In the Fourth Hell, two figures suddenly tumbled out of midair and crashed heavily onto the ground.
Igola immediately sat up and looked around. Seeing only himself and Harvey, he breathed an instinctive sigh of relief, yet a swirl of complicated emotions welled back up in his heart. Rubbing his temples to clear the stray thoughts from his mind, he realized he seemed to have landed in a strange place.
He was sitting on a vast, open grassland. The turf was soft and dry, without the faintest rank smell of mud. A gentle, warm breeze brushed against his face, and white clouds softened the radiant sunlight, bathing the world in a bright yet gentle glow.
In all his twenty-odd years of life, Igola had never laid eyes on scenery so pleasant and marvelous. For a fleeting instant, he even wondered whether he had left Hell and returned to the mortal realm.
"So beautiful..."
Extinguishing the white flames on his face, the dark-skinned curly-haired man stared wide-eyed at the world, praising it from the bottom of his heart.
Igola froze, instantly sensing something amiss. "Harvey, what exactly do you find beautiful?"
"Huh? Isn't it obvious? The skulls piled into rolling hills, the skeletons standing like dense forests... Look at the ground: hair carpeting the earth, rotting flesh turned to mud—tsk tsk tsk..." Harvey spread his arms, took a deep breath, and marveled with sincere wonder, "What fresh air, so wonderfully steeped in decay... Could this place be Heaven?"
"Even a normal person's wildest nightmare of Hell wouldn't be as horrific as what you're seeing," Igola snapped in exasperation. "Though the fact that I don't see what's in your eyes truly makes this Heaven for me. So that's how it is. This is the Fourth Hell—Fantasy Hell."
"Eh? You mean everything I see is an illusion?" Harvey squatted down, plucked a stalk of foxtail grass, examined it, and popped it into his mouth to chew. That gesture completely snuffed out Igola's curiosity—the deceiver lacked the stomach to ask what Harvey thought he was chewing on.
"It isn't an illusion, but it isn't reality either. It's 'the world you wish to see,'" Igola said. "That's the unique nature of Fantasy Hell. In everyone's eyes, the world is different; it only presents you with the environment you love best... Did you even read the intelligence they gave you?"
"If I read it, you'd read it anyway. If I didn't read it, you'd still read it. Why should I bother? It's better to wait for you to distill the useful information." Harvey patted the dust off his backside and stood up, chewing on the foxtail grass. "I learned this from Yaxiu. It gives you a chance to show off your erudition. We save time, you feed your vanity—a win-win for everyone."
"Took only the worst habits, did you?" Igola's mouth twitched, and he sneered, "Then why not take it all the way and round up a few corpses to start an undead harem?"
"I merely possess a deeper understanding of life and death; that doesn't mean my moral compass is broken." Harvey shook his head. "Even I find Yaxiu's habit of falling for every woman he meets a bit twisted. If he had entered Hell with us, there'd surely be female demigods falling victim to him—and most likely more than one."
"The demigods here have lived for at least a thousand years, haven't they?"
"The Spectre Prophet lived for three thousand."
"Do you honestly believe Weixi has feelings for him?" Igola couldn't help gossiping with Harvey. "Sure, Weixi did help him a lot during the later stages of the Angel Hunt, but I always felt she just wanted to lower his guard."
"I don't trust Weixi," Harvey said, spreading his hands. "I just trust Yaxiu's track record."
"If that's true, that's trouble," Igola muttered. "Even Silver Lantern wasn't as extreme as Weixi... But since he's finally reunited with the Sword Princess he pined for, he should stop flirting around and cut off all ambiguous ties with other women... right?"
"Possible," Harvey replied. "At least we didn't see any other women around him. Exploring Hell alone is already a groundbreaking milestone for him... Ever since breaking out of Blood Moon, have you ever seen him spend a single day without women at his side?"
