An amused expression appeared on Bel's handsome face. "An ally? Hah. Ever since I lost the seat of Lord of Avernus, it's been quite some time since I last heard such an invitation."
"Lord Bel, frankly speaking, your reputation across the multiverse is rather dreadful. You are cunning, ruthless, and never hesitated to betray your former mistress and strip her of everything..."
Bel bowed once more. His expression remained utterly unruffled, a polite smile lingering on his face.
"Your Majesty Cassius, to a pure devil, those can only be considered compliments."
"I'm sure you know that to creatures of the Material Plane, those aren't polite words—yet I don't care."
Cassius unfurled the wings at his back and stepped down from the throne, pacing across the spacious hall while keeping his eyes fixed on the archdevil.
"In our empire's foreign policy, we have no permanent allies and no permanent enemies—only constant, permanent interests. The Cinder Empire cares nothing for an ally's past, faction, or moral alignment. Whether we cooperate depends entirely on whether it brings us sufficient benefit."
Cassius paused deliberately, spreading his broad wings fully and casting a colossal shadow.
Only then did he continue, "Be it chromatic dragons or metallic dragons, Mount Celestia or Hell—so long as there are mutual interests and a common enemy, the empire is willing to work with them."
"Your Majesty Cassius, if you lived in Hell, I suspect you would make an astute archduke."
Bel raised his head, meeting the red dragon's pale-gold slit pupils. The corners of his lips curved slightly, exuding a chilling aura.
He spoke slowly, "From the looks of it... we share a common enemy."
"You guessed correctly."
Cassius merely nodded slightly, shooting a glance at the ogre mage beside him.
Trump instantly caught the cue, pulling a parchment scroll from his bag of holding and presenting it to Bel.
Cassius added, "Since we have a common enemy, it's only natural to exchange intelligence so we may understand our foe more deeply."
Bel took only a single glance, and a faint, barely perceptible hatred flickered within his pitch-black pupils. He let out a disdainful scoff.
"Hah, that madwoman's handiwork, just as I thought. What a crude, sloppy contract. She acts nothing like a noble, elegant devil—she's more like a brainless demon."
Through thousands of years of entangled grievances, Bel and Zariel despised each other deeply. Bel had even literally eaten her flesh, savoring and chewing every bit of his nemesis.
Cassius cared nothing for their past vendettas. To him, the more Bel hated Zariel, the better.
The red dragon snorted, venting a puff of sulfurous white smoke. "My subordinates stole this from a nobleman of Thrace. And in the Kingdom of Thrace, who knows how many more of these contracts exist.
"Still... compared to what little information the empire has gathered, you, who dwell in Avernus and have clashed with Zariel for millennia, surely understand the situation far better."
"Of course, Your Majesty Cassius. For an ally worthy of cooperation, I have always offered my utmost assistance."
Bel extended a hand, and clusters of flame sprang from his palm, forming an infernal illusory projection midair. The exquisite spellcraft made Trump's eyes widen.
A rocky wasteland cut through by rivers of blood appeared before them beneath a pitch-black night sky. Occasionally, blazing comets plummeted, leaving smoldering impact craters. Across the desolate battlefield lay scattered weapons and bones.
Bel said, "As you surely know, Avernus is the first layer of Hell, the battleground of the Blood War, and the place in the Nine Hells closest to the Material Plane."
The devil snapped his fingers, and the fiery scenery shifted abruptly. A towering basalt fortress appeared, adorned with partially charred corpses.
Above in the sky drifted an angel wrapped in flames, clad in blood-spattered, tattered robes. Her eyes blazed with a frenzied white light, looking as if they could obliterate all creation.
Cassius gazed at the terrifying figure and murmured, "So that's... Zariel."
Bel said in a low voice, "Yes. That woman is Zariel, the current Lord of Avernus, a maniac obsessed with the Blood War, and... my nominal superior at present."
Bel had been ousted after his poor performance in the Blood War disappointed Asmodeus, forced into the role of Zariel's advisor, so the term "superior" was technically accurate.
