Chapter 6 - Daughter of Tyranny and Abyssal Cultists (Patreon)

"Primordial Contract. The founding principle of the Netherworld and how the entire Netherworld functioned. The Primordial Contract dictated everything in the Netherworld and gave it its rule over the Nine Layers of the Netherworld."

- About the Netherworld

***

Codex: Superpowers of the Known World of Abeir-Toril

In the current age, there are a few nations that could be called the true 'Superpowers' in this world that are able to influence even the far-reaching regions of the Known World, and even fewer are able to maintain their dominance on the global field.

There are only a few nations worldwide that qualify as a Superpower with the emphasis on the word "Nation"; if not for that, then, for example, Underdark as a whole or some races in there would be taking several spots right from the start. Let's mention a few notable ones, of course, all known Superpowers are located in the Core Lands or Core Civilized Area because, since the Valyrian Freehold, which could barely qualify as such, the other Areas of Abeir-Toril never gave birth to such a powerful nation to be classified as a Superpower.

On the Faerûn Continent, the sole Superpower in that continent is certainly the Eternal Empire of Nilfgaard that stretches from the entire South of the Nelfgaard Region to the north, encompassing the entire west coast of the continent together with the Korath Desert, stopping at the Yaruga River.

On the Kara-Tur Continent, it would be the Miyeritar Kingdom, which has now restarted its conquest of the Slane Theocracy and is becoming a full-fledged Empire after Her Majesty Antilene Heran Fouche took the Throne. At the same time, the Baharuth Empire could also be counted as such, after the reformation by Emperor Jirnciv and the widespread use of Magical Engineering recovered from the Netherese Ruins.

Another example of the Superpower on the Abeir-Toril would certainly be the Skelkor Empire, an Empire ruled by the Dragons that is situated in the eastern parts of the Kara-Tur, though, due to the nature of the Dragon race, they have several colonies across the entire Abeir-Toril. The Skelkor Empire is ruled by the Dragon Lords, mighty Ancient Dragons also called Dragon Kings, with some of the most powerful Dragon Lords being at the level of Wyrms.

Their ruler, is a mighty Great Wyrm on the level of Heavenly Emperors named just as the Dragon Emperor. Among all Superpowers, the Skelkor has the smallest territory and the lowest population, but arguably it's the most powerful of all Superpowers on the Abeir-Toril.

- Superpowers of the Abeir-Toril

***

Netherworld, 3rd Layer - Gehena, Several Days Later

The landscape of Gehena was bleak, marked by gouting fires, hills of ash, pits of smoking dung, and massive volcanoes beneath a dark, starless void. The volcanoes expelled rivers of lava that flowed into bubbling pools and seas of molten magma, which brewed hurricanes of hot wind, choking smoke, and pyroclastic ash.

So permeated by heat was Gehena that the ground in large areas of the entire layer was uncomfortably hot, and the air temperature was high enough to char meat and ripple the air with distortion.

It was a violent land where ground tremors were common, and eruptions occurred often, where jets of flame spouted from a million fissures, and it was not unusual for more to suddenly open in the scalding, crystalline earth, and where long, worm-like volcanic tubes in the rock and other formations provided plentiful hiding spaces.

In a certain part of Gehena, several tens of demons were slowly gathering and building provisional dwellings for the upcoming time. There were demons in all shapes and appearances, while in the middle of them, as if one single woman was giving them commands.

She had long, flowing silver hair that reached past her waist, with pointed, elf-like ears and medium-sized black horns rising from her head, signalling her demon origin. Her eyes were golden and sharp, giving her an intense, confident expression. A green magical symbol or marking was visible on her forehead.

She was dressed in an elegant black outfit with a military partial aristocratic cut, layered over a frilled white blouse and a large purple bow at the collar. The clothing felt formal yet battle-ready, like a uniform for a powerful sorceress or noble commander.

"Lay down the Bounded Fields and Wardstones! The reinforcements from the Devil Domain would be arriving in a few hours."

She barked one order after another, preparing everything for the mission according to her standards, which were no less than perfection itself. She was of the Voldigoad Lineage, the daughter of the strongest Supreme Overlord in Gehena.

Her father rarely participated in politics and other matters, as he was, by his words, too old for something like squabbling like children... MacDou actually looked down on both Kyablis and Hornet, together with the Overlords under their command.

Their efforts were... laughable, truth to be told.

As someone from the Voldigoad Lineage, there was only one thing she respected.

Power.

The Voldigoad Bloodline had Magic innately specialized in Destruction and Ruin, making them all extremely powerful and dangerous. MacDou even more, because she wasn't just an ordinary descendant.

She was the only child between the Supreme Overlord and the Primordial Goddess Militia, meaning that she was born as an Archdemon Quasi-God, just at her birth. And when she reached the maturation at age 100, she was already at the peak of High Ultimate-Class and Major God in terms of Divine Ranks.

Among the Supreme Overlord's Lineage, she was considered the strongest.

Devils and Demons always maintained good relationships... generally speaking.

Devil Domain had excellent relationships with the Forzelotte Faction and the Voldigoad Faction, while the Kyablis and Hornet Faction were competing for their support against each other, and the Supreme Overlord Necron was, in fact, too reclusive.

And particularly too supremacist about the superiority of the Demons.

This mission with the Devils was another part of their cooperation, because some of the more ruthless elements from their species were already in cahoots with the Abyssal Daemons.

Something that deeply disgusted the Demons, because outsiders often confused Daemons with the Demons. It was one of the easiest ways of offending the Demons and also an instant method of earning a one-way ticket to an early grave.

MacDou Voldigoad was busy organizing the entire expedition and had command over three hundred demons who were all handpicked for the mission. However, she knew that somewhere out there, she had protection in the form of someone whom her father had arranged for her.

"They are already here."

She knew that Devil Race had been tremendously weakened over the past few centuries after the loss of their Supreme Overlords and a bunch of Overlords who had borne the heaviest burn of the Abyssal Incursion, while the Gods on the 4th Layer of the Netherworld Pandesmos.

MacDou knew that before the Dusk of the Gods and the 1st Blood War, it was called, Devils were probably as strong as Demons.

Lucifer was probably as strong as her father after his fall from the Heavens, and his generals were all very powerful Overlord-Class Devils who were capable of fighting even someone on the level above them due to their Clan Triads.

