The Demon Monarch System

Az'kayzak's Full Awakening

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Looking at the spear draped over the young fellow's shoulder, both Hakkur's and Tiberius's expressions showed some change. After all, a spear was the signature of the Dongguang Family, so to see a youth appear here with a seemingly unusual spear perplexed Hakkur.

For one, he wasn't aware of someone with this appearance being amongst the family's powerful children. But, after also noticing Aaron's golden eyes, Hakkur was confident that this b0oy before him was linked to his family. Thus, before moving forward he needed to acquire some answers.

"Is he… one of yours? It seems like that should be the case, but there is also something unusual in his bloodline like he was born of a much weaker talent," Tiberius said while rubbing his chin in thought. A medley of emotions appeared on his face as he continued to notice new abnormal things about Aaron.

"That might be the case, he presents all of the unique characteristics of a Dongguang. What's more, he's extremely unusual. I wonder where his power comes from for him to survive this deep in the Endless Death Domain without suffering damage or even feeling some discomfort," Hakkur muttered with a perplexed expression.

Typically, this deep into the Endless Death Domain would cause discomfort due to the extremely dense miasma present. However, much less feeling uncomfortable, it was as if Aaron didn't even detect the miasma nor did his body. Had it not been for his young and their strong perception revealing that his cultivation was no higher than a Zul and Spirit Lord, they would've thought they ran into something even stronger than a Paragon!

Nevertheless, this set of older people couldn't waste all of their time trying to figure out the exact origins of Aaron or unearth the source of his abnormalities. For now, there were many more important issues to deal with.

Thus, Hakkur raised his hand that coated with a terrifyingly sharp aura before pressing it forward again the miasma. The miasma was split apart like a divided sea while the energy continued to travel deeper into the spacious cave.

"Come along," Hakkur said before traveling deep inside the cave. He didn't wait for the others to follow as he casually observed his surrounding. There were many broken pillars with deep-green and toxic feeling runes leading towards the inner parts of the cave.

Even Hakkur felt some apprehension towards these runes as they pulsated with a deathly aura. If it weren't for his Spirit that he prided himself for, there was a high chance of him taking a small step back, whether it be from instinct or absolute fear.

Soon enough, the other Grand Masters, Gideon, and Aaron arrived behind Hakkur. They noticed he had come to a full stop right before a door. His expression was unusually grim as he gazed deep into that area.

A pair of black eyes exuding a green aura so dense it almost appeared black glowed in the not so far-off distance. A low rumble followed when Hakkur and the others noticed signs of movement taking place. "My old adversaries, I expected your audience sooner or later. So, you have felt my subtle presence on that battlefield have you?"

"Correct, and we're here to come to a compromise. There is no need to continue all of this carnage for the time being. Both sides have suffered enough casualties, enough to justify ending this thing," Gideon said in a firm tone. Unlike the other Grand Masters, he had witnessed the state of the battlefield firsthand.

It was an extent of carnage that he had only witnessed a handful of times prior to that moment. And, all of those events ended in both sides suffering such catastrophic losses that it took a significant amount of time to recovers.

As for those who survived the carnage, they emerged from the war a completely different person. Whether it be an increase in power, change in the mental state, or their overall sanity―none of these things stayed the same. Participating in a bloody war always produced some unavoidable effects.

Sadly, Az'kayzak seemed uninterested in this matter. The look in his eyes remained the same if not even more lackadaisical as he looked at Gideon and chuckled. Gideon's firm request amused Az'kayzak.

"Oh? Do you believe my race treats death the same way you do? Unlike your inferior race, mine draws power from the event of death. So, tell me, why would I tell them to stop what they're doing when it is the sole reason for my grand return? Do you believe me to be foolish?" Az'kayzak responded. His tone towards the end seemed slightly agitated as the Death Essence present in the room formed a vortex despite his lack of conscious control.

This was just how powerful he was in comparison to Brukti. Whereas Brukti needed to focus before influencing the Death Essence to do his bidding, Az'kayzak only needed to show some emotion for the energy to become subservient.

