Location: Underworld, Demon Lord's Throne Room
…
Crimson light spilled through broad glass frames, dyeing the throne room red. It was a massive hall with an elevated platform five feet above ground floor, with towering chained human sculptures posing as pillars at the edges, holding up the vaulted ceilings.
Atop the elevated platform was boundless darkness which made it impossible to see the mighty figure seated on the throne. All that was visible was a pair of blazing crimson eyes, as bright as a star, glaring coldly at the six seated figures occupying the seven thrones below.
The first was Lucifer, a dangerously handsome man with long crimson hair cascading down his shoulders like a waterfall of liquid gold. His face was perfect, his skin tone was flawless, and his facial expression was neutral, complimenting the golden halo around his head.
This man was none other than the Sin of Pride.
Beside him was a burly, strong man twice his size, dark-skinned with red dreadlocks running down his shoulders. He had thick, bushy red brows which complemented his fierce visage.
The pair of horns protruding from the edges of Abaddon's hairline cemented his savage presence, making him worthy of the title Sin of Wrath.
"He does this every time." A low hiss accompanied the words that escaped Leviathan's lips.
The Sin of Envy's figure was hidden behind an oversized, dusty old cloak with its hood pulled over her head, revealing only a few strands of grey hair and her scaled slender hands sticking out of her sleeves.
Her burning emerald eyes within the cloak shifted to the seated figure in the darkness, hissing fearlessly.
"You give Asmodeus too much freedom!" Leviathan hissed.
"Ten thousand years and you still got no man. I wonder why." An amused, mocking tone resonated from all corners of the room.
A purple light shone on the final throne at the far end of the row, dimming seconds later to reveal the most beautiful man in existence.
His skin was as smooth as jade and slightly pale, complementing the ridiculously long black hair as smooth as silk. Asmodeus's eyelashes were suspiciously long and his nails were painted black and violet, mimicking the colors of the kimono he was wearing.
On his pale neck were several hickeys, and his face was riddled with fresh purple and red lipstick marks, probably left by a few succubi in his harem.
Asmodeus let out a light chuckle as he pulled out a black handfan from under his sleeve and used it to cover the lower half of his face.
Bam!
Leviathan slammed the armrests of her throne and stood up abruptly, attracting the attention of the other six.
"Three hours. We waited three whole hours for him." She hissed while glaring straight into the crimson eyes.
Her vicious gaze shifted to Asmodeus, who didn't even bother to spare her a glance.
"This disrespect must not go unpunished!" She argued with eyes burning with resentment.
Belphegor, a ridiculously tall yet feeble, pale figure, slowly opened his eyes with a neutral gleam. The Sin of Sloth had an emaciated physique further ruined by his unnaturally pale skin. Chains bound his neck, arms, and legs, all linked to heavy spiked metal balls laying on the ground, as if weighing him down.
His seemingly neutral attention made Leviathan flinch as he gazed at her deeply for a few seconds until she sat down. Only then did he pull away his gaze, lean back on the throne, and shut his eyes.
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz!
It wasn't even up to a second before Belphegor was snoring loudly again.
"Hahahahahahahahahahahaha!"
Beelzebub, the Sin of Gluttony, burst out laughing hysterically. He was a bald figure whose body was riddled with stitches. However, his most notable feature was his massive jaws, stitched from the edges of his lips down to his ears. While laughing, his mouth spread out in four directions, revealing thousands of razor-sharp teeth.
However, even in this horrifying form, there was a hint of innocence in his eyes that could disarm any man.
"You are all Princes and Princesses of the Underworld. ACT LIKE IT!"
Rumble!
The entire throne room trembled violently under the thunderous voice of the darkness seated ahead of them. Everyone fell silent and returned their gaze to the boundless darkness like obedient puppies.
"You are aware of the current situation of things." The Demon Lord began. "Mortals have abandoned us."
Buzz!
Brows knitted tightly from all seven princes and princesses. Even the sleeping Belphegor frowned deeply while snoring away, as if he were having a bad dream.
"Technically, they were stolen from us," Mammon spoke up.
She was a red-skinned, obese lady large enough to make her throne squeak with every movement she made. She wore the fanciest jewelry and the prettiest robes, yet her distasteful physique always drew more attention.
For once, the remaining six nodded in agreement with her words. Truly, mortals did not abandon them—they were stolen.
"It started with the appearance of the preachers, talking about impending doom and calamity, but we paid no attention to them. Neither did the heavens." Asmodeus rubbed his chin with a thoughtful expression.
"There have been many false prophets and silly humans spreading false prophecies at least fifty times every millennium. How could we have known these ones were different?" Leviathan snapped, and Asmodeus rolled his eyes but didn't respond.
"Just like they predicted, the calamity came—void creatures from the outer realm invaded our lands and wreaked havoc across our realm." Beelzebub chuckled while chewing on his pointy nail.
"Demons and angels were dispatched to combat this threat." Leviathan hissed.
