The crew traveled fast as Edmond could not wait.
They went deeper and deeper into the depths of the Demonic Realm where the lava and rock turned cold.
"What's up with the change in temperature down here," Z'oelo wondered through chattering teeth.
"We've gradually gone lower and lower up until this point. There's no heat emanating from the direction we're heading in," Klein spoke while manipulating some fire for warmth.
"That means we're getting close to the mastermind behind things in the Demonic Realm. Stay alert."
Null did not want anyone to find themselves in trouble in the face of a hidden threat.
He intended to allow Edmond to handle things and only step in if things got out of hand.
After all, the Devil might very well be on his level of Enlightenment.
Once they reached a trail that led in between two massive walls, the crew knew they were about to face the Devil.
Little did they know that he would be unable to greet them however.
"Do we just head in or...," Theef was the first to break the silence.
"I think it would be best if me and Mr. Zolial went in by ourselves. Who knows if he would be able to use one of you against us in the event he catches us by surprise," Null was adamant on taking things very seriously.
It was best if he was overly cautious rather than foolishly careless.
"Sounds good to me," Z'oelo sat his ass down on the bare ground.
"We'll be here if you need us," Klein said taking the spot next to him.
"Don't die on us, okay," Theef said half seriously.
"I trust that you will be alright," Barter's Ruler seemed to have no qualms with separating.
"We won't be gone for long," Edmond's gaze was steady forward, "Soon I'll put an end to this farce and embrace my beloved in a heavenly realm."
"I'll make sure of it," Null reassured.
It was his fault that the world went to ruin all because of the Creator's plan to resurrect himself.
In the end, he hardly had the will to go through with it and left Null to embark on a journey to confront It.
While he had lost relatively nothing aside from Sofina, the rest of them lost their entire lives and loved ones.
Sure, not everyone had the best life, but it still hit them hard nonetheless.
If not for the muddled memories of their past lives and need to conform to their new ones, they would have had a much more grueling time.
The best Null could do was protect, empower, and support the crew so that their new lives could be forged by themselves.
And so, the two continued down the narrow path that led to the Devil.
"Are you confident in defeating the Devil by yourself? I know you had benefitted greatly from the spirit energy, but you still have yet to traverse the boundaries of an Enlightened."
"Who's to say the bastard is Enlightened? I figure the Devil is just a cheat who happened to expand his reach through the souls of the damned. He probably doesn't have any real power to his name."
If the Devil in question heard that coming from one of his own imps, he would have blew a gasket.
How was he supposed to have any reign over his subjects when he was confined to one space with his powers being restricted.
It was already a feat to embed his wisps of consciousness throughout the souls that made their way to his realm, but still that was something rather insignificant to one of his stature.
"Well then let's hope this goes over in our favor."
"You worry too much," Edmond chuckled, "In my mind you are much more to fear than a Devil."
Whether it was because of the Cosmic Structure or the pure spirit energy, Null's Enlightenment was inevitable due to the astounding prowess of his capabilities.
If he had better control over his facilities, even Enlightenment seemed a bit underwhelming.
Similar to his fight with the Creator where he was using his powers subconsciously, Null could bend reality to whatever he desired.
But that seemed too much for him to bear, so the assistance that Ego provided helped to funnel the difficult process into something simpler.
He could still exhibit the same might given the proper circumstances, but he required more introspection to display other facets of the Cosmic Structure.
It worked well as the Emotions had become the main source of power outside of the elemental manipulation and ki along with any other energies he picked up along the way.
Introspection would have to wait though because the long-awaited meeting with the Devil came at last.
'Hmm? I sense the presence of that infuriating imp,' the Devil was curious to see that his first ever guest was presenting themselves before him.
Upon seeing the bone-chilling throne of ash and bone, both Null and Edmond were stunned.
The feeling was even amplified when they saw the one seated upon the throne.
It was already large enough to have to raise your head to see the top meaning that the Devil was sitting at a good four meters!
Edmond himself was pretty tall at around and Theef was even more impressive at around three meters, but the Devil topped them both.
What was even more mystifying were the folded, black feathered wings on his back unlike the typical scaled wings that demons had.
'Don't tell me...,' Null had his thoughts about the Devil's origins, but could only dismiss them as he had too little information.
"I see you've brought yourselves before me, the Devil of the Demonic Realm, Azazel. Now tell me. How do you want to die?"
Edmond just stared at him.
"Are you too scared to speak? Fine then. I'll make sure to end this painlessly."
Listening to his cocky spiel, Edmond grew sick of it.
"Try it then."
The Devil, Azazel, was not expecting such a response and was silent for a moment.
"What did you just say, imp?"
Edmond steadied himself and spoke once more, "I said try it, bitch."
It did not take a genius to see the chains that tied him to his throne, so Edmond figured there was a reason why he sent the entirety of the Demonic Realm instead of facing him in person.
If he was really incapable of fighting back, then Edmond would gladly finish him off before he could make even more of a fool of himself.
Azazel was furious!
The only one that ever spoke to him in such a way was the very one who banished him to the Demonic Realm.
"You're just a lowly imp who happened to gain a bit of demonic essence and you think you can speak to me like this! I may be restricted, but I can still erase a puny existence like yours with a little effort."
'I wonder who chained such an existence like the Devil and for what. Only the Enlightened of the Angelic Realm, I guess.'
Even Ego perked up, 'This whole thing feels enshrouded in mystery. I don't like it at all.'
'It seems like the Angelic Realm might not be an exact antithesis of the Demonic Realm. We have to keep this in mind going forward.'
By this time, Edmond had stepped closer towards Azazel, "I'd like to see you try."
His brazenness stood out to Null like he was acting different from his usual self, but little did he know the past of his seemingly tame teacher.
Ever since the tragic event, Edmond Zolial could not remain a pushover.
So, even though he was standing before an existence higher than himself, Edmond leaned back on his demonic side.
The pervasive voice that pushed him to do things was gone, but he found another voice that drove him.
It was the voice of an angel.
And she was imploring him to slay the fickle Devil and reach her in the Angelic Realm above the rocky ceiling.
'Wait for me Evangeline. I promise I'll be strong enough to reach and protect you.'
Azazel was at his limit.
Even though he was restrained, he had the ability to use a fraction of his power with the consequence of a backlash that was tolerable to him.
His only issue was that he had only one shot at it.
'I've spent all this time hidden in a realm of crass fools. I won't let anyone talk down to me anymore!'
He silently prepared to use a projectile ability while the two were still ignorant of the threat he imposed.
'Let's see you talk shit after this!'