Chapter 100
Calling the current situation dire wouldn’t even begin to describe the atmosphere.
Belphegor, Satan, and Leviathan stared down at the human world, their expressions empty, dazed.
The first to speak was Satan.
[How...?]
Until now, Amael had never once called upon Asmodeus for help.
He didn’t even know how to use her. He had never spoken to her directly. On top of that, thanks to the schemes of the evil gods, Amael likely loathed Asmodeus, desperately trying to rid himself of her presence within his soul.
So how?
How had Amael been able to command Asmodeus?
That one action had completely destroyed the Three Demon Lords’ entire plan.
Now, Asmodeus would move to protect Kanya as well. If they tried to take her by force, there was no doubt she would descend again.
[Lucifer. You couldn’t stop her?]
Belphegor turned to where Lucifer sat, calm and aloof, slightly apart from the others.
[I didn’t have enough control over her wings.]
[How?! Amael is afraid of her! He doesn’t even know how to use her properly! How could he have issued a command?!]
Lucifer didn’t answer.
A sharp crack came from his clenched fist.
The pride of the Lord of Pride had been bruised.
He had pulled on the chains with all his strength, yet Asmodeus had not obeyed.
[It wasn’t intentional.]
Lucifer finally spoke.
[If he’d had full control, he would’ve called her down and asked her questions. He still has no idea what’s really happening.]
[But now Asmodeus has decided to protect Belia! If this goes on, one of the empty Thrones in the Pantheon could be filled!]
Belphegor shouted in alarm.
She knew the value of her treasured collection well.
Belia was a terrifying divine being.
Even under decades of torture, she had never once broken.
During the Heavenly Wars, among all the divine fragments that fell to Earth, Belia was one of the few who, if restored, could destabilize the balance of Pandemonium entirely.
Out of all divine powers, Belia was the last one she wanted to see restored.
Lucifer leaned forward slightly.
[Maybe this is actually for the best.]
[What are you talking about?]
[Asmodeus can’t consume Belia anymore. The moment she does, Kanya dies too. Their souls are too deeply intertwined. If Belia is destroyed, Kanya will fall with her.]
[So what? The odds are still only fifty-fifty. Even if the three of us fight together, we still might not beat Asmodeus.]
Leviathan frowned. Lucifer simply shrugged.
[What if the three of you descend into the human world yourselves?]
[You want us to incarnate?!]
Leviathan looked appalled.
[Did you forget what happened to Mammon?!]
[You’re not Mammon. There are three of you. Asmodeus would be heavily restricted in the human world. She can’t use her full power without harming Amael’s body. That’s her only channel. But you—you’re different.]
The Demon Lords had the power to forge bodies from dozens of powerful followers.
True, Asmodeus held absolute power—but if she descended, her strength would be bottlenecked through Amael’s fragile mortal frame.
[Two of you pin her down. The third enters Amael’s soul and begins the corruption. Simple.]
It was a solid strategy.
In fact, it could’ve been used even before Asmodeus chose to protect Belia.
No matter what, once she descended, her powers would be restrained.
Still, there was a reason the Demon Lords had avoided incarnation until now.
[Yeah, it sounds nice. But let me flip that around—if we descend, we’re easier to kill.]
[Unlike the spirit realm, where we can flee or hide, incarnation exposes our core. That’s how Mammon was devoured.]
In the spirit realm, retreat was always an option.
They could disappear, regroup, recover.
But on Earth? There would be no escape.
The moment a divine being was forced back into the physical realm, they became vulnerable.
If something went wrong, there was a very real risk of total annihilation.
[So what’s the plan, then? How else do we corrupt the Saint?]
Lucifer’s simple question left the three speechless.
Separating him from Kanya was no longer an option.
Now that Asmodeus had taken her under her wing, that route was closed.
A battle in the spirit realm still came with a 50/50 risk.
Even Lucifer couldn’t completely control her through just one wing.
Any command that jeopardized her core could not override her autonomy.
Only someone who controlled all her wings could truly command her.
In other words, unless they descended—
They had no way to corrupt the Saint.
[If we descend, the followers of the Pantheon won’t sit idle. You know that! They’ll move instantly!]
[And if something goes wrong, our followers could lose their connection to us entirely!]
[We could be slaughtered wholesale! It’s too dangerous!]
The three Demon Lords were visibly shaken.
But Lucifer erupted in fury.
[I held back the heavens alone for 300 years!! Three. Hundred. Years! If Belia ascends now, and that Saint starts tipping the scale toward the Pantheon, everything we’ve built will collapse! You know what’ll happen if the balance tips. This is the time to take that risk!]
Even then, the three hesitated.
They knew how reckless descending would be.
Once they embodied themselves, they could end up just like Belia—trapped, broken, or worse.
Lucifer wanted to scream, to bash their skulls together.
