Ball of Nothing

by Stayrr

I started off as nothing, just a mass of consciousness that slowly evolved. Just your average overpowered existence hungry for a multiverse adventure. Demons? They are my friends. Monsters? They are delicacies. Heroes? Not even equal to the dirt on my boots. Royalty? Money Machi- Ahem, a pleasure doing business. Immortals and Gods? Share with me the latest gossips! With power comes

5. 169

Chapter 169: Part Timer

While Zero, Baal and Enma were having fun in a different carriage, Ruth was stuck with an annoying busty lady, an old coot and a serene looking weirdo who wouldn't stop smiling. Lucifer had matters to attend to so he returned to his office immediately after the trial. According to the busty lady called Coux, they were shorthanded and decided to enlist Ruth's help for the shop. In other words, he was now a free labourer not that it was any different from being a slave. What annoyed him was how the person ordering him around wasn't even the one who bought him. There went his hopes for exploring the castle.

"Are you even listening?" the half-succubus chided. Sekkin would be helping at the shop too so that someone could keep an eye on the vampire. Coux didn't have time to babysit him with a certain Demon Lord making her so busy. She had to prepare the necessary documents and arrangement for King Yama after the announcement. They didn't have a huge window period of time between the trial and the Pardon Fest as Zero dubbed it. She wanted at least a week for preparations but Lucifer disagreed. It seemed like there were some urgent matters that required Zero's attention as soon as possible.

Ruth huffed at the secretary. "I got it. Smile, greet the customers, take their orders then serve them. I won't pull anything funny."

"You'd better not. I don't want to have to chase you down if you do. I've got my hands full as it is."

After a few minutes of silence, Ruth was unable to endure the burning stare from his side any longer.

"Can I help you?" he glared at the old coot who was known to be the greatest doctor.

"Could you tell me more about your constitution? My student has mentioned something rather interesting. Is blood the only thing you can consume? What happened if you try to consume other things like plants and animals? I heard that you cannot stomach cooked food?"

Ruth sighed heavily. Leave it to his current master to influence others in a terrible manner. Reluctantly, he answered all of Hua Tuo's questions while wishing that time would pass faster.

Ruth had to admit, the annoying secretary knew sorcery with food. If she didn't look so smug, the food might have tasted better.

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"What's this?" he asked in between bites.

"The innards of a pygmy boar. They were seasoned and grilled."

Ruth couldn't help but stuff his face. Grilled? What was that? It smelled of fire but it tasted like smoke. Still, there was the smell of water but tasted absolutely divine. If all cooked food was like this, he would gladly eat anything. For a very long time, Ruth always thought that cooked food was something he couldn't stomach. Many of his clan members have fallen ill because of cooked food. Vampires never fell ill and having so many collapsing at once was a terrible omen. It was also because of cooked food that his clan got wiped out.

The half-succubus grinned at the wolfish way Ruth ate. He had food smeared across his chin and had forgotten his manners in favour of addressing his hunger. Expecting that the vampire will ask for seconds, she busied her hands with the next dish. If she hadn't seen Beelzebub or Zero eat before, she would've thought Ruth had a bottomless stomach. Somehow, she didn't blame the vampire. He needed some food in him. Looking like a pile of skin and bones wasn't considered healthy and Coux was going to change that.

The next dish smelled divine and Ruth wondered how much he was missing out on. Whatever Coux did to the food, she transformed it completely. Ruth didn't think that eating anything that was processed would be possible. After all, it was common knowledge that most things found in Hell were poisonous or toxic. It wasn't just vampires. Anyone living outside of the six domains fell sick eating anything. It was one of the reasons why many weaker species who couldn't eat hunted food lived in those domains. Hunter type species like vampires, wolves and foxes lived in their individual colonies outside of the domains. Even so, life was tough for them. The weak died and the strong stepped upon their bodies to go further.

"Don't forget that you'll have to work after you finish eating. Those who do not work here do not get to eat. I have to leave soon to check on Lord Baal. Sekkin will teach you the ropes of what to do when there is a difficult customer. Although our girls are more than capable of defending themselves, it is the duty of men to protect them. Also, do not hurt our customers. They pay for the food here and becoming further in debt isn't something we want."

Ruth only listened half-heartedly, more focussed on the food in front of him. This time, it was lamb leg broiled in herbs. The herbs tasted funny on his tongue and tingled for a while before disappearing. Although it wasn't evident, Ruth could feel something changing in his body after three bites of the lamb leg.

"What did you add?" he asked cautiously.

Coux blinked. "I don't know. It is something Zero and Hua Tuo prescribed. You should be feeling the effects soon enough. Zero noticed that you were feeling weak and lethargic. The herbs were meant to rejuvenate you and improve circulation of blood although I don't know how that would work for a vampire."

Ruth felt it. The rushing of blood and the burst of energy. His mind felt sharp, his body much lighter. Every breath that Ruth took, he was aware of how polluted the air was. It was tainting his blood and the vampire held his breath. It wasn't necessary for vampires to breathe so often. He wasn't in dire need of regeneration so not breathing in mana would be fine.

"Why does Zero do such things? I could be out to harm him. Even if he is strong, isn't he being too careless and overly trusting?"

Coux paused. The dishes she was clearing were gently placed on the table. "That's just how he is. It is also the reason why we've chosen to assist him in any way we can. You wouldn't know of it but Zero has saved our village. He might have forgiven the traitor back then and put himself in danger by doing so but not everyone is happy about what he did. People who are ignorant will fear the unknown and powerful."

"He forgave a traitor?"

"Douglas was one of us. He sold information to the enemy who came attacking us with an army. Zero brought him back to life even after he'd killed our warrior chief and banished him by using a divine spell called Judgement. He removed the Selkie heritage that Douglas hated so much and turned him into a human. Zero believes that everyone deserves a second chance and as a doctor, he can't help but save anyone who looked like they needed saving."

Ruth didn't say anything. It was difficult to understand how someone so selflessly kind could exist. The world was a cruel place. It was impossible to not have learnt how painful it could be. Children would grow up someday when they came to understand how cruel the world was. Surely Zero wasn't a sheltered child. He obviously knew the consequences of his actions and that made Ruth question it. What was Zero's motive? What did he gain out of meddling into other people's business and trying to help them even if it hurt him in the process of doing so?

"How did Zero react to the villagers who didn't approve of him giving this traitor a second chance?"

Coux shrugged. "Zero doesn't know it yet. It's the whole reason why we came to Hell. He lost consciousness from overusing magic. Baal brought him here to recover quicker and we tagged on for the ride. It's funny, isn't it? Lord Baal only goes this far for Zero. Whatever history they had, I'm not privy to the details. However, I heard that Zero once saved Baal in a sense. They met in the void or something like that. It's also why Zero can afford to be whimsical in Hell."

Ruth didn't ask anymore. Coux busied away and introduced a spider demon to the vampire. "This is Sekkin. If you have any questions about the job you can look for him. Usually, he is busy patrolling or running errands for the shop but for this period of time until Redemption Day he will be helping out here."

With that, the half-succubus took off. Sekkin was a very patient person who taught Ruth everything he needed to know from putting on the waiter uniform to how to brew tea. Ruth picked up everything Sekkin taught quickly. Despite his lack of finesse, the vampire was doing well in maintaining the professional and elegant image. Being a vampire meant that Ruth was gifted with good looks. He used that to work in his advantage and that made up for his lack of ability with words. Amaraline's advice to use simple words worked wonderfully and Ruth couldn't be more pleased. It was easier to get the job done without much communication. Rinse and repeat, Ruth eased into a routine when it came to taking orders and clearing the table.

Qin Yun watched as Ruth took to the new job like a fish in the water. With the extra hands helping to serve and clean, the fox spirit could now conserve her energy and focus on cooking. Amaraline pitched in with the preparation work and time flew by quickly. The lunch crowd toned down nearing to tea time and that was when Ruth made his first error on the job.

The bell chimed and the vampire turned around to greet the new guests on reflex but dropped the tray of dishes he was clearing when he saw Zero. He was too startled to notice the mess he made until Sekkin apologised to a customer whose dress was stained by it.

Zero walked up to the lady and cleaned the stain off with a wave of his hand. Ruth observed the fusion magic Zero used and thought that it looked very pretty. Who knew that magic could be so gentle? Back in his tribe, magic was always used for offence. It wasn't always flashy but it sure was powerful.

"Zero! King Yama," Amaraline bowed. "Would you like to have a private room upstairs?"

Zero beamed. "Yes, please. Can we have two parfaits? And a pot of tea that you recommend."

He then turned to Ruth and gave him a thumbs up. "You look good in that!"

Ruth didn't know how to react to that genuine compliment. If anything, it made him feel more awkward. It was very hard to dislike Zero with how he keeps behaving. Ruth didn't feel as if Zero was demeaning him or treating him like a slave. In fact, Zero's casual behaviour seemed to indicate that they were closer as equals.

"Don't lose focus," Sekkin patted the vampire on the shoulder before taking another customer's order.

At once, the part-timer straightened up and went back to work. He shook his head. How could he let himself get so distracted?

Upstairs, Enma sank into a chair gratefully. When Zero said shopping, he didn't think it meant that Zero would try to buy out an entire store. The young doctor always thought about others whenever he saw an item that caught his eye and would want to buy it out of impulse. Enma had to stop him from doing so because they wouldn't have enough hands to carter everything back. Zero mentioned that he had the void dimension to store them in but Enma stopped him. Zero had to learn what moderation meant.

There was one thing bothering Enma throughout the entire shopping trip. They got the clothes that Zero wanted for Ruth and Zero expressed his interest for many other things as gifts for others. However, the King of the Purgatory noticed that Zero didn't have anything he desired for himself. He was slightly disappointed because he was secretly planning to buy for Zero whatever he was interested in as a return gift to the marvellous pen Zero gifted him.

Ruth knocked on the door twice. He brought in a teapot with two cups on a tray before serving them. "This is Rose Hip Tea. Would you like any sugar, honey or milk with it?"

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"Sugar for me," Enma said and Zero shook his head.

Ruth bowed and left the room to get the sugar and parfaits. Once he closed the door and left them to their privacy, Zero looked at Enma seriously.

"Why did you lie about Kerberos' sins?"

The King of the Purgatory who was about to take a sip of the tea paused and sighed. Of course, Zero would find out. It was still too soon for Zero to understand how politics worked. However, he knew that if he didn't answer Zero's questions, the apprentice will continue to think and lose sleep over it.

How does one answer a question without actually answering it?

King Yama sighed. It was a tough topic. Even when Hades was explaining the logic to him, he didn't fully understand its meaning until many years after he assumed the role as the King of the Purgatory.

The aloof ruler stared at Zero calculatingly. He knew about Zero's origin and in a sense, Zero was the creator of both sins and virtues. Perhaps he would be able to understand the complex theory of how sins were calculated. It took Enma many years to come up with a perfect formula for calculating sins. It was much like accounting and most of the Purgatory's manpower were involved in bookkeeping.

"It's a tough question to answer," he told Zero honestly. "I think we should start from the beginning about how Sins were formed."

Zero leaned forward in interest, the tea was quickly forgotten.

"I'm sure you know a thing or two about how the Divine Entities were created. Sins and Virtues were formed by the Great One. They were the emotions that the Great One wanted to separate from himself. Being the embodiment of everything, the Great One had to be impartial. Emotions were things that got in his way so he let them go. These Divine Entities acted individually on their own. They had the intelligence and power to alter what is known as the natural cycle of life. Some of them weren't concerned with anything that happened to the world. Some of them played active parts in the development of the world. Worlds get created and destroyed constantly and to cope with the cycle of souls, the Great Gods decided to create someone who could manage the Purgatory. I am a child born from Freya, Hades and Gaia for that very reason."

Zero nodded in understanding. He always thought that while Enma was a child of Gaia, Freya and Hades, they didn't treat him as their child. Perhaps this was how Gods did things. They were different from humans who would care for their offspring and nurture them with love. He knew that Hades was previously in charge of the Purgatory and the Abyss. It made him wonder exactly how busy the God of Death was.

"You know about the existence of souls, right? Every living thing has something called life essence. The weaker ones do not manage to cultivate souls. They become absorbed by stronger ones and fuse with them as mana before returning to the world. Over time when enough life essence gathers at one place, they fuse and form something called a soul. Spirits are the purest form of a soul."

Zero was surprised. Half Moon village had many spirits. Zoe was one of them and so was Qin Yun.

"Wait, spirits are the purest form of a soul. What about other species like animals, elves and demons? Qin Yun was a spirit, how did she end up becoming a demon?"

Enma smiled. "That's where virtues and sins come in. The soul that is just born is always pure. They have no sins and no virtues, they grow with experience over time. Virtues are what you can consider a person's kindness and selflessness. Sins are what you can consider a person's ill intentions and malice. The deeds are not as important as their thoughts and intention."

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Zero looked lost and Enma didn't blame him. When he first took over the job, he had a hard time identifying which acts were considered sins and which weren't. There were false sins and sins in his book of souls and the calculation can be complex when a person has false virtues and virtues in the same lifetime. The conversion rate was sometimes difficult to justify and that was when Enma becomes busy with replaying their life records to pass judgement.

"Let's break it down. There are four categories..." Enma drew four quadrants in the air using magic and Zero nodded.

In the upper left quadrant, Enma wrote "False Sins". On the bottom left, he wrote "Actual Sins". On the opposite side, he wrote "False Virtue" and "Actual Virtue".

"Let's use Kerberos' case as an example," Enma said and pulled out a thin device. Zero recognised it as the magical reading device he had.

"Is that a tablet?"

Enma nodded. "Things were different in the past but paper records were difficult to locate after several centuries worth of records so the administrative department had started archiving everything into the digital system. Thank goodness for Steve Job's existence. I don't know why we didn't have a God of Technology before but I hope we never return to that era."

Zero didn't understand what Enma was talking about but nodded anyway. "So about Kerberos...?"

Enma tapped something on his tablet and pushed it over to show Zero a document.

"This is confidential information but I'm letting you view this based on trust. In any case, all the above aren't important. You only have to look at this portion in the summary."

Zero squinted. There was a long list of records below indicating the offences Kerberos did but the summary made things easier to understand. Under the sins column, Kerberos had a grand total of 1,747 sins for the same reason under the category of greed. However, the column beside it explained the reason for his actions and that was what made Zero blink twice.

"He indirectly caused the death of so many individuals for personal gains so that came under the category of Greed. I understood that part but what is this column on the right? All his sins didn't count as sins because they were committed under the assumption of zero casualties?"

Enma grinned. "Complicated right? There are a few rules we use to determine if a sin is an actual sin or a false sin, the same with false virtue and actual virtue. There is a device in the Purgatory that allows us to extract the records of a soul during their lifetime. It will let us view and action and translate their intention at that point of time. For Kerberos, we reviewed his actions and intentions over the past decade. Throughout the entire period, Kerberos' intention was to rewind time so that he could change his future. He never once thought about intentionally harming all those demons he killed because he thought that once the time was rewound, the deaths he caused in the future would not be a permanent thing. Obviously, he was wrong but in the Purgatory, it is the intention that matters more than the outcome. Granted, if the crime hasn't been committed despite the solidified intention, we give them the benefit of doubt. As such, all of Kerberos' sins were written into false sins. If he was a regular soul, we would refer to the fate table and send him into the reincarnation cycle to some less fortunate life in order to atone for his misdeeds in this life. Fortunately, he is an immortal and can repay his false sins in this life."

Mind-boggled, Zero tried to digest everything Enma has told him so far. "How about virtues? What if someone had false virtues... would they be given a more fortunate life? It sounds unfair."

Enma chuckled. "False virtues happen when someone does a good thing with the intention of getting repaid. Of course, in this case, we will calculate the number of repayments made to them and subtract it from the total false virtue. naturally, if you help someone, you should be repaid so whatever that was unpaid will be carried forward to their next lives. That is based on the assumption they have no sins and false sins in their record. Often enough, a case like that doesn't exist."

Zero tried to perform some mathematical calculations based on the example but promptly gave up. Enma then wrote out another equation that Zero couldn't understand.

"The formula after many centuries of doing this job is this."

Species reincarnation = Actual Virtue - Actual Sin

Fate reincarnation = False Virtue - False Sin

Period of next life = 10 (Fate/Species)

"For example, Soul 1 in his first life as a spirit accumulated a total of 3 actual sins, 500 false sins, 9 actual virtues and 20 false virtues before it gets sent to the after life. According to the formula, the species reincarnation should be 6 which means the spirit will get reincarnated into a species of a higher plane. A general guideline would be this..."

0 total for Tier 2 (Energy Plane)

/- 100 total for Tier 3 (Abyss Purgatory Plane)

/- 250 total for Tier 4 (Material Plane)

/- 500 and above for Tier 5 (Enlightened Plane)

"What about Tier 6?"

Enma smiled. "The Divine Plane is for those born into it. Nobody soul created by the world can enter the divine plane. In a way, all Demon Lords are Tier 6 souls. They were born with sins, just like how Gods were born with virtues. It's also the reason why there is only one Divine Being in charge of one domain. You don't see two Divine Beings handling the same Entity now, do you?"

Zero thought about it. "What about Baal and Duu? They're both Divine Beings lording over the same domain."

Enma shook his head. "Duu is a Divine Entity, not a Divine Being. He is a portion of the Great One. His existence does not disrupt the balance in the cycle of life. In fact, Duu is capable of creating and destroying that equation if he wants to. He's just not interested in doing so. On the other hand, you have Divine Entities like Venn and Kale who are known for accidentally destroying a world and throwing a plane into the void. There are also Entities like Nel who creates new worlds that nobody discovers until a few millenniums later. However, the most mysterious Divine force is the nameless God that humans of the previous Earth created. We don't know anything about them."

"Right... so it's a lot of calculation to pass judgement for a soul... won't one plane be over populated if everyone keeps accumulating points?"

Enma laughed. "That's the thing... not everybody accumulates points that goes upwards. Many fluctuate. Let's take Qin Yun for example. Every life is different. She started out as a good snow fox spirit who led a peaceful life. However, she met a human and fell in love. Her decision to want to be with him made her cultivate and perform good deeds to accumulate both actual and false virtue so that she could become a human and accompany him. However, before she managed to complete accumulating those points, her lover was killed. She became a vengeful spirit who killed humans indiscriminately. Her actual sin points increased tremendously, undoing all the accumulated virtues she collected. Eventually, she was subdued by Nezha, a God passing by and sent for judgement. As Qin Yun was the mother of all fox spirits, she was too powerful to send for reincarnation. hence her journey of redemption began. She was turned into a demon and banished from the Energy Plane. Now that all her sins were written off, Qin Yun can now move out from the Abyss Plane to the Material Plane with her accumulated false virtues."

"Does that mean all demons in the Abyss had committed some kind of wrongs in their previous lives?"

Enma didn't know if he should explain it further. Not all demons in the abyss were sinners. In fact, the line between Heaven and Hell was very fine. "Zero, do you know about the Great War between heaven and Hell and why the Abyss exists?"

The apprentice tried to recall. "I've heard stories about it but I don't know the details," he admitted.

"There are two kinds of demons. The first kind is the ones who've accumulated too many sins. They are sent here to be punished by the different Demon Lords according to the sins accumulated. These demons are often the weaker demons you see scrapping by trying to make a living. The second kind of demons is aristocratic or demons with no origin. They are souls who have graduated from the Energy Plane and wish to move to a higher plane indefinitely. The difference between the Abyss and the Purgatory lies in soul advancement. All the souls working in the Purgatory will not be able to progress further and have to undergo a reincarnation before they can move on to a different plane. These souls find peace in working a routine job to maintain the cycle of life. On the other hand, you have spirits who didn't manage to accumulate enough points to enter the material realm before they were sent to the Purgatory. That's where these new souls make their decisions to climb their way out through the Abyss. For aristocratic demons, they once belonged to Tier 5, the Enlightened Plane. However, not all souls agree with the way Heaven does things. There is more freedom in the Abyss and that is why Hell is such a diverse place."

Schaf had to be a soul that had sins to pay off. He wasn't an aristocratic demon and neither was he a demon with no origin. "Does that mean Schaf would only be able to move on from the Abyss if he accumulated enough points in the negative range to be sent to the Material Plane?"

Enma nodded lightly. "As terrible as it sounded, he would have made it if you hadn't interfered. Now that you are writing his sins off, Schaf doesn't have enough points to be in the Material Plane. Banishment from the Abyss without sufficient points can only mean Schaf will now be taken care of by the Purgatory. It would be many years of hard labour before he can move to the Material Plane. I'm making an exception for this soul on your request."

Zero felt bad. He hadn't meant to trouble Enma so much with his selfish request. King Yama noticed it and flicked Zero on the forehead lightly.

"Don't worry about it. We have many special cases from time to time. Sage Gods are one such case. Not everyone who can make it into the Enlightened Plane can become a Sage God. They have to be souls who met the basic point requirements and have contributed to a world-changing phenomenon. They will go through interviews with the Great Gods before Heaven helps to register their unique domain. Most souls who enter the Enlightened Plane become office angels, Nirvana researches or aristocratic demons who continue to involve themselves in the Material Plane for fun."

"Sage Gods are special?"

Enma deadpanned. What kind of question was that?

"I never thought that my master would be such an amazing person... Who knew that someone who didn't know the beauty of magic and technology would be such an amazing individual. Say, do you know how Hua Tuo became a Sage God? What did he do to become the God of Medicine?"

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Enma fell speechless. For someone who was learning from the best doctor in existence, did Zero really not know the answer?

"Has your teacher not taught you acupuncture or surgery?"

Zero shook his head. "Only medicine and basic healing magic so far."

King Yama smiled mysteriously. "Oh, you'll find out the answer to your question soon. When it comes to inventing ways for saving lives without divine powers, Hua Tuo is the only person in any world to be able to accomplish that. Call him old-fashioned if you may. However, he has proven time and again that miracles can be created. There are many things that you do not know about your teacher yet and as a friend, I'd advise you to look more closely at the way your teacher does things more than what he does."

Zero didn't know what that meant but filed Enma's words away at the back of his mind. They moved the conversation away from the topic and chatted about what Enma thought was interesting about what they saw in the market. The parfaits came and Zero ordered for more desserts, much to Enma's amusement. Who knew that Zero's love for desserts wouldn't disappear with age?

Ball of Nothing

Ruth left quickly to get Zero's orders. There weren't many customers now that it was close to late afternoon. Whatever Zero and King Yama were chatting about sounded important. He didn't want to seem like he was meddling or spying on them so he brought heir orders up quickly.

Before Ruth could open the door, he heard his name being mentioned. Curiosity made him stay outside the door to listen in on their conversation.

"What are you going to do about Ruth? He isn't some kind of stray animal you can rescue and raise."

Zero made a weird noise. "I know... I didn't think that he would be so resistant against my help. Have you seen him? He's only a child yet he's been through so much! I can heal his body but I can't heal his heart and mind... it's frustrating."

Although Ruth couldn't see it, he could imagine Enma rolling his eyes.

"Zero, you can't possibly save everyone. The world is too big."

Sulkily, Zero shot back a reply. "I'm going to be a doctor, I have to try! Besides, the world is wrong. Solo didn't make it right the first time. I'm going to fix the mistake my past self made now. It's not just an adventure for me. I need to know what Solo is expecting out of me. I have to go around finding Divine Entities and gathering the memories I lost. It's going to take a while..."

"A while is an understatement, Zero. I might become an old man before you finish your task."

Zero's laughter rang out in the room. "Don't be silly, En... you can't age. None of the Gods can too. Apart from Hua Tuo because he is already an old man. And maybe Merlin too but please don't tell my teachers I said this!"

"I can't promise that," Enma sang out and Ruth found his lips tugging upwards when Zero whined and begged King Yama.

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He took this opportunity to knock on the door and served the extra desserts Zero ordered. The ghost of his smile lingered and Zero looked at him oddly.

"Is there anything else I could help you with?" he asked politely and Zero shook his head quickly with a blush rising to his cheeks. Enma raised a brow but said nothing until Ruth left.

"Were you just checking him out?" Enma teased and Zero looked lost.

"No, maybe a little. He looks better now. I thought I saw a faint trace of amusement and a change of attitude towards me but it might be my imagination. He's still as mean as before... How do I get him to like me?"

Enma wished he had recorded what Zero just mentioned. He could've sold it for a handsome profit. There would be many in Zero's newly founded army who would die for some scandalous material. After all, that was a perfect fuel for fan fictions and propaganda. The King of the Purgatory vaguely wondered how long the secret army could remain a secret. With Zero's nose for troublesome things, it shouldn't take him very long to figure out that something was going on behind his back.

"Why do you want him to like you so much? He's just a patient, right? You've had Lord Lucifer as your patient but you're not at all keen about helping him out at his Academy. What's so different about Ruth? Once he's healed, you should let him go. Unless you want him to become your slave for real."

Zero's eyes widened in horror. "How could you say such a thing?! Why would I want anyone to become a slave? That's mean! Although I do wish that he could treat me like a friend more than an enemy. Have you heard about his story?"

Enma wasn't very interested in the sob stories of other people's backgrounds. There were simply too many and he was a busy person.

"I can't say I'm too interested, Zero. There are many people with similar unfortunate circumstances. That's just how the world works. It's calculated by their sins accumulated. That's how fate works."

Zero looked at Enma as if his friend had suddenly grown five legs on his head. "Do you not care about anyone?"

Enma blinked. "No, not really. The only person I've ever cared for is you. I'm not concerned about anybody else."

Zero didn't know what to say about that. "Why?"

The King of the Purgatory shrugged. "I've been around for a long time, Zero. I've seen many things. You've only recently woken up and have lost all your memories. Whatever memory fragments you regained doesn't complete the picture for you. A huge chunk of your past is missing and you're looking at the world with a fresh pair of eyes. What you see and experience will not be the same as me. I do not bother myself with the affairs of others. My job is to judge and pass judgement for souls in the after life. The only ones who will stay with me are Gods and I can't say that many of them have agreeable personalities. You're different. I like you and that's why I care about you. Everybody else doesn't matter to me."

Speaking of memory... "Did you hear that I recovered some new memories? I have four new sets."

Enma grinned. "I was waiting for you to tell me about it. Also, how's the new vessel? I heard that Mother had a hard time perfecting it."

Zero's eyes sparkled as he shared with Enma about how the four Divine Fragments were fighting in his mindscape.

"I like Duu the best. Maybe it's because he reminded me of Baal."

Enma nodded. "Baal was created by Duu, I don't think he would be motivated enough to alter Baal's personality."

"I received some quests from the system. It's not surprising as I intended to find every Divine Entity on my own once I begin my adventure. I guess I shall take a few years to travel Earth before I move to the other planets and dimension. There are a few mindscape friends I would love to visit though... Baal is one of them. I didn't think I would have the opportunity to be meeting him this soon. I'll definitely miss it here once I return."

"You can always visit. I'm sure teleportation would allow you to cross dimensions easily."

Zero smiled. That was true. Also, there was this wonderful thing called party call that Enma didn't appreciate. He wasn't going to tell King Yama about it but Zero would add everyone that he liked in his system's party. In that way, they could communicate even without the intergalactic communicator. The device had flaws after all. It didn't work in certain places and mana was needed to activate it. Zero sent a mail to Steve but had yet to receive a reply. Hopefully Wiser would be able to come up with something to address Zero's concern.

"It's almost time for me to leave," Enma announced and Zero nodded. "I'll call and text you more often. Will you be staying until Schaf's punishment is over?"

Enma nodded. "I'll need to leave for a little to bring over an administration team before Redemption Day. I leave tonight but will be back before you know it."

Zero saw the King of Trials out and watched as Enma boarded his carriage. Qin Yun and Amaraline were cleaning up for the day so Zero offered to help. Sekkin and Ruth were not around but Zero wasn't too worried., He had faith in Ruth after all.

The girls decided to leave early to assist Coux in dinner preparations back in the castle. Sekkin had some errands to run after returning with Ruth who helped to take out the trash. The spider demon left Ruth in Zero's care and promptly ran off, leaving them to board the awaiting carriage. Zero looked at the purchases he made in his inventory list. He didn't know how to break it to Ruth but the vampire couldn't possibly be wearing tatters and work clothing. Truth be told, the young doctor was nervous. What if Ruth didn't like the design of the clothes he had chosen? Zero considered the mobility of the clothes and their practicality over their aesthetics. Ruth was a warrior vampire so the apprentice did his best to select comfortable clothes that didn't restrict movement.

Instead of being the first to break the silence, Zero was pleasantly surprised by Ruth's question.

"Why did you buy me? Coux said that you were a doctor-in-training. What's your motive? I've been a slave under your care for a while now but other than making me work as a waiter in the shop, you've not done anything else. What is it that you want from me? My skills as a bodyguard? An extra pair of hands and legs? A subject for experimenting your new medical concoctions?"

Zero wasn't quite expecting the train of thoughts to go into something so horrifying. Still, that only served to solidify his suspicions about the nightmarish treatment Ruth had suffered as a slave.

"I want to find a cure for you and for all vampires if possible. Only drinking blood for sustenance isn't a good thing. You're lacking all the necessary nutrients for a healthy body. I know that vampires have natural regenerative abilities but as a doctor, health is more than just the ability to recover from injuries. My teacher and I are still studying why your body has rejected cooked food before. I'm sure you've eaten cooked food that Coux made. There were no adverse effects after eating them. Something else is clearly the cause for the illness you've experienced previously. I heard the story about your clan and I apologise that even as a doctor, I cannot bring the every dead back to life."

Ruth didn't hold back any longer. "I heard that you managed to bring the dead back to life. You've also banished a traitor instead of leaving him to die. Why? Not every villager back there are happy about what you did. You've endangered their village by letting the traitor go scot-free."

Zero blinked. "What are you talking about? Not every villager is happy about what I did? Where did you hear this from?"

"You didn't know? The reason why you were in Hell was because Baal pulled you here to recuperate. You fell unconscious from mana drain."

"No, I know about that. Baal and Mii scolded me for it. What do you mean not every villager is happy about what I did? What's going on? Was it Coux who told you this?"

Ruth didn't know what to say. "You really have not heard anything?"

Zero shook his head.

"Amaraline had an argument with her brother. She followed you to the abyss because she didn't wanted to side with your actions. Half of the village wanted to ban you from interfering with them because you let their enemies go. The other half considers you as one of their own. I heard that you brought Amaraline's eyesight back."

Zero was speechless. He didn't know that there was such a huge storm brewing in Half Moon village. Hua Tuo, Baal and Coux never said anything. Nobody behaved any differently and Zero didn't suspect anything. he thought that things would be alright after he returned but now, he wasn't too sure.

"I... I didn't know... I only wanted to help. Jacqueline would have been scarred forever if she knew the only uncle she had betrayed the village. She's a quarter mermaid and Douglas was a Selkie. I only wanted to protect the feelings they had for him. Douglas didn't mean what he did, he only wanted his freedom to live a normal life. I guess I was wrong... I'll apologise to everyone when I return."

Ruth's analytical gaze softened. "Zero, you have to be prepared for more than that. The world isn't such a kind place. Not everyone is as forgiving as you. You could apologise but they might not accept it. Some things cannot be undone. Some mistakes cannot be corrected. That's life."

The young doctor looked so sad that the vampire felt uncomfortable. "Although that was what I said, I'm sure they would come to forgive you. You helped many villagers as a doctor there. I heard that you performed several miracles that not even your teacher could do. Shouldn't you be more confident about yourself?"

"But I didn't do much for them..."

"Sure... you didn't do much at all. I suppose bringing Clowis back to life and giving Amaraline new eyes weren't notable contributions at all."

Zero growled. "What are you trying to say?"

"I'm just saying that none of the villagers there were worth anything. You just healed them like any doctor would, casually decided that nobody should die and deterred an entire army who were trying to slaughter everyone."

"Don't talk bad about them!"

"Really? But they seem to think so little about you. Tell me, do you really know any of them? They're probably just villagers to you with no names or personalities, just a bunch of medical conditions that your teacher asked you to identify and rectify."

Zero got angry. "Karris is pregnant with a half-vampire child called Seth. Amaraline was blind and I brought her uncle Lowis back to life. Clowis is Amaraline's over protective brother who overexerts himself during training. Grandma Moppo has bad knees but they're now cured. Hua Tuo helped with the surgery. Lovina is a great alchemist with a terrible magic curse! Peter and Manny are zombies because their friend Soon couldn't leave them dead. He sacrificed his humanity and became a lich for them. Vrald and Gerald have emotional scars as dragon descendants and Vrald has an unfortunate disease that cannot be cured. Raj is a half-genie who is better at science than magic... Hyeline is-"

"Ok, I get it. You know them well. Look at yourself. Don't you think that they will reciprocate the care and concern you have for them? From the sound of it, they're not heartless creatures. have a little more faith in yourself. You're stronger than a Demon Lord, you have the right to be a little more assertive in the things you want."

Zero blinked. He didn't know what Ruth was trying to do. Only yesterday, the vampire looked like he was plotting ways to scratch his eyes out.

"What are you plotting?"

Ruth grinned and showed off his glimmering fangs. "I helped you out on that. Why don't we call it even for rescuing me and negotiate my terms for freedom?"

Zero blinked then stared at Ruth before laughing. The coachman was startled but continued on as per usual. It wasn't uncommon for Zero to have moments of emotional outbursts.

"I see now... alright! Let's talk business. What can you do for me in exchange for nullifying your slave contract?"

Ruth smiled. "I heard that you're in need of a combat teacher. As a talented mage, learning from any of those villagers wouldn't benefit you. I'm a Roth vampire and my clan is famous for our melee with close ranged magic combat style."

Zero smiled. "Nope, not enough."

Ruth's smiled faded away. He didn't think that Zero would reject his request. Wasn't he an easily influenced person?

"I want you to become Seff's guardian. There are no vampires in Half Moon village, somebody has to teach him everything a vampire has to know. Of course, I won't impose too much on you. You just need to teach him the basics about how to survive as a vampire. Things like don't touch silver, drink only blood..."

Ruth was amused. "Is that it? You're not going to bind me to the village or anything of that sort?"

Zero shook his head. "Well, if you fulfill the conditions of teaching baby Seff about the vampire things, there isn't any real reason to bind you to the village, is there? You're free to roam anywhere you want to. You're a free man."

The proposal sounded decent and Ruth didn't find anything fishy about Zero's terms so he agreed. "Draw me a magic contract when we return. Lessons begin after you return to Earth."

"Yes, sir!" Zero beamed.

His smile became even brighter when there was a notification window prompting him that the quest for Binding a Roth was complete.

"Hey Ruth..."

"Yes?"

"Would you like to trade a unique skill with a unique skill?"

The vampire blinked. "What are you talking about?"

Zero grinned. "Wouldn't it be wonderful to eat anything you want without ever falling ill? I have a special skill called Strong Stomach that I can share with you. I'm sure you've heard about my eating abilities. I wouldn't lose to Beelzebub in any case. However, I'm not giving it for free."

Ruth raised a brow. "What's the catch?"

Zero added Ruth to his party and a screen appeared before Ruth, startling the Roth child.

"What's this?"

"It's a status display window, an ability of mine. Anyway, check the ability section out. I want to borrow your unique skill of observation."

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Ruth blinked. "That's not a unique skill. If you trained under the same methods my clan practiced, you can gain that easily. If you trained under me for fifty years, you'd be able to get that, there's no need for a trade. If anything, the skill High-Speed Regeneration is more powerful. You can't learn regeneration from observing. None of the skills I have can be learned from Observation in case you intend to do so. It's a bloodline gift."

Zero shook his head. "It's fine! I just want that skill. I can only use skill sharing once to copy a special skill. I want to learn more things, Observation is perfect! Also, waiting fifty years to learn it would be a terrible waste of time. Truen would be bored to death if I took that long to complete my training phase. We agreed to meet up and start our adventure in two years."

Ruth shrugged. "Strong Stomach for Observation. Is that your final offer?"

Zero nodded and once he had Ruth's approval, the system made the transfer.

Ruth looked at the new skill and wondered what kind of food he should try eating. Now that he didn't have to fear falling ill after eating cooked food, he was curious to know about all the other dishes Coux could make. Meanwhile, Zero looked at his newly acquired skill and grinned. Now, he would be able to learn how to fly!

Ball of Nothing

Zero inhaled his food quickly almost without tasting. On the other hand, a certain vampire ate with gusto. Ruth took his time to savour every new dish placed in front of him. As per Zero's instructions, Coux used everything in her disposal to create all sorts of food that the vampire couldn't eat before. There were entrées made from hearts, tails, roots all cooked using unheard of spices in the abyss. Ruth seemed as lively as ever even after the fifth plate so Zero decided to let the warrior enjoy his newly acquired ability a little longer.

Hua Tuo was staring at Ruth with both worry and astonishment. Zero noticed that look and dragged his teacher away into one of the guest rooms before placing some simple soundproofing spells.

"What was that?" he asked his apprentice. He never saw a vampire inhaling food the way Ruth did. Honestly, it was unnerving. It only made the physician nervous to know how great Ruth's actual appetite was. What if he used too much power and goes into a bloodthirsty frenzy? How many people in the village would be able to escape unscathed? Perhaps it was safer to leave him with lord Baal.

Zero grinned. "It's a reward from the system after completing the quest. I can't say the same for other vampires but Ruth is now able to eat just about anything without getting allergic reactions. The skill's name is "Strong Stomach" and it allows him to digest anything he eats. I heard his clan got wiped out because they ate cooked food."

Hua Tuo blinked and shook his head. "Vampires are not naturally allergic to cooked food of any sort. I did some researching and discovered something that may be of advantage to your business."

"Business? Shouldn't you be telling Coux that?"

Hua Tuo shook his head. "It's easier for me to explain it to you. Have you seen how the abyss is like outside of the domains?"

"No," Zero shook his head. "Baal and everyone wouldn't allow me out until the trials are over. There is still the Redemption event before the trial is truly over. Why? Is there a problem with what's outside of the domain?"

Hua Tuo sighed. It was a good thing he had the intergalactic communicator for times like this. Really, Steve has outdone himself once again. Cameras were very useful things. Back in those days when he was still a physician during the warring period, they had to paint what they saw. How accurate the image was depended on the artist.

Needless to say, Zero was fairly impressed when his teacher brought out the familiar looking device to show him some pictures.

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"This is what caused the poisoning. It's not so much about the allergy although I tested some of Ruth's blood for adverse reactions against many types of food. He is allergic to some food but they're not commonly found in the abyss."

The young doctor squinted at the blurry image. "That doesn't look very good. Why are all the dead creatures turning black? Is that moss?"

The physician shook his head. While fungi tended to grow on the decomposing bodies of dead creatures back on Earth, the same didn't happen in Hell. There was simply no way ordinary plants could survive in this harsh environment.

"Do you see that black fog? That's the cause of it. It's called miasma, a collection of negative energy that spreads like poison, killing and corrupting any living thing. The stronger creatures, plants and demons outside of the domain's protection can withstand breathing it. However, once they die and their bodies become unable to resist the miasma it takes over their bodies and corrupt it."

Zero frowned. "Why doesn't this miasma affect domains? I didn't see anything like that in town or at the Academy."

"That's because of the Demon Lord's protection. Mana counters miasma for some mysterious reason. Nobody has a way to confirm what this miasma is but it slowly turns a person insane and chips away at the soul. Buddha suspects that miasma is actually chaos energy seeping through the cracks in the abyss' plane from the void."

The brunet studied the picture closely. "Is there as a sample? I would like to confirm it. Mii can appraise it if there is a sample."

The doctor looked apprehensive. Knowing that it would be tough to convince his teacher, Zero smiled and pointed out that Buddha could watch just in case something went wrong.

"Alright, I'll talk to lord Baal and arrange for a sample to be collected. What will you do if it is caused by the chaos energy leaking through the void?"

Zero thought over it for a while. Truth be told, he had an idea the moment Hua Tuo shared with him about the problem. However, he didn't know if it would be a good solution. After all, scarcity creates demand. On the other hand, Zero truly wanted to help those living outside of domains. Even though he couldn't help Ruth's clan, he could still help Qin Yun's. There were many clans that would benefit from Zero's creation if his idea worked. The only problem was that it took a lot of resources to create that special Lotus he gave Buddha. If mana countered chaos energy, he would need a lot of mana generators that didn't run out quickly, if at all.

"You mentioned that mana counters chaos energy?"

The physician nodded. "Do you have any ideas? It's not possible to create any more domains or extend the territory."

Zero shook his head. "That wouldn't be necessary. If we can confirm it, I'll need to discuss it with Wiser and Coux."

"Wiser? Are you planning on inventing something again?"

The smile Zero gave his teacher made Hua Tuo go into code red again.

"Don't worry," he told his teacher. "I have the perfect job for the perfect person if things are what they really are."

"He wants to what?" Baal nearly fell out of his chair.

Coux didn't comment about his undignified behaviour. In fact, if she was hearing it for the first time, she might have done the same.

"Zero wants to use this as a card against Mammon to write off his loans and gain investments for the business."

