After the Lord of the Abyss Awakens - Chapter 100.1

As for Gusin, needless to say, even the other four demons present all showed expressions of terror.

Aelioge, what on earth are you asking about?

If you want to seek death, don’t drag us into it!

If you want to challenge Big Brother, go by yourself!

For a moment, the air seemed to freeze, with a tense atmosphere permeating the surroundings.

Gusin was stunned for several seconds, His eyes full of confusion, and asked puzzledly, “Aelioge, are you serious?”

He knew that when Aelioge was young, he had challenged Big Brother countless times, with courage that knew no bounds, but as age increased, that courage gradually wore away, because he gradually came to know Big Brother’s terrifying nature. What was going on today? Had this brother gone mad?

Aelioge was absolutely certain, “I am serious, tell me, Gusin.”

Gusin was stunned. He actually didn’t understand why this group would seek Him out, but Aelioge’s words made Him realize the matter wasn’t simple.

He quickly browsed through the Book of Answers in His mind. As the information gradually became clear, the shock in His heart grew increasingly intense.

He glanced at the large number of cat head avatars in the mental domain, His expression becoming increasingly interesting.

A thousand words ultimately merged into one sigh: with Aelioge taking the lead, these demons’ courage was truly too great!

But Aelioge didn’t feel anything was wrong, and continued, “We can’t hide it from Big Brother much longer, we need to make some preparations.”

Gusin stared at Aelioge, responding coldly. “Your question doesn’t need any waste of demon power to answer – the result would definitely be a loss, all of you combined don’t have any chance of winning.”

Aelioge was stunned upon hearing this, and the four demons behind Him also couldn’t help but take a deep breath.

Although They didn’t think They could win, Gusin’s decisive assertion still shocked Them.

Was Big Brother’s strength really so overwhelming? They were all Father’s children, why was Big Brother’s power so terrifyingly hopeless!

Aelioge couldn’t help saying, “We still have Third Brother and Fourth Brother.”

Gusin shook His head. “Third Brother is so lazy, only knows about conserving energy all day, can you count on Him to contribute? As for Fourth Brother, ask yourself honestly, would He stand on your side?”

Aelioge’s heart tightened, thinking to Himself that Gusin was right.

Third Brother was too lazy. And Fourth Brother’s personality tended toward neutrality, He would very likely surrender directly – not turning around to deal with Them would already be considered mercy toward Them.

Perhaps They could try to win over Second Brother?

Second Brother had indeed fought with Big Brother before. But would Second Brother be willing to help Them? That possibility was minuscule. So, did They really have to sit and wait for death, waiting to be beaten by Big Brother?

The fear in Aelioge’s heart came not just from the impending “beating,” but more from the fact that after being beaten, Big Brother might throw Them into that infinite trial that struck terror into demons’ hearts.

He had personally experienced the horror of the infinite purgatory – it was an extremely cruel trial. He had shed who knows how many layers of skin inside, desperately cultivating to max level before finally gaining Big Brother’s recognition and getting the chance to leave the trial.

Before this, He had been optimistic about the severity of the situation, but as things gradually developed, the terror in His heart grew increasingly intense!

Only now did He start to feel afraid to face it…

Valefor saw how Aelioge was wracking His brains trying to think of countermeasures, and spoke with resignation. “Aelioge, stop thinking about it. What must come will come, let’s put this matter aside for now.”

Hearing this, Aelioge’s eyes flashed with bewilderment, but He could only fall silent. Was there still enough time to begin training now…

A sense of helplessness welled up in His heart, but He also understood that facing Big Brother’s approaching storm, besides practicing more, there seemed to be no other way.

Bachin looked at Aelioge’s back and sighed. “Foolish brother.” What was there to say at this point. As the primary offender, had He finally started to get nervous.

Buer also sighed, foolish Fifteenth Brother, crazy demon talking about dreams.

Only Morax’s eyes lit up, as if inspired by Aelioge’s courage.

Valefor shook Her head. As the most steady demon present, She looked back at Gusin and explained, “Aelioge has been a bit anxious lately, just pretend you didn’t hear it.”

Gusin thought it was too late – due to excessive shock, His demon power had even automatically recorded this segment.

However, Valefor glanced around and said, “It’s a long story, let’s change locations first.”

“Alright.”

****

Meanwhile, in the Great Empire of Oedipus.

Devon Rex Lelagin woke up early, cleaning the courtyard together with the little short-legged cat, and tending to the flowers and plants in the courtyard. The two demons worked together seamlessly, quickly cleaning everything spotlessly, even making the floor look brand new.

Just then, suddenly a cold wind blew in, carrying a bone-chilling coldness.

The Devon Rex was startled by this cold wind, His form trembling slightly, and the small broom in His hand couldn’t help but stop.

Seeing this, the little short-legged cat quickly ran over and asked with concern. “Brother Lelagin meow, what’s wrong meow?”

After speaking, He immediately supported Lelagin.

Normally, with Their constitution, even in their worst condition, They wouldn’t get cold from a mere breeze.

What’s going on meow? The little short-legged cat furrowed His brows.

