Volume 5 Chapter 0106 I want to be His Majesty! - I, The Dragon Overlord

Louie's expression dramatically changed. Even when he learned that Asmodeus wielded a godly rank of 20 in Nessus, he wasn't as shaken as he was now. He couldn't have imagined that he would sense the aura of the Serpent of Order emanating from this King of Hell! In this dualistic universe, order and chaos are opposites, as are good and evil. Louie initially captured the essence of order and good when he encountered it in the Sea of Primordial Forces. Now, from Asmodeus, he felt the presence of the order and evil aspect. "Kakakaka... Are you finding this unbelievable? Are you shocked, oh great Dragon God? You could never have foreseen that the other facet of the Order you so desire would manifest in a devil, could you? You could never have imagined that a devil could grasp the power of the Serpent of Order!" The absolute ruler of Hell laughed wickedly and arrogantly upon seeing Louie's expression, his laughter causing the fortress of Nessus to tremble, shaking loose dust from its ancient walls. Though for a moment, Louie's mind was filled with astonishment and even fear, ever since the AI changed him into a dragon and brought him to the world of San Soliel, he knew he had become an experiment of the AI, subject to losing everything at any given moment. Living with such anxiety for an extended period forged in him an absolute resilience and calmness. After a brief moment of panic, Louie steadied himself, beginning to recall all that had transpired. "No wonder I suddenly found myself interested in the ninth layer of Hell, Nessus. No wonder you said 'you finally arrived' upon our meeting. It seems that the orderly and good part of my primordial force was drawn here by its evil counterpart, so I was guided to this place." "...And Asmodeus, the reason you have remained confined to the fortress of Nessus for millions of years is out of fear that upon leaving, the gods might detect your secret. So, you've been concealing yourself, waiting for the opposing part of the Order's force to come to you of its own accord!" Louie spoke slowly, analyzing the events and Asmodeus' intentions and thoughts aloud. The King of Baator, seeing how quickly Louie regained his composure, sighed with regret, "…To remain so poised in the face of such circumstances is truly unexpected for a new deity like yourself, behaving almost like the ancient gods." This King of Baator didn't look down on Louie; instead, he descended the castle steps, approaching to within a few meters of Louie. He even shrank his form to match Louie's human height and met him eye to eye, saying, "…I know you have questions, Lord Louie, and I am here to answer them all, for after waiting millions of years, I am thrilled beyond measure to finally meet you." Asmodeus paced a few steps and continued, "…You must know my past, my life. Before the birth of the world, there was only the void, and within that void, the Serpent of Order and the Serpent of Chaos were born. They were the primordial gods, the beginning and the end of all." "...The Serpent of Order and the Serpent of Chaos intertwined within the void. Out of their fusion and opposition, the universe began to take shape. Order and chaos constituted the primal 'One,' and from there, the opposing 'Two' emerged, the twin goddesses you are familiar with: Selune, symbolizing light and the sun, and Shar, symbolizing darkness and the moon." "The twin sister goddesses began an unending struggle, and from their conflict, various concepts emerged. War, earth, magic, and with them, other deities were born. It can be said that the existence of all current gods is related to these two goddesses." "...Since the world develops according to certain rules, it is inherently orderly, an aspect belonging to the Serpent of Order. Yet, the world is oppositional, hence the emergence of the Abyss, which is part of the Serpent of Chaos." Louie quietly listened to this ancient history he already knew, confident that Asmodeus' choice to speak these truths meant they held crucial significance. "At that time, the world's order was incomplete, in a state of disorder. The gods freely wielded their primordial forces, reigning supreme over the nascent world. Though the demons of the Abyss, like a toxic presence, contaminated everything, the gods ignored it, their eyes only for one another." "...Yet, the unending waves of demons grew tiresome for the gods. In the chaotic world then, the gods resided entirely in the Upper Planes, deeming the Lower Planes filthy and loathsome. Therefore, they created a powerful warrior—I, Asmodeus, Scion of the Gods—and an army of celestial hosts led by me to wage war against the vile demons of the Abyss!" "It was an eternal war with no end in sight. The original breed of demons was entirely wiped out in this endless conflict, and today's demons are no longer the primordial seeds. But as I waged this interminable war against the demons, I too was tainted by the Abyss, losing my celestial radiance and becoming indistinguishable from those Lower Planes beings. Angered, the gods cast me down from the Heavens into a void of darkness—the nascent Hell!" The King of Baator's excitement grew as he spoke, becoming more exuberant with each word. "…But the world inevitably transitioned from chaos to order. The gods who wantonly expended their primordial forces eventually met their downfall, and most of the ancient gods perished. Even those who endured found themselves, along with newer deities, bound by faith. While the gods remain sovereign over creation, they've irrevocably lost their absolute power and authority..." "…I, the forsaken child of the gods, endured a protracted fall, arriving in Hell with the scars of divine punishment and the agony of that fall, living in torment for millions of years." As he spoke, Asmodeus' skin split open once more, molten-hot blood flowing like lava, just as he described, flowing for millions of years in unending pain. Because those wounds bore the ancient gods' primordial power, Asmodeus couldn't heal them, even after a million years. "But the gods hadn't realized that the place they consigned me to was the resting place of the Serpent of Order. The twin serpents lack consciousness; they merely embody the world's creation and end, forming the groundwork of existence. I tapped into the order's evil facet, crafting Baator and incidentally discovered that the so-called Abyssal Will is an extension of the Serpent of Chaos." "...Do you see now, Dragon God? The Abyssal Will acts on instinct, desiring to slaughter devils to gain more chaotic approval. Meanwhile, I wish to kill demons to obtain the endorsement of order. Thus, the Blood War ensued... What you now pursue for the recognition of 'Order' has been my endeavor for a million years!" Asmodeus spread his arms wide, laughing loudly at Louie, "…Yet, I attained only the malevolent side of the Order. I have long yearned for the good aspect. Despite searching fruitlessly for millions of years, I kept the faith, and finally, you—its embodiment—emerged." "…As much as you were drawn to the evil of order, so was I to the good. Neither is superior, for whether good triumphs or evil prevails, both will eventually meld into the primordial Order!" "I shall take your order primordial force and become the Serpent of Order, the god above gods, the sole Sovereign!!" At last, Asmodeus revealed his ambition, which mirrored Louie's own!