Bottomless Abyss, 600th Layer, Endless Maze, Prince's Fortress.
The silver dragon adjusted his size to fit into the fortress. Amidst the fearful and incredulous gazes of the minotaur demon guards, he entered the heavily guarded prince's castle at a leisurely pace.
"Lord Baphomet, how do you find my way of crossing the maze? Do you approve?"
Upon entering the main hall, Garon looked at the Beast Lord and asked calmly.
In the grand palace, the first thing that caught Garon's eyes was a majestic and robust minotaur demon.
On its forehead, it bore a pair of menacing horns, seemingly stained with the dried, dark red blood of those it had torn through. These rugged and twisted horns pointed slightly upwards. Its eyes were like brass bells, with blood-red pupils surrounded by dense red blood vessels, giving it a fierce and brutal appearance. As its gaze moved, it occasionally revealed a savage and ruthless look.
Beneath the thick, messy black fur were layers of robust muscles, resembling the gnarled roots of an ancient tree, exuding an overwhelming sense of power.
This was Garon's first formal meeting with the Beast Lord.
Back in the Heroic Domain of the Land of Fire, Garon had secretly observed the Beast Lord while hiding in the White Dragon head of the Queen of Chromatic Dragons. At that time, Garon, who had not yet reached mid-tier divine power, felt a strong sense of oppression from this demon lord.
However, the previous sense of oppression was now completely gone.
"."
Faced with Garon's question, Baphomet was silent for a few seconds, then took a deep breath, his body hair trembling slightly, his pupils blood-red, as if suppressing something. He then slowly said, "Very well, beyond my expectations."
"You are the first to pass through my maze so quickly."
The Endless Maze had been broken, with Garon effortlessly tearing a path through it. For the Beast Lord, who loved the art of the maze, this was somewhat difficult to accept.
However, even with his irritable nature, after serious consideration, he suppressed his anger.
The silver dragon, his face calm, was eye-level with the seated minotaur demon lord when on all fours. He said, "That's good. I was worried that Lord Baphomet would also think that mazes should be traversed step by step, and disdain my efficient method."
Two thick white streams of air shot out like jets from the Beast Lord's nostrils.
"To cross a maze, naturally, the most efficient method should be used."
His words carried a heavy, restrained breath.
Meanwhile, the silver dragon suddenly turned, his gaze piercing through the fortress's black and red walls to see two demon figures, wrapped in thick Abyssal aura, streaking like meteors and landing precisely in the fortress.
In an instant, they appeared in the hall.
One was the slender and elegant Dark Sovereign, who had once killed the Frost Giant God with a single blow from Garon.
The silver dragon looked down at the Dark Sovereign, who nodded lightly and smiled, "Lord Garon, at this second meeting, you stand at the same level as us. Truly an astonishing rate of growth."
The time since their last meeting wasn't long, yet Garon had already ascended to near-godly power.
The Dark Sovereign was deeply shocked by Garon's growth rate, though he hid it well.
Garon nodded briefly, "Just lucky."
He turned his gaze to the other demon lord.
This demon lord had a somewhat peculiar form, appearing insubstantial.
In the faint, jade-like light, it seemed as though the wind had sculpted the light into shape, resembling a floating, translucent white veil, faintly outlining a soft and alluring silhouette, like a voluptuous humanoid female figure.
Even in the windless fortress, the white veil seemed to flutter as if blown by the wind, continuously revealing and concealing a beautiful form, adding a mysterious allure.
Garon could feel that this demon lord was quietly observing him, her gaze somewhat heated.
"Lord Garon, allow me to introduce you. This is my mother, the ancient first-generation Obyrith demon, mother of many demon lords, the Demon Mother Malcanthet."
The Dark Sovereign introduced proactively, though Garon already knew the demon lord's identity.
Demon Mother Malcanthet had long coveted my body. She once had the Dark Sovereign invite me to her demonic fortress as a guest, which I refused. Now, she seems to desire me even more, her gaze brimming with naked lust, almost an open seduction.
And the Dark Sovereign seems keen on creating opportunities for me and his mother?
A truly bizarre and incomprehensible demon ethic.
Isn't Baphomet supposed to be Malcanthet's lover and ally? Your behavior as mother and son, in front of Baphomet, isn't this inappropriate?
In the presence of the three demon archdukes, Garon pondered silently.
"I've heard of you, beautiful Lady Malcanthet."
The silver dragon bowed his head, addressing the Demon Mother.
Malcanthet's hazy eyes blinked, the white veil constantly flowing.
