Volume 5 Chapter 0105: The King of Baator and the Serpent of Order - I, The Dragon Overlord

"You have finally come!" A sudden voice rang out, carrying a strong sigh of joy and an unsettling metallic quality that made even Louie shiver. As he observed the wailing wall, Louie swiftly turned around, only to see a figure appear in the center of what had been an empty Nether Fortress. The figure stood in the vast hall, wearing a twisted, enchanting smile. It was tall and burly, about four or five meters in height, almost resembling a small giant. This was a devil, clad in a scarlet robe adorned with black diamonds and rubies. Sharp horns protruded from its forehead, with skin that was black with a tinge of red and hair as dark as night. Its sunken face bore an uncanny elegance, emanating a lethal air of danger. The devil resembled an ancient wizard from fairy tales—despite its powerful frame, it exuded a decrepit and gaunt sense of darkness. It wielded a ruby scepter that radiated the deepest essence of the inferno, symbolizing the supreme authority of hell itself! "Asmodeus!" Though Louie had never seen this devil, as soon as he laid eyes on him, he instinctively knew his name—the uncrowned king of the inferno, the ruler of this land and Baator's sovereign! Louie utilized his divine insight and discovered that this ruler of Baator was not merely an avatar or a phantasm but his true form. What petrified him further was the overwhelming sense of fear this ruler evoked. Yes, fear—that primal response of a weaker being in the presence of a dominant one—the natural reaction of a minor god before a high god. This ruler of Baator, within his own Nether domain, possessed a virtual divine rank of 20! Upon receiving this revelation, even Louie found it unbelievable. Although it was a virtual divine rank, to have achieved a rank of 20? This was a concept only the Prince of Lies had reached in a very short span since the ancient gods fell and new deities of faith emerged. And this ruler of Baator, who once served the deities as the mightiest archangel, had achieved this level of virtual divine rank after his fall into hell, surpassing all other gods! "Hehehehe... Are you surprised, newly ascended deity, honorable dragon god Louie Galakrond?" Asmodeus sneered with his raspy, withered voice, showing no respect to Louie as a true god, not even feigning politeness. Considering his attitude made sense—it was evident that Louie's avatar, with a divine rank of just 9, could never compete with the ruler of Baator's virtual divine rank of 20. Even Louie's true form would struggle to defeat him. Although devils lack the concept of godly domains, neither aiding Asmodeus nor diminishing divine powers here, the enhancement of reaching a divine rank of 20 within one's own territory was still an unbelievable augmentation! "I am indeed surprised." Louie's agitated mind gradually calmed—not because he found a strategy to confront this formidable adversary, but because he realized that no matter how he struggled, his avatar was no match for the ruler of Baator. Hence, there was no need to overthink; it was wiser to glean more information from this ruler. "Kehehehehe..." Asmodeus chuckled maliciously, seemingly seeing through Louie's intentions. Raising his arms triumphantly, he declared, "…Indeed, for a god who seized the domains of deceit and conspiracy from the Prince of Lies, you swiftly adapt to your surroundings. Once you recognized your defenseless state, you promptly employed other tactics. Such a wise and cunning deity, if not careful, might even ensnare devils. Kehehehehe!!" After laughing for a while, this ruler of Baator, in a manner reminiscent of a cat toying with a mouse, raised his browless, lashless eyes and mockingly inquired, "...So, mighty dragon god, what exactly has left you so astonished? Is it my survival or my formidable prowess?" "The possibility of the ruler of Baator not being dead is something I have long anticipated. Not only I, but even the eight hellish lords, along with other deities, likely share this belief. Those eight lords dare only to engage in internal strife, not because they fear your survival but due to your intimidating presence in Nether." “...My shock is indeed directed at your might. Among the gods' speculations, Asmodeus is thought to possess a virtual divine rank with moderate to high divine power within his domain, Nether. Yet, as the ruler of Baator cannot leave hell, the gods have never truly been concerned about you.” Louie didn't hold back, openly expressing his doubts and confusion. After a pause, Louie continued, "...Correct, though I am a new god, I have learned from older deities that since your fall into hell, you, the Baator ruler, have never shown yourself before others. In fact, your Nether Fortress hasn’t even welcomed any devils inside." “...It seems the gods have been completely deceived by you. Who would notice a devil whose name echoes across all planes but has never been seen by anyone? Compared to you, even the Prince of Lies appears naive. You've had extraordinary patience, Asmodeus! To endure for millions of years without a word—only the ruler of Baator could achieve such a feat!” Louie’s words bore a sarcastic tone, as if mocking the ruler of Baator as a colossal turtle. Despite his opponent's strength, making Louie's victory in this avatar-led battle assuredly nil, Louie felt no fear. This was merely an avatar. Even if Asmodeus destroyed it, Louie could easily manifest another given sufficient divine power—a resilience that made gods notoriously hard to kill. This marked the greatest difference between gods and devils. Despite Asmodeus's virtual divine rank reaching 20, he dared not leave Nether. Were he to manifest on another plane in avatar form, he would merely be a formidable entity vexing to gods—a demigod-like being lacking true divinity traits! As this thought crossed Louie’s mind, his expression abruptly shifted. The dark red skin of the ruler of Baator suddenly cracked open, and from those rifts, blood fountained forth, dyeing his robe a shade deeper in its sinister red hue. From Asmodeus, Louie sensed a power he was all too familiar with. It was the power of the Serpent of Order!