The Devon Rex lowered His head and eyes, seemingly trying hard to regain His composure, then said softly, “It’s nothing meow.”

“Really meow?” The little short-legged cat was still somewhat worried, looking at Lelagin with concern.

Lelagin nodded slightly and said, “I’ll be fine after I rest a bit meow, don’t worry meow.”

After speaking, He slowly turned around and walked toward the cat bed in the bedroom.

The little short-legged cat watched His brother’s back, the concern in His eyes still undiminished. What happened to Brother Lelagin meow.

Around eight in the morning.

Xiu Si crouched in front of the cat bed, his eyes revealing deep affection as he spoke softly, “This isn’t simple memory loss, it’s more like the memories were taken by some force, or perhaps He actively stripped away His memories.”

The big orange cat listening nearby was instantly shocked.

Could Father sense such subtle conditions?

“But Brother Lelagin has always treasured His memories meow, He wouldn’t easily strip away His memories meow.”

The little short-legged cat’s paw gently rested on the edge of the cat bed, His head slightly poking out, chin lightly resting on the rim of the cat bed.

In the days without Father, memories became Their most precious possession regarding Father. How could They possibly strip them away easily? Perhaps some demons would seal their memories, but speaking of stripping them away…

Xiu Si nodded slightly, and after pondering for a moment said, “Yes, I think so too. Perhaps He chose to do this to achieve some more important purpose.”

The little short-legged cat raised His head and asked, “What purpose meow?”

Xiu Si’s eyes were contemplative, “I would like to know too.”

He added another layer of blanket for the little Devon Rex, ensuring the bed was warm and comfortable. Then, he made several small clothes for Him to wear when He wakes up.

The little short-legged cat watched intently. He was a foolish demon, not very bright, probably couldn’t think of much, but…

The big orange cat fell into deep thought, trying hard to think of the true reason why Lelagin stripped away His memories.

A few minutes later, the big orange cat really thought of something, and then shared His speculation in the Cat Head Demon group.

Beleth: “Regarding Lelagin’s situation, I thought of a possibility.”

The usually quick-to-respond Amon immediately asked, “What possibility?”

Beleth remained silent for a long while, His gaze unusually solemn, as if about to say something very difficult to accept.

He hesitated greatly, but finally chose to speak, slowly saying, “Known information: 1. Before Lelagin went to the Elven Ancestor’s land, He told us He was going there to find Father; 2. Before Lelagin went, He had been with Second Brother; 3. Second Brother was the first demon to find Father; 4. Lelagin mysteriously lost His memories, while Second Brother remains in the dream maintaining some universe-level magic.”

Amon instantly fell silent. He had been writing history, but His pen stopped on the paper, spreading a thumb-sized blot of thick ink, His pupils gradually constricting as He too thought of a possibility.

Meanwhile, across the round table, Botis was writing when He saw Amon’s expression change and also checked the situation in the Cat Head Demon group.

Beelzebub was only about ten meters away from Them, lying on a large sofa covered with a wool blanket, an ancient book covering His face. He seemed to sense something too, slowly sitting up, letting the book on His face slide down, revealing His extremely shocked eyes.

Beelzebub was always calm, most things in this world couldn’t affect Him, but the possibility Beleth implied shocked Him to the point of almost losing composure.

Only two steps away from Beelzebub, Inpos, who had just walked over carrying books, was the last to realize the issue.

And after He realized it, His whole body suddenly shook, His hands loosened, and the books He was holding crashed down, becoming the only sound in the dead-silent library.

After reading the information listed by the big orange, They all thought of a possibility.

A possibility that shocked all of Them and shattered Their understanding.

Namely – Father’s resurrection and return was very likely achieved through the joint efforts of Second Brother Agares and Lelagin. As the price, Lelagin stripped away His memories, while Second Brother remains trapped in the dream to this day.

Lelagin’s memories were likely the foundational building blocks of Second Brother’s universe-level magic.

The universe-level magic that Second Brother was maintaining with all His might – was very likely Father himself.

They had previously thought Second Brother could only appear after Father fell asleep and entered dreams, and had been wondering why, but there existed a huge blind spot in this thinking.

Yes, the truth was very likely exactly the opposite.

– [It was Father who could only appear when Second Brother dreamed].

Not that Second Brother could only appear when Father dreamed.

Second Brother couldn’t wake up because if He did, the dream would end, and that universe-level magic would become ineffective with it.

Father was Second Brother’s dream.

Once Second Brother woke up, Father would disappear.

Thinking of this, the library fell into dead silence, all demons lowered Their heads, some clenching Their fists.

The atmosphere became extremely tense.

They usually didn’t even frown when facing universe-level crises, yet merely a possibility made Them almost unable to bear it, Their hearts overwhelmed by immense sorrow.

Yet precisely, Their brains continued analyzing this possibility, combining it with various previous information.

Especially regarding Second Brother’s various actions.

They thought further.

The reason Second Brother chose to blur Father’s perception of reality was to ensure this dream could remain stable, prevent Father from noticing any abnormalities, and not let Father – as the core of the dream – the dream itself, accidentally wake up.

