After many trials and tribulations, Hell finally completed the stone statue.
The Devil's hand glided over the ornate short skirt at the statue's waist, the craftsmanship so exquisite that even the texture of the linen fabric seemed to come alive. Asmodeus gazed lovingly at his masterpiece and named it "Hathor."
Hathor stood crowned with a sun disk, its pure white marble shimmering with a rose-like glow under the intense sun. Her right hand, fingers spread wide, rested horizontally across her chest, her eyes fixed forward but her gaze drifting downward at the corners, brimming with tender affection and a hint of bashful, unspoken desire.
Without any gem embellishments, this flawless white sculpture was Asmodeus's ultimate tribute to pure love.
"The Pharaoh dislikes dominant women," Asmodeus murmured, explaining his understanding of the Pharaoh's character as he slowly sank the statue into the Nile. "This statue, blending feminine grace with demonic allure, will be irresistible to him."
The thousand-foot-long stone statue lay sprawled across the valley entrance. The sudden rise in water levels caused black sludge to overflow. It was already the flood season for the Nile River, but the waves stirred up by the colossal statue far exceeded the locals' established warning lines. The towering waves submerged houses on both banks, and the disaster-stricken people fled in terror, too afraid to approach.
Only a grand spectacle could attract attention. Asmodeus's original plan was to imbue the statue with an extraordinary light, and the greater the panic among humans, the more satisfied he would be.
Mammon scoffed at the bubbling stone statue in the river. "It's so massive, anyone would be terrified. How could anyone fall in love with it?"
*Anyone who could love this thing must be a pervert!*
"And why didn't we just deliver it straight to the Pharaoh's doorstep instead of placing it so far away?"
Asmodeus had chosen the location himself. The Pharaoh resided in Upper Egypt to the south, yet Asmodeus placed the statue in Lower Egypt, downstream on the Nile. This illogical choice baffled Mammon.
"The power of love cannot be described in words. It is both a humble servant and a proud princess," Asmodeus replied, disapproving of Mammon's disdain for love. "That which is hard-won is all the more precious."
Mammon, impatient with Asmodeus's flowery rhetoric about love, urged him to get to the point. Asmodeus rolled his eyes. "Clearly, you're still a greenhorn who doesn't appreciate the subtleties. I have my reasons for doing this."
"For centuries, the Pharaohs of Lower Egypt had worshipped the Sun God Ra. That changed with the reign of the last Pharaoh, Mentuhotep II, Kashankara's father..."
Mentuhotep II was a formidable warrior who ended the long-standing division between Upper and Lower Egypt. Not only did he unify the two lands, but he also achieved a stunning reversal, defeating the northern city of Memphis in Heliopolis with his Upper Egyptian forces. He then established the new capital of Thebes, intending to shift the center of power to Upper Egypt.
"Mentuhotep II died soon after. Kashankara has been trying to fulfill her father's ambition: to completely subjugate the officials and populace of both regions and solidify her family's rule."
"Why do I call her Hathor? Because that's the name of a goddess," Asmodeus said, pointing at the stone statue.
The Egyptians were no different from people elsewhere in using the *Divine Name* to legitimize their rule. The problem was that Egypt's religious landscape was fragmented and complex, with nearly every province having its own local deity. These local deities often coalesced around a principal god, forming an elaborate system comparable to a human family tree.
"You'll find that no two Egyptians agree on the members of their *God's* family," Asmodeus quipped, then turned serious. "But one thing is certain."
In the religious wars of Egypt, as elsewhere, the strongest prevailed overwhelmingly. After several clashes, the *Sun God* emerged as the undisputed authority.
The authority of *Ra* far surpassed that of the local Theban deity *Amun*. Mere conservative rule wouldn't suffice. Rather than rejecting the powerful *Ra* of Lower Egypt, they chose to merge *Amun* with *Ra*.
Having served as High Priest beside the Pharaoh for over a decade, Asmodeus had heard many private thoughts. One scene remained etched in his memory:
"Only fusion offers the right path forward," the young man had said, his expression and gaze filled with profound conviction.
Asmodeus admitted that, for a fleeting moment, he was moved by the bold words spoken by such a small human. However, he would not alter his original plan.
After all, corrupting a king with ideals was far more stimulating to a Devil than deceiving a mediocre and incompetent fool.
"In such circumstances, presenting him with Hathor, the goddess of Lower Egypt, would be the perfect move!" Asmodeus declared with keen interest.
Hathor was the daughter of Ra, and it was through Lilith's allure that she became the goddess of Lower Egypt. He glanced at Lucifer, who had been standing silently by the side, and bowed slightly. His flickering crimson eyes shone with a peculiar, fervent light.
