Game of the World Tree-Chapter 584

【 DEMON LIEGE BAAL 】

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The First of the Seven Layers of Hell, Endless Abyss.

This realm is eternally cloaked in dimness and crimson hues. Towering black clouds choke the skies, blotting out even the faintest glimmer of natural light. The only illumination that pierces through it comes from rivers of boiling lava that carve through the scorched terrain, casting a hellish red glow across the desolate land.

It is a world devoid of peace or mercy, where infernal heat and noxious fumes fill the air, and the very ground trembles with the ceaseless rumble of molten tides. Here, demons of every shape and size are locked in a brutal, unending cycle:

to live, breed, hunt, devour and grow stronger, only to fall and be consumed in turn.

This world is countless times more chaotic and wicked than the Underground.

Yet despite their innate evil and chaotic nature, the demons that inhabit this place still operate within a rudimentary structure of order.

And this order is established based on strength.

Like other typical realms within the Abyss, the realm of Hell has also developed a pyramidal hierarchy governed by demons and at the top of this hierarchy stood the Demon Lords and Evil Gods, beneath whom are the Demon Lieges whose power has reached the Legendary rank.

Below the Demon Lieges are numerous Demon Nobles, with each possessing power at the Gold rank.

These Demon Nobles form the lowest tier of the ruling class of demons, each controlling a territory of varying size.

Together with the Demon Lieges, they constitute the Upper Class of Demons and beneath them are the ordinary demons.

Ordinary demons are divided into Greater and Lesser Demons. Greater Demons are typically of Silver rank and serve as the vanguard of demonic armies.

Lesser Demons, on the other hand, are all of Iron rank.

Known also as “Inferior Demons,” they form the bulk of the demon legions, serving both as servants and expendable fodder.

Below even the Lesser Demons are the Abyssal Worms, which are the lowest class of all.

These creatures are not even qualified to be used as fodder for they exist solely to be consumed as food.

In the Abyss, aside from the higher demons and those beings who have mutated into demons due to the corrupting influence of the Abyss, all other Greater and Lesser Demons originate from Abyssal Worms.

Thus, Abyssal Worms are not only the food source for demons but also their origin.

However, without interference from a Demon Lord, Evil God, or any other external force, it is incredibly difficult for an Abyssal Worm to evolve into a higher demon.

Most high-ranking demons are either born from the union of other higher demons or are beings of equivalent rank who fell and transformed into demons.

It is also worth noting that demons with demigod-level power are extremely rare.

This is not only because demons struggle to ascend to the Mythical rank, but also due to the suppression by other Demon Lords and Evil Gods.

In the Seven Layers of Hell, the realm’s core origin has fused with the Seven Demon Lords, who forbid the emergence of demigod-rank demons.

In other realms in the Abyss, any demon that reaches the power of a demigod is typically devoured by the ruling Evil God since none of them will allow potential threats to their dominance to exist.

Only a few extraordinarily fortunate demons ever evolve into Evil Gods.

Most Evil Gods, in fact, are former True Gods who fell after being corrupted by the power of the Abyss.

Thus, aside from the rarely seen Demon Lords and Evil Gods, the Demon Lieges stand as the highest rulers within Hell.

Baal is one of those Demon Lieges.

He has been waging war against other Demon Lieges within the First Layer of Hell for thousands of years.

Demons have finite lifespans, but unlike other beings, they can extend their lives indefinitely by continually devouring others and stealing their life force. So in theory, they can achieve a form of immortality.

Therefore, although Baal possesses only peak Legendary strength, his lifespan exceeds even that of many ancient dragons.

For most Demon Lieges, their greatest threat is not time, but war with rival Demon Lieges and the hostility of higher beings like Demon Lords and Evil Gods.

However, Baal is rather fortunate in this regard.

The true ruler of the First Layer of the Hell—Azazel, the Seventh Demon Lord who governs the powers of Hellfire, Lust, and Horned Demons—has been sealed in the realm of Seigües by the Gods for over ten thousand years.

During this span of ten millennia, the First Layer of Hell has been nothing short of paradise for its Demon Lieges.

With no interference from a Demon Lord, they are free to wage wars, expand their dominions, and pursue higher ascension without restraint.

Baal, being a powerful demon in his own right, took full advantage of this time period.

During these millennia, he continuously led Demon Lieges of various ranks in wars against rival Demon Lieges, killing and devouring his equals, expanding his domain like a snowball rolling downhill.

Now, Baal has become the most powerful Demon Liege in the First Layer of Hell and he is only a step away from becoming a Demon Lord, and over one-third of the entire first layer is under his control.

But admittedly, this… is his limit.

Despite his immense power, Baal remains only one entity.

When other Demon Lieges unite to resist him, he can no longer advance.

