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The Ancient Sea had its days and nights. As Roy was roasting Godzilla's tail, the sun began to set.
"Is it getting dark already? Looks like we'll have to camp out on this island tonight," Roy said.
His epic battle with Godzilla had scared off every living creature in the vicinity, leaving the island quiet and perfect for a night's rest. They hadn't gotten much sleep in the Dark Abyss, after all. But the Ancient Sea was still a slice of Hell, and sleeping out in the open wasn't exactly safe.
Luckily, the Ornate Scepter didn't need sleep, and its sensing abilities were top-notch. It could stand guard and alert Roy and Eluresa to any danger.
Eluresa had been complaining about her hunger earlier, but after just a few bites of Godzilla tail, she passed out in Roy's arms, snoring softly.
The little succubus had fought a valiant battle against the twin temptations of hunger and sleep, but sleep won out in the end.
Roy gently patted her head. Despite her mature figure—curvier than most women—her personality was still so childlike.
Wasn't there a biological term for that? Neoteny, maybe? When a species keeps its juvenile traits into adulthood. Humans were a prime example of that.
"Mr. Black, why are you so set on leaving Hell?" the Ornate Scepter suddenly asked as Roy took a bite of his meal.
"And why should I stay?" Roy shot back. He had plenty of reasons to leave, but no need to spill them to the Scepter.
"Is Hell really that bad?" the Scepter pressed.
Roy shook his head. "Hell's fine. It's not what I expected at all, but it's not my home. I need to get back to Earth. There's someone waiting for me."
"I see. So it's about someone waiting for you. That's why you're climbing from the depths of Hell to the surface?"
"Nothing's stopping me from getting back to the human world," Roy said firmly, tearing into another chunk of Godzilla meat. The Scepter seemed to get the message—Roy was dead serious.
Then Roy remembered a question he'd been meaning to ask. "By the way, Mr. Scepter, who created you?"
The Tower of Babel clearly wasn't a natural formation. Its trials and the Ornate Scepter itself were designed by someone. But who?
The Scepter went quiet.
When it didn't respond, Roy figured it wasn't going to spill the beans. He could guess, though—whoever designed trials that even the Seven Demon Kings couldn't pass had to be stronger than them. Someone like that was rare, to say the least.
"Whatever. I'm gonna catch some sleep. Mr. Scepter, keep watch, will ya?"
The Scepter let out a relieved sigh. "You got it! Sleep tight. No one's sneaking up on you with me around!"
Roy lay down on the beach, pulling Eluresa close, and closed his eyes. He drifted off into a dream where, once again, a mysterious voice asked, "Are you ready?"
This time, the scene had shifted from the Dark Abyss to the Ancient Sea. Roy asked the voice what he needed to be ready for, but as usual, got no answer.
This recurring dream had been bugging him ever since the Dark Abyss. It was getting old. He'd much rather dream about something fun, like playing volleyball on a sunny beach with a cute girl by his side.
"Mr. Black, wake up! Someone's coming!" The Scepter's voice cut through the dream, yanking Roy back to reality.
His eyes snapped open. A strange fog was creeping across the beach, different from the usual green, acrid mist of the sea. This fog clung low to the ground, heavy and unnatural.
"Someone's here?" Roy asked, shaking Eluresa awake. The little succubus was out cold, oblivious to the Scepter's shouts.
"Huh? Daddy, what's going on?" Eluresa mumbled, blinking groggily, totally clueless.
"Eluresa, we're under attack! Grab the Scepter and stay behind me!" Roy ordered.
"Okay, okay!" she replied, yanking the Ornate Scepter from the ground and hiding behind Roy's broad back. Her fear melted away, comforted by his presence.
Back on Earth, Eluresa could hold her own, but in Hell, her strength didn't quite cut it. She probably couldn't have even taken on that sea monster from earlier, let alone Godzilla.
"Mr. Scepter, can you sense how many enemies are out there?" Eluresa asked, knowing its perception was razor-sharp.
"Of course! Right now, there are four people around us. Wait—no, their numbers are growing. Now there's over a dozen!" the Scepter reported.
Roy narrowed his eyes. "Are they all humanoid?"
"Yes! They're about your size!" the Scepter confirmed.
That struck Roy as odd. Everyone knew the Ancient Sea didn't have humanoid demons—just bizarre snakes, sea monsters, and some low-tier amphibians and fish at the bottom of the food chain.
Then, a familiar voice cut through the fog. "Roy Black, my master wishes to see you."
Roy's memory clicked. "Elliot Spencer!"
A tall man emerged from the mist, dressed in a priest's robe, his bald head studded with nails. No mistaking him—this was Pinhead, the leader of the Cenobites from Hellraiser. Roy had summoned them during the Ravensfall incident and gotten them killed, but apparently, they'd been brought back.
And as for Elliot Spencer's "master"? That could only be Leviathan.
Roy had known entering the Ancient Sea might catch the attention of the King of Envy, but he didn't expect it to happen this fast. He hadn't even found the pyramid yet.
