510. Avoid Death

Belzu eyed the silver-haired girl as she stood next to him. He had known she was coming— he had tried to stop her, having tricked the [Archarachne] with his illusions and curses into battling her. But she managed to circumvent it somehow.

It was both a minor annoyance and a boon to Belzu. She had, in a sense, saved him, even if he thought he could have escaped his predicament. After all, Levithus had been just about to blow up the entire region just to kill the Lord of Lies.

Now that she was here, Belzu stood a better chance against Levithus. There was actually a chance of defeating the Level 171 [Hellprince]. But that was the problem. Belzu didn’t actually want to do that.

He watched as Salvos unleashed a volley of gray flames at the large serpent.

“[The Holy Flames]!”

Levithus snarled and drew back, flying and twisting his way out of the onslaught of attacks. A few of the flaming projectiles struck him. He was wreathed in a coat of black flames that mimicked scales. It protected him, even as the impact of the projectiles knocked him back.

“That’s annoying— how about this?”

Salvos clicked her tongue and pointed at Levithus.

“[Sacred—”

“Wait.”

Belzu spoke, quickly cutting her off. She blinked as Levithus disappeared behind a curtain of black flames. Shaking his head, the Lord of Lies swept his gaze over the fiery battlefield.

“We cannot kill Levithus. If we kill him here, we will lose.”

And that took Salvos aback. She blinked a few times, trying to work her jaw.

“Wha— what are you talking about? We’re supposed to stop him! How are we supposed to do that if we can’t kill him?”

Belzu sighed. He drew forward as he weaved his spindly hands in the air, and the world shifted around both himself and the silver-haired girl. Salvos stumbled as everything changed. The landscape tilted. The black flames peeled back. And Levithus roared in the distance. He charged up as he swung the fiery black spear he carried.

But it was all an illusion.

Salvos stared, watching the Hound of the Demon King strike the air.

“Huh.”

Belzu pointed at Levithus, his fingers flashing with curses.

“All killing Levithus will achieve is expediting the summoning ritual. Even Clayton Skyshredder’s Grand Skill cannot slow it for long. Look at your feet.”

She glanced down and saw the distorted image beneath her. Dark shadows milled about in a palatial chamber. Neither Belzu nor Salvos could see their faces, but their figures were there. An army waited in the Netherworld, and when they crossed, it would be the end of the Mortal Realm in its entirety.

“It is as your Vampire friends would say: Regnorex is at the gates. Or more accurately, we are at Regnorex’s gates. Stopping this summoning ritual is our last chance, but each death will only empower it. If we fail here, there will be no more second chances.”

“That’s…”

Salvos trailed off. She glanced back towards Levithus, watching him duel a trio of apparitions of Mori Gladius. He roared and swung down with his fiery spear. The earth exploded. A blast of black flames engulfed the images— the blast rapidly approaching her and Belzu.

She reached out and grabbed the Lord of Lies by the shoulder.

“[Greater Teleportation].”

The two of them teleported out of there. They appeared high in the air, overlooking Levithus from above. He stood at ground zero of the explosion, entirely unscathed by his own blast. Salvos shook her head.

“I don’t know how long Clayton’s Grand Skill will last. And it can only slow the summoning ritual. If we don’t defeat Levithus, it’s all pointless. We’ll lose, anyway.”

“That is… true.”

Belzu looked on as Levithus created another pair of flaming spears. He hurled them into the distance, destroying everything around him. Explosions of black flames engulfed the ruins of Inor as he raged, scouring for his enemies.

Salvos just glanced back towards the warring armies in the distance.

“You’re saying that every death here fuels the summoning ritual, right?”

“This ritual works no different than an ordinary summoning ritual, converting the magic of the dead into a source of power to open a portal between the planes. It simply has a larger collection point that spans the entirety of the Inoria Empire.”

“Right.”

Salvos nodded as Belzu explained. She grinned, eyeing Levithus as his gaze snapped up. He finally took notice of the two of them. The serpent charged into the air as she snapped her fingers, creating a pair of clones.

They clashed with Levithus in the air as she turned back to Belzu with glinting eyes.

“So if the problem is that we can’t kill Levithus here, that means we can kill him elsewhere, right?”

Belzu frowned. For a moment, he didn’t know what she was insinuating. But the smirk on her face along with the fighting clones clued Belzu enough to infer what she meant.

“Ah.”

