The dark vortex dome, surrounded by dense lightning.
Red scorching rivers spread across the surface, weaving between red mountains, flowing without an apparent source or an end in sight, unknown where they led.
The pungent sulfur, accompanied by hot breath, hit their faces, signaling the presence of a truly real Hell, not just a false projection—everyone’s hearts leaped with fear.
They were too late—the Thousand-Eyed Demon had already opened the Hell Gate!
The faces of those from the Heavenly Father’s Court, led by Gunther, were extremely troubled, especially Gunther’s, who suddenly remembered the words the Thousand-Eyed Demon had said on the top floor of the library.
Humans think they’ve mastered the pattern of the Devil’s arrival, but hasn’t the Devil done the same? Hell has also been progressing all along.
Renata charged in wielding the Holy Light Spear, Gunther followed with the Golden Rule in hand. No matter what, the Holy See bore the responsibility to prevent the Devil’s descent into the human world—it was their faith, and a principle from which he couldn’t retreat.
"You all wait here and don’t make unnecessary sacrifices," Artley ordered loudly, organizing the Tactical Squad to retreat systematically.
Hell bordered the human world, and although it seemed small in size, the Devil’s strength would undergo earth-shaking changes within it. In such a scenario, even the Golden Mage would be beaten down throughout, and the Tactical Squad of mere silver-cross standard was nothing in comparison.
Artley frowned, seemingly thinking of something. He didn’t step into Hell right away but instead waved to open a portal, facilitating the Tactical Squad’s rapid retreat.
"Leave quickly; the space here is very stable. The fissure created by the Angel won’t last forever. If you don’t leave now, it’ll be too late later."
The members of the Tactical Squad did not hesitate and retreated orderly according to Captain Artley’s command.
Until they all left, until the Spatial Fissure to Hell had healed, until the space resumed its stability, Artley still chose not to enter Hell.
It was too dangerous!
The Legendary Mage, not wanting to take risks, decided to trust the Holy See—the combination of Angels + Golden Rule was enough to annihilate the Devil.
Even if either Gunther or Artley miraculously survived, Artley wasn’t worried about the aftermath. He hadn’t done nothing—he had helped the Tactical Squad to leave, retaining the spark of resurgence for the Heavenly Father’s Court.
He deserved thanks for that!
With this thought, Artley hesitated no longer, turned on his heel, and sprinted away faster than a rabbit.
That was very much like a Liberty Mage.
The scene shifts to the midst of the red towering mountains.
The Thousand-Eyed Demon sat high on its throne, its figure flickering unclearly, emitting painful groans at times as its soul underwent shattering and reassembling while shuttling between the two realm’s passageways, growing in thought, experiencing pain and pleasure simultaneously.
"Bruce, isn’t it done yet?"
The voice of the Thousand-Eyed Demon was hoarse, tinged with impatience.
"Almost, it’ll be ready soon."
Stop rushing me, I know you’re in a hurry, but you shouldn’t be, because I’m not in the slightest rush.
Wayne’s voice also carried a hint of impatience. At the critical moment, he was getting tired of pretending.
Hilarious, where did this Bruce come from? Just wait and I’ll show you the power of the Great Undead Sword!
Wayne wasn’t sure how strong the current Thousand-Eyed Demon was, nor was he sure if wearing the Death Knight’s Vest System he could defeat the opponent. He estimated at best a fifty-fifty chance, very likely not being a match for the Thousand-Eyed Demon.
No big deal, the Thousand-Eyed Demon, afraid that he might actually win, chose a difficulty more terrifying than Hell’s—WTF difficulty—essentially handing Wayne a Divine Artifact.
This is a land without an owner, like the altar, it is another legacy left by Lord Pride; whoever becomes the Lord of this territory will gain all the privileges that come with it.
The condition to become the Lord is simple. As the original owner, Lord Pride has the priority of succession, and when he forfeits his right and withdraws from the competition, other contenders must undergo the reincarnation ritual at the altar to become the Lord.
The reincarnation ritual is not complicated, but the altar is complex, combining the power of the Golden Rule and the Divine Hymn, far from being as simple as the Thousand-Eyed Demon imagined.
In the Thousand-Eyed Demon’s speculation, the great Lord Pride combined the powers of Heaven and Hell, ingeniously avoiding the seal that Heaven placed on Hell, discovered a bug, and thus the Devil could move freely between the human world and Hell.
The altar transforms the blood of the Devil into a human doppelganger, and conversely, it can transform human blood into a Devil Doppelganger; Angels act as guarantors here.
Angel: Identity is not a problem, I say so, let him through!
And because of the combination of the two forces, the potential of the human/Devil doppelgangers is enormous.
Limited by his knowledge and understanding of historical truth, the speculation of the Thousand-Eyed Demon isn’t wrong; he merely underestimated the altar, and even more so, Lord Pride.
Because of this misjudgment, the Thousand-Eyed Demon’s freeloading plan was destined to go astray, believing the altar to be the key to becoming the Lord; the altar was irrelevant, the territory was more important.
That isn’t to say it’s incorrect, for Devils fight life and death battles in Hell, easily breaking alliances and stabbing others in the back to expand their territories.
The Thousand-Eyed Demon had a chance; he could’ve become the Lord using the key. But due to outsourcing every part of the process, not one of the targets met the pure requirements, so he has not yet found a matching body.
The body he is currently using is the product of alchemical changes. Its bloodline has been tainted and is no longer human, unfit for reincarnation through the altar.
While the original body continues to sit upon the throne, undergoing continuous thought integration, the Thousand-Eyed Demon gets stood up by the Death Knight. With no time to maneuver, he has no choice but to drag his loyally devoted minion over to become the temporary Lord. Once his thoughts are fully in place, he will then seize the minion’s body to emerge as the new Lord.