85 – Four Against One

Pandemonium.

Of the seven thrones in the Palace of All Demons, two stood empty.

Lucifer, indifferent, gazed at the vacant pair before sweeping his eyes over the four remaining Demon Lords.

[Satan. Beelzebub. Belphegor. Leviathan.]

Lucifer sighed, long and drawn-out.

[Mammon is absent.]

Ravaged by Asmodeus, Mammon had barely managed to return to Hell with his divine essence intact, informing Lucifer of his defeat immediately.

But between Lucifer’s departure to confront Asmodeus and the Pantheon, and his return…

Mammon’s divine essence had vanished from Hell altogether.

None present were ignorant of its implications.

[Who devoured Mammon? Speak plainly.]

A childlike form.

Fluffy pillows and loose-fitting pajamas that seemed ready for slumber.

Belphegor, Sloth incarnate, pointed a languid finger with a voice to match.

[Gluttony, what else? I saw Beelzebub, that tub of lard, scarfing him down, Lucifer.]

At Belphegor’s words, a mountain of quivering flesh, Beelzebub, glared at him.

[You sniveling little tattletale. I’ll rip the flesh from your bones and devour it myself one day.]

[“*You sniveling little tattletale.*” Your tongue must be as bloated as the rest of you, Beelzebub?]

Deliberately twisting his voice, Belphegor mimicked him in the most irritating way imaginable, and Beelzebub, unable to contain himself, rose from his throne.

Lucifer waved a hand with a sigh.

Beelzebub halted his advance, and Belphegor, too, fell silent.

[I know better than anyone that we harbor no fondness for each other. But you imbeciles. If you possess brains, use them.]

Lucifer regarded the Demon Lords with disdain.

[Mammon was devoured by Asmodeus. And the one who wields Asmodeus is the so-called Saint. If we leave him unchecked, he’ll consume more faith than any divine entity in the Abyss, Hell, or Heaven.]

[………]

[For over 300 years, you’ve all invested in this tug-of-war between the Abyss and Heaven, are you willing to let some upstart steal the spoils?]

At those words, Beelzebub sighed heavily, then, with the air of a truth torn from his very being, confessed.

[Fine. I ate Mammon. There wasn’t much left. Asmodeus sucked him dry, the meticulous b*stard.]

[So it was you who consumed him?]

Levithan of Jealousy chewed her nails nervously, spitting out a sharp-edged voice.

Terribly thin, as if afflicted by anorexia, she gazed at the corpulent Baalzebub’s face, her uniquely vacant eyes brimming with jealousy and disgust.

[I… I was going to eat it!! That useless, bright-snouted son of a b*tch pig!!]

[Levithan. I have no desire to fight with you. I don’t eat spoiled things, you see.]

[You finished?]

Lucifer, unable to bear listening to a petty squabble that could hardly be considered a battle between deities, roared.

[Haven’t you all invested so much over the past 300 years? Didn’t we conclude that we should cooperate if necessary to swallow the human realm whole? Are you going to let Asmodeus devour it all!! You imbeciles!!]

Levithan and Baalzebub, who had been snarling, retreated a step at Lucifer’s reprimand, but didn’t cease glaring at each other.

Lucifer looked as if he wanted to tear those b*stards apart, but he barely suppressed his emotions.

[Baalzebub. Since you’ve devoured Mammon, you’ll have to do something more difficult. Take on the task of monitoring the worm of the Abyss.]

[The worm of the Abyss? You want me to watch an evil god? Hasn’t he been quiet since losing his fragment in the capital and having his plan fall through?]

[He’s most dangerous when he’s quiet. There’s no telling what he’s plotting behind the scenes. Besides, he’s the one who acted as a favored harlot to the Saint and planted bizarre words in his head. He’s definitely not just sitting still. He’s definitely up to something.]

[Wasn’t watching the Abyss *your* job, Lucifer?]

Lucifer slammed his fist on the armrest, as if terribly annoyed.

[Don’t you know that Asmodeus has strengthened the connection between the celestial realm and the human realm? It’s no longer possible to do other things while also blocking the heavens! I have to block it with all my power! And I also have to stop that Asmodeus from blurting out all sorts of truths to that Saint!]

