Infernal Core

Following Zariel's death and the repelling of the Legion of Hell, the armies of the Cinder Empire swiftly marched into Auguste. Rifles in hand, the soldiers formed orderly ranks and advanced rapidly through the streets. "Lay down your weapons and cease your futile resistance! The Imperial Army seeks only the ringleaders; common soldiers will not be harmed!" Synthesized voices echoed across the city. Swarms of airships hovered above the city, casting colossal shadows that blanketed countless buildings below. Steam tanks ground across the paved streets, their sirens blasting plumes of searing white steam as their engines roared incessantly. Towering armored suits strode forward with measured steps, sending tremors through the earth with every pace and drawing glances from countless Thracians—gazes mingled with fear and curiosity. Before long, key landmarks like the Sun Palace, the Tower of the Eternal Sun God, and the Thracian Treasury were occupied by Imperial soldiers. Having fought through several wars, they were well-practiced in this standard procedure. Throughout the process, the Imperial Army met almost no resistance from the Thracians. Only Wilhelm's confidants—the Thracian nobles who had signed pacts with devils—still put up a stubborn resistance. Wrapped in heavy iron chains, a Thracian count transformed into a devil, spewing turbulent torrents of hellfire as he bellowed in fury: "Mortals, Hell shall inevitably descend!" "Your souls will feed the fires of Avernus!" "His Majesty already crushed Zariel like an insect, and you still dare spout such nonsense? Open fire!" A half-dragon officer swung his saber, his tone dripping with scorn. Specially crafted bullets infused with faint holy light poured down like a torrential rainstorm, riddling the devil-transformed noble into a sieve. Lava-like blood splattered everywhere, searing miniature craters into the ground. One by one, the Thracian nobles were ruthlessly cut down by Imperial troops. Bullet-riddled corpses were dragged from luxurious manors, leaving trails of gurgling blood on the streets as a pungent metallic stench permeated the city. "Is that Count Macondo? To think he signed a devil's pact too..." "Indeed. You can know a man's face, but never his heart. He was known as such a great philanthropist, yet he too sought eternal life through the power of Hell." "These Thracian nobles all deserve to die! They abducted my little sister—she's been missing for months!" People hid inside their homes, peering out windows at the Imperial soldiers with varied expressions—anxiety and fear mingled with a sliver of curiosity. They were anxious because, in the Kingdom of Thrace's recent propaganda, the Cinder Empire had long been portrayed as living hell on earth, its citizens allegedly wallowing in utter misery. Yet now that Wilhelm's collusion with devils and sacrifice of mortal souls had come to light, even a small child could see through it: the official Thracian propaganda had been a complete lie. Their curiosity stemmed from witnessing with their own eyes the Cinder Emperor unleashing the miracle of the Sun God, completely delivering them from the wretched fate of falling into Hell. "Is His Majesty truly the merciless tyrant rumors make him out to be? They say every citizen becomes his slave, forced to toil day and night..." "Those are lies! Our beloved king sacrificed his people's souls to devils and even tried to offer all of Auguste to Hell—he was the real tyrant!" "Yes! Those Thracian nobles had already degraded into Hell's lackeys!" "But the Imperials attacked our city! My younger brother served in the garrison and was blown to pieces by their shells—not even an intact corpse remained!" "All I know is that His Majesty Cassius saved me from the devils' pitchforks. If not for him, my soul would have been dragged to Hell long ago." "Still, we are Fadlanians! Even if our king was depraved, we should build our own nation. How can we submit to a dragon?" "His Majesty Cassius is the incarnation of the Sun! Is that not reason enough?" Throughout the city, the Thracians whispered, debated, and even erupted into heated arguments. Several kilometers away, perched atop a mountain peak, the colossal red dragon silently observed the scene. Just as the Imperial ballads sang: his eyes surveyed all things in creation, and his ears caught every rumor across the realm. "It seems... things are developing nicely." Cassius unfurled his wings and stretched his massive frame, wisps of white steam venting from the seams between his scales. "After this grand performance where 'justice triumphs over evil' and 'light shatters darkness,' the submission of the Thracians is only natural. Next, what demands my closest attention is the reaction from Avernus. With an archduke of Hell dead, the Lord of