From Hogwarts to Strixhaven.

Chapter 562 Deep into Hell
"Hoo—" Karak took a deep breath and spat on the marble floor decorated with gold thread. "It stinks of hell everywhere!"

After using the Flame Fist soldiers to send a private letter signed "Burning Flame" Liana Porter to Raphael, who was hiding in the outer city, Ivy led the adventurers through the devil's tip's hell portal to Raphael's home in Avernas—Hope House.

This hellish fortress floating above the River Styx is completely different from the other scenery in Bloodbath Hell, presenting a stark contrast.

As the first layer of hell, Aphrodite borders the abyss, and war is the eternal theme here.

Under the command of the leaders of the Abyss and Hell, countless demons and devils fought each other, maintaining an eternal battle line.

Perhaps one side can temporarily gain the upper hand at times, but because countless devils and demons are born from hell and the abyss at all times, the bloody war remains at a stalemate even after countless years.

It is precisely because of the existence of the Blood War that the prime material plane of the Toril world has not been completely ravaged by the two great scourges, demons and devils.

Although both devils and demons can multiply infinitely, there are differences in their growth efficiency.

The abyss contains even more layers capable of giving birth to demons. It is said that the bottomless abyss has countless layers, each occupied by a powerful demon lord, and each giving birth to demons that embody the source of chaos. If it weren't for the fact that these demons from different layers also fight amongst themselves, the blood war would probably have ended in an overwhelming victory for the demons long ago.

Even so, the number of demons pouring into Afonas was often ten or even twenty times that of the Nine Hells Legion.

As a manifestation of the power of order, the devils have a very strict hierarchy, with the upper-level devils having near-absolute dominance over the lower-level devils. Therefore, with discipline equivalent to combat power, the Nine Hells Legion, with its strict hierarchy, was still able to withstand an attack from a devils whose numbers far outnumbered its opponents.

To fulfill his ambition of extending his order throughout the entire world of Toril, Asmodeus, the Lord of the Nine Hells, had more than just the requirement to hold the front lines during the Blood War. He hoped that the Legion of the Nine Hells could launch a counterattack, dragging each level of the Abyss into the Nine Hells one by one, thus replenishing and enhancing his own strength.

Therefore, he appointed the valiant and skilled fallen demon Zariel as the lord of Afonas to control the entire Legion of the Nine Hells. Even though Zariel had been involved in a massive Hellish rebellion many years ago and had been imprisoned in the Bronze Fortress by Afonas's previous demonic lord, Byr, who gradually eroded his power, Asmodeus still ordered Byr to free Zariel, remove Byr from the throne, and reinstate Zariel.

However, for the sake of his bloody war, Asmodeus strictly forbade Bayer and Zariel from fighting each other, and to some extent relaxed his surveillance and control over Tiamat, another great demon who was also imprisoned in Avernas. This resulted in Bayer, Zariel, and Tiamat eventually forming a three-way balance of power where none of them could dominate.

If we cannot break the deadlock from within, then we must rely on the power of the external world.

In order to regain absolute control over Avernus, Zariel began plotting on the continent of Faerûn in the Prime Material World to comprehensively enhance his power.

Falling into Altoril, the holy city of Avernus, is merely the first step in Zariel's conspiracy. She intends to replicate her success in other famous cities of Faerûn, with her next target being the geographically close Baldur's Gate.

However, the situation at Baldur's Gate was far too complicated, and Zariel's conspiracy ended before it even began.

From the Three Gods of Death to the Demon Grand Duke Mephisto, there are many evil forces that covet this sweet fruit, and the Supreme God, created by a series of coincidences, has become the most likely threat to the entire continent of Faerûn.

The eyes of countless gods converge here, witnessing a few mortals decide the future of the continent of Faerûn.

Among them, a half-demon hiding in Afonas was waiting for an opportunity to steal the greatest spoils.

As the half-demon son of Mephisto, the first mage of the Nine Hells, Raphael's vision was naturally superior to that of most life forms in the world, but this was not necessarily a good thing for him. When a person's ambition exceeds their ability, it often only leads to disaster.

