Warlock of the Magus World (Chapter 901-Chapter 1050)

‘A.I. Chip, begin interference!’ Leylin commanded in secret.

[Beep! Mission established! Host’s authority far exceeds target, dulling target’s origin force sense. Interference in progress…] the A.I. Chip intoned loyally.

The moment Leylin’s finger touched the parchment piece of paper, perhaps in a millionth of a second, an astounding change occurred. Another piece of parchment that looked exactly the same appeared, replacing the contents of the original contract. It was still a pledge of loyalty, but the punishment was much more severe. The master and servant had changed place, and Baalzephon would now pledge his allegiance to Leylin.

Given that Leylin far exceeded Baalzephon in authority, the devil did not notice anything wrong with the contract. Baalzephon could also sense a thread of loyalty from this ‘Leycian.’

An authority that surpassed Baalzephon’s own, as well as the powerful abilities of the A.I. Chip, allowed a substitute to replace the original in an instant, completing a magnificent feat in the Nine Hells. What the A.I. Chip had formed was instantly hidden in the original parchment, and all Baalzephon saw was the horned devil signing his name with his right index finger.

“Good! You made the right choice!” Baalzephon nodded with satisfaction. After sensing the thread of loyalty made of origin force, he glanced at the parchment paper. There were no changes to the green phosphorescence of the letters, save for the signature at the lower right corner.

‘Strange… why did I suddenly feel fearful?’ Baalzephon shook his head, and tossed this thought out of his mind. After ascertaining that this was the contract he had created, he entered his name at the position of the superior.

A blood-red truename formed on the paper, and it quickly burnt up. A phosphorescent green imprint disappeared into each of Leylin’s and Baalzephon’s chests.

[Beep! Fealty contract obtained. Target: Baalzephon of the Dark Eight. Note: Target has signed a contract with another superior. If host’s orders clash with Asmodeus’, there is a 50% chance that Baalzephon will grow confused.]

‘Good. Continue concealment.’ Leylin had now become Baalzephon’s superior, and as an Archdevil, it was a breeze for him to cover a portion of his senses.

Baalzephon obtained a simulated thread of loyalty, and was extremely satisfied.

“Very good! Tell me, Leycian, why are you here in Avernus?” Superiors were what devils feared the most. Baalzephon now believed he had complete control over the devil in front of him. If not for this devil for still having his uses, he would have long since abandoned his false pretence and interrogated him properly.

This sudden change caused ‘Leycian’ to feel a sense of foreboding.

“I… I obtained an order from Lord Azlok to search for…” Leylin’s voice showed his fear, and he cowered back.

“Search for what? Make yourself clear! Do you want me to demote you into the most lowly nupperibo?” Baalzephon’s breathing began to get rough, and Leylin could even sense the intense emotions in his mind.

Leylin pretended to be unable to take Baalzephon’s gaze, gritting his teeth as he said, “Azlok commanded that I come search for all traces of Dis’s Archdevil, Beelzebub…”

“Beelzebub? Has he really gone missing?” Baalzephon grabbed at Leylin’s arm, eyes glinting.

“Y-yes. Even Lord Azlok doesn’t have any news about him!” Leylin now seemed like he had been scared stupid.

“Haha… haha… so the intel was right! An Archdevil has gone missing. What a wonderful thing…” Baalzephon laughed maniacally, and finally calmed down.

“Good! Tell me all you know and don’t hold back, or else…”

……

A long while later, a horned devil walked out of the bronze tower, looking lost.

‘I see. So Asmodeus finally can’t hold on anymore, and he wants to act?’ Leylin was actually the one scheming here. He’d blurted out a large amount of fake information just now, and Baalzephon had let his guard down against him to reveal some information as well.

