Chapter 727: Bair Trembles in the Intense Turbulence Storm
In the midst of the violent storm of chaos, the Devils trembled in fear, scarcely daring to breathe. They all knew—Bair’s temper had grown dangerously volatile of late.
Kai Xiusu, however, remained utterly composed. With a calm, almost casual tone, he said, “Well then, Lord Bair, is this how you greet your allies? Is this truly the hospitality Avernus offers?”
“Of course, Your Majesty Kai Xiusu,” Bair stammered, his body shaking with fury, yet forcing himself to nod stiffly, spitting out insincere flattery.
Inside, his mind was a storm of torment—like a thousand flies swarming through his skull. He knew this Hell Lord well. Though the greedy Red Dragon had brazenly seized his authority, Bair still needed his help in this Blood War. That was precisely why the dragon dared act so recklessly.
Kai Xiusu, of course, understood the situation perfectly. He had Bair’s leash in hand—both through the Pact and the binding seal. No matter how enraged Bair became, he couldn’t afford to break the alliance outright.
With a grim expression, Bair extended his massive, fearsome claw in a gesture of invitation. “Please, follow me, King Kai Xiusu. This area remains in the thick of battle—too noisy, too risky for eavesdropping. Let us speak in the Palace.”
“Very well.”
Kai Xiusu’s body pulsed with a faint, radiant glow. In an instant, he transformed—armor materializing around his frame, his form towering as a half-dragon. He followed Bair into the inner ring of the Bronze Fortress.
Within the Palace, rivers of molten lava flowed everywhere, and thick, stinging white smoke curled through the air. At the center stood a throne forged from demon skulls and jagged swords and blades—monumental, ancient, and terrifying.
This Palace had once been Bair’s creation. It had been seized by Zaril during the last coup in Avernus. Now, after centuries of exile, it had returned to him.
Bair sank into the Hell Throne, arms crossed, face clouded with gloom as he stared at the Red Dragon standing before him in human form.
Kai Xiusu remained unfazed. With a flick of his hand, a seat of solidified lava rose into the air, matching Bair’s height. He sat down, meeting the Hell Lord’s gaze directly.
The air, thick with smoke, grew heavy and still.
Breaking the silence, Bair spoke in a low, dangerous tone: “King Kai Xiusu… forgive me for being blunt, but you’ve broken our Pact.”
Kai Xiusu pointed to the ground. “That Pact was sworn in the presence of the River of the Dead. If I had truly violated its terms, the River’s Will would have already torn my soul from my body. Yet… it hasn’t reacted. Why?”
He smiled faintly. “Besides, Lord Bair, I can’t hear any real accusation in your words.”
“Don’t play dumb!” Bair roared, eyes blazing with hellfire. He slammed his fist onto the throne’s armrest, the sound echoing like thunder. “The Authority of Avernus! Where is Zaril’s legacy? I felt it—its power is still here. It’s in your hands!”
Kai Xiusu snapped his fingers, as if suddenly remembering. “Ah. So that’s what you mean.”
Bair’s voice turned icy. “Kai Xiusu, return the remaining Authority of Avernus to me. We can still continue our collaboration.”
“I’d be happy to collaborate with you,” Kai Xiusu said, shaking his head slowly, his gaze sharp and mocking. “But… this is my spoils of war. What possible reason do you have for demanding I give it up?”
Bair’s voice cracked with rage. “That Pact! You promised me you’d help me become Lord of Avernus with full force! Now, I don’t even have complete Authority. How can I claim true lordship?”
Fueled by fury, magma surged through the ground, fire erupting from the earth. A crushing aura of intimidation radiated outward, shaking the very foundations of the Bronze Fortress.
“That wasn’t part of the Pact,” Kai Xiusu said, his voice cold and unyielding. “I promised to assist you in killing Death Zaril. I never said I’d hand you full Authority.”
“You’re more devilish than any true Devil,” Bair hissed, grinding his teeth.
“Compliments from you?” Kai Xiusu smiled. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
Bair glared, his mind a storm of bitter thoughts. He had no answer. The dragon hadn’t broken the Pact. Fighting him was uncertain—might not even win. How could he reclaim what was rightfully his?
Back then, Kai Xiusu had already reached out to multiple Hell Lords. Bair, at the time, was just a duke hidden in a corner of Avernus—powerless, without leverage. He had no choice but to accept the treaty offered by the Empire.
