Chapter 18: The First Hell
"What's so funny, Judis?"
"It's my turn, and now that your friends are here, I can send you all to HELL!"
"What does he mean?" asked Recks.
"Hmmm…" Jigen began to ponder. "It couldn't be. Not like the Sinwraith."
"You mean, Pandemonium?"
"Yes… and no. Pandemonium is a false hell, a lair of demons. An illusion, if you will."
"Exactly… fu fu fu… but I can assure you, my next play will be no illusion. I activate the Portal to Hell!"
Above them, a huge dark red hole ripped open in the sky above the tower.
Far away from the tower, a dark figure, dressed in black clothes and a red, cloaked cape, stood on a hill overlooking the town. He wore a large red headband above his eyes and most of his face was hidden. 'Well, the shadow wars have begun. What fun. As soon as I learn the secrets of the Cree, I shall join in these games, but for now, I will sit and watch. If this Judis thinks he can wield the powers of hell… he will be sadly mistaken.'
Wind got sucked into the hole. Everyone on the tower grabbed hold of something, but the rising air currents were too powerful and they all were absorbed. The hole slowly began to close behind them. Lightning struck the tower. Dark clouds rolled into the town once more. The streets danced in fire.
"Wake up, Bann, unless you consent to your loss. I understand if you know can't win. The fate of the world rests on this moment. If you lose, then the shadow wars begin and Erebus is revived."
"Fuck you and your Erebus you N00b piece of shit… cough"
Bann stood up, clasped his right arm around his chest, and looked around. The rest of the Bashers still laid still on the ground. Brimstone covered the area. It was hot, but very dry. It felt like fire was liquefied in the air. Bann could hardly breath the stale air.
"This…" he could barely finish, short of breath and utterly shocked. "This is no illusion. Your portal…"
"…brought us to the real place? Of course it did. What better way to kill you then in your eternal prison. Welcome to Avernus."
"You're really sick."
"Thank you. I try my best. For my next move, I activate Premature Burial to revive my Hell Soldier. Then I activate Earthquake."
Hell Soldier came back again. Soon after, the rock below them shook, switching every monster to defense position and waking up Bann's friends.
"Now, I offer my Hell Soldier as a Tribute to summon Hell General Mefist. To finish my turn, I will attack your Gearfried."
Mefist struck Gearfried with his spear, sending it through Gearfried and hitting the end into Bann's shoulder.
"Feel the pain? Good. I set a spell and end my turn."
A slight glow seemed to radiate over Judis, but vanished as quickly as it appeared. The glow seemed to cause Judis to stagger, but only for a mere second.
'Strange…' "My turn. I summon Gold Knight and Dark Blade. Then I attack Mefist with Gold Knight."
"Activate Hell Blast!"
Mefist exploded in fiery blast and took Command Knight with him. Damage was then inflicted to both duelists.
"I can still attack with Dark Blade."
Dark Blade started his assault.
"No, you cannot. I activate Lava Wall."
A wall of magma burst up from the ground, stopping Dark Blade's attack.
"My turn again? Good. I activate the River Styx."
A dark river of blood and water flowed between Bann and Judis.
"The river of death protects me. You will soon see. Also, thanks to Avernus, I can bring Hell Cree to my mind. And now, I will summon the first dark lord."
"First?"
"Arise Bel!"
A beastly warrior composed of infinite blackness rose from the ground. Blood covered his demonic body.
"As long as he is my only monster, Bel's attack increases. Bel, attack Gold Knight!"
"Activate Knight's Shield."
Gold Knight shielded itself from Bel's attack. Bel hopped back across the river, baring his claws and teeth. Blood continued to drip from his body, as if from nowhere.
"My turn. I activate Shien's Spy. This allows me to transfer my Dark Blade to your side of the field. Too bad your Lord Bel loses attack now."
Judis watched in shock as Bel shrunk in and withered.
"Then I attack Bel with my Gold Knight."
Gold Knight lifted his light blade and struck down the devil lord.
"ARRGGHH!" Judis screamed at the painful wound he suffered from Bel's destruction. He fell to his knees and laughed. "You will pay for that. You only destroyed the Lord of the First."
The land around them began to change. An iron city rose from the depths. The dark red skies were painted black with clouds. Dark Blade jumped back onto Bann's side of the field.
"Welcome to Dis, the last city you will ever see. Now I summon Hell Wraith."
A ghastly figure, engulfed in flames, collected itself on the field. A skull-like image appeared where a head would be. It cackled at Bann.
"What the hell is going on here? Why did this place just change?" Morgen asked.
"We have entered the second layer of hell," Jigen explained. "This is Dis, the Iron City."
"You are correct, and just like Avernus, Dis has its own ruler. Now, Hell Wraith, attack Gold Knight."
Hell Wraith struck, but its attack seemed to parallel Gold Knights. Both monsters were destroyed.
"Now I can activate Hell Calling. I have to pay with my blood to summon the Lord of the Second, but thanks to the River Styx, I can take my life payment out of there. Arise Archduke Dispater."
A tall man and small horns rose from the ground. His dark black hair blew in the heated winds. In his right hand, he held a long rod-like staff. He wore resplendent garbs and a look of sorrow on his face. Behind him, a tall Iron Tower rose from the ground. Dispater jumped onto the tower as it rose and stood within it. Judis stood beside it laughing.
"You will never get past the tower of Dispater. Within his tower, he is invincible!"
Next time on City of Fire: Tower, Bog, and Flame