Chapter 783 |
【 REDUCED TO A BOOTLICKER 】
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“The origin core of the First Layer of Hell?”
Evé slightly leaned forward, her gaze toward Azazel carrying a hint of scrutiny.
Under those deep violet eyes, Azazel felt as though he had been completely seen through, and surprisingly, he became somewhat reserved.
His expression shifted repeatedly before he finally gritted his teeth and said:
“Your Majesty, All-Divine Mother, I wish to make a deal with you!”
Evé glanced at Azazel before suddenly smiling.
“A deal?”
After hearing Eve’s words, Azazel’s expression immediately darkened.
Seeing him suddenly wilt like a frostbitten eggplant, Evé shook her head and sighed softly.
“Go on then. What sort of deal do you want to make?”
As she spoke, she rested her chin on one hand. Before the other party could even answer, she thoughtfully continued:
“Let me guess… I heard that the Heavenly Gods’ Einherjar Armies are currently attacking the First Layer of Hell. Could it be that… the core of your dominion is about to be discovered?”
Azazel opened his mouth, only to fall silent once more.
Meanwhile, Evé continued:
“For you Demon Lords, the core of the layer for which you govern is also the source of your divine essence. With that being said… are you perhaps seeking my protection?”
After saying this, she looked at Azazel with a faint smile.
Azazel’s expression, however, became rather complicated.
He let out a long sigh before saying:
“It seems… Your Majesty already knows.”
The moment those words left his mouth, Azazel appeared to lose all strength at once.
He barely managed to raise his head, forcing out an awkward smile.
“Then… are you willing to accept?”
Facing the Seventh Demon Lord’s complicated gaze, one that faintly carried a trace of expectation, Evé sighed softly.
“I always thought you Demon Lords did not fear death.”
Azazel let out a self-mocking sigh.
“I once believed that as well…”
“But why should I agree to your request?”
Eve suddenly changed the subject.
Azazel froze slightly.
His eyes widened as he looked at Evé in astonishment, while she calmly continued:
“With Samael around, he is fully capable of replacing your role. The First Layer of Hell is already chaotic enough, so why should I involve myself in such troublesome matters?”
Azazel’s expression immediately turned ugly.
Grinding his teeth, he spoke with the attitude of someone who had already abandoned all dignity:
“B-But I am far more suitable than him to become the master of this place, the Demon Lord Labyrinth!”
“Furthermore, that bastard Samael is violent and hot-tempered. Perhaps to you, he makes for a fitting Dungeon Boss, but he is absolutely unsuited to assisting you in managing the entire labyrinth!”
“Not to mention, he is extremely vindictive. Your Majesty will never obtain his loyalty!”
“But I am different. I have been sealed away for tens of thousands of years already. I have long since grown accustomed to imprisonment, and honestly, life here in the labyrinth is not entirely unbearable for me anymore. Thus, I am willing to offer my loyalty!”
As he spoke, Azazel raised his head and looked directly at Evé with blazing eyes.
Meeting his gaze, Evé sighed.
“And you think I would trust the words of a demon?”
Azazel fell silent, offering no rebuttal.
Only after a long pause did he grit his teeth and say:
“That is precisely why… I am willing to tell you the location of my core.”
Evé shook her head.
“No, what your doing right now is just merely a desperate measure taken in exchange for protection.”
Hearing her response, Azazel’s expression grew increasingly unsightly, even faintly despondent.
That was, until Evé abruptly changed her tone once more:
“More importantly, do you even trust me that much? After telling me where your core is located, are you not afraid that I might destroy it after finding it? Or perhaps… claim it for myself?”
Realizing that Evé had not rejected him outright, Azazel’s spirits instantly lifted.
He took a deep breath and replied:
“No, Your Majesty All-Divine Mother would surely not.”
“Oh? And why is that?”
Evé asked with interest.
Azazel respectfully explained:
“Because even if Your Majesty were to destroy it, the Abyss would simply give birth to a new layer of Hell. And aside from Abyssal creatures, no existence can gain the Abyss’s recognition and become the master of a hell layer!”
“Perhaps you could seal it away, but you would never be able to take it out of the Abyss. But… what benefit would there be for you in sealing an entire Layer of Hell?”
“Your Majesty, All-Divine Mother, I know that you wish to continuously strengthen yourself through the power of the Abyss. If the my core were sealed away, then how would you obtain that power?”
After hearing Azazel’s words, Evé fell into thought.
Meanwhile, the nervous Seventh Demon Lord held his breath as he waited for her response.
Only after several moments did Evé finally speak again:
“Still not enough. What makes you so certain that Samael would not become a better choice than you? After all, his strength far surpasses yours.”
She gently shook her head.
“I will work harder!”
Azazel hurriedly replied.
As he spoke, he patted his chest and said sincerely, even with a faint trace of pleading:
“I will properly manage the Demon Lord Labyrinth! If you command me to go east, I will never go west! I will keep all those sealed mythical beings completely under control!”
“More importantly, the gates of the First Layer of Hell will also be fully opened to you, and to your Elven Chosen Ones! That is something Samael could never accomplish!”
