Erasa displayed an icy smile.
A smile that had nothing warm about it.
— Glad to see you again... Anube.
The demon with dark scales stared at her for a long moment. For the first time since his arrival, a slight discomfort crossed his reptilian gaze.
Anube.
Few demons inspired as much repulsion in Hell.
For millions of years, he had embodied cruelty in its purest form. He sought neither power, nor glory, nor even domination.
He simply loved seeing others suffer.
That was all.
Countless creatures had disappeared after crossing his path. Entire peoples had been shattered by his whims. Some legends even claimed he was responsible for the disappearance of fairies in several regions of the World of Myths, particularly around the Sacred Lakes.
Anube tilted his head slightly.
— I would have preferred never to see you again...
His gaze swept over the invisible aura surrounding Erasa.
— Especially with a level like that.
Erasa took a step forward.
Then she slowly placed her black mask over her face.
The expressionless mask immediately concealed all emotion.
Her voice came out muffled.
Cold.
Metallic.
— Oh... I would have preferred never to see you again either.
Her gaze shifted from Elika to Anube.
— But since you seem determined to complicate my meeting with Mother...
She slightly tilted her head.
— Why not pass the time by breaking your egos?
Elika burst out laughing.
— You? Miserable little—
BOOM!
No one understood what had just happened.
Even Schela widened his eyes.
A fraction of a second earlier, Elika had been standing.
Now, she was crushed against the infernal ground.
Immobilized.
Completely dominated.
Erasa held both her arms behind her back while one knee pressed firmly between her shoulder blades.
Impossible to move.
Impossible to resist.
Elika immediately felt pain course through her entire body.
— Wh... what?!
She was trembling.
— I... I didn't see anything coming!
Erasa tightened her grip slightly.
Just enough to remind who controlled the situation.
In her other hand, she still held the small chained imp that Elika used as a toy.
Erasa held it with surprising delicacy.
Then she leaned toward Elika's ear.
— So?
Her voice was as cold as an eternal winter.
— How does it feel to be treated like nothing?
Elika gritted her teeth.
— This is absurd!
She was still trying to understand.
— How can a simple physical hold work on me?!
Her panicked gaze turned toward Schela.
— Schela!
Then toward Anube.
— Do something!
Anube did not move.
He simply swallowed.
As for Schela, he crossed his arms.
— You should have understood long ago.
His voice echoed calmly.
— Even together, we can no longer defeat Erasa.
Elika's face froze.
Schela continued:
— That's your problem. You never looked at what was happening outside of Hell.
He slowly shook his head.
— While you were playing queen, Erasa kept evolving.
His gaze settled on the former imp.
— She no longer plays in the same category as us.
A heavy silence settled.
Then Schela added:
— And to be honest...
A slight sigh escaped him.
— You are simply reaping what you have sown.
He pointed at the small imp's chains.
— You spent eternities humiliating the weak. It was inevitable that one day someone would do the same to you.
His eyes hardened.
— Those who live by the sword often die by the sword.
Elika turned pale.
— Stronger than us...?
She looked at Erasa.
— But I can't even feel her mana!
Erasa replied calmly:
— I simply hid it.
Then she slightly tilted her head.
— Do you want to feel it?
A dull sound spread through the arena.
As if something invisible had just struck reality itself.
The air became heavy.
Suffocating.
A black mana began to spread around Erasa.
The stands trembled.
The walls vibrated.
Thousands of demons instantly collapsed to the ground, unable to withstand such pressure.
Some lost consciousness on the spot.
Others were unable to breathe.
Schela felt his legs falter.
For the first time in billions of years, he had to struggle to remain standing.
His instinct screamed a simple truth:
If Erasa truly released her power...
He would die.
Anube stepped back.
Then another.
Before ending up on his knees.
Head lowered.
Like an animal recognizing an infinitely superior predator.
As for Elika, she had completely lost her arrogance.
Tears streamed down her face.
— I-I beg you...
Her voice trembled.
— Stop...
She was now sobbing.
— Stop... I'll do anything you want...
— Anything...
Sakolomeh watched the scene in silence.
He now understood that this visit had never been solely intended to find Lilith.
A part of Erasa had come here for something else.
To confront her past.
To face those who had once broken her.
And to show them what she had become.
Beside him, Salomeh was protected by a sphere of mana created by Bakuzan.