"He's crazy! This is beyond risky... if Uriel knows about it or any of the archangels... it will be another war. The Spring of Vitality belongs to nobody."

The half-succubus didn't comment. It was true. She understood the severity of the situation but she also saw how Zero's plan could benefit a lot of people while raking in that money. In fact, as a business person, she was all for the idea. What's rarer was how Hua Tuo was willing to put away his distaste for the Wizard God and discuss for better terms.

With two very renowned Sage Gods backing Zero, the outcome of the discussion was anyone's guess.

"Mass producing lotus flowers... wouldn't Buddha complain?"

"Not really," Coux shrugged. "He's giving Buddha copyright fees for doing so. Also, Buddha will be in charge of logistics. The flowers need to be changed and replaced once every hundred years. Merlin will take care of production. Apparently, his long lost magical golem was recently recovered. Zero is returning Robo Mike to its rightful owner under the terms of having Robo Mike contribute to the farming and housekeeping at the Spring as a part-time worker. Hua Tuo intends to regularly visit Hell to expand his medical horizons and record the effects of the mana generating flowers against miasma."

No, scratch that. It isn't two but three Sage Gods. If Buddha meddled, it would be challenging for Heaven to intervene. Zero planned it well and as a Demon Lord, Baal had no reasons to object. In fact, he'd have to support Zero's proposal even if it meant another war against Heaven. Baal hated troublesome things with his existence. Zero was making him contemplate pretending his friend doesn't exist or taking another hundred-year long nap.

"Zero also said that if the negotiation is successful, Merlin will lend Robo Mike to help you with your work on the days he has to check on the mana flowers."

Baal was sold immediately. Like a fish chasing after the bait, Baal fell hard for Zero's trap. Despite knowing that his crafty friend had planned this deliberately, it was an offer the Demon Lord couldn't say no to. Oh how he loved and hated Zero!

"He has to sign a magic contract for this! I'm going to nail this stupid negotiation. Fix an appointment with Mammon for me and let's get this done. Call Gabriel or Raphael or whoever, we're going to start this farm."

"And...?"

Zero smiled and held out a victory sign. "He said yes!"

Hua Tuo laughed at the cheeky grin and gave his apprentice a pat on the head. "All that's left would be to handle the angels coming over."

Zero blinked. "I made plans for that too... Heaven isn't managed by the Angels, right? Mana flowers will be useful for any Gods who are managing a growing planet. Sedna and Gaia require a lot of mana to maintain an ecosystem. They're often unable to leave their planets because of it and it's not very effective to use Isis' time freezing for long because of the side effects. Mana flowers solve that problem. With such a huge demand for these flowers, how can the angels refuse? in fact, I'm leaving the price negotiations to Mammon. they would be arguing over the prices more than if starting a farm should be allowed. Buddha doesn't sell his lotus seeds to anyone in Heaven, they have no leads but they're free to experiment farming other plants if they wish to."

Wiser looked exhausted. They worked hard to press for this business deal just in time before the Redemption Day. While the rest of them busied away with the Redemption event at Belles and Begonia, the higher-ups would be taking care of the new farm negotiations.

"I'm too tired to even eat now... we haven't tested the prototype properly. Would they be alright at the demonstration without me?"

Zero nodded with all the seriousness he could. "We need you more at the Redemption Event. There is nobody more capable of crowd control. You have to be our coordinator. Once the first group leaves, the next has to come in. The paths shouldn't be blocked for smooth traffic and if it is, I'll be counting on you to inform Sekkin or whoever is on patrol duty. Ruth will help out so we should be fine."

Wiser groaned. Ever since he came to the abyss, it had been true Hell for him. The work was difficult and never-ending. The culture was shockingly different, the food sometimes didn't sit well with his human stomach and not to mention, his sleep cycle was out of whack. He had long grown numb to the obvious power difference between him and the demons. If he thought that Half Moon village was a place for ridiculously strong monsters to gather at, he was wrong. Just in the past few days living with Baal, he'd seen a good number of Gods. Many humans didn't have the opportunity to see any God until they die. Even so, they would probably only see King Yama.

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Hua Tuo gave Wiser a pat on the shoulder and a thumbs up for encouragement before leaving to get some sleep. He would be there helping redeemed demons get to Earth. His shift partner was no other than Buddha who was actually happy to receive the gate greeter role. As strange as it sounded, the customer service job suited the Sage God of Enlightenment to a tee.

Once everyone was out for the night, Zero secretly went to his table and studied the blueprint that Wiser had done up. It wasn't perfect but Zero was extremely pleased with it. If only Raj and the other lab members were present, they would have made it into something terrifying. Compared to the Pigeon Cannon, Wiser's "All-Year-Round Harvester" lacked the oomph he was looking for.

The logic of growing mana flowers was fairly simple. Zero had some first-hand experience with it. The only tricky part was the timing. You throw the magic seeds into the pond and wait. Once the lotus blooms, you pull the whole plant out by the roots. If it wasn't pulled it out when the flower has fully bloomed, it will wither and turn into a fruit.

Wiser's invention uses the mana generated by the Spring and flowers to power up. It proceeds to measure the mana in the surrounding to decide when a batch should be harvested. There was a lot of mathematics involved that Zero didn't want to get into. The strategist-scientist spent many hours in the library counting things Zero didn't understand before he came up with the perfect formula. It was tested in a simulated ground and the harvester reacted to the fluctuating mana levels as it should but Wiser wasn't too sure if it would work as accurately when the flowers came into play. Using Buddha's one and only mana generating Lotus as a guide wasn't an accurate measure according to Wiser. Zero could only nod in agreement pretending he understood what the scientist was complaining about.

Well, it wasn't going to be his problem soon. Baal and Coux will be taking it to Mammon in the morning and once that passes the pitch, it's going to be used as a weapon in the war zone called boardroom meeting.

Ball of Nothing

Hua Tuo wasn't all that surprised when the meeting took a drastic turn. Instead of the harmonious gathering that Merlin wanted, it transformed into a war zone with angels spewing fire and demons staring daggers.

In other words, there was no progress.

Buddha sipped tea calmly in the corner, unaffected by everything. He was in a world of his own and Zero joined him. Why go struggle swimming against the current when you can flow with it? Philosophy was a brilliant thing.

Hua Tuo glared at the two most carefree people in the meeting with disdain. Sure, philosophy was a marvellous thing when there wasn't a crisis to deal with. For the two most involved people, their behaviour triggered the physician. Their nonchalant response reflected their lack of concern for the matter. Instead of defending Hell's business interest in the agricultural project, Zero gave the angels the carte blanche to decide how much profit they wanted to make out of this deal.

That response threw everyone into chaos with Mammon striving to protect every single cursed coin and Gabriel trying to claim the Spring of Vitality as Heaven's property. hua Tuo wanted to shake his apprentice by the shoulder. For someone who'd recently gain some brain cells about business operations, how could Zero suggest such a thing? That didn't just put a dent into their pockets but welcomed the rivals into their homes while serving them tea. Nobody could understand why Zero would give away their business advantage so easily and seem so unbothered by the negotiation. Mammon was furious and he briefly considered calling the deal with Baal off. Forget about the partnership and future investments when he had to spill blood over a contract.

Coux and Baal remained calm and collected although they were beginning to feel impatient. Mammon was going to fly off the edge of his seat for Michael's neck at any moment and they didn't know if putting him to sleep would damage their rocky business relationship.

"Zero... any news yet?" Coux whispered using the party call skill.

Zero ignored her message and continued sipping tea with Buddha. Oolong tea had a particular flavour that was both mild and stable. He added this to the list of things he enjoyed and complimented the beverage. Buddha smiled at Zero's comment and agreed to send him more when he has the next harvest. They laughed joyfully in their separate world, oblivious to the hateful glances sent their way.

"I got it!" Wiser's tired voice came by. In the background of the party call, Zero could hear the mass chanting something. He was very certain that was a protest at Wiser's end.

"It's chaos energy. The doping test returned positive"

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Zero placed the cup of unfinished tea down and smiled. His eyes met Mammon's and the Demon Lord was taken aback by the confident look on Zero's face. Before he could ask what the young doctor was planning, his mind was rudely invaded by Zero's voice call ability.

"Wiser has the results. It's chaos energy. As discussed earlier, if Coux manages to shake on it at 70-30 with the angels, you'll have to waive all our debt and become Wiser's sponsor at the Academy."

Mammon didn't have a choice because Coux took the lead after Zero passed the same message to her.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Zero stood up calmly, grabbing the Sage God of Medicine and Enlightenment before bowing. "We have some urgent matters to attend to so please excuse us."

With that, Zero teleported them to the second battlefield, leaving everything to his best friend and his trusty secretary.

Mammon backed off when Coux smiled at him with a small nod.

"My apologies about Zero's sudden departure. How about we take a short break before resuming our discussion. I'm sure everyone is curious about Zero's intentions and actions. Please grant me some time to prepare the presentation that will satisfy everyone's needs."

Baal forcefully 'invited' some of the more stubborn guests for a forced morning tea-break. Mammon was exhausted. Who knew that a morning meeting with those scoundrels from Heaven would be so taxing?

"What's the plan?" he asked the half-succubus who looked deep in thought.

"Zero says we should try to push the idea of plane terraforming to buy them over."

"Terraforming? What are you talking about?"

"Think of it as a major cleaning spree for the Abyss. In a few years, Hell could become a rather popular tourist spot and a great base for agriculture, don't you think?"

Mammon couldn't imagine that. What was Zero thinking? Then again, maybe wasn't thinking at all. That would explain a lot.

"Don't worry, we will win this deal. We have the upper hand in this."

Mammon wasn't convinced. Sadly, he didn't have a choice. Zero held all the cards and they were now in Coux's hands. Even if he wanted to, there was no way Mammon could be buddy-buddy with those arrogant holier-than-thou pricks. He wouldn't do it for a discount, he certainly wouldn't do it over a business deal. If a war was what they wanted, the Demon Lord was more than ready for it. How many millenniums has it been since he last went all out and spilt the blood of those pesky angels? There were too many dislikable fools in the world that require culling.

The tea-break didn't last for very long. There was only so much Baal could do when three out of six archangels were present. Michael was known to have a short fuse and even shorter patience. Gabriel was crafty. There was no doubt about it, he must have sensed the change. Uriel was dragged out of his cove for his cheating abilities, not that it was much use. Mammon smirked at Michael's disgruntled expression. If they thought that they were successful in destroying whatever secret last-minute strategy meeting that was happening, they had something or two coming their way.

"Welcome back, thank you for your patience," Coux smiled. Baal backed her up and granted her access to his magic reserves. Coux wasn't spendthrift when given the green light. She sapped up a good amount of mana from her boss to fuse the enclosed environment with mana.

Michael was immediately on guard but Uriel placed a hand on his colleague's shoulder with a stern look. The warrior archangel settled back down but not without a glare at the half-succubus.

"Allow me to present to you something that many of us are familiar with," the secretary bowed and produced a jar of contained miasma.

At once, all three archangels were on guard. For demons, miasma was harmful but not deadly. For angels, they were an incurable poison that made one 'fall'. The process of falling was when one's soul becomes corrupted by chaos energy and one's mind becomes lost. When angels fall, they often end up as powerful but mindless demons that terrorise the material plane. To prevent such disasters, Heaven had very strict protocols. Only those with the blessing of Great Gods may enter the Abyss.

Coux raised her hand to show them that she meant no harm. "As you can see," she explained. "This is miasma that can be commonly found in the Abyss plane outside of the domains. Zero and Wiser have discovered that miasma is actually chaos energy that corrupts the soul."

"That's nothing new," Gabriel told her flatly.

"You're right. It's nothing new. However, we recently discovered that miasma can be subdued by mana."

Michael deadpanned. "If you're simply wasting our time by trying to stall this business deal, we won't be courteous for much longer. Get to the point, demon."

Mammon was close to ripping that throat out but Coux's composure even with that insult held him back.

"Please do not be mistaken. It is not my intention to stall. In fact, I'm trying to support my proposal with these facts. I'm sure you are aware of the barren soils in the abyss because of this miasma. If anything grows in the wilderness, they are either corrupted by the miasma and will poison anyone who consumes them or are capable of producing mana to counter the chaos energy."

Baal smiled. He knew what Zero was going after now.

"These new mana generating flowers will change everything in the abyss. Think about the possibilities. The Abyss was once on the same plane as Heaven. You should know what Heaven is sorely lacking in. however, the same cannot be said about the Abyss. While Heaven exchanges their holy magic for mana from the material plane, it is undeniable that there is a severe shortage of raw materials. The material plane is unable to produce magical plants as easily as the enlightened plane."

Uriel's eyes sparkled with something akin to respect. "I understand now. We will not challenge with the Abyss for the mana generating flowers. However, in exchange, please give us a favourable price for the raw materials that the Abyss exports."

Michael was stunned. "Uriel!" he roared, furious at the betrayal. Why did Uriel give their advantage away?

"Stop, Michael," Gabriel commanded. The moment Uriel made his decision, the messenger knew what was going to happen. As the spokesperson of Heaven, the final decision lied with him as so did the responsibilities.

"Let's hear them out first," he told the hot-headed archangel. Reluctantly, the warrior backed down.

"They have us where they want us to be," Uriel admitted. "I couldn't see it coming before because there was some interference with the vision. However, I don't need to see the future to know which is more beneficial for us. At the moment, Heaven faces two major crisis. The first is the lack of faith in Gods. The second is the weakening plane ever since the split from the Abyss."

Coux smiled. Finally, they were beginning to see some progress.

"Ever since the split, Heaven has been weakening. The only natural resources we have left are our people. The Gods have almost sucked all the mana in the plane dry, trying to support their domain. Many Sage Gods are depending on the mana reserves in the central bank. Every century, our ledgers become thinner and thinner. Raphael has to replenish his miracles using the mana gathered at the Spring of Vitality because of the shortage. heaven doesn't have any way to generate mana, unlike the Abyss. If we were to fight with the Abyss over this, it would only be a short term solution. There will come a time when the Spring of Vitality will run dry from our overwhelming demand."

At this point, Coux decided to steer the conversation.

"I can promise in the name of Van Doux that with the cooperation of Heaven, the Abyss can be terraformed in a century. being near the void means two things. Firstly, we can access all kinds of magic from the broken gates linking to different planes and dimensions. Secondly, while it is still merely a possibility, chaos energy can be converted into regular mana energy after terraforming."

"How does that work? Nobody has successfully converted chaos energy into pure mana. These lotuses only counter them, not convert."

"That's when you old fogies are wrong," Baal yawned. "It's not impossible if you think about it... Buddha is one of our partners and as administrators about the events going on up there, you should know better than anyone else what he does."

The three archangels fell silent. Buddha was known to be the only person who could counter the negative effects of chaos energy apart from the Great Gods. His domain of enlightenment allowed him to gain his powers from understanding the void.

"Buddha's domain allows him to convert chaos energy into power. The same cannot be said about normal people," Gabriel pointed out tactfully.

"Would you believe it if I told you we have a person working with us on this project to invent something capable of doing so? He could rival Steve Jobs in terms of magic-infused technology." Baal smirked.

Michael scoffed but Uriel looked hopeful. "Is it really true? Do you have such a genius working with you?"

Coux smiled. "Would it shock you more if I told you he is human? His blood is not diluted by any other race."

Michael fell deep in thoughts. Humans were interesting creatures. While they were known to be weak, they were also the only race known to slay Gods and attain unimaginable power despite the odds stacked against their favour. They fought and won against fate, defied time and created miracles without the blessings of those who ruled the world. they were truly fascinating creatures.

"I'll believe in this. One century, that's all the time you have to transform Hell into something thriving for agriculture and living creatures." Michael wasn't too happy about it when he said that but as an archangel, he was bound by duty.

"Thank you. We shall inform you about the second meeting to discuss the profit-sharing and investment. Please take care on your journey back," Coux smiled and escorted them out of the room.

Once the door was shut, mammon didn't know what to think.

"Can we really do it? Have you seen how bad it is out there?" His voice was very quiet as if hope would shatter if he was even the slightest bit louder.

Coux nodded. "I have faith in Zero. If there is anyone capable of making the impossible come true, that would be Zero. besides, we haven't stipulated whose measure of time that century would be in."

Baal grinned cheekily at Coux's innocent input. Mammon felt as if someone had physically slapped him after pulling the rug from beneath his feet. How dare this wench look down on him!

"Don't you dare underestimate the skills of the greatest businessman in Hell! The contract will be drafted by the end of the week so sit tight and be prepared. We're going to rip those angels off and milk them for everything their worth!"

The Demon lord left angrily so and Coux looked at Baal hopefully.

"What?"

"Aren't you going to thank me for being such a great actress?"

Baal made a disgusted face. "If there was anyone I was going to thank, it would be Buddha. Who would have suspected that he was an accomplice? To fool one's enemy, you had to fool your allies first. Poor Hua Tuo... I wonder when he will realise the fact that his student has made a complete scapegoat out of him."

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Coux chuckled. "Some things are best left unknown. Besides, if it wasn't for Hua Tuo, Mammon wouldn't have taken the bait. Michael wouldn't have agreed and Uriel wouldn't be convinced."

Baal yawned. "Let's head back. I need a nap. Too much excitement is bad for me."

"Are you really going to take a nap while Zero is working hard outside?"

Baal froze and cursed the Van Doux ancestors for being such cunning folks. "I get it. I'll do some work before sla- I mean sleeping."

Coux didn't say anything but followed after her master with a sly smile on her lips. Zero was right. Baal was weak to emotional blackmail more than anything else.

Hua Tuo and Buddha were thrown into the centre of chaos. It was not an experience anyone wanted to talk about. Wiser almost cried tears of relief at the sight of extra manpower. While King Yama's assistants were doing a good job of keeping everyone in line, it didn't make the crowd less angry. Zero didn't blame them. It was closing to noon and nobody had anything to eat as of yet.

"Ruth," he tried contacting her through the party call.

The vampire was startled to hear Zero's voice in his head but relaxed when he remembered that it was the young doctor's unique skill.

"What is it? I'm busy."

"Sorry about that," Zero apologised. "Could you tell Amaraline to double up the production? We have some problems with the crowd but En's men are dealing with it. I think some desserts before they start their new lives would be a good way to send them off."

Ruth couldn't say he was very surprised to hear that Zero wanted to do value-added charity work. However, he understood that this was only natural from the kind-hearted fool who was currently his master. They have not gotten to signing the magic contract due to the lack of time. However, Ruth didn't mind it. In fact, he was motivated to serve these demons who were seeking a second chance at life.

"I understand. Expect us in twenty minutes."

In exactly twenty minutes, Zero was amazed by how efficient the vampire was. There were two hundred perfectly baked apple pie slices served to the rowdy crowd. Hua Tuo readied a crate of mana potions beside Zero. The true battle only started after the first thirty demons have finished the delicious treat.

"First wave incoming!" Wiser announced over the party call. King Yama gave the green light for Zero to proceed and Buddha was on standby to receive them.

Zero activated the Inheritor of Sins and watched as the numbers in his status screen jump up by about three hundred.

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"I don't think I'll need any mana potions. Ruth might need them instead, he's running to and from Belles and Begonia with the desserts. Also, please give some to Amaraline and Qin Yun. Ship some over to Lovina too because she's helping them to cope with some of the urgent orders."

Hua Tuo didn't think twice and did as Zero suggested. The young doctor focussed on clearing the crowd as fast as he could. After all, three days was really insufficient for a crowd as huge as this. The entire bank building was teeming with demons with high expectations for a second chance at life. Zero glanced out of the window. Even the town's square and markets were flooded with hopeful demons. As the spark for this excitement, Zero couldn't possibly disappoint them all, right?

"Do you think you could have some people pre-register them before they have their desserts? It might be faster. I can clear two waves at once if they occupy the two rooms directly beneath each other."

Enma who was busy managing his administrators received Zero's message. Normally, he wouldn't do menial tasks himself. As the Lord ruling over the Purgatory, he had more important matters to attend to. Thankfully, he was free of all that today.

"Sure. I'll fill up the crowd who can wait for desserts after the redemption. I hope you can cope with my speed."

Zero smiled even though Enma couldn't see it. "You're the best!"

Enma left his post to open a new counter. While ordinary administrators had to use a magical device to measure the number of sins and record it into the system, the ruler of the Purgatory had a special gift. King Yama didn't need the device to determine a person's sin count. With his unique skills Judgement to view into a person's soul numbers, Godly Mathematics to calculate the sins and Expert Scribe to record everything into the books... King Yama was the best administrator the Purgatory had. Not even Hades was this proficient with the job.

"There's a new counter that moves five times as quickly as this queue!" one demon exclaimed. Many pairs of ears picked up on that and within a minute, demons were flooding to Enma's counter. King Yama only had to pull Sekkin from his post to help with crowd redirection after his administration. The spider demon's abilities simplified things and the duo worked efficiently. Zero was pleasantly surprised to have waves every five minutes or so. Enma surely worked fast and if Zero had to point out their weakest link in this new work arrangement, it would be Wiser who could hardly catch his breath.

Back in the castle, Baal shuddered and collapsed onto the floor. Coux was immediately alarmed.

"My Lord! What's wrong? Hold on, let me call for Hua Tuo..."

"No," the Demon Lord groaned weakly as he caught his secretary's wrist. "Arrange for a carriage to the Spring of Vitality immediately. I'll soak in there for until the Redemption Days are over. Also, you can tell Zero to have the vampire use my portal to deliver food. If the cafe is abusing my dimensional inventory to transfer goods, I don't see the harm in spending a little more mana and sustain another portal. Just... tell Zero to get over with it quickly."

Coux looked worried but obeyed nonetheless. After arranging for the carriage, she sent a message to Lilith about the unusual illness that Baal had suddenly gotten.

"Zero, Lord Baal will open a portal for Ruth to deliver the desserts. Tell him to use it. Also, I thought that I should keep you informed about his condition. Lord Baal has suddenly collapsed, he's now heading to the Spring of Vitality to recover mana. It's best to finish this redemption event quickly, I'm not sure if Lord Baal's body can hold out till the end of three days."

Zero was immediately alarmed when he heard the news. He wanted to rush over and check out on his friend but knew that with how hard Baal was trying, it would only disappoint him.

"I understand. I'll ask Master to check on him. We will be taking a short break in two hours. Please take care of Bell for me... I can hold the gates if required."

The secretary looked at the time. "I understand. I've sent word about Lord Baal's condition to Lady Lilith. Please do not worry too much. Do let me know if there is something I could help with. I'm sure Belles and Begonia will require extra hands at some point..."

Zero smiled. "Actually, we're doing really well thanks to En. He's working five times faster than all his administrators added together! We're making really good progress. I'm just afraid that the sudden spike in people signing magic contracts under Baal's name and magic is causing him some trouble right now. I can't contact him at the moment but I will transfer some sins over when I can. Tell him not to overdo it! Mammon has already agreed to help with the magic contract signing part if Baal cannot maintain it. Unlike the magic contract, there is nobody else in this domain who can open the gates for the redeemed souls."

"I understand," the half-succubus nodded. "I'll do what I can, please don't hesitate to ask for help."

With that, they ended the call and Coux was left wondering how she could assist the usually lazy Demon Lord. It wasn't every day that she saw him working so hard. Despite his usual lazy disposition, Baal genuinely cared for his people and for Zero. That got the secretary thinking. What if her initial opinion about Lord Baal has been wrong? Perhaps there was more to the responsibility-pushing Demon Lord than she knew. Coux frowned. She'd have to ask her ancestor Lilith for details later.

No, it wasn't out of concern. Coux shook her head to rid of that thought. It was only so she could perform better at her job... yes, that was it.

It took forever for tea break to come. The moment the town bell chimed, indicating mid-afternoon, all counters were closed and everyone working dropped what they were doing. Demons were disappointed at having to wait but many of them were understanding enough.

Zero was the only person who looked alive and cheerful during the break. Enma had promptly passed out on the couch he crashed on in the VIP room. Ruth was back at Belles and Begonia with Amaraline and Qin Yun. All three cafe staff were exhausted beyond belief. While the teleportation gate made the job easier, it had still been demanding to cope with the pace of people demanding desserts with King Yama's pace of working. Eventually, they closed the administration counter and had King Yama handling all the registrations. The regular staff helped with facilitating, ushering, serving desserts and guiding demons through the gate. Hua Tuo had to rush off somewhere halfway even before the break and Sekkin had to change shifts with Wiser who looked the most haggard in their group.

Zero took this opportunity to contact Mammon and Baal.

"How is everything progressing?" Mammon asked, not at all surprised to hear Zero's voice in his head.

"I think Baal needs help but he won't let anyone help him. Master rushed over earlier because Lilith who saw Baal at the Spring of Vitality claimed that Baal was starting to fade a little. Do you think you could forcefully take over control of the magic contract from him? It's break time for everyone now so we had him close the gates to save whatever energy he has left."

Fading? Baal? Mammon frowned. While it wasn't unheard of for demons to fade it, was extremely worrying. Fading was a fairly common phenomenon when demons overused their mana and pushed their bodies to use their lifespan in exchange for temporary power. Once they spent all their remaining lifespan it would be hard to recover, especially in the Abyss with the miasma threatening to corrupt those without resistance. They eventually die if not instantly. However, this only happened to demons who were weaker. Very rarely did it happen in aristocratic demons and it was completely unheard off for Demon Lords to fade. The power they possessed simply didn't make it possible.

"I will wrestle it from him if that's the last thing I will do. Tell that fool to close the gates if he cannot hold them. You can redeem them batch by batch and have the gates open by the hour and send them through all at once. It's not necessary for him to keep them open at all times."

Zero winced. Logically, that sounded brilliant. However, the situation at hand didn't give them such luxuries. Enma's pace of working could easily process thousands of applications in an hour. There was simply no space to hold so many people at once. If only there was a way to generate mana from another source and re-channel them to Baal...

"I got it! Mammon, do you think you could contact Beelzebub for me? As the Lord of Gluttony, he should be able to eat just about anything and convert that to mana... right?"

Mammon didn't quite follow Zero's train of thoughts. "Yes, technically he can. What has this got to do with anything?"

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Zero grinned. With two natural mana generating bodies, he might just be able to help Baal out. It would be tricky but not impossible.

"I have an idea. It might reduce the burden on Baal if done correctly. At the moment, I need to get into touch with Beelzebub and maybe find a location with a lot of miasmas."

The Bank founder didn't question Zero's plans. As a successful, businessman, he knew how to differentiate between a crazy-sounding plan with good chances for success versus one that's pulled from between the buttcheeks of a fool with no capabilities to make their plan come true.

"Give me a few hours and let me in on the plan. There are plenty of places with dense miasma but the worst would be in Amon's territory. Your spider demon friend should know that best."

The young doctor nodded and left it to Mammon to find the demon mana battery he required.

The Sage God of Medicine arrived as quickly as he could. Clearly, the man had seen better days but so has the Demon Lord.

"My Lord!" Hua Tuo exclaimed once he laid eyes on the uncharacteristically frail Demon Lord. The Queen of Lust was nursing the sickly Demon Lord to the best of her abilities although it was an almost futile attempt. Baal was translucent and Hua Tuo could see some of the rocks behind him appear through his body.

Things were more serious than he thought.

"Is he still keeping the gate open?" he asked the Demon Queen, foregoing his usual formalities.

Lilith didn't seem to notice the lack of politeness in the physician's question. She was glad that help had arrived. According to Mammon, the physician would only arrive in the evening but with Baal getting more transparent with every passing minute, she was losing hope. She contacted her descendant to inform Zero about the situation.

Zero didn't disappoint her. He sent his teacher over at once despite the hectic situation over the other end.

"How is he?" she asked.

The physician examined Baal's pale complexion and activated his Medicine God's Eye. Zero was right to send him over to check on the Demon Lord. If he had been any later, things might have gotten dire.

"It's still curable. However, he cannot open any gates for the next few days until he recovers. We might have to find another way to send the redeemed demons over. We should let Zero and King Yama know about this..."

"No!" Baal yelled and grabbed onto Hua Tuo's loose robe end, drenching it in the process. "Zero entrusted this to me, I won't let anyone else do it."

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That statement triggered Lilith. "Nobody is asking you to play the hero! Stop being so stubborn and rest already! Zero wouldn't be happy to know that you're killing yourself to do this for him. We can find another way to do this but it won't work if you die before anything is accomplished."

Her words stung but Baal knew that she was right. After being friends with the Succubus Queen for such a long time, he could understand her cause of concern and the fear in her voice.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to leave anyone behind. I might fall asleep for a long time after this and won't know when I'll wake up again. Maybe by then, you'd find a nice person who you can call your second soulmate. Just remember to introduce them to me..." he chuckled weakly.

Lilith wanted to scream at her stubborn friend. It was true that Demon Lords do not die. They simply go into a comatose state if the body is not destroyed to regain their strength again. Their domain would fall into ruins but their soul would continue to anchor the plane. If their bodies were destroyed, their souls will immediately reincarnate into another demon, waiting to be found just like Beelzebub although the Lord of Gluttony was a special case. Even though it wasn't a permanent loss, the Succubus Queen couldn't bear the pain of parting and losing her loved ones. She knew better than anyone else how lonely it could get for Demon Lords. There was hardly anyone they could trust or depend on. Their descendants and aristocratic nobles under their rulership were almost always power hungry. Nobody truly cared for them and even if they did, the lives of those much weaker were very short.

"Ahem... testing! Can everyone hear me?" a familiar voice shook all three people at the spring out of their thoughts.

"Zero?" Baal was the first to answer. Knowing his friend, the apprentice was surely up to something again. "How's everything going?"

"No time for that," Zero cut his friend off. Even without Coux's report, he had a feeling that Baal was overdoing it. He wasn't wrong to send his teacher over earlier than agreed. In fact, he would be surprised if Hua Tuo came back telling him Baal was capable of holding the gates for the rest of the event by himself.

"I got the approval from Lucifer and Mammon to borrow Beelzebub for a while. Ruth and Beelzebub will be escorted outside of the domains. They're heading to Amon's outskirts with Sekkin for a special mission. Baal, we're going to continue with the plan with some tweaks. Are you still up for it?"

Baal laughed. Initially, he thought that Zero might forbid him to do anything after finding out about his current state. The young child he found had truly grown.

"You know I'm always ready for you. Now stop stalling and let us know what you have in mind."

Lilith wasn't too happy about Zero's decision to continue including Baal in his plans. Why can't he see how suicidal Baal was? Baal was the kind who wasn't afraid of death. For the ones close to him, the Demon Lord would gamble with his life for even the slimmest chance of success. Baal wasn't afraid of disappointing the world, he was only afraid of letting down the ones he loved. Zero was the Demon Lord's one and only biggest weakness, how could the young doctor not know that? Baal would never deny Zero anything... even if it was his soul that the brunet wanted. Baal would deliver it to his hands without hesitation or questions.

"We will be slightly shorthanded here so I called for some support, I hope you don't mind. Here's the plan. Sekkin, Ruth and Beelzebub will head over to Amon's territory and eat miasma to convert them into mana. I will coordinate the sin absorption and mana transfer from them to you. In that way, we're merely using your ability to keep the gates open. You won't need to exert any mana for it. Focus on recovering for now. Mammon will be fully in charge of the magic contracts and Lucifer shall oversee the teleportation of people and goods. Buddha will guide the demons to the gates in Hua Tuo's place and the idle angels will come over to help with dessert distribution. Coux, Amaraline and Qin Yun will work the kitchen hard. This is the current arrangement. If you do not agree to it, we shall cancel all redemption activities. Those were Lucifer's words."

Baal froze. He was alright with the plan except for one small detail. "Who are the idle angels you were talking about?"

Zero didn't know if he should let his friend know the truth. Raphael was the one who insisted that Zero included them into his plans. He'd spotted Baal in the Spring of Vitality by coincidence. The archangel was worried about his nephew and dragged the idle Uriel and Gabriel along for some community service.

"Will you be mad at them?" Zero asked in a small voice. Baal couldn't stay mad at Zero so he sighed.

"No, I won't. Now tell me who they are. Also, why does Lucifer have a say in this?"

Lilith didn't quite understand what was going on but she had a few guesses. "Lucifer says it's an investment and the angels are your uncles. An uncle and two friends, he said."

Baal baulked. Things were usually never straightforward when dealing with Raphael. Although he knows that Raphael would never mean ill, there was always a catch. Furthermore, he had a very good idea about the friends Zero was referring to. There were only a few angels that Lucifer was tolerant about. The first was Uriel who hardly participated in the war. The second was Gabriel who was a regular in the Abyss. His uncle was a special exception, the Academy headmaster and Raphael shared a complicated history but it was nothing as bad as the one Lucifer had with Michael.

"I have a question," Lilith interrupted. "How can you be so sure that Baal wouldn't be using any mana to maintain the gates with this plan? I'm aware of Beelzebub's abilities. However, nobody has tried eating miasma. How do you know it can be converted into mana? Also, our power is directly related to our sins. Baal has been working too much lately, he hasn't been able to store up sins which is part of the reason for his rapidly depleting mana reserves. He usually builds his reserves through his several centuries long naps."

"Oh, that's easy," Zero replied airily. "I had Ruth try eating some miasma contaminated food. It worked out alright. The skill Strong Stomach counters all negative effects of the miasma. From what I've heard about Beelzebub, he had been eating miasma contaminated food even before anyone knew about his existence. It will be alright."

Hua Tuo placed a reassuring hand on Baal's shoulder. "You should accept it," he told the Demon Lord honestly.

Baal was grumpy but accepted Zero's terms. The physician had the gall to promise Zero that he will be monitoring Baal's health status with his Medicine Eye. Lilith was mightily pleased to know that there will be no risk of Baal overexerting himself and worsening his condition. Everybody but the Demon Lord of Idleness was happy with the plan. That made Baal's mood for the day darken.

"The things I would do for Zero, I swear..." Baal grumbled to nobody but himself. He hated being friends with Zero at this moment but hated himself more for not being able to reject their weird friendship.

The sudden call ended and Lilith decided to leave and prepare some food for the two remaining people in the spring. With some privacy, Baal decided to broach the topic that had been on Hua Tuo's mind for a while now.

"I'm sure you know about Lucifer's scheme. Are you really alright with letting your student fall in that old demon's trap?"

Hua Tuo shook his head with an amused smile. "One has to learn from experience. Not everything can be understood by merely reading. Knowledge acquired can only do so much. I'm not going to let Zero grow up into an empty-headed academic. The path of a doctor is very trying, if Zero doesn't overcome this himself then he should not pursue this profession any further."

Baal noted how that was a low-key probe at a certain Wizard God. "An empty-headed academic huh... you've thought about his future a lot."

"Of course. Zero is my one and only disciple. It is the duty of the master to become a wall that their students can climb over. Nothing would make me happier than seeing my student surpass me. In terms of saving lives, Zero has already reached a level that I cannot attain. However, he is still lacking in many other areas. My time with him is only so much, it might be a blessing in disguise for him to make a trip to the Abyss. I'm also happy that he's made such a wonderful friend here although I'm rather disappointed at the recklessness of said friend. They say stupidity is contagious and I'm starting to think the same might be true for insanity."

Baal rolled his eyes. "Whatever... I'm not concerned about my image. I'm more interested to know what Zero would think when he finds out that Lucifer only 'assisted' him just to enrol him in the Academy."

Hua Tuo didn't reply immediately. He settled down behind Baal who was dipped in the spring and crossed his legs before placing his hands on the Demon Lord's thin shoulders. The Sage God focused on gathering as much energy he could in his dantian. The Spring of Vitality was not only a place rich in mana. It was a great place for cultivation not that many cultivators could access the location. Although the physician wasn't proficient with magic, he had other aces up his sleeves. Pouring some qi energy into the Demon Lord's body, the difference could be seen immediately.

Baal was shocked and surprised when an unknown source of energy entered his body. It felt warm and his senses were sharper. For the very first time in many years, Baal felt alive. Whatever Hua Tuo was doing to him made him feel better. Although he was still low on sins and mana, the foreign energy stabilised his soul. Baal could feel it resonate with the Spring and the Demon Lord relaxed.

Seeing that the Demon Lord was feeling better, Hua Tuo decided to pick up the conversation they left off earlier. "Why does Lucifer want to enrol Zero so badly?"

Baal closed his eyes and hummed pleasantly. "There's a bunch of snot-faced punks in there who think that they can rewrite history if they enslaved humans under their forces. The war between Heaven and Hell has concluded a long time ago. Although there is bad blood, everything is now water under the bridge. They're not powerful enough to cause any real damage but it's always better to pull the weeds out at first sight."

"Why humans?"

Baal opened one eye lazily. "Is that a real question? It should be obvious right? You were once human too."

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Hua Tuo remained silent. The humans from the first Earth were different from the humans on the second Earth. On the first Earth, humans were supreme. It was arrogance that corrupted them. Humans developed weapons and took down Gods after creating one of their own. However, as a result of the rebellion, they were wiped out. The humans on the second Earth were not supreme. Almost every other race were stronger than them. However, the same spirit remained. Humans were proud creatures, always dissatisfied with their status quo. Wars between humans and other races weren't uncommon and Hua Tuo stayed out of their fights. While humans on the second Earth were getting constantly getting stronger by polishing their wits and weapons, they were a far cry from how humans used to be on the first Earth.

"They will never succeed," he told Baal.

The Demon Lord didn't say anything. It was obvious after all. None of these cheap imitations called humans could hold a candle to the ones from the first world. They wouldn't be able to touch a demigod, much less a Great God. Unlike humans of the first world who'd almost taken down four of the six Great Gods, the humans of this world lacked ambition.

Still, it was impossible to ignore the thorn embedded in your flesh. Regardless of the plan's rate of success, rebels of the Abyss must be punished. This time, they wouldn't be having Zero's mercy. Lucifer would ensure of that. Baal also highly doubted that his friend would forgive genocide in exchange for personal gains such as power and status.

Knowing the young doctor's personality, Baal would bet his life on it. Zero was kind but he wasn't a pushover.

Ruth was hallucinating. He must be. Beelzebub didn't look too bothered but the vampire was already calculating if his reaction time could surpass the spider demon's own. Between a warrior and an assassin, it would be a close match. He might have sworn servitude to Zero but this was going too far.

"Here we are," Sekkin told them. Beelzebub surveyed the barren landscape without much interest. All he knew was that Lucifer will grant him pardon for all classes if he aces the test results after completing this mission. Ruth didn't share the same enthusiasm for obvious reasons. Miasma tasted vile. It didn't matter what kind of seasoning they used, the aftertaste would linger for days. If he knew the taste test yesterday was going to lead to this, Ruth wouldn't have done it. Blame it on his naivety and now the vampire has to pay the price for being too trusting.

"Alright, when do we start and how will Zero contact us?" Beelzebub went straight to the point. All he wanted to do now was eat everything he needed to and head back to the dormitory for his well-deserved rest.

Sekkin fumbled a little, trying to contact Zero through the party call.

"Is everyone in position?" the young doctor asked through the mental link. Ruth found comfort when Baal complained about the arrangement to the brunet.

"I promise, I'll be fine. You don't have to do this..."

Zero didn't take no for an answer. In fact, Baal's continuous denial made the apprentice more determined to carry on as planned.

"Before we start, can I have some taste numbing potion?" Ruth blurted out much to Sekkin's surprise. The vampire was silent throughout the journey so he didn't think that Ruth would have something to say.

It took a while before Zero could give Ruth a bottle of milky looking liquid. "That's something Hua Tuo made last night, we do not have extras so use it sparingly."

Ruth was rather startled to see a hand appear from a vortex in front of him with a bottle. Although he knew how to use magic, seeing Zero's void magic speciality was unnerving. Already, Zero's unofficial combat teacher was thinking of innovative ways Zero could incorporate that into his fights. Imagine opening a gate to teleport the enemy's lower body into some other dimension and closing the gate. Instant human sushi! It would be both a terrifying and overpowering method of fighting. If Zero wanted to, he could probably take on a country full of enemies using this insane technique. The only concern would be mana but they could always work the details out.

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He accepted the potion and downed the first mouthful. The effect was almost immediate. An icy coolness spread throughout his mouth and his tongue felt heavy in it. Ruth knew it was working when he inhaled the thick miasma and swallowed it. Normally, vampires avoided breathing in miasma as it poisoned the blood. If they didn't have to recover mana, they wouldn't do so. Now that he had Strong Stomach, the miasma only provided energy and Ruth was able to fully absorb the remaining mana in the air.

Beelzebub took Ruth's enthusiasm as his cue to start. Inhaling miasma and eating dirt was almost the same thing. The only difference for him would be the lack of satisfaction to crunch on something.

Sekkin was impressed. The miasma around Amon's territory was always thick and menacing as there were many leaks from the void after Amon's vigorous training. Many old training grounds were considered unsafe due to the hazardous amounts of miasma, this was one of them. Although Sekkin was strong, he had to bring along an amulet charged with mana just in case he was unable to resist it. Right now, the spider demon felt as if he would be fine even if he lost that amulet. The dark fog became lighter with each long inhale. Through the party call, Sekkin asked if it was working.

