After Ten Millennia in Hell

Lucifer appeared visibly bewildered in the crystal orb. He could see Satan, who wore a red demon mask, stepping on Lucis.

- What did you do, Satan? Why is Lucis there?

Lucifer spoke in a voice filled with bloodlust while narrowing his eyes.

Satan stepped on Lucis even harder.

"Kurgh!" Lucis grunted pitifully.

He flapped like a fish out of water.

[Who knows? How about you ask your son yourself?] Satan said calmly.

Lucifer's expression hardened.

He knew Satan had not crossed over to the continent of Aernor and kidnapped Lucis. If something like that had happened, there was no way Lucifer wouldn't have noticed it.

In that case, there was only one other possibility.

- Rakkisgard.

[I-I apologize, Lord Lucifer!] Rakkisgard, who had been subdued by Balrog, answered apologetically and lowered his head.

It was easy for Lucifer to guess what had happened just from his short reaction.

Lucis had gone to Earth on his own, fought Satan, and lost. His defeat had already been decided the moment that he confronted Satan.

Lucis did not know, but Lucifer knew the league that the princes of Hell were in. He knew that there was no way his son would be a match for them.

Lucifer frowned.

- Pathetic boy.

"F-Father…"

Lucis trembled in shock and bit his lip.

He felt a complex mixture of fear, regret, and rage.

[Right, then,] Satan continued talking in a leisurely manner. His eyes behind the mask were shining with a mad look. [I am sure you are aware of why I left this brat alive, are you not?]

He had captured the enemy commander's son. There probably wasn't anyone dumb enough to not understand why.

- Kill him, Lucifer replied in a cold voice.

[Oh…?]

- I have no intention of taking care of a son who acted without knowing his place. Kill him.

There wasn't a hint of compassion in Lucifer's dry voice.

His cold eyes focused on Lucis.

- This must be the limit of a half-blood.

"Kuh…"

Lucis bit his lip, and tears flowed down his eyes. He trembled. He couldn't breathe properly.

The term 'half-blood' stimulated him like a curse eating away at his life.

Throughout his life, countless demons had called him that behind his back and even right to his face. The word had been stuck to him his entire life, but this was the first time his own father had called him that.

'It hurts,' Lucis thought.

His chest was hurting as if his heart was being cut out. His vision was becoming hazy.

Right then, he heard a spooky laugh.

[Lucifer.]

- …

[Is he not your son regardless?]

- That means nothing.

Lucifer's eyes were cold as he continued dryly, - Since when has flesh and blood been important to demons?

[Hm.]

- Enough of this silly farce, Satan. Do you truly expect affection for flesh and blood from demons who have no need for reproduction?

It was an obvious question. Demons didn't need to reproduce, so it would be ironic if they felt affection toward their flesh and blood.

[Then…] Satan looked at Lucifer. [Why did you have a child?]

- …

Lucifer remained silent.

His words were contradictory. If his son wasn't important to him and was truly meaningless, he wouldn't have had Lucis.

If it had simply been an accident, he would have been more than capable of erasing the child several times over during the pregnancy. It would be too hopeful to think that a prince of Hell would feel remorseful about killing a fetus.

- …It was an accident.

[An accident, was it?]

Satan laughed.

[Lucifer.]

Lucifer didn't answer.

While laughing, Satan raised his hand and swung down a black blade at Lucis's head. He stared at Lucifer's face through the orb as he did it.

- Sto—!

Lucifer frowned, unable to maintain his composure. He urgently called for Satan to stop, but he cut himself off midway and bit his lip when he realized what he'd done.

Satan held his stomach and burst into laughter.

[Hahahahahaha!!!]

Did demons feel affection toward their flesh and blood? The result of his low-probability gamble had already been decided the moment the call with Lucifer had been connected.

If Lucifer truly thought of Lucis as worthless, he would've cut the call. No, he wouldn't have accepted the call in the first place, since he'd had no need to do so.

From the moment Lucifer accepted the call and started to give excuses, the result had already been decided.

[You have become rather cute. This must be what they call paternal affection.]

- …

"F-Father…" Lucis said in a tearful voice and lowered his head. "I'm… sorry."

- Be quiet, Lucifer replied coldly.

He looked at Lucis with a troubled expression. He was likely feeling the same way a father would feel after his son had caused trouble and had become a death row prisoner.

- What do you want?

In the end, they were back to square one. Lucifer acknowledged the fact that Satan had the advantage.

Satan continued leisurely, [You already know what I want, do you not?]

- …War.

[Yes, Lucifer. Let us have a war full of blood, flesh, destruction, and madness—a war that can fill our stomachs with the flesh of our enemies.]

