Chapter 804

【 RETURNING BACK TO WHERE IT ALL BEGAN 】

Hellfire burned around Azazel’s body, while boundless demonic flames surrounded him from all sides, making him appear far more imposing than when he fought Evé in the underground.

The divine power that leaked out from him alone was enough to cause the entire sky and earth of the First Layer to change color.

At this moment, he seemed to be the ruler of the entire world, the sovereign of Hell!

Azazel looked down at the smaller Evé from above, feeling extremely pleased with himself.

He had already begun looking forward to seeing the change in her expression after she felt his terrifying power.

However, Evé merely looked at him calmly, as if his strength had not frightened her in the slightest.

Her composed attitude made Azazel feel a surge of anger, as though he had been insulted.

“Azazel.”

Evé suddenly spoke again.

She looked directly into the Seventh Demon Lord’s eyes, her expression calm.

“I will give you one more chance to think things through. Are you truly going to betray me?”

Facing Eve’s tranquil gaze, Azazel suddenly felt his heart skip a beat for some reason, and a trace of unease emerged within him.

But soon, he forcibly suppressed those emotions.

No…

He was no longer the same person he used to be!

He had already returned to his own dominion in Hell.

Here, he was the ruler, while she was nothing more than a mere incarnation!

He would no longer be intimidated by her.

He had to… escape from the shadow she had left over him!

Thinking of this, Azazel’s gaze toward Evé became increasingly dangerous.

A cold light flashed within his crimson eyes as he sneered.

“Hmph! Yggdrasill, do you still think we’re in Seigües?”

“”30 years ago, it was the east side of the river, 30 years later it was the river’s west side. ¹ Do not underestimate a Demon Lord! You old hag who only knows how to drain my power every day, next year on this very day will be your death anniversary! Die!”

After saying that, he let out an angry roar and swung his fist toward Evé.

Terrifying Abyssal power gathered within his hand, causing space itself to distort.

Streams of black lightning and dark crimson flames intertwined around Azazel’s fist. The terrifying aura that spread from it caused the three restrained Mythical Dragons to change expressions.

“Your Divine Grace!”

Meryer cried out in alarm.

However, just as Azazel’s fist was about to strike Evé, he suddenly stopped.

—No.

It was not that he stopped willingly. Rather, it seemed that some unknown force had restrained his movements, thus preventing him from bringing his fist down!

Azazel’s expression became twisted with rage as his body trembled violently, yet… he was unable to move forward even a single inch.

On his chest, a red light continuously flickered. Faintly visible were mysterious patterns slowly spreading across his body…

Feeling the sudden restriction on his power, Azazel’s eyes filled with fury.

“Ygg…drasill… what did you do?!”

His body trembled as he spoke with difficulty.

Evé smiled slightly, looking at Azazel with a trace of pity in her eyes.

“Azazel… you did not really think that what you devoured before was my true divine incarnation, did you?”

Hearing those words, as if he had realized something, Azazel’s expression changed dramatically.

He lowered his head with difficulty and looked toward his chest.

There, on the heart that had fused with the core, countless red threads were continuously wrapping around it.

At the same time, his aura suddenly collapsed like a balloon that had been punctured.

In just a short moment… his strength fell from the peak of intermediate divine power all the way down to that of a demigod.

Even his body gradually shrank.

Before long, he had become shorter than Evé, who was floating in midair.

Feeling that familiar sealing force, Azazel widened his eyes in shock and disbelief.

“… Withering Heart…”

The scene of him devouring Eve’s incarnation flashed through his mind, and in an instant, he understood everything.

“Yggdrasill! You…you tricked me!”

Azazel roared in both anger and disbelief.

Evé glanced at him.

“Azazel, you don’t really think I’d believe in the loyalty of a demon, do you?”

Hearing a sentence that was almost an exact reversal of the words he had used to mock her moments ago, Azazel’s breath caught.

Looking at his priceless expression, Evé secretly shook her head.

She had never believed in Azazel’s loyalty from the beginning.

Demons could never be trusted and they could only be forced into submission through absolute strength.

And even if they chose to pledge their allegiance, the moment there was even the slightest possibility of resistance, they would betray anyone without the slightest hesitation…

This is what demons are: chaotic and evil creatures.

That was precisely why, after obtaining the coordinates of the Core of the First Layer and the method to control it from Azazel, Evé had always remained cautious.

In fact, as early as when she entered the First Layer of Hell, she had already replaced her incarnation and concealed the Withering Heart within it, preparing against the possibility of Azazel turning against her.

