Apocalypse: Master of Soul Beasts

”Indeed.”

The Demon Lord acknowledged with a stoic expression what the Dominator had said—between these two old rivals, there was no need to hide the disparity in their strength.

The Dominator was stronger than the Demon Lord. This was an undisputed fact.

What was more terrifying was that, contrary to their current appearances, the Demon Lord was already in his twilight years, while the Dominator was at his peak.

This had nothing to do with age, merely with the amount of life essence each had consumed.

The strong would grow stronger, while the weak would inevitably grow more frail.

The Demon Lord’s decisive admission of his weakened state brought a momentary pause to their conversation.

It wasn’t until a long while later that the Demon Lord added,

”The Demon Realm... is barely holding on…”

With just that simple sentence, the Dominator fell completely silent.

The Dominator sat facing the Demon Lord, observing his strong, youthful appearance while sensing the ancient and battle-scarred soul within. He couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

The Demon Realm is on the brink.

The information packed into that statement was significant. For the Dominator, it was a bittersweet reality.

The upside was that his enemy, with whom he had battled for countless eons, was on the verge of annihilation. However, the downsides were far greater and would cause a more significant impact.

At this thought, the Dominator turned to his old adversary and spoke calmly,

”How long can it hold on?”

”A few decades? A few centuries? That’s about all the time left.”

For a world, a few decades or centuries pass in the blink of an eye, like a white steed flashing past a crack in the wall.

A mere few centuries, at most. For the Dominator, this was far too short a time; many of his plans would have to change. He was redesigning his plan.

After a long pause, the Dominator reopened his eyes. He scanned the entire space before asking casually,

”Let’s not talk about these issues anymore. You’ve finally made an appearance after all this time; we have much to discuss…”

”For instance, your plan this time?”

Hearing the Dominator’s blatant probing, the Demon Lord chuckled.

”Wait a moment; the plan isn’t quite complete yet.”

After speaking, the Demon Lord waved his right hand.

An immense surge of Demonic Qi instantly filled the air, swiftly merging with the entire space.

”Now, the entire plan is complete.”

A sly smile touched the Demon Lord’s lips as he added nonchalantly.

Sensing the power now filling the space, the Dominator remained expressionless, but he sighed inwardly.

”The Demon Realm’s Origin Energy... Why? Just to stop me?”

With the Demon Realm already on the verge of collapse, its Origin Energy was all the more precious. That casual wave of the Demon Lord’s hand had just cost the Demon Realm’s Origin Energy equivalent to about ten years of its lifespan.

For a normal world, ten years is not long. But for the Demon Realm in its current state, ten years was far, far too long.

The Demon Lord nodded.

”Just to stop you.”

”This amount of Origin Energy can’t stop me!”

Hearing the Dominator’s factual statement, the Demon Lord readily acknowledged its truth.

”Once this Origin Energy runs out, I have more. Even if it risks the Demon Realm’s utter collapse, I’ll still face you head-on. If I lose, don’t think you’ll win either!”

The Demon Lord put on an air of indifference.

Pathetically, this was the ”table-flipping” gambit of the weak against the strong.

Who knew when it had started, but the Demon Lord now had to resort to such ”table-flipping”—an almost desperate act—to protect even his most meager interests when facing the Dominator.

Over countless eons, the Dominator had drained the once-supreme Demon Tribe of its every last drop of blood and sustenance.

Their former glory had long since faded; their past strength was now but a reflection in water, a mirage. If not for the Demon Lord’s continued existence, the Demon Realm today would be a hundred times worse off than Earth.

The table-flipping gambit was somewhat successful; at least, the Dominator remained seated, unmoving.

For the Dominator, regardless of whether the Demon Lord’s words were true or false, it was a gamble he couldn’t afford to take.

The relationships between the Dominator and the Demon Lord, and between the Dominator and the Demon Realm, were complex. These, coupled with the Dominator’s own hidden motives, prevented him from simply watching the Demon Realm exhaust its final strand of power.

Seeing his old rival’s nonchalant demeanor, a slight smile touched the corners of the Dominator’s lips.

”Alright, you win. I won’t make a move. I’ll just stay here and chat with you. So, now, can you tell me what your plan is?”

The Demon Lord shrugged, a ’you wish’ expression on his face.

Seeing this, and sensing the familiar Soul Fluctuation emanating from the unfamiliar body before him, the Dominator slowly began to speak, his voice filled with reminiscence and nostalgia.

”So many years have passed... and you’re still the same old you…”

But at that very moment, a brilliant white light erupted from the Dominator’s body. It instantly condensed into a needle of pure energy, sharp as steel and imbued with a fragment of his will. In a flash, it shot fiercely towards the outside world!

The Demon Lord’s plan might have seemed successful. But, knowing that the Demon Lord and the Almighty Immortal Emperor had conspired against him, how could the Dominator simply sit there and waste time?

On the surface, the Dominator indeed appeared to be trapped by the Demon Lord. But the Dominator, holding an absolute advantage, surely had means to break the stalemate.

The needle, gleaming with white light, struck the edge of the barrier forcefully. It instantly shattered the barrier’s defenses and vanished after a few flickers.

Even this minor attack drained a minuscule amount of the Demon Realm’s Origin Energy, causing the Demon Lord’s face to turn slightly pale. After all, the power gap between the Demon Lord and the Dominator was significant, and the Demon Lord present here was merely a carbon copy.

Sensing the Soul Fluctuation on the steel needle, the Demon Lord sighed, almost inaudibly.

I’ve done what I could. The rest is beyond even my power.

What would happen outside now, only the Dominator knew.

Like a laser beam, the white-glowing needle tore through the Heavenly Palace Treasure Land in an instant. It crossed Earth’s mountains and rivers, rushing into an unknown region before landing in the hand of a figure clad in golden armor.

The Golden Armor closed his eyes slowly, sensing the immense will contained within the needle. He let out an almost imperceptible sigh and then slowly rose to his feet.

His right hand slowly condensed a strange rune. Tentatively, the Golden Armor tried to close the entrance to the Heavenly Palace Treasure Land.

Ineffectual...

This was to be expected—the current Heavenly Palace is beyond the Guardian’s control.