Gracia, Lord of the Sixth Layer of Hell.

Baalzebul, Lord of the Seventh Layer of Hell.

Mephistopheles, Lord of the Eighth Circle of Hell.

Of course, there is also the All-Knowing One, Asmodeus, the King of Demons and Master of the Ninth Circle of Hell.

All the leaders of the Nine Hells have come to the bottom of hell, the end of the Styx, just to respond to the call of the King of Demons.

The devil shouldn't be afraid of heat, but Bayer felt the document in his hand was terribly hot.

Unlike his colleagues, he personally reported a large amount of intelligence, and therefore, he knew how horrific things had happened in the material plane.

Bayer was silent for a moment, then glanced at Zariel, who had also arrived. This partner, with whom he had a very bad relationship, glared back at him unhappily.

Obviously, Zariel couldn't help him share this pressure.

Bayer finally spoke with a look of resignation, "First, the results of our most important recent expedition, the Great Expedition to the Twilight Realm, were less than ideal. The good news is that our losses in that devastating defeat were limited: Grand Duke Mephistopheles' observation team and Grand Duke Gracia both displayed remarkable acumen and insight into the situation, avoiding the most dire consequences and preserving our own strength. Furthermore, because we had already stopped plundering souls from the City of Judgment, our losses were the smallest of all parties, and we could even say we escaped unscathed. The battle on the first level of Avernus should remain unaffected."

It was a rambling affair, without revealing any fatal news, and only made the audience realize that the expedition had failed.

"Byer, there are no outsiders here now." Mephistopheles also showed a rare look of fatigue. "Don't miss the most crucial part."

"...Yes." Bayer hesitated, then gritted his teeth when he realized his master remained silent. "Because we evacuated the battlefield in time, we didn't receive any specific reports. However, our contacts in various churches have gone largely silent.

"Large-scale silence? Were they liquidated by their own people?" asked Grand Duke Beria, one of the masters of the fourth floor.

"...If that were the case, it wouldn't be a big deal." Bayer sighed. "Only those unlucky souls who hadn't gone to the Twilight Realm in the first place somehow managed to survive—a large number of Halruaan airships quietly flew over the church, patiently waiting for days and nights. When those losers escaped from the Twilight Realm, countless shells rained down from the sky, sending the entire church shattered. Only the ordinary believers and marginalized people who were ostracized from the church survived—they are our only source of intelligence.

Belia frowned. "...So, our allies have suffered heavy losses? Which churches specifically?"

"Talos, Auril, Talona, ​​Bane, Loviel... Several exploding shells have appeared on the ceilings of all churches holding public events. Those arrogant Halruaan even flew directly over the Amnian capital of Askatra, reducing half of the temple precinct to ruins before disappearing in an instant. In fact, many of the attacked nations didn't even know it was the Halruaan who were responsible, and they could only offer bounties."

Bayer sighed. "It's just that extremely high-speed airships and ship-mounted artillery are hallmarks of the new Halruaa. It's just that many nations aren't as perceptive, especially places like Amn, which harbor so much filth and have no ties to Halruaa. They don't even know it was Halruaa who did this yet—which is probably the only good news. Many of the attacked nations have expressed great anger."

The many Devil Dukes looked at each other in confusion, and finally Belia asked, "Heavy losses can mean many things. Specifically, how much damage has their power suffered?"

"...In short," Bayer sighed deeply. "The Alliance has almost become history. All members except the Divine Non-Gods have been completely paralyzed. The remaining personnel would probably struggle to even maintain the church's operations—assuming their enemies don't take advantage of the situation to retaliate."

At this moment, all the Grand Dukes could not help but secretly look up at the All-Knowing One.

It seemed that for the first time, the Demon King officially regarded Lunia's Emiya as an opponent.

After ascending the throne of Halrua's Mage King, this little mage who had been wandering around everywhere had quietly and officially acquired the power to shake the world.

Baalzebul, the only rival who had ever openly challenged Asmodeus, laughed unabashedly. "A wizard in his twenties can turn Faerûn upside down. So, our friend Larloch is probably going to be crowned Lord of the Nine Hells soon, right?"

