Chapter 1027: Red Sea
[One Year later - Gorathis, the City of Chains]
When Kent arrived in Hell using the Hell Road Gate, 14 pillars lit up in Nex Morbus, painting the sky red.
These 14 pillars are from the 14 cities that Kent must move through to get to the Bone Fortress, where the final boss will be waiting for him.
One of these cities, named Gorathis, the city of chains, will be the first that Kent will have to pass through when he leaves the Damned Hell Sea.
Gorathis is a fortress-like citadel made of black iron. It is intimidating to look at from a distance and even more sinister-looking up close.
Seen from afar, it appears to be hanging by a large chain that extends into the red clouds.
Nobody knew what that huge chain was latched onto.
Some say it is being held by millions of damned souls whose punishment is to forever hold the city in place.
The main city itself is filled with hanging cages, each housing an unfortunate soul. Their screams are like entertainment to the Chainfiends. They are unique and sinister-looking hell demons with hooks for arms.
Currently, inside a black castle that seems haunted, a towering demon with four arms smirked, his skin a pale gray, and his body wrapped in broken shackles, sitting on a metallic, jagged throne, holding a metal cup in one of his four hands.
The cup is filled with Hell Wine, a rather potent wine said to contain the soul of the resentful demons.
Before him, a Chainfiend with three hooked arms knelt, its face down.
"What do you have to report, Kay?" Zorvak, the ruler of the city of chains, asked.
"My lord, some fishermen who went fishing in the Damned Hell Sea came with a report that the Damned Hell Sea has turned red. They claim many dead Damned Hell Beasts floated to the surface, with many more coming out.
They reported that these Damned Hell Beasts, the majority of them, are drained of their blood," Kay reported, and Zorvak nodded.
"So it seems the challenger has entered the Damned Hell Sea."
"Yes, Hell Lord."
"Do we know which side he entered from?"
"No, Hell Lord. However, the eastern part of this sea is where most of the Damned Hell Beasts surfaced."
"Good. This means he will surface there." A smile that didn’t reach his eyes appeared on Zorvak’s face. He drank a sip of the Hell Wine and then looked toward the vast city filled with Chainfiends.
"Issue the order for all hunters to head to the eastern Damned Hell Sea."
"Okay, Hell Lord."
Kay stood up and left.
Zorvak drank a sip of his Hell Wine again and grinned.
"Aside from independent hunters who can move between cities, the rules stated that no hell city can hunt in a different city except its own. This means I have the highest chance of ending this bastard who dares challenge Hell King Bliz."
He drank his Hell Wine again and chuckled, "Thinking you can get to the bottom of the Damned Hell Sea is already suicide, but if you somehow come back alive, then I will be sure to kill you and finally become a direct subordinate to Hell King Bliz."
The allure of finally getting his hands on Kent is already making this bastard lick his lips. He is the 14th Hell Ruler in Nex Morbus (6th level of hell).
This means his influence and strength are already unquestionable. But killing the Hell Road challenger is something he had dreamt of for many years, and finally, he has the chance.
Within a week, thousands of hunters had heard of this new development, causing them all to head toward the Damned Hell Sea.
External hunters who aren’t affiliated with any of the 14 cities also moved toward the Damned Hell Sea. These types of hunters earned their status solely based on their track records.
Of course, some are still feeling too big to come, but when Kent comes out of the Damned Hell Sea, he will have a warm welcome in the form of thousands of hell demons vying for his head.
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[9th Level of hell - Layer Between Levels - Nyx’s POV]
After hearing someone had challenged the six levels of Hell, Nyx and her friend Bilad decided to go down to Hell to have a look.
After all, every time there is a challenge, the news spreads to the Underworld and even the Undead World. Those who wish to observe can come to any level of Hell.
The rules will allow them to see what is happening in the level that has been challenged.
They decided to come to the 9th level, which is closest to the 9th level of the Underworld.
Currently, seated atop a bone mountain, one said to have formed from the remains of a great Hell demon, Nyx looked at the thousands of people moving toward the Damned Hell Sea with a calm expression.
Bilad rested his back against a bone, also watching the same thing as Nyx.
"Looks like the challenger entered the Damned Hell Sea," Bilad said. "But why haven’t they surfaced yet? After all, it has already been a year."
Because the 14 pillars are still lit, everybody knows the challenger is still alive. So why haven’t they surfaced yet?
"Do you really think it is that easy to chase after something nobody, aside from Hell King Bliz, was able to reach?" Nyx smirked.
"Are you talking about the Supreme Primordial Flame?" Bilad asked.
"What else? I don’t know who this crazy challenger is, but even Hell King Bliz only lasted five hours there before he had to run. This person clearly has a death wish." Nyx smirked, feeling like she had wasted her time coming to watch this.
"Well, I believe for someone who wanted to challenge an Underworld King, this should be a lesson for you. Who knows, you might learn a thing or two, and hopefully, I won’t die for nothing helping you achieve your dreams."
Nyx turned and looked at her long-term best friend, Bilad, who, despite knowing her lofty aspirations, still stood by her side, making sure that one day, she would become an Underworld Queen like she had dreamt of.
Seeing the smile on his face, Nyx smiled—a rather beautiful smile that only Bilad got to witness.
"Fine. I will wait and watch. But this person must better make sure my trip is worth it."
"What if they fail to meet your expectations?" Bilad asked.
"Then, even though I can’t use my whip here, breaking a few rules and probably getting banned from here will become the outcome for me."
Bilad looked at his friend and laughed.
"Maybe you might just have a chance to become an Underworld Queen one day."
The two laughed.
The reason the Fallen Angel Bliz was able to become a Hell King was that he had ventured into the Damned Hell Sea before.
They said he spent 200 years traversing the damned sea only to reach the bottom and soak his spear in the Damned Hell Flames, said to be a Supreme Primordial Flame.
They said he succeeded, but he lasted only five hours before being forced to run.
However, his spear became a weapon so deadly that nobody dared fight against it.
It was also through him that many began to speculate that perhaps the famous Purgatory—the domain rumored to have once ruled the strongest universe in existence—is located there.