POV First Demon Haru
Five years after Eduard’s Major
Accomplishment Tribulation, dark storm clouds once again spread across
most of the Red Sea. It was the first time since the Demon Lord’s tribulation that
tribulation clouds spread quite so far. They were visible even by some
nearby Groups.
Tribulations were rare in the Red Sea, but within the
territories of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, they had become much more
frequent in the last few years. Each time, the many, many millions of
mortals of the cult treated the spectacle as a divine blessing. The
rumbling of thunder brought the truest believers to their knees in
reverence.
Most of the cult’s upper echelon gathered at the same
flat rocky clearing where Court Mage Ollés endured his tribulation years
ago. It was chosen as Mujin’s tribulation site.
Since then, however, it had been upgraded multiple times.
With previous tribulations, the cult had experimented
with how far they could push it with protection formations. Permanent
formation pillars had been installed around the platform in a pattern
which created the formation circuit of a Protection Formation. It was a
difficult balance to find, two System path practitioners had died over the years pushing the boundaries to find out how the [System] would react to
different levels of preparation.
In the end, they found a pretty good solution.
Haru had dedicated a good deal of time in the years
leading up to her Nascent Soul Heavenly Tribulation training at the
cult’s Formation Hall. She was by no means an expert, but she had
successfully learned how to set up a protection formation.
She considered taking on the tribulation without any
protection, the Heavenly Demon had done it without much issue, but she
opted against it. The Demon Lord’s [Heavenly Demon Divine Art] and
[Heavenly Demon Supreme Body] were an order of magnitude greater than
her own [Demonic Oasis Art], and she didn’t want to take any chances.
Ever since the Demon Lord’s Titles and Talent were upgraded, the
members of the cult had been given a little more time than most before
their tribulations began. They didn’t all get the same amount of time to
prepare, though, nobody knew why or how the [System] determined how
much time you would get. Haru got almost three hours. The majority of
that time was spent setting up the protection formation. Even with the
installed pillars, the person taking on the tribulation still had to do
some configurations so that the [System] acknowledged that they were
responsible for their own protection.
With the preparations done, she tied up her fairly short,
black hair, and she wrapped her fists with strong white strips of
enchanted fabric. She prepared for war, even though she knew that the
tribulation would most certainly destroy most everything.
That knowledge did nothing to convince her not to wear the high quality clothes which represented the cult.
Unlike most demonic cultivators, Haru didn’t wear a long
robe. Instead, she preferred a shorter robe worn over the basic pants
and shirt of the cult. The robe could almost be described as a black
jacket, tied around her waist with a golden band.
Then, with a final push, she activated the formation. It
was an upgraded version of the same protection formation Víctor had
used.
A resplendent dome formed around the platform.
Haru took her place in the center of the platform and
waited. A few minutes later, the heavens unleashed a tribulation beyond
anything the cult had seen before, at least none but the Demon Lord as there was no
one there to truly witness his own tribulation.
As this was a major step forward for the cult, even some
of the elders of the Jeoksa Family were there to bear witness. Patriarch
Jaemin even brought his son who had returned from his training a couple
years back, officially the Jeoksa Family’s first demonic cultivator.
The first of many.
Fear and excitement was evident on everyone’s faces. They
had all experienced and witnessed tribulations before, but this was the
closest to a Grand Accomplishment Tribulation they had ever seen.
While there was no fire tribulation and no visual
phenomenon, like that of a Grand Accomplishment Tribulation, there was
an elemental aspect to it. Unlike the Demon Lord's tribulation, Haru’s brought the
wrath of the earth to attack her. Sharp spires of stone shot at the
demonic cultivator. What was worse than the damage they caused to Haru
herself, was that they destabilized the formation, which meant that she
received far less protection from the powerful lightning strikes than
planned.
The dome of the protection formation struggled against the might of the lightning. Although destabilized, it still held.
