Zariel's Bedchamber

Boom! Two colossal behemoths churned within the pool of molten rock, sending magma surging in hundred-meter waves. The terrifying shockwaves devoured everything around them, leaving not a trace of bone or debris behind. Skrrr— Zariel's greatsword thrust forward, driving viciously toward Cassius's chest. Cassius jerked his body aside. A spray of sparks erupted with a deafening screech against his hardened scales, scattering shattered crimson fragments and boiling dragon blood through the air. The massive blade pierced the red dragon's left chest, grazing past that violently thumping draconic heart without striking a vital point. "Roar—" Cassius's roar of pain threw up a hundred-meter tsunami of lava, shattering the clouds above and churning up an immensely powerful storm of blazing fire. Struggling, twisting, colliding. His extraordinarily broad and thick dragon wings swept through the magma, their movements growing slightly sluggish. "Zariel, I'll kill you! I will make you pay!" The red dragon's roar sounded more like a desperate vent of frustration. Above, the infernal chant echoing across the sky grew ever louder, like cultists singing before doomsday. The entire heavens were stained a bloody crimson. Even Cassius's Sacred Sun was engulfed in turbid dark clouds, unable to cast a single ray of light, as if this world had completely lost hope and been reduced to a playground for Hell. More and more fissures split across the earth, bubbling with magma. The ground fractured into pieces, sinking continuously as if into a bottomless abyss. The black sun. Only that black sun remained suspended high in the sky, greedily devouring the surrounding brilliance while casting countless rays of blood-red light. It soaked the world in the will of Hell, making all living things tremble in terror. Spatial rifts multiplied across the sky, and through them, swarms of devils poured forth with greedy howls. Their objective was Auguste. Once the devils secured absolute control over the city and activated the infernal formation within, Zariel's transformation would proceed even faster. "Amaunator above... please protect us! Save all the people of Thrace from the torment of Hell!" "For Auguste! For Thrace!" "Hold them back!" The people of Thrace gripped their longswords and battleaxes tight and raised their vintage rifles, throwing themselves into battle against the fiendish legion for honor, for their shared homeland, and for their last hope. "Howl! Struggle, red dragon, and greet your final end!" Zariel laughed maniacally, twisting the greatsword lodged inside the dragon's flesh. Boiling dragon blood gushed out like a cascading fountain. "Cassius, your death shall be the grandest celebration of Auguste's descent into Hell!" As the black sun's light blanketed the earth, the oppressive aura of Hell grew stronger. Zariel's figure towered ever taller, her sky-burning wings blotting out the heavens. Right then, fire burst in Cassius's eyes. Veins bulged along his forelimbs, and his barbed claws snapped shut around Zariel's arm—the tips of his talons embedded with the all-severing vorpal sword. In an instant, the red dragon's full might erupted. His muscles knotted, and searing jets of flame blasted from between his scales. Slash— Like razor blades driven by overwhelming force, the claws swung down, cleaving through the arm Zariel used to grip the greatsword. Yet within seconds, infernal fire reshaped Zariel's severed arm, making it even sturdier and more powerful—the power of Avernus was nourishing this Lord of Hell! A twisted smile spread across Zariel's face. "It's useless, red dragon! Auguste's fall is irreversible! You will never defeat me!" With a wave of her hand, boundless infernal power surged like a tidal wave, condensing into an even more grotesque and terrifying hellfire greatsword. The greatsword swept across. Sensing the horrifying planar ripples it carried, Cassius beat his wings and took to the air, yet the shockwave of hellfire still plowed mercilessly across the battlefield. Boom— The mortals fighting the fiendish legions vanished into thin air—not vaporized by extreme heat, but torn apart by the very concept of Judgment itself. As long as she remained in Avernus, Zariel's will was supreme and irresistible; only an entity of Cassius's caliber could barely hold out against it. "Look how powerless you are before Hell, Cassius! Surrender your soul! You are worthy of becoming my eternal servant—" Zariel's voice boomed across the land like a howling gale. Cassius panted heavily, his muscles taut, sulfurous smoke billowing from the cracks between his scales. Yet within those pale-golden vertical pupils flickered an inexplicable thrill. It had been a long time since he had danced upon the razor's edge of life and death. He looked toward the heavens. The black sun had grown increasingly blurry and seemed almost