So when Azazel devoured that incarnation, he also unknowingly devoured the Withering Heart, which was equivalent to sealing himself.

Furthermore, because the Withering Heart had come into contact with the Hell Core, the most fundamental source of his power, this seal was even more powerful than an external seal…

Even if Azazel was within Hell, even if he could borrow the power of the Abyss, as long as Evé controlled the Withering Heart, his strength would remain restrained.

“Ygg…drasill!”

Azazel also understood what had happened. His expression became extremely ugly, and his voice carried a hatred so intense that it seemed as if he were grinding his teeth.

“Hmm?”

Evé narrowed her eyes and looked at him with a faint smile.

Facing that seemingly amused gaze, Azazel shuddered.

At that moment, countless scenes flashed through his mind, and he suddenly remembered the terror of being dominated by the elves back at the Labyrinth…

He had fallen for it…

He… had fallen for it yet again…!

Azazel’s expression changed several times, as if he was struggling intensely. In the end, his face gradually transformed into an ingratiating smile.

“Your… Supreme… Majesty, it was a misunderstanding… Everything was just a misunderstanding…”

That smile looked even worse than crying.

Looking at the Seventh Demon Lord, who had instantly surrendered, Evé gave him a meaningful smile.

“Oh? Weren’t you going to take revenge on me sooner or later?”

“No… no… I… I was just joking with you!”

Azazel spoke with a miserable expression.

“Whats’ that about, ‘thirty years in the east of the river, thirty years in the river’s west’ again?”

Evé smiled, her tone filled with amusement.

“That was just a line I heard from some elves! I… I was only saying it for fun… I… I…”

Azazel stammered, unable to finish his sentence.

“Old hag?”

Evé tilted her head slightly, looking rather innocent.

“I am the old hag… I’m the old hag…”

Azazel immediately agreed.

“Next year on this day will be my death anniversary?”

Eve’s smile gradually became brighter.

“My death anniversary! It’s my death anniversary! Ah, no, no… nonsense… There is no death anniversary! You heard wrong, I was just performing an opera!”

Azazel was nearly in tears.

Looking at the Seventh Demon Lord who would have immediately knelt before her if his power had not been sealed, Evé sighed.

“Open a Dimensional Gate. One that leads to the Wasteland of Desolation, right at the coordinates of the Elven Fortress stationed there.”

She had lost interest in teasing him and spoke calmly.

The Elven Fortress was the name of the stronghold built by the players after entering the Wasteland of Desolation. Evé had long planned to construct a Dimensional Gate leading there after taking control of the First Layer of Hell, thereby allowing the players to travel between the two locations.

“Okay…sure…”

Azazel hurriedly agreed.

However, after answering, he looked at Evé with his innocent, wide eyes, his voice filled with grievance.

“Your Supreme Majesty…”

“Hmm?”

Evé glanced at him.

“Um, could you… could you perhaps remove the restriction on me first…?”

Azazel carefully asked.

Evé nodded and released the restraint on his movements.

Having regained control over his body, Azazel felt as though he had been granted a new life.

He moved his body slightly, his eyes flickering with thoughts.

However, when he raised his head again and met Eve’s faintly amused gaze, he quickly shuddered, lowered his head, and obediently began chanting in the demon language, opening a massive Dimensional Gate.

“Your Supreme Majesty, the Gate has been opened.”

Azazel replied nervously.

Evé turned her head to look at it and gently nodded.

She planned to make the First Layer one of the future locations where players could hunt monsters and level up. Therefore, establishing a passage leading to the Wasteland of Desolation was extremely necessary.

Afterward, Eve’s divine power surged.

The Gate of Reversal radiated light and instantly teleported from the ground to appear before Azazel.

“Leave your core behind. Your true body will enter.”

Evé said.

Azazel’s body stiffened slightly.

Through the Gate of Reversal, he looked at the faintly visible scene of the Demon Lord Labyrinth on the other side, and his expression immediately turned bitter.

The dignified Seventh Demon Lord… was going back to that wretched place again.

However, when Azazel looked more carefully and realized that it was not the usual palace where he usually stayed, but his old palace that had left him with countless terrifying memories, his already bitter expression instantly turned pale with fear.

“Your Supreme Majesty! T-That isn’t my palace!”

He shuddered, his expression filled with fear, looking like a mouse that had seen a cat.

“Hmm?”

Evé glanced at him.

Facing her calm yet seemingly stern gaze, Azazel swallowed the words he wanted to say.

Fine…

His good days were over.