"...Lord Baalzebul." Bayer took a deep breath. "Larlok..."

"Lalok is missing." All-Knowing One said coldly.

"Today, the Warlock's Tomb, the largest undead settlement on Faerun, and the surrounding barren mountains covering dozens of kilometers have been completely transformed into a forest with trees averaging nearly a hundred meters tall. Standing on the walls of Baldur's Gate, you can see the newly formed forest to the north. Sadly, we suspect that the former Lich King Larloch and his entire forces were wiped out in that great battle."

Bayer added quietly, "...The Green Court has gone mad. They desperately want to establish a base in that forest. This also means that the land trade route from Baldur's Gate to Waterdeep has finally opened. A vast, exceptionally fertile uninhabited land awaits development."

Even Mephistopheles couldn't sit still after hearing this news.

"Is the news accurate?!"

Larloch's strength and influence were comparable to any other Devil Duke. His personal strength was enough to leave even the Devil Dukes in despair.

What's even more deadly is that the endurance of Larloch's forces is beyond the reach of even the demons - demons can only be resurrected after death in the material plane, and this process can actually take up to years.

The time required to resurrect a lich was ten days or even five days. Taking into account the time it took to prepare the spell again, it would only take another day.

Larloch was recruited as an ally precisely because they had once believed him to be an unbeatable foe. Given that, it would be better to try to make him a friend. Or at least keep him on the sidelines.

And now, Larloch, the unstoppable figure on the continent of Faerun, is dead?!

He has witnessed the rise and fall of several generations of magic goddesses, and fought against successive generations of magic voters several times, but he has always escaped unscathed - there may be people in this world who can defeat him, but they never believe that anyone can kill him directly!

“What happened?!

Mephistopheles spoke gravely, "No one knows what happened. The battle was in chaos, and the observation group I sent had just retreated to rest. They witnessed with their own eyes the hordes of Larloch's liches, which had shaken the entire population of Judgment City to its knees. It was truly a sight to behold. But then, these liches suddenly scattered, vanishing without a trace. No one has been able to contact Larloch since, nor have the many church leaders who were supposed to be present.

"However, these deserters had no idea that the Emya of Lunya would prove to be a ferocious foe unlike anything they had ever faced... The Material Plane appeared calm, with only Elturgard pressing towards Cormyr and Halruaa remaining inactive. In reality, the Emya had mobilized all its forces in a brutal, devastating attack. Now, the Alliance is a hollow shell—the Gods and Non-Gods suffered no losses, but we are the only ones left."

Now, Baalzebub, who had originally been gloating, couldn't help but narrow his eyes.

They guessed that the war on the front line was not going well.

However, I never expected that it would not go so smoothly.

Can the Nine Hells, an entire outer plane, overthrow the enemies on a planet?

This shouldn't be a problem. The contrast between strong and weak is self-evident.

The problem was that, not long ago, they had also believed that this campaign was unassailable. The only members of the Nine Hells involved in this were the Legion of Avernus and Mephistopheles. This was merely another attempt by the Demon King to balance power, deliberately isolating the other Grand Dukes in the War Lords, preventing them from expanding their influence.

So, why did Asmodeus call them here now?

"No." Although the All-Knowing One's features had completely transformed into those of Mystra, his speech remained as unhurried as Asmodeus's. "Emmya is still not familiar enough with struggle, or perhaps he is too greedy. If he simply demonstrates his strength and then defeats the enemy, it will be enough for the Evil Church to protect itself.

“But he went too far.

"These churches feed on fear itself. Losing their believers and being despised, the once-powerful gods are even at risk of falling. Emya has pushed these churches into a corner, and this will only deepen our cooperation—even if it's just a one-time effort."

Mephistopheles thought for a moment, narrowed his eyes slightly, stretched out his finger, and pointed at the sky: "You mean..."

"Even gods are no different from beasts when fighting for survival," the All-Knowing One sighed. "From now on, we must give it our all. If we fail in this war, all the advantages we have accumulated over the demons will be wasted. Therefore, we have no choice now—Dispater, Belia, and Firna, you must mobilize your troops to the Material Plane. Depart from Cyre and attempt the Golden Palace of Halrua from the south."

