528. Petrified

“Revelation has begun.”

The Netherworld cracked. The entire plane ripped open— from the sky to the earth, everything seemed to crumble. Black lightning thundered down from above, shredding apart mountain tops. Lava poured from the earth as ravines tore through hills and valleys.

It was a calamity. It was a cataclysm. It was the end of everything. But it was also… normal.

“What does that even mean?”

Haes wondered aloud as he stared out of the stained glass windows of the palatial structure. He stood at the very top of one of the many spires stabbing out of the lonely tall structure. It was a question that had plagued his mind since he first learned about Revelation.

He swept his gaze over the landscape of the Netherworld. In the distance, the crimson sky was stained white, flashing with a deluge of black lightning. A mountain range tore open, and an orange glow wisped off the earth. But that was all so far away.

The landscape surrounding the Demon King’s castle didn’t change. Even as a light tremor shook the floor he stood on. The stretch of hills and rocks didn’t shift with the rest of the Netherworld. And it was all because of a simple reason.

This was the Demon King’s Domain. It would not fall as long as Regnorex remained alive. It would resist against nature itself, standing against countless calamities through the divine presence of his majesty. Or so it was they said.

So despite the destruction wrought by Revelation, those who surrendered themselves to the Demon King’s rule would forever remain unaffected. And yet, Haec found himself longing for what was beyond this domain.

“Is something the matter, Haec?”

A voice brought him out of his stupor. He looked back as an azure-skinned figure strode up to him. A pair of horns protruded from her head, and dark black locks fell down her shoulders. He looked her up and down as she tilted her head at him.

[Succubus - Lvl. 134]

“Who were you talking to?”

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously, and he sighed. He peeled himself away from the window, vaguely gesturing at the tempest in the far distance.

“I was merely musing about Revelation, Taburas.”

He spoke as he walked up to her. She raised a brow.

“What about Revelation piqued your interest?”

“I wish to see it— this planar catastrophe. I desire to bear witness to it firsthand, not from afar.”

Haec spoke softly, glancing back to the windowpane. Taburas frowned.

“It is dangerous, Haec. There’s no need to worry about what happens out there. We have our own orders to adhere to— we can just stay here in this castle where it’s safe.”

“But I do not understand. How can such a terrible event occur so often? How has Demonkind not been wiped off the face of the Netherworld yet?”

He shook his head, even as the [Succubus] tried pulling him back away from the window. Haec closed his eyes as Taburas urged him to follow her.

“Monstra explained it to us, remember? We learned all about it a long time ago.”

Indeed, Haec had been thoroughly taught about the various cycles that the entire plane underwent. In total, there were three main cycles that continuously swapped places like night and day in the Mortal Realm.

First came Advent, then Revelation, and finally, Salvation. Or so deemed the Demon King.

Salvation was the shortest period of all. It was a period of true peace. True tranquility. It was what Regnorex sought. Where all was calm, after the devastation that was Revelation.

Revelation occurred over two distinct periods. The first period of Revelation was known as the Unveiling. It was what Haec had been watching over a great distance. It was the destruction of the Netherworld where only the strongest remained. And after that came the Reconstruction. Where the destruction was repaired, and everything was restored to normal.

Now, before Revelation, and after Salvation, was the longest cycle of all. Advent. It consisted of three main periods. There was Genesis when black rain fell from the sky, forming oceans of Lifeblood that would soon birth a new generation of Demons. Then began Desolation.

It was a period that Haec vividly remembered. It was most of the time he had spent with her. He closed his eyes, hearing her laughter echo in the back of his mind. Her golden eyes were forever burned into his memory. And after Desolation came the Quietus.

That was when he had joined the Demon King. Because she was gone— because he wanted to find a way back to her. But now, Haec had seen her. Not too long ago, he had watched his companion fly through the planes, returning to the Netherworld.

And Haec resolved himself.

“I need to go out there.”