Just as with Víctor’s tribulation, it lit up like the sun
itself. Unlike previous tribulations, however, this one was so powerful
that the ground around the formation began to melt. The Jeoksa Family
Elders had only seen such a thing once before and it completely
destroyed a group of Peak Practitioners led by a Master, and that only
lasted for a few seconds. This tribulation continued with lightning
strike after lightning strike.
Tendrils of molten stone spread out from around the
platform. The onlookers had to move back so as to not be caught in the
crossfire.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the tribulation ended.
Haru succeeded and became the Heavenly Demon Divine
Cult’s second cultivator to reach [Nascent Soul] stage. The platform was
destroyed, and although the pillars held out, they had begun to melt as
well. Haru had some severe burns, but with the physical cultivation of a
[Nascent Soul] stage cultivator, she would recover quickly.
Over the course of the next few years, Chul did the same,
and then three others. With that, the cult now had a handful of demonic
cultivators rivaling low Masters.
The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult was ready to act on the purpose behind its very foundation.
POV Baz
Scattered clouds floated past the fields
beneath the Mansan mountain range, just beyond the [Grand Demonic Mist
Formation]. Shadows of those clouds swept across the vast armies of the
Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. Almost thirty thousand elite demonic
soldiers, each equivalent to at least a Second-rate Practitioner with
some rivaling First-rates or even Experts, along with millions of mortal soldiers were
gathered and ready to march.
Leading the cult’s army were the five newly promoted
Demonic Kings at [Nascent Soul] stage. In addition to their demonic
soldiers, each of them had several hundred [Core Formation] stage
demonic officers under their command, every one of whom could handle an
average Expert Practitioner.
The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult’s campaign had officially begun.
Step one was to take complete control over the Red Sea.
Over the years, the cult had sent its forces on countless missions over the years to
clear out the region, both to level up their forces and to expand their
territory. Almost two fifths of the Red Sea was already fully under the
cult’s control, but that wasn’t enough.
While the nearby mid-sized Groups stayed out of the Red
Sea, they did have quite a bit of influence over the regions closest to
them. If they noticed any push to claim the lands, they would resist.
Baz and his advisors intended to claim the Red Sea so
quickly that none of them would have time to react. If they did react,
they would have to move without hesitation and deploy Peak
Practitioners, if not Masters.
The cult gambled on their enemies’ unwillingness to
deploy their strongest practitioners so resolutely. It would leave them
open to attack from their rivals and enemies after all. Before they
could offer any real resistance, the Groups would have to coordinate and
launch more organized assaults.
The cult’s army was strong. To take over the Red Sea in
one fell swoop, however, they would have to divide their forces. The
army would be divided into five Divisions. Each division would consist
of countless mortal soldiers and about 6,000 demonic soldiers and
officers. Each Division would in turn be made up of 3 Legions with
around 100 demonic soldiers rivaling Experts and almost 2,000 rivaling
Second-rates or First-rates, enough to rival the full force most
mid-size Groups.
Baz stood in the skies above the great fields beneath the mountains.
The vast armies of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult reached
out almost as far as the horizon. Five divisions, commanded by five
Demonic Kings, awaited his orders.
This would be the spark that lit the world aflame.
Millions, if not billions, would die as a result of his
commands. Baz’ heart weighed heavy with the thought. Years ago he likely
would not have had it in him to send so many to die and to kill, but after a
lifetime of struggle, a heavy heart could not sway him. He did not
hesitate.
“Demons, hear me.” He spoke calmly and in a soft yet firm
tone. At no point did he raise his voice, and yet his words reached the
ears of every single person, no matter how far away they were. He
wasn’t sure exactly what to say, he had made some preparations but
nothing had felt quite right, so he decided to wing it. Baz had never
held a speech like this before, although he had heard one. When Captain
Cirera addressed the Wandering Wolves Corps before marching to war. When
in doubt, steal with pride.
