Chapter 724: Lord of the Nine Hells

"Oh? What do you mean by that?" Though Cassius knew full well he couldn’t hide anything from the Lord of the Nine Hells, he still feigned ignorance and asked in mock surprise.

Asmodeus wasn’t annoyed. He simply picked up the wine bottle again and poured himself another glass at a leisurely pace.

Swirling his glass, he spoke with a touch of mockery: "Heh, just three days ago, Kostchtchie allied with several Abyssal Lords and took advantage of Zariel’s death to lead the Abyssal legions into Avernus.

Bael’s been running in circles like a headless chicken. It got so bad it reached my desk. I, this old geezer, had no choice but to personally intervene."

Cassius forced a chuckle, trying to shift the topic. "With Bael’s strength and cunning, he should be able to repel the Abyssal legions and hold Avernus for you.

Frankly, I think he’s way more reliable than that lunatic Zariel. I was actually helping you—you want capable subordinates in charge, right?"

"Without full Hell authority, Bael will only keep losing ground under the Abyss’s assault."

Asmodeus fixed his gaze on Cassius, tapping the table rhythmically, then bluntly declared, "Hand it over—the 30% of Avernus authority.

Of course, if you refuse—I have my own ways of taking it back. But the process... might not be very graceful." His tone left no room for argument.

In that moment, their eyes met. Space and time froze. A terrifying aura of majesty leaked into the air.

Cassius’s heart clenched.

For some reason, he had a strong feeling—this old monster wasn’t bluffing. He would take Avernus’s authority by force.

And in this not-so-graceful process, Cassius might very well lose his life! The risk was far too great, even for him.

This was the Lord of the Nine Hells after all—a being who had existed since the dawn of the cosmos, feared even by the gods. His foundation and power far exceeded Cassius’s own.

Was he really going to hand over the hard-earned Avernus authority and submit to this infernal overlord?

In this tense deadlock, Cassius barely held his composure and offered a polite smile. "Lord Asmodeus, perhaps you’d be interested... in a deal?"

"Oh? What kind of deal?"

Asmodeus swirled his glass again, visibly intrigued.

Cassius was secretly pleased.

As expected, no devil could resist the temptation of a deal—not even the Lord of the Nine Hells.

"I can safeguard this 30% of Avernus authority on behalf of my dear ally. If he ever needs it, I will rush to Hell and assist him, so he may wield the power of a Hell Lord."

Asmodeus shook his head with a smile. "Every deal demands a price, my friend. Give me a convincing reason.

You must understand, everything in Hell belongs to me. Even the Hell Lords only use their authority. So why should I let an outsider wield Hell’s power?"

Cassius quickly replied, "Of course, I will pay a price. I’ll send large imperial expeditionary forces to join the Blood War—our soldiers will bring back greater results than Zariel ever did."

Asmodeus set down his glass, folded his hands, and gave Cassius a scrutinizing look. "That’s not quite enough for me."

Cassius, anticipating this, continued: "The Empire can form a deeper alliance with Hell. All souls of enemies killed in battle will be offered to Hell.

You know very well, the Empire’s conquest won’t stop at Thrace. As the war goes on, Hell’s soul reserves will only grow richer.

Also—" Cassius grinned, inwardly apologizing to his ally, then shamelessly added, "Didn’t you say Bael isn’t loyal enough?

If you let me hold 30% of Hell’s authority, I could keep him in check. If he ever gets rebellious, he won’t be able to stir up trouble.

Unlike him, my roots are in the Material Plane. I can’t meddle in Hell’s politics. Even with 30% authority, I pose no threat to you."

Asmodeus let out a dry laugh and teased, "I must admit, that is a very tempting argument. My friend, have you considered becoming a devil?"

"Devils don’t get rich as fast as capitalists. Besides, I’m legit," Cassius replied without hesitation.

"Hahahaha!" Asmodeus burst into his signature wicked laughter and downed the rest of his wine.

"Cassius, I accept your deal—not because of those patched-together reasons, but because of you."

"Me?"

Cassius was slightly surprised—and a strange suspicion crept into his mind.

Could this ancient devil have... odd tastes like that old vampire?

"To put it in Imperial terms, I’m investing in the future."

Asmodeus raised a finger and pointed at Cassius meaningfully. "You see, over the endless ages, I’ve met countless remarkable beings—three or four were dragons.

They were like heroes from legend—some with incredible talent, others blessed with powerful artifacts... and some with luck even I envied."

He sighed. "Sadly, none of them ever reached the truth of the world. In the end, they were just crickets in a box."

Finally, Asmodeus gazed at the red dragon in human form, his pupils narrowing into black slits glowing with infernal crimson. "But you, my friend... I’m very interested in your future."

Cassius bowed politely. "To earn the recognition of the Lord of the Nine Hells—that is truly my honor."

Asmodeus stood. "Then... to a fruitful partnership, Cassius. We’ll meet again."

Before his words faded, sulfurous smoke rose through the tavern.

Under Cassius’s gaze, the middle-aged man grew taller. His skin reddened, goat-like horns curled from his forehead, and his black suit morphed into an ornate red-black robe.

A terrifying pressure slammed into Cassius. Countless soul screams echoed in his ears.

This was the true form of the ancient devil—the Lord of the Nine Hells, Asmodeus!

Then, amid surging hellfire, he vanished without a trace. The infernal pressure also dispersed.

After Asmodeus disappeared, time resumed inside the tavern, and everything began to change.