Bel continued, "Nearly a century ago, Zariel began sending agents to infiltrate Thrace. Back then, however, it was still part of Fadlan, designated as a garrison for the angelic godblood legions.
"As you are likely aware, Zariel is a fallen solar. She took great interest in those proud, powerful godbloods who carried blood similar to her own, and she even succeeded in tempting one of them to fall into Hell.
"At that time, however, the Holy Fadlan Empire was still at its height. The old emperor declared war on Zariel without hesitation and led the godbloods straight into Avernus, forcing Zariel to surrender the fallen one's soul and humiliating her completely."
At this point, a vindictive smirk appeared on Bel's face. Though he hadn't taken part in the event, Zariel's failures always brought him delight.
Cassius marveled, "To think such history existed. Fadlan's old emperor was truly formidable."
Bel nodded, though his tone grew somewhat contemptuous. "And yet... in the end, he was merely an arrogant mortal who presumed to usurp the gods. Truly laughable.
"As far as I know, following the Great Collapse of Holy Fadlan, the Feanso Continent was thrown into chaos. Zariel, driven by her own ambition, sought to exploit the turmoil and seize greater interests on the Material Plane."
The devil curled his lips into a sinister smile. "Still, had I remained in power, I likely would have stuck my hand in as well. I must admit, the Material Plane right now is simply too enticing. War has brought us countless fallen souls..."
"Except you were deposed," Cassius interrupted mercilessly, adding coldly, "Otherwise, you would probably be an enemy of the empire right now."
Bel chuckled sheepishly. "Of course, Your Majesty Cassius. Just as you said: no permanent friends, only permanent interests."
Cassius asked bluntly, "What is her ultimate goal in working with the Kingdom of Thrace? The souls of those angelic godbloods?"
Bel shook his head. "No, no, no. The angelic godbloods today have almost completely degenerated; they can hardly be considered pure souls anymore. Zariel's ambition has grown far more insane."
The devil looked up at the red dragon, his expression turning enigmatic. "Her current target... is Thrace itself. She wants to drag the entire Kingdom of Thrace into Hell, turning it into a 'land of souls' belonging exclusively to her."
"What an appetite. She really is... a madwoman."
Hearing this, even Cassius felt a wave of shock. The Kingdom of Thrace was a major nation with territory rivaling Anzeta and a population in the tens of millions—and Zariel intended to drag the entire kingdom down into Hell!
Bel explained, "Once plunged into Hell, masses of souls are branded and assigned to specific devils to harvest. That is what constitutes a devil's land of souls.
"If Zariel becomes the master of the Kingdom of Thrace, she will possess an endless supply of troops, and her power will swell to an unimaginable scale."
In Bel's dark eyes, hatred and malice flared once more. His handsome face twisted into an increasingly savage sneer, nearly revealing his true devilish form.
"Therefore... I cannot let her succeed. If she does, I will never have another chance to rise."
A sharp glint shone in Cassius's pale-gold slit pupils. He spoke: "Very well. Then we have reached an understanding.
"The Feanso Continent will belong solely to the Cinder Empire. Whether Thrace or Cassander, each shall be an indispensable part of our domain. Any force that attempts to halt this process will be ruthlessly crushed."
The red dragon's tone was resolute and powerful, every word brimming with undisguised confidence. In his grand design, ruling Feanso was merely the starting point of the empire's great conquest.
Bel said, "To be frank, I took notice of you and your empire long ago. I anticipated the Cinder Empire's ambition to march south, and I judged you capable of defeating Zariel.
"Even if you hadn't summoned me, I would have reached out on my own initiative to become your loyal ally."
Suddenly, Cassius asked with a half-smile, "Lord Bel, if I defeat Zariel and you reclaim the seat of Lord of Avernus, will you still support my unification of Feanso?"
Bel spread his hands in feigned innocence and replied, "Your Majesty Cassius, I would love to give you an affirmative answer, but even if I did, would someone as wise as you truly believe my words?
"Just as you said, there are no permanent allies. At least for now, I fully support you. A common enemy and shared interests are the greatest guarantee of cooperation, are they not?"