‘He plans for one of the Dark Eight to take over lordship and become an Archdevil?’ Leylin stroked his chin. ‘This doesn’t seem like something Asmodeus would do, but this is so great a temptation that the Dark Eight don’t consider the danger…’

Based on what Baalzephon had revealed, Asmodeus finally decided to take care of this confusion and get one of the Dark Eight to take over Dis. But the position of the Second Hell’s lord had been empty for a long while. That was an empty spot to be an Archdevil of Baator, representing the peak of Baator’s might!

He seemed to depend on the Dark Eight’s merits, including dealing blows to the demons, expanding Avernus, and so on. That was why the Dark Eight had set a trap without hesitation, wiping out a demon army. The pit fiends, dazzled with the lordship as they were, would go around attacking everything to expand the territories of Avernus.

When this happened, a mere strategic location, the Bronze Citadel, was not that important. In order to obtain Tiamat’s approval and help, the Dark Eight had not hesitated to give up the place. After all, the chromatic dragon was still one of their allies, and there were many other places in the First Hell that they could attack.

The trap at the Bronze Citadel would be the last time the Dark Eight worked together. Next they would go at it alone, hoping to obtain enough merits to be acknowledged by Asmodeus. They all wished to become the Archdevil of Dis.

‘Sadly, this is just a huge trap. Without the authority being transferred and now that they can’t get a hold of Beelzebub, would Asmodeus appointing them to the post actually do anything?’





Chapter 1030 – Dis


Dis

When it came to Baator, there were less than ten devils with as much knowledge as Leylin. He knew extremely well how far Asmodeus’ influence extended.

Although Asmodeus was the most powerful devil, his might was restricted to the Ninth Hell. The other seven Archdevils did not bother with him. Him appointing a lord of Dis? That was just a huge joke!

Even so, many of the Dark Eight were lured by him; at the very least, they wanted the reputation of having taken over the Second Hell. Although it would be a false reign, it would at least be supported by Asmodeus.

‘In comparison, Baalzephon is more pragmatic!’ Recalling the plan that he had revealed, a smile appeared on Leylin’s face.

……

Leylin looked around, and quickly saw a city of iron ablaze. Red hot hellfire scorched the inner walls, and thick smoke rose to form great amounts of black fog that covered the entirety of Dis. The walls were red, and the slightest of contact with them would result in grave burns.

Even the metallic pebbles that used to form the road were experiencing high temperatures. Without immunity to fire or special shoes, the pedestrians would soon be thrashing around on the ground in pain, before burning up.

The drafts around the street corners often carried miserable cries that seemed to come from the depths of hell. This was the lament of the prisoners in the large underground prison, including slaves, petitioners from the Blood War, and even mortals that had been kidnapped from the prime material plane.

Once the souls grew ripe with the torture and suffering, the better goods would be sent to the lofty residences around, to be enjoyed by nobility.

Many noble devils liked holding banquets. They would gather together, discussing which portion of a prisoner was more delectable, and then come up with even more exquisite ‘cooking’ techniques.

Just standing on the street, Leylin could feel the breathing and thumping of hearts under Dis. Unlike Avernus, he felt like he could use all the power of this plane, as if he were its owner in the first place.

The turbulent origin force of Baator moved to Leylin’s will, with only the slightest bit of resistance. That was Beelzebub, still alive and possessing that last bit of laws and authority.

‘Dis! If I completely devour Beelzebub, I’ll be like a god in his divine realm!’ The authority Archdevils had in hell could definitely compare to what true gods were like in their divine realms. Of course, this was limited to the territory they were lord of.

Leylin sighed inside. This was Dis, the second layer of Baator. It was a huge city of iron, so huge there were no boundaries at all. The city made up an entire plane!

“What are you standing there in a daze for? Aren’t you moving yet?” A grey-robed person standing beside Leylin berated him.

“Yes, my lord!” Leylin bowed humbly, while actually snickering inside. This person in disguise was naturally Baalzephon. The pit fiend obviously had not followed Asmodeus’ game, expanding the territories of Avernus. Instead, he had secretly arrived at the Second Hell.