The Twelve Apocalypses: A Damned Soul's Path to the Abyss

"Why is it so important that we send people from our legion against angels at all?" I demanded, once the Abyssal knowledge-frenzy had calmed down somewhat. "Doesn't the circle being invaded have their own troops? And besides, why should Torment care? Aren't all grand dukes more or less at each other's throats?"

"Ahhh, well… no, actually. Desire doesn't have its own troops. That layer doesn't need them. It's… well, it's complicated."

Glaustro grimaced, focusing on one more check of his weapons. This time around, he had replaced his previous implement of murder with a massive halberd. The weapon looked even deadlier than his last pick, especially since I was pretty sure it was heavier, somehow.

"Try to explain? Please?" Mia chimed in from beside me. She had finished her packing a while ago and was lounging on my bed. Though she didn't seem to share our anxiety, I knew better.

The cat demoness was tense enough to explode any moment. In fact, she had been 'off' since the ceremony the day before. Her silences had become oppressive, rather than just what we expected of her stoic temperament.

Glaustro must have been as relieved as I was to hear her engage in our chatter, because he was a bit more verbose than usual in his answer

"Well, it all has to do with the same fucking mess. Once upon a time, the Abyss wasn't as… orderly as it is now. Demons were little better than imps, really. These primal demons just raged according to their Emotion, doing whatever they wanted.

"Most didn't live for very long. They'd either get torn apart, or they would kill themselves in some stupid way. Some lived long enough to develop what I can best describe as animal cunning, though. Seven names you're probably familiar with. Pride, Lust, Wrath, Envy, Greed, Sloth, and Gluttony. Their Emotions lent themselves well to long-term survival, so they flourished."

I felt very tempted to interrupt and ask what all this had to do with angels, but I held back when I saw the interest gleaming in Mia's eyes. If she was content with the circuitous route Glaustro was taking to get to his point, then I would be as well.

"For a while, things continued like that, until the first angel decided to poke their nose into the Abyss. You see, they ventured outside of their plane, the Cradle, before we left the Abyss. They hated Emotions, and they wanted to root out every single one. Except, the demons of that time took the angels' scouting attempts as an invasion, and responded in kind. They ventured outside of the Abyss and invaded the Cradle.

"The life of all demons back then was slaughter and warfare. So, when presented with some new sources of the same, they jumped on the chance to break the monotony. Wrath led the charge, and slaughtered many angels before he fell. But this also kicked off all-out war, and, well… we weren't winning."

That, I couldn't lie, shocked me. Glaustro noticed my expression and smirked.

"What? You think mindless violence is a good approach to warfare? No, the angels had tactics and smarts on their side. They were kicking our collective arses. That's why the Abyss decided to get… creative."

"Creative how?" Mia prompted with mild annoyance after Glaustro chose to milk the dramatic moment with a long pause.

The major laughed, then continued. "Gluttony was one of the few demons to make their way back to the Abyss after invading, and he had managed to eat part of the Cradle itself, not to mention countless angels. He brought back all that essence of Reason with him, which allowed the Abyss to gorge itself on Reason, too. The Abyss funneled that essence into the first of what would become the modern demons. All of a sudden, we weren't just raging brutes. All of a sudden, we were fighting back."

"That's really, really wonderful, but what's it got to do with our general's fixation on the incoming angelic breach?" I snapped, the anxiety of our upcoming trip to Breskwor finally getting to me.

"I was just about to explain!" Glaustro huffed. "Well, that particular event revealed the fact that the Abyss and the Cradle can steal power from each other. Sure, the angels hate it, but they still gorge on the power they get from killing demons. Likewise, this is the best opportunity for demons to grow, too. Kill an angel, and you get to feast on whatever piece of their soul you can get before they're yanked off to be reborn in the Cradle.

"The only tricky part is the fact that we have to be careful to steal more than we lose. That's why only the best of the best are allowed to fight on the front lines when angels invade. If they slaughter weaklings, they'll decimate our numbers. Permanently, too, since we'll be fighting in the Abyss."

"And Desire?" Mia asked, unsatisfied.

Glaustro paused, searching for words. "Well, Desire is… complicated. Out of all the primordial demons, only Lust is left. For a very long time, all demons who belonged to Lust and its related Emotions had… difficulties… with control, or even lost their minds entirely. There's a good reason Lust layers are completely sectioned off from the rest of the Abyss.

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"Desire was the first to break away from Lust fully by reaching the level of a grand duchess, but she was still affected. Her domain still leans heavily on the 'romantic' rather than combat. That's why she relies on her spawn to forge connections and draw in combatants. Along with the promises of rich rewards, of course."

There's a demon that old still kicking around?

