Lilith let out a long sigh before speaking again.
— Well... I think I've revealed everything I know about the Outergods. The rest, you will have to discover on your own. Or... you will have the opportunity to learn it directly when you face them.
A heavy silence settled.
Bakuzan eventually spoke:
— We sincerely thank you for this information. However, we would like to understand why you seem so certain that the other Demon Emperors are already aware.
Lilith gently raised a hand to interrupt him.
— Do not worry about that.
All eyes turned toward her.
A faint smile appeared on her face.
— The Primordial Demon Emperors have already perceived what is being prepared. Perhaps not in every detail... but enough to understand that a major change is approaching.
She placed a hand against her chest with natural dignity.
— You must understand one thing. Beings of the First Zone do not observe the lower worlds the way you do. We perceive them more as a reader observes the pages of a book. The events that unfold there leave traces, echoes, disturbances impossible to ignore.
Her gaze swept across the assembly.
— Even when an entity of our level tries to conceal something, it becomes difficult. So for beings of the lower zones... it is practically impossible.
Sakolomeh reflected in silence.
That explained why Lilith already seemed to know about their meeting with Zeus.
She had probably not spied on anyone.
She had simply observed the consequences that this meeting had left in the lower layers of the Dream.
Lilith then turned her back to them.
Her long silver hair slowly slid over her dark armor as her voice echoed through the arena.
— If you wish to meet another Primordial Demon Emperor... head toward the Domain of Chaos.
Salomeh immediately frowned.
— The World of Chaos?
— Yes.
— I thought no entity could truly exist there.
Lilith gave an amused smile.
— That is a widespread idea. But inaccurate.
She slightly raised her eyes.
— The beings found there do not truly exist within Chaos. They exist rather around it, at its periphery, in layers connected to it.
She paused.
— And unlike the Fog, Chaos remains relatively comprehensible.
At those words, Bakuzan abruptly raised his head.
— The Fog?
Even Erasa seemed surprised.
Bakuzan continued:
— How can you know about the Fog? That substance belongs to the Out-of-Zones of the Dream. Even among transcendents, very few even know it exists.
Lilith's smile widened slightly.
— I heard about it during a very ancient conversation.
— With whom?
— Lucifer.
Silence immediately fell again.
Even Schela seemed surprised.
Yet Lilith added nothing.
Her gaze had briefly darkened.
As if that single name brought back memories she preferred to keep buried.
Sakolomeh understood that there was no point insisting.
He simply nodded.
— Thank you, Lilith. This information will be valuable to us.
— I hope so.
Bakuzan, Salomeh, Erasa, and Sakolomeh exchanged a glance.
All of them understood that their time was now limited.
The Outergods were approaching.
And every answer raised even more questions.
Sakolomeh then extended his hand in front of him.
A massive luminous fissure tore through space.
The darkness of Hell was pierced by a silver light as a portal between worlds took shape.
Just as the group was about to leave, a small reddish figure hurried through the crowd.
It was the young imp that Erasa had freed from Elika's grasp.
Out of breath, eyes still wet, he stopped in front of her.
— W-Wait!
Erasa lowered her gaze toward him.
The little demon clenched his fists.
— I... I just wanted to thank you...
His voice trembled.
— No one had ever helped me before.
For a moment, Erasa remained silent.
Then a faint smile appeared on her face.
A rare smile.
Sincere.
— Then try to become stronger.
The imp blinked.
— Stronger?
— Yes.
She placed a hand on his head.
— Because the next time someone tries to chain you... I might not be there to save you.
The little demon froze for a few seconds before nodding vigorously.
— I... I will do my best!
Erasa withdrew her hand.
— That is all I wish for you.
The imp smiled despite his tears.
Then he stepped back.
Bakuzan stepped into the portal.
Salomeh followed him.
Sakolomeh cast one last glance toward Lilith.
She simply crossed her arms, silently watching their departure.
Erasa was the last to pass through.
The spatial fissure immediately began to close.
And as the doors between worlds slowly shut, a strange sensation passed through Lilith.
Like a distant memory.
Like the echo of a catastrophe already experienced.
She raised her eyes toward the invisible depths of the Dream.
And murmured to herself:
— I hope that this time... we will not need a second Retrogenesis.
Then the portal fully closed.
