The Envy Ring greeted me with an endless dark sea, where here and there the lights of small settlements and cities could be seen, populated by various shark-demons, fish-men, and other creatures capable of surviving under immense water pressure.
The sky here was a deep dark-purple, almost inky color, sparkling with myriads of cold "stars." What they actually were is unknown, but it looked beautiful. And not a single cloud.
However, besides the multitude of small underwater "villages," one huge capital city dominated here, located on the single island of land in this entire aquatic world. I had never been here in the past, and a couple of thousand years ago, the island itself simply wasn't here.
My usefulness in the water, obviously, was less effective than on land or in the sky, so during the Great War, the main brawls happened in the Wrath and Pride rings. The Envy Ring barely saw the war.
This island appeared a little later. Lilith transported one of the Ancient Beasts she had caught here—a titanic-sized octopus that had almost completely destroyed the underwater city that previously served as the capital. And it is exactly on its gigantic, petrified skeleton that the only above-water city in the Envy Ring now stands, proudly bearing the name "Atlantis."
Pretty epic, by the way. Usually, names in Hell are chosen to be very simple and concise, with no frills: Imp City is called that because 90% of its population are imps; Pentagram City gets its name from the pentagram hanging in the sky that prevents sinners from leaving the city limits. But Leviathan—the ruler of the Envy Ring and the Deadly Sin of Envy herself—decided to get creative, and on such a grand scale that stories of the ancient, sunken sea city of Atlantis somehow leaked into the human world too, becoming part of folklore, legends, and plots for movies and games.
The city itself commanded respect from the outside. Even though I had seen many different monumental structures, including the Heavenly City, Atlantis stood out with its location and architecture. Never before had I seen such a massive metropolis, built in a unified futuristic style, hovering over the ocean—and the city continued downward, underwater, dividing into sectors inside huge, round flasks made of ultra-strong transparent material.
The upper city looked a hell of a lot like what I saw in Marvel's Thor movies: majestic spires reaching for the sky, elegant bridges, as if forged from glowing purple brick, stretching between them, connecting the districts.
In short, looking at this splendor, my tongue wouldn't dare say this place was in Hell, just like with the other rings, really. Like I said, Mammon literally just has a standard human world on steroids from wild capitalism, and it's fine. Here, the atmosphere was of some... I don't know, a civilization of dark elves who conquered space?
The habitat of my target was located in the center—in a giant teardrop-shaped tower, made almost entirely of some purple glass suspiciously resembling solid amethyst. Over this "glass" foundation wound an openwork "cage" of shining platinum, which turned into the thinnest spire reaching into the sky at the very top.
"Mammon is nervously smoking on the sidelines with his circus tent..." I mutter with a smirk, heading straight for that very tower. In this case, even hints from Beelzebub wouldn't be needed—even a fool would understand exactly where the Sin of Envy lives. The tallest, the shiniest, and the most pretentious building. It all makes sense.
The population of the Envy Ring consisted almost entirely of various marine life—jacked shark-demons, some slippery squid-people, and the local elite—the Possessors.
The Possessors are the first spawn of Leviathan. Powerful demons with a multitude of unpleasant abilities, but due to their strength, rather few in number. The Possessors, or as they are sometimes called, "parasites," have the ability to move into someone else's body, completely take it over, and control it as their own. They can also create high-quality illusions and even read surface thoughts, while the strongest of them are capable of rummaging through a victim's deepest memories. Basically, extremely dangerous guys, at least for regular demons.
By the way, because of their powers, they are massive snobs and racists. The Possessors (and actually the entire population of the Envy Ring, to be honest) despise all other demons, considering them lower life forms. And they hate Samael's "kids"—like the Von Eldritch family, for example—with a fierce passion, mostly out of envy, because those are the only demons who have even more power from birth and surpass them in almost everything.
And because of this, by the way, you almost never see other demon-tourists here. Not only would it be very uncomfortable for them to navigate the water that floods this entire ring, but the open racism from the locals also kills any desire to come here.
I calmly walked down the perfectly clean streets, paved with a translucent stone under which a soft light flowed, catching the sidelong glances of the locals. I was currently in Baal's form (which is logical, I'm not an idiot to flash a halo in Hell) wearing an expensive-looking suit, and walking calmly as if I came here every day. That was probably the only thing saving me from open conflicts. The locals might be unhinged racists, but their sense of self-preservation worked perfectly. And my confident demeanor, expensive suit, and aura of hidden power unequivocally hinted that it was best not to mess with me.