Bair had believed that once Zaril was dead, his strength and accumulated power would secure him the title of Lord of Avernus—guaranteed.
But he never expected that Zaril, in her final breath, had left a hidden ace—bequeathing thirty percent of Avernus Authority to the Emperor of the Ashen Flame.
And then… there was still one more option.
A being more greedy, more ruthless, and far more powerful than even this Red Dragon.
The Lord of the Nine Hells—Asmodeus.
Bair harbored deep resentment toward the entity that had once stripped him of his Hell Lord position. But that anger was drowned beneath a far greater fear. Asmodeus was ancient, mysterious, beyond time. Even as eras passed and gods fell, Asmodeus remained unshaken on his throne—unchallenged, untouchable.
Not even Mephistofelis, the seventh Lord, dared confront him openly. He only schemed in secret, plotting to undermine the supreme position.
Thinking this through, Bair forced a menacing smile, whispering low and sharp: “All of Hell belongs to the Lord of the Nine Hells, Kai Xiusu. You should know that. As a mortal from the Material Realm, you’ve seized Hell’s Authority. Are you truly not afraid of the punishment that awaits?”
“Return the Authority,” he added, “for what does not belong to you… never truly does.”
Kai Xiusu merely smiled—already expecting this. His expression was laced with mockery. “Oh, yes. All of Hell belongs to the great Lord of the Nine Hells. Almost forgot to tell you… just recently, Asmodeus himself visited the Material Realm. We met. We spoke. And we… reached an unexpected agreement.”
He emphasized the word agreement, making sure Bair caught the subtext.
“What?” Bair’s face paled. He frowned, leaning forward.
In an instant, the truth struck him like lightning.
The Lord of the Nine Hells didn’t trust him. He suspected Bair’s loyalty. So he’d used Kai Xiusu to balance the power—just as Bair had intended to use the dragon.
The stone he’d picked up… was now crushing his own feet.
Kai Xiusu continued, calmly: “Bair, as your ally, I’m more than willing to help you govern Hell. And Asmodeus? He approves. Rest assured—so long as I’m here, you’ll have full access to Hell’s Authority. You’ll wield it as if you were the true Lord of Avernus.”
Bair’s fist clenched so hard his knuckles turned white. His jaw trembled as he let out a bitter, mocking laugh. “Good… good, Kai Xiusu. Thank you. You’re truly a loyal ally. You’ve even included me in your plans.”
Kai Xiusu rose from his molten lava throne, voice calm and measured. “Bair… why waste energy trying to reclaim something that never belonged to you? Focus instead on winning this Blood War. Your last downfall was due to failure in battle. If Avernus falls, you won’t even be nominal Hell Lord anymore.”
“You—” Bair’s rage boiled over, but he knew Kai Xiusu was right. If Avernus collapsed, the wrath of the Lord of the Nine Hells would be beyond his power to endure.
So he swallowed his pride, gritting his teeth.
Kai Xiusu smiled again. “Bair, haven’t you realized yet? As your ally, I’m alleviating your burden. I’m holding the Authority temporarily—not because I’m a Hellish being, but because I can’t threaten your status. In fact, I’m strengthening you. Isn’t this a win-win?”
The sheer charisma of his charm, amplified by the overwhelming presence of Gundam40’s aura, even began to sway Bair.
True—this greedy Red Dragon had taken the Authority. But he could never become a Hell Lord. He was an intruder.
Unlike the Bottomless Abyss, where dark deities ran rampant and chaos ruled, under the iron grip of the Lord of the Nine Hells, no being—no matter how powerful—could claim true Authority. Even Tiamat, the Queen of Monsters, dwelled in Baator, yet never held the throne.
But Bair’s heart still burned with resentment. After centuries of scheming, he still hadn’t achieved full Authority. The bitterness was unbearable.
Alleviating burdens?
Don’t make me laugh. This is nothing but your endless greed.
“Boom!”
“Hold the defensive line!”
“Annihilate them! For the glorious Mother of the Abyss!”
Outside the Bronze Fortress, the roar of demons clashed with the war cries of devils—chaotic, relentless, growing ever more intense.
