The Rygar group spent a long time flying over the vast and hostile Demon Continent.
The view from above always revealed desolate landscapes, wild territories and entire provinces covered by black hills, purple forests and scorching deserts.
In Oldgar's timeline, he himself had crossed the Demon Continent only once and, at that time, even formed some alliances — mainly political and non-aggression pacts between the Demon Provinces and the Kingdom of Gaia.
However, even with those alliances, when the Demon God Laplace was reborn decades later, the whole Demon Continent united under his banner to wage war against humanity.
Looking from a broader perspective, there were many reasons for that.
Oldgar, after losing to Orsted for the second time — on the occasion when he tried to assassinate Rudeus — completely abandoned any administration of the Kingdom and focused all his time and energy on improving himself.
He lived only to become stronger.
It is worth saying that, when Laplace was reborn, Oldgar had already defeated the Technique God and was the current Number One of the Seven Great World Powers. Even so, all the demons bowed to Laplace.
The main motivation for that was not charisma, honor or ideology, it was pressure.
Laplace's demon half was relentless and cruel. He dominated everything with his overwhelming power and did not tolerate resistance. He killed those who opposed him and that served as a warning to the rest.
Faced with that scenario, no one dared to confront him. At the same time, Oldgar was so obsessed with his personal growth and with the goal of killing Orsted that he left the rest of the world completely adrift.
This, of course, allowed him to reach the strength of a True God at his peak. Unfortunately for him, mere power was not enough to kill the Dragon God.
Rygar would not make the same mistake.
He had Oldgar's future records of techniques; he could reach the same power much more easily. That granted him some spare time to deal with secondary problems.
There were many cruel Demon Kings who were already problems — some of them would become major enemies in the future.
Two, in fact, had been pawns of Hitogami. One of them was Vile Demon King Qeblaqabla, killed by Verdia. The other was Badigadi, the current Fighter God. Badigadi was hard to kill, but Qeblaqabla had not required so much work.
Furthermore, Atoferatofe and another Demon King ended up, in that timeline, becoming allies of the Dragon God under Rudeus Greyrat's influence.
Knowing all this, Rygar would not stand idly by.
There were opponents he still could not defeat and others it was not convenient to kill — at least for now.
But what about the lesser characters? Those Demon Kings and regional leaders who would be future sources of chaos, destruction or manipulation by Hitogami?
Was it better to kill them or subjugate them now, before they had any chance to cause real trouble?
It was also necessary to let them know that, even if Laplace returned one day, he would have to defeat Rygar before even considering starting another war.
So, while passing through the Demon Continent, Rygar turned practically the entire region into a vast nation subordinate to the Kingdom of Gaia — or, at least, most of it.
As subordinate nations, they would naturally be subject to new rules and restrictions.
Any evil Demon King who was unwilling to accept changes or abandon his vile acts was simply eliminated by Rygar, Verdia and Eris.
Some of those Demon Kings were hard to find, but Rygar's tracking capabilities were practically inescapable, save rare exceptions.
The group moved quickly, taking advantage of Ezkalor's flight and, eventually, Teleportation Circles to cross the Demon Continent with greater efficiency than any army could dream of.
Great changes fell upon the demon races suddenly and abruptly.
At that moment, the submerged realms of the Ringus Sea, many Demon Provinces and the entire expanse of the Gaia Continent were under the reach and direct influence of the Iron Legion.
They did not merge into the Kingdom of Gaia, but were, effectively, subordinate nations.
Meanwhile, the Kingdom of the Dragon King — despite being an ally — was too weak at the time and relied heavily on support from the Kingdom of Gaia to maintain internal order.
The roots of the Kingdom of Gaia spread quickly to all corners of the world.
---
After a flash of light, three figures suddenly appeared above a Teleportation Circle. The light dissipated quickly, revealing Rygar, Verdia and Eris.
Verdia was calm — she was already used to the effect, no matter how mystical it still seemed to her.
Perhaps the fact that her own daughter had teleported since birth had softened the impact; when you see a baby appearing and disappearing in flashes of light, few things really surprise you.
Eris, on the other hand, seemed very excited to see the interior of the Labyrinth.
Rygar looked around with curiosity before Verdia asked:
"Is this the right place?"
He took a deep breath, sharpening his senses and his Demon Eyes. His perception spread through the environment like a wave. After observing everything carefully, he answered:
"It should be. It matches the Guide's description."
The place had stone floors and walls, very similar to the ruins of the Dragon Race where they had been moments before.
All the other teleport circles they'd found also led to environments of this style.
The only notable difference was that this one had a door — and, moreover, the smell. The air was impregnated with ink, parchment and mold.
That was exactly what confirmed they were in the Labyrinth Library, even if there wasn't a single visible book there.
Rygar and Verdia immediately began working on modifying the Teleportation Circle.
They had done this several times throughout the journey, and the process was now much easier for both of them. All these modifications were part of a plan Rygar had for the future.
When they finished, they continued onward.
"I'll take the lead!" declared Eris, excited, advancing down the corridor that led deeper into the Labyrinth.
Verdia sighed in resignation while Rygar smiled.
"Don't go more than three meters ahead."
Eris only waved, not slowing her pace, full of excitement. Rygar had already explained to her that this Labyrinth was different and that there were no aggressive monsters there. That, however, did not diminish her excitement one bit.
