Chapter 17
The Seven Deadly Sins were still recovering from the recent shock when, during the conference, a fallen angel servant rushed in flustered.
"Your Majesty, Lord Yahweh has run away!"
There was a moment of silence.
The lazy demeanor of Lucifer faded, and his eyebrows knitted together, "What did you say?"
The fallen angel servant grumbled, "I guided his lordship to the bath, and then I waited outside. Surprisingly, after a short while, he knocked me out and escaped."
Baal managed to cover his mouth just in time as he stifled a laugh. Ha! Back when his witch ran away, he was mocked by demons for years on end. Now, it was Satan's darling who had run away, how the tables have turned, indeed!
Among all of the demons present, only Baal seemed to be enjoying the misfortune. The expressions of the fallen angels were varied and indescribable.
They couldn't believe that His Majesty's charm failed to control even an angel. They found it hard to accept that His Majesty's first love dare to escape!
Leviathan firmly offered, "Your Majesty, I'll bring him back to you."
Lucifer had lost interest in the meeting as well. His icy gaze swept over his subordinates who stopped midway their words and Baal, who dared to chuckle. The intimate scenes with Yahweh from last night were still fresh in his memory, and yet, he woke up to this big surprise - his lover had abandoned him and run away?
No one in the entire hell had dared to upset him like this.
"Bring him back."
"Yes!"
Jolted by the chilling pressure, the Seven Deadly Sins answered in unison.
Seeing that it had nothing to do with him, Baal soon approached Beelzebub after the meeting. "Why don't you think of a way to kill that angel?"
Beelzebub's countenance was foul.
He also wanted to kill that guy. But God is biased, gifting such potent powers to that newborn angel. What can I do if I can't beat him?
Those dispatched to capture Yahweh this time were all fallen angels of the Seraphim class, whose power and status were second only to Satan in Hell. Understanding the power of angels of the same class, they did not waste time in the ninth circle of Hell, and instead began their search in the eighth circle. If they couldn't find him there, they'd continue down to the seventh circle.
As for the first circle, the gateway to the underworld – the Gates of Hell – had already been ordered closed by Satan, with no creature permitted to exit.
The demons of hell wore puzzled expressions under the terrifying radiation of power, "What in the world is happening?"
Those who knew the situation shut their mouths, not daring to spill a word.
His Majesty losing face, his love running away, this kind of information was a curse to whoever held it.
________________________
The demons and fallen angels of Hell would not object to Satan's command. However, this doesn't imply that the newcomers from the mortal world and Heaven on their three-day tour would not dissent. When they found out they were not allowed to leave Hell, the creatures who came to enjoy themselves panicked.
"Why can't we leave?" they demanded.
"Didn't they promise a three-day tour? They better not be tricking us just to trap us here!"
"I want out, I don't want to stay in Hell!"
"Help!"
No matter which realm the creatures come from, if they stay in Hell for too long and are tainted by the dark force, they'll inevitably become demons.
Among the panicked and upset tourists, only a slender young man wearing a cloak remained calm. He used some Hell coins to get information from a demon. The demon bit into a precious Hell coin and whispered, "I'm not sure what's going on, but His Majesty won't keep you guys locked in Hell. The current standards for fallen creatures to be accepted in Hell are very high. Ordinary demons don't even qualify to settle here."
Cloaked young man: "..."
In a hushed tone and with a different accent than that of Hell, he spoke in a common language. "How many days will it take before the Gates of Hell reopen?"
The demon smirked, "That I'm not sure about."
Upon hearing the voice, he immediately knew it was an elf!
Ah, elves are so lovely – it would be even better if they stayed behind!
Just as the demon intended to take advantage of the beauty before him, a cold voice echoed from behind, "Atredis, you are not welcome in Hell."
Beelzebub stepped forward, showing great displeasure towards the being he sensed.
The cloaked young man hummed, "I came to visit Hell through proper channels. Are you still trying to make me leave?" He took off his cloak, and his shimmering blond hair was as dazzling as gold. If you ignored his pointed ears underneath the golden curls, you might mistake him for an incredibly handsome angel.
The demon that was about to extort him drew a sharp breath and retreated three steps, not daring to take advantage of the situation anymore.
He is the King of the Light Elves, Atredis.
On the sixth day of creation, God created angels, dragons, and elves - the three great races of light. And among the first ones to be created was the Archangel Lucifer, followed by Elf King Atredis, Chaos Dragon Leviathan, and Dragon King Ulysses. By Heaven's standards, they were all Archangel class, the pinnacle of the Pyramid.
However, none could surpass Lucifer, the Morning Star held in the palm of God's hand. This fact had caused Atredis countless years of resentment.
"I've paid the fee to ensure personal safety. What's the matter? Does Hell not honor its word?"
"You best watch yourself!”
Thinking about His Majesty's temperament of keeping promises, and adding the fact that Atredis and Belial were good friends, Beelzebub could only glare at Atredis fiercely before turning away and leaving to search for Yahweh's whereabouts.
