Beelta planned to stop the other noble families from competing with her for Aeternus while she tries to nab him. Aeternus's change to the Lord of Chaos will hamper that. The addition of the house of chaos will make Aeternus a player instead of a prize to be won.
The demon lord suddenly got an idea.
"I know what to do. Send Cain the Accuser. He is perfect for the job."
No matter how things have changed, she is still the demon lord and things are still in her court. Even if Aeternus creates more demon nobles he doesn't have the divine power to empower them. That means he can only rely on their quantity, not quality. If he relies on quantity, his soul will be burdened. A burdened soul will be more vulnerable to spiritual attacks. Cain will be able to cripple his recruitment efforts.
Her subordinate withdrew silently and went to fulfill her order. Beelta watched him go before turning her attention to the demons lined up in front of the energy well for eating. Her 100 meters diameter body had come out of the pillar and was towering over them. She usually felt gratified watching them cower beneath her but that had changed. She was feeling like eating or torturing them so she returned to the energy well gloomy as a dark cloud.
Her decision to send Cain didn't make her happy. Cain might be successful with his mission but he will be sacrificed to make it happen. The sacrifice of such a talented demon just to hamper Aeternus doesn't make her feel good. The fact that it is a worthy sacrifice too only makes her angry. She has to do something to get the situation under control.
"I have to pressure him to make a mistake."
Aeternus has succeeded in pushing her to desperation with his antics but it should be her that should push him. He should be a rat caught in a barrel with nowhere to go but he is making more rats and using them to build a ladder out of the bucket.
She has built a cage around him. He can't enter the domain of demon nobles or leave the abyssal plane. That cage is also protecting him because she can't extend her full reach into the domain of high-rank demons. She needs to stop him from preparing and make him come out of the cage. Then she will be able to nab him and have her wish fulfilled.
Back To Aeternus.
The abyssal plane has been sent into turmoil. Even the demon nobles aren't sitting still. The ability to create more demon nobles is practically an infringement. It is a violation of the order of the world. An encroachment into their way of life and privileges.
They even held a meeting about it. Most of them considered it a good thing. They have been in a rut lately and the addition of such an outlier will make things interesting. There's nothing they can do against the demon lord. They have lesser forces than her and they are not as united. It is difficult to be united when you're all aiming for the same thing but only one of you can have it.
So they welcome the developments brought about by Aeternus's ability. Aeternus will draw the attention of the demon lord and if they fight, then they'll weaken each other. It will create more opportunities for them.
The ones that don't want the rise of another force on par with the demon lord lost to the majority in favor of it. But it all boiled down to the fact that there's nothing they can do about it.
If the demon lord is catching at straws about methods of retaliation against Aeternus then what could the ones that lost to her do? It is a real possibility that Aeternus and the demon lord won't fight. They aren't foolish enough not to be aware that fighting will make them weaker. This means that Aeternus will come to the inner ring to dominate them and their various houses.
The demon lord is all-powerful in the abyssal plane but her power is concentrated at the center of the plane. If Aeternus doesn't replace her, he will stay in the innermost ring instead where the demon nobles stay. That means the demon nobles would have gained an overlord in the domain of demon nobles.
But they decided to look at this positively since they can't do anything about it. Their situation can only become so worse. What's worse that could happen than that? Besides no matter how many demon nobles Aeternus creates, they are confident in their years of Accumulation.
Still, they sent out their representatives to the upcoming selection event. Aeternus had a public announcement that he would be selecting worthy high-rank demons on that day to evolve and that everyone can come to watch or try out for positions in his family. The nobles are sending their subordinates there just to watch and report to them.
They want to know if he can really create demon nobles or if he is lying. It is not the first time a demon is lying about something. If he is ly to get their way. If he is lying, they want to know the truth and why he lied.
The long-awaited day came. The fortress that Aeternus was staying at was filled up with high-rank demons. Rumors had it that Aeternus showed up with a demon noble and took over the fortress without any resistance. It is not news that the Ominous Reaper took down a fortress on his own. He had done it before. This time, there was no fight. He just came knocking and the demon in charge rolled over like a dog and surrendered.
Aeternus didn't kill anyone that day. He simply holed up in the castle while he gave orders to the former owner to send out the news. Xander showed up once in a while as proof of the presence of a demon noble here so it lent credence to the rumors and brought more demons to the upcoming selection event for the House of Chaos.