Chapter 89

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Chapter 89: Nest Mother

Within the Decaying Disaster, the dungeon is one of the most prominent Abyssal Creations.

If you interview creatures from the Primary Material Plane who have experienced a massive invasion from the Abyss, their deepest impression of the Decaying Disaster is probably not the ubiquitous Little Devils or Abyss Outpost dungeons. When the residents of the Primary Material Plane had insufficient knowledge of the Abyss, they once believed that the Abyss was a place filled with dungeons, where all demons lived in cities or fortresses – but this is completely wrong.

The first wizard capable of entering the Abyss left records in astonishment, discovering that the Abyss was immensely vast, with a harsh environment and not a single structure in sight.

The dungeon is a vanguard of the Abyss, and only a vanguard at that.

Dungeon Cores are born under the influence of Abyssal Will, similar to the existence of Demon Seeds, they are considered a natural occurrence in in the Abyss. Dungeon Cores have a significant birthing cycle, usually remaining hidden in the Abyss but emerging in large numbers when the Abyss invades the Primary Material Plane. They spread rapidly and grow uncontrollably in the Primary Material Plane.

Apart from days of Decaying Disaster, dungeons also sporadically appear in the Abyss, but often do not last long. The chaotic environment, with irrational massive monsters capable of destroying any city walls, causes the surface to change drastically in just a few weeks (or even days). With demons constantly battling each other, the terrain can change in minutes, making it challenging to maintain a stable structure in the Abyss.

The residents of the Abyss have a different understanding of "dwelling places" compared to most beings in the Primary Material Plane, and dungeons are not welcomed there.

Even as they grow into powerful demons, creatures like the Hell’s Three-Headed Dog still prefer caves, the Shadow Fiend enjoys chaotic areas formed by countless spatial rifts, and reapers prefer tombs. Compared to most large demons, cities are too fragile and have little use. Only a few exceptions, like Magic Demons, a kind of Abyssal wizard, require a city to house libraries, laboratories, and experiments.

However, this doesn’t mean that Ragehorn Simon is unfamiliar with dungeons.

Demon Seeds and Dungeon Cores have many similarities. They are both born in areas protected by Abyssal Law, where only newborn dungeons and Demon Seeds can enter, making it difficult for more mature creatures to access these areas. In addition, like demons, dungeons go through stages of development, starting without self-awareness and evolving as they grow. However, once the "beginner protection period" ends, Demon Seeds turn into roaming creatures, while dungeons remain stagnant structures. Without developing self-awareness early on, they are vulnerable.

While most demons are uninterested in owning cities, Dungeon Cores contain energy that can be circulated like a regular currency. Wizards and craftsmen from the Primary Material Plane need various methods to extract this energy, but demons simply consume it as it is. Originating from the Abyss, demons can consume this energy effortlessly.

In his long demonic life, Simon has consumed several dungeons, some newly born and some with owners. He knows the taste of these red stones and understands that dungeons with owners pose more challenges. Nevertheless, Simon always manages to consume them.

Dungeons that have not been consumed often have owners – these owners are the main reason for the survival of the dungeons, either demons or beings from the Primary Material Plane who have been enchanted. By signing a contract with the Dungeon Core, they become the masters of the dungeon, erasing the possibility of the dungeon developing its own will.

Using the example of eastern cultivation, it’s like a special treasure, with a high starting point but usually not lucky enough to become a spirit, often being taken by other powerful beings to become a treasure. Dungeons may not be as fancy, but the principle is the same – who would refuse a sudden fortune?

Ragehorn Simon had never seen a mature ownerless dungeon, but it had heard about how such dungeons could evolve into different forms – like monsters turning into demons, and unclaimed Dungeon Cores slowly mutating, giving birth to Nest Mothers.

Nest Mothers are never seen in the Abyss, where dungeons either die early, become food, or become training grounds. However, in dungeons left behind in the human world after losing their owners, there have been instances where the Core remains after the owner dies, leading to the dungeon recovering over time and growing its own consciousness.

But no large demon has ever evolved from a Nest Mother.

Is it because Nest Mothers are still too instinctual, because the dungeons’ nature prevents each Nest Mother from surviving long enough to evolve, or because these dungeons have stayed away from the Abyss for too long? Simon doesn’t know, nor does he care to find out. In any case, dungeons are mostly seen as useful structures rather than just monsters.

When Ragehorn Simon realized the creature in front of him was a Nest Mother, it didn’t feel wary at all.

