The tale of Azatoth.

Liang Chen had his journey through Purgatory's Cradle, but him delving deeper into that visage of hell did not mean that time in the outside world came to a halt. And few places was this simple fact as apparent as in Violet Dawn city of the Nine Star Universe, which was the Major Universe that housed Purgatory's Cradle.

Violet Dawn was a sprawling city, mainly due to its illustrious history, it was easily counted among the three largest cities in the entire universe, there were planets smaller than it. The sun had just barely risen above the horizon, but the streets were already filled with people, some heading to work while others were already setting up their shops to sell what remained of yesterday's haul.

But while they were busy going about their day, a very soft sizzling sound rang throughout every corner of the city. And while the citizens were curiously checking their surroundings for the source of the sound, a green light bloomed at the centre of the city. It was as if a green sun appeared inside the city, casting its light on every nook and cranny.

But just like the sun was deadly if you got too close, so too was this green light. The buildings directly around the source of the green light simply vanished, first turning into ash and then vanishing entirely. The people didn't fare much better, those closest to it instantly evaporated, only leaving behind faint shadows on the ground where they had once stood.

As for those further away, a bright green light surfaced inside their eyes, faintly green smoke pouring out from their seven orifices as they clutched at their chests and fell over. But them falling over dead was only the start, the smoke that welled out from their bodies gathered together and became part of the green light, extending its range so that it could reach more people, growing almost ceaselessly.

But the green light didn't wash over the entire city, it receded after it had cleared out a section of land that was a few hundred kilometres in diameter. And what appeared at the source of the light was a massive army, countless rows of soldiers clad in light and flexible armour.

The commander stood at the back of the army along with two others, a human-sized crack in space right behind them. But the crack led to a landscape that Liang Chen was very familiar with, greyish-white sand and black stone mountains covered in small pores, the desolate wasteland of the void. The man dressed like the commander, golden armour with wing-like pauldrons, raised his hand and gave out the simple order.

"Go."

The army in front of him sprung into action like a well-oiled machine, rushing out in different directions. They spread through the city like weeds, checking every building, every hidden back-alley, even digging into the earth. Every living being they came across was slaughtered, they were like locusts tearing through a crop of wheat as they acted with ruthless efficiency.

While the army spread out, the commander and the two others remained behind. The golden-armoured commander removed his eagle-shaped helmet, revealing a man that looked like he was in his late fifties, a few small scars crisscrossing over the wrinkles that had started to cover his weary expression.

"With this, it can be considered done. Now I would suggest that you hurry away, this place is about to become hell."

Of the two people that the golden commander was talking to, one was a youth with orange hair and emerald green eyes, the same green light that had wiped out the centre of the city danced within his eyes. The other was a youth who looked a bit younger, as if he had just entered his teens, and he had faded grey eyes and verdant green hair that just barely reached his shoulders. The orange-haired youth wore a calm and wary expression, but the green-haired teen was bubbling with excitement as he looked around, as if he couldn't resist the urge to run around.

"Yeah yeah, just a bit longer, it won't hurt to stay here a bit longer. How quickly do you think Azatoth is going to come? I'd love to see if I can exchange a few moves with him."

The green-haired youth's feet were tapping the ground ceaselessly, his knees were even bent slightly while his head continuously swept the area. But the orange-haired youth prevented him from moving, frowning disapprovingly at him and nearly spitting out his words.

"Don't even think about it, the only reason the Sky-Covering Eagle was fine with letting you come here was that you promised that you'd listen. If you are intent on disobeying then we will call off the alliance right away, you can go at it on your own."

Their two sides had entered an alliance for mutual benefit, but the orange-haired man knew that this alliance could be called off at just a moment's notice. After all, the thing they were trying to deal with wasn't anything common, any error could end up being a fatal flaw. The green-haired youth turned his head slightly, and although he looked dissatisfied, he didn't immediately run off.

"Booh, is there really a point in being so serious about it? I could understand it if it was Hades, Asmodai, or even Jormungandr, but this is just Azatoth. I've studied the records and the ancient archives so I'm confident that we can at least duke it out for a bit."

The youth's grey eyes flashed with a subdued light as he spoke, his demeanour radiating an almost overpowering air of confidence and regality. But the orange-haired man simply sneered at him and his confidence.

