Ashen Dragon
Chapter 719 - Chapter 719 Chapter 102 Dragon and Hell_2

Chapter 719: Chapter 102 Dragon and Hell_2 Chapter 719: Chapter 102 Dragon and Hell_2 Mezulash furrowed his brow and hurriedly responded: “Your Majesty, the Tiefling race harbors no second thoughts; we are forever loyal to the Ashen Empire that brings us safety and stable order.

As for those devils? Forgive my frankness, Your Majesty, they have left us centuries of blood debt, sins that cannot be cleansed. With just one command from you, we can treat them as enemies without hesitation.”

Mezulash’s voice was sonorous and exceptionally firm, also revealing an undisguised intent to kill.

He only cared about his kin and the future development of the Empire. For those devils that have made him homeless and destroyed his family, he even harbored hatred.

“Very good.”

Cassius nodded, no longer jesting, and commanded in a calm tone, “Mobilize your Imperial Guard to control all demons within the Empire.”

Mezulash was somewhat surprised: “Your Majesty, shouldn’t we kill them?”

Beside him, the Lich Orestes let out a low chuckle, the soul fire in his eyes trembled slightly: “Your Grace, as an offspring of devils, are you not aware of the basic knowledge of Hell?

Outside of Hell, devils are never killed; they are merely stripped of all possessions–usually souls, but for these stingy fellows…it might be more painful than death.”

Mezulash simply bowed to the Red Dragon, “Your Majesty, I will use the power you’ve granted me to control these demons one by one.”

“Excellent, I look forward to seeing your results, Mezulash. Since they come from Barto Hell, imprison these uninvited guests, your relatives, in Barto City.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Cassius turned his head, looking at Orestes with his pale gold vertical pupil.

Though the Lich seemed quite exhausted, the fire of his soul had grown significantly, returning to about sixty or seventy percent of its original strength.

Orestes often secretly reveled in his recovery of power.

However, this Lich didn’t know that the peculiar energy he obtained from converting undead, ninety percent of it ended up in the pockets of the Red Dragon. Furthermore, Cassius was considering raising the share to ninety-five percent to better control the Lich and extort experience.

The Red Dragon slightly narrowed his eyes and said to the Lich: “Orestes, I was not wrong; you are very knowledgeable about the Nine Layers of Hell.”

Orestes was overjoyed, the ghost fire in his eye sockets flared up by three parts. “Master, when I was a mortal mage, I searched everywhere for methods of immortality and had some understanding of the devil contracts of Hell, but those devils…”

The Lich paused, and the flickering flames clearly conveyed an emotion of “disgust.” “Those devils are utter bastards, shameless deceivers. Their contracts are filled with traps. Three hundred years ago, I was almost deceived by a Great Devil and nearly offered up my own soul.”

Cassius had no interest in hearing about the old tales of the Lich and pulled out a scroll, placing it in front of Orestes. “Orestes, take a look at this contract.”

Orestes carefully read the contract then his expression suddenly changed, murmuring, “Zareel? That madwoman is once again peering into the Prime Material Plane…

Master, she is a Devil Duke from the first layer of Hell–Avernus, a Blazing Angel who fell from Heaven ten thousand years ago, extremely powerful, a warmonger.”

Cassius continued, “Our spies from the South found this, and according to our assessment, Hell could possibly become the backer of the Thrace Kingdom, disrupting the Empire’s grand conquest plans.”

Red Dragon observed the Lich from above, speaking softly, “Orestes, share your thoughts.”

Orestes opened his skeletal mouth, revealing a chilling smile–though a nearly fleshless Lich could only show such a smile. “Master, you must know, while an orderly force, Hell is not of one piece.”

The Lich extended his withered, thin arm, tapping with a bony finger, and an image of the Devil Army slaughtering each other in Hell appeared before them.

Listening to the neat war cries of the devils, Orestes continued, “Devils inherently possess unparalleled ambition; conspiracy, deceit, and strife are their instincts, and the Lords of Hell are constantly engaged in eternal conflicts for supreme dominion.

And madwomen like Zareel, obsessed with the Blood Battle without a care… there are untold numbers of Great Devils in Hell who hate her.”

Cassius nodded thoughtfully: “Are you suggesting — we could seek an ally within Hell to restrain Zareel?”

The Lich bowed his head slightly, his tone especially ingratiating: “Master, your wisdom astounds me.”

“Recommend a suitable candidate to me; I will personally negotiate with them.”

Upon hearing Cassius’s words, the Lich seemed to recall something, suddenly becoming speechless, finding it hard to speak.

Because the first “suitable ally” that came to mind was the Great Devil who had almost enslaved his soul.

Cassius watched him, puzzled in his eyes.

“What’s wrong?”

Orestes hastily responded: “Of course, no problem, my respected master, please look here –”

The Lich raised his bone scepter, and the mist of Necromancy churned in the air, creating a vivid Magic Image once again.

Cassius shifted his gaze there, only to see a giant devil appear in the Magic Image:

The devil’s body was covered with dark red scales, behind which stretched a pair of fierce, bat-like wings. Green venom continuously dripped from its mouth, falling to the ground and sparking bursts of smoke.

The most eye-catching aspect was his waist, from which hung a belt with 12 screaming angel heads.

Undoubtedly, these heads were severed by the Great Sword clutched tight in claw-like hands, and that deep red face was grotesquely grinning.

This was simply the quintessential image of a “Great Devil” in the minds of mortals.

Orestes introduced: “This is Bel, the former Master of Avernus, a cruel warlord who, hundreds of years ago, betrayed Zareel and seized the opportunity to ascend as a Devil Lord.”

Unfortunately, his performance on the Blood Battle Battlefield paled in comparison to that madman Zareel, resulting in his demotion by the Lord of Nine Prisons, allowing Zareel to regain her position.

In order to keep Bel busy and out of her sight, Zareel tasked him with forging weapons, armor, and terrifying killing machines.”

The Lich shrugged indifferently. “But that’s not important, what’s more important is… now he harbors an almost insane hatred towards Zareel. And that, is our opportunity.”

Cassius studied the image of the Great Devil with interest, assessing: “Bel, huh… sounds not bad.”

Recalling his own past experiences, Orestes quietly reminded: “Though I always know your wisdom, master, these devils are extremely cunning, you must be cautious…”

“Heh, against absolute strength, all schemes and tricks are futile. A downtrodden Hell Lord is simply that, even if we really sign a contract, the leadership of this cooperation… remains in my hands.”

Cassius’s tone was filled with confidence, his self-assessment now clear — unless the Gods themselves intervene, there are few beings capable of stopping him on this Material Plane.

His only problem was that his foundation and methods were somewhat lacking, not yet sufficient to match those ancient beings who have lived for thousands of years.

However, forming an alliance with devils, although risky, could also help mitigate his shortcomings to some extent.

Red Dragon slowly rose, lifting his head, gazing into the distance, then spreading his wide wings. “Since Thrace seeks help from Hell, then let us utilize the power of devils to combat devils.

By the way… it might also be good to start a cooperation with the rulers of Hell.”

Seeing Cassius stand up, the three Retainers unanimously exclaimed: “Your Majesty (Master) is wise!”