Abyssal Sovereign: The Demon's Dominion
Chapter 234 - 233: god among monster ? demon among gods

"Well, fuck this. Where's Caius' courtyard?" Liya asked indifferently.

"Take her there," Theron commanded. One of his guards bowed and silently led her away.

"So, she's officially cut ties," Theron thought, a slight smile forming. "News about her decision will spread soon."

"You," he pointed at another guard, "Spread the news. Lydia has broken our engagement contract and is back with Caius."

"But Crown Prince, won't this make you look weak? That you can't even keep your own woman?" one guard asked while another nodded in agreement.

"It's not like that. Don't be short-sighted," Theron replied calmly. "To you,and to the rich and powerful...I may appear weak. They won't say it to my face, of course. But I'm not targeting them… I'm targeting the masses. They'll see it differently. They'll see a man who respects a woman's wishes. Women and mothers influence the next generation. That's important."

The guards gulped, shaken. Was this how all members of the royal family thought? It felt like an entirely different realm, these people weren't normal. The ease with which they could manipulate perception was terrifying.

"Still... I wonder," Theron thought, "Will the Duke family hold on or fall to Caius? Hahaha... right, I have to sacrifice one of my spies to fool Caius later on , but it will be worth it."

***********

Soon, the news that Liya had broken off her engagement with the Crown Prince spread like wildfire throughout the Federation.

Just as Theron expected, the wealthy sneered and whispered. To them, Theron appeared weak unable to keep his fiancée.

But the common women? They applauded him. In their eyes, the Crown Prince had respected Liya's wishes. Surely, no engagement would be broken otherwise.

Of course, if they had known Theron had already abandoned the Duke family, turning them against the military their opinion might have been very different. But what happens in high society, stays in high society.

Among officials and aristocrats, the reaction was different. They were stunned. They hadn't underestimated Theron but this reminded them of how dangerous he could be.

"This Crown Prince… he's no fool. Smart. Calculated. Even devious," some murmured.

To them, the broken engagement made sense. Theron had discarded the Duke family, which meant Liya being part of them was also cut off. Naturally, she'd walk away.

But while the aristocrats analyzed politics, the general public, merchants, and businessmen saw only one thing: a Crown Prince who respected women. Respect.

It was crazy how easily the masses could be misled.

Yet, another name was on everyone's lips…

Caius.

She was back with Caius.

And while the masses might've been pleased, unease filled the air.

The battle for the throne had begun.

*********

Meanwhile, aboard a military spaceship...

A sleek, high-speed military ship tore through space. Its destination: the Federation. More specifically, the Royal Family.

This was no ordinary ship. It was military-grade, built solely for generals. Traveling between universes in minutes? Absolutely possible.

(Compare that to the dreadborne organization's ships. Theirs were faster thanks to their trump card: a being that could bend space and time, Linkir. Amazing, right? Heheh, ..cough!)

"General, we'll arrive in four days," a soldier reported from the control room.

The speaker was tall, well-built, and wore pristine military gear. This was Darwin the Commander of Darius private army , and his most trusted confidant. He was already at the Middle Galaxy Realm and was considered the second most talented of his generation.

Shockingly… he was the same age as the Eldest Prince, Caius.

"I see. Let me know a few minutes before we arrive," Darius's calm voice echoed from inside a room.

"Yes, General… but please, ease up on the training," Darwin advised before walking out.

******

Inside the private chamber…

A young man sat cross-legged. Only 16, but already 1.9 meters tall, with a lean, sculpted body. Chiseled abs, sharp features, brown hair, and piercing brown eyes.

This was Darius.

But right now, his mind was submerged in a mental simulation chamber.

This room didn't inflict physical damage, but within the simulated space, pain and fatigue were very real. Death inside meant serious injury in real life.

It was dangerous, expensive and incredibly effective.

Only a few beings in the Federation had access to this type of training. Not because of money but prestige. It was reserved for geniuses of the human race.

The chamber worked by recreating versions of powerful beings from the Federation's universal database. All power levels, techniques, and battle styles were fed to a hyper-advanced AI, which produced near-perfect holographic opponents.

Currently, Darius had defeated every genius in the Peak Galaxy Realm except for one:

The Ancestor of the Hollowind Family.

BOOM!

