"It seems I'll have to find another one!" Aeolos glanced at the ashes beneath his feet and pouted. This legendary demon lord had barely withstood two of his attacks. After all, to reduce it to this pile of ash, he first had to strike it with a shot, then burn it with celestial fire.
Aeolos glanced behind him. Before breaking through to the legendary level, he could vaguely sense the presence of some legendary devils, but after his breakthrough, these auras became obscure and difficult to distinguish. If he wanted to find a legendary devil to spar with, it would likely take considerable effort—like playing hide-and-seek with them.
"So I can only look for demons." Aeolos sighed helplessly. Devils were too cunning. When they sensed danger, they all fled. He looked ahead.
In this battle, which Aeolos was participating in, the demons had won for the moment. They had captured more than twenty fortresses, including the steel fortress where Aeolos now stood. Of course, this victory was temporary; it was only a matter of time before the devils reclaimed the fortresses.
Throughout history, it had always been like this. The blood wars between demons and devils generally ended in a stalemate. One side might temporarily gain an advantage, but that advantage would soon be reversed.
Naturally, none of this concerned Aeolos. His focus was on finding legendary beings to spar with, allowing him to quickly master the vast ocean of power within him.
With that thought, Aeolos glanced at the comrades he had fought alongside during his time here. However, these guys were all stunned by his transformation.
Aeolos smiled at them, then left the steel fortress, heading toward the seemingly endless demon army ahead.
The number of demons was an unsolvable mystery, one even the gods couldn't answer. Not even the oldest demons knew, because the number of demons was simply too great. In the Abyss, demons were born endlessly at every moment, and at the same time, demons died endlessly.
So, the hundreds of thousands of demons that Aeolos had just obliterated were nothing compared to the overall population of the Abyss—not even a drop in the ocean.
...
"Are demon lords this clever nowadays?" In a space rift on the battlefield, a figure fully armed sighed softly. "They're too tactful; couldn't one oblivious fool just show up?"
Long before Aeolos had started his breakthrough, Muria had arrived at this blood-stained battlefield, armed and ready. But instead of revealing himself, he hid within the space rift, secretly protecting his son.
Now, Muria watched, a bit bored, as Aeolos charged into the demon horde, slaughtering his way through. If Aeolos had rushed into a similarly sized human army, Muria's only task would be to scold him and then rescue him.
But Aeolos was attacking a demon horde—chaotic and disorganized by nature. In fact, calling demons an army was an insult to the word. Demons were nothing more than a rabble.
For instance, as Aeolos charged into the demon tide, only the nearby demons that could see or sense him attacked. The rest simply ignored him.
In other words, Aeolos's seemingly dangerous actions were actually quite safe because he only ever faced a limited number of demons at any given moment.
"Even now, no one knows how many layers the Abyss has. It's a massive force, yet it's evenly matched against Baator's nine layers. That's one of the world's great jokes."
Muria, watching his son's brave figure, couldn't help but mutter, "No matter what you do, there has to be someone in command. Without leadership, it's just chaos."
With that, Muria continued to follow Aeolos, watching him slaughter demon after demon, including several legendary ones. To be honest, watching his son fight made him a little eager to step in himself.
Unfortunately, no worthy opponent had shown up on the battlefield thus far. Muria's current status was extraordinary, and it would be beneath him to act against ordinary legendary demons.
Boom! Endless golden lightning erupted from the blood-drenched battlefield, scattering the blood mist and filth that covered the sky. The golden light illuminated the battleground around Aeolos.
An overwhelming and terrifying aura surged downward, causing countless demons below the gold level to explode on the spot. Even the demons above gold level scrambled to flee, terrified by the overwhelming pressure.
"Hmm!" Aeolos had just slain a bizarre legendary demon that had evolved from a worm. Standing next to the corpse, which was as large as a small mountain, he looked up at the sky, noticing the strange change.
He saw golden lightning weaving together to form a gate of thunder, tearing through the sky of the blood-soaked battlefield. The sounds of dragon roars echoed from beyond the gate.
Then, a towering figure appeared at the entrance of the portal, looking down upon him with overwhelming authority—Muria, who had grown tired of waiting for a demon lord to show up. Since none had come, he had no interest in watching his son slaughter weaker demons any longer.
"Aeolos, my son, first I congratulate you on breaking through to the legendary level!" Muria's majestic voice echoed across the battlefield, amplified by the thunder.
"Secondly, I congratulate you once more—for you will become the next emperor of a growing empire!"
"So it's like that..." Aeolos wasn't too surprised by Muria's appearance, as he had already guessed this outcome after his breakthrough. "I figured as much."
Similarly, when he heard that he was to inherit the throne and become the next emperor, he wasn't overly excited. He had already anticipated this outcome. Otherwise, there was no other explanation for why his father had sealed his powers and sent him into the mortal world.
Reflecting on his childhood, he hadn't done anything to provoke his father or made any mistakes. The only reasonable explanation was that something had influenced his father's decision.
...
"This is my eldest son, and he will be the next emperor of the Synapsian Empire!" When Muria brought Aeolos back to the imperial palace, he immediately summoned all the empire's subjects to introduce Aeolos to them.
"Greetings, Your Highness!"
The sound of formal greetings echoed through the palace. Everyone standing there had at least reached the legendary level and lived long, experienced lives.
Though many were surprised by the sudden appearance of this crown prince, none hesitated in offering their respectful bows.
"Do you have anything to say to me?" After summoning his subjects and then dismissing them, Muria looked at his son. He had gathered everyone just to introduce Aeolos.
"Why did you seal my bloodline powers?" Aeolos asked directly, though he had already deduced the answer.
"Because I need you to be my successor! This land requires a wise emperor to continue ruling it! But the position you were born into is too high. You couldn't possibly understand the struggles of ordinary people. A ruler raised in such an environment would never be a wise emperor for the people."
"Couldn't you continue ruling? You don't have any limitations on your lifespan."
"It's true that my lifespan isn't a problem, but other matters demand my attention. I'll soon leave Erathia and venture into the Void. I won't have much time."
"I see." Aeolos nodded, then asked the question that truly concerned him, "Where are my mother and sisters?"
"Your mother and Gladys are in the Celestial Realm, Tiffany is in Synapsis, and Katia is in the Titan homeland. If you miss them, you can visit them now."
Muria smiled. "Oh, and I'll allow you to stay in the Titan homeland for a while longer. But when you return, I expect you to bring back your future empress!"
"This... Father, what are you talking about?" Aeolos was instantly flustered by Muria's comment.
"Get ready. In ten years, I'll turn six hundred. On that day, I will abdicate, and you will officially ascend as the second emperor. But I also hope that your coronation will coincide with your wedding!"
Muria could feel the power surging within him. He sensed that he was nearing the peak of his potential. Once he reached that peak, no matter how much he struggled, he would be unable to advance further. If he wanted to grow stronger, he would have to make a choice: spread his faith, build a church, ascend to godhood, and manage the world's laws as a deity.
Or he could venture into the Void, acquire primordial power, break through his limits, and transcend the gods to achieve eternal immortality.
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