【 WHERE ARE AZAZEL’S FORCES? 】

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Gazing at the roiling dark clouds spreading across the sky outside the window, the First Demon Lord, Helel, spoke in a deep voice.

“It has begun.”

He stood before the window with his hands clasped behind his back. Within his line of sight, numerous pillars of light pierced through the darkened skies one after another.

Those beams of light descended from far beyond the horizon, tearing across the firmament and casting tens of thousands of rays of golden brilliance upon the distant skyline.

Alongside them, countless golden specks could be seen falling from the sky, each gradually making its descent into the darkened world below.

They were innumerable angels and Einherjars.

The demons on the ground gazed uneasily at these descending golden figures, filled with apprehension and unease.

Even from such great distances, they could already sense the faint yet vast holy aura emanating from each one of them.

However, as Helel watched the army of the Heavenly Gods descend upon Hell, his gaze gradually grew deeper.

Those specks of light in his line of sight were still far from the core regions of this realm, reaching at most the peripheral areas of the entire Seventh Layer.

But within his perception, earth-shaking battles had already erupted along the edges of the Seventh Layer.

Although the Seven Layers of Hell varied in size and were not arranged in a perfectly vertical structure, their core regions were ultimately aligned along a central axis which connected each layer to the next.

Because of this, if the Gods wished to attack the Seven Layers of Hell all at once, they could only launch a full-scale offensive against the First Layer first. For the remaining six layers, they could not simply strike at the core regions and had to advance inward from the outer edges.

This had long become an unspoken understanding amongst the Gods during every previous Crusade.

Typically, during the initial offensive, the Gods would first unleash widespread attacks across all layers. Then, after gaining a measurable advantage on a particular layer, they would concentrate their forces there, thereby turning it into the main battlefield.

In the past, the layers that usually became the main battlefield was often either the First Layer of Hell—with it situated closest to the Upper Prime Material Realms—or the Seventh Layer, the most expansive layer, containing the largest number of subsidiary realms.

Nevertheless, by the end of these Crusades, the armies of the gods were ultimately incapable of fully occupying any layer. Since the deeper one ventured into Hell, the more oppressive and corrupting the power of the Abyss would became.

So unless the Heavenly Gods themselves personally descended in their True Bodies, it was extremely difficult for just the armies of Einherjars alone to endure such conditions.

Entering the Abyss carried the risk of permanent death.

Therefore, the most the gods could accomplish was to reclaim certain sunken realms that had not yet fully submerged into the Abyss and to forcibly pull them back into the Upper Prime Material Realm, after which, following several years of stalemate with the demons, both sides would eventually withdraw their armies.

Alas, the Abyss could not be eradicated entirely, and at best, its spread could only be slowed.

Thus, the goal of the gods in launching these Crusades was to halt the Abyss’s advance, preventing any more worlds from sinking further into it while simultaneously exhausting the strength of the demons as much as possible.

The only one capable of truly destroying the Abyss was the fabled ‘Greater One.’

Only by attaining Greater Divine Power and becoming a higher existence could a deity’s divine power undergo further transformation, gaining absolute suppression over the power of the Abyss.

This was a fact that all high-ranking gods had understood clearly even as far back to the beginning of the first Heavenly Crusade.

Naturally, the Demon Lords, who were favored children of the Abyss, also understood this truth.

As envoys of the Abyss, their objective was to drag all upper realms into the Abyss and transform the entire Prime Material Realm into an abyssal dominion.

As such, because Helel knew the gods could never truly conquer Hell, his gaze remained calm even as the endless armies of the gods descended upon his dominion.

He then turned and directed his attention toward the other Demon Lords gathered within the great hall.

“Everyone,” Helel said steadily, “have the fortresses on your respective layers been completed?”

The Demon Lords were seated around a vast round table of black stone. However, most of those present were not there in their true bodies, but rather in the form of illusory phantasms.

By this time, the war had already begun, and each of them had already departed to command their forces on their respective layers. What remained within the hall were merely the phantasmal projections they had manifested in order to communicate across Hell.

“Of course. Aside from that fool Azazel who has been sealed, every layer has already completed its fortresses.”

The Second Demon Lord, Samael, let out a mocking laugh.

“Then we shall proceed according to the original plan,” Helel said gravely.

“The gods will never expect that this time we have also constructed dense networks of fortresses throughout Hell. Once their offensives on each layer are obstructed, they will inevitably redirect their main attack toward the weakly defended First Layer.”

“Beelzebub, once the gods shift their target to the First Layer of Hell, you will lead your demonic legion, along with the reinforcement forces from the subsidiary realms of each layer. Assist the First Layer in its defense and pin down the main force of the gods there.”

Helel turned his gaze toward one of the phantasms and issued the command expressionlessly.

