Hell—a place where sinners and infidels go after death, a perpetual realm of dark torments and horrors. The filth of the human race was gathered here in one place, divided into Seven Circles, each acting as a world within Hell itself, governed by Seven Infernal Princes and Dukes, and above them—a king.
In the Sixth Circle of Greed.
The Sixth Circle of Greed was an enormous city encompassing half of the Infernal Circle. It was one of the poorest cities in Hell and the second with the highest rate of violence, second only to the Third Circle of Wrath.
Atop a volcano constantly spewing lava, a castle made of obsidian was situated in the center of the volcano, tempered by the immense amount of molten rock.
Opening his reptilian yellow eyes, a painful roar escaped the tooth-filled mouth of the castle's owner. His roar of agony echoed through half of the Infernal Circle, causing countless demons to look in shock towards the volcano where the castle was located.
If anyone looked into Belial's eyes at that moment, they would see remnants of crimson flames burning intensely within them.
Breathing heavily, hot sulfurous air emanated from the infernal duke's mouth.
Rising from his throne, Belial walked forward, his yellow demonic energy unconsciously warping the air grotesquely. Everything seemed to decay and wither before that yellow demonic energy.
Dressed in an elegant black suit, he resembled a human noble, if not for his beastly features.
Belial had a human appearance, at least his body did, but his face was covered in scales reminiscent of desert dunes, his head resembled a lizard with horns curved backward. He had a broad, thick tail with a pointed end.
Belial's beastly face contorted violently with rage, just remembering that he had to kneel before a filthy half-breed, a fury never before felt grew in his chest.
Reaching his castle's balcony, Belial looked down and saw one of his infernal legions. They were billions of demons, all seeming to thirst for blood and flesh. Originally, he was ready to attack the Fifth Circle of Sloth, but he changed his plans at that moment.
He would hunt the half-breed with his legion, not just for what his existence represented, but for the humiliation he suffered at the bastard's hands. Even now, he could feel the flames of Hell burning his soul, bringing a pain simply impossible to describe.
Recalling the last location where he sensed the half-breed, Belial leaned on the edge of the balcony and roared, his voice reaching all the demons.
"Listen up! You have orders!"
" HUNT, SEEK, AND DESTROY!"
"Location – Human World, City of Portland!"
"HUNT, SEEK, AND DESTROY!!!!"
His voice, full of fury, rage, and murderous intent, painted the scarlet sky of the Sixth Infernal Circle a shade of yellow.
If Amara had been present to hear his words, she would have been shocked by what was happening. Not even in her wildest dreams did she think Belial would reveal Daemom's location.
Although Belial did not say who Daemom was, he practically put him on stage for anyone with a bit of curiosity to search for him.
The infernal legion below roared with their lord, their malicious and malevolent laughter filled the environment with pure evil, and they shouted in unison.
"HUNT, SEEK, AND DESTROY!!!!!!"
" HUNT, SEEK, AND DESTROY!!!!"
" HUNT, SEEK, AND DESTROY!!!!!"
The sight below filled Belial with satisfaction, though he knew it was impossible for the entire infernal legion to invade the human world. He could still send hundreds of low and mid-ranking demons, even a single high-ranking demon.
"HAHAHAHAHA~" Belial let out a laugh at the thought of seeing the lifeless body of the filthy half-breed who had caused him so much pain.
-
In a palace in the Sixth Circle.
A huge man, easily weighing five hundred kilos, opened his enormous mouth and took a large bite of what seemed to be a human thigh, but many times larger than a normal human thigh. Blood appeared to drip from his mouth, yet he seemed unbothered, creating a scene worthy of causing nightmares.
His golden robe, wide and spacious for his undeniably large body, was made of gold and silver threads, and precious stones decorated the robe. On each of his twenty fat, flabby fingers were enormous rings, each with a diamond the size of an egg, shining particularly brightly in the slightly dim environment.
"Hmm." Swallowing the meat in his mouth, the demon's four blue eyes looked towards Belial's castle. Taking another bite of the thigh, he murmured while chewing the raw meat, "It seems someone hurt that idiot Belial's pride."
This was Mammon—one of the Seven Infernal Princes.
Mammon looked entirely human, without any beastly features. His head was abnormally large with four horns protruding from his forehead and four icy blue eyes blinking in unison.
Another demon approached cautiously, kneeling before the Infernal Prince and speaking without daring to look up.
"Your Malevolence, the Knight of Famine ordered his legion to go to the human world to hunt someone."
The demon's voice was serious and without delay, his body trembling under the intense gaze of the Infernal Prince.
Mammon chewed the meat in his mouth for another moment before swallowing. His twenty fingers tapped rhythmically on the material of his throne.
Dividing the Sixth Circle was never something Mammon wanted in the first place, but after the King ordered the creation of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, he had to turn a blind eye to Belial's actions, stealing his legions and occupying a large part of his territory.
Now that the King had been missing for nearly two decades, Mammon already had plans to take back everything that was rightfully his. He would not only eliminate a rival for the Abyssal Throne of Hell but also reclaim all that was his by right.
But Mammon hesitated to attack Belial. One of the reasons the Four Dukes of Hell were still alive even after the King of Hell disappeared was simple. One reason was the King of Hell himself; the other reason was that the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse stood united against any threat.
If Mammon attacked Belial, he was almost certain he would face not only Belial, someone of his level, but also the other three Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
The other three dukes were not a problem for him. Mammon did not fear them even if they came together, but the leader of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse was another story.
Just thinking about fighting that fallen angelic abomination made Mammon's enormous body tremble, his skin rippling like waves on the sea, and he even forgot to swallow the meat in his mouth.
The sword that God created solely to destroy his enemies, the one whose name literally meant destruction and abyss.
– Abaddon, Duchess of Hell and Lady of the Abyss.
"If I fight Belial, she wouldn't kill me, right?" Mammon swallowed the meat he was still chewing, murmuring without caring about the small demon still trembling, not daring to interrupt his lord's thoughts.
"She only cares about receiving orders from the King..."
After hesitating for a long time, Mammon made his decision. He would attack Belial.
"But for that, I need to call a friend..." Showing a cold, wide smile on his round face, Mammon murmured, his four eyes shining with destruction.
Then Mammon's eyes fell on the small demon who had heard all his words.
The demon trembled, knowing the imminent death that loomed over him, but he did not move and remained kneeling, not daring to look up.
Extending his enormous, flabby arm, Mammon grabbed the demon with his hand and opened his huge mouth. Without caring about the demon's screams, he let him fall straight into his mouth.
As he chewed, the sound of breaking bones and crushed flesh echoed in the silent hall. He licked his lips, as if wanting more, and murmured to himself.
"Fresh meat is always delicious."