In truth, compared to demons, both Outer Gods and devils were far more capable of scheming and causing trouble. The few times Cerydra had encountered demons, they were mere cannon fodder summoned by devils or Summoner Wizards, almost immediately annihilated upon their appearance.
So why didn't Cerydra falsely claim it was a plot by an Outer God or devil? Because those beings were genuinely likely to be scheming, whereas demons almost certainly wouldn't. It was much safer to pin the blame on the "honest guy," especially since the demons couldn't refute it anyway.
Hearing Cerydra's words, the Barbarian's face lit up with sudden realization. "So it's the demons?!"
Cerydra: "?"
Now it was Cerydra's turn to look bewildered. Buddy, what exactly do you understand? And how do you even know what a demon is?
She couldn't help but ask, "Are you sure you're not confusing demons with devils?"
Any normal person might mistake the two, let alone a dim-witted Northern Barbarian. Yet this Barbarian declared confidently, "Of course! They're both bad news, but I can tell them apart!"
"Devils appear at midnight, spouting nonsense to trick children—red-bat-like figures that aren't truly frightening. Demons, on the other hand, are monstrous, grotesque, cruel, bloodthirsty, and incredibly powerful, posing an immense threat!"
"About five or six years ago, a swarm of demons emerged in the Black Bear Clan's territory. The Black Bear Clan rallied many other clans, including the Falcon Clan, to request our assistance. Boss Jones agreed and dispatched numerous Barbarians as reinforcements—I was among them."
"I don't know the exact number of participants in that battle, but by the end, ninety percent of our Barbarian brethren had perished. As for the enemy? A grotesque horde of demons."
"Some were diminutive, barely reaching one meter sixty or seventy in height, yet moved with incredible speed. Others were giants, towering at three or four meters. Some were wreathed in flames, while others could even speak human tongues."
After hearing this, Cerydra remained dazed and bewildered. Demons in the Northern Territory? How is that possible?
We previously discussed the structure of this world. Cerydra currently resides in the Material World, beneath which lie the Earth and Water Elemental Planes. Further down is the Shadow Plane, also known as the Underworld, followed by the Nine Hells, home to devils. Finally, at the very bottom, lies the Bottomless Abyss, where demons dwell.
How could these demons have traversed so many planes to reach the Material World?
At that moment, the Barbarian clenched his left fist and slammed it into his palm, still speaking, "So that's how it is! Those damned demons have been stealing the sacrifices we offered to the Wolf God! Then they fed us corrupted power to mislead us?! Is this all part of their scheme to invade our world?"
Cerydra: "?"
Hearing the man speak with such conviction, Cerydra found herself somewhat believing him. Could she have misjudged this? Were demons truly scheming something?
However, she couldn't directly ask for clarification at this point, as that would immediately expose her ignorance. So Cerydra could only nod and say, "Yes, that's exactly right."
Though she had absolutely no idea what "that" referred to.
The Barbarian turned to Cerydra and asked, "Then what does the true Wolf God look like? How should we properly worship the true Wolf God?"
The true Wolf God? Cerydra's mind flashed to the image of Half, her mewling little puppy-dog. There's no way I can tell the Barbarians what Half really looks like. After a moment's thought, she replied, "He is a colossal wolf, entirely silver-white, not red at all."
"Your sacrificial prayers are flawed. 'First beast,' 'cruel predator'—these are all incorrect! The correct prayer should be: 'He is the world's first chill wind, the first shard of ice, the embodiment of Extreme Cold and Storms, the leader of the Northern Territory's wolves!'"
The term "wolves" here was actually a metaphor for all the Barbarians of the Northern Territory. After all, there were no actual wolves in the Northern Territory; the environment was too harsh for ordinary wolves to survive.
Cerydra continued, "As for sacrifices, there's no need to kill people. Instead, offer a large fish. If the Wolf God accepts your tribute, a wolf will appear on the Ice Plains and carry the fish away."
"Of course, unlike demons, the true Wolf God won't grant you power for such meager offerings. If you truly seek strength, prove yourselves worthy by completing the Trials: traversing the Ice Plains on foot and scaling the mountain peaks!"
It had to be said, Cerydra's elaborate fabrication sounded surprisingly logical, especially since the Barbarian had already conjured up his own wild speculations, making him even more convinced. Finally, Cerydra unleashed her trump card: "Today, we shall hold a grand, proper ritual to show you what a true sacrifice should look like!"
The Barbarian left excitedly to spread the news, but Cerydra immediately summoned Dirk. "Demons appeared in the Northern Territory five or six years ago?" she demanded. "What exactly happened?"
Dirk shook his head blankly. "I have no idea."
Because the North Wind Clan, where Dirk belonged, had such a small population, they weren't even on the Black Bear Clan's mobilization list. Naturally, Dirk knew nothing about this matter.
Hearing this, Cerydra clicked her tongue, ready to dismiss Dirk and go ask others when he suddenly added, "But I do know something about demons."
"My father told me that in the far northwest of the Northern Territory, there's a massive cave. Horrifying monsters regularly emerge from it—cruel, bloodthirsty creatures posing an immense threat. Whenever they appear, they must be killed immediately. For generations, a clan has been stationed there, guarding the cave entrance."
"I think they're called the Black Bear Clan? My father said that if they ever came asking for help defending against the monsters from the cave, I must assist them at all costs. It's a matter of life and death for the entire Northern Territory. But before I met Boss Imperator, my North Wind Clan was too weak—no one ever came looking for us anyway."
Cerydra was stunned. "There's actually something like that?"