Cassius burst into hearty laughter. "Hahaha! Lord Bel, you speak the truth. Who would ever trust a devil's integrity?
"Now, let us discuss the specifics of our cooperation and how this agreement shall be signed."
At the word "agreement," Bel's eyes lit up. Nothing excited a devil more than a contract. Yet very quickly, Cassius ruthlessly shattered his illusions.
Cassius said calmly, "Trump, bring forth the contract we prepared in advance."
"Yes, Master."
The ogre archmage bowed in response, pulling out a stack of pre-arranged folders from his bag of holding. The sheets numbered over a hundred pages, every inch packed with dense text.
*Alliance Treaty Between the Cinder Empire and the Faction of the Devil Bel*
This contract had been drafted by over a hundred legal-specialist players from the empire's legal department, who had worked overtime and burned the midnight oil for days on end. The footnotes and annotations alone exceeded tens of thousands of words, sealing virtually every loophole a devil might twist.
Trump presented the document expressionlessly. "Lord Bel, this is the contract the empire has prepared for you. Please examine it carefully to avoid any oversights."
Bel's expression froze, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly. Presenting long-winded, incomprehensible contracts was the standard trick devils used against mortals, yet now retribution had landed squarely on him.
He hesitated for a moment before speaking: "Your Majesty Cassius, what is the meaning of this...?"
Cassius replied flatly, "Merely a means to guarantee cooperation and promote fairness, Lord Bel. Forgive my bluntness, but I simply cannot trust a contract provided by a devil—especially one notorious for betrayal."
Under the shadow cast by Cassius's broad wings and colossal frame, this justification carried overwhelming conviction.
Bel still tried to argue: "Yet this is hardly equitable. You must realize that even in Hell..."
"Lord Bel," Cassius interrupted, speaking with composure. "You must understand that the partnership between us is not one between equals. That means leadership by the Cinder Empire is inevitable.
"In the empire's eyes, you are not irreplaceable. Even without your cooperation, Zariel has countless enemies in Hell who would love to ruin her plans. We could find another willing archdevil at any time. But you, Lord Bel, are different. Cooperating with us is your sole chance to overthrow Zariel and regain control of Avernus.
"The empire chose you for no complicated reason—merely because you understand Zariel better, and you pose far less of a threat than the ruling lords of Hell."
Cassius's voice carried little inflection, calmly laying out the facts.
"You..."
Bel gritted his teeth, a faint fury igniting in his deep eyes. Yet soon enough, he realized the dragon's words held true. For him at present, this was indeed his best opportunity to turn the tables.
All he needed to accomplish right now was to reclaim his position as a lord of Hell as swiftly as possible. Beyond that, pride and face were nothing but jokes.
Besides—devils were the true masters of manipulating contracts. They understood the essence of an agreement far better than mortals ever could, and could easily twist clauses to extract maximum benefit.
Even with a contract drafted by the other side, Bel had full confidence that he would become the true master of the terms. Such was his pride as an archdevil.
With that in mind, Bel cast a deep glance at Cassius, then bowed low and said with a smile, "My apologies, Your Majesty Cassius. I lost my composure for a moment.
"I will certainly review the contract you so meticulously prepared with great care, and strive tirelessly toward our cooperation."
The former Lord of Hell waved his hand. The hundreds of pages floated up, neatly aligning themselves in midair. With a gentle touch of Bel's fingers, the contents of millions of words surfaced in his mind.
"The Bel faction acknowledges and respects the leadership of the Cinder Empire in establishing a new order across the Feanso Continent..."
"In the event of a conflict with the Zariel faction, the Empire and the Bel faction shall support each other through all political, economic, and military means..."
"Devils subordinate to the Bel faction may enter into contracts with citizens of the Empire to grant contractees infernal power..."
...
Reading carefully through the hundreds of pages, Bel found the terms surprisingly "fair," without many unreasonable, overbearing clauses.
And to his delight, he even spotted a few loopholes—
Chapter 594