The devils, armed with advanced siege weapons, tightly organized, and fighting on home ground, had erected dozens of defensive lines. Under the expert command of their officers, Hell soldiers moved with precision, coordinating like a single machine—massacring the disorganized demons with brutal efficiency.
Arrows and fireballs rained down in relentless volleys. Devils, armed with Hell Iron Long Spears, stood shoulder to shoulder like a wall, cutting down the advancing demons in waves. Corpses piled high, burning in black, foul-smelling smoke.
Within minutes, tens of thousands of demons lay dead—reduced to ash.
Compared to them, the Demon Army was truly a disciplined force—natural artisans of war. The demons were merely mindless beasts.
But it was no match for the sheer numbers. Even the finest Demon Army faltered under the overwhelming tide of enemies—dozens, even hundreds of times their size.
Once dragged into close combat, the devils lost all advantage. They were devoured like insects under a swarm. Kai Xiusu even witnessed a Deep Hell Forgemaster torn apart by over a thousand demons in a merciless siege.
Soon, the outermost defensive line was breached.
Devils poured out in a desperate retreat, risking their lives to escort the fortress—fighting tooth and claw to protect the heart of Avernus.
It wasn’t loyalty to Bair. It was simple survival. They all knew—once the demons conquered Avernus, they would die.
“Things on the battlefield are worsening,” Kai Xiusu turned, gazing into the distance, his voice calm. “Avernus is on the brink of collapse. Bair… tell me the situation. We’re still allies. The Abyss is our common enemy. Now, more than ever, we must set aside our differences and unite.”
Bair scoffed at the notion of “solid allies,” but he knew the stakes. Reluctantly, he said: “This Blood War was launched by three ambitious Abyssal Lords: ‘Lord of Wrath’ Koscherci, ‘Hunting Monarch’ Mastifa, and ‘Black Water Lordship’ Ishinix. According to my intelligence, they’ve summoned nearly twenty million demons—pouring into Hell, intent on reducing Avernus to ruins.”
He emphasized my Avernus.
But Kai Xiusu’s brow furrowed. “Twenty million?”
He paused. After all, even the entire Empire of Ashen—after its recent conquests—barely reached thirty million souls. And these Abyssal Lords had summoned twice that.
Bair sneered. “Thanks to you, I couldn’t shut down the Abyssal portals in time. Naturally, the numbers are staggering. But in the endless ages of the Blood War, invasions of this scale aren’t rare. Deep Abyss demons are like desert sand—endless. If teleporting them didn’t require Chaos Energy attrition, those Abyssal Lords could’ve brought in hundreds of millions, drowning all of Avernus in a tide of demons.”
Kai Xiusu recalled the invasion force of three hundred thousand demons against the Empire. He nodded. Then asked: “And who are these Abyssal Lords?”
“Koscherci,” Bair said, “the Lord of Wrath, ruler of the twenty-third layer—Steel Ice Plains. He’s the strongest of the three, known as the King of Frost Giants. He carries the legacy of a Giant Pantheon—true divine-level power. As for Mastifa and Ishinix… I don’t know their domains. The Bottomless Abyss is infinite. Even the Lord of the Nine Hells can’t know every corner.”
There were only nine Hell Lords—each a survivor of brutal competition and countless betrayals. But the Abyssal Lords numbered in the hundreds, even thousands. Though they too ascended through brutal combat, their power varied wildly. Some, like Dimogogen and Oakes, were near-deity level. Others could be killed by mere mortals.
“Koscherci,” Kai Xiusu said, staring at Bair, “has been my long-time rival. I’ll handle him. As for the other two—unknown names, unknown power—leave them to you. Oh, and I’ll bring at least three million Stellarfallen troops to Hell. Most are professional. But there’s one condition.”
Bair’s face darkened. Coldly, he met Kai Xiusu’s gaze. “Ah. The dragon’s greed is never-ending. Speak your terms.”
Kai Xiusu gestured to the map of Purgatory on the wall. “A colony. More accurately… a concession zone. The Empire requires a leasehold territory in Avernus—autonomous, extraterritorial, with free teleportation rights. Otherwise, we can’t deploy such a massive army into Hell.”
Bair exhaled sharply. “Fine. This is our last hope. And you’d better keep your promises.”
Gazing at the overwhelming, advancing army of demons in the distance, Bair clenched his teeth tighter.
(End of Chapter)
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