He continued, “This day has been a long time coming. For
generations, the people beyond the borders of the Red Sea have called
our people weak and inferior. They are fools. We are the demons of the
Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, and from this day onward, they will learn
just how wrong they are. We will do what they have all failed to do,
unite the entirety of the Red Sea! Then, one by one, even those arrogant
sects and clans will fall at our hands. Before long, the entirety of
this world will be ours!”
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The five Demonic Kings called out, “Long live the heavenly demon!”, and millions of true believers repeated their words.
“LONG LIVE THE HEAVENLY DEMON!”
An veritable ocean of demons began to chant in unison,
their combined voices and conviction strong enough to shake the earth
itself.
“ALL MUST SUBMIT!”
“ALL MUST SUBMIT!”
“ALL MUST SUBMIT!”
***
Each of the cult’s five divisions were dispatched in different directions.
They would spread out and take control of every speck of
sand within the Red Sea, by force and faith. The divisions had entire
squadrons of the cult’s demonic priests. As the soldiers defeated the
gangs controlling each region, the priests would proselytize the masses
to the faith of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
Baz had earned the worship of the people of Mujin back
when he was still a [Core Formation] stage cultivator. Now, each
division was commanded by a [Nascent Soul] stage cultivator leading
legions of [Core Formation] stage demonic cultivators. It was extremely
effective.
As the mortals accepted their new religion, the [System]’s influence descended immediately.
The cult’s progress was unhindered.
Its armies claimed region after region within the Red
Sea. Even when there were attempts to resist by gangs and even some more
well-intentioned Groups, their strongest fighters were only Experts.
Their resistance was futile, a dung beetle trying to stop a tank.
Time was the cult’s biggest obstacle. Its armies could
only travel as fast as its mortals. Traversing the entire Red Sea took
mortals months. That was time for word to travel, time for Groups to
organize and for defenses to be prepared.
Fortunately, the defenses set up by the natives of the
Red Sea were broken through easily. No matter how much they tried, they
simply couldn’t gather enough gangs and other Groups to put up a fight
against the cult’s legions. Power struggles and past grievances meant
that forming any decent alliance in mere weeks or even months was all
but impossible.
Within six months, the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult had
claimed every bit of land of the Red Sea, everything except the regions
closest to many of the neighboring Groups.
Those Groups were well-established and already had some
level of influence over the regions closest to them. Years of bribing or
pressuring the natives to work for them without formally claiming the
land. Now, with the news that a native force was rising up and claiming
the vast territories of the Red Sea, they had set up some defenses in
the regions under their control.
Baz and the leadership of the cult had been right, the
sects and clans and other Groups wouldn’t risk engaging them directly so
soon. It would take more resources than they were willing to invest
against an insurgence from the wastelands.
At first, most of them believed the news to be
exaggerated. How could any force raised within the Red Sea be a threat,
after all. Some sent small squads or units in an arrogant attempt at
stopping the cult’s advances.
They quickly realized how outmatched they were.
After several failed attempts, some responded by sending
true units of elite practitioners. Although the cult’s forces defeated
every attempt, the elite practitioners were the first ones to actually
do some damage to the legions.
With most of the Red Sea claimed and under the cult’s banner, Baz himself finally made his move.
The armies were restructured, according to plans long
since prepared. A defensive position was established to consolidate and
fortify the claimed territories.
Demonic Kings Seong and Duho of the third and fifth divisions took command of the defense.
External Hall Master Joon had his shadows run missions
all around the borders to try and keep updated on the movements of the
surrounding Groups. Any actions taken were immediately reported back,
and the Demonic Kings responded quickly.
The cult finally had communication badges to keep their
legions informed and coordinated in real time. Their work in that area
had gradually progressed, and once the Jeoksa Family had joined the
cult, they finally gained the final pieces of the puzzle. While the
Jeoksa Family weren’t specialized in enchantments, they did have some
enchanting experts and access to trade with actual specialists.
With the defenses under control, Demonic Kings Haru,
Chul, and Shik joined Baz along with a unit of High [Core Formation]
stage demonic cultivators.
The time had come to conquer their neighbors.