Igola blinked. Thinking carefully about it, he discovered that not a single day could be found. On his very first day in Gospel, he met Annan and Lisi; on day one in Senluo, he ran into Silver Lantern and Black Crow; on day one in Stars, he met Felix; on day one in the All Stars, he crossed paths with Rose, followed by Feili and Niya...
Damn it! That bastard mocks my Veela bloodline all day long, yet he's the one who hasn't gone a single day without women around him!
When he saw Sword Princess in the future, he would definitely put this intel to ruthless use!
The deceiver and the necromancer looked at each other and couldn't help bursting into laughter. They relaxed completely and sat on the ground to rest. In all the months since entering Hell, this was the very first time a smile had graced their faces.
Ever since stepping into Hell, Igola's and Harvey's nerves had been stretched taut. The Forgotten Ones had launched their assault starting from the First Hell; the two of them had scurried about frantically, fleeing from the First Hell all the way to the Fourth, all while scrambling for resources and researching sorceries along the way... There hadn't been a single breathing space to relax.
Although they had only met Yaxiu for a pitifully brief moment, forced to part before they could even curse at him properly, for some reason the abyss of crushing pressure on their shoulders suddenly felt much lighter. Their taut tension abruptly drained away, and waves of exhaustion washed over them.
Sometimes people were like kites with severed strings, forced to ride every gust of wind and climb as high as possible, terrified that when the wind ceased they would plummet into the mud and be buried beneath the grass. But with a string, they could take a brief rest, needing neither to fly so high nor so exhaustingly... They did not truly rely on the string, yet its mere existence was enough to anchor a drifting heart.
Besides, roasting Yaxiu was genuinely therapeutic. It was just a pity he was no longer here, so they couldn't see him lose his temper and stomp his feet in frustration, which robbed the banter of some fun.
Just then, two groups of figures appeared in the distant sky. Exhaling softly, Harvey asked, "Since the world in our eyes is different, what about the demigods appearing before us?"
"Fantasy Hell only alters our perception of the environment; demigods clearly aren't part of that," Igola replied. "At least in my eyes, you're still just as hideous."
"Logically, Yaxiu should have arrived in Fantasy Hell by now too. Should we—"
"No. Don't forget, Yaxiu shares the other half of the Holy Grail with Stars. To him, the demigods of Hell are no less dangerous than Stars herself. We can't dispatch them to look for him, nor can we even let them know." Igola shook his head. "Besides, he said he could return to the mortal realm. By now, he's probably already back there, basking in the company of women on both arms."
"You sound quite certain." Harvey looked a little surprised. "Although Yaxiu's romantic tendencies are somewhat perverse, he normally restrains his desires very well. He drifted through four nations and still managed to keep his hands clean. I honestly don't think he'd indulge himself like that."
"Actually, I'm not entirely certain either." Igola tilted his head slightly. "There's an innate, subtle charm in the corners of his eyes and brows, making him look like a seasoned veteran of passion, yet his demeanor is still that of a raw recruit. It's almost like... a pure Veela?"
While the two were talking, the two groups of demigods, having traveled from afar, finally drew near. Touching down, they bowed in salute immediately and said with deep respect, "Welcome, Lord Rust Raven! Welcome, Lord Ghost King!"
Igola showed not the slightest surprise. He asked calmly, "Have you found Amilo and Tiramisu?"
"The Rumor Angel (Amilo) has fallen, and the Soul Angel (Tiramisu) has suffered catastrophic injuries, plagued by curses and temporarily incapacitated," the leading demigod reported. "In accordance with the Gospel Oracle and the Blood Moon Oracle, Rust Raven, Ghost King, Rumor, and Soul jointly hold supreme authority over Cloud City and the Lingering Echo Palace. With the Rumor Angel and the Soul Angel unable to take part in decisions, Cloud City welcomes the Ghost King, and the Lingering Echo Palace welcomes the Rust Raven. We remain faithful to the Divine Lords and await your command!"
"Very good." Igola lightly clapped his hands with an approving look. "I am certain your loyalty will earn the recognition of the Omniscient and the Blood Moon."
