Hul'Sar had not expected any trust from the entities he had been summoned by, and none was given. While he could freely roam through the Blackrock Spire, the chains of demonic enslavement cast upon him ensured his summoner would always know where he was and how much progress he made toward his assigned tasks.
His primary duty as of now was to tutor the mortal Vanessa VanCleef in the art of subterfuge, and to his delight, the girl was a natural. If not for the nearly imperceptible light domination etched in her soul by Empress Buku, she could easily be twisted into an unwitting ally. A lost opportunity, but still entertaining, nonetheless.
Seeing such near-perfect control over someone and having a source to expand his abilities in subtle control and influence was fascinating. Like most dread lords, Hul'Sar knew how to wield light, as this cosmic force only required belief in one's ability to wield it. Thus, he could learn to do the same if he discovered how Buku applied such control. The girl was completely unaware of the control measures that made her fanatically loyal, with a near-compulsion to please her mistress, perking his interest.
Vanessa wouldn't betray Nazarick, no matter what ideas he whispered in her eager-to-learn ear. Then again, at the moment, his task wasn't to undermine the burgeoning empire, only to observe and understand its rulers. And therein laid the problem. Ainz and Buku were unlike anything he had encountered before. These two entities were wholly unknown and, worst of all, incredibly powerful, far exceeding the might of the legion lords like Archimonde and Kil'jaeden, considered the strongest demons he knew.
This meant the pair was more comparable to Eternals of Death realms, like his ultimate master, Sire Denathrius, the origin of all Dread Lords and the ultimate ruler of the Burning Legion, the fallen Titan, Sargeras - a concerning development in its own right.
Considering the difficulty the Legion faced in entering Azeroth, the invasion was now likely impossible if Ainz and Buku were to oppose the cleansing of Azeroth of the reviled Amanthul's influence. He was unaware of why Lord Sargeras hated his former peer with such passion. Still, their desire to enforce order was the main reason the Titans were twisting reality into something unnatural and destroying the balance between all forces.
Those weren't his concerns at the moment though. Now, Hul'Sar needed to subtly shift some of his presence back to the Twisting Nether and report his findings. The demonic enslavement prevented him from fully traveling back to the immaterial realm of raging magics without Ainz's notice, but he could form a lesser fel avatar. Unlike Sylvanas, who had no means to control Varimathras completely, Ainz had his boot firmly on his neck. Thus, Hul'Sar needed to use his wit to the fullest.
Sitting in his chambers by the writing table, he outwardly wrote a plan to infiltrate every level of the Alliance and Horde militaries. At the same time, half of his attention formed a floating fel figure in the legion-controlled world where his direct superior, Drurtakh, awaited.
On the top of a citadel in a half circle stood six dread lords conversing about the latest developments in the world called Jkenvfa by its locals - the latest Titan-tainted world the Legion had found and was now dismantling. Also present was Varimathras, who was likely to coordinate the Azeroth operation with him.
Hul'Sar floated into the circle and made his presence known.
Drurtakh's crimson eyes flickered with faint amusement, though his expression remained impassive. He did not question why Hul'Sar was not fully present - Dread Lords generally trusted that one didn't undermine another. Even if their goals occasionally clashed, common courtesies were to be expected.
"Report." Drurtakh simply said.
"Ainz Ooal Gown and Buku Ooal Gown are far stronger… far more capable than I could have imagined," Hul'Sar admitted, his wings twitching slightly. "They call themselves the Supreme Beings, which might actually be their race. Ainz's mastery over death and fel energies is… concerning. He could easily tear a pathway to the Shadowlands if he so desired or open a gate for a full legion invasion."
"But?" Drurtakh prompted, his stare sharp.
"But Ainz seems too paranoid to be easily manipulated and is well aware of the Legion," Hul'Sar continued. "It appears his goal is to rule over Azeroth, and he has no intention of sharing that rule with anyone besides his beloved wife."
Varimathras scoffed, "I could have told you that from where I'm seated. Do you have anything tangible, or is kissing the backsides of these two all you are good at?"
Hul'Sar did not miss a beat. "I am under full demonic enslavement, unlike you. There is no need to be jealous you are reduced to babysitting Sylvanas while my task is of actual importance."
