Badge in Azure - Chapter 95: Demon Trick (Part 2)

She had loved him for many years, and she forced him to break up with his girlfriend and marry her using the most despicable means. After getting married, she carefully nurtured their marital life, hoping to touch his heart, but he didn't care about her at all and wanted to reconcile with his former lover.Later, her mother passed away, and she also had an abortion. She finally gave up and decided to divorce. However, after seeing the divorce agreement, he did not readily agree, saying, “Sweetheart, do you really think you can get rid of me by divorce?”

Matthew, a 25-year-old otaku, never imagined his obsession with fantasy worlds would turn into reality—until a fatal gas leak ended his life and transported him to another world.But this wasn’t the second chance he hoped for. Born as the illegitimate son of an affair, his very existence was a stain on his family’s honor, and his father relentlessly sought to kill him.Yet Matthew, now Claude, survived, again and again, driven by an unyielding will to live.Until one day he discovered his power darkness. Feared and reviled in this world, dark mages were hunted and burned alive.Knowing his gift could become his downfall, he trained in secret under Theo, his true father.When he turned sixteen, he, his mother, Dalia, and Theo planned their escape from the small town.But their attempt was thwarted by knights and clerics from the Promised Land.Though he narrowly escaped with his life, the cost was high—his family’s safety shattered.Wounded and desperate, Matthew fled to the fabled Elysian Plains, the last hope for those like him.Just as he reached the border of the Elysian Plains at eighteen, an ambush left both him and his mother gravely injured.Collapsing on the sacred ground, he heard a voice echo in his mind:[Welcome to the Elysium of Darkness System, Lord of Calamity.][Your first quest is available!][Increase the number of dwellers in the Elysium using your seeds and blood! Spread your legacy by making demons and witches bear your children!]

Deep below the earth's surface, a mystifying subterranean seascape lurks, an archipelago bathed in inky blackness where suspense and horror hold court. Here lie strange islands and even stranger monsters, far beyond the realms of human imagination. In this domain, mankind is far from dominant; instead, madness and death rule supreme.

Pleading for mercy from the unknown creatures of the deep only leads to a slow, tortured existence. The trapped survivors gradually distort, losing what made them human, both physically and mentally, to the gloom as they remain trapped in this eternal obscurity. Their only hope? A perilous expedition into uncharted sea territories.

Fueled by determination, Charles embark on this daunting voyage aboard his steamship, aiming to reclaim humanity's past glory. Together with his crew, they sought a way out of this hidden sea world, a path back to the sunlit world above, where humans once stood tall.

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I read a few comments from Chinese readers that compared this novel with Lord of Mysteries because of similar elements: Lovecraftian, western fantasy, first industrial revolution, and steampunk. However, I have yet to finish reading Lord of Mysteries to do any actual comparison, but I do think those who have enjoyed that novel would enjoy this as well. Also, the author of LotM, Cuttlefish That Loves Diving, also did a shout-out for this novel, so I guess he approves of it too?

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