Differentiation was essential.
Because the Demon Emperors did not merely "embody" laws.
In reality…
They were laws acting directly within the lower zones.
Their very existence was enough to impose an absolute principle onto reality.
In the case of Raktabīja Rāvana…
He literally represented the law of the Apocalypse.
Not a metaphor.
Not a symbol.
A true destructive law applied to existence.
And if higher entities had not intervened at the time…
Then the lower zones would probably have met their end.
The silence in the hall grew heavier as Zeus continued his explanations.
— Now…
He slowly crossed his arms behind his back.
— The Primordial Demon Emperors are distinguished from other Demon Emperors.
His gaze swept across the assembly.
— Not necessarily by their power.
Several gazes lifted slightly.
— But by their antiquity.
The room remained silent.
Then Zeus stated calmly:
— In other words… they are the oldest demons existing in the entire meta-reality.
Even some gods seemed attentive to each of his words.
— You probably know of entities that are several billion years old.
His voice remained perfectly calm.
— But for the Primordial Demon Emperors…
He slightly shook his head.
— These numbers mean nothing.
A faint flash crossed his bluish eyes.
— They are merely numbers already tainted by time.
Then his voice grew deeper.
— Because time itself exists after them.
A slight shiver ran through several present entities.
— They existed before the very appearance of time.
— Thus… it is impossible to determine their true age.
Zeus continued slowly:
— Aside from the primordial gods… the Primordial Demon Emperors precede practically all the divinities of the lower zones.
He slightly raised his hand.
— Before the Madhurya. Before modern mythological structures. Before many current existential hierarchies.
Then he added:
— The other Demon Emperors were once subject to time before transcending it.
His gaze hardened slightly.
— But the Primordial Demon Emperors…
A silence.
— Them, no.
Even Sakolomeh remained silent this time.
Then Zeus slowly cited several names:
— Azazel… Abaddon… Beelzebub…
Some entities around the table immediately reacted to these names.
Others remained more confused.
Zeus noticed their reactions.
— Several of the names I just mentioned are probably unknown to you.
Then he finally added:
— But the most famous of the Primordial Demon Emperors is undoubtedly Lilith.
At that name—
Even the atmosphere seemed to slightly change.
Zeus continued calmly:
— Lilith is immensely ancient.
His gaze deepened.
— She is considered the mother of all demons.
The silence became total.
— All infernal demons come from her womb.
His gaze briefly slid toward Erasa.
— Even Erasa.
Then his voice continued:
— Even Raktabīja Rāvana.
A slight shiver passed through certain entities.
— All are her children.
— She is their original progenitor.
Zeus then let out a slight sigh before continuing:
— Strangely… despite their immeasurable power…
He slightly closed his eyes.
— Demon Emperors are often less dangerous at first glance than certain lower entities.
Several gazes seemed surprised.
— It is extremely rare for a Demon Emperor to become truly hostile.
Then he added:
— Raktabīja Rāvana was an exceptional case.
His voice became heavier.
— His rage came from a betrayal.
The silence weighed for a few seconds.
Then Zeus continued:
— But in the majority of cases… a Demon Emperor remains calm.
— Solitary.
— Isolated from the rest of the worlds.
He slightly raised his eyes.
— Many even live in deep domains whose names we do not even know.
Then suddenly—
Zeus directly pointed his finger at Sakolomeh.
The atmosphere immediately seemed to tense.
— Your mission…
His gaze then passed over the Ineffables and Salomeh.
— Will be to find the Primordial Demon Emperors.
A silence.
Then Zeus finished in a grave voice:
— And to explain the situation to them before the Outergods truly begin to act.
After this long discussion at the castle of the World of Myths, Sakolomeh quickly left the hall with an unusually hurried expression.
His face remained calm…
But something in his gaze seemed heavier than before.
Behind him, Salomeh immediately quickened her pace.
— Big brother, wait!
Sakolomeh eventually stopped before slightly turning his head toward her.