alive, possessing a rhythm of breathing. Upon its surface, a tightly closed eye emerged, looking profoundly eerie. Bel's intensely excited voice echoed by his ear: "Almost! The moment is almost here—the chance to kill Zariel!" Good. As long as he weathered this final stretch, he could coordinate with Bel from inside and out to slaughter this Archduke of Hell and end the war once and for all. And if they failed to kill Zariel, his only option would be to burn through his reserves and flee by any means necessary. At this thought, Cassius felt his breathing quicken, his heart pumping draconic blood in violent thuds. "Roar—" The red dragon roared, opened his gaping maw, and dove headlong at Zariel once more. Yet Zariel abruptly withdrew her sword and fell back, letting the dragon's fangs clamp down on her left shoulder. Crack! The instant the dragon fangs pierced her armor, her palm slammed onto Cassius's forehead. An inverted pentagram rune spread from her hand across his dragon scales. "You think I crave your death? No... I want your submission," Zariel sneered. Under Hell's corruption, the red dragon struggled violently, his willpower and soul fighting tooth and nail against the sinful taint of Avernus. The dragon crystal at his chest blazed with boundless brilliance. Zariel invoked her Domination will, a faint gleam flickering in her deep pupils with boundless madness. She plunged her greatsword into the ground, and thick infernal chains rose from the magma, wrapping around the red dragon's neck and wings. Following that, massive pillars of rock thrust up from beneath the earth like a grotesque claw, threatening to clench the dragon within their grasp. "Now, you have only one path—" The tip of Zariel's blade pressed against the dragon's heart. "Fight for me, or let your dragon soul feed my blade." Empowered by the will of Avernus, the already mad Zariel had grown unimaginably arrogant, actually intending to reduce Cassius to her thrall. "Roar—" The red dragon lowered his head and howled, his entire body trembling violently. Wisps of hellfire began to seep from his scales, making it seem as though he were on the verge of being controlled, destined to become a hellfire ancient dragon bound by Zariel's chains. Yet Zariel failed to notice that deep within Cassius's pupils, there was no submission—only profound anticipation and excitement. Cassius had resisted the will of the Abyss itself head-on; why would he fear Zariel's soul-enslavement tricks? He was merely biding his time, waiting for the right moment! And at that very instant, the eye upon the black sun snapped open! The entire world seemed to plunge into dead silence, followed by an earth-shattering drone. Buzz— The will of the Material Plane, like a beast robbed of its young, unleashed a frenzied roar and lashed out at Avernus with all its might. A colossal giant dragging chains materialized in the heavens. Ten thousand meters tall and ethereal in form, he appeared determined to haul the entire city of Auguste back out of Hell. Yet almost immediately, the will of Avernus manifested as a pitch-black behemoth, mercilessly devouring Auguste, while the eye upon the black sun filled with bloodshot veins. In this violent clash, gruesome fissures tore through the horizon, and the earth shook violently. To suppress the resistance of the Material Plane, the will of Avernus finally withdrew the power it had bestowed upon Zariel. The Archduke of Hell's colossal frame instantly shrank down to the size of an ordinary fallen angel. And at that very moment, Cassius snapped his head up, looking upon Zariel nearby like a predator sizing up prey, even licking his lips. Boom— Dozens of spells activated in a flash. Two brilliant beams of light and flame erupted from Cassius's eyes, and crimson dragonfire enveloped his body, rolling, condensing, and rising over his scales. The red dragon's powerful body expanded relentlessly until his length reached two hundred meters before finally halting. Atop his head crowned a magnificent golden diadem, radiating intense majesty. Each slow beat of the red dragon's wings whipped up a storm that swept the earth like a living natural disaster. Now, Zariel looked utterly diminutive before Cassius, who resembled an immense volcano. Under the planar laws of Avernus, he had been suppressed for far too long. It was time to vent all the fury in his heart! The red dragon bared a grin, fixing his gaze on Zariel as he growled, "I told you... I would make you pay!" Before the words had even faded, amidst a screeching sonic boom and crushing wind pressure, Cassius pounced straight toward her. Boom! "Damn it, of all times..." Zariel's face changed drastically as she muttered under her breath. The Lord of Hell hastily flapped her sky-burning wings, drawing upon her own native infernal power to take flight, turning into a cloud of smoke mingled with hellfire to dodge