Al'Katra was the homeworld of the Nox, and the Nox Emperors naturally wouldn't leave it alone.
Despite the fact that all four of them lived off-world, they split the world into four territories, each of which held a force that belonged to them.
Though, it wasn't as if these portions were equal.
Of them, the Soul Emperor and Inhuman Emperor had the largest claims. This had nothing to do with strength, but the fact that the two of them had the largest forces among their peers.
Next was the Karmic Emperor. His force wasn't as large as the rest, but it was still substantial. After all, he needed manpower in order to execute his schemes and enforce his will.
The emotional manipulation he partook in was mostly done through Supremes who carried a portion of his power and consciousness, essentially puppets for him to control.
The condition for them to give their bodies to him was for him to give them power, therefore, he needed land to provide them areas to rule.
The Saint Emperor, of the four, had the smallest force.
In all aspects, he was an individual. He moved alone and had plans too deep for anyone to understand. He only recently created a small force for himself and used it to groom Yong An, but the land area necessary for this wasn't much, so his territory was a sliver of what the rest had.
Those who subordinated themselves to him were more like religious fanatics than soldiers. They were followers, not troops.
The actual locations of the Nox Emperors were well-kept secrets. Some of them acted so quietly that it was difficult for anyone to pinpoint their locations, while some made sure those who knew where they were either subjugated or dead.
Currently, Damien was in the Inhuman Emperor's territory, which explained why the rules only prohibited slaughter superficially.
In fact, this territory encouraged the act under the pretense of harmony with structures like the battle arena. The Nox here would slowly breed their desire to kill to a greater extent than their base instinct called for, which was perfect for those in the Inhuman Emperor's camp.
Being in this territory was probably for the best.
These were the most simple-minded Nox, so Damien didn't have to worry about much.
But finding a path to the Demon Abyss was troubling.
There were no events or ceremonies surrounding it that he could use as an entry point, nor were regular Nox beings allowed near its vicinity in the slightest.
The only ones who could approach the Demon Abyss were Lords and Emperors, at least, as the six Supremes' memories implied.
Damien had a deep frown on his face as he tried to find an in.
'My strength is enough, but I have to remain quiet.'
Damien was untouchable right now.
Supremes couldn't do anything to him, and Demigods literally couldn't do anything to him.
Therefore, battle wasn't a problem.
But he couldn't alert the enemy to his presence. If he engaged in too much battle and found himself standing against the entire world, even he would reach a point of no return.
After all, it took him five years to kill just over a trillion Nox. Imagining how much time he would have to spend to kill his way off Al'Katra made him shiver.
And worst of all, there was still one thing that could kill him.
If one of the Emperors created a Supreme with enough of their power, it would definitely give him a run for his money.
If the four of them teamed up for that purpose…?
'Well, that's highly unlikely, but I should still be careful.'
Through the memories he obtained, Damien also learned of the ongoing conflict between the Soul and Saint Emperors.
The Soul Emperor's forces had been relentlessly suppressing the Saint Emperor's followers for 50 Abyss years. The reason behind their conflict was unknown, but everyone on Al'Katra was happily watching those two sides fight.
How would Damien react if he found out the cause was none other than himself?
He would surely laugh his ass off.
But that was a story for another time.
His thoughts in the moment were focused on two things.
Firstly, the obvious goal of infiltrating the Demon Abyss.
And secondly…
'Since two of them are already fighting, why don't I make it worse?'
He wanted to set the Karmic and Inhuman Emperors against each other.
His hope was that they'd split into four, but even if they split into two sides, it would benefit him far more than their current united front against outsiders.
'With the Inhuman Emperor's personality, it shouldn't be hard to incite him. The problem is finding a way to blame the Karmic Emperor.'
Damien had never seen the man before, so he couldn't just fabricate memories or use other similar hidden tactics to pin the blame.
But if he could find a way…
BOOOOOOOOOM!
The ground rocked.
Damien's head swiveled back in the direction he came only to see a massive mushroom cloud rising into the air.
'That is…the city?'
It was far in the distance, but the fact that he felt the shockwave so clearly meant the explosion wasn't small at all.
'There shouldn't be anyone capable of creating a scene like that left.'
After he killed the Supremes, did someone else come to take over the city?
Or was there something more mysterious going on?
'Either way, since I'm planning to fuck the Inhuman Emperor over, it's my duty to go check it out.'
He just left, but that was only because he didn't expect something fun to happen so soon.
Damien instantly shifted his appearance again to avoid unnecessary trouble and made his way back.
And when he arrived…
Carnage.
The ordinary "citizens" were loose in the streets, killing and looting like no tomorrow. Their eyes were red as if they'd lost their sanity, and not a single individual was spared from the slaughterfest.
'I knew they were belligerent, but it shouldn't be to this extent.'
The loss of Supremes wasn't enough to cause something like this.
'No, maybe it is, but it hasn't been long enough for this kind of mayhem to occur.'
It wasn't even an hour ago that he assassinated them and left.
Even if others learned of their deaths in this time, the Executioners in the city would've stepped up and tried to maintain balance.
Not for peace, but for their own benefit. If they could take the posts of those dead Supremes and gain the acknowledgment of a Lord, their futures would be far more prosperous than now.
But…that didn't happen?
Executioners were fighting each other, High Commanders were teaming up against Executioners, hell, even regular 4th class Nox were challenging nine revolutions masters without care for their lives.
Indiscriminate and without reason, that was the best way to describe the ongoing scene.
'...but this still isn't enough to cause that explosion.'
Damien scanned the surroundings for the impact crater and found it soon enough. It seemed the battle arena had been obliterated first, and this chaos started afterward.
'The instigator is…'
Damien's eyes went to the sky.
There was a man standing there, a condescending expression on his face as he watched the Nox slaughter themselves.
But…
'...doesn't he…look a little different?'
