Back at the apartment, Chen Jing collapsed onto the sofa like a puppet with its strings cut. She sprawled out with a dramatic sigh, exhaustion written all over her face.
"I must be insane to have gone to that place with you," she groaned. "Shen Lu, you totally owe me a hot pot dinner."
Lucifer stood by the window, his posture rigid and his gaze fixed on the distant skyline. The moonlight bathed him in a pale glow, but it did little to soften the oppressive gloom radiating from him. He didn't bother responding to Chen Jing's complaints. Instead, his voice was cold and distant:
"You should be grateful you made it back alive."
Chen Jing shot him a glare before grabbing a cushion and hurling it at him. "Quit acting all high and mighty! You were practically sprinting back there. I've seen track stars with slower strides."
Lucifer caught the cushion effortlessly, his expression unchanging as he cast her a sideways glance. "Mortals like you mistake your foolishness for humor far too often."
A grin spread across Chen Jing's face as she propped herself up, hugging another cushion. "Oh, come on. I saw it—you were scared. Even your flames were flickering back there. Be honest, are you afraid of ghosts?"
Lucifer's jaw tightened ever so slightly, a subtle crack in his usual stoic demeanor. He raised his hand, and a wisp of black fire flickered to life in his palm. Within the flames, a faint crimson sigil glowed ominously.
Chen Jing flinched. "Ugh! That creepy symbol again! Can you not whip that thing out every five minutes? It's giving me chills."
"Silence," Lucifer commanded sharply, his eyes narrowing. "This is no mere symbol. It's a residual mark of wrathful energy. The entities we encountered tonight were no accident. They were puppets, manipulated by a greater power."
His voice dropped, his tone heavy with foreboding. "This is the work of a force from the Abyss. The Whispering Fly… Beelzebub."
Chen Jing blinked. "Beelzebub? That sounds like something straight out of a fantasy novel. Wait, don't tell me he's one of your hellish old pals?"
"Beelzebub," Lucifer said, his expression darkening further, "is one of the Seven Demon Kings of Hell, the embodiment of corruption and the lord of flies." His voice grew icier. "But this isn't his direct doing. A demon of his rank would not stoop to such trivialities. This reeks of his servants—parasitic wretches carrying out his will in the shadows."
"Hold on." Chen Jing sat up, frowning. "You're supposed to be the big boss of Hell, right? Can't you just snap your fingers and deal with all these lesser demons? What's the point of being King of Hell if everyone's running amok?"
Lucifer's lips curled into a faint, humorless smile. He turned his gaze to the moonlit skyline. "You're mistaken, mortal. Hell is not a monarchy ruled by a singular tyrant. It is chaos, governed by those who embody its essence. The King of Hell is not an autocrat, but the one who commands balance in the pandemonium."
"Command chaos? Sounds fancy," Chen Jing quipped, raising an eyebrow. "But honestly, it sounds like you're just a figurehead with no real power."
Lucifer's piercing glare silenced her for a moment. "You know nothing," he said, his voice carrying a weight that demanded attention. "The Seven Demon Kings are not my subordinates. Each wields dominion over one of the Seven Deadly Sins, forming the foundation of Hell's power. I am one of them."
"Wait, what?" Chen Jing held up a hand, her brow furrowed in confusion. "You're telling me you're one of the Seven? So, what, you're like… part of some demonic board of directors?"
Lucifer scoffed, his pride evident in the way he held his head high. "I embody the sin of Pride. Pride is the root of all sin, the beginning of power itself. That is why I am the King of Hell."
"Big surprise there," Chen Jing muttered with a smirk. "So, what's Beelzebub? The CEO of Flies?"
Lucifer's gaze sharpened. "Beelzebub embodies Gluttony. He represents decay, consumption, and the corruption of all things." His voice dropped to a chilling whisper. "And the shadow we faced tonight? It bore the taint of his servants."
Chen Jing processed this in silence for a moment before snorting. "So Hell's basically split into seven departments, each run by one of you Demon Kings? Sounds like a hellish corporation. Do you guys have quarterly meetings too?"
"Ridiculous," Lucifer snapped, though his tone held a trace of exasperation. "The Seven Deadly Sins are not organizational structures. They are primordial forces, each vying for dominance yet bound by the need for balance. Beelzebub's actions here disrupt that balance."
"And you're just gonna let that slide?" Chen Jing challenged. "I thought you were the most powerful one."
Lucifer's expression darkened. "Destroying Beelzebub's forces outright would upset the equilibrium. Hell operates on a fragile balance. Each Sin's influence keeps the others in check. Eliminating one would destabilize the entire realm."
"That sounds… inconvenient," Chen Jing admitted, leaning back on the couch. "But aren't you supposed to be the King? Can't you just—I don't know—bend the rules?"
Lucifer shot her a pointed look. "Even a king has limits. My power is bound by mortal laws while I remain in this realm. Beelzebub's influence spreads unchecked because his servants exploit loopholes in these very rules."
"Figures." Chen Jing sighed dramatically. "Even in Hell, bureaucracy is a pain."
Lucifer didn't dignify her comment with a response. Instead, he turned back to the window, his silhouette framed against the city lights.
"So, what's next?" Chen Jing asked after a beat. "You've got creepy fly-demons running around, a summoning circle in the park, and a mortal assistant who just wants to survive this week. What's the grand plan, oh mighty Lord of Pride?"
Lucifer's voice was steady, resolute. "We track the corruption to its source. If Beelzebub's servants are involved, they will leave behind more than shadows."
"And then?"
Lucifer's eyes glinted in the darkness. "Then, I remind them why Pride stands above all."
Chen Jing couldn't suppress a small shiver. "Great. Let's just hope we don't run into anything worse than tonight's shadow monsters."
Lucifer's gaze didn't waver from the window. His hand clenched, the faint hum of infernal energy crackling in the air around him. "Pray that we don't."