"Well, Vine, why don't you tell us a bit about this level of Hell?" Draco asked while folding his arms casually.
The Demon Lord acknowledged the request and began explaining. "Greed is the level of Hell for those who had coveted too many material things in their lives."
"The central area is reserved for those who had accumulated too much wealth at the detriment of others, without giving back enough to balance it. There, they are made to experience the labor of each and every one of those they had exploited or harmed to reach their level of wealth did individually."
"The middle area is for those who had accumulated a substantial amount of wealth dishonestly, be it through thievery and force. If they stole in response to a need and only used that stolen wealth to solve that need, they are exempt. However, if they stole out of greed, they will spend their time in an illusion where they are born into the lowest dregs of poverty, never able to escape. This would repeat for several lifetimes, depending on their karmic sin value."
"The outer area is for those who had coveted the wealth of others and sought to take it away from them. They are those who had spent all their time envying the precious items of others and trying to take them away. Those who had encouraged poverty and exploitation without causing harm themselves also end up here. Their punishment is to go through exactly what they wished upon others."
Draco nodded in satisfaction. "That is good. Endlessly desiring the wealth of others is evil! Loot is good, but one should always remain stoic before all types of wealth!"
Eva once again glanced at Draco, this time her eyes lingering on him for a while before looking away. Her Soulmate's happy expression crumbled as he harrumphed and flung his sleeves, quickly changing the topic.
"And? What about you? What makes you special?"
Vine seemed surprised by this but understood what Draco was asking. As such, she replied respectfully: "My Demonic Power is 'Dark Clairvoyance' as well as 'Wall Sunder'."
"Dark Clairvoyance allows me to see the past, present, and future, though not within my own control. I can only see things related to misfortunes in the lives of those who sell part of their soul to me."
"Wall Sunder is my ability to ensure that any fortification classified as a 'wall' can be instantly broken down by me."
"My Demonic Nature is, as I said, to see into the misfortune of mortal souls in my possession or to allow armies to penetrate defenses in exchange for their providence." Vine concluded smartly.
Draco and Eva had initially become interested when Vine had mentioned her Dark Clairvoyance, but had just as quickly lost interest when she had explained its actual abilities. Then again, if even Draco himself could not easily do so, how could he expect a subordinate within one of his bloodline aspects to be able to?
They explored the fourth level for a bit and found that the money that was spread around was actually Demon Silver, Demon Gold, and Demon Diamonds. They looked and functionally were the same as normal silver, gold, diamonds, and the like, but had a heavy air of misfortune.
Anyone who held them would suffer calamity after calamity until they died and were pulled down to this level of Hell. It also had the ability of temptation, turning even the most honest fellow into a miser who would spend all his days counting the coins made of this metal.
Draco and Eva hehehe'd evilly, planning to use a few of these to pay for some common goods in territories of those who had opposed them. They were already looking forward to the spectacle, as those affected would be forced to helplessly watch their clan or family spiral into nothingness piece by piece.
They moved onto the fifth level of Hell, which was a land that was steaming hot. It resembled the stereotypical description of Hell, a barren wasteland with lava in the crags, the heat of the area searing the skin and melting the soul.
Volcanoes existed in the millions, each of them exploding and sending magma flying in the air, forming a form of a permanent train over the level. None of it touched Draco and Eva, obviously, but this place was probably the worst environmentally.
They appeared before a demonic castle that flowed with lava and had the usual scary symbols and the surrounding like one would imagine when picturing Hell. Surprisingly, they were not met by a Demon Lord, but rather a Demonic Imp.
Draco remembered this fellow. It was the same one from the fifth floor of the Tower who had been preying on the lives of humans and had dared to disrespect him, so he had captured it and thrown him into his hottest level of Hell.
The fellow's name was… Jackson, right!
"Lord Demon God, this humble Fire Imp would like to take you to the courtyard of the castle." Jackson greeted respectfully.
Draco was first surprised that Jackson knew he was a Demon God, but remembered that he had revealed his identity when capturing the fellow. Even Devin and co on the sixth floor had realized what he was when he and his babes had unveiled their aura.
"Sure, lead away." Draco answered with a smile.
Jackson humbly took them through the castle until they came upon a central courtyard. There, Purson was training with his lance while on his horse. Draco and Eva watched him maneuver deftly many times for a few minutes until Purson stopped and came over.
"Demon Supreme, what do you think of my power?" Purson asked straightforwardly when he came over.
Hearing him, Draco understood. This fellow didn't put on this show to annoy him, make him wait to show superiority, or try to show off his power. Rather, he did this to show Draco his strength and seek acknowledgment.
He was basically fishing for compliments from someone he knew was stronger than he could fathom.
Draco smiled and nodded. "You are extremely skilled on horseback and with a lance, Purson. I may often summon you in combat later on."
Purson seem excited by that and dismounted, bowing in a knight's manner. "It shall be my honor to be your blade, Demon Supreme."