"Hmm, it is working but not fast enough. We need to open the gate once in the next fifteen minutes. Is there a faster way to do this?"

"Like I said," Baal sighed from the Spring of Vitality. "I can handle it."

Zero muted the Demon Lord much to Sekkin's amusement.

"Do you think your webs can soak up miasma?" Zero asked after a while.

"I've never tried it before. What do you plan to do if they can?"

Zero's gleeful humming over the party call made everyone curious. "Wouldn't it be faster to eat webs soaked in miasma than inhaling air? Besides, it would be more efficient to have the webs soak up miasma from different locations and bring them to a central point."

The assassin took his hat off to Zero for the unorthodox idea. It wasn't a pleasant thing to do but it may work. "I'll try my best. Also, more of that taste numbing potion may be required."

"On it!" the young doctor sang and left them to do what they have to.

Ruth made a tortured face and Sekkin could only try to comfort him. "If it makes you feel any better, I can make webs that are tasteless in nature. Whatever flavour the miasma decides to turn it to would be beyond my control."

Beelzebub coughed after eating too much miasma. "Water."

Hearing the Lord of Gluttony's demand, Sekkin got to work immediately and served him water. Ruth watched how the Demon Lord inhaled cloud after cloud of awful tasting miasma without a single word of complaint. He felt ashamed as a warrior and toughened his resolution. Beelzebub was a man amongst men if he could eat something worse than vomit while maintaining a straight face.

"Zero, the halls are full now. How long more till they can open the gate?" King Yama asked. Presently, there were at least six hundred demons waiting in the hall while stuffing their faces with food. Gabriel thought that now would be a great time to do some marketing and offered free divine bread for anyone who wishes to work in the Heaven administration department. There were many who judged his shamelessness but nobody stopped his advertising.

"If Sekkin manages to pull it off successfully, we can open it within the next fifteen minutes. How is Buddha coping?"

Enma looked over to the end of the line. The Sage God could not be seen but he saw how his employees were guiding the demons who finished their desserts and signing the magic contract to the queue. They downsized the gate to approximately three by five metres wide to cater for all sorts of demons.

"He's recruiting cultivators in their next lives, they don't seem to know or mind the blessing that Buddha gives. The crowd seems entertained for now with his sermons about enlightenment and the way of dao."

Zero nodded and looked at the numbers on his status screen. The screen duplicated and Mii helped him to customise the statistics he required. Currently, the mana required to open the gate per minute would take 100,000 mana. That's about 1,000 sins absorbed and converted. If he added the mana gained from converting the chaos energy at the rate of 1:5, Zero would be able to open the gate for about five minutes but no more than that.

The apprentice sighed. How could he gather a lot of mana to help Baal open the gate without risking anything? Ruth and Beelzebub were too slow. Absorbing the sins of the demons who came for Redemption only provided so much. He couldn't possibly ask those redeemed demons to go around committing more sins so that he could open the gate for longer, right? It didn't make sense.

"Zero it worked!" Sekkin reported with glee. Although Ruth had a terrible expression on his face after slurping web threads like noodles, Zero's plan worked. The assassin borrowed the vampire's speed and travelled to all of Lord Amon's abandoned training grounds. They managed to stick a few threads into the cracks where miasma was being produced. Using that, Sekkin was able to weave a formation that allows Ruth and Beelzebub to eat the miasma soaked threads that fell off from the main miasma web. The spider demon's main task was to continuously maintain that fragile web by sticking on layers after layers of new thread while the old ones fell away after being soaked.

"Who knew that threads were considered dead cells?" Ruth mused in the party call while he busied his mouth.

Zero smiled. Learning new things was good. At least he now knew two things. The first was that his idea worked and the second was that Sekkin's threads could very well create a magic puppet seeing that it was considered a dead living thing. Zero didn't know how necromancy worked, that was something Soon knew better, but it was an idea worth experimenting in the future.

Using the basic Mathematics that was taught to him, Zero started calculating the rate of mana generated by the two hardworking miasma eaters. "Mii, is there a faster way of doing this? I can see that the mana converted from chaos energy is now three times faster than what it was before. Why can't we simply go to the void and harvest what we need from it?"

The strawcherry fairy materialised. "Zero, if they could enter the void, don't you think people wouldn't be so paranoid about the miasma?"

The brunet blinked. He'd forgotten that it wasn't normal for anyone to be in the void. "I can go to the void on their behalf I suppose..."

Mii sighed and raised a brow. "The void is a place that doesn't have anything. It would be useless for you to go there. Miasma is a byproduct of what's going on in the void, the void doesn't actually have any energy in it that you can use. Time doesn't exist there, life doesn't exist there... chaos energy is a by-product of that plane crashing against another plane that possesses life and mana. Buddha's domain is slightly different but that's a story for another time. In any case, patience is the key here."

Zero pouted. Mii was right. There was literally nothing he could do while he was stuck here.

"Instead of wasting time thinking about how to open the gate for a longer period of time, you should be thinking about how to send those demons through it in a shorter frame of time," Mii suggested.

Zero face brightened. "That's a brilliant idea! You're a genius, Mii! Thank you. I'll see what I can do..."

Mii didn't say anything and chose to dematerialise. In Zero's mindscape, Bob and the strawcherry fairy watched as their master brainstormed with himself about the best way to send the redeemed demons off.

"I don't think you should have done that, Hell would be turned upside down now," Bob frowned.

Mii shrugged. "It's not that bad. I mean, what can he possibly do? Other than getting them to be organised, there isn't much to think abou-"

The words died halfway as they watched their master summon Robo Mike. They exchanged words and Mii took her words back. She regretted everything.

"See what I mean? Things aren't as easy with our young master. However, you are right. Diverting his attention to something less dangerous is a good plan. Pity, now someone has to clean up after Zero's mess. I can't imagine it to be a pleasant surprise to see ice travelators to be something very comforting to walk on."

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They continued to observe a little more and paled when Zero brought out the big ones.

"Uh... should we stop him?" the dragon asked worriedly. Robo Mike was now the unfortunate test subject for Zero's ideas and they winced when the golem crashed into the expensive looking window. Mammon was not going to be happy.

"Maybe. However, I'm curious to know how that ice slide and carpet will work."

Bob didn't argue and they watched in silence at another one of Zero's failures. Although the young doctor was creating a huge mess, they were like proud parents watching him grow day by day. Making mistakes is the mother for all successes. It might look like a terrible headstart but in due time, Mii had faith that Zero could exceed Solo's expectations.

He had to.

Nobody had the energy to move, not even Zero. The castle had a gloomy atmosphere with everyone lumbering around like Robo Mike. Speaking of Robo Mike, Merlin confiscated him temporarily after Zero's stunt with the ice travelator. Nobody protested to the Wizard God's guardianship of the golem after Mammon flew off the handle at the repair costs.

Nobody expected that the window Zero broke would be made out of Venetian glass from the original Earth. There were no more craft masters who were able to replicate that prized possession. When Lilith asked Mammon why he chose to place such an expensive object he treasured in Baal's territory, the Demon Lord gave a reason that nobody could dispute. With such a lazy Demon Lord who was perpetually in the financial rut, nobody would attempt to break the windows and rob the bank. The fact that the glass was broken from a cause unrelated to crime only served to strengthen his point.

Still, that didn't mean that Zero was off the hook. The young doctor apologised meekly and had nothing to say when Mammon flat out told him that he now owed him a life time's worth of debt for all the troubles caused within such a short frame of time. Seriously, Mammon had never experienced such a roller coaster turn of events in his life. As a cautious demon by nature, the Demon Lord preferred stability and planned everything in advance. Everything was accountable for but Zero threw logic out of the window with his presence. The abyss was nothing like Mammon knew it to be after Zero woke from his slumber. The only other time Mammon was thrown off his rhythm was when he was still a student in the Academy with Lilith and Baal. Zero reminded him of Baal during his younger days. They shared the same recklessness that made Mammon both worried and furious.

Then again, that was the very reason why nobody is crashing on their beds just yet. The owner of this lonely castle wasn't back yet. Zero relayed the message that his teacher would be accompanying his friend back but the event had ended yesterday. There was still no word from them. Lilith had to return to her territory and nobody could blame her. The Queen of Succubus was a busy person after all. Beelzebub returned to the Academy shortly after completing his mission and Ruth was still mentally traumatised at what he'd just done. Sekkin could attest to how awful the experience was even from the view of a third party not involved with any actual feasting. It was like a curse of eternal hunger for the trashiest-tasting garbage.

Coux looked at the haggard men in the room and sighed. It hadn't been easy on the girls either. Never again would she want to step into the kitchen. At least not for another week. King Yama wasn't to blame, their lack of capability to cope with his speed was. It was frustrating to admit that she was incompetent at her job. Putting Zero's experimental plan that semi-worked aside, she should have made better logistic arrangements before the event.

King Yama was the only one who didn't seem all that exhausted. There were bags beneath his eyes from not sleeping the past three days but that was about it. Apparently, the King of the Purgatory was a workaholic. Not even Zero's doctor orders could get him to rest and they gave up trying to bring Enma to a bed. They brought the bed to him instead into one of the guest rooms he claimed as his office.

With the owner of the castle gone, nobody knew what to do. Although the verdict of the punishment was ready, nobody was in a rush to carry it out. Zero wanted to travel to the Spring to check on his friend but Baal's vehement insistence that the young doctor should rest made Zero back off. Hua Tuo was with the Demon Lord and Zero had complete faith in his teacher. The mana transferring plan worked out well and even Lucifer was surprised that the small team managed to send off every applicant off without issues.

Everyone was half asleep, asleep or preoccupied so Zero seized the rare window of peace to examine the innocent looking letter lying in his inventory. The letter was sealed with a red wax stamped with the Morning Star Academy's insignia. He received it when he was in the shower but it was obvious who the sender was. Although the young doctor was curious about the letter's content, he was hesitant to open it. Knowing Lucifer, it was highly possible that there was some sort of test awaiting him. Without Baal around to advice him, Zero stored it away in his inventory. Lucifer was the kind of person who would place a tracking device on someone who piqued his interest without their consent. While demons were naturally manipulative, Lucifer was on a level of his own. It was better to be cautious when dealing with the most ancient demon in existence.

The young doctor yawned and looked at the time. They had nothing important planned tomorrow and Coux was expecting everyone to sleep in. It was late, far later than what Zero was used to. Zero was tired but after tossing in the luxurious bed for the last fifteen minutes, he gave up on the idea of sleep. With a heavy sigh, he padded out of the room for a stroll in the castle. There were simply too many things on his mind.

Zero looked out of the windows as he passed them. The scenery never changed. Ten years from now, would the landscape still be so barren? Or would it be transformed into a field of flowers? His plan to terraform the Abyss wasn't one without flaws. Zero trusted Wiser to overcome any difficulties about growing such an unusual flower in Hell with all its infertility. However, the young doctor couldn't help but question his decisions. Sure, he managed to convince the most difficult people into agreeing with it. However, what if it didn't work? Zero might have gotten hold of Amaraline's fortune-telling skill but it didn't help push those anxieties away.

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For the very first time in his short awakening, Zero felt fear and confusion. He learnt to be conscious of how other people viewed him and wondered why that was so. It might have been from the countless stares from the many demons he met over the last few days. It might have been from the many memories that he reviewed with Enma. It could be the icy gazes from the noble demons whom he might have to go to school with for Lucifer's mission. It could be Zero's inability to accept the way things were run in Hell. After learning about the origin of Sins, the apprentice couldn't find it in himself to be happy about those demons who were living in the wilderness. There were so many lines of thoughts and emotions bundled in his slightly more grown-up body and Zero felt weird being this 'full'. He could empathise slightly with Solo now. Perhaps the reason why Solo chose to leave everything behind and wipe his memories was due to this uncomfortable heavy feeling inside after experiencing so much life.

A silent shadow crept up on the teenager lost in his ocean of thoughts. It had been observing the young man for a while now without anyone spotting him. Seriously, his servants were so useless when he decided to get serious. How were they suppose to protect their master if none of them could detect an infiltrator? Sure, his castle may be one of the safest places in the Abyss. However, that was merely an assumption.

Baal wanted to know how everyone would react to his surprise return from his near destruction. He sent Hua Tuo off in a carriage seeing how fatigued the Sage God appeared. The good doctor did his best but there were things beyond his knowledge. A Demon Lord's body isn't quite the same with other species. Even with Hua Tuo's Medicine Eye, the physician was only able to monitor for the mana fluctuations. He didn't know what else to do and couldn't do much other than keeping an eye on the Demon Lord to ensure he didn't drown in the Spring of Vitality.

Baal didn't mind. It was a secret that he wouldn't share with anyone. Every Demon Lord had a unique skill to ensure their existence's survival regardless of how dire the circumstances became. For Baal, he wasn't all that worried when he started becoming transparent. Lilith and Mammon had reasons to be worried and the Lord of Idleness felt bad for not telling his friends that he'd be fine with more than a few aces up his sleeve. Nevertheless, everything ended smoothly so Baal chose to keep silent about it.

Lilith was right about him needing his hundred year long naps to recharge. However, if Baal had to wait for a hundred years to regain his power, anyone could have assassinated him in his sleep. That was an extremely inefficient way of doing things and the world simply couldn't have that happening. It's the same with the Succubus Queen. While her main source of energy came from seducing others and absorbing their pheromones, she couldn't possibly solely depend on that. There were other ways to recover energy quickly.

For Baal, his method of dealing with a sudden loss of power would be to enter an energy saving mode that preserves only the bare minimum for his body to exist. His soul would then disperse through time and dimensions to seek the chalices his original self had left behind. Those chalices were often in the form of living things. Baal would recall whatever power he required from them. He would have told Zero about his secret ace but the young doctor might have frowned at that concept. Chalices were basically souls born with the intent to create and accumulate as many sins as possible in their lifespan before bringing all those forward to reincarnate in the material plane. They disregard any rule from the Purgatory about reincarnation as they were fragments of the Demon Lord in control of their existence. In some cases, they were serial killers, in other cases, they could be a corrupt businessman or even an abusive spouse. Those chalices were often smart enough to survive long enough while raking up an obscene amount of sins. This was Baal's trump card. He wasn't sure if other Demon Lords shared a similar ability because he never asked. Now, the fully recovered Demon Lord wondered what the best way was to introduce his presence to Zero.

Eventually, the lazy demon decided to simply fall on top of the brunet. He might be startled but he wouldn't be severely injured. After all, Zero was a teenager and Baal was a child. If Zero broke anything he could simply heal it with magic.

He landed with a soft thud and a whoosh of air. Zero was too startled to let out even a yelp when the unexpected weight dropped down on him. For a moment the doctor thought that his uncomfortable weight inside him chose to materialise and paralyse him. He quickly dismissed that thought. It was too bizarre, even for him.

Carefully, Zero nursed the bump on his head with a groan. The weight on his back was warm but Zero didn't pay much attention to it until it shifted and greeted him.

The apprentice froze. He knew that voice. It was a voice he was longing to hear over the past few days of chaos.

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"Aren't you too careless? An assassin could simply walk right up and slit your throat. Besides, why aren't you in bed? It's late."

Zero sat up and pushed the Demon Lord off. He had a huge grin on his face and Baal raised a brow. No hugs, no babbling and no tears? He wasn't expecting it. Had Zero really matured both physically and mentally in such a short time?

No. He hadn't. Zero tried to choke Baal's name out and crushed him in a hug full of tears pouring from his eyes. Baal smiled. Now that was something he supposed would never change.

When Zero could speak once more, he sniffled and smiled at his friend. "Welcome back."

Baal returned his smile. "I'm back."

Two days later, the long-awaited punishment was finally being carried out. With everyone well-rested, things started falling back into place with some semblance of normality in the abyss.

It was weird to finally be back at Endow Hill. Although Zero was extremely curious about how things were back at the village, he didn't attempt to run off in order to satisfy his curiosity. As agreed, the small party included Qin Yun, Hua Tuo, Baal and Ruth. Schaf was being pushed along whenever his vampire guard decided he was deliberately tardy. Zero didn't blame the soon-to-be goat beastman. There was nobody who would look forward to punishment.

Hades and Kerberos were already waiting and Zero could see them from quite a distance. After all, there was nothing concealing the cave that led to Sleepy Cave's entrance. Once they were closer, the young doctor noticed that Merlin was also present. His heart raced at the thought of being able to see Truen but plummeted when Mii informed him that she didn't sense the wood elf in the area. A sharp glance from Baal made the young doctor straighten up. He couldn't afford to be seen behaving childishly in front of the two felons.

Qin Yun looked considerably better ever since she returned to Earth. It made Zero think about how Schaf would cope with the biological changes after his punishment. It wouldn't be easy for the goat demon who'd never been anything else his entire life. Unlike the fox spirit, he had no experience about the way of life in the material plane. It would be a struggle but Zero didn't pity him. It was punishment after all.

"It's good to see you again, Zero." Hades smiled. "Have you been doing well?"

The young doctor returned the smile warmly. Today, the God of Death wasn't in his scary skeletal form. Hades looked a little too pale as usual but he seemed genuinely happier. Kerberos didn't look menacing. In fact, the young doctor wondered how such a large hound could transform into three adorable puppies. They wagged their tails sadly and peered up at the Great God with the saddest looking eyes. Zero wondered if it was illegal to have eyes like that. It made people want to forgive them for any wrong they committed. That was simply unfair but Zero couldn't say he disliked them.

"I'm good. Is everyone else doing well?"

They exchanged pleasantries and Baal slid up to Merlin's side. "This is it?"

The Wizard God nodded. "It's not active at the moment but there's no telling. Kerberos should be fine. He has his master's blessing."

The Demon Lord nodded. It wasn't common knowledge but Sleepy Cave was marked as one of the most dangerous and unpredictable portals between dimensions. After many years of existing as a death trap for travellers who fell victims to the random opening and closing of gates, their trapped spirits conglomerated and fused together as one massive ball of consciousness. Their lament, regrets and loneliness created a monster almost as powerful as a God. Sleepy Cave created its own existence and it was something that not even the Great Gods could explain. To prevent its power from growing, they had the Eternal Dragon guard Endow Hill and this dangerous monster. Merlin was in-charge of maintaining its barrier and this arrangement worked out perfectly for many years...

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Until the Living Dungeon ate its protector.

It wasn't known exactly how or when it happened but almost at once, Hua Tuo volunteered to check on the situation. Merlin's barriers were still in place on Earth so the situation was under control. The doctor isolated himself there for a few centuries while waiting for the new guardian to be born. As fate had it, Zero turned up to adopt the new guardian before it was time. That messed up every plan the Sage Gods had, much to Hua Tuo's initial frustration.

"I'm so glad Sleepy Cave has a new guardian, no offence to Hades."

The God of Death blinked at Baal and shook his head. "None taken. I will visit Kerberos regularly so that he wouldn't be too lonely. It was a century of guarding last I heard. Is Zero alright with the arrangement?"

"The Eternal Dragon would have to return to Endow Hill eventually. For now, I think it's alright if they use this hundred years to explore Earth to their heart's content," Merlin replied.

The Demon Lord didn't say anything. He watched as Zero exchanged words with Kerberos from the sidelines. As they concluded their discussion, the teenager walked up to the waiting Demon Lord.

"I'm ready. How are we going to do this?" he asked.

Baal jerked his chin towards Hades who had Kerberos' original collar in one hand and three dog tags in the other. Zero could guess what they were going to do with the dog tags but the collar?

"I'll be leaving his original collar with Hua Tuo," Hades explained. "It would allow Hua Tuo to break my binding spell on Kerberos in case there is an emergency. To reduce his power, I've separated him into three puppies but they are still not to be taken lightly. Ker still retains his curse ability, Ber has his magic abilities although it has been significantly reduced and Ros can easily smash a large tree over with a swipe of his paw."

The physician accepted the collar while Hades placed the dog tags on each puppy with their respective names. Zero noted how there was a flash of light before the oversized dog tags shrank to fit snuggly around each puppy's necks. Once that was done, Hua Tuo, Merlin and Hades escorted them to Sleepy Cave.

Zero was about to follow them when Baal grabbed his arm. "We have other business to attend to."

Zero looked at the vampire and goat demon. That's right. The punishment wasn't solely for Kerberos.

"How do we proceed?" he whispered to Baal.

The Demon Lord snapped his fingers and two magic contracts materialised. The teenager understood at once. He decided to keep Ruth's contract for later. First, they had Schaf to sign his.

"Schaf Schafkopf, prepare to receive your punishment."

The goat demon didn't react immediately. Instead, there was a flash of rebellion in his eyes. He spat onto the ground when Zero brought the contract over. Seeing red, Ruth smacked the small demon mercilessly with his superior strength. Zero was startled and shot a warning glare to the vampire before rushing forward to help the fallen demon when Schaf yelled out. Ruth didn't flinch. His gaze was cold and nobody punished the vampire for his actions.

"Don't touch me, you filth!" Schaf screamed and Zero pulled away as if he was scalded. The hatred radiating from the goat demon shocked the young doctor who was only trying to help.

Ruth wanted to permanently silence the goat demon but held back at Baal's oppressing aura. The Demon Lord wasn't too pleased about what Schaf did but if he wasn't making a move, the vampire was in no position to do so either. They waited for Zero to make his decision.

Calmly, the young doctor met the fuming criminal's gaze. Zero knew it would be too easy to forcibly erase Schaf's sins and have him accept his fate. Unlike the more powerful beings in existence, Freya's Charmer blessing would have no effect on Schaf not that Zero required it. He was slightly nervous at facing someone who disliked him without the wanting to kill him. There was a strange and unpleasant feeling in his chest when Schaf looked at him as if he was the worst person in the world. Zero didn't blame him. It might just be true. However, he couldn't allow the goat demon to continue on his path of destruction because it would hurt many others including the ones he cared for.

"I'm sorry," he apologised.

Schaf was slightly surprised by the sudden apology but it didn't do anything to diminish the hatred he felt. If anything, the goat demon felt mocked by the genuine apology. He was fully aware of the consequences when he did what he did. He didn't need or want charity from some stranger who thought it was alright to save people as a pastime.

The ex-manager expected for the young doctor to convince him that he'd be fine or something along that line but Zero did none of those. Instead, the kind and annoyingly concerned expression hardened over to morph into something Schaf was very familiar with. He took a look at Zero's business mask and swallowed. Apprehension filled his blood as Zero motioned for him to sit. When had the table and chairs appeared?!

"Have a seat," the teenager stated and the goat demon's body stiffened like breadsticks. Before he knew it, his stubby legs carried him over as he plopped his butt onto the lavish chair.

That smile on Zero's face made Schaf shudder. It was so professional that the ex-manager couldn't help but respect it. It wasn't filled with malice or false intent. In fact, Zero's intentions were so thoroughly concealed that the goat demon had to wonder if this was the same person less than a minute ago. If he was anyone less experienced, he would have let his guard down. Schaf almost relaxed and fell back into his routine to mirror the young doctor's smile as if entertaining another client. That was too close for comfort.

Noticing that Schaf wasn't speaking and that his hatred had somewhat mellowed, Zero was secretly pleased that it worked. Lilith's advice about dealing with cornered and abused animals proved to be brilliant for this tense situation. In order to gain the trust of someone who distrusted easily, indifference and honesty was the best way to throw them off. Seeing how Schaf was so attached to his previous job, Zero thought that the best way to disarm that hatred was to create a familiar environment that the goat demon was confident in.

Keeping the act together, Zero calmly shuffled through the documents and observed for any signs of bolting in the goat demon. When he was confident that they could talk without Schaf going all vengeance-mode on him, Zero pushed the documents towards the ex-manager's way.

Schaf studied the documents thoroughly and his eyes narrowed slightly. Why was Zero letting him read an employment contract instead of his verdict? The goat demon heard the warning bells in his head come to life and with trained eyes, he read through every line of the contract, taking care to read what was in between them as well.

After re-reading it twice, the goat demon couldn't find anything wrong with the document. It was a legitimate employment contract with Baal's magical signature. Whatever company Half Moon Trading was, Schaf had no doubts that the pesky half succubus was involved. She was his direct superior-to-be after all.

"What is this?" he finally asked Zero who was uncharacteristically patient with him. He expected for the vampire to rush him into signing it but nothing of that sort happened. Only the painful piercing of their stares affected him while he was analysing the document. All else remained quite civilised.

"It's an employment contract. I value talent greatly and it would be a waste to let all that experience go to the void. I am not all-generous to forgive the people who wish harm upon those I treasure. However, I'm not unnecessarily merciless. The abyss might have been a harsh place and mercy might be a foreign term so feel free to think of this as a business transaction. I know not about your history with Mammon but as he is Baal's friend, I will make an exception. I hope that you won't repeat the same mistake twice for his sake."

Schaf didn't say anything, still adamant about not accepting the contract.

"I would rather die," he told the omnipotent being before him.

Zero sighed dramatically and looked away. "That's a shame. I was going to leave you in charge of coordinating Mammon's logistics division seeing how you are one of his closest aides."

Schaf froze. He was about to rip the contract when Zero said that. Half of him wanted to call Zero out for lying but the more logical part of him insisted that he should be prostrating himself and asking for Zero's forgiveness.

Zero sensed the demon's conflict and threw in a little more to sweeten the deal. It was true that he wanted to forgive Schaf but he wanted to also find a way to bring him into the camp. Half Moon Trading might be a promising startup but it could thrive with strong connections and capable employees. While Coux was a capable and reliable person with strong figures backing the business like Baal and Mammon, Zero wanted to ensure there was a someone capable of pulling the common folks together. What better way to bridge that gap than to have someone in the limelight for that position?

Schaf might not be a very famous figure before the trial drama. However, Zero understood the power of rumours. Coux taught him what marketing meant. Truth be told, Schaf was the best candidate after considering the bond he shared with Mammon. His special punishment only solidified how important Schaf has become. It was almost as if the goat demon's fate was a turning point for Hell itself. Much has happened with Zero's intervention and the young doctor knew that change would not be easy. It would be difficult to convince the demons that their harsh and barren lives would soon transform into one filled with flower fields and peaceful days.

The aspiring doctor knew that for such a plan to succeed, careful management and perseverance with unwavering faith is necessary. He foresaw his inability to monitor the ground situation closely with his desire to go on adventures. For the time being, thanks to Kerberos, Bob was able to accompany him and Truen on their adventure on Earth. Sadly, the same couldn't be said about the terraforming project. Even if Robo Mike was attending to it, the social and political implications of maintaining such a farm required careful management. Coux wasn't a native in the abyss and Baal wasn't the most well-liked Lord. The small fires of rebellion could easily go undetected and it would be too late if someone infiltrated their inner circles. Mammon wasn't capable of sieving through every single detail with his busy schedule so Zero thought about a certain someone whom Mammon could entrust with this responsibility.

Schaf studied Zero's expression. Nothing betrayed his thoughts and the goat demon relented. As a true businessman, he couldn't pass up an advantage when he saw one.

"What's the catch?" he asked in defeat.

Zero smiled. "You have to discard your identity as a demon and live in Half Moon village. You don't have to get along with anyone there although I highly recommend you do so. They wouldn't ask about your identity so it is up to your discretion how you wish to lead your new life. Other than that, I expect absolute professionalism with the new job offer. Unfortunately for you, resignation is not an option after signing this contract. It's magically bound to Baal who is the owner of Half Moon Trading."

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Schaf remained silent. That employment contract was a nicely packaged term for a lifetime's worth of corporate slavery. No sane person would agree to such mistreatment but Schaf was nowhere near sane as a smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

Nobody expected for the goat demon to grab the feathered pen lying on the table and scrawl his signature at the bottom of the scroll.

There was a flash of light before the scroll disintegrated leaving Zero looking rather surprised. Schaf smirked at the doctor's widened eyes. No matter how professional the teenager was, he was still wet behind the ears compared to the ex-banker.

Satisfied that he finally got a reaction out of the brunet, Schaf didn't resist anymore and allowed them to proceed with the sin redemption. Zero wasted no time and proceeded as planned. Baal silently wondered how his friend was able to convince someone who hated him to switch sides so quickly.

Maybe, just maybe... Zero might have a hidden talent that belonged solely to himself.

Ball of Nothing

Zero jumped out of his bed in the lamp and stretched. Today was going to be a great day! Mii was busy in her library and Bob was out for a tea session with Olaf. Although it felt slightly lonely, the teenager didn't think it was necessarily a bad thing. In fact, he'd been craving this small sense of freedom for a while now.

With all the blood-pumping events going on in Hell ever since his sudden arrival, all Zero wanted to do was sleep the day away. Even his curious mind and energetic self needed some time to recharge every once in a while.

The young doctor got dressed and decided to wear his beloved tracksuit. Today, he felt like wearing a red top with a white bottom because why not? Now that he was tall enough, Zero had no issues reaching the bell. That was one of the perks he got after receiving his new vessel.

Instead of the regular vortex and pull to reality, Zero's intuition screamed at him. Sadly, the young doctor wasn't fast enough to pull back before the magnetic force sucked him in and spat him out like a chewed-up gum.

Zero landed with an oof on his back. The ground was rough and scratchy, a feeling the brunet had never experienced. The room was regulated with a temperature controlling device and then he realised something else that was off. He wasn't alone in the room.

Zero backed away as far as he could from the creature before him and studied them as they did with him. The creature appeared to be sitting on some kind of chair equipped with wheels. They were humanoid in appearance and Zero decided that they couldn't be harmful because there were no traces of mana coming from them.

The creature had golden hair much like Zeus' except Zero could see some black hair much like Isis' growing from the scalp. What a weird combination! Somehow, the creature looked like a child but Zero knew better. That look of curiosity wasn't the same as that of a small child. Those onyx eyes held great strength, wisdom, experience and dare Zero say... insanity?

"The Writing Gods have blessed me! Son of a pistachio nut... you're a very realistic hallucination... If I'd known that all it took was six nights of no sleep and a sh*t ton of coffee to get this product of imagination, I would have done it sooner."

Zero didn't understand everything this creature was saying. There seemed to be something censoring certain words with loud and obnoxious bleeps but Zero paid no heed. He was more curious about how familiar this alien felt. It must be the resonance between people of similar height.

"Do I know you? I feel like I do..." he frowned.

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The creature beamed brightly and Zero thought he saw something akin to a halo behind the stranger. The bizarre lifeform began rambling and making high pitched noises before her hands reached out to pull at his cheeks.

Zero squirmed in her grasp but those tiny hands wouldn't let him go. "This is fantastic! You have no idea what kind of Hell I'd been through... Almost a hundred chapters and you were STILL not out of that damned abyss... I wanted to end it like a few months prior but then I work in finance and a sh*t load of stuff happened so I couldn't do it? D*mn though... you're cuter than I thought. Would you like to be my cat? Wait, have a virtual cookie."

[Unknown species have given you a virtual cookie. Would you like to accept?]

Zero blinked at that familiar window. Good to know that the system was still working. Although Zero knew accepting gifts from strangers can be a bad idea, the weird person before him didn't look capable of harm.

The weird lifeform was delighted when Zero accepted that emoji cookie. In fact, she would probably have invited Zero to partake in her evil schemes of scamming virtual cookies from innocent people with his disarming appearance. Sadly, Zero's wasn't quite a real creature and would expire as soon as she collapsed from fatigue. Still, as the proud owner of the Earth's only virtual cookie bank that gives chocolate chips as interest, it was a mighty tempting thought.

"Who are you?" Zero finally asked. The map wasn't working and none of the magic he knew worked here. Zero felt very vulnerable in the foreign world with a half-crazed humanoid sharing the same breathing space as him.

"Glad you asked, glad you asked. I'm your creator, Zero."

"How did you know my name?"

The sly self-proclaimed creator grinned. "Did you know I was going to name you BON for the lack of naming sense? You're the main character of the book called Ball of Nothing. It's been exactly a year since you came into existence and a product of my boredom. It was also Singapore's National Day last year when I had the itch to start writing something utterly stupid so you were born with that stupid flash of light in your non-existent face. Season 1 was so well received that I decided to take it seriously after it ended. It's the reason why Season 2 is such a challenge but I would appreciate if you could resolve the matters in Hell soon."

Zero blinked. The self-proclaimed creator made no sense.

"Who are you?"

The midget blinked and laughed. "I'm a writer... I'm your writer actually. Well, not your writer but you get what I mean. Destiny Aitsuji? Britannia? The writer with a day job in finance? The kid from Singapore who also published The Liberal Assassin? You know... all that jazz."

Zero didn't know what kind of opinion he should have about the writer before him. She was missing more than just sense and Zero thought that she was somehow worse than Vrald. Stupidity couldn't be cured but insanity that wasn't the medical kind might just be worse.

"Oh yes! I know exactly what you can do for me," the writer declared. Zero stared at her as if she'd lost more than half her marbles.

"I'm not-"

"Don't be polite now! I'm sure you'd be great. You see, recently I've been very tired and cranky so the story hasn't been progressing much... It's a good thing nobody is in today. I don't want to go out alone but seeing as you're here right now, I think I can leave the lab and continue my work later. There are some places that I've been dying to go to... I need a break."

Zero didn't get a chance to protest before Destiny dragged him away. The young doctor didn't get how that room was a lab. It looked nothing like Raj's workshop. It wasn't even full of whacky inventions that could be potentially hazardous or deadly. On second thoughts, there were many foreign-looking objects in there that appeared questionable for the safety inspection team. Zero spied a rotating blade on the top of a tall naked rack as well as a box of sharp-looking tools. Seriously, what did Destiny do for a living?

The first place the writer dragged Zero to a cafe. Zero didn't know what she wanted but complied when he was told to sit. "I'm going to grab some coffee. Do you want some?"

Zero didn't know what coffee was but when Destiny described it as the elixir of the Writing Gods, he readily agreed to try some. Destiny returned with two cups of brown liquid with cubes of ice. The weather was rather warm so Zero rolled the sleeves of his tracksuit up. They received weird looks from the other humans walking around but paid no attention to the secondary characters in life.

The first sip of coffee struck Zero like a baseball bat. The liquid was an odd balance of sweet and bitter. The cold drink helped make the hot weather slightly more bearable but the one thing that made Zero shiver in delight was how awake his mind became all of a sudden. Was this truly the elixir of Gods?

An unexplainable ball of energy spun wildly inside of Zero after he emptied his cup. The mysterious power kept him awake and alert. Destiny's knowing smile made him cautious all of a sudden.

"All awake?"

Zero nodded cautiously and Destiny's smile grew wider.

"That's fantastic! Now we can start the real agenda of the day. When one is stressed, one must eat. Abuse all the sugar, forget all the calories... Depression can come another day for we are going to party!"

Without delay, the crazy writer hoped onto her bicycle and had Zero settle behind her before they pedalled full speed ahead into the next page.

"What is this?"

"It's called ice-kachang. Just eat it. The rule of the game is to dig for as many treasures buried beneath the ice and not collapse it."

"There are treasures?" Zero was amazed. It was so deceptively pretty with the colourful flavoured water on the ice but now that he heard about those buried treasures, Zero made it a goal to find everything he could possibly find.

In no time, the young doctor discovered what those buried treasures are. Red bean, corn kernels, jelly and nipa palm fruits were waiting beneath the melting ice. Zero moaned as he stuck another spoonful of the goodies in his mouth. Destiny had long stopped eating and chose to observe her creation. On a normal day, she wouldn't be able to enjoy eating so much variety thanks to the small capacity of her stomach. Today, the Writing Gods have finally decided to reward her efforts.

Once Zero finished demolishing the dessert, Destiny brought him around the island and introduced to the main character of BON what technology was like. Zero instantly recognised the thing called handphone. It was very similar to his intergalactic communicator.

"Yes, that is an i-phone. It was created by Steve Jobs who was a person from our world. He passed away about a decade ago from a disease called cancer. I'm happy to know that he is doing good in a new world living his passion to the fullest."

Zero nodded. He chatted with Destiny and found out that Hua Tuo was a man in ancient Chinese history and that Buddha was once a prince. They were now on something called the MRT - Mass Rapid Transport and Zero marvelled at the sights as they passed. Destiny promised to take Zero on a tour around this mysterious world and the young doctor simply couldn't wait.

"There is a Merlion?"

The writer smiled at Zero's child-like wonder. "Not a living one because it's more of a marketing gimmick. However, you've got to admit that it is quite an interesting gimmick. I wouldn't bring you around to look at the miserable nature reserves we have. Even the abyss has better scenery. It's a concrete forest in Singapore but that's what you get when you have five and a half million people on a tiny island. I can't speak fondly of many things but I can boast about the wide variety of tasty food we support. Depressing stories aside, we should celebrate your birthday today."

"My birthday?" Zero asked. He didn't think that was ever going to happen seeing how his existence was a huge mystery in itself.

Destiny nodded. "You are my child in a sense and I created your existence on the 9th of August. That's going to have to mean something, right? As a tradition, we always eat cakes on birthdays. You can ask your questions later."

The young doctor didn't refuse the offer of free food. Destiny didn't stinge either and bought a strange green looking cake called Pandan Chiffon from a neat little shop in a shopping mall basement.

"It goes great with Oolong tea, a favourite of mine," she explained. Zero nodded and followed Destiny on the food trail while admiring the tall skyscrapers and dodging the vehicles called cars. Destiny warned him about crossing the roads without checking and Zero gulped when he heard that. He didn't want to be roadkill.

They roamed the streets and jostled with people. Zero didn't know how so many people could live on such a tiny island but didn't complain. He didn't have a sense of money in this strange world but even he could tell how pricey everything was. Destiny laughed it off and joked about how even breathing could be taxable, it was ridiculous! Somehow, they managed to fill their stomachs without emptying Destiny's bank account too much and this was the list of Zero's recommended treats should anyone visit Singapore.

1. Prata - A kind of Fried Indian Flatbread that tastes great with a sauce/gravy called curry and some sugar.

2. Nasi Biryani - A mixed rice dish popularised by the Indian Muslim community often served with pickled vegetables, unique blends of herbs and spices as well as some kind of curry meat.

3. Takoyaki - A Japanese snack made from flour batter and small bits of octopus rolled into fried dough balls.

4. Bak Kut Teh (Meat Bone Tea) - Pork Rib soup boiled with spices.

5. Kaya Toast - Toasted bread with coconut jam and butter.

6. Orh Lua (Oyster Omelette) - Fried oyster with potato starch and eggs.

7. Satay - Skewered meat marinated and grilled often served with a popular spicy peanut dipping sauce.

8. Durian - A pungent tropical fruit dubbed as "King of Fruits" within South East Asia.

9. Curry Puff - A small pie with shortcrust or puff pastry with various fillings such as curry potato and sardines inside.

10. Popiah - Chinese crepes. Rolled in thin wheat crepes with cooked carrot and turnips strips and topped with peanut garnish with sweet sauce.

After stuffing his face and stomach, Zero found himself back in the lab where he first found himself in. His admiration for the writer and self-proclaimed creator increased. He'd seen many interesting sights such as the tall apartment buildings, shopping malls packed with humans of all kinds and the variety of gadgets incorporated into the society's way of living. If Hua Tuo thought his waterwheel was a marvellous invention, he would be put to shame to know that motors and generators have taken over the world. More interestingly, Destiny explained how her brother owns something as fragile as glass that could harness the power of the sun and convert it into the magic of this society called electricity. The writer was sparkling full of interesting knowledge.

"I don't know what to say or feel... the world you live in is amazing!"

Destiny's eyes turned slightly sad and Zero wondered what he'd said wrong.

"Thank you. It means a lot to me. I'm glad you enjoyed yourself, Zero."

It was already evening as their island foodie tour came to an end. The young doctor didn't want to leave just yet. Something told him that once he did, he wouldn't be able to return. However, he could feel that strange magnetic force coming closer as the sky grew golden orange.

"Destiny, I... thank you for today. I don't know how to thank you enough for doing what you do. You've given me friends, life, a birthday and a lot of love from people I didn't know about. With 1.5 million views for the story that I live in... it's amazing! The readers' comments, the number of people who added it to their libraries, the community you've inspired after writing the Ball of Nothing for 1 year is nothing to sneeze at..."

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He then looked at Destiny with teary eyes. "I don't know if I will remember any of this when I get back but I wanted to let you know and everyone who has been reading till the latest chapter and voting for it that I am very thankful. Thank you for giving me a chance to see that beautiful world, thank you for giving me the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people and making so many friends. Thank you for giving me support from a different universe because if it wasn't for everyone here, I wouldn't be where I am right now. It's been quite the journey and I love everyone from the bottom of my heart!"

The writer smiled, looking like a huge burden has been taken off her shoulders. She waved at Zero who was slowly beginning to disappear. "This means a lot to me, Zero. It's been a dream come true to finally meet you. Know that even if you don't know us, cannot remember us or will never meet us... we will always be here for you, separated by the wall between fiction and reality. Your actions and adventure will help to soothe our tired hearts and give our broken selves new reasons to fight."

"I will do my best!" Zero promised. "I love everyone!"

Destiny watched as the vortex completely closed and waited till there was absolutely nobody else in the room.

"We love you too, Zero. Happy birthday."