They began on the northern front. Baz and his Heavenly Strike Force rushed toward their first target, the Iron Courage Fortress.
The Iron Courage Fortress stood on the side of a
mountain. Within its walls stood its capital, a fairly large city
comparable to Jeokseong, the Jeoksa capital. The walls were strong, but
Baz had seen the walls of Luxendorf. These were nothing in comparison.
Baz’ Heavenly Strike Force dashed across the overgrown
terrain with the Movement Techniques they had mastered over many years
of training. Although Baz and the Demonic Kings had to hold back, the
entire force still moved extremely fast.
They had to, the strategy was a blitz, after all.
Soon the fortress appeared through the
trees. Given the news of unrest, the Iron Courage Fortress had mounted a
solid defense. To lessen their potential casualties, Baz and the three
Demonic Kings rushed ahead of the unit. They practically flew up the
mountain, even though Baz was still the only one to have mastered the
[Fleeting Cloud Step] to the point of being able to traverse the
heavens. They didn’t concern themselves with avoiding detection.
Sounds of panic reached Baz’ ears as the Iron Courage Fortress scrambled to mobilize their forces against the sudden assault.
The reason Baz didn’t care about discovery was because it
didn’t matter. As they approached the fortified walls, Baz took to the
skies and radiated power beyond anything he had ever done before.
He raised his hand and slammed it downwards. His previous
[Demon God’s Judgment Palm] only struck his opponent, but this [Demon
God’s Extermination Palm] destroyed all in its path.
BOOM - CRASH
The massive palm that descended from the heavens
flattened a large section of the wall and sent currents of powerful
lightning to spread throughout the defenders who survived the impact.
Haru rushed into the fortress through the opening created by Baz’ attack.
Even though it had just been mere seconds since the
guards of the Iron Courage Fortress realized that they were under
attack, the fortress master and a handful of its wardens already came
running.
The Demonic King wound up her fist and let loose a Fist
Technique strong enough to send several of the wardens flying. Only the
fortress master himself managed to endure the attack.
“You dare attack our Iron Courage Fortress!?“ The Iron
Courage Fortress Master was a large burly man with a thick beard. He
wielded a greataxe which doubled as a shield. The moment he recovered
from the Fist Technique, he pounced on Haru and swung his axe like he
was chopping wood.
The Demonic King raised her left arm and strengthened it
with an upgraded version of the original [Stone Skin] Technique passed
down from Baz’ [Earthen Cultivation Art] Manual, [Steel Hide].
A smile formed on the Fortress Master’s face as he felt
confident that his greataxe would cut through her arm, and the rest of
her, like a hot knife through butter.
THUD - BOOM
The axe struck her forearm and was stopped dead in its tracks.
The shock wave tore the ground apart and the walls of a
few nearby buildings crumbled from the impact. His smile fell away, and
Haru reveled in his shock. Before he could react, she threw another Fist
Technique at his chest. He was sent flying back, destroying a few
buildings as he went, and she took off after him.
In the mean time, Chul and Shik subdued the wardens. It
wasn’t too much of a struggle for them. The fortress was powerful, but
the Fortress Master was the only Master Practitioner, albeit a very low
Master. The wardens were Peak or Expert level practitioners and thus no
match for the cult’s Demonic Kings.
The hundreds of High [Core Formation] stage demonic
cultivators finally caught up and swarmed the fortress. They secured the
area and ensured that the fortress’ warriors didn’t do anything stupid.
Large impacts rocked the back region of fortress, and moments later, Haru came walking back.
The Iron Courage Fortress Master was dragged behind her
by his ankle. With a nonchalant whip of her arm, she threw the burly
Master Practitioner in front of the Iron Courage Fortress wardens. All
seven of them were on their knees, defeated, in more ways than one. The
once proud Iron Courage Fortress, brought to its knees in a matter of
minutes.
The Fortress Master slowly made his way onto his feet,
woozy and bleeding, only for Haru to place her hand on his shoulder and
force him down to his knees like the rest.
