"Finally... the Hall of
Watching the massive steel doors slowly open, Zapan's eyes burned with fervor as he muttered under his breath.
"What are you doing?"
Suddenly, a sharp shout rang out. Then Zapan watched as Balzefen's figure dissolved into a black streak and shot directly toward the great doors, which had only just cracked open.
The other pit fiends simply watched with indifference, making no attempt to stop him.
Crash!
Dazzling light flickered, accompanied by the hissing crack of massive lightning. In what seemed like an instant, a thick bolt of golden lightning struck Balzefen's figure, and he vanished into the void.
"No—" Faintly, his final, defiant roar still echoed.
"Hmph! How could the heart of a Hell Lord possibly lack powerful defenses?"
Another pit fiend shook his head with utter disdain, heaping mockery upon the Eight Demon Generals. "Such a stupid devil actually clawed his way up to the position of one of the Eight Demon Generals... heh heh..."
Pit fiends serving different Hell Lords were natural rivals, so they jeered without the slightest restraint.
"Damn it, are you looking for a fight?"
Colin, one of the Eight Demon Generals, stepped forward, flames blazing from his eyes.
"Enough! Colin!" Two other pit fiends held him back. "Our goals are aligned for now. If we start fighting among ourselves, we'll never make it through the Hall of Gluttony to reach the depths where that Hell Lord may be hiding..."
"Fine!"
Colin, who had seemed moments from erupting in fury, finally calmed down. The other pit fiends breathed a collective sigh of relief — though no sooner had they done so than more scheming and treachery flickered behind their eyes.
"That Demon General was probably faking his anger just now, wasn't he? Trying to negotiate better terms?"
"Devil's sympathy... heh..."
Though most harbored their own ulterior motives, the pit fiends ultimately reached an agreement and stormed into the Palace of Gluttony together.
After they departed, light flashed in the void, and Leilin's figure materialized.
"Tsk, tsk... Should I say they really are devils through and through?"
Leilin's eyes glanced ever so slightly toward a particular spot, and a mysterious smile played across his face.
The deity stood high above, their gaze seemingly having already seen through to the future!
Meanwhile, on the first level of Hell — Avernus — vast armies of devils materialized and launched frenzied attacks upon the kingdoms of two true gods.
Inside the bronze citadel, five enormous dragon corpses lay scattered like small hills. From the very center came the last roar of the five-headed chromatic dragon —
The armored devils were ferocious beyond measure, showing not the slightest hesitation at her accusations. They surged forward like a tide and, one by one, severed all five of Tiamat's heads.
Thud! As the last red dragon head hit the ground, Tiamat's massive body collapsed, triggering a minor earthquake within the bronze citadel.
And so perished the guardian of the bronze citadel — the five-headed chromatic dragon Tiamat, who had only just claimed full dominion over its territory.
"Commander, Tiamat's death has been confirmed!"
The news was immediately relayed to an unfamiliar pit fiend.
"Excellent! The troops will occupy the entire city. Purge the gnolls and half-dragons. Kill anyone who disobeys — no need to report back!"
The pit fiend commanding the devil army appeared slightly smaller than others of its kind, but its eyes were filled with cold intensity. A blood-red scar marred its face, giving it a fearsome appearance, and its nose was high and sharp, conveying a sense of unyielding resolve.
A complex aura of cruelty, savagery, tenacity, and competence radiated from its being.
"At once!"
The high-ranking devil messenger dared not disobey and quickly relayed the orders throughout the bronze citadel.
Amid countless whimpers and screams, Tiamat's former subjects — the lowly creatures drawn to its evil power, such as half-dragon descendants and gnolls — were immediately subjected to a widespread purge. The vast majority would not survive the night, and the best fate awaiting any survivors was to become devil slaves, toiling to death in some lightless mine.
With Tiamat's death as its signal, the change of dominion over the bronze citadel had begun. A vast conspiracy was descending upon the Nine Hells.
Not only the masterless first level, but even the third level where
Powerful undercurrents surged relentlessly, as if awaiting the next eruption — ready to devour some prey whole!
…
Meanwhile, on the second level — the plane of
"Aaargh!"
With a sharp, piercing scream, yet another assassin devil's figure was swallowed by the darkness ahead.
But at this point, all the pit fiends wore calm expressions, as though what they witnessed were merely everyday occurrences.
