Villain: Manipulating the Heroines into hating the Protagonist

Chapter 806: New Protagonists (2)

Deep within the Northern Cosmos, where darkness reigned supreme and infernal flames illuminated the eternal night, the Crimson Abyss stood as a monument to decadence and despair. This was a realm shaped by the wills of devils, its landscapes carved from obsidian mountains and rivers of molten fire. Here, in the heart of this chaotic domain, sat Raizel Bloodthorne, the self-proclaimed Prince of the Abyssal Flame. His throne of jagged black stone, adorned with crimson runes, exuded a menacing aura, reflecting the infernal power he wielded.

Raizel was a devil born of scandal, his lineage a whispered disgrace among the noble houses of the Northern Cosmos. The bastard son of a high-ranking duke and a concubine accused of treachery, Raizelʼs existence was considered an abomination. From the moment of his birth, he was marked for destruction. Yet, against all odds, he survived. Cast into the hellish wastes, a barren expanse where the unworthy were left to perish, Raizel did more than endure-he thrived.

In the wastes, survival demanded cunning, strength, and an unrelenting will. As a child, Raizel scavenged for scraps, fought off other forsaken souls, and learned to manipulate the infernal energies that suffused his being. His devil blood gave him an edge, but it was his sharp mind and ruthless ambition that allowed him to rise. When a pack of marauding devils descended upon his hiding place, Raizel did not flee. Instead, he used his natural charisma to manipulate the pack leader, offering himself as an ally. By the time the sunless skies turned crimson, Raizel had orchestrated the leaderʼs downfall and claimed the pack for himself.

From these humble beginnings, Raizelʼs ascent was a tale of depravity and brilliance. He honed his power through forbidden pacts with ancient entities, entities that demanded terrible sacrifices in exchange for their knowledge. He delivered without hesitation, sacrificing enemies, allies, and even those who trusted him most. Each deal left him scarred, but it also left him stronger. His mastery of the Abyssal Flame, an infernal energy capable of incinerating even the most resilient foes, became legendary.

Raizelʼs cunning extended beyond power to influence. He infiltrated noble courts, seducing the daughters and wives of his enemies. His charm was magnetic, his crimson eyes burning with an intensity that few could resist. These conquests were not merely acts of hedonism; each one served a purpose. Through seduction, Raizel gained secrets, blackmail material, and allies who were bound to him by shame and desire. His reputation as both a warrior and a manipulator spread, and soon, he was no longer the outcast. He was a force to be reckoned with.

The culmination of Raizelʼs rise came when he seized the Crimson Abyss itself. At that time, the Abyss was ruled by Lord Varic, a devil of immense power and unrivaled cruelty. Raizel infiltrated Varicʼs inner circle, presenting himself as a loyal servant. Over decades, he played the role to perfection, slowly undermining Varicʼs authority. He sowed discord among the generals, seduced Varicʼs favored concubines, and ensured that every plan the lord undertook met with subtle failure. When the time was right, Raizel struck. In a climactic battle that lasted seven days and nights, he unleashed the full fury of his Abyssal Flame, reducing Varic to ashes. The infernal palace, a symbol of oppression, became Raizelʼs domain.

As Prince of the Abyssal Flame, Raizelʼs court was a spectacle of decadence. His harem, a collection of the most beautiful and dangerous women in the Northern Cosmos, was both a symbol of his power and a testament to his cunning. These were not mere trophies; each had been an enemy, a rival, or an asset he had bent to his will. Some were devil princesses who had sought to overthrow him, others were noblewomen he had charmed, and still others were warriors who had challenged him and lost. They adored him, not because he demanded it, but because he had ensnared them in a web of desire and dependence.

Raizel was in the midst of one such indulgence when the cosmos itself seemed to shudder. He reclined on a grand divan, a sultry deviless draped across his chest. Her dark eyes gleamed with lust as she traced the jagged scars that crisscrossed his body. ”Youʼre distracted, my prince,” she purred, her voice a melodic whisper.

Raizelʼs crimson eyes flicked to hers, glowing faintly in the dim light. For a moment, he said nothing, his gaze distant. Then, with a casual push, he moved her aside. She let out a soft gasp of surprise as she tumbled onto the silken cushions.

”Something... immense has shifted the balance of the cosmos,” Raizel said, his voice low and measured. He stood, his movements fluid yet purposeful, and summoned his obsidian armor with a flick of his wrist. Infernal flames licked at his heels as he strode to the great hall, where his war council awaited.

