Chapter 131: The Three Titan Lords of the Abyss! [Seeking Recommendation Votes]
2016-09-24
Author: Floating Tower (诸生浮屠)
Ancient wilderness.
This area is close to the southern kingdoms and serves as a gathering place for refugees, as many have lingered here due to the relief provided by the Tower City.
However, this region has now turned into a hell on earth, with tens of thousands of corpses strewn across the wilderness. Following a large-scale outbreak of plague, many towns have established fortifications near the roadblocks to prevent large numbers of refugees from approaching, while those cities already ravaged by the plague have witnessed mass escapes, leading to an influx of more refugees. Currently, the southern kingdoms have sealed their borders, and many cities have entered a state of alert, prohibiting outsiders from entering. However, the spread of the plague is not solely due to the moving population; the sheer volume of corpses has led to the emergence of dreadful diseases, with the plague being the most horrifying.
Although this world lacks the Black d*ath, similar plagues still exist.
If the gods still held their divine identities, they certainly would not allow such a plague to spread. However, they have now fallen to the mortal realm, assuming the form of saints, and their means of controlling the plague have been significantly weakened.
The priests can no longer stop the speed at which the plague spreads.
In a large town, the total number of priests from all temples amounts to just over a dozen, and the memory recovery spells available in a day can save only a limited number of people. Compared to the hundreds of thousands infected by the plague in the Material Plane, the power of the priests is nearly negligible, and the gods lack sufficient divine power to support them.
With the spread of the plague, even worse situations have arisen.
Humans are the most populous race in the Material Plane, and as the plague spreads, especially amidst ongoing famine.
Many human corpses have become food for other species, with the first to show infection being the goblin population. Goblins thrive in the wilderness, seemingly indestructible; each year, they reproduce in large numbers, and these creatures can survive as long as there is grass.
The infection in goblins accelerates the spread of the plague.
Werewolves and ogres, who feed on goblins, quickly become affected by the plague, followed by the southern plague beginning to spread outward, with elves on the periphery quickly starting to show signs of disease.
The second race to be severely impacted is the orcs. As the plague of war spreads through the western wilderness, it infects the orcs, whose primitive civilization is unable to withstand such widespread contagion. Soon, the shamans’ priests can no longer stop the plague’s spread. The first casualties are a large number of livestock. While the strong orcs have considerable resistance, they do not fall to the plague swiftly. However, the orcs, who live in a semi-agricultural and semi-pastoral civilization, find thousands of livestock dead overnight after being infected, and within just half a month, their very survival faces a brutal challenge!
The cattle and sheep that died from the plague are no longer consumable, and the orcs’ food supplies are unable to sustain the demands of their tribes.
Worse still, due to the massive d*ath of livestock, the orcs will find it very difficult to recover in the coming years, representing a need to raid other races to meet their tribe’s consumption.
The plague’s momentum shows no signs of abating, and soon the halflings of the Shire region become victims as well. Even with the halfling pantheon’s protection, this fertile land cannot be exempted; within a few short days, thousands of halflings fall ill and d*e. The Northern Witches have closed off the entire area, monitoring many towns and rivers, seeking the source of the infection.
The only place in the Material Plane that remains relatively unaffected is Arendelle.
Perhaps due to the cold climate of the Frozen Kingdom, the outbreak of disease in Arendelle is minimal, with casualties even fewer than in Modo’s territory.
Worse things are still happening.
The plague begins to spread among Soren’s army. After the navy of Fury Sand Island shows signs of infection, the power of the disease spreads swiftly, forcing Soren to isolate these individuals on Snake Island.
The gods can no longer sit idly by.
Both the gods of the Good Faction and those of the Evil Faction temporarily cease their conflicts to investigate the source of the plague.
The struggle between surface elves and drow also halts for the moment, primarily because the plague has already spread to the Underdark, prompting the Spider Queen, Rose, to address the terrifying outbreak of the plague.
Soren also makes a shift.
He delves deeply into the domains of [Disease] and [Poison], drawing power from the goddess of disease. Soren bestows the divine spell ‘Remove Disease’ as a core gift, greatly enhancing the priests’ healing capabilities against diseases. Simultaneously, Modo begins to increase its number of doctors, using medicinal methods to treat these infected individuals.
The population on the highways begins to decrease rapidly, with more and more towns lying desolate, even withering faster than during the previous wars.
As the population dwindles, the power of d*ath grows fainter, even causing Soren’s divine power to noticeably increase, as he also governs the power of slaughter. The aura of d*ath sees an increase in the undead, and the number of ghouls becomes difficult to control. With the surge in ghouls, a Demon Lord from the Bottomless Abyss grows increasingly powerful.
