The Paladin in the Abyss

"As for the Third Army Corps, they are either Bruto's cannon fodder or his main force, depending on how you see it." Seeing that Lancelot had no further questions, Eckmond continued, "This army is composed of a large number of Low Rank Demons and is looked down upon in Demon society, but don't underestimate them.

With iron discipline and excellent command, the Third Army Corps often achieves a terrifying casualty ratio in battle. It was precisely because of their distinguished military achievements that their former Commander, Bayer, was able to be promoted to the Lord of the first layer of the Nine Hells, Avernus, and become the Supreme Commander of the three Demon armies."

"Your information seems a bit outdated." Kalalin looked at Eckmond strangely, "Even I, a Scholar holed up in the Prime Material Plane and studying the Abyss, know that Bayer has been deposed by Astimos, and the current Archduke of Avernus is Zariel again."

"Uh..." An awkward look appeared in the skull's eye sockets as it hastened to defend its mistake, "The knowledge in my head doesn't update automatically, is it so abnormal that some of it is outdated?"

"Who is this Zariel?" Lancelot couldn't help but ask, "Why say the Archduke of Avernus 'again' is her?"

"It's said that she was once an Angel, at one point imprisoned by her subordinate Bayer, but about a hundred years ago, it seems like a series of major events occurred across the Lower Planes, and even time experienced rifts.

When everything calmed down, people found that Zariel had reclaimed her position," Kalalin looked to the floating skull, "I believe Eckmond has more accurate information about her past."

"What has happened can perhaps also be changed," the skull sighed, "Zariel was once an Angel in charge of overseeing the Blood War, since this great conflict involves the fate of the entire Multiverse. She repeatedly requested the gods to send troops, to take advantage of the Demons and Devils' fierce fighting, to wipe out these two evil forces in one fell swoop.

After being repeatedly denied, she took matters into her own hands, deciding to do it herself, and the result was, naturally, drowning in the vast ocean of the Blood War." Explore more at empire

"So how did she become a Great Demon Archduke?" Bruto asked curiously.

"Astimos witnessed the death of this battle-thirsty Angel and sent a special forces unit to find her remains of consciousness under a small hill made of the bodies of Tanari she had killed," Eckmond said with authority, "The ruler of the Nine Hells personally resurrected Zariel.

Unlike common Fallen Angels who turn into Succubi, Astimos directly promoted Zariel to be a Great Demon and appointed her as the Archduke of Avernus, the first layer of the Nine Hells, which is also the highest commander on the Devil's side in the Blood War."

"But that doesn't sound like she fell," Lancelot frowned, "It sounds more like a meaningless sacrifice."

"According to Zariel herself, she never fell; her Legion is the only barrier between the beautiful Upper Planes and the endless armies of Demons," Kalalin explained.

"Pride is the seed of the Fallen," Eckmond blurted out, then seemed surprised at his own words.

"Something sensible occasionally pops out of that leaky jawbone of yours," Bruto joked, causing everyone to burst into laughter.

"When she insisted that her point of view was correct and refused to listen to others' opinions, she had already started down the path of the Fallen," Kalalin agreed with Eckmond's point, "Moreover, even if she hadn't fallen just after being resurrected by the ruler of the Nine Hells, the long time spent in the company of Demons would be enough to corrupt her completely."

"Dinner's ready!" Koula's voice drifted in from the kitchen, interrupting everyone's gossip about the bigwigs of the Multiverse, and little Isa was running in and out from the kitchen, bringing dishes of appetizing food to the table.

"Wow! That smells amazing!" Bruto was the first to jump out of the couch and dash towards the dining table.

"I don't recognize any of these foods, but they sure look good," Kalalin also admired. "Koula, can you maybe wait until after we finish eating to explain what all these are?"

"Hahaha, don't worry, there's nothing too strange," the Halfling's smile seemed a bit forced, so everyone decided not to delve into the details behind that kind of smile.

"Sir Lancelot, please tell us about your adventure this time!" Little Isha, who had just set the table, had already taken her seat and was looking forward to Lancelot's tale with some anticipation. Storytime around the table was this little vampire's favorite part.

"Heh, I could talk about this experience for days," Lancelot laughed heartily. "Let's first take a look at what we've got this time, it's a perfect chance to divide the spoils while we eat."

"Oh!!!!!" Bruto and Kalalin cheered simultaneously, even Alamir couldn't help but show a smile, Isha was full of expectation, only Koula was still unclear about the situation.

"What are you standing around for, come help me move these sofas," Lancelot said cheerfully, and Kalalin and Alamir immediately rose to help. Bruto sneakily grabbed a piece of meat of unknown origin from the plate and stuffed it into his mouth before scampering over.

The group cleared a large space. Lancelot stood in the center and carefully turned the Dimensional Bag, which collected the spoils, inside out.

With a swoosh, everyone's eyes were briefly blinded by a sudden burst of light. When their vision returned, the previously empty floor was now covered with a dazzling array of treasures.

A whole little mountain of gemstones that Lancelot and Bruto had collected, the magical equipment dotted around it was Kalalin's victory haul—he had no time to choose carefully, picking solely based on the strength of the Magic Aura, probably mixing up quite a few items with powerful curses. The beautiful and luxurious works of art were brought out by Alamir.

His Goddess taught followers to acquire all kinds of beautiful things, wherever and whenever they discovered them.

With a 'clatter,' Koula's fork dropped to the floor, and Isha's condition was similar, both their faces full of shock.

Just as Lancelot was somewhat proudly admiring everyone's expressions, his own face suddenly changed.

A blue-white light flared up without warning next to the dining table, and a beautiful figure emerged from the Teleportation Magic, Tijana's voice filled the room:

"Lancelot, I came to remind you about that Enrei... What the hell is all this!!!"

The Succubus Lord was dumbfounded as she stared at the heap of blinding treasures, equally overwhelmed.

"Good evening, Tijana," Lancelot's tone sounded incredibly resigned, "Have you eaten yet?"