Not to mention, Lucifer wasn't their only Supreme Overlord.

Though it was pretty unfortunate that when the Abyss arrived, the Devil Race was hit the most during the Blood War and they suffered tremendous losses. Most of their Overlords, who were 1st Generation Devils and Ancestors of the Clans, were dead, together with the entire upper echelon.

She heard that it was only because of Zekram Bael, Mephisto Pheles, and a few surviving peak Overlord-Class Devils that their species still remained and was recovering. It was much harder for the devils to recover because of their racial limitations and much of their legacy was lost with the fall of the Lucifaad.

"So they did send him..."

MacDou was surprised when she saw the devils exiting the teleportation circle, because originally it was supposed to be the Patriarch of the Agares Clan leading them, or Diehouser Belial, both of whom she was acquainted with.

As they often went to hunt for the Stray Devils, traitors, criminals, and Abyssal Cultists. Their Clan Traits of Time Control and Worthless were immensely useful for apprehending criminals and rogue elements when they needed to be brought back alive.

Or even as corpses...

'So it's indeed true... someone reached the High Ultimate-Class at such a young age... and it seems that he even recently became a Demigod. If it's true, then perhaps the information about the upcoming generation of the Devils is also true, and they are on the rise again.'

She knew the newcomer.

At least from the reputation alone.

The name Sirzechs Gremory was too famous these years just to be overlooked.

Someone who achieved High Ultimate-Class at seventeen years old and was a prodigy in the Magic Rule of Destruction. Favourite descendant of the First Bael, Zekram Bael, and most likely, he was rumored to be the next ruler of the unified devil species when he achieved the Overlord-Class.

MacDou actually blushed a little because his appearance was like perfection given form... and his power... it was absolutely intoxicating. His appearance was sharp and intimidating, especially in that runic armor that he was wearing, and the Power of Destruction was faintly pulsing around him.

For the female Devils, Demons, and Dragons, there was no bigger turn on than the prospect of a powerful mate. Females of these species always sought powerful mates, and the strength of the mate was one of the most important factors for companionship and especially for procreation.

This was mostly true for the dragons because female dragons wanted their progeny to be even stronger, and a strong mate was needed to look after and guard the female during the time that the eggs were laid and when hatchlings were still very young.

"Lady Voldigoad. It is my honor to meet you, Sirzechs Gremory, at your service."

Sirzechs clapped his boots together as he gave her a low bow and kissed the back of her hand because he had already received reports on every single notable demon from his grandfather and knew that MacDou Voldigoad had a thing for rules and order.

"MacDou Voldigoad, Heir Gremory. I am pleased by your timely arrival and that of your troops."

MacDou said with a slight smile, as she was satisfied with the timely arrival of the devil contingent, because they were not late. At the same time, the troops of the Stray Devil Hunting Squad were among the strongest in the entire Devil Domain.

In terms of quality, they were no weaker than any of the Demon soldiers that he brought with him. Well, that was only given as the Stray Devil Hunting Squad consisted of some of the strongest among the Devil armies. 

"Well then, shall we go and discuss the strategy and information on the mission? I am in charge of the Stray Devil Hunting Squad by the command of High Chancellor of Ars Goetia Zekram Bael."

MacDou nodded and led Sirzechs and a few officers of the Stray Devil Hunting Squad, including Roygun Belphegor, into the meeting tent about the mission against the cultists of the Abyss.

The High Chancellor of Ars Goetia was the official title of his grandfather within the government of the Devil Domain.

After the fall of Lucifaad, the devil race was reorganized into the Ars Goetia, a congregation of the remaining 72 Pillar Clans, the Extra Devil Clans, the Six Houses of Lucifer and their remnants, and the Independent Devils.

The word of the High Chancellor was the official title of Zekram Bael within the Ars Goetia, and it was the highest-ranked title in the entire Devil Government. Sirzechs knew that this was basically an attempt by the Bael Clan to get closer to the Supreme Overlord Voldigoad and his faction.

When the old man heard that the Voldigoad's daughter was leading the expedition, he directly arranged for Sirzechs to lead the Stray Devil Hunting Squad to Gehena so he could get access to the progeny of the Supreme Overlord of Tyranny.

This was really a unique opportunity for the Devils, and someone as cunning and scheming as Zekram Bael would never let such a priceless opportunity go.

Roygun Belphegor looked at the descendant of the Supreme Overlord of Tyranny with wariness, as she moved closer to Sirzechs while they entered the command tent where several high-ranking demons were already waiting for them.

All of them were either Ultimate-Class Demons or High Ultimate-Classes under the command of her father. Sirzechs never saw so many powerful Demons in one place, while some of them were even more evolved forms of the demons.

He felt gazes from several of these demons on him, because all of them noticed that he was very powerful... especially now that he had become a Demigod, had evolved into the Archdevil, and had converted his Demonic Energy into the Infernity.

Demons respected strength.

And they felt Gremory's strength.

"Now that everyone is gathered... we can start the briefing."

MacDou took on the position of commander and leader as it was the most natural thing for her to do, and immediately started the briefing on their current mission.

"This is Sirzechs Gremory, who is currently leading the Stray Devil Hunting Squad on the personal orders of his ancestor, High Chancellor Zekram Bael."

When she introduced him, Sirzechs noticed the expressions of several demon commanders present changed when they heard the name of Zekram Bael. He knew that his grandfather was pretty famous in the Demon Domains, because of his might and his mastery over the Destruction.

Many of the demons present were veterans of the 1st Blood War, and they remembered how the First Bael massacred several Champions of Abyss, the strongest among the Greater Daemons that were as mighty as God Kings.

The Great King killed several of them and even slew one of the Abyssal Lords that attacked the Bael Territory. Even though it was one of the weaker Abyssal Lords, it was still a tremendous feat.

That alone connected respect greater than anything.

Because aside from strength, demons, like devils, held Lineages and Bloodlines in the highest regard. The fact that Sirzechs was a descendant of Zekram Bael gave him bonus points in terms of opinion.

"We are dealing with a group of devils and demons, no official name or anything, but they are working together with the Daemons and worshipping the Gods of Ruination... corruption by the Abyss is the most probable, and we can expect very strong resistance in the place where they are hiding. An abandoned mine and entire underground complex that was owned by deceased Overlord Kyras a few centuries ago."