The difficulty of a king maintaining his love for a mere stone was evident in the mountain of marriage proposals he received daily.
"This is my second answer to you—true love that overcomes all obstacles and rushes forward without hesitation."
"Only this can truly demonstrate greatness!"
Greatness? Despite hearing so much, Lucifer's gaze remained somewhat cold.
When humans elevate themselves to the height of gods, what meaning can even the most abundant glory hold?
Whether affirmed or denied, it all lies within the human...
In the blink of an eye, he had fallen from his supreme position as the Creator to being manipulated at the whim of others. He thought he would laugh heartily at the Nine Heavens, but he couldn't.
He wanted to ask Him if He regretted creating such humans, but anticipating His likely lack of reaction, he felt no interest.
He had done similar things before, hoping to disgust Jehovah.
*Stone sinking into the sea*—that was probably the most boring thing in the world. Why had he enjoyed it so much back then?
*Ah, betting with Yahweh was more fun. At least there was some noise.* With that thought, Lucifer turned his attention back to Asmodeus, who was staring at him with burning eyes.
"You've done well," he praised Asmodeus without reservation. The demon had spent over a decade in Egypt, even securing the position of High Priest in the temple of the New City of Thebes. His dedication was plainly visible.
Lucifer trusted Asmodeus's judgment, but even so, he found the statue utterly too large.
*The love between an ant and a giant elephant is absurd, and we don't need to be so far from the Pharaoh. I'm in a hurry.*
At Lucifer's direction, the statue began to change size at a speed that would be imperceptible to humans. Though the initial waves it stirred were enough to swallow dozens of villages, it mattered little. The river's currents were naturally strong, and the people living there were accustomed to their homes being submerged. By the time the waves subsided, they would return to find the statue at a human-scale size that they could accept.
This approach served two purposes: it drew attention to the statue while successfully imbuing it with an extraordinary legend.
With the spectacle in place and the atmosphere set, Lucifer grew impatient. Asmodeus had to abandon his carefully planned romantic encounter and personally deliver the good news of the discovery of the "goddess statue" to the Pharaoh.
Everything unfolded as they had predicted. As the Pharaoh's ship raised Hathor from the water, the pure fire that ignited within the young ruler burned as fiercely as the North African desert surrounding them.
For several days, nothing went awry. The Pharaoh, resolute and unwavering, poured out his heart to the stone statue. Lucifer raised an amused eyebrow, knowing this time it was truly successful.
He immediately broke the seal on the Golden Bell. The bell bore a mark he had long prepared, ensuring that no matter where Yahweh was, the Golden Bell would guide him back to fulfill his promise.
Just as the Demon Lords waited triumphantly in the desert for the one who would fulfill the promise, a shadow staggered into their view first.
It was Badley, the Fallen Angel who had previously fled Mount Sinai.
After failing to steal the diamond and being injured, Badley had fled toward Egypt. His pace should have been much faster, but his lifeless eyes stared at the wound, which continued to emit gray smoke. He felt his vitality draining away like the smoke itself.
No matter how many healing spells he used, the burn from the diamond refused to heal. The desert heat shimmered before his eyes, even more unbearable than the heat at Kadesh.
No wonder the angel had let him escape—they had devised such a malicious plan. Even if he fled, he couldn't escape his ultimate destruction.
He collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath like a stray dog left to die. Just as he thought he would collapse and fade away, several shadows surrounded him.
Badley looked up, and as soon as he recognized the face, his pupils contracted sharply. He immediately grabbed a handful of yellow sand and flung it at the figure before him. Overwhelmed by fear and shock, he wanted to flee but lacked the strength.
"Badley! What are you doing?" Mammon recognized one of his subordinates—his only Fallen Angel.
Badley should have belonged to Asmodeus. After all, the Demon Lord of Lust had poured so much effort into dragging him to Hell. But Lucifer found him unworthy, while Asmodeus disdained him for being unable to even handle a woman, refusing to take him in. As a result, this Fallen Angel had lived a rather miserable existence in Hell.
Only Mammon saw potential in his greed and gleefully claimed him as his subordinate. Yet now, after so long, Badley greeted him by trying to feed him sand.
Despite this, Mammon was still kind to his only Fallen Angel and quickly noticed something was wrong.
"How did you get injured?"
Only when surrounded by two Demon Lords, who were now scrutinizing his wounds, did Badley realize the angel he'd fought wasn't here. He subconsciously relaxed.
*I'm saved.*
His weakness was genuine, but he desperately feigned gratitude, though he felt little.
Mammon was clearly angered, convinced that Badley's actions were Raphael's doing.
