"You cover the rest! Didn't I already reward you with a huge fortune before?"
Balzefen turned and left with his hands behind his back, seemingly quite interested in the various flesh of unknown origins being sold at the bazaar.
A variety of spices, mingled with the aroma of roasted meat, flowed through the marketplace. Balzefen hummed a devilish nursery rhyme at his leisure, casually browsing to pass the time: "Never give your subordinates wealth, just as you would never give them power… Never give your subordinates opportunity, just as you would never let them rise in rank… If your underlings gain both wealth and the chance for promotion, then your head shall become the decoration hanging in their chambers…"
"Seems like… as a superior, ruthlessly exploiting your subordinates is extremely common among devils…"
Raylin looked at the pitifully small soul stone in his hand, a cold smile appearing on his face.
Too bad — he had, of course, been lying just now.
Although the devils guarding the Iron Tower were all Beilusebabu's trusted confidants, one shouldn't overestimate devil loyalty — especially when their superior had fallen weakened and shown vulnerability.
The Second Layer of the
As for the reason? Naturally, it was the harvest he had made in the Material Plane.
During his travels through the Prime Material Plane, Raylin had subjugated every single
Furthermore, with his current Devouring Rule and Hell authority, even impersonating Beilusebabu himself wouldn't raise a single devil's suspicion.
"However, besides myself and Balzefen, there are many other devil factions lurking here. So I still can't be too conspicuous…"
Raylin sighed inwardly as he arrived at a lavish mansion beside the Iron Tower.
"My Lord!" A Pit Fiend materialized and bowed deeply to Raylin.
"Mm. There will be great changes here soon. Take all the subordinates who are still loyal and leave. Tell
"By your will, Your Majesty! Lord of Dis! King of Devouring!"
The Pit Fiend pressed his right hand to his chest in salute, his eyes filled with reverence and flattery.
"Lord of Dis — I like that title. Azroch…" Raylin burst into laughter.
Yes, the Pit Fiend standing before Raylin was none other than Beilu's former confidant, the commander of his personal guard devil legion — the Greater Devil responsible for watching over the Iron Tower!
Unfortunately, after witnessing the Devouring Rule within Raylin and the terrifying authority of Hell, the fellow had knelt on the spot, betraying Beilu without the slightest hesitation.
However, even Azroch did not know where Beilu had gone. The latter hadn't even bothered to notify Azroch when he departed.
It was clear that Beilu had never truly trusted anyone. Perhaps, for devils, the word "trust" was simply too extravagant a concept.
Dense smoke blanketed the sky, and the only light in all of Dis came from the infernal flames.
Lines of Soul Shells and Lemures, led by lesser devils, were marching in orderly fashion to every corner of the city, carrying out infernal-style renovations and repairs.
Rumor had it that the city would continue expanding outward according to Beilu's will, without ever reaching an end.
Since there was no sunrise or sunset, time in the Plane of Dis was tracked using special instruments. But for devils, there was no need for rest either — as long as there were souls to harvest, countless devils would rush forward without the slightest hint of fatigue.
"It's time! Let's go!"
Barzefin glanced at a blood-red pocket watch on his wrist and led Raylin toward the Iron Tower.
Surrounding the tower stood numerous manors belonging to devil nobility, their architecture grand and magnificent. But at the moment, most of them sat empty, their owners having vanished to parts unknown.
Beilu's disappearance was indeed a devastating blow to the Plane of Dis. Perhaps the lower-ranking devils didn't feel it much, but the higher-ranking ones had either been scheming ambitiously to seize the lord's throne or had fled in fear of being caught up in the upheaval.
Only one elite devil legion remained here, still fulfilling its duties. Mid-ranking devils in armor watched every person who intended to approach the tower with vigilance, regardless of which plane they came from.
"Enter from the west! Zack is guarding there today!"
Raylin, playing the role of the bar devil, navigated with practiced ease, leading Barzefin deep into the complex until they arrived before a steel sentry post wreathed in crimson infernal flames.
"Hey! Zack! Look who's here!"
Under the wary gaze of numerous armored devils, Raylin called out loudly to the interior of the sentry post.
"[Teleportation Block], [See Invisibility], and an [Anti-Magic Array]… along with sigils that grant additional defense and saving throws to the devils guarding this position…"
Barzefin's eyes held a mix of astonishment and a trace of anxiety: "This level of defense… I'm afraid all eight Arch-Devils would need to mobilize their full legions and fight for a month or two to break through to the interior of the tower…"
"It's Rachel!"