Naturally, Igola and Harvey had not relied solely on themselves to flee from the First Hell all the way to the Fourth, nor had their demigod ascension rituals been entirely self-made. True, they had stepped into the divine realm and summoned their own gods by virtue of their own foundation and talent, but do not forget that the greatest peril of the demigod ascension ritual was the covetous gaze of Hell's demigods.
The reason Rajesh had fallen was precisely that demigods of Hell had suddenly ambushed him to seize his god, forcing him to self-detonate it; with no god left to bear the weight of the Fifth Hell, he was ultimately crushed into a mound of rubies by Hell itself.
At the critical juncture of their ascension, both Igola and Harvey had received the assistance of two Divine Lords—the Omniscient Weaver and the Divine Lord of the Blood Moon. In fact, Amilo and Tiramisu were also ascending to demigodhood at that time; because of the Hell secret poison, every one of them had been forced to ascend immediately upon leaving the Cage of All Stars.
The investments made by the Omniscient Weaver and the Divine Lord of the Blood Moon in the two had originally been aimed at the distant future. But times change and circumstances shift, demanding new strategies. The World-Devouring Serpent swallowed the Six Hells into its belly, causing the Divine Lords to lose all control over them. Yet the newly ascended demigods who had just stepped into Hell still had 'secret poison traces' lingering in the mortal realm, enabling the Divine Lords to contact them through these traces!
The Six Hells were the frontline of resistance against the World-Devouring Serpent. Whether driven by hidden agendas or the desire to protect the world, the Divine Lords had commanded their respective factions to resist the serpent's invasion with all their might. Nearly every layer of Hell contained strongholds of the Divine Lords; in Fantasy Hell, for instance, Cloud City and the Lingering Echo Palace belonged respectively to the Supreme Lord of the Blood Moon and the Omniscient Weaver.
And the frontline commanders to oversee the whole situation could undoubtedly only be the new demigods—the only ones the Divine Lords could currently contact!
Needless to say for angels like Amilo and Tiramisu, but even 'free demigods' like Igola and Harvey, who were still unwilling to join the Kingdom of Heaven, were granted authority by the Divine Lords! Yet facts proved the Divine Lords' judgment correct: even if half of the four demigods were killed or crippled, the other half remained to maintain contact, which was far better than losing all control over Hell.
"Take us to Tiramisu. We need to discuss our next move." Igola slipped effortlessly into the role of commander. The demigods, whose individual strength far surpassed his, raised no objection and led them toward Cloud City's garrison.
Harvey asked, "Are you unable to heal Lady Tiramisu's injuries?"
"It is exceedingly difficult," the demigods replied with shame. "Her wounds are too complex. Even with our utmost efforts, we can only keep them from worsening."
*Good thing you can't heal her, or else I'd have had to find a way to make them worse,* Igola thought to himself.
Having pushed Amilo to his doom and trapped Tiramisu in dire straits, backed by both the Blood Moon and Gospel, Igola was now just one final step away from having free rein to do as he pleased.
Away from the cult leader, the deceiver could finally weave his conspiracies in Hell without restraint. He had never been the type to sit quietly and wait for rescue, much less surrender his destiny to others, not even to Divine Lords. Chaos was a ladder to ascend. He and Harvey would otherwise have needed an excruciatingly long time to make a name for themselves in Hell, but now they could leverage the situation to amass centuries, even millennia, of sorcerous advancement!
Even more importantly, Igola knew that sooner or later, he would stand opposed to the Divine Lords. In their previous communications, he had already sensed faint signs that the Omniscient Weaver and the other Divine Lords were preparing to hunt Yaxiu, just as they had hunted the Prime Angel... If they dared carve up and devour even the Prime Angel, how could they pass up a plump Lalafell like Yaxiu?
When Yaxiu went to war against the fallen Heaven, Igola and Harvey would be his battle standard in Hell.
Chapter 1149