Draco scratched his nose. "Right, about that…"
When Draco revealed his true identity, Purson dropped off his horse, but quickly got up to fall on his knees in horror. Not only had he offended the Demon God, but he had tried to posture before him, fishing for praises like a child.
After all, it was like how a knight may bow to their lord or king, but even their king would not dare to remain standing in the presence of a god. How was he to manage?
Draco lazily waved away his concerns. "I didn't come here to pose. Introduce yourself and your level of Hell to us."
Purson rose up and obediently began explaining. "I'm Purson, Demon Lord over the fifth level of Hell, Anger. This place is for all those who had been unable to control their tempers and lashed out at others all the time."
"The central area is for those who had spent their lives always angry and on the verge of violence. This is all the more true for those who had inflicted such anger on their family and friends, children especially. There, they are forced to sit through kindergarten classes and sing children's rhymes until they turn into pleasant people. "
"The middle area is for those who had displayed anger towards their employees, workers, or servants. If you constantly raged on them, on anyone you had some power over who was not related to you in any way, you would end up here. The punishment is to meditate in the midst of rage similar to yours when you were alive. If you could ignore it and finally achieve peace of mind, that is one step towards salvation."
"The outer area is for those who had been angry towards strangers and themselves. If you were angry at someone who looked better than you, or who got the promotion you felt you deserved, this is the place for you. There, one is forced to take anger management lessons from Demons who would taunt you about your weaknesses. Every time you flare-up, you would suffer punishment until you were able to keep your calm."
The Demon Lord then paused and added. "I feel important to note that the feeling of 'anger' itself doesn't condemn one here, but rather 'unjust' anger."
"If you get punched in the face, you have every right to be angry. If you were promised a promotion and the boss gave it to the young girl he was fucking instead, you have every right to be angry. If your children spent $10,000 on a mobile game with your device, you have every right to be angry."
Draco nodded. "I can tell the difference between just anger and unjust anger. It seems like the old me who used to be angry all the time due to a misunderstanding would have ended up here if not for anything."
This time, Eva didn't gaze at Draco, but lowered her head slightly. Draco rubbed her back gently with a smile, focusing on Purson once more.
"What about you? What manner of power do you have?"
Purson folded his arms and explained. "My Demonic Power is 'Material Providence'. I can tell the location of treasures that a person could likely acquire at their level of power. My Demonic Nature is to sell these locations to mortals in exchange for their servitude in war."
Draco nodded. He and Eva met some Demon Dukes serving under Purson and watched a couple of the strict training regimes happening on this level of Hell before moving on.
The sixth level was also a hot place, but only in special areas. Draco and Eva noticed that they were flaming crypts placed in little settlements here and there.
On this level, they were received by Beleth himself. The Demon Lord bowed to Draco respectfully, but his eyes narrowed when he looked at Eva, sensing something more than the others before him.
The White-Haired Duo didn't mind, and Draco revealed his identity as usual. Beleth reacted much in the same way as the others, so the Demon God soothed him much in the same way as before.
"Now, introduce yourself and your level to us." Draco prompted.
"Right. I, Beleth, am the Demon Lord over the sixth level of Hell, Heresy. This level is specifically meant for those who live their lives speaking blasphemy all the time." Beleth began slowly.
"The central area is for those who deny the existence of everything, and believe in nothing. This is mostly targeted at nihilists who had believed that life has no meaning or that there is no source of creation in the world. Their punishment is to live in a dark void without their senses, yet all their thoughts remain active. Since they believed in such nonsense, they get to experience nothingness until they realize that having experienced life was a blessing."
"The middle area is for those who had spread misinformation about the truth of life. They are those who either lied about their religious texts or twisted them in ways to benefit themselves. Such fellows are very cognizant of their actions, and are forced to endure normal tortures over and over until they are swallowed with endless regret."
"The outer area is for those who had denounced the search for the truth of life. It's fine to not believe in any religion, but it is heresy to not believe in the value of life and the reverence of your own creation! It's reserved mostly for crazy scientists who qualify for this level, those who believe that life can be created in machines and not through nature. Their punishment is to live through countless lifetimes until they finally recognize the beauty of life and existence naturally!" Beleth concluded with a smile.
Draco and Eva shared a look. "So you won't burn in hellfire if you don't believe in the Goddess?"
Beleth frowned strangely. "No…? Why would the Goddess care? If you believe in her, that's good, you get to go to her fourth layer of Heaven and above. But if you don't, and you are devoid of sin, you still can enter Paradise."
Draco had a strange expression. "So all those religious masters who say that disbelief in their religion's deity leads to hell?"
Beleth smiled playfully. "The middle area is prepared for them."
Holy shit!
Draco and Eva were dumbfounded. Did Beleth even understand how many unfortunate souls would end up here if that was true? Damn, this was quite the heavy plot twist!