"We meet again, Roy Black," Elliot Spencer said, his face devoid of emotion. Death was just another experience for him. His soul belonged to Leviathan, and as long as it wasn't destroyed, he could be resurrected endlessly—until Leviathan had no more use for him. He didn't hold much of a grudge against Roy for killing him, but his underlings? They weren't so forgiving.
The female Cenobite, Butterball, the Twins—all of them glared at Roy with hatred, like they wanted to tear him apart.
"What, Leviathan looking to die again?" Roy taunted, one hand shielding Eluresa, the other gripping the Leviathan Axe to keep the Cenobites at bay.
The axe's aura—tinged with Leviathan's own power—made the Cenobites step back, all except Elliot Spencer.
"Roy Black, your struggles are futile. This is the Ancient Sea. No one defies my master's will," Elliot said.
He wasn't wrong. Leviathan held all the cards here, and the path to the City of Eternal Night likely passed near its pyramid. Roy couldn't avoid a confrontation.
"I didn't say I wouldn't go see Leviathan. But you guys have a real classy way of inviting guests—showing up while I'm trying to sleep?" Roy quipped.
Elliot's eyes narrowed. "My apologies for the rudeness. Will you come with me now?"
"Lead the way," Roy said.
Knowing he couldn't dodge this, Roy braced himself to face the King of Envy. His only concern was Eluresa—if a fight broke out, he might not be able to protect her. He'd have to play it by ear.
"Follow me," Elliot said, signaling the other Cenobites to keep their distance to avoid provoking Roy.
Pinhead led Roy and Eluresa into the fog. In an instant, they stood before a massive pyramid, surrounded by floating octahedral structures—two pyramids joined at their bases. These were the Lament Configurations, summoned through sacrifices, though most only saw their lower halves, with the upper halves hidden beyond a dimensional portal.
"My master awaits inside," Elliot said, stopping at the pyramid's enormous entrance.
Roy took a deep breath, ready to enter with Eluresa, when the female Cenobite blocked her path. "Roy Black, my master named only you. She stays outside."
She seemed to have her eye on Eluresa.
Without a word, Roy punched her square in the face, sending her flying. Even with their superhuman durability, the blow caved in half her face.
The other Cenobites immediately assumed fighting stances.
The female Cenobite struggled to her feet, her expression twisted with rage. "Roy Black, how dare you!"
Roy smirked. These Cenobites hadn't been a match for him back on the San Diego, and they sure weren't now. "You're just Leviathan's dogs. Dogs should know better than to bark at guests—unless they want a beating."
His words hit like a verbal grenade, and every Cenobite's face darkened, even the usually stoic Elliot Spencer. But Roy was right—Leviathan didn't care about their pride or dignity.
"Let him in. The succubus, too!" Leviathan's deep, rumbling voice echoed from within the pyramid. The King of Envy was clearly eager to see Roy.
The Cenobites backed off, glaring at Roy with venomous eyes.
"You can talk big now, Roy Black, but soon you'll be like us—no, lower than us!" the female Cenobite hissed, her voice like grinding metal.
Roy didn't let her finish. With a flick of his Dark Touch, shadowy tendrils pierced her chest, draining her of flesh and blood in seconds. Oddly, her face twisted into a perverse smile—Cenobites took pain as pleasure.
"Should've waited till I was inside to start barking," Roy said, disgusted. Ignoring the others, he took Eluresa's hand and stepped into the pyramid.
Inside, the pyramid was surprisingly high-tech, more like an alien base than an ancient structure. But it was crawling with snakes—big, small, every color imaginable. It was like walking into a serpent's nest.
Leviathan, the King of Ten Thousand Snakes, lived up to its name. Roy wondered if these snakes were its offspring.
He released a burst of his aura, scaring off most of the curious snakes, though a few bold ones slithered closer. One dropped from the ceiling onto his shoulder and bit him.
Roy barely felt it—his body was too tough for that. Eluresa gasped, "Daddy, there's a snake on your shoulder!"
Without thinking, Roy slapped his shoulder, squashing the snake into a bloody pancake. "It's fine," he said, brushing off the mess.
They pressed on through a long corridor, finally reaching a vast hall. Roy was stunned to see a snake, no bigger than a human, coiled on a throne.
"Roy Black, at last we meet again," the snake said, its voice dripping with malice.
"You're Leviathan?" Roy asked.
"You will address me as the King of Envy!" it hissed.
Roy was thrown off. The Leviathan he'd seen in Ravensfall was mountain-sized. This one was tiny. Was there some kind of spatial magic at play? Maybe the pyramid's interior warped its size.
A smaller form made sense—less collateral damage when rolling over in its sleep—but it lacked the overwhelming presence from before.
Still, Leviathan's true power wasn't its size. It was its pettiness. The King of Envy held grudges forever, and Roy had humiliated it once before. It hadn't forgotten.
"Roy Black, you're finally in my grasp!" Leviathan slithered down from its throne, eyes locked on Roy.
"Leviathan, I'm here to negotiate!" Roy declared.
Leviathan's scaly brows furrowed, sensing something off about Roy's confidence.
(Why not ask Doctor Strange?)
"Negotiate? What gives you the right to negotiate with me?" Leviathan sneered.
Roy took the Ornate Scepter from Eluresa and raised it high. "Because I'm Satan's emissary!"