“Besides… now that you already know the location of my Core, you can destroy it at any time. Even if you do not trust my loyalty, you would never need to worry about my betrayal!”
“Please… give me a chance!”
After speaking, he looked at Evé with hopeful eyes.
However, Evé did not answer.
Time passed second by second.
The anticipation in Azazel’s eyes gradually transformed into unease, and from unease into despair.
Just as he began to feel that all hope was lost, Evé finally responded.
“Azazel, remember the words you have spoken today.”
Evé smiled faintly.
After saying that, she adjusted her posture and continued:
“Go on then. Where is your core hidden?”
Azazel was overjoyed.
Afraid that Evé might suddenly change her mind, he hurriedly summoned a sphere of his divine power and presented it to her.
“Your Majesty, All-Divine Mother! No… Supreme Goddess! These are the coordinates of my Dominion’s Origin Core!”
Evé calmly accepted it and inspected it with her divine sense. One of her brows rose slightly before she slowly nodded.
Afterward, she stood up from her divine throne, while the vine-woven seat beneath her dissolved into light.
“Manage the Demon Lord Labyrinth properly. Do not allow another incident like today’s to occur.”
She said calmly.
“Yes! I will definitely manage it properly! I absolutely will not disappoint you!”
Azazel said excitedly.
Evé nodded in satisfaction and turned to leave. However, just before departing, she suddenly paused as though something had crossed her mind.
Seeing her hesitation, Azazel’s heart immediately tightened with nervousness.
Then, a flash of light appeared in Eve’s hand, revealing a leaf from the World Tree.
She tossed it toward Azazel and said:
“Use this if you need to contact me in the future.”
Azazel’s eyes instantly lit up as he hurriedly caught it.
Meanwhile, Evé let out a soft laugh before leaving the labyrinth.
“Farewell, Supreme Goddess!”
Facing the direction of Eve’s departure, Azazel slightly bowed and spoke respectfully.
Only after he could no longer sense Eve’s presence did he finally collapse onto his throne and let out a long breath of relief.
The heavy burden in his heart had finally been lifted.
Azazel regained his spirits, and along with that renewed energy came a sense of delight.
His eyes flickered as he suddenly stood up from his throne and used the labyrinth’s authority to teleport himself directly into Samael’s palace.
Looking at the Second Demon Lord, who was bound to the throne like a dead dog, Azazel’s mood improved even further.
He let out a cold laugh before viciously kicking the other party once, saying with great satisfaction:
“Hmph, Samael, you foolish idiot. Do not even dream of ever climbing above me!”
Then, amidst Samael’s furious yet utterly bewildered expression, Azazel thoroughly beat up his old rival before finally leaving the ugliest palace in the entire labyrinth in complete satisfaction.
As long as this mortal enemy looked even more miserable than himself, his mood would remain balanced.
Only after returning to his own palace and picking up his sweet melon once more did Azazel suddenly freeze.
“Wait…”
“In the beginning… wasn’t I only planning to make a simple deal with Yggdrasill?”
“So how did it end with me making a whole string of promises and completely turning into a shameless simp?”
༺⟐༻
After leaving the Demon Lord Labyrinth, Evé returned to her Divine Kingdom.
Obtaining the coordinates to Azazel’s Origin Core had truly been an unexpected gain.
“The First Layer of Hell, huh? The war there is escalating more and more intensely. The incarnations of the gods should also be gathered there. I have only just advanced to the rank of a higher divine power, and my identity has become increasingly suspicious. I am currently standing at the center of attention, so it would be unwise to go there openly…”
“Perhaps I should send the players there once again. Meanwhile, I could disguise myself as Féng and hide among them, then secretly locate Azazel’s Core and place it under my protection.”
“Perfect. As one of the orthodox gods, it is only proper that I participate in the Crusade as well. Openly dispatching the Chosen Ones’ Legion would be entirely justified, and it would also allow the players to become familiar with those Einherjars and angels in advance…”
Evé pondered silently.
She was not particularly worried about Azazel’s loyalty.
As long as she controlled his Origin Core, it did not matter even if his loyalty was merely superficial.
And honestly speaking, Evé was quite satisfied with Azazel.
This fellow learned quickly. Whether all Abyssal myths were like this or only he was special remained unclear, but despite having spent only a few years within the Demon Lord Labyrinth, he had already completely adapted to his role.
Of course, even though she was satisfied inwardly, Evé would never reveal it openly.
Now that Samael had arrived, Evé did not mind using this new Demon Lord to pressure Azazel a little either.
Although Samael was nominally the labyrinth’s assistant administrator, in a certain sense he’s also Azazel’s rival. It did not matter what Samael himself thought, as long as Azazel viewed him that way.
Pressure created motivation.
With Samael around, Azazel would likely work even harder.
Lately, Evé felt that she was becoming increasingly skilled at managing these unruly Demon Lords.
As for the commotion that had previously erupted within the labyrinth, it was easy enough to explain. She simply needed to tell the truth openly that the newly captured Demon Lord had escaped.
Evé was confident that the players would never suspect anything unusual.