[So you want me to do it? I’m not suited for such unrewarding guard duty…]

Hellfire began to bloom from Lucifer’s body.

[Do I have to tear apart all that fat on your belly before you listen to me? To not work after swallowing even Mammon’s remains… what kind of trickery is that?]

Baalzebub flinched at the sight.

[…Alright. Pride. I’ll do as you say.]

[Good.]

Lucifer extinguished the hellfire that had been blazing from his body.

With a face that looked as if he was dying from exhaustion, he gazed at the remaining three demon lords.

[Jealousy. Sloth. Wrath. The three of you will be responsible for corrupting the Saint, Amael.]

[To put Asmodeus back on the throne once more?]

[Of course. He is currently the one at the center of the greatest faith. If he turns to the side of Pandemonium… the tug-of-war that has lasted 300 years will end. The victory will lean towards our side in an instant.]

The demon lords licked their lips at those words.

To grasp the entire human realm in their hands.

Could there be a deity in this world who didn’t desire that?

[What you must keep in mind is that you must never destroy his soul. The soul must remain intact. You must only corrupt him. Whether you entice him by fueling his desires, or break his spirit through torture. The method is up to you. But you must never kill him. He must be corrupted. Absolutely. Understand?]

Lucifer warned them, again and again.

[How a power without a master behaves… Surely, I needn’t explain.]

Even that much was enough for them all to understand.

[Corrupting a single human soul is hardly difficult.]

[The crux… it hinges on how much Asmodeus interferes, you see.]

[Lucifer, you control lust. Can’t you offer some assistance?]

Satan, Belphegor, and Leviathan each spoke, but Lucifer shook his head.

[Consider the amount of faith Asmodeus has devoured thus far, and even the fact that he consumed Mammon. I, on the other hand, must also hold back the Pantheon. The only thing I can do is prevent the Lust Demon from confessing the truth to the Saint. Beyond that, I am powerless.]

[Damnable. This is going to get awfully complicated.]

[The resistance won’t be ordinary, I’m sure.]

[Precisely. That is why I am entrusting it to the three of you. While two of you suppress Asmodeus, the remaining Demon Lord must taint the Saint’s soul.]

Satan seemed to have taken a blow to his pride.

[Three against one… I find this arrangement distasteful.]

[Perhaps. But we must exercise the utmost caution. This endeavor cannot fail, under any circumstances. It *must* succeed. Therefore, you must set aside your pride for a time.]

Satan’s face remained displeased at Lucifer’s words, but he nodded as if admitting there was no other way.

[Lucifer, I shall do as you say.]

[Good. Then let us disband for now.]

Lucifer was well aware of just how dangerous it was to gather the Demon Lords in one place for longer than necessary.

[Satan. Belphegor. Leviathan. Do not harbor any ulterior motives. Focus solely on the corruption of the Saint. Should you ruin this through some foolish act… I will not stand idly by. Understand? Think of all you’ve invested thus far.]

Those were Lucifer’s final words, but none of the Demon Lords responded.

Normally, they would despise even the sight of each other and quickly return to their own realms, but anger, jealousy, and sloth, for today, would not allow it.

They glared at one another with expressions that suggested they would rather be anywhere else.

[I feel like I’m going to vomit, looking at your dog-like mugs for too long. Let’s finish this quickly. Let’s decide on the roles.]

[Is there really a need to decide? Isn’t it already obvious who does what?]

Belphegor shrugged at Satan’s words.

[Leviathan and Satan, you two find the Saint and are responsible for suppressing Asmodeus within his soul. If you two hold Asmodeus down well, then I will handle the task of corrupting the Saint’s soul during that time.]

Leviathan and Satan’s brows furrowed sharply at those words.

[Belphegor, you are the only one with a favorable arrangement.]

[This lazy lunatic? We two are to run around like wild boars after a forest fire, and you pick the easiest task for yourself?]

Belphegor yawned and waved his hand dismissively at the two Demon Lords’ protests.

“Then, Leviathan, while Satan and I are busy quelling the lust, how about you take charge of corrupting the Saint?”

“Ah… that’s…”

“You, who were already consumed by jealousy for Asmodeus, are you sure you can just meekly let Asmodeus return to Hell? Even if you’re fine now, are you confident you won’t try to destroy her the moment you see the face of lust within the Saint’s soul?”