Atredis shrugged and put his cloak back on, blending back into the large group of tourist sightseers. Although he himself was not afraid of common demons, their sheer number could still be bothersome. He couldn't help thinking about the king of these demons, a certain arch-nemesis turned fallen angel.
He wondered what situation had arisen in Hell. If he could cause even the smallest trouble for Lucifer, that would more than satisfy him.
Atredis soon found an opportunity to do so.
The encounter between him and Gluttony (Beelzebub), had been witnessed by quite a few tourists. As soon as he returned to the "crowd," several angels approached Atredis.
"Lord Atredis!" one of the angels exclaimed.
Atredis' eyes lit up. There must be some excitement, otherwise, these notoriously proud angels wouldn't turn to him, an outsider, for help.
A high-ranking intelligence angel, disguised as a lower angel, spoke, "We have been ordered to escort His Highness, but Hell has sealed its gates. They probably have found traces of His Highness. On behalf of heaven, we implore you, Lord Atredis, please help us bring him back."
"His Highness?" Atredis muttered, taken aback. "An archangel dared to venture into Hell?"
He had thought himself bold to come to Hell, never imagining someone even more audacious!
The intelligence angel awkwardly explained, "I'm not entirely clear about the details, but I don't have the power to assure His Highness's safe return. Please, Lord Atredis, lend Heaven your aid."
Atredis raised an eyebrow, "Which archangel are we talking about? Michael? If he's run off to Hell, I would suggest you turn back. He'd be a suicidal mess, and I'd likely end up in danger trying to save him."
The intelligence angel shook his head frantically, indicating that Archangel Michael would not engage in such foolishness.
"It's a newly born His Highness."
Atredis looked at the angels with a twitching smirk, "So, Heaven has an archangel with a curiosity even more insatiable than Michael's?"
Remembering the past, he recalled how Michael's curiosity had landed him in trouble many times.
If he hadn't known that elves' ears couldn't be touched, Michael's intrusive hands would have already explored his sensitive lobes.
Every time he mocked Michael, the irony was not lost on Atredis that he always ended up aiding the angels. They, belonging to the light attribute as he did, were naturally easier to assist than demons and fallen angels.
Guided by unique magic, Atredis found an archangel he had never met before. As he turned around, his face was pale, but his beauty outshone everything around him.
He embodied light and the essence of existence.
Upon first sight of him, Atredis exclaimed, "Lucifer?"
The intelligence angel beside him quickly covered Atlaidis' mouth, "Please keep your voice down, my lord!" He turned and said deferentially to Yahweh, "Your Highness, we have been sent by His Highness Michael to find you in Hell. We have more of our kind outside Hell as well."
Yahweh's gaze lingered on Atredis, and he sighed in relief, "The gates of Hell are closed, requiring the combined efforts of two archangels to break through."
Without the help of an archangel, the only way for Yahweh to leave would be to reveal his true identity.
Thankfully...
Michael, you've finally done something right.
"I am not Lucifer," Yahweh told Atredis, "We don't have much time. Let's head to the first circle of Hell. Luci will arrive soon."
After searching for so long with the Seven Deadly Sins' carpet-search technique and not finding him, Lucifer would eventually come looking for him in person.
Atredis, who had been following him, had a constipated expression on his face. His intention was to help out without getting involved with Lucifer, but the person he saved had a face similar to Lucifer's. Would he ever escape Lucifer's shadow in his life?!
Even the name "Luci"…
Such a close term of endearment – just what kind of relationship did they have?!
________________________
Outside the gates of Hell, when they received the news of the gates suddenly closing, Michael's first reaction was, "Oh no!"
Could it be that Hell had discovered the archangel's presence?
After seeking the permission from the "Almighty" at the Great Cathedral, the formidable Gabriel hurriedly set out to rescue our cohorts. The two archangels arrived outside the gates of Hell, resolving to charge in if their comrade did not emerge within three days. (Note: Almighty in quotes because it's just the Book of Genesis pretending to be God)
Three days passed, and with the deafening roar from the Gates of Hell, the doors crumbled, and two figures emerged with a speed too swift to comprehend.
One with silver hair and golden eyes, a typical angelic appearance.
The other, with golden hair and pointed ears, was the King of the Light Elves.
Following them was a long line of fallen angels.
Michael: "......"
Rubbing her wrist, Gabriel candidly suggested, "What are you dawdling for? Hurry up and lend a hand!"
The benefits of attacking from both inside and outside became evident as together with Yahweh, a total of four archangel-class warriors joined forces. Taken by surprise, the fallen angels could not resist the onslaught at the Gates of Hell and inevitably released the one their Majesty sought to capture.
As Yahweh turned back for a last glance, he spotted Lucifer suddenly emerging from the first circle of Hell, fixating an icy and terrifying gaze on him.
Suddenly, Yahweh felt a pain in his back.
It must be an illusion.
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