Devils were typically masterful persuaders, their barbed tongues coated with honey and venom — even the most iron-willed paladins could have their mental defenses breached from time to time.
And Balzefen was clearly one of the more accomplished among them.
Though he hadn't said much, that single contemptuous snort alone had planted a multitude of suggestions in Leilin's mind.
"Think about it! Azroch is so greedy, jealous, and foolish that he suppresses every subordinate's promotion!"
"In contrast, Lord Balzefen is generous, merciful, and magnanimous… is there even a choice to make?"
Through those few deliberate gestures, Balzefen had already carved this idea deep into Leilin's heart.
What was even more dangerous was that, given the deep-seated resentment devils always harbored toward their superiors, it would be utterly abnormal if Leilin felt no temptation at all right now!
"My lord's meaning… is that I should launch a rebellion?"
Leilin's voice was hoarse, like a traveler on the verge of dying of thirst in the desert.
But he had already decided to defect to the side of the Eight Demon Generals and see what that King of Hell was truly after. Now Balzefen had come knocking of his own accord.
"No! No! No! This is merely an uprising — a struggle against injustice!" Balzefen wagged his finger.
"Believe me! Once you join us, Lord
Although Asmodeus was only the King of the Nine-Layered Hell in name, one had to admit that his title still carried tremendous weight — and his power was among the pinnacle of the eight lords of Hell.
"Lord Asmodeus…"
Leilin's voice trembled, and then his eyes blazed with fervor and resolve: "If that is the case, then I am willing to pledge my loyalty to you! Lord Balzefen!"
The moment Leilin spoke his words of allegiance, he suddenly felt the descent of Hell's primal force.
The formidable primal power formed binding forces, even preparing to forge mutual marks and links — for devils, once such a contract was signed, it was exceedingly difficult to go back on it. Of course, tampering with the contract and outwitting an enemy through cunning wordplay was a widely praised practice among their kind.
Devils would never disparage the cunning of a successful deceiver. They would only mock the stupidity of the failures!
"Excellent! Sign this contract, and I shall accept your allegiance!"
Balzefen had clearly come prepared — a contract authenticated by primal power materialized directly before Leilin.
The pale yellow parchment was covered in clauses written in burning green phosphorescent fire. For a devil, the terms were rather concise, which showed that Balzefen was comparatively sincere. There were no textual traps either.
"A devil may only serve one superior master! Once it has sworn allegiance to two masters, the next time it attempts to advance, chaos will result. Therefore, before that happens, it must choose between its two existing masters and eliminate one..."
Leilin sneered inwardly. If he were the real Rachel, he would indeed have no room to choose.
Balzefen's words sounded pleasant enough on the surface, but the moment Leilin showed any hint of refusal, the other party would likely turn hostile and strike without hesitation.
A pity. The one Balzefen was facing now was not Rachel, but Leilin — who possessed the authority of a hell lord and outranked him by far.
"What remarkably generous terms! Lord Balzefen, your magnanimity and benevolence are renowned even across the material world..."
The horned devil before him was already trembling with excitement, extending his right hand with shaking fingers.
"Chip! Begin interference!" Leilin commanded silently.
**<Ding! Task established! Detecting that the subject's hell authority far exceeds the target's. Beginning to override the target's primal power perception. Interference in progress...>** The Chip reported faithfully.
The instant Leilin's finger touched the contract parchment — or rather, in one hundred-thousandth of a fraction of a heartbeat — an astonishing change occurred.
An identical sheet of parchment materialized, replacing the original contract's contents.
The clauses written on it were also an oath of allegiance, but the punishments were set to be extraordinarily severe, and the positions of master and servant had been instantaneously reversed — it was now Balzefen swearing fealty to Leilin!
Moreover, because Leilin's hell authority vastly exceeded Balzefen's, the latter noticed absolutely nothing amiss. He could even sense the same false thread of loyalty from Rachel without any suspicion.
Authority far beyond Balzefen's, combined with the Chip's powerful micro-engraving capabilities, had accomplished in a single instant a feat unprecedented in the depths of hell — stealing the heavens and replacing the sun.
The Chip's contract vanished seamlessly into the original parchment, and Balzefen merely watched as the horned devil eagerly signed his name on the contract with his right index finger.
"Hmm! Well done! You have made the correct choice!"
Balzefen nodded with satisfaction. After sensing the allegiance thread that had been genuinely authenticated by primal power, he glanced down at the parchment before him.