Of course, demons are inherently selfish, short-sighted, chaotic, and evil.

One should never expect true unity from them.

Even Demon Lieges rule their subordinates through fear alone.

Thus, even when the other Demon Lieges join forces against Baal, they can merely hold him at bay.

“Hmph. Just a bunch of cowardly demons… nothing more than weaklings standing in the way of my ascension.”

Whilst seated upon the throne in his demonic fortress, Baal drank the blood of a virgin from a horned goblet, his face full of scorn.

The blood had been offered to him as a sacrifice by his worshipers in the material world.

Although he still haven’t attained divine ascension, as a peak Legendary-rank demon, he possesses the power to receive such sacrifices.

Hearing Baal’s words and feeling the terrifying pressure emanating from him, the greater and lesser demons serving below trembled in fear.

Even the steward demon, who had reached the upper Gold rank, was shivering uncontrollably.

No one dared to utter a single word.

Baal was notoriously short-tempered. So if he chose to vent his wrath on someone at the moment, then their only fate would be to be devoured.

Casting a disdainful glance at his trembling subordinates, Baal let out a cold snort. He rose from his throne and strode toward the gates of his fortress.

A blood-red cape billowed behind him, and the ferocious black armor he wore made his appearance all the more terrifying.

Like most ordinary demons of the First Layer of Hell, Baal took the form of a horned demon, which is a species under the dominion of the Seventh Demon Lord, Azazel. The entire horned demon race was, in fact, born from Azazel himself, who had fused his blood with the Abyssal Broodmother.

Of course, Azazel’s intention was never to raise an offspring and his goal was merely to create more convenient fodder and sustenance for himself.

It should be noted that not all Demon Lieges retain the form of horned demons like Baal. Due to chaotic and indiscriminate consumption and evolution, Demon Lieges often take on a wide variety of appearances.

So Baal who chose to retain his original form is actually quite rare.

Baal’s unchanged appearance had nothing to do with loyalty or reverence toward Azazel. It was simply because he had been forcibly elevated by Azazel by fusing a part of his own blood into the body of an inferior demon, transforming it into what Baal eventually became.

Baal felt no gratitude for this.

Only fear.

He understood all too well that Azazel had no goodwill in the matter.

Azazel’s sole purpose for creating him was to become a potential territory manager for his dominion and a reserve food source.

Compared to him, those Demon Lieges with impure bloodlines and grotesquely mutated forms were much safer in Azazel’s eyes.

Once Baal grew strong enough, Azazel would undoubtedly devour him without hesitation.

That was the reason why, during Azazel’s long period of imprisonment, Baal had pursued power with a fanatical desperation by devouring, conquering, expanding in the hopes of altering his fate.

He firmly believed that Azazel’s grip on the First Layer of Hell must have weakened during his confinement.

If he could continue devouring other Demon Lieges and amass power, then perhaps he might break through the realm’s constraints and ascend to true demigod status.

Once he became a demigod, he hoped to harness the power of laws to search for the origin where Azazel’s divine core was hidden within Hell.

If he could locate it and forcibly devour Azazel’s hidden divine core—thanks to their nearly identical bloodlines—then Baal could usurp his power and become the new Seventh Demon Lord.

That was the dream Baal held. But reality was far more brutal.

Even after a full millennias of Azazel’s imprisonment, even after devouring countless other Demon Lieges, Baal still could not break through the suppression of Hell to reach the rank of a demigod.

Azazel’s control over the first layer was far stronger than Baal had imagined.

And now, Baal had finally come to a grim realization: unless Azazel perished, he would never be able to ascend.

The fate of eventually being devoured was inescapable.

It was a deadlock.

That was why Baal had grown increasingly irritable in recent times, especially after receiving word a few years ago that Azazel may have escaped his seal in the realm of Seigües.

Later, further news arrived claiming that shortly after his escape, Azazel had once again been sealed by a newly ascended True God.

But when Baal heard this, he felt no relief.

As someone personally created by Azazel, Baal knew all too well the extent of his creator’s power.

Even after being sealed for ten thousand years, a newly ascended God could never possibly defeat Azazel.

One of Azazel’s divinity was Earthfire. Therefore, as long as he remained underground, his ability to escape was unmatched.

Unless a True God with at least lesser divine power intervened, no one could hope to stop him.

And a newly ascended God?

Forget lesser divine power, such a being might barely qualify for even the weakest tier of divinity.

A seal?

Heh.

Even if such a seal succeeded, it would barely hold.

Everyone in the universe knew that the mana capacity of Seigües was rapidly increasing and its dimensional passageways were reopening, and countless seals across realms were weakening…

So for Azazel to be sealed at this time?

At most, it only would imprison him for a short while.