Of course, it was a Nest Mother, a female with wings intertwined with the dungeon itself – Angry Demon instinctively knew this. The presence of the Nest Mother indicated that Victor hadn’t made a contract with this dungeon; he probably was too injured to do so. The Nest Mother appeared in response to Simon’s questions, suggesting that she had just awakened and was willing to listen to visitors from the Abyss – which is normal, as Abyssal Creations naturally lean towards the Abyss.

While many of these assessments are speculative and assumptive, Angry Demons are just like that – having normal intelligence, with some even being cunning, but when they are angry, they become indifferent to most details. The angrier an Angry Demon is, the stronger it gets, and its thinking becomes more straightforward.

At this moment, Ragehorn Simon was quite angry.

"Lead the way!" commanded Angry Demon, "To the Dungeon Core!"

The expressionless Nest Mother obeyed.

With wings on her back, Nest Mother walked at the front, Simon followed behind, gripping Victor in his hand. They wandered through dark corridors where there was no one around, no torches even at the edges, pitch black like a ruin. After another turn, the path suddenly opened up ahead.

There were no torches here, but the hall was still clearly visible in a faint glow. In the middle of the spacious hall, a pool of shimmering blue water reflected red stones hanging above, the giant bloodstones radiated flowing light, emitting an enticing magic.

The Dungeon Core was in sight, Simon took steps and walked all the way to the edge of the Magic Pool.

"You indeed do not own this dungeon," grunted Angry Demon coldly.

Victor had not spoken a word all along the way, lying limp in the claw of Angry Demon, seemingly having lost the strength to provoke, and was silent until now. Angry Demon’s anger finally subsided a bit, allowing for consideration beyond destruction. Two black eyes stared at the huge core not far away, the perception of the Demon Lord swept across the entire Magic Pool, over the whole Dungeon Core, the conclusion gained was exactly the same as before.

This was an incomplete yet quite pure dungeon, with no creatures leaving their mark within the core. Time and events on the surface had taken away the previous owners, in these hundreds of years of isolation, even the abyssal aura had been eradicated – indeed, there was no precedent for this, but just like the "Abyss Passage being severed" incident, there was also no precedent. Demonic descendants living on the surface for generations, wouldn’t they also be assimilated into the Primary Material Plane? Thinking this way, things made sense.

Nest Mother stood beside the Magic Pool, motionless, her gaze unfocused. This newly born dungeon consciousness seemed to have only simple instincts, it had followed Victor’s commands even without a contract before, then obeyed Simon’s upon his arrival, quite convenient. "Fool," Victor cursed quietly, seeming afraid to provoke Simon further, so he picked on Nest Mother instead, "Just wait to be eaten!"

This reminded Simon of something.

You could eat it just by opening your mouth, but if you did that, it would only give a little more energy to the Dungeon Core. Simon was already a Demon Lord, so having one more Dungeon Core didn’t make much difference to him. It was like extracting runes – it didn’t hold much value on its own, but placed in the right spot, it could form a much more powerful magic formation.

Before learning more about the Primary Material Plane, before the Abyss Passage fully opened and other Demon Lords arrived on the surface, this dungeon was the only Abyss Outpost rooted on Earth.

Once he had it, Simon would have full control over the "host" status and home advantage that Victor used for bargaining.

Demons were all selfish creatures, willing to cooperate for their own interests but also ready to attack each other for the same reason. Survival of the fittest has always been their way. Having those fools over there force Simon to explore this place, now that he was here, he could take advantage of everything he encountered. In less than a second, Angry Demon Lord made a decision.

Keeping an eye out, he scanned the entire hall. There was no one else around, according to the demons’ senses. No traps nearby, no ambushes, only the Nest Mother standing there motionless, ignoring all of Angry Demon’s actions. Victor seemed like he was about to speak again, but Simon grabbed him and threw him out, breaking off a pillar nearby in the hall and pressing it onto a flat book. The former Snake of Lies let out a groan and could no longer speak.

After finishing all this, Simon returned to the Magic Pool and extended his claws.

His claws opened and seized the floating Dungeon Core as Angry Demon’s soul began to reach towards the core. It was empty inside, pure and easy to control, like an open treasure vault, waiting for its owner. Simon didn’t waste any time in letting his soul intertwine with it, getting ready to claim the core for himself.

This would be a short process.

The creatures on the Primary Material Plane who are under the spell need a long ritual to acknowledge a new master. They need a whole day and night to link with the Dungeon Core. During this time, creatures created within the dungeon will attack from the outer edges to test if the new owner is worthy. Magic Demons settling in the dungeon also take a considerable amount of time. They will reshape the dungeon environment while leaving their mark. These picky and overly confident Demons will spend a few months perfecting their mark. By the time they’re done, the dungeon will further upgrade and enhance its fighting capabilities.