Everyone nodded, hearing that, as the prospects for the mission were not really looking good, and most of this was falling onto the demons because Gehena was a perfect place to hide.

Because every single Overlord was fighting against each other too much, and such an environment was ideal for anyone affiliated with the Abyss to hide in there.

And there was a pretty nice congregation of the demons and devils that were corrupted by the Abyss and were doing various activities against their respective species.

Among both devils and demons, cooperation with Daemons of Abyss resulted in instant execution. It was considered as the highest order of treason against their species.

"We have no trustworthy information on their exact numbers, but we can expect something above four hundred hostages at minimum, but the real number is probably much higher. This doesn't include the possibility of the nemeies opening portals to the Abyss and summoning Daemons to fight us."

Alothger, the number of people participating in the joint unit, wasn't above two hundred, as there were barely over one hundred and fifty people participating in the mission.

This put them at a numerical disadvantage, yet at the same time, all of their members were top-notch combatants and Mages. In the area of quality, they were far above the cultists of the Abyss.

"As long as there is a powerful opponent, I am alright with anything."

The demon that spoke was Gigai, the strongest demon under MacDou's command that her father personally sent here. He was a peak High Ultimate-Class Demon and was also an Apostle of her father.

As always for him, he was dressed shirtless and with a pair of dark red trousers. He also had some bar-like tattoos of the same dark red color printed all over his body. He also had very noticeable eyes, with reddish eyeballs and a glowing yellow pupil. His skin was also orange, with a much stronger tone than that of a typical human.

An Apostle, sometimes also referred to as an Acolyte, is a term for a person, either an ordinary mortal or someone of the supernatural race, who has been granted power and abilities by an extremely powerful entity that was at least on the Overlord-Class in exchange for their servitude.

Apostles are created via a process known as a Blood Pact. During a Blood Pact, the prospective Apostle drinks the Blood of their benefactor. In exchange for pledging their allegiance to their Master, an Apostle receives a prolonged lifespan and greatly enhanced power. Any creature can become an Apostle so long as the Master shares its Blood with it, including Monsters, Supernatural Species, or even insects.

Apostles are unable to resist any order given to them by their Master; this is a similar method to the Blood Control that the Archdemons and Archdevils are using to control their bloodline progenies.

Typically, their combat power is enhanced far beyond that of a regular member of their species, and they often serve as combat personnel for their Master. Sirzechs and Roygun were rahter surprised to see one of the Apostles of Supreme Overlord Voldigoad there. 

Even though the Apostle was at the peak of High Ultimate-Class, they knew that his combat prowess was comparable to the weaker Overlords and God-Kings if he used the power that he received from his Master.

"Well, then we should send someone to scout the area where they are hiding and who is leading them."

Sirzechs said that because they had little information about the cultists and traitors who were working together with the Daemons of the Abyss.

MacDou actually nodded and looked at one particular Demon that had the ability to see into the distance and scout the entire mountains where the traitors were hiding and conspiring against their respective species.

Sirzechs also had a member of the Vassago Clan in his entourage, whose Clan Trait allowed them to spy on people regardless of the Magical defenses around the place, as they were able to bypass a lot of the Magical protections.

"We will conduct complex reconnaissance and meet here to discuss the final strategy after we obtain information?"

At Sirzechs's question, the daughter of the Voldigoad Lineage nodded, and all the officers from her own entourage or the Stray Devil Hunting Squad went to do their own tasks. Soon enough, only Sirzechs, MacDou, and Roygun remained in the tent as all other people left the tent to attend to their own tasks.

"Well then... You looked rather distressed when I proposed the reconnaissance and searched for the leader of the cultists."

Sirzechs stated directly because he knew she was hiding some information during the meeting... After spending so much time around Zekram Bael and seeing him deal with his political opponents and other Lords, he knew when someone was lying or hiding something.

"Ts... as observant as someone would expect from the protege of First Bael."

MacDou Voldigoad then created the Magical Projection of two people.

"We identified two people who are leading the entire cult... or rather, one is acting as the brain and another as the muscle. Let's start with this one. This is Dark Lord Babolat."

The first image shwoed a image of a Dark Lord Babolat. A blue-skinned oni with a muscular build, red eyes, several jagged fangs with two particularly large fangs sticking out from either end of his upper jaw, and elongated, discolored earlobes. He possesses a large pair of horns emerging from his forehead, as well as several similar-looking spikes along his back.

"Babolat was initially Oni, before he was transformed into the Dark Lord and was under the command of Supreme Overlord Kyablis, and it was expected that he would become Overlord under his command. He specializes in physical strength and martial arts, like most Oni, though his intellignece has much room for improvement. Of course, he is not the leader of the cult, but he is a major muscle behind it with his Overlord-Class strength."

When Sirzechs and Roygun heard that the Dark Lord was at the Overlord-Class, they were not that worried... the only disturbing fact was that the Oni Dark Lord was more than fifty meters tall.

Among the Demons, Dark Lord was a title for the peak High Ultimate-Class Demons that were not far from becoming Overlords. These Demons usually served as the Dungeon Masters in the Dungeons under their respective Overlords or as close aides for the Supreme Overlords.

Of course, there were also some independent Dark Lords that had their own factions and their own plans. However, the Independent Ones were usually the most dangerous and most powerful, because they needed to be as they lacked a powerful faction behind their backs.

"Who is his commander? If he is as stupid as you hinted, then there should be someone of considerable intelligence who is leading their entire group."

The daughter of the Supreme Overlord of Tyranny nodded and then showed another image through the Magical Projection. It was a young-looking man with a handsome appearance, dressed in black armor with a cape. He had long brown hair that went to his hips with many bangs covering his right eye.

"This is Shalba Beelzebub... one of the very few survivors of the Fall of Lucifaad and whose body wasn't recovered in the aftermath. So here he was... hiding in the Gehena."

It was Sirzechs who said that, because, unknown to even someone like Roygun, the fact that some descendants of Lucifer's Satan-Generals had survived was a closely guarded secret that only Zekram Bael and a few members of the House Bael were aware of.

Or people closely affiliated with the House Bael.

"What?!?"

There was no one who was more shocked by this sudden revelation than Roygun Belphegor, who was standing beside him. 