He had to start working again…

With a miserable expression, he obediently separated his Origin Core from himself and handed it to Evé. Then, with a lifeless look in his eyes, he jumped into the gate.

Evé then took the Hell Core, closed the Gate of Reversal, and then gently pointed toward the ground.

Golden light bloomed from her fingertip, and countless particles of divine power scattered down onto the earth.

Under the shocked gazes of the players, the ground began to tremble violently. One building after another rose from the earth, quickly forming a majestic fortress.

Radiant light enveloped the fortress, creating a hazy protective barrier around it that isolated the surrounding Abyssal energy.

“From this day onward, the First Layer of Hell will become one of the places where anyone could undergo trials and grow stronger. Therefore, protecting this fortress will also become one of the duties of you Chosen Ones.”

Evé spoke to the players below.

The high-ranking demons of the First Layer of Hell had already been almost completely eliminated during the war between gods and demons, making this place very suitable for the current players to adventure and develop.

Of course, this was still Hell.

Staying here for a long period of time would inevitably result in corruption. However, as long as the players killed enough demons, the effort required to cleanse the Abyssal power within their bodies would not be a major issue.

After Evé finished speaking, golden light blossomed over the bodies of the players and dragons, restoring everyone’s freedom.

Led by Meryer, several Mythical Dragons lowered their heads toward Evé first and respectfully praised her.

“Praise be to nature, praise be to life, praise be to the great Goddess Evé!”

Immediately afterward, the players followed their example.

“Praise be to nature, praise be to life, praise be to the great Goddess Evé!”

The voices were not perfectly synchronized, but they echoed throughout the vast surroundings, traveling far into the distance.

Evé smiled slightly, and her divine incarnation slowly faded away within a radiance of light…

Only after her figure had completely disappeared did the players finally raise their heads.

They looked at each other, their expressions filled with excitement and curiosity.

After several seconds of silence, discussions began spreading among the crowd.

“So… the Goddess’s personality is actually this dark?”

“Heh, you know what, I actually kinda like this personality…”

“Old Azzie also completely exceeded my expectations… I never thought he would actually be this kind of person…”

“But the Goddess is still amazing! When the devil rises one foot, the righteous path rises ten!”

“Obviously. That’s our Goddess, of course she’s incredible.”

To the players, the Goddess had always been an existence high above them. She possessed a sacred and untouchable dignity, giving people a feeling of being distant and ethereal.

But today’s scene made many players inexplicably feel that this most popular NPC had gained a little more warmth and familiarity.

Sometimes, being too mysterious was not necessarily a good thing and today’s events instead created a strange sense of closeness and curiosity toward the Goddess in the hearts of many players.

And just as the players were still excited, the Dimensional Gate suddenly lit up.

Immediately afterward, one tall figure after another jumped out.

They were the players who had been waiting for a long time at the Elven Fortress in the Wasteland of Desolation.

Evé had not expected that after Azazel betrayed her and revealed his strength, the other Demon Lords and the armies of the gods would retreat so quickly.

Therefore, she had originally prepared for a battle against the demon army and had already gathered the other players in the Wasteland of Desolation, waiting for a new summons.

Of course, the original plan was to transport them through the Gate of Reversal, but it had now been replaced with the Dimensional Gate Azazel created.

Although Azazel’s actions meant that the players no longer needed to fight, they had already gathered near the Elven Fortress. So the moment they saw the Dimensional Gate being opened, they immediately rushed over.

This included many high-ranking and famous players who had come after hearing the news.

They excitedly examined the world before them, cheering loudly.

After jumping out from the Dimensional Gate, Demacia excitedly rubbed his hands together, wearing a slightly lecherous expression.

“Hahaha! So this is the legendary First Layer of Hell? I heard that because of Old Azzie’s divine authority, there are a lot of succubus ladies here. I wonder if I can get some… hehehehe… interested in coming together with me?”

However, when he saw the devastated landscape before him and the strange excitement on the other players’ faces, he froze slightly.

“…Eh? What happened here?”

“Did we miss some crucial storyline event?”

༺⟐༻

Meanwhile, on the other side, Azazel, who had been thrown back into the Demon Lord Labyrinth, sat on his old throne with a lifeless expression.

He stared at the slowly opening palace doors, and as the doors opened, he saw the silver-ranked max-level players appearing before him…

“A group of insignificant ants! How dare you step into my territory!”

A familiar line slowly echoed throughout the palace.

Thus, returning him back to where it all began.

—

¹ A Chinese idiom that means nothing is definite in this world, and the world is ever changing and unpredictable.