When it came to knowledge of the Nine Hells, the devils in the entire divine world who surpassed Leilin could not even be counted on two hands.
As such, he knew full well the extent of
Though Asmodeus was indeed the most powerful devil, his influence only held sway in the Ninth Hell — the other seven lords of Hell couldn't care less about him.
The so-called appointment of the Second Layer's lord was nothing more than a joke!
Even so, quite a few of the Eight Demon Generals had jumped at the opportunity — they at least needed a pretender's claim to the Second Layer's throne! A false one, perhaps, but one that at least represented Asmodeus's backing!
"All things considered, Balzefen is far more pragmatic!"
Thinking back on the plan Balzefen had just revealed, a faint smile crept onto Leilin's face.
……
Leilin raised his gaze and looked around, immediately taking in a burning city of steel. The ruddy glow of hellfire reflected off scorched iron ramparts while thick plumes of smoke rose lazily, forming vast swathes of black fog that shrouded the entire layer.
The surrounding walls glowed cherry-red with heat — even the slightest touch would leave a severe burn.
Even the iron cobblestones paving the ground radiated searing heat; anyone lacking fire immunity or failing to wear specially forged boots would quickly collapse in agony, writhing as flames consumed them.
From small ventilation grates at several street corners, screams could often be heard — wails that seemed to rise from the very depths of the abyss.
These were the anguished cries of prisoners held in the Great Underground Prison, captives that included war trophies from the Blood War, petitioners, and even mortals kidnapped from the Material Plane!
Once their souls had been "ripened" through prolonged agony, the finest specimens among these prisoners would be delivered to the grand mansions nearby for the pleasure of the devil nobility.
The devil nobility loved hosting banquets. They would gather together, debating which parts of a prisoner were the most exquisite, and developed an increasingly refined art of "cuisine"…
Merely standing in the street, Leilin could feel this layer's breathing and heartbeat.
Unlike Avernus the first time, standing here now, he felt as though he could draw upon the power of an entire layer — as if he were its rightful master.
The surging tide of native hellish power was almost ready to answer Leilin's every command — the only thing holding it back was the still-living Beilusebabu, along with the last vestiges of his authority and dominion!!!
"
The authority of a hell lord could fully rival the might of a true god within its own divine realm! Of course, that was only on that lord's own territory!
Leilin sighed inwardly.
This was Dis! The second layer of
"What are you staring at? Are you going to move or not?"
At that moment, a gray-robed figure standing beside Leilin barked the command directly.
"As you command, my lord!" Leilin bowed humbly, though a cold smile secretly surfaced on his face.
This disguised companion who had come with him was none other than Balzeveth. This pit fiend had not followed Asmodeus's rules of the game — expanding territory in Avernus — but had instead slipped secretly to the second layer of Hell.
And its purpose was laid bare for all to see — this pit fiend, one of the Eight Demon Generals and a close confidant of the Lord of Hell, now harbored ambitions of its own.
It wanted to find the long-missing Beilusebabu, imprison the being, drain its power, and become the true Lord of Dis!
Asmodeus's appointment meant nothing. A true Lord of Hell was an equal to the ruler himself!
Clearly, Balzeveth had already betrayed Asmodeus in secret — but Leilin was not the least bit surprised. After all, rebellion and conspiracy meant nothing to a devil, especially when directed at a superior, didn't they?
"Frankly speaking, its direction is correct, but its plan is deeply flawed! It's far from the only one with this kind of idea… Whether it's Asmodeus or the other hell lords, I'd wager they're all scheming against Beilusebabu right now…"
Leilin sighed inwardly once more.
"I plan to infiltrate the Iron Tower first and investigate. Do you have any way to get me in?"
Balzeveth pointed toward the conspicuous, sky-piercing tower at the center of the city.
That was the Iron Tower — the palace of Beilusebabu, Lord of
After dozens of attempts at contact and even forced entries had all come up empty, the rumor that Beilusebabu had mysteriously vanished began to circulate in whispers.
However, given a devil's cunning, no one could say for certain whether this hell lord was merely plotting another scheme — and even Balzeveth was not entirely sure.
Of course, the current Leilin had given it confidence, even emboldening it to risk venturing into the Iron Tower to search for clues about Beilusebabu's disappearance.
In truth, Leilin had encouraged it for reasons entirely of his own.
After all, finding Beilusebabu and devouring him before the other lords got the chance was one of the primary goals of this trip to Hell.
