— — — — — —
With Heaven's system now under her control, and the Seraphim running around gathering materials under the guise of "reviving" the Cross God, Algol felt pretty satisfied.
Those naïve angels had been completely played.
At this rate, they wouldn't realize anything was wrong for at least a few thousand years. If anything, they'd stay busy chasing after resources, convinced they were working toward their god's resurrection.
What they'd never realize was that the so-called half-dead, soon-to-be-revived God…
…was just Algol in disguise.
"Angels are taken care of. Next up, the devils. At the very least, I need them under remote control too…"
With that thought, Algol stepped into the Underworld.
The moment she arrived, she began assessing her surroundings. According to her plans, this place would eventually become her base.
But after a quick look around, she froze.
A purple sky. Barren, lifeless land that could barely sustain specialized crops. And a faint sulfuric stench hanging in the air.
"…Devils are this stupid, huh?"
Algol stood there, dumbfounded.
Seriously? They built this place exactly like the hells from myth?
That stuff was just something beings like her made up ages ago to scare humans into offering faith. Who in their right mind would actually live in a place like this?
She shook her head, thoroughly disgusted.
This environment clashed with her tastes on every level.
If it were up to her, she'd tear it all down and start over. A blank canvas was always better.
"…Forget it. Not before Ryo gets here. Stirring things up too much might make me the world's observer instead. That would be troublesome."
In her plan, Ryo was supposed to be the one to take that role.
Her own job was to set up a world-scale ritual, one that would eventually trigger a Cleansing and forcibly turn all life into demons while the Little Garden's central system was occupied.
Because of that, her influence over the world had to remain limited.
She couldn't reveal herself openly or reshape everything outright. At most, she could work through a local proxy, pulling strings from behind the scenes while keeping her presence subtle.
Otherwise, when Ryo arrived, they'd end up competing for control of the world's "observer" position.
That would be ridiculous.
"Hm. Long-term project, then. Pulling off a ritual big enough to block the Little Garden's detection, even briefly, is going to take centuries."
The act of Cleansing itself was easy. She could affect the entire planet, even include Heaven and the Underworld.
But hiding something on that scale from the Little Garden's first sweep?
That was the real challenge.
For a three-digit being, influencing the central system was no small feat.
"…A few hundred years, huh. I can't have Ryo wasting that long here. Better to call him over near the end."
"Alright then. Before bringing him over, I'll set the stage."
Her eyes flickered as she scanned the area.
Not far away, two factions were locked in battle.
What she saw were sprawling fortifications and humanoid figures—creatures that looked human on the outside but were fundamentally different within.
"So these are the devils of this world?"
"Crude energy systems. No concepts involved, let alone authority. I see… early-stage civilization. Not bad."
After casually evaluating, Algol tilted her head and thought for a moment. "Let's pick a servant from one of these groups. Someone pleasing to the eye… high status, preferably female. Should know how to gather cosmetics for me. Personality needs to be obedient. Hair color… white, long black, or blonde? And figure… well, at least a D cup."
After mentally ticking off her criteria, she stretched lazily.
"But before that… let's deal with this world's Lilith."
Under the violet sky, she narrowed her eyes and spread her arms, activating her authority over the concept of "Lilith."
In an instant, something was dragged out from the void.
A writhing mass of black flesh.
Algol's expression changed drastically.
"…What the hell is that? Since when do I look like this in this world?!"
Her face turned ashen as she froze mid-action.
Boom!
The already gloomy purple sky erupted with thunder and lightning as violent winds howled across the land.
"Disgusting."
With a casual squeeze, she crushed Lilith, forcing herself to absorb that thing. And her expression only darkened further.
"The devils of this world are guilty."
"Guilty of being ugly."
She looked like she was about to gag.
Just the thought that something this revolting carried her name, represented the devils of this world made her skin crawl.
"I can't interact with these devils too much. It'll contaminate me."
Rubbing her arms as goosebumps spread across her skin, she immediately abandoned the idea of direct contact.
It was simply too gross.
After a moment's thought, Algol conjured a magnificent golden palace out of thin air. She installed the latest air-generation system from Little Garden, along with a water-creation gift, then slipped inside without hesitation.
She didn't even want to touch the soil, air, or water of this Underworld.
With a wave of her hand, she created a gift that would attract specific devils, then sealed herself inside the palace.
Decision made.
She was going into seclusion.
Unless Ryo showed up, she wasn't stepping outside.
---
Underworld. Territory of the Satan faction.
Inside the main camp, a group of devils stood with grim expressions.
"Those reformist traitors broke through six of our defensive lines in just three days. Damn it!"
"Sirzechs Gremory is definitely abnormal. His demonic power is on a completely different level from ours!"
"Damn… even Lord Lucifer's power might not match that monster…" said a one-armed devil, his face pale with fear.
"Watch your tongue!"
The others glared at him before turning to look at the woman seated at the head.
She had silver hair tied in a single ponytail, ash-gray eyes, and a cold, composed face. Clad in ancient full-body armor, she radiated authority.
Grayfia Lucifuge.
A noble devil outside the Seventy-Two Pillars, her family had served as the closest retainers of the Lucifer lineage for generations—leaders among the six great houses directly under the Lucifer family.
Speaking ill of the late Satan Lucifer in front of one of his most loyal retainers was practically asking for death.
As the tension thickened, Grayfia glanced at the trembling noble. Just as he looked ready to stop breathing, she spoke coldly, "…Don't let it happen again."
"Yes!"
The devil collapsed to his knees, bowing repeatedly, abandoning all pretense of noble dignity.
The others exchanged looks. Some glanced at Grayfia with subtle, unreadable expressions.
At a time like this, the Satan's most loyal retainer choosing leniency instead of harsh punishment…
That wasn't a good sign.
Some recalled how Sirzechs had treated her differently during recent confrontations. A flicker of excitement passed through their eyes.
If they reported that to Lord Rizevim…
Just as several devils began considering how to sell out their superior for favor, a general rushed into the camp.
"Report! A palace has suddenly appeared near our lines. Ten minutes ago, I sent a squad to investigate. We've lost contact with all of them. Awaiting orders!"
Hearing this, Grayfia frowned slightly.
.
.
.