With Gorellik dead, Eden could fully focus on exterminating as many demons as possible, using them as whetstones for his Domain Expansion, while his Simulacrum continued studying in a pocket dimension.
Once caught in Eden's Domain Expansion, there was nothing they could do and most of them would instantly die. Even for the stronger ones, while they managed to resist the attacks for a while, they all ended up overwhelmed rather quickly.
Eden's mastery of the technique might not be perfect, but it was still enough for these beings. The part where he was more challenged was the solidity of his domain.
The major advantage Sukuna's open domain was that it could not be broken since there were no visible edges to his domain. It did allow one to come and go as they pleased, but they would have to survive the relentless attacks from the domain.
Eden's version of his domain was better at containing targets, and thus was better against single targets, but against a multitude of them, an opened domain was better.
So, as time passed, Eden mostly focused on his Domain Expansion: either improving his grasp on space, or on imprinting his Innate Technique on it.
Despite the increase in power, this quickly became Eden's most boring period of time as there was nothing to challenge him. Even the stronger fiends, like Balors, Pit Fiends or Molydeus, hardly represented a danger anymore.
Were it on the outside world, they certainly would at least give him a challenge, but since they had access to no magic other than their innate one and Eden had long mastered their fighting style, he could fight them all with his eyes closed and still dominate them.
Eden's abilities continued improving, with no more ways to track time in the slightest. This continued, until he felt confident enough to use his Domain Expansion inside the Puncture.
The solution was a pretty simple one, actually. Instead of forcing the current space he stood in to become his domain, he used a pocket dimension he created to bring down an already formed domain onto the world.
Well, that was the theory anyway.
Approaching the Puncture, Eden noted that the total number of demons and other beings had slightly reduced since his first time in the layer. Maybe it was his own mind playing tricks to him, but he felt like he had made an impact on this layer.
Well, if things went well, it would not really matter.
Rubbing his chin, Eden stepped into the Puncture, where Tharizdun awaited, unreadable as ever. How could he read a dark cloud?
"I cast Avatar of Wrath."
Eden's body turned fiendish as golden spirits swirled around his form, and he started attacking Tharizdun with ferocious intensity. Once its HP was low enough, he stepped back, and closed his eyes, both hands forward as his brows knitted.
Cursed Energy and Mana moved independently from one another, directed in different ways by the same mind, and both surged to his command.
A key to a demiplane prepared beforehand activated, but instead of the usual door, the entrance manifested as a sort of rift. Attempting to enter a demiplane in this way would be extremely dangerous as the rift was not something that could be safely passed through.
The Puncture also started shaking at the disturbance, but as calculated, did not collapse onto itself, only threatening to do so as the demiplane was brought into the Puncture.
Just as the Puncture was about to shatter and destroy everything inside, Eden slammed his hands together, chanting, "Domain Expansion: O'Yama!"
The rupturing Puncture was forcefully assimilated into Eden's expanding domain, along with the demiplane. Eden could feel that he only had seconds before the two portals to the Abyss and the other universe would crush his domain. Moreover, on the inside, his doings seemed to have broken Tharizdun's chains, the great mass of darkness expanding outward, the god's domain coming into being inside Eden's.
There was a vast difference in the levels of their two domains, but it did not matter. Eden's domain would be shattered by the pressure of the two colliding dimensions before Tharizdun's domain could even be a problem.
Eden looked at Tharizdun's reduced form from the earlier injuries, and leapt at it. The budding domain from the freed Mad God bore heavy on him, attempting to pressure him, but he remained unaffected as he reached it, slamming his fists into its form.
Reaching the last piece of its shadowy form, Eden grasped it in his hand, and crushed it.
Several notifications appeared, but Eden ignored them as he felt the massive soul attach itself to him. That was all the confirmation he needed that he had killed Tharizdun, once and for all.
But now was not the time to rejoice as his domain was about to crumble, and when it did, he would be strung in between two universe, and he would not bet on his survival in those circumstances.
Rushing to the edge of his domain, Eden burst through from the inside, launching himself back into the Forgotten Layer of the Abyss.
Behind him, the Puncture crumbled unto itself with his domain, disappearing.
Eden took a moment to breath, before sighing. He had not looked at his notifications yet, but he could feel it. The old locks on this space had not disappeared.
