Pandemonium.

Two of the Seven Thrones stood empty.

Lucifer glanced lazily at the vacant seats, then shifted his gaze toward the other four Demon Kings seated in the infernal court.

[Satan. Beelzebub. Belphegor. Leviathan.]

Lucifer let out a long sigh.

[Mammon is absent.]

Shattered by Asmodeus, Mammon had barely escaped with his divinity intact.

He’d returned to hell only to report his humiliating defeat.

And while Lucifer was away, busy confronting Asmodeus and blocking the Pantheon’s interference—

Mammon’s divine core vanished completely.

No one in the room needed an explanation for what that meant.

[So who devoured Mammon? Fess up.]

A soft, lazy voice answered—its owner wrapped in plush pajamas, hugging a squishy pillow.

Belphegor, the Demon King of Sloth, pointed languidly with a yawn.

[Who else? It was Gluttony. I saw that fat oaf Beelzebub scarf him down.]

Beelzebub’s massive, grotesque form snorted in outrage, glaring at Belphegor.

[You little snitch. I swear, one of these days I’ll tear you limb from limb and swallow you whole.]

[“You little snitch,” boo-hoo. Even your tongue’s gotten fat, huh, Beelzebub~?]

Belphegor mocked him, mimicking his voice in the most irritating tone imaginable.

Beelzebub couldn’t take it—he stood up with a roar.

But before he could lunge, Lucifer raised a hand, sighing.

Beelzebub stopped mid-step. Belphegor closed her mouth.

[Of all people, I know how badly you lot get along. But for hell’s sake, try using your brains.]

Lucifer looked at the other Demon Kings with barely disguised contempt.

[Mammon got eaten by Asmodeus. And Asmodeus is being wielded by that so-called Saint. If we let this go on, he’ll consume more faith than any god—be it from Heaven, Hell, or the Abyss.]

The room fell quiet.

[We’ve all invested over three hundred years, tugging at the human world from both ends. Do you really want him walking off with our prize?]

Beelzebub let out a grudging huff, then muttered bitterly.

[Fine. I ate Mammon. There wasn’t much left anyway—Asmodeus already drained him dry.]

[So it was you, you greedy pig.]

Leviathan, the Demon Queen of Envy, bit her nails in agitation.

Gaunt like someone with a terminal eating disorder, her hollow eyes burned with hate as she glared at Beelzebub’s bloated form.

[I—I was going to eat him first!! But this damn gluttonous pig beat me to it!!]

[Leviathan, I wouldn’t fight you if you were the last demon standing. I don’t eat spoiled meat.]

[What. Did. You. Say?]

Before the shouting could devolve into another childish fight, Lucifer’s voice boomed through the chamber.

[Enough!]

Even for divine beings, their petty bickering was hard to stomach.

[We’ve all made our investments over the past three centuries. Didn’t we agree—when necessary—we’d cooperate to claim the human world? Are we really going to just let Asmodeus devour it all? Wake up, you idiots!]

Leviathan and Beelzebub growled, backing off slightly—but their eyes still locked with venom.

Lucifer looked like he wanted to rip every one of them apart—but he held back.

[Beelzebub, since you devoured Mammon, you get the hardest job. You’ll monitor the creature in the Abyss.]

[The Abyss Worm? You mean the Dark God? That thing’s been quiet ever since it lost its vessel in the capital. Its plans fell apart.]

[That’s exactly why it’s dangerous. The quiet ones always are. That thing whispered twisted ideas to the Saint while posing as a patron of mercy. Don’t think for a second it’s sitting idle.]

[Wasn’t that your job, Lucifer?]

Lucifer slammed his chair’s armrest.

[Ever since Asmodeus reestablished the link between Heaven and Earth, I’ve had my hands full. I can’t handle anything else while fending off the Pantheon’s divine bullshit. And I also have to keep Asmodeus from spilling the truth to the Saint.]

[And so I’m the one stuck babysitting? I don’t do grunt work.]

Lucifer’s body began to glow with Hellfire.

[Do I have to rip that fat gut of yours open to get results? You devour Mammon’s remains, and then refuse to do your damn job?]

Beelzebub flinched.

[...Fine. You win, Pride. I’ll do it.]

Lucifer extinguished the flames and exhaled through clenched teeth.

Then he turned to the remaining three Demon Kings.

[Envy. Sloth. Wrath. You three are in charge of corrupting the Saint—Amael.]

[You plan to return Asmodeus to her throne?]

[That’s the idea. Right now, he’s the center of the world’s greatest religious devotion. If he joins our side… this centuries-long tug-of-war ends. The advantage will shift instantly.]

The Demon Kings licked their lips.

Taking over the human realm.

What divine being wouldn’t crave that?

[Remember: do not destroy his soul. That’s key. You must only corrupt him. Whether you use temptation, torture, or manipulation—that’s your call. But don’t kill him. Just corrupt him.]

Lucifer’s tone was grave.

[You all know what happens when a divine power loses its host.]

That warning alone was enough.

[Corrupting a single soul? That’s child’s play.]

[The real problem is how much Asmodeus will interfere.]

[Lucifer, you control Lust. Can’t you help?]

As each Demon King chimed in, Lucifer shook his head.

[Think about how much divine faith Asmodeus has absorbed. She even consumed Mammon.

On top of that, I still have to stop the Pantheon from getting involved. The only thing I can do…

is keep Lust from revealing the truth to the Saint. That’s it.]