A melodious and dreamy voice, as if from another world, spoke, "Hello, Garon Aurelian. I look forward to meeting you in person. If possible, a private meeting would be more to my liking."
The form outlined by the veil became more seductive, now tinged with a pink hue representing lust.
Garon remained unmoved.
Before coming to the Bottomless Abyss, he had already gathered information about Malcanthet.
According to the Queen of Chromatic Dragons, Malcanthet wasn't as enchanting as her outward appearance suggested. These were merely surface illusions. The 'light' outlining her body was actually a shadow shroud, concealing her true form and body.
A terrible, horrifying, insane, and grotesque form that even Malcanthet herself found hard to accept, one that would disgust even demons, requiring her to wear the shroud at all times to cover it.
Anyone who 'fortunately' saw the Demon Mother's true form by lifting her shroud had already become a living portrait decorating her fortress.
"What kind of form could make even demons feel nauseous?"
"I wonder if my aesthetics can appreciate the beauty of the Demon Mother's true form."
Honestly, Garon was a bit curious.
The silver dragon smiled at the Demon Mother's advances, saying, "If there's an opportunity, I wouldn't mind a private conversation with Lady Malcanthet."
After exchanging a few pleasantries with the demon archdukes, the dragon and the demons got down to business.
"Lord Garon, I'd like to know, to what extent can the Dragon God System assist the King Slayer Alliance?"
"For example, would Lord Io, the Dragon God, take action for the King Slayer Alliance?"
The Dark Sovereign's eyes flickered, his dark green pupils like gemstones, probing elegantly.
"Wishful thinking," Garon smiled slightly, "When the Dragon God System made the promise, the Chief God had not yet revived, so this has nothing to do with the Chief God."
The Pantheon aimed for a gradual erosion of the Abyss's foundation, causing demon lords to fall one by one in a slow boil, rather than engaging in a fierce, all-out war.
Pausing, the silver dragon continued, "Does the Dark Sovereign believe that without the Chief God, the Dragon God System cannot help the King Slayer Alliance achieve victory?"
Hearing Garon's words, the Dark Sovereign's elegant smile remained unchanged.
"Lord Garon misunderstood. I acknowledge the might of the Dragon God System."
"After all, it is a hegemonic divine system that can make the lofty gods bow down. With the Dragon God System's assistance, I feel very reassured."
At this point, the Beast Lord grew tired of the Dark Sovereign's roundabout way of speaking and directly asked, "What kind of assistance is the Dragon God System willing to provide?"
Garon actually preferred straightforward communication and was not displeased by the Beast Lord's bluntness. He calmly responded, "You may choose the assistance of two powerful dragon gods."
Two promises to the Dark Sovereign and the Beast Lord respectively, with two dragon gods assisting them, was quite reasonable.
The demon archdukes had no objections.
At the same time, the Demon Mother, in her ethereal, dreamy voice, asked seriously, "If the King Slayer Alliance wins, what are the Dragon God System's plans afterward?"
Garon countered, "Before answering that, I'd like to know whether the demon archdukes, if becoming the Demon King, plan to unite the Abyss and be content as the king of demons, or do they aim for more planes?"
The Dark Sovereign and Demon Mother fell silent.
The Beast Lord snorted, his voice deep as thunder, and said honestly, "For now, unifying the Abyss is enough for me. But if I truly become the Demon King, my ambitions may change accordingly."
"With greater power comes greater ambition."
Garon smiled and said, "The prince is right. Possessing powerful tools naturally gives rise to a desire to use them."
After smiling, the silver dragon's face became calm and serene, saying, "At that time, the Pantheon will naturally stand against the Demon King, but that's for the future."
The King Slayer Alliance knew they were dealing with a tiger and were betting on gaining enough power to rival the Pantheon. This was something everyone present understood.
In fact, they had no choice.
Especially given the current situation in the Abyss.
Demon Prince Lolth and his consort, the Queen of Chaos, creators of the Tanar'ri demons, already had a slightly stronger faction compared to the Insect King and the King Slayer Alliance.
Now, with
the addition of the Devourer God Zalteck, the Spider Queen Lolth, and the Beholder Goddess Gzemnid, three evil gods had joined their ranks.
Many hesitant demon lords chose to follow Lolth and join his faction.
The Lolth faction swelled unprecedentedly, becoming undoubtedly the number one force in the Abyss.
Neither the Insect King nor the King Slayer Alliance could contend with Lolth's faction alone, and even together, they might not be able to rival them.
The Dragon God System's external support was their only chance to turn the tide.
