CHAPTER 90

After ten hours had passed, before Hazard stood the colossal skeletal remains of the legendary Behemoth, which could no longer be called a mere corpse. Instead, with the fiery glow of spirit flames burning within its hollow eye sockets, Hazard expressed his gratitude toward his former companion—one who, despite all efforts, could never surpass the rank of Warlord. Cerberus, having consumed countless fallen heroes over time, had grown so bloated that it was on the verge of death from overeating. Yet, realizing that it had made no progress, it forced Hazard to carry out the transformation.

"Amazing!!!"

Genibas was astonished. The spirit of a creature akin to a Hellhound of Warlord rank had managed to inhabit the body of a legendary Behemoth and, despite the soul's relative weakness compared to the body, had not perished. He was delighted, having completely forgotten to warn Hazard about the possible destruction of the creature's soul.

Only during the process did he realize that the creature was one of Hazard's oldest followers and mounts, and with that awareness, it pushed itself to the limits to ensure the success of the procedure.

"Cerberus..."

Hazard gently stroked the skeletal jaw of the creature. At that moment, however, an aura nearby began to surge, drawing Hazard's attention.

"Success?"

Had three consecutive successes occurred, Hazard would have marked this day as a historic moment in his reign. As he approached the source of the magical disturbance, he saw the male Thunder Dragon of Death concentrating its power. After five minutes, the dragon let out a roar, its eyes locking onto Hazard.

"Ah..."

It seemed fate would not allow this day to be one of fortune for Hazard. Upon reaching the legendary rank and recognizing Hazard's inferior strength, the dragon decided to challenge its own father for dominance over the tribe.

A week passed. The legendary male dragon strode through the castle with an air of triumph, believing itself to be the ruler of all forces and territories after its father bowed to it and acknowledged defeat—without even engaging in battle. However, had it thought more deeply, it would have realized that aside from two sisters—its two mates—no one else recognized a change in command. Everyone still regarded Hazard as their king.

The massive dragon, mentally still a child, ventured to the place where the legendary undead Behemoth constantly tested its strength. Each day, the Behemoth's obsidian armor grew heavier, reinforcing its formidable presence.

"Roooaaarrr!"

The dragon landed beside the Behemoth, roaring a challenge for a duel. Its father had always avoided combat, claiming to be occupied with experiments, leaving the young dragon frustrated as its orders were ignored.

Now, the only remaining legendary being in the territory—the undead Behemoth—decided to engage, using the battle as a warm-up for its muscles. However, like Hazard, the Behemoth preferred to avoid unnecessary fights, as it had been commanded to protect its newly installed armor until it was fully complete.

"Wooooooyeeeesss!!!"

With its massive tusks, the Behemoth shoved the dragon aside. It needed to head south to hunt the remaining epic Dark Dragon from the war, a creature that had attacked undead patrols multiple times, causing significant damage.

Yet, the male dragon saw the shove as the start of the battle and summoned countless lightning bolts while its body shimmered with a mix of miasma and violet electricity. The Behemoth, on the other hand, rose on its hind legs, towering over the young and inexperienced dragon, and slammed it to the ground with its claws. The follow-up blows from its tusks left the dragon no chance to cast any magic, instead sending it into a deep unconsciousness.

Upon awakening, the dragon—ashamed of its defeat—challenged the Behemoth to battle every day in an attempt to reclaim its pride. However, with each successive loss, it proved why Behemoths were known as dragon-slayers.

Inside the castle, a week later, Hazard pored over Genibas's records, discussing new magical theories with him. Recently, they had discovered that the Demon King, on a server beyond Hazard's access, had ascended to demigodhood. The message detailing his advancement had warned him that no system abilities or structures would function for him anymore. It seemed that as each Demon King reached demigodhood, the God of Destruction withdrew its support, leaving them to rely solely on their own divine growth.

This realization drove Hazard to intensively study fundamental, intermediate, and advanced magical principles under Genibas's guidance, working tirelessly to create counters for every type of magic and element. The two researchers, consumed by their endless experiments—some successful, some disastrous—remained isolated in the laboratory. The frequent explosions served as a sign to others that they were alive and actively working, unaware that a third person would soon join them and elevate their experiments to an entirely new level.

Meanwhile, on another continent, the flames of war engulfed every city. A chaotic battle was unfolding between two factions of the Demon King. Cain was launching relentless assaults, conquering the sanctuaries of Kaya's Demon Kings. Due to binding contracts, he imprisoned those he defeated, intending to recruit them into his faction once Kaya was slain and their contracts were nullified.

Only Kaya's main army and the orcs could withstand these scattered invasions. However, Cain's overwhelming numbers and his avoidance of direct confrontation with Kaya—due to lacking sufficient legendary warriors—led to strategic warfare, including scorched-earth tactics, hit-and-run attacks, and other maneuvers that severely damaged the morale of Kaya's forces.

Yet, neither army expected the arrival of a third faction. As their ships anchored on the shores, a massive undead sea creature, resembling a whale, carried an army upon its back. A hundred undead champions, fifty deathlords, and the elven hero Aphrid stepped onto land after their long sea journey.

At the forefront, Amon, the epic Deathlord, marched ahead. He began a summoning ritual with no cooldown, akin to Hazard's abilities. A portal opened—to a realm of chaos, a place that consumed all neighboring worlds.

It was none other than the Abyss.

After ten seconds, as Amon uttered his incantations, soldiers clad in bone armor and limestone-like skin emerged in perfect formation. They bore a human-like form, their presence wreathed in a toxic aura. Amon addressed them as the "Plague Legion."

"Plague Legion! As your Lord, I command you! March forth and claim this world for the glory of the Abyss!"

Thousands of disciplined warriors stood ready. But Amon was not alone—of the fifty deathlords, thirteen had once belonged to the Abyss in life. With their racial affinity as Abyss-bound Deathlords, they easily summoned their previous legions, who bore no resistance to their former masters.