Abyssal Sovereign: The Demon's Dominion-Chapter 205 - 204: The total number of survivors..

"Please… we will find more races for you to devour. Spare us—we'll do it immediately," a trembling voice pleaded.

On a desolate planet, a man sat upon a throne, his chin resting lazily on his arm. Below him knelt a few strange beings with sixteen ant-like legs and a single chubby hand. Their skin was blue, their bodies covered in thick armor. They had only two fingers on their hand and resembled a grotesque fusion of insect and humanoid.

This was the Devouring Race—once the most feared species in their universe. They stood at the apex of power, forcing all other races to offer sacrifices or face annihilation. But now, the mighty had fallen. The Devouring Race was no longer the devourer… but the provider.

Their era of dominance had ended. And the bitter truth? They were the last race still alive in their universe.

They pleaded not out of arrogance, but desperation. Both they and the being on the throne knew—they were clinging to a hope that no longer existed.

Hope… that he would let them live.

"Hmm… you do realize you're the only race left alive in this universe," the being finally spoke after their endless begging.

"Your end is inevitable, no matter what you say or who you pray to. Death comes now."

The being stood up. Compared to the average five-meter-tall bodies of the Devouring Race, he was less than two meters tall, resembling a human. But strength? He was beyond them all.

A terrifying aura erupted from his body, shaking the very fabric of space.

The creatures below went silent, the light in their eyes extinguished. Hopelessness consumed them.

The being vanished from the throne and appeared in the void of space. Below him was not a planet—but a galaxy. The last stronghold of the Devouring Race.

"In life is death… in death is life. All must devour to survive."

His words echoed as he raised his palm. A sinister energy burst forth—devouring essence. The galaxy trembled, twisted, and within seconds, shrank into the size of a marble. The being brought it close, grinned, and swallowed it whole.

A violent surge of energy raged through his body—then was immediately quelled by a more terrifying force within him.

He closed his eyes… and smiled.

"Finally… 50% devouring law," he muttered.

"Time to break through to Rank 3."

Shen Ye appeared outside the universe.

Amid the chaotic void stood a colossal marvel, infinite in scale. A black bubble of devouring energy surrounded him, shielding him from annihilation. Any being below Rank 3 would die outside a universe, yet Shen Ye stood, protected by his law.

The devouring law… a terrifying force. No matter how great the energy, it could consume it—slowly, but surely.

"Finally… the final phase. To devour a universe."

Shen Ye trembled. As a quasi-Rank 3 being, he could destroy a universe—though not easily. But devouring it? That was a different matter entirely.

The energy within a universe was monstrous. A universe was composed of laws—hundreds of them. To devour one meant to devour all those laws. Any being below Rank 3 would perish attempting such a feat.

But Shen Ye clenched his fist.

"If I want to kill Void… I must risk it. I must do the impossible. Demon… to defeat you, I must become one."

He made up his mind and stretched his palm toward the universe.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then the universe trembled, and a torrent of overwhelming energy surged into his body. Shen Ye groaned in pain.

"Damn it… this was a mistake… I'm going to die… fuck!"

He gasped, breathless, but the energy didn't stop. It kept pouring in. No matter what he did, he couldn't stop it.

*****

Meanwhile...

Those who were spoken of as doomed… survived.

All except Raiden, who truly died. The rest made it through.

Finally, no more people appeared. Dared's eyes twitched.

"Exactly one thousand… survived. Perfect," Nephem grinned, his voice sending chills down everyone's spine.

"Well, more survived the last trial, but many died in the Blood Pool. We assumed only a hundred would make it, yet ten times that number survived. Impressive," he added, and everyone felt the weight of his words.

"What the hell… the Dreadborne Organization is terrifying. One hundred out of that number?!" Dared thought, shocked.

"They're impressive. I'm interested in this organization," Azerak's voice echoed in his mind.

"Really? I'm not surprised. You're evil to the bone," Dared muttered with a snort.

"Aren't you becoming the same? Do you know how many people you've killed?" Azerak chuckled.

"Did I? You forget you were the one controlling my body," Dared replied coldly.

"…Cough. True. Forget I said that. But I have a feeling you'll do some terrifying things in this organization," Azerak said, and Dared agreed.

His emotions—already numb—felt even more distant. When Azerak brought up killing, Dared realized he felt no remorse… no pity. In fact, he felt something else entirely.

Eagerness.

"Crown Prince, you made it to the end too. Hahaha! Surprising," Nephem laughed. "Very well. You all will be comrades from now on. I've come up with the structure for your roles, so listen carefully."

Everyone fell silent.

This next information would determine their fate. Their survival. Their goals.

All of them had killed at least twenty others during the brutal hundred-man battle royale… except for Dared.

But blood was still on his hands.

Even if it wasn't his will.

To survive, they had taken the lives of others.

Each and every one of them had killed a fellow human being with a single purpose — to live and survive.

Most of them had taken lives before, but a few were rookies. They had joined simply because they wanted to grow stronger. Some had never even seen blood and organs scattered around them — but this trial had molded them all into cold, terrifying murderers who wouldn't hesitate to kill again.

Now, under the command of the Dreadborne Organization, they would obey any order without question. Especially after diving into that blood pool, they had changed — become something far more terrifying. That transformation had made them realize that the death, trauma, and torture they endured... had been worth it.

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