Accompanied by a deep, rumbling sound, a titanic devil materialized before Lei Lin and Barzefin.
It had a massive, bloated body covered in disgusting fleshy tumors and scales. Its eyes bulged outward like a toad's, and its mouth gaped wide, revealing a dense, intricate web of fangs within.
This was a scorpion-viper devil — the pinnacle form among high-ranking devils. Above them, only the Abyssal Forgelords and the Hell Lords remained.
"Yes! You still look as strong as ever! So… is the previous agreement still good?"
Lei Lin produced a large soul stone.
"Of course — one thousand chimes' worth of wealth, in exchange for one passage through here and into the Iron Tower! Zack has always been an honest devil!"
The titanic scorpion-viper devil spoke, its voice like a roar, making Barzefin frown.
It didn't mind this particular loss, but it would be troublesome if the other devils found out.
As if reading its concerns, the enormous scorpion-viper devil Zack burst into wild laughter: "Rest assured! Not a single devil here dares to speak of it — unless it wants to be thrown into the Great Underground Prison and subjected to the Punishment of Hunger for all eternity…"
For the devils of the second layer, the Great Underground Prison represented nothing but terror and dread.
The Punishment of Hunger in particular! It was used specifically to discipline devils who had erred. Under the influence of the Rule of Gluttony, any devil subjected to the punishment would be consumed by an insatiable hunger, yet there would be nothing to satisfy it.
In the end, driven to madness, they would even begin to gnaw on themselves!
Though Beilusebub had established a rule that any devil who endured seven days of the Punishment of Hunger would be forgiven regardless of its prior transgressions, no such devil had ever appeared.
In many cases, the devils of the Plane of Dis would rather be demoted — even cast down to the level of ugly lesser devils — than endure this punishment. That alone spoke to its horror.
Upon hearing their superior's words, the devils at the other posts wished they could sew their own mouths shut, or bury their heads deep underground.
"Good! I like your attitude!"
Barzefin nodded with satisfaction and was about to enter alongside Lei Lin.
"Wait!"
But the unexpected happened. The moment Lei Lin passed through, Zack immediately blocked the path: "One thousand chimes, one chance! One has already entered! The agreement is fulfilled!"
"What do you mean?" Barzefin's brow furrowed, a faint sense of menace radiating from him.
"You still need to pay extra!"
Zack pointed a finger at Barzefin.
"Then if he doesn't go in, how about I take his previous chance instead?" Barzefin's brow furrowed. He didn't want to start a fight here, especially not while exposing his identity.
"Hehe... sorry! That's not allowed!"
Zack let out an eerie cackle, and the surrounding devils raised their weapons, all aimed at Barzefin.
"You damned horned devil, I really should have demoted you to gutter devil rank. You actually drew up a contract so sloppy that other devils could exploit the loopholes..."
Barzefin glared furiously at the nearly petrified Rachel. "One thousand chimes — you're paying!"
"I'm sorry, Master! But I don't have any more chimes..."
Rachel's voice sounded on the verge of tears, which sent a fresh surge of fury blazing through Barzefin.
"You useless thing!"
His expression was utterly foul as he pulled a soul stone from his robes. "Take it! You greedy devil!"
"Sorry! The previous price has changed — now it's two thousand chimes! Two thousand! And as compensation for the insult to my factional identity, I require one hundred chimes for emotional damages!"
The enormous scorpion-devil Zack stood with his arms crossed, utterly fearless.
"Damn it, damn it — if you were in my hands, I'd demote you to gutter devil and make you dredge sewage in the Pit of Rot for ten thousand years..."
Barzefin's chest heaved, but in the end he still reluctantly handed over the chimes under Zack's goading.
"S-sorry..."
Looking at Lei Lin now, Barzefin was too exhausted to even bother getting angry.
After all, if he killed the fellow right now or demoted him to gutter devil, wouldn't everything he'd invested so far go to waste?
At the very least, the other party was still a high-ranking devil — perfectly suitable as cannon fodder to test the iron tower.
Barzefin silently made his decision.
After passing the sentry post of the Imperial Guard legion, they finally arrived before the iron tower.
This old lair of Beilu Sebab soared high into the clouds, its surface radiating a faint glow. As that luminescence shifted and flowed, the very material and appearance of the iron tower kept constantly changing.
"The throne of the Hell Lord... I have arrived!!!"
Barzefin gazed at the base of the iron tower, undisguised ambition blazing in his eyes, and suddenly seized Leilin before striding inside.