the Nine Hells won't simply let this rest..." Cassius extended a talon. A crimson crystalline core appeared in his palm, radiating blood-colored light and brimming with vast, chaotic infernal power. —It was Zariel's "Infernal Core," the crystallized manifestation of an archdevil's soul. A magnificent black-gold trophy materialized on his interface, signifying a Legendary Achievement. The conditions for unlocking a Legendary Achievement were notoriously grueling, requiring a player to bring about a major event capable of altering the fate of the multiverse. By now, Cassius had earned three such black-gold achievements. They were Saint Slayer from defeating Barachiel, Demon Slayer from slaying Jerlazax, and Pactbreaker from executing Zariel. Coincidentally, these three achievements originated respectively from the Abyss, the Heavens, and the Hells. [Your total achievement points have reached 50,000. Title unlocked: Multiversal Grinder] Multiversal Grinder Title Effect: Special Visual Glow Watching the title radiate a dazzling, kaleidoscopic brilliance, the red dragon's mouth twitched slightly, rendered speechless. "Isn't this the exact useless nonsense I designed to bait players with...?" Cassius collected himself, fixing his gaze on the illusory light screen as he carefully read through the lines of text beneath the black-gold trophy. [You have slain an archduke of Hell. Legendary Achievement unlocked: Pactbreaker] Pactbreaker Baator is the ultimate plane of Law and Evil, embodying premeditated, calculating cruelty. The archdukes of Hell rise above millions of devils scheming and clawing their way toward the apex of dominion, standing unchallenged at the pinnacle of each infernal layer. "They are more treacherous, more cunning, and far more dangerous. Demons indulge in raw, mad, seductive wickedness, but devils always have schedules, battle plans, and meticulously hatched conspiracies for necessary vengeance." —The Book of Hell, as recounted by a planeswalker imprisoned by Mephistopheles for three hundred years. Passive Trait Gained: Pactbreak Constitution +1, Charisma +1 You have acquired the additional traits: Infernal Breath, Oath Destruction Infernal Breath: After a brief charge, your breath weapon transforms into surging hellfire capable of awakening greed and savagery within mortal hearts, possessing the power to lure souls into corruption. Oath Destruction: By expending a portion of your mental energy, you can break free from rule-based constraints, granting a chance to destroy any covenant, pact, or oath in any sense. The black-gold trophy released a gentle radiance that melded into the red dragon's gargantuan body. Once one reached the pinnacle of the Material Plane, every single point of attribute gain became exceedingly precious. It had been quite some time since Cassius felt this sensation. [Constitution: 36 → 37] [Charisma: 40 → 41] The system's reality-warping power descended upon the red dragon. Given Cassius's current standing, forcibly altering his physique would require the might of a true deity—yet the system achieved it effortlessly. In an instant, the surrounding space warped and fractured, revealing countless hairline fissures. Jets of fire vented from between the red dragon's scales as a surging heatwave swept across the mountains, and magma welled up from the depths of the earth. "Awoooo—" Cassius instinctively threw his head back and let out a deep, exhilarating roar. In tandem with his movement, countless lightning bolts crashed down from the sky. Pumping stats—pure bliss! Before this awe-inspiring spectacle, the citizens within Auguste trembled in terror. The spellcasters grew even more pale with fright; they sensed a storm of pure sorcery sweeping across the land, like the herald of an impending magical cataclysm. As the white smoke cloaking the mountain slowly cleared, the red dragon's immense and majestic form was revealed. His knotted musculature bulged even more prominently, packed with dense fibers far tougher than steel yet extraordinarily supple. Cassius's charisma had also taken another leap forward. Every subtle movement could stir a tide of sorcery potent enough to rattle even legendary mages. "Infernal Breath..." The red dragon parted his jaws. After barely any buildup, he unleashed a ball of blazing fire. The flames burned with an unnatural, eerie hue, their crackling sounding like the whispers of devils as they radiated an intensely sinister aura. "Not bad," Cassius remarked as he evaluated the dancing flames. While Infernal Breath was potent and bizarre, Cassius's arsenal of breath weapons was already absurdly diverse: Predation Breath, Chaos Fire, Flame of Order, Primordial Breath, Breath of Bahamut, Maximized Breath, Multiple Breath, Lightning Breath, Frost Breath... and now, Infernal Breath. In fact, the