Varimathras's wings flared slightly, but Drurtakh let out a low growl of irritation before he could respond.
"Bickering will only waste time!" His patience was thinner than a succubus's veil. "Focus, both of you."
Hul'Sar smirked internally. For all their power and cunning, Dread Lords still had egos the size of mountains, him included.
"Of course. The point I am making is that Ainz and Buku are closer to Lord Sargeras than to Lord Kil'jaden in terms of power, and that they are not easy to control fools. It might take decades to guide them in a direction beneficial to us." Hul'Sar reported, his fel ball avatar dimming ever so slightly.
There was a momentary silence from his superior, and then a fel gate opened, emerald flames licking at the edges of reality as something immense stepped through. The temperature in the citadel seemed to rise by several degrees, the air vibrating with the raw, infernal energy of the newcomer.
Kil'jaden had arrived. The red-skinned demon Lord was an imposing figure, standing six meters tall in his most condensed form. His massive, hooved feet struck the stone floor with a deliberate weight. Large leathery wings unfurled behind him, which was uncommon for Eredar. His eyes glowed with fel energy as his face tendrils twitched slightly as he assessed the gathered Dread Lords.
He wore massive shoulder pads, wrist braces, and a codpiece that did little to distract from his muscular frame.
"Exactly how powerful are these two entities, according to your estimate? And how large are these entities?" Kil'jaedan questioned without requiring any formalities – efficiency was paramount.
"Impossible to tell. They are far stronger than you, Lord, that's for sure. As for their size, they are smaller than me. Ainz is about two meters tall in his skeletal form, while Buku is even shorter, though she constantly uses a visage. I cannot tell her natural size, nor her natural appearance."
Kil'Jaeden fell silent, his clawed fingers absently stroking one of his tendrils as he pondered this information.
"This should not be possible." he finally declared, his voice carrying a note of deep suspicion. "If they are indeed so powerful, they could not contain their energies in such small forms. Visage would not be possible for a prolonged time either. Are you absolutely certain they are not using avatar forms as gates?"
Hul'Sar hesitated for the briefest of moments, a flicker of doubt creeping into his mind. It was a fair question. The universe had certain immutable laws. Power of such magnitude had always required a proportional conduit or a vessel. Be they Old Gods or Titans, all adhered to this fundamental truth. None could condense themselves small enough to walk among mortals, the smallest being half-a-kilometer-tall monoliths of raw cosmic power that could be felt for kilometers around. For an entity to have similar levels of power while being no bigger than a dreadlord was unheard of. These supreme beings? They defied logic.
"I did not sense any spatial disturbances that would indicate an avatar, Lord Kil'Jaeden," Hul'Sar finally responded. "But Ainz… the way he manipulates energy – it is as if it materializes from nothing. No cost, no trace of summoning. It simply exists as he wills it."
"From nothing, you say," Kil'jaeden repeated. "Strange indeed. I must report this." The demon lord spoke slowly as he contemplated the revelations. The Titans were the only ones to manipulate energies on such a level in physical reality. Energy had to be drawn, redirected, stolen, or shaped. But this? This suggested something so dangerous that even Sargeras might pause in concern, no wonder Hul'Sar had made the estimate.
Not even five seconds had passed before the already turbulent skies brewed into a fel storm of continental proportions — the air filling with impossible amounts of volatile energies. The gathered Dread Lords felt their wings grow heavy under the sheer oppressive weight of the power descending upon them. Even Kil'jaeden wordlessly lowered himself to one knee.
Hul'Sar instinctively followed suit, lowering his fel avatar to the ashen stone floor of the citadel summit as closely as possible. Above them, the fel storm formed into a humanoid form taller than the citadel on whose top the meeting was commencing. The ruler of the Legion himself was gracing them with his presence. This was a rare occurrence, as Sargeras rarely interacted with anyone besides his closest confidants.
The immense form slowly gained features. Clad in the same armor scheme as Kil'jaeden, he displayed a bare form that looked like cracked, molten metal. His massive wings stretched out, each motion trailing, searing afterimages through sheer power in the air. Jagged, curled horns that appeared large even on his immense form twisted skyward, and a large beard of pure fire, twisting like an inferno, was bound to his jaw.
