Roy found himself in a tough spot, caught between a rock and a hard place.
After mulling it over for a while, he decided to start by asking about this so-called Satan's Throne Challenge.
At the question, the voice of the Ornate Scepter perked up with pride.
"This is hands-down the most complex, grueling, and monumental challenge in the multiverse! Step one: you've gotta pick me up!"
It's hard to imagine a scepter radiating pride, but this thing, despite not being a living being, had all the emotional flair and tone of one. It could easily make you think it was just like any other intelligent creature.
But in the next moment, Eluresha casually picked up the scepter.
"Doesn't seem that tough," she said with a shrug.
The Ornate Scepter froze. If it were human, it'd probably be petrified on the spot.
"No, this can't be! It's an illusion, it's gotta be! You can't fool me!"
Roy was puzzled too. The scepter had hyped itself up like it was some untouchable relic, impossible to lift. Yet here he was, holding it. Eluresha had grabbed it too. It was starting to make the scepter look kinda… cheap.
What left the scepter even more speechless was when Eluresha handed it to Alma, who gripped it just as easily.
"How is this possible? Before this, only Lucifer ever managed to pick me up! Everyone else failed!"
Curious, Roy asked the scepter, "So, how many people have tried to lift you before?"
"Seven. The Seven Demon Kings of Hell. They all wanted a shot at the Satan's Throne, but every single one of them failed. Even Lucifer fell at the final trial!"
Even Lucifer failed?
Lucifer was undeniably the strongest of the Seven Demon Kings, single-handedly holding the line at Hell's second layer, blocking any demon from escaping. Without the King of Pride, Earth would've been crawling with demons by now, instead of them being limited to rituals or the occasional Hell portal.
As they spoke, the massive crystal atop the Ornate Scepter suddenly glowed a deep crimson.
"What… such terrifying sin!" the scepter gasped.
It was utterly shocked. It could sense the immense weight of sin in Alma's soul—a darkness far greater than any Demon King's, carrying the burden of millions of tormented souls.
Alma stayed silent. She'd been influenced by Adra and the Horseman of Famine when she committed that act, but it didn't change the fact that she'd done it. The guilt was hers to bear.
"Lady," the scepter said, "you already meet several conditions to become Satan. Interested in taking on the Throne's challenge?"
Alma blinked, caught off guard. "Me?"
"Yes, you! You can wield me, and you carry unparalleled sin. Sure, your strength could use a boost, but power isn't the main requirement for becoming Satan. Claim the authority of Satan, and you'll wield the might to match the King of Hell!"
The scepter kept encouraging Alma. It rarely saw such a perfect candidate and was desperate for her to take the throne. If she did, it could finally escape its current gig. Even if it couldn't leave for other worlds, at least it'd get out of this room.
Roy's mind sparked with an idea. If Alma became Satan, she could get him out of the Dark Abyss.
"Alma, do you want to become Satan?" he asked.
Alma looked down, gently rubbing her swollen belly. "I… I don't know."
The scepter cut in, shattering her hesitation. "Lady, with the sins you carry, there's no way you're leaving Hell the normal way."
"Is that so?" Alma said. "Then I'll give it a shot."
She carried the scepter toward the Golden Throne. "What's next?"
"Stick me into the slot on the throne."
Alma did as instructed. In the next instant, she vanished.
"Alma!" Roy shouted.
"Don't worry," the scepter quickly reassured him. "She's just entered the trial space. Whether she succeeds or fails, she'll come back."
Roy let out a relieved breath and started inspecting the Golden Throne. A throne that could create its own pocket dimension was no ordinary object. Too bad it was fused to the floor, or Roy would've tried to haul it off.
The scepter seemed to pick up on his thoughts: What, you gonna eat it and take it too?
Time dragged on. Eluresha was practically dozing off when the Golden Throne finally stirred. It began to tremble violently, then the entire Tower of Babel shook, and soon the whole Dark Abyss quaked.
An old man, scribbling in a pile of bones, looked up toward the tower. "Looks like they did it."
The scepter's voice rang out, brimming with excitement. "She actually did it!"
As it spoke, Alma appeared, seated on the Golden Throne.
"Alma, you succeeded?" Roy asked.
"More accurately," she said, caressing her belly, "our child succeeded."
Roy was floored. His and Alma's unborn child had become the Lord of Hell? Talk about a plot twist.
But this yet-to-be-born Lord of Hell clearly couldn't do much right now.
"Alma, can you open a path upward?" Roy asked.
She nodded. "I'm still connected to the child, so I can wield Satan's authority for now."
Roy sighed in relief. "Alma, I'm counting on you."
She picked up the scepter and looked at Roy. "Will you come back to see me and the child?"
Roy saw the attachment in her eyes. Over their time together, she'd clearly grown deeply fond of him.
"Of course," he said. "I'll definitely come back to see you and our child. They're ours, after all."
Alma's face lit up with a relieved smile. "That's so great to hear! I'll take care of this world, and when you return, you'll see a beautiful home waiting for you."
With that, she raised the scepter. The ceiling of the Tower of Babel slowly opened, and a torrent of green water poured down from above.
This must be the path to the eighth layer of Hell—the Ancient Sea.
Roy gave Alma one last look. "Take care."
Then, pulling Eluresha along, he stepped into the green tide, letting it carry them swiftly upward.
Alma suddenly remembered something and tossed the scepter to Roy. "Catch! This is Satan's scepter—it might help you!"
The scepter, now in Roy's hands, was thrilled. "Yes! I'm finally going on an adventure! See ya, Satan! I'll be back!"
