed. I slaughtered all enemies stronger than me, and emerged the sole strongest being in the void. But now that I no longer had anyone stronger to kill, what then. You see, when you climb to the top of the mountain, the only way left to go is down.
When I first began to seize control of the void, I was… how old was I again? How old am I right now as I write this? The truth is, I don't know. It's so much easier saying I'm a couple tens of thousands of years old anyway. The important thing is, I seized control of the void, bringing all 7 territories under my command. There was of course some resistance. Some residents of the void were unhappy about the changes I brought with me. Every emperor used to run their territories differently. But the kings under them still had some degree of power, and territory under their name. My policy would see them stripped of these territories. Rather than owning the territories, I would see them supervise the territories in my name.
Several rebel bodies broke out across the void. Not many who didn't revolt were very loyal, either. But they feared me. That was all I needed. Then there were those who worshiped strength. They weren't loyal per se. But they'd follow me as long as I was the strongest. I labeled the three groups as the dissidents, the frightened and the might crazed.
I sent the frightened, led by the might crazed, to deal with multiple rebel cells across the void. But mostly, I handled them myself. I had to show everyone the strength I possessed. The strength that would crush them if they ever rebelled against my rule. The premise for this was obviously because I thought I was the void's strongest existence at that time.
I established my dominion, and reigned over the void for a few hundred years, with an iron fist. I became the tyrant that struck fear into every corner of the void. However, everything I had built over the span of these years started to crumble when yet another void emperor, from the depths of devil know where, came out and gazed upon the world I had made out of the void, and he was displeased.
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