Lucifer was not at all surprised by the demon who appeared before him.
The reason was simple: this demon, like Baal and the others, was one of the subordinates he had been preparing to take to Hell.
Lucifer’s face was grim: “Abaddon.”
Rather than calling this demon’s name, he was sizing the other up.
“I had thought you would be different from Baal and the others, and wouldn’t be won over by Michael so easily. Mammon I can understand, he has a child’s nature, but you, why?”
When Abaddon learned that Lucifer had failed to fall, his expression had been quite something.
Yes, rather than disappointment, it was simply surprise.
For him, the reason he had agreed to follow Lucifer in rebelling was not that he acknowledged Lucifer as the Demon King, but the benefits the other had promised them.
It could be said that Abaddon was born to be a demon; he was selfish and could give up anything for his goal.
And while he was an angel, Abaddon had hidden his true nature very well; when Lucifer first chose him, he had valued his strength and had not cared about his other problems.
So naturally he had not known that this one’s loyalty was directly tied to profit.
Hearing this, Abaddon only smiled good-naturedly: “Your Highness’s words are a little improper.”
Lucifer: “Wha—”
Abaddon gave a cold laugh: “Compared with what His Majesty Michael has given, what you once promised, Your Highness Lucifer… is not worth mentioning.”
Lucifer found this incredible and made no attempt to hide his surprise: “How is that possible? Hell has just those things in total, so how could Michael know this place better than me?”
Abaddon pursed his lips.
Mammon, as the representative of them, the high-rank fallen angels, had conveyed what Michael had promised, and for a while they had found it hard to believe their own ears, only asking: “Are you joking?”
The level lord of the Chaotic Abyss, a place like that, was far beyond what a demon of this Hell renamed the Abyss could compare with.
Mammon had told them the benefits Michael gave them; at first they didn’t believe it, until they saw the images that recorded the event.
Abaddon was dumbstruck.
That door was undoubtedly the legendary door of the abyss.
The Chaotic Abyss was in fact the reason they had chosen to come to Hell.
Rumor had it that to reach the Chaotic Abyss, one could either teleport directly using a special magic circle.
Or… find the entrance in Hell.
They could doubt what Michael had said to Mammon, but the existence of that door could not be faked; though it was only through images, they could feel as if they were there, sensing that intense aura of the abyss.
In other words, just seeing this door, even if Michael had deceived them, they would be willing to follow him.
Mammon had said to them: “I think Michael can not only open that door, he must have a way to send us in. But how much of a price we would have to pay, that’s hard to say.”
Abaddon felt that Mammon surely wouldn’t say such a thing casually, since his relationship with Michael was also ordinary, and he had no need to fall out with his good friends just to help this colleague who had briefly been Archangel.
Not only that, he vaguely felt that Mammon might know something and could not tell them for certain reasons.
Abaddon’s presence here now was only because of Michael’s casual remark that “those who are bored can go and challenge the level lords.” He wasn’t sure now how many demons knew that Michael was connected to the Chaotic Abyss, and even if he couldn’t confirm which abyss the so-called level lord meant, he was willing to try.
Look, the one in front of him was the new amusement.
None of this needed to be explained to Lucifer, who was not of the same camp.
Abaddon smiled: “Of course I’m serious, do you think I’m the type to joke casually, Your Highness Lucifer?”
This time the two words “Your Highness” came out of his mouth full of sarcasm.
These fallen angels knew better than anyone that Lucifer’s position now was extremely awkward. Although they didn’t know what the man himself was thinking, as far as they were concerned, the angels of Heaven could no longer trust this Archangel unconditionally.
“As one of those who admire Your Highness Lucifer, I wouldn’t mind giving you some instruction, but unfortunately…”
Showing a rather regretful expression, Abaddon shook his head slightly: “His Majesty Michael has already set the rules, so even if I wanted to, I’m powerless.”
Lucifer stared at the demon in front of him for a while, then snorted: “I didn’t know you had begun to obey others so readily.”
Even in Heaven, Abaddon had not been a very well-behaved angel; even if he had tried to suppress his nature, it would have been useless. Many things were never up to him.
Lucifer found that after he said this, Abaddon’s expression was very odd, and he frowned: “Did I say something wrong?”
“Never mind the rest. Lucifer, coming to Hell this time, haven’t you noticed… what is different about this place?”