There was a flash of gold and silver light. One of the Salvos clones exploded, and Levithus screamed. His black armor was torn off for a moment as he was engulfed in the death blast. But he tore through the flames in anger and crashed into the remaining clone.

Belzu closed his eyes.

“You do understand that if I use that I will be isolating us from the outside world. We will have to face Levithus alone. No one will save us if we fail.”

“I get that.”

Salvos nodded, before there was another blast of gold and silver flames. She raised her Divine Nebular Scythe, spreading her six wings wide.

“But I’m still asking you to do it. It’s as you said— this is our last chance. Let’s not waste it.”

“Very well.”

Belzu agreed as he flew up. He brought his hands to the sky as Levithus let out a terrible cry. He slithered through the air, speeding up for the Lord of Lies, only for Salvos to intercept him. She clashed with him in battle, calling out to Belzu.

“Now, Belzu!”

And the Lord of Lies whispered.

“[The Oozing Lifeblood of the Netherworld. The Advent of Birth. Reject Your Foolish King. Unite. Rebel. Become One with Me, and Ascend].”

The silver-haired girl unleashed an onslaught of fiery attacks at Levithus. But as he lashed back with his tail, Belzu finished his chant. His eyes grew wide, and the world shrank. A cold darkness swept over the battlefield.

A Grand Skill that reshaped the world.

“[The End of Genesis: the Desolation of Hell].”

I drew back as I saw the permeating black mist reach me. Levithus roared, whipping out with his tail, which I narrowly avoided. And his serpentine figure was engulfed by the shadows.

I flew in darkness for a second, seeing nothing but shadows coalesce around me. It was like I was shrouded in sable clouds— a sea of darkness reminiscent to the moments prior to my birth. I frowned and raised my hand.

“[The Holy Flames].”

All at once, a blast of gray flames shot out of my palm. They radiated an iridescent aura, filling this dark world with light. And like a flash of lightning during a storm, I saw it. The world around me— the vicious hellscape that was the Netherworld.

I flew out of the black clouds, seeing dark raindrops fall from the sky. I swept my gaze around the undulating white landscape, seeing the valleys and hills fill with lakes of Demon blood. A red dome fell overhead, and a single bulbous eye hung high like a massive moon. And that was how I knew I wasn’t truly in the Netherworld.

Instead, this was Belzu’s own little pocket space. An illusion so overwhelmingly powerful, it became a reality. I searched this place for the Lord of Lies, and I heard a soft buzzing. I looked up, and saw the bulbous moon shrinking.

It became a little speck in the crimson sky before descending before me. The speck grew larger and larger, and I saw it wasn’t a speck at all. It was Belzu.

He flew down next to me as I waved my Divine Nebular Scythe at him.

“And here I thought you abandoned Levithus and I here for a second.”

“That would be a foolish decision. Levithus would simply kill you, then break free.”

Belzu glanced down, and I blinked.

“Where is Levithus anyway?”

I asked as I glanced down. I tried searching for the giant serpent, but he was nowhere to be found. Belzu pointed past me— down at the bottom of a valley flooding with black blood. A writhing figure floated there, thrashing around.

I flitted down with Belzu, landing next to the small figure. I stared at it as I blinked.

“This is…?”

[Demon Larva - Lvl. 171]

A gray Infant Demon writhed there in the pool of dark liquid. It stared at Belzu and I with hate-filled eyes as I cocked my head. The Lord of Lies spoke simply.

“It is as you suspect— this is Levithus.”

“Huh.”

I paused for a moment. Levithus just struggled in the dark pool— a cute little Infant Demon. He looked so harmless. I was pretty sure he couldn’t harm anyone now at his current state. So I raised my Divine Nebular Scythe and smiled.

“Alright, let’s kill him!”

Belzu chuckled, watching as I sauntered forward casually.

“No hesitation. It seems the Humans have not influenced you as much as I thought.”

I rolled my eyes as I loomed over Levithus. The Infant Demon glared at me, and I waved a hand dismissively.

“Why should I hesitate to kill him? He’s been trying to kill my companions and I all this time.”

I swung down with my Divine Nebular Scythe as Levithus flinched.

“Also, I’ve killed plenty of Infant Demons before— back when I was one myself. I don’t see how this makes any diff… oof!”

I stumbled back as a hard object struck me across my chest. I staggered, blinking only to see Levithus had tackled me. He had easily dodged my Divine Nebular Scythe and leapt at my chest. I backed away as I stared at him, menacingly glaring at Belzu and I as he landed on the ground.

