Utter and absolute shock filled the faces of the True Will, True Soul, and True Doomsday Body when they heard the demonic dragon's words.
Primordials were extinct in the Prima Universe. The only exception was Ezequiel, who managed to awaken the bloodline by combining a miraculous lucky chance and his Neo-Demon's heritage.
However, not only was there another universe where the Primordial Race still exists, the soul of one of them reached the Neo-Demon Realm and entered a Peak Tier 12 Star's soul dimension.
Although the trio did their best to regain their composure as soon as possible, they were not able to hide their shock from the demonic dragon.
"Oh, it seems that you already had some encounters with my kind. You three are interesting little fellows, indeed."
The demonic dragon made the trio feel immense apprehension. Not only did his soul force put him at Limit Rank 7, but as a Primordial, his battle power would surely be above that.
"Ok, now that the formalities are over, I guess we should start our battle." Immediately after speaking those words, the demonic dragon's body unleashed a monstrously powerful aura, and the star crown over his head shone with majestic silver light.
"RUMBLE!"
Earthquakes that split the mountain range emerged from the demonic dragon, and every iota of World Strength in the dimension entered his body.
A pressure like if cosmic hands landed on their backs assaulted the humanoids, with the True Soul and True Doomsday Body slammed into the ground.
The True Will was the only one who managed to resist but could not stop his knees from bending. It took all his strength not to fall to the ground, and just taking a single step felt like a monumental task.
Even worse was that the pressure also affected their energy, stopping them from using their powers.
How were they supposed to throw this demonic dragon into the black wheel if they could not even walk? There was no scenario in which a fight would end in their victory.
Despair would have crippled anyone else in this situation, but the True Will showed not a single trace of fear. On the contrary, the silver flame in his eyes only grew stronger.
"AHHH!" The True Soul and True Doomsday Body roared as they used all their strength to rise from the ground. Silver flames also appeared in their eyes as they stared at the demonic dragon.
It took everything in them, but they managed to stand up despite the pressure, and the trio's backs stood straight like spears.
They may lose, they may die, but they would never face defeat on their knees!
"Hahahahaha!" A laugh that resembles lightning and thunder echoed through the dimension when the demonic dragon saw how the trio looked at him.
In that laugh, no mockery of disdain was present, only respect and admiration.
"That is the right way to face death! You may lose to your opponent, but you must never lose to fear and despair!"
A determination and resolve that eclipsed everything else in the dimension were present in those words.
The next second, the pressure that assaulted the humanoids vanished. Before they could even understand what had happened, the demonic dragon uttered some words they never expected to hear.
"I surrender. You win."
Not even sacrificing everything would have been enough to defeat the demonic dragon, yet out of nowhere, he surrendered.
Accepting a victory like this may have been good enough for the Incarnation of Death and Destruction, but the humanoids made of Zatiel Daybreak's Primordial Essence that carried his will did not think so.
"For me to advance, I need to devour your existence. Our victory would mean your death! You should know that."
The demonic dragon looked at the True Doomsday Body's stoic expression, and the smile on his face widened.
"Little black fellow, do you believe in prophecies?"
He did not know why the demonic dragon asked that question, but the True Doomsday Body immediately shook his head.
"I do not. Our choices write our destinies, no one else."
"You are absolutely right, and I am right now choosing to believe in the Heavenly Empress's prophecy. If it fails, there is no one to blame but me, and I will vanish into nothingness knowing I perish due to my decisions and no one else's!" The demonic dragon looked incredibly majestic as he uttered those words.
None of them attempt to argue with the Primordial, just to make themselves feel less conflicted about this victory. Doing so would be incredible hypocrisy, and there was nothing they trio hated more than that.
"Before I enter that black wheel, I need to show you something." A wave emerged from the demonic dragon. He and the humanoids vanished from the shattered mountain range the next second.
The four appeared in the sky right above the dimension's center. Once again, the humanoids felt awe at the demonic dragon's power, as he could teleport them without them having the chance to put up any form of resistance.
Hundreds of kilometers beneath the demonic dragon and the humanoids, thousands fought each other, unleashing a great carnage.
Some fought in groups, others led small squads, and many battled alone. They all had in common the desire to kill as many opponents as possible before perishing.
At first, this scene bothered the humanoids since useless slaughter was not something they were fond of. But as they looked closer, confusion appeared in their eyes as they saw how all those present smiled, with some even using their last breath to praise the skill of the one responsible for their deaths.
The humanoids saw the same happiness and thrill in the demonic dragon. Everything made sense once they put their complete focus on the dead.
Once someone perishes, their bodies would crumble into dots of golden light that would travel to a random location in the plane, where they would resurrect.
"After reaching this place and devouring the Star Consciousness, I found myself utterly alone in an empty dimension. In the beginning, I remembered nothing, so the loneliness and confusion almost drove me crazy."
Having no memories, not even of yourself, and being trapped in a void for thousands of years, could make even the strongest will crumble into pieces.
The humanoids did not say anything and limited themselves to hearing the demonic dragon's story.
"Luckily, after a few thousand years, I learned how to use the laws engraved in me once I devoured the Star Consciousness. The duality of Reality and Dream allowed me to transform this simple soul dimension into a tiny plane."
Enlightenment filled the True Soul when he heard the power that gave birth to this place, making him smile.
"After that, I used drops of my soul to create life. At first, they were just a few dozen, and like me, they all enjoyed fighting. They were all mortals and could not advance in the Ranks, but I ensured they could only perish of natural causes. Time passed, and they began to have children and develop civilizations, with the place beneath us as their sacred land where warriors come to prove their value."
The demonic dragon looked at the ferocious and smiling warriors beneath with tenderness.
"They do not know about me, so they took this land as their own and gave it a name.. Valhalla."
