Second Layer of Hell.

Govax stood on a vast, seemingly endless plain outside Ironytnth. In front of him, dozens of devils worked without pause on the runic formation to get the giant portal started.

Far to either side, five more similar portals stood in place, each surrounded by devils carving and powering their own runic formations.

And behind every one of the portals, over fifty thousand devils awaited in tight ranks, prepared to descend upon an entire world and lay waste to it.

Govax had taken the advice of his Diviner, Vornak, and allied with another Mana Seed-level devil. He had gathered two hundred thousand devils, while his ally had prepared another hundred thousand.

Together, an army of three hundred thousand devils had assembled, ready to lay siege to Tron. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"Fuck!" Govax cursed in frustration as he gazed at the rippling crimson portal in front of him. "What’s taking so long? Are you all fucking stupid? Quickly make it work!"

The invasion had already been delayed by several months. The amount of bureaucracy involved in such an endeavor was not something to scoff at. It was only after months of negotiation with his new partner that Govax was finally ready.

Vornak, who stood patiently behind, suggested in a humble voice. "Perhaps, patience—"

"Fuck off!" Govax turned toward him and snapped. "Fuck off with your patience and your infinite wisdom. Nine Hells! If I have to wait a minute longer, I’m going to drown your firstborn!"

Vornak wisely shut his mouth.

Thankfully, before the one-minute timer was up, the giant portal rippled and then turned blue.

Noticing this, Govax’s lips curled into a wide, menacing grin. "Finally! Finally!"

He spread his arms and wings wide and roared to the ash-red sky above. "Transcendent Rank! Hahaha! It is finally within reach! I can feel it!"

He turned around and walked to his trusted subordinate with a wide smile. He tightly clasped Vornak’s shoulders. "You see this, don’t you!"

"Yes, master..." the Diviner replied with a deadpan expression.

Govax’s laughter thundered. "Fuck the serpents! Fuck the dragon! And fuck the wolf!"

Vornak resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Please be mindful, my lord. History is not kind to those who look down on fate."

Govax’s face twisted into a dark frown. "You fucking..."

He harrumphed and walked toward the portal. "If it wasn’t for your loyalty, I would have eaten you alive."

"I’m aware," the Diviner murmured. He turned and gave the signal for the army behind to prepare to enter the portal.

After the portal stabilized, the devil army marched straight into it, their eyes gleaming with the hunger for destruction.

Govax and Vornak stood beside the portal, watching the devils enter.

"So fucking barren," Govax murmured as he peered through the portal. "How do Magi even live in such backwater places? It’s unthinkable."

Vornak nodded in agreement. "I’d rather die than set foot on such a planet. But it’s a good thing they provide us with billions of souls."

He then couldn’t help but sigh, "Ah, the Eternal War..."

"Stop talking about depressing matters!" Govax barked in annoyance.

"Ah, yes, yes, apologies." Vornak nodded. Though he wasn’t apologetic at all.

The Eternal War was simply the reality that devils were born into.

They lived for war. And they died for war.

The Eternal War never ceased. It was a constant clash between devils and demons, older than any record, older than any memory, long before the first lines of history ever written.

Suddenly, there was a commotion in the distance.

Govax turned toward the other portals and his eyes instantly narrowed. He saw that, unlike the one in front of him, the other portals still shimmered with a red light.

They were supposed to have turned blue after the connection to the portals on Tron had been established. But the fact that they didn’t...

Devils flew into a panic around the other five portals, desperately working on the runic formations to make them work.

Noticing that, Govax’s expression turned utterly grim. He slowly turned toward his Diviner and said in a low voice:

"Is this what you saw?"

Vornak remained silent for a long time. He finally answered, his voice low and heavy.

"This is the prelude."

Govax tried hard to calm the raging emotions bubbling inside of him. He wasn’t about to let thousands of years of planning go to waste.

He retrieved a giant, disk-shaped artifact and threw it on the dark ground. He wove hand seals and activated the communication artifact.

With his connection to the lich, it was far easier for him to communicate with him. Otherwise, artifacts that facilitated such long-distance communication were extremely rare. And expensive, needless to say.

The faint thread of connection plunged into the depths of the spirit world, then emerged all the way in the Outer Universe.

***

Aranal, Haynam Empire.

The three Elders watched with complicated emotions as rows of devils emerged from the portal and ascended to the ground.

These devils reeked of fire and murder. Some were winged, while others were not. But undoubtedly, every one of them radiated a powerful aura.

The lich watched in silence as the devils emerged. Years of planning had finally borne fruit on this day, but there was not a flicker of emotion in the green orbs nestling within his sockets.

Making a deal with the devil, summoning the infernal army, and sacrificing every life on Tron... these were only means to an end.

Suddenly, his head turned ever so slightly. His shadow stirred and quickly coalesced into Govax’s visage. Before he could even speak, the devil’s cold and wrathful voice echoed in the chamber.

"What the fuck is going on?"

When the devils saw the visage of their direct superior, they instantly froze in terror. But they quickly bowed and continued to move, for it was unwise to crowd the teleportation tunnel.

Meanwhile, sensing the suffocating aura radiating from the shadowy face, the three Elders instantly turned pale.

Only the Cult Leader remained standing, seemingly composed.

"What do you mean?" He asked in an even voice.

"I gave you more than enough resources to build six portals," the devil said, his voice turning angrier by the second. "Then why the fuck is only one functional?!"

The green orbs in the lich’s socket flickered. "Only... one?"

"Yes!" The devil’s face roared. "You said you had everything under control! Then what the fuck is this! Are you refusing to uphold your end of the bargain? Answer me!"

The lich remained silent. Despite not having a face and being incapable of displaying expressions, he looked... confused.

Even Govax noticed it. But that only served to enrage him even more.

Was he really going to fail after coming this far? Did Vornak’s vision come true, after all?

These questions swirled inside his mind, making him utterly furious.

Right at that moment, the lich’s cold and calm words echoed in the chamber.

"Everything is still under control. Please redirect all of your devils to this portal. In the meantime, I shall have the others inspected."

There was much Govax wanted to say to the lich. But in the end, he only left a cold warning.

"If you fail, you will be reduced to eternal servitude. And when that happens... you’ll wish you had never become immortal."

The devil’s shadowy visage vanished, but his words still echoed in the chamber.

The lich stood in silence for a long time, the aura around him growing darker and oppressive. At last, he turned around, the green flames in his sockets fiercely locking onto Marden.

He spoke a single word:

"Traitor."