The Black-Robed Man and Nyarlathotep frowned as they looked at the Portal that would lead them to the 13th Floor of the Abyss.

They were currently on the 14th Floor, and they had just subjugated the Demigod who ruled it.

For the past three months, they had visited all the levels of the Abyss and made those who ruled them kneel one after the other.

With every Demigod that they defeated, their forces grew stronger until they became an unstoppable force.

In the end, those who didn’t want to lose their lives could only bow their heads and submit to the Black-Robed Man, who was hell-bent on taking over the world where the Abyssal Creatures resided.

Unfortunately, his one-sided conquest ended at the 14th Floor.

The Portal leading to the 13th Floor wasn’t working, and no matter what they did, it remained firmly closed.

Truth be told, the other Demigods who got wind of the Black-Robed Man’s conquest wanted to destroy the Portals that led to their floors. However, this was impossible to do.

The Portals that led from one Abyssal Floor to another were nearly indestructible. Even if they were destroyed, they would just spawn again due to the power of the Abyss.

Antero knew this as well, so he didn’t try destroying the gates and instead sealed them.

As the first creature who was spawned alongside the Abyss, the Golem of Destruction possessed some authority over it.

Because of this, he was able to seal the Portals that led to the 13th Floor, preventing anyone from harming the Succubus Queen, whom he treated as family.

Of course, to ensure that his plan was foolproof, he had also sealed the portal that would allow those from the 12th Floor to enter the 13th Floor.

So, although it was impossible to jump from the 14th Floor to the 12th Floor, the Golem of Destruction didn’t plan to take any chances.

Antero was powerful, and with the exception of the Outer God who was at the lowest level of the Abyss, none of the Abyssal Nobles could defeat it.

But even though he was strong, he had one weakness, and that was Queen Rhiannon. She was the only one whom he treated as a family member, so he was willing to go above and beyond to ensure her safety as well as the new life that was currently inside her womb.

“Who is the ruler of the next floor?” the Black-Robed Man asked the Demigod whom he had just subjugated.

This Demigod went by the name Polo, and he was the ruler of the 14th Floor.

“The ruler of the 13th Floor is the Succubus Queen, Rhiannon,” Polo replied. ᴛʜs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛʀ s ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛ ʙʏ Noᴠlꜰire.nt

“Is she strong?” the Black-Robed Man asked.

“She isn’t that strong, but after she subjugated the 12th Floor, her strength drastically increased,” Polo answered. “I believe that, currently, she is nearing the Peak of the Demigod Rank, making her the strongest Demigod within the first 20 Floors of the Abyss.”

The Black-Robed Man frowned after hearing Polo’s explanation. Even though a Demigod was strong, they simply didn’t have the power to close the portal of the Abyss that led to their Domain.

“My Lord, I think I have an idea as to why this has happened,” a Demigod, who looked like a Mindflayer, commented. “I have heard rumors that the Primordial Golem of Destruction, Antero, has returned to the Abyss. He has some kind of relationship with Queen Rhiannon. Perhaps he knows that you are coming and is unable to protect her.

“Because of this, he decided to close off the Portals, preventing anyone from entering the territory of the Succubus Queen.”

The Black-Robed Man frowned after hearing this explanation.

Of course, he knew who Antero was.

There was no one in the Abyss who didn’t know who the Golem of Destruction was. He had even fought Antero once, and that battle was still fresh in his memory.

The overwhelming strength of the Golem of Destruction was something he wasn’t too keen on facing. Even with the power he had acquired from the Azathoth, he believed that he wouldn’t be able to defeat the Primordial Golem that easily.

“Is there no other way to go to the 13th Floor?” the Black-Robed Man asked.

“Perhaps, there is,” the Demigod who looked like a Mindflayer replied. “But I am not aware of such methods because we have only relied on the Portals to travel through the different levels of the Abyss.”

All the other Demigods, who had accompanied the Black-Robed Man, nodded their heads in agreement.

Nyarlathotep scoffed at the useless fools, but since it also didn’t know any methods to bypass this hurdle, it decided to just keep its silence.

“Very well,” the Black-Robed Man said after pondering for a while. “We don’t need the 13th Floor up to the 1st Floor to do what we need to do. Everyone, go back to your respective domains and prepare to invade the worlds of Elysium and Solais.”

The Abyssal Demigods nodded their heads and did as they were told. The Black-Robed Man had shown them a power that they were unable to resist.

They even felt pity for the two worlds that they were about to invade. There was simply no chance for them to overcome the united invasion of the creatures from the Abyss.

When the Abyssal War started over a hundred years ago, there were dozens of Demigods who chose not to participate in the war.

These Demigods now ruled the Floors where the previous Lords had died in battle. Unfortunately, this strategy would not work a second time.

The Black-Robed Man was dead set on commanding all the Demigods of the Abyss to participate in the invasion, bringing all of their forces to the two worlds that he wanted to conquer.

When everyone had left, Nyarlathotep approached the Black-Robed Man with an amused expression on its alien-looking face.

The main reason why the Black-Robed Man was able to subdue the other Demigods who had banded together to resist him was due to Nyarlathotep overwhelming strength.

The vile Outer God of Madness, Chaos, and Ruin was quite powerful to the point that it had forcefully controlled the subordinates of the Demigods who opposed them and made them mad.

Once they had become insane, Nyarlathotep manipulated them to betray their Lords and massacre their comrades in arms.

Because of this, even though many Demigods had formed a resistance group against the Black-Robed Man, they all failed in the end and had no other choice than to either submit or perish under the Outer God’s might.

“Your true conquest is about to begin,” Nyarlathotep said. “How do you feel?”

“Feel?” the Black-Robed Man asked back. “I suppose I will feel satisfied once I conquered Elysium and Solais. But right now, I don’t feel anything. Not excitement, not anxiety, nothing. The only thing I feel is strength. Power that would allow me to crush those who oppose me.

“Frankly, I don’t think that there is anyone alive who can stop me. But if there is, I look forward to the challenge. Perhaps I will feel something once again after the many years of solitude here in the Abyss.”

Nyarlathotep chuckled. “Then what about the Pillars that you spoke of? The Pillars that will allow you to ascend to Godhood. Doesn’t that excite you?”

The Black-Robed Man paused as if remembering something very nostalgic that happened in the past.

“Perhaps that will excite me,” the Black-Robed Man admitted. “I had tried to become a God. Maybe this time, it will become a reality.”

Nyarlathotep didn’t say anything else and only nodded its head.

It had already tried to pry the darkest secret out of the Black-Robed Man using its vile powers. But the only thing he was able to grasp was the man’s interest in the Pillars of Eternity.

Maybe the process of collecting these Divine Artifacts would elicit some sort of reaction from him. But currently, the only thing that the Outer God could feel in the man’s heart was a certainty that no one would be able to stand in his way.