Roy and Eluresha vanished into the sky as the green tide receded. Alma kept gazing at the dark horizon.
"Baby," she said, "let's change this world. When your dad comes back, we'll give him a surprise."
As she spoke, the Dark Abyss trembled again. The landscape began to shift, mountains and rivers forming in its depths.
---
Meanwhile, the rise of a new Lord of Hell sent ripples through the infernal realm. Most Hell creatures didn't care much—whoever ruled didn't change their lives. But the Seven Demon Kings? They had thoughts.
Asmodeus, Samael, Mammon, and Beelzebub just paused, curious about who'd claimed the throne. The lower four Demon Kings never had the power to vie for it anyway.
Leviathan, though, was furious. It had been gunning for Satan's Throne since the Garden of Eden, scheming for eons. And now? Someone had stolen its prize.
"Who?! Who did this?!" it roared.
Its rage stirred the Ancient Sea into a maelstrom of storms, leaving the creatures there trembling in fear.
Lucifer's reaction was more complex. He didn't care much for the throne but worried what someone like Leviathan would do with that kind of power. "Is change coming?" he mused.
Berial, on the other hand, was delighted. When Roy had fallen into the depths of Hell, Berial had followed. But the Dark Abyss was a chaotic place—same direction, different entry points. Berial had searched for Roy, even asked the scepter for help, but got nowhere and returned to its domain.
Now, hearing a new Lord of Hell had risen, Berial's first thought was Roy. "Should I head to the Ancient Sea to meet him? Nah, Leviathan's got a hair-trigger temper. Might take it as a challenge. I'll wait for Roy at home."
With that, Berial sat at its vanity, grinning and primping.
---
Roy, gripping the scepter in one hand and Eluresha's hand in the other, emerged from a green ocean.
What greeted them was an endless haze of green mist. The air was hot, humid, and sour, stinging their lungs with every breath. To make matters worse, a violent storm raged across the sea, forcing Roy and Eluresha to fight to stay balanced in the churning waves.
"Wow, this is the outside world?" Eluresha said. "Kinda sucks!"
The scepter was already regretting its excitement. "If this is what the world's like, I'd rather stay in the Tower of Babel."
"Mr. Scepter," Roy asked, "any idea how to get from the Ancient Sea to the Eternal Night City?"
"Hmm… I think it's through some pyramid?"
"A pyramid?" Roy scanned the horizon, but the storm made it impossible to see anything, let alone a pyramid.
"Forget it," he said. "Let's find land first."
Using his expert-level water movement skills, Roy pulled Eluresha—who was flailing like a cat in water—toward a direction he hoped led somewhere.
As a succubus, Eluresha was no swimmer, and the Ancient Sea's sticky, resistant water didn't help. Without his skills, Roy might've been floundering too.
"Daddy, this water's so gross and sticky!" Eluresha whined.
"Hang in there! We'll find land soon!"
With the storm raging, flying as demons or Nephilim was too risky—they'd likely get struck by lightning. Swimming was the safer bet.
But safe didn't mean danger-free.
"Something's coming!" the scepter suddenly warned.
Roy's heart skipped a beat. He hadn't sensed anything yet.
"You sure, Mr. Scepter?"
"Of course! I'm Satan's scepter—nothing gets past me!"
Eluresha tilted her head. "Past you? Where are your eyes?"
"It's a figure of speech! You get metaphors, right?"
The scepter was once again thrown off by the succubus's literal-mindedness.
As they spoke, Roy finally felt something approaching. Without hesitation, he let go of Eluresha, pulled the Leviathan Axe from his inventory, and transformed it into a shotgun.
Boom!
The Leviathan Shotgun wasn't fazed by the water, its blast ripping into the mouth of some creature below.
The beast, in pain, changed course and breached the surface. Roy got a good look: a massive black serpent, five meters thick and maybe thirty or forty meters long, with a single horn on its head.
Everyone knew the Ancient Sea was Leviathan's domain—the King of Envy, Hell's first serpent. Naturally, this place was a snake pit.
The serpent hissed in agony and whipped its tail at Roy. A creature that size had terrifying strength, but Roy wasn't fazed.
"Perfect," he said. "I'm getting hungry. Snake stew it is!"
He shifted the Leviathan Shotgun into a folding spear and stabbed at the serpent's tail. The spear pierced through like it was cutting tofu. No surprise there—most snakes in the Ancient Sea were Leviathan's descendants. They didn't stand a chance against a weapon forged from their progenitor's body.
Realizing it was outmatched, the serpent tried to flee. Too bad for it—the spear's barbs hooked its tail, trapping it.
"Come here!" Roy yanked the serpent closer and clocked it in the head, knocking it out cold. He didn't kill it—freshness mattered, and letting it soak in the sea too long would ruin the flavor.
Dragging the serpent's tail, Roy and Eluresha pressed on. An hour later, the storm finally died down, and they spotted a small island.
Roy hauled the serpent and Eluresha onto the shore. "Eluresha, go grab some firewood. I'll handle this snake. We're having grilled snake tonight!"
"Yay, grilled snake!" Eluresha cheered, skipping off into the island's tropical rainforest.
The Ancient Sea's humid climate made dry firewood hard to come by. Eluresha rummaged around, also picking some colorful mushrooms to bring back.
Roy scratched his head when he saw the vibrant fungi. "Eluresha, those might not be safe to eat."
"Huh? We can't eat them?"
Who knew what Hell mushrooms might do? Roy wasn't about to risk poisoning himself.
"Let's stick to grilled snake," he said. "Toss the mushrooms."
(Note: Berial is based on Nocticul, the Demon Queen from the game Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous.)