"Abaddon, Mammon, Asmodeus, Leviathan, Beelzebub, Belphegor and Lucifuge were once Generals of Lucifer after he fell from the Heavens. Among them, Leviathan, Beelzebub, and Asmodeus were the most war-mongering and wanted all-out war with the other factions and to conquer the Earth. After the fall of the Lucifaad, some of the descendants of these three houses survived... but they were deemed unstable by the new government, and thus House Bael began hunting them down. I personally slayed Creuserey Asmodeus and remnants of his House one year ago in the abandoned lands outside of the Devil Domain."

Zekram Bael wasn't one of the Generals of Lucifer, but he was an anomaly... he was too powerful even for Lucifer. The Fallen King of Angels was deeply suspicious of the Baels, either because of their power or their Power of Destruction.

"In the course of many years, most of the survivors of these Houses were killed by Baels and the Burning Legion. Bidleid Bashalun Beelzebub, Tsufaame Tereaku Leviathan and Damaidosu Zereikel Asmodeus were personally killed by Zekram Bael. Everything was done to preserve the stability of the regime and avoid those fools dragging us into another war that we don't need."

Sirzechs explained as Roygun grew more and more shcoked about what was happening in the past.

At the same time, she heard the rumors that Houses Asmodeus, Beelzebub, and Leviathan heavily lobbied for attacking the other factions and conquering more territory in the aftermath of the Dusk of the Gods.

"I always thought that the extinction of those Houses was suspicious... considering the fact that all Devil Aristocratic Clans have many branches and many members spread across the entire Domain... and coincidentally all of them died."

Roygun, while not having access to the sensitive information like this, was smart enough to figure out the fact that it was suspicious. And pretty much like someone coordinated the attacks on the Houses that were too much war-mongering. 

It was unfortunate that the members of those houses wanted to conquer the entire Netherworld because of some misguided ambitions. 

"Well then, now you know, let's return to the topic of Shalba Beelzebub."

Sirzechs said neutrally as both women nodded in agreement. He didn't have a problem revealing this piece of information to Roygun, because even Serafall and Ajuka knew about this already.

As he told them about it some time ago. 

"The young Beelzebub has been recorded to be hiding in Gehenna for at least fifty or so years. He mostly moved through the disputed lands between the territories of Supreme Overlords Hornet and Kyablis, which gave him a lot of shadowy areas where he was hidden from the sight of everyone important."

MacDou continued the briefing on Shalba Beelzebub, as they had a rather good amount of information on the youngest and probably the last Beelzebub that was in the world.

Sirzechs knew a lot about him, because they were the last survivors who survived the purge conducted by the House Bael and their affiliates. Due to the efforts of House Bael, the three Houses were reduced to only three descendants and some random minions from the collateral branches.

From them, Creuserey Asmodeus was already dead, killed by Sirzechs year ago, while Katerea Leviathan and Shalba Beelzebub disappeared entirely and were in deep hiding. 

Even discovering the whereabouts of Creuserey Asmodeus was something done only through sheer luck, because they were experimenting with the Asmodeus Bloodline and they noticed that the last descendant of former Satan-General was in a rather unprotected location.

So they tracked him down in the abandoned lands outside the Devil Domain, where Sirzechs turned him to nothingness. It was rahter bloody yet swift affair, when Sirzechs massacred most of the Asmodeus Household with the Gremory Legions, though he was rather surprised that actually a good amount of Devils under Asmodeus's command surrendered.

Only the most zealous ones and loyal ones chose to fight to the death, while the rest just surrendered.

Even though the Devils indeed held Bloodlines and Lineages in almost sacred regard, there was something that outshone even that.

Power.

"Shalba is immensely arrogant, strongly believing that his lineage as Beelzebub's descendant made him superior to everything and above reproach. Due to his fanatic arrogance, Shalba also desires world domination like now deceased Creuserey Asmodeus and Katerea Leviathan who is still very much alive, not content with just ruling over the Underworld, he also delusionally wished to become the King of the World... despite his misgivings, his intellect isn't something that we can really underestimate... but it's notable that he isn't particularly strong... truth to be todl neither of them reached anything beyond the Ultimate-Class."

The Heir of the Gremory knew a lot about them because they were consistently hunting them down. They were not really particularly powerful or threatening in any meaningful way, but they were aware of the secrets of their Houses.

Secrets that were dangerous if they got into the hands of their enemies. Devil Race had many enemies acorss many Pantheons and factions... Satan-Generals of Lucifer knew a lot of secrets that were not supposed to be known outside of a tiny circle of a few devils.

Sirzechs knew this because his grandfather obviously knew everything and told him the reason.

That was the reason why he was so persistent and determined in his hunt.

"Really? That's rather... pathetic."

Roygun was rather surprised by that, because she thought that the descendants of the Satan-Generals would be more powerful than that... if she added to it what she heard from Sirzechs, then it was only to be expected that they would need to be far more powerful.

Though she felt a certain degree of satisfaction that all remnants of the Houses Leviathan, Beelzebub, and Asmodeus were being killed. They always looked down on the other Devil Aristocratic Clans, including their fellow Satan-Generals or even behemoths like Baels.

Just because they were the first ones to be inducted by Lucifer.

"Hmm... so he is more technically a minor nuisance than anything. His Clan Trait would be almost useless if he was at the High Ultimate-Class."

The King of Flies was the Clan Trait of the House Beelzebub.

King of Flies allowed the user to create an army of flies that the user can control and direct to his will. The flies can form Magic Circles, which can be used to conjure Spells or just fire blasts of the condensated Demonic Energy.

One can also control all ordinary insects through the King of Flies, and if the user is powerful enough, they can also control Magical Insects and their variations.

Overall, the Clan Trait was immensely powerful, but at the same time, to unleash the full power of the King of Flies, one needed to be at least at the peak of Ultimate-Class, but ideally at the High Ultimate-Class.

If not for that, they needed to have Demonic Energy comparable to a bunch of such powerhouses, because consumption of the Demonic Energy for the King of Flies was astronomical.

It wasn't just his Clan Trait, but actually, the most powerful Clan Traits were like this... they were indeed powerful, but the price was high. Like the Power of Destruction of the Bael Clan and the Extinction of the Lucifuge Clan.

Both were immensely powerful, but the consumption of the Demonic Energy was staggering, and one also needed to have extreme control over their Clan Trait, Demonic Energy, and their physical bodies needed to be very strong to withstand the toll of using such destructive and dangerous power.