The council chamber was a grand, circular room, its walls lined with glowing runes that pulsed with a crimson light. Raizelʼs generals were already gathered, their faces a mix of fear and anticipation. Among them were his concubines, each a woman of exceptional beauty and deadly skill, standing as both advisors and symbols of his power.

Raizelʼs gaze swept over the assembly, his presence commanding absolute silence. ”We have felt the ripples,” he announced. ”This power... it could be an enemy-or an opportunity. We will prepare for both.”

One of the generals, a hulking devil with horns like curved blades, stepped forward. ”What do you command, my prince?”

Raizelʼs lips curled into a predatory smile. ”Strengthen the defenses of the Abyss. Double the patrols along our borders. And send emissaries to the Nether Coven; I want to know if their seers have divined the source of this disturbance.”

As the generals dispersed to carry out his orders, Raizel turned his attention to his concubines. Their expressions ranged from curiosity to unease. His gaze lingered on them, and a possessive growl rumbled deep in his throat. These women were more than companions; they were symbols of his victory over a cosmos that had sought to destroy him. The thought of someone-anyone-daring to take them from him filled him with a cold fury.

If someone dares to touch whatʼs mine... The thought trailed off, but the threat lingered in the air.

Raizelʼs mind turned inward, replaying the events that had led him here. He had clawed his way from the depths of disgrace and despair, turning every betrayal and setback into a stepping stone. His journey to the Divine Ascension Realm, the pinnacle of power in the Northern Cosmos, had been a harrowing one. But he had succeeded where so many had failed. He had defied fate, bending it to his will.

And now, as the cosmos trembled with the return of an unknown force, Raizel Bloodthorne, Prince of the Abyssal Flame, stood ready. Whether this power was a rival or an opportunity, he would face it with the same ruthless determination that had brought him to the pinnacle.

The Southern Cosmos was a realm of unparalleled decadence and unbridled savagery, a vast territory ruled with an iron fist by the Corrupt Dragon Clan. Strength was the only law in this world, and the weak were little more than fodder for the strong. In this brutal hierarchy, only the most powerful could thrive, and at the very top of this savage society was Gorthan Steelclaw, the self-proclaimed Dragon King of Shadows. His rise to power was not the story of a genius or a cunning manipulator but of a brute whose unyielding will and unbelievable luck had allowed him to claw his way to the pinnacle of the cosmos.

Gorthanʼs origins were far from noble. The bastard son of a powerful pureblood dragoness and a lowly human adventurer, Gorthan had been cursed from birth with a diluted bloodline. His mother, Valyria Nightscale, a dragoness of exquisite beauty and infamous cruelty, had deemed him unworthy the moment he hatched. With scales that lacked the brilliance of her own and a weak, pitiful aura, Gorthan was cast out of the Corrupt Dragon Clan and left to fend for himself in the wilds of the Southern Cosmos.

”Youʼll die before the next moonrise,” she had sneered, her emerald eyes cold and disdainful. ”A pathetic half-breed like you has no place among us.”

But Gorthan had not died. The wilderness of the Southern Cosmos was a merciless teacher, but Gorthan learned its lessons with a primal determination that no one had anticipated. Surviving on scraps and fighting off predators that would have torn apart lesser beings, Gorthanʼs weak frame grew stronger with each battle. Though his intelligence was lacking— he often acted before thinking, and his solutions to problems were as brutish as they were effective-he had an unshakable instinct for survival.

At the age of fifty, still a youth by dragon standards, Gorthan stumbled upon the fortuitous encounter that would change his life forever. Deep within the volcanic wastelands, he found himself cornered by a pack of Magma Wyrms, creatures far beyond his meager strength. As their fiery maws opened, ready to incinerate him, the ground beneath them gave way, revealing a hidden cavern. Gorthan tumbled into the abyss, landing in a chamber bathed in an eerie, shadowy light.

At the center of the chamber lay a massive obsidian skeleton-the remains of Tenebris Nocturnus, the Shadow Sovereign, a legendary dragon whose name had long been lost to the annals of history. Inscribed upon the walls of the chamber were the secrets of Tenebrisʼs legacy: the *Eclipse Dominion Technique*, a cultivation method that fused the power of shadow with the raw might of draconic blood. Gorthan, though barely literate, instinctively recognized the treasure before him.

He began practicing the technique with single-minded determination, his progress fueled by the latent energy within the remains of Tenebris. The technique resonated with his hybrid bloodline, awakening dormant draconic potential and transforming his body. Over the next century, Gorthanʼs strength grew at an exponential rate. His dull, lackluster scales darkened to a gleaming onyx, his once-pitiful aura becoming a suffocating shadow that commanded fear and awe. By the time he emerged from the volcanic wastelands, he was no longer a pathetic half-breed. He was the Dragon King of Shadows, a being whose mere presence caused weaker creatures to tremble.