"Anything else, Demon God?" Beleth asked.
"Right, tell us about your Demonic Power and Demonic Nature then." Draco inquired as he put the previous matter out of his mind.
"Oh. My Demonic Power is the ability of 'Dark Magic'. I can grant anyone the ability to cast evil spells using my name, but every time they do, they sell a part of their soul to me until it completely belongs to me"
"My Demonic Nature is to trade black magic with mortals in exchange for their loyalty to me after death. When they die, they become my spell casting troops in Hell." Beleth explained with a smile.
Draco nodded, then left the sixth level for the eighth. He skipped over the seventh because that was where Asmodeus was, and he had big plans for that fellow.
The eighth level was styled like a wasteland with trenches. There were ten rigs of trenches from the castle at the center that lead outward, these trenches large enough for humans to live and work inside.
Here, Draco and Eva met the demure Paimon who was wearing a lovely black dress that matched with her skin tone. When Eva saw Paimon, her eyes lit up slightly, intrigued.
When Paimon saw Eva, her tongue-tied as her body trembled. With this kind of beauty and aura, she could only be…
"Goddess!" Paimon exclaimed.
"Oh? You recognize me?" Eva asked with surprise.
Paimon nodded respectfully. "I have had the pleasure of meeting Goddess Amaterasu when I was firstborn, and she fought for me to be styled as beautifully as I am. Vine is the way she is because Lucifer created her without Amaterasu's input."
Eva looked at Draco, who immediately looked up at the sky.
Wow, isn't the sunless sky so beautiful today?
Eva snorted with disdain and sympathized with Vine deeply. She then asked Paimon. "Well, we're taking a tour of the Nine Hells, so in the tradition of those who came before, you should probably know he's a Demon God, not a Demon Supreme. He's basically Lucifer's latest incarnation."
Paimon eyes widened as she clutched her belly. "What?! The Demon God?! But that means…"
She seemed to understand the implications of the actions that occurred earlier, and her lovely visage became extremely rosy and hot despite her already scalding blood.
Eva saw this and her eyes narrowed. She then scanned Paimon up and down and noticed that her vital yin had been brutally plundered, her body also forcefully inseminated by yang energy so powerful it made her shiver.
There was only one man in the world whose yang energy could make her feel craving and fear deep down, so she looked at Draco beside her with narrowed eyes.
"What did you do to this poor lass?" Eva asked righteously, seeming like she was the protector of the weak and the lady of justice.
Draco simply harrumphed, not impressed by her posing. "It wasn't me, it was that edgelord fellow. If you have the guts, I will call him out here for you to chastise."
Eva's face changed immediately. "Haha, Handsome Demon God Draco, why go so far? It was just a joke, just a joke, haha."
Draco could only tsk. He had thoroughly ruined Eva, now she was sounding more and more like him!
Wait, why was he saying that as if it was a bad thing…?
"Annyyyywaayyy… so, what's this level of Hell about? Also, why not introduce yourself?" Eva hurriedly changed the subject.
"Yes. My name is Paimon, and I'm the Demon Lord of the eighth level of Hell, Fraud." Paimon introduced herself with a bow.
"This level is for those who spend their lives deceiving others for any purpose whatsoever that is evil and unjust. The central area is for those who had deceived others of their wealth and material possessions. Such people are made to go through the most painful of tortures directly, and when they possess sufficient regret and repentance, they're allowed to reincarnate."
"The middle area is for those who had deceived others of opportunities or beneficial things that should have belonged to the victim party. They, too, suffer slightly milder tortures, and would atone for their actions by working day and night to craft special artifacts for Hell."
"The outer area is for those who deceived others of the truth. They only suffer very slight pain, but they do spend most of their time as bottom-level workforce for Hell." Paimon concluded with a smile.
Damn! So lying really did lead you to Hell!
Draco couldn't help but curse inwardly. The first two bits were understandable, but that last one was definitely for those who were pathological lairs and frequently skirted around the truth.
How many politicians government officials would end up there, huh?!
"Thanks for that. What about your Demonic Power and Demonic Nature? I'm curious." Draco asked after he calmed down.
"Me? My Demonic Power is 'Words of Power' and 'Wisdom'. Words of Power allow me to turn anything I say into reality at the cost of magic power, and Wisdom allows me to know the answer to any knowledge-based question I am asked."
"My Demonic Nature is to either grant mortals what they seek if it is material or knowledge to any query they have in exchange for their souls. I can also grant superpowers to mortals within a limit, in exchange for their loyalty after death." Paimon explained without holding back.
Draco and Eva nodded, satisfied with the answer. Paimon looked like she wanted to say something to Draco, but couldn't muster the courage.
Seeing this, Draco smirked. "Don't worry, once I have defiled you, I will naturally take responsibility.. Feel free to gestate the child, I will bring you into my own world and replace you as Demon Lord, or you can remain a Demon Lord and raise the child here."