"The ancient records? Alright, then tell me, how much did they have about Azatoth, exactly how much did you get to read about him? And how much was there about Hades?"

The orange-haired man had read those very same records so he already knew the answer to the question, and it was exactly because he knew the truth that he could sneer this disdainfully. The other youth was clearly a bit taken aback at the sudden question, fondling his chin for a second as he scoured his memories.

"Hmm? There were about two scrolls, they went into quite a fair amount of detail about the battle during his coronation. As for Hades, he had about four sections dedicated to him so... 600 or so scrolls?"

There really was an immense difference between the two, his race had entire libraries filled with information about Hades. And he truly deserved to have entire libraries to himself, the things he had done during the previous grand war were still considered nightmares to those that remembered them. The green-haired youth had casually spoken the answer, but the fact that he didn't realize the important point about that answer only made the other youth sneer once again.

"So you've read two scrolls and suddenly feel like you're an expert, feel like you can take on the world?"

The golden-armoured commander didn't interrupt the two youths as they argued, he only glanced up at the sky, his expression a bit desolate. The orange-haired youth didn't give the other youth a chance to respond to his previous sneer, hammering the point home.

"Don't delude yourself, you're still far beneath Azatoth. The only reason we have so few scrolls about him is the simple fact that he wasn't around for the Second Sphere War. But make no mistake, he got to claim a seat amongst those monsters, so he's not simple."

One was a nightmare that had haunted them during the previous Sphere War and the other was someone who had risen to prominence after the end of the war, did it really have to be stated who they would have more information on? But the orange-haired youth saw that the teenager still didn't look satisfied, so he tossed him a bone.

"Do you know how he got the title of Azatoth?"

The green-haired youth's eyes instantly lit up, this was indeed a bit of information that hadn't been included in the records. And the reason was simple, it was a bit of information that his race didn't have, only the orange-haired man's side had access to it.

"Azatoth was the name of a demon living in the Sky-Covering Eagle's Sphere, it was a sleeping monster whose dreams spawned innumerable demons, a true scourge on existence. Twice, we've tried to infiltrate or even invade Azatoth's home, do you know how either of those attempts ended?"

The orange-haired youth was far older than he looked, he had served the Sky-Covering Eagle since he took his first strides towards supremacy all those innumerable years ago. So he had personally seen Azatoth, that sleeping demon that drowned several hundreds of universes in demons. And since he had seen that sleeping demon all those years ago, he was perfectly fine with that particular name being used as a title for this lord that had risen to prominence after the second Sphere War.

"A sea of beasts, that was the small glimpse we just barely managed to see before we lost all contact. Demonic beasts as far as the eye could see, they covered every inch of land and the sky, they swarmed our men like a tidal wave and wiped away all traces of life. He didn't even have to move on his own, he just sent out his army of monsters. So he's Azatoth, the sleeping god of demons."

He remembered it so vividly that he could close his eyes now and see the scene with perfect clarity. His men didn't even have the chance to scream or wail, the snarling of beasts and the tearing of claws drowned out everything else and silenced their voices in their throats. It was a nightmare that silenced all who saw it. Without any of them knowing it, a new Azatoth had risen in the third Sphere of Existence, this one taking human shape.

The green-haired youth's throat rolled slightly as the other youth regaled the tale, just how many beasts would it take to blot out both the land and the sky? It was as if cold water had been poured onto his excitement, the orange-haired man waving his hand towards the spatial crack behind him.

"Go, if you want to put your focus on anything then direct it towards the fake ruler that visited your void in the past, the last thing you want is for him to split your forces in half."

This was a fear that both sides shared, if the green-haired youth's forces were split in half, or even worse, then his worth would drop considerably. Of course, if he could quickly increase his strength and control over his Ascended Law then that would be a different question, but that would depend on him alone.

"...Understood. But I will duke it out with Azatoth eventually, I'm only leaving because it's the best option right now, not because I'm afraid."

The green-haired youth slowly nodded his head, his eyes narrowing into sharp slits as he defended himself. The two other people present didn't even bother responding to his defence, just watching as the youth stepped into the void and closed the spatial crack behind him. The orange-haired man sighed heavily once the other youth went, shaking his head.

"Haah, what a pitiful void, they've ended up having such an immature child as their ruler."