Sin redemption was almost like transformation magic except that the effects were permanent. Schaf without his sins regained some of his ancestor's blood and was now a cuddly half-lamb.

"Did I do something wrong there?" Zero wondered.

For a demon, Schaf wasn't particularly scary. As a non-demon... Schaf wasn't scary at all. Beastfolks were known to have keener senses and sharper instincts than humans. However, nobody expected the ex-manager to transform into a cuddly lamb beastman. He had the most innocent looking eyes and fleece as white as snow. It didn't help that he retained his small stature because he looked a lot younger than Baal.

"I think it is working as it should," Qin Yun frowned. Schaf was currently in a state of shock after seeing his new physical condition.

"What have you done?!" he squealed in an unnaturally high-pitched voice. Even furious, nobody could take the lamb seriously.

"Look on the bright side," Qin Yun smiled. "At least now, nobody would think that you're a dangerous criminal. I'm sure Zoe would be more than delighted to care for another abandoned child."

Schaf stared at her in disbelief.

"I know!" Zero's eyes sparkled. "He needs a new name. Can we call him Lambo?"

Qin Yun considered it seriously and Schaf had a bad feeling. "I think that's a good name. What do you say, Lambo?"

The ex-banker turned red in the face from humiliation. "I refuse!"

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Nobody listened to him. Baal smirked and Ruth stirred the matter by chipping in on his opinion. It ended with the fox spirit dragging Lambo by the hand back to the village. Zero and Ruth waved goodbye to the struggling beastfolk and fox spirit before stepping through Baal's portal back to his castle.

They stepped in straight to Baal's study with the Demon Lord following close behind, dragging the borrowed furniture. Zero presented the vampire with the other magic contract with his signature and Baal's. The young doctor didn't suspect anything when he handed it over much to Baal's delight.

Ruth received the document, expecting it to be something similar to Schaf's. However, he was pleasantly surprised by the generosity of the terms included. Buying back a slave's freedom wasn't something heard of in the abyss. The vampire expected to work his life away earning it back but was stunned by how 'easy' it was.

That was until he reached the last line. He didn't know whose idea it was but judging from the clear intentions, it certainly wasn't something Zero would think about. Still, he didn't hesitate to sign it. The contract disintegrated quickly and Baal exchanged glances briefly before Zero distracted the warrior with his enthusiasm.

Baal let the new master and student bond and slipped out of the office quietly. He almost had the shock of his life when he found his secretary waiting just past the bend of the corridor. If Baal was any lesser demon, he might have shrieked, Instead, he clutched at his chest to still the racing heart.

"Couldn't you have appeared like any normal person or set an appointment?" the Demon Lord hissed.

The half-succubus raised an elegant brow as if to ask if Baal was truly serious about that. "What did you do?"

Baal scanned the corridor and sighed. "It's just like what Zero wants, a fair employment contract with babysitting duties. I only added what would have been good for us. With the magic contract, even a traitor could join the faction."

The Demon Lord dropped a copy of the duplicated contract in Coux's hands before disappearing to the bedroom. The secretary didn't stop him this time. It was true that Baal worked exceedingly hard for the past few days. She felt slightly guilty for not noticing the signs until it was almost too late. Deciding to let Baal off the hook for the day, Coux turned to the papers in her hands.

The terms were as what Baal mentioned. Upon signing the contract, Ruth would no longer be a slave. However, he had to commit to teaching Zero combat skills including some magic for the remaining half a year. In addition to that, Ruth will station in Half Moon village who will accommodate him for the first ten years. His other duty was to help raise the unborn half-vampire - Seff. Right at the bottom of the long list was a one-liner clause that says Ruth will be accepted as a member of Baal's Faction and all rules of the faction is bound to the terms of this contract should he accept.

For a vampire, serving ten years of his time to earn his freedom was a small price to pay. Ruth was more than delighted to know he was free. With the Strong Stomach skill, there was no need to worry about starving. Ruth had always wanted to know what lied beyond the gates. Once those ten years were up, Ruth intended to travel in order to broaden his combat horizon. There were many strong species on Earth and the vampire wanted to contend against the strongest combat masters of every species.

Baal wasn't surprised to find a dark shadow in his room. The shadow was a black raven with blood red eyes who looked more ghostly than ghastly. Tied to one of his legs was a message for the Demon Lord. Baal recognised at once whose familiar it was when he saw the insignia. Didn't Lucifer send the invitation a few days ago? This was highly unusual.

Baal didn't keep the avian messenger waiting for long. He untied the message and the raven merged back with the shadows after its mission was completed.

[We have a lead but no means to get close. We need a bait.]

Scowling hard, Baal burned that paper away with magic. A bait meant someone who might possibly be harmed in the plan. Baal hated being Lucifer's rag doll. However, he hated the thought of Zero being put in danger even more. His friend might be very powerful but he was too precious to be allowed any harm. Lucifer was giving him no choice in the matter and the Demon Lord felt all the fatigue leave him in favour of moodiness.

The Demon Lords have talked over this. While it wasn't a surprise that there were factions of demons who do not support their ruling in the domains, the rebels have gone too far this time. It's not a matter that they could keep their eyes closed and look the other way. With Schaf and Kerberos' matter being more pressing, they left the rebels alone. Perhaps it was a mistake to leave them alone for far too long. With the plans to open the gates foiled, these rebels were now desperate. That made things ten times more troublesome. If handled poorly, Hell might just see the end of its days.

"A gold for your thoughts?" a sultry voice greeted. Baal didn't even look up, too familiar with who she was.

"Why are you here? Your descendant is not with me."

Lilith rolled her eyes and folded her wings before hopping off the window ledge. Baal looked terribly small in his chair, his eyes heavy with burden and lack of sleep. The Succubus Queen sighed. This was about Zero again. She could feel it.

"Is it about the Academy?"

Baal didn't answer but Lilith knew it was anyway. She sat herself down in his bed without reservations and made herself comfortable there. Her carefree behaviour slightly annoyed the Demon Lord of Idleness but he kept his silence. It wasn't a secret that despite the rough competition, the six, now seven, Demon Lords worked together behind the scenes to unite the Abyss and keep the plane from disintegrating. It was challenging to put aside their personal distaste for each other at times but Baal never had a problem stepping up to it when duty calls.

"I'm not letting Zero play decoy. We will take care of those punks before anything happens."

Lilith didn't say anything. She expected just as much. Her friend used to be such a lone wolf. Not even herself or Mammon could climb over that wall around Baal's heart. It wasn't a secret that Baal had a difficult past, much more than Mammon or any other Demon Lord apart from the Prince of Hell itself. Every Demon Lord has one of the most painful pasts that anyone could possibly experience. For her, it was the curse of loving and losing everyone she cared about physically and mentally. Succubuses were demons not made for love but here she was. Compared to her tragedy, Baal had it worse. It was almost comparable to Lucifer's personal past as far as tragedy scales went.

"You shouldn't make that choice for him," Lilith advised. She'd taken a liking to the brunet and Baal's overprotective nature over the lad would only act as a wedge between their bond.

Baal didn't answer and Lilith hoped that her friend would heed her advice. She didn't want to see Zero and Baal falling out of touch over an argument like this because they couldn't see each other's point of view. Lilith didn't want her friend to go back into the shell that he was with the walls built even higher than before.

As the Succubus Queen left, Baal thought over her words. A large part of him knew that she was right. However, that small stubborn part of him refused to have Zero involved in any more of Hell's affairs. He hoped to send Zero back quickly as soon as the trials were over but the doctor had to interfere and spare the two criminals. If the two felons were executed or banished into a higher plane, the matter would have been easily resolved.

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Still, Baal couldn't find it in himself to stay mad at his friend for changing the outcome. His friend's ambition vastly differed from his. If Zero wanted to save the world, Baal just wanted to watch it burn. If it weren't for Zero, he might have eliminated a few minor worlds for being such a pain. Initially, it was amusing to see how gullible Zero was when they met in the void. Who would believe that a Demon Lord would cause accidental destruction because of clumsiness and grouchiness after being woken from a nap? It was true he had sinus issues but they never destroyed any cities unless he wanted to.

Slowly, that amusement turned into something deeper. The part of him he shielded from everyone else resonated with Zero's stories. As they talked more, it became evident that Baal was fond of the lad. It was easy to know that Zero wasn't an ordinary human child. That gave Baal some kind of hope. If he had a friend as powerful as Zero, perhaps history wouldn't repeat itself. He was the second oldest Demon Lord after Lucifer. While Mammon and Lilith attended the Academy with him, they didn't enter it at the same age despite graduating together.

Baal was already close to a millennium year old before he was discovered by Lucifer who promptly hauled him to the Academy and forcefully recruited him. It was very similar to what Beelzebub was going through at the moment.

The Lazy Demon Lord sighed. Zero was maturing nicely into a teen now. Many things would change. Logically, Lilith was right. He should let Zero make his decision. However, just for a little more, Baal wished to protect that innocence. The world wasn't a pretty place. He was thankful for Mii and Bob, the Eternal Dragon reincarnate, who were always there for him. There was Truen the wood elf who started the Zero Army always watching from behind the scenes so Zero was very well cared for.

Conflicted, Baal opened a teleportation gate and retrieved a bottle of wine from it. He was going to need this badly if he had to do a lot of thinking. This wasn't solely about him, it was about Zero too. Curse Lucifer for being such a nuisance in his life.

"What happened?! You look terrible!" Zero exclaimed when he saw Baal nursing a cup of tea with a pained frown on his face. The Demon Lord looked like he barely slept at all and that couldn't be too far from the truth.

Coux didn't know what the listless demon was up to last night. Everyone, including her, was wiped out and fast asleep. The secretary smelled some alcohol when she entered Baal's room earlier. It was rare for Baal to indulge in that so she didn't know what to think when he did. The half-succubus decided to be nicer to her employer today seeing how the metaphoric dark cloud looming over his head was burdening him.

Zero ate his breakfast with worry. Now that there were fewer people around, the place was emptier and quieter. The teen wondered what they were going to do today. With Schaf and Kerberos' sentences successfully executed, there was only one thing left to do before he would return. The young doctor felt conflicted over this. On one hand, he was eager to see the villagers again and the greenery on Earth. On the other hand, parting with Baal would be difficult. Not being able to see, be and talk to Baal in person was going to make Zero cry. It was like parting with Truen all over again.

Coux and Amaraline excused themselves early for work. Zero didn't blame them. However, it surprised him that both Sekkin and Ruth were sent out for errands. Ruth had to fill in Qin Yun's position and Sekkin had to make a trip back to Half Moon Village for a while. Wiser was still catching up on his sleep so there was only Zero and Baal in the huge dining hall.

The silence was slightly unnerving and Zero didn't know what to do since Baal forbade him from checking on his health. That was an obvious sign of a hangover that could easily be treated with healing magic. Really, Baal should stop being so stubborn sometimes and let others take care of him.

The Demon Lord spent the long night pouring through his thoughts and facing his demons. Still, there was no conclusion. Lilith was right without a doubt. The choice should lie with Zero. He knew that he would come to regret what he was about to do with every fibre of his being but he couldn't bear to see his friend's betrayed expression when he found out. There were no questions about whether Zero would discover the truth. With his curious personality and determined nature, it was something given.

Without saying anything, Baal snapped his fingers and a letter materialised from thin air. He flicked his finger and sent that letter towards Zero who caught it smoothly.

The young doctor was surprised. That letter looked very similar to the one Lucifer sent him. However, unlike his, this letter was already opened. The wax seal was destroyed and Zero searched Baal's expression before deciding that it would be alright to check its contents.

[Greetings!

The Morning Star Academy wishes to invite you back as a guest lecturer from xxx month in the xxx year on the xxx day to the xxx month in the xxx year of the xxx day. All food, transport and accommodation will be taken care of by the Academy during your trip.

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We hope to hear your favourable reply.

P.S.: As a Demon Lord who has been slacking for the past few decades, you should at least show your face.

- Lucifer.]

Zero blinked at the last statement. That sounded more of a threat than an invitation. He looked up at Baal who was still nursing his headache. The Demon Lord didn't seem fazed by it and Zero decided to pull his out from the inventory.

"You should set up a mind barrier when you open it," Baal cautioned his friend when he saw the unopened letter. He was slightly curious as to why Zero hasn't ripped it open yet.

Zero heeded Baal's advice and didn't regret it when a Mind Hollow escaped from the seal and rushed at Zero before it was dispelled by the barrier. Mind Hollows were pesky puppets created using dark magic that attack a person who is off guard and latches itself in their minds, feeding on their positive thoughts, making them hollow and lifeless on the inside. Zero knew that Lucifer would pull such tricks but was still annoyed that the ancient demon would do something as nasty as this.

[Dear Zero

You are invited to the Prestigious Morning Star Academy as part of our Earth-Hell exchange programme for a week starting from xxx day of the xxx month in the xxx year. All your travelling, accommodation and food expenses will be sponsored by the Morning Star Academy.

We hope to see you there!

P.S.: You still owe me a favour.

- Lucifer]

The young doctor knew it wasn't appropriate to be amused with such tricks by the ancient demon. However, a chuckle slipped past his lips before he could stop it. It was almost adorable thinking about a sulky Demon Lord penning down threats to hide his embarrassment at sending out invitations. Baal gave him a strange look and Zero stifled the giggle bubbling beneath his surface. He didn't want to give the wrong impression after all.

"I guess we should start preparing to leave in two days?" he smiled at Baal who didn't look any less grouchy.

The Demon Lord didn't reply immediately. Lucifer's words continue to plague him. He knew that he shouldn't tell Zero about their plan as it might jeopardize the mission but it didn't feel right keeping such a thing from the young doctor.

Zero noticed the troubled look on Baal's face and was immediately concerned.

"What's wrong?"

"Zero... promise me that you won't cause trouble when you are there and that you will defend yourself when needed."

The doctor's apprentice blinked. "Why? Is there something going on that I don't know about?"

Baal didn't say anything and Zero's suspicion increased. His eyes narrowed. "What are you not telling me?"

They stared at each other ins silence with Zero demanding to know what's going on and Baal resisting. The tension started getting heavier when Baal dropped his gaze to look away.

"Bell, if there is someone being a danger to you I have to know. What is Lucifer's request about?"

The Demon Lord grit his teeth in frustration. "Lucifer will fill you in on the details when you reach the Academy. However, I need you to promise me you'll not be reckless. You have to take care of yourself because I might not be able to it this time. I'll be going there as a lecturer, we won't always be together and the aristocratic nobles can be an awful bunch."

He didn't think that Zero would buy it but wasn't too surprised when the brunet's eyes softened. Zero smiled warmly and Baal wondered what was going through Zero's mind when he heard that.

"Don't worry, Bell. I can take care of bullies without resorting to violence. Wiser taught me a good way to deal with them."

Relieved but mostly amused by how it came to that conclusion, Baal decided to let the matter rest now that Zero was satisfied. It was an inevitable thing. Lucifer would hunt them down if they didn't show up in the Academy so Baal relented. It was better to start with preparations before the big day of Zero's debut into the society. There were many things that had to be done before that.

"Let's head to town. I need to get a few things and so do you. We can go through the Demon Etiquette crash course while we're on the way."

Zero had no time to protest when Baal teleported them straight into the waiting carriage. The coachman set off immediately and Zero wanted to ask how they were going to pay for anything without Coux's help.

An hour later, Zero was nursing his headache. He would never again agree to a mind to mind connection and transfer of memories. No amount of healing magic could help his brain cope with the overload of information any faster.

As they stepped out of the carriage, Zero realises that they were in an unfamiliar part of Baal's domain. The cafe was nowhere in sight and according to Mii's map, they were closer towards the wilderness. It was very silent for a bustling town and the teen wondered where all the demons were.

"Follow me closely," Baal warned and Zero hastened his strides to catch up to the Demon Lord who morphed into an older looking demon with greying streaks in his hair. Zero wanted to ask why Baal decided to take on a different form but didn't have the time when Baal shoved a cloak he materialised out of thin air.

"Cover yourself with this. Whatever it is, do not speak to anyone who asks you a question. Do not tell anyone your name. We're in the more dangerous parts of town but this is the only place I can get what I need."

Zero nodded and did as he was told. He silently wondered what Baal was looking for that they had to visit such a shady place. His questions were soon answered.

-Welcome, what can I do for you?- A demon spoke in an archaic tongue that Zero understood. Sadly, it wasn't something he was able to speak. Wisdom only helped with understanding, not communicating.

Baal's eyes darted from one corner to another to ensure that there was nobody tailing them. He was speaking to a gruff demon through an eye slot in the door separating them.

-The birds are tired, the skies are dark. I'm looking for food, a nest and a story.- Baal replied swiftly in a hushed tone.

The eyes slot was closed and there was shuffling behind. Zero heard what sounded like five different locks before the door was opened for them. The teen wondered why so many locks were required. He thought that the gruff man would be taller but kept the comment to himself.

The gruff 'man' turned out to be two imps who climbed on top of each other to reach that eye slot level. Zero also realised that the interior wasn't any better than the exterior. However, it was larger than he expected. There was a wide cavern immediately after the door that was dimly lit. A small table with two rotting chairs was in a corner, presumably for the guards on duty. At the back of the cavern was a flight of stairs leading downwards.

Zero followed Baal wordlessly down the stairs. They went through many twists and turns in the maze-like city underground. Zero never knew that such a place existed. Baal didn't stop or pause despite some of the hostile and curious gazes. Zero didn't dare stop in fear of losing sight of his pal. They continued for the next ten minutes until the population grew scarcer.

Baal then morphed back to his normal form and told Zero it was alright to remove his hood. Zero did so and wondered what they were going to do next.

The Demon Lord was in front of an old building. It was run down, abandoned and very archaic. The words on the signs were faded but one didn't know how to read to know what I graveyard looked like. Zero wasn't scared but he was slightly more on guard. Why did Baal bring him to an underground city's graveyard? Weren't they supply shopping for the Academy?

"Here is the place of my birth," he told Zero calmly as he stopped in front of a grave that had been dug. The coffin was open and it was empty.

Zero was perplexed. A graveyard? Why would Baal be born here?

"This is the city of the outcasts that Hell doesn't welcome. While there is no miasma here, it is often plagued by things like curses, the black death and invaded by wild beasts for an easy meal. I was born in this very graveyard after a necromancer tried to create his puppet and transfer his soul into that new body. Simply put it, I stole the artificial body as my own after I was murdered here many centuries ago. Like those imps, I was an inferior species called Tsukumogami. My old body is in this very grave."

Zero blinked. The grave was clearly empty. What could possibly be there?

Baal bent down and stuck his hands into the coffin, digging around for something. He pulled up something small but shiny and Zero's eyes went wide. It was a simple brass ring that looked like it was about to disintegrate.

"A ring?"

Baal smiled. "I was the spirit that lived inside this ring. After existing for so long, I developed a soul on my own and slowly fed off the negative energy in this underground. Without a body, there was nothing much I could do. It was my fate to be bound to this object until the day it disintegrates. When it does, I would have died too. It's a meaningless birth and death. However, I still wanted to go on an adventure to see this ugly world with my own eyes. I seized that opportunity when the necromancer came by."

Zero didn't say anything when Baal crushed that brass ring in his hand, grinding it to dust. The pained look in Baal's eyes made Zero hurt inside.

"I lied about needing to go shopping to prepare for the Academy... everything is ready. Coux is an efficient secretary. I just wanted to show you where I came from. Not many people know this. Only Lucifer knows about my origins."

The teen nodded and wrapped his arms around Baal. "Thank you. I will guard this secret with my life."

Baal didn't say anything more. "You'll need to leave the Abyss after you finish Lucifer's request. Staying any longer will only be detrimental to your progress. Take the vampire back as well and learn from him. While he has quite the attitude for someone so young, he's one of the best combat masters out there. I can guarantee as much."

Zero didn't interrupt the Demon Lord and Baal continued. "The request Lucifer has can be dangerous. I don't want you putting yourself in any harm's way. You only need to be the eyes and ears, we will handle the heavy lifting. This is our fight, not yours. Please do not interfere like what you did with Schaf and Kerberos. If you cannot promise me that, I shall seal you here until everything is over."

Zero's eyes widened at Baal's sudden surge in power. Sure, it wouldn't keep him trapped forever but dark magic was a tricky thing to figure out. Who knows how long it would be before he could break out of this trap? Baal would've succeeded in what he wanted to do by the time Zero figured a way out.

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The seriousness in Baal's eyes told Zero that there was no room for compromise on this matter. It had to be a different level of seriousness if Baal was going so far.

"I understand, Bell. I won't be rash. I will defend myself if necessary and won't interfere with how you handle it. I'll leave immediately once the mission is over. Just... don't ever think that I would abandon you. You are my friend. Even if we fight, I will never leave you in the lurch."

There was no lie in Zero's words so Baal cancelled the spell. He was glad that they could come to an agreement. These were the true traitors of Hell. Knowing Zero's kind heart, he would want to try and guide them onto the right path once more. However, kindness is ineffective against the power hungry.

"Your words not mine," the Demon Lord shrugged. "How does lunch sound? We can drop by Belles and Begonia to see how your vampire is doing."

Zero beamed, glad that they made up. And allowed Baal to guide him out of the underground city.

It didn't matter if Zero had been here before. The beautiful sight still awed him. As Morning Star Academy rolled up, the teen wondered if he looked odd. The school uniform was made of comfortable cloth but nothing as comfortable as the tracksuit he'd gotten used to wearing or the other clothes he wore. The fact that the lab coat got banned made him slightly depressed.

Baal noticed that his friend was fidgeting more frequently as they got nearer. Ever since they could see Lucifer's domain, the teen wouldn't stop checking the time. It's not as if Lucifer would punish them for being tardy. Punctualness wasn't an important factor for first impressions amongst demons. Capability on the other hand was.

"Relax," he told the apprentice who jumped at his voice.

The young doctor laughed weakly and a light blush was dusted on his cheeks at being found out. Zero thought that meditating would help. He met many people so far but the idea of meeting new people whom he could possibly become friends with made his stomach tumble in itself. The emotion was unfamiliar but Zero recognised it as a sign of apprehension or nervousness from his medical training with Hua Tuo.

There was excitement at making new friends, dread at being disliked by said potential friend candidates and worry about not knowing what to do or how to fit in with the class. Baal watched all of those emotions play out on his friend's face with interest. For someone as powerful as Zero, it was funny how he was sweating over the smaller stuff in life. Baal never showed an interest in school or in making friends. Mammon and Lilith were co-workers that stuck with him and were less annoying than the others. For Zero to get excited over meeting a bunch of strangers who may or may not wish him harm, Baal found it incredibly amusing.

The carriage pulled up on the steps of the main entrance and Zero half wondered if it was alright to be stepping on such polished marble flooring. He felt slightly bad but followed Baal quickly and hopped off the transport. Baal seemed to know where he was going so Zero decided that he should follow his friend who looked every bit like a teacher after transformation.

The Demon Lord was older now. He looked dashing in his suit that Coux ironed for him. Baal even went through the trouble of wearing a tie and a pair of glasses to complete the intellectual look as expected of a guest lecturer. Zero has never been prouder of his friend.

The walked down brightly lit hallways furnished with expensive looking carpets in silence. The glass windows were huge and Zero could see the school's courtyard from where they were. Occasionally there would be a random vase with some poisonous flower and a picture in a golden frame on the wall. Mammon once explained that interior decor reflected one's wealth here in the abyss. The Academy certainly looked like it was very rich. Nothing could compare to Mammon's humble abode but when compared to Baal's homey castle, Zero couldn't get used to the obscene amount of sparkly things. He felt like his shabby self didn't belong in such a refined place. Everyone behaved so elegantly as they walked or flew to their classes. Zero passed by a few students on the way and couldn't believe what he was seeing. Most of them looked human even if they didn't feel like one with their predatory smiles.

Baal finally halted in front of a large white double door with golden handles. Zero was beginning to wonder what the deal was with gold. Did Lucifer have a gold obsession like Mammon? Then again, Mammon wouldn't make things using gold. He preferred to keep them in his vault away from prying eyes. The Demon Lord knocked twice before twisting the handle and letting himself in.

Zero was once more blinded by the sight of shiny objects when they entered. It took him a while to adjust to it and realise that the dean was already seated at the other side of the very large wooden desk. Zero eyed the chair that looked very similar to the throne he saw Lucifer sitting on during the trials. he wondered if that was the same throne or if it was a duplicate. Lucifer was rich enough to have several duplicates of that if he really wanted to.

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"Welcome to the Morning Star Academy," Lucifer greeted smoothly and offered them a seat.

Baal didn't stand on ceremony and sat right down while Zero fidgeted before following suit. Lucifer didn't waste any time and got right into it. Zero glanced through the folder that contained the profiles of several students. He wasn't quite sure why he was looking at the profiles of students but he studied them with interest anyway.

"Are they the target?"

Lucifer smiled. "Thankfully we have them narrowed down to two classes. Beelzebub is working in Class-B but there is nobody capable of monitoring the suspects in Class-A. That's where you come in Zero. We received word that they will make a move by the end of the week. It will be best to catch them before that or in the act. Cleaning up messes is always troublesome."

Zero raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about? What mess? Is something going on?"

Lucifer gave Baal a strange look. "You didn't tell the kid anything?"

Baal shrugged nonchalantly and Lucifer's face darkened. There was silence for a while and Zero wondered if he said anything wrong.

"Zero, do you understand what this is all about?"

The teen nodded. "I'm going to school for a week to do something for you, right? We had an agreement."

Lucifer nodded. "That's right. Do you know what the... errand is about?"

Baal closed his eyes and opted for a short nap, leaving Lucifer and Zero to talk it out. The ancient demon sighed tiredly. He should have seen it coming.

"Zero, how much do you know about the war between Heaven and Hell?"

The teen smiled. Wiser had informed him all about it and he read up more on his own. "The angels didn't agree so they fought with you leading one team and Michael leading the other. Eventually, the plane fell apart because of the damages caused and so you signed a truce with Michael and claimed the fallen plane as yours that was renamed into the Abyss. The power of the Demon Lords helped to stabilise the plane and prevent it from falling into the void. That's what I know from the books in Baal's library and Wiser."

Lucifer nodded. Those were common facts that most people knew. It wasn't far from the truth but it wasn't complete.

"That's right. I signed a truce with Michael. However, it wasn't because we stopped fighting that we called a truce. It was because there was a third party who were targeting both Heaven and Hell that we had to form an alliance to fend them off. Heaven and Hell weren't on as bad terms as depicted in history. We do business with them on a regular basis. However, there are still young demons who think that we need to regain our former glory and take those angels down. The list of students are suspects involved in doing something that would threaten both Heaven and Hell's existence. It is a crime worse than Schaf and Kerberos. Your role here would be to scout and inform us Demon Lord who is involved. Do not take any action on your own. Unlike Schaf and Kerberos, please do not interfere with how we would handle the matter. If you cannot agree to this, I would have to remove you from the mission."

Zero stared at Lucifer long and hard. The ancient demon was serious and the young doctor wanted to know what would happen to those found guilty of such a plot. His mind supplied him with a few answers but Zero didn't like them very much. Those hardened eyes told him that the answer wouldn't be too far from his suspicions so Zero let his shoulders drop. He had a promise to keep but at the same time, he didn't feel comfortable with letting people die even if they might deserve it.

"I know what I said but I won't force this on you. We can handle it on our own if you don't want to be part of it," Lucifer told the young doctor.

Zero didn't sense any malice from that and took his time to weigh his options.

"I'll do it," he looked right into Lucifer's eyes as he said it. The ancient demon was pleasantly surprised at his resolve and Baal cracked an eye open. The guest lecturer had mixed feelings but seeing how Zero had made his choice, he chose not to comment further and accepted it.

"Very well. Let's get on with the plan," Lucifer said.

For the next half an hour, Lucifer went through the details of the plan and Zero's frown became increasingly deeper. He could now see why Baal made him promise him what he promised. These people weren't just bad, they were downright evil!

"Slavery is wrong. Besides, what have humans done to them to deserve such things? Submit or be annihilated? What's wrong with these demons?"

Baal chose not to comment and Lucifer kept his lips tightly pressed together. Zero was fuming. All lives were created equally, how could these demons think of themselves as superior over those of weaker species? That's not right! Also, their desire to conquer Heaven and reign superior over this realm bothered Zero greatly. Were they intending to bother Buddha as well? That was simply a big no-no.

"Why do they want to enslave humans so badly? If they really wanted to win, they could easily set a battle match against Heaven once and for all to settle it. Why involve humans?"

Baal sighed. "A long time ago, humans were a species that somehow managed to hunt Gods down. Of course, we are talking about the humans in the original Earth. They're extinct now. The humans we now know about are less capable. They're too busy fighting over each other's territory and with other races to bother the Gods. They're less ambitious and deadly. These young demons think that by getting the humans on their side, they can take down angels easily."

Zero was speechless. The plan was a twisted but almost flawless one. He didn't know who the mastermind for this plan was but he or she would be an extremely dangerous person. Since Kerberos failed to open the gates of Hell to unwind back time and the gates were controlled by Baal with heavy security during the Redemption event, that plan was ruined. They've become more desperate in their attempts ever since. Now, in order to complete their plans of opening the gates of hell permanently and forcing demons to evacuate this plane and conquer Earth, they intend to destroy the balance and send the Abyss plummeting into the void.

That kind of selfishness wasn't something that Zero could forgive. They had to be stopped for the sake of the many other demons who were innocent.

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"I understand. We must stop them," Zero nodded after listening to Lucifer. He couldn't sit by and do nothing. There were many nice people who helped him while he was in the abyss, it was about time to return the favour.

"Good," Lucifer nodded. "As you will be working closely with Beel, the two of you will share rooms for the time being. Baal will have a separate room in the staff dormitory. He'll be sieving through the employees for any possible connections."

At that, Zero turned to Baal with widened eyes. Baal looked away. He hadn't breathed a word about his mission to Zero. Knowing the worrywart that his friend was, it was better to wait till the last possible moment to do so. Now that Lucifer has let the cat out of the bag, Baal could only feign ignorance.

Zero looked at his friend disbelievingly. "Bell!"

Lucifer shoved the two out of his room before they could start their bickering. As the dean and a fairly mature demon, he didn't want to be involved in the squabbles of two children. There were more important things to tackle after all.

Moving to a dormitory was an exciting experience. However, that excitement was partially dampened after his argument with Baal. The young doctor was missing his usual bounce in his steps, his mind preoccupied with worry for his friend.

The dormitory room was a lot bigger than Hua Tuo's hut. Zero wasn't quite expecting that. Morning Star Academy did have a few thousand students after all. He wondered how everyone managed to live on the campus as it didn't seem very big. Then again, who knows? Lucifer might have cheated by using space magic. The Academy did have teleportation gates after all. Perhaps not all the students slept in dormitories.

Zero was about to greet his roommate when he realised that Beelzebub wasn't in. The smile quickly fell from his face and the teenager looked around the room despondently. He flopped onto the bed that didn't look ruffled and slept in, feeling tired. There were just too many thoughts in his head at the moment and Zero wanted some personal time to think about them without any more input.

It was nearing lunch and Zero's stomach growled. Feeling no motivation to attend to his stomach's needs, the young doctor replayed his conversation with Lucifer. Basically, he was playing spy with Beelzebub and their target was to mingle with as many people as possible and know their activities. For Zero, that would be simple. All he had to do was secretly add them to Mii's map and identify them as targets. Mii has upgraded quite a bit since his coma and covering the Academy would not be too much of an issue.

The teenager was thinking about offering help to Beelzebub with the mission too seeing how he could have Mii stick close by the Demon Lord who would initiate the interaction. That would save everyone a lot of trouble if Zero could always monitor where all the suspects are at any point in time. It sounded like a good plan in his head but there was one tiny problem. Zero didn't know if Beelzebub was willing to cooperate.

His stomach grumbled once more and Zero sighed. Glaring at the noisy thing, Zero decided that it was a good time to get to the cafeteria. At least Zero would be able to satisfy his hunger and look for the missing Demon Lord he was meant to discuss plans with.

It wasn't very difficult to locate the cafeteria. All Zero had to do was follow the smell of food. By the time he reached the cafeteria, there was almost nothing left. Disappointed and utterly famished, Zero decided to queue for whatever meagre scraps there were. Thankfully, the cooks were kind enough and offered Zero more than the miserable leftovers. Zero thanked them with a blinding smile that immediately won their hearts.

"You can come back anytime, sweetie. Just let us know what you'd like to eat, we can have someone whip it up really fast!" one of the cooks claimed.

Zero wasn't unaware of the whispers behind his back when she said that. He felt mildly uncomfortable with the number of stares he received. It didn't seem like special orders were a common treatment for the majority of the students. Still, he thanked the generous cooks politely and left with his tray.

There was one person in the cafeteria who eyed him with jealousy more so than the others. He didn't stand up, talk to anyone about it or gossip. He merely eyed the teenager with angry eyes. Many students knew who he was but few would dare or bother to associate themselves with him. Despite being a Demon Lord, Beelzebub was a poor person who was living off the generosity of Lucifer. That didn't sit well with the majority of the aristocratic population. If not for his Demon Lord status, Beelzebub was no better than a commoner in their eyes.

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Zero wasn't too aware of how social hierarchy worked in the Academy. Baal's only advice was to not be too humble. However, basic manners had never hurt anyone. The cafeteria was crowded and it was difficult to find any seats empty. After circling it twice, Zero finally found one at the very side of the building. The side was relatively quieter and there were fewer demons gathered there.

"Hello, my name is Zero and I'm new to the Academy. Can I sit here?"

The young doctor wasn't expecting to be greeted by a familiar face. The shock rendered him speechless for a bit and he failed to react in time when Beelzebub stuffed everything into his mouth and carried his now empty tray away. Zero wanted to stop him but the weight in his hands reminded him why he couldn't do it just yet. He came to the cafeteria for a purpose and he had achieved neither of his purposes.

"Don't mind him," a charming demon smiled and shook Zero out of his thoughts. The demon looked rather familiar and Zero wondered where he'd seen that face before.

"Do you know him?" Zero asked innocently and the demon blinked in surprise.

"You must be really new if you haven't heard of him. He's Beelzebub, the new Demon Lord of a domain called Gluttony. Nobody really knows anything about him or like him. You should stay away from him if you can."

Zero frowned. Why was everyone being so mean to Beel?

"I am his roommate," Zero stated dryly. He didn't like this new demon already.

"O-oh," the demon faltered and fixed his mask quickly before making a weak excuse to make his exit. Zero didn't comment about it and set his tray down onto the empty table. It didn't take long for Zero to wipe his plate clean. He almost smacked his lips together at the end but remembered it wasn't good manners to do so.

The cafeteria was almost empty when Zero finished his meal and the young doctor wondered if he should return straight to the room. He was certain that Beelzebub would have returned to their room by now. Half of him wanted to return so that he could hash out the details of Lucifer's plan.

It was by the time he was bidding the cooks goodbye that Zero remembered why he found that demon from earlier very familiar. He'd seen him before on one of the students on the suspect list. Zero wanted to smack himself for not recognising that student earlier. It would have been a lot easier to keep tabs on him if they had a friendlier relationship. He highly doubted that Beel wanted to even pretend to be that arrogant prick's friend.

"Why do things have to start on the difficult foot?" he groaned.

There was a chuckle beside him. "People usually say the wrong foot... how is one foot more difficult than the other? You're a curious one."

Zero was startled. He didn't hear, much less sense, that there was someone so close to him. The revelation made him very shocked but he quickly concealed it and assessed the stranger.

The man didn't look like a demon. However, Zero wasn't fooled. He knew that this demon was quite powerful from the aura he radiated. The man wore some fragile looking round thin wire-rimmed glasses and carried several thick tomes in his hands. The had side bangs and a long ponytail pulled back neatly at his nape. They were completely white and Zero couldn't help but be reminded of someone else with the same colour. The only difference was how this demon stranger had blue eyes with slits for pupils instead of the yellow ones Zero was familiar with.

"Dragon?" Zero blurted out.

The stranger looked slightly surprised but smiled politely in return.

"You're actually correct. Not many people can get it right the first time."

Zero chuckled sheepishly. "It's because I have a friend who is a dragon too... you just gave a very familiar vibe. Sorry for being rude. I am Zero, a student who has only transferred to the Academy today. May I know who you are?"

The stranger smiled and his eyes made small inverted crescents when he did. "Why don't you guess?"

Zero paused. He had only the briefest introduction about the teachers who would be teaching him during the week but he hadn't seen anyone with dragon eyes in the profiles. Immediately it screamed 'suspicious' in Zero's mind. What if he was one of Baal's targets? That thought made Zero glare at the stranger in both suspicion and wariness.

The dragon-demon laughed at Zero's reaction. He heard about the rumoured friend Baal had made but didn't expect for Zero to surpass his expectations.

"I'm Olaf, the librarian. Never thought that I'd be meeting Baal's precious friend in such a manner. You are as interesting as the rumours."

At the mention of his friend, Zero retracted his metaphorical claws. Baal didn't have many friends and not many people spoke highly about him. It was sad but it was also something that Zero had come to terms with. His powerful friend wasn't Mr Popular by any standards in terms of appearance, personality or wealth.

"How do you know Baal?"

The librarian chuckled and put a finger to his lip. "Now that would be telling. However, I can say that Baal was a bigger fan of the library than the classrooms."

Zero wanted to ask more questions but Olaf made his escape in such a skilful manner that Zero didn't realise he'd been led on until he was on his way back to the dormitory room.

His hand had barely touched the doorknob when he felt the pressure from inside the room spike. It was the right decision to throw up a magic shield because the door was blasted off, throwing Zero back.

"Who dares intrude?" his roommate growled.

Zero couldn't reply, too busy trying to regain his footing and orientation. Lucifer would flip if he knew what happened to his door. In fact, Zero didn't want to know if it was worse for Mammon or Lucifer to find out that their property has been damaged.

"Why the fuck are you here?" he demanded when he saw the one person he didn't want to see at all.

Zero blinked at the scowling Demon Lord and beamed.

"Beel!"

"Don't call me that!" he snapped. The teenager didn't understand the meaning of personal space at all and now that he was stuck with this idiot as a roommate and on the same mission, Beelzebub couldn't say he was very happy about it.

Instead of bothering himself with the young doctor, Beelzebub calmly walked over to the door and picked it up before fixing it back.

"Hey, did you hear about the mission? Lucifer said-"

Zero couldn't complete the sentence when Beelzebub grabbed him by the jaw with his palm covering the teenager's mouth. He was further stunned to silence by that heated glare.

"Don't talk about it in the hallway," he hissed. Mentally, Beelzebub asked himself why such a clueless person was selected for the mission.

Without waiting for Zero's protest, he dragged them both into their room and slammed the now repaired door shut. Thankfully the entire area encompassing the Academy's grounds were enveloped in restorative magic. Considering the violent and volatile nature of demons, fights were common occurrences.

Zero was still amazed by the restorative magic and wonder if it would work the same way if he accidentally dropped his food and broke a plate. Would they bring his food back into the original state that it was?

Once they were secluded, the Demon Lord let go of Zero's arms and glared at his supposed partner on the case.

"Listen here. I don't really like you. It would be great if you didn't interfere with the mission, I'm very close to identifying the culprit and I don't want you messing it up. I don't care what Lucifer was thinking but I don't need or want any help. Understood?"

Zero didn't look fazed or hurt like what Beelzebub thought would happen. However, the young doctor didn't seem very willing to agree.

"I don't know what I did that made you dislike me but I can't promise to not interfere. This is my mission too and I want to help Baal in any way that I can."

"Don't know what- You almost KILLED me! This is unbelievable!"

Zero's eyes widened. "Killed? When?"

Beelzebub let up a huff of air, too emotionally drained to explain. After all the sleepless nights over worrying about someone coming for his life, the suspected murderer was behaving genuinely perplexed with no recollection of having done such a thing. How ridiculous was that?

On the other hand, Zero was running down the memory aisle. He knew he met the Demon Lord once at Belles and Begonia. They actually got along rather well in the first place but something happened after that made Beel leave abruptly. Zero didn't quite recall the details but when he did, he couldn't help but let out a monotonous 'oh' sound.

Beelzebub had long given up on logic when it came to his new roommate and fellow investigator. That sound only served to prove that logic was a lost cause for anything involving the teenager.

"I'm sorry. At that point, I didn't know that absorbing the sins of Demon Lords would weaken them. I really didn't intend to kill you, I was just looking to test something out before Redemption Day."

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"I'm not going to forgive you," Beelzebub stated calmly. Whatever it was, he wasn't interested in getting to know the brunet. He simply wanted to complete his mission and graduate quickly. The Academy sucked. Not a single soul here was worth protecting. He could understand Baal's feelings when he neglected his territory as a Demon Lord. Beelzebub didn't want to hold up a domain just so that it was another sanctuary for ungrateful demons who looked only to reap the benefits at his cost.

"I'm not asking you to, I'm just apologising because I made a mistake. Whichever the case, I hope that we can work together for this mission," Zero held his hand out for Beelzebub.

The Demon Lord looked at it for a while before slapping it away.

