Chapter 608: A Universal Evil

The excitement that had filled the auditorium moments earlier vanished almost immediately. The Princes’ expressions turned stern. Only Damian remained relatively calm. He had suspected that the Council would eventually address this matter after his discussion with Astaroth and Duke Paimon a month earlier.

"What do you mean by that?" Brolly asked in a heavy voice.

The enormous Prince had stopped drinking, his gourd resting against his potbelly as he stared toward the podium. Even his usual carefree expression had disappeared.

Astaroth raised one hand and pointed toward the holographic display above him. The cosmic map shifted, its countless galaxies shrinking as the projection moved toward a vast region beyond the territories controlled by either Heaven or the Underworld.

"As some of you must have known by now, the dark continent has been growing and is closer to our borders than ever before. The outer creatures of the dark continent has grown ferocious as well and a number of demigod level outer creatures have appeared did the very first time, leading to the deaths of several demigods both on our side and on the side of the heavens." Astaroth explained. "Yes... We are not the only ones losing our mining colonies in the dark continent. Even the heavens are taking a beating."

Whispers immediately spread through the auditorium. The nobles seated behind the Princes began discussing the revelation among themselves, their voices rising as they tried to make sense of the information.

The Princes wore increasingly ugly expressions as they stared at the dark region. Unlike the nobles, they understood the full implications of Astaroth’s words.

"So how does this stop us from fighting the heavens?" Aein asked, breaking through the murmurs with his usual languid voice.

He remained reclined in his lectus, though his expression was more attentive than before.

"The heavens is no small foe that we can tackle half heartedly. We have been at war for thirty thousand years and we haven’t been doing so well. Now a new enemy ha appeared. And I’m talking about one whose fighting style is completely different, unusual and has proven to be very effective. Forgive me for saying this but we cannot win a war on two fronts. We need to focus on one enemy." Astaroth explained.

"So are you suggesting we enter a truce with the heavens?" Damian asked out of curiosity.

Kazier snarled before Astaroth could answer. "Don’t be foolish, that’s impossible..."

"Yes!" Astaroth said immediately.

The single word struck the auditorium like a hammer. The entire room fell deadly silent, and several faces turned toward the Duke with expressions of disbelief.

For a moment, nobody seemed certain they had heard him correctly. Even Kazier’s sneer faded as he stared at Astaroth, while Belial leaned forward in his seat with an expression of open disbelief.

"Are you crazy? Demons and Angels have fought consistently for thirty thousand years. Never once have we enter a truce!" Belial barked.

His voice echoed across the auditorium, and many of the nobles seated behind him nodded firmly in agreement.

"And never have we been faced with this kind of threat before!" Astaroth shot back.

His voice sharpened, and the holographic map shifted again as he directed everyone’s attention toward the Dark Continent. "You know what happened to your subordinate. Even an Ooni was brutally murdered and was nearly helpless against these monsters!"

The projection changed without warning. A new image appeared above the podium, displaying the remains of the Ooni whose death Astaroth had referenced. The sight immediately twisted several faces with disgust. The creature’s body had been reduced to mangled chunks of flesh, and the few portions that remained intact were battered and torn beyond recognition.

Deep wounds covered what was left of its limbs, while its shattered torso suggested that whatever had attacked it had possessed enough strength to overwhelm a powerful demigod through sheer brutality. It looked less like the aftermath of a battle and more like the remains of an animal mauled by a savage predator.

The auditorium grew quieter as the image rotated, exposing the full extent of the damage. Even those who had initially dismissed Astaroth’s warning found themselves reconsidering their position.

An Ooni was no ordinary demon. Its high class bloodline made it a formidable creature even among demigods, and its physical strength should have allowed it to survive encounters that would have killed lesser beings outright. Yet the body on display suggested that it had been unable to mount any meaningful defence against its killer.

Even Sol appeared shocked. He leaned forward in his seat, his eyes narrowing as he examined the remains.

"What the hell can do this to a Demi-god..." Sol asked, speaking for the first time since the discussion had turned toward the Dark Continent.

"Not just a Demi-god... A Demi-god from a high class bloodline!" Damian added, terror written all over his expression.

"Relax... He’s not alone in this." Astaroth said calmly.

The projection changed again, and several new images appeared beside the remains of the Ooni. This time, the display showed the corpses of both demons and angels, their bodies scattered across ruined mining colonies and shattered outposts.

Some had been torn apart, while others bore injuries that suggested they had been struck with overwhelming force. Yet the most disturbing feature was not the physical damage. Every corpse retained the same expression of terror, their stiff faces twisted by the fear they had experienced in their final moments.

Whatever they had encountered, they had died frightened, and many appeared to have understood that they were facing something they could neither fight nor escape.

Sol adjusted his seating position and leaned forward, his earlier surprise giving way to focused interest. "Do you have information on what is actually out there?" he asked.

The question caused another stir among the nobles. Their shock was not merely a result of Sol’s interest in the Dark Continent. The Prince of Pride had spent so long isolating himself from the affairs of the other rulers that his very presence at the council had already been difficult to comprehend.

To see him actively participate in the discussion was almost as surprising as the revelation that a truce with Heaven was being considered.

"Yes... Yes I do... But that will be presented in the next meeting. For now all you all need to understand that we are against a force of equal or even greater power and the heavens has taken heavier losses than us because they controlled a bigger territory in the dark continent than we ever did so they quite incentived to accept a truce bargain from us." Astaroth explained.

Damian leaned back into his couch and rubbed his chin, his thoughts turning toward the Dark Continent. A month earlier, Amon had sent him a desperate plea for reinforcements after suffering losses in the region. How could he not be worried about the safety of his own people.

Astaroth allowed the images to remain suspended above the podium for several moments before dismissing them. The hologram returned to its broader view of the universe, with the Dark Continent looming ominously beyond the coloured territories of Heaven and the Underworld.

"I do not expect a hasty decision. This is something all of you must deliberate on from now till the third meeting where a vote will take place on what action the demon race as a whole will take. That will be all for today."