He saw no problem with letting her go in front. The reason was simple: nothing could hurt her while she was under his watch.
Caution was important, but Rygar knew his own strength. Only exceptional entities could pose a danger to him — and that did not include the Demon King who governed the Labyrinth.
A long and seemingly endless corridor stretched out before them. The three-meter-high walls were composed of stone shelves that seemed to extend for dozens of meters. Countless books rested on the shelves.
They walked for a long time, chatting casually as they advanced.
They encountered several monsters along the way, creatures the group already knew they should not attack. Even so, Eris looked visibly tempted to cut them all in half.
One of them was a gigantic snail, wide enough to block half the corridor. Thick, twisted tentacles emerged from its back, each holding a different book.
Other monsters were black slimes, which slid slowly while pulling books into their bodies. There were also black bipedal ants carrying stacks of scrolls.
All moved toward some deep point of the Labyrinth — and, at the pace they went, they wouldn't get there anytime soon.
The long, repetitive corridors were no challenge for Rygar.
The whole Labyrinth had been under his scrutiny since the moment they arrived; his senses covered the entire structure like a net.
They knew exactly where to go from the start.
"This place is kind of boring…" Eris grumbled.
Verdia covered her mouth, trying not to laugh, while Rygar answered:
"I warned you. We'll explore harder Labyrinths later. But this is a Demon King's domain. There probably won't be a fight."
After some more time following the corridors, they finally reached their destination.
When they turned at an intersection, a large open area was revealed. It was a wide pit, in the shape of an inverted cone.
Around its edges, several circular levels extended, each connected by stairways built between long sections of shelves.
In the center of the formation was a colossal slime.
Its body trembled like a viscous ocean. From its interior, dozens of arms rose like tentacles, each holding a pen and scribbling frantically on stacked scrolls.
Only one of those appendages stood out from the others: a single tentacle rose vertically, pointing upward — and at its tip there was a huge eye, fixed on the ceiling.
That was Demon King Beethove Tovetha.
The three fell silent for a few seconds, watching the enormous slime in the center of the structure.
He was so disproportionate and so different from any other Demon King that even Rygar, who had already seen absurd things, took a moment to process it.
Rygar turned to Verdia.
"Master? Do you know how to speak to a Slime?"
Verdia puffed her cheeks, clearly displeased.
"So you only call me Master when you want to ask something?"
Rygar smiled shamelessly.
"Of course. If I'm learning something new, it's fair to call you master."
Her fake displeasure dissolved immediately, giving way to a satisfied smile. She took a deep breath and looked at the huge slime in the center of the hall.
"For this Demon King… just speak to him normally. If he's interested in what you have to say, he'll answer on his own."
Rygar did not hesitate for a second.
"All right…" he said, then raised his voice. "Hey, Demon King! Speak to me, or I'll rip that eye up there and take over this library myself."
Verdia choked.
"Wait! That's a direct threat!"
Eris, on the other hand, seemed to approve. She crossed her arms with a satisfied smile.
Demon King Beethove did not ignore the words. The large eye on the upper tentacle moved slowly, staring at Rygar.
There was no way to know if it was calculating ways to kill him or if it was afraid — a slime's 'expression' was hard to decipher.
Then, one of the tentacles extended toward Rygar slowly.
Rygar felt there was no aggressive intent and remained still, just waiting. The tentacle stopped in front of him, holding a piece of paper with a newly written sentence:
"O, Apocalypse Beast, you want to take this library. I cannot resist, but, if you want to destroy these books, I will fight until the moment of my death."
Verdia's jaw dropped immediately at the Demon King's submissive posture.
Rygar raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? So you know about me?"
He continued casually: "I was just calling your attention. I don't want to kill you to take this library. And, although I'm interested in the All-Seeing Eyes… I won't kill you for them."
Beethove stood still for a few moments, trembling slightly. Then another tentacle came, bringing a new response:
"I know about you. Some books I'm currently transcribing are about your deeds. I can also sense your strength instinctively because of a feature of that eye I possess. What would be your objective here, Apocalypse Beast?"
Rygar replied bluntly:
"I want this library and all the knowledge in it. I also want you to subordinate yourself to me voluntarily and continue your work here. Also, I want to know everything about the Nether King Vita, a member of your Slime race."
Silence filled the environment for a few seconds.
Verdia was a little shocked and tense by how things had unfolded. Rygar remained completely relaxed.
And Eris looked around, distracted by the shelves.
Finally, another note was delivered:
"I consulted some information and deduced that I have no chance of resisting your influence and power. I agree. But I will keep my domain and autonomy in this Labyrinth. The only one who may command and order me is you, and no one else.
I saw that you possess a Book of the Future that is sealed from my sight. I would like to be able to read it freely.
I also desire protection against future attacks from heroes."
The Demon King was surprisingly diplomatic — and intelligent. That pleased Rygar quite a bit.
He smiled.
"Protection and autonomy are easy. Granted. As for the book… I can give you my book of the future, but I can only do so when I ensure that all my enemies are dead. That should take about a hundred years. Is that okay with you?"
The slime remained motionless for a few moments, as if processing the answer. Then a tentacle rose with a new note:
"All right."
And so, the Labyrinth Library — and its owner, the Slime Demon King Beethove Tovetha — became subordinate to Rygar.
The domination of the Demon Continent advanced one more step.
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