"Don't get in my way," he said with a cold glare before leaving the room.

Zero stared at the shut door and blinked. How did everything start off on the wrong foot?

Zero's class began on the very next day. The young doctor was up before even dawn and had gone through Hua Tuo's morning exercises twice. In fact, he had been too excited for any form of proper sleep. He checked his timetable several times just so he knew what to expect throughout the day.

Beelzebub didn't return at all that night and Zero was worried. Still, Baal said not to worry so Zero wasn't going to pry in other people's business. Besides, there were things that he had to do. Worrying wouldn't be of any help. With Mii's assistance, the young doctor had everyone on the suspect list added to the map's auto-detect list. Once Zero comes in close proximity, it will mark them as a watched target.

Zero wondered if it was possible to add a few more people who were not on the suspect list to his watchlist on a lower priority. For one, the librarian was very suspicious. Zero had already decided to drop by the library and check out on some recommended readings by Baal. It was rare to find a dragon and even rarer to find a dragon-demon. Olaf was quite the mysterious character and even if Zero didn't think he was a bad person, the young doctor would rather be safe than sorry.

The first thing Zero did before the bell rang was to head to the cafeteria where breakfast was waiting. Due to the early hour, there was hardly anyone in it. Zero enjoyed the reprieve and relished the moment. The cooks were pleasantly surprised to see the new student and heaped a huge variety of freshly baked pastries onto his plate. Zero couldn't even begin to offer his gratitude when the pile on his plate overflowed.

After much bowing, thanking and refusing extra morsels, Zero finally sat down to begin his meal while checking on the movement of his targets. Most of the students Class-A do not attend the lectures in the morning and only gather in the afternoon for compulsory modules. That was one of the privileges the special class had.

"Mii, could you show me the profile of the targets again?" he asked through their mental connection.

The strawcherry fairy went through Zero's massive library of information in their mindscape and pulled out a pair of tiny glasses to facilitate her in finding that one particular book. Zero watched her pull out a particular book in his mindscape all while eating on autopilot. The pile of food gradually reduced and Zero was only able to half-heartedly enjoy the taste of the various pastries, all of which were no doubt knowledge that Lucifer brought along with him from Heaven. Even without paying attention to the flavour, Zero's tongue danced in delight at the exquisite sweetness of the seven-berry cake.

"Found it," Mii reported and flipped open the first page of the memory book. With Bob's suggestion, they decided to reorganise the mindscape a little. Zero had simply too many fragments, memories and unknown sources of powers. It was also easier to find things when they were neater and Mii self-assigned the job to be Zero's mindscape librarian. Bob sulked at that but there wasn't much he could do. Mii was better at locating things after all. She was also good at categorising things. The book she was holding was also known as Zero's memories. It wasn't particularly thick yet because it hasn't even been a year since Zero fell out of the void.

"The first target from Class-A is someone you've already met yesterday. His name is Jeremiah and despite behaving like an idiot, he is a child genius best known for his unique abilities to charm others with his music. It should be no surprise that his voice has hypnotic powers, he is a canary demon after all."

Zero hummed in response and licked his fingers before returning his tray while Mii continued. He briefly remembered that snobbish looking student with a narrow mind to match his attitude. Jeremiah had black hair except for that one streak of yellow in the middle with all the strands slicked backwards. The oddness did nothing to deter his androgynous beauty. In fact, the swallowtail uniform blazer and tight iron pants only highlighted it. It solidified Zero's belief that this person was a thorough snob was when he made his hasty escape with those shiny black shoes with short heels that go click-clack on the hard tiles.

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"Who's the next? I remember we have five targets in total, three from Class-B and one from Class-A."

Mii turned the page. "There is also Kruz, a bat demon. He's anti-social and although he isn't someone who looks like he would be involved in such a scheme, he is on your target list."

Zero looked at the picture attached in Kruz's profile. He hadn't seen the bat demon at all and Kruz looked like a very small demon who was about Zero's height. Unlike the other demons here who looked more humanlike, Kruz still retained his animal parts such as patches of fur on his arms, wings and ears. His eyes also looked like a bat's and Zero found the bluish hue on his skin very interesting. How did the pigmentation work?

"What about Beel's target? Are any of them in the vicinity?"

Mii scrutinised the map window and looked back at the book. "The other three suspects are Rayneld - a Manta Ray demon, Chitta - a succubus and Koblaq an obsidian demon."

Zero blinked. "Obsidian demon? What's that?"

"It's a demon that is born from the lava river. He's actually a gargoyle but you won't get to see him in action. Koblaq is known to be good at aerial battles with very high defence magic. Normally you can see him wearing a black hooded jacket over his uniform sleeping at the back of the class. It isn't uncommon to find him participating in riots outside of school hours. This kid has had several warnings from the Academy but he just doesn't stop."

"How about Chitta and Rayneld?"

Mii flipped another page. "Chitta's just really sociable and fits in very well with the profile of an information hunter. She happens to be good at assassination."

The image showed a young girl shorter than Zero with pink shoulder-length hair that curled at the ends. She had purple irises and a diamond birthmark on her left cheekbone. Zero didn't think she looked like a harmful person but that only meant that she was very skilful at hiding her real personality. After knowing Lilith and Coux, Zero could understand why succubuses were scary. They were masterful actresses who knew exactly how to get what they wanted.

The young doctor looked at the picture of the last target. Rayneld was a very odd looking demon despite his human form. The Manta Ray demon had blue skin. It wasn't bluish like Kruz's, it was actually teal. Half his head was shaved and he had several facial piercings. Zero noted how he had piercings on his ear, eyebrow and lips. His eyes were a translucent shade of aquamarine, giving it a magical vibe.

"That is the last suspect. Rayneld is known to be the best when it comes to underwater operations. He is essentially a one-man army and nobody wants to mess with him in his true form. He is a model student of the Academy and the only reason why he is on this suspect list is due to his perfect record. Despite some of the Academy's best efforts to investigate into his past, nobody has found anything useful. He simply appeared one day claiming to be the child of Charybdis and proved his strength through the interviews to get accepted on a permanent scholarship."

Zero nodded. Now that he had a better understanding of the targets, it was time to make his move. He already knew one of the targets. He met Jeremiah by chance after all. Of all the suspects, Zero thought that the least suspicious person on the list was Chitta because she was Lilith's kin. Even if she was a spy, it was highly unlikely for the succubus to work for the enemy. Lilith didn't take to traitors very kindly after all and would have taken care of Chitta if she sensed something off.

Truth be told, the young doctor was very curious about the bat demon. Kruz gave Zero the impression of a wounded patient and as a doctor, Zero wanted to heal whatever was causing the demon pain. For some odd reason, Kruz appeared to Zero as a very lonely person. The ones he didn't particularly want to get along with were Jeremiah for obvious reasons and Koblaq because the latter was a violent person who went against Zero's personal beliefs about resolving conflicts.

"Where does Chitta usually hang out?" he asked Mii as he left the cafeteria. Zero wanted to visit the library but first, he had to mark his targets out and track them using the map. He didn't think that it would be much use if they left the Academy but that would only give Zero more reason to suspect them if they did.

"She is usually found in the atrium hanging out with friends when there are no classes although according to the investigators' report, she can sometimes be found relaxing in the greenhouse."

"Greenhouse?"

Mii smiled. "She's a huge fan of sunflowers for some reason. It was specially grown there, a hobby of hers. Nobody else is keen about the greenhouse apart from hosting petty tea parties in there. Other than Chitta and the gardener, nobody really visits that building."

Zero hummed and opened the map of the Academy in his inventory. The greenhouse was a good ten-minute walk from the cafeteria building. It was a beautiful dome-shaped building made of tinted glass that changed colour every hour interval. Although the library fascinated the young doctor, the greenhouse was a beautiful place that piqued his interest. He didn't think that Chitta would be anywhere near the Atrium now, it was way too early. If luck was on his side, he might just make his first contact today.

With a destination in mind, Zero made his way over to the greenhouse.

Beelzebub passed by the young doctor and was fairly surprised to see how the brunet didn't notice him. Zero must have been in a real hurry to be so absent-minded about his surroundings. That was a novice mistake. In the demon world, if you let down your guard, you get eaten. The Demon Lord only rolled his eyes at Zero's carelessness. Who cared about that naive brat? It wasn't any of his business. ignoring his mission partner, the Lord of Gluttony entered the cafeteria.

The moment he stepped into the cafeteria, the peaceful atmosphere changed. Cooks begin warming up their pans and servants rushed to replenish the depleted items. Beelzebub wasn't going to hold back either today. He didn't know if Zero was aware of the unspoken agreement on the campus but from eight thirty in the morning till nine, the cafeteria was closed for business. It was something the school's dean arranged for him. Beelzebub needed all the cooks they had on deck for every meal and to avoid causing inconvenience to the other students, the cafeteria was reserved for the Lord of Gluttony. Once Beelzebub had placed his orders, the kitchen would busy away until he was sated. For Zero to be at the cafeteria so early only meant that he was plotting something again.

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"Why do I care? He can die for all I know..." the Demon Lord scowled. Staying out all night made him hungry. It wasn't easy to tail Koblaq last night. The stupid gargoyle had to get into another messy brawl with the local authorities. If it weren't for his mission, Beelzebub would have simply ignored the idiot. Wasn't it common knowledge to commit a crime without any witnesses? sometimes the Demon Lord wondered how such a dumb person could be accepted into the Academy as one of the more talented individuals.

He highly doubted that such a dumb person would be involved with such organised crime. The organisation wouldn't possibly enlist such an obvious buffoon into their ranks only to give them away. Still, a mission was a mission. The Demon Lord felt his mood getting darker at the thought of having to submit his weekly report on the suspects soon. He was making absolutely no progress with Rayneld or Chitta and Lucifer wasn't too happy about it. Still, he refused to ask Zero for help.

Unique gift or not, he still had his pride as an underdog who made it to the top with nothing but his own effort. He wasn't about to ask help from an overly pampered and spoiled brat who knew nothing about the sufferings of this world.

He made it so far on his own, there was no way he would lower his head and ask for help from some pampered kid who thinks that the world would bend at his will. As the Demon Lord of Gluttony, he would deal with it on his own the way he always did.

He would chew them up and spit them out.

Chitta wasn't expecting any guests so early in the morning. The assassin was immediately on guard. Even if this intruder was good at concealing his level of strength and aura, he wasn't very good at stealth. Chitta could easily take him out with some solid combat skills and weakening magic.

She lay in wait for the ignorant fool to enter her field of vision with the practised patience of a hunter. However, what the succubus hadn't been expecting was a clumsy and awestruck teenager who looked as weak as a human to come bumbling into her sanctuary. The student was obviously new, she did not recognise his face. The way he spoke to himself and pointed at the exotic plants only made Chitta think that he was slightly touched in the head.

Deciding that he wasn't a real threat, the succubus decided to observe the new specimen for a little longer as she remained hidden in the foliage of the grand Elder tree.

"Is this edible?" Zero asked and pointed to an orange fruit from one of the bushes.

Chitta raised a brow. It was common knowledge that Poxie fruits were poisonous. The only reason why they were grown in this greenhouse was because of their leaves. They made great tea and it was a tea that Chitta actually enjoyed from time to time.

The assassin wasn't quite expecting for Zero to pluck the fruit and pop it in his mouth all at one go. Her eyes widened instantly. The succubus swooped down from her branch to slam chop the brunet's nape and had him spit that out immediately.

"What do you think you're doing, idiot!"

Zero wasn't quite expecting to be attacked and the insult missed its intended purpose. He was only slightly disappointed at the waste of food. Still, he was pleasantly surprised that his hunch had been accurate. He didn't think that Chitta would so readily show herself even though she had been in the area. Zero had already achieved his motive of marking her on his map but it would be a waste to just leave the greenhouse without first exploring. Who knew that the target would choose to show herself before he made his move?

"Why did you do that? It hurts!"

Chitta couldn't believe it. She just saved this brat and he was complaining about getting hurt. The assassin gave him a glare. No matter how dumb a demon was, everybody should know what is deadly and what isn't? Did he not grow up in the abyss or something? How could he not tell apart poisonous from edible food? Besides, Poxie fruits grew in every domain. Has this kid been living under a rock or something?

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"That was poisonous, idiot."

Zero blinked. He knew that already. Why was she telling him that? He was only pretending to eat it. What he really wanted to do was absorb it and analyse if it contains any unique medicinal properties. One other thing Zero noticed was how her words and tone contradicted her intention. Maybe Chitta really was just a misunderstood person.

"Thanks, you're really nice. My name is Zero, would you like to be my friend?"

The assassin blinked at the random introduction. Zero? What kind of name was that? Also, she hadn't heard about any transfer student. In the Academy, she had the widest information network. How wasn't she aware that there would be a new student? A dumb one at that but that wasn't the point.

"Did you take the entrance exams to get accepted?"

Zero shook his head. "No, Lucifer sent me an invitation to experience what school life is for a week. It might be a short time but I would like to try and make a few friends before I have to leave the abyss."

Chitta blinked. "Leave the abyss? Are you going on your first mission?"

Zero blinked. First mission? Did she know about the secret mission he was assigned? This was bad... his cover might be blown before he could get any action! Baal had specifically told him to run and avoid trouble at all cost. What was he going to do against her? She was a trained assassin who knew the Academy better than him. There really was no way to run.

"Hey! Dumb doctor! Where are you?"

Chitta was startled by the yell from the greenhouse entrance and took that opportunity to slip away. Zero was startled. Not many people knew he aspired to be a doctor. In fact, he didn't think that would be common knowledge in the Academy. Baal would never call him such mean things, who was it shouting for him?

"Dumb doctor!"

"I'm not dumb!" Zero shouted back at the unknown person, not willing to be insulted further. He wasn't the best doctor yet but he was working on it. They had absolutely no right to judge him for it. He hasn't even completed his training with Hua Tuo!

"There you are," the familiar voice said and Zero turned around quickly.

"Beel!"

"Don't call me that," the Demon Lord scowled. "What do you think you're doing here? Also, what's with that fruit? Don't tell me you tried to eat it..."

Zero blinked at the fallen orange fruit on the ground.

"I was... but a girl suddenly fell out of a tree and smacked me from behind making me spit it out. She disappeared because you were shouting. Also, I am not dumb."

Beelzebub raised a brow and looked at Zero for a few seconds before snorting. "Says the one who tried to eat Poxie fruit. You don't have poison resistance or special abilities, do you?"

Zero blinked. Apart from absorption, nothing really. "I guess not?"

Beelzebub rolled his eyes. "You should be thanking her. No ordinary demon survives the poison of a Poxie fruit. The poison spreads within three minutes. No matter how good of a doctor you are, you wouldn't be able to make it. The only way to cure Poxie fruit poisoning is to drink blessed water but for demons, it's either death by poison or death by allergy reactions to the holy attribute."

Zero blinked. Now he was more curious about it. In fact, the greenhouse was becoming one of the places he wanted to explore in the Academy apart from the library.

To spite Zero, Beelzebub plucked a fruit from the same bush and popped it into his mouth. Zero looked confused so the Demon Lord smirked. "It's the unique ability of the Lord of Gluttony to be able to eat anything. Sucks to be you."

The Demon Lord felt a lot better at seeing a flash of hurt in Zero's eyes. That was payback for trying to kill him. Work together? Beelzebub scoffed. There was no way he was going to cooperate with this fool. Unfortunately, he couldn't let the poor boy die either. It would leave a bad taste in his mouth. Thanks to Zero's actions, he was now able to confirm Chitta's intentions. That was one person of his list of suspects.

Finally, some progress.

Zero watched as Beelzebub walked away. Chitta was also far from the greenhouse on his map. The young doctor had saved Beelzebub's icon in a different colour for easier identification. Mii reminded Zero that classes would start in two more hours so Zero had to start making preparations. The first class they had was physical education. Zero didn't know anything about what they did in that class. he was told to change into the special gym clothing provided by Lucifer in the meeting yesterday.

Physical education was only compulsory for those who were not specialised in combat skills. It was also the only class that Class-A and Class-B student shared. However, this also meant that Zero would be unable to catch a glimpse of Rayneld, Chitta or Koblaq.

"Let's get going," he told Mii. At the very least, Zero would be able to place markers on Kruz and Jeremiah.

Three down, two more to go. However, Zero didn't think that tracking the last two suspects down would be an easy thing.

"Alright, gather up!" the gym teacher Professor Spiff clapped his gloved hands together.

Zero merely stared. This walking doll was a teacher at Lucifer's Academy? What's going on?

The teacher in question wore a full face mask and was covered from head to toe. Everything about him screamed flamboyant and Zero didn't know how this teacher was in charge of teaching them combat skills. Physical education was a nicer sounding term for combat training. Aristocratic demons were known to be strong enough so having to attend such a class was considered demeaning or beneath their status. The name was changed to spare the pride of these snobs and Zero wanted to roll his eyes. Why did they have to complicate matters so much?

"I see that we have a new face," Mr Spiff commented as his hollow eyes landed on Zero.

"Why don't you introduce yourself?" the masked teacher asked.

Having no choice, Zero obliged. There was no applause or encouragement. Zero felt the stifling silence and judging stares on him. That made him feel uncomfortable but somehow, he knew how important first impressions were. According to Lilith, demons would respect the strong and scorn the weak. If he wanted to get along with everyone here, he couldn't play nice.

With a determined glare, he exuded a wave of magical aura he had been suppressing. Ever since the Redemption Event, Zero's mana reserves had more than tripled. The Demon Lords had advised him to keep it concealed in order not to attract attention so Zero did his best to not let out too much of his aura. It was tricky but it did the trick.

"I'm Zero, let's get along."

Mr Spiff was stumped silent and so were the other students. Zero used that opportunity to study Jeremiah and Kruz's expression. They seemed frightened of him much like the other students present apart from Beelzebub who scowled at him. Maybe he overdid it?

"Ahaha..." Mr Spiff chuckled weakly. "I see, it's a pleasure to know you too. Everyone, please get along with Zero alright? Shall we begin class now?"

Nobody protested although class progressed with some slight tension. Zero didn't have much to do. It wasn't till halfway through the class that Zero finally understood what kind of demon Mr Spiff was.

"Good job, you finally figured it out," Beelzebub deadpanned.

"How did you know what I was thinking?" Zero jumped. he hadn't noticed when Beelzebub had gotten so close. He was too focused on tracking Chitta who wasn't attending class. Jeremiah and Kruz's markers were registered so Zero was thinking of a way to mark the last two suspects.

"Everything is written on your face. If you want to survive in this shithole, you better learn how to wear masks like our dear teacher."

Zero frowned. Mr Spiff was transforming to mimic another student. This time, it was Kruz's turn. Aerial battles were more fun to watch as compared to underwater ones. Zero blinked. Kruz's movements were fluid and natural but whatever Mr Spiff lacked in physical abilities, he made it up with his experience.

It was no surprise that Kruz lost within the first ten moves they exchanged.

Mr Spiff transformed back to his carnival costume and Zero eyed the small pocket mirror hanging from his neck.

"Good work, Kruz! You have improved in judging your opponent's movement even without the use of your sight. However, you still need to work on detecting feints."

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The bat demon blushed and Zero found that pinkish tone on his bluish skin very contrasting. Mr Spiff's true body wasn't in the mask. It was only through several rounds of combat that Zero noticed an irregularity. Despite being able to copy his opponent's forms and skills, the one thing that didn't change was the pocket mirror hanging from a chain on his neck.

"Is Mr Spiff a mirror?"

Beelzebub smirked. "You're getting smarter, I see. Yes. He is a mirror demon even if object classed demons aren't usually strong, Mr Spiff is an expert in what he does. Nobody can compete against him in a no magic combat battle."

Zero nodded. Mr Spiff could be fairly odd at times but Zero liked him already. School wasn't as bad as what Baal made it out to be. Zero enjoyed watching the exchanges, it was truly an eyeopener. The only damper on his good mood was Beelzebub who seemed to dislike him for some reason. He didn't remember what he had done to warrant such dislikes but Zero was determined to amend his wrongs.

He would apologise after lessons. There was no more sincere way to apologise than offer some of Belles and Begonia's limited offer items. Surely Beelzebub would have no objections against carrot cake. Right?

Mr Spiff heard about Zero's special condition from the dean. He could understand why. The kid wasn't particularly strong looking and would probably be the target of bullying. Kids these days weren't the nicest, not that he expected anything less from demons. However, Zero just struck him as the odd one. The compliments he dished out weren't full of sarcasm, malice or ulterior motive. As a mirror demon, Spiff had the ability to look into a person's heart and reflect their true nature back at them. Zero's true nature blinded the professor.

"That was awesome!" Zero's voice could be heard again just as another student finished their round. His excitement was attracting odd attention within the class but Spiff simply couldn't stop him.

"Thanks," Jeff the werewolf grinned. Zero settled in easily with the children and the mirror demon wondered if Lucifer had been wrong with his judgement. The kid might look physically frail but there was tremendous strength in his personality and the ability to gather people towards him.

"Next!" Spiff called. It was Jeremiah's turn and Zero paid closer attention now that there was a great opportunity to observe his target.

The canary demon allowed his transformation to unravel and the young doctor blinked at his demon hybrid form. Sure, the yellow streak in his hair remained but the demon now had wings instead of arms and claws instead of feet. His facial features were slightly altered to something more bird-like and Zero wondered if that was any good for combat. According to Hua Tuo, canaries are domesticated birds who no longer knew how to survive in the wild. It was also the reason for their extinction.

Mr Spiff didn't relax his stance and treated Jeremiah with the same caution he did for Kruz. Zero raised a brow. Perhaps he was wrong in his judgement. It was a purely physical combat test so nothing should happen right? Mr Spiff would be able to handle it. Still, the heavy feeling in the pit of his stomach didn't go away. Why did he feel as if something terrible was going to happen again? The last time he had such a feeling was when they were fighting against Count Carrabas in Half Moon village.

The spar began at a normal pace with Jeremiah circling around Mr Spiff. It was basic common sense to size your opponent before the actual exchange. Zero didn't see anything wrong with it. Although his time with Ruth had been brief, he learnt a few tips from the vampire through their conversations.

Mr Spiff never made the first move. That was something Zero realised after paying attention to the lesson. He was slightly nervous because his turn was approaching so he didn't notice it at first when Jeremiah was playing dirty. The canary demon was whispering in a very low tone almost inaudible to the students below as they were spiralling higher in an aerial battle. Zero didn't pick it up at first but after observing that there was something strange about Mr Spiff's movements, he started paying closer attention to the details.

Mr Spiff was swaying from side to side with no control over his movements. The mirror demon was no fool, it was definitely some sort of spell. As an experienced teacher, he had certain measures to take against students like these. The Academy's safety features would kick in soon enough if it sensed magic use out of the unrestricted zone.

Zero frowned. Mr Spiff was getting more hits and it was worrying. Jeremiah wasn't landing light blows either. It stopped looking like a spar two minutes ago and Zero wasn't the only person to notice this. The mirror demon teacher was being knocked around in the air.

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"Something's wrong," Beelzebub frowned. Zero didn't respond. He was considering if he should attract attention by jumping in to help their teacher. He did make a promise to stay out of trouble and jumping in right now would not only attract trouble but attention to him.

From the corner, someone shot up into the sky and startled the young doctor from his thoughts. Mr Spiff had been badly hit and was falling out of the sky. Jeremiah's feral smile spelt trouble as he swooped after the fallen teacher. Zero didn't have much time to react to that because there was someone way faster.

Kruz was already on it. The small bat demon was hardly able to support Mr Spiff but he did his best to re-divert the mirror demon from the crazy canary demon's path. Jeremiah cursed when he missed the final strike to shatter that pocket mirror. He clicked his tongue in distaste. Instead of pursuing the gym teacher, he switched his target to the meddling bat demon.

Kruz froze when those eyes locked onto him. He couldn't see very well but he could sense that bloodlust redirected to him. With Mr Spiff still in his arms and him struggling to keep them from plummeting to the ground, Kruz didn't know what he could do.

Jeremiah lunged himself forward and Zero decided to cast consequences to the wind. He didn't like Jeremiah before but now he absolutely abhorred that demon's existence. Beelzebub saw Zero's recklessness and decided to tackle the young doctor, pinning him to the ground with everything he had. Thankfully, nobody was paying attention to them so he clasped a hand over Zero's mouth. It wouldn't do them any good if they blew their cover now. This was a perfect opportunity to confirm the traitor's identity. Beelzebub had a fairly good idea on which suspect to tail now. He caught sight of something that Zero didn't know yet and knowing how naive the teenager was, he wasn't going to share the lead.

"Stop it, idiot!" he hissed. "You're going to blow our cover."

Zero glared at the Demon Lord. There were people in trouble and his mission partner was only concerned about blowing their cover? Couldn't he see that Mr Spiff required medical attention? Kruz was also in a pinch. Someone had to help them and stop Jeremiah before things become dire.

Just then, there was a loud booming noise and an explosion in the sky.

Beelzebub, Zero and everyone else froze. The sky was covered in dark clouds that crackled with lightning. It didn't look natural at all and the two squabbling students forgot about the differences momentarily.

In the swirl of dark clouds, a holographic face started to form. Zero recognised it to be Lucifer and was almost relieved that the dean had great timing.

"Jeremiah," the voice boomed. "Come to the dean's office right now. The rest of you in Class-A and Class-B are dismissed for the day."

After dropping that abrupt announcement, the clouds dispersed and students started chatting amongst themselves, not understanding what had transpired. Jeremiah looked pale as he descended from the sky. Kruz looked worn out but Mr Spiff who had reverted to his usual form looked worse than the small bat demon.

As the students started to disperse, Zero rushed over to Kruz and Mr. Spiff while Beelzebub left to hide in a distance, intending to tail the canary demon who glared at the teenager and the bat demon with hate.

"Heal!" Zero whispered urgently and enveloped the two demons in his magic. It was a basic recovery spell that worked quickly and effectively.

Almost instantly, Kruz felt better. He didn't feel tired and was surprised that his feelings had somewhat stabilised despite the mental shock. On the other hand, Mr Spiff didn't look any better.

"Can you help me carry him to the infirmary or my room? I'm a doctor in training, I can help," he asked the bat demon.

Kruz blinked. He couldn't really see Zero's face but from the warm and sincere voice, the bat demon knew he was a kind person.

"Do you live in the dormitory?"

"Yes," Zero confirmed and Kruz threw one of Mr Spiff's arms over his shoulder.

"Lead the way, it's closer than the infirmary. Can you fly?"

The young doctor shook his head. "Not yet. I wish I could do so one day but not yet..."

Kruz was puzzled by that response but chose not to comment on it. They made their way slowly back to Zero's room. From atop the clock tower, a certain librarian smiled. He would love to get to know more about the brunet who smelled like a dragon. It was quite a nostalgic scent too. Who knew that he would get to see his old friend in such circumstances?

Kruz was amazed. He didn't know anything about Zero because he was a transfer student. Zero didn't look particularly strong either and was like a magnet for bullies if anything. As one of the weaker demons, Kruz tended to keep to himself and shy away from everyone else. His trait wasn't a particularly special one but it got him accepted into the ranks of those who were considered geniuses. It made him feel incredibly out of place and he was always so afraid that he would be the next to be targeted. He heard the stories about how certain students were targeted the moment they left the Academy's grounds and murdered. For someone as weak as him, the only way to survive was to not offend anyone or join the ranks of someone strong. There were many strong people like Chitta and Rayneld but Kruz simply didn't have the courage to approach any of them. Looking at Zero made him reconsider. Maybe it wouldn't be bad to be friends with him.

"How did you get accepted into the Academy?" Kruz asked at last.

Zero was in the middle of repairing the fractured pieces of mirror on Mr Spiff's main body when he heard Kruz's quiet question.

Honestly, Zero hadn't thought about his cover story. Should he just tell the bat demon that it was through Baal's recommendation or come out with something else?

"It's alright if you don't want to answer, I'm just curious."

Zero smiled. He liked Kruz already. The bat demon may be quiet and aloof but really, he was only a misunderstood person. That was another suspect stuck of the list of targets.

"Would you believe me if I said it was through Baal's recommendation? We're friends."

Kruz stiffened. Nobody sane would call a Demon Lord by their name, at least not the six established ones. Beelzebub was someone whom the Abyss had yet to recognise so nobody really bothered treating him like one yet. For Zero to call Lord Baal by his name so comfortably would either mean he had a lot of guts or really was a close friend.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't know that. Please forgive me, Sir Zero!"

The teenager blinked. "Oh no! Don't call me that... I'm just Zero. All my friends call me that... Unless you don't want to be my friend?"

Kruz froze as if he had done something horrible. "Not at all! I'll be most honoured to be your friend..." He panicked when he heard the hurt in Zero's voice.

Zero beamed and did a one-eighty change in attitude at Kruz's confirmation.

"Yay! You're my very first friend in the Academy. Let's get along well, Kruz!"

The bat demon was blinded by Zero's glowing happiness. Kruz felt the heat rush to his cheeks and nodded shyly. Zero only laughed at that shy demeanour as he continued patching Mr Spiff back.

"Could you share with me a little more about how things work in the Academy? I'm still rather lost because it is such a huge place with so many people..."

The bat demon smiled and delved into details about what he knew, making sure to include advice of the people Zero should try to avoid offending and the ones who seemed particularly nasty.

"That's cool, you know so many things!" Zero complimented and Kruz shuffled in his seat. Zero pulled the covers over Mr Spiff and pulled out some tea from his inventory storage, startling Kruz.

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"How can you use magic in the Academy's non-magic zone?"

Zero blinked. "It's an ability of mine? I don't think this counts as magic?"

Kruz tilted his head to a side, confused. Wasn't space-time magic and kind of magic? What kind of ability was that? Was Zero some kind of storage chest demon? That was odd. Kruz was very sure Zero was some sort of medicinal plant demon. Now that he thought about it... that was healing magic. That was still magic! Magic was banned, how is Zero able to use it?

The bat demon began to be suspicious as the oblivious brunet served tea with a bright smile. Perhaps... perhaps there was more than met the eye when things concerned Zero.

Kruz didn't show it outwardly but the gears in his head began working in overdrive. Who exactly was Zero and what was he doing in the Academy?

Zero didn't see his mission partner the entire afternoon. He spent it with Kruz who gave him a private tour of the Academy grounds. Zero enjoyed the bat demon's company tremendously. It was vastly different from spending time with Truen or Baal. Kruz laughed alongside Zero at the funny things they saw and made jokes. It was a very new experience for the apprentice.

Zero learnt a fair bit about the bat demon too. Apparently, Kruz was a student accepted for his ability to do reconnaissance in ways that others couldn't. Kruz was able to transform into a tiny bat and had a superior sense of hearing and smell. Despite his physical disability with his eyes, a trait from the bat demon clan, Kruz was able to determine the location of things and objects through echolocation. Zero was excited to know how that ability worked because he had it too. It was tricky to use and Zero's head often hurt from listening to the multiple echoes when he used it.

After walking around for hours, they were famished.

"Let's head to the cafeteria," Zero suggested and Kruz politely declined.

"I'm sorry, Zero. It's getting late, I have some matters to attend to. You should go without me..."

Zero didn't push it although he was curious about the matters Kruz had to attend to. He headed to the cafeteria alone without questions but kept a close eye on Kruz's target mark on his map. The bat demon was heading back to the dormitory so Zero decided to check in again later. His stomach protested once more and the young doctor picked up his pace. He was curious about what happened to Jeremiah but that will have to wait till after dinner. he would find out more about what happened from Lucifer after dinner when he saw him for their daily report.

"You're late," the dean commented when Zero appeared from a warp portal.

In truth, Zero was only tardy by ten seconds. It wasn't anything that warranted a glare but Lucifer merely wanted to express his discontent with the brunet's actions today. He heard and saw it all from the surveillance. Baal gave him the carte blanche to chew the brunet out so Lucifer wasn't going to hold anything back.

Zero stiffened at the heavy tone of voice. That was how Baal usually sounded like when he was displeased with something Zero did. The brunet racked his memories for anything that might possibly anger the Demon Lord but couldn't find anything worth getting worked up over. He did quite a good job keeping a low profile and managed to strike off two out of five suspects from his list. Why was Lucifer so mad?

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"How was your first day of school?"

The question was casual but Zero knew there was more to it than that. Carefully, he crafted his reply.

"It was interesting. I made and new friend and managed to cancel two targets from the list of suspects. I've come into contact with three out of five suspects now."

Lucifer was genuinely pleased with the rate of progress although he wasn't too pleased with the methods Zero deployed. Also, there was a different kind of headache that came in the form of a certain librarian. He didn't involve Olaf for very good reasons. That dragon demon was almost as meddlesome as Zero was.

Lucifer wasn't speaking or looking up from his work for a while and Zero was starting to wonder if the Demon Lord had heard him. The young doctor tried to peer at what Lucifer was doing and snuck up closer to the desk, inching over with his toes.

Lucifer noticed what the boy was trying to accomplish and didn't stop him. He was too lazy to deal with Zero's weird antics at this point and waited till the teenager was close enough before flicking a pen at Zero's forehead with deadly accuracy.

The force of collision caught Zero off guard and he fell backwards onto his behind with a dull thud. The spot where pen connected with skull throbbed with ache but it wasn't anything Zero couldn't fix with some healing magic. Still, that wasn't a particularly nice thing to do.

Lucifer wanted to smirk at the pout Zero was making. Served him right. Who in the right mind would try to eat poisonous fruits, compromise their cover in front of their target and tell others that they were friends with Demon Lords? Apparently not Zero. He did all of those and to add oil to the fire, now Olaf was interested to know this fluffball.

"Do you have any conclusive evidence that those two suspects you mentioned are not involved with the plot in any manner?"

Zero blinked. Evidence? "Does instinct count?"

Lucifer gave Zero the dead fish eye and Zero winced. That was right, instinct wasn't an acceptable reason for many. He completely forgot about that after hanging out with Baal for too long. Conclusive evidence huh...

"I have trackers on Jeremiah, Chitta and Kruz. At the moment, Chitta is contacting Lilith. I've also spoken directly with Lilith about Chitta's agenda. She's not the enemy's spy. Jeremiah is sleeping in his room now and Kruz is up to something. I have not confirmed what he is up to but I know for sure that Kruz isn't the spy. I will get the evidence tonight when I follow him out of the Academy."

Lucifer nodded. "Noted about Chitta and Kruz. I hope to hear some positive news. That tracker ability sure is handy. What do you think of Jeremiah?"

Zero made a face. "I don't like him."

Lucifer raised a brow. Is that really something a spy should be saying? "I'm asking for your objective observation and not your opinion."

Zero blushed and apologised. "He's still suspicious. How can he use magic in the magic restricted zone? He was trying to harm Mr Spiff, I saw it earlier."

Lucifer nodded. He saw that too. If it weren't for Beelzebub losing the fight to hold Zero back, he would have let it play out a little more to collect more damning evidence.

"That wasn't really magic. It was a bloodline ability and a curse. Beelzebub has reported it to me, so far Jeremiah is our biggest lead. Baal is still trying to sniff out the traitor in the staff ranks. You can rest assured, the traitor isn't Spiff or Olaf. Also, a word of caution before you retire for the night... don't get too close to Olaf. That guy's nothing but a nuisance. Give him a foot and don't expect him to return it."

Zero gulped. "Thanks for the warning, goodnight headmaster."

Lucifer didn't respond and Zero left the office with his heart pounding. Talking to Lucifer was always scary in some unspeakable way. Now that the report was over, Zero wanted to know what his dear new friend was up to. Kruz has been moving in a certain pattern around a specific area but not leaving the school grounds. Zero was also sensing another target in the area. If he had to guess who it was, Zero would place bets on it being the notorious yankee of the Academy.

The young doctor wasn't disappointed when his prediction was right on the mark. A certain gargoyle that blended with the dark sky came swooping down silently on the ground in front of a tree a few metres away from the dormitory building that Kruz was residing in. The bat demon was really tiny in his bat form and Zero had difficulty spotting him from this distance. If not for the map's ability, Zero wouldn't have noticed Kruz at all.

"Are you ready?" Koblaq asked as he transformed back to his human form. Zero noted how drastically difference the gargoyle was in appearance. In his demon form, the gargoyle was something born from a nightmare with a bald head, sharp eyes with horned wings all covered in black scales. In his human form, he had inky black hair that secluded his face, walked with a slouch despite his tall figure and was rather well-built.

Kruz transformed back into his human form and Zero held his breath. He didn't know if echolocation would be able to detect him from this distance or through close windows. Thankfully, Kruz wasn't able to detect Zero from this distance.

The two students left swiftly and Zero cursed the fact that he couldn't fly. Thankfully, Lucifer didn't ban him from using magic in the Academy. He would simply have to follow them using teleportation. Thank goodness Mii was an excellent navigator.

Zero was fairly surprised when they stopped at a rowdier part of town in Lucifer's domain. Baal had cautioned him time and again to avoid those shady streets. It reminded Zero about the underground city that Baal led him to, except worse.

"Where are they?" Koblaq growled and sniffed the air. Kruz transformed back into a human and sent out pulses once more.

"I sensed them here a few nights ago, they might have changed their location."

"Can you locate them?" the gargoyle asked and Zero blinked. What were they going on about?

Kruz nodded and poofed into a tiny bat before flying away quickly. The brunet held his breath and teleported into a building slightly further away so that Kruz wouldn't notice him following them. He was highly curious about what was going on. Koblaq was notorious for his reputation in the Academy. He was constantly picking fights outside of the campus and Zero didn't think this was a friendly visit. The real question was why Kruz was working with Koblaq. Who were they looking for?

The gargoyle wasted no time and entered a tavern. Zero blinked. Baal once mentioned that taverns were places where all sorts of horrible people gathered at. There were many things that could be exchanged for money there with information being the most valuable. Coux had specifically told Zero to never enter a tavern without Truen and the young doctor wasn't sure if he should wait outside or follow Koblaq in.

"Mii, is there a way to see what's going on inside without me having to enter that tavern?"

The strawcherry assistant materialised with a poof beside him. "I can go in there and give you visuals if you want."

Zero thought for a while. "It's too dangerous. I guess we'll just have to wait then."

Bob's hologram materialised beside the startled fairy and beamed. "I can do it!"

Zero looked at Bob. Bob didn't have a tangible form like Mii so that resolved one of Zero's worries. Also, the Eternal Dragon was rather smart. He was the prime candidate for such a mission.

"Alright, I'll be counting on you. Please don't get discovered. I just need conclusive evidence that Kruz and Koblaq are not on the enemy's side. Do not interfere with their matters too much, Lucifer's words."

"Roger!" the dragon replied and vanished. Zero felt the tug at their mental connection as Bob moved further away from him. Things would be a lot easier with lesser distance but beggars couldn't be choosers.

Mii monitored the map while Zero mediated, trying to concentrate on the connection he had with Bob. Kobalq was now registered as a target and he wasn't moving much. On the other hand, Kruz was running in circles in the area near the tavern Koblaq entered. Chitta was also sneaking out of the Academy but Zero told her not to worry about it.

"Zero, what about Jeremiah and Beelzebub? What should we do if they are on the move?"

Zero's eyes snapped open at once. Jeremiah was the finest lead they had. "What's that bird up to? Also, what about Beelzebub?"

Mii showed Zero the map. "Beelzebub is tailing Jeremiah. That canary is up to something for sure. Just take a look at his movements. He's sneaking into the greenhouse in the middle of the night. Why would anyone do that? It's not as if he was a fan of the plants there."

Zero hummed. "Is there possibly someone he is meeting there? The greenhouse is known to be one of the more secluded places in the Academy after all... nobody will host a tea party so late into the night. It screams fishy if he's going all the way out to do this."

Mii agreed. "Should we abandon Kruz and Koblaq here to confirm what that canary is up to?"

Zero watching the blinking dot in green. "No, I think Beel can handle it. Let's focus on this for now."

In the next fifteen minutes, Kruz circled the area wider and wider. Bob was giving feedback that Koblaq seemed to be in a fouler mood as each minute passed. then, Kruz returned and Bob made his presence disappear. Mii also returned to the mindscape and Zero readied himself to follow them.

The small bat was nestled in Koblaq's breast pocket, exhausted from flying for such a long period of time. The gargoyle took two turns into a dark alley and transformed into his grotesque appearance before taking to the night skies, using the darkness as his cover. Zero launched the pursuit and followed closely.

They left the domain entirely and Zero begin to worry as the distance between him and the Academy grew. They flew past a rock mountain and reached a dark forest full of dead trees. The miasma was very thick and Zero noticed how Kruz had entered a hibernation stage. From what he had observed, Kruz and Koblaq seemed very close. The gargoyle was rather protective of the small bat demon.

Koblaq returned to his human form and stood up straight. Without the constant slouch, Zero thought that he looked like a completely different person.

"They are surrounded," Mii told Zero through their connection and Zero studied the map. True enough, there were numerous dots appearing on the map surrounding where Koblaq was standing. The only problem was how Zero couldn't see anyone near them.

before Zero could investigate the reason for his map's malfunction, something shot up from the ground. Koblaq evaded it swiftly and stepped into the air with his wings supporting him dutifully. It happened too quickly and Zero didn't know what had transpired. Whatever just happened had left massive holes in the hardened ground. Zero was reminded about worms and shuddered to think of worms that size.