Satan and Leviathan, who had been seething with anger at Belphegor’s words, fell silent.

“Or what? Satan, will you handle the corruption? Are you sure you won’t get so enraged if that goody-two-shoes Saint keeps acting all frustrating and crush their soul to bits?”

Still, no response.

Belphegor stretched languidly.

“I wouldn’t want to get on Lucifer’s bad side, even if it’s a bother. Besides, I’m better at corrupting human souls than either of you, aren’t I? Just think about the number of Saints, Holy Women, and Heroes I corrupted during the Heavenly War 300 years ago.”

Satan and Leviathan couldn’t refute Belphegor’s statement.

“Damn it. Guess there’s no helping it.”

“Fine. Then Sloth, you’ll be in charge of corrupting the Saint.”

“Should’ve said so from the start. Uaaagh.”

Sloth yawned again, a long, drawn-out affair.

At that sight, the faces of Satan and Leviathan contorted with even greater fury.

“That lazy wench. No matter how I look at it, she’s trying to pawn off all the hard work on us while taking the easiest task for herself.”

At Leviathan’s words, Satan nodded in agreement. Belphegor merely shrugged.

“Well, you’re not wrong. I absolutely despise bothersome things. But that doesn’t mean I won’t offer any help.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s better to have four against one…than three against one, wouldn’t you say?”

Belphegor grinned slyly.

“I’ll give you my most prized possession. Use it to chase down and subdue the Saint. With this, you can’t say I’m just taking the easy way out, right?”

At Belphegor’s words, curiosity flickered in the eyes of Satan and Leviathan.

The Demon Lord who had corrupted the most heroes, holy women and saints from the Pantheon.

The most prized possession of such a being.

They were curious indeed what it could be.

“Which God’s Chosen is it?”

“It’s not a Chosen One. It’s a divine being, in itself.”

“What?”

“Of the 24 divine entities of the Pantheon, I happen to have one goddess who fell to earth and is imprisoned in a human body. It’s the absolute best of my collection.”

Satan and Leviathan’s eyes widened.

[She supposedly held a divine spark?]

[Yes. But don’t fret. I’ve made it utterly my own.]

At Belphegor’s words, Leviathan and Satan stared, eyes pleading for a demonstration.

Belphegor wore a dreamy, sleep-hazed smile.

[Alright, alright. I’ll show you the toy I intended to lend you. From the pantheon, a goddess of war. Allow me to introduce… the divine spark of Belial…]

Belphegor flinched.

Her body stilled.

And then, her languid, half-closed eyes gradually widened, fully opening.

With her eyes, always narrowed, now completely open, Satan and Leviathan visibly shuddered.

[…She fled. Just now.]

[What?]

[aaargh! Damn it all!! Asmodeus!! It’s all her fault!! That insane display of shooting a pillar of light from the Scrap Yard shook the entire spirit realm, didn’t it? That momentary distraction gave Belial the opening she needed to break my hold and run! The audacity of this dim-witted divine spark!]

Belphegor ripped apart a pillow, screaming at the top of her lungs.

From her wide-open eyes, inky black tears of blood began to flow.

[The plan has changed. Satan. Leviathan. I need you to help me recover my runaway trinket. You’ll have to unleash your followers to search with me.]

[What utter nonsense is this?]

[Corrupting the Saint is far more important. We can find your little trinket later…]

[Four against one is always more certain!! If I can reclaim Belial’s divine spark and bind her again, I can use her to corrupt the Saint more easily, more smoothly! Just imagine how violent Asmodeus’s resistance will be!! I need Belial, absolutely!]

[……..]

[Furthermore, if you don’t help me recover Belial’s divine spark, you won’t get any help from me either. You two are on your own. I’d rather face Lucifer’s wrath than continue like this.]

[aaargh, fine, fine. Just… stop staring like that.]

Satan and Leviathan, defeated by Belphegor’s savage glare, could only sigh deeply and nod their heads.

The decision was made.

The corruption of the Saint was temporarily postponed.

Belial had escaped.

Or, more precisely, three Demon Lords were setting out to track down the woman who contained the divine spark of Belial, the goddess of war.