Even though Asmodeus could send Rhode’s group directly to the front line, the latter refused his kind offer. The demons’ kind intentions were mostly poisoned candy, where one would more than likely suffer from. That was why Rhode would rather spend more energy in heading toward Desolate Town by himself than to accept Asmodeus’s ‘offer’.
When they arrived at the city wall of the Steel Fortress, they quickly garnered a lot of attention. But it wasn’t due to the group of excellent beauties surrounding him, who stood out like diamonds in a crown and oases in deserts. Instead, it was due to the fact that there was a battle angel among them too. Unsure if Celia was doing it for the sake of expressing her identity, but she expanded her pure, white wings. On the contrary, Celestina folded her wings, tucked her tail, and displayed a seemingly harmless look. After all, it didn’t matter if the owner wore a casual outfit at home. But when there were guests, the owner had to dress up appropriately at the very least, wasn’t it? This was a matter of manners.
The entrance of the fortress was like the snap-opened mouth of a gigantic monster with demons, half-elves, and humans lining up in a long queue. They were mostly covered in filth and some were even stained with blood that was left unwashed. All of them were waiting patiently, yearning for a chance to enter the fortress. It was relatively easy for demons to gain entry. But for the other races, they weren’t as fortunate as them. They had to make use of money, language, and things to gain the likings of the demon guards in order to ensure entry into the fortress without losing an arm or leg and enjoy the momentary peace, instead of submerging in the ditches, waiting to be fed on by wild beasts.
It was due to this reason that they were enraged when they saw Rhode’s group heading to the entrance without following the rules and queuing up accordingly.
After all, no matter in which era, cutting queues were always rude and the same went for getting in through the back.
“Hey, wait.”
As Rhode’s group was about to enter the fortress, one of the demon guards by the entrance extended its arm that was as thick as Celia’s slender waist and stopped them by flourishing the flame spear. It narrowed its scarlet eyes, scanned the unwelcome visitors, and specially paused at the pair of white wings behind Celia for a few moments.
“Don’t you outsiders know the rules? This is the Steel Fortress; you need to queue up to enter.”
The demon guard scoffed and stared at Rhode who led the group of young ladies. At the same time, it brandished the flame spear at them and sent a wave of blazing heat above their heads. No matter from which angle, this threat seemed rather effective. But it was a pity that the demon guard picked on the wrong group as none of them revealed any terrified expressions. Even Cassidy, who had male-phobia, knitted her brows at the demon guard as though she was gazing at a stray dog on the street. Cassidy was a Deity Warden, after all. Even if she had male-phobia, there weren’t many beings in this world that were worthy to be seen as a ‘man’ in her eyes.
“Hey, you country bumpkins…”
Upon feeling provoked, the demon guard widened its mouth to reveal its sharp, filthy canines. Along with this action, its muscles that seemingly had its skin stripped trembled. Not only that, but its long, scorpion-like tail also raised up into an offensive stance.
“If you don’t…”
“Get out of my way, you lowly scum!”
Celestina interrupted harshly before the demon guard finished its sentence. She glared fiercely and the high-and-mighty demon guard was taken aback quickly. It turned toward the young lady who was near it, shivered in fear, and stood at attention quickly. Even though it didn’t know who this human-like young lady was, her pure, spoken demon language clearly showed that she wasn’t one who played a small role it could handle. Almost in an instance, the demon guard turned its body aside respectfully as though making way for its God humbly. On the other hand, Rhode didn’t say a word. He simply led the rest of the group into the fortress.
But it was a pity that in this world, there were many people who just couldn’t accept seeing one walk on the red, VIP carpet.
“Hey, hey! That’s unfair! Why can they enter just like that! Damn it! Don’t they need to queue up?”
One of the half-elves in the queue raised his arms furiously, swinging his fists and yelling at the top of his lungs. Perhaps he was only looking to vent his frustrations from standing under the blazing sun of hell for so long with no progress at all. To make things worse, a group of latecomers had actually received special treatment from the demon guards. But at the next moment, a black steel whip appeared in midair and lashed at him like a venomous viper, slicing his head off. The unfortunate half-elf’s body twitched, before crumbling to the ground in a loud ‘bam’. The two little demons queuing behind him cheered in excitement. They pounced on the corpse, seized valuables from its pockets, and feasted on this rare delicacy of a body.
“Shut your mouth, you lowly trash.”
Celestina withdrew the whip and stared at the long queue that fell into an odd silence. The demon guards didn’t object to this young lady killing on the street either. Rules were used to constrain the chess pieces and not the chess player. Compared to the queen who could roam everywhere on the board, what rights did a pawn, who could only take one step forward, had?
“What a waste of time. Punish yourself.”
Upon witnessing the others entering the fortress, Celestina put away the steel whip fumingly, before glaring at the demon who stopped them earlier and catching up with the rest. The demon guard who attempted to stop Rhode’s group earlier gazed blankly at Celestina’s back. Then, it gnashed its teeth, flipped around the flame spear, and punctured its brain, before collapsing to the ground lifelessly.
No one expressed any opinion. If this happened in the main plane, death would be the biggest punishment to one. But here, real death was a type of luxury. Demons who died would lose the power and body that they cultivated and evolved for centuries or even millenniums. They would once again return to being a larva from the start and it would take a few more centuries or millenniums for them to return to their current state again… with the prerequisite that they didn’t die beforehand.
Compared to the chaotic battlefield, the inside of Steel Fortress appeared much neater. Even though Rhode’s group attracted a lot of attention on the streets, none of the demons stopped them. Judging from the fact that they entered the fortress despite being conspicuous proved that they were tough to deal with. Some powerful demons had even retreated in the face of Rhode’s dragon’s prestige. Fortunately for Rhode, this was the demons’ city. If it were the devils, perhaps they would endlessly dig their own graves like moths flying into the flame even if Rhode showed up in his dragon form.
“What should we do next, Leader?”
Mini Bubble Gum was beyond excited. She rubbed her hands together as she eyed the enormous steel structure, as well as demons of various body shapes roaming the streets. As for the others, they played the role of plane travelers perfectly, speaking and doing things appropriately, while quietly following at the back of the group.
“Simple, we’ll first find a place to rest. Then, we’ll look for the River Styx and travel down by boat. After entering Casselly, we will change our transport method to reach the Rift Plain. But before that, we need a map or… a guide.”
Rhode said and turned to Celestina.
“You’re not familiar with this place, right?”
“Of course not, my palace isn’t located in such a filthy and run-down place.”
Upon hearing Rhode’s question, Celestina curled her lips and replied.
“Why don’t we look for the commander here? Didn’t Asmodeus agree to help us? Why don’t we just look for them and head on the journey together instead? Those demons are battling all the time, so surely they will head to the Rift Plain, right?”
“I don’t trust that fellow. Besides, I don’t want to be dragged into a bloody war without any preparation. Asmodeus has indeed prepared an army in Casselly for us. But frankly, I would rather see if I can hire mercenaries here than to spend my days on the same boat as those troublemakers.”
Rhode said and all of a sudden, an alluring fragrance assailed his nostrils. Then, a shadowy figure approached him as though she were dancing and stopped Rhode’s group.
“Oh, hi there, travelers from the main plane. It seems like you’re in need of some help? If it is possible, I’m willing to help you resolve your issues. I wonder if you’re interested?”
