If You Don't Go to Hell, Who Will?

Anbaixiu had always considered himself a scholar. Even back when he was an adventurer, he had never faced powerful foes head-on. One had to know one's limits. Having scraped by for so long and still ending up so pitiful, he clearly wasn't blessed with protagonist plot armor, so why rush in blindly? Although Anbaixiu now possessed the empowerment of the Golden Throne, elevating his personal combat power to the peak of the legendary tier, he would still delegate the fighting to someone else whenever given the chance. Melina's charge knocked the stone giant off balance and onto the ground, but it failed to inflict much real damage. Though the lance in Melina's hands was no ordinary weapon either, it had done little more than give the stone giant a pedicure, chipping away rocks barely the size of a fist. The stone giant was no fool. After hitting the ground, it didn't bother trying to clamber back up; instead, it went straight into a roll. The altar wasn't very large to begin with, and a single roll of the colossus covered more than half its area. Anbaixiu, however, had long since vacated the battlefield, walking over to stand right beside Zariel—reasoning that the stone giant wouldn't dare attack its own master. Sure enough, his hunch proved correct. The stone giant ignored Anbaixiu completely, rolling straight toward Melina. Zariel glanced at Anbaixiu and sneered, "It seems I was mistaken. You are no warrior." Unperturbed, Anbaixiu replied, "How could a lich ever have anything to do with being a warrior? You must have misunderstood." As the two conversed, the stone giant was already on the verge of crushing Melina. Anbaixiu thought she would use her superb horsemanship to slip through the gap and evade this mountain-crushing blow. Instead, Melina chose to meet force with force. Vast dark magical power surged from her body, condensing into a tangible wave that clashed head-on against the stone giant. The massive shockwave shook the entire subterranean altar area. The rolling momentum of the stone giant, weighing hundreds of tons, was halted dead in its tracks by Melina's magic. "That extreme?" Even Anbaixiu was slightly shocked. Although Melina's soul had been woven by his hands, the body remained the most crucial part for a Death Knight. Who knew what methods the Rose of Decay had employed to grant Melina such absurd dark magic? Perhaps Melina could even arm-wrestle Gareth now. Having halted the stone giant's roll, Melina charged once more. The magic concentrated at her lance tip condensed into a pitch-black, lightless drill, thrusting viciously into the stone giant's body. The strike pierced deep into the colossus, punching clean through its right arm. The stone giant unleashed a low roar, swinging its other arm to smash toward Melina. This time, Melina didn't meet it head-on. Deftly riding her Sussur Warhorse, she leaped across the stone giant's body, repeatedly thrusting her lance until the creature was riddled with craters and holes. Zariel voiced her admiration. "A truly magnificent warrior. Can her eyes see weaknesses?" Anbaixiu nodded. Melina's golden right eye could see through all concealment effects, which in essence meant she could see straight through all magical structures. The stone giant was clearly a monster composed of magic; targeting its weak points naturally yielded twice the result with half the effort. Zariel stared at Melina and asked with excitement, "Is she your creation? How about giving her to me? I can reward you handsomely!" Anbaixiu replied, "She is my daughter." "Daughter?" Hearing this, Zariel finally withdrew her gaze, looking at Anbaixiu in surprise. "How can undead bear children?" Anbaixiu smiled faintly. "My apologies, trade secret." Zariel stared at him for a moment, finding herself increasingly unable to make sense of this lich. Unwilling to drop the matter, Zariel pressed, "So what if she's your daughter? A lich doesn't possess a shred of morality. What wouldn't you sell? Name your price." Anbaixiu shook his head. "Honored Archduchess of Avernus, you misunderstand me. It is true that I am open to any transaction—I would gladly bundle up all the gods and sell them off if I could—but I lack the authority. Melina is my daughter, not my merchandise. How can I sell something that doesn't belong to me?" Zariel stared at Anbaixiu once more for a long time, then flashed an appreciative smile. "Not bad, lich. You are quite impressive. A pity you insist on making an enemy of me. For the sake of what you just said, when you fall into Hell, I can reserve a place for you under my command." Anbaixiu said awkwardly, "Well, er... it's not as though I'm guaranteed to go to Hell, right?" Zariel asked quizzically, "You just said you want to bundle up all the gods and sell them. If someone like you doesn't go to Hell, who will?" Anbaixiu: "..." While the two talked, Melina had already thoroughly devastated the stone giant. Though powerful, the stone giant was far too clumsy; it couldn't even graze the hem of Melina's clothes. Several times, when it brought down its fists with all its might, it ended up smashing itself instead. With Melina specifically targeting its structural weak points, it did not take long to cripple the giant's mobility. Before long, she had completely disassembled it into a heap of rubble across the ground. Melina, however, was also utterly exhausted; her magical power had been depleted to the point of almost completely draining her body. Zariel clapped her hands and praised Melina, "A splendid fight, little girl. Would you be interested in