Dungeon of Pride, Laplace

990  Chapter 990- Caged (3)

As he listened this far, Simon tilted his head. The demon Lords suddenly started expanding territories? The reason sounded too flimsy and whimsical for it to invoke a war of such a massive scale.

As a demon noble himself, he knew that the territory in the Demon continent wasn't favourable to life which is why the fertile land of the central continent was so coveted.

However, the demon noble had overcome that by establishing their own dungeons. As long as they had enough DP, they could turn their place into any place they found desirable.

There was no meaning in the demon nobles aggressively expanding their territories other than as a show of force. However, even then it was not feasible to risk full on war with the Alliance.

Even he who was not born in this era, could see that. So there is no way the other high ranking demon nobles weren't aware of it either.

Itherion continued, a silent fury burning in his voice "When the Demon Lords began their campaigns of conquest, human settlements near their borders were destroyed. Hundreds and thousands of people were wiped out, their people enslaved or massacred"...

"Humanity was being pushed into the corner. Unable to take it any further, we made alliances and retaliated. Thus began the spiral".

 Vincent added, his voice sharp "This wasn't just about land or survival. The current Demon Lords are consolidating power. Some believe they aren't just after our territory—they are after something else. Something tied to the very balance of this world".

Balance?

"There are forces in this world— forces that keep it from tipping too far into chaos or order. The Demon Lords want to disrupt that balance. To what end? No one knows for sure. But it's clear their ambitions don't stop at mere conquest".

 Vincent said no more and shut his mouth closed, appearing unapproachable.

Itherion took it upon himself to explain further "That is one more thing but if you are asking what was the final spark that led to the current world encompassing war, then it would be the drawing of the Seraphim's blood"...

"It was supposed to be a pact, a last attempt at peace. The Seraphims came in to mediate a meeting between the Demon Lords and human leaders before the war could escalate any further. Both sides agreed to make peace and a a neutral ground was chosen for the signing of the pact"...

"However, it was all a plot. The demon nobles used this chance to kill one of the Seraphims and take out the races allied with the Alliance. This act of betrayal evoked a great ire from all the races causing a massive war to erupt. And that is also when the world was plunged into chaos".

 The air grew heavy as the weight of the war's origins settled over them. Simon's mind raced as he listened intently, piecing together what he'd learned.

The balance of the world, the ambitions of the Demon Lords, the failed peace treaty—it all painted a picture far more complex than he had anticipated.

These were all the information about the Second Apex War he was unaware of. The historical records have very little information scribed and the people of the current timeline remembered even less of that.

The Second Apex war, the cataclysmic event that took the world by storm… there were many factors, events and elements yet to surface.

What Iterion and Vincent recited completely painted the Demon Nobles in a negative light making them as the main perpetrators of the war. However, after experiencing the war and the world for himself, Simon knew better than to believe something at face value.

There are many facets to a war and essentially the world; which is why, one cannot just simply blindly trust what they see and hear.

It was kind of like his previous world where news and media blew a topic to epic proportions where even the truth was completely obscured. This is why, if Simon wanted to get to the core of the matter, he needed to get testimonies from both sides.

"What's your next question, demon?"

Itherion's voice snapped Simon out of his daze. He thought for a moment before his next question.

"Who killed the Seraphim? And which Seraphim was it?"

 Before Itherion could answer, Vincent who was standing aloofly by the side, suddenly had a shift in his expression. His silver eyes flashed and he was in a battle ready state.

"That question has to wait. Something is wrong".

Itherion rose to his feet, his eyes scanning the surrounding "I feel it too. Something is.. out of place here.

"Hm?" Simon who had no idea what the two were talking about, was suddenly drawn by a peculiar tremble he felt from near him.

When he shifted his gaze to the origin, there he saw the Fingers of Ozymandias trembling violently. The runes marked in them were flashing with a chaotic light.

What was going on? Why would the Figner of Ozymandias react all of a sudden?

Before Simon could ponder further, a vision like an omen flashed in his mind.

RUMBLE... Mount Gorgor collapsing completely. A massive abyss formed beneath it. Dark, murky green energy spreads like a noxious film over the world and two figures locked in a desperate fight. n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

ZAP... The vision ended and the world was back to normal again.

Huff… Huff… Simon gasped for air, his eyes widened. That just now was no ordinary vision but occurrences in the future. That is to say, what he saw earlier was glimpses from the future.

Why now? He had seen such phenomena before, thanks to the mysterious power of his right eye—the Celestial Ocularis. Though rare, these visions always came right before the calamity.

"We need to leave this place right now," Simon hurriedly cautioned, but he was a step too late. A dark, murky green liquid started oozing from the ground beneath them.

 "What's happening? Why is everything turning dark green?" Rothgard looked around in confusion. New factors, new elements that were otherwise omitted from the records of history are starting to surface up. What could this mean? ViciousPepper