First, they had been utterly ravaged and ruined, practically cursed by Jormungandr, and then they had the misfortune of birthing a ruler with such an immature mind. But that wasn't something that he needed to concern himself with, his gaze drifting over to the golden-armoured commander.

"I can't convince you?"

His gaze sank heavily as he spoke, regret etched into practically every inch of his face. But the golden-armoured man didn't budge, casting a glance at the few soldiers he could still see before shaking his head determinedly.

"They are my men, and I am their commander. If this is where they are to rest, then it is only right that I rest here with them. Their families, I will entrust them to you."

His men didn't know, but he was perfectly clear on what type of mission this was. But even so, he had accepted it and brought along his men. He brought them to their deaths, the least he could do was share their fate and tomb. The orange-haired man looked deeply at the general, but in the end, he could only suck in a deep breath and wipe away his regret.

"Understood, they will be taken care of for the next three generations."

The two men looked at each other, the orange-haired man swiping his interspatial ring and pulling out an apple-sized orb that looked like it was made from blood. He poured his Qi into it, the orb lighting up with a bright green light and forming a vortex in front of him. He cast one last look at the golden-armoured general, nodding his head resolutely.

"I promise you, we will win this war."

He stepped into the vortex after he gave his word, vanishing from the area. The golden general simply turned away as the vortex closed behind him, folding his hands behind his back as he slowly swept the now-ruined city with a somewhat dim gaze.

"...Haah, so another Sphere War begins... Win or lose, perhaps it won't matter to the dead."

He spoke wistfully, but he also knew that while it wouldn't matter to the dead, it would matter to those they left behind. If they could secure a better future for their loved ones through this, then each and every one of them would gladly accept it.

The general continued standing there with his hands behind his back, one of the soldiers returning to him before long. He stopped in front of the commander and straightened his back, saluting respectfully as he reported the situation.

"General, we've finished sweeping the area! There were no traces of any hidden training grounds or separate spaces stocked with disposable arrays, do you wish for us to expand the range of our search?"

The soldiers still didn't know exactly what sort of mission this was, it was probably the cruellest act the golden general had ever committed. But at this point it was already too late even if they knew the truth, so he simply shook his head.

"There's no need, you won't find anything. There was never anything like that here. No, this isn't some city hiding preparations for war, it's the city where an ancient demon got married and had his first son, a city he specifically brought over before the Demon's Dawn universe met its end."

The soldier couldn't help but falter slightly as the general spoke. They had acted with such ruthless precision and efficiency because they had been told that this was one of the enemy's hidden bases, destroying it would greatly enhance their odds of winning this war.

"Excuse me, sir?"

He had properly heard his commander, but he still had to ask for clarification, he simply wasn't sure if he could believe what he heard. But the commander didn't respond by saying that it was a joke, he only confirmed the grim truth.

"We were bait, solider, plain and simple. Our job was to prod a sleeping demon and drag him out, you can consider it the same as serving as a signal flare for war."

How did you deal with an enemy you weren't even quite sure what was capable of? Simple, you first dragged him into the light so that you could properly see what he was and how he worked. It was just that some enemies required great sacrifices when you finally dragged them into the light.

The city suddenly started to turn dark after the general spoke, it was as if all light was being sucked out. And following all the light was the sound, the entire city turning as silent as the grave. But the commander had his gaze pointed at the sky, so he could see that not a single cloud had appeared to blot out the sun. No, this darkness was an omen of something much worse.

"And look, we've performed our duty splendidly. Now, all that remains is for us to helplessly meet our end."

The soldier also raised his head to the sky, perhaps every soldier in the city did the same at the moment. Several million people turned their gazes skyward at the same time, and all of them were greeted with the same terrifying sight.

The sky had simply turned completely black, not a trace of blue sky or white clouds as far as the eye could see. And then, that black sky split open at the middle, a jagged edge appearing as the two sides moved apart. But the soldiers quickly saw the truth, the sky hadn't split apart, it had become a maw, the jagged edges were teeth, so massive that they birthed despair in all who had the misfortune of seeing them.

The commander was a bit stronger than his soldiers so he could see the sky-covering maw with much greater clarity, he could even see into the gullet of the massive beast. But even he could only sigh in the face of such a sight, the last he would ever see in this life.

"Azatoth... what a beautiful horror."