Salomeh quickly approached.
— Are you really planning to go look for them alone?
She slightly frowned.
— Wouldn't it make more sense to stay grouped?
Sakolomeh replied calmly:
— Don't worry.
His gaze already seemed lost in thought.
— I just want to go fast. So we might as well avoid wasting unnecessary time.
Salomeh lowered her eyes slightly.
Since the beginning of this story with the Outergods, something about her older brother seemed different.
More distant.
More silent.
Was he afraid…?
Or was there something else she did not yet understand?
Because in reality—
Sakolomeh had already understood something thanks to Sakolomeh-My0x Vestige.
A strange conclusion.
Vertiginous.
The truth was probably that the Outergods could never truly destroy the Dream in its entirety.
They could destroy:
zones;
structures;
identities;
lower concepts;
…but not the fundamental Dream itself.
Because the Dream represented far more than a simple world.
It was the very framework that made:
phenomena;
narratives;
destructions;
perceptions;
and even contradictions…
possible and readable.
Even the echoes of the Anarchetypes had never truly destroyed the Dream.
They had only destroyed certain portions.
Certain zones.
Limited layers of reality.
But never the fundamental Dream.
Because if the Dream could still be evoked…
Then it necessarily meant that it persisted in one form or another.
In other words:
Any total destruction of the Dream paradoxically became impossible as long as there remained something capable of bearing witness to it.
Deep down…
An "absolute destruction of the Dream" would perhaps only be a Harvest.
A supposed destruction.
A reduction.
A catastrophic mirage.
But never a true fundamental annihilation.
Even the Outergods—
Despite their apparent exteriority—
Would probably remain agents contained within a "supposed" exterior of the Dream.
Not a radical and totally inaccessible exterior.
And that implied something even more troubling:
Theoretically…
Even an Outergod could be destroyed.
But that destruction itself would still remain a phenomenon of the Dream.
Another Harvest.
Another illusion of an end.
Sakolomeh finally emerged from his thoughts before gently placing a hand on Salomeh's head.
Unlike him…
She could truly be destroyed by the Outergods.
Because she remained a pure Dream entity.
Then Sakolomeh finally asked calmly:
— Salomeh… do you want to come with me?
A slight smile appeared on his face.
— We will probably form two groups. Bakuzan's… and ours.
Salomeh immediately raised her head before smiling in turn.
Then she simply nodded.
Meanwhile—
Very far from the World of Myths.
In the mysterious forest.
Beneath the underground depths.
Hinata, Kert, and Zerath were still clinging to the back of the gigantic burrowing mutant.
The tunnels still rushed past around them in almost total darkness.
Then Kert suddenly let out an exhausted sigh.
— I'm seriously starting to get fed up with being here…
He looked at the endless tunnels around them.
— Let's find an exit quickly…
Hinata remained silent for a few seconds before answering:
— I thought of something…
Zerath slightly turned his head toward her.
— What is it?
Hinata slightly frowned.
— Maybe we could use the burrowers' predator to find the surface.
Kert blinked.
— The predator…?
He immediately seemed worried.
— Wait, what exactly do you mean by—
GRRROOOOOOM.
A massive tremor violently shook all the tunnels.
The entire network vibrated.
Cracks immediately appeared in several rocky walls.
Hinata's eyes widened.
— Hold on!!
By pure reflex—
A massive emerald aura instantly covered:
Zerath;
Kert;
and Hinata herself.
A few seconds later—
BOOOOOM!!
A gigantic underground collapse exploded around them.
Entire sections of rock caved in.
The burrowing mutant let out a terrified rumble before suddenly accelerating through the tunnels.
But the shock was too violent.
The trio immediately lost their balance.
— SHIIIT—!!
Kert screamed as they were violently thrown off the creature's back.
The burrower, meanwhile, continued its escape without even turning back.
And a few seconds later—
The three disappeared into the depths of the underground collapse.