Chapter 12
Yahweh activated the divine dodge skill.
And then, he was gone.
Lucifer was left staring at the uprooted flowers and grass, along with a few strands of silver hair, determined to get back at the demon who wrote the strategy guide. It was said that to achieve a breakthrough, he needed to invite his opponent to his own domain, where he could do whatever he wanted.
However, the book didn't mention what to do if the opponent ran away.
Should he go to Heaven?
Lucifer glanced at the peaceful place above the sky and let out a soft laugh, gracefully turning away.
One day, he would break into Heaven.
But not now.
Crossing the spatial barriers between the mortal realm and Hell, the further evolved Satan no longer needed to pass through the gates of Hell. With a single step into the void, he arrived before his throne. The beautiful fallen angel attendant, upon seeing the return of her king, bowed without showing any surprise and gently said, "Your Majesty, welcome back."
The palace was magnificent and shimmering with gold, darkness shrouding the grand palace, and the sky was no longer filled with the bright sun but a mournful, cold blood moon.
This was Hell.
Beneath the seemingly barren and desolate land, countless ores and treasures lay hidden. Amidst the seemingly evil and cruel demons' hearts hid the initial unwillingness and longing for light. Lucifer took all this in and suddenly thought of Yahweh's unwavering refusal. If Hell could be as beautiful as the mortal realm, would Yahweh, along with the other angels, be more receptive?
After contemplating for a moment, Lucifer decided to contribute to Heaven's decreasing fallen angel rate.
The next day.
All the Seven Deadly Sins and king-level demons looked perplexed after concluding their meeting, and each left with their own assignment.
Walking last, Beelzebub lowered his head to look at the blueprint in his hand, murmuring in a daze, "Does His Majesty intend to transform Hell... into Heaven?"
Indeed, it was quite the challenging task.
All you devils who destroy the environment and cause pollution, are you ready to welcome a new Hell?
________________________
Every action of Satan affects the nerves of every living being in Hell, and his frequent activities recently are driving them crazy. They are not afraid when Satan is reckless and lawless, what they fear is when Satan becomes gloomy and sullen, causing the atmosphere in Hell to suffer the same. Demons are a wild race, only crazy deeds can make them happy.
And this time—
Satan is planning to transform Hell, starting with the first level, Limbo?
The weaker demons of the first level were confused, seeing a large number of fallen angels appearing here with piles of various building materials scattered across the ground.
Starting with Limbo, followed by the second level – Circle of Lust. Then the third level – Circle of Gluttony. The fourth level — Circle of Greed. The fifth level – Circle of Wrath. The sixth level – Circle of Heresy. The seventh level – Circle of Violence. And the eighth level – Circle of Fraud.
The first eight levels of Hell are supervised by the corresponding Seven Deadly Sins. Limbo is too weak and does not require a ruler. Greed of the Seven Deadly Sins corresponding to the fourth circle of Hell has not yet been born. Thus, Lucifer handed over the fourth level of Hell to the king-level demons to manage and hold them accountable for any issues that arise.
And the most important and central ninth circle of Hell? Lucifer plans to handle it himself personally.
Satan also announced that apart from the ninth circle of Hell, whoever does the best job in transforming the first eight levels can ask Satan for a reward.
This promise immediately sparked competition among the Seven Deadly Sins and the king-level demons.
The goal soon became a race for the first place.
Hell became a bustling construction site, even the Gates of Hell could not escape the upheaval. Asmodeus, who ruled the second circle of Hell, ran to the unclaimed first level of Hell and voluntarily cleaned the Gates of Hell. Then he carefully cleaned the words written by Satan on the Gates, ensuring they wouldn't be worn away by time.
"Through me, you enter the City of Endless Suffering.
Through me, you enter the Pit of Eternal Misery.
Through me, you enter the Calamity of Irrecoverable Loss..."
The phrases written on the Gates of Hell are well known to the living beings of the three realms. Any creature driven by impulse, contemplating entering Hell, would pause and ponder whether they are willing to sacrifice everything to enter. Only those who have already made the decision, resolved to not regret, would step in with heavy hearts.
This place is a land of freedom, but also a land of exile.
Asmodeus gently caressed the bold and sharp characters on the surface with his finger. His eyes were a little sour, but the corner of his mouth revealed a comforting smile.
My Lord, if Hell becomes paradise, will your heart be freed from hatred...
As he was being sentimental, the Gates of Hell, hardly able to endure any more, spoke. "Lord Asmodeus, I know you admire Satan's handwriting, but could you please stop touching me!"
"Oh."
With a blank face, Asmodeus tossed the wiping cloth onto the Gates' "face".
