A powerful aura continuously radiated from the three-headed Hellhound.
Its might was enough to rival a top-tier Pit Fiend, so much so that a look of wariness crept onto Balzefen's face.
Leilin appeared stunned on the surface, but inwardly he was sneering.
"Sure enough, a stupid dog—it can't even see through my disguise. No wonder it gets played like a puppet by devils..."
In truth, Leilin's concealment ability was simply too powerful—even a Hellhound, renowned for its spiritual senses, could not tell the real from the fake.
"Wait... wait! Negotiate! I think we can negotiate!"
Balzefen retreated several steps, shouting at the top of its voice.
Facing this King of Hellhounds, it held little chance of victory. Besides... it hadn't found a single clue about
For a devil, the truly powerful were those who could wield the strength of schemes and intrigue!
"This is a requirement of the Styx Pact! Unless you can release me from it! In that case, I will be eternally grateful—I will open the Palace of
The left head of the three-headed Hellhound suddenly spoke, but the other two heads bit down without hesitation.
"Rachel! Hold it off!"
At the critical moment, Balzefen once again displayed its instinct for throwing subordinates under the bus and issued the command.
"Yes, my superior!"
It then watched as the newly acquired Horned Devil, bound by the power of the contract, reluctantly positioned itself as a shield—only to be swatted aside by a single swipe of the Hellhound's claw.
Even a high-ranking devil was far too outmatched against the King of the three-headed Hellhound...
"Damn it—am I going to have to burn another trump card?"
Balzefen's expression shifted rapidly. Then it produced a silver shield.
Hiss! Hiss!
The shield appeared to be forged from pure silver and looked exquisitely crafted. Its surface was adorned with intricate, delicate patterns and gemstone decorations. Moreover, a holy aura emanated from the entire surface, radiating a faint glow.
Yet the moment the shield touched its hand, Balzefen's entire palm began to corrode violently, billowing thick white smoke. The searing pain forced a grimace onto its face.
Silver! This precious metal was a potent corrosive to devils. Any devil who touched silver would feel agony.
Of course, the effect was relative—for a Pit Fiend, being buried in a pile of silver would perhaps only cause a mild itch on the skin.
But the silver shield in Balzefen's hand was clearly no ordinary artifact—it had been imbued with tremendous power, and even carried the aura of a deity!
"An item specifically designed to counter devils!"
The Hellhound's roar echoed out, followed by an even greater wave of flames that engulfed both it and Balzefen.
...
"Well done! Keep it up!"
On the other side, the Horned Devil that had been swatted away by the three-headed Hellhound and appeared to be on its last breath instantly scrambled back to its feet.
"To enter the Palace of Gluttony, one must pass the Hellhound King's guard... but if it's been held up, then there's an opportunity to slip through..."
Having reached this familiar terrain, Leilin instantly located several hidden passages through Beelzebub's memories—backdoors it had left for itself.
And now, Leilin was making full use of them without hesitation.
"Bringing it along was the right call after all!" Leilin cast an approving glance at the snarling Hellhound heads and devilish figure amidst the flames, then slowly melted into the darkness.
"I can sense other Pit Fiends arriving. I need to move faster..."
Following Beelzebub's memories, Leilin quickly circumvented the gate guarded by the three-headed Hellhound and arrived in a different, looping corridor.
A dark crimson carpet gave off an aged glow as the oil lamp flames flickered ceaselessly. The corridor walls were lined with numerous oil paintings—nearly all depicting scenes from Hell, with the occasional work portraying the Material Plane or even the wars of gods.
"The Curator's Corridor! Beelzebub's treasury! I've finally arrived..."
Leilin clasped his hands behind his back and studied the paintings on either side with interest. According to Beelzebub's memories, this was one of its most important treasure vaults—roughly thirty to forty percent of its income as a Lord of Hell, along with countless spoils gathered from its ventures, had all been stored here.
"It would be nice if it had left Mandehok's Plate here too, but that's highly unlikely..."
Leilin stopped before one of the paintings.
Devil art had always pursued an aesthetic of perversion and terror, vastly different from human styles, but the basic meaning could still be conveyed.