variety of breaths possessed by Cassius alone surpassed all chromatic dragon lineages combined; only a multi-headed draconic deity like Tiamat could rival him. At times, when opening his gaping maw to prepare an attack, he would even suffer from decision paralysis, caught in indecision over which spectacular method to employ in exterminating his foes. "Now to test this Oath Destruction." Cassius narrowed his eyes, folded his wings, and focused inward to sense that nascent power, awakening it from within. He opened his eyes, an eerie light shimmering in his pupils. Before him materialized a blood-stained parchment contract. The contract was covered in ant-like, tightly clustered text, coiling around his form and subtly binding his soul, extending all the way into the River Styx of Hell. Upon it were numerous clauses that looked quite familiar to him. Clause 13: Bel's faction recognizes and respects the Cinder Empire's leadership in establishing a new order on the Feanso Continent. Clause 139: In the event of a conflict with Zariel's faction, the Empire and Bel's faction shall assist each other by all political, economic, and military means. Clause 461: Devils subordinate to Bel's faction may enter into pacts with Imperial citizens, granting the signatories infernal power. —This was the infernal pact Cassius had forged with Bel, an oath witnessed by the River Styx and the bedrock of their alliance. Should either party violate the agreement, the power of the River Styx would descend upon them, dragging the oathbreaker's soul into the sunless abysses of Hell. Even a demigod-level entity would suffer grave injury and pay a horrific price beyond mortal imagination for breaking such a covenant. Yet right now, pitch-black light emanated from the red dragon's talons. He could distinctly feel that with a single downward swipe imbued with this "oathbreaking power," he had a real chance of tearing the contract to shreds. "Fascinating. This must be the very power devils dread most." Cassius smirked and clenched his claw, retracting the power as the dark light dissipated. Almost all devils were masters at manipulating contracts. Treacherous, scheming, and adaptable, they routinely used pacts to bait mortals into surrendering their souls, or to hobble prospective enemies. With the Oath Destruction trait, however, Cassius gained the ability to flip the chessboard entirely, freeing him from any need to play into infernal schemes. For the Cinder Empire's current stage, Bel—as the soon-to-be archduke of Hell—still possessed ample utility, so there was no need to rip up the contract just yet. Right then, the crimson crystal in Cassius's claw pulsed with bloody light and floated into midair. Infernal Core Wondrous Item, Mythic Domains: Order, Evil, War, Law, Charm, Death Effect: Unknown Description: Baator is the ultimate plane of Law and Evil, embodying premeditated, calculating cruelty. The devils of the Nine Hells strictly adhere to order; most will resort to any conspiracy or scheme, no matter how wicked, to secure promotion. Reigning supreme at the pinnacle of this evil hierarchy, the archdukes of Hell each command absolute authority over an entire infernal layer, while the Lord of the Nine Hells has never once been defeated. "This is..." With the crimson light playing across his features, Cassius felt a familiar power—the authority of Avernus. He stared at the floating crystal, within which drifted a greatsword wrapped in thorns. It was the very infernal greatsword Zariel had once wielded, an emblem of supreme dominion coveted by countless devils. Suddenly, Cassius bared his fangs in a delighted grin. "So it's the authority of the Lord of Avernus! "Hahaha! No wonder she told Bel before dying that Hell has no winners. In her final moments, she sealed thirty percent of her infernal authority inside her core!" Zariel had understood all too well that, with a red dragon's voracious greed, Cassius would never surrender meat already in his jaws. And without the complete infernal authority, Bel could never become the true master of Avernus, nor could he repel the demonic hordes and fulfill the mandate of the Blood War. —This was Zariel's final act of vengeance, and the true meaning behind her words: "Hell has no winners." Even in death, Zariel would never let that traitor Bel comfortably occupy the archduke's throne; she wanted to drive a wedge between Bel and Cassius, turning them into bitter enemies. Lacking the full authority of Avernus, the fiends of the Abyss would seize the opening to lead their abyssal legions straight into Avernus. Ultimately, this crisis might even force the Lord of the Nine Hells to intervene personally—reclaiming the infernal authority from Cassius, deposing Bel from the archducal throne, and perhaps even resurrecting Zariel herself.