In Hell, the Hell Lords wielded the authority of primordial power, their strength and might far surpassing that of ordinary devils.
Even pit fiends could only tremble beneath the authority of a Hell Lord!
However, between the rank of pit fiend and that of Hell Lord, there existed a peculiar echelon of devil.
They were elevated from pit fiends—only those devils most favored by a Hell Lord could attain this glory. They were the Great Devils of unique variant!
When a pit fiend evolved to its absolute peak, if it received a Hell Lord's permission and assistance, it would undergo a wondrous ascension.
The ascended pit fiend would be locked into a specific form, its gender crystallized, and granted a single supreme ability!
These Great Devils were invariably the closest confidants of the Hell Lords, and due to the constraints of infernal power, they were extraordinarily rare in number.
As the daughter of
Queen of Succubi! That was Glasya's new identity!
And the supreme charm and tremendous influence she wielded after the transformation pushed Glasya's power infinitely close to the absolute pinnacle—the undisputed apex beneath the Hell Lords themselves!
"Tsk tsk… What a beautiful little succubus! I'm sure my underlings—those wretched devils—will absolutely adore you…"
The night hag countess regarded Glasya and the throngs of pit fiends and Great Devils surrounding her, a scarlet gleam flaring in her eyes.
"Has Asmodeus gone senile in his old age? Did he really think a rabble of devils like you could take me down?"
The countess's voice grew ever more severe, ultimately transforming into a terrifying wave. Seated upon her throne, her absolute dominion and overwhelming pressure finally jolted the devils who had been mesmerized by Glasya's charm back to their senses, fear crystallizing in their eyes.
A Hell Lord who had entrenched herself on the sixth layer of Hell and ruled here for eternity—how could she possibly be anything less than extraordinary?
The night hag countess's formidable power and cunning schemes had long been seared into the very blood of these devils.
Hell Lords were not so easily overthrown.
They were themselves ancient and powerful devils or Great Devils, bolstered by their rank and authority, capable of channeling infernal power. As long as they remained within
And within the very planes they ruled, they could rival the true gods dwelling within divine kingdoms!!!
If Beilusabub hadn't been so foolish as to project his power outward into the external world, been tricked by Rayn into coughing up blood, and later fallen into a deep slumber from the severity of his injuries — he wouldn't have died so easily.
At least within the realm of
The same held true now. Within the sixth layer of Hell, Malbolge, the night hag countess could not only unleash her full seventh-rank power but also leverage the entire layer to suppress her enemies, achieving an effect comparable to a divine kingdom.
Under such circumstances, unless three or even more Hell Lords besieged her together, there was virtually no threat capable of forcing the night hag countess to retreat.
Moreover, even if one managed to defeat her, how to obtain the authority of a Hell Lord was itself a tremendous problem. After all, devils were creatures of lawful disposition — riots and mindless rampages were specialties of demons, not devils.
Though she found Graciela's actions quite peculiar, the night hag countess had already made up her mind to teach Asmodeus a lesson he would never forget for all eternity.
In any case, the power of each Hell Lord was equal. This time, Asmodeus was the one who had erred first. She had no fear whatsoever of his possible retaliation.
"So this is the authority over Hell's primordial power?"
Watching the surging, howling primordial force — the terrifying pressure and the sensation of death drawing ever closer — a flash of intoxication passed through Graciela's eyes.
"Such power! Such authority — this is what is truly worthy of my possession!"
Two contracts flew from Graciela's hand, landing in midair and radiating a beautiful luminance of Order.
Under that radiance, the primordial force summoned by the night hag countess rapidly dissipated, and everything returned to a state of perfect calm.
"How is this possible?!"
Feeling her authority temporarily suppressed and her connection to Hell's primordial power severed, the night hag countess's face finally twisted with dramatic change as she let out an incredulous roar.
"This is a contract you yourself signed!"
A faint smile appeared on Graciela's face, and beneath her beauty, even Hell itself seemed to instantly transform into paradise.
"According to the prior agreement among the seven Hell Lords — you shall remain in your respective layers until a Hell Lord of Dis is chosen and the chaos comes to an end..."
Graciela narrated in her sweet voice, yet each word drew cold sweat trickling down the night hag countess's face.
"However, the agreement my father gave you was missing the prerequisite condition restricting the plane of Dis... In other words... during this period of chaos, you too may be challenged — and the victor shall claim the glory of a Hell Lord!"
"Oh! No…!"
