Countless ideas and thoughts raced through Asher's mind.
At first, he was worried that the catastrophe of old would repeat itself and the monsters would reappear. But he soon dismissed the thought when he realized that this portal was the only one on Earth, and completely different from the ones back then.
The gates through which the monsters once entered Earth were, on average, much larger—often up to ten meters—and resembled blue vortexes, whereas this portal was barely half that size, green in color, and shaped more like an oval doorframe.
Still, it was exceedingly strange that such a portal existed now, only a few years before the original monster invasion.
As far as I remember, I know of no portal that ever appeared on Everest... Once he finally calmed down, Asher made a decision.
He walked with purpose, as though descending stairs, through the air toward the strange portal.
He hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should truly step inside and see where it led. It might be dangerous—especially since he had no idea where it went.
Hmph. Ridiculous! I am no mere human, no mere Awakened... I am a Creator God and lord of my own galaxy. If there is something I cannot handle with my current strength, then I never deserved this title to begin with!
With newfound confidence, he stepped into the portal and vanished from Mount Everest.
When Asher first entered the portal, he felt a strange sensation.
Instead of being transported instantly to another location—as was usually the case with portals or gates—it felt more like traveling through darkness at high speed, as if he were being carried by a stream.
He did not resist the current, even though he felt he could have, and simply let it carry him.
After an unknown amount of time, he finally saw light at the end of the tunnel. A powerful suction force suddenly seized him, pulling him with great might toward the light.
But this time, it was different. The force was not to be underestimated, and would have been difficult to resist even for him. It only revealed how high the power level of the place he was being taken to must be. Yet it didn't intimidate him—on the contrary, Asher was even somewhat excited to witness this new place.
A rare feeling of anticipation and thirst for adventure surged through him as he was drawn through the light.
He hadn't expected such a surprise in his own galaxy, where he held complete control, and was oddly delighted.
As soon as Asher exited the portal on the other side, he spread his divine perception out of caution and immediately scanned several kilometers around him.
His gaze carefully swept across the new surroundings. The portal he had just exited caught his eye immediately—it stood directly behind him, embedded into a mountainside.
As Asher looked around and studied the area with his divine perception, a subtle flash of surprise appeared in his eyes.
The sky was overcast, streaked with dark green, red, and other lights. It resembled an aurora, but there was something about this sky that distinctly reminded him of the endless war hell.
Everywhere around him were tall, jagged mountains jutting into the sky. In the distance, he could even see volcanoes with lava flowing uncontrollably into the forests below.
Then there were the dark, ominous forests with strange trees that seemed both rotten and dead—and yet simultaneously alive—while bizarre creatures wandered among them, their appearance chilling to the bone.
But there was something else that unsettled him.
From the moment he entered this strange world, he sensed high-level mortal energies permeating the land. He had never felt anything like them before.
These are... immortal energies...! He recognized them immediately as he felt the rich, nourishing essence.
Though Asher had previously only known the mortal energies of Earth and Gaia, as well as his own divine power, his instincts as a Creator—like knowledge etched into his soul—told him these were immortal energies.
These immortal energies were so pure and full-bodied that they could allow ordinary mortals to ascend into true gods through growth.
In other words, it was possible to become a powerful being—one equivalent to a Creator God, or even stronger—through immortal energies.
As he pondered the surroundings and these immortal energies, letting his divine perception continue exploring, it quickly picked something up.
He sensed signs of life. A powerful and distinct energy signature was rushing in from the west.
Only seconds after he perceived this lightning-fast signature, he heard loud rumbling and the crashing of trees and shattering of rocks—approaching rapidly.
What is that? Did someone sense my divine perception and locate me this quickly?Asher was slightly puzzled. From the signature alone, he could tell the being was strong, but not its exact strength—not so quickly. So he could only wait, surprised, for its arrival.
Though curious, Asher did not neglect his caution and remained ready to fight at any moment.
Suddenly, his everyday clothes dissolved into particles of light, disappearing and being replaced by a long black coat with light armor, a sword at his waist, and a halberd appearing in his hand.
His eyes glowed gold for a brief moment as he focused on the approaching presence and waited for its arrival.
Boom! With a loud crash, a burly figure more than three meters tall burst through a massive boulder just a few meters away from Asher, radiating a mighty aura of suppression.
"Bahahaha~ I found you!"
His loud laughter echoed through the area as his gaze fell upon Asher.
The man's aura swirled wildly around him, heating the surroundings uncontrollably with his mere presence—even melting the earth beneath him. He didn't even try to suppress his power—he displayed it openly for all to see.
Asher narrowed his eyes at the sight of the massive figure.
This man, who had so suddenly appeared before him, was nearly four meters tall—no, inhumanly tall. He had dark gray skin with dark red patches and a long tail. Though he lacked horns, he otherwise looked exactly like a demon from the endless war hell.