Even if they faced backlash later, surviving now was more important.
"You're right. Now it's about the cooperation between the Dragon God System and the King Slayer Alliance, not the Pantheon and the Demon King."
The Dark Sovereign smiled and spoke gently.
Garon lifted his chin and said, "As for the Dragon God System's plans, after the King Slayer Alliance defeats the other Demon Princes, the Dragon God System will not interfere with the King Slayer Alliance, allowing you to select a Demon King yourselves."
The silver dragon's gaze swept over the demon archdukes, his expression playful, "You are all allies of the Dragon God System. Ultimately, it makes no difference to us who ascends the throne."
It was foreseeable that the three would eventually clash.
They wouldn't draw lots like Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades in the Olympus Multiverse. With their demonic nature, they would never back down in the face of the Demon King's throne.
The Beast Lord lifted his head, his rugged horns gleaming coldly, his chest puffed out confidently, "The Demon King's throne will ultimately be mine, Baphomet's."
The Dark Sovereign spoke in a troubled tone, "The prince is indeed the strongest among the King Slayer Alliance."
As he spoke, his face still wore an elegant smile, like a mask etched onto his features.
Between the Beast Lord and the Dark Sovereign, the Demon Mother remained silent, her white veil fluttering.
"Let the future deal with the future."
Garon said, "Lords, I have a suggestion. Would you like to hear it?"
"Please, speak."
The silver dragon, unhurriedly, said, "The King Slayer Alliance should first establish a cooperative relationship with the Insect King to jointly deal with Lolth. With our dragon gods' assistance, the three forces can concentrate on eliminating Lolth's faction."
"Then, the Insect King will be no problem."
The Beast Lord frowned and said, "We previously discussed cooperation with the Insect King but parted on bad terms."
"That was because Lolth hadn't yet allied with the evil gods."
The Dark Sovereign spoke.
He looked at the silver dragon and said, "Now, the Insect King surely has the intention to cooperate with the King Slayer Alliance."
"However, with the Dragon God System involved, it might be cautious."
Garon nonchalantly said, "Have the Insect King lower its guard and cooperate with the King Slayer Alliance. I believe the demon archdukes have ways to achieve that."
The Dark Sovereign pondered for a moment and whispered, "Indeed, there are ways. By making a pact with the Insect King to fight Lolth first, and the King Slayer Alliance won't use the Dragon God System's power after defeating Lolth, competing alone for the Demon King's throne..."
The Beast Lord's voice rumbled, "The King Slayer Alliance has the confidence to defeat the Insect King. Let's proceed with this plan."
The Dark Sovereign subtly frowned but didn't speak after being interrupted by Baphomet.
After another period of communication, detailing a more precise cooperation plan, the silver dragon and the three demon archdukes chatted happily in the fortress of the Endless Maze, the atmosphere quite pleasant.
Finally, Garon's gaze shifted, and he asked, "Have you decided which two dragon gods will assist the King Slayer Alliance?"
The three demon archdukes exchanged glances, secretly communicated, and then the Beast Lord spoke, "The Undying Queen and you, the Eternal and Temporal Dragon, are our top choices."
They naturally chose the strongest ones.
They didn't select the Metallic Dragon God because the battlefield was in the Abyss.
Different gods' battle strength varies in different planes. In a plane matching their attributes, gods can often exert greater power but are weakened otherwise.
Righteous Metallic Dragon Gods would be naturally suppressed in the Bottomless Abyss, while the evil Undying Queen would be somewhat strengthened.
Moreover, cooperating with the Metallic Dragon Gods might lead to resistance and rejection from other demon lords.
As for Garon, the neutral and mysterious Temporal Dragon, they definitely chose him.
"A good choice."
"Looks like we'll be fighting side by side."
The silver dragon said calmly.
Then, Garon took out three dragon scales and handed them to the demon archdukes, telling them they could use the scales to contact him anytime. After that, he left the Bottomless Abyss, concluding this trip.
Upon returning to the Heroic Domain, Garon immediately received a message from the Dark Sovereign.
"Lord Garon, you represent both the Dragon God System and the Pantheon."
"I hope you can convey to the gods that I, Dark Sovereign Graz'zt, can swear an oath to the gods."
"If I become the Demon King, I will forbid any demons from opposing the gods, restraining demons to stay in the Bottomless Abyss, never stepping into other planes."
The Dark Sovereign made numerous promises and stated they could all be sworn or contracted.
"I understand."
The silver dragon's eyes were deep, like a lake after rain, quietly replying.
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