The night hag countess roared, pulling out a copy of the contract and comparing it against the original. Sure enough, the restrictive language pertaining to Dis was missing.
"Shocking, isn't it? Perhaps tens of thousands of years as a Hell Lord have stiffened your mind, making you think no one would dare challenge your authority?"
Graciela waved her hand. "She has temporarily lost her authority. She has only her own power — kill her!"
The devils roared, their eyes threaded with unnatural veins of crimson as Graciela's beguiling charm drove them forward.
"You? Against me?!"
The night hag countess bellowed. A dark green iron whip materialized in her hand and lashed out, coiling around a deep abyss devil. The creature was flung into the air and torn apart, chunks of flesh and splinters of bone scattering in every direction.
"Even without Hell's native power to draw upon, I possess extraordinary evil might. You — lesser devils — you actually dare rebel against me?!"
Her face twisted into a vicious grimace as two dark green spectral claws extended from her hands, seizing and shredding two greater devils into paste.
"I've made up my mind. You will be captured, demoted to a contemptible devil, and thrown into the ruffian devils' pit. I'm sure they'll 'treat' you most generously…"
Under her overwhelming ferocity, Graciela's forces suffered grievous losses. In moments, the throne hall was strewn with corpses.
The night hag countess threatened Graciela with cold menace — only to find that the girl's expression remained perfectly calm, betraying not the slightest trace of alarm.
"Even a Hell Lord stripped of authority temporarily… is still far beyond what I can hope to match right now!"
Graciela pressed her moist, crimson lips tightly together and extended her right hand, pointing at another contract hovering in midair.
She had thrown out two contracts in total — one was the trap designed for the night hag countess, and the other bore an ancient appearance, covered in strange patterns and imbued with the weight of ages long past.
"The reason I had the confidence to take everything from you… is because of this."
Graciela spoke softly.
"That's… the Compact of the Primordial! So it was in your hands all along!" The night hag countess shrieked, and the power radiating from her body began to wither and collapse.
"That's right — the Compact of the Primordial. My father won this treaty for all of Hell, wresting dominion over fallen souls from the gods themselves!"
Graciela's eyes blazed with a sharp, brilliant light.
"That is precisely why my father received the support of the most powerful Hellish primal force. And because of that contribution, it will also gain a portion of enhancement during the unification of Hell. Though not comparable to a Hell Lord, it is more than sufficient to deal with you as you are now…"
The Compact of the Primordial! This was the legendary contract signed between devils and the gods themselves, granting the Nine Hells of Baator the authority to intercept fallen souls — the very foundation upon which all of Hell and its devils existed.
By this alone, it was entirely fitting for Asmodeus to become the true lord of the Nine Hells.
Sadly, a great upheaval occurred later. The will of Hell shattered, and the authority was dispersed among eight Hell Lords. Even Asmodeus's true body fell into a state of severe injury, capable of projecting only a fraction of its full power. That was how the current state of affairs in Hell came to be.
Therefore, Asmodeus already held the rightful 'legitimacy' to rule over Hell. As his daughter, Graciela now had grounds for her actions.
"You… the other Hell Lords will never let you get away with this! Never!!"
The night hag countess, continually weakened by the Compact of the Primordial, finally collapsed under the relentless assault of the devils. After her head was severed, she let out a final, furious roar.
"Let them come! Even if they don't show up now, I'll go find them myself!"
Graciela gripped the still-dripping head in her left hand, while her right hand cleaned the longsword against the night hag countess's corpse.
"Hang this in my chambers as a decoration."
She then gazed upon the countess's head, eyes frozen open even in death, and a satisfied expression crossed her face as she gave the order…
…
The upheaval in the Sixth Layer of Hell and the transfer of authority sent shockwaves throughout all of Baator.
Countless devils fled in terror. Nothing like this had ever occurred within their memories — two Hell Lords toppled in a single day.
This was bound to cause a cataclysmic upheaval across all of Hell, and it would stir the ambitions of other devils as well.
"Asmodeus…"
From within the Ninth Layer of Hell, several defiant roars echoed forth. Three Hell Lords then scrambled out in a wretched state, immediately retreating to their respective planes as though they had been frightened out of their wits.
"The Sixth Layer of Hell… Graciela, was it?"
Within the plane of Dis,
"Truly worthy of being the King of the Nine Hells. Asmodeus is indeed the most cunning and devious devil of all. Even with the scheme in the Dis plane having failed, he still managed to secure a third of Avernus and the entirety of Malbolge."