"That is the Lord of 'Envy' you mentioned? Truly..."
"Very slutty, right?"
The car finally stopped in front of a large black mountain. Four other cars were already parked nearby; it seemed some people hadn't arrived yet. After Artoria accompanied Likmiel out of the car, they walked along a small path into the mountain. A massive, blood-red stone gate stood on the mountainside. Likmiel stepped forward and chanted a strange, tongue-twisting incantation, and the red gate slowly opened. Likmiel then led Artoria inside. Once inside, Artoria discovered the entire mountain was hollow. A giant flat rock floated in the center of the mountain. Likmiel led the way, and Artoria followed, flying directly onto the giant rock, as there were no paths connecting it to the ground. In the center of the rock was a massive blood-red pattern. Artoria followed silently behind Likmiel, observing the other members of the Seven Deadly Sins. She happened to see a woman who was completely naked, her body covered in strange runes without a single stitch of clothing to hide her.
The moment she saw her, Artoria matched her with the Lust Demon Likmiel had described. This should be the leader of the Lust Demons. To show no hint of shyness in front of so many people, and instead give off a feeling of wanting to pounce on anyone she saw—it seemed she was releasing 'mating' hormones to all surrounding creatures. Artoria whispered a word to Likmiel, and the other confirmed Artoria's suspicion.
"Oh~! Likmiel, is this little sister a newborn Succubus? She looks quite... to... my... taste!"
Artoria had intended to stay low-key by Likmiel's side without saying a word, waiting for these demons to hold their meeting. However, she didn't expect this 'Envy' Lord to linger over to them, staring straight at Artoria's face. Those pink eyes, filled with desire, even seemed to want to draw one's soul in. Who knows what was wrong with her; it was one thing for her mouth to be watering, but even down there... cough! Because there was nothing covering her, it was clearly visible—it was pink.
"Bular, you insatiable wretch. Or would you like the Tentacle King to properly satisfy that stench you're radiating? Stay away from my clanswoman."
Likmiel reached out to block Artoria behind her, her eyes devoid of any emotion as she spoke 'vicious' words to the 'Envy' Lord. Her razor-sharp gaze forced the Lord back. However, this small commotion didn't draw any attention from the other three. The conflict between Succubi and Lust Demons was more than just this; bickering was common. As long as it wasn't a life-and-Death struggle, they wouldn't even spare a glance. After all, in Hell, might makes right. They only wanted winners, not losers. Bular's temporary submission made Likmiel feel very pleased. Giving a harsh glare to Bular, who had returned to her position, Likmiel smiled refreshingly.
"It seems everyone except 'Sloth' has arrived! But it doesn't matter."
The last to appear was a blonde Big Sister type who was extremely beautiful, yet one could feel a suffocating sense of arrogance from her, like an ant looking up at a human. It was very intense. Her cold gaze swept over everyone present, but when she saw Artoria, she clearly paused for a moment before quickly moving on. It wasn't as if the Seven Deadly Sins didn't bring guards, and it was possible this was a successor the Lord had found. She didn't have the time, nor did she want to manage Likmiel's private affairs. However, she didn't expect the'Succubus' clan to produce such a beautiful woman again; it was truly surprising.
"I presume everyone knows the news of the Hell Gate's anomaly. I don't like wasting words. A mage with powerful magic actually opened our Hell Gate at will. We need to take what kind of conspiracy lies behind such behavior seriously. Once any abnormal creatures or humans are discovered, kill them on the spot and bring their souls here. Human souls can provide much of the information we need."
Seeing that 'everyone had arrived,' the Pride Lord took her position. The six formed a circle, with Artoria and the other guards behind their respective Lords. They began to state the purpose of this gathering and arrange the matters at hand, such as how to handle the aftermath. To be honest, Artoria's current mood was quite subtle. Listening to a group of people discuss how to deal with her own home felt strange, especially since they didn't know she was right beside them. This feeling made Artoria want to laugh, but she held it in, not wanting to cause trouble for Likmiel.
"By the way, there is one more very important thing. Bring it up."
Pride quickly finished explaining her reasons for calling everyone together. Just as she was about to dismiss the meeting, she suddenly remembered something. She had her subordinates bring up several items covered in black cloth. While everyone was confused, Artoria sensed the scent of light. A faint holy feeling drifted from those bundles. Frowning, Artoria understood what they were.
"Everyone, please look."
Facing the curiosity of the other Great Sins, Pride had no intention of keeping them in suspense. With a wave of her hand, the black cloths covering the bundles instantly disappeared. Beautiful creatures radiating white holy light appeared before everyone (demons). These were none other than Angels, except these Angels seemed to be dead. Artoria saw one Angel who clearly looked like a woman, a massive black sword pierced through her chest. From her perception, the bodies of these Angels had lost their vitality, proving they were dead. The residual holy aura on their bodies indicated they hadn't been dead for long.
"Those Birdmen from Heaven seem to have found a new way to enter Hell, and they are very active."
Seeing the solemnity on the faces of all the Great Sins, Pride's head moved slightly, seemingly satisfied with their reaction. She recounted how she had encountered and killed these Birdmen. All the demons realized the seriousness of the matter. That is to say, without them knowing at all, these guys had mastered a way to come to Hell and even showed a strong desire to attack Hell. This was not good news, because it meant that the God of Heaven might have returned to normal.
"This is the rhythm of going to war!"
Artoria stood silently outside the circle. She watched the discussion among the six Great Sins, feeling incredibly lucky in her heart. Fortunately, she had come along this time. Otherwise, she wouldn't have known what kind of nonsense 'Lust' would tell her after returning. She had seen it clearly this time—Hell was preparing to go to war with Heaven. She had accidentally stumbled into such a troublesome matter. As for fighting, Artoria had never been afraid, but what she disliked most was being involved in a war between races, because it was somewhat inappropriate to help anyone. After all, she didn't belong to either of the two warring races.
"We must counterattack regarding this matter. We can't let those Birdmen from Heaven look down on us."
The pro-war 'Wrath' immediately voiced her thoughts. She didn't even care to mention 'Sloth' now; she just wanted to quickly assemble an army and launch a counterattack against Heaven to demonstrate Hell's mettle. However, those present were all cunning demons. Although they all wanted to strike back at Heaven, they weren't brainless enough to charge in blindly. They began to think of ways to counterattack. This attack from Heaven was too sudden. If the other party hadn't been unlucky enough to run into the powerful Pride, this squad might have actually succeeded in ambushing a Lord. Although they might not have killed a Lord, a heavy injury would have been certain.
"Let's gather our combat strength first!"
A big-breasted sister with long black hair looked very intellectual—it would be even better if one could ignore the fact that she was constantly eating. This was 'Gluttony'. The counterattack against Heaven was almost a foregone conclusion. No matter how many conflicts they had between them, they could still unite when facing a mortal enemy. Her suggestion was to first consolidate their combat power. Don't let her being a foodie fool you; her brains hadn't been eaten. She quickly outlined a series of methods and analyzed the entire situation, looking very professional. Hearing Gluttony's analysis, Artoria looked at this Lord in surprise. It was truly hard to imagine that such an intellectual demon existed. No wonder Hell could quickly counterattack during Heaven's offensives; it was all because they had such talents! Indeed, one cannot underestimate Hell, which seems backward and resource-poor.
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