The Underworld, the Fourth Circle - Judas Ring
Unlike the previous three circles, the Judas Ring was not a palace, but a room akin to the Throne Room seen in films. On either side stood statues of winged Western dragons. A long staircase led to a single throne, and before the throne hung a large, transparent curtain, through which only the shadow of the throne could be seen.
"So this is the Fourth Circle. It seems this is Hades's residence in the Underworld," Ajuka remarked, observing the surroundings of the Judas Ring.
At that moment, Vali urgently interjected, "Forget about that! I need to find the Wall of Sighs and get to Elysium quickly!!"
With that, Vali hurriedly charged up the steps. It was no wonder he was in such a rush; his destination, Elysium, was now within reach, and he was on the verge of rescuing his beloved sworn sister, Lavinia.
"Halt! Who gave you permission to ascend to Lord Hades's private chambers?" A voice rang out just as Vali set foot on the stairs.
Hearing that voice, everyone's vigilance instantly skyrocketed. The remaining member of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Underworld was the legendary monster of this world, Imperial Beast 666, undoubtedly the strongest among the four.
His power was, at the very least, equal to, if not greater than, Aiacos's.
Subsequently, the aura of the Imperial Beast manifested before them. Everyone followed the aura to see the Imperial Beast sitting on the steps not far away, just as Vali was passing his position.
It seemed he had merely concealed his presence earlier, as if no living being had been there at all from the start. This alone revealed the Imperial Beast's unfathomable strength.
The Imperial Beast wore underworld armor adorned with a total of seven heads on the chest, shoulders, chest, and knees. Yet, he wore a pair of non-prescription glasses and was flipping through a book in his hand. Beside him lay various other books—mythology, literature, history, philosophy—a diverse collection resembling a tomb of knowledge.
"Since my birth, I possessed no wisdom, only the desire to destroy everything. After being sealed by the God of the Bible, that desire only grew stronger.
"But it wasn't until I met Lord Hades that I learned what fear is. I am grateful to Hades for granting me this body, the emotions befitting an intelligent being of this world, and the underworld armor of the Dark Star.
The Imperial Beast spoke to the group as if recounting his own story, then removed the toy glasses from his face, stood up, and unleashed a pitch-black Dark Cosmos.
Behind him, a spectral image of a monstrous beast hundreds of meters tall materialized. It stood in a primate-like forward-leaning posture with four arms and two legs, ten horns and seven heads (lion, leopard, bear, dragon), seven tails. Its body structure was a chaotic amalgamation of various biological features, covered in black fur and crimson scales, with red horns sprouting all over its form.
The Imperial Beast erupted with a dark aura and Cosmos, instantly enveloping the entire Underworld. Every soul and living being, except for the Specters, couldn't help but tremble. His power and Cosmos far surpassed Aiacos's, arguably making him the strongest among the Heavenly Spirit Specters.
"You! Tell me now!! Where is the Wall of Sighs!!" Vali, clad in his Balance Breaker armor, charged at the Imperial Beast, throwing a punch.
The dragon head on the Imperial Beast's underworld armor flashed, and he assumed a fighting stance, saying to Vali:
"White Dragon Emperor, let me show you what a true dragon fist is!!"
As he finished speaking, a black-burning Eastern dragon appeared behind the Imperial Beast, its eyes glaring fiercely at Vali.
"Rozan Shoryuha!!"
"ROAR—!!!"
The Imperial Beast threw a punch with his right fist, and the black dragon behind him simultaneously shot forth, roaring as it charged at Vali. The dragon carried a momentum that seemed to pierce the heavens, shattering all of Vali's armor and sending him crashing onto the steps.
Everyone was stunned by this dragon fist from the Imperial Beast, but Rias and Rosweisse were the first to snap back to reality, launching a barrage of magical bullets and spell formations in attack.
"The Lion's Fang at Light Speed!! Lightning Bolt!!"
The Imperial Beast's Cosmos instantly turned golden. The lion head on his underworld armor glowed with golden eyes as he compressed the golden Cosmos into his right fist. He unleashed a lightning-charged punch carrying immense energy, as if throwing hundreds of millions of fists at once.
It was like a golden lion imbued with lightning, obliterating all threats before it with the might of thunder.
Seeing the thunderous golden lion rapidly approaching their side, Ajuka hurriedly stepped forward, deploying a powerful defensive barrier, barely managing to block the terrifying attack.
Ajuka was left panting heavily from exhaustion. Vali also struggled to his feet, his body covered in wounds, looking at the Imperial Beast as if staring at a monster.
Hades had once taught the Imperial Beast some techniques of the Saints. It was only after teaching him that he realized the Imperial Beast's talent was comparable to that of the "Little Lion" Regulus. Merely explaining the principles of a move was enough for him to master it completely.
Now, the Imperial Beast knew not only the techniques of Specters and Saints but also those of God Warriors and warriors of other deities. It could be said he currently possessed the widest arsenal of ultimate moves among all Specters.
"Damn it!! Welsh Blaster Bishop!!" Issei Hyoudou instantly activated his Balance Breaker, and two massive magical cannon barrels grew from his back.
"Divine Dragon Blast Cannon!!" The two magical cannons fired powerful crimson magical blasts, while his hands simultaneously gathered and released beam attacks.
"Hmm?" Seeing this attack, the Imperial Beast's fingernails elongated into sharp claws, and his Cosmos transformed into a white, cold-air-emitting Cosmos.
"Viking Tiger Claw!!" The Imperial Beast seemed to transform into a pitch-black sabertooth tiger with eyes gleaming with red ferocity, charging straight at Issei Hyoudou.
His assault was as fast as light. In the blink of an eye, he was already behind Issei Hyoudou. Looking back, the magical blasts and beam attacks Issei had fired were all frozen into blocks of ice, which then shattered into icy particles falling to the ground.
BOOM—!!
Issei Hyoudou collapsed on the ground, a layer of white frost now covering his Balance Breaker armor.
"Issei!!" Himejima Akeno, Rosweisse, and Rias cried out in worry upon seeing Issei Hyoudou.
The Imperial Beast then showed them his claws. Each claw resembled an iron needle, emitting a cold, moonlight-like gleam. A dangerous yet captivating smile played on his lips as he said:
"I merely gave the Red Dragon Emperor a light tap. I didn't expect him to be so weak."
Afterwards, the Imperial Beast retracted his claws, sneering as he looked at the group. "Rest assured, I will craft many ice coffins for you all. They will preserve your bodies from decay, allowing you to sleep forever in Cocytus of the Underworld."
Hearing the Imperial Beast's words, panic surged within everyone. To them now, the Imperial Beast was second only to Hades as the most terrifying and formidable enemy.
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