What lay before Leilin now was one of the rare paintings depicting the human world. Against a blood-red background, a devil gripped the collar of a kneeling human with its left hand while raising a curved dagger high, as if about to plunge it directly into the victim's heart. The human's face was twisted in terror, fingers clutching desperately at a parchment contract.
"Some human who crossed paths with Beelzebub? Given its stature, only a king or a legend would have been worthy of its personal attention..."
Leilin couldn't be bothered to decipher the painting's meaning and simply extended his right hand.
"The unlocking incantation... I believe it should be..."
A string of words in a language known only to Lords of Hell tumbled from Leilin's lips. In response, the painting immediately blazed with powerful light as a protective barrier resembling a glass shield materialized before it.
"Open!" A sinister devilish radiance surged from Leilin's palm, melting the glass barrier as if it were ice.
Then Leilin's right hand reached directly into the painting and seized the curved dagger.
[Ding! High-energy item detected. Scanning...]
The Chip's glow flickered across Leilin's eyes before quickly delivering its analysis.
[Item Name: Legendary Devil Blood Dagger (+5) | Weight: 666 grams | Materials: Pit Fiend bones, Soul of
2. Summon Devil: This dagger represents a pact with devils. The wielder may summon a high-ranking devil to serve them (once per day!)
3. Judgment: The holder of this dagger must undergo a test of evil and willpower every three days. Should they fail, Beelzebub will emerge from Hell to seize the holder's flesh and soul!
Description: This is the legendary evolution of the Devil Blood Dagger. Beelzebub has infused it with power so evil that no living creature can resist its temptation...]
"A high-tier Legendary weapon?"
Leilin curiously turned the Devil Blood Dagger over in his hand. Clearly, this masterpiece of Beelzebub's was incomparably superior to the crude one he had crafted as a child for amusement.
Due to material limitations, the [Devil Blood Dagger] Leilin had previously made had essentially lost its effectiveness once its stats reached 10. But this Legendary-grade [Devil Blood Dagger] could propel its wielder to Legendary status through devouring!!!
Clearly, if the adventurers of the Material Plane knew this weapon existed, they would stop at nothing to obtain it—even at the cost of their own souls!!!
"A regular [Devil Blood Dagger] requires killing a bishop of an opposing faction or sacrificing a small town. This [Legendary Devil Blood Dagger (+5)] would probably require the sacrifice of at least a divine being..."
Moreover, Leilin discovered several insidious hidden mechanisms on the dagger—clearly Beelzebub's additions. The moment a wielder used them, they would immediately fall under its control.
"They're useless against me, but they'd make for decent rewards for my subordinates..."
Leilin casually tossed the dagger into his storage space. The traps on it were trivial for him now—something he could dismantle with a mere thought. After all, he had not only mastered the Rule of Devouring but also inherited Beelzebub's original power and authority.
"Every painting here is a treasure chest—its contents would make even a Lord of Hell jealous..."
Leilin then stopped before a painting depicting the Blood War. It portrayed the fall of a Balor—though under Beelzebub's crushing power, this Balor had perished in humiliation without even managing to activate its [
"What should be in here is..."
After the same process, Leilin obtained a fire-red gemstone that appeared to still be pulsing.
[Heart of the Balor: This is the essence extracted from a Balor, usable in the forging of Legendary weapons and semi-divine artifacts. Once applied, the weapon gains the Chaos attribute! Any demon that devours this essence may awaken the ancient Balor bloodline and advance into a Balor!]
The Chip quickly delivered its scan results.
"Not bad at all—this would have demons fighting to the death over it. After all, a complete Balor corpse is hard to come by..."
Leilin tucked the flame stone away and then turned his gaze in a particular direction.
"You're just letting me take whatever I want—are you really the guardian of this place?"
"Heh... Facing a Lord of Hell, there is nothing I can prevent. Even the contract I once held with Beelzebub stipulated as much..."
With a withered, aged voice, a withered figure slowly emerged from the darkness.
It had assumed human form, looking like a decrepit old man on the verge of death—round face covered in wrinkles, radiating not the slightest hint of danger.
But a devil bound by Beelzebub to guard this treasury could hardly be simple.
"You're much cleverer than that dog..."
Leilin nodded in approval.