The Villain's Story - Chapter 916 - 916: The Path to Transcendance.

Mukka descended the steps leading up to his throne, walking towards the place where the incubus had stood previously. He lingered there for a few seconds, studying the movements of mana.

He shook his head and moved forward, towards the balcony. His steps are steady and produce heavy thuds; it was like he weighed several tons. But then, they turned light, as if he weighed nothing at all.

His ‘cape’, or rather, the hide of a God Beast of the White Tiger Tribe, did not move with him, as if it were stiff on his back. It was like it was a sheet of metal as well, hammered onto his back.

Upon entering the Balcony, Mukka was confronted with the sight of his capital city, Pride. It wasn’t an orderly city; there were elven establishments to the east, dwarven buildings to the west, and human constructs in the south and north. An abyssal layer mirrored the worlds it lay siege to, albeit cruelly and morbidly.

Demons learned from the worlds they sieged, and brought back whatever they could with them. They had no construction material other than stone and metal within the abyss, so wooden establishments were seen as a ‘luxury’ item. However, recently, in the Abyssal layer, 555 human buildings had been kicking up far more than usual.

Demons seemed to prefer them as well; they had the robust structure of dwarven buildings and the allure and style of Elven constructs. Demonic humans with many professions had been teeming in the abyss as of late, and Mukka didn’t hesitate to employ them.

When a Demon overthrows the former lord of a capital city, or the layer, he destroys the city entirely and reconstructs it in his own image. An unusual tradition, but it had its merit.

His city was basically his record. It was a record of the two, soon to be three, worlds he had conquered. The first was Ajkali, a dwarven colony on a small planet teeming with resources. Ajkali was a planet with metal and gems, both of which dwarves desired. That was his first conquest, lasting a total of ten years.

The second was Lifal, a planet conquered by the elves a long time ago. It was brimming with natural resources, and there wasn’t a single place on the darn planet not covered with a forest. Mukka had razed those forests to the ground and converted them into farming grounds. Lifal was his most precious property.

The siege on Lifal had lasted a total of thirty years, but in the end, Mukka had successfully killed the three Epic Beings tasked with protecting it.

Earth was his third conquest, one that had still not ended despite being sixty years. The Planet was brimming with resources as well and was equal to Lifal in some aspects. Mukka longed to see the Sea within Earth; demons that went there described it as strange and fascinating.

Earth was slightly stronger than Ajkali, but weaker than Lifal, so why had Mukka still not conquered it? It had been more than half a century, but his forces had yet to conquer the darn planet… why? Because he himself could not descend there, if he could, Earth would not have lasted even a Decade.

Earth was a planet new to mana, it’s ruling species, Humans, were also new to mana. Mukka could not descend on a Planet new to mana, such was the pain of being an epic being. The Planet was simply unable to sustain his existence, and if he forced his way into it, the lack of energy would not only weaken him but also destroy the planet as well. He couldn’t have that happening to his property.

But soon enough, it would be capable of supporting him. Earth had given birth to an Epic Being, a human with an enhanced bloodline capable of resembling a Fire Dragon; whether this Fire Dragon had an actual Dragon Heart was unknown, but if it did, then it was another addition to his collection.

His God Beast cape was his greatest treasure, and the God Beast faction within the Abyss and outside didn’t bother him with it, since he had defeated the God Beast in an honorable duel; he was free to do as he pleased with his spoils.

God Beasts were the same, hanging up their opponents’ remains as trophies or wearing them. Only the best deserved this honor.

Dragons weren’t the same, known to treasure each of their members, and also respect the honor and dignity of other species. But the rules would allow him to do whatever he wanted with his spoils of war.

Mukka thought about what heart to keep, and which to give, in the end, he decided on keeping the most valuable one, the Heart of an Ice Dragon, widely regarded as the most beautiful and powerful treasure in the universe.

Although he was sure Lady Paimon had her eyes on it, she should be satisfied with two Dragon Hearts of Fire; the Dragon Heart of Death would most likely be given back to The Church of Darkness. With numerous deals and contracts, there was more benefit to giving it back than keeping it in possession.

Barbatos would probably sell all he had to get it.

A small smile appeared on his charred face, pieces of coal and flint fell down, and the smile disappeared. This was why Mukka did not enjoy making facial expressions; the coal of his body, the first to be assimilated, would always fall if he tried being ‘expressive’.

Mukka turned his gaze from ‘his’ city, and to the skies up above. The sky of the Abyss was an unusual topic; in some layers, it would be nothing, veiled by dark, poisonous clouds of pure chaos energy. In some, it would be covered with other horrors, like powerful Demonic Beasts or powerful magic. In most, however, it would display a ‘beautiful’ scene.

The only one within the Abyss, the one and only. The sky of the Abyss was a mesmerizing sight, comprising seventy-two stars and one sun.

The Seventy Two Stars each represented one of the Demon Lords, with the brightest red and the darkest red, almost invisible, represented Baal and Dantalian; other stars had their own unique colors, each lighting up the abyss.

The Sun represented Lucifer, and it was higher than the other stars, showcasing the demon’s pride. However, astrologers of both Elven and Demonic descent had noticed a peculiarity over the years, a strangeness in the sky.

In the years he was a child, barely surviving in the city after escaping the mine, Mukka had stumbled upon a book. He had no interest in it originally and just used it to pass the time. Boredom was a disease he hated.

In that book, the oddity about the skies had been stated, and it had garnered Mukka’s attention, leading him to read with focus, and he found out an important truth.

The Sky was not complete, excluding the Sun representing Lucifer, there was actually space for another star. The Sky was uneven and awaited the rise of a seventy-third star. The order of seventy-two was incomplete! The Abyss was lacking a Demon lord.

The Book continued to explain that an ordinary demon could become the final Demon Lord, but did not state how. Over the years, Mukka had made it his mission to become the final star and realize his name as the Martial Star, giving it substance. Soon, his name would mean something other than a title, something of significance, slaying a young god beast could not compare to.

An actual title, the seventy-third seat of the order! The final seat! Over the years, Mukka’s passion for it had exploded. It was why he was so eager to advance his rank, and why he was so eager to go above, to siege more worlds!

Over the years, Mukka had found out from Lady Paimon that the final seat could actually be his, but she had said she didn’t know how to get it. She had urged him to become a Legendary Demon, and perhaps the expansion of his domain would make him eligible to be the last star.

His conquest of Earth was partly driven by this. Mukka was eager to find out what a Domain really was, and his interest in humans, who could form a nascent domain, was immense. He hoped to learn more about it as he faced them, and form his own. He was eager to learn.

He had been stuck in the Epic Realm for far too long, and he craved to ascend. He was already stronger than some Demon Lords; only the Legendary Status could truly elevate him to that position, one belonging to an actual star.

And if Legendary was not enough, He would become Mythic, and then Divine! And perhaps, if fate allowed it, he would achieve supremacy. Unlike other Demons, who indulged in their desires after acquiring some power…

He would either become the last Star, or die in its pursuit!