As the Demon Lord Ragehorn Simon, who is uninterested in shaping living environments, only needs to carve his soul mark into the Dungeon Core.

He uses a simple yet violent method – the soul of the Angry Demon pierces the core like a sharp knife, spreading contamination and merging with it, similar to a child marking food with bite marks and saliva. Demons use this method to pollute anything, as it takes less than ten minutes. The downside is…

In the hall, behind the Angry Demon, a faint candlelight flickered to life.

When the candlelight revealed itself, onlookers only then realized it had been lit all along; they had just failed to notice before. The candle holders and the one holding them blended seamlessly into the background, unidentified by any eye. It was only at that moment a spiritual light suddenly rose, catching the Angry Demon by surprise.

The temple of the Star Goddess housed a candle holder called "Faint Starlight." The candles on this Divine Artifact would burn without fire, casting a light that made everything forgettable.

The activation of Divine Artifacts emits a noticeable Heavenly Realm light that shines vividly to demons. However, the Star Goddess’s Divine Artifact had already been activated before the arrival of the Angry Demon, and now the light had faded. The Saint Child of Saro, holding the candle holder, stood in the room with the Dungeon Core, meticulously planning and waiting. The light emanating from Samuel did not come from the candle holder but from the Divine Artifact. In his left hand, the Saint Child held the candle holder, and in his right hand, the Prideful Sun Rod.

He tightly grasped the thorn-patterned scepter, blood flowing along the grooves like hot oil poured into a fire, igniting the coral-red scepter suddenly. The Pope of Saroism glared angrily at the demon, showcasing his unwavering resolve. The light of the Saro God’s scepter shone brighter than any he had ever unleashed before.

The scorching sun was brought underground by the Saint Child.

The wand glowed like a piece of hot, melting iron, shining in a dazzling golden-red color. The sun patterns on the top burst out with a substantial golden light, filling the air with molten gold. The released divine spell met its old enemy, the evil demon, with renewed energy, attacking ferociously and exploding on every inch of its skin nearby.

Saro’s divine spell wasn’t as quick as light. Even for a Saint Child who had never been granted control by the gods, using the Prideful Sun Rod to attack the Demon Lord was a challenging task.

The light seemed solid and heavy, moving at an almost slow pace. If Ragehorn Simon tried to escape immediately, he might not have been able to avoid it.

However, as the demon swiftly took over the dungeon with dark tricks, its body remained motionless.

Simon’s soul got stuck there, feeling like trapped in a narrow passage with no way out and being too late to retreat — just as the peaceful Dungeon Core suddenly surged, Tasha revealed her harmless disguise, leaving no escape.

The slow but intense light of the rising sun hit the Angry Demon entirely.

Sharp bone spikes resembled ice picks, sturdy muscles turned soft and melted rapidly when engulfed in flames. A foul burnt smell filled the hall, the demon’s flesh emitting a disgusting putrid smell, dissipating entirely with each radiant wave. Like cold water on hot oil, like a branding iron on ice, the collision between the divine spell and the Abyssal Demon caused a violent reaction, making the magical energy in the air seem to boil. Ragehorn Simon’s howls echoed to the sky, and before the exhausted Saint Child of Saro collapsed, one-third of the demon’s body had already evaporated.

Not enough, far from enough.

Demons of the level of Demon Lords possess terrifying vitality, especially flesh-eating types like the Angry Demon, making it challenging to defeat even with such destruction. This was something Victor remembered and had mentioned.

The plan of the empty city might work best, but if it doesn’t, there are still other ways. In just a few minutes, they could come up with backup plans. The Abyssal Demon Lord blamed each other, most likely the Angry Demon would come (though not sure which one), provoking the Angry Demon worked well. If the empty city plan failed, Victor could continue to use it to provoke anger and distract attention, setting a trap for the new Angry Demon about Tasha and the Primary Material Plane information. As long as the Abyssal Demon continued to rule independently for thousands of years, as long as there was still greed in the demons’ hearts, the arrangement of the Dungeon Core would be a grand plan.

After patience and sacrifice, Tasha finally got her chance.

Ragehorn Simon, trapped by greed, was ambushed by the Saint Child of Saro launching two Divine Artifacts. After that, it was time for Tasha to act.

The silver sword reflected the remaining golden light, cutting through the heavy air, and also the body of the Angry Demon.