________________________
Several years later, the changes in the nine levels of Hell became known to the mortal world and Heaven. All were shocked as they looked at the newly acquired map in their hands – it was a map of the Hell tourist route. For a payment of 1,000 Hell Coins, or 10,000 Crystal Coins, one can enter the first level, the Underworld Hell, and enjoy a 3-day independent adventure. If you add another 10,000 Hell Coins or 10 billion Crystal Coins, you can even secure a guarantee for your life's safety.
Michael slammed the table with the map in hand, "This is unfair! Why are 10,000 Crystal Coins needed to visit the Underworld Hell? Crystal Coins and Hell Coins are equivalent currencies!" The next second, he saw the price for the life safety guarantee and shrieked, "Ten zeroes? They're absolute robbers!"
Unfortunately, despite his rare excitement, none of his companions paid any attention to him.
Uriel held the map, chattering with Raphael. Metatron focused on the pricing for the third level, the Gluttonous Hell. Hmm, it had only multiplied a few times. As the Prime Minister of Heaven, he didn't really lack Crystal Coins. The problem was that he just wanted to beat Beelzebub, the subordinate who had defected to Lucifer.
You're my subordinate, not Lucifer's!
Metatron's resentment, built up over thousands of years, exploded all at once. He clenched the map in his hands.
Gabriel, also staring at the map, was lost in thought.
I wonder how much it would cost to visit the ninth level, Circle of Traitors, or the fifth level, Circle of Wrath?
Michael’s frustration was evident, he said, "You guys aren't seriously considering it, are you? Don't take Hell's propaganda at face value. If any angels really go there for a visit, it would be a one-way trip."
Gabriel shrugged elegantly, "This could be a great opportunity to scout the enemy. Until now, no angel from Heaven has ever been to the ninth level of Hell."
Before Michael could divert the conversation, he heard Metatron agreeing with the proposal, "Sending an angel of the Archangel rank could be risky, but we certainly have angels in Heaven who would be eager to act. We just need to blend our spy into their ranks unseen."
Michael hesitated, "Who could go without being noticed?"
They were all prime suspects on the blacklist.
Metatron slowly said, "God said last time that there's another ally in the cathedral. We might as well wait. I believe no angel wouldn't be curious about what Hell really looks like."
Hearing their conversation, Haniel threw himself into Metatron's arms, shouting enthusiastically, "I'll go!"
Metatron, face unchanged, pushed him down, "No."
Haniel was young, letting him go to Hell was clearly unsafe. Also, he'd have a hard time pretending to be an ordinary angel. But the other silver-haired archangel, his power was unquestionably strong. Despite being newly-born, he could move freely in and out of Heaven undetected. He would be the best candidate for the reconnaissance mission in Hell.
Michael swallowed hard, realizing they were resolute.
The conversation amongst the Seraphims was neither covert nor excessive and was heard loud and clear by God himself.
The Book of Genesis unfolded a sheet of paper with the words: Silver-haired archangel, to go or not to go?
God remained impassive.
The Book then brandished another sheet of paper, on which was drawn a beautiful dove, suggesting to God— You've already let Lucifer get away again and again.
God said, "It's not me making him wait, it's his own stubbornness."
He could never venture down into the depths of Hell. Perhaps he could mask his identity in the first level, Limbo, but as soon as he delved deeper, he'd definitely be detected by the bottomless abyss residing beneath the ninth level. It would literally be a Pandora's box of black history unraveled.
Unless—
He seals his power, preserving only the standard level of archangels.
During his silence, the Book of Genesis had already seen through God's thoughts and wrote: Haven't you already considered this possibility?
God's golden eyes shifted to the golden book resting on his lap, his cold divinity giving him an air of aloofness.
"Book of Genesis, I have only lied once in my life."
So, there wouldn't be a second time.
The Book of Genesis wisely chose not to provoke him further.
Little did the resolute God know that his thoughts would be challenged soon enough.
What happened was that he couldn't help himself, so he restrained his power and went to the mortal world to see Lucifer. No longer discussing the journey to Hell with him, Yahweh gradually eased his mind, only to be hypnotized by a fresh wave of sweet nothings. Amused, Yahweh lay on Lucifer's lap, smelling the fragrance of flowers and grass, and allowed himself to relax and slip into the warm embrace of a midday nap.
Such an incident wasn't unique. As long as his identity remained concealed, Lucifer couldn't possibly harm him.
Yahweh trusted his divine instinct.
Upon waking and opening his eyes again, he found himself surrounded by black curtains and an extravagantly luxurious bed.
Lucifer, with a sly smile, lazily leaned towards him and said, "Dear Yahweh, welcome to Hell."
Yahweh... was speechless.
Almost before the abyss could emit a questioning rumble, he sealed his power at the fastest speed he'd ever managed.
Now, he should be referred to as Archangel Yahweh.
________________________
Previous Chapter | TOC | Next Chapter
No comments:
Post a Comment