As Archangel Michael and the Demon King clashed, their divine and infernal forces tearing across realms, elsewhere—
Balder quietly withdrew from the battlefield, bringing with him two figures: Dr. Wade and the artificial man, Adam.
"Where are we going now?" Dr. Wade asked, her tone curious yet wary.
Balder's lips curved slightly. "To make this war… a little more interesting."
Her expression tightened—she already guessed what he meant.
Adam, ever silent, followed like a dutiful sentinel, his expression unreadable.
Moments later, they arrived at the opposite end of the Black State.
Only then did Dr. Wade realize—it was another convergence point of negative energy, eerily similar to the one before.
"This place…" she whispered.
Balder smiled faintly. "The Black State has over a billion souls. Did you really think one Hell Gate was all it could sustain?"
If opening a Hell Gate required slaughtering a billion people each time, the world would have been wiped out long ago.
Balder extended his hand, divine energy radiating outward as he drew in the suffocating waves of despair and hatred, feeding them into the half-formed infernal sigil beneath them.
Dr. Wade stood quietly, watching the ritual unfold. After a long silence, she murmured,
"The Demon King… he's already the ruler of Hell, isn't he?"
Balder nodded. "He is indeed the King of Hell—but not its only lord."
"Hell," he continued, "is vast—filled with uncountable demons. They've formed 666 legions in total."
"Most of those legions are weak, mere rabble. But among them are the Twelve Great Legions—each led by a true Hell Lord."
He paused, his tone deepening. "The Demon King is one of them—the strongest of the thirteen."
"Thirteen… yet you just said twelve?" Dr. Wade frowned slightly, muttering to herself, "666… thirteen… both cursed numbers."
A strange sense of dread crept into her—like myth and reality were beginning to overlap.
"Wait," she said, "if there are twelve, why call them the Thirteen Lords of Hell?"
Balder didn't answer. Or rather—he had no time to.
BOOM!
A surge of crimson light tore through the sky. The world around them began to decay, burning and twisting—the second Hell Gate had begun to open.
Far away, Michael's expression darkened. With a mighty swing, his radiant blade of divine light struck the Demon King, hurling him into a distant mountain. But instead of pursuing, Michael turned sharply toward the horizon.
"A second Hell Gate?!" His voice thundered, echoing across the battlefield.
Even the ever-calm Archangel couldn't hide the sharp tension in his eyes.
There were 666 legions in Hell. If a minor one emerged, that was manageable.
But if another Hell Lord descended—
Even Michael knew the danger.
The Demon King roared with laughter, his massive body rising from the rubble. "What's wrong, Michael? Losing focus already?"
Michael's eyes blazed with holy fury. "Demon King—you shall be purged!"
"Then come!" The Demon King bellowed, his laughter shaking the heavens as the two titans clashed once more, their blows shattering mountains and turning the land into molten ruin.
In Heaven, upon the Seven Sacred Mountains, the Archangel Gabriel gazed down through the Mirror of Heaven. When he saw the second Hell Gate forming, his expression hardened.
"A second gate… Michael is in danger."
None could predict what lay beyond that infernal rift. If another Hell Lord emerged, even Michael might not prevail.
Gabriel's voice thundered across the Holy Halls. "Who will descend to aid Michael?"
"I will."
The voice was deep, steady, and filled with the weight of judgment.
The speaker—taller and broader than any other angel—was wrapped in an aura of divine severity. Even Michael, known as the Angel of Holy War, could not match that killing intent.
It was Uriel, the Archangel of Judgment.
"If it's you, Uriel, you can contain the gate," Gabriel said solemnly. "And remember—slay the abomination who dares forge Hell's doors."
Uriel's eyes were cold as divine fire ignited behind him. "My blade will cleanse him utterly."
With that, he transformed into a pillar of sacred light, piercing the veil of Heaven and descending upon the mortal realm.
—
At the second Hell Gate, Balder watched as the massive infernal door reached near completion. A faint smirk touched his lips.
"This one's forming faster than the last. Seems someone's getting impatient."
"Is Heaven sending another one?" Dr. Wade asked quietly.
Balder nodded. "Most likely."
"Then shouldn't we—"
"Leave," Balder finished, cutting her off. "I have no desire to face another Seraph head-on."
Before she could answer, he raised his hand. Flames of Hell wrapped around the three of them, and they vanished into the distance.
Moments later—
BOOM!
A divine beam of light split the sky, far larger and more destructive than before. The ground itself trembled as Uriel, Angel of Judgment, descended—his army of warrior angels following close behind.
Uriel's gaze swept the battlefield. His brows furrowed. "The little rat escaped fast."
He turned toward the nearly complete Hell Gate.
With a decisive gesture, he channeled divine chains of pure light, binding the gate and sealing it temporarily.
"Leave this one," he commanded. "We hunt the demon prince who created it!"
The angels obeyed without question, soaring after Balder.
But as soon as they vanished—
A blaze of hellfire erupted from beneath the sealed gate. Balder stepped out, unscathed and smiling.
Without hesitation, he gathered all his divine and infernal power into a single strike—
and shattered Uriel's divine seal.
The ground split open. The Hell Gate blazed fully to life.
"Ahh… the scent of the mortal world."
A voice like rolling thunder echoed from beyond the gate.
A colossal figure stepped forth—thirty meters tall, his body a mountain of muscle crowned by two massive bull horns.
The Bull Lord, one of the Thirteen Hell Lords—chief of the Minotaur Legion.
His crimson eyes locked onto Balder. "Demon Prince Nabilis. You opened the gate?"
Balder inclined his head. "Indeed, mighty Bull Lord. I leave this field to you—the one charging this way is not someone I wish to face."
"Hah! No problem. I've been itching to fight that sanctimonious angel again!"
The Bull Lord roared with laughter, raising his hammer—a weapon larger than a house—and charged straight into the incoming divine army.
BOOM!
Earth and sky split apart as the Judgment Angel and the Bull Lord clashed. Their battle shook creation itself.
Meanwhile, Balder led Dr. Wade and Adam away—only to halt as two beams of divine light crashed down before and behind them.
From the brilliance emerged two Archangels—Gabriel and Sariel.
Gabriel's voice was cold. "Demon Prince Nabilis… I underestimated you. You're far more cunning than I thought."
He raised his sword, divine energy pulsing. "No matter how many gates you've forged—if you die here, Hell will fall silent."
Dr. Wade froze, her face pale. Two Seraphs—against three mortals? It was hopeless.
"Balder… what do we do?" she whispered, clutching his arm.
He turned to her, smiling faintly. "Do you remember what you asked me before? Why there are twelve great legions… yet thirteen Hell Lords?"
She blinked, confused. "Why bring that up now?"
"Because," Balder said softly, "the thirteenth… is you."
Dr. Wade's eyes widened in shock.
"You," he continued, "are the only Hell Lord who never formed a legion—the Queen of the Succubi. The true Demon Queen of Hell."
At that revelation, both Archangels turned their gaze sharply toward her—holy light burning in their eyes.
Compared to a cunning demon prince, a Hell Queen was a far greater threat.
~~----------------------
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