Dungeon of Pride, Laplace



"Do you see now, Asmodeus? No matter how many skeletons you destroy, they will rise again. This domain ensures their eternal return. You will be consumed by the death energy of the dead, trapped in this domain for all eternity."

Grimvul revelled in his arrogance, believing that his undead horde would overwhelm Asmodeus, turning the Demon Archduke into one of their own.

"Die here, Asmodeus! Be swarmed by the relentless onslaught of my skeletons. You shall become one of them, forever trapped in my cursed domain!".

The entire place rumbled with the assaults of the undead. Yet facing an endless swarm of undead, the Ancient Archduke remained composed nonetheless.

With a wave of his hand, Asmodeus unleashed a devastating surge of energy, obliterating the first wave of skeletons with his ability that can Erode everything. However, Grimvul's words proved true as more and more skeletons rose from the ground, stepping on the remains of their fallen comrades.

"ShiShiShi… Now that I have released my domain, your efforts are in vain. No matter what you do, you cannot defeat them. You should be starting to feel the negative death energy invading your body by now. Soon your body will start rotting and you will become another one of my pawns. Embrace your fate"

Grimvul's laughter echoed through the domain, mocking and taunting. But Asmodeus did not stop, his gaze remained unwavering as he unleashed his powerful might, a cataclysmic display of destruction.

The ground trembled, fissures splitting the landscape as torrents of decay magic erupted from his being. Each swing of his hand shattered the skeletons, their bones reduced to dust.

However, as Asmodeus continued to crush the endless army of undead, the negative death energy they held, started to have some effects on him. His body began to show signs of transformation, slowly succumbing to the curse of the undead.

Asmodeus' once unwavering stance was slowly starting to falter.

Seeing this, the merchant started laughing at his perceived victory, his laughter echoing through the domain like a dissonant symphony.

"Your arrogance blinded you Asmodeus. This is just the beginning, the more you destroy the undead, the more you are exposed to their curse of the undead. Soon your body will completely be turned into an undead and you will become one of them".

Even though his body was slowly succumbing to the effects of the negative death energy, Asmodeus still remained resolute.

"So this is the Death energy huh, I must say it is quite powerful. However, your attainment and mastery over it is just outright amateurish and unrefined".

The Demon Archduke, despite his deteriorating form, retained a sense of composure as he acknowledged Grimvul's strength and the annoying nature of the death energy.

He paused for a moment, allowing the silence to hang in the air, before continuing "You may have attained a level where you are able to create a domain using it, but you failed to harness the true potential of the death energy".

Grimvul's eyes widened in confusion and disbelief at those words "What do you mean? you are on the verge of turning into one of my undead minions. yet you dare speak such nonsense even at this time?"

Asmodeus did not say much, a smirk hung on his lips, a glimmer of superiority in his eyes. With a wave of his hand, he evoked the powerful erosion magic of his. It erupted out of his body in droves and quickly started intertwining around him.

This caused the invading death energy within his body to come to a sudden halt before slowly getting corroded by his powerful magic.

With the death energy gone, the transformation stopped and all of his wounds swiftly got restored in front of Grimvul's distraught eyes. But that was not all...

"You see, true mastery lies in understanding the intricacies of one's own abilities. Allow me to demonstrate".

As he said that, Asmodeus created a small film around him using the erosion magic of his, further isolating the death energy filled in this domain from his body.

After that he extended his hands and the erosion magic surged forth, obliterating the skeletal horde in its path. The ground quaked beneath his feet as the very fabric of the domain trembled under the weight of his power.

Skeletal Dragons crumbled to dust, wraiths dissipated into thin air, and tormented stalkers were reduced to mere shadows. The once overwhelming swarm of skeletons dwindled, their numbers diminishing with each devastating strike.

Seeing this overwhelming display of power, Grimvul's eyes wavered, his confidence beginning to falter as the reality of his defeat set in.