"What do you want from me?"
Asher asked bluntly, staring at the man impatiently.
He had been irritated ever since he heard that booming laughter and already had a good idea of what kind of person this guy was.
"Haha~ Isn't it obvious? The moment I sensed that powerful will, I knew you'd be a strong opponent!" the man explained, as if it were self-evident. "And now that I see you—it's clear… you're strong, really strong!"
Even before finishing his sentence, the man clenched his fists with battle-lust, and his aura began to rise uncontrollably, bubbling like lava.
Haah~ What an annoying guy! I really can't stand people like him... these overly motivated, cheerful muscleheads who think about nothing but fighting and have more muscle than brain.
Asher was visibly annoyed as he studied the muscular man before him and immediately recognized that, while others might find him agreeable, he found his type exhausting.
He instantly adopted a posture of annoyance, not bothering to hide it—not that someone like this man would notice or be offended.
Still, he doesn't just look like one—he's as bloodthirsty as a demon… This is a good chance to get some information.
Suddenly, Asher tightened his grip on his halberd and lightly struck the ground with the butt, creating a minor earthquake that made the earth tremble and small stones roll.
Then his own aura began to rise, making the atmosphere more serious and tense.
"All right, then let's fight…" he said curtly.
The "demon's" grin widened even more at Asher's words, and his face lit up with joy and anticipation at the rising aura and intense atmosphere.
His blood began to boil.
"Good, then…"
He immediately took a battle stance, clenched his fists, and took a step toward Asher, ready to begin the fight—but…
"However!" Asher's call stopped the man. "I don't fight battles that offer me nothing. So let's make a deal… You'll tell me where we are and what kind of world this is!"
The man looked a bit surprised. He clearly hadn't expected that. As someone obsessed with fighting, he had often issued challenges—even when they seemed inappropriate—and had often been rejected. A direct acceptance was a rarity and a delight.
But being suddenly interrupted, he feared he might be denied again.
A strange deal like the one he was offered, however, was unexpected—and reignited his fire. Now he could be sure his opponent wouldn't hold back.
His surprised expression quickly turned cheerful and energetic again.
"Very well. My name is Krampus. I am one of the thirteen Demon Lords of the Southern Abyss, the Demon Lord of Cruel Flames, and I serve the Demon King Mephistopheles. Tell me your name, warrior!"
Krampus, as expected of a reckless battle maniac, revealed quite a bit of information.
From his brief introduction alone, Asher could already tell that he was a demon—albeit likely a different kind than those from the endless war hell.
Additionally, this place seemed to be called the Abyss, and there appeared to be even stronger beings than Krampus—confirming Asher's earlier suspicion that this world held entities comparable to, or even stronger than, himself.
Mephistopheles?! What surprised Asher the most, however, was hearing a name he already knew from his time on Earth.
Mephistopheles was known as the devil from the Faust legend. The Faust legend was one of the most widely spread stories in European literature—something Asher had read in his time.
The mention of such a familiar name, in a world so strangely connected to Earth, made him perk up and filled his mind with countless questions.
It seemed that there was a connection between this place—the "Abyss"—and Earth, and not just through the portal.
But that's a matter for later. I'll get my answers once I've defeated him. Then everything will be revealed...
With this resolve, Asher stepped into battle against Krampus, a being of mystical rank.
"My name is Asher, God of Doom and Creator of Worlds. Let us begin!"
With that brief introduction, Asher's divine power began to rise and flow from his body, heralding the beginning of the battle between Krampus, the demon of the Abyss, and Asher, the Creator God of the grey dwarf galaxy.
The battle began abruptly—and as was fitting for beings of the highest order—catastrophically.
Asher swung his halberd on the spot without taking a step, unleashed his divine power, and released a massive golden wave of energy rushing toward Krampus.
Krampus met the attack head-on. His energies exploded outward, filling the surroundings with unbearable, stifling heat. Pink flames erupted on his arms, surrounding them without burning or harming him.
Then he swung his right hand with otherworldly strength like a lion's claw, revealing razor-sharp talons wreathed in pink fire.
The slash he sent forth with his strike looked like a flying claw of pink flames and collided with the wave of divine power.
Bang! The impact of the two forces caused a thunderous explosion that ravaged the surrounding land for kilometers.
Yet even as the barren terrain was devastated, the unharmed Creator God Asher appeared in the sky above the mountains.
He stood in the air with a casual expression, arms crossed as if nothing in the world could touch him, his halberd floating beside him—ready to strike.
"Haha~ Wonderful, wonderful! You're truly strong!"
From the thick cloud of smoke and dust that followed the explosion, Krampus shot into the sky with a wide grin on his face.