"But we lost." Asmodeus retorted sharply while giving Leviathan the side-eye. "These beasts were unique, powerful, and more coordinated than angels and demons who were fighting amongst themselves while fighting the void creatures."
Crack!
"The casualties of war were still our mortals." Abaddon tightened his grip on the armrests of his throne, causing them to crack. "Our armies were soundly defeated on multiple fronts and our mortals were slaughtered across the realms, nearly driven to extinction!"
"If you ask me, we should have gotten involved directly." Mammon argued.
Bam!
The Demon Lord slammed the armrest of his throne, silencing the entire room once again.
"Have you forgotten that even we deities are mere higher beings existing in this vast universe that is governed by sacred laws?!" The Demon Lord roared, sending shockwaves across the room, and Mammon paled.
"I know we are not allowed to interfere directly with the plights of mortals, but all I'm saying is things would have been much different if we—"
"We sent demons to fight for mortals. We allowed our prophets and blesseds to manifest and use our powers on the battlefield. We gave visions, warning mortals of impending attacks, we groomed mortal heroes, and so much more!" The Demon Lord cut Mammon off. "What else could we have done without breaking the sacred laws?"
His words were met with silence.
The Demon Lord was right. They did everything possible within the books to save mortals from the void creatures, but none of these methods worked.
"We were stingy with power."
The one who spoke up fearlessly was none other than Lucifer, who had been quiet all this while. The scorching red eyes within the darkness narrowed at those words but didn't refute them.
"At the darkest hour of these mortals, the preachers changed their message of doom to one of salvation and hope. They claimed the Almighty Seer, who sees and knows all, had heard the cries of mortals when we, their deities, had abandoned them." Lucifer continued while looking at the crimson eyes directly without fear.
"The same Gnosis we hoarded from humanity was released into our realm by the same thing that sent the void creatures, granting humans extraordinary abilities and an energy source they could use to fight back. While we hoarded this power, afraid mortals would have no need for us if they gained the power to be self-sufficient, the enemy used this same power to steal them from us and gain their worship and reverence!"
"True." Belphegor said as his eyes opened slightly to meet the crimson gaze of the Demon Lord.
"You and the Supreme Deity were hellbent on keeping mortals dependent and ended up losing them," he said in a neutral tone. "Now we have lost their worship and fear, our powers are dwindling, and soon we will be forgotten completely—we will cease to exist."
"So tell me… Why did you wake me from eternal slumber and have me gather here with the other princes?" Belphegor asked calmly.
Silence followed as everyone's attention fell on the crimson eyes hidden within the boundless darkness. This lingered for several minutes before the Demon Lord finally spoke.
"From everything happening, it's clear we are fighting an outer deity trying to weaken the Supreme Deity and I before launching a full-scale assault. It's a complex situation that demands a complex solution." The Demon Lord finally broke the silence. "I have found one."
Buzz!
A look of surprise spread across the faces of everyone as glances of shock were exchanged.
"What is it?" Mammon jerked forward with a frightening level of intrigue.
"Death of the seven princes and princesses." The Demon Lord said, and brows knitted instantly.
Yet no one spoke. They remained silent and waited for an explanation.
"We deities cannot interfere with the world of mortals. Should we try to take a mortal body, it will crumble under our divinity in mere minutes. What you can do is become mortals through death and rebirth. Only through this way can we directly interfere in this war." The Demon Lord explained.
Silence…
No one spoke or even exchanged looks. They just sat in silence and pondered deeply.
"Even in death, our primal souls are too powerful to inhabit a mortal body…" Asmodeus rolled his eyes before glaring at the crimson eyes and asking—
"Do you plan to shatter our primal souls as well?" He grinned mischievously.
"Yes…" The Demon Lord responded without hesitation. "I will provide assistance in your journey and aid in the recovery of your powers. You have nothing to fear."
Hisss!
Leviathan hissed, showing unwillingness to go through with the plan—but it wasn't just her. Everyone was clearly reluctant to go through with this, but they were already losing relevance amongst mortals. Once they were completely forgotten, they would cease to exist.
"This journey we are about to embark on… What are our goals?" Lucifer broke the silence.
"Investigate and eradicate the preachers who have poisoned the hearts of mortals."
"Protect mortals and eradicate the void creatures."
"Revive the Dark Church across realms. This is our chance to break the balance and usurp the heavens. If we can turn the majority of the mortals into our devotees, we will gain the strength needed to surpass and eradicate the Supreme Deity, becoming the sole rulers of this realm."
"As long as we can regain the faith of people and reduce the influence of the Seer, we can protect this realm from this outer deity." Asmodeus nodded slowly.
"Once our primal souls are healed, we can reclaim our place in the heavens." Lucifer agreed swiftly.
"One last thing." The Demon Lord's words stole everyone's attention again.
"WHOEVER ACHIEVES THE BEST RESULTS IN THIS TASK WILL BECOME MY HEIR AND THE FUTURE DEMON LORD!"