"Don't underestimate him that easily... According to the grandfather, he is as slippery as a snake... even if he isn't particularly powerful by himself, he would be prepared to fight against those who are considerably stronger than he was... at the same time, if they are corrupted by the Abyss, they should have received power from the Abyss."

Sirzerchs immediately squashed down the MacDou's arrogance, as the Archdemon Goddess from the Voldigoad Lineage, because he was already accounting for the Abyssal Corruption.

If that was the case, then the power of both Shalba and Babolat could be even higher than they are predicting. 

"It's highly possible that Babolat would be at the Overlord-Class. Shalba not, because according to everything that we know about Shalba indicates that the man is not particularly talented... Even with this into account, he shouldn't be able to reach Overlord-Class."

Sirzechs already predicted that they would obtain a massive boost in power due to being corrupted by the Abyss. He was more worried about the Babolat, compared to Shalba, because even if corrupted by the Abyss, Shalba's threat wasn't in his strength.

Babolat, on the other hand, was more problematic than Shalba. 

The demon was already a Dark Lord, which meant that he wasn't far from reaching the Overlord-Class in the first place. One didn't need to be any kind of genius to figure out that with the Abyssal Corruption, the Dark Lord Babolat would reach the Overlord-Class.

Sirzechs knew of the Babolat, because he was forced to learn of every single notable individual in the entire Netherworld by Zekram. Technically speaking, he had knowledge of several hundred individuals and countless other people that he was aware of.

Babolat was among them, and Sirzechs knew that it would be a challenging foe... the Oni's physical strength was no joke, even compared to other, more physically-oriented powerhouses... and his huge size was an even greater problem for him to overcome.

What was the worst thing about the entire situation? It was confirmed that Babolat had some degree of Magic Resistance, so he would need to figure out how effective Magic and his Clan Trait were against the former Dark Lord.

"It's highly possible... Babolat was one of the strongest Dark Lords under the command of Supreme Overlord Kyablis before his defection, if it could even be called such. Most probably, Shalba promised him huge power-ups and the possibility of strong foes to fight against, and he was lured away. From what we knew, he wasn't really the smartest one nor particularly loyal to the cause."

MacDou Voldigoad stated that she was better informed about the internal relationships between the various Dark Lords, Overlords, and Supreme Overlords. Even though her father and the Voldigoad Line did not involve themselves in politics, they were still well-informed about the happenings in Gehenna and in the entire Netherworld by extension.

"Well then... we should prepare for the frontal assault. When it comes to that, I can take care of the Babolat if he proves to be weaker, or we can attack him together when he proves to be at the Overlord-Class."

Sirzechs said to the daughter of the Voldigoad, because he didn't shy away from asking for help when it came to the need for it. At the same time, he was confident in fighting against someone at the Overlord-Class who was corrupted by the powers of the Ruin.

That would be too dangerous, and he actually liked this new life of his very much.

"Also... we need to be wary of the potential minor Abyssal Incrusions. If they are indeed in cahoots with the Abyss, then it's highly possible that they would be able to open minor Dimensional Pathways or at least summon some Abyssal Daemons to their help. Which could be, or rather, it would be dangerous for us."

Sirzechs then added that because they also needed to take this eventuality into account, as the participation of the Abyssal Daemons was a very real thing.

"I am aware of it... We are preparing a portable Ward that is imbued with the Anti-Abyssal Suppression Formation..."

Anti-Abyssal Wards were one of the inventions that came from the collaborations between Demons and Devils... they were basically Wards that created an Instantaneous Magical Formation in the area that targeted the Abyssal Aura and weakened every single organism that was a bearer of the Abyssal Aura.

It was pretty useful against the weaker Daemons, and everyone used it to deal with the weaker Daemons that were often swarming their targets in enormous hordes that seemed to be endless in number.

"Well then... only the last thing remains. Shalba Beelzebub."

For MacDou, it was weird to give a lot of attention to someone who barely even reached the Ultimate-Class and was more known as schemere, but she admitted that even such people could be dangerous if they were left unchecked.

They could wreak havoc anywhere where they wanted, which was certainly a troublesome thing.

"I think that he should be the priority... as the mastermind of the entire cult, he is far more dangerous than some brute Babolat. Depending on the situation, I want Roygun to take some heavy hitters and capture him... alive would be ideal, but if that's not possible, his head would suffice. And capture his Soul... can't risk that he has some backup plans for his revival."

Sirzechs was more wary about Shalba Beelzebub than anything, because he was one hella slippery snake that one, and he was escaping the relentless pursuit of the House Bael and their allies for more than five decades.

While personally not that powerful, his mind was making up for the weaknesses, and he was very cautious. Though, hopefully the Abyssal Corruption has touched this sanity as well, because well...

That was usually the thing when one got corrupted by the Abyss.

"Alright... we are in agreement."

MacDou Voldigoad, in the end, agreed with the proposal because if the culprit behind the entire cult isn't caught, then they would be just dealing with the disposable pawns on the board.

Which wasn't their target, nor would it solve the entirety of the problem for them.

***

After the preliminary discussion about their plans ended, Sirzechs and Roygun went for a stroll around the encampment to pass the time... For Sirzeches, it was a pleasant surprise that one of the last stragglers of the old regime, who wanted world dominance or whatever nonsense, was present here.

If they captured or killed Shalba, it would effectively end the entire Beelzebub Lineae, because he was the last person in his entire House. Asmodeus Lineage was already destroyed, and that only left Katerea Leviathan out there somewhere.

But he was sure that she would show herself sooner or later.

"Well, that was certainly an educational endeavor."

Roygun muttered as they walked around the camp, because she had learned a lot from today's meeting with the Heiress of the Voldigoad Lineage. She didn't think that this kind of shadow war was taking place in the darkness and that the Baels were responsible for the elimination of the entire Devil Houses.

She herself was a member of the House Belphegor, which served as one of the Satan-Generals, so it certainly created a variety of feelings that her kin and companions were being slaughtered and hunted down.

But alas, Roygun was a devil... and devils were selfish beings.

The last thing that she cared about were the lives of total strangers.

"Maybe... though it seems that the siege against the cult of Abyss worshippers would be a nightmare as it seems."

Sirzechs said that because he didn't really think that it would be an easy thing to breach through their defenses. If the enemies were well-prepared and defended their positions heavily, then it would be significantly problematic for them.