Even after releasing his domain and the negative death energy filling the place, Asmodeus had somehow found a way to repel the death energy and completely nullify the effects of his domain.

He was completely defeated, no he never stood a chance. Having been shown that disparity, Grimvul had no choice but to accept the reality

After obliterating another swarm of undead in a spectacular display of destruction with his Erosion magic, Asmodeus settled his gaze onto the Merchant of the Damned.

"Now then, it's time I end this farce. You will tell me everything you know…"..

"W-Wait, I give up. I already told you everything, please let me go" Grimvul plead; however, the Demon Archduke did not stop.

"Since you are planning to use this messed up spaceship to run away. Let me shatter this last hope of yours— Domain Release… [World of Ruination]".

As the last of his words fell, the merchant of the damned, Grimvul, stood before Asmodeus, his skeletal form trembling with fear and realization. The grandiose illusion of victory shattered, leaving him exposed and vulnerable.

At that moment, Grimvul understood the depths of his own arrogance and the true extent of Asmodeus' power…

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Dungeon Laplace, White Palace, Main Hall…

"You are back" As soon as Simon and the others teleported, Irene appeared there to greet them.

"Took you long enough. Didn't you say it would only take you a day or two? However, you have been gone for more than two weeks. You made everyone worried once again".

Simon glanced at the icy beauty in front of him who always wore a cold emotionless mask to hide her feelings and sighed in relief. He was back home once again.

"Yeah, sorry about that. Due to certain matters, I had to change the plan. I'll tell you all about it later" Simon spoke flopping down on the couch.

He was tired, attending the Hexennacht, opposing the high raking dukes, enduring the bloodline suppression and the Fragments of Pride going out of control had mentally and physically drained him quite a bit.

And so, to relax his nerves and digest all the information he had gathered from this outing, Simon headed for the bath.

.

.

"Now then, tell me what you wanted to say" Once inside the bath, Simon dipped his body inside the warm water as he lazily asked the Lumynar who also enjoying the pleasures of the hot water bath while casually floating in the water in its miniature form.

One of Simon's goals for coming to the bath was to relax while the other was Prime who wanted to discuss something with him.

"Who was that lady who came to greet you?" Prime asked its body fluctuating with a multicolour light.

"You mean Irene? What about her?"…

"Nothing, I just felt like she could see me even though I was using my powers to hide inside your pocket" Prime murmured.

"My guess is that Irene was already aware of your presence the moment you arrived here. She is the most powerful being in my dungeon after all. Anyways, the reason why you asked me to bring you to a secluded area where nobody would come is not to ask about Irene did you? Spill it out already"

Simon glanced at Prime and asked. A serious atmosphere descended onto the place.

"I couldn't tell you before, but I have been meaning to tell you. Simon, you shouldn't concern yourself with that person?" Prime stated.

Just when Simon made an expression that said who was he talking about, the Lumynar clarified. "I'm talking about that demon you were so friendly with".

"You mean Oswell? Although that guy might be a little peculiar, I did not sense any ill will from him" Simon frowned.

Oswell was someone who he was starting to look in a different light than the other demons. The latter had also helped him a lot in the Hexennacht. Heck if not for the latter, Simon wouldn't be able to come up with the plan to manipulate the proceedings and lead towards the Ritual of the Blades.

Simon was indebted to him and so being said that he had to stay away from Oswell, how could Simon just accept it without any solid reason.

That said, Prime didn't just say all that on a whim, he had his reason why.

"That demon carries a destiny that is not any less twisted than yours. I'm telling you now, but the more you involve yourself with him, the more tangled your own path will become. That brat is not just any demon, but one who possesses the Fragments of Glutonny".

"What?!" The moment Prime said that, Simon's eyes opened wide in surprise. The realization hit him like a thunderbolt, causing his mind to race back to the moment they had first met.

Memories flashed before his eyes, and he could distinctly recall the peculiarities in Oswell's behaviour. This fellow who was overly enthusiastic when it came to food and who carried ideals that was far different from all the other demons Simon had met.