Chapter 1636: Hold The Chains Staff watched the preparation to seal the emerging consciousness of the Chains of Betrayal. Previously, she had not been too interested in the crafting process of the arena because she was not proficient at crafting, having dabbled in it over the years and not finding much success. Staff was now paying great attention because she realized that this was also a life-devouring Tribulation for her. Spending time with Primordial Demon had revealed an aspect of his character to Staff. It was not as if Primordial Demon did not care for the lesser beings under him, but he was also fond of playing sick games with them. He was the sort of person to give a child access to a volatile spell and watch them play with it, knowing that a single mistake would lead to death. Was it not the same game he was playing with her father? Staff knew how dangerous Rowan was, and although the talent of her father was Supreme, she still had great doubt in her heart, and she could imagine that Primordial Demon was looking down on all of this with amusement. Millions of Infernal Architects with various shapes that boggled the mind were fussing around the arena, eldrith energies coursing from their bodies as they crafted an arena the size of a thousand universes, but Staff knew that this was a tiny fraction of their number, the rest was below the surface, numerous like worker ants. A loud blast erupted from below her, like the clap of thunder, as a massive chain burst out of the center of the arena, rising into the air like a dragon. This chain was made of blackened primordial metal, constantly shifting between liquid and solid states as if resisting its own existence. Etched with the name of every oathbreaker in history from the first mortal king that sold out his kin to the fallen Celestials lured by the appeal of the Great Abyss. The Chains of Betrayal slithered around the arena like a snake hunting for prey. From it, Staff could hear whispers of fractured vows, and she quickly isolated her spirit from that sound. It could corrupt her consciousness, leading her to intense paranoia, the kind where she could claw out her eyes because she believed that they were spying on her mind. This weapon was legendary, and even while broken, it contained numerous powerful powers and curses, and Malgeth had been wise enough to provide her with a description of all of them. Most of the powers of the chains were blocked and would not affect a Demon Lord of her power. Still, Malgeth had warned her that she could not be bound by the chains, because there were several innate abilities within the chains that could not be blocked, and although the strength of these powers was limited, it would be enough to kill her a hundred times over. The strength of the chain included Absolute Binding, which was a power that could be exerted on a victim who was bound by the chains. With Absolute Binding, the chain suppresses not just the body but the concept of defiance within the victim, and it was rare for a Will to last long under the weight of this curse. Then there was Memory Theft, where the chain would begin stealing the memory of freedom from those it bound, making escape impossible. This power was especially sneaky because it was subtle, and few would ever notice it. It was possible that if she were not informed of it, once bound, Staff would remain in captivity until she was crushed to death, forgetting the notion of resistance. The last innate skill of these chains was called Betrayal’s Echo. If, by slim chance, someone could resist both curses of the chains, then the chains would force them to relive their greatest act of treachery. It did not matter if it was real or imagined; the visions would only grow worse until their spirit was broken. Also, it did not matter how much these chains were destroyed; they were self-replicating, feeding off the guilt and negative energy around them. So, in a place like the Great Abyss, where sin and all sorts of negative emotions thrived, the chains were considered indestructible. A tiny voice like a mosquito whined beside Staff’s right ear: "You can make your move anytime now, infernal matriarch. We opened up the arena’s surface to draw the attention of the consciousness; now it’s just left for you to keep it occupied." "I will play my part. How long do you need to suppress the chains?" "Not long. In six months, all the arrangements would be completed." Staff nodded, and she expected Malgeth to depart for his task, but his presence remained. "Why are you still here?" The presence of this Demon Lord seemed to hesitate for a moment before he pushed in, "Infernal Queen. Apologies for my presumptuousness, but I cannot help but wonder about this combatant who would be fighting here against our Prime. The rumors we hear about him cannot be true." Staff squeezed her fists. She was aware that Malgeth was asking her this question because he believed there was an excellent possibility of her not surviving the suppression of these chains. "What have you heard about him?" "Not much, but everything we hear is ridiculous. They say he is a mortal who can kill Lords, that he shattered the Frozen Road, and the resurgence of Primordial Essence is by his grace. They say he is the Lord of Origin and that the Land at the end of Reality, where all the wonders of Time can be found, comes from him. They say..." Staff interrupted the endless babble, "I don’t care what they say. But whatever you have heard, it is not enough to describe him. He is... I don’t want to talk about this matter." "Is that so? But you have not yet told me what you know about him. The fellow Lords and I are curious." Staff did not reply to Malgeth’s voice. Instead, she stretched out her right hand and sucked the chains towards her, grabbing the end of the chain that was shaped like a snake’s fang with both hands. The presence of Malgeth fled, wary of the chains and knowing that being close to Staff would burden her when the chain had another source of emotion to draw upon. At first, the chains attempted to pull away from her, but realizing it was impossible, they began exerting a mental pressure that Staff hurriedly suppressed. She knew if any slip-up occurred, the chains she held would extend around her, and their Absolute binding would be activated. The mental pressure battering against the walls of her consciousness began to increase, and Staff grunted in pain when a loud scream of lamentation broke through the barriers over her spirit and lashed against her mind like a whip. Gritting her teeth in annoyance, she suppressed the chains; her Will of Force at the eighth-dimensional level had evolved multiple times to become more versatile, and her previous weak mental defenses had been augmented until her Will of Force could take the form of a ward in her soul, which she called an Omniward. It was an automatic, ever-shifting defense that adapted to any mental attack, and when paired with her trait of absorption, her defenses could only grow stronger over time. The first few moments were the most dangerous for her, as her Omniward was still absorbing the mental attacks from the chains. After a while, the defenses over her soul had thickened, and Staff closed her eyes to focus more on her soul as she held the chains with no visible effort. Piercing shrieks emerged from the length of the chain as it twisted and fought against her hold, but Staff’s greatest problem had been the mental attack. With that settled, it did not matter how much the chains struggled in her grasp; it was going nowhere. However, Staff had not forgotten the reason why she was chosen to hold this chain instead of any other Demon Lord, and it was because the blasted Architects had used too many treasures in the creation of this arena, and this amount of power had supercharged this foul weapon. She had closed her eyes to brace for the storm she was sure was coming, one that she could not even be assured of surviving, but there was no fear in her heart. This was the existence shared by every mortal and immortal in Reality, and except for the Primordials, who else could boast of invincibility in this Era? All of her Will and talents were focused on holding on against chains because she could sense it building power for a single massive push. Her Omniward had been built up to the extent that she believed she could stand against the mental assault of a hundred Old Ones, but the power that kept building before her barrier kept growing until she was an ant before the thousand-foot wave. Gritting her teeth in desperation, she watched the wave fall, and her defenses shattered like bubbles. A sickly voice filled her mind "I have you now."