Upon hearing his words, the other Demon Lords’ illusory projections cast teasing glances at that particular figure, their expressions carrying varying degrees of amusement and mockery.

Beelzebub snorted coldly, his voice laced with unmistakable displeasure.

“Helel.”

“Are you planning to make my legions serve as cannon fodder while you guys launch your invasion of the world of Seigües?”

“You are overthinking it, Beelzebub,” Helel replied with a slight shake of his head.

He paused for a moment, then turned his gaze toward the sky outside the window and continued in a low voice:

“Azazel may be somewhat weaker, but the demons under his command are quite numerous. As the Demon Lord closest to the Prime Material Realm, he has accepted many fallen beings into his ranks.”

“If you are tasked with holding back the gods, could you not make proper use of Azazel’s demon army?”

Upon hearing Helel say this, the gaze of Beelzebub softened somewhat. However, he soon let out a cold laugh and continued,

“Fine! but how will the spoils be divided? Don’t tell me that you bastards will suddenly become honorable and hand over the best territories to me after conquering the world of Seigües.”

This time, before Helel could respond, the Fifth Demon Lord, Leviathan, interjected.

“Beelzebub, did you not always wish to control the First Layer of Hell?”

At Leviathan’s words, Beelzebub’s eyes flickered faintly.

The seven layers of Hell varied greatly in size, growing progressively larger from the uppermost layer downward.

As the two smallest layers in Hell, the First and Second Layers combined were still smaller than Leviathan’s Third Layer of Hell.

During the long years in which Azazel had been sealed, the Sixth Demon Lord, Beelzebub, had repeatedly launched wars against the First Layer in an attempt to claim it for himself.

Unfortunately for him, although Azazel was absent, the First Layer of Hell lay much closer to the Prime Material Realm. Because of this, it possessed far more subsidiary realms and an overwhelming number of demons drawn from fallen worlds. Its massive population alone formed a formidable defensive force. As a result, Beelzebub had never managed to gain a decisive advantage.

But now, hearing Leviathan’s suggestion, Beelzebub felt a stir of temptation rising within him.

“Heh… so you are truly willing to let me devour the core of another layer?”

Beelzebub sneered, though a faint glimmer of interest had already appeared in his eyes.

Samael gave a mocking chuckle.

“Beelzebub, if you truly accomplish the task, then what does it matter if we lose one layer in exchange for another Demon Lord with Higher Divine Power? What concerns me is that even if you unify two layers of Hell, you still might not be able to hold back the gods.”

“You dare look down on me!”

Beelzebub snorted angrily.

Then he glared at Samael’s projection and sneered again.

“Samael, once I obtain the core origin of the First Layer of Hell, the first thing I will do is fight you properly!”

“Heh… Then I will be waiting for you in Seigües,” Samael replied arrogantly.

“Hmph!”

Beelzebub snorted and dispersed his phantasm.

After he departed, Helel’s gaze swept across the remaining Demon Lords before finally settling on the Third Demon Lord, Mammon, and the Fourth Demon Lord, Belial.

“Mammon, Belial. The two of you will be responsible for the overall defense of the Seven Layers of Hell, while also assisting in the assault on Seigües.”

“If Beelzebub somehow fails to hold the line, you will dispatch demons from the subsidiary realms to reinforce him.”

“Heh, if that happens, will we also have a chance to claim a share of the core origin of the First Layer of Hell?”

The two Demon Lords laughed mockingly.

“That will depend on how you negotiate with Beelzebub,” Helel replied.

The two Demon Lords exchanged glances, snorted softly, and gave reluctant nods.

Afterward, Helel turned his gaze toward the remaining two Demon Lords, the Second Demon Lord Samael and the Fifth Demon Lord Leviathan.

“The two of you…”

“The three of us are the only Demon Lords of Higher Divine Power within the Abyss. The layers we control are also the strongest.”

“Whether we can break through the world of Seigües this time will depend on our strength.”

“The Wasteland of Desolation is the abyssal world closest to the world of Seigües. Once the gods focus their attention on the First Layer of Hell, we will launch our assault on Seigües from there.”

As he spoke, Helel turned to Leviathan again.

“Leviathan, are the remaining passageways still secure?”

Leviathan nodded lightly.

“The remaining passageways are far more concealed and have not yet been discovered by the gods. However… I have sensed that the Goddess of Life has already dispatched her elven legion to attack the Wasteland of Desolation.”

“Oh? Are her legions large enough?” Helel asked.

“Not particularly. Perhaps fewer than one hundred thousand at most,” Leviathan replied, shaking his head.

“Less than a hundred thousand and you make such a fuss? Hmph. It is merely that upstart, Goddess of Life. This is the perfect opportunity to eliminate her. I refuse to believe those elven legion of hers can truly continue resurrecting without limit.”

Samael spoke with a cold and sinister gaze.