The enemies were hiding in the mountains, in a well-protected area that had natural protections in the form of many peaks, mountains, valleys, and rivers. Reaching it was very hard, through any means...

He knew that this was Shalba's merit, because they indeed chose a good location that would be very good for defending. And their mountains were from a very special kind of stone, powerful and sturdy enough to withstand even the might of Supreme Overlords unless Voldigoad himself arrived and turned everything into dust with his Destruction.

"Well, we have far superior firepower and strategy against their numerical advantage and potential Overlord-Class Demon among their ranks. Despite that, I don't really think that her father would let his favourite daughter wander into these ends without any additional protection."

He nodded, hearing Roygun's words because he knew that someone as high-profile as her wouldn't be left without any added protection. Not like she needed it, because Sirzechs could see that she was a High Ultimate-Class and, in terms of Godhood, she was a Major Goddess.

Someone like that wouldn't have a problem fighting above her own Class if she fought smart.

Though at the same time, she was also a prime target for anyone who was an enemy of the Supreme Overlord Voldigoad, or his wife, Primordial Goddess Militia, would utilize this opportunity, so Sirzechs, too, believed that they had some plans in case something like that happened.

Even he himself had some safety measures that would be enough to protect him against the power of someone at the level of Supreme Overlord, at least for a few attacks, giving him enough time to escape to safety or use other means to escape.

Courtesy of his grandfather Zekram.

The old man gave him rahter a lot of things to ensure that he would be alive and well.

Or so in the worst case, if such a thing happened, so he could escape from an angry Primordial God.

***

Several Hours Later, the Encampment of the Joint Suppression Destruction Task Force

Sirzechs looked at the reinforcements that arrived at the camp, because due to the difficulties that they discovered from the entire fortification of the cultists, MacDou and Sirzechs came to the understanding that they would need reinforcements.

He had to admit that Shalba Beelzebub did a splendid job when choosing their base of operations, because he chose an area that was termed as "Heart of the Mountains"... it was a term that was usually used by the dwarves to describe a region within the Mountain Range, which was the core of the entire Mountain Range.

Itg was the place that was almost inaccessible through normal means, and it was also the area where the stone was hardest and toughest.

It seems that the last Beelzebub was very much prepared for the eventuality of the prologend siege, so he chose a place that would be a literal nightmare to lay siege on.

"Mercenaries of the Gunguscar Company have arrived to take the field!"

The group of Mercenaries was led by one particularly demon, who looked more like a battle-hungry warrior type, like a savage champion than a classic horned demon of Gehenna.

The first thing that stood out about him was his physique, as he was very muscular with an athletic body with sharply defined abs and a broad chest, suggesting raw physical power and constant combat.

His face carried a wide, almost feral grin. The teeth are sharp and predatory, giving him a slightly monstrous edge even though his face was mostly human. His eyes were hidden behind a dark visor-like mask that wrapped across the upper half of his face. That mask made him look intimidating and mysterious, almost like a gladiator or warlord who doesn't want enemies reading his expression.

His hair was wild and spiked, dark brown or black, flaring outward like it's constantly windswept. Sticking out from the headpiece are curved red horns, confirming his demonic nature. The horns sweep backward in a sleek arc, adding to his aggressive silhouette.

His outfit mixes barbarian and demonic aesthetics. He wore massive fur-covered sleeves or shoulder pieces that made his arms look even larger and more imposing. The fur esd mark of his Clan... something primal... the trophies taken from beasts he had killed. The rest of his clothing was minimal: a dark, armored waistguard and belt that left his torso exposed, almost as if he wanted to show off his strength.

Around his neck hung a necklace with a large, angular pendant, a demonic sigil.

"Garkin."

Sirzechs welcomed the leader of the Gunguscar PMC, not him, but she brought with him something around one thousand troops that were recruited primarily from the Demons and Devils.

Mostly members of the Garkin's species, but there were also a good number of Onis, some Yokai here and there, or other species.

Gunguscar was the largest company in the entire Netherworld, which operated primarily, yet in the first three Layers, but their activities were not limited strictly to the Netherworld. They did business with a lot of Pantheons and factions across the entire Draconic Deus. 

They were also famous for creating their own version of the Asgardian Birfrost, another form of tleepoeration method that was known only to the Gunguscar. 

The Gunguscar was obscenely rich and militarily very powerful, because it enjoyed a great relationship with several prominent factions within the Netherworld, ranging from the Supreme Overlords to the Devil Aristocracy to the Oni Tribe Chieftains.

The corporation also maintained a rather sizeable Private Military that was protecting their assets and properties, though the Gunguscar PMC also often assisted during the defense of the Avernus against Abyssal Incursions, or they hunted down criminals and rogues for the rewards that were on their heads.

They were the only ones who could teleport instantaneously acorss the entire Netherworld in large numbers. Like right now, then the Gunguscar dispatched several hundred of its troops to assist the Joint Suppression Destruction Task Force when Sirzechs and MacDou requested their services.

On top of everything, if it were a fight against the Daemons, the Gunguscar wasn't charging anything for it, because the Daemons of the Abyss were enemies of all and everything in the Netherworld.

So it wasn't really appropriate for them to charge for their service against the Daemons.

"It has been a few years already, kid... You grew up!"

Garkin clapped Sirzhechs on the back with jovial cheer, as it was already some time since they saw each other. Garkin was one of the primary Enforcers of the Gunguscar Company and one of their strongest fighters, so he was often deployed into the fields when there was a more dangerous mission waiting for them.

Like right now.

"Well, it certainly is... I am glad that you managed to arrive so fast, because we are facing a minor crisis, truth to be told. Those idiots managed to open a rather unstable Dimensional Pathway to the Abyss... but it's stable enough for a good number of Daemons are swarming these mountains, and among them are even some Greater Daemons, much to my dismay."

When the scouts returned, the information that they brought wasn't ideal.

In the Stray Devil Hunting Squad, Sirzechs had someone from the Vassago Clan who was an expert in scrying and information gathering, which had paid off. The information that they obtained wasn't the most pleasant one, nor was it good.

Neither Sirzechs nor MacDou knew how Shalba did it, but he managed to somehow open the Dimensional Pathway to the Abyss. While it was true that the Dimensional Pathway was unstable, it was stable enough for a Deamon to be pouring it.

