The word “Abyss” gives the first impression of being the name of a place.
The moment the new Demon King spoke the word, this new place name, which should not have existed in anyone’s memory, gave people an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
How the other demons felt, Belial and Baal had no way of knowing. But at least in the view of these two great demons, that was how it was.
At the very least, they should have heard of it, and seen it.
Otherwise, why would the images of those strange buildings surface in their minds the moment Michael spoke the two words?
And they were presented as extremely clear pictures.
In the central region of Hell, Michael sat upright on the throne.
The Demon King’s seat, built of piled white bones and soaked in the blood of angels, gave a sinister feeling of carrying a curse.
But Michael felt that everything in this world was like this, and every part could be fully used. A dead creature itself was already completely dead, so it was better to make full use of what had been preserved.
The very first God of Light had divided His divine body into parts and made a container large enough to hold a whole world: the divine artifact. As His successor, Michael considered himself unable to reach that level.
But if he really came to that point, even if he thought he couldn’t, he would probably do it in fact.
For example, this time, when he took Lucifer’s place as Demon King.
“The Abyss?”
A voice belonging to a native of Hell, not heard for a long time, suddenly rang out at this moment.
Unlike the clear, gentle, beautiful voices of angels, the demon who spoke first had a somewhat hoarse voice, like an aged old man’s.
In fact, he really was an old man.
Beneath the long black hair was an aged face, but the spirit was very good, unlike an elderly human in his twilight years.
The old man stroked the beard on his chin, narrowed eyes that held a gleam of wisdom, and mused: “Your Majesty the Demon King, forgive my frankness, but it would be better not to change Hell to this name.”
Hearing this, Michael smiled lightly, but there was no trace of pleasure in his expression.
He savored the old man’s words for a while, then said in a gentle tone: “It’s just a matter of changing a name, so why not? Sir, I thought that as the Demon King I didn’t need your approval for such a small matter, did I?”
A demon holding a large axe stepped out from the side: “How dare you! Even if you are the king of this Hell, you can’t speak to the Elder like that.”
The moment this demon spoke, Michael understood.
They said Hell had native residents, but whether in the cooperation back then or in the feigned attack on Hell, Michael and the others had never seen any demons other than the archangels who had fallen. In other words, the native demons were all there, but after Lucifer fell they no longer appeared before anyone’s eyes.
Originally Michael hadn’t understood where these demons had gone, but now, seeing these fellows actually challenge his authority, it was easy to guess what someone with Lucifer’s personality would have done on encountering this.
He had to say that although he had been schemed against by God, Lucifer was indeed very suited. Looking at himself, he definitely couldn’t have such strong self-respect.
No, it should be said he kept some habits from his time as a human, neither good nor bad, forgiving where one can, not haggling over everything. Such an attitude suited a small person trying to survive, but not a great person asserting authority.
Michael leaned his body slightly forward, and the smile on his face carried a touch of ill intent.
Baal and Belial couldn’t be called very familiar with Michael. Even when they had all been angels, their cooperation had been pitifully rare. The fact was that even when Michael was only a high-rank angel and not an archangel, as Lucifel’s adopted son his position was elevated. In practice the archangels treated him as a colleague by default, so as long as it was something Michael could solve, there was no reason for Lucifel to step in.
For that reason, Baal and Belial, sent as Lucifel’s confidants to be at Michael’s side, would occasionally help handle a few matters, and the two sides had chances to cooperate.
And it was just those few brief times that made them understand, when it came to dealing with his enemies, Michael was never as harmless as his appearance.
Conversely, compared with Lucifel, who had been praised for having the seven virtues… his methods were even more intense.
These native residents of Hell might not be good at fighting, and might not be good at refusing others’ invasion of their dwelling place. But when it came to sensing danger, they were keener than anyone.
Just as the tense atmosphere around them was gradually fading and Baal and Belial let out a breath, the old man who had spoken first, his expression wary, hurriedly pushed the one who had just spoken rudely aside.
And the moment he pushed the person away, at the place where that person had been standing, flames burst into violent burning without any warning.
Belial was stunned: “What’s going on? This is—”
Seraph flames should not be something that fallen angels who had already abandoned their angel power could use.
Then, in this Hell, the one who had seraph power and could still use it even after falling could only be—
Not just these two, but the other people of Hell, some present and some hiding in the dark with various thoughts, all at the same time turned their eyes to the ruler sitting on high. At some point, a sword had appeared in this person’s hand.
Michael’s tone was gentle: “This sword is only a warning.”
The demon who had escaped death immediately turned ashen, trembling all over, and could not say another word.
Raising the sword, the black-haired Demon King came down from the high place with slow steps.
