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"So this region alone has many layers? Just how big is this place? Is it bigger than Arcadia?" Elayne asked.
"We can’t say for sure. So claim it’s bigger," Yaga replied. "Others argue Arcadia is massive in its own right. Regardless, there are three major layers accessible to most—though I wouldn’t recomnd visiting them. There’s the Surface Layer we all know and love, the Mid Layers, the Deep Layers, and finally, what so consider a layer and others don’t: The Core."
"The Core?" Elayne echoed.
"Like Dungeons," Yaga explained. "The Labyrinth is technically a gigantic ga-dungeon, and it’s said to have a Core—born from the heart of the Nether Titan."
"Wow..." Elayne murmured, amazed.
"In the Mid Layers, you’ll find the Spiral Veins—a maze of bioluminescent caverns, fungal forests, and cursed ruins. Ti flows inconsistently there. So who enter return monts later, aged centuries. We’ll have to cross the Mid Layers if we want to leave this region," Yaga said. "So before that, we need to prepare."
"I see... and the others?" Elayne asked.
"Impatient, aren’t you? Well, the Deep Layers are known as the Hollow Abyss—a realm of silence and gravity-defying architecture. Souls there are stripped of identity. Only the most ancient factions dwell in that place, including the Black Spectral Dragon Palace and the Nether Ghost Castle. If you wander in as a re Undead with no strength, you won’t last long," Yaga warned.
"So those two nobles are from the Deep Layers... I guess I won’t be seeing them again," Elayne sighed in relief.
"Well, the nobles you’re referring to were only visiting. They also have branches across many other regions of the Netherworld," Yaga clarified.
"Ah..." Elayne fell silent. "Ugh..."
"Hohoh, what’s wrong?" Yaga chuckled. "Anyway, the Core is the heart of the Labyrinth. It’s said to be unreachable and rumored to house the Titan’s still-beating heart, guarded by the Labyrinth’s original architects—forgotten Nether God Spirits born from fragnts of his soul. I’ve heard that the bastard Demon King of Death—Thanatos—wants to find the Core. He’s been trying to reach deeper into the Hollow Abyss, but the Noble Houses that govern that place aren’t making it easy for him."
"Is that why he’s trying to befriend them and gain their respect?" Elayne asked. "Huh, this guy... do you know him? How ancient is he?"
"There are tales of a man in the world of the living who awakened a power linked to the Ancient Gods—a Fragnt of a Child of the Ancient Gods, an Entity of Chaos. The Demon King of Death is that Fragnt, embodying Death itself and wielding imnse power over the elent. However, as you can see, no one is letting him do as he pleases. He’s conquered a lot of territory and expanded his influence, but the other factions—so ancient and powerful—aren’t yielding. He’s trying to recruit everyone under one banner, but do you really think these old monsters will obey whatever this decrepit god fragnt demands? Many have even considered hunting him down and using him as a resource for their cultivation."
"That’s aweso!" Elayne said, excited. "Maybe he’ll bring about his own downfall, and we won’t even have to lift a finger."
"I doubt it’ll be that easy. If they could’ve stopped him, wouldn’t they have done it already?" Mark asked. "Maybe there’s a power struggle we don’t know about."
"That’s true. The Demon King of Death isn’t weak," Yaga agreed. "He holds incredible Authority over the world through the Power of the System, which only arrived a few hundred years ago. Many of us are still trying to understand it. Most of the old monsters aren’t even allowed to benefit from it, so he has a major advantage. His Necromancy seems limitless. He doesn’t tire, nor does he need resources to raise, nurture, or evolve Undead. And he’s been clever—recruiting powerful beings from other Realms and even the World of the Living to beco his Apostles, expanding his Authority."
"Hm..." Elayne nodded, sighing. "Oberon..."
"..." Mark gently patted her shoulder, sighing as well.
"...Huh," Yaga muttered, quickly realizing sothing was off. She already knew about the Demon King of Death’s newest Death Apostle—soone from a Realm originating in another world, one his forces had recently invaded. That invasion had increased the number of Undead appearing in the Netherworld. "How exactly do you know about the Wicked Fairy King Oberon, one of Thanatos’ Death Apostles? I’m fairly certain I haven’t ntioned him yet."
"Ah... uh, we heard about it from the other soldiers," Elayne said. "That’s all."
"Hmmm... alright," Yaga sighed, exhaling smoke from her pipe. "Even so, despite his power, the Demon King of Death hasn’t seized full control of the Netherworld. It’s simply too ancient and vast. With all the noble races, factions, and god-like beings born over the eras, it’s clear he can’t fight them all alone. That’s why he’s delaying—stalling. He’s trying to ally with them instead of fighting, while slowly building a larger force of powerful beings."
"That’s smart, I guess," Elayne muttered, visibly annoyed. "That damn bastard..."
"..." Yaga raised an eyebrow. She was now certain Elayne and Mark had so connection to Thanatos and were no ordinary Undead. "Anyway, a few years ago, we received so ’good’ news—Thanatos had recruited two new Demon Kings. They say he freed them from their seals. From what I understand, Demon Kings are Soul Fragnts of the Ancient God of Chaos, mistakenly created by the Ancient Gods. They seem naturally drawn to one another. So speculated he planned to devour them, but they displayed such imnse power and authority that it seems unlikely. He even treats them as his sisters."
"PFFFF...!" Elayne spat out the moss juice she was drinking, eyes wide. "W-WHAT?! WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY, LADY YAGA?!"
"Hm?! Why are you so shocked?" Yaga asked, perplexed. "As I said, the Demon King of Death recently freed the Demon King of Flood from the Seas of Arcadia and the Demon King of Swarm from the Moon."
"..."
"..."
Elayne and Mark stared at each other, eyes wide, unable to comprehend the implications.
It ant so much more—and so much worse.
One Demon King had already been too much. He had even managed to kill them.
But now there were two more?
"Ah... ugh," Elayne groaned. "This is the worst... weren’t they supposed to awaken much later?"
"Maybe... not?" Mark replied. "You said it’s been ten years..."
"Hm... is the flow of ti in the Netherworld the sa as in the living world?" Elayne asked.
"Well..." Granny Yaga pondered. "No, not exactly the sa."
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