Chapter 16: The Ashen Welcome
Floor 3 was a disaster of gothic grandeur. They emerged into a ruined, eternal twilight—the Ashen City. The sky was a perpetual bruised purple, and the massive, spiraling towers were made of obsidian and bone, monuments to decay. The air was heavy, charged with residual dark magic and the faint, sweet scent of sulfur.
"This is a staging ground," Aiden announced immediately, his eyes scanning the impossible architecture. "This city is maintained by Hell's Dukes. The power signature is immense. This is not a monster floor; it's an infiltration."
A deep, resonating voice, silken and infinitely seductive, echoed from the high towers, speaking directly into their minds.
"Welcome, Hunters. I am Lucifer, the Morning Star. And I have a proposition for the Arbiter of Chronos."
A terrifyingly handsome figure of pure white light and immaculate, dark silk materialized fifty feet away, leaning against the shattered spire of a clock tower. He was surrounded by a court of lesser Devils, including the subtle presence of Mephistopheles and the hulking, bloated form of Beelzebub, Lord of the Flies.
Lucifer smiled, a gesture that promised both rapture and ruin. "My dear Arbiter. Your Chronos power is an insult to the very concept of Fate. And your sacrifice—the destruction of your beautiful bond with the Blade—was a breathtaking act of strategic evil. You and I, we understand the high cost of necessary cruelty."
Lucifer stepped down, moving with an effortless grace that belied his power. "The Towers are being invaded, Arbiter. Not by us, but by the truly chaotic: the Outer Space Gods—the hungry, formless things that threaten all organized existence, divine and infernal."
He pointed a slender hand toward a distant, twisting, impossible structure on the horizon. "That is the current Nexus of the Outer God Nyx, Lord of Night and Void. Nyx is attempting to corrupt the Tower's Hydrostatic Core—the domain of Poseidon—to flood the lower floors with pure, temporal chaos."
Lucifer tilted his head, his luminous eyes locking onto Aiden. "We have a mutual enemy. You need to save the Tower, and I need to keep my territory safe from existential ruin. I require you to retrieve a relic from a subordinate cult—a piece of primordial coral that can lock the Hydrostatic Core against Nyx's chaotic corruption. It is guarded by a minor duke, Dagon, in his flooded, subterranean outpost."
Lucifer then looked at Rin, his smile broadening. "The Blade of the Rending Gale. Your hatred for the Arbiter is a flame I deeply admire, but it is a weak flame. Break free, Blade. Join me. I will not constrain you; I will simply give you the strength to kill the man who betrayed you and then take the Tower yourself. A true, free vengeance."
He was offering Rin ultimate power, not just a clean slate.
Rin raised his sword, the Gale energy thrumming. "I don't take orders from fire-starting frauds. We will ascend the Tower without your help."
Lucifer let out a soft, delighted laugh. "Such spirit! But your Arbiter is intrigued, aren't you, Aiden?"
Aiden remained stoic, his eyes locked on the twisting Nyx structure on the horizon—the true threat. He knew Lucifer spoke the truth about the Outer Gods. This was a tactical mission, not a moral one.
"The relic is necessary to stabilize the Tower, regardless of your motives, Lord Lucifer," Aiden stated, his voice flat. "What is your guarantee that you will not claim the artifact once we retrieve it?"
Lucifer snapped his fingers. "My guarantee is that the corruption of Nyx is a greater threat to Hell's long-term operations than the short-term inconvenience of a few Hunters. Retrieve the coral, and I will grant you free passage to the next Ascension Gate. A Devil's promise is the purest contract, Arbiter—we never lie about our selfish intent."
Aiden turned to Rin, ignoring the rest of the Vanguard. "We take the mission. The structural integrity of the Tower is compromised by this hydrostatic breach. It's the fastest route to Floor 4."
"You trust a Devil?" Rin asked, his voice incredulous.
"I trust the Devil's selfishness," Aiden countered. "It is the most predictable variable in this entire equation. Wei, you and the Vanguard will wait here and secure this perimeter. Rin and I will infiltrate the Dagon Outpost. The mission requires stealth and silence."
Rin stared at Aiden, realizing the trap. Stealth and silence meant forced, agonizing proximity. He had no choice.
"Very well, Arbiter," Rin said, sheathing his blade. "Lead the way to Hell."
Lucifer bowed, his white light shimmering. "A perfect union of hatred and necessity. Let the game begin."