The lords of the second and fourth floors looked at each other and responded in unison.

"Mammon, Gracia."

When this pair of names appeared, the other grand dukes couldn't help but look at them sideways.

This pair of Grand Dukes was quite special - because they were once lovers, but Asmodeus intervened and forced them to break up.

Now, Asmodeus is actually going to take the initiative to connect them together?

As if unaware of his men's reactions, the All-Knowing One spoke calmly, "You will proceed to Cormyr and be responsible for the defense of the Eonok Desert and Cormyr. In times of emergency, follow Bayer's command. We must not allow Elturgard to break through this line. Mammon, if you prove yourself in this battle, I can grant you a favor."

Mammon couldn't help but glance at Gracia, his eyes suddenly blazing with light, and he shouted, "Yes, sir!"

The All-Knowing One took a deep breath and said, "Levistus, Baalzebul, the Nine Hells, and Avernus, who are supporting Mephistopheles."

Of the eight grand dukes, only the last two remained in an instant.

In fact, since Baalzebul simply did not obey orders, it would be more accurate to say that he could not be moved at all rather than being left behind, so he was simply left where he was.

The only ones left in the Nine Hells are Levistus and Mephistopheles.

As the main participant in the bloody battle, such a deployment of troops was made, which could be said to have put all efforts into Asmodeus' ascension.

If you don't soar into the sky, you will fall into the dust!

The all-knowing and unique voice had a subtle heaviness to it.

After winning at the gambling table for too long, it feels like I have become the banker.

After being pushed to the limit, it was discovered that he was still gambling.

Cool Summer Vacation

I haven't updated in the past two days because I really don't have the energy.

I really don't have the energy because it's so damn hot.

The highest temperature here is 37 degrees Celsius. This temperature actually seems okay, right? It won’t kill anyone, and it’s fine in an air-conditioned room.

There's only one problem, my house doesn't have air conditioning.

The fan was purchased a month ago.

If there were no fans, I would probably apply for a mid-summer vacation leave now.

Anyway, according to the weather forecast, the sweltering heat is over today, so I really can't write anything today. I'll see if I can pull myself together and catch up later. Sorry, I'm in such a bad mood.

Sixty-nine Lords of the Underworld (I)

"Finally I found it."

When Emilia lifted the tent, she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when she saw the pile of bodies piled up in the big tent, with some even still breathing lifelessly.

And that pitch-black sword, which had made great achievements in battle and might even win the MVP award in this war, was now quietly stuck in the middle of the tent.

And on its side were a large number of extremely strange corpses.

Some looked determined, some looked resistant, and some were very proud.

However, these emotions were forever etched on their faces and never changed.

"Well, we've been chasing deserters these past few days, and they're just putting on a mime here?" The paladin stepped forward and patted a priest's cheek maliciously. Then, he was stunned for a moment, "...and it's still warm?"

"To be precise, the body is not dead," Emiya said calmly. "The punishment for failing to recognize the master of the Sword of Death is to absorb the soul. Death is only an indirect result. And here in the Hazy Realm, everything is dulled."

Their souls have left, but their bodies are still alive.

However, if they don't do something, the survivors in these tents will not be able to hold on for a few more days.

“…” Mars took off his helmet and kicked hard into the air.

The wind shattered like an axe. Emilia suspected that this kick would be far more terrifying than a warhammer's on a human.

But now, they do face a rather troubling problem.

They didn't really want to kill the captives, but they didn't want to take care of these soulless walking corpses. It was a bit self-deception to just abandon them here.

Caring for a vegetative patient is a tough job. No one wants to care for these notorious villains. Emilia doesn't mind dividing up the work, but she doesn't want to pass on this hardship to others.

"Let them try their luck, then," said Alestria, her eyes suddenly brightening as she surveyed the scattered "trophies." "Drag their bodies back... If their souls have been found in the past few days, lock them up with their bodies and let them fend for themselves. If their souls are good at hiding..."

