The Abyss
The Magi had appeared once more, and the Final War had resumed. There would be no news more terrifying to the gods, and Mystra would never in her dreams have thought that cornering Leylin would cause him to open up the World of Gods to the Magus threat, leading to her own death.
The chaos began at Baator, quickly spreading to the other planes. Calamity befell the prime material plane, and even the Abyss was affected…
The 45th to 47th floors of the Abyss, also known as Azzagrat, were covered entirely by a single palace that represented a power of order amongst the chaotic demons.
Furies circled the skies of this Triple Realm, with innumerable demons guarding on the ground. The Argent Palace was built from whitestone of the Celestial Planes, and rumour had it that its owner once tricked an entire city of celestials into entering the mountains and mining ore for him. They hadn’t even known it was going to be transported to the Abyss.
The archfiend that guarded these three levels was named Graz’zt, nicknamed the Devilish Demon. In spite of being aligned to chaos, he possessed the wits to plan far ahead, his vast lands filled with so many elite demons they could frighten multiple worlds.
As one of the three Abyssal lords, Graz’zt’s name had spread across the prime material plane. He had many worshippers, ruling from his proud throne within the Argent Palace.
Only after Leylin’s actions did the peace this archfiend maintained in his realm get challenged. The Argent Palace was covered in flames, chaotic green energy spreading through its entirety.
Furies were crashing to the ground like airplanes, splattering blood as they hit the surface. Countless demons were decaying to death, wailing in agony as they were turned into a putrid liquid that eventually formed a river.
The sixty six ivory towers of the Argent Palace were collapsing one after the other, the attacker powerful enough to wreak chaos across Graz’zt’s lands. Explosions sounded out as altars fell, eventually forcing someone out of the core of the Argent Palace.
The person looked quite human, the only differences in appearance being the small horn on his head and his six-fingered hands. However, the power of evil surrounding him easily gave away his identity. This was Graz’zt, the Dark Prince of the three Abyssal Lords!
“The scent of a Magus…” Graz’zt frowned. Even the Abyss knew of the dusk of the gods, and he’d feel nervous fighting the Magi that had caused the fall of countless gods regardless of his personal strength.
“Damn it… Why aren’t the Magi attacking the Celestial Planes? It would be so much better for them there…” Graz’zt knew his complaints would not change reality. He pulled out his acid-drenched greatsword from the Argent Palace, slashing towards the skies.
An immense power of darkness swept across Azzagrat, dispelling the chaotic green energy from the skies. The green clouds parted, but as the sky brightened they revealed a green eye in the air that was filled with wisdom and greed.
“I am the chaos Lord of the astral plane. Graz’zt of the Abyss, your power and authority are mine!”
The Chaos Lord’s conscient swept across the Triple Realm, causing Graz’zt’s expression to darken. He’d detected power equivalent to a greater god from this Magus.
‘Magi can even kill gods… They definitely aren’t simple.’ Graz’zt could not help but grasp the hilt of his sword more tightly.
“Ahh… This aura of chaos, I love it…” The Chaos Lord had chosen to attack the Abyss for two reasons. He’d made a pact with the other Magi that stopped him from going to the Celestial Planes, and the Abyss suited his laws and abilities better anyway.
Being at the peak of rank 8, the Chaos Lord wanted to try and use the power of the Abyss to comprehend the laws of space and time, moving towards rank 9. This was, naturally, the goal of every peak rank 8 that had started the Final War once more.
Green and black energies continued to fight each other, soon covering the entirety of Azzagrat. The demons of the other levels looked on at the Argent Palace in shock, witnessing an energy they’d never seen before suppress the Dark Price and cover the entirety of the Triple Realm.
“Don’t think of asking for help. There aren’t many archfiends like you in the Abyss, and they’re mostly chaotic and selfish…” The green energy converged into the shape of a giant that could cover the sun. The Chaos Lord was dressed in large green robes, his face covered with eyes that swirled with the power of chaos. He’d grasped Graz’zt inside his palms, and the archfiend was trying to escape.
“What? Trying to ask Mommy for help?” The Chaos Lord mocked the Dark Prince trapped in his hands.
But then, the voice turned female, “Someone else has gone to deal with the Mother of Demons. Even if Pale Night isn’t injured, she won’t be able to come save you…”
……
*Boom!* Shockwave after shockwave carrying the power of origin force rocked the entire Abyss as the Chaos Lord spoke.
“The Endless Maze… That’s Pale Night’s bone castle…” Many demon lords diverted their attention to the 600th level of the Abyss. They soon saw a horrifying scene of disgusting filth drowning the Endless Maze, carrying the pollution of the entire astral plane.
A number of seals and spell formations activated within the core of the bone castle, helping it resist for a while. Pale Night’s faint figure showed itself, but she was like a river fighting an entire ocean, soon overwhelmed.
“Filthy Evil Eye… So disgusting… You can’t wash yourself of its odour for tens of thousands of years…” The Chaos Lord’s face was riddled with disgust as she looked at the 600th floor.
“Gugu… Jiji…” On the contrary, the ocean of filth covering the Endless Maze let out a roar of delight.
“I should’ve known the Abyss would definitely attract that disgusting beast… Just my luck…” The Chaos Lord seemed extremely displeased as she reached her hands out. A ball of chaos burst forth, and one of the three Abyssal Lords was wiped out of existence just like that.
……
“Please awaken, my Lord. Your worshippers are lost sheep, and we require your guidance…” Cyric’s pope was kneeling before his statue in the Palace of Shadows.
However, the God of Murder’s madness had set in, and he completely ignored his pope’s words. A layer of crimson energy covered the statue, causing it to look even more terrifying than normal. It only caused the pope to grow more frantic.
As a legendary being, the pope was vaguely aware of the changes happening in the World of Gods. He noticed all the other churches preparing for war, and it only caused him more despair.
“Please don’t let me down, Merrick…” The pope gripped the hem of his robe tightly, praying with his utmost sincerity…
At the same time, Merrick had finally caught traces of Cyric within the Shadow Plane. Braving a perilous journey, the shadow thief finally handed his Lord the Book of Truth.
‘I wonder why the Lord would leave his divine kingdom and come here…’ the former merchant thought to himself.
The pope and his own sources had confirmed that the Lord’s madness stemmed from the Book of Cyric. Once he read the Book of Truth, he would recover his sanity. The glory of saving a god and the blessings arising from it would definitely bring him to a whole new level!
Merrick yearned for this beautiful future, and he soon cast his gaze at the dark figure reading the Book of Truth.
‘Please awaken, my Lord, and give me your blessings…’ Merrick prayed sincerely.
“This… This… Argh…” However, things did not go to plan. Cyric only grew more manic as he read the Book of Truth, the holy light shrouding him beginning to flicker.
‘How… How did it turn out like this?’ His eyes almost popped out of his skull as he stared at his Lord in disbelief.