Disappearing inside one of his demiplanes, Eden did not even want to look at the notifications he had dismissed, knowing he would not like what he would see, but there was no point in dragging it out.
[Side Mission (Free the Elder Elemental Eye) Completed!]
[Mission Content: Free Tharizdun, the deity trapped in the deepest layer of the Abyss.]
[Main Reward: Title 'Demon Lord of the Forgotten Layer' (Pending), Title 'Demon King' (Pending), Perk 'Godslayer', One Epic Boon of the Player's choice.]
[Side Mission (Conquer the Forgotten Layer of the Abyss) Updated.]
[Content: You have claimed your right over the Forgotten Layer of the Abyss by killing the God who created it. Prove your worth to those challenging your claim. Mission will be complete when every being on the layer has acknowledged the Player as their Lord.]
[Side Mission (Conquer the Abyss): You have killed Tharizdun, the Chained God, he who created the Abyss. Demons fight for the title of Prince, but you have proved to reach beyond that. Prove your claim as Demon King.]
Eden's breathing started getting erratic as his frustration birthed unbridled rage. Around him, the demons had stopped fighting one another, and were all starting to converge on him instead, Eden having become enemy number one.
Had it been on any other layer of the Abyss, despite being chaotic, convincing demons would have been easier since even demons had a certain sense of self-preservation, and as long as he killed the strongest few and showed overwhelming strength, the others would fall in line. Besides, most would not dare to challenge his claim, knowing they were too weak.
But this was the Forgotten Layer of the Abyss, where every being was mad. So, when Eden killed Tharizdun, every single one of them challenged his right. In other words, despite everything he had done, everything he had accomplished, it was never enough, and even after killing a literal God, he still had to kill all the demons present on the Layer.
Fine then. Slaughter he would.
Releasing a roar filled with his primal fury, the air around Eden quaked as he started ripping into the sea of demons.
As always, the demons were endless, and even if he fought to exhaustion, there were still more demons to come. Moreover, as they had stopped fighting one another and all focused on him now, it felt like he was facing the ocean and its never-ending waves.
No, scratch that. It felt like he was facing the world itself, and it was laughing at him. Ever since he had gotten to the Abyss, he had faced one hurdle after the next, and despite adapting, pushing past his limits, it still was not enough.
Even now that he had killed the strongest and no longer could be challenged meaningfully, he still had to kill all the demons. That should have been quick, since without the Puncture and the source of the madness, which was the energy resurrecting the demons, they would have killed each other in a matter of hours.
But no, it could not be that simple. Eden still had to kill the tens of millions left by himself, because the world just did not like him.
… this made him pause in his slaughter.
Had he been cursed? He had thought himself immune to such things, but if his fate or luck had been cursed, it might still have taken effect since it did not directly affect him.
Oh, he was getting out of the Abyss. Even if he had to kill every demon inside, he would get out, and once he did, he would kill the Dead Three, turn them dead proper.
Having vented somewhat, Eden opened a portal to a demiplane. Some demons followed him in before he closed it, but they just ended up dying inside as Eden found himself safe and allowed to breath.
With no immediate threat left, and his anger having somewhat subdued, Eden was allowed to check his rewards.
For the Epic Boon, he still had the same set to choose from, except that Energy Resistance was no longer available, so Eden went for the one he had been hesitating, Boon of the Archmage.
His MP instantly increased by more than 50%, and his mana regeneration kicked up the pace. Moreover, it stacked with his meditation through his Talent. If it took Eden 8 hours to recover his entire MP and 48 minutes before this, now it would only take 96 minutes on its own, or 9.6 minutes if he was meditating.
Then, there was also his new Perk.
[Godslayer: The attacks of the Player are considered as one Tier above the Player's when facing opponents from a higher Tier.]
It was good, and finally a reward worth of slaying a god, especially as Tier I, even if that God was chained.
Finally, there were the two new Pending Titles.
[Demon Lord of the Forgotten Layer: Gain a level of control over the Forgotten Layer.]
[Demon King: Reputation gain increased by 500% with all demons. All other living beings instinctively fear you. Gain a level of control over the Abyss.]
Reading the descriptions of the Titles sparked the anger in Eden back to life, but he held himself back from leaving. Not he would be in much danger if he did. Though that ironically only made things worse.
Despite having literally millions of demons vying for his head, the only reason it felt like an inconvenience was that he was forced to kill them all if he wanted to leave.