[My ko-fi link:- https://ko-fi.com/punisher87 ]
***
The land of fire, at the moment when Orgal went to meet the Red Plutonian tribe and met Manoff.
Sheenu looked around his territory in silence.
Once upon a time, no being could come to this place recklessly. Even if someone managed to enter without his permission, they would be consumed by the fire that filled the land and die. Among immortals, only the highest-ranked gods who could rival him and Genesis knights among mortals could withstand that fire.
But now, the majesty of the Land of Fire had vanished, with over half of its territory scorched and frozen cold.
It was because of Luke.
Not long ago, the former battle god of the Plutonian tribe who had intruded into the Land of Fire had pushed Sheenu to his limits.
[Like Vahn, he is a frightening person. I wouldn't be able to guarantee the victory against him even if I weren't disappearing.]
Upon Sheenu's words, Kadun nodded slowly.
It was because he wasn't able to speak. Most of Kadun's body was composed of chaos, and after he had died once in the battle against Veradin, he had become little more than a ghost.
The power of the Fire dragon, symbolizing Zipfel's might, had almost vanished, and chaos was barely keeping him alive.
And between them was another person whose life hung by a thread, sustained by chaos and Sheenu's authority.
Kelliark Zipfel, he was also going through cycles of rampage and unconsciousness. The moment he escaped outside the 'Ring of Fire' created by Sheenu, he would surely die.
[Cough.]
As Sheenu sat on the ground, his body trembled.
An hour ago, Luke had once again returned to the Land of Fire. The second battle he fought was even more intense than the previous one, causing much more damage.
The reason Sheenu was able to survive this time and could show his regrets was because of Luke's mercy.
More accurately, he kept Sheenu alive for the needs of the Sun God Religion, nothing more.
[Perhaps Luke will come back in the near future. When that happens, I'll only have one choice. Either threaten them saying that I will die the moment they attack more, or fight them.]
There was no way out.
Accepting death would naturally be the end, and even if they fought, he would not be even able to die and get miserably dragged away to be used as material for the Demon God's Orb.
In the first place, it didn't seem like threats would work. If Sheenu didn't want to become material for the Demon God's Orb and wanted to die, then that opportunity was only now. At this moment, Luke has the authority to decide Sheenu's fate as he wished. Whether to save him or kill him, it was all up to Luke's will.
-[Among the priests I met this time, many were former members of the Plutonian tribe. There was also an individual who was a Battle god in the past. If they appear in the human world, the obvious result would be destruction, wouldn't it?]
-It seems you've gone through a tough battle and are frightened, Sheenu. I don't know why the former members of the Plutonian tribe are aligned with the Sun God Religion, but they won't be able to bring destruction to the human world.
-[I hope you can keep your word. Always be cautious of the shrine maiden. On the day the Demon World opens, this world will no longer be what you knew.]
-I expect you to continue struggling and disappear at an appropriate time. In other words, your disappearance won't affect the revival of the Sun God.
Sheenu was recalling the conversation he had with Jin on the day they first met.
At this rate, the outcome would soon match Jin's desires. The result would be what Jin wanted - disappear without affecting the revival of the Sun God.
Ever since he was born as an immortal, Sheenu was feeling a sense of futility for the first time. All the things he had accumulated over such a long time were fading away like bubbles.
How on earth did things come to this point...?
Was trying to surpass the power of the Sun God the issue?
Orb of Origin, the original of Demon God's Orb.
Created after the Sun God's death, that item contained the power of all immortals.
The initial purpose behind creating the Orb of Origin was to prepare for the time when the gods were being attacked by mortals or gods attacking each other, leading to the world's destruction.
However, the completed Orb of Origin turned out to be far more dangerous than the immortals had anticipated, and eventually, it was discarded when the world's history entered a significant phase.
And the one who first proposed the need for Orb of Origin was none other than Sheenu. He had been more proactive than anyone else about creating Orb of Origin, and he was convinced that Orb of Origin would inevitably be discarded once completed.
However, the reason he had insisted on creating Orb of Origin was to eventually create a replica, the 'Demon God's Orb,' and seize it for himself.
He wanted to confirm whether the power of the Origin Stone was truly as incredible as theory suggested. Could it truly overpower all the gods, even Solderet and Helluram, and ultimately even go beyond the Sun God? That's why he needed to make it. He needed to test the theory.
However, from that time onwards, Sheenu's expectations had been off—the error was 'Five Kings of the Black Sea.'
