Roy gave Eluresa's plump backside a firm smack, finally jolting her awake.
"Huh? Daddy, what happened? I had the weirdest dream!"
Eluresa rubbed her rear and stood up, only to realize the world around her was completely unrecognizable.
"Daddy, where are we? How long was I out?"
You couldn't blame the little succubus for being confused. The Ancient Sea had changed so drastically, it was hard to believe it was the same place.
Eluresa still thought Roy's near-death experience was just part of her dream!
"It's a long story, Eluresa. Let's get outta here first, then I'll fill you in."
"Okay!"
Eluresa naturally clung to Roy's arm, nuzzling against him.
For some reason, the little succubus found her "daddy" looking hotter by the minute—so hot she could barely keep her legs together.
Roy didn't notice her little crush. He was too busy scanning for the pyramid that led to the seventh layer of hell.
But the landscape was barren, all glassed over. The pyramid? Nowhere in sight.
"Mr. Scepter, I can't seem to find the pyramid to the Eternal Night City."
The Magnificent Scepter chimed in.
"Mr. Black, with your current power, you could probably just bust through the barrier between the eighth and seventh layers of hell. No need to hunt for a passage!"
Roy realized he'd been stuck in old habits. He wasn't the same guy who first stumbled into the Ancient Sea.
"You're right. But it's gonna take a sec."
He'd just unleashed every ounce of energy in that last fight. Good thing his Phoenix Force recovered fast— a short rest, and he'd be back at full strength.
But first, Roy decided to find a spot out of the rain to grab some food.
That battle with Leviathan had left him starving!
He found a place to chow down on the last of Hannibal's cooked tentacles from his inventory. With his belly full, Roy activated his Phoenix form again and grabbed Eluresa's hand.
"You ready? I'm about to break through the barrier!"
"Daddy, I'm ready!"
"Here we go!"
Roy's body erupted in a cloak of Phoenix flames. It didn't burn his clothes or harm Eluresa, just gently caressed her, making the little succubus feel warm and cozy.
But that comfort didn't last long. Roy yanked her into a launch so fast they broke the sound barrier in an instant.
Then he pushed past the second cosmic velocity—11.2 kilometers per second, fast enough to escape Earth's gravity.
Of course, gravity varied across hell's layers. The third layer, Dream Mirage, had gravity about as weak as the Moon's.
The Ancient Sea, though? Roughly three times Earth's gravity. Roy needed to go even faster.
A clear, birdlike cry echoed through the Ancient Sea as Roy's fiery cloak grew larger, his speed climbing higher.
By now, he'd hit the third cosmic velocity—16.7 kilometers per second, or about 49.1 Mach.
He rocketed into the dark void of the Ancient Sea's sky, a boundless expanse of nothingness.
This was the blank space between hell's layers, endless if you didn't know how to break through.
The key? Speed.
"Mr. Black, you gotta go faster!" the Magnificent Scepter called out.
At 50 Mach—50 times the speed of sound—the scepter's voice sounded bizarre, like it had sucked in a balloon's worth of helium, making its already high-pitched tone even shriller.
"Got it! Eluresa, you holding up okay?"
"Daddy, I—I'm okay!"
Roy could tell she was struggling. The fiery cloak offered some protection, but it wasn't a spaceship. Even spaceship passengers feel queasy during sudden acceleration.
So, Roy pulled Eluresa into his arms, shielding her with his body.
"Hang in there, I'm speeding up!"
With that, his Phoenix wings contracted, the fiery cloak shrinking to a thin layer around him.
But the energy in his body surged to a whole new level. His speed climbed—50 Mach, 55 Mach, 60 Mach…
At 90 Mach, Roy felt a distinct resistance, a sign he was nearing the barrier's breaking point.
Almost there!
Gritting his teeth, Roy pushed himself to the limit. His current mastery of the Phoenix Force was stretched thin, but there was still room to grow.
With his eyes shut tight, he poured everything into breaking that limit.
Break!
Boom!
A piercing shriek rang out, followed by a dazzling flash in the dark sky, then silence.
No one was around to witness the spectacle—the Ancient Sea was a dead zone now.
The moment the resistance vanished, Roy knew he'd broken through the spatial barrier into the seventh layer of hell—Belial's Eternal Night City.
When he opened his eyes, he found himself soaring through a dark canyon, with a massive rock ceiling overhead.
Wait—Eternal Night City was underground?
No time to think. Roy slammed on the brakes, but at 100 Mach—34,000 meters per second—even with mental energy slowing him down, he couldn't stop in time. He crashed headfirst into the rock ceiling.
The underground world shook with a massive earthquake, triggering rockslides in several areas.
"Pfft, pfft!"
Roy, holding a passed-out Eluresa, leapt down from the rocks. He wasn't hurt, just a bit disheveled.
The Phoenix form's stat boosts were no joke. Roy's durability could probably tank Samael's blood sword now.
Eluresa, though, had fainted from the impact. She'd be fine, most likely.
Once on the ground, Roy surveyed the area. It was a pitch-black underground world, lit only by the occasional glowing fungi. Most of it was shrouded in darkness.
No signs of life—probably because his crash-landing had scared everything off.
Moral of the story: there are a million roads out there, but safety comes first. Fly reckless, and someone's crying.
"Mr. Scepter, know anything about Eternal Night City?"
