Epic of Caterpillar
chapter-1789

Within the depths of a faraway Labyrinth, which was almost at the border between the Ankh Desert and the Wastelands of the Demons, overrun by Miasma and Chaos, the Genie, a blue skinned God-like being created by the ancient Gods of this world raged as he realized his plans were being torn to shreds one by one.

"This is… Not only one or two, but all of them?!"

The Genie, had finally noticed what had happened with all the pawns he sent. The Piranha Slugs were crushed easily, the Fiery Ants were completely frozen and shattered into pieces, and the Fishman King was killed and now was being roasted for dinner.

And well, the powerful Evil Dragon from before was also… completely slain. And to make things worse, this dragon's death brought upon the maturation of Luminous powers, his most hated individual, a being designated to surpass him as someone that wasn't a "failure" like he was told he was and then later sealed forever.

"They completely destroyed them all! I had made them exclusively to both distract them and also destroy that damn city from the inside out…" He said. "I purposely targeted their trading routes, their water sources, and then their greatest source of food and income! I wasn't direct because I knew that would had been boring but this is…!"

The Genie had even lost the ability to see into the city through his powers in the crystal ball in front of him, something that was only possible thanks to the magical power of the monsters he left there. Now that such monsters were gone or eaten, he could not use [Clairvoyance] and see what was happening there anymore.

"That damn [Hero]… It is all her damned fault! That disgusting bug!" He roared in anger, his body exuded enormous quantities of miasmic and divine power everywhere, making the whole Labyrinth tremble.

He had purposedly targeted their sources of income, their trading routes, and also their water, cunningly destroying them from the inside, preparing them for the total massacre that his servant, the Necromancer, or as he called her now [Lady of Death] would bring upon that city.

It was one of the last bastions where most of the desert's population of people lived in. A place he found disgusting, a stain in the middle of his shiny and perfect desert, which he wanted clean of disgusting and weak humans, elves, or beast-kin.

"I went as far as getting those Cosmic Shards and invest them into those damned monsters, only to not get any results from them, and they even got stolen…" He muttered in fury. "These last treasures of the Gods, my parents… I cannot keep wasting them like this, I'll hoard them all for now, they're my last resort if those monsters dare to get inside of my lair."

He seemed cunning but was also quite the coward. The Genie liked to use safe methods where he wouldn't get directly involved to crush his foes, his brand new power of controlling monsters was a convenient one, and he cunningly used it to find the most fitting monsters for each thing, even going as far as investing valuable resources as the Cosmic Shards, as he called the Cosmic Stones, on these monsters so they could have a higher chance of success.

"I still have left many cards. I shouldn't let my temper get the better of me." He sighed. "This is also… their fault. All of this is their fault, my insecurities, my way of acting, my fears… If it wasn't for them…"

The genie furiously began to recall fragments of his past. The time when he was created, the rough way they treated him as a failure, the anger, the frustration, the humiliation! His heart grew darker as her recalled those memories, his resentment grew vaster as more and more Miasma continued coursing through his body.

"Now that you're all dead… The only thing left is to destroy your little son, Luminous, and all your hopes, the [Hero]…" He muttered, his anger growing larger.

"Fufufu…"

And then, the laughter of a mischievous and malicious woman echoed behind the Genie, as he glanced behind him. Within the Labyrinth, there was nobody than him, his monsters, and the giants. Yet the presence of this being, even without being in here, was immense.

A shadow emerged, resembling an abhorrent bug with many legs and a gigantic head with two enormous red eyes, some could even said it had the faint resemblance of a millipede, or an aberrant worm glaring down at the Genie while giggling maliciously.

"Yes, that's the feeling. Anger, frustration, desperation… Genie, you're such a good source of Negative Power." Laughed the entity. "It makes me feel good when you feel terrible, please suffer a bit more, will you~?"

"Tch… Demon King." The Genie glanced at the shadows. "What do you want? I told you this is my territory! We have a deal, and that included you not meddling in my lair!"

"But I am not? This is merely a tinny whinny little shadow~ Nothing more, my blue skinned fellow." Laughed the Demon King.

"I am not your fellow, nor your friend… I have no friends." Said the Genie.

"Oooh! Now that's something nice to heart." Laughed the Demon King. "And quite obvious so, not like you could ever gather someone you could trust…"

"Are you here only to mock me?" The Genie asked.

"I only came here to check! I sensed your Miasma growing larger and tastier, your negative emotions are really powering me up. But at the same time I thought "My fellow here's suffering! Why am I not here to give him a pat in the shoulders?", and so I came!" Laughed the Demon King.

"To think there's an existence as aberrant as you in this world now…" Muttered the Genie. "I wouldn't had accepted our deal if it wasn't because I needed more power…"

"The Cosmic Shards I gave you work pretty well, right~?" Laughed the Demon King. "Though, there's a little foreigner that has been chomping them down…"