His followers begin to appear in the Material Plane, expanding at an astonishing rate.
These dark followers are known as the ‘Ghoul Church’; they cannot bestow much power and wealth upon others but possess one special ability: anyone who joins their church will not suffer harm from ghouls.
This transformation also begins to impact the Bottomless Abyss.
On the third level of the Bottomless Abyss, the Werewolf King, Yenogu’s attack plans are unexpectedly affected, as the surging power of the Ghoul King seems to be aided by some external force, gradually breaking free from Yenogu’s control.
It seems the Undead Lords are trying to woo this terrifying abyss demon.
The Werewolf King’s backyard is aflame, forcing him to temporarily abandon the expansion of the Bottomless Abyss and attempt to regain control over the Ghoul King.
And on this day!
A terrifying evil force has returned to the Bottomless Abyss.
Orcus has returned!
The King of the Undead from the Bottomless Abyss! The Demon Lord who commands undead creatures! Once one of the Three Titan Lords of the Bottomless Abyss!
The fearsome Orcus has returned.
Orcus was once one of the Three Titan Lords of the Abyss, having fallen into slumber during the era of the Arcane Empire. His slumber was a significant factor in the rise of the Succubus Queen, as the old generation of demon lords gradually fell silent, allowing for her rapid ascension. The Ghoul King was his most important servant and the overseer of his massive undead army; he once waged war across multiple levels of the Abyss against Six Fingers, but ultimately had to abort due to the rise of the Arcane Empire.
At this moment.
In the territory of the Ghoul King, the White Kingdom, on the 421st level of the Bottomless Abyss.
Countless Nether Ghouls have gathered, and at the center of this kingdom stands a massive hall of bones. The Ghoul King, Doreisen, commands all ghouls; unlike his kin, he stands tall and straight, not hunched over like his kind. His eyes shine with a pale green light, and he wears a luxurious robe and leather armor, dons a crown of bones, and wields a staff resembling a spinal column known as the Hunger Tooth Staff, topped with a skull to show respect to Orcus.
For a long time in the past.
This kingdom has had a large number of werewolves, who were responsible for supervising the ghouls and driving them to work and fight.
Now, all the werewolves have become food for the ghouls driven by insatiable hunger, breaking free from the Werewolf King’s control.
A black bone portal emerges.
Accompanied by a dreadful aura, all ghouls kneel to the ground, as this presence comes from the King of Undead, spreading an evil, foul power, heralding the arrival of a terrifying demon.
This demonic creature is large and rotund, standing approximately three times the height of an average human. Its goat head has enormous, spiraled horns. Thick brown fur covers its legs, along with goat-like hooves. Its massive, powerful arms wield an evil skeletal wand. Two enormous black bat-like wings extend from its back, trailing a long, snake-like tail with sharp barbs.
It is Orcus!
One of the most powerful demons of the Bottomless Abyss! Also the lord of all undead within the Bottomless Abyss!
Orcus commands a vast undead army, and any enemy he kills will directly transform into soldiers or generals within his legion!
“Great King of the Undead!”
The Ghoul King welcomes the arrival of this titan of the abyss, humbly bowing his head and saying, “Your servant has always been waiting for your return.”
A mighty undead army materializes.
Ghouls, skeleton warriors, corpse demons, wraiths, shadows, corpse shadow night witches, ghost hags, liches, mummies, and bodaks…
Orcus’s immense undead legion appears behind the portal, already assembled in a grand hall made of bones. Clearly, his resurrection and awakening are related to other undead lords in the Underworld, and this current undead disaster seems to have been long planned.
Roar!
The awakened Orcus appears somewhat deranged; his eyes are filled with chaos and slaughter. His mind is not as clear as that of other demon lords and seems more like a demon controlled by the chaotic powers of the Bottomless Abyss.
He lets out a terrible roar toward the heavens!
Accompanied by this furious roar, a surge of power instantly spreads across the entire multiverse.
In the next moment.
In the Material Plane, in Modo City.
Far across the seas, Soren appears instantly on the high platform of the Arcane Tower. He gazes at the pitch-black night sky and murmurs, “Orcus has been resurrected!…”
The former titan of the abyss announces his return.
Not only Soren, far across the seas, but all the deities of the Material Plane, as well as the high-level devils of the Hell of Bartok, learn at this moment of the resurrection of a powerful demon!
……………… (To be continued ~^~)