He looked up to see Baz descend from the sky.
Baz had remained flying above and watched his first
generation of demonic disciples take down a powerful Group which had
stood strong for centuries, in the time it took to drink a cup of tea. A
wave of goosebumps subtly moved across his skin as pride welled up in
him heart.
“So…” the Fortress Master said through wheezing breaths.
“I take it you’re this Heavenly Demon we’ve heard rumors about? We’re
not dead, so I assume there’s something you want from us. What is it?”
he asked defiantly. His lack of fear in the face of death actually moved
the hearts of the demonic cultivators.
Baz took a page out of the Tang Clan’s playbook and made
them a simple offer. “The Iron Courage Fortress has a choice to make.
Pledge your eternal allegiance to Heavenly Demon Divine Cult or we
destroy you and take everything you have for ourselves.”
A roller-coaster of emotions flashed across the fortress
master’s face, ranging from anger to indignation and finally stopping at
resignation. “Before any oaths are made. Tell me, Demon Lord, what are
your goals with all this?”
Baz didn’t answer immediately. It was preferable to
recruit the Iron Courage Fortress, and the fortress master seemed like a
reasonable man, so Baz wanted to give him an honest answer.
“The Great
Martial Alliance has resisted the forces of the Lumerian Kingdom for several decades. But it’s only a matter of time before they fall. It’s a fate
written in stone. I am using them as a shield to give myself and my
Heavenly Demon Divine Cult time to expand and grow. Our purpose is
power. The power to defeat the Great Martial Alliance. The power to
destroy the Lumerian Kingdom. The power to bring the entirety of this
world under our rule.”
The Fortress Master’s eyes widened, as did all of the
wardens’. He looked down on the ground, unable to truly fathom the scope
of what he just heard. Soon after, he raised his eyes to stare directly
into Baz’. “Very well. I, Kal Tae-Won, Master of the Iron Courage
Fortress, swear that we will serve the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, from
this day and for all days to come.”
A wave of essence originating from the world itself washed over them, the [System] had acknowledged their oath.
While this world had no System contracts or other ways to
ensure that both parties of a promise would keep their word, when it
came to oaths of this magnitude, the [System] took notice. Baz had never
quite figured out exactly how the [System]’s Group function worked, but
the more he experienced, the more he understood.
Groups were recognized by the [System]. Titles were given
and experience rewarded to those who were important to these Groups.
That happened here, the fortress master and his wardens were given a
small reward of experience for joining the cult.
If these Titles linked to Groups were lost due to war or other struggles, nothing happened.
If someone reneged on their word, however, and thereby stole experience from the [System], the punishments were severe.
It was rare due to the extreme nature of the punishments,
but it did happen. Should someone make an oath to a Group and gain a
Title and experience as the [System] recognizes the achievement, only to
then break that oath, the [System] would take back what it gave, with
interest proportionate to the scale of the oath. Several levels would be
forcefully torn from their spirits. At best it would weaken them, at
worst it would cripple them.
Keeping oaths of loyalty had become ingrained in the culture, not just in the eastern continent but throughout the entire world.
The Iron Courage Fortress had fully accepted that it now
belonged to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. The cult’s territory and
power grew once again, and this was only the beginning.
Soon, any Group that did not already belong to the Great Martial Alliance would fall under their banner.
I'll keep the timeline a permanent feature from here on, I think. Cause why not.
Timeline:
Year
0
The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult is founded.
Cave of Latent Demons is created.
Haru, Chul, and the other first generation demons begin cultivating.
Year
0, m 6
Haru and Chul break through to Essence Consolidation
Year
0, m 7
Third demonic cultivator breaks through to Essence Consolidation and dies
Year
0, m 7–9
The remaining 3 reach Essence Consolidation
Year
1
Second generation, over 50 new candidates, begin cultivating
Year
2
Third generation, closer to a hundred candidates, begin cultivating
Year
3
Fourth generation, around 100.