Helel glanced at him and said,

“Do not be careless. If my judgment is correct, the elven legion of the Goddess of Life must share some mysterious connection with her. Otherwise… they would not be capable of returning from death repeatedly.”

“However, the magical energy of the universe is limited. Even with the power of resurrection, her immortal legion must possess certain limits, as well as fatal weaknesses that we have yet to discover.”

“Otherwise, if the intelligence from our new ally is reliable, she would have already unified the world of Seigües long ago after being corrupted by the power of faith.”

“From this perspective, if we wish to completely eliminate her elven legion, we must first eliminate the Goddess of Life.”

As he said this, Helel once again turned his gaze toward Leviathan.

Leviathan’s eyes flickered slightly. He understood what Helel intended to ask.

“Rest assured…”

“I will ensure that she remains behind.”

“We have already formulated a plan. According to the personality and behavior of the Goddess of Life, even if she realizes it is a trap aimed at her, she will still take the bait.”

As he spoke, a trace of greed flashed through Leviathan’s eyes.

“I have always been quite curious about the Divinity of Nature. In a certain sense, my authority over the ocean is related to it. I am very interested to see what kind of remarkable transformation might occur if the two were fused together.”

“That is your own concern,” Helel replied. “I have no interest in the divinities of the Goddess of Life. Once you have dealt with her, whether it is the Divinity of Life or Nature, the two of you may divide it between yourselves.”

After speaking, his tone shifted slightly.

“However… having certain irritating figures constantly wandering before our eyes does rather affect one’s mood.”

“Leviathan, if possible, send those elves in the Wasteland of Desolation back to the divine kingdom of their patron god.”

༺⟐༻

With the Crusade now in full swing, the Demon Lords of Hell began to act in accordance with their plan.

Led by various Abyssal Mythical beings, vast armies composed of demons and monsters began gathering along the borders of various layers. They entered towering fortresses to resist the advancing Einherjars and divine envoys of the gods.

Countless legions of Einherjars, shining with the radiance of divine power, descended through the darkness like a golden celestial tide. They crashed against the Abyssal armies of demons and monsters assembled on the ground.

Accompanied by sacred hymns, battles erupted across countless locations.

Angels chanted while totem saints roared in fury.

The Einherjars shouted the honorific names of their respective patron gods, their faces filled with fervent zeal.

Led by divine envoys, they clashed with the grotesque demons.

Golden blood splattered across the battlefield as illusory bodies shattered one after another.

Yet soon, even more Einherjars, more angels, and more golden-armored warriors surged forward to fill the gaps and join the fray.

On the side of the Abyss, under the illumination of sacred radiance, demons fell like harvested wheat, before being purified by the holy light.

But immediately afterward, even more Abyssal troops surged forward like a black tide.

The borders of every layer became an ocean of light and darkness, locked in endless slaughter.

Meanwhile, smaller subsidiary Abyssal realms collapsed and shattered one after another as Abyssal Myths clashed with the divine envoys of the gods.

The entire frontier of the Abyss resembled a world at the brink of apocalypse.

At the same time, along the boundary between the Second and First Layers of Hell, the Sixth Demon Lord, Beelzebub, led his proud Abyssal legion out of the Second Layer and advanced toward the First Layer.

Millions of demons roared and howled as they surrounded towering Abyssal Myths that had revealed their immense true forms. Under Beelzebub’s command, the massive army entered the battlefield of the First Layer of Hell.

Beelzebub rode upon his Abyssal demonic dragon, a creature possessing demigod-rank strength, his posture proud and domineering.

A trace of greed flickered in his gaze.

He had coveted the First Layer of Hell for a very long time.

Not only that, he also coveted the demon legions that once served under Azazel.

Thus this ongoing battle was a rare opportunity for him.

With Azazel sealed away by the Goddess of Life and the entire First Layer of Hell locked in fierce battle without a leader, this was the perfect moment for him to expand his own power.

Compared to being destroyed by the gods, the demons of the First Layer would surely be wise enough to submit to him.

With such thoughts in mind, Beelzebub entered the First Layer of Hell with eager anticipation.

The battle between demons and Einherjars had long since begun. The sky above the entire layer was now completely filled with golden portals of light.

Einherjars and divine envoys, their bodies shining with sacred brilliance, poured endlessly from those portals like torrential rain.

However, when Beelzebub looked toward the ground of the First Layer of Hell, the massive Abyssal army he had expected to see did not appear.

The demon legion that once numbered in the tens of millions under Azazel, a sight that had once made even him feel uneasy, now seemed to be reduced to less than one third of its former size.

They were being crushed by the Einherjars of the gods, fleeing in utter disarray.

Seeing this, Beelzebub, who moments earlier had been filled with ambition about how to absorb Azazel’s forces, suddenly froze.

“Where… are Azazel’s demonic forces?”

Confusion filled his eyes.

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