"What is Heaven plotting?" Asmodeus asked, puzzled. "First they said Gabriel descended, then Michael, and now rumors of Raphael. Are the archangels that idle?"
"Something must have happened," Lucifer replied. Unlike Asmodeus and the others, who had focused on the mortal realm for over a decade, the King of Hell constantly monitored news from all realms. Despite Heaven's tight security, he still detected traces of activity from even the slightest movements.
Angels weren't a migratory species. Such frequent comings and goings suggested that Heaven was unstable.
This instability had existed since the Great Flood, but it had become far more pronounced in the last decade.
It was as if... someone had descended, someone capable of unsettling the angels so deeply, as if they had lost their anchor... He immediately ruled out Jehovah.
The Almighty hadn't done anything recently, and despite all his efforts, he couldn't coax Him out of the Great Sanctuary. There was no reason for Him to act now.
*Who else could it be besides Jehovah...?* His gaze sharpened, and he willed a mental avatar into existence.
"Go tell Beelzebub to intensify surveillance of both realms," he commanded. "Report any anomalies immediately."
Whether the rumors were true or not, this was the first time an angel had directly attacked them—and they had concrete proof.
*Has he finally lost his patience and made his move?* He hoped it wasn't what he feared: that *He* himself had descended.
*If that's the case...* Lucifer sneered. *The Messiah dares to descend? I'll make sure he never returns.*
The avatar departed as commanded. As Lucifer regained his focus, he felt two pairs of adoring gazes. This time, not only Asmodeus but even Mammon couldn't help but be captivated.
"These mental avatars are so convenient," Asmodeus said. "But I can never learn how to make them."
Lucifer merely smiled. The avatar looked exactly like him—a consciousness he had created by splitting off the essence of his unreliable Succubus daughters.
*No thoughts, no awareness, quite useful... but a bit rigid.*
"Your Majesty," Badley interjected, finally catching up. He looked at Lucifer, then added cautiously, "That angel... he seems to resemble you quite closely."
Though he'd never met Raphael, the Archangel couldn't possibly be like His Majesty, could he?
"Besides, he's blonde," Badley added. "Rumor has it Raphael's hair is light brown."
"What did you say?" Lucifer's fake smile froze. He stared at the Fallen Angel, who was speaking in half-truths, and suddenly remembered the fear he'd sensed earlier seemed directed at him.
This time, Badley honestly explained that he'd been attacked by angels after trying to steal the humans' gems. Mammon tapped his forehead in frustration.
Blonde hair, looking "very similar" to Lucifer—no, practically identical—and a transparent gem—who else could it be but the angel Haniya!
"You're utterly useless," Mammon sneered. "Can't even defeat Haniya." Ever since their one victory over Haniya, Mammon loved to brag about it, as if Heaven's Seraphim were completely incapable of fighting.
"But are those diamonds really that special? I grabbed a whole sackful back then." He pulled out a pouch from his robes, and a cascade of gems and magic crystals clattered onto the floor, piling up like a small mountain. After digging through the pile for a while, he sighed in disappointment. Haniya's diamond wasn't among them.
It was likely he'd thrown it into the main vault, and finding it there would take considerable time.
"I suspect Yahweh gave it protective power," Lucifer said, unfazed. A few protective gems were hardly worth his concern. What unsettled him was that he'd assumed Yahweh was lurking in some unexpected corner of the world, given the deity's aversion to crowds. The reality proved otherwise.
Yahweh was near the border of Egypt. For a moment, Lucifer's expression shifted between dark and thoughtful, unsure how to process this.
"When did you encounter them?" he asked Badley again. The Fallen Angel averted his covetous gaze, pondered, and replied uncertainly, "About two or three weeks ago?"
Two or three weeks ago. Lucifer narrowed his eyes. At that time, the statue had only just been completed, yet Yahweh was already in the vicinity.
*He can't be omniscient,* he thought, but out of caution, he pressed for details about the humans.
Whatever the reason, Lucifer believed Yahweh wouldn't follow humans without a purpose. They must be scheming something. But the avaricious, lustful Fallen Angel saw nothing but gems. His answers remained muddled and evasive.
Lucifer's brow furrowed tightly. Badley couldn't even say for sure how many humans were with Yahweh, let alone whether he'd actually seen *the* Yahweh—the one with silver hair and an extraordinary aura, whose presence should have been unmistakable at a single glance.
Badley felt wronged. He'd only glanced before fleeing for his life; how could he have been expected to pay attention to anything else?
If he'd known such a being was with the humans, he wouldn't have dared act, no matter how tempting the jewels.
"Your Majesty, shall I go investigate for you?" Mammon volunteered.
"The situation is unclear, and I shouldn't reveal