Chapter 91: Chapter 85: Ascension 1
The Mountain Crushing Demon Monarch asked, "Where did he go?"
The Heavenly Demon glanced at the kneeling Poison King and said, "Well, he wants to show his authority, so I’m guessing the Throne Room." Saying that, the Heavenly Demon left using Greater Void Shift. Following him, the old man also left.
The Enchantress looked at the Poison King before looking at the Mountain Crushing Demon Monarch and asked, "So... do we just leave him here?"
Before he could reply, Tang Mi-Yeon said, "He deserves it." Then she also left. The rest of the Demon Monarchs shrugged and made their way to the Throne Room. When they reached the Throne Room, they saw another shocking scene: the Heavenly Demon’s throne had been destroyed.
There was another throne in its place instead. The throne was in the shape of an open lotus. It was black and gold in color, with blood dripping from the tips of the lotus petals. They could also make out a few vengeful spirits trapped in the black portions of the throne.
Zeke was sitting on the throne, dressed in deep red emperor’s robes with a nine-headed dragon embroidered on them, the same ones he had been wearing when he had forced the Poison King to kneel. The Demon Monarchs stared at the Heavenly Demon and the old man because they were unsure as to how they were supposed to address the issue. On one hand, Zeke was greatly disrespecting the Heavenly Demon, their Lord, and on the other hand, he was the next Heavenly Demon, the chosen heir of their Lord. Not to mention, from what they had seen with the Poison King, he could very easily defeat them. No, he could easily humiliate them.
The Heavenly Demon said, "Don’t mind me. Greet him, for he is the Heavenly Demon now in all but name. We’ll take care of that soon as well. He will officially ascend to the position at the Annual Mara Sacrifice. Spread rumors of his ascension, as it will act as a reasonable excuse for suddenly recalling all of our forces."
All of the Demon Monarchs knelt at the same time and said, "WE GREET THE HEAVENLY DEMON! MAY THE HEAVENLY DEMON CONQU—"
Zeke interrupted them by saying, "Stop. It’s too much. I don’t like it. And now that you’re aware of the Cult’s true origins and my identity, I have something much better for you. Through the suffering, to the stars."
The Demon Monarchs chanted, "THROUGH THE SUFFERING, TO THE STARS!"
Zeke checked the System Task, and it still hadn’t been completed. It seemed that it would only be completed when he had been recognized as the Heavenly Demon by the entire Cult.
Zeke said, "Now, I’m sure that the previous Heavenly Demon has given you some tasks. I have a few tasks that need completing as well..."
Six months later, in a guest room in the Cult, a ’man’ said, "Brother, do you really think that these humans are telling the truth?"
The ’brother’ replied, "You felt that scale’s aura as well as I did. The humans are known for their deceit, but that aura cannot be recreated just like that. Even if they are lying about the news of a living Divine Beast, they must have found the Inheritance Grounds left by one. Besides, we confirmed the veracity of the scale with the Head of the Bloodborne Horned Pegasus Clan."
Similar conversations were taking place in three other chambers. The residents of these chambers were the Heads of the Spirit Beast Clans who had been invited to the Annual Mara Sacrifice along with their entourage.
Another three days passed, and it was the day of the Sacrifice. All of the Cult’s members, including the Demon Lotus Squad, had gathered in the Mara Grounds, an area large enough to accommodate all of them comfortably. The recognized members of the Cheon Bloodline, the Demon Monarchs, and the guests from the Spirit Beasts Clans were seated on an elevated platform while the members of the Cult had gathered below.
When the chosen auspicious time arrived, the Mountain Crushing Demon Monarch stood up and addressed the Cult. He said, "Members of the Divine Demonic Cult, we gather on this auspicious day to celebrate the Annual Mara Sacrifice. But as some of you may have noticed, something is different this year. Today, we have gathered here at dawn instead of midnight. Today, we not only sacrifice to the Great Demon, but also witness the coronation of the true successor of the first Heavenly Demon."
Hearing this, all of the members were confused. The Demon Monarchs were familiar with the feeling, but they couldn’t tell the members the truth as it wasn’t safe.
The Mountain Crushing Demon Monarch said, "I know that all of you are confused, but everything will become clear after the sacrifice. I’m sure that your superiors have already shared the details with you. Now let us begin the ceremony."
Meanwhile, Zeke said to the guests, "Witness what is about to happen carefully, and you will believe us."
All of the members of the Cult created a deep gash on their hands with a dagger and started dripping their blood on the floor. Then something strange happened. The ground didn’t just soak up the blood as it was.
The soaked blood started outlining a big Totem, and it was getting clearer by the second. The Demon Monarchs also went to their designated places and did the same. The Heavenly Demon and the old man stood up. They slit their wrists, and the blood began to flow. The Totem was complete except that something was missing.
Zeke stood up and muttered, "Kshetra Vistaram: Asurasya Aagamanam."
To everyone’s surprise, his appearance changed back into his Asuran Neo-Nephilim Primogenitor form. While the members were just surprised by the change in his appearance, the guests from the Spirit Beast Clans were different.
The Head of the Sky Tiger Clan stood up in shock. It wasn’t just him. The other three Heads were also shaken. Although it wasn’t the same, they could definitely feel the aura resembling a Divine Beast from Zeke. The only way they could describe the difference was as if the Divine Beasts were Heaven’s beloved children, while Zeke was an abandoned bastard child.
But Zeke didn’t bother to explain himself to them, and with a jump, took flight. He landed in the dead center of the Totem and slit his wrist while in this form. His blood, no longer just red but also containing traces of purple and gold, dripped to the ground. The Totem seemed to have a chemical reaction with his blood and started glowing.