It was a one-meter-long sword, with a back blade and blood grooves and unique patterns on the blade. The dragon-winged body had chosen the sword as its weapon, and over the years, various residents had crafted different types of swords for Tasha, similar in form but with different effects. The Dwarf Craftsman had developed the sharpness attribute to perfection, the witch had poisoned the blade, and the black-robed wizard had cursed the sword with various curses. This silver sword was covered with runes written by the official Pastor of Saro. After being meticulously etched by the Craftsman Dwarf, the pontiff blessed it with the Prideful Sun Rod.

This silver sword was named "Demon Breaker."

A very unimaginative but very fitting name.

The blessed blade of the Demon Breaker was not as effective as the Prideful Sun Rod, but as it cut through the flesh, it made a sizzling sound, like cutting beef on a hot iron plate. Like a kitchen knife cutting through butter, the Demon Breaker sword pierced the Angry Demon’s shoulder, all the way down, slashing through half of the body.

"Stop!" Ragehorn Simon shouted.

It still couldn’t move, its body couldn’t turn, only shouting futilely facing away from Tasha. The Angry Demon was shocked and couldn’t believe it, but no one was around to interpret its expression. Tasha frowned at the knife stuck in the bone, she withdrew the long knife, flapped her wings, soared into the air, and then swooped down.

Whoosh!

The feeling was like cutting through tough leather, the silver knife with force finally succeeded. This sharp weapon, combined with Tasha’s strength, was enough to cut a cow in half, now she raised her hand and successfully cut off the Angry Demon’s strong arm. Blood splattered instantly. Tasha dodged into the air, avoiding the splashing blood. Another heavy blow followed, aimed at Simon’s remaining left horn.

"How dare you!!" Simon was furious, "Stop it! I command you!"

Tasha immediately responded with action if she dared or not.

The first blow fell, making a crisp sound on the long horn. The Angry Demon’s horn was indeed very hard, even if it was just a clone. The feeling of the blade bouncing back gave Tasha an initial assessment of the hardness there. Then the second blow, the third blow, the fourth blow… Ten blows fell rapidly and evenly on different parts of the whole horn, ringing as they struck. She stopped where the feeling was most suitable, paused for a while, and then tens of blows faster than before, swinging the blade swiftly like a hummingbird’s wings, in the blink of an eye, countless blows fell on the same spot.

If Tasha weren’t in this moment and place, she would say it felt like she was back in the kitchen, as if chopping meat and bones with a kitchen knife on a cutting board.

The shadows of the swords flickered in the dim hall, Saro’s brilliance had faded, and the shimmer came from the Magic Pool and Dungeon Core, both lights eerie and shifting. The thuds on the long horn began to change tone, the first tiny crack appeared, followed by another. If you slowed down the scene and amplified the faint sounds of the blade, this sight might evoke images of cutting down trees. Click, click, click, creak – the tree is about to fall!

The Angry Demon’s roar rose eightfold.

One half of the long horn was finally chopped off, revealing a gruesome cross-section of flesh and sinew. Tasha stared at the wound, raised her knife, and turned it into a circular cut.

Unfortunately, time was running out, and she couldn’t make the left and right sides symmetrical.

"Stop!" Simon roared.

Not only was it roaring from its throat, but a loud command echoed in its soul, ordering Tasha to stop, hold her hand, be still, obey, submit, and bow down. The Angry Demon Lord was exerting all its power to attack the Dungeon Core, the abyssal breath roaring uncontrollably, perhaps having a similar domineering effect to a legitimate dungeon Nest Mother. Tasha showed no reaction, continuously swinging her knife. When the long horn fell to the ground, her next blow landed on the Angry Demon’s leg.

Only at this moment did a slight change occur in the demon’s soul.

It finally realized what Tasha was trying to do.

How to destroy a large demon’s duplicate? Damage exceeding eighty percent is needed, with the vital parts completely shattered. With a clear goal in mind, Tasha swiftly and meticulously dismembered Simon and threw the dismembered body into the Magic Pool. Simon finally realized that the Nest Mother in front of him understood the correct way to destroy the duplicate, and she was daring enough to do so, showing no intention of surrender.

The command began to soften.

The command turned into stern demands, then into reluctant, resentful negotiations. Slight panic seeped into the Dungeon Core, and the Nest Mother finally spoke, "So, you also feel fear."

"What do you want?" Simon said angrily, "You are also a creation from the Abyss! Why?!"

No, Tasha is not a creation from the Abyss. Her loyalty has never been with the Abyss, and she has no intention of following any orders from the Abyss. There is no possibility of peace talks. From the moment the Angry Demon set foot in the dungeon, it became a fight to the death. But why did Tasha bother to explain it clearly?

So she simply stated the simplest reason.

"You tore my book," answered Nest Mother.

"What?" Simon exclaimed.

Without further explanation, the long sword fell, beheading the Angry Demon.