His body crashed into the simulated ground, shattering the environment. The training ended.

[Battle #1002626 with the Ancestor of the Hollowind Family has ended.]

[Congratulations. Host survived for 30 seconds.]

A cold mechanical voice rang out as Darius collapsed, drenched in sweat.

"Three years… and I still can't beat him. How strong was he at the Galaxy Realm? At lower levels, he wasn't that special. Dammit... no wonder they called him a god among monsters," Darius thought bitterly, slowly standing up.

Massive energy surged through him, strengthening his foundation but it wasn't enough.

No genius wants to be second.

Not Darius.

"I just have to work harder," he muttered.

Suddenly a cold chuckle echoed.

"Even if you worked ten times harder… you'll never reach his level, let alone surpass him," a voice sneered.

Darius spun around, instinctively taking a defensive stance.

Standing there, bottle in hand, was a mysterious man calm and smiling faintly.

Dark hair, a lean muscular body, and slightly tanned skin , this was Void in his human form.

"Who are you, and how did you get here?" Darius asked, his mind spinning. For any being to get this close to him unnoticed, their strength had to be far beyond his own realm.

"Relax. My name is Void, and I've taken an interest in you. Be my pawn," Void said with a calm smile.

Darius slowly calmed down.

Now that he understood this being's purpose, the fear faded. The unknown was always the most terrifying. But once it was understood, once it had shape it became manageable.

"I'm not interested in joining your organization. I'm already with the military," Darius said, sitting back down, brushing Void off like every other universal-level being that had tried to recruit him with empty benefits.

He resumed thinking about his training routine.

"Oh… he's deaf," Void remarked. "You are not worthy to join my organization. I'm not here to recruit you. I simply want you to be my pawn."

This time, Darius heard him clearly.

Pawn? Him? The fourth prince of the royal family? The youngest general in Federation history? A Peak Galaxy Realm cultivator?

Now Darius finally turned to look at the man properly.

Unknown origin. Slightly dark skin. Devilishly handsome.

"Who exactly are you?" Darius asked coldly.

"I already told you. My name is Void. Now… will you be my pawn?" Void asked again, smiling.

"No," Darius replied flatly.

"I was right," Void said, amused. A wide grin formed on his face. If Darius had given in so easily to a stranger, he wouldn't be worthy of being his pawn. But this arrogance, this belief in himself and his strength Void liked that.

Because when it crumbles...

Hahahahahaha...

"Take this parcel," Void said, tossing it onto the floor. "Place your blood on it when you're ready."

And with that, he vanished.

Darius looked at the spot where Void had sat. A strange, sealed parcel rested there.

... outside the space ship...

(Host is being scanned by an unidentified force. Attempting to access strength profile)(Allow scan?)

"Sure," Void replied elsewhere, smiling faintly.

He knew all about the simulation room, its workings, rules, and system. In fact, this was part of the reason he came.

To shake this little pawn.

********

Back in the chamber, Darius ignored the parcel.

"Start the simula—"

But before he could finish, the mechanical voice interrupted:

[New being detected...] [Unregistered in the Federation… scanning... registering…] [Failed.] [Scanning…] [Failed.] [...] [0.00001% of strength copied — Success.] [New being added.] [Name: Unknown.]

Darius was stunned.

It couldn't even scan Void properly?

And only 0.00001% of his strength had been copied?

Now Darius was intrigued.

"Enter simulation space. Random arena. Generate the being named 'Unknown,'" he ordered without hesitation.

His vision blurred.

He found himself standing on a ravaged battlefield, craters dozens of meters wide littered the area. Knives, swords, axes, boots, and bodies lay scattered across the bloodied terrain.

And before him stood the exact being he had just spoken to.

Void.

Then suddenly, he was back in his chamber.

"What just happened?" Darius blinked.

[Stimulation Failed.] [Host survived for 0.001 seconds.]

He stared blankly as the AI gave its evaluation.

"Wait… does that mean I died the moment the simulation loaded? Even Hollowind only killed me after one second and that's the first time we fought … but this? This being could kill me thousands of times in a single second?"

His hands trembled slightly.

"And this… this isn't even his full power. We were both simulated to be at Peak Galaxy Realm…"

His voice faltered.

"…What is this?"

Darius collapsed onto his bed, eyes wide with disbelief.

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