-
Meanwhile, the perspective shifted to the northwestern reaches of the Northern Territory, where a Barbarian, towering at least 2.2 meters tall and clad in a fur cloak, was striding across the Ice Plains as if taking a leisurely stroll. Unlike the ice elsewhere, here it was a deep, blood-red hue that grew darker with each step forward. The air hung thick with the stench of blood and sulfur.
The Barbarian carried a massive, blood-red Great Axe slung over his shoulder in one hand. The axe was entirely crimson, and in the center of its blade, a bloodshot eye constantly swiveled, scanning the surroundings. A raspy voice emanated from the axe's location: "I'm telling you, Arthur, won't you reconsider?"
"Staying in this forsaken place is such a bore! Just give the word, and I'll conjure an undying, invincible army for you. Haven't you always dreamed of uniting the Northern Territory and forging a mighty empire?"
"Are you really going to waste your entire life here, guarding this desolate place, just because of a few dying words your father, that stinking old man, uttered before his death? Is it really worth it?"
The barbarian named Arthur shrugged and said, "You keep droning on about this every day. Isn't it getting annoying? My ears are about to grow calluses from hearing it so much. Can't we talk about something else? To be honest, I'm more curious about what exactly you are."
"Heh heh~" The axe erupted in a mocking laugh. "Then try not to piss yourself in fear! I am an Archdevil from the Eightieth Layer of the Bottomless Abyss—the Rage Lord himself! I am the embodiment of fury and molten lava! I once shattered the barriers between multiple planes to reach your Material World!"
"With a single strike, I annihilated an entire nation, slaughtering countless souls! Their faces twisted in despair... Ha ha ha! Even recalling it now fills me with unbridled glee!"
Arthur's face lit up with feigned understanding. He let out an exaggerated "Oh!" before suddenly turning puzzled. "But I always thought demons had two arms and two legs. So what kind of demon are you? How come you're shaped like an axe?"
The moment those words left Arthur's lips, the room fell into complete silence. After a moment, the axe erupted in a furious tirade: "You little bastard! I'll fucking kill you! You goddamn son of a bitch! I swear, I'll fucking..."
"You'll rot here for the rest of your life! If you so much as take a step away, I'll slaughter every last member of your clan!"
"No—I'll wipe out everyone in the entire Northern Territory!"
"When that old bastard, the Sun God, was still around, I was caught off guard by his dirty tricks. But now that he's too busy to meddle in the Material Plane, just wait until I return! Let's see who can stop me then?!"
"I'll tear the Northern Territory in two!"
It was clear this Rage Lord was truly enraged. As he spoke, the eyeballs on the axe bulged violently outward, as if trying to burst out and slap Arthur across the face.
Needless to say, this axe was a Barbarian Divine Artifact, perfectly fitting the names Axe of Rage or Demon Axe.
As the axe itself claimed, it had once been a mighty demon. During an invasion of the Material Plane, it was ambushed by the True Gods, eventually sealed by the Sun God, and transformed into its current axe form.
Although the vast majority of the Demon Axe's power remained sealed, it was still an incredibly potent weapon for mortals. Even an ordinary person wielding this axe could casually shatter boulders, cleave through solid ice, and carve fissures hundreds of meters long across the ground.
The combined forces of rage and molten lava caused any contact between the axe's blade and other objects to result in violent explosions and searing heat. To put it bluntly, each basic attack from this axe possessed destructive force comparable to a missile strike—or even greater.
Furthermore, since the axe was still sealed, gradually releasing the seals would progressively amplify its power. However, fully releasing the seals would inevitably unleash the Archdevil back into the world.
Beyond its raw destructive potential, this Archdevil was also the lord of the Eightieth Layer of the Abyss. All demons in that layer naturally obeyed its commands. If the user could negotiate with the axe, they could even summon the Demonic Legion to the Material Plane to fight alongside them.
Of course, this was merely theoretical. If one truly trusted the axe enough to unleash demons upon the Material Plane, the consequences would likely be catastrophic.
Arthur paid no heed to the Demon Axe's curses. Upon reaching his destination, he stopped before a massive cylindrical pit, roughly ten meters in diameter. Peering down, he saw nothing but impenetrable darkness—a true bottomless abyss, for it connected directly to the lowest Plane of existence, the Abyss.
From time to time, exceptionally patient demons would crawl up from this chasm. Arthur made it a daily habit to check the pit; if he spotted any demons, he would immediately eliminate them.
Remarkably, Arthur had once captured a demon alive and, out of curiosity, asked how long it took to climb out. The answer? Ten years.
That was utterly absurd. Ten years of climbing up a sheer, smooth-walled shaft just to reach the Material World?
Arthur pressed the demon further, asking what motivated such unwavering dedication. The reply? To kill humans in the Material World.
Moreover, demons couldn't truly die. Even when slain, their souls would return to the Abyss to be reborn. The captured demon had even boasted that even if it died this time, it would return in another ten years!
Arthur was left speechless, utterly unable to comprehend the demons' twisted logic. After killing the demon, he split open its skull and searched frantically, only to find no brain at all—just molten lava sloshing inside.
In any case, after circling the Ice Cave and finding no more demons, Arthur warned the Barbarian sentry to remain vigilant and report any disturbances immediately before turning to leave.
As he hurried back to his Clan, a Barbarian rushed up, breathless. "Boss Arthur!" he gasped. "We just received word—a self-proclaimed Northern Territory Empire has appeared in the heart of the Northern Territory! A woman named the Imperator is trying to conquer the entire region!"
"Even the Falcon Clan seems to have been subdued and joined her forces!"
It had to be said, information traveled agonizingly slowly in the Northern Territory. Cerydra had been here for ages, yet Arthur, the leader of the region's largest Clan, had only just learned of this development.