the brunt of his assault. Yet Cassius's crimson figure tore through the sky. A massive claw cleaved the air, smashing violently toward Zariel midair. Boom! Zariel was driven deep into the cliffside, causing the rock to fracture and boulders to tumble. Burning feathers drifted down from aloft, turning to ash. She unfurled the burning wings behind her, unleashing a searing fiery shockwave that melted the cliff behind her into flowing magma, causing it to collapse completely. Yet a gigantic dragon claw swept down through the air, slamming her hard into the earth before lifting her up, clutching her tight in its grip. In an instant, the tables were turned. "Hahahaha..." Zariel coughed up a mouthful of dark crimson blood, yet she still laughed wildly, her voice shrill and grating. "It's useless, foolish red dragon! You cannot kill me! I am the Master of Avernus! "Once the will of Avernus triumphs and Auguste is swallowed by Hell, I swear you will suffer the most agonizing torment! "Come on, kill me! Hahahaha!" Even held captive by the red dragon, Zariel continued her merciless taunts. For planar beings like her, dying on the Material Plane was not an eternal end. "Is that so?" Cassius curled the corner of his mouth into a sinister grin. "Since you aren't afraid of dying—Bel, it's time!" "Kill her!" Bel's voice rang with savage exhilaration. Hearing that familiar name, Zariel's face changed abruptly. Overwhelmed by shock and fury, she began to tremble all over. For the first time, an emotion called fear appeared upon her face. Zariel struggled frantically, shaking her head. "No, no! I was appointed Archduke of Avernus by the Lord of the Nine Hells! You cannot kill me! Doing this makes you an enemy of all Hell!!" Cassius tightened his grip, squeezing harder and harder, and said with a grin, "Don't worry, you won't be for long. My dear ally will reclaim that Iron Throne and take your place." ... Avernus. The inner ring of the Bronze Citadel. Disguised as a devil attendant, Langlibaitiao stared intently at his game interface. Suddenly, he cried out in excitement, "It's here! That special quest—break into Zariel's palace and summon Archdevil Bel!" "All right, let's charge!" Tiansheng Zhankuang laughed loudly, downed a potion, let out a roar, and transformed into a half-dragon giant over ten meters tall, forcefully smashing open the citadel gates. With a loud boom, the four-man squad barged straight into the Bronze Citadel's inner ring! "Seize those mortals!" "They're enemies!" Flocks of devils wielding steel pitchforks flew in, shouting at the top of their lungs. But the main forces of Avernus had all been mobilized to the Material Plane, leaving defenses within the citadel remarkably thin. Across other parts of the Bronze Citadel, hundreds of players had also received the quest. Employing their various abilities, they cast off their disguises and pushed toward the inner ring. Boom— Like a living battering ram, Tiansheng Zhankuang shattered the palace gates with a single punch. Langlibaitiao, European Emperor, and the others unleashed spell after spell, repelling the devil guards swarming from every direction. Anyezhilang laid out the eerie ritual offerings—merfolk oil candles, soul coins, hellstone eggs, and skulls—onto the ground, while European Emperor was in charge of drawing the hexagram array. "Sinful souls shall ultimately plunge into Hell—" "He is the Master of Avernus, the nightmare of mortals, the flame that snuffs out hope—" As the candles were lit, the four chanted in unison, invoking that devil's true name. The wails and shrieks of sinful souls resonated through the palace like a grand opera, and the formations on their arms and chests flared to life. "Hahaha! At last! Hundreds of years of humiliation... I have finally returned—" Hellfire blazed fiercely as countless tongues of flame lashed out, coalescing into a towering, burly figure. The massive devil was covered in deep-crimson scales, with a pair of colossal batlike wings spread across his back. Green venom dripped constantly from his maw, sizzling into clouds of smoke as it hit the ground. Around his waist hung a belt fashioned from twelve shrieking angelic heads, and in his grip he held a flaming greatsword. This was the immensely powerful pit fiend, former Master of Avernus—Bel! "Mortals!" "Th-this is..." Seeing the mighty pit fiend, the devil guards rushing into the palace froze in place. "Ignorant traitors..." Bel merely snapped his fingers, and those fiends far beneath his station were engulfed by hellfire, leaving behind nothing but piles of ash. Bel grinned hideously, white sulfurous smoke venting from his mouth as flames churned in his lavalike eyes. "Zariel... I cannot wait to claim your life!" Boom— In the next breath, the archdevil obliterated several wards and rampaged through this all-too-familiar palace, charging straight toward Zariel's bedchamber.