Chapter 32: Ch 32: Glimpses of the Demon Realm

As Umbra disconnected from Thorn's body, Thorn felt his strength recede, a bitter smile touching his lips. "The sting of power diclining was truly poisonous," he sighed, Though he quickly quelled the lingering unease in the hearts of his kingdom's citizens. This recent revolt had come at a heavy cost, with approximately 500 humans perishing that day. Sunny was determined to uncover the truth behind this. He knew that every soul in Veridia was a devout believer in him, yet this group of traitors had acted in a manner akin to defying the divine. Sunny couldn't fathom where they had found such courage. Employing his God's Eye on the fallen traitors, he swiftly uncovered the reason: demonic manipulation. "How did they even invade?" Sunny questioned himself, realizing that demons had indeed instigated the rebellion. Sunny surveyed every corner of Veridia but found no physical traces of demons. He wasn't disheartened by this outcome; the simplicity of his search's result led him to a crucial conclusion. "They're not in the physical plane," Sunny murmured. He then shifted his divine perception, no longer merely observing Veridia itself, but rather gazing into the intricate tapestry of energies that permeated it. Countless human, plant, and tree life energies shimmered before Sunny's eyes, each radiating distinct colors according to their nature. Even the very atmosphere, land, and water held faint traces of various elemental energies. Sunny ignored these familiar sights, searching specifically for any ominous, foreign energy within Veridia. He soon found it: a dark red, alien emanation that filled him with natural repulsion. Though incredibly weak and utterly incapable of harming him, its presence was undeniable. Sunny followed the faint trail of this sinister energy until it abruptly vanished, reaching a dead end. There was nothing and no one at either end of the trace, yet a chilling premonition seized Sunny. He immediately urged Nova to return to Veridia. Without question or delay, Nova materialized within minutes. "Tear open the space here," Sunny commanded Nova. As the mighty dragon prepared to comply, Sunny quickly rephrased: "Stop. Make this tear small, just enough for me to see through." Nova nodded, gracefully using a single claw tip to create a minuscule rip in the fabric of space. Given Nova's enormous size, even a tear from the tip of his claw was sufficiently large for Sunny's purpose. Sunny gazed through the spatial rift, his eyes widening in astonishment. "What is this place?" he exclaimed, instantly employing his God's Eye to scan the vast expanse beyond. He saw countless demons, ranging in power from E-Grade to daunting S-Grade. Suddenly, an overwhelming sense of danger washed over him. Sunny jolted back, immediately instructing Nova to repair the tear, which the dragon did without hesitation. Sunny didn't let Nova return to the Realm of Advancement. Instead, he asked him to meticulously check Veridia for any anomalies like spatial tears or leakages of the ominous energy. Sunny then teleported back to his private God space, sinking into his throne and letting out a shaky breath. He was trembling. It was the first time since becoming a God that Sunny had truly felt fear—the primal fear of death. Just days prior, he'd been an ordinary human. Even the time spent in Veridia hadn't been long enough to truly acclimate him to such existential threats. While his life on the Blue Planet had been tough, it had never pushed him to the brink of dying. This profound fear of dying only served to solidify Sunny's resolve to grow stronger. As Sunny pondered immediate ways to enhance his success in this newly discovered dimension, a place where no life existed apart from demons, known as the Demon Realm, events were stirring elsewhere. In the very heart of one particular Demon Realm, named the Realm of Discord, sat a figure of imposing build, akin to a human, yet radiating an undeniable demonic aura. His skin was a deep, charcoal black, almost absorbing the ambient light, and two wickedly curved horns jutted from his brow, complementing his unsettling, completely black eyes that glowed with malevolent amusement. A subtle, predatory smile played on his lips. He leaned back on a crude throne of jagged obsidian, adorned with the skeletal remains of lesser beings. He whispered, his voice deep, resonating with mockery and ancient malice, "It has been ten thousand years already... are the Gods truly returning?" His smug face openly yearned for some twisted fun. "But this scent of faith is incredibly faint. If not for my inherent strength, I would not have been able to sense it at all," he mused, a frown momentarily creasing his brow as he pondered this peculiar trick of the Gods. He was reminiscing about a scene from ten thousand years past, a time when he had personally orchestrated a profound discord between the Demons and the Gods. That grand scheme had resulted in every God dying tragically and the vast majority of their lifeforms perishing. He chuckled at the memory of his past mischief, then closed his obsidian eyes, sinking back into a deep slumber. He had been in this state for the last ten millennia. After the catastrophic demise of the old Gods, he had simply grown bored and succumbed to a profound slumber to pass the interminable time. His rest had only been broken by Sunny's brief intrusion into the Demon Realm and the faint, tantalizing scent of the new God's faith. But he merely returned to his slumber, intending to give this new God ample time to grow, before he would emerge to begin his elaborate, cruel game. Sunny, however, was blissfully unaware of this immense, lurking danger. His mind was solely focused on one goal: using every power at his disposal to grow stronger. He summoned Umbra, who currently possessed four talents. Sunny decided to grant it one more talent for now, knowing precisely what was needed. He provided Umbra with the talent: 'Cloning'. This new talent allowed Umbra to maintain a clone of itself through the continuous consumption of mana. If mana was consistently supplied, the clone could persist infinitely and operate without cessation. Crucially, these clones would work independently, meticulously following the commands of the main body. This talent was incredibly useful for both Umbra and Sunny; Sunny planned to copy it himself once the cooldown for Skill-Resonance ended. With this new ability, Umbra could connect to more people simultaneously, truly shining as a divine shadow and multiplying its effectiveness.