Reaching the main entrance to the central tower, I ran into the expected obstacle—my path was blocked by two tall, unnaturally thin Possessor-demons in stylish black suits.
"Halt," one of them lazily raised a hand with unnaturally long fingers. "This is Lord Leviathan's private property. Unauthorized entry is strictly prohibited. Get out of here while you're still in one piece, land-dweller."
I lazily adjusted the cufflinks on my jacket sleeves and, looking down at the guard (despite him being about half a head taller than me, I was the one looking down—this tapeworm hadn't grown enough to earn the title of Big Dick in charge), I said calmly, even boredly:
"Tell Leviathan her son has arrived."
The guards exchanged glances. A whole range of emotions reflected on their pale, elongated faces: from bewilderment and shock to some kind of disgusted anger and an outright desire to laugh in my face.
"Son?" the second one asked, barely suppressing a chuckle. "You must have gotten heatstroke, buddy. The Lady has no sons who walk on foot, let alone look like... Get out of here, clown, before we rip your little legs off and throw you into the ocean to feed the fish."
"I said," my voice grew a bit quieter, but steel notes rang in it, and the air around us seemed to drop a couple of degrees, "Tell. Her. That. Her. Son. Has. Arrived." In the very next moment, I shifted the Darkness around them, and a monstrous pressure crashed down on the guards.
The effect was instantaneous—the Possessors staggered, their knees buckled, and all their arrogance blew off them like husks. They stared at me in terror, feeling as if space itself was warping around me, vibrating with hidden power (in anime, this is usually shown with camera shake and hatched lines on the sides—that's exactly how it felt).
"Y-yes... R-right away!" the first guard pressed a trembling finger to his ear, activating a magical communicator. "Base! There's... there's some demon here... very powerful... Introducing himself as... ahem... Lord Leviathan's son!" The pause lasted about ten seconds, which felt like an eternity to them. The guard listened, turned even paler (although it seemed impossible), nodded at empty space, and then slowly lowered his hand, looking at me with reverent, animal terror. "P-please forgive us, my Lord!" he and his partner bowed synchronously, almost smashing their foreheads against the floor. "We... we weren't informed! The Lady is expecting you! Forgive our insolence!"
"It happens," I snorted, instantly lifting the pressure. "That's the job. Stressful."
Yeah, this isn't Heaven. Here, this is the only way—by showing your absolute superiority, your brute strength, you can actually achieve something. And if I had truly been Leviathan's son, just without possessing such power, my arrival wouldn't have even been reported "upstairs." I just would have been thrown out. Man, what idiots.
The violet glass doors slid open silently before me, and I stepped inside the tower. If the outside resembled a dark version of Asgard, the inside had the spirit of an elite business center somewhere in Moscow City or Manhattan, just adjusted for hellish magic instead of technology. A massive lobby bathed in natural purple light pouring through the transparent walls. The interior was done in an "aggressive high-tech" style: minimal furniture, lots of empty space, holographic screens with charts and stock quotes floating in the air, and a reception desk made from a single solid piece of some glowing crystal.
Because of the transparent walls, it created the complete illusion of being inside a giant aquarium, only the fish were swimming outside instead of inside. Although, considering the specifics of the local population, the difference was negligible.
I took a few steps forward, my shoes clicking loudly, when suddenly a young girl ran up to me. She was also a Possessor, but unlike the creepy guards with their sunken noses, this one looked... almost cute? She wore a strict office pencil skirt, a white blouse, and stylish thin-rimmed glasses perched on her nose. Her skin was a delicate shade of light blue, and her hair resembled the tentacles of a sea anemone, neatly gathered into a strict bun at the back of her head.
The Possessor stopped in front of me, clutching a tablet to her chest, and seemed to blush heavily (if, of course, their cheeks suddenly turning a deep blue counts as a blush).
"L-lord Baal?" her voice was quiet and slightly trembling. She looked at me with big, moist eyes full of some kind of puppy-dog awe mixed with fear. "Welcome to Leviathan Corp! I... I am your personal assistant for the duration of your visit! Lord Leviathan is currently wrapping up a meeting, but she asked me to escort you to her private office and... offer you tea! Or coffee? Or... find some other way to brighten up your wait?" the girl blurted out, but catching my amused look, immediately looked away. "Oh, excuse me!" The Possessor covered her mouth with her hand, completely embarrassed.