But he couldn’t afford to lose more.
Two Thrones were already empty.
A third would be catastrophic.
[I’ll be watching. If things go south, I’ll personally extract you. Trust me. If we don’t turn the Saint, Pandemonium has no future. Are you really going to just sit back and watch Belia ascend? Let the balance shift toward the Pantheon without doing a thing?]
Lucifer’s final words left no room for argument.
Faced with the storm in his voice, the three Demon Lords could only nod in reluctant agreement.
[It’ll take time to prepare vessels.]
[At least three days, Lucifer.]
Lucifer nodded.
[Then I’ll hold them back. I’ll keep Asmodeus in check and prevent the Saint from reaching Mount Talahaim in time. You have three days. After that—it’s on you.]
A declaration that he would suppress the entire Pantheon and control Asmodeus on top of it.
Only Lucifer could claim such a thing.
The three Demon Lords nodded once more.
There was no turning back now.
“Let me get this straight… you withheld wages?”
“N-No! I’m not saying I withheld anything, just that—well, around here, that’s just how it’s done…”
“You’ve violated the Labor Code. As per legal provisions, you are required to compensate this worker for their rightful wages. Our team will calculate the specific amount and notify you shortly.”
“What?! This is absurd! What kind of law is this?!”
The investigators from the Labor Bureau didn’t flinch.
They had given up force and violence long ago. It was a core principle among the Laborists—partially due to warnings from the Saint about their potential to fall to corruption.
But really, it was because they didn’t need to carry guns or swords anymore.
A White Order paladin stepped forward, armor gleaming.
“So. You admit to withholding wages?”
The paladin’s voice was like steel wrapped in velvet.
“Do you aim to manufacture suffering, to feed the cults of the Demon Lords? Don’t forget, under Codex Prorelilium, such actions are grounds for a heresy ruling.”
“N-No! No, I’m not a heretic! I swear! I just—just paid a little less, that’s all! You can’t treat me like—!”
“Have you forgotten the Scrap Yard Incident? That place was crawling with Mammon’s cultists.
Demons feed on resentment. If your greed leads even one soul to ruin, it is your responsibility. Pay the lawful minimum wage as prescribed.”
Backed into a corner, the factory owner bowed his head.
“...Very well. I’ll pay what’s required once the investigation concludes.”
“Good.”
With that, the inspector and paladin exited the premises.
They climbed into their vehicle, bound for their quarters. The mood inside the car was…
surprisingly cheerful.
“You must be tired following me around all day. Care to join me for a beer?”
“Don’t get the wrong idea, Laborist. I’m only here to make sure you people don’t fall to corruption. That’s all. I don’t drink on duty.”
“Our duties here are finished, no? One beer won’t hurt. You’ll be seeing plenty of me from now on anyway.”
The paladin smirked at the investigator’s easy tone.
“As long as you keep that compassion for the weak, I’ll have no reason to treat you as an enemy. One drink wouldn’t hurt, I suppose.”
“My treat, then. Let’s hope there’s at least one decent tavern in this countryside.”
The investigator chuckled from behind the wheel.
The paladin allowed himself a small smile.
The warmth between them was palpable—until it shattered in an instant.
A man suddenly dashed in front of the car.
“What the hell?! Are you insane—!”
Before the investigator could finish yelling, the man pounded on the hood, breath ragged.
“Demon cultists! Please—you’re with the Labor Bureau, right?!”
The words “Demon cultists” immediately wiped the smile from the investigator’s face.
“Get in. You know the way?”
“Yes! Absolutely!”
The three of them sped off.
Though remote, the area had plenty of shepherds working the open plains.
The man—who introduced himself as coming from a long line of goat herders—rambled between gasps.
“I went out like usual with the flock, but my dog—he just wouldn’t herd. Not like him, so I checked the spot he stopped at, and there was blood—and weapons—everywhere!”
“Weapons?”
“Guns, swords, even armor! Staffs, like the kind mages use! But not a single body—just gear. And they all had these marks on them—demonic symbols!”
“You’re sure?”
“Everyone in town’s a follower of the Pantheon. We learn to recognize demon sigils from childhood! You were the closest officials I could reach, so I ran!”
“There! That’s it!”
At the man’s frantic pointing, the Laborist slammed on the brakes.
The White Order paladin dashed toward the abandoned weapons strewn across the field.
Sniffing the air, inspecting the marks with a soldier’s precision, he returned to the car in a near panic.
“Can you get through on the direct line to the Bureau?”
“The direct line? Y-You’re saying they’re real demon cultists?”
“Not just cultists. These were high-ranking operatives. We have to act now. This is big—huge.”
The investigator whipped out a magic communication device from his coat.
The report reached the Labor Bureau in seconds.
Within ten minutes, the Pantheon, the Arcane Tower, and even the Imperial Court had received the alert.
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