"It's not a question of whether or not you're foolish. But, if I'm being blunt, then yes; I believe you to be very foolish. After all, we have traveled down this road once before. Why can't you be content with the domain that you've claimed for yourself and exist quietly? You'll just lose again in the end," Tiberius voiced. At the same time, he shook his head disappointedly while releasing a deep sigh.

"Oh? Is that so? But, you see, I don't believe that to be entirely true. In fact, I'm willing to take that chance," Az'kayzak said with a faint smile. After a short pause, he continued. "I see that the state of the battlefield is devolving on my side. A number of humans wield that same power that brought an end to the war."

"Precisely, so stop your foolish escapades. They're fruitless and resulting in needless death," Hakkur barked.

However, Az'kayzak merely smiled in response as he stepped forward from within the darkness, revealing his figure that betrayed Aaron's earlier image. He expected this being to be a colossus, seeing as most of the records detailed that a Terror's size indicated how much power they possessed.

Yet, Az'kayzak seemed more closely related to a human than a Terror. While his skin was the same unusual color, it gradually turned into a color that resembled leather dipped in midnight blue dye. What's more, his burnt orange hair flowed down his back, creating a scene that one would fail to liken to a Terror.

"That's where you are wrong, human. These aren't needless death. They are very much filled with intent. Because it is only when my kind is killed by another entity that I can reclaim the power I've invested in their bodies. So, it is I who ultimately benefits from this war!"

Whoosh!

A burst of absurdly powerful Death Essence pushed everyone back in the cave as Az'kayzak stretched his body that hadn't performed any intense movements in centuries. But, now that he did, his first attack, while effortless in nature, caught the Grand Masters off-guard.

Fortunately, these Grand Masters weren't your everyday run-of-the-mill opponent. Each of the Grand Masters mitigated the force of the attack with their unique aura before recovering completely. On the other hand, Aaron closed his eyes and muttered an incantation.

A dazzling golden aura interspersed with radiant sparkles appeared for a moment but it was soon by a golden flame. The presence of the flames burnt the Death Essence, but because of the purity, it took some time and extreme focus.

'This guy is as powerful as I assumed. No wonder I felt inherent fear towards this being. Just this attack alone will take a few minutes for me to deal with through my own means,' Aaron thought. His gaze narrowed upon Az'kayzak, treating him like an inevitable opponent.

However, Hakkur flicked his finger and sent a surge of sharp energy towards Aaron's chest. The Death Essence encasing his body was shredded to tiny pieces in mere moments.

"Be mindful of your surroundings, young one. This is not an opponent that you can deal with. While it commendable that you managed to make it to this place, it's not the same as experiencing the dreadfulness of this opponent," Hakkur said.

Afterward, he returned his attention to Az'kayzak, who seemed focused on Aaron alone. 'That golden blaze… we Absorbeyns have experienced something similar once before. Sadly, we couldn't claim any of that power for our own since doing partaking in that cataclysmic event would've been nothing more than suicidal, resulting in our guaranteed demise. Regardless, I've already come across something much more befitting of our nature.'

"Since you don't want to do this the civil way, then we'll have to take a more forceful route. Don't blame us for being this way; it's just the survival of our race take precedence over making a deal of peaceful coexistence," Gideon said.

In the next moment, Gideon raised his staff above his head and conjured a huge orb of black flames. Similarly, Tiberius and Hakkur made their moves, unleashing two mighty attacks in the form of a golden spear and shadow sword.

Despite the alarming presence of their attacks, Az'kayzak smiled. "Assuming that I'm the same opponent that I once was would be a sore underestimation of my power, but that's a mistake you humans usually make."

Az'kayzak waved his hand indifferently, summoning an astronomical amount of death orbs. They were only 1 meter in diameter, but the overall feeling of the attack made their pupils constrict.

Boom!

Astarat and the Endless Death Domain both trembled violently as five figures flew out of the area at astonishing speeds.

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