The name of the massive dimension home to the Great Old Ones was R'lyeh Void, the Eldritch Universe's nucleus. All the energy that True Selves generated out of sacrifices would find its path into this place, half nurturing the universe and the other half the Great Old Ones.
For the Prima Universe, the Prima-Eldritch Universe Final Battlefield was an excellent place to train their new powerhouses. Yet, for the Eldritch Universe, it was a dimension full of food for the Great Old Ones.
Despite the Prima Universe's forces having the upper hand in each battlefield ring, the Great Old Ones did not care. As long as eldritch life forms made sacrifices to the True Selves and energy reached R'lyeh Void, the number of soldiers perishing every day was inconsequential.
When the gates into R'lyeh Void were blasted open, fourteen of the Great Old Ones awoke from their slumber. They immediately focused on the responsible, unleashing an aura so dark and malevolent that it could make even Rank 9 life forms crazy with fear.
That nightmarish force reached the King in Yellow, but this one did not move a muscle. Instead, he unleashed his own aura, one even eviler than that of the fourteen Great Old Ones combined!
The yellow aura clashed with the gray one coming from the Great Old Ones before finally overpowering it and encompassing every corner of R'lyeh Void.
As that yellow aura assaulted them, a sharp light appeared in the Great Old Ones' eyes. Although they did their best to hide it, there was monstrous hate emanating from their souls. Nevertheless, other than hate, there was also an immense fear.
Unlike what Zatiel and the World Tree speculated, the King in Yellow did not have the title of Eldritch Universe's Champion due to him having gained the favor of the Great Old Ones. He forced those nightmarish creatures into submission, showing them a level of cruelty that shocked even them.
The King in Yellow was two and a half meters tall, while every Great Old One was larger than a Principal World. Yet, the one with the stronger aura was clear to all.
A sense of utter humiliation filled those fourteen Great Old Ones as they adopted respectful stances and performed a deep bow toward the King in Yellow.
"We, the Great Old Ones, humbly greet you, King in Yellow, the Eldritch Universe King."
Only one Great Old One remained silent, the same that continued his slumber even after the King in Yellow's aura filled R'lyeh Void.
Those words felt like ash for the fourteen Great Old Ones that shouted in unison. In their minds, all eldritch life forms were slaves whose only purpose was to use the True Selves to send energy to them.
Sadly, that status quo that started in the Eldritch Universe's beginning and carried on for billions of years broke under the King in Yellow's might.
He was flawless, with a scheming mind like no one else and raw power capable of sundering galaxies. And to make things worse, his past and motivations were unknown to everybody.
Some Great Old Ones even hypothesize that the King in Yellow was the incarnation of the ego left by Endless Darkness in his Inner Universe and Omega Law. However, that was only an idea, and the truth is they know nothing about him.
The King in Yellow showed nothing as the Great Old Ones bowed to him. A yellow robe still hid his appearance, but he retracted his aura, allowing the fourteen to relax.
"Prepare yourself. I will use the Elder Key soon." His voice echoed through the void. It contained a sense of ancientness greater than the Great Old Ones, which should not be possible.
The King in Yellow did not offer an explanation or ask for their opinions. He gave an order, and the Great Old Ones needed to obey it, as simple as that.
A complicated expression appeared in the awakened Great Old Ones as they heard the King in Yellow's command. The Elder Key was a powerful spell that required them to burn part of their Primordial Essence and combine their powers.
It allowed the Great Old Ones to unleash a power that could partially surpass the Final Gate's defenses. Through it, they sent the forces that gave birth to the Prima-Eldritch Universe Final Battlefield.
The last time they used it was when they helped the Prima-Eldritch Universe Final Battlefield to form the Void, Sky, and Earth Rings. It took them a long time to heal, and some had yet to recover fully.
Despite all that, none of the Great Old Ones dared to refuse. There was no need to mention wits. Even their combined power could not match the King in Yellow.
Having fulfilled his purpose, the King in Yellow turned around and walked out of R'lyeh Void. But just as he was about to cross the gate, he stopped and turned toward one of the Great Old Ones.
The Great Old One, targeted by the King in Yellow, was an immense creature that resembled an angelic being with a deformed body and putrefactive wings. When he felt those eyes, a sense of utter doom assaulted him.
Before anyone could say a word, the King in Yellow raised his arm and clenched his fist, making the deformed angelic Great Old One explode.
Shock filled the rest of the Great Old Ones as they saw that, but an even greater feeling assaulted them when they saw someone else appear after the explosion.
The aura of the newcomer's soul told the Great Old Ones that he and the putrefaction angel were the same entity. It was just that his power and appearance had changed.
He also had an angelic form but lacked the putrefaction from before. His skin was white, and majestic wings grew from his limbs, but the most impressive thing was that his aura was almost six times stronger.
"You managed to evolve your body into Rank 10. Aktu, attempt to hide anything from me again, and you will suffer the same fate as that fool." The King in Yellow said nothing else before crossing the gate and leaving the Old World.
Aktu could not help but feel a sense of utter defeat assault him. At first, he thought he had managed to hide it, but it seemed he was too naive.
The rest of the Great Old Ones focused on Aktu but said nothing. It would be a lie to say they had not thought of improving their power in the dark and waiting for the right time to strike.
Aktu and the other thirteen turned to the Great Old One, who continued sleeping this entire time and whom the King in Yellow referred to as a fool. He had the largest body, resembling a mass of tentacles, eyes, and mouths, with four Cores of Existence into Rank 10.
That Great Old One name was Azathoth, the first and strongest. He was the one that led the Eldritch Universe against the Prima Universe. There was a time when his presence could embark on the entire Eldritch Universe, but now he ended up in that condition.
Azathoth did not wake up when the King in Yellow arrived, nor did he bow alongside the other for a simple reason. He could do nothing else but sleep after the King in Yellow lobotomized him.
