The demonic entities were Labh Salem's reality.
From witches to demonic Rankers and from half-bloods to demonkins, the demonic entities varied in strength and numbers for each region. However, their existence in society was as prevalent as the breathable air.
The demonic entities were a crazy bunch that participated in all types of heinous activities. They were often linked with blood and gore rituals that would sometimes take place in various parts of the kingdom.
These rituals were conducted by the demonic entities to please the demons and use them to do their bidding. The lure of the demonic power was not something that one could ignore.
Demonic entities knew no bounds. To march forward on their respective paths to power, they did not care what rules they would have to break or how many lives they would have to sacrifice. Their demonic techniques required them to kill and plunder even mortals.
The demonic entities were not a particular kingdom's headache. They were the dark side of Labh Salem which could be found in every corner of the world.
The kingdoms would often use the forces at their disposal as well as the organizations within their territories to fight off the demonic entities. And most of the time, such forces associated themselves with divine entities.
As such, the skirmishes happening all across the world of Labh Salem often had divine and demonic sides going toe to toe against each other. Of course, both divine and demonic sides fought for their own prospective gains. They fought against each other when it suited them. And in some cases, they would join forces to defeat the kingdom's hold over the resources.
In Anfang, a kingdom's royalty or the head of the state was the sole bearer of political power. However, this was often not the case in Labh Salem. Here, most kingdoms had the head of the state that were no more than mere puppets.
The divine or demonic forces often controlled these puppets from the shadows. Both of these sides had realized that wielding such political power directly often made the one in charge an easier target. It was easy to rile up the masses against the ones in charge if they were out in the open.
Like in any world, the mortals and the weak were a huge resource in Labh Salem. It was very easy to establish dominion over them. But it was very difficult to maintain that dominion for a very long time because these mortals would often get dissatisfied with the way they were being exploited by the people in power.
Thus, both demonic and divine sides chose to rule over their respective masses using puppets, which were dubbed as the kings and emperors by the general populace. The regions such rulers governed were in fact the playground for the divine or demonic sides backing them from the shadows.
The divine and demonic sides each had their own dominions. They used these regions to garner faith and demonic essence from their mortal populace.
Thus, in some regions the temples of gods could be seen standing proud, attracting the attention of the mortal populace. And in some regions, the demonic activities were glorified and capitalized on, making their association with the demonic side subtly known.
The demonic and divine sides often clash against each other with such a setting in the background. Their clash and uneven power distribution made Labh Salem a very complex and multifaceted world to explore.
The divine sides were often outspoken, trying to recruit more people into their fold using the respective head of the state as their promoter. After all, the more well-established a god was, the more power they could display in the mortal world.
This, in turn, attracted the masses, allowing these gods to gain their steadfast followers. As a result, the gods who had been well-established for a very long time became stronger with the passing of time.
The demonic entities, on the other hand, were known for their strike-and-hide tactics. Especially when they were inside regions that were governed by the divine side. As such, it was almost impossible for any kingdom to completely eradicate the demonic entities' presence from within their territories.
The continent of Onianum could be called the playground for both the divine and demonic factions. This was because no side had an absolute hold over the regions they controlled.
In some regions, where the divine faction had set up shop, the infiltration of the demonic entities was a common occurrence. And in some regions, where the demonic entities were in power, an uprising by the masses was brewing. The kind of uprising that was caused, managed, and fueled by the divine side.
Of course, the divine and demonic factions were not unilateral forces to begin with. Some gods steered clear of other gods whereas some gods absolutely hated their counterparts. Often, the tensions between the two divine entities result in their followers fighting against each other as well.
Similarly, the demonic side was also far from claiming itself to be united. The seven Demon Princes often fought against each other. There were other powerful and ancient demons as well who wanted to overthrow the dominions of the established Demon Princes.
In fact, one could say that the demonic faction was even more divided and chaotic than the divine counterpart, making it a bit easier for the demonic side to sustain their presence in a world as chaotic as Labh Salem. If the demons weren't present in Labh Salem, the regular people of this world would have liked to remain faithless as it brought fewer troubles to their doorsteps.
Ultimately, both the divine and demonic factions fought against each other to grow their influence over the masses. If the divine side had prosperity and stability to offer to their most ardent followers, the demonic side had created an allure of explosive growth for its staunch supporters.
No faction seemed to register a clear win against each other as a whole in Labh Salem. However, it didn't look like either of them was in a rush.