The dots gathered around Koblaq and Zero held his breath. Surely enough, whatever monster hiding underground launched themselves into the air, trying to bring Koblaq down. Zero had a good look at what the gargoyle was fighting and shuddered.

"Netherworms?"

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Zero felt physically ill at the sight. Koblaq massacred them without holding back it was messy with green worm blood raining from the sky but the mountain of dead bodies was creating a horrible scenery. He read about netherworms and how dangerous they could be. These monsters mutated from absorbing the miasma in the wilderness. They would eat away at the ground beneath while making their nest, causing whole landscapes to collapse inward. They also eat unsuspecting demons and gain intelligence.

The battle lasted all of thirty minutes. Zero had already emptied all the contents of his dinner onto the ground. He was a good two miles or so away from the site but it didn't make things any easier. Now that he had his conclusive evidence of what Koblaq and Kruz were up to, he should return to make his report to Lucifer.

Still, the blinking dot on his map made him worry a little. Beelzebub and Jeremiah were still not back to their dormitory.

Shaking his head, Zero tried to reason that Beelzebub was a Demon Lord capable of taking care of himself. The box of carrot cake was still waiting on Beel's bed when he left, Zero only wished that the Demon Lord of Gluttony wouldn't stay out too late.

Freshly baked carrot cakes wouldn't taste as good if left alone for too long.

Beel hasn't returned even once during the night. He was now hanging out at the cafeteria and Zero glanced at the box of carrot cake. It was still on the same spot. There was a pang of hurt in Zero's chest but the teenager decided to push that aside for now. He had another agenda on his list today. First, he was going to take a shower then report to Lucifer about his findings last night.

On his way to the dean's office, he overheard several students gossiping about Beel. Zero couldn't help but be curious and eavesdropped.

"Really? Someone dared make a move against a Demon Lord?"

"I don't think he would be this seriously wounded out of carelessness. It's definitely an attempt at his life. He is the weakest among all the Demon Lords after all... I think his days are numbered."

Zero felt as if someone poured ice water over him without any warning. The tips of his fingers turned ice cold and Zero swallowed with difficulty. His legs took him to Lucifer's office numbly.

"You're early," Lucifer mused. he was about to tease Zero but held back when he saw the pale expression.

"What's wrong?"

Zero shook his head. "Sorry, it's nothing. I came to give you my report with the evidence I gathered last night. Kruz and Koblaq are not our targets. This is what they were up to..."

Lucifer accepted the magic stone and pulsed his magic through it. Zero's memories appeared in a hologram and Lucifer watched it silently.

When the memory ended, the Demon Lord nodded in satisfaction. "Very well, I will inform Beel about your findings. When will you get in contact with Rayneld?"

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Zero hummed. "I'm going to the library today, there is a high chance I will get to add him to my map. He shows up at the library frequently after all."

The dean nodded and dismissed Zero after another round of caution about Olaf. The brunet took his leave swiftly, not bothering to look back. All he wanted to do was run to the cafeteria and check up on Beelzebub.

He found the Demon Lord in the cafeteria fairly easily. Skipping the line for food, Zero zoomed in straight to the Demon Lord nonchalantly munching on what looked like the hardest bread in history while chugging down a jug of milk.

Zero skipped the pleasantries and examined the Demon Lord with a trained eye. Beelzebub didn't appreciate the scrutiny. He had a rough night after his cover was almost blown. If not for his knowledge of several secret shortcuts in the Academy, he would've been exposed. Whoever the collaborator was, they definitely had impressive combat skills. Thankfully, magic was not allowed on the campus. That gave Beelzebub the chance to slip away even if he didn't manage to escape unscathed. Ranged weapons definitely lived up to their reputation. He knew that Zero's mission last night went smoothly and he didn't need the doctor rubbing his failure into his face. It was worse when Zero was genuinely concerned about him. That made whatever shredded pride he had remaining disintegrate into ashes.

Zero chose not to make any comments. He knew that there were many pairs of eyes on him in the cafeteria. Beelzebub always attracted attention. Unknown to Zero, he was also gaining a reputation of his own. Apparently, someone had witnessed Zero casting healing magic on Kruz and Mr Spiff after gym class. The rumour started spreading after that. Some said that Zero was secretly an angel spy sent from the heavens while others thought that Zero was a demi-god apprenticing under the God of Medicine. It made things worse when someone claimed to have seen Zero hanging out with Lord Baal and Hua Tuo at the recent Trials.

Soon, the Academy had given the young doctor a nickname that would be written into the history of Morning Star Academy. Zero the Miracle-maker was his name.

"What's the Miracle-maker doing? Does he want to get smitten by the Lord of Gluttony?"

"Bets are on the Miracle-maker winning the Lord of Gluttony, any contenders?"

"Is he trying to recruit the Lord of Gluttony? I heard that he's charmed that loser Kruz last night."

Zero filtered out all the background noises and focussed solely on his roommate.

"Let's go back," he spoke calmly.

Naturally, Beelzebub bristled. He slapped Zero's hand away with scorn on his face. The young doctor didn't take offence to it, he expected just as much. Calmly, he took hold of Beelzebub's wrist and pulled him out of his seat. The Demon Lord resisted at first but knew that he would be making a scene if he resisted any further.

With the most reluctant look on his face, he allowed himself to be dragged out of the cafeteria with the tray of unfinished food in his other hand. Zero was silently happy that despite his unwillingness, Beelzebub wasn't outrightly kicking him away. Then another thought crossed his mind that sent Zero into a semi-panicked mode. What if his roommate was too injured to fight him?

They returned to their room very quickly and Zero all but ordered the disgruntled Demon Lord to remove his shirt.

"And why would I do that?"

Zero smiled. "I could use other means to examine your injuries but it may feel more invasive."

Beelzebub studied that angelic smile for a while. That was definitely a threat that Zero would be very willing to see through if he refused to cooperate. If there was one thing Beelzebub had learnt about Zero, it was the brunet's sheer stubbornness that rivalled Lord Baal's and his own. Zero was a doctor through and through. There was no use trying to deny a doctor his natural instinct to want and save others. Sometimes Beel wondered if doctors were worse than heroes.

Hesitatingly, the Demon Lord shrugged his blazer off followed by his shirt. Zero observed his movements carefully and noted if there were any movements that caused Beel discomfort. From what he saw, there were several bruises darkening on Beelzebub's arms and torso. They looked very much like whip marks and Zero felt the anger brewing in him.

Beelzebub noticed Zero's silence and was slightly surprised to see such a look of concentration with slight killing intent leaking from the teenager's control.

"Zero!"

Snapped out of his thoughts by Beel's call, the young doctor blushed at being caught losing focus. He apologised quickly and hovered his hands over the injured areas, pouring his healing magic over them. Beelzebub had half the mind to run. He didn't know what kind of healing magic Zero was going to use. Even though he wouldn't die from exposure to holy attributes as a Demon Lord, it would hurt a lot. He wasn't willing to subject himself to torture like this.

The comforting warmth of Zero's healing magic surprised him. The Demon Lord had never been on the receiving end of such care before. With his superior abilities to heal and regenerate, it wasn't really a necessity. Zero's earnest attitude about his well-being made Beel feel strange on the inside. This young doctor was a real enigma. He was also someone whom Beelzebub envied, hated and liked all at once.

Zero had just finished with closing up the last wound and wanted to move on to more but Beelzebub stopped him.

"Don't, the rest will heal by themselves. Thank you but that's enough for now. I have other leads to search and I think you should do the same. How many targets have you gotten in contact with?"

Zero blinked. Finally! A wide smile grew on his face when the Demon Lord was willing to open up to him about their mission.

"I only have Rayneld to find and then I would have made contact with all targets. Chitta, Kruz and Koblaq are not the suspects, I have confirmed them."

"All in only a day of observation? These criminals have been plotting for a very long time. How can you be sure that they aren't involved? If they have been able to cover their trails for so long, they would be more cautious. You could be fooled."

Zero shook his head. "I know that for a fact that they aren't our suspects. Lilith has confirmed that Chitta is a spy from her side. The reasons for her mission were not specified but that is good enough to rule Chitta out. I tailed Kruz and Koblaq last night. They were working together on some other personal mission. I just handed in the evidence, Lucifer has given them the clear too."

"Personal mission?" Beelzebub raised a brow. As far as he knew, nobody understood anything about the bat demon and gargoyle. Also, together?

"Yes, they are allies of sorts. It is usually easy to miss Kruz out because he is very small when he is a bat and has a very weak presence."

Beelzebub blinked. "How did you know when or where they were leaving? I've been tailing them for months, I never could find out."

Zero gave him a cheeky grin with a victory sign. "I have an ability that allows me to mark out anyone by their magical energy within a certain area. It's not a very wide area yet but I think I've gotten the Academy grounds covered."

Beelzebub paused. What the heck was this idiot talking about? Not very wide? The entire Academy grounds span around a good two hundred acres. No scout with farsight would be able to see that far or have spatial magic capable of covering the entire Academy ground. Just exactly what is Zero?

"You're not a demon, you're not a human. You're not even a demi-god but you possess insane abilities... just what are you?"

Zero blinked. "I'm Zero."

The Demon Lord didn't know what to make of such a simple answer. Eventually, his brain gave up and he sighed, burying his face into one hand. That's alright. Zero can be on a whole new category on his own. Beelzebub wasn't even going to argue with that. He'd seen his fair share of strong opponents and monsters like Lucifer but Zero was in a whole new category of his own. Unlike those with power like Baal and Lucifer, Zero was as harmless as a fly. That's right, the teen may be a nuisance but he was mostly harmless. They only have to be wary of his doctor's instincts after all.

"Nevermind. Are you going to find Rayneld later?"

Zero nodded. "I'm going to visit the library because I heard that he hangs out there from time to time."

Beelzebub wished him luck. "Try the third floor near the rose coloured window. It's his favourite spot to read even if all he does is carry a book and demon watch from that window."

Zero thanked his mission partner and decided to take his leave.

The room was quiet once more and Beelzebub flopped onto his bed with pain on his face. Zero healed most of the external injuries but the ones and he was thankful for that. He couldn't bring himself to allow the teenager to investigate further. It would be shameful for him if Zero were to find out about his non-physical injuries. Whoever that contact was, he knew how to use spells and curses effectively.

Beelzebub clutched at his chest in agony as the curse flared once more. The Demon Lord knew exactly what kind of curse this was but there was nothing really much he could do about it. As a Demon Lord of the Gluttony domain, getting rid of such a curse would only take about a day at most while most people would have died within an hour of the curse. Beelzebub closed his eyes and was about to rest when his hand knocked over something from his bed.

The box clattered and Beelzebub caught it with his sharp reflexes before it could hit the ground. He knew that box. There was only one place in the entire Abyss that sold desserts in such fancy looking packages.

Carefully, Beelzebub opened it and was surprised to find the desert he was craving for the most of late. Did Zero know what he wanted? No, that couldn't be. It must have been a coincidence. Knowing the teenager, this must be some sort of apology or 'let's get along' gift. Still, it was a gift that Beelzebub couldn't refuse.

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Digging into the slice of carrot cake, Beelzebub melted the moment he felt it on his tongue.

Bliss. Pure bliss. This shouldn't be possible but the Demon Lord didn't care. He was a Belles and Begonia's regular because they made things that soothed his cravings. It wasn't easy being the Lord of Gluttony. The chase for perfection is a struggle.

At the back of his mind, Beelzebub knew that he would forgive the young doctor with his initial attempt at his life. It was obvious that Zero didn't mean to do it. However, maybe he would keep the act up for just a little longer just so that Zero would bring him more treats like this.

Beelzebub moaned again as he shovelled the rest of the cake into his mouth. The dessert was gone all too soon but already, he felt better. Feeling lazy to take out the trash, Beelzebub stretched his jaws and swallowed the box whole. He let out a long burp before yawning once and flopping back to bed.

Nobody disturbed him for the rest of the afternoon. The same could not be said for a certain teenager running around in the library in search for their next suspect.

It wasn't very difficult to locate the library. In fact, there were many students heading towards it too. Zero didn't know that it was such a popular spot and was slightly concerned about being able to find his target with so many demons around.

The library was a very grand looking building, only second to the atrium. In fact, it was located conveniently behind the atrium and beside the garden. Zero wondered why the gardener thought it was a good idea to design high thorny hedges in a way that led people deeper into it only to be met with no place to go. Zero did find the idea of putting small fountains, trees and benches in those places to nowhere really cool. He just didn't think it would be very convenient to walk out of such a place with some of those hedges constantly shifting positions. The thorny bushes were alive after all, ready to snag some unsuspecting people's ankles for a tasty sip of blood.

Yes, Zero recognised them now. They were definitely blood vines, an extension from a blood willow. The blood willow was a tree that survived by feeding on blood. As terrifying as it sounded, there was one good thing about this tree. It was a guardian tree that protects the territory of its owner. If Zero wasn't mistaken, the owner of this blood willow had to be Lucifer. He knew that this tree existed somewhere on the campus away from sight because it grew underground. Judging by the mobility of these thorny roots, Zero wouldn't be very surprised that this tree guarded the perimeter of the Academy grounds. Lucifer had very good security against uninvited intruders on the ground. He just wondered what sort of precautions Lucifer had against aerial opponents.

Zero was climbing up the fifth level on this long spiral stairs and wondered why the library's entrance was located on the very top floor of the building. Weren't building entrances usually located on the ground level for easy access? This magnificent architecture had eight levels to it too! Why couldn't they make life easier by introducing a teleportation gate if they were going to put the entrance on the top floor?

Zero reached the eighth level and huffed. It wasn't a tough climb up but it certainly was unnecessary. Zero wondered if he could introduce Raj's invention for the pulley system to Lucifer. That would make accessing the library a lot easier. Heck, it could help save precious time too!

Without waiting for any longer, the teenager pushed open to huge double doors and was taken aback by the luxurious interior. There were rows of books neatly aligned on the shelves mounted onto the wall. Zero expected the entire space to be filled with piles and stacks of books lying everywhere but the library was more spacious than he expected. Either Truen was lying about libraries or Merlin's personal library simply differed from the norm.

Zero walked in and marvelled at how organised everything was. He walked past the lavish single-seated couches and made a beeline to the nearest bookshelf. There was nobody else in the library and Zero wondered where everyone else had gone. There were many students making their way over to the library earlier, where did everyone disappear to?

The first book that caught his attention had a red spine. Zero reached for it and was startled when the book shot a fireball at him. The fireball dissipated in the air but Zero's eyes were as wide as plates. Baal wasn't lying when he said that everything in the Abyss was dangerous. Truen never told him that books were capable of attacking people!

There was a low chuckle behind him and Zero jumped.

"Don't do that, I'm not sneaking up on anyone. Just thought that you might drop by someday so I invited you over to the restricted section of the library. How did you like the climb all the way to the top? This place has one of the best views you can find in the Academy other than the bell tower."

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Zero blinked. "It's you!"

Olaf did a little bow and Zero wondered why a teacher would bow to a student like him. Wasn't it usually the opposite? That made the young doctor slightly confused.

"Indeed it is," the librarian smiled. "How would you like some tea? I have moonlight citrus and Poxie blended tea."

Zero raised a brow. "I thought Poxie fruits were dangerous?"

Olaf laughed at that. "Indeed, they are. However, their leaves make the most fantastic fragrant teas in the Abyss. It's the only reason why we grow them in the greenhouse."

Zero hummed and followed Olaf's lead to what looked like the librarian's office. It was a spacious room with french windows behind his overly large desk. Unlike Baal's desk, Olaf had hardly anything on his table. Other than a sign that indicated his name and position, there was only a pen holder with a feather pen in it.

"I'm very glad you decided to visit the library, I heard a lot about you from Lord Baal and have been eager to spend some time alone with you like this."

Zero took a sit and watched Olaf pour him some of that fragrant tea. "Why is the entrance to the library located right at the top? Wouldn't making an entrance on the ground level be easier?"

Olaf settled the cup of steaming tea before his guests and took a seat. "That is true. There is an entrance located on the ground level for ordinary students. As the keeper of the library, I can manipulate it to my will. Forgive me if I made you suffer getting here. I just really wanted to talk to the person who smelled so similar to an old friend I thought I would never see again."

Old friend? Zero was confused. He didn't know Olaf at all, they only met yesterday.

Seeing the confused look on Zero's face, the dragon-demon smiled. "No, I know that you are not him. We've never met before but for some reason, I smell him on you. You might be in possession of something that belongs to him and I am curious about how you met him. Some know him as the Eternal Dragon but I don't know what humans know him as now. Last I heard, he was assigned the job as the Keeper of Endow Hill back on Earth."

"That would be me," Bob told Zero through their mental connection.

"You know him?" Zero was surprised. Come to think about it, there was hardly anything he knew about the Eternal Dragon apart from the kind of food he loved. Five-Plume Pheasants are Bob's favourite and he likes them roasted with Cleo's unique spice powder.

Olaf gave Zero a lottery-winning smile. "I knew it! Tell me, how did you meet? Is he doing well?"

"Actually..." Zero hesitated if he should let Olaf know that his friend was right here with him in his care. Bob isn't exactly in top form so he didn't know if this piece of news would upset the dragon-demon.

"Let me handle it," Bob offered and Zero relented control.

"It's good to see you again, friend..." Bob said and projected an image of himself. That startled Olaf greatly and he dropped the teacup in his hand, sloshing the contents all over his table. Zero was glad there weren't any documents of importance on that desk or it would be severely ruined.

Olaf looked shaken to see Bob. The Eternal Dragon reincarnate didn't seem fazed at that dramatic reaction. In fact, Zero had never seen Bob looking calmer than he did right now.

"Relic... is that really you?"

"My name is Bobbinskrier now, it's been a long time old friend. How have you been doing?"

The librarian held back tears and swallowed thickly. "I didn't think that we would ever meet again... not in circumstances like this either. Tell me, how has life been treating you?"

Bob laughed fondly. "Not too bad. I met a strong master that I would like to travel with. Honestly, if not for what happened recently, I would never have been able to leave Endow Hill."

Zero felt awkward watching the two friends talk. He wished that he could occupy himself with something else while they caught up on old times. The only small problem was that he couldn't exactly stray too far from Bob who relied on him to materialise.

The Eternal Dragon read Zero's thoughts and turned to him. "It's alright, I can use my magic reserves to hold this form on my own for about an hour. You should go on ahead, master."

Olaf gave Zero a few words of advice including to always put up a magical barrier when dealing with temperamental books. There were books in the forbidden section that Olaf banned Zero from visiting as they were too dangerous for even for a dragon-demon like him to handle. He made the young doctor promise not to go near the sanctioned out area before giving Zero the librarian's key.

The first thing Zero did when he got the key was to explore the other doors he saw. Surely one of them would lead him to the third floor. The teenager hadn't forgotten about his mission. Sure, meeting Olaf was interesting but if there was anything he learnt from Coux, it would be the ability to fully utilise the time he had. Time management was a very useful skill to master.

"Mii, is there a way to know which door would take us to the third floor? Also, would you happen to know where Rayneld is?"

The strawcherry fairy reappeared in Zero's mindscape. She pulled out the map in parchment form and Zero didn't regret letting her design the interior of their mindscape library. It was amusing how the map magic was usually similar to the app on the communicator. Sometimes, Zero would pull the communicator out just to hide the fact that he had a unique skill and blend in a little more. Mii was different. She simply loved the rustic look of ancient tools and bridged the gap of their limitations using some magic and a lot of imagination.

"Well, according to the layout of what we know, this place doesn't exist. It's not a magic that you would know either although it can be very similar to the lamp that Zeus gave you. I guess the only way to find out is to go through every door till we find it. Olaf did give us the key after all..."

Zero hummed. It sounded like a huge waste of time but this was certainly better than sitting in on the conversation of two friends who had a lot to catch up on. "Do we not know where Rayneld is now?"

Mii shrugged and put the map away. "No, we do not know his magical signature yet. It's not something that the report can include. I can only place a tracker on him after identifying him in person. You'll still have to do most of the grunt work."

Zero sighed. This wasn't going to be easy. Seeing that he only had a week to find a solid lead and that a day had already gone by, the teenager was beginning to feel the pressure. Baal and Lucifer's success greatly depended on Beelzebub and his findings. Beelzebub was already onto something with Jeremiah. Zero didn't want to waste time by chasing the same suspect and miss out on the other. He trusted the Demon Lord to be able to take care of himself despite the injuries he received from last night.

"Where is Beel?"

"Still in the room. I think he's sleeping now if anything... he didn't return at all last night," Mii replied and Zero nodded. At least Beel was safe. Thank goodness for the tracking function.

"Do let me know if he's making his move. Let's try to get Rayneld in our map today."

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His assistant rolled her eyes when Zero wasn't looking. As if he needed to tell her that. "Just get going already," she snapped and promptly faded back into the back of Zero's mind.

Zero giggled. Despite maturing himself, Mii hasn't really changed much at all in terms of personality. It didn't matter. He was happy with how things were. Zero took a look at the ten doors and wondered why there were ten of them when there were only eight levels. Even if one belonged to the forbidden section of the library, there should only be nine doors...

"Oh well," he shrugged. "Here goes nothing!"

The key was jabbed into the third door from his right and Zero yelped when he felt a strong force pulling him away into the door against his will. If he was worried about having to climb long and sufferable flights of stairs, he no longer had to.

The only thing that crossed Zero's mind as he was falling through space was why hadn't Olaf put teleportation gates when he first invited him to the restricted level of the library?

Zero tumbled through the other side of the gate and landed with a heavy oof. He didn't know which part of the library that door-gate took him to but he knew for sure for a fact that the world he was seeing wasn't in the right orientation.

It took Zero a few clumsy attempts to right himself. Landing with his butt in the air on his back upside down while crashing into a wall isn't the best landing position. Zero adjusted a few kinks and tested his joints before studying the new area. This room didn't have any windows or furniture. It only had some light emitting crystals hanging from the ceiling and another door to his left, adjacent to the door he exited from. This new door didn't have keyholes so Zero put the key away into his inventory and opened it.

The teenager was mildly surprised to see students roaming around and seated on some of the provided desks. Zero didn't know which level he was on but the sight of students made him happy. At least there was some progress.

Nobody paid him any attention as he entered and Zero skittered around the side of the library trying to find any hints about his whereabouts. He pulled up the map in his head but didn't know what to make of it. All it told him was how he was in the library building but not the level he was on.

"Funny," he thought to himself. "Is the map broken?"

Zero tried to look out for any staff that might be on standby on this level but found none. Everywhere he looked, there were students he didn't know. It was strange that Zero couldn't find anyone from his class or from Beelzebub's class on this level. In fact, now that Zero had a closer look, the uniform they wore was slightly different too.

He was turning around when he bumped into someone.

"I'm sorry!" he squeaked when he noticed how he bumped into someone's chest. That demon had a furry chest and Zero had to crane his neck upwards. Zero didn't know if should run or apologise again after getting into trouble with a chimpanzar demon.

Instead of getting angry, the chimpanzar demon calmly stared at Zero.

"You seem lost. This is the second floor of the library meant for the regular stream students. If you're looking to go to the third floor of the library for special stream students like yourself, you should head to the lifting lobby."

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Zero blinked. "Lifting lobby?"

The chimpanzar demon roared with laughter. "I'll take you there," he said and Zero thanked him. Who knew that there were nice demons around? Now, he wouldn't have to worry about getting lost with such a nice guide.

The library was massive! Zero ogled at the number of books and the rows of shelves along the floor in aisles. There was an area dedicated to writing and reading, an area for relaxing and a counter that students can check out the books they wanted to loan.

"Here we are," the chimpanzar demon smiled and Zero stared at the lifting lobby. It was a huge empty room with nothing but a runic circle on the floor.

"Thank you," he smiled at the good samaritan. The chimpanzar demon left and Zero stepped onto the magic circle.

"Now to figure out how to use this circle..." he frowned. It wasn't anything that Mii would help him with. Zero was stuck. Should he ask Bob who was with Olaf to know how to use the lifting lobby? While the brunet was contemplating, someone else entered the room.

The newcomer blinked at the sight of a strange teenager whose face he had never seen before muttering to himself while staring at the floor. While it wasn't common to see new students appear every now and then, this particular student was different. Even without looking at his face, he could tell that the brunet wasn't in the same class as the rest. He may rival Beelzebub the Demon Lord who was also known to be the most powerful student in the Academy.

"Is there anything you require help with?" a polite voice asked, breaking Zero away from his muttering.

He turned around and was about to thank the stranger for offering help when he saw a familiar face. The newcomer had blue skin, wild looking hair that was shaved on one side and the other covering his eye, multiple facial piercings and beautiful aquamarine eyes.

"Target encountered, I repeat. Target encountered! Abort mission, Zero!" Bob cried out in the young doctor's mindscape. Mii smacked the dragon over the head.

"Don't listen to this buffoon, carry on as planned. I've marked him on the map," the strawcherry fairy told Zero.

Rayneld was observing the transfer student with interest when Zero froze up for a second. It was almost as if Zero was cautious of him for a while. Also, another thing struck him as odd. He was almost certain that he'd seen this person somewhere before. If only he could remember where he saw this particular brunet...

"I was just wondering how to use this lifting lobby, could you teach me? I need to get to the third floor..."

Rayneld grinned. "Third floor huh... looks like you're in luck. I'm heading to the third floor as well so it's not a problem. Lifting lobbies only work when you have a special access pass. As a new student, I doubt you've received yours yet. All you really need to do is channel some mana into the pass and the lifting lobby will activate. You can select the level you wish to go by standing on the runic circles dedicated to the floor you wish to go. Of course, you'd have to be authorised to access them first otherwise, it wouldn't work. From the crest on your uniform, I think you'll be able to access just about any floors apart from the seventh and eighth."

Zero smiled and thanked the manta ray demon as they parted at the third floor. Rayneld didn't seem to suspect a thing so Zero allowed himself some time to calm himself down. Now that he made contact with his target, there was no real reason to continue associating with him and risk exposing his cover. He checked the map just in case and was satisfied to know that Rayneld was on it.

After checking the time and discovering that he had a good forty minutes or so left, Zero decided to check out the history section on the third floor. Surprisingly enough, the Academy focuses more on combat and magic classes. Etiquette, business and literacy were taught to only aristocratic. Also, there was one class that intrigued Zero. It was called human studies. Demons study all about humans from how they look, talk, act, feel and behave. naturally, this class is only available for the special class students that Zero happened to be part of.

"Do you think they have human study materials here?" Zero asked Mii in a low whisper, not wanting to attract attention.

The strawcherry fairy raised a brow. "Why do you want to read up on that? You can study about humans on Earth when you return."

Zero sighed. If only that was true. "Other than Karris and Wiser, hardly anyone else on Earth I know is human. Count Carrabas and his army do not count. besides, Wiser cannot be considered a healthy study subject. He's plenty of weird and Karris is very used to the way of life for those who aren't humans. I don't have any references. It's nice to prepare ahead of time so that I know what to anticipate when I begin my journey..."

Mii laughed. "So you think that the best place to start researching about humans would be from a library in the Abyss? You do realise that these books will be written from a demon's perspective for demons, right?"

Zero tilted his head. "What's wrong with that?"

Mii was speechless. Bob shook his head. "It means that many of those things wouldn't be as accurate as you would want them. It doesn't cover the more human aspects of being human. Demons only learn how to imitate human speech, manner, pattern and behaviour for the sake of blending in. They're not really trying to understand them."

Zero hummed. Despite that, Zero couldn't stop being curious. After all, some information no matter how inaccurate would be better than none right? As a doctor, he understood human biology. Hua Tuo was a subject matter expert. However, Zero wasn't satisfied with simply that. He heard some stories about how great humans were in the war from Baal. Despite being so fragile and almost powerless, Zero was intrigued to know that humans were the only species that defied against their natural disadvantage and triumphed over the odds.

"It would be nice to find out anything about them, really..." Zero shrugged and walked around trying to find something that might pique his interest.

After making a few rounds, the brunet felt disheartened. There was simply nothing Zero wanted to read. Bob had been correct. After flipping through the first five books in the human study section, Zero gave up finding anything useful. The apprentice simply couldn't understand why the preference of seductive clothing was crucial enough to be written in the book and the different styles of clothing humans in different regions wore were not as important in the mentions.

Feeling tired, Zero walked over to the resting area and found that all the seats were occupied. Disheartened, the brunet wandered around trying to find anywhere to rest.

Five minutes later, Zero found the perfect spot for a short nap before he had to return. There was an inner ledge on one of the huge tinted glass windows that made a cosy corner. Zero fell in love with it immediately and skipped straight towards it. He sat down on the ledge and brought his legs up before curling them close to his chest. The glass pane felt cool against his cheek and Zero decided to gaze outside once he was comfortable.

To his astonishment, the view was something that came out of a painting. Zero didn't know that such a beautiful place would exist in the Abyss. It was almost like a hidden paradise. If the terror-inspiring blood vine maze was something out of a nightmare, this garden full of cotton flowers would be something out from a fairy tale.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

Zero jumped. He wasn't expecting anyone to talk to him.

"It's you!"

Rayneld smiled. "We meet again. I didn't think that you were the kind to play hooky and sleep in the library. Then again, first impressions aren't very accurate."

"Play hooky?"

Rayneld grinned and showed his rows of sharp teeth. There was a mischievous look in his eyes and Zero grew slightly wary when the model student sat on the same ledge and wrapped an arm around Zero's shoulders.

"Dark Age History lessons are ongoing right now. You're from Class-A, right? that means you're playing hooky seeing that you're not there."

Zero paled slightly and Rayneld laughed at that. "Don't be so frightened, it's not an uncommon thing. Besides, I think you could use a tour around the Academy. How about I show you some of my favourite spots? That garden you see there is off boundaries to students. Let's start from there, shall we?"

Zero wanted to protest. He had to retrieve Bob in fifteen minutes after all but the firm grip on his wrist didn't allow him to leave. Refusing Zero's refusal, the manta ray demon cheerfully led the stumbling brunet out of the library.

"Mii, Bob... help?" Zero pleaded.

His assistants only shrugged. There really wasn't much they could do about this now.

"Just don't give him a reason to suspect you, alright?" Bob said and Zero flinched.

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That was something harder than not eating cake before dinner! Where were his friends when he needed them most?

"Bob, if you don't help me in the next fifteen minutes, you're on your own."

The Eternal Dragon wasn't fazed. "That's quite alright, master. Olaf here can help refuel my mana. It's no problem at all, do enjoy yourself and practice prudence!"

Zero couldn't say anything to counter that and cursed. he felt slightly bad for doing so when he thought about Isis and Freya. Fortunately, they weren't here.

"Do I really have to do this?" he asked himself. Why did the world hate him so much sometimes? Baal couldn't blame him if something happens now. He didn't seek trouble out... at least not this time.

Zero had to admit. Rayneld was a rather cool person. Contrary to his princely image as a model student, the manta ray was someone who had quite the mischievous streak in him. Zero didn't think that a model student would find ways to skip classes and escape the school grounds. The fact that Rayneld found a loophole in the Academy's no-magic rule made the young doctor slightly suspicious of him.

Things only became more suspicious when Rayneld took Zero to one of the more secluded and better keep secret shortcuts. Lucifer wasn't lying when he said that it was going to be difficult to locate this exit. Zero could manage with Mii's help and the map but the same wasn't the same for Rayneld.

"How did you discover this? It's not easy to know where and what to do before you can find the entrance..."

Rayneld gave Zero a toothy grin and his aquamarine eyes glowed. The young doctor didn't think that was something a good student would look like. His feral appearance didn't help give a gentler image. Zero was considering keeping tabs on him when the manta ray demon laughed.

"I like to explore forbidden places. You can think of it as a hobby of mine. With a building as old as this and an owner as paranoid as Lucifer, I think there are more secret passages than the ones I've already found. This just happened to be one of the better few. However, if you thought in the direction that the headmaster does, it's not very difficult to figure where he would hide certain things."

Zero nodded, unsure if he should buy this reasoning. It would be a very convenient reason for a spy who had to conceal his cover. Still, Zero just smiled and followed Rayneld's lead. The manta ray demon led them into some of the narrower tunnel and Zero wondered if this was such a wise thing to do. Saner people would have run away if someone tried to invite them into a dark cavern with the promise of a good surprise. Still, a mission was a mission. He knew that he had teleportation magic at hand if he really needed a quick getaway.

The passage was long and winding. Zero didn't think that it would ever end. He could feel the changes in the air already. While his sense of sight didn't work very well in the pitch black darkness, Zero was able to put echolocation to use, a random skill he gained from one of the auction items. It was slightly strange to see images form in his mind without colours but at the very least, he knew he wouldn't be tripping over the cracks in the uneven ground.

The spy on mission noticed that his host hasn't even fumbled once. Do manta rays see well in the dark or have echolocation? Zero found it interesting. If Rayneld was the spy, that would at least explain how nobody was able to catch him in the act.

As they twisted down the maze, Zero smelled something stale and metallic in the air. He wrinkled his nose and wondered how Rayneld was able to tolerate the stench. Luckily for Zero, he knew how to switch off the sense of smell. The walkway was becoming wider and they were going down a steeper slope as compared to before. There were no longer tiles and the ground was closer to dirt. The stuffy air quality from before was now replaced with something warmer and more humid. Zero could hear something making low rhythmic thumps through the vibration on the ground. Whatever it was, Zero bet that it would be huge.

"Where are we going?" he finally asked.

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Rayneld didn't slow down nor looked back. "We're going to see one of the most beautiful places in this Academy. It's almost as good as the Academy's heart. Just a word of caution, don't touch it or get too near. I won't be able to save you if you did."

Zero didn't reply. He didn't know what Rayneld was talking about. Why would he touch anything out of curiosity? Also, why would he be in need of saving if he did? What could possibly go wrong? Lucifer made this Academy as safe as it got. Zero glanced at his map. While it was still part of the Academy, the maps were showing new grounds that were not there before. He was walking in unknown territory and that made the young doctor slightly unnerved.

"We're almost there," Rayneld told him and Zero gulped.

With one final left turn, the sight made Zero freeze. Several hundred feet beneath the Academy, Zero never expected that Lucifer would hide such a terrifying looking monster.

"Here she is... beautiful, right?" Rayneld smiled. His aquamarine eyes glowed in the dark, giving Zero chills. He didn't know if he should agree with the manta ray demon or teleport away and blow his cover.

"She" was big and Zero followed the movement. The ground vibrated again when a thick and heavy root fell onto the ground and twisted as if trying to scour for another meal.

"Meet Veronica," Rayneld introduced. Zero didn't understand how the model student could look at the Blood Willow's true body with such adoration in his eyes. There was only one thing going through the doctor's head.

"Have anyone ever told you that you're crazy?" the words blurted out of his mouth faster than he could stop them.

Rayneld's smile fell. His aquamarine eyes swirled through a few different hues before he spoke again.

"No, you're the first. I believe if we can come to the same conclusion, we could be good friends. I'm so glad that I wasn't wrong in my judgement by bringing you here. Sometimes I invite someone I think will get along with Veronica but they scream and curse at me. If that isn't bad enough, they had to insult my lover... of course, I silenced them permanently. I'm fine with being insulted but nobody will get away with insulting my darling..."

Zero blinked and met Rayneld's quiet gaze. "What was it that made you love her so much?"

Rayneld took out a knife and Zero flinched. Thankfully, Rayneld's eyes were no longer on him. The manta ray demon stabbed his other arm that wasn't holding the knife. He held the bleeding limb out as an offering that Veronica gladly took. Zero yelped in horror at the bloody vine ripping out Rayneld's entire arm.

"Your arm! We need to fix that..."

Rayneld waved Zero's concern off in a relaxed manner with the happiest smile on his face while Veronica attacked his severed arm, devouring it without leaving anything behind.

"Don't worry, it's part of being a manta ray demon. My arm will regrow in a few hours."

Zero didn't know what to say. He looked at the wound and blinked. The flesh was already stitching itself together. Zero didn't even have to assist with his healing magic.

"The first time I met Veronica, I was badly wounded. It's not really a secret but I am the son of Charybdis. I have many enemies and the only safe place in the abyss is the Academy. Granted, there are political games within the compound and bullies but they're nothing compared to professional hunters after your life. She helped me off those pesky demon hunters. How could I not fall for her?"

Zero hummed. "I guess she's special to you. I saw some vines in the garden earlier and have been curious as to where Lucifer was keeping her. I didn't think that anyone would find out the true location of the Academy's guardian."

Rayneld smiled and sat down. Zero followed suit. "You have no idea how hard I worked to find her location. It took me many months to finally win her over and give me the most crucial hint before I found that entrance. I don't know if there are easier ways to access this place but I'm not complaining. For Veronica, every drop of blood and sweat would be worth it."

Zero struck Rayneld off the list of suspects. This person was mysterious and obviously insane but he wasn't someone working for the enemy. All he really wanted was to be together with this monster of a tree.

"Would it be terrible if you had to graduate from the Academy? Veronica has her duty here after all. She can't come with you."

At this, Rayneld fell silent. His aquamarine eyes turned a sorrowful shade of blue. "I know. I don't want to graduate but I know I can't hide here forever. When that time comes, I will ask Lucifer to give her to me. For now, I'm more than content spending the rest of my time here with her. You're the first person I feel truly understands me. I'm so happy I wasn't wrong about you."

Zero smiled. He didn't know what to think about how Rayneld saw him. He didn't really know if making friends with such an odd person would prove to be such a good thing. Still, having more friends than enemies wouldn't hurt right?

"Likewise," he settled for and observed as Rayneld's eyes brightened again. The duo sat there watching Veronica dig her roots into the dirt ceiling and shifting around. Occasionally, there would be a leg or two pulled down from above.

Zero was startled when that happened the first few times but slowly got used to it. The low thumping sounds were surprisingly calming to listen to. When Veronica dragged down a tribe of orcs armed to the teeth, Zero wanted to praise her for doing a good job guarding the Academy against enemies.

Veronica went on unaware of the two silent admirers. For such a vicious tree, she had one charming point about her. Ignoring the gnarly vines and thorny roots, the tree had shimmering silver leaves and one ruby red crystal flower. It didn't look like a huge tree if the roots and vines were ignored. In fact, it looked like a harmless bush hidden away from the world. Zero noticed how the red crystal flower would glow whenever it caught something. It looked stunning when it was feeding and Zero glanced at Rayneld. Was that why the manta ray demon looked so happy to see her feeding on something?

"Mii," he called for the strawcherry assistant through the mental connection.

"Yes? I assume everything is going well seeing how you aren't screaming for help."

Zero rolled his eyes. "Yes, I was wrong. Thank you very much. I just need to take this image as evidence and pull out the fragment of memory that consists of our conversation earlier to include in my report tonight. That leaves Jeremiah as the only remaining suspect."

Mii pulled out Zero's memory book and photocopied the page that Zero requested for. The young doctor left her to it and decided that it would be nice to take a nap now. Bob was probably still talking with Olaf and Zero wasn't particularly hungry yet. He would wake up later when his stomach decides to demand food.

Beel couldn't believe it. How could Zero skip lessons when he was meant to play the good transfer student? The Demon Lord cursed. Zero was supposed to keep an eye on that stupid canary! Things were screaming suspicious to him when that arrogant canary sidled up to Professor Rhinestone.

"Dammit!" he cursed. "You owe me ten more of those carrot cakes," Beelzebub grit his teeth and followed them. Zero had better come back before dinner or Beelzebub wouldn't let him go that easily.

"Professor?" Jeremiah asked when he noticed that the Demon Ethics teacher wasn't focussing on their conversation.

"Let's head to somewhere more private," Professor Rhinestone grinned at the canary demon. Baal caught sight of Beelzebub trailing after Rhinestone and Jeremiah after his class. Speaking of class, kids nowadays had no respect for their elders...

"Wasn't Zero supposed to follow up on their case? Why is Beelzebub doing it?" he muttered. His eyes narrowed when Rhinestone and Jeremiah started walking out of the building. The Demon Lord was about to pursue them himself when someone called him.

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"Professor Baal! You've been my idol ever since I came to the Academy. Could you please sign this for me?"

Baal did so quickly and turned back to glance out of the window. They weren't there anymore and the Demon Lord cursed. He didn't think he would lose them so easily and hated himself more for taking this Professor job so seriously. What has Coux done to him?

Thinking about having to report it to Lucifer left a foul taste in his mouth.

"It's all because of Zero..." the Demon Lord growled lowly. "I'll make him tell me five stories to make up for all the trouble he has caused. Also, why the heck isn't that brat in class? Who taught him to play hooky? Kids these days, I swear..."

Somewhere under the Academy grounds, Zero sneezed.

Professor Rhinestone was a rather popular professor, especially among females. It was no surprise that he would be approached by so many students everywhere he went. With his ash skin tone and midnight blue hair, the man was a walking sin. Nobody knew what kind of demon he really was but many suspected that he had incubus blood.

