A war of domains erupted between two worlds.
One was a crimson realm that drowned everything in the color of blood.
The other was a gray world reflected through a dense mist that concealed countless horrors within.
Contrary to all expectations, the Great One of Krat possessed an ability tied to summoning creatures and making them fight in his stead. Yet the monsters he brought forth were no ordinary beasts... they came from the World of Aether itself.
Odin’s Treasury contained a terrifying number of legendary abominations Odin had defeated throughout the ages, and the Great One of Krat held unrestricted access to them all.
Every single creature possessed a unique power of its own, an ability that could easily be considered world-breaking within the Material World.
In other words, each beast the Great One summoned was equivalent to gaining another transcendent ability.
Combined with his talent for taming those monsters, he also possessed an extraordinarily powerful Domain Ability capable of rivaling Crimson’s Red World itself.
His domain granted him the freedom to summon an unlimited number of creatures while rendering them nearly immortal so long as they remained inside the domain’s boundaries. All of that was paired with flawless control befitting the strongest descendants of Krat.
Those overwhelming abilities allowed the Great One to seize the upper hand against the First Upper Demon.
Crimson appeared minuscule by comparison, flying alone through the sky with only his Red World shielding him against the endless tide of monsters unleashed upon him.
"A Beast Tamer... now that’s not something you see every day."
Crimson twirled Kingslayer in his grasp before holding it by the end of its shaft.
The spear instantly shifted shape, transforming into a massive greatsword.
The pressure crushing down on Crimson was immense.
The creatures of the Aether World launched an endless barrage of attacks against him, and until now, his Red World had managed to repel them all.
But that balance could shatter at any moment.
The First Upper Demon understood that clearly. The instant he lost the clash of domains against the Great One of Krat, the battle would end.
For now, the Red World and the World of Mist remained evenly matched.
Each controlled half the battlefield, neither capable of overwhelming the other.
The moment that equilibrium collapsed... the battle would be decided.
Both Crimson and the Great One understood this perfectly, which was why each struggled to expand their influence further.
’If I want to weaken his domain, then there’s no better option than inflicting direct damage on him. Enough damage to destabilize the domain itself.’
Crimson’s thoughts accelerated as his crimson eyes tracked the number of beasts the Great One had summoned.
In total, he counted sixteen gigantic monsters surrounding him from every direction.
’No... seventeen. One of them is hiding.’
Crimson slowly turned his head while extending his King’s Presence outward, detecting a strange chameleon-like creature lurking in concealment nearby.
Meanwhile, from the front, three colossal Sea Dragons surged toward him, spewing torrents of fire meant to burn him alive.
Alongside the blue Leviathan, another crimson one had appeared, along with a third golden beast.
Each wielded flames powerful enough to be considered transcendent offensive abilities on their own.
And in addition to those three, the Eagle Owl still suppressed him alongside two other creatures that obscured his senses and hindered his movements as much as possible.
One imposed a gravity-like pressure.
Another assaulted the mind directly.
And the last... Crimson was certain it manipulated fluids somehow, because he could feel the flow of blood inside his veins slowing unnaturally.
Fighting all those creatures felt like struggling to survive inside hell itself.
Every strike Crimson unleashed vanished within the overwhelming tide of monsters long before it could come anywhere near the Great One of Krat.
The Great One watched calmly from afar, positioning himself at the safest possible location, far beyond the reach of Kingslayer’s range.
He had planned everything with terrifying precision, constructing his strategy entirely around his understanding of Crimson’s strength and abilities.
Gradually, Crimson was pushed back.
The crimson glow surrounding him dimmed beneath the immense gray mist and the horrifying roars of the monsters.
Two massive whales floated high above the clashing domains, singing with deep voices whose echoes spread across the entirety of the Door Labyrinth.
Their voices resembled an illusion, causing many distant spectators to lose themselves in a trance despite being nowhere near the battlefield itself.
At the center of the domains, Crimson was forced to endure everything simultaneously.
He fought against three colossal dragons, numerous giant serpents, and several heavily armored creatures possessing absurd durability.
Watching from afar, both Marvas and Agares found themselves utterly stunned.
"That bastard Crimson... is actually being suppressed?"
Those words escaped Marvas’ mouth involuntarily.
The First Upper Demon had always been overwhelmingly powerful, to the point where he could single-handedly handle every other Upper Seat combined.
And yet now, before Marvas’ eyes, Crimson was completely cornered against a terrifying opponent wielding an exceedingly rare combat style.
"What the hell are those bizarre monsters he’s summoning? I’ve never seen anything remotely like them before..."
The old demon stared in disbelief at the Great One’s summons.
Many of the creatures seemed vaguely familiar at first glance. Dragons, serpents, and similar beings were not uncommon.
But those dragons were not Pantheon Dragons.
Nor did any of the creatures belong to a known race.
Every single one of them was fundamentally different in some indescribable way.
Agares attempted to rush forward and intervene, but Marvas immediately stopped him.
"Don’t even think about stepping into their range. The only reason Crimson is still holding on right now is because of the Red World."
"If you enter that battlefield, you won’t survive even a single minute... even with the King’s durability."
Agares’ expression twisted with fury upon hearing that.
"So I’m just supposed to stand here and watch?! If that bastard dies, neither of us will survive afterward, and you know that perfectly well!"
Marvas did not deny it.
But he had thoughts of his own.
"Most likely... that Beast Tamer is the strongest among the Great Ones."
"But Crimson, on the other hand, is the strongest of all demons."
"I don’t think he’ll fall that easily. Besides... this battle may head toward a direction none of us can predict."
Old Marvas slowly turned his head after sensing several powerful auras lurking in the distance, waiting patiently to intervene the instant either side showed even the slightest weakness.
The battle between Crimson and the Great One of Krat had begun as a one-on-one clash.
Yet at any moment, it could spiral into an all-out war.
That was precisely what puzzled the Fifth Upper Demon.