joining my legion? I will allow you to live freely in the mortal world, requiring you to serve me only when summoned, and in return, I can make you far stronger." Since Anbaixiu refused to sell his daughter, Zariel sought to recruit Melina directly. Melina not only possessed a rare talent for antimagic, but more importantly, her performance in combat—that indomitable, unstoppable momentum—struck a deep chord with Zariel. She loved collecting warriors like this. Moreover, the terms Zariel offered were exceptionally generous, carrying virtually no restrictions. The only problem was that wars waged by Zariel were usually brutal beyond measure, and warriors under her command almost always suffered catastrophic casualties. Another factor was that Zariel's wars were waged either against other deities or as invasions into the mortal realm. Should Melina choose to join, while she would undoubtedly gain rewards from the Archduchess of the First Layer of Hell, she would very likely end up making enemies of all living mortals. As for how to weigh the options, Anbaixiu had no intention of intervening. Just as he had said earlier, Melina was his daughter, but she did not belong to him. In Anbaixiu's eyes, whether she accepted or declined, neither was an inherently bad choice for her. His decision to help the tieflings was purely to prevent Ryan from becoming an unchecked hegemon—a move driven by self-interest, rather than any moral objection to Hell invading the mortal world. It all boiled down to differing stances and differing interests. Just like Gareth carving a bloody path through Ryan years ago for the sake of vengeance, Anbaixiu believed even Tyr, the God of Justice, could not fault the headless knight's actions. From Zariel's perspective, seeking vengeance against the mortal world was only natural; from the devils' perspective, invading this world was their innate duty, the most self-evident thing in existence. Therefore, the choice was entirely Melina's to make. Melina looked toward Anbaixiu with confusion, hoping for a hint. Anbaixiu asked, "Can't make up your mind?" Melina nodded. "I... I don't know." "Then there's no rush to decide." Turning back to Zariel, Anbaixiu asked, "The great Archduchess of Hell surely wouldn't mind giving a young girl some time to think. After all, Melina isn't even one year old yet. I trust you wouldn't coerce an innocent child with virtually no worldly experience into making a decision." Zariel gave a cold snort, but did not contradict him. "Melina, you are the first mortal to make me wait. However, your father is right—a child making a decision now would only regret it later. I will give you ample time to consider, but when I ask a second time, there will be no room for further delay." Flames erupted across Zariel's form, and her figure began to slowly fade. Startled, Anbaixiu hurriedly called out, "Wait! Didn't you say that as long as I completed your challenge, you would tell me the Dragon Queen's plan?" Zariel stared at Anbaixiu's face and asked, "Liches shouldn't have skin on their faces, so how can yours be so thick? Was that your challenge to complete?" "You're the one who said any means were permitted. Shouldn't devils value contracts above all else?" Anbaixiu countered. Zariel had no intention of arguing with Anbaixiu. The reason she had come to meet him in Tiamat's stead was actually that Tiamat had refused to come. That goddess had said with her own mouth that one must never have any dealings with this lich, or they would inevitably suffer losses. Zariel hadn't believed Tiamat's words and had instead grown intensely curious about Anbaixiu. Moreover, when Anbaixiu had caught Zariel's gaze in his dream earlier, Zariel had sensed that the scene was quite extraordinary, as though another deity were helping the lich. Intrigued, Zariel had taken the initiative to come see him for herself. Now that she had, it turned out this lich was truly more cunning than Cyric, the Prince of Lies. Zariel knew arguing with him would be nothing but wasted breath. Thus, Zariel waved a hand at Melina and said, "Come here." Melina walked over to Zariel in confusion, and the Archduchess of Hell whispered a few words into her ear. Anbaixiu tried to eavesdrop on their exchange, but a mysterious force blocked his perception. Within seconds, Zariel finished whispering. She turned to Anbaixiu and said, "I have already told the secret to your daughter. Entirely reasonable, wouldn't you say? After all, I never specified how I would tell you. Farewell, lich. I hope you can puzzle out all the secrets—I very much look forward to seeing the look on your face when you uncover the truth." Zariel finally vanished in a burst of blaze, leaving behind a thoroughly bewildered Melina and Anbaixiu. Stroking his chin, Anbaixiu mused, "What did that devil mean by that? Could it be that even if I knew their plans, I wouldn't be able to change anything?" Knowing that pondering without any information was just a waste of time, Anbaixiu asked Melina, "What did she say to you just now?" Looking thoroughly aggrieved, Melina said, "I... I don't know..." "How could you not know?" Anbaixiu asked, puzzled. "The language she spoke, I couldn't understand it," Melina explained. Anbaixiu paused, then quickly muttered a phrase with an odd intonation before pressing, "Was it the language I just spoke?" Melina nodded vigorously. "Yes! That exact language. I didn't understand a single word." Anbaixiu knew they were in trouble now. Zariel had whispered to Melina in Infernal—the language of devils—and there was no way Melina could possibly remember it.