[Damn it. This is going to get messy.]

[He won’t go down without a fight.]

[Exactly. That’s why it’s up to you three. Two of you will restrain Asmodeus. The third will target Amael’s soul and lead him to corruption.]

Satan scowled.

[Three against one… I don’t like those odds.]

[I don’t care if you like it. This is not a mission we can afford to fail. Swallow your pride.]

Satan looked displeased, but in the end, nodded.

[Fine, Lucifer. We’ll do it your way.]

[Good. Then let’s adjourn.]

Lucifer knew full well:

Gathering this many Demon Kings in one place for too long… was dangerous.

Even for him.

[Satan. Belphegor. Leviathan. Don’t get any funny ideas. Focus solely on corrupting the Saint. If any of you screw this up with your usual nonsense… I won’t sit by and let it slide. Remember what you’ve invested.]

That was Lucifer’s parting warning.

None of the Demon Kings responded.

Normally, they would’ve disappeared back into their own domains without so much as a glance.

But not today.

Not Wrath, not Envy, not Sloth.

They stayed where they were, glaring at one another like they’d rather throw up than share air.

[I can’t stand staring at your disgusting faces. Let’s make this quick. Assign roles.]

[Is there really a need? It’s obvious who’s doing what.]

Belphegor shrugged lazily at Satan’s grumble.

[You and Leviathan will locate the Saint and suppress Asmodeus in his soul. If you two can keep her locked down, I’ll handle corrupting the Saint himself.]

Satan and Leviathan immediately scowled.

[That’s a cushy job, and you know it.]

[You lazy witch—so you expect us to go rampaging like wildfire while you sit back and have the easiest part?!]

Belphegor waved her hand, yawning.

[Fine. Then how about this: Satan and I restrain Lust, and Leviathan—you take care of corrupting the Saint.]

[I… that’s…]

Leviathan hesitated.

[You’ve always been obsessed with Asmodeus, haven’t you? Think you can handle being near her without flying into a jealous rage? Think you can see her inside the Saint and not lose control and destroy her on the spot?]

That shut them both up.

[Or what, Satan—you wanna be the one to handle the corruption? What’ll happen if the Saint doesn’t fall? You’ll crush his soul in a fit of rage, won’t you?]

Still no answer.

Belphegor stretched again, smirking.

[I’d rather not draw Lucifer’s ire, thanks. And let’s be real—when it comes to soul corruption, I’ve got the best track record. Remember the number of saints, heroes, and chosen ones I turned during the Heavenly War 300 years ago?]

Neither Satan nor Leviathan could argue with that.

[Tch. Fine. Damn it.]

[Whatever. You take the Saint.]

[Should’ve agreed from the start. Yaaaawn~]

Another long yawn escaped Belphegor as Satan and Leviathan’s faces twisted with barely contained disgust.

[I swear, this lazy cow just dumps the hard work on us and calls it strategy.]

[Yeah. She’s not even hiding it anymore.]

Belphegor shrugged.

[Not wrong. I hate anything remotely tiring. But that doesn’t mean I won’t help.]

[Help? How?]

[Instead of three-on-one, how about four-on-one?]

She grinned.

[I’ll loan you my best toy. Use it to track and suppress the Saint. That way, I’m not just coasting. Sounds fair, right?]

Satan and Leviathan raised their brows.

The Demon King who corrupted more holy figures than any other…

And now she was offering up her finest “item”?

[Whose Chosen One is it?]

[It’s not a Chosen One. It’s a deity.]

[What?!]

[One of the 24 divine spirits of the Pantheon. A fallen goddess. I sealed her inside a human body and kept her as a… keepsake. My finest piece.]

Satan and Leviathan’s eyes widened.

[You’ve had a god locked away all this time?]

[Yup. But don’t worry—I’ve thoroughly broken her. She’s mine.]

They stared at Belphegor, clearly wanting to see this treasure for themselves.

With a sleepy smile, she obliged.

[Alright. Let me show you the toy you’ll be borrowing. I present… the Goddess of War. Belia’s divine essence—]

She froze mid-sentence.

Her posture stiffened.

The half-lidded eyes of Sloth opened—fully, sharply—for the first time.

Satan and Leviathan recoiled instinctively.

[...She’s gone. Just now.]

[What?!]

[Aaaaagh—damn it, Asmodeus!! This is all her fault! That blasted light pillar from Scrap Yard—it shook the entire astral plane!! That gave Belia the chance to slip free and break my bond! That idiotic divine scrap!!]

Belphegor screamed, tearing her pillow to shreds.

From her now fully opened eyes, black tears began to flow—blood.

[Change of plans. Satan. Leviathan. Help me retrieve my runaway collection piece. Unleash your followers—she won’t get far.]

[You’re kidding.]

[The Saint is the priority. Your dumb trinket can wait—]

[If we recover Belia, we can corrupt the Saint faster. Think! How much resistance do you think Asmodeus will put up? Having Belia again means I can shut her down easily. We need her.]

[...]

[And if you don’t help me—no help from me, either. Handle the Saint yourselves. I’ll let Lucifer scold me and walk away.]

[F—fine! Just stop looking at me like that!]

Cornered by her unblinking, violent stare, Satan and Leviathan exhaled in defeat and nodded.

And so it was decided:

The corruption of the Saint would be postponed.

Instead, the hunt began.

Not for any mortal—

But for a woman bearing the divine essence of Belia, the Goddess of War.

Three Demon Kings began to move.