Haec whispered as he raised his head. Taburas blinked.

“What—”

But he just pulled her with him, stalking down the hallway towards the Demon King’s chamber.

“Come, Taburas.”

He spoke simply, and she sputtered. The [Succubus] tried to protest.

“Wait, Haec— you can’t! His majesty demanded that we…”

But her words fell upon deaf’s ears. Haec just ignored her, marching on to face the Demon King. All so he could see Salvos again.

“Hail to Samuel the Devil King: He who shall bring peace to the Netherworld.”

I reread the words etched onto the collar. I raised a second of the metal rings and narrowed my eyes. The very same words were written there. I checked a third, and sure enough, it wasn’t different at all.

Each and every collar here was marked with the same words. They all praised a certain man— someone called the Devil King. My brows snapped together in an instant as I could only think of a single person who went by the name of the Devil.

But that didn’t make sense to me. The Devil was my dad, and my dad wasn’t a king… was he? Although… that name…

I remembered a brief conversation I had with my dad— back when he first decided to accompany me to Mavos Academy a while ago. He had finally settled on the name he went by now. It was the only name of his which I knew right now. He called himself Sal.

But he had also referred to himself by a variety of other names. And one of them was… one which he hastily dismissed when he was musing to himself… Samuel.

My dad had called himself Samuel. And he was the Devil.

My eyes grew wide as the realization fully settled in. I tried to work my jaw as I stared at the collar. I got to my feet, blinking a few times.

“My Dad… was the Devil King? The ruler of the First Demon Kingdom?”

I massaged my temples. My head was reeling. I felt like I was growing dizzy for just the briefest of moments.

“That means… that means…”

I closed my eyes, steeling myself. I suppressed my urge to shout, but I failed. I leapt into the air, pumping a fist.

“I am an actual princess!”

I exclaimed as my voice echoed around the empty chamber. It continued down both corridors leading up and down, and I caught myself. I cleared my throat, dusting myself off neatly as I smiled.

“Now then— to explore the rest of my kingdom!”

And with that, I continued further down the Dungeon.

—--

I only left once I was fully prepared for another fight. I didn’t expect to run into a Primeval Demon inside of a Dungeon of all places— especially since most Dungeons in the Mortal Realm held weaker monsters.

But this Dungeon was different. It was old. It was as old as my dad, and he was literally ancient!

Up above the broken mountain, Sal sneezed.

And since this Dungeon was so old, it somehow held within it stronger monsters. Or, rather, stronger wild Demons. It was so odd to me. I would have thought that wild Demons would wander about the Netherworld mindlessly, searching to kill anything that moved. That was why the idea of a Dungeon in the Netherworld never crossed my mind.

It would imply that the wild Demons were congregating around an area without leaving. Which… I couldn’t wrap my mind around. But this Dungeon seemed to be… quite sturdy. Its roof did survive a blast from a Level 181 [Hellabomination], after all. And even throughout the planar catastrophe going on outside, the structure didn’t collapse.

I followed a winding corridor as it split off again and again, but I just stuck to the right side, wanting to find the bottom of this slow descent. I only had to take the left tunnel once because the right side had collapsed, blocking me from continuing on.

After the first initial room with the collars, I didn’t encounter anything else. No Demons. No altars. Just a straight path down until I reached a vast chamber. A massive room that spread out a thousand feet in all directions around me. I swept my gaze over my surroundings, seeing… grass growing beneath my feet?

No— not grass. It was a glowing moss. And it spread out into a massive field that was littered with broken bits of statues. Stone-like weapons lay collapsed on the ground as I furrowed my brows. My gaze landed at the very center— at a creature lying inert, waiting there for me in the middle of a spell circle.

Words resounded in my head as I stared at the serpentine beast.

Now Entering [Lair: Prison of the Basilisk]

“Huh.”

I blinked. And its eyes snapped open.

[Basilisk - Lvl. 205]