“Huh.”

“Hmph. It seems killing him will be harder than I thought.”

Belzu raised a spindly hand, and Levithus leapt forward once again.

He was the Hound of the Demon King. It sounded like a derogatory Title— Levithus knew that the less loyal servants of Regnorex used it as an insult. But Levithus readily accepted this Title for himself.

Before that, he had been the Lord of Chaos. A burgeoning Primeval Demon. Not a Primeval Demon yet. He had still been an Archdemon, but he knew he would soon evolve to a [Hellprince].

Until he was betrayed by his own minions.

It was ridiculous. He had given them everything. He remembered their names. They had been together since their very births. Proditor, Vanidicus, Nugator, Ambitio, Sussio. They had survived the Desolation again and again. They had avoided capture by the Demon King. They had escaped the wrath of the Beast.

They had risen together, but Levithus himself rose the fastest. He had dreamt of overthrowing Regnorex— he had worked to create a rebellion that would upheave the status quo of the Netherworld. But before he could do any of that, his minions had backstabbed him.

They turned him over to Regnorex. And Regnorex… saved him.

Levithus had thought it was all over. But he still remembered the words echoing in the throne room back then.

“Disloyal scum!”

Regnorex had slain all five of those traitors who betrayed Levithus. The Demon King had instead given Levithus another chance.

“Serve me.”

It was both a command and a request. Levithus should have died, but he was spared.

“Dedicate your life to me, and you shall be the first to enter my kingdom.”

Levithus wasn’t sure what would happen if he said not. But rejecting the offer never even crossed his mind. He accepted it. He was spared, and that was why Levithus would do anything he could to fulfill his King’s will.

Now, he was the Hound of the Demon King. He was still the Lord of Chaos, but he had been granted a second Title which he willingly accepted. It was a rare occurrence supposedly— to have two Titles. But it just marked his loyalty to Regnorex.

So it didn’t matter whether he was at death’s door. It didn’t matter if he had to sacrifice himself for Regnorex’s ambitions. Levithus just glared up at both Salvos and Belzu, attacking them even as he struggled to call upon his Skills.

He moved with the body of an Infant Demon. He avoided their attacks, countering with strikes that knocked them both back. He was going to kill them for his King. He had to.

[Betrayed. Forsaken. Saved. Reborn.]

Levithus let out a silent cry as he leapt up at Salvos, only to be swatted to the side by her scythe. He crashed into a rock wall, bleeding from his weak flesh. His body burned with pain, but he picked himself up again as his body cracked.

[I Shed My Scales And Become His Sword].

And with that, Levithus changed into something more.

“He is really sturdy!”

I yelled as I sliced at Levithus, knocking him against a rock wall. But even though he was an Infant Demon, he was still Level 171. My Divine Nebular Scythe hardly cut into his skin. A trickle of black blood pooled where he lay as Belzu pointed.

“[Forlorn Execution].”

I didn’t see the attack. It was a curse, but I just saw Levithus recoil. Somehow, the Infant Demon still forced itself back up. I gritted my teeth and stepped forward.

“I’m ending this now—”

I raised my Divine Nebular Scythe as black flames wisped off the blade’s edge. It was accompanied by an iridescent aura, and I began to swung down.

“[Divine Radiant S…”

But I caught myself. For a moment, I thought I was caught in an illusion. I froze as Belzu stared.

“What are you doing, Salvos?”

However, it was no illusion. It was a vision— one that came from [Angelic Premonition]. It wasn’t just a warning that something dangerous was coming. I saw it. I saw my death coming if I followed through with the swing.

And I leapt back.

“We have to move—”

I started as I flew back. But Levithus twisted. His body exploded open as Belzu raised his head in confusion. Black flames exploded in all directions. My warning came too late. I saw a blurred figure rip straight into the giant insect. A wolf-like head chomped straight through Belzu as my eyes grew wide.

[Cereberus - Lvl. 181]

Levithus landed on top of Belzu’s corpse. His figure completely changed. He was like a [Hellhound]— slightly larger, but no longer the massive figure he once was— except with three heads. He spat it Belzu’s insect-like face as he glared up at me before letting out a howl.

“Huh. Did he just gain 10 levels?”

I stared for a moment, and Levithus sprinted up towards me with a burst of black flames.