After years of subtle influence, the players had long since become convinced that Elven Kingdom existed solely to create a realistic alternate world experience.
At this point, even if she directly told the players:
“Oh everyone, I actually exist in reality, and all of you are merely laborers I summoned from Earth. In fact, this world is not really a game and I only disguised it as one for you…”
And she was sure the players would most likely just laugh it off without caring in the slightest.
They would simply assume it was part of Elven Kingdom’s narrative setting.
Everything existed solely to make the game feel more realistic.
Which sounded perfectly reasonable.
“I should also transfer my true body back as soon as possible. The number of Abyssal Myths within the Demon Lord Labyrinth is increasing, and relying solely on the labyrinth’s suppression carries risks. Being directly suppressed by my true body remains the safest option.”
“Not to mention, it is inconvenient to continuously rely on the Gate of Reversal and the network of faith to transport resurrected players across dimensions. Since I have decided to continue developing within the World of Seigües, keeping my true body in Mindel is simply too impractical.”
“However, I should be able to reopen the dimensional passageway connecting Mindel to Seigües.”
“For the players, that place is quite an exciting world in its own right. Furthermore, the oceanic creatures of the Mindel Realm still need to be subdued and gathered in preparation for cultivating believers for Aurora. All of this requires manpower…”
Evé reflected thoughtfully.
There already existed a dimensional passageway connecting Mindel to Seigües, something she had sensed upon becoming the ‘Master of the Realm’ of both worlds.
However, like most dimensional passageway, it remained sealed.
Now that the seal over the World of Seigües was gradually weakening, reopening such a preexisting passageway, while difficult, was no longer impossible.
Especially since the two realms possessed relatively similar attributes, thus the cost of opening the passageway would also be lower.
According to Eve’s perception, the passage was located quite close to the Elven Forest, situated at the border between it and the Extreme Northern Artic Icefields.
There also lay two lost elven cities that the players had yet to explore: Crystal City and Frozen Valley.
Speaking of which, there was a reason why the players had never managed to reach those two elven cities.
Within Eve’s perception, a massive canyon split apart the northern forests of the Elven Forest. The fragments of the former World Tree’s Divine Kingdom and the players’ Winterhold City were both located southeast of the canyon, standing across the river from the Orc Alliance’s Extreme Northern Icefields.
Meanwhile, the two elven cities and the dimensional passageway to the Mindel Realm were all located northwest of the canyon.
The canyon was unimaginably deep, even more terrifying than the Dark Mountains wherein Rivendell was located. If Eve’s judgment was correct, it too had likely been left behind during the Millennium Year Old Holy War.
Combined with its remote location and the abundance of Gold-rank high-level magical beasts within it, it was perfectly normal that nobody had dared venture there until now.
After deciding to establish the dimensional passageway, Evé withdrew her attention.
Then, she shifted her focus toward a certain location within the cosmic void.
Her gaze gradually deepened.
For Evé, advancing to the rank of a higher divine power had not merely increased her strength.
At the same time, she had sensed a faint yet persistent call.
That call was identical to the one she had once felt from the Gate of Reversal.
It was a summons originating from the “Cradle of Origin.”
“The Cradle of Origin, huh… Now that I have advanced to the rank of higher divine power, I finally possess the qualifications to explore it.”
Evé murmured thoughtfully.
She had once made an agreement with Urinos. The other party had promised to bring her to the Cradle of Origin once she advanced to the rank of higher divine power.
However, Evé had already read Urinos’s invitation. The proposed date was still several months away, but currently, it looks like this Ancestral Dragon still appeared to be asleep.
If she truly waited for Urinos to awaken, it would still take several more months.
Yet Evé could not help but feel intensely curious.
Even so, despite that curiosity, she forcibly restrained herself.
The Cradle of Origin… her true body could not enter it.
Only incarnations were capable of entering.
And the power of a true god’s incarnation was ultimately inferior to that of their true body.
To be safe, it would be better to wait until Urinos awakened and she visited Dragon Island before exploring that place together with her.
Toward a place capable of driving countless true gods mad, Evé still maintained a considerable degree of caution.
Thinking this, Evé silently organized her plans for the near future:
First, summon new players and upgrade the Demon Lord Labyrinth.
Second, open the dimensional passage to Mindel Realm and recover the final two lost elven cities along the way.
Third, intervene in the ongoing Crusade within the First Layer of Hell and locate Azazel’s Hell Core.
Fourth, continue dispatching armies to suppress the demons wandering throughout Seigües, while simultaneously taking advantage of the demons’ destruction and the Eternal Church’s inaction to undermine humanity’s faith, and formally begin advancing toward the Wasteland of Desolation, a sunken world that very likely could be pulled back out of the Abyss once more…
And finally, several months later, visit Urinos and explore the Cradle of Origin.
“Oh, right. There is also the East.”
“In the eastern regions of the continent… it seems a new deity has awakened.”
“And most likely, an Ancient God.”
Faintly, Evé felt a sense of premonition.
The next few months were unlikely to be peaceful for her.
〘 〙 〘 NEXT 〙
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