Raphael had long coveted Mephisto's treasure trove, and the most prized possession of his was the crown of Karthus, a relic of the man who brought about the destruction of the ancient arcane empire of Netheril.

To break through his father's sealing magic and seize the Crown of Karthus, Raphael poured all his knowledge into forging a hammer capable of shattering Mephisto's seal. Once he wielded this hammer and opened the doors to his father's treasury, the Crown of Karthus would be within his grasp.

However, the cowardly Raphael never had the courage to rebel against his father; otherwise, he wouldn't have settled in Aphrodite, the farthest of the nine hells from Mephistopheles. To conceal his ambition, he even gave his greatest masterpiece a misleading name—the Hammer of Orpheus.

They claimed that this hammer could free Orpheus, the son of Gith, who was imprisoned in the Astral Prism by Vairakis. They constantly publicized and boasted about this among the high demons, using it as one of the symbols of their power.

Although Raphael had imagined countless times smashing open his father's treasury with the Orpheus hammer and stealing the crown of Calathes, he never actually did it. Therefore, since Raphael completed the Orpheus hammer, it has never been used.

Until two mortals, the chosen ones of the Triune of Death, broke into Mephistopheles' treasury, ransacked it without a hammer, and stole the prize Raphael had been dreaming of.

What he dared to dream of but not to do, two mortals accomplished. Raphael felt only anger, yet also joy. As for that slight sense of shame, he buried it deep within his heart.

With the Crown of Karthus now lost in Faerûn, Raphael saw this as an opportunity. He kept a close eye on the situation, wanting to get the biggest reward for the least amount of money. He contacted several adventurers who were suffering from Mind Flayer tadpoles and offered them a deal: the Hammer of Orpheus in exchange for the Crown of Karthus.

However, Raphael clearly did not understand the meaning of "things are accomplished in secret, and ruined by being revealed."

Thanks to his early boasting about his work, Mammon's sorcerer Hershik spread news about the Hammer of Orpheus throughout the Baldur's Gate black market, revealing Raphael's trump card far too early.

His charade during the adventurers' journey failed to fool anyone. Even a group of aliens who had just arrived in Faerûn heard about the power of the Hammer of Orpheus and were even willing to exchange their souls for the right to use the hammer.

But Raphael never wanted the souls of a few green-skinned aliens; what he wanted was the Crown of Calathes, the power to shake the rule of the Nine Hells.

However, in addition to his setback at Baldur's Gate, Raphael also found no peace in his hometown.

The plot to drag Baldur's Gate into Hell was thwarted, and a hulled ship even crashed into Hell when El Toril fell into Avernus. It not only caused the annihilation of Zariel's scouts, but also cost him his beloved war dog, Hell Champion Kalak.

On one hand, to gather intelligence on the continent of Faerûn, and on the other hand, to retrieve his warhound, Zariel dispatched his most capable half-demon assistant, Mizora.

However, Mizora had only just arrived at Baldur's Gate when she learned of Raphael's schemes from the black market.

In order to monitor and warn his logistics supplier Raphael, Zariel dispatched his Supreme Judge, the Devil Auditor, Veris Rysept to Raphael's stronghold, the Mansion of Hope, for an inspection.

As creatures most adept at leaving loopholes in contracts, demons have incredibly complex paperwork. Even when it comes to the allocation of supplies for bloody battles, the forms and documents to fill out are countless. Fortunately, demons are immortal beings, so even mountains of paperwork cannot completely overwhelm them.

However, the mortal world changes much faster than Hell. To avoid missing any events within Baldur's Gate, and to closely monitor whether he can strike a deal that will change his destiny...

Raphael couldn't stay in the Mansion of Hope. If he were to be entangled with Zariel's devil auditors, he would be unable to escape for at least ten days to two weeks.

By then, the daylilies were already cold.

Raphael dared not openly stay within Baldur's Gate, the lair of the Supreme Gods and the Triune Gods of Death, the very center of the Vortex. If he rashly ventured in, who knew if he would even survive to claim the Crown of Karthus?

Unable to return home, Raphael had no choice but to hide in a brothel, relying on magic to control Captain Flamefist in order to obtain information about the interior of Baldur's Gate.