That is, unless some immensely powerful divine artifact was suppressing him—or unless Azazel was beaten to the brink of death and then imprisoned—the so-called “seal” which imprisoned the Seventh Demon Lord was little more than a temporary measure.

Once again, Baal placed no faith in the idea that a newly ascended God could defeat Azazel in battle.

Especially when this god was said to be an elven god.

And what are elves known for?

Naïve and foolish.

Baal didn’t believe for a second that Azazel could be sealed by someone like that.

He was certain Azazel would escape and it was only a matter of time before he did so.

And for Baal, that time was rapidly running out.

Yet just as Baal left his fortress, preparing to seek out and battle another nearby Demon Liege…

A majestic and malevolent voice suddenly echoed throughout the entire first layer of Hell.

“All Demon Lieges within the First Layer of Hell, heed my command. Answer my summons. Descend upon the realm of Seigües!”

It was without a doubt the voice of the Seventh Demon Lord Azazel.

In an instant, Baal’s pupils constricted sharply.

“This… this is a Demon Lord’s summoning!”

He exclaimed in disbelief.

The Summoning of Demon Lieges was a unique ability reserved for Demon Lords alone.

As rulers of their respective dominions, Demon Lords possess the power to open dimensional portals and summon their demonic legions across different worlds.

Had this occurred ten thousand years ago, Baal wouldn’t have found it surprising.

But now, Azazel was not only sealed but also located in the realm of Seigües, wherein the dimensional passageways had yet to fully reopen.

This… was highly irregular.

More disturbingly, Azazel had managed to project his voice directly into Hell despite being supposedly sealed.

“As expected… He was never fully sealed! And He has somehow found a way to open a portal to the realm of Seigües!”

At that moment, an unexplainable sense of panic surged within Baal.

In truth, Azazel’s voice sounded extremely weak.

But the weaker it sounded, the more fearful Baal became.

Because that weakness signaled desperation or in other words, a dire need for sustenance!

So it was highly likely that Azazel summoning all the Demon Lieges was not just to face an enemy…

It might also be a part of breaking his seal—or worse, preparing to devour his own subordinates.

And among all Demon Lieges, with him being the strongest of them would undoubtedly be the prime target.

Baal could, of course, choose not to answer the call.

However, the First Layer of Hell was vast. Surely, there would be others who, out of fear of Azazel, would obey and go. One way or another, Azazel’s return now seemed inevitable.

And once Azazel returned… it would mean Baal’s end.

For a moment, Baal’s expression shifted dramatically.

After a brief internal struggle, he clenched his teeth and muttered:

“So what if it’s the realm of Seigües? This summoning might be my opportunity! I refuse to believe that the suppression of Hell can still hold me back once I transfer over to Seigües!”

Indeed, the suppression of Hell had long been obstructing his path to advancement.

But Seigües would not have such suppressive force.

By leaving Hell, Baal believed he could finally break free from the chains of fate.

If he could use this summoning as a chance to escape into Seigües and go into hiding, then perhaps he could rely on devouring the native creatures there to ascend and eventually become an Evil God, which is a viable path forward.

Ordinarily, demons in Hell cannot enter other realms without the permission of a Demon Lord. At most, they can only send projections.

Only demons from lesser Abyssal Realms have this freedom.

But now, the opportunity had come.

If he could successfully escape after being summoned, then that… could be his new path.

Unfortunately, choosing this path would mean he could no longer become an undying and immortal Demon Lord.

Still… it was at least an alternative.

“Don’t overthink it. First, I need to make it out from under His nose alive.”

Baal muttered to himself.

Judging from Azazel’s voice, it was highly likely the Seventh Demon Lord’s condition was currently extremely poor.

Though it could be a ruse, Baal had no other option now but to take that chance.

Given his current strength, and if Azazel’s seal had indeed not yet been fully undone, a brute force escape might still be possible…

With that in mind, Baal turned back to glance at his fortress within the first layer.

It was large and imposing.

His days here had been unrestrained and comfortable.

However…

“All of this is merely temporary freedom. If I truly seek freedom, I must stand on my own!”

“Giving all this up will be difficult… but if I succeed in reaching Seigües, I can build an even grander fortress with the help of the local races there! I will reside in the most luxurious palace there, drink the freshest blood every day, and feast on the finest flesh!”

“I hear the elves are particularly delicious. Once I get there, I’ll capture as many elves as I can! not only to devour them but to make them serve me! They’ll become my toys for amusement!”

Baal encouraged himself aloud.

No demon could resist the allure of the material world.

To demons, devouring mortal lifeforms and corrupting the environments of the material world was an instinctive drive.

His gaze grew resolute as he answered Azazel’s summons:

“I shall obey… Your will.”

A crimson magical array formed beneath his feet, radiating a dark red glow.

A moment later, Baal’s figure vanished from Hell.

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