Chapter 283: Exchange

Some lives are inherently evil.

At least, devils are.

It is said that, partly due to planar factors and partly because most devils are reincarnated souls of "evil men," in any case, striking devils with Evil-Slaying Blade requires no evil detection and deals base damage at its maximum—physically triple damage.

"I'm leaving, so I'll leave you a grand gift to remember me by."

The devil, smiling merrily, set up this scheme.

He might not even gain anything; in fact, he never intended to profit at all. The demon lords he dealt with directly had abysmal reputations.

The ritual materials and sacrifices were all prepared by himself—from the start, he was operating at a loss.

"But I'm happy to!"

His true goal may simply have been, upon returning to the Infernal Realm, to reply to other devils mocking him, "You worked for over thirty years? Are you insane?" with, "I destroyed that kingdom," "I am the one who toppled a nation."

"Which title suits me better—'Nation Destroyer' or 'Nation-Destroying Conspirator'?"

Julian, lost in his dream, smiled triumphantly—he had waited too long for this day.

The large-scale blood sacrifices had long since been completed. Even under insufficient offerings, members of the Beast Cult made excellent sacrificial material.

The simpler and more direct the plan, the more likely it succeeds—he merely set a trap and waited for the fool to fall in.

Everyone who stepped into this "cage" would become a sacrifice in the plan.

Far more effective than summoning a horde of demons on the ground only to be wiped out by the Good Deity Church.

All he needed was to keep these demons pouring endlessly into the labyrinth, utterly destroying the kingdom's chance at self-rescue—this city and this kingdom were doomed to end.

The chain devil, masquerading as Julian, smiled with restraint, recalling how the great devils and noble devils he had once seen had smiled just as merrily while toppling this small kingdom. Perhaps he was not far from earning a devilish title himself—at least, let him become a true great devil.

"You may call me Jurg Lisian, a mere four-hundred-year-old little devil." The stage was ending—how could there be no audience?

He felt a pang of regret—the number of his current "audience" was too small.

After a long Yunniang, the moment finally arrived: the moment the first explosion detonated, the city stood on the brink of annihilation.

As foreseen in the destined path, this kingdom and this city held too many possibilities of destruction—its own efforts at salvation had merely activated one prematurely.

"Aaaoooh!"

"Flesh! The taste of the Prime Material Plane!"

"So many delicious little creatures."

One by one, the planar gates to the lower planes opened, and demon legions surged forth, beginning their usual hunt.

Julian did not link to his home Infernal Realm, for that would also be a trap—if given a choice, who would willingly fight through endless demons and mortals in an underground ruin?

Julian never expected the demon lord to honor his promise and deliver the agreed-upon "soul coins"; in fact, he had swindled that demon lord as well.

"A small parting scheme, swindling the demons, the kingdom, and the Beast Cult alike. That's how I'll write my next job's application."

The devil may not have gained anything, but others falling into his scheme could still serve as his "work record."

The chain devil, wrapped entirely in chains, laughed joyfully—thinking of his impending promotion and raise, his noble restraint vanished completely.

"Julian!"

Furious wings descended from the sky; the black-armored paladin advanced with his holy sword.

"Clang!"

The metallic clash lasted but a moment—even the famed unbreakable Infernal chains shattered outright beneath the holy blade's strike.

"My chains!!"

At last, Julian screamed in agony.

For chain devils like him, the bonded chains were part of their flesh—usable even as tentacles. To lose them outright was to lose the means of survival. And this, for the first time, was what Li En felt he could not fully sever.

Li En's blade trembled—he felt nauseated, the unsettling sensation of cutting through something "soft and squishy," like a soul.

This monster… forged its chains from souls?!

As Julian looked toward Li En, the shadowed presence had already descended to its designated coordinates.

"Clang!" The flying sword struck from a blind spot—still, only the sound of metal colliding.

Hela delivered another backstab, but this time, the chains blocked it.

"Good idea… but I'm a devil, and my chains are my eyes."