Chapter 08:Demon Race
The Northern Continent
This land is covered in ice, frozen year-round. The sun rarely penetrates the thick, cold fog that blankets the region, making it unsuitable for farming or habitation. The freezing temperatures could stop the blood cold, leaving no room for the weak to survive. Powerful monsters roam the land, fighting without end, and blood is spilled daily. The remnants of living beings are scattered everywhere.
No one can escape alive once they are born here. The northern continent is a place where the strong sharpen their strength by crushing the weak, while the weak are forced to adapt to survive under the crushing pressure. In this place, the most basic law of nature—"Survival of the Fittest"—brutally prevails.
All the creatures living here use every possible means to survive. They strive to keep themselves, or at least their race, alive. Adaptation becomes a necessity—whether through enhancing intelligence, physical strength, magic, alchemy, weapons, forming alliances, or making contracts. All of this is done for one purpose: to stay alive.
Ironically, despite all efforts, over 150 different races and thousands of half-monster species have faced extinction in this land. This world is cruel and unfair. Even attempts to escape this icy hell have ended in tragedy, with those seeking freedom being crushed by more powerful races.
A prime example of this is the **Chupacabra** race. They attempted to flee through the route between Lake Lerna and the Orion Mountains, only to be brutally annihilated by the winged, long-eared race. Flying across the lake is not an option either, as many dangerous creatures dwell in its vast waters. One of the most fearsome is Ὕδρα, a nine-headed serpent. Even the Angels,were unable to defeat it after thousands of years, and eventually gave up trying to conquer it.
Climbing the Orion Mountains is akin to delivering your soul to death instantly. Besides the freezing cold, the mountains are inhabited by thousands of creatures at the top of the food chain, creatures individually stronger than anything else in the world.
These circumstances leave the remaining races in the northern continent with no other choice but to endure in this icy hell, waiting for an opportunity and constantly attempting to escape to the south. However, repeated attempts have only sparked endless wars between the Angels and Demons, which have continued for thousands of years—until one individual arrived and changed everything.
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Devil Race Village, Northern Continent
In a village that exudes a primitive atmosphere, buildings made of rough stone and tree bark line the mountain slopes. At the mountain's peak, a majestic castle stands, built from large stones mined from the mountain itself. The castle serves as the center of power for the Devil race.
Inside, a man sits on a simple yet imposing stone throne. His hair is jet black, his eyes a deep blood-red, and two black horns curve from the sides of his head. Lucifer, the king of the Devils, stares sharply at a group of his subordinates kneeling before him, their bodies trembling under his piercing gaze.
""...""
"So, you failed to persuade the Vampire and Undead races to join us?" Lucifer asked coldly, his face showing clear displeasure.
"S-sorry, Your Majesty," stammered one of his generals, his voice shaking. "Not only did they refuse, but they also insulted our race, calling us the lowest in the north."
Lucifer remained silent for a moment, his expression unchanged, but the tension in the room grew heavier.
"Is that so?" he responded softly, his eyes glowing with barely contained anger.
"Y-yes, Your Majesty," added another general nervously. "That's why we want you to personally intervene. Even the four generals couldn't defeat their leaders."
In front of them was the king of the Devil race, Lucifer, a figure widely acknowledged as the strongest in the north. But the Devil race hadn't always had a single ruler. They used to live divided into many tribes, each with its own leader. They lived in peace until someone from the Pride tribe, named Lucifer, took over as tribal chief and declared war on the other tribes.
Lucifer successfully conquered the other tribes and united the entire Devil race under his banner. However, his ambitions didn't stop there. He sought to bring all Demon races and even the entire northern continent under his control. With that goal in mind, he prepared to invade the southern lands to establish a Demon Kingdom.
Initially, he entrusted the task of diplomacy and persuasion to his generals. Many of the half-monster races in the north had already sworn loyalty to him, joining the coming war and becoming part of the Demon Kingdom. However, the Vampire and Undead races refused to submit, even mocking the Devils for daring to wage war against them.
Hearing this, Lucifer couldn't contain his laughter. His booming laugh echoed through the chamber, shaking the generals standing before him.
"Very well," Lucifer said, his red eyes glowing ominously. "If they are so arrogant, I will teach them a lesson. We cannot waste valuable resources on foolish races dreaming of ruling the world."
With those words, Lucifer's blood-red eyes began to glow even brighter, and he spread his massive black wings. A powerful gust of wind swept through the room, and in an instant, Lucifer disappeared from sight.