At this very moment, Beelzebub didn't see the charming professor who could easily sweep anyone off their feet with some honeyed words. Charming and suave demons wouldn't have such a grotesque form for starters.

He assessed the damage done to him and cursed. He should've stocked up on more food before he trailed them. The last thing he ate was that miserable but heavenly morsel of carrot cake. It isn't enough to help him regenerate severed limbs over and over again. Healing is a very tedious process and without food, Beelzebub could only limit the damage by closing the wounds instead of regrowing his limbs.

To make matters worse, he was rendered unable to move. Rhinestone didn't feel like killing him just yet and Beelzebub didn't know if he should be happy about it or afraid. Jeremiah seemed gleeful at his helpless state and often showed his appreciation by inflicting minor cuts on his exposed face whenever he spoke a little too disrespectfully to the half-spider professor.

"To think that Arachne's child would be the mastermind behind this... what irony."

Rhinestone didn't take too kindly to Beelzebub's smart mouth and swiftly spat out some web to seal that talkative mouth. Beelzebub wasn't pleased but there was hardly anything he could do in his current state. Deprived of food and severely weakened without his arms and legs, the Demon Lord was only as powerful as a newborn child.

Professor Rhinestone didn't look pleased. In fact, his mind was working overtime to think of the accomplices Beelzebub had. One wrong move and his carefully planned revolt would go to ruins. It was hard enough to keep out of Lucifer's radar. Jeremiah was a huge risk in his plans but the canary was important to act as his scapegoat. It was the only reason why Rhinestone would allow such an idiot to participate in his plans.

He glanced over to the canary demon gloating at the crippled Demon Lord and shook his head. For such a refined and proud demon, Jeremiah was truly the black sheep. Really, how such a pitiful demon could exist in the house of nobles still puzzled him.

"Oh, should I stab these disrespectful eyes of yours? I wonder if poking or scrapping them would be more painful... what do you think? Oh, I forgot. That's right, you can't speak!"

Having enough of Jeremiah's childishness, Rhinestone grabbed the student by the scruff of his shirt and threw him across to the other side of the room.

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"That's enough. You should be on the lookout for his accomplices instead of wasting time and toying with him here. I'll take care of the ritual. Report me if anything out of the norm arises."

Jeremiah dusted himself and stood up before saluting and dashing away. Beelzebub watched that happen from his thread prison. Who knew that Rhinestone would turn out to be a cursed spider demon instead of an incubus? Looks were truly deceiving especially in the abyss. Then again, it made sense. His grotesque form was probably what made him behave the way he did. What a sad excuse of a demon. Beelzebub didn't care what sort of inferiority complexes other people had. It just annoyed him that such a narrow-minded demon was capable of forming such a threatening coup d'état.

"Dammit," he cursed mentally. "If only there was a way to contact anyone..." the Demon Lord fumed. He tested the strength of Rhinestone's web and found that it constricted with his struggling. He didn't know what material these threads were made from but they cut into his skin like steel the more he struggled.

"It will only make your situation worse. If you struggle too much, not even I can vouch for your safety. As one of the Demon Lords, you still play a crucial part in my plan. I don't really want you dying so soon but I can't do anything about it if you choose to do so. Those webs are meant to trap and kill stubborn prey so I suggest you keep as still as possible."

Beelzebub flinched as the thread cut into his flesh, touching bone. Rhinestone wasn't joking. The Demon Lord's hands were tied both literally and figuratively. If only there was some way he could eat and regenerate. Now that his mouth was sealed, he couldn't even sneakily eat away at his threaded trap when Rhinestone was gone.

The professor fumbled around for a little and prepared to leave the hidden lair. Just as he was about to leave, the Arachne descendant turned around and gave Beelzebub the sickest grin.

"Just to give you a thought to entertain you for the next few hours, I know about your unique ability to eat just about anything. Doesn't that make you glad I sealed your mouth?"

Beelzebub saw red and struggled more, overtaken by rage. He ignored how the threads were pressing hard against his bone by now and growled in anger as the sick professor left laughing. For the first time since knowing that troublesome young doctor, Beelzebub was glad that Zero wasn't going according to plans. It would be terrible if their positions were reversed. Who knew what would happen to Zero if their positions were reversed.

Beelzebub gave up after a while when the rage and adrenaline faded. He was losing blood very quickly with most of the threaded prison staining red and dripping onto the ground. The Demon Lord hoped that someone would discover of his unusual disappearance and report it to Lord Lucifer. Knowing Zero's nosy nature, it wouldn't be long before help arrived.

For now, Beelzebub fought against sleep. Maybe, just maybe... he could take a short nap. They would wake him up when help arrived. Right?

"Something's not right," Rayneld frowned.

Zero noticed it too. The usually calm and lazy bloody willow was working up a frenzy as they spoke. It wasn't like this a few hours earlier.

"What's going on?" he asked.

The manta ray demon stood up and grabbed Zero just in time to dodge and root coming their way. Zero was startled by Veronica's hostility. Why would she suddenly attack Rayneld? Didn't he say that she was comfortable around him? He did feed her enough to get her familiarised with his scent to not treat him like an enemy before. Why now?

"I don't know," Rayneld replied. "Something must have triggered her protectiveness. There is a threat within the Academy grounds. Veronica is usually very relaxed. Even when the outsiders are attacking the enemy, she holds her ground well in a calm and orderly fashion. The only reason for her tantrum now would be that a threat has appeared on the Academy grounds. The situation must be drastic. I should report this to the headmaster immediately!"

Zero agreed. He glanced over to his map quickly to check on the target's movement. Nobody else on the suspect list seemed to be moving suspiciously. Even Jeremiah was roaming on the school grounds. Nobody was doing anything suspic-

"Beel... he's in trouble!" Zero gasped in horror.

The only green marker on his map was showing up in an undiscovered location on Mii's maps.

"Beel?" Rayneld was confused. The closest person with that name he could think of was the new Demon Lord. Then again, Zero was roommates with him so it shouldn't be odd.

"Hold on a second... how do you know he's in trouble? Are you stalking him?"

Zero didn't answer the model student's question. Instead, he opened up a portal gate and shoved the confused manta ray demon in before jumping in behind just before one of Veronica's spiked roots hit them.

Rayneld didn't land in the most flattering manner. His face was buried into the ground and to make matters worse, Zero used his back as a landing pad. The manta ray demon groaned. Zero was by no means light at all.

"Beel!" his worried cries made the curious student look up.

True enough, the person with that nickname was none other than the new Demon Lord. What shocked Rayneld more wasn't how close they seemed to be. He could now understand why Veronica went mad. That pool of ruby liquid on the floor didn't look good.

"@%!!!" he cursed. "Hey, hang in there! Where the heck are we? He needs medical attention at once!"

Zero didn't waste time and worked on closing the wounds while replenishing the lost blood. Beelzebub looked too pale to be healthy and Zero wanted to cry. Who was it who did such a cruel thing to his friend?

It didn't take a genius to figure out that the best thing to do now while Zero was preoccupied with preserving the Demon lord's life was to get rid of the threaded prison.

He dug his fingers into the thread and cursed when his fingers started bleeding. Despite looking like soft silk, these threads were tough and sharp like steel. They wouldn't budge and Rayneld wondered if there was anything he could do.

"Is there no way to get rid of the thread?" Rayneld hissed in pain at his second attempt.

Zero decided to try something crazy. Scrolling through his inventory with Mii's help, he found what he was looking for.

"Mii, could we try to make that acid absorbed from the bird's stomach into something deadlier? I want to try and melt away enough thread to loosen it."

The strawcherry assistant complied and started measuring the number of things that could be converted in Zero's void space. Thanks to the mana conversion skill, Zero was able to easily recreate anything that he wanted to as long as he had something that could be converted to energy.

"That's going to take about ten gallons of seawater to create the amount you need," she reported.

Zero nodded. "Let's do this," he told her and Rayneld looked at Zero as if his friend had gone insane. Why was Zero talking to himself?

His questions were soon answered when Zero paused his healing. A water ball of something foul smelling was conjured and Rayneld had to hold his breath while Zero splashed it on several parts of that threaded prison.

The web sizzled and melted away effectively. As the threads came loose, Rayneld was there to catch the unconscious Demon Lord. He grimaced at the cruelty done unto the young Lord.

Zero saw red when he saw Beel's condition. Whoever it was, Zero wouldn't show them mercy. How could anyone be so cruel! It didn't matter what kind of reason they had. This was no way to treat anyone. Even if Beelzebub was a capable Demon lord who would recover from this, Zero didn't think such an act was forgivable.

"Could you hold him up? I'm going to regrow his missing limbs and heal him as much as I can. Whoever did this to him is going to pay... Nobody hurts my friends and get away with it."

Rayneld shivered at the tremendous amount of mana and aura emitting from Zero. Even as the child of the great monster Charybdis, his strength could never compare to Zero's. If anything, Rayneld was almost afraid to believe that Zero's strength far surpassed the strength of Lord Lucifer.

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The entire Academy felt it. Lucifer shot up from his desk and grew serious. Baal who was still hunting for Beelzebub in one of the secret passageways paused and made a U-turn. There was no mistaking it, that was Zero's aura and he was downright pissed about something. Knowing the kind-hearted young doctor, very few things would trigger him. If Zero was emitting such bloodlust, it could only mean one thing.

Someone was in danger.

Thanks to that shining beacon, Baal knew exactly where to go while Lucifer set his plan into motion. The entire Academy went into lockdown and the headmaster decided to start weeding out the traitor. For them to make a move this quickly, Zero and Beel must have been doing a great job.

Now, it was time for the adults to take over. Nobody who threatens the existence of the Abyss will succeed. Lucifer didn't sign an agreement with Heaven just to have someone destroy this hard-earned peace. He wouldn't let those brats' efforts go to waste. With Baal's matching report, the dean knew exactly who he should pay a visit to.

With a swish, he turned into a colony of bats and disappeared into the shadows.

Ball of Nothing

A colony of bats appeared in his room. The Demon Ethics professor wasn't fazed at all. In fact, he welcomed his late night visitor with a cup of Poxie tea.

"Welcome, headmaster. I've been expecting you. Care to join me for a cup of tea?"

Lucifer materialised and smiled gracefully as if he was merely coming over for a chat with a long-time friend.

"Sure, it would be my pleasure."

The Arachne demon offered the cup and Lucifer accepted it. They sat down on luxurious couches and took the time to enjoy the fragrance. Lucifer found it amusing that such a low-life could act so completely arrogantly in front of the Lord of Hell. Youngsters nowadays were truly ignorant.

"I heard that you're thinking of a job change recently from a few sources. What exactly about the Academy didn't you like? As one of our more popular staff, it hurts me to think that you would be leaving us so soon. The students will be sad to know that their professor would be leaving without a reason."

Rhinestone smiled and played along. With a dramatic sigh, he looked right into Lucifer's eyes. Rumours had it that the Demon Lord had a knack for knowing when people are lying due to one of his unique abilities. Now that the pest Zero had brought those annoying eyes back, it would take too much effort trying to conceal his true intentions.

"Indeed. I've been considering it for a while now. Teaching the younger generation brings me great joy but I've always found the lack of career progression something to be dissatisfying."

Lucifer nodded. There was no lie involved in that statement but he knew clearly what Rhinestone was implying. He wasn't here for leisure chit-chats but if that was what Rhinestone wanted, he would oblige. After all, Baal was already working on crushing the Arachne demon's forces. If anything, he knew he could count on one of his best students in his entire career to take care of the mess. This was a battle of pride between two very different types of educators.

"I believe that isn't quite the case. You know that I've always offered you the opportunity to do more and contribute to the ideas on how we could help our students progress further in life. The Academy has always believed in providing a safe environment for our students to experience what society would be like outside of it. Century after century, the graduates of Morning Star have proved to become very successful individuals in any field that they chose to be in."

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Professor Rhinestone smiled. His eyes hardened. "Of course. That is only to be expected of the finest Academy in the Abyss. However, I'm sure that your lordship is aware of our current status as a proud species. We have many excellent students who could do so much better if not for certain restrictions. Why would the Academy not encourage them to spread their wings and take to the sky? Why are we limiting our future king and queens in this never ending cycle of monotony?"

Lucifer set the cup down. He met Rhinestone's cold gaze that blazed with bitter hatred. Once upon a time, a very long time ago before he lost his eyes, Lucifer thought the same. It was the reason for his fall. Angels were proud and mighty beings with wisdom unparallel to mortals. The only ones they bowed down to were Gods who flaunted their powers in fickle manners according to their whims. Why was it that angels had to cater to the Gods' tantrums just because they were more powerful as an existence? It wasn't fair. Lucifer disagreed and decided to rebel. Michael and Uriel were with him initially but seeing how the skies were painted red with the blood of their brothers, they decided to surrender. Lucifer, being unable to look past his pride and hate, continued at the expense of precious lives. That led to the fallout and civil war.

While the angels were fighting a civil war, humans became the first and only creatures in the world to sharpen their wits and weapons. They learnt from Lucifer's fall and developed terrifying ways to take down the Gods that Lucifer hated so much with their cunningness and stubbornness. Lucifer hated Michael for it. This could have been them, the proud angels, if they didn't quit halfway.

That was then. After losing his eyesight for many centuries, Lucifer learnt to look at the world in a different way. His hate withered away and he saw the world through Uriel's eyes. When one was too focussed on something in life, they lost focus on the more meaningful things. His lost brethren wouldn't come back even if they took down the Gods. When an angel fell, they returned to the cycle of life to the Natural Plane. Lucifer and Michael were the more aggressive kinds of angels who would bathe in the blood of their enemies. On the other hand, Raphael and Uriel were more sensitive to the cries of the weak, lost and hurt. Being empaths, Lucifer failed to understand that such a clash would hurt them. If he'd been a better leader back then to realise this, the fall out wouldn't have happened. Michael saw that and decided to swallow their wounded pride for the sake of their brothers. Lucifer had been young and too blind to that. It hurt his pride to admit it but Michael was definitely a better leader. He was a leader that the angels could follow.

Right now, looking at Rhinestone made Lucifer think that the times have changed. The Arachne demon was a reflection of his younger self, walking the path of destruction. Lucifer couldn't hate him entirely. He only pitied the young demon for being unable to see past his wall of pride. It was obvious how Jeremiah idolised this professor. Lucifer didn't usually look so closely into the profiles of his students. There were simply too many students and too many things that demanded his attention. However, the canary demon was an attention-seeker. It was inevitable that Lucifer would come across a thing or two about him at some point.

"That is for the younger generation to decide," the Demon Lord told Rhinestone. "We only provide them with the foundation. What they choose to do with the knowledge is their responsibility. As an educator, you're overstepping your duty boundaries by dictating their lives for them."

Rhinestone had enough. Who was Lucifer to tell him what he can and can't do?

"Overstepping my boundaries? I think you're misunderstanding something. I didn't become a Demon Ethics teacher just to teach students how to get along with other races. I teach it to bring out the ruler in them. As proud demons, we don't need to make concessions to anyone or anything we don't want to. Those in power should take it all and the weak can only curse their fates. It's ridiculous to think that there is justice in this world. The strong will always triumph over the weak."

Lucifer didn't disagree. Instead, he nodded. "I agree. However, don't you forget that you're talking to a Demon Lord who was once an archangel. Even the strong can fall, nobody is infallible. What's more important is the strength of many rather than the strength of one. Gods have fallen to humans because of their arrogance, we will not be repeating their mistakes."

Rhinestone snorted and rolled his eyes. Pleasantries long thrown out of the window.

"This is why all you Demon Lords are nothing but cowards who have spent far too long playing into the hands of Angels and Gods. The past is the past, the present is the present. Why go on an all-out confrontation with the Angels and Gods when we can wear them down and chip at their defences? there is no need for chivalry, we are demons. Everything we do is only a means to an end. So what if we act a little cowardly? It doesn't matter how we do it, the ones who will have the last laugh will be us. You've grown old, Lucifer."

Lucifer didn't bristle at the blatant disrespect. "Is that so?" he asked calmly.

The lack of reaction got to Rhinestone. For some reason, he felt as if Lucifer wasn't treating him as a serious threat.

"I may not be able to get to you or any of the six Demon Lords now but I'm not foolish. A snake can never hope to win against a tiger but it can always kill its cub."

Lucifer didn't react to that. "Did you think that the tiger would let its cub stray too far away from it? The snake may be cunning but the tiger isn't foolish. What better way to get rid of the threat than to lure it out from hiding? The tiger cub may be young but it is by no means weak."

Rhinestone laughed. "Yes. That's what you think. What if I told you that I have that tiger cub in my hands already? There is absolutely nothing you can do about it either assuming you can get to him. He should be dead by now and his death will topple the balance of the plane. Didn't you feel that just now? It wouldn't be long before the portal is forcefully opened. As the plane disintegrates with his death, there will only be two choices for all demons to make. Flee to Earth and conquer the humans or perish with this plane."

Lucifer's eyes narrowed. He knew that they were up to something but Rhinestone's madness was worse than he anticipated. What made him think that Demon Lords could die so easily? Even if he got to Beelzebub's body, the child would simply reincarnate again. Demon Lords do not return to the void. Their souls are bound by duty to the plane under a pact with Gaia, Hades and Isis. This was a well-kept secret.

"Oh, did I forget to mention that it was thanks to that meddling brat who took Kerberos away that we finally figured out a way to trap a Demon Lord's soul and drain its life force to fuel that gate? The Hell Hound may no longer be here but Schaf has been a very dutiful servant. The set up still works flawlessly. Did you think that magic stones were the only way to activate the never-ending time loop? They were useful and hardworking pawns but this is the end of the line for the Abyss. Even if you killed me right now, the plan will still be set in motion. Nobody can stop the wheel that has been set in motion."

Lucifer wasn't too sure about the success of Baal's mission with how Rhinestone had so much confidence in his plan. Something was missing, There was something major that all the Demon lords had overlooked somewhere.

Rhinestone coughed out blood when Lucifer's shadow pierced into one of his lungs. The crazy half-spider grinned and chuckled maniacally when Lucifer's eyes glowed crimson. The Academy's air shrank and it felt suffocating under the angered Demon Lord's aura.

"Talk. If you don't talk, I shall rip your memories out myself."

Rhinestone gave Lucifer a challenging stare with a shit-eating grin. "Try me. You won't be able to stop it."

Before Lucifer could start his torture, the spider-demon activated a curse magic that caught Lucifer off-guard. The Demon Lord cursed and put up a defensive shield. In that short exchange, Rhinestone successfully thwarted Lucifer's plans to extract any information. the Demon Lord could only vent his anger at losing his lead by blasting a hole through the expensive glass window. The Academy shook under Lucifer's rage.

Rhinestone's soul was no longer in existence. Lucifer glanced down at his left wrist. That nuisance sacrificed his existence to place a mildly annoying but binding curse on him. Not only did Lucifer miss the opportunity to unravel their plans, he now had to deal with the curse of being unable to express his honest thoughts. It was a strange curse to choose but for Lucifer, this was a curse placed at the worst possible timing. Thanks to the curse, anything that he tries to convey would be automatically twisted against his will.

"Baal to Lucifer, we've recovered Beelzebub thanks to Zero and Rayneld. What about Rhinestone?"

Lucifer growled. He couldn't answer them.

"Lucifer? Is there something wrong? Zero, does this connection not work?"

Zero checked the connection and Mii confirmed that it was working.

"Is something wrong?" Baal tried again.

Lucifer wanted to say yes but the words were automatically misconstrued. "No, everything is good."

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The Demon Lord of Pride cursed. That darn curse worked with mental thought messages too. he thought about asking Baal's secretary for help seeing that there was a witch in her village that knew a lot about curses. However, his actions were immediately restrained by that darn curse.

"What the-" Lucifer growled. Just how powerful was this curse? The Demon Lord rushed over to his study and tried to write a letter. His hand moved mechanically and crafted a message that completely went against his will.

The Demon Lord growled in frustration and threw the paperweight into the wall. The poor object crashed into the magically reinforced wall and shattered into smithereens.

"Great timing, just great timing," he swore to himself. As the proud prince of the abyss, Lucifer really didn't want to ask for help. Unfortunately, the only person he could think of who could help him out of his predicament was one of the last people he wanted to see.

With heavy reluctance, Lucifer closed his eyes and reached into the bond he had severed many years ago.

Uriel was startled to feel that pull through his soul bond. Likewise, Raphael dropped his pitcher of water when he felt it. Michael froze and took a hit to his shoulder during a sparring session. Gabriel woke up from his nap and tumbled out from a cloud.

Once upon a time, there were five powerhouses in Heaven. They were very close brothers who rose up the ranks together and suffered through good and bad times. They shared a soul bond through a ritual, a bond that had been tested by the civil war. The star brothers of heaven fell when one of them stopped shining and hid in the shadows of the Abyss. With one missing, the shining light that helped guide the lost and weak vanished. It was a spectacular sight to see all four archangels with their glowing halo. For the longest time, everyone wondered why none of those four archangels had halos. The glowing lights caught the attention of many Gods in Heaven, including Gaia.

"Why now of all times...?" Uriel asked and cried, opening his eyes for the first time in a few centuries.

Gabriel forgot how to use his wings from the overwhelming sensation. His tears brought on sun showers all over Earth as he crashed into Gaia's tree of life. "Curse you, Luci..."

Michael clutched at his heart and stabbed his sword into the ground in order to support his weight. It was as if his soul brother had never left at all. The heart he thought he buried along with their past was beating loud and clear inside of his chest, threatening to burst out from its confines. The archangel let a heart wrenching scream tear from his throat. His howls brought forth thunder upon the lands below.

Raphael's glowing halo brought forth the gentle sunlight after the showers and storms created by his brother. He wasn't spared from the effects of feeling their rekindled bond. Tears fell from his eyes and the archangel prayed reverently to Isis for the blessed reunion. Whatever it was, Lucifer would always be one of them. He was only so happy to accept his brother's tug at the bond.

Everywhere on Earth, people saw a five-coloured rainbow in a full circle in the sky surrounding the sun. It was a phenomenon that would be forever recorded into history. According to the bards, that was known as the halo of Heaven and they weren't wrong. In Half Moon village, the lab members gathered around to study it. The halo of Heaven lasted for a solid hour and Raj had an inkling Zero had something to do with it.

"Well then," Grandma Moppo smiled. "We'll just have to ask him about the stories of his adventure, won't we?"

Nobody objected.

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Lucifer couldn't believe it. His soul brothers responded quickly to his calling. He didn't know if they would after the horrible things he did. If it were him, Lucifer wasn't so sure that he would have been so ready to forgive himself if he were in their shoes. Michael's appearance meant a lot to him.

"Why...?" he asked.

Uriel smiled. It was probably the first time anyone had ever heard Lucifer sounding so lost and unsure of himself.

"Isn't it obvious? The star can only shine when all the pillars are present. We may have our grievances but that doesn't stop us from being brothers. We heard your calling and so we answered."

Lucifer's greying hair faded into a shimmering platinum blond. His horns cracked and fell away. In its stead, was a golden halo. His hidden bat wings unfurled and started shedding like broken pieces of leather. Uriel watched Lucifer's transformation silently as a new pair of skeletal wings grew after the leathery wings disintegrated. The Demon Lord bit back his scream and endured the pain of new wings being grown from his bones, tearing through muscles and flesh.

The new wings ripped themselves from Lucifer's back and manifested as ugly skeletal structures covered in black blood. Unlike his soul brothers, Lucifer's new wings were covered in soft black feathers. Not all of Lucifer's demonic features were removed even after the reawakening. His fingers remained claw-like and his magic type still inclined more towards the dark. His coal black eyes were now its original shade of sparkling ocean blue.

Gabriel waited until Lucifer was well enough to stand. There was a famous saying among the angels when Michael and Lucifer were still inseparable. Michael was like the sun and Lucifer was like the moon. Now that Lucifer had regained most of his former glory after reawakening, it would be easy to mistake them for twins.

"Welcome back," Michael greeted. Lucifer didn't return the greeting. His blue eyes reflected shame, guilt and sorrow.

"I am not worthy."

Uriel was the first to place his hand on Lucifer's shoulder. "We have long forgiven you. None of our fallen brothers put any blame for what has happened. We made that decision together and chose our sides."

Knowing that Uriel and Raphael were the more emotional brothers, Gabriel chose to get straight to the point. If Lucifer had such a strong calling, it could only mean that he was in somewhat of a dire situation.

"Brother, why have you called for us? We have all the time after this to catch up on lost time but I feel as if there is something of pressing urgency here."

Lucifer snapped out of his emotions and became tense at once. "That's right," he said and held out his wrist.

Michael took a glance at the ominous looking ring of letters tattooed over Lucifer's pristine skin and frowned. "It is fairly recent. Who has the audacity to use the forbidden language of fallen Gods?!"

Lucifer sighed and decided that it would be faster to share his memories with his soul brothers through their link. The flood of images through the archangels' minds came as a shock but it wasn't unwelcome. Through it, Gabriel understood why Lucifer has decided to call for them after all this time.

"I can understand why. Although it is slightly hurtful to know that it would take such dire circumstances for you to call on us, I will do what I can to assist. This child in your memories... Beel? He's in trouble, isn't he?" Raphael frowned.

"No, there is one more child in bigger trouble. Someone has to stop Baal first. Also, who is this unknown child with no soul? He's... he's going to devour the entire abyss if nobody stops him!" Uriel gasped from shock at the vision he saw.

"What child?" Lucifer asked anxiously. Was there really no way to save the abyss from falling apart?

"The child with brown hair and hazel eyes. He will suck everything into himself and become the destroyer of this plane if nobody stops him..."

Lucifer felt his blood freeze. "That's Zero... you're not serious, right?"

Uriel didn't say anything and Michael decided that now would be a good time to take charge.

"Gab, see if you can rewrite that curse with your gift. Raph, you're coming with me to find this Zero kid. Ur, keep us informed about your visions. We don't' know what will change. Luc, while Gab works on your wrist could you reach out to all your allies? It doesn't matter who they are or what kind of truce we agreed on. It's an emergency now, we will need all the help we can gather."

Nobody had time to refute or protest when Michael led. They fell into a comfortable rhythm and did as told, knowing exactly what they were in charge of. Lucifer hated to admit it but he missed this feeling of being able to trust his brothers and fighting alongside them instead of against them.

"Seraph, gather up and send down a fleet of Pegasus riders to the abyss now. Ignore the truce and call it off if you need to. The Abyss' existence is at stake. Get Cherub to bring the Wizard God over, we need someone good with ancient magic. If possible, get the goddess of time and magic to send their avatars. Someone has to help stabilise the plane, we are going to stop this kid from devouring it."

From the headquarters in Heaven, Seraph blinked. "Kid?"

"No time for answers, just gather up the forces I need."

"Tell them it concerns Zero, Isis and Freya will come down personally if they knew the kid is Zero," Lucifer added and grimaced in pain as Gabriel worked on his curse.

Michael blinked at the strange statement but passed the message on regardless.

Baal certainly wasn't ready for this. When Lucifer forcefully enlisted his services as a spy, he didn't mean a spy in battle. The Demon Lord cursed. Whatever this crazy cult planned, was more troublesome than anything the dean had anticipated.

The Demon Lord certainly wasn't planning on stumbling into the creepiest dungeon hidden beneath the academy. He was only shapeshifting into a mole to dig through the ground quicker seeing as Zero was somewhere underground in that direction. His encounter with this monstrosity wasn't planned.

"Dang it!" he cursed as another wave of magical projectiles were aimed at him. Baal morphed quickly into a hummingbird to avoid them.

The Demon Lord chose to turn into a spider on the ceiling and suppressed his magical powers. That enormous portal or melted flesh, bones and blood groaned once more, searching for the intruder. Baal had never seen such an intricate setup before. He'd only heard of demonic rituals done by humans to open gateways for certain demons. He'd never heard of rituals to open a gateway from the abyss to a different plane for two main reasons.

Firstly, an offering from a higher plane can be made to a lower plane and not vice versa due to the law of Magic Tiers. Secondly, an equivalent value of life must be exchanged for the requested power. While many races have faced genocide in order to summon powerful demons from the abyss onto the material plane, it was unheard of for demons to be sacrificed for a more powerful being. Demons and Angels were on different sides of the same coin. Their existences were second only to Gods and Gods were not existences that could possibly be summoned.

Baal took his time to study the intricate magic circle drawn using the blood of various demons. He could see some of the remains of offered demon carcasses and felt ill. Some of those looked like failed attempts and to make matters worse, some of them felt recently alive.

"...lp... help..." an inhuman voice groaned and Baal swallowed. The Demon Lord did not dare to look in the direction of that plea.

"Help..." the voice came louder this time and Baal managed to avoid an attack in time.

"Help..." the voice came louder this time and Baal had to empty his stomach this time at the sight of the creature.

The creature didn't have a body capable of moving. It was fused with the mirror and acted like a frame to it. The Demon Lord knew that he was looking at the guardian to this ritual gate. The guardian was nothing more than a melded pile of rotting meat slapped on with some severely mismatched organs ripped out from various demon species.

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There was no doubt about it. Rhinestone had created a chimera capable of intelligence. If there was one thing for sure, Rhinestone outdid himself. The research about creating false souls have been going on without much conclusion in the Academy for centuries. The runes in the room pointed to something darker and forbidden even in the abyss. This wasn't merely dark magic. Baal was certain about it. This was law magic that tied to the fate of a plane. It must have taken Rhinestone many centuries to figure out how to tie the lost magic to most of the ordinary races of the demon species as a mass sacrifice to power this gate.

"I need to report to Lucifer," Baal thought and dodged another attack. He barely missed this one and the Demon Lord thought he felt some sort of chill there. The guardian wasn't attacking using ordinary elemental magic. Baal knew he was a bad match against soul magic. Time and void weren't part of his domain.

At that moment, Zero's magical aura spiked. Distracted, Baal lost his focus and was taken by surprise. The chimera grinned as it dug its ghostly talons into Baal's chest, dragging his spirit out of his body. The Demon Lord fought hard but couldn't resist the powerful lull of sleep. His struggles ceased completely when the guardian entrapped his spirit into the mirror.

As Baal's vessel fell lifelessly onto the ground, the magic circle and ancient runes came to life. The guardian trembled and roared as power flooded its system.

From the dean's office, Uriel cried in fear. "The end is here!"

Rayneld didn't know how to react. Zero worked quickly with cold efficiency. Despite his rage, the young doctor remained calm and steady while working on the hideous injuries. Beelzebub was looking better as the seconds flew by. He no longer looked like a chewed up demon rag doll with his regrown limbs. All the blood that was lost was now replenished and there was not a trace of the terrible cuts on his body.

The Manta Ray demon wasn't expecting for the doctor to throw the unconscious Demon Lord to him after he was done. Rayneld blinked as Zero stood up with the most serious look anyone has ever seen. His eyes were hard and his magic aura betrayed his emotions.

"Take care of Beel, I have something to take care of and a mission to complete. Bring him to the cafeteria. He will need to eat when he wakes up. Tell him not to worry about the mission."

Rayneld couldn't say anything as Zero vanished in thin air. The ground shook again and Rayneld wasted no time. He had to get out of the dungeon before it collapses. Veronica has stopped going crazy but the Bloody Willow was screaming and on high alert for threats within the Academy. Rayneld shifted the unconscious Demon Lord onto his back and stood up with little difficulty.

The threat wasn't over yet. He had to report it to Lord Lucifer quickly.

Zero was seething. Mii informed him only a minute ago that Baal was heading over. The young doctor rejoiced at meeting his friend. Much had transpired and he had a lot of reporting to do. He hoped that whoever Baal's target was, they had been taken care of. Right now, another traitor runs in the Academy and Zero didn't like the sound of someone so dangerous running about freely. Beelzebub was not weak. The culprit who did this damage had to be very dangerous and Zero feared that it might be too late if they didn't get him. For some reason, Zero highly doubted that Jeremiah was responsible. He simply wasn't capable enough.

"He has disappeared!" Mii's panicked voice almost broke Zero's concentration. At the moment, he was patching back Beelzebub's severed tendons. Thankfully, the doctor caught himself on time before he could do any real damage.

Zero took the time to briefly look at the map. True enough, Baal's marker had completely disappeared. He knew that Baal was making his way over earlier. What happened?

"Where was he last seen? Can you mark that area out? Do we have a map?"

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Mii tried her best and placed a temporary indicator on the map where Baal's marker was last seen. She was confused. There was nothing in that area. They were close enough to it so the map would have picked up something if there was a room.

"Mii?" Zero asked worriedly. Beelzebub was almost all healed up. Zero's worry for his friend spiked and he glanced at the stupefied Rayneld. Although the Manta Ray Demon was slightly odd, Zero trusted him to bring Beelzebub to safety.

"The place he disappeared at doesn't exist on the map. It's odd because we are close enough to detect something..."

Hearing that made Zero's heart fall. Fuelled by worry and rage at the plotter who did this to both his friends, Zero wanted vengeance. This must be how Venn felt when his family was harmed and killed mercilessly during the war.

Destroy. All Zero wanted to do now was destroy the abyss and make the person who harmed his friends pay dearly with not only his life and soul but his entire existence. Erasing it wouldn't even appease a tenth of Zero's current fury. He wanted to raze everything to the void, bring it back again only to crush it in a different way over and over again.

"Zero!" Mii's worried voice could be heard and the young doctor shut their mental connection. Whatever Mii was going to say would only waver his determination. Zero had decided. He looked at Rayneld and left Beelzebub with him after a brief exchange of words.

With only one thought in his mind, Zero teleported.

The young doctor appeared in a room that did and did not exist. Zero could feel the strange tug to his mind from various directions. This strange phenomenon dampened his anger by a little as curiosity strengthened.

Zero was looking at the same space but seeing at least four different things at the same time.

"What the-"

Bob chose that time to return. "Young master! Finally, I've been trying to contact you for so long but something was blocking my connection with you on the Academy. It's terrible, the entire school is on lockdown!"

Zero didn't pay much attention to his dragon. He was still trying to process the strange flow of information in his head. His eyes were seeing but not seeing. His head was understanding without understanding. It was obvious from Bob's voice that he couldn't see what Zero was looking at.

"Could you be quiet for a moment? I'm trying to think," the young doctor told Bob without any tact. The dragon was slightly hurt by his master's harshness but soon came to realise that something odd was going on.

"Where's Mii?"

"If you're not silent, I will cut out the connection we currently have as well."

That threat silenced Bobbinskrier effectively. The Eternal Dragon remained silent and started to take in his surroundings. At first glance, they were in the middle of nowhere somewhere in the ground beneath the Academy. It was amazing how Zero could stand there motionlessly and still breathe.

Wait, that wasn't right. There was no way Zero would be able to do that. What's going on?

Zero saw the ocean. He saw bubbles coming from an underground pocket of air and felt the strong tug of underwater current. Occasionally, there would be shadows moving, Zero assumed they were some sort of marine life. However, at the same time in that same space Zero also saw a trench filled with bodies. It was dark, cramped and smelled bad.

One moment Zero felt cold, the next moment he felt like vomiting his insides out from the horrible sight. After that he would be alright again and happy to finally see the gentle rays of the sun. Sometimes he saw odd creatures that were even weirder than the monsters in Sleepy Cave. The most amazing part was how he saw all of that within the span of a few seconds.

The young doctor couldn't understand why he was able to experience all of this. It was fascinating but it also felt as if he was losing his sense of self and his mind. Was this why Baal disappeared? Did something pull him away from the abyss? If so, where was he?

Zero watched and waited. There were countless things that happened within this space and one of them might give him a hint about his friend. He tried taking a step forward and found that the images he saw became lesser and clearer. They didn't change as often too.

Curious and feeling as if he might be closer to the answer of Baal's mystery, Zero paced around in that area, making mental notes about where the illusions ended and where the illusions were the most unstable. After about a minute, Zero marked out the size of a very small room. The spot that Baal disappeared was the most unstable and Zero decided to 'unmute' Mii.

"I think I found something," he said calmly.

Mii was still furious and hurt that Zero decided to cut connections with her. Sadly, she was a part of the system Great One left behind so she put that aside. Her mission was to keep Zero safe and aid him in times of need.

"What is it?" she asked neutrally. Bob looked at the strawcherry fairy with sympathy in his eyes. The Eternal Dragon felt as if it wasn't the right time to broach the subject about how rude Zero has been just yet. There were far more important matters after all.

"I'm looking at many different worlds at the spot that Baal's marker disappeared. What do you see?"

Mii blinked. Many Worlds? What was Zero talking about? All she saw was darkness before her.

"I don't understand..." she told Zero.

"Zero, what do you see? Can you tell us?" Bob decided to try. Zero was much calmer now and more rationale.

Zero described some of the things he saw as fast as he could. Some images were so brief that Zero couldn't keep up with explaining to them what was happening.

"I can't... it's just too many. I've seen some of the same things over and over but they always seem to feel like a different space... I can't find Bell in any of them."

Mii was puzzled. There was no such information in her memory left behind by the Great One. She looked at Bob who was deep in thought.

The Eternal Dragon had a suspicion after hearing what Zero said. For one, he knew what Zero was looking at. It was at the cross point of many dimensions. Theoretically speaking, it is possible to see many versions of the same space across time and dimension. It's like placing many glasses of different coloured water in a row and looking at them all from the side. The only problem was how the eyes would perceive this information. Often, it only looks like one muddled colour in the end. It wasn't possible to discern all the colours of each glass of water individually and this might be what was happening to Zero. On the other hand, Bob could not understand why Baal would disappear at this spot. Where has he been taken to? How would Zero travel to each dimension to search for Baal, assuming that it was possible?

"Bob?" Zero asked when he only heard silence from the dragon. It was rather unusual for Bob to be so silent. He would usually have something to add as the wise and experienced dragon senior of life.

"I can't say for sure but I think we are in the space that allows us to see many dimensions. It's like a crack in time and space. Baal might have fallen here and gotten transported to one of those dimensions. I don't think he is in the abyss right now... that's my suspicion."

Zero froze. His heart burned with both hatred at the person responsible for this mess and regret for not coming to Baal earlier. The mission was dangerous and Baal made him promise to not get into too much trouble. Zero did his best to keep it but now, he thinks that breaking it might be better if it could mean keeping his friend safe.

"I don't want to lose Bell..."

"You won't," the Eternal Dragon affirmed. "We can think of a way to save him. He's only lost, he's not dead."

Zero wanted to ask how the dragon would know but kept his mouth shut. He was simply too afraid to find out the truth. Baal was strong, he would be alright.

"How do we find him?" Zero asked quietly. Bob didn't have an immediate answer. He wanted very much to encourage his master but this was something beyond his knowledge.

At this point, Mii felt something glowing in the mindscape library. It was the Great One's system calling out to her. Mii left quietly to retrieve the book.

[Beacon Blessing]

Those two words written on the empty page with Great One's knowledge gave Mii a spark of hope. That's right, Zero still had the blessing of Great Gods! One of them was a blessing given by Isis called the Beacon that would help Zero in troubled times and bring him to an old friend. While nobody understood what that meant, it was something that could give Zero the hints he required to find Baal.

"Zero! I have a suggestion but it is one that comes with high risks..."

Zero perked up. "Let me hear it."

Mii then explained her idea and Bob listened closely. By the end of it all, the Eternal Dragon had to admit, it was better than what he could think of at the moment.

"I say we should give it a try," Bob admitted. While it was a very uncertain plan, they would at least have a lead. It does have a very steep price to pay and that was Bob's only concern.

Zero took a look at his inventory. "I think I have enough sins to use the blessing without falling into a coma."

Bob looked unsure and Mii was worried. "What if Isis' blessing uses more mana than Enma's blessing? You are aware that Enma is a demigod and Isis is a Great God, right? There is a huge power level difference..."

Zero shrugged. "Adaption, Charmer and Wisdom do not consume mana so I don't think all blessings work the same way. Besides, I can always use Gaia's blessing and convert all that seawater into mana. That surely would be enough right?"

Mii did some quick math. "I think we should convert a tenth of that seawater right now into mana first. Just in case something happens..."

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Bob was curious. "How much mana would that be?"

Mii smiled. "About enough for Zero to use Judgement ten times. Surely a Great God's blessing wouldn't require so much mana but just to be sure... you'll never know."

Zero thought that it was a brilliant suggestion and Mii got to work immediately. As soon as the seawater was converted into mana, Zero felt like throwing up. That was certainly too much mana and his body couldn't handle its pressure.

"I'm going to hurl if I don't use some of it quickly. Are you guys ready? I'm going to use the blessing."

Bob and Mii gave their green light and Zero activated Beacon once. There was a ridiculous flash of light and the three of them held their breaths, not knowing what would happen next.

Once the flash of light died down, there was a tiny voice.

"Um... Hello Zero... I-I'm Lily, glad to be of service again!"

Bob and Mii blinked. All that mana to summon a tiny flower fairy?

Zero blinked. "Oh, you've changed a little since the last time we met. It's good to see you again. I was hoping you would help me to find someone again."