"After the Hall of Gluttony lies the final vigil corridor. Legend has it that passing through it leads to Beilusebabu's private chambers — hence its defenses are the most formidable..."
Before transforming, Dagost — one of the Eight Demon Generals — had appeared in the guise of a human scholar: refined, courteous, and brimming with knowledge. But the malevolent aura about him betrayed his true nature.
"Our part in this wave is done. The rest is up to you!"
Dagost addressed the other pit fiends.
"Of course... we follow the rules. You! Go!!!" One pit fiend stepped forward, then pointed at a serpent-scorpion devil under his command.
Using subordinates' lives as expendable scouts was the best strategy they had devised, and under the principle of shared risk, each faction naturally had to contribute.
"Sir..."
The massive, bloated serpent-scorpion devil stared into the darkness before him, his expression uncharacteristically grave.
"What are you waiting for? Do you want to become a lesser devil?"
The pit fiend roared, and a terrifying infernal aura erupted around him.
Devil superiors held extraordinary control over their subordinates, and with the devastating power of promotion and demotion at their disposal, the pit fiend's intimidation proved effective. The serpent-scorpion devil reluctantly stepped onto the perilous path.
Click! Click!
With devils' characteristic caution and wariness, ordinary dangers and traps posed little threat. But when the one who had laid those traps was a Hell Lord, everything was different.
The serpent-scorpion devil proved notably agile and careful, dodging several traps in succession and even catching sight of the corridor's end.
But in the end, he was engulfed by a massive cascade of silvery liquid that rained down from above. He let out a harrowing scream as his flesh, bones, blood, and even his very devil essence dissolved continuously in the mercury...
"It's 'devil's solution' — damn it, they actually still have this stuff..."
Zapan appeared quite flustered and exasperated. After all, most of the Iron Tower's defenses consisted of traps specifically designed to counter devils, which had inflicted massive casualties and thoroughly proven the truth that a devil's only real enemy is another devil.
However, no matter how formidable the Iron Tower's defenses, they still required someone to maintain them. When the pit fiends were willing to sacrifice their high-ranking devil subordinates to exhaust the mechanisms, even the strongest defenses would eventually fall.
"We're finally through!"
After passing through the vigil corridor, every pit fiend felt a wave of relief wash over them, while the other high-ranking devils celebrated their narrow escape.
But then, the smiles on their faces froze.
Before them lay a massive plaza. Rows upon rows of golems forged from steel and lava stood arranged in perfect military formations, with a dark figure subtly directing them from the center.
"Damn it! The intelligence was wrong! Didn't they say there'd be no more obstacles after the vigil corridor?"
One pit fiend cursed violently, furiously blaming his colleagues.
Shifting blame and even framing one another when a mission failed or difficulties arose was second nature to devils.
"You intruders shall face the wrath of my master — the Gluttonous Beilusebabu — and his Steel and Lava Legion!"
A vast voice boomed from within the golem ranks — youthful in tone, yet carrying a peculiar authority.
The moment that voice spoke, every golem raised its head as though it had suddenly come alive, and launched itself at the invaders.
In an instant, the devils suffered devastating casualties once more, thrown into utter chaos.
"Teleportation doesn't work here! Damn it!"
"These are arcanic golems — they seem to have been reinforced with a bit of diamond... Great Lords of Hell, did the old Gluttony Lord actually obtain a floating city?"
"There's no other choice. Have the subordinates hold them off while we break through together!"
Devils excelled at command and scheming; frontal assaults had always been the demons' forte. Unfortunately, the current situation was a terrible mismatch in strengths, leaving all the devils feeling severely constrained.
Yet the promise of a Hell Lord's domain hung before them like a carrot dangled in front of a donkey, making them utterly ignore all obstacles.
And for devil superiors, abandoning their subordinates at the first sign of danger — ordering them to cover the retreat and sacrifice themselves — was the most natural thing in the world!
In fact, the pit fiends had brought along a large contingent of high-ranking devils precisely for this purpose.
Unfortunately, they had been almost entirely spent by now, and they still hadn't even caught a glimpse of Beilusebabu.
"Kill! Fireball!"
"Summon hellfire!"
"Summon devils!"
Under their superiors' relentless urging, the high-ranking devils could only push themselves to their utmost limits as they collided with the golem army. In an instant, flames and severed limbs filled the air while energy beams blazed in every direction.