"Tea will be just fine," I replied softly, with a smile, trying not to scare her even more, but also making sure not to give any "hints" of anything more than just polite interaction. I know girls and their tendency to look for a million hidden meanings in simple, direct speech. "Lead the way, gorgeous, otherwise I'll get lost in your corridors and accidentally buy a controlling stake in your company."
The girl nodded, adjusted her glasses, and still throwing shy glances at me, scurried toward the elevators, her heels clicking rapidly.
"Right this way, please! The Lady's private office is on the top floor!"
What do you know, so far, the reception from the Sin of Envy was going much more civilized than with Greed. Let's see what happens next, but if we're rating customer service, Mammon is already losing by a landslide. He was only saved by that unexpected action with Asmodeus at the very end, and well, the songs were pretty catchy, I'll give him that.
The high-speed elevator swallowed us up, shot upwards, and a moment later the doors silently opened straight into a massive office. Here, everything was kept in the same tones: glass, purple shimmers, cold minimalism, and blatant luxury. I wonder, don't the Deadly Sins themselves get tired of the exact same color palette for millennia?
Although yeah, look who's talking—a guy who lives in a world where everything, from the buildings to the clothes, is white with gold accents, and has no intention of changing a thing...
The girl escorted me to a lounge area by a panoramic window spanning the entire wall, where deep, soft armchairs and a low table sat.
"Please, have a seat," she fussed, smoothing a non-existent wrinkle on the upholstery. "I'll go get the tea right now! What kind do you prefer? We have a special energizing blend of Deep Plains seaweed, it's very good for male stamina... Or maybe a classic black tea with bergamot?"
"Let's go with the black tea," I nodded, settling in comfortably and crossing my legs like I owned the place. Haven't had a classic in a while, so this is a good excuse. "And three sugar cubes."
"Right away!" The demoness beamed, then disappeared behind an inconspicuous side door, returning literally a minute later with an elegant tray.
The tea turned out to be surprisingly good—tart, hot, with a light, barely perceptible aftertaste of salt, which, strangely enough, didn't ruin it, but on the contrary, gave it some kind of marine piquancy.
"Thank you," I took a test sip and nodded approvingly. The girl lit up as if I had just handed her a medal of honor. "You're dismissed, sweetheart. I'll wait for your boss here."
The demoness bowed deeply and, casting one last admiring glance at me, retreated, leaving me in a pleasant silence. I slowly sipped my tea, watching the giant, glowing jellyfish floating past the window glass, and thought about how Leviathan definitely knew how to set herself up in comfort. True, the office seemed too big and empty for one demon, but apparently, status demands it.
My thoughts were interrupted by the quiet sound of the elevator doors opening. I turned around.
Leviathan entered the office.
Honestly, I subconsciously expected to see something more... monstrous. After all, her true form is a giant sea serpent capable of wrapping around continents. Plus, we saw each other at the trial not so long ago, so that's exactly how I remembered her—in a semi-transformed state. But right now, standing before me was a tall, incredibly slender woman in a flawless dark blue business suit.
Her skin was pale, with a slight, barely noticeable pearlescent sheen, and long, sea-wave-colored hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall, seemingly living a life of its own. Black eyes with violet irises looked at me with cold, calculating interest, as if scanning and evaluating me. Apparently, this was her "human" form, although it was impossible to confuse her with a human.
"Baal," her voice was low, deep, and melodic, yet a certain strictness clearly showed through. It's the same feeling you get when your female boss talks to you at work. "Or should I call you Adam? My sister warned me of your visit."
She walked over to her massive desk, but didn't sit down, instead leaning her hip against it and crossing her arms over her chest.
"As you prefer, Leviathan," I also stood up, placing my cup on the saucer and paying my respects. "I hope Beelzebub and I haven't completely ruined your plans for the day?"
"The meeting I was in had already started after her call, so I managed to make adjustments to my schedule. It's fine," the demoness nodded dryly.
"Excellent," I nod back. "You're aware of why I sought a meeting with you, right?"
"In broad strokes," she tilted her head slightly, and a strand of hair smoothly swayed following her movement. "You want guarantees. You want us to enter the war on Heaven's side when it begins... And you're also threatening us with Eve."
"I'm