Even so, she could still feel the monstrous pressure emanating from Erasa.
A power worthy of the oldest Demon Emperors.
A power that reminded all of Hell of a simple truth:
The former imp they had despised no longer existed.
And what now stood before them had become a legend.
What is going on here?
The voice echoed through the arena with natural authority, calm yet overwhelming. It was the voice of a mature woman, imbued with a prestige so ancient it seemed to force Hell itself into silence.
Immediately, Erasa froze.
Beneath her black, expressionless mask, she had instantly recognized that voice. Without saying a word, she lowered her mana. The oppressive atmosphere crushing the demons dissipated almost instantly.
Schela let out a deep sigh of relief.
Anube, however, remained motionless. His hands trembled slightly as he observed the silhouette that had just appeared.
Lilith.
She walked slowly into the center of the arena.
Her presence was majestic.
Long, radiant white hair fell to her shoulders, contrasting with her pale skin. Two immense curved black horns framed her face of unsettling beauty. Her scarlet-red eyes shone in the darkness like two living embers.
A black and gold armor covered her body with almost royal elegance. Ancient patterns were engraved upon it, resembling writings forgotten by time. A thick cape of dark feathers rested on her right shoulder, giving her the appearance of a sovereign from an era even the gods had forgotten.
Behind her walked silently GAaron, another primordial demon whose mere presence was enough to make even the most powerful inhabitants of Hell uneasy.
Lilith observed the scene.
Her gaze moved from Erasa to Elika still lying on the ground, then to the many demons knocked out by the previous mana.
She raised an eyebrow.
— Erasa... reassure me. You didn't come to fight all of Hell, did you?
Silence settled.
Then Erasa finally released her grip.
Elika collapsed onto the ground, gasping, drenched in sweat.
Erasa slowly removed her mask and raised her eyes toward her mother.
Her gaze seemed almost empty.
— No, Mother... I did not come for that.
A slight smile appeared on Lilith's face.
— I prefer that.
Erasa then lowered her eyes toward the small imp she still held in her other arm.
With a simple gesture, she broke the chains that bound him.
The little demon remained frozen for a few seconds, unable to understand what had just happened.
Then he bolted at full speed.
He disappeared into the corridors of Hell without even looking back.
Erasa watched him leave before turning her attention back to Lilith.
— We came for something else.
Lilith slightly tilted her head.
— You came because of the Outergods?
For a moment, silence became absolute.
Erasa's eyes widened.
Bakuzan straightened abruptly.
Even Sakolomeh seemed surprised.
Schela frowned.
— The Outergods? What is that?
Lilith let out a soft sigh.
— Oh... that is a very old story.
Her gaze seemed to drift into the void.
— A story so ancient that even the current ages would struggle to trace it.
Sakolomeh stepped forward.
— How do you know that is precisely why we came to see you?
Lilith set her red eyes on him.
A faint amused smile appeared on her lips.
— Young immortal echo...
Her voice was gentle, yet everyone in the arena heard it perfectly.
— I know that you recently held a meeting with Zeus in the World of Myths.
She slowly crossed her arms.
— I also know that the situation is becoming tense. Very tense.
She remained silent for a few seconds.
As if she were thinking about something.
Then she placed a hand under her chin.
— Hmm... could this whole matter be related to him?
Her gaze drifted into the void for a moment.
As if she were thinking of someone no one else knew.
Then she finally raised her head.
— Good. What exactly do you want to know?
Bakuzan responded immediately in his deep voice.
— Originally, we only wanted to locate the other Primordial Demon Emperors.
He paused.
— But now, I am more interested in what you know about the Outergods.
His gaze hardened.
— Zeus himself told us that information concerning them is naturally confidential. Kept secret by the Original Gods since time immemorial.
Lilith observed Bakuzan for a few seconds.
Then...
She began to laugh.
Not a mocking laugh.
A quiet laugh.
Almost nostalgic.
The others looked at each other in confusion.
Even Elika, still sitting on the ground, raised her eyes toward her.
— That's what he told you?
Lilith's smile widened slightly.
— Then Zeus told you the version that the Original Gods tell others.
Her gaze became deeper.
Older.
— But the truth... is far more complicated than that.
Around her, even the demons stopped breathing.
Because for the first time since the beginning of this story...
Lilith seemed on the verge of revealing something that even Zeus might not have told.