The priest of fate smiled brightly: "...Then it's not our fault."

"I'm afraid this isn't enough," Mars said. "Normal souls will probably try to escape the City of Judgment during this time. It might be difficult to achieve the effect you want."

Emiya glanced at the "corpses" all over the ground and came up with a very "friendly" suggestion.

Over the past few days, he'd also participated briefly in the hunt for those enemy cultists who had died in battle. It was pure torture—every soul that realized their predicament began attempting to bury themselves alive in the ground. It felt more like a game of whack-a-mole than a hunt.

Burying oneself alive will lead to death, and the dead...are simply burying themselves again in the hazy realm. If the hole you dig yourself is deep enough, even magic can do nothing.

Emiya said, "Then we'll just broadcast it directly to the public screen. If you still want the slightest chance of being resurrected, then you must honestly come to the City of Judgment as a prisoner and captive. If you continue to resist, you will have to spend your second life in the earth."

According to his observations of the residents of the City of Judgment over the past few days, although they no longer needed to breathe, eat or drink water, their needs in other areas had increased, and they found it difficult to endure the boring life.

Elastrid thought for a moment, her eyes practically lighting up, her feet eager to leap forward and give him a fierce kiss. "...So, no matter which way they go, it's a dead end. Perfect... Let's get started now!"

Emilia highly suspected that Elaster was so enthusiastic about this matter because there were quite a few priests of doom among the corpses on the ground.

At that moment, a familiar, aged voice slowly echoed from the other side of the tent: "Perhaps I should offer my sincere congratulations. With a single stroke of genius, you destroyed one of the largest armies in Faerun's history in just a few days. Millions of Church troops, millennia of accumulation, centuries of fear, were all annihilated in an instant. Your Majesty Emya has foreseen everything perfectly."

The old man walked into the tent so calmly, as if he had already been a member of the Emia camp.

"Mr. Jaeger," Emiya said indifferently, "I didn't expect you to appear here. I thought the next time we met would be at the coronation ceremony of the God of Death."

"I consider myself quite instrumental in the destruction of these soulless remains. Naturally, I'm here to witness them." Jaeger lowered his brows slightly. "...How ridiculous. One moment you're so proud and triumphant, and the next, before you even know what happened, you're a fallen soul."

However, just as Jaeger was about to reach out for the Sword of Death, a clear female voice rang out.

"...Do you want to touch it?"

At this moment, Yin, who had remained silent, suddenly spoke.

The always mysterious Yeagerton remained where he was, neither taking any further action nor refutating.

Silver continued his attack without hesitation, "Perhaps I shouldn't speak? After all, you're a demigod, not Larloch. The Death Sword is just a soul-sucking device, how could it possibly have any effect on you... So, do you want to touch it?"

Did Yin repeat Jaeger's mental journey? Did she read Jaeger's mind or rely on her empathy as a former god?

In any case, Jaeger's hand finally just brushed around the hilt of the Sword of Death like a gentle breeze, without touching the sword that had already achieved great military success. He said, "Well, I'm sure you don't want to listen to the nonsense of an old man, although my age is actually..."

Jaeger seemed to casually pass by Yin, then wisely skipped the topic, "Next, do you have any plans?"

"Of course, there's nothing to hide about the general plan," Emiya said. "It's nothing more than gathering information, reassessing the enemy's situation, and forming alliances."

"That's a pretty rough plan," Jaeger said indifferently. "However, the rise and fall of the material plane has nothing to do with me. What I want to ask is, what are your opinions on the Twilight Realm and the City of Judgment?"

"I have no opinion." Emilia said, "This matter is over. We are leaving——"

Now, with the exception of Elturgard's continued advance, maintaining a state of war, all sides had achieved complete victory. The next step was to organize a defense and prepare for an enemy counterattack.

"Then Emya, Mystril," Jaeger said, "the Twilight Realm will return to the state it was in before your arrival—the facilities you left behind are sufficient to handle large-scale attacks, but they cannot resist the infiltration and harassment of demons. Nor can they prevent the demons from plundering souls on the plains.

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