And silence fell once more over Hell.
Night still reigned over the forest.
Around the camp, only the soft crackling of the fire disturbed the silence. The flames danced slowly in the night wind as Kert, Zerath, and Hinata finally slept after an exhausting day.
But for Hinata, rest would not last.
The phenomenon began again.
In her sleep, she dreamed of a strangely familiar scene.
All three of them were walking together through a clearing bathed in soft light. Kert and Zerath were arguing, as always.
— You two are never going to change... Hinata sighed, shaking her head in amusement.
Kert immediately turned his eyes toward her.
— Zerath thinks he runs faster than me when he's basically a walking snail!
— Huh?! shouted Zerath. If you're so fast, let's race and we'll see! Why do you always refuse?
Kert crossed his arms arrogantly.
— Because it's not worth it. Besides, humiliating you in front of Hinata... haven't you already suffered enough?
Hinata let out a laugh.
For a moment, everything seemed normal.
Peaceful.
Real.
Then...
Kert and Zerath suddenly froze.
As if someone had stopped time.
Their faces remained fixed.
Their bodies ceased all movement.
Hinata blinked.
— Uh... guys?
No response.
— What's happening to you?
Then something horrible happened.
Their skin began to rot.
Blackish patches appeared on their bodies before being covered by an unknown substance, a viscous matter impossible to describe.
Everywhere this thing spread, reality itself seemed to decompose.
The grass turned gray.
The air tore apart.
The sky cracked.
— No...
Hinata stepped back.
— No... NO!
Panicking, she turned to run.
But her body froze.
In the sky.
Immense silhouettes were watching her.
Things so monstrous they defied the very notion of appearance.
Their forms constantly changed.
Sometimes organic.
Sometimes geometric.
Sometimes impossible.
They seemed to be made of that same foreign substance that caused everything around them to rot.
The air dissolved.
Sound vanished.
Even space and time seemed to melt under their mere presence.
Hinata fell to her knees.
Then sat directly on the ground.
Her hands trembled.
She shut her eyes as tightly as she could.
— Not again...
Her voice broke.
— Please... not again...
Then a voice echoed.
A voice she now knew all too well.
— We need... to talk.
Hinata opened her eyes.
He was there.
The young man with long white hair.
But this time, he was not decomposed.
His body seemed intact.
His red eyes looked at her calmly.
Without hatred.
Without anger.
Simply... with a strange gravity.
Hinata stood up abruptly.
— But who are you?!
Her voice trembled.
— What do you want from me in the end?!
She clenched her fists.
— What did I ever do to you?!
Tears appeared in her eyes.
— Leave me alone! I don't want to see you anymore!
A green aura exploded around her.
Her mana covered her body.
Fear had given way to anger.
She rushed toward the stranger.
But at that exact moment...
The entities frozen in the sky reacted.
Without moving.
Without any gesture.
Without even looking at her.
An indescribable force struck Hinata.
BOOM!
Her body was hurled across the landscape.
She crashed violently onto the ground.
A cracking sound rang out.
Blood burst from her mouth.
Several teeth rolled across the ground.
The pain was immediate.
Unbearable.
— AAAAHHHHHH!
She screamed.
From pain.
From fear.
From incomprehension.
— Help!
Tears were now streaming down her face.
— Sakolomeh!
Her voice broke.
— Please...
She trembled all over.
— Help... help...
The young man with white hair watched her in silence.
Then his body began to dissipate.
Like smoke carried away by the wind.
His outline gradually vanished.
And only whispers remained.
Hundreds.
Thousands.
All repeating the same phrase.
— We need...
— To talk...
— We need...
— To talk...
— We need...
— To talk...
— HINATA!
She suddenly opened her eyes.
The real world.
The fire.
The forest.
The night.
Kert and Zerath were leaning over her.
Their faces were filled with worry.
— Hinata! exclaimed Zerath. What's happening to you?!
— You scared us! added Kert.
Hinata was breathing so heavily that she felt like she was suffocating.
She looked at their faces.
Then the camp.
Then her two friends again.
They were alive.
Normal.
Real.
Her lips trembled.
And suddenly, all the accumulated fear exploded.
Tears streamed from her eyes.
— I...
Her voice broke.
— I don't understand anything anymore...