"Well, I recall it's a massive underground world with a bunch of cities. The biggest is the Sloth King's capital, Eternal Night City. But how to get there? No clue."
Yeah, asking a shut-in who'd been holed up in the Tower of Babel for ten thousand years for directions wasn't the brightest idea.
Roy expanded his senses, hoping to find a guide nearby.
Thanks to the Phoenix form's mental stat boost, his perception was insanely sharp.
He wasn't a mental ability specialist like Alma, who could probably control every creature in range instantly, but he was still impressive.
"Got something!"
Roy, carrying Eluresa, flew toward the sensed presence and found a creature.
A pink, umbrella-shaped head, red eyes, and sharp teeth—it was a mushroom demon!
(From the game Tiny Tina's Wonderlands.)
When it saw Roy, the pink mushroom demon freaked out, curling into a ball and clutching its head.
Roy's Phoenix form was just too intimidating. This mushroom demon was a low-tier demon—nowhere near strong enough to face someone even mightier than the Seven Demon Kings.
Seeing this, Roy switched back to human form and asked, "Hey, little guy, know the way to the nearest town?"
Yup, the mushroom demon only came up to his knee—definitely a "little guy."
Feeling Roy's aura dial back, the mushroom demon cautiously peeked up but didn't answer.
As Roy frowned, the Magnificent Scepter spoke up.
"Mr. Black, from what I know, these mushroom demons in Eternal Night City can't talk!"
"Oh? You know about these things, Mr. Scepter?"
"Yup. The Sloth King, Belial, occasionally visits the Tower of Babel, and we chat. These mushroom demons are the lowest creatures in the seventh layer, on par with demon maggots—basically food for other demons. They don't have language; they communicate with each other through special spores."
"Gotcha."
Roy started getting a headache. No language? How was he supposed to communicate with this thing?
Wait—he remembered something. He'd gotten a Mental Link ability from one of Alma's treasure chests. It let him speak directly to other creatures' minds. Worth a shot!
So, Roy activated Mental Link. After a bit of effort, he connected with the mushroom demon.
Roy: Hey, where's the nearest town?
Mushroom Demon: Goo-goo-ga-ga?
The thing jumped, startled by the voice in its head, looking around frantically for the speaker.
Roy: Stop looking! I'm right in front of you!
The mushroom demon finally realized the voice was Roy's.
Mushroom Demon: Town… what's that?
Okay, not only could it not talk, but its intelligence was also pretty low. Roy was at a loss.
But there wasn't much choice—within a few kilometers, this mushroom demon was the only living thing around. This place was way too remote. Roy had to keep trying.
Roy: A town is a place with lots of people!
Mushroom Demon: People… what's that?
Smack!
Roy slapped his forehead, feeling like a preschool teacher. This was rough.
Roy: People means demons!
Mushroom Demon: Oh! I know! The ones who eat my kind!
Roy: Yup, that's them! Know where they are? Take me there!
Mushroom Demon: Scared… don't wanna go!
Roy: Don't worry, I'll protect you!
He said that, but the mushroom demon kept shaking its head. It couldn't tell the difference between Roy's strength and other demons'.
Like an ant unable to tell if a human or an elephant is stronger—either way, both could squash it flat.
They stared at each other for a while, leaving the Magnificent Scepter puzzled.
"Mr. Black, are you talking to it?"
"Yeah, through Mental Link. But it's not listening!"
"Mr. Black, I'd suggest skipping the nice talk. These mushroom demons are pretty dumb. A fist works better than words."
"Really?"
Roy paused, then remembered—this was hell, not Earth.
In hell, "winning with virtue" was the best persuasion tactic. And how do you prove your "virtue"? With your fists, of course.
So, Roy slammed a punch into the ground next to the mushroom demon. The earth cratered instantly, and the tiny demon tumbled over. When it scrambled up, its eyes were suddenly clear.
"Take me to the nearest town. Got it?"
The mushroom demon nodded frantically. Whatever Roy said was gospel now.
The little guy led the way, with Roy following, carrying Eluresa.
It was sneaky, trying to slip through narrow gaps to escape a few times, but Roy's mental powers yanked it back each time.
After a few more "lessons," the mushroom demon finally behaved.
They trekked for who-knows-how-long when Roy noticed Eluresa stirring, though she kept her eyes shut, pretending to be out.
Roy gave her backside another smack.
"You little sneak, walk on your own!"
"Ow! But I like when Daddy carries me!"
"You're getting lazier by the minute!"
As they bickered, Roy spotted a bright glow ahead. A few quick steps, and he saw a massive city.
The light came from crystals within the city—purple crystals everywhere, their glow illuminating the whole place.
"Mr. Black, I think this is Eternal Night City! Belial told me it's built on a purple crystal mine, with purple crystals all over!"
"That so?"
Roy studied the city. It sat atop a giant stone pillar, surrounded by deep chasms, connected only by two stone bridges. Easy to defend, hard to attack.
Huge purple crystals jutted from the pillar, confirming it was built on a crystal mine.
At the city's center stood a massive palace—likely the Sloth King's, Roy's destination.
Wonder how Teacher Elizabeth is doing?
Roy grabbed the mushroom demon, which was trying to bolt while he was distracted, and led Eluresa toward the bridge to Eternal Night City.
"Let's go!"