Start in Terra, immortal

Year 157 of the Arad Calendar, the Perus Empire.

"Have you heard? General Kazan and Ozma, the Empire's most powerful mage, have been accused of treason!"

"Kazan and Ozma are great heroes of our empire! They were the ones who repelled the mad dragon Hess!"

"I heard they found the Yordles who have been wanted for a long time, obtained their power to fight against the Empire, and are planning a rebellion!"

The people of Perus were abuzz with disbelief at the "treason" of the two heroes. Yet, the fact that they had been imprisoned seemed undeniable.

In the cold, dark dungeons of the Empire, Kazan, whose tendons in both hands had been severed, was suspended by chains on a rack, his long hair disheveled and his body covered in blood.

"Heh heh heh heh... Ozma, it seems we're doomed today."

"Waaah...waaah..."

In the next cell, a figure lay limp on a stone bed, resembling a corpse, also covered in wounds. Blood gushed from his empty eye sockets, staining his entire face red, and his mouth, with its tongue cut out, could only utter muffled whimpers.

That was Ozma.

When Ozma learned from the jailer that her family had been implicated, her lover had been forcibly taken as a concubine and had died tragically, she completely broke down.

He couldn't understand why people's hearts could be so fickle and so despicable.

Why did this happen...? What should I do...? Can anyone help me...?

"What a ridiculous joke! All this talk of colluding with the Yordles and plotting a rebellion is just an excuse! They just want to kill us both!"

Kazan roared and cursed, his words filled with endless resentment and regret.

In the past few days, he has come to understand the truth: the saying "too much merit can overshadow the master" applies.

Because his and Ozma's prestige had reached its peak within the empire, and their power had expanded to the point that the emperor was unable to eat or sleep, His Majesty decided to strike first and eliminate the threat.

Their failure to complete the task of "hunting down the Yodals" became the very pretext for the emperor to punish them.

The empire acted swiftly. However, the two men had become too famous in recent years, and were known for their approachability and wide-ranging goodwill, so almost the entire aristocratic class pleaded for them.

Unable to execute them immediately, the emperor decreed that Kazan be exiled to the harsh Struer Mountains to fend for himself.

Ozma, on the other hand, was cast into the distant seas of the Empire's eastern border. Whether he drifted with the current or sank into the abyss, the Empire did not care.

Thus, the two heroes of the empire faded from the spotlight of history.

In the eastern sea, in the icy, bone-chilling water.

Ozma slowly sank. Having lost his sight, he could not see the endless darkness around him.

He felt only regret, helplessness, and despair.

His family suffered because of him, and his lover died to preserve her chastity.

He hated himself for not being able to see through people's hearts and for easily believing the emperor's so-called "unity of mind between the ruler and his subjects".

What's even more ridiculous is that he had genuinely believed that the future of the empire was his responsibility.

That's... absolutely ridiculous.

Consciousness gradually fades, and bodily sensation is being lost.

Just as he was on the verge of death, a figure dressed in a black robe and holding a scythe appeared in his already darkened "vision".

"Want revenge? I can help you... if you give me your soul."

"I can grant you the power of chaos to cleanse these filthy humans."

"I seek revenge! Your soul is mine—I only want them to pay the price!"

The instant Ozma let out that soul-stirring roar, a gigantic skull phantom appeared in the sea where he was sinking.

Deep purple light shone from the skull's empty eye sockets, piercing through the seawater and enveloping his mangled body.

That's not healing, but rather "remodeling" and "polluting".

Ozma's "body" is both disintegrating and being reborn.

Curved, sharp black horns sprouted from its head, bones piercing its skin and extending into grotesque bone spikes. The skin on its chest cracked, revealing pulsating purple energy channels beneath. A tearing pain shot through its shoulder blades—a pair of broken and grotesque wings, composed of chaotic energy and skeleton, were struggling to break free of its body.

The purple beam of light reached its peak. The last remaining trace of humanity in Ozma vanished completely.

Instead, there was a tall, twisted demonic body.

The head was hidden in shadow and beneath a crown of bones, with only the newly formed "eyes" burning with purple soul fire piercing through the darkness. No human emotions could be found in them, only cold destruction and unwavering revenge.

The seawater was stained an ominous dark purple. Countless marine creatures died instantly, mutated, or fled frantically under the impact of the chaotic aura.

The black-robed figure, who witnessed the entire transformation, seemed quite satisfied.

"I have prepared three helpers for you. They will assist you in achieving your goals."

Three demons, exuding the same terrifying aura as Ozma, quietly appeared behind the black-robed figure.

"Belial (Tamat/Astros), greetings to Lord Ozma!"

Belial was tall and strong, wielding a greatsword and exuding an imposing aura; Temat was agile and wielded a spear, her presence no less impressive; and Astros, the only woman among the three, had a graceful figure, yet her aura was the most restrained and unpredictable.

The figure in black robes said no more and quietly disappeared.

In the deep sea, only four demons, shrouded in chaotic aura, stood silently.

In the Struer Mountains, the wind is as cold as a knife.

Unable to move, Kazan collapsed onto the cold, frozen ground. On the verge of death, he felt an intense hatred for his unique constitution.

You can't die... you can't die at all!

Even though he had reached his limit and his body was almost exhausted, whenever his consciousness was about to fade away, a wisp of blood would always struggle to squeeze out from the corner of his body, forcibly keeping him alive until his last breath.

He didn't know how long this state of repeated torment on the verge of death lasted. All he knew was that the ice and snow on his body had frozen and melted countless times.

In his daze, he seemed to hear footsteps around him, but he was too weak to make any sound, let alone call for help.

Until—Ozma arrived.

Seeing his best friend tortured into such an inhuman state, Ozma's flames of revenge burned even more fiercely.

He couldn't bear to see Kazan continue to suffer this endless torment. Now possessing newfound power, he chose to personally end Kazan's suffering and grant him a new life.

"Return, my friend Kazan! Join me in making those vile humans...feel our pain!"

Ozma firmly believed that his close friends, who had suffered the same torment, must also deeply hate those who had persecuted them to this extent.

He also believed that this former close friend would definitely join him and stand shoulder to shoulder with him.

"No, Ozma... look at yourself now. Can you still call yourself a 'human'?"

Kazan's refusal was unexpected by Ozma.

"At this moment, I am the God of Chaos! Come, Kazan! Accept my power and become the God of Destruction who will cleanse all things!"

Ozma, believing Kazan was still afraid of the Empire's power, emphasized that he now possessed the means to exact revenge.

"I... will not choose to be an enemy of humanity."

After speaking, Kazan used the newly emerging power within his body to expel the special physique that had sustained his life, along with this new power, from his body.

Soon, on the Struth Mountains, only a gradually cooling body and the fading crimson veins that stretched along the ridge remained.

Ozma stood silently for a long time, watching his dearest friend take his own life. His hatred for humanity deepened even further.