Treasure Vault
The cerberus continuously radiated a powerful aura. Its might could repel even the strongest of pit fiends, and it caused Baalzephon to feel uneasy. Leylin, on the other hand, was only frightened on the surface. He was snickering in his mind.
‘Such a silly dog, it can’t even see through my disguise. No wonder a devil could manipulate it so easily...’ The fact was that Leylin’s stealth was too powerful. Even the famed cerberi of hell couldn’t sniff anything off about his soul.
“Wait… Wait! Negotiate! I think we can negotiate!” Baalzephon retreated several steps as he called loudly.
He did not have much of a chance against this King of Hellhounds. Moreover, he hadn’t found a trace of Beelzebub’s whereabouts. He wasn’t dumb enough to waste his resources and even risk his life here. Devils considered diplomacy the path of experts anyway.
“The contract was sworn upon the Styx. If you can remove it for me, you’ll have my gratitude. I’ll open the gates to the Palace of Gluttony, and share every bit of information I have about Beelzebub…” Chekov spoke from his left head, but the other two heads still snapped at Baalzephon without hesitation.
“Leycian, hold it back!” In this time of crisis, Baalzephon ordered his subordinate into danger.
“Yes, my Lord!” He saw this horned devil he’d contracted stand reluctantly in front of him. However, Leycian was smacked away by a swipe of Chekov’s paw. Even if Leycian was a greater devil, the difference between him and Chekov was still too large.
“Dammit, do I have to use one of my trump cards now?” Baalzephon hastily pulled out a silver shield.
The shield seemed to be forged exquisitely from the finest silver. Numerous runes were inscribed on it, and gems embedded as ornaments. The shield gave off an extremely holy aura, glowing with a gentle light.
The moment the shield came into contact with him, Baalzephon’s hands corroded quickly into white smoke. The pain caused him to frown. This shield was made of whitesilver, a noble element with powerful corrosive effects against all devils.
Of course, this effect depended on the target. Even buried in a pool of whitesilver would just leave a pit fiend itching.
However, the shield in Baalzephon’s hands didn’t seem to be any ordinary whitesilver item. It was imbued with great energy, and even had a hint of a god’s aura.
“An item used against devils!” Cerberus howled, and flames soon began to engulf the two figures as they engaged in a ferocious battle.
……
“Well done! Keep it up!” The horned devil who was smacked to the side by the cerberus got up from his lying position.
‘One must first face the gatekeeper to enter the Palace of Gluttony. But since it’s engaged in battle now, there’s a chance to sneak in…’ After reaching this area, Leylin immediately recalled Beelzebub’s memories and grew familiar with the place. He discovered that there were several hidden tunnels, meant for Beelzebub’s escape in times of need.
And now, Leylin began to execute his plan like it was a matter of course.
‘It seems to have been a correct decision to bring Baalzephon along!’ Leylin stood in admiration of himself at he looked at the miserable figures of Baalzephon and the cerberus before disappearing into the darkness.
‘I sense more pit fiends coming here, I have to hurry…’ With the help of Beelzebub’s memories, Leylin soon skirted past the giant gate that the cerberus was guarding, coming to a circular corridor.
The ground was covered in crimson carpet, and oil lanterns flickered on the sides of the corridor. There were a large number of paintings on the walls, depicting scenarios of the underworld. Some works even showed the battles against gods in the prime material plane.
‘The winding corridor of exhibitions! I’m finally here…Beelzebub’s treasure vault!’ Leylin excitedly appreciated the oil paintings with both his hands behind his back. In Beelzebub’s memories, this was an important treasure vault. It contained about a third of an Archdevil’s wealth, and had numerous treasures gained from dangerous expeditions.
‘If only Beelzebub had stored the Manderhawke Plate in here… But that’s unlikely…’ Leylin pondered in front of a painting.
The aesthetic views of devils were often grotesque and fear-inducing from a human perspective. There was a fundamental difference in their definition of beauty, but even then the intentions of the artists were the same.