The idea boggled my mind. I knew from my inherited knowledge that the Abyss was formed at the dawn of Reality, alongside the very first creatures capable of feeling. This meant there was a very real chance that Lust was as ancient as the complex world I called home.

"As interesting as that was, we're supposed to be doing final gear checks, not discussing history," Bronwynn said dryly.

The pink-skinned demon was the most relaxed person in the room by far. He had expressed all his apprehensions the day before and was now content to go along with Glaustro's plans. Like Mia, he had already completed his final checks. He'd been sitting in a chair by the door ever since, staring at me and Glaustro with mild reproach.

With a sigh, I went over everything I owned one final time, starting with my more mundane items.

My soul pouch hung on my hip, still as flawless as the day I got it. My dimensional pouch did show some signs of wear and tear, but the connection I felt to it was as strong as ever, assuring me I didn't need to worry about it for a while yet.

I would need to replace it eventually, when its enchantments and base materials started to fail. It was made on a rather low-level world, after all.

Next came my armor, and my newest sword. Neither had any issues, and the armor was just about the most comfortable thing I owned. The plates were attached to an undershirt and pants, both of ridiculously high quality. I was almost positive they had been specifically enchanted for softness and ease of maintenance.

My grimoire, too, was in fine shape. I had made sure to purchase several primers and a few guides on magic, too, preparing for the moment when I could finally begin studying all the wonders mana had to offer me. I was strongly hopeful that I would have more free time on Breskwor, at least once we settled in.

Last came my most important possession: my mother's sword.

I had been struggling to ignore it for some time now, but ever since my ascension, I was far more connected to the weapon. To all of my soul-bound items, really, but the blade in particular. It felt almost like it was screaming for my attention.

And I knew why. The sword's legacy was finally mine to claim, if I would just stop hesitating.

But putting the moment off was so easy. I could justify it by saying that prep work needed my attention, or that Glaustro needed my help, or that I needed to spend time getting to know my troops. All of those things were true.

They were also things I could easily sidestep through a brief talk with Glaustro. All I would need to say is that I had family matters to settle, and he would give me the time.

Instead, I pushed down the sword's urging once again and joined my major in confirming our readiness. We were leaving for Breskwor shortly. That was the priority now.

I could worry about everything else once we were there.
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The opening of the portal to Breskwor didn't bode especially well for our future.

We were crammed with Wilhelmina's troops into a square barely large enough to hold all of us. Thankfully, we didn't have to wait long before a demoness stomped in with eight attendants to oversee our trip. A foul mood radiating off her visibly, she kicked things off without an introduction.

The moment the portal opened, a gust of cold wind blew through the square, accompanied by a flurry of flakes. Shivering, I stared in surprise at the hostile conditions we were allowed to glimpse.

Ice and snow, as far as the eye could see.

Admittedly, the eye couldn't see all that far. The sun's glare messed with spatial perception. But still…

"Would Major Wilhelmina and her troops be so kind as to cross, or will we be waiting here for long?" the irritated-looking demoness demanded, adjusting her glasses.

Wilhelmina snapped out of whatever daze she was in and glared. The other demoness glared back, completely unconcerned. Major Wilhelmina scowled, but got moving with a toss of her head. She didn't stop shrieking at her troops to hurry up until every single one had passed through into Breskwor.

The portal closed behind them, and the four demons who had been maintaining it grunted with exhaustion. Apparently, even with the spatial coordinates, opening a portal to an unconquered world without a lick of demonic presence on it was draining.

"As promised, you will now be deposited at random Breskwor coordinates as well," the sour demoness quipped at Glaustro, then snapped her fingers at another set of four demons to get moving.

Soon enough, we were staring at a different expanse of white. It looked pretty much the same, but I couldn't spot Wilhelmina or her troops anywhere, so at least our separate entry into Breskwor was not a lie.

I would prefer not fighting to the death the second I set foot on a brand new world.

"This better be worth it," Bronwynn hissed. Taking a deep breath, he plunged through the portal.

Glaustro winced, but then just motioned for the rest of us to hurry through. Mia's hand somehow found fine, and I gave it a reassuring squeeze as we stepped through together.

Breskwor felt… weird.

I sensed the attention of something vast slamming down onto me, and chains of light began to form out of thin air. However, most crumbled before they even tried to reach for me. The few that did manage to push through vanished as soon as they impacted my soul.

No chains. No suppression of any kind.

"A young world…"

Bronwynn's voice was full of wonder, his eyes wide and fixed on the horizon.

I opened my mouth and inhaled deeply as I dragged both Mia and the dazed Bronwynn off to the side to make way for our troops. The mana in the air felt sweet and rich, clearly far denser than Berlis' had been. If anything, I would put the mana density closer to Lagyel-levels.

And if the world truly was young, well…

I felt a grin spread across my face.

Glaustro had made the right choice after all.