“If you don’t submit to me, I don’t mind, since I am not a cruel person who doesn’t listen to reason.”
Baal lowered his head.
What he was looking at was the place where the flames had burned.
Perhaps the power had adjusted the relationship, but those flames, clearly mixed with seraph power, appeared in black-purple.
At the new ruler’s talk of “listening to reason,” Baal could only smile silently and mockingly.
Wasn’t that the funniest thing?
His calm and self-possession came from the confidence of the power he himself held, so even if Michael’s methods were a little brutal, he would not truly lose his sense of proportion.
As for the native residents of Hell, several demons showed incredulous looks, all of them angry but none daring to speak.
“Wait, doesn’t this count as intimidation? Even if Michael was once an Archangel, that doesn’t mean he can casually replace Lucifer’s position and just become the Demon King of Hell, does it?”
The great demon Bael, watching the show in secret, was resting his cheek on his hand in his own territory, and in the face of his subordinate’s confusion he only said coldly: “Haven’t you understood?”
Bael’s subordinate: “Lord Bael?”
The young little demon looked puzzled, longing for his superior to give an answer.
Bael pointed at the throne Michael had sat on before, his tone quite disdainful: “If it was to make people submit, then of course Michael’s way was improper. But, wasn’t what he said earlier only about renaming Hell?”
Bael’s subordinate was stunned for a moment and quickly realized: “That’s right! It was only changing a name, and these old fellows said this couldn’t be done and that couldn’t be done. They really didn’t put Michael, this Demon King, in their hearts at all.”
Bael shrugged, with a look of weariness on his face: “That’s why I said long ago that these old fellows’ existence only adds trouble to Hell’s development.”
Back when Hell had neither Lucifer nor Michael, these so-called native residents didn’t even give face to a great demon like Bael.
Being nostalgic wasn’t wrong, but if one obstructed reform, then no ruler would show a pleasant face.
Putting down the wine glass in his hand, he walked out little by little from the dark corner where no sun reached.
His subordinate looked at his superior in shock, only to hear him say in a very ordinary tone: “Let’s go and meet the new Demon King.”
Bael’s subordinate did not follow immediately, but stayed where he was.
“…Lord Bael, are you acknowledging that fellow already?”
Never mind anything else, the reason they had all been waiting in Hell was for the former glory of Heaven—Lucifel.
Nobody knew what had gone wrong when the fallen angels attacked; the one who led the demons in the attack on Heaven was Lucifer, but the one who truly fell and was left with only the power of darkness… had turned out to be Michael, the Archangel of the time.
Incredible.
But what was most surprising was the attitude of this new king with black hair and red eyes.
Coming to Hell as an angel who had fallen, he was far too composed.
No unfamiliarity with the surroundings.
No distance from his fallen colleagues.
It was as if Michael was extremely familiar with everything in Hell and there was nothing that put him in a difficult position.
Thinking of this, the demon shivered and murmured: “But how could such a thing… be possible.”
Although the relationship between Lucifel and Michael had once been something like father and son, when it came to betraying Heaven, even if Lucifer cared greatly about his child, he could not have revealed the plan. What was more, the state of Hell could not be known to any archangel, and so he certainly could not have told Michael everything about the fallen angels and the demons just as it was.
But if so, where had Michael learned about the matters of Hell?
Bael opened the barrier and walked up in front of those natives, his smile full of sarcasm: “The name Abyss is quite good, I think it’s rather nice.”
The sword Michael held had its tip pointing down.
He looked at the uninvited ancient demon and lightly lowered his eyes.
Bael was the powerful demon Lucifer relied on most, and they had once crossed blades in Raziel’s palace.
Michael knew his strength well, and his reputation in Hell.
Meeting the black-haired Demon King’s probing gaze, Bael bowed slightly: “May the light of the Abyss forever envelop you, my king.”
Seeing how cooperative this one was, Michael did not know whether he was constrained by the situation or something else, but this had nothing to do with the present.
As for this wretched Demon King business…
Curving his lips, the new king, acknowledged by the ancient demon, slowly spoke under the gaze of the demons and fallen angels: “Bael, since it’s no longer Hell, how could there still be a Demon King?”
Bael did not know Michael. They had never fought as enemies, so at this moment he still could not understand what this person wanted to do.
He said carefully: “Your Majesty, do you mean—”
Michael raised the long sword upright and let flames rise on it.
In the surrounding places that had been empty, flames lit up one after another.
“God is the light, so naturally I am the dark.”
Letters made of flame appeared in the void.
—God of the Abyss.
Treasonous, yet full of the arrogance belonging to a king.