The painting in front of Leylin was rare, one of humans. A devil was lifting a kneeling human by the collar using one hand, the other holding a curved dagger up as if to pierce the human’s heart. Set to a crimson backdrop, the human clutched onto a piece of parchment holding a contract of sorts, his face convulsing in fear.
‘Is this to commemorate the temptation Beelzebub poses for humans? This person had to be a king for him to act personally…’ Leylin did not care anymore about the the meaning behind the painting, and reached out with his right arm.
“To break the curse, I remember that I have to…” Leylin spat a series of syllables in a language that only an Archdevil would know. As he spoke those words, a brilliant light appeared on the oil painting and a defense mechanism that seemed to be a glass protector appeared.
“Activate!” Leylin emitted his devil aura, causing the glass to melt like ice. He stretched his right hand into the oil painting, pulling out a curved dagger.
[Beep! Host has obtained a high-energy item, beginning scan…] The A.I. Chip’s light flashed in Leylin’s eyes, and very soon the scanning came to a conclusion.
[Epic Demonblood Dagger (+5). Weight: 666 grams. Ingredients: Pit Fiend Bones, Souls of Avarice, Crystallised Soul of Gluttony.]
[Abilities:
Offering: The owner of this dagger can extract the life and souls of their enemies, allowing them to absorb power effectively until they’re a high-ranked legendary. Rate of conversion depends on the compatibility and willpower of the wielder.
Summon Devil: The dagger contains a devil contract, and allows the wielder to summon a greater devil up to once a day.
Judgement: The wielder needs to strengthen their will and alignment towards evil every three days. If they fail, Beelzebub will appear from the depths of hell and devour their flesh and soul.]
[Description: This legendary Demonblood Dagger has evolved under Beelzebub’s powers of extreme evil. No living creature can resist its temptation…]
‘An epic weapon?’ Leylin toyed with this dagger in his hands. It was evident that the dagger was an exquisite item made by Beelzebub himself, much stronger than the one that Leylin had crafted himself back on Faulen Island.
Because of how common the materials he’d used were, the Demonblood Dagger Leylin had made himself lost effect after his stats all reached 10. However, this epic dagger could enable the wielder to enter the legendary realm through devouring others! If adventurers in the prime material plane were to learn of this dagger, they would do all they could to obtain it, even if it meant losing their souls.
‘One needs to slay an opposing church’s pope even to be bestowed an ordinary Demonblood Dagger. This one most likely requires one to kill someone with divinity…’ Leylin also found several heinous traps laid in the dagger. This was a personal touch of Beelzebub: anyone who wielded it would immediately be put under his control.
‘Although it’s useless to me, it makes for a good item to bestow to my men…’ Leylin casually tossed the dagger into his spatial pouch. Since he’d comprehended the law of gluttony and even gained Beelzebub’s powers and authority anyway, he could remove the traps with just a thought.
‘Each and every one of these paintings is a treasure chest, and even other Archdevils will lust after the items within…’ The next painting that Leylin walked up to depicted a bloody battle between Beelzebub and a fallen flame balor. The demon did not have even the chance to self-destruct.
“In here, there should be…” Through the same process, Leylin obtained a fiery gem that seemed to be beating.
[Flame Balor Heart: This is the quintessence of a flame balor, and can be used to forge legendary or even demigod weapons. Any weapon it is used to forge will be aligned to chaos. If a demon swallows this, it will awaken the flame balor bloodline, gaining the chance to evolve into one,] the A.I. Chip stated.
‘Not bad. Demons will go red with desire as they fight over this. After all, it isn’t easy to find the carcass of a flame balor…’Leylin stowed the fiery gem away, looking into a different direction.
“You let me pillage the items just like that. Are you really a protector of this place?”
“Haha… I have no chances against an Archdevil at all. After all, this was part of the contract I signed with Beelzebub…” As the ancient voice sounded, a withered looking figure stepped out from the darkness.
This figure assumed a human form, seeming like an old man who was about to turn into a tree. There were wrinkles all over his face, and he seemed to pose no danger at all.
However, how could someone that Beelzebub contracted to look after his treasures be easy to deal with?
Leylin nodded. “You’re much smarter than that dog,” he said in praise.