In this dream constructed by magic, Lelagin’s memories became the magical cornerstone for shaping Father’s image. It was Lelagin’s memories that coalesced into Father’s image in the dream.

Remember the “Memory Beasts” that appeared before? They could read individuals’ memories and recreate corresponding figures based on these memories.

Yes, it was the same principle as the Memory Beasts’ innate ability.

After They realized this, Their expressions instantly became extremely ugly.

Inpos’s pupils trembled, almost losing control of His body from shock, violently swaying once, His breathing becoming rapid involuntarily.

His forehead was covered in sweat beads as He bit His lower lip.

The reactions of His other siblings weren’t much better.

Botis crushed the pen in His hand, His snake pupils flashing a bloody light, His eye sockets reddened, His trembling body betraying His intense inner turmoil.

Amon, who was usually mercurial and viewed the world as a game, lowered his head and tried to control His reaction to the extreme, yet still couldn’t hide His disturbance.

Even the proud and composed Beelzebub showed a lost and helpless look in His eyes at this moment.

They seemed to return to that day when They lost Their father – the abyss cracked, lightning covered the sky and earth, frantically taking revenge on the world, but Their lost father might never return again.

Seeing the cat-headed demon group hadn’t responded for a long time, Beleth knew They must have also thought of that possibility.

Actually, They should have noticed all of this earlier, but perhaps due to some psychological effect, They had chosen to deceive Themselves to varying degrees, unwilling to deeply investigate the truth behind the dream.

Unwilling to admit that it was a dream and not reality.

Moreover, since the hero himself was a magical entity made of magic, They hadn’t thought much about it.

“……”

“……”

The atmosphere in the group chat became silent.

This sudden speculation hit Them like a bolt from the blue, striking all the demons unprepared.

Too terrifying, too desperate, it stripped away the last glimmer of hope in Their hearts.

They couldn’t help but think, had Their father never truly been resurrected?

Was everything They had seen until now just a memory body created jointly by Their Second Brother and Lelagin, rather than Their father himself? Although this memory body was so real, so vivid, was it ultimately just an existence in a dream, not Their real father?

This cruel reality was unacceptable to Them, with only loss and pain constantly expanding in Their hearts.

It was at this moment. In the courtyard, the short-legged cat who was watering flowers froze, the small watering can falling from his hands.

After a long while. In the library.

Botis refused to believe this speculation, slamming His fist on the table, His eyes cold, snarling viciously. “Nonsense, I don’t believe it anyway, Father has returned, no one can deny this fact.”

“But……”

“No buts!”

Botis was enraged, unprecedented fury, veins pulsing on His forehead, His face like that of a fierce demon.

Amon spoke up too, saying calmly, “After all, this is just a possibility, we don’t need to care too much, what if we’re just overthinking?”

Inpos’s eyes looked toward Amon.

Beelzebub remained silent.

The chat group fell into silence again.

Meanwhile, in the bookstore, the short-legged cat’s eyes dropped tears like small pearls, pattering onto the floor.

Beleth, who usually loved to talk, also fell quiet at this time, His brows tightly furrowed, His expression heavy.

Just at this moment, that familiar and gentle voice suddenly sounded behind Them. “Cele, what’s wrong?”

Father had come behind Them at some unknown time, perhaps sensing something was wrong with Them, so He came to check on Their situation.

The short-legged cat suddenly trembled, forcefully holding back His crying voice, not wanting Father to see Him crying, and tried to respond normally with a “meow.”

He seemed to be saying: Father wait a moment meow, cleaning the room meow.

“Is that so.”

Xiu Si gazed at the backs of the two cats.

The big orange cat turned to look at Xiu Si, but the short-legged cat didn’t, His paws clutching His body, head lowered, as if studying the patterns on the floor.

Xiu Si noticed the fresh cleanliness of the courtyard, and the neatly and meticulously trimmed flowers and plants.

Actually, he had told Them before that he could handle the household chores, but the children were very stubborn about this, and seemed to really enjoy housework, so he had let Them be.

But…

Xiu Si looked at the short-legged cat’s back, his eyes thoughtful. Was everything really alright?

It was fortunate that he didn’t continue asking Them anything else.

Otherwise, the big orange cat really couldn’t have composed His emotions.

The big orange cat stared intently at the young man’s back, unconsciously extending His paw, but suddenly became anxious and fearful, as if afraid of breaking the dream, and didn’t dare to follow.

The big orange cat fell silent for a few seconds, turned to look at the short-legged cat, only to see His brother’s eyes were red from crying, the fur on His face was sticky with tears, His body still trembling, unable to suppress the meowing crying sounds.

The big orange cat’s heart tightened, and His responsibility as a brother immediately blazed up. He suddenly stepped forward, His paws cupping the short-legged cat’s face from both sides, making the short-legged cat look into His eyes, saying firmly, “Cele don’t cry, Father definitely isn’t a dream, not a memory body!”

“Meow-wu-wu…”

The short-legged cat’s eyes glistened with tears, His eye sockets completely red.

He was silly, not knowing what was happening, if it weren’t for His brothers saying so, He wouldn’t have known anything. Although now He wished He didn’t know anything at all.