Chapter 99: Southern Continent


    Chaos. There was only chaos on the cursednd called the Southern Continent. The very concepts of reality have been affected by it. The line between death and life has long been blurred.


    The southern continent is a cursednd in the mouths of northerners. The legends thate from here can terrify even a war veteran. It was such a eerie ce, in and of itself.


    There is now or justice in this forsakennd. It was literally hell for the weak and heaven for the strong. It follows thew of the jungle to this day.


    Thisnd, as one would expect, was primitive, barbaric, cruel, and primordial, perfectly inheriting the characteristics of the dark age. For this alone, many gods, including Aucuses hated this continent to the bone. But they couldn''t do anything about it, as the southern continent was a tricky ce.


    This forsaken continent was always the subject of many legends. It was said to be teeming with devils hungry for souls, evil spirits who relish torturing their victims in the most gory ways, frequent bloody massacres, the doors of the underworld were always open, so be careful where one may pass, the filthy... the stories go on and on, painting a terrifying picture of the cursednd.


    The legends are true. The underworld and the abyss have a deep connection to the southern continent. It was brought about by the deities they both represent, Salinger and Farubati. This is what made the continent so tricky and difficult, even for the gods.


    Despite the fact that thends are anarchic, there is still some form of government with the goal of keeping the madness and chaos within the empire''s borders.


    It is ruled by the Bayam Empire, which was founded by Salinger.


    However, the Empire was not all of the southern continent. There are other powers as well, such as the devil faction and the chained faction, which all have some power on the continent, though not as much as the Bayam Empire.


    The Devil faction consists of the Beria, Anderaiel, and Nois angel families. They believe in the dark side of the universe, Farubati, who is the god of the abyss. He was the "only" remaining ancient god.


    The chained faction is led by the King of Angels, Tolzana. He was born in the 2nd era andter became the subordinate god of Kvastrir. After the fall of the Ancient Gods, he benefited greatly and seeded in bing the King of Angels at the end of the Third Era.


    He was also a member of Rose Redemption and participated in thest war. He was recognised as the king of angels who, along with Bethel Abraham, had the greatest chance of bing a god.


    The empire and other factions frequently engaged in conflicts. Farubati and Salinger did not get along well, but they were forced onto this continent due to pressure from the godsat the start of the fourth epoch. They can onlye to terms with one another while also manipting their subordinates to sabotage each other''s dominance.


    Tolzana tried hard to remain a third party in these disputes, but in the end, he was drawn in without even wantingor trying.


    The southern continent is a chaotic and perverse ce overall. Although it ought to have remained the same, something changed on the morning of the first of May.


    Everyone felt something distinct in the air, whether they were angels who were above all or the lowest mortals. But they truly weren''t able to pinpoint what it was. However, they undoubtedly felt a disturbance that literally made their own souls tremble.


    The disturbance made the chaos wane. The demons and spirits disappeared from the surface of the earth. The cultists, who were leaving destruction and bloodshed in their wake, now sat submissively in their base, trembling. A sliver of relief was felt by the shackled mortals. All around the continent, small-torge changes were urring simultaneously.


    The order returned and chaos vanished from existence, as the very concepts of reality became free.


    It was in the air all around them, and everyone could feel it. It was as though the very continent was jubnt over someone''s arrival.


    On this specific day, the sun was extremely hot as that someone in many people''s minds sat at a restaurant, having a ck coffee.


    That someone was none other than Aucuces, who had just invaded the southern continent. He didn''t keep quiet at all; instead, he stopped reining in his powers, which spread across the entire continent and heralded the advent of the "Golden Order."


    In the only developed area of the empire, the city of Bayam, which is the capital of the Bayam Empire, Aucuses was sitting in a restaurant in the upper part of the city.


    The capital is rtivelyrge, nearly the size of Trier, and follows the generalyout of northern cities; there are, respectively, aristocratic, industrial and residential areas.


    Yes, after the United Empire discovered a new maritime route, the industrial revolution did indeed reach the southern continent. When both empires possessed items they wanted from one another, trade between them naturally started.


    Aucuses was now savouring the ck tea, which was a specialty of the Bayam empire. It was fantastic. The trip was well worth it.


    As he savoured the aftertaste and considered the situation, Aucuses hummed in thought.


    Salinger will be able to see right through any attempt he makes to conceal or hide his existence. He realised there was no use in hiding it, so he just brazenly entered the continent while making his goal and action extremely in using his order to Salinger.


    Salinger


    As the name went through his head, Aucuses'' visage soured. He is very certain that Salinger should have already made a secret connection with the River of Eternal Darkness. Salinger is perhaps even more dangerous than Sasrir for this reason alone.


    He constantly had a horrible omen whenever he thought about Salinger, which only increased his resolve to kill Salinger.


    He would make certain that Salinger did not survive the War of the Four Emperors. He will see to it that death itself perishes away.


    While taking a sip of the ck coffee, Aucuses observed the zing sun at the centre of the sky.


    He can sense the connection between the underworld and the abyss on the continent. They were contaminating the continent inexorably and slowly.


    Now that he was here, the link between the Southern Continent and the Abyss became weaker, but it still exists.


    Whether it be the Underworld or the Abyss, it is a sensitive area that even he didn''t want to enter unless absolutely necessary.


    Aucuses asked with a smile after finishing the ck coffee and raising the empty cup to the sky.


    "It tastes far better than I anticipated. Would you like one? In my opinion, you reallymissing out on this."


    His voice caused the nearby trees and nts to rustle before withering away and turning to ash. The ash swirled in the air beforending on his table, forming words.


    "Aucuces! Focus on the present situation. You are already this close to starting a war of the gods. Everyone is focusing on you."


    "You don''t really want it?" Aucuses continued to press, ignoring the words. "I can ce an order for you and bring itter."


    For a brief period, the ashes were carried by the wind and swirled, seemingly unsure of what to say.


    It eventually calmed down. "Order one for me and bring it to me ''Afterward,'' not right now! The sire of Salinger is alreadying to meet you.".


    Aucuses'' grin widened at that. He then ced another order with the waitress.


    That was Lilith, who is currently in Astral World, directly over the Southern Continent.


    On this invasion, he wasn''t the onlybatant. Although they are not personally present, Lilith and Badhiel are also with him. So, if conflict breaks out in the end, they will descend on the southern continent, regardless of theconsequences of doing so.


    Just then, a man with tan skin and long ck hair approached him. He was dressed in a deep ck robe with golden thread embroidery. His icy, indifferent eyes were apanied by a golden bird-shaped crown on his head. The air became cold and waning just from his presence, as if death itself had arrived.


    He was none other than Azik Eggers, the Emperor of Bayam and Death Counsel.


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    A/N: I managed to find some time to edit this chapter that I wrote on the weekend. So here it is. Still, the updates for this week will be low due to my college work, as I said before...