The horns of the corrupted humans retracted. The urine in Martin’s pants returned. The wounds on the tiefling’s head healed. Shattered glass reformed into a bottle in the ogre’s hand...

Except for Cassius, everything in the tavern began to play backward like a recording being rewound.

Time rewound and then resumed normally at a specific point.

"Red-skinned runt, Monk’s gonna crush you!"

Crash!

The ogre swung the bottle and smashed it on the tiefling’s head. It shattered with a crisp snap.

"You damn coward! Poor bastard! Let me teach you a lesson!" The conquest supporters cursed and surrounded Martin again.

The tavern returned to its usual chaos—drinking, brawling, and not a soul noticed anything strange.

No one knew that a terrifying devil had descended on the tavern and toyed with them like playthings.

Only Cassius still stared at the spot where Asmodeus vanished, his expression dark, golden eyes filled with deep dread.

"Just a projection made me feel like my life was in danger... He can casually control time and twist reality... What a monster."

He glanced at his system panel. The previous warnings were still there.

[Warning! You are interacting with a dangerous entity.]

[Confirmed identity: [Lord of the Nine Hells – Asmodeus]]

[Challenge Rating: ???]

"At least for now... I hope I never have to face him again."

Cassius stared at the rows of question marks on his system panel, shivering slightly as he murmured.

Before planning to kill Zariel, Cassius had already asked Medrolash to gather Hell-related intel—including information on Asmodeus.

But this Lord of the Nine Hells was far too mysterious and ancient. Most records about him were pure speculation—or mere myth.

Scholars of Hell debated endlessly about Asmodeus’s origins. Some even lost their souls in the process—because researching Hell came with serious risks.

Some said he was the first angel created by the gods. Others said he was a colossal serpent curled in the depths of Nessus. Some claimed he was the embodiment of the universe’s evil will...

In the face of Asmodeus, a mortal’s lifespan meant nothing. Their souls were fragile and fleeting.

Across ages and epochs, records of him had long been buried in history. Even the gods might not know the truth.

But one thing was certain—this Lord of the Nine Hells was terrifyingly powerful. Cassius had no hope of provoking him.

Cassius left the tavern, quietly teleporting to Blackstone Fortress’s main square.

A grand celebration was underway. Crowds surged and cheered for the Empire’s victory and Thrace’s fall.

"Long live the Empire!"

"Long live His Majesty Cassius!"

The chants echoed endlessly. Some even sang the anthem "Conquest of the South" with excitement.

Children laughed joyfully, singing songs that praised Imperial soldiers and waving branches, pretending to be heroic Wyvern Knights.

"I’m gonna be the Crimson Scaled Conqueror, you be the demon!"

"No way! I’m the Dragon-Oath Paladin!"

None of them realized—the emperor they worshipped stood among them, lost in thought.

"The Empire Domain is still too small—limited to the major cities. I need to deploy Boundary Monuments fast and cover the entire empire.

Otherwise, beings like Asmodeus can enter at will. This time might’ve been neutral—next time, it could be an enemy."

Recalling what had just happened, Cassius still felt lingering fear.

The Ember Empire was his most precious asset—his stepping stone to godhood. It was his foundation in this world.

With that in mind, Cassius raised his hand and looked toward the center of the square. Rule energy surged from within him and seeped into the earth.

Boom—

The ground trembled. Tiles cracked. Dust billowed across the plaza.

"What’s that?!"

"An earthquake! The ground’s splitting!"

"Are we under attack?!"

"Everyone—stay calm! Don’t panic or crowd! The guard squad will protect you!"

The citizens of Blackstone Fortress panicked. Tiefling guards armed with rifles rushed in, while mounted Wyvern riders flew toward the square.

Under the Empire’s citizens’ gaze, a massive Boundary Monument slowly rose from the earth—twenty meters tall.

At the top was the Empire’s emblem: a vertical pupil wreathed in flame. Below was a relief of the Ember Emperor slaying an angel, and beneath that, bold carved letters:

[Empire Boundary Monument: Blackstone Fortress]

Within the monument’s range, everyone felt a profound sense of safety.

Warm currents flowed into them, healing minor ailments and energizing their bodies.

"It’s... it’s a miracle!"

"Look! The relief shows the emperor defeating an angel! And the Empire’s emblem!"

"It must be another blessing from His Majesty Cassius! That monument represents him!"

"Praise the mighty red dragon! Praise His Majesty Cassius!"

None of them noticed the monument emitting waves of law power—the Empire Domain expanding rapidly.

Within a day, Blackstone Fortress would be fully absorbed into Cassius’s territory.

Though not a large city, Blackstone Fortress had plenty of players—mostly newbies here for work.

Suddenly, one player pointed at the monument and shouted, "Hey, look! There’s a system prompt on it!"

"It’s... a new resurrection and teleportation point!"

"Awesome! I’ve been struggling with travel here—now I can teleport straight to the frontlines!"

Cassius went on to deploy eleven more monuments across nearby cities.

In no time, these Empire Monuments stirred up a storm on the player forums. Players raved about them.

"Finally, the devs grew a conscience!"

"Yes! I died in August last time and had no Quick Revive scroll—I walked thousands of kilometers back!"

With these multifunctional revival points, they no longer had to worry about long-distance travel—and could roam freely!

Newbies also had more options—no more cramming into major cities like Isthalia or Northwind Fortress.

Players were thrilled, demanding the devs add more monuments like this.

Meanwhile, Cassius was preparing to head for Avernus—to meet with his temporary ally.