“Verilis Rysept.” Ivy strolled through Raphael’s luxurious castle, pointing at the visitor list at the entrance. “Since he’s in Avernas, he must be working for Zariel. Have you heard of this guy? Karak.”

Adventurers who arrived at the Mansion of Hope through the portal were looking around at the luxurious interior of the Devil's Castle. Even the waiting room used to entertain visitors was decorated in a way that surpassed the vampire lord's palace.

Apart from Ivy, almost no adventurer could suppress a gasp.

“A high-ranking official.” Karak rubbed his itchy nose and stood behind Ivy. “He holds a position similar to a military judge in Zariel’s legion. Since Raphael operates in Avernas, he must be under the control of Veris Rysept. After all, Zariel is the most powerful in this land.”

“That sounds like useful information.” Ivy nodded to indicate that she understood.

Then he clapped his hands, signaling everyone to look at him.

"This is Avernus, the infamous battlefield of bloodshed, and the Mansion of Hope floating above the River Styx is Raphael's stronghold. We must be extremely vigilant." Seeing everyone nod, he continued, "But don't worry, we have plenty of time. With a little disguise, we can—"

Accompanied by a wisp of pale red smoke, a projection emitting a faint glow appeared in front of the door behind Ivy.

He stopped talking and turned around alertly.

It was a projection resembling a celestial being, belonging to a female dwarf, whose appearance was identical to Corera Heartfire, whom Ivy had killed by the broken bridge in the desolate woodland village.

Raphael the sorcerer's soul is still under Ivy's control, but due to the existence of the devil's contract, Ivy is temporarily unable to obtain any information about Raphael from it.

The dwarf woman who resembled Corella Heartfire looked flustered and terrified: "You've come...you've finally come. Curiosity kills the cat, and it won't be very friendly to you."

She opened her arms and curtsied, the heavy chains clattering at the same time, and her face, enveloped in red light, twitched painfully.

"A prisoner imprisoned by Raphael?" Ivy asked with interest.

"Ah...the jailer will hear us...I shouldn't be talking to you, I have to go, it's not good for me."

The dwarf's figure flickered, shrinking back as she tried to disappear from Ivy's sight.

But this was never done with Ivy's consent.

"Coming and going as you please, isn't that a bit too much freedom for a prisoner?" Ivy clenched her fist, and the pale red figure of the female dwarf solidified again, frozen in place in terror. "Introduce yourself."

As if strolling in his own living room, Ivy snapped his fingers, and the cushioned sofa in Raphael's porch instantly appeared behind him, where he comfortably sank into it.

The female dwarf's celestial projection trembled, quickly and frantically satisfying Ivy's curiosity: "That's my favorite question... I'll scream it into the darkness while I'm sleeping, and then whisper it into my memories when I wake up."

“I will kill you, and that is the only reason you live. Born of promises, destroyed by truth. I am a handshake, an embrace, the first heartbeat of a newborn baby.”

"I am hope. The only thing she has left."

Ivy nodded in understanding: "I see, a broken soul."

“And it was Raphael who broke it,” Karak added, standing next to Ivy with her arms crossed.

"Hush—" The dwarf woman who called herself Hope held up a finger to her lips, "Every soul here is broken. This is the only outcome of making a deal with the devil. To become a pathetic wretch."

"The jailer is watching me, so all our conversations must be conducted in utmost hushed tones." Hope's eyes widened, seemingly completely unconcerned that her celestial form was being magically held in Ivy's hand. "What can this poor little wretch like me do for you?"

“Our original plan was to kill Raphael, but we can’t do that until we get his Orpheus Hammer,” Ivy said calmly, explaining the adventurers’ plan.

“The hammer is in Raphael’s archives. Go down the corridor, past the debtors, and you’ll get there…” A hopeful look appeared on Hope’s face. “I’ve answered your question. I hope you can answer mine too.”

“Speak.” Ivy believed she only had one question, and that was about the commitment to get out of the current situation.

Sure enough, Hope raised her hands to her chest, adopting a gesture of prayer, and quickly and devoutly repeated the same question several times: "Can you save me? Please, please, please, please, please..."

(End of this chapter)