His first act upon returning to the Corrupt Dragon Clan was to confront the woman who had cast him out. Valyria Nightscale, still as breathtakingly beautiful as ever, had not changed in her cruel demeanor. When Gorthan stormed into her lair, her emerald eyes narrowed in disdain. ”What is this filth that dares darken my doorstep?” she sneered, not recognizing the man before her.

”Iʼm your son,” Gorthan growled, his voice a guttural snarl that echoed through the chamber. ”The one you threw away like garbage.”

Valyriaʼs laughter was sharp and mocking. ”A son? You? Youʼre nothing more than a mistake I corrected long ago.”

Her arrogance cost her dearly. Gorthan attacked with a ferocity that left her reeling. Though

she was a pureblood dragoness of immense power, she found herself overpowered by the sheer might of the Eclipse Dominion Technique. Their battle shook the entire Southern Cosmos, but in the end, Valyria lay defeated at Gorthanʼs feet.

Her humiliation was absolute, her pride shattered as Gorthan loomed over her. ”Youʼll never

cast me aside again,” he snarled, dragging her to her knees. ”Youʼre mine now. Completely and utterly mine.”

Valyria, broken by both physical and emotional defeat, submitted to her sonʼs dominance.

Gorthan claimed her as part of his growing harem, a symbol of his triumph over the past. Over

the centuries that followed, she bore him many children, each inheriting a portion of their fatherʼs monstrous power.

Gorthanʼs harem was a reflection of his depraved nature and his philosophy of strength above all else. While others in the Corrupt Dragon Clan seduced or negotiated alliances, Gorthan took what he wanted by force. Noble dragonesses, the daughters and wives of his rivals, and even mortal women from conquered territories-all were dragged into his lair, their protests silenced by his overwhelming power. His reputation spread far and wide, a terrifying blend of

fear and awe.

Yet, despite his savagery, Gorthanʼs luck continued to shield him from the consequences of

his actions. Rivals who plotted against him often found their schemes unraveling in bizarre and inexplicable ways. On one occasion, an assassin sent to poison him accidentally consumed the venom himself. On another, a rebellion among his subordinates was thwarted when a meteor struck their gathering place.

Now, seated atop a throne of black obsidian in the heart of the Corrupt Dragon Clanʼs capital,

Gorthan was the undisputed ruler of the Southern Cosmos. His palace was a monument to excess, filled with treasures plundered from across the stars and the most beautiful women the cosmos had to offer.

At this moment, he was feasting in the grand hall, a goblet of molten gold in one hand and a roasted wyvern leg in the other. His harem surrounded him, their jeweled adornments glittering in the dim light. Among them sat Valyria, her once-proud demeanor now replaced with a cold resignation.

As Gorthan tore into the wyvern leg with his sharp teeth, a sudden tremor rippled through the air. The hall fell silent as every dragon present felt the disturbance. Gorthanʼs draconic eyes narrowed, their golden hue glowing with a menacing light. He set down his goblet, the molten gold within it sloshing slightly.

”Something stirs,” he rumbled, his deep voice reverberating through the hall. He turned to

the dragoness seated beside him, a voluptuous beauty whose shimmering black scales seemed to drink in the light. ”What do you make of it?”

The dragoness tilted her head, her ruby lips curling into a sly smile. ”A disturbance, perhaps.

But could it threaten us?”

Gorthanʼs lips parted in a predatory grin, his sharp teeth gleaming. ”Threat? No. Challenge? Perhaps. But challenges are meant to be conquered.”

He stood, his massive frame casting a shadow over the assembled courtesans and warriors. ”Summon the council,” he commanded. ”I want every anomaly in the cosmos investigated. Send spies into the Eastern Cosmos. I want to know who or what has done this.”

As his orders were carried out, Gorthanʼs thoughts turned inward. The sensation he had felt

was unlike anything he had encountered before, a power that rivaled even his own. He clenched his clawed fists, his blood boiling with both excitement and unease.

”If someone thinks they can shake the cosmos and remain unnoticed,” he growled to himself, ”theyʼre sorely mistaken. Iʼll crush them—and take everything they hold dear.”

With that, the Dragon King of Shadows prepared for yet another conquest, his unrelenting

ambition driving him forward as always. For Gorthan, there was no such thing as limits. In the Southern Cosmos, strength was the only truth, and he intended to prove that his strength was

unmatched.