The next day, Haboba ascended the throne, bestowing titles and accepting oaths of fealty from the nobles.
Nobles of every rank stepped forward in order to perform their fealty rites. Kneeling before the king, they swore that from this day onward, they would follow only the king's commands. Before withdrawing, their cheers and praises rang without end.
What followed was another frenzy of construction. According to the plan, it would take three years to complete the work and bring the kingdom into a period of recuperation and renewal.
On the first layer of the Abyss, once the very top of the fifteen layers, the sun shone a deep crimson, casting blood-red light from the heavens. Yet black clouds often blanketed the sky, making it seem eternally like dusk.
Boom! A rumble shook the entire plane, and the whole first layer of the Abyss trembled.
Duke Hikas sat upon his throne.
As the Duke of the eleventh layer of the Abyss, he controlled the Corpse Abyss and excelled in the domain of the undead. Even while temporarily stationed on the first layer, he had been granted an enormous castle.
This castle was the most luxurious on the first layer. Its summit was built from Black Jade, as though it could swallow all the light in the sky, yet faint auroras burned at its sharp points.
It had originally been the goddess's palace. Being permitted to reside within it showed how highly the goddess regarded him.
Through the windows, he could see the blood-red sky. Duke Hikas walked to the window and looked down upon the land.
He could feel the power of darkness pouring endlessly into this layer. Storms born of the tremors formed whirlpools, while magma erupted from volcanoes, spewing thick smoke and poisonous gas.
Under their influence, the