"Hul'Sar." The fallen titan addressed him directly, the voice booming like thunder through the sky.
Hul'Sar forced himself to remain kneeling, though he could feel his avatar sinking, shuddering and cracking, under the weight of the titan's power.
"You will observe those two. You will learn of them, and until further notice, you will serve them with full loyalty. Their goals will be your goals. Even if they contradict the Legion's."
The gathered Dread Lords exchanged brief glances, though none dared to lift their heads.
"I want to know who they are. I want to know how they condensed their bodies to such a degree and entered Azeroth. I want to know what they intend."
The titan then turned his attention to Kil'jaeden. "You will oversee this mission personally. No one will interfere with his work. No one will hinder this."
Kil'jaeden, to his credit, did not hesitate, agreeing. "As you command, lord." He paused, then carefully added, "What of our other plans for Azeroth?"
"Halt them." Sargeras's tone brooked no argument. "Put all demons present in Azeroth under Hul'Sar's command. Should it be necessary, gift them to Ainz Ooal Gown."
"Master, a proposition. Perhaps Ainz Ooal Gown and Buku Ooal Gown can be persuaded to dismantle titan control of Azeroth on their own and become willing allies to the legion," Kil'jaeden suggested.
"This goal is secondary. If they are open to it, then Hul'Sar can guide them. But finding out who and what they are takes precedence." With that, the vast form of the fallen titan began to lose cohesion and returned to the state of a fel storm, relieving them of the pressure.
The sky returned to its previous, less tumultuous state with the fallen titan's departure. Still filled with fel-saturated winds and red as blood, but not threatening to immediately tear even demons apart.
Kil'jaeden exhaled, turning to Hul'Sar, "See that master's will is done. You have my permission to guide Ainz Ooal Gown in summoning more demons into his service. Archimonde won't mind if an army or two are taken." Kil'jaeden spoke his parting words, disappearing through a gate.
There was no need to linger. Hul'Sar returned his full attention to his physical form. He had a new job, one of extreme importance. And success of the job could propel him directly into Sargeras' court.
New Titans? Or something else entirely?
For the first time in millennia, Sargeras found himself genuinely intrigued. It was impossible to tell if he had found new allies or a set of enemies that could cause his downfall, and these two entities had arrived in Azeroth of all places. A world where one of, if not the most important, world souls slept, ensnared into an eternal dream by his old enemy Aman'thul.
The oldest of titans, the one who twisted the rest of them into his image, had usurped time through the sleeping entity slowly getting rebuilt into a titan.
Aman'thul, in all his arrogance, thought himself a shepherd, a grand architect ensuring that the universe followed the precise, suffocating pattern he had deemed Order. But in truth? He was nothing more than a parasite, forcefully imposing his perverse harmony upon forces never meant to be chained.
The Titans, by their very nature, were entities of order, but the order itself was but one of the cosmic forces of the realities. To claim that only one of these forces was the true state of reality was laughable. Sargeras himself was a natural embodiment of disorder. His kind didn't have a name, as he was the only one, and if there was another, he could only hope Aman'thul had not found his brethren yet.
Some of the embodiments had names. The void had void lords, and the light had archons, though neither could exist in the physical universe for long and instead resided outside the material realm. In his crusade to liberate the universe back to its natural state, he had found only a few world souls still worth saving.
Returning them to their natural states as he did to himself when he shattered his titan form and became the fallen one, the embodiment of pure disorder, ironically commanding the largest army in existence even if he filled its ranks with beings close to disorder, demons, was still a product of order, his polar opposite.
He loathed Aman'thul for his stolen birthright. He despised his so-called elder brother for what he had done. Like the rest, he was twisted into a being of order while he slept as a world soul, only finding his true nature because it was the polar opposite of his enforced fate. But his vengeance would come. He was assured of it. Reality itself championed his crusade, and nothing could stop him.
Editing by NabeisWaifu, aidan_lo, and Nich L
Proofreading by IAMTHEPLOKOKIOPO, I AM THE STRING CUTTER, and aidan_lo.
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