Truthfully, Abaddon thought he had made himself quite clear.
If he had said this and Lucifer still couldn’t understand, he had nothing more to say. Some things he could say, but some could only be understood, not spoken.
Fortunately, Lucifer soon understood.
At first he had wanted to mock Abaddon about Hell having been renamed, but he soon realized the other’s point was not this, but another.
As an Archangel created by God, perfect in every sense, Lucifel’s intelligence was beyond doubt. From Abaddon’s words, he quickly realized, that in this newborn Hell… no, Abyss, in this place, he could not violate the rules Michael had set and do as he pleased.
As for why exactly, Lucifer had not yet worked it out.
He knew that no demon could violate the rules Michael had set, but what the deeper situation was, he couldn’t guess at all for now. Even he himself, as Archangel, could not reach this degree. Otherwise, he wouldn’t even have needed to fall to get what he wanted.
Meeting the Archangel’s silent gaze, Abaddon said with a smile: “As expected of Your Highness Lucifer, it seems you’ve figured it out. I just wonder how you feel about this former adopted son having hidden so much from you?”
“Hah.”
Lucifer gave a cold laugh: “Abaddon, you needn’t provoke me. As for what Michael is like, I naturally have a standard in my heart. You, on the other hand, who clearly want to kill me yet can only be trapped by the rules he set and do things you don’t want to do… do you really feel no resentment at all?”
Based on his knowledge of these demons, Lucifer absolutely did not believe the other was truly convinced of Michael, and this bit of dissatisfaction was the point he could use to persuade him.
Lucifer had thought it out well, unfortunately—
Abaddon sighed faintly: “His Majesty has given too much; this degree of grievance is nothing.”
Lucifer: “?”
So, what on earth had Michael gotten from Hell, that could make these greedy demons go against their nature and so devotedly obey every instruction?
Abaddon put away his false smile, and his power manifested all around him: “Actually, apart from not being able to fight angels, I’m not restricted in anything else. Lucifer, let’s continue.”
Continue what? Of course, continue using the illusions to make this Archangel suffer.
The sword slid out of those slender fingers.
Lucifer knelt on one knee, almost unable to hold on to his consciousness: “You—”
Facing Lucifer, even Abaddon did not dare be overconfident.
Only when he was sure the Archangel in front of him had truly fallen completely into the illusion did he dare approach.
“His Majesty really does stab where it hurts.”
Having been an angel once, Abaddon naturally knew how terrifying illusions were. Especially when an angel of the light side, leaning toward the dark side, was forced back to the original position… the pain to be endured in the meantime was far more than what could be described as the pain of powers colliding and tearing.
The image in the sphere made Mammon turn his head and look at Michael, who had walked up beside him. This one had not spoken for a long time.
“Do you think Abaddon knows that you can see the situation on each level?”
To this, Michael only lightly raised an eyebrow and said nothing.
Lucifer could not be blamed for doubting Abaddon’s choice; a normal person probably wouldn’t believe in an existence like him who had seized power out of nothing. Not only that, in Heaven he and the other hadn’t been of the same camp. It was also interesting to say: the Archangel Lucifer, who had raised him himself, had taken the other angels’ side and ended up on bad terms with his own son.
Michael could be sure that if he were not the master of the Abyss and not the God of Light, most likely Mammon and the other fallen angels would not have acknowledged him and been used by him. Then again, if he had no other identity and were only an Archangel, he would never have chosen to fall.
Compared with Abaddon, Lucifer’s situation surprised him a bit.
He wasn’t a devil either; he had only had Abaddon, as a guard, set up a few illusions casually, and who would have thought they would trap Lucifer outright.
After thinking for a moment, he asked Mammon: “Is there any hurdle Lucifer can’t get over?”
Mammon propped his chin and thought: “I guess not. Refusing to kneel shouldn’t be a hurdle he can’t get over, should it?”
Michael thought so too.
The reason Lucifer had been trapped was most likely that he was not good at dealing with illusions.
In the illusion he knew nothing about, Lucifer never expected that he would one day watch this scene as a bystander.
The Third Heaven of Heaven, where he stood leaning against a wall.
Standing in front of him was the little angel from before he adopted him.
“I never thought I’d have a day when you’d trap me.”
In his heart he silently recited the little angel’s name.
【Michael.】