Chapter 174: Breakthrough (2)
Chapter 174: Breakthrough (2)
Asmodeus was an Evil God of dual nature, possessing the attributes of both Wrath and Lust.
It was rare for gods to possess only a single attribute, but Asmodeus was an Evil God whose domains seemed particularly unrelated to one another. Naturally, the demons who followed him were influenced by these traits.
Consequently, many of the demons serving Asmodeus were of the succubus variety. Among the demonic races, they were considered on the weaker side, which paradoxically made them more cold-blooded and cruel—much like how animals that perceive themselves as weak will puff out their bodies or act with exaggerated aggression.
Furthermore, they possessed a stronger sense of kinship and unity compared to other demons. Because of this, Asmodeus’s followers fought with a relentless tenacity when in a group. They were a force that could not be ignored, allowing them to wield significant influence within the demonic hierarchy.
In Nippur, Asmodeus’s demons were tasked exclusively with the maintenance and inspection of the Dimensional Barrier. This was why, during the strategy meeting, they had reported that the inspection was still underway.
After the meeting concluded, Sitri returned to the territory occupied by the servants of Asmodeus. She was the demon in charge of leading them, having reached her position by ruthlessly eliminating every rival in her path.
As a servant of a god whose attribute was Wrath, she possessed a fierce temperament. To her, the events that had just transpired at the meeting were nothing short of an infuriating insult.
"Filthy vermin..."
She spat the words out through gritted teeth, barely suppressing her rage. Her fury stemmed from the attitude the other factions had displayed the moment she mentioned the barrier inspection.
*
"Good grief, is it still not finished?"
One demon had scoffed, his face twisted in a blatant, mocking sneer.
Sitri, who despised making excuses, had remained silent, but she was seething inside. It hadn't been long since the Black Spire was destroyed while in operation. The Dimensional Barrier that turned Nippur into a prison was massive in scale. Even with all of Asmodeus’s demons working on it, a full inspection was bound to take time.
It was the first meeting held immediately after their failure; completing a physical inspection so quickly was impossible. The others knew this, yet they insulted her anyway, purely to trample on her pride.
Just as the Large Clans on Earth kept each other in check and competed, so did the demons. Since being trapped in Nippur, they had been desperately cooperating and forming alliances to find a way out, resulting in an unprecedented period of unity without infighting. Normally, even during the invasion of other worlds, demons would bicker amongst themselves whenever they had the leeway to do so.
In a sense, the lack of conflict since their imprisonment was the anomaly.
However, cracks were beginning to form in that unity. To the demons, their current situation was no different from prisoners trapped in a cell, unable to do anything.
Demons typically derived pleasure from inflicting pain and destruction upon other sentient beings. But they had been trapped in Nippur for a very long time. For decades, they had been unable to satisfy the urges stemming from their wicked natures, only for opportunities to reach Earth to finally appear recently.
After years of tedious, repetitive labor, hope had finally dawned. This had left many demons on edge, their nerves frayed and their patience thin.
This was why so many had acted aggressively toward Sitri. It was a vent for their frustration—the suppressed nature and thoughts of the demons serving other Evil Gods were finally leaking out.
Sitri, currently consumed by rage, was no exception to this. There were certainly others among the demonic host whom she despised.
She had snapped back immediately.
"Then why don't you 'brilliant' lot try doing it yourselves?"
When Sitri’s demeanor shifted into something cold and terrifying, the other demons didn't back down.
"Sure thing, you incompetent bitch."
"A common slut like you doesn't know her place..."
"You should be apologizing and offering up your body instead of talking back."
Sitri wanted to gouge out the eyes of the demons who had uttered those words right then and there. Emotions flared instantly, and a brawl was on the verge of breaking out...
...Until Herod, the representative of Mammon’s demons, stepped in to mediate.
"Now, now... let’s not fight. Since things have turned out this way, let’s just pool our strength and get through this together."
Only then were Sitri and the demons who had mocked her forced to stop. Their agitated states cooled slightly, and they returned to wearing their masks, agreeing to cooperate as much as possible.
Herod, the leader of Mammon’s demons, had been unable to say a word due to their recent failures. By stepping in as a mediator, he managed to recover some of his influence.
He wasn't trying to help Sitri. Because Mammon’s faction had failed in their recent task, he had been keeping his mouth shut, only answering when spoken to. By taking on the role of the peacemaker, he naturally regained his right to speak, which benefited Mammon’s faction.
After further discussion, they decided to move away from having Asmodeus’s demons handle the barrier inspection exclusively. To speed up the process and find even the smallest achievement to salvage from the failed London invasion, they agreed to divide the barrier into sectors for everyone to inspect.
Word eventually trickled down that Sitri had been insulted. Asmodeus’s demons saw her return to their territory with a face even colder than usual, which spurred them to work on the inspection with even greater intensity.
As a result, within half a day, they discovered a place where a rift had narrowly formed, thanks to the Black Spire having been active for over two hours.
"Narrowly" was the perfect description.
The coordinates for Korea, Japan, and the UK were core locations that accounted for a large portion of the Dimensional Barrier's structure. Since the Black Spire had been active there for over two hours, the effects had manifested, creating a rift where none had existed before.
However, this had to be viewed as a temporary breach. Being a creation of the Benevolent Gods, the Dimensional Barrier possessed self-restoration capabilities. This was why the demons had spent so much time trying to punch holes in it by sending Portals, which acted as dimensional bombs.
Permanently damaging the Dimensional Barrier to create a hole wasn't something that could be achieved by a single portal exploding.
Once they finished their preliminary investigation, Sitri’s subordinates reported to her immediately. Knowing she despised wasting time on empty formalities, the staff prepared a concise summary and went to her as soon as the investigation was complete.
The demon skipped the fluff and went straight to the conclusion.
"Given the current size of the rift, anyone can pass through using a movement portal."
To the Awakeners of Earth, "movement portals" referred to the Reinforcement Portals—the purple portals that contained demons.
Sitri didn't ask further questions and simply flipped through the documents provided.
"How long do you think it will hold?"
"I cannot say for certain. It wouldn't be strange if it vanished at any moment."
That was why the situation was so precarious. Due to the barrier's restorative power, the rift was already showing signs of shrinking. To any observer, this rift was dangerous and offered no guarantee of safety.
Sitri closed her eyes in thought for a moment before making her decision.
"Then prepare to cross over immediately."
"Yes, understood."
"The troops are already being put on standby."
The subordinates answered instantly, having expected her to make such a call.
However, Sitri’s next words caught them off guard.
"I am crossing over as well."
Startled by her bold declaration, her subordinates cried out in alarm.
"But Lady Sitri! It’s too dangerous!"
"No. This is too good an opportunity. I cannot let it slip away."
The risk was undeniably high, but from Sitri’s perspective, she couldn't afford to pass this up. Her subordinates saw it as a reckless decision, but Sitri remained adamant.