- You must have become even crazier after going to Earth, Lucifer commented exasperatedly.

The Satan in Lucifer's memories was not this crazy. He could at least be reasoned with and was capable of making reasonable judgments.

- Do you know what situation we demons are currently in? Lucifer questioned angrily. - Aernor, Huan, and even the world you are living on, Earth…

Satan hadn't heard of one of the three worlds that were mentioned.

- The forces of the celestial realm are trying to eradicate demons from every single world connected to the Nine Hells, Lucifer continued. - The Nine Hells will be completely isolated from all other worlds. I am sure you understand what that means, do you not?

He looked at Satan with sharp eyes.

- We will never be able to return to the Nine Hells.

[…]

Satan remained silent at Lucifer's words.

He trembled as if he couldn't hold back the laughter. He grabbed his stomach and let the laughter out.

[What does that matter?]

- What?

[What does it matter if we cannot return to the Nine Hells?]

- Are you out of your mind?

[That is what I want to ask you.] The red demon mask tilted. [When have we ever not been out of our minds?]

- …

Crack.

"Arrgghh!!"

Satan trampled on Lucis's arm. The arm twisted at a weird angle, and black blood poured out.

Lucifer's expression hardened when he heard the screams. He was trying to act as if it didn't affect him, but his expression gave him away.

- Satan, Lucifer said with blazing eyes and a voice filled with thick bloodlust, - Stop.

[You know what you must do for me to stop, do you not?]

Satan opened both arms.

The darkness devoured the light around him. It was as if it had suddenly become night.

[Come here and kill me. If you do not…]

Crunch.

Satan rotated his foot, further deforming Lucis's twisted arm.

Lucis's blood-curdling scream rang out once again.

- I told you to stop, Lucifer growled.

Satan could sense the chilling rage from the other side of the crystal orb.

Nevertheless, he burst into laughter and continued leisurely, [Your son… will die here.]

- …

Lucifer remained silent and gave Satan a disgusted look.

- You make me sick.

[Hm?]

- Are you not ashamed of using a cheap tactic like taking a hostage?

It was a childish provocation.

[Since when have we cared about such things?] Satan asked with deep, sunken eyes full of madness. [Were you expecting compassion in a battle between demons? Were you expecting morality? A fair and beautiful fight? Were you expecting a fair fight with rules in place so that neither party could complain?]

That was nonsense.

[Wake up, Lucifer. We were never like that. We have never fought like that. Do you remember our battle against the demon king? What did we do back then? Did we simply have a contest of strength to have a fair battle?]

They had not.

Kidnapping had pretty much been an elementary tactic for them. They had used nasty plots, pitted allies against each other, and created all sorts of misunderstandings and misinterpretations.

They'd subdued a subordinate of the demon king and forced them to hug a bomb and charge toward the demon king army. They'd spread plagues and curses to kill the demons that served the demon king.

That wasn't all. They had even cut apart subordinates that the demon king favored and sent them to him piece by piece.

[Are you trying to become a good samaritan after all we have done? Are you begging for mercy and compromise? You are the one who makes me sick. What has made you so pathetic?]

- …

[Do you want to condemn me? Do you want to curse me for using a vulgar tactic like threatening you with your son as my hostage?]

Satan lowered his head toward the crystal orb. The eyes behind the mask were shining with a yellow light.

[In that case, come here, Lucifer. Go mad with anger, become blind with resentment. Fight me, and…] Satan let out a chilling laugh. [Kill me.]

Slam—!!!

Lucifer destroyed the giant throne he was sitting in.

- I will… make you this proposal for the last time, Satan, Lucifer said in a restrained voice.

Satan could tell that Lucifer was trying his best to suppress his rage.

- If I give up on everything and go there, you will become the next target of the angels, Lucifer continued quietly. - Do not expect the angels to target Huan before you. You will become their next target, Satan. I will make it so.

He was threatening Satan.

The crystal orb couldn't withstand Lucifer's demonic energy and started to crack. It was clear how much rage he was feeling at the moment.

- There is no winner in this battle. Regardless of who wins, we will both lose everything. Will you still fight me despite that?

[…]

Satan didn't answer. He slowly raised his foot and stepped on Lucis's other arm.

Crunch!

Lucis's pained scream was enough of an answer.

[Who do you think I am? I am death, the end, and wrath itself. I am Satan. Whether it be angels or gods, it matters not. Tell them all to come here. Tell them to come here and fight me. Whatever you say to me, I will not stop.]

'Why, you ask? Because it's not my probleeeeeeeemmmmm!!'

RIP Satan!!