"My great superior Balzeveth, certain areas in Dis have bazaars and markets — perhaps we can find a way to sneak into the Iron Tower through one of them…"
Leilin made a carefully considered suggestion.
As his personal stronghold, Beilusebabu's Iron Tower was packed with mechanisms, traps, and guardians in the form of golems and contracted creatures. Beilusebabu was virtually invincible within its walls, which was precisely why he rarely left it and never permitted any devils to station themselves inside.
From Leilin's perspective, the reason Beilusebabu had kept himself cooped up there indefinitely wasn't merely caution or cowardice — he had also been using the Disk of Mandehok to connect to the Material Plane, spreading his faith and corrupting souls.
And eventually, he had even attempted to reach out to additional planes, ultimately extending his reach beyond the Crystal Wall System itself — and remarkably, he had actually succeeded!
Given enough time, with a steady stream of soul fuel, he might have even surpassed Asmodeus's power and become the true Lord of the Nine Hells. Unfortunately, he had crossed paths with Leilin, and so his story had ended in complete tragedy…
"In my scan, I can't detect any trace of Beilusebabu on the second floor…"
Leilin followed behind Balzeveth, his mind constantly calculating.
"Under his cover, my profile is currently the lowest of all. The other Hell lords should be frantically searching for Beilusebabu's whereabouts right now, so their forces can serve my purposes for the time being…"
"Once inside the Iron Tower, besides searching for clues about Beilusebabu, the Disk of Mandehok is also a critical target…"
This artifact could weaken the Crystal Wall System's power. Even a mere replica crafted from its memorized patterns had helped Leilin traverse the world of the gods. In his eyes, its value surpassed that of most divine artifacts!
"A bazaar? Are you trying to make a fool of me?"
A dangerous glint flashed through Balzeveth's eyes, and a flicker of green contract flame appeared in his hand.
"You serve as a guard captain under a lord, and your superior is Azalroq — that lackey of Beilusebabu's who's responsible for the Iron Tower's security — a deep abyss infernal duke. And you're telling me you have no way to sneak inside? Hmm?"
The flame in Balzeveth's hand trembled violently, and a look of pain surfaced on Leilin's face — though, of course, it was entirely feigned.
"Please wait, my lord! I'm currently on an external assignment — there's simply no way I could obtain Azalroq's permission…"
Leilin's voice sounded thoroughly aggrieved.
"That's your problem. I need to be inside the Iron Tower within three Hell-hours. If you can't manage it, you'll be turned into a dim-witted and hideous River Memory Thief!"
Balzeveth's threat laid the devil's true nature bare without a moment's hesitation.
As superiors, high-ranking devils were fond of treating every subordinate harshly, even assigning them impossible tasks and punishing them for failure — this treatment was most often reserved for the closest subordinates, to ensure no one could pose a threat.
And those devils serving as subordinates could only wail and shudder their way through every task, seizing every opportunity for promotion, using every means at their disposal to climb higher, and at the right moment launching rebellions to betray their former masters — all in pursuit of reaching the pinnacle of Hell and escaping that torment.
Although in Balzeveth's eyes, this horned devil Leilin still had some use, without even realizing it, she had fallen right into this same pattern.
"Understood, I'll figure something out right away!"
Watching Leilin rush off as though his backside had caught fire, a satisfied smile crept onto Balzeveth's face.
Only by lashing the devils under you with a firm whip could you make them obedient — and you had to put a collar on them as well, to prevent them from turning on their master at a critical moment.
Balzeveth had always lived by this maxim of a certain devil philosopher.
……
Two hell-hours later, Leilin returned.
"My lord…" The horned devil wore an obsequious and humble smile on his face.
"I did my best to convince Azroch that I'd found a lead on the lord's trail, which is why I returned to Dis. I also made contact with a colleague of mine and bribed them — for a thousand jingles, they can secure me an opportunity to enter the Iron Tower…"
Devils could of course be bribed, but this price made Balzeveth frown slightly. "What a greedy fellow. Can you guarantee that his promise is genuine and that he won't sell you out to his superities?"
"I swear it! Zac even signed an oath and a contract!"
Leilin's face was full of resolve.
"Good! Here, take it!"
Balzeveth tossed a gemstone brimming with soul energy to Leilin, and then noticed the look of difficulty on the horned devil's face.
"This is only a hundred jingles, but the other side is asking for a thousand…"