Year
4
Fifth generation, around 100.
Year
5
Sixth generation, around 100.
Demonic mania is discovered.
Aberrant Demon Path is developed
Secondary training area opens for those training the Aberrant Demon Path
Year
6
Haru wins the first graduation tournament
First generation graduates, including Haru, Chul, and Shik
Seventh generation, around 100
Year
7
Second generation graduates, Jum wins the second graduation tournament
Year
7–8
Jum and a few other demonic cultivators reach out to Víctor about magic
Year
8
Third generation graduates, including Joon
Year
9
Baz enters isolated cultivation
Year
10
Baz breaks through to Nascent Soul, about 22–23 years after he was summoned and began cultivating
Year
11
Construction of Demonic Citadel begins
Jeoksa Jaemin arrives and a deal is struck regarding his 2-year-old son
Víctor's magic academy rivals the Cave of Latent Demons in terms of recruitment and graduates
Jum develops Formation Arts
Jum is promoted to Demonic General, third after Haru and Chul (Education Hall Master)
Jum is given the title of Formation Hall Master
Year
11–12
Jeoksa Jaemin holds up his end of the bargain and sends countless resources
Year
12
Demonic Martial Form is developed and spread throughout the cult
The Cave of Latent Demons extends its curriculum, disciples now stay there for 8 years
All demonic cultivators work on developing new Techniques
Whispering Reaper Guild attacks
Marion is killed
Sebastian has an epiphany and his Akashic Connection Talent is upgraded to Akashic Incarnation
Sebastian accepts his place and identity, he becomes Baz, the demon god.
The Unyielding Sword of the Demon God is developed
Mujin is named the capital of the cult and a restructure is begun
Baz bestows new titles for everyone.
Víctor reaches level 50
The training at the Cave of Latent Demons is extended to 10 years
The new city, Muwon, is announced, though the name is not revealed until later
From this moment onward, the cult exclusively recruits sproutlings to the Cave of Latent Demons
Víctor endures his Major Accomplishment Tribulation
Year
16
The construction of the Demonic Citadel and the entire Mansan mountains has reached a point of minor completion
The Grand Demonic Mist Formation is completed and deployed
Year
17
Demonic General Joon and his Intelligence Hall embeds themselves in the Jeoksa Family
Year
18
The Kam brother attack and are killed
Messaging boards have been installed at important sites of the cult
Demonic General Joon prepares for the takeover of the Jeoksa Family
Jeoksa Jaemin's son, Jaebak, is sent to the Cave of Latent Demons
The plan is executed, and the Jeoksa Family pledges themselves as the first Vassal Family of the cult
Baz kills elites of the Tang Clan
Baz breaks through to Soul Transformation, 8 years after reached Nascent Soul
Year
20
The Mansan mountains are now teeming with natural essence, nature having recovered due to their presence
Baz' singularity bursts forth like the big bang and becomes a cosmos
Baz' True Spirit begins taking shape
The Demonic Caverns are constructed
Thousands upon thousands of sproutlings from all over the Red Sea were recruited and enlisted to the Demonic Caverns
Plans for a major campaign to conquer the region are started
Year
22
Baz' inner cosmos settles and begins its development
Gawen endures his Major Accomplishment Tribulation
Year
24
Safi endures her Major Accomplishment Tribulation
Year
25
Eduard endures his Major Accomplishment Tribulation
Year
28
Jeoksa Jaemin's son, Jaebak, graduates as top of his generation
Year
30
The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult is officially a powerhouse. Nearby Groups are paying attention.
Haru breaks through to Nascent Soul, about 30 years after she began cultivating
The Eight Paths Demonic Sword Art is developed
Year
31
Chul breaks through to Nascent Soul
Year
31–34
Three other demonic cultivators break through to Nascent Soul—Seong is third, Shik is fourth, and Duho is fifth
Year
35
The campaign begins
The Red Sea is conquered
The Iron Courage Fortress is the first proper Group to fall and pledge allegiance to the cult
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