Aria's eyes fluttered open slowly.
"Where... am I?" she muttered.
As her vision cleared, she saw a lavishly decorated room — golden walls, velvet curtains. Her heart raced as memories of the Confinement Layer flashed through her mind.
"I... I think this is my room?" she whispered.
Looking down, she realized she was now wearing a red coat.
"Who... changed my clothes?" she said, her cheeks heating up.
Throwing off the blanket, she stood up and noticed a curtain nearby. A shadow moved behind it. Cautiously, she reached for it—
Azreal walked in, shirtless, a towel hanging around his neck, rubbing his head with it. He nearly bumped into her.
"Oh, you're awake," he said casually.
Aria froze, her eyes scanning him from head to toe before she quickly looked away, flustered.
"You sure like staring," he teased. "You know, you said there were so many perverts in Hell. Staring like that... doesn't that make you one too?"
Aria turned red and spun around, covering her face with her hands.
"I-I wasn't staring! I was just... shocked!" she stammered.
A knock sounded at the door.
"Come in," Azreal said.
A maid entered, avoiding eye contact, and gently placed an arranged gown on the bed before bowing and quickly leaving.
Azreal smirked as he turned back to Aria.
"You just gonna stand there? Go freshen up. Get ready."
Aria peeked through her fingers.
"Get ready? For what?"
"You ask too many questions," Azreal said.
Before she could protest, he scooped her up in his arms and carried her toward a door.
"Now you can't say you couldn't walk," Azreal said, dropping her down gently inside.
"You should at least tell me before carrying me like that..." Aria muttered, poking her fingers together shyly.
"Why should I? Anyway, go. We'll talk later."
Aria huffed and slammed the door behind her.
Azreal turned back toward the bed, dropping his towel.
Hulk entered, bowing low.
"My Lord, there's a problem. A large group of Hell Guards are heading this way." Follow current novels on 𝗇𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗅•𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾•𝗇𝖾𝗍
Azreal wiped his hands calmly.
"Where are they now?"
"They'll pass through the Land of Ash before reaching here."
"And who's leading them?" Azreal asked, his voice a little sharper.
A smile tugged at Azreal's lips.
"So, she's finally showing herself... and making it grand."
He tossed on his clothes quickly.
"Wait outside," he ordered.
Hulk bowed again and left, slamming the door behind him.
Azreal walked through the grand hall as Nena rushed up, panic in her eyes.
"Azreal! I heard Hell Guards are marching here, weapons drawn! Is this... a riot?!"
Azreal gently cupped her face.
"Don't worry. I'll handle it. Just stay calm."
Turning to Fredrick, he ordered,
"Aria is upstairs getting ready. Guard her. Don't let her leave that room."
Fredrick bowed deeply.
Azreal nodded at Hulk, and together they marched out.
The palace gates opened. Ten armed guards stood ready.
Azreal strode forward, eyes sharp.
The guards marched behind him in unison, weapons gleaming under the crimson Hell skies.
Meanwhile, Aria stepped out of the bathroom, fresh and wrapped in towels.
She smiled, drying her hair.
"Ahh... that was amazing. It's been so long since I had a proper bath..."
"Azreal?!" she called out.
"He said we had to talk... where did he run off to?"
Suddenly, flames formed in the air, weaving together into a message framed by fiery flowers:
"Something came up. Wait for me. I'll be right back."
Aria stared, her face softening.
"You left a message... and even decorated it with flowers. You're too much, Azreal..."
She reached out to touch it—
The message vanished.
Aria flopped onto the bed with a small, sad sigh, staring up at the ceiling.
Azreal and his group marched through a desolate wasteland. Black ash covered the ground, and molten lava spilled down cliffs on either side.
He stopped, spotting movement ahead.
"They're coming," he said quietly.
In the distance, flames crackled in the air as Hell Guards approached, led by two figures — Sarah and Laisa.
Their troops marched in rhythm, chanting:
"This is for revolution! Hell's revolution! We need a revolution!"
Half of their forces split off, forming a separate unit behind them. These were the ranged fighters. Together, they began to channel their power into a monstrous weapon — a giant, fiery cannon composed of five rotating segments wrapped in burning rings.
"Infernator charged at twenty percent... fifty percent..." one of the rangers reported.
At the front, Sarah smiled brightly, eyes wild with excitement.
"This is our gift to you, Lord Azreal. Please... accept it with open arms," she said sweetly.
"Charged at ninety-nine percent!" the rangers shouted.
Laisa stood beside her, her voice firm.
"This is all for you, Lord Azreal."
Finally, the charge hit one hundred percent.
Sarah raised her hand high.
The Infernator crackled violently as the fiery rings spun faster.
A deafening boom echoed through the Land of Ash as a massive blast shot forward, tearing through the sky—
Sarah laughed, her voice rising above the chaos:
"Welcome... to Hell's Revolution!"