[Perhaps the fact that fragments of the Orb of Origin turned into the monsters known as the Five Kings of the Black Sea was a warning from the Sun God. Or Maybe it was Witch Helluram's prank... If only I had given up my desire for Demon God's Orb and focused on eliminating the Five Kings of the Black Sea at that time. Would the situation be better than now?]
Kadun still had no response.
Even Kelliark, who was gasping for breath inside the Ring of Fire, said nothing. If Young Fire Dragon Pyre were here, he would have answered anything. But Pyre was currently searching for the sealed dragons that Sheenu had imprisoned in the past. Pyre was the only one in Sheenu's group who was in good condition.
Pyre's existence was a thread of hope.
If Pyre found the 'Sealed Dragons,' they would have no choice but to assist Sheenu, despite not wanting to.
Dragons that Sheenu couldn't control despite creating them.
'Trakalnis', the prodigal son of fire, the first Fire Dragon King, and had the power exceeding that of his successor, Kadun. Sheenu had never been in such dire need of his power.
If he were here, he could have bought as much time as they wanted against Luke, and he might be able to burn the chaos that engulfed Kelliark.
So in the end, all Sheenu could hope for now was for Pyre to visit the Land of fire with good news.
In front of Jin, Sheenu had displayed all the power and dignity of a god, but it had all been nothing but an empty show.
Presently, Sheenu had lost most of his power and authority, lost his contractor, lost his most treasured guardian dragon, and was abandoned by Zipfel. He was nothing more than a wretched existence. That's why Pyre had found the Tikan in that pitiful and hungry state.
Thinking of Jin, who had seen through this and ridiculed him, made him feel even more miserable from inside.
[...I guess it's now coming to the point where just accepting death would be better, Kadun. Most mortals in the world are able to rise up again, overcoming this kind of self-loathing.]
For the first time, Kadun lifted his head. Every time he shook his head, chaos strained blood dripped through the blackened scales.
[You must want revenge. However, now, we have no choice but to acknowledge our defeat. My plan, which is older than the history of humanity, was flawed from the beginning, and the deformed results that barely emerged from that process ultimately fell into the hands of others. We don't have the strength to correct a twisted plan anymore, nor the strength to take back the Demon God's Orb.]
Kadun lifted his head again.
Though he wasn't able to speak, Sheenu knew what he was trying to say.
[Are you suggesting we align with another faction? We hold no value now. If we find the Sealed Fire Dragons, and use them as bargaining chips. Who would accept that request?]
[Ugh...!]
Kadun made a feeble sound.
[The Imperial Family? They are the people who would readily sacrifice us to Veradin in order to complete the Demon God's Orb. Reaching out to Jin Runcandel again will only make our pathetic state even clearer. Orgal may protect us, but... he will use Bubare's ability to make us no longer ourselves. Now that I'm weakened, that insignificant piece of reincarnation of a god could easily achieve such a thing.]
[Grrr, red.]
[You want to talk about the Red Plutonian tribe? They will likely try to use us as nourishment to awaken their battle god. Then I can't even die. As for the True Demon World... Ugh, I don't even want to talk about Zito. In this state, let's just say it's better than we don't.]
Zito had always taken pleasure in tormenting immortals, and he cared little for justifications or consequences. His only concern was his own enjoyment. The current Sheenu was a perfect plaything Zito.
Sheenu touched his forehead and looked up, picturing Zito in his mind. Suddenly, he felt the sensation of the Land of Fire opening beyond the horizon.
Could it be that Luke had returned so soon?
Luke had left only an hour ago. Sheenu was certain that Luke would need at least three days to return to the Land of Fire, considering that he wouldn't be completely unharmed.
However, a moment later, Sheenu's eyes fell upon Young Fire Dragon Pyre.
And there was someone entirely unexpected.
"Uh, I'm sorry, Lord Sheenu. I should have gotten permission from you in advance... This person tracked me down and followed me into the Land of Fire without any permission..."
Sheenu stared intently at the man standing next to Pyre. Even Kadun blinked his eyes wide open and jolted his body in surprise.
[Haha... Did my insight fail for a moment? Is that why I'm witnessing such a common farce, as mortals call it illusion? I have gotten to that point, huh.]
The man didn't respond to those words and slowly approached Sheenu. Despite his approach, Sheenu showed no signs of caution and instead extended his hand first.
[Welcome, Joshua Runcandel. I am, like you, a fallen being. The God of Fire, Sheenu.]
[T/L: You can read more chapters and support me here: https://ko-fi.com/punisher87 & https://bmc.link/punisher87 ]
[T/L: Join $29 membership on my "buymeacoffee" page and read 55 chapters ahead and daily 1 new chapter update. I have introduced new memberships, and you can read upto 75 or 85 chapters ahead.]