Sovereign of the Ashes

The Justice League Army’s steady advance toward Purgatory was quickly reported to all the demon kings within its borders.

The demons in Faeloria were indeed a formidable force, having organized themselves into well-structured camps.

Across the three levels of Purgatory, there were more than two hundred Rank Four or higher demon kings.

Their warlike and bloodthirsty nature far surpassed that of the other divine factions in Faeloria.

“Infernal Purgatory, endless blood wars!”

Every Rank Four or above demon king had to endure countless brutal battles before ascending. Their rise was paved with corpses and blood.

For years, Faeloria’s deities had been hostile toward the demons. Even the world’s very laws rejected them.

Despite relentless suppression, the demons had not only survived but continued to thrive.

However, their expansion had long since reached its limit.

Opposition from the world’s dominant forces, combined with the decline of new blood within their ranks, had kept them confined to their bloody territory for the past hundred thousand years.

They withdrew, fortifying their defenses and surviving in isolation.

With the Bloodwar Monarch, Levon Thorstein, and the old generation of top demons aging and nearing the end of their lifespans, the demon race stood at a crossroads.

Would they be assimilated into Faeloria, or would they be obliterated?

On the third level of Purgatory, the Molten Hell...

This was the lowest level of Purgatory, where Levon Thorstein, the Bloodwar Monarch, ruled.

It was also the birthplace of the demon race—the breeding grounds of the Abyssal Worms.

The demons who resided here were the strongest of the Chaotic alignment, the very pinnacle of the demons.

“What are those gods from Justice League trying to do? Activating the Tablets of Fate ahead of schedule, and on such a massive scale... Are they trying to reignite the Holy War from a hundred thousand years ago? Do those gods of Prime Materia Plane seriously think we are too afraid to leave Purgatory?!” a winged Rank Five demon roared.

This Rank Five demon king was unlike any recorded in the ancient texts Sein had studied in Sky City.

Its wings remained fleshy but lacked the “fang-like” protrusions at their tips.

Its claws, rather than being the usual black, were an unusual shade of gray.

At the same time, its legs appeared slightly longer—almost disproportionate compared to a typical demon.

This demon king was undoubtedly born after the demon clan’s arrival in Faeloria. Shaped by Faeloria’s environment, it had undergone adaptive evolution—or perhaps “degradation”.

Aside from this loud and impassioned demon king, roughly twenty other demon kings were gathered in the Bloodwar Hall.

Each of these demon kings was at least Rank Five in power, equivalent to an intermediate deity in Faeloria.

Whether they admitted it or not, all demons who had come to Faeloria had been profoundly shaped by its laws.

For instance, even the demons had begun producing these “weakened” Rank Four beings—which were the equivalent of weak deities.

Among the more than two hundred Rank Four and above demon kings, at least half fell into this category.

However, thanks to their innate aggression, ruthless nature, and the unique law-based advantages they held within this sector of Purgatory, these demons could still fight with the strength of a true Rank Four.

This was one of the key reasons the demons had maintained their hold over this three-level Purgatory.

The vast majority of demons gathered in the Bloodwar Hall bore a striking resemblance to the agitated Razorclaw King.

They were all mutated demons, their very forms and genes affected by Faeloria’s laws.

Only a select few still retained the pure, untainted traits of a true Hell-born demon.

One such being was the Bloodwar Monarch, seated atop his bloody throne, his expression calm and composed.

From the very beginning, he had resisted the Faelorian laws.

Below the throne, Razorclaw King’s roar of indignation caused Levon Thorstein’s right eyelid to twitch slightly.

Anyone familiar with the Bloodwar Monarch would immediately recognize this as a sign of impatience.

In the past, a mere Rank Five demon like the one below would have been swiftly and mercilessly dealt with by Levon Thorstein.

The demons were not only brutal to outsiders but just as ruthless within their own ranks.

Given their dwindling numbers, even Levon Thorstein had no choice but to tolerate this noisy creature’s ranting for now.

The Razorclaw King’s tirade roused the other demon kings in the Bloodwar Hall, uniting them in shared resentment.

Levon Thorstein raised his claw and said, “In that case, Adby, you’ll lead the other demon kings and teach those creatures from Justice League a proper lesson.”

“Yes, Lord Bloodwar!” the Rank Five demon responded eagerly before swiftly leading a group of demon kings out of the great hall.

Only after the Razorclaw King had left did Levon Thorstein, seated atop the grand throne, let out a cold grunt.

He was not angered by the Justice League. Rather, it was something the Razorclaw King had said that irritated him.

“Prime Materia Plane? Do these young ones truly believe this world is all there is? They’ve already accepted their new identity as demons of the Chaotic alignment?”

“Hahaha!” Levon Thorstein’s laughter rang through the hall.

Yet beneath that laughter lurked a quiet sorrow.

“The destruction of Hell... when will we take our revenge? And the boundless Astral Realm...” he trailed off.

The most powerful figure of Faeloria’s Chaos faction no longer exuded the arrogance and dominance of a pure Hell-born demon. Instead, a faint melancholy clung to him.

Had the environment reshaped the demons? Or had Levon Thorstein himself begun to change?

It was not just the new generation of demons that had been changed. Even Levon Thorstein, too, had changed.

His aging body could no longer endure another war like the one a hundred thousand years ago.

For tens of thousands of years, the Purgatory demons had grown more restrained. Levon Thorstein himself had also gradually withdrawn from the world’s stage.

This peak Rank Six demon knew his time was running out, and before his end came, he sought to leave behind a lasting legacy for his kind.

As long as he remained alive, the deities of the Order and Neutral alignments would not dare to recklessly invade the three level-Purgatory.

“I would give anything... just to see the Astral Realm one more time...”

Levon Thorstein leaned back in his throne, exhaling a weary sigh.