The green phosphorescent text had not changed in the slightest — only an additional signature had appeared in the bottom right corner.
"Strange... why did I suddenly feel a twinge of heart palpitation just now?"
Balzefen shook his head, banishing the thought from his mind. After confirming once more that this was the very contract he had drafted before, he filled in his own name in the space originally meant for his superior.
A blood-red true name of a devil materialized, and then the entire parchment burst into flames. Green phosphorescent fire coalesced into a seal and sank into the chests of Linley and Balzefen.
[Ding! Acquired Devil Loyalty Contract! Target — Balzefen of the Eight Demon Generals! Warning: The target still serves another master; therefore, when the principal's commands conflict with Asmodeus's orders, Balzefen has a 50% probability of entering a state of mental confusion!]
The Chip's notification appeared.
"Good! Very good — keep the concealment up!" Now that Linley had become Balzefen's superior, and was himself a Lord of Hell, it was utterly effortless to mask part of the other's perception.
Under the Chip's simulation, Balzefen — having received Linley's thread of allegiance — was thoroughly satisfied as well.
"Good! Very good! Tell me, Rachel — why did you come to Avernus?"
Among the things a devil feared most, superiors always ranked near the top. At this moment, Balzefen believed he had complete control over the devil standing before him.
If not for the fact that the other might still prove useful in the future, he would have long since dropped his pretense and given the fellow a proper taste of interrogation.
The sudden shift left the horned devil Linley was impersonating looking thoroughly terrified.
"I... I received Lord Azroch's orders! I was sent to search for..." Linley's voice was timid and halting.
"Search for what? Out with it! Are you trying to have me demote you into the lowliest wretch-devil?"
Balzefen's breathing grew heavier, and Linley could sense the violent fluctuations churning within his heart.
"Azroch ordered me to come and search for any traces related to Lord
In the end, as though he could finally bear Balzefen's gaze no longer, Linley clenched his teeth and blurted out everything.
"Belzebub? Has he truly gone missing?" Balzefen seized Linley's arm, a sharp gleam flashing in his eyes.
"Y-yes... even Lord Azroch has no news of the lord!"
At this point, Linley appeared to have been scared witless.
"Ha ha... ha ha... the intelligence is true after all! A Lord of Hell has vanished — what a wonderful thing..."
Barzefen laughed wildly before finally composing himself.
"Very good! Tell me everything you know — hold nothing back, or you really won't want to know the consequences…"
……
After a long while, the horned demon emerged from the Bronze Tower, looking thoroughly shaken.
"So that's how it is. Asmodeus has finally lost his patience and decided to make his move?"
But in Lei Lin's mind, he was quietly calculating. Just moments ago, although he had revealed a great deal of fabricated information, Barzefen's vigilance toward Rachel had dropped to its lowest point — and Lei Lin had also managed to subtly extract a fair amount of intelligence through indirect probing.
"They're actually planning to use one of the Eight Demon Generals to replace the original Lord of Hell?"
Lei Lin stroked his chin. "This doesn't feel like Asmodeus's style at all. But what a pity — the bait is far too tempting, more than enough for the Eight Demon Generals to ignore every danger…"
According to what Barzefen had let slip earlier, after the position of the second layer's Lord of Hell had been vacant for so long, Asmodeus had finally decided to take control of the chaos and appoint one of the Eight Demon Generals to take over.
That was the position of a Lord of Hell! It represented the supreme authority over all of Hell!
And the criteria for selection seemed to be the merit of the Eight Demon Generals — including their strikes against the demons, as well as their expansion in Avernus, the first layer, and the like.
That was why the Eight Demon Generals had previously not hesitated to trigger the trap and annihilate an entire legion of demons.
Going forward, those Pit Fiends who had been dazzled by the prospect of the lord's position would continue to strike out in all directions, preparing to expand Asmodeus's territory in Avernus.
Compared to all of that, a mere strategic outpost — the Bronze Fortress — was insignificant. In order to secure
After all, the Chromatic Dragon was still an ally of the Eight Demon Generals at this point, and the first layer still had plenty of territory left to conquer.
In truth, this trap at the Bronze Fortress was the last time the Eight Demon Generals would act together. After this, they would each go their separate ways, competing individually to earn enough merit and win the recognition of their superior Asmodeus, so they could claim the honor of becoming the Lord of the Second Layer!
"What a pity… this is nothing but a massive trap!!! Without the transfer of the lord's authority, without capturing Belzebub — would Asmodeus's appointment really be valid?"