Lily smiled shyly. It wasn't often that people noticed how the number of flower petals on her skirt had increased. Not even Gaia noticed it so the fact that Zero did, made her very happy.

"Don't mention it, I was glad to help. Who are you looking for? Is it a lost soul in the void again?"

Zero shook his head, his eyes became sad. "I'm looking for a very important friend to me. He was lost in some dimension because of this strange place. His name is Baal and although he might be the laziest Demon Lord in existence, he is still a very important person to me. Could you please help me find him?"

Lily was slightly surprised when she heard the name Baal. There was only one Baal who was a Demon Lord. Lily didn't think Zero would end up becoming friends with someone of such terrible rumoured personality but it was not her place to judge.

"I understand. Please give me some time to determine his location."

Lily might be a very ordinary flower fairy but she was created by Gaia with the sole purpose of being able to sense and locate souls. While she behaved like all other flower fairies, Lily always knew that her existence was created out of Gaia's desperation to aid Zero that day. Although her birth was not planned, it was a much-desired one. The small flower fairy was happy to put her gift to use. Although she hadn't known Zero for very long, she liked the aspiring doctor very much. Zero's soul was rather unique. It felt like the sun and the moon at the same time. It twinkled like stars and was calm like water. If anything, Lily was in love with Zero's soul for it was a very comforting feeling.

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On the other hand, Baal's soul reeked of bitterness and smelled like rotting wood. Lily didn't like it very much but she noted that the Demon Lord's soul had recently changed. Although it still smelled stale, there was now a hint of ocean. The smell of souls usually does not change easily unless something life-changing happens to them. Someone had rewritten Baal's fate and Lily had her suspicions that Zero was somehow involved.

"I think I found it. However, I do not know how we can reach him. It's not a pretty place and the dimension is very unstable..."

Zero's heart sped up when he heard the good news. Lily knew where Baal was which means that Baal was alive! The more dreary part of Lily's report was simply filtered out of Zero's brain. It didn't matter what kind of trials he had to overcome, his friend was alive!

Lily was troubled. The dimension wasn't one that was created by Gods or a split off from any plane. It was artificially created using magic and was highly unstable. How Baal chanced across it or why he was trapped there was beyond the flower fairy's understanding. However, she understood the severity of the situation. For any dimension not supported by the creator or any God, it will eventually be returned to the void. Baal's soul was in a very compromising situation. There was no telling what would happen and when the tragedy would occur. She only prayed to Gaia for strength to be able to be that beacon that Zero needed. Not to mention, the density of souls per space in that dimension was unusually high. Some sort of sacrifice must have been done in exchange for the ability to sustain the artificial dimension and Lily didn't have a good feeling about it.

"Could you let Mii know where Baal's soul is? Maybe we can add a marker to it on the map and calculate a direct path to teleport," Zero suggested.

The two fairies talked it over and Bob took that opportunity to interrogate Zero. "Young master, what is going on? Also, why did I detect bloodlust coming from you not too long ago? I hate to say this but the way you were treating Mii earlier by cutting connections wasn't very nice. While it isn't my place to say it, I do hope that you can apologise to her after this. What happened isn't her fault."

Zero looked at Bob silently for long enough that made the dragon start squirming a little. Bob didn't know what was going through Zero's head and was beginning to feel uncomfortable with the piercing stare devoid of emotions. Zero suddenly seemed older than how he usually appeared and behaved. There was a flash of aged wisdom in those hazel eyes but it quickly disappeared when Mii announced that preparations were ready.

"We will talk about this later, Bobbinskrier," Zero promised.

Bob gulped and watched as his contracted master prepared a huge teleportation spell that would take them to a different dimension.

Lily watched as Zero weaved a multi-layered spell using Mii's calculated coordinates. She still kept an eye on Baal's soul just to ensure that it wouldn't change locations. It was déjà vu when Zero tucked her into the pocket of his shirt again.

"Hold tight," he told the flower fairy. "We're going to make several jumps to get there. Mii, I'll be counting on you to get us all there. Also, I'm sorry for what I did earlier."

Mii was pleasantly surprised by Zero's apology and accepted it numbly. There were many questions but retrieving Baal took priority. Bob was pleasantly surprised by the sudden apology and smiled secretly in the background of Zero's mindscape. He was proud of Zero's ability to right the wrongs despite the inappropriate timing.

Without further delay, they zipped past the timeline and hopped into a different dimension before quickly warping four more times.

When they landed in the dimension that Baal's soul was in, everyone had to hold their breaths because of the strong stench of death in the air. Low moans greeted them and Bob was quick to throw up a weak magic barrier before the projectile hit Zero.

Lily screamed in fear as an icicle disintegrated two inches away from her after making contact with Bob's flimsy barrier. Her tiny heart was beating so rapidly that the flower fairy feared it might rupture.

Zero scanned the room quickly and wanted to rush over to Baal who was collapsed on the grimy ground when he heard Lily's scream. It wasn't until he saw the icicle heading this way that he understood why she did so. The brunet didn't think that they would be under attack so quickly and clicked his tongue in annoyance. Checking on Baal was more important than dealing with the unknown attacker.

"Is there no way to do two things at once?" Zero yelled as he was attacked by magical projectiles once more. This time, it was a muddy gust of air bullet and Zero nimbly evaded it.

Bob looked around the room to find the assailant to no avail. Wherever the attacks were coming from did not point to anyone in particular. Could it be that the entire room was a death trap from the beginning? They might have made a terrible mistake by coming to this suspicious dimension. Baal's soul was clearly a trap. What was their motive? After chatting with Olaf, Bob knew a few things going on in the Academy. However, he was still missing many pieces to complete the puzzle.

Mii was going crazy from fear. The entire room gave her the chills and the strawcherry fairy shuddered once again. Although she did not have a physical body, the chill still affected her. It was a very odd phenomenon but Mii couldn't stop the chattering of her teeth or the shivers wracking her body.

"Z-Zero... something is wrong... with-with the room!"

Zero didn't answer her. It was obvious without his assistant's input. The premonition senses were firing off in every direction. It was annoying when Zero couldn't place a finger on what exactly was wrong. Like Bob's suspicion, Zero thought that this room was a death trap as well. According to Lucifer, the rebels were looking for anyone with powerful mana as a battery to open a certain gate. It was the reason why Beelzebub and he were chosen to become the baits. Baal's presence here would only mean that the rebels have gotten hold of Baal as a battery when their plan to capture Beelzebub or himself had gone awry.

Annoyed at the continuous attacks, Zero decided to stop running and evading. So what if the opponent was good at sneak attacks? Zero had a unique gift too!

The next time a wave of soul magic came at Zero, the young doctor stood firmly on his ground and glared at it.

Whoosh!

The soul magic vanished completely into the vortex at Zero's palm. There was a small shudder from the artificial dimension and Lily cowered. She could feel the number of souls decrease with the magic that Zero just deployed.

"It's working!" she quivered in Zero's pocket. "Whatever you just did is working... the number of souls in this dimension just reduced drastically... the dimension would soon fall if you keep it up, we might be able to retrieve Baal and escape."

Zero nodded. He didn't know what kind of magic that was because none of that attack converted into mana or energy for him. However, he knew that Lily wouldn't lie to him. The tricky part was getting to his friend lying on the ground covered in filth. From his quick assessment, Baal didn't seem to be injured in any way, he was merely unconscious.

"Bob, would you be able to retrieve Baal while I keep the assailant occupied?"

The Eternal Dragon nodded. While he wasn't better than Mii in terms of maintaining his physical projection, he was better at stealth.

"I will help to open the portal to the void," Mii told Bob and turned to Lily. "We will be counting on you to guard Baal in the void. You can still contact us, just accept the invitation to the temporary party call," she told the flower fairy.

Lily blinked at the window that materialised before her in fae language. She had no reason to distrust Mii or Zero so she accepted and waited for Bob to spring into action.

"Ready?" Zero mentally counted down in their party call.

The room groaned in agony as Zero started absorbing the pile of flesh trying to encase his feet. "Now!" the young doctor shouted in the call and Bob shot off like a rocket.

Baal's body floated for a split second in mid-air which caught the room's attention. Before the room could do anything to retrieve its host's body, the Demon Lord's body vanished into nothingness. Bob sneakily dematerialised and returned to Zero's mindscape, heaving a sigh of relief at being able to pull the mission off without a hitch.

Lily found herself sitting on the Demon Lord's unbreathing body in the void. This void space felt fairly different from the one she had to search for Egui's soul. What was even stranger was how she sensed no soul in the space. That was odd... the flower fairy looked at the Demon Lord's body and flew a few circles around it. She circled it frantically lengthwise and breadthwise when she sensed something off about the body.

"Where is Lord Baal's soul?" she asked in the party call. There was no smell of rotting wood or ocean. The smell had been so strong in the room earlier so Lily could not have mistaken the location of Baal's soul.

That question made Zero pause. That momentary shock allowed the room to gain the upper hand and land a hit of dark fire magic on Zero. The young doctor howled in pain as the dark fire burned the skin of his arm and refused to be put out by regular water magic. Bob had enough sense to realise what was happening and told Mii to pour holy water onto it. Thanks to his quick thinking, Zero got away with minor burns that he quickly healed with healing magic.

"Lily, what are you talking about?" Zero asked.

"Soul... Lord Baal's soul is not in his body!"

Zero felt a chill go down his spine and swallowed. "Lily... can you tell me where Baal's soul is?"

The flower fairy concentrated again. She smelled it in the same room that Zero was in but couldn't pinpoint its exact location.

"I'm sorry, Zero. I don't know where they are hiding Lord Baal's soul but it is still somewhere in the room that you are in..."

Mii trembled and glanced at her toes. There was frost growing on her feet so she quickly hid them away from sight. There was no point in worrying anyone else now when things weren't looking good. The only thing she could do to save Baal and herself was to quickly find out who was attacking them. Great One might have set limiters on what Zero could and could not use with Mind's Eye but that was not the case for her.

While everyone else was preoccupied with searching for Baal's soul, Mii took the chance to disappear for a while after replacing herself with a clone.

"System Administrator requesting for an override, code red emergency alert. I repeat, code red emergency alert."

[Request received. Please verify the password and pay the toll fees.]

Mii placed her tiny hand over the system window and felt some of her earlier memories with Zero disappear.

[Toll fees received, granting temporary override access. Welcome back, Agent Mii 005.]

Mii felt her body reconstruct itself as she became one with the system again. It was part of Mind Eye's system to reabsorb herself and reconstruct a newer and better version of Mii each time she returned to the system so that she could better assist Zero according to Great One's will. This would make the sixth time she was being rebuilt and while it wasn't a process the strawcherry fairy enjoyed, she would do it as many times as it would take for her to remain by Zero's side.

"Mii requesting for full level access to the Map ability. Feature requested: Soul tracking. Target: Demon lord Baal, fragment of Divine Entity - Duu's soul."

[System access granted. Processing... please wait.]

Mii felt herself being torn apart by the system at her request. It was excruciating to feel the system pry into her memory to implant new knowledge and remove some parts of the memories it felt wouldn't benefit her. Her affection for Zero was being deleted once again and Mii wanted to cry. Luckily for her, she was able to retain the sibling-like concern over the young doctor. Mii was secretly afraid that the Great One might one day deem it to be unnecessary to Zero's growth and delete that too.

Once Mii was rebuilt, the strawcherry was returned to the mindscape. She quickly dismissed the clone and used her new ability. From the merged memories of the clone, Zero discovered a huge mirror with a grotesque frame made out of fused flesh and decaying souls. That seemed to be the heart of the room and she left the battling to the more experienced Eternal Dragon.

"Baal's soul... come on, system!" Mii thought to herself. The small room was completely full of red dots and Mii swore. The map was almost useless if it didn't have the upgraded system to do identity tagging. The one thing good about Mind's Eye was the information hacking ability it had. Normally, King Yama's soul records were impossible to know to anyone else apart from the Lord of the Purgatory himself. However, things were different if you were a system created by the creator of the multiverse. With that information available to the system, Mii could now zoom in to sort through the massive list of souls present in that dimension.

As a system administrator, Mii was adept in the art of data analysis. Using Steve Job's art of technology, Mii simplified her search by pulling out that data into a virtual csv format and used the filter function to remove lower levelled souls.

"Lily, what's the strength and unique identifying features of Lord Baal's soul?" Mii privately whispered into the flower fairy's mind in fae tongue, not wanting anyone else to catch on.

The flower fairy was initially startled to have someone speak directly into her head but did her best to supply Mii with the information she required. Quite honestly, the flower fairy had never had to describe a soul for anyone so it was rather difficult to rank the soul's colour or history. Nobody has tried to understand the characteristics of souls as much as Mii did so Lily had a hard time explaining how her ability worked.

"It's not green. Baal belongs more to the onyx category..."

Mii retyped the search filter and groaned in frustration. Onyx wasn't in the search definition. "Do you have something else? I don't have onyx here. There is only lapis, maroon, gold and toxycon. What's the closest?"

Lily didn't know how to answer that. She wasn't aware of what Toxycon was and felt utterly useless. "I-I don't know... I'm very sorry!" she apologised, close to tears. She wanted to help Mii find Baal's soul but it wasn't easy explaining how Baal's soul looked or felt like!

Mii bit her tongue in frustration. She couldn't blame the flower fairy, she really couldn't. Nobody understood King Yama's categorisation and it wasn't as if the strawcherry assistant could send a private message and interview the King of the Purgatory about his ranking standards. He would not be pleased to know about the information leak and that would put Zero in a tough spot.

"Is there any other way you can describe Lord Baal's soul to me? What's the size like?"

Lily thought for a while. "It's wispy..."

Mii checked the filters again. "No wispy, only cloudy, moony, starry, halo-like and descriptions like that."

Lily blinked. "I'm sorry, I don't know how to describe the size..."

"Texture? Is it sandy, gooey, muddy or fluffy?"

Lily squinted in concentration. "It's muddy! Definitely muddy!"

Finally, they were making progress. Of the thousands of souls in the list, Mii managed to narrow that down to about three hundred.

"On the scale of -80 to 5000, what is Lord Baal's soul age?"

Lily apologised again. She wasn't able to see the soul's age. Mii skipped that category and continued to ask questions for the next ten minutes.

Back to Zero and Bob, the two made a great team by chipping away and the room's defences. After a few tests and trials, the Eternal Dragon was finally able to pinpoint the location of their attacker.

"It's not the room, it's the consciousness of the mage in the room. Lord Baal's soul may be the battery for it. It wasn't very obvious at the start but this room reacts to mana... Left!"

Zero jumped just in time and kicked hard to his left. His feet made contact with something semi-solid and he felt proud of his ability to read the room's intentions with Bob's aid.

"How do we take down the mage's consciousness?" he asked. The Eternal Dragon thought hard. usually, the only way to do so would be to fulfil the desires of the one who cast the spell or resolve the grudge of the castor. However, Bob didn't want to satisfy the mage's wish. Surely opening the portal to the human world and destroying the abyss wasn't something that should be supported. It wasn't something like finding your grandmother's lost ring or telling your unrequited love that you had feelings for them while you were alive. Those were things that could be accomplished, not the destruction of an entire plane and eradication of an entire race...

"Nevermind," Zero brushed it aside. Knowing Bob, the dragon would only withhold information that he was better off not knowing for his benefit.

The elusive attacker slunk away once more and Zero sharpened his intuition. Meanwhile, Lily and Mii were on to the final question.

"How does the soul smell like? Smoky, Earthy, Oceany..."

"Earthy! It smells strongly of rotting wood!"

Mii added it to the filter and looked through the remaining five results. One of the souls stood out to her with its unusually high number of sins so Mii clicked on it. The soul showed up on the map to be hiding in the mirror, away from the rest.

"Zero I found it! Lord Baal's soul is hidden in the mirror!"

Zero looked at the mirror and frowned. "How do we get it out?"

Lily's eyes sparkled. "The soul is sealed in it... if there is a way to break that mirror, there is a chance I can connect Lord Baal's soul back into his body. Someone has done a ritual to forcefully separate the soul from the body and sealed it there..."

Bob and Zero grinned. Finally, they had an answer.

The evil-looking smile sent chills down the room's mind. Zero swung his arm twice and encased his fist with a magic barrier. For some reason, the souls in the room felt a sense of doom awaiting them. Without hesitating, they launched an all-out attack on Zero who vanished too quickly for them.

Crash!

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The sound was soul-shattering quite literally. The dimension shook with the broken mirror and Zero could only be surprised at how easy it was to break the mirror. If he knew that this was the way to defeat the attacker, he would have done it ages ago. Oh well, they now had Baal back so all was good and well.

Lily wasted no time and caught hold of Baal's escaping soul with Mii's help. She quickly stitched the soul back into Baal's body and added some of his shadow for stronger adhesive.

"I don't think they are very happy," Bob told Zero. "Let's return to the Academy..."

Zero agreed readily and they made their hasty escape while the room roared in rage. Rhinestone may have died and sold his soul for the ritual but the curse was strong. After Zero's escape, a five-layered blood curse appeared on the ceiling of the small room. With the power source stolen, the dimension craved another to sustain its existence.

It scanned its proximity for the closest soul with the greatest mana and found its target. With a rumble, the broken mirror pieced itself back together and the dimension teleported, ready to ensnare its next soul.

Ball of Nothing

Olaf was sipping his Poxie tea in bliss after sending his friend Bob away. The Academy's problem wasn't really any of his business. Whatever the trouble is, he had faith that their dean Lord Lucifer would resolve it.

As a librarian, Olaf was perfectly content with guarding the building and caring for the books. Occasionally, there would be a nasty visitor or two that he would send away with a spanking but Olaf was a lazy dragon demon in general. If he is not poked, he would not retaliate. People usually tend to keep their distance from him just the way he liked it.

Hence, the librarian was perplexed and enraged when someone decided to teleport something that smelled like an abused toilet right into his sacred sanctuary. Everyone knew that dragons were filthy rich and hoarded the things they loved. No sane person or creature would challenge a dragon to give up on their possessions. For other dragon demons, that would be gold or gems. For Olaf, that would be books.

Unable to retain his human form, Olaf transformed into a mighty blue-eyed frost dragon. His roar shook the library building and encased everything in a sheen of ice. With his heightened dragon senses, Olaf wrinkled his nose. It wasn't very prominent but the librarian spent enough time with this bastard to know whose scent that was. It might smell several hundred times worse now due to his sharper sense of smell but at least Olaf now knew the one responsible for this violation.

"That blasted spider! Why couldn't he stop causing nuisance even after he is dead! The dead should just learn to stay dead!"

Now that he was in his dragon form, Olaf no longer cared about manners. He smashed through the roof and soared to the only other building in the Academy that was grander than his library.

"I demand a damned pay raise!" Olaf roared. "How can you call yourself the headmaster of the Academy when you can't take care of a single punk! My sanctuary now smells like a toilet, I demand some form of expla- An angel?"

"A former archangel," Lucifer stated calmly, completely ignoring how his beautiful architecture had been smashed to rubble with Olaf's outburst. At this moment, there was simply too many things to deal with. Olaf's whims could wait.

Uriel trembled and collapsed to the ground, his knees failed to support his weight. No, it wasn't Olaf's dramatic entrance that caused such a reaction. The prophecy of the destroyer he had seen only moments ago was now standing in the middle of the room with a tiny flower fairy in his shirt pocket.

"What did I miss?" Zero asked. Without much time to coordinate the location of his teleport, Zero missed the mark to his room in the dormitory and ended up in Lucifer's office. A lot has transpired while he was gone. The most obvious difference was Lucifer's new fashion statement and guest before Olaf's grand entrance.

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Nobody answered Zero so the spy on mission decided to report everything that he discovered.

Olaf stood there dumbly as Zero gave his verbal report. Lucifer didn't say anything about that and pretended as if everything was normal. The one thing that made the dean react was Zero pulling Baal out from his void dimension.

Seeing his treasured student in such a vulnerable state made Lucifer bristle. Rhinestone had gone too far this time, there would be no mercy for that delusional spider. The ex-archangel walked over to Baal and cast a blessing of recovery and protection. Then he turned to Olaf with the most serious look.

"The gate has opened in the library. Olaf, how long can you stall it for?"

The dragon wasn't expecting for Lucifer to be so serious about requesting his help. As the keeper of the library, Olaf had complete control of that space. Keeping the gate trapped in his territory would be child's play to him.

"How long do you need me to keep the spider occupied? As long as you promise to clean out that foul smell after everything and restore my sanctuary to its former glory, I can break a few bookshelves too."

Lucifer looked down at the curse on his arm that Gabriel was working on earlier. The messenger left to retrieve Raphael and Michael with the appearance of the young doctor from the prophecy. The curse was tricky and not even the highest tier of Holy magic was able to dispel it. Lucifer had to wait for Merlin to come over. The other Demon Lords were already getting into position to activate the final magic in case the plane's balance was destroyed by Zero. Currently, Lucifer worried about Baal and Beel's territory. With two Demon Lords out of commission and himself being unable to support the burden with his curse, will the other Demon Lords be able to shoulder the weight of the abyss' fate?

"I'm counting on you to keep him there until the reinforcements from Heaven arrives. Zero, I need you to guard Baal and Beelzebub. If possible, find a way to wake them up. We need them to support the fall of the abyss plane and maintain the balance if something goes out of control. You've done well, please leave the rest to us."

The young doctor blinked at that. Was it part of imagination or was Lucifer telling him to wash his hands from this matter? He's already sunken so deep into the mess and two of his friends were nearly killed by the traitor. How could he back off so easily?

"I refuse."

Uriel was unhealthily pale when he heard that. The resolution in Zero's eyes didn't make the bad feeling he had ease up. If anything, the stress of watching the abyss' unavoidable fate spiral out of control before him made the Archangel sick. The image of Zero losing control of his powers and absorbing friend and foe alike into the void made Uriel tremble in fear.

Lucifer's eyes hardened. He felt Uriel's fear through their bond and tried his best to keep that under control. He could feel Michael and Gabriel's urgency through their soul connection. Help was on the way but it wasn't fast enough.

"Zero, listen to me..."

"No," the young doctor growled. "They hurt Baal and Beel, they tried to kill them!"

"Young master...' Bob tried to calm the teenager but was promptly cut off from the connection. Zero's emotions affected the Eternal Dragon and the strawcherry assistant in Zero's mindscape. The air became suffocating under the intensity of the dark hatred poisoning the young doctor's heart. Mii saw how a certain book containing Venn's memories became thicker as Zero's fury peaked. She thought that after retrieving Baal back safely, Zero would forget about his earlier fury. She'd been sorely mistaken. The distraction merely postponed Zero's fall into the darkness. Mii didn't know if involving Truen at this point would pull Zero out of this but it was the last ray hope she had.

Mii was about to reach out to Truen from Zero's party but an invisible force stopped her.

[System restriction: Error Code 001.]

The strawcherry stared at the invisible system message window with disbelief. Why was the Great One interfering now of all times? She couldn't understand it. Error Code 001 was the error of interfering with Zero's path. In the early beginning, the system would often decide what was good for Zero's development and create a series of events leading up to it. Mii was often encouraged to steer the direction and prompted to take necessary actions behind the scenes. Never once had the system stopped her from doing so. Why was it acting up now of all times? Zero was obviously falling down the same path the Great One did. Wasn't the system meant to prevent that from happening?

Mii was about to contact the system again when she was locked into placed and replaced with a system clone.

Bob didn't seem to notice the difference and continued trying to reach out to Zero. Mii could only watch in horror as the system clone of herself took over and rearranged the books on the shelves so that Venn's book could continue expanding.

[Unknown interference detected, performing isolation of irregularity found. System test initiated.]

The strawcherry fairy felt the system pulling her memories apart and froze up. Why was the system doing this to her? Couldn't it see that Zero would walk the path of a destroyer if he kept it up? Wasn't that the complete opposite of what the Great One wanted?

[Correction, Great One intends for Zero to complete his mission. Nothing about preventing Zero from walking the path of a Destroyer was indicated. Agent's conclusion and actions are in violation of Code 001.]

Mii blinked. "I am Zero's guardian, Zero has chosen the path of a healer. He has lost rationality to his emotions, he has to be stopped!"

[Correction, Zero's actions and emotions are his independent choice after analysing and understanding the consequences of it. Agent has no right to interfere with Zero's decision.]

The strawcherry fairy was in disbelief. She could only watch from the background as Zero fell to the darker thoughts.

"Zero," Lucifer was tired. Nothing he was saying was working. The curse wasn't helping either. The more he tried to convince the teenager with his heartfelt emotions, the more twisted the words became. In truth, He wanted Zero to help take down the gate. However, the curse continued to misconstrue his intentions and pushing Zero from the edge.

"Don't believe me" was what Lucifer wanted to say but Zero was too blinded by emotions that he could no longer read the subtler hints from Lucifer's eyes.

"I'm sorry, Luci. They are my friends and I am going to protect them. This may be your Academy but seeing how none of your plans is working out, I will be doing it my way. I'm taking down the gate and the traitor. As promised, I will leave the judgement of the traitor to you but only after I am done with them."

Olaf offered to give Zero a lift back to the library and Lucifer didn't know if it was a good or bad thing that Zero was going to destroy the gate as he wanted him to. The only problem was how Zero seemed to remember his promise about not interfering with how Hell would punish its traitors. He wanted very much to tell Zero that he should disregard that agreement and annihilate the slippery Arachne descendant when he could. The curse in place stopped him from doing so and he could only punch the remaining furniture in frustration.

Collapsed on the ground, Uriel was locked in a neverending loop of the future. He had never seen such a confusing future that flickered from minute to minute. One moment, Zero was the destroyer of the abyss. The next moment, Zero was the saviour, In another second, Rhinestone would escape and succeed with his plan. The visions locked him in place and whatever conversation Lucifer had with Zero was lost on him.

Back in Zero's mindscape, Mii was fighting another intense battle. Mind's Eye was holding her captive from taking any actions. Mii saw how Zero's inner battles progressed. The conflicting opinions of what he should do continued to duke it out with neither side gaining the upper hand. Zero wanted to annihilate the traitor but his principles about breaking promises held its ground. Truen and Hua Tuo's education were steadfast and deeply ingrained into Zero's soul. He still hasn't completely lost the healer in him despite the tainted memory fragments of the different Divine Entities.

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Perhaps there was still hope after all!

While Lucifer struggled against the curse awaiting Merlin's arrival with the reinforcements, Uriel fought his mental battles and wavering faith at the flickering visions. Zero fought with his personal beliefs and emotions on Olaf's back. As he drew nearer to the gate that would change the fate of the abyss, Mii fought against the logic of the system that she was created from. In the four-way Inner Battle, each individual shared the same dream of triumphing over their prewritten fates.

Far away in another multiverse, a certain unregistered god felt prickling at the back of his neck. His depleted power was slowly restored by the unknown believers not belonging to the eradicated human race of the old world.

A creepy grin grew and his life returned to his insane eyes. The wheel of fate that has been broken and frozen was finally mended and starting to spin again. Things were becoming interesting again. He wondered what the other Gods will think when he makes his reappearance again. Maybe this time, he will sell his powers to a different species. The humans were great but they were weak.

The fallen God licked his lips as he dreamt about the unknown future and all of its possibilities.

Zero arrived in no time and sidestepped some of the rubble covering the library flooring. Olaf transformed back to his humanoid form and followed after the transfer student. There was something weird about the way Zero smelled. He couldn't tell in his human form but there was a strange smell clinging onto the teenager. It was very faint but Olaf didn't like it. It smelled poisonous and could only be picked up when he was in his dragon form. His memory was hazy but Olaf knew he recognised that evil scent from somewhere in his long history. Maybe he would ask Bob about it when he saw his friend again. For now, there was an annoying pest to take care of.

The air was humid and rancid. Zero had to disable his ability to discern smell in order to proceed. Olaf suffered tremendously and was raring to smash the spider demon. The only problem was the lack of physical body and that irked the dragon demon.

Zero blinked at the gate. It was larger than he remembered and according to Lily, there were still many souls who were siphoning mana from the surroundings. The library was full of mana and with Olaf as its powerful keeper, Zero didn't think it was wise to allow the gate to do as it pleased. He could see how the mounds of rotting flesh were continuously seeking out a powerful soul to ensnare in its mirror.

Olaf did his best to isolate the gate and chose to observe the young lad. Zero found it strange that the gate wasn't as aggressive as it was. In fact, the mounds of flesh looked as if it was searching for something in an almost sluggish manner. Zero glared at it in disgust. They completely bypassed Zero as if he was just a piece of furniture in the room. Olaf had to swat away some of the more annoying souls but they didn't directly attack the dragon demon. It was not the soul they were looking for.

Zero looked at the mirror. It had no reflection. The teenager remembered breaking it with a good punch and walked up to it calmly. He readied his fist and encased it with a magic barrier before swing it directly. This time, the mirror did not shatter. The force threw Zero backwards and the young doctor barely caught himself in time.

An image slowly materialised in the mirror and Zero's eyes widened in surprise at the familiar face. Professor Rhinestone looked slightly different from his glamorous self. However, there was no mistaking it. Zero narrowed his eyes. Jeremiah was very close to the professor. Zero didn't think that the charming teacher would be the cruel mastermind.

"Hello, Zero. I'm sad to say that we've never had the pleasure to meet previously. What are you doing skipping class?"

Even as a trapped soul, Rhinestone still retained his intelligence. The ritual fused his soul to the portal and with the lack of power source, the Arachne descendant's options were limited. As he fed on Olaf's mana from the library, he was waiting for Lucifer to make his appearance. After all, the fight wasn't over.

Zero didn't take kindly to the false pleasantries. "Were you the one who did that to Beel and Bell?"

Rhinestone feigned ignorance. "My dear, what are you referring to?"

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Summoning a stronger magic barrier to encase his fist, Zero raised it menacingly once more. He was undeterred about the failure earlier. All the teenager wanted was to pummel that traitor into oblivion. Zero had never felt so much anger at someone's existence before and the new emotions were overwhelming. The young doctor could finally understand some of the villagers' hatred for Douglas when he betrayed them. He felt terrible for interfering. Even if Rhinestone wasn't wrong with his intention or had his reasons that forced him to resort to what he did, Zero could not bring himself to forgive the professor. He didn't want to ask for a reason or understand the reasons for Rhinestone's actions. the fact that both his friends were harmed maliciously was enough reason to drive Zero down the path of violence. He wanted payback for the things Rhinestone did, he wanted Rhinestone dead and erased forever.

"Don't waste your time, young Zero. Spiders like him are good at mind games. They often play with their victims and trick them into their traps before eating them. If it were up to me, I would cut away all his escape routes and squash him like the filth he is..."

Zero didn't show any indication that he was listening to Olaf. The dragon demon frowned. That's very unlike the young doctor. According to Bob, Zero was a kind soul who campaigned for the co-existence of everything living as a doctor with the noble dream of saving every life. Why did the teenager look like reaper now? Yes, the Arachne descendant was annoying but there should be no bad blood between the sweet brunet and the pest.

"You tortured Beel and kidnapped Bell. Why are you doing this? What is your purpose for wanting to destroy the abyss?"

Rhinestone grinned. "Isn't it obvious? We are demons, a race superior to those on Earth. The strong will always rule over the weak. I'm just taking what should be rightfully ours and paving the way for the glory of our race. We've been too complacent of late with all the talks about peace with the goody-two-shoes angels. Who's going to believe that those two-faced b*tards will keep their word? If it weren't for the rest of the archangels ganging up to backstab Lord Lucifer, would we have lost?"

Zero wasn't interested. "So what? Has anyone else complained about the injustice? The Redemption of Sins happened not too long ago, anybody who wanted a chance at a better life could participate. You could have redeemed your soul for a better chance at life. There was no need to destroy the home that other demons have created here in the abyss! There is also no need to destroy the homes that others have spent their whole lives building on Earth! You have no right to decide the fate of others and force your ideas on them just because you were stronger."

Rhinestone's expression turned nasty. "You're in the position to lecture me because...? You're just a brat who hasn't seen the world. Just because you've rubbed shoulders with some Demon Lords and a few Gods doesn't make you anything special. If it weren't for them, would you be where you are today? Save that lecture for someone else. Ultimately, aren't you the same as me? Selfishly pushing your idealisms onto others because you have powerful people backing you."

Zero couldn't retort. For some reason, that twisted logic made him question himself. It was true that without Sedna finding him in the middle of the ocean after he fell from that cliff, he wouldn't be able to make it. If it weren't for Truen teaching him the ways of the world before his apprenticeship, he wouldn't be able to make it safely to learn medicine. If it weren't for Hua Tuo who taught him all he needed to know, Zero would be unable to pursue his dreams of travelling the world and saving lives with the power he had. If it weren't for Baal and the rest of the Demon Lord in the abyss, Zero would have never recovered his missing memories and he would not be given so much privilege. He saw how difficult life could be back in the abandoned city. That could have been him if it weren't for the support and connections he had.

Olaf knew why Lucifer had sent him away with the child. In fact, he would have tagged along regardless of the dean's instructions. Bob did mention that the child was a unique person who had the ability to make or break the world. From what Olaf smelled, Zero had a kind heart and a very naive mentality from the rumours over the past few days. For such a powerful child, it would be dangerous for those with ill intentions to get to him first. What Rhinestone was doing was twisting the facts. The Great Gods and Demon Lords got close to Zero not completely from the goodness of their hearts. Zero wasn't a burden, he was a powerful weapon that had to be protected and kept away from the wrong hands.

"Zero..."

The teenager wasn't listening. Angry tears were already collecting at the rim of his eyes. There was no way he could deny the facts. Zero had always felt like a burden who was constantly causing trouble for others and taking advantage of their good nature. However, he always silenced that thought and pretended not to know it. He lived each and every day wearing his brightest smile and giving his best because that was the only way Zero knew how to make them smile.

"You're right... you're absolutely right. I'm nothing more than an ignorant child who asks for the impossible without knowing the consequences of it. I'm a terribly ugly and selfish person who pushes my demands on others and constantly cause them inconveniences... however, I know that you and I aren't the same! I would never hurt innocent people and destroy their homes because of personal desires!"

The magic encased fist came down again aiming straight for Rhinestone's face with twice the amount of power behind the previous strike. Olaf had to give it to Zero for being so stubborn. He might be a wee child still wet behind the ears but at least he got the basics in life right. The dragon demon decided to give Zero a hand and boosted that punch with some strengthening magic only to have his assistance backfire when Zero's arm went right through the mirror, sucked into a weird looking portal.

Rhinestone's distorted expression cackled maniacally. "You fool! Did you think the same thing would work twice? You may not be the right soul to open the portal but you'll be a tasty appetiser!"

Olaf cursed at his miscalculations. With amazing speed, he propelled himself forward to participate in a tug of war with the stupid portal infused soul. Zero cried out in pain with two opposing forces pulled on his arms in opposite directions.

In his mindscape, Bob wanted to slap his stupid friend. How was tugging at Zero going to make things better? He was a dragon demon for crying out loud! Why couldn't he blast the spider demon with magic and break the mirror?

Zero struggled and felt one of his shoulders pop from its socket. The pain rippled from the shoulder and sent Zero's body into shock. With Mind's Eye's protection measures in place, Olaf was repelled by a powerful shockwave. Mii rejoiced at when the system's hold on her loosened. That gave the strawcherry assistant enough time to activate another blessing.

Zero was startled by the professor's screams. One moment he was in agony, the next moment Olaf was sent flying. After that everything was a blur. There was some sort of explosion in the background with his mind hazy from the pain. he didn't know what happened back there but Mii must have done something because his dislocated shoulder was no longer hurting. Everything seemed to be in place as if that didn't just happen. Zero thanked Hua Tuo for teaching him healing magic and Mii for reacting in a timely fashion.

He then looked at the broken shards of mirror and melting lumps of flesh from the portal frame. From the broken shards of mirror, Zero saw how Rhinestone's expression transformed into one of unadulterated rage as he let out a shrill howl.

Mii seemed proud of herself. Zeus' blessing One-Hit Kill might have overdone it managed to produce the desired effect of breaking the demon mirror. She checked the mana Zero had and found that it had taken up two-thirds of whatever mana they converted earlier. Her actions made Mind's Eye system call off the double and the system faded into the background again much to Mii's relief. For now, the strawcherry fairy was back in action.

"What was that?" Bob asked.

Mii smiled. "An ace in the hole. It's something that only works once and consumes a ridiculous amount of mana. We are not using it again. The artificial dimension should be falling apart now. Firing it again will only annihilate the abyss."

Bob blinked. Lily had already fainted from shock. "Is it really alright to be shattering a dimension?"

Mii shrugged. Desperate times called for desperate measures. Zero was in pain and she had to do something to stop it. Besides, she was in a pinch earlier too. There wasn't much time to consider the consequences.

Olaf was regaining control of his bearings when a chill in the air made him stiffen in apprehension. Zero took a few steps back when the molten flesh sizzled and started melting through the library floor. The broken shards of mirror became fine sand and started reassembling. The place that should have been the mirror was now replaced by a vortex that contained a powerful energy source that sucked in everything it could.

Zero quickly teleported out of the way and grabbed Olaf while he was at it. The secret library office was demolished as walls, furniture and books were sucked into the powerful portal.

Uriel snapped out of his trance at that very moment. Gabriel had returned with Raphael only to see the level of destruction while Michael dished out orders for the Pegasus riders to encircle the library. Lucifer had never been so glad to see Merlin and was slightly surprised that neither Isis nor Freya was present.

"That's a tricky curse you have," Merlin shook his head when he saw the characters engraved into the ex-archangel's skin. He ignored the heavy feeling coming from the library for now. Treating the Prince of hell was more important than the chaos occurring.

"How long would it take you to get rid of the curse?" Lucifer asked with great urgency in his voice. The barrier was breached at the library. That meant Olaf had lost control. If he didn't resolve this quick enough, not even Michael and the Pegasus knights would be able to stop Rhinestone's plan from coming true.

"Athena's curse is not difficult to break but it requires very specific ingredients that can be difficult to get," Merlin sighed. He had read up on this particular curse a long time ago. Zeus and Hades may know where to get the two items but the last one is no longer in existence.

"What are the items needed?"

Merlin looked grim. "The blood of the Serpent residing in the Garden of Eden, a lock of Medusa's hair and Arachne's tapestry."

Lucifer cursed. Arachne's tapestry had been burnt and the cursed weaver was long dead. None of her weavings remained after Athena burnt them all before her murder.

"Is there no other way to break the curse?" Lucifer wanted to bring Rhinestone back just so he could personally flay his ex-employee.

Merlin pursed his lips. "The only other way would be to forcefully rip it out of your soul or kill the one who cursed you."

"He is dead. Or at least his body is. He exchanged his lifespan for powers. What are the consequences of ripping it out by force?"

Merlin gave Lucifer a serious look. Ripping it out from one's soul was the same as breaking a piece of the soul away. For a Demon Lord like Lucifer, that would mean losing part of his memories and personality.

"Don't do it!" Uriel's panicked voice cut through the silence. Lucifer took a look at his weakest soul brother and placed his hand over Uriel's.

"I'm sorry. This place has become a home to me over the years, there are people that I care for on this side as well." Lucifer gave Uriel a smile that made the archangel panic. Merlin didn't let the angel of prophecy delay them any longer. Time was running out. Both Isis and Freya will have his head on a platter if he didn't sort the mess out quickly. The Great Goddesses were watching them from some corner of the world, unable to help out due to some more important worldly matters. In fact, None of the Great Gods seemed to have any time to spare. They sounded frantic about something when Buddha called them so they were on their own.

Zero watched as the professor-portal devoured the entire library. There was now a small crater around the portal that was growing larger and larger the more it absorbed. Veronica was still desperately fighting against the pull but was slowly losing the battle. He could see Rayneld's worried expression from the cafeteria.

"This is an announcement from your school dean. All students and teacher below Rank Gold please evacuate the campus. I repeat, evacuate the campus at once."

Zero heard that announcement and looked at Olaf who was now hovering in the air while carrying Zero under one arm.

"You heard the man, we need to evacuate the campus. This isn't something kids like you should be sticking your nose into."

Michael who was in the vicinity spotted the brunet of Uriel's prophecy. "Hey you! What are you doing here? This place is out of bounds."

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Zero was startled. he looked at the growing portal that was going berserk and back to where he knew Lucifer and Baal was. "What about Beel and Baal? I can't just leave them here!"

Michael clicked his tongue. "They are above Rank Black, you are not. Frost dragon, get him out of here. The kid is important so I would not let anything happen to him if I were you."

Olaf rolled his eyes in annoyance. He didn't need a high and mighty angel to tell him what to do. Just because Lucifer had requested the help of Heaven doesn't mean that they ran the show here.

"Mind your own business, fluffy. I wouldn't underestimate that spider if I were you. The kid just shot some ridiculous Rank Gold magic at it back there," Olaf sneered before taking his leave with Zero still struggling in his hold.

Michael blinked. Rank Gold magic? Then he snorted. Clearly, the Frost Dragon must be going delusional with age. Zero might be a talented kid with a unique talent but Rank Gold magic? Not even Demon Lords were capable of using Rank Gold magic.