Chapter 1009 - 1008: The Guardian Court

Simon continued walking beside Enigma, considering everything he had just learned.

The Abyss Sovereign, twelve elders, four Lords, and the members beneath them. Then there were the Abyss Chosen, whose abilities Enigma could describe without knowing what they had actually received.

It was an impressive gathering of power.

The Abyss was most likely stronger than the six main kingdoms of the Demon Realm. If the Sovereign and his elders could act freely, Simon doubted many of the Demon Kings would dare oppose them.

But the Demon Kings weren’t the problem.

How many gods were there? How many beings stood above those gods?

He had no answer to either question. He couldn’t even name everyone they might have to fight.

Against enemies like that, thirteen powerful Daemons didn’t seem nearly enough. Especially when those same Daemons were restricted from leaving this dimension.

His attention returned to the Chosen.

Perhaps some were stronger than he expected. Still, if their blessing really was an artificial Seed of Sin as he suspected, he was certain it couldn’t offer everything a natural one did.

Lilith hadn’t explained the difference. She hadn’t even confirmed that the blessing and artificial seeds were the same thing.

Nevertheless, he didn’t believe obtaining such power as a reward could be entirely equal to developing it oneself. There had to be something he didn’t know.

What about the elders?

He suspected the Sovereign and the five Grand Elders had natural seeds, while the seven Ancestral Elders either possessed artificial ones or had none.

But he might have it backward. Perhaps members of both groups had natural seeds, and their positions were separated only by cultivation.

He couldn’t determine that from their titles.

If his first guess was right, however, that left only six natural seed bearers among the leaders Enigma had mentioned.

’Only six?’

Were there others among the ordinary members? Or was forming a natural seed so rare that even an organisation like The Abyss had very few?

He then thought of The One.

’Well... if a Daemon had to face The One after awakening a natural seed of sin, their chances of survival would be really low. The pressure of his gaze alone nearly broke me.’

Simon glanced at Enigma.

He couldn’t ask that question directly.

"I’m curious. Do you have an idea as to how many Abyss Chosen are strong enough to fight a god?"

Enigma looked at him.

"I haven’t seen all of them fight. Why?"

"I’m wondering whether The Abyss has enough people."

"For what?"

"To face its enemies."

Enigma’s smile faded as Simon continued.

"You have the Sovereign and twelve elders. Most of your other members would be helpless against a true god. The Chosen might add a few more, but I don’t know how many."

"We aren’t preparing to invade the Divine Realm."

"I didn’t say you were. But you told me even your strongest members are in danger outside this dimension. Being stronger than the kingdoms won’t help much against whoever they’re avoiding."

Enigma watched him for a moment.

Simon wasn’t trying to insult the organisation. If he joined, its dangers would become his too. He wanted more than an impressive collection of titles before trusting that it could protect him.

"If those are all the powerful members you have, it doesn’t seem enough," he added.

"You’re right."

The admission came without argument.

"Against the gods of Earth and the beings above them, those numbers wouldn’t be enough even though I don’t know how many there are in total. I’ve thought about that myself."

"Then what am I missing?"

Enigma waited until a member passing in the opposite direction had moved beyond them.

"What I told you is the structure most people here know. Outer Members, Inner Members, even most Core Members. Those are the people they receive orders from or hope to serve under."

"And there are others."

"Yes. The council doesn’t include every powerful Daemon in The Abyss."

Simon became more attentive.

He had considered the possibility, but there was a difference between hoping they had hidden strength and hearing Enigma confirm it.

"How many more?"

"I don’t know."

Enigma sounded mildly annoyed with the admission.

"I’ve only recently become a Lord. There are still plenty of things I’m not authorised to know."

"You’re telling me quite a bit for someone who hasn’t joined."

"I’ve seen your talent, and I know what you did to the God of War."

His gaze settled briefly on Simon’s face.

"I wouldn’t be having this conversation with an ordinary recruit. Your strength and potential have earned you that much."

Simon nodded and waited.

He wasn’t going to waste the opportunity by pretending he had no interest.

"After my appointment, I learned about a group called the Guardian Court," Enigma said.

"The Guardian Court?"

"They don’t govern districts, assign missions, or attend to the clan’s ordinary affairs. Most members never have a reason to hear about them."

"Who are they?"

"According to what I heard, they are former elders. Grand Elders and Ancestral Elders who no longer sit on the council."

Simon considered the twelve positions Enigma had described.

He had been counting the people currently occupying them. He hadn’t considered what happened to someone who left a seat without dying.

"They stepped down?"

"From what I was told, yes. Some did. They’d spent a long time unable to advance to the next realm. Eventually, they left their duties to others and entered the Guardian Court."

"Because they couldn’t become stronger?"

"They couldn’t reach the next realm. That doesn’t make someone who used to be a Grand Elder weak."

"I know."

Simon understood that distinction well enough.

Years without a breakthrough wouldn’t erase everything a Daemon had already achieved. And an elder who couldn’t advance might still have developed techniques or abilities their successors hadn’t mastered.

Even a few such beings would change his earlier estimate considerably.

But how many were still alive?

They reached the building’s entrance. Enigma opened one of the doors and stepped outside.

Simon followed, keeping his attention on him.

"Do they come out when The Abyss is attacked?"

"I would expect them to. But I haven’t witnessed it, and nobody has explained the conditions under which they act."

Enigma continued before Simon could ask another question.

"I know the Court exists and that former elders belong to it. Their numbers, their whereabouts, their arrangements with the Sovereign... those aren’t things I’ve been told."

Simon frowned slightly.

Enigma had given him a reason not to judge The Abyss by its current council alone. He hadn’t given him enough to know how far off his judgment had been.

"Have you met any of them?"

"Not anyone who introduced themselves as a member."

That answer made Simon glance at him.

It was possible Enigma had stood beside one without knowing. The thought did little to satisfy his curiosity.

"There are other stories about the Court," Enigma added. "Some believe it also includes previous Abyss Sovereigns."

Simon nearly stopped.

"Previous Sovereigns?"

Enigma chuckled at his expression.

"I forgot to mention that. Our current leader is the Seventh Abyss Sovereign."

"The seventh?"

"Yes. Six ruled before him."

Simon stared at him.

He had imagined one ancient being gathering the surviving Daemons and leading them through the years. Instead, the title had already passed through seven holders.

He didn’t know whether all of them had been as powerful as the present Sovereign or were stronger. But anyone who could lead those elders would hardly have been ordinary.

And there might be more than one still alive.

"What happened to the other six?"

Enigma shrugged.

"The elders and the Seventh Sovereign might be able to answer that. The rest of us have stories."

"What stories?"

"Some say they were killed. Assassinated, or defeated by enemies they couldn’t overcome. Others believe they died attempting to advance to a higher realm."

Simon remembered how confidently Enigma had spoken of their current leader defeating the God of War.

A being that powerful could still fail to advance.

Or encounter someone capable of killing him.

"Then there’s the belief that they joined the Guardian Court," Enigma continued. "That they gave up ruling but never truly left."

"All six?"

"Some say all of them. Others say only a few."

"And nobody knows which is true?"

"Nobody willing to tell me."

Simon walked beside him in silence for a moment.

"Are those the only explanations?"

"No. Some believe the former Sovereigns are outside The Abyss, searching for a way to change our situation. Something that would let Daemons stop living under these restrictions."

Simon looked at him.

"Which do you believe?"

Enigma’s smile faded.

"I’d like to believe they’re still alive and working on a solution. But what happened to the six of them?" He shook his head. "I don’t know."