With some Sacrificial Magic, they were able to stabilize the portal enough for even some Greater Demons to pass through, and now... the entire Mountain Range was swarming with the Daemons.

"Come to the command tent with me... the others are already awaiting you. We need to discuss a strategy for the attack."

Sirzechs said to Garkin because now that he was here, they could finally decide on the final strategy against the Abyssal Satans Cult.

As much as their name was heretical and rather funny, they still posed a certain degree of danger and were causing problems for them.

***

Deep in the Mountain Range, Base of the Abyssal Satans Cult

Shalba Beelzebub was the last of what he considered to be the True Satan. 

Not the false ones and the traitors like Abbadon, Belphegor, Mammon, or those traitorous Lucifuges.

Initially, the Old Satan Faction was a group comprised of Pure-Blooded Devils that fanatically supported the world domination ideals of the original Satan-Generals Beelzebub, Asmodeus, and Leviathan, who had allied themselves with their descendants.

The Old Satan Faction was formed after the Dusk of the Gods and the 1st Blood War when a group of Devils decided to continue the Great War in order to fulfill the original Satan-Generals ambition of world domination, while another group of Devils was against it.

This resulted in a Cold War state among Devils, and after several shadow assassinations and minor clashes, the victor was the Ars Goetia, headed by the Zekram Bael, the remaining Overlord-Class Devil.

The rest of the Old Satan Faction scattered and went into hiding, as far as possible from the Devil Domain. 

Shalba was one of them, because he considered himself to be the True Satan and not the usurpers, traitors, or the fakes.

Yet, while the ambitions of the descendants of Asmodeus, Beelzebub and Leviathan were grand... they lacked the most crucial thing of all.

Power.

An absolute power.

The founders of the Old Satan Faction, after the events of the 1st Blood War, which resulted in the death of Lucifer and his original generals, were barely High Ultimate-Class Devils.

Bidleid Bashalun Beelzebub, Tsufaame Tereaku Leviathan and Damaidosu Zereikel Asmodeus were the sole backbone of the entire Old Satan Faction when it came to the powehouses... but they were all turned into nothingness by Zekram Bael.

Contrary to the other buffoons in their faction, Shalba knew that without power, anything was meaningless...

When the remaining Overlords of the devil race, like Mephisto Pheles and Gehrman Lucifuge, allied with Zekram Bael, it was more than evident that any ambition that they had would be squashed like a bug.

Worthless bug to be added.

The Old Satan Faction spent a lot of time hiding in Gehenna because it was ironically the safest place for them to hide. He purposely chose the demilitarized zone between the Domains of Supreme Overlord Kyablis and Supreme Overlord Hornet.

Because of its nature, nobody bats an eye if someone dies here or disappears, which was perfect.

Over the decades that the Old Satan Faction was hiding here, they have started slowly merging with many rogue demons that were not under the command of any Overlord, and created a rather strong military base.

For Shalba, though, it wasn't enough, because while they were growing stronger, he was aware that it was nothing. One visit from someone as ridiculously overpowered like Supreme Overlord on someone on First Bael's level and they would be all killed before they could blink.

And then...

He encountered the Greater Daemon of Changer of Ways.

Kairos Fateweawer.

Exalted Greater Daemon who was also Lord of Abyss... Daemon as powerful as Supreme Overlords or Primordial Gods. Kairos Fateweaver, known also as the "Oracle of Tzeentch", the "Keeper of the Destiny Scrolls", and even the "Mocking Watcher", is a two-headed Lord of Change, a Greater Daemon of Tzeentch, the Chaos God of change and intrigue.

Kairos Fateweaver was the mightiest of the Lords of Change that serve Tzeentch and is blessed with access to all of his knowledge concerning the nature of fate and destiny.

And he gave Shalba an answer to the problems that he had. While it wasn't advised to believe anything that Daemons said, especially if the said Daemon in question was a servant of the Architect of Fate, but the descendants of the three Satan-General Houses were always more arrogant than they were smart.

He gladly pledged his loyalty to the Changer of Ways in exchange for power.

The Fateweaver gave him several Artifacts of the Ruinous Powers that allowed him to increase his own combat prowess to the High Ultimate-Class, later stages... when he accepted the Abyssal Power, he was elevated, but he knew that this was nothing compared to the true experts who grasped Magic Rules or Divinities.

But with the Artifacts of the Ruin, he could hold his ground against such people. The Fateweaver also gave Shalba acess to the Lore of Chaos Magic... It can be said that it is the Colours of the Winds of Magic working in Disharmony, opposed to the Harmony of the High Magic.

Yet that wasn't the end...

He was able to increase the power of the Babolat... the Dark Lord with whom he had allied, politely speaking. That dumb Oni even reached the Overlord-Class and his power was rahter frightening, truth to be told, so he became the sharpest sword under Shalba's command.

At the same time, what was disturbing was the fact that Creuserey, along with his cell of the former Old Satan Faction, was most probably killed in the 2nd Layer of Netherworld, two years ago.

He didn't know when exactly.

Only that the contact with him was cut down.

And even Katerea was responding to the messages only sporadically... 

Old Satan Faction was technically no more, as in its place rose the Abyssal Satan Cult.

Still, Shalba wanted to get his hands on the other sub-factions of the former Old Satan Faction that were under the command of Asmodeus and Leviathan. Despite everything, both Satan-General Houses had a considerable number of troops under their command, especially in the aspect of Pure-Blooded Devils.

Shalba wanted those forces under his command, but in the case of Asmodeus, it was now impossible because Cresuserey himself was stupid enought ot be caught by the Bael's and that crimson-haired Gremory, who totally obliterated his forces.

What has remained from them has surrendered to House Bael and House Gremory, while hardliners and total loyalists were all killed to the last one. It wasn't like the loss of Creuserey Asmodeus was significant because the devil heir of the House Asmodeus wasn't even able to use his Clan Trait, the Starsend Moment.

And Katerea Leviathan wasn't much better, because while she could use the Clan Trait of the House Leviathan, the Sea Serpent of the End, which was modeled after the Sea Leviathans, she was terrible at it.

Both of the apparent Heirs were also capable of reaching only the Ultimate-Class in strength, which wasn't a lot.

Nevertheless, Shalba hoped to at least search for the Katerea who was hiding somewhere in the wastelands of Avernus. In the zone where Daemons often intruded into the Netherworld, and if not, then it was the area where the Magical Creatures ruled.

Right now, the last Beelzebub was overseeing the summoning of another wave of Daemons from the Abyss, because they were preparing for a huge attack on one of the Dungeons of Demons.

They discovered that an independent Overlord who wasn't affiliated with either of the major Supreme Overlords was altely severely injured in a fight with a Monarch-Class Magical Creature that led the Magic Beast Horde into his territory.

For Shalba, this was a prime opportunity to launch a full invasion of the Dungeon and even seize the Dungeon for himself. If they succeeded, it would be a tremendous achievement and increase their military capabilities several times over. 

So, for that purpose, he was summoning more and more Daemons from the Abyss with the sacrifices that they obtained by kidnapping lost wanderers, injured soldiers, or raiding and kidnapping entire demon villages that were on the outskirts near the demilitarized zone.

"Well, this should be enough. With our power, it shouldn't be a problem to storm the Avernus and take what we need."

Shalba muttered as he finished summoning the last batch of Daemons from the Abyss, because they had a few thousand Daemons. He had more than ten thousand Lesser Daemons under his command, mostly ones comparable to the Low-Class Devils, but the numbers were what was important about them.

Not their individual strength. Hus Patraon even sent him some of his Greater Daemons, more precisely, he had two Greater Daemons under his command for the duration of the mission.

Their Abyssal Satan Cult had several hundred members, mostly the Devils and Demons that were at the High-Class in terms of power, with a good number of Ultimate-Classes and some High Ultimate-Classes here and there.

With Babolat, they even had one Overlord-Class.

The last Beelzebub believed that this kind of power was powerful enough to flatten any kind of Devil Aristocratic House... 

Technically, he would be right.

Suppose this were before the establishment of the Ars Goetia and the strict militarization of the Devil Race through Zekram's consistent efforts. Devil Race wasn't as weak as many would believe, even if they lacked the high-end powerhouses, which was true.

But every existing Pillar Clan or Extra Devil Clan could boast about one or more Ultimate-Classes and many more High-Class. And the Clans like these were rare, because most Devil Aristocratic Clans nowadays had even High Ultimate-Classes among them and multiple Ultimate-Classes devils.

Which was a result of the continuous training and strengthening for the past centuries.

But Shalba didn't know, because there was no way he would know of this. 

If there was one thing that Ars Goetia excelled at, it was weeding out traitors and sympathizers with the Old Satan Faction. Under the leadership of Gehrman Lucifuge, all who had even a shred of split loyalty were executed or imprisoned.

The last Beelzebub hated to admit it out loud, but he was blind about the true state of the true state of Ars Goetia or the state of the Devil Clans.

As he was about to give a command to start moving his troops and Lesser Daemons against the usurpers that were on the 1st Layer Avernus, as he was eager to test his newfound might against the Devils that were supposed to be his subjects.

Suddenly, before anything could happen, Shalba felt tremors, and in a split second after the said tremors, and then only a blinding light as almost everything, with large parts of the base and mountains, started exploding.

Just in the last second, he activated the protective artifact he was given from his Patron God, as dark black Abyssal Magic spread around his entire body and protected him from much of the explosions and their aftermath.

One didn't need to be a genius to figure out what was happening.

They were being attacked.

And Shalba also recognized one-half of the aura of one of the attackers based on the power that was used to strike their base.

Bael.

***

Several Moments Earlier

The strategy that Sirzechs and MacDou created was rather simple and complicated at the same time. Because of the information obtained from the reconnaissance of the base of Abyssal Satans Cult, they knew that they were at a severe numerical disadvantage.

"Are you sure that it would work?"

MacDou Voldigoad asked as she looked at the Runes on her hands while the rest of the Joint Suppression Destruction Task Force and some stronger Mercenaries of the Gunguscar Private Military Company had the same kind of Runes inscribed on them.

"Yes... This is an upgraded version of the Magic Sharing Runic Array. It would allow the other people to transfer their Demonic Energy into our bodies so we can exert far higher power than would be usually possible for us."

Sirzechs proposed a rather simple plan.

He knew that they needed to cut down the number of the Abyssal Satans Cult and also to deprive them of some life-saving methods. If there was one thing that the Abyssal Cultists were famous for, then it was their life preservation and artifacts that they used to block attacks and avoid death.

"We will use our respective version of Destruction Magic Rule, and with the support of the others pouring their Demonic Energy into us, we can use an attack whose potency would reach levels of the stronger degree of Overlord-Class. With this, we should be able to obliterate their defenses, Bounded Fields, and cut down their numbers by a huge degree."

Wth the Gremory Clan Trait, High-Speed Divine Rune Cast allowed him to use Runes at frigneting mastery, and with the Six Eyes and other Gremory Clan Trait, Extreme Demonic Energy Control.

It wasn't the first time he used this Array, because the Gremory Clansmen actually used it very often. Fun fact... for the Gremroy Legions that were commanded by members of the House Gremory, the commanders used Magic Sharing Runic Array in correlation with the Extreme Demonic Energy Control to unleash devastating attacks far above their Class.

"As you say."

MacDou nodded and prepared to cast her Magic.

"Roygun... when we attack the base of the Cult, you will take the heavy hitters and go directly after the Dimensional Pathways to the Abyss and use your Clan Trait to close them down."

The Crack Clan Trait, which was able to create "tears" in objects or individuals, was perfect for closing the Dimensional Pathways, because she could directly collapse the Dimensional Pathway with almost zero effort.

"I understand."

Roygun has taken some of the strongest members of the Joint Suppression Destruction Task Force, and also Apostle Gigai, because closing down the Dimensional Pathway to the Abyss was of paramount importance.

"Then let's start."

Sirzechs stated that as both he and MacDou started using their branches of the Destruction... he was using the Power of Destruction while she was using the Source Destruction of the Voldigoad Lineage.

Soon enough, their attacks were reaching the potency of peak High Ultimate-Class, and each sphere of pure Destruction was powerful enough to obliterate several High Ultimate-Class into nothingness.

It was then that the Magic Sharing Runic Array activated, and Demonic Energy from the other people in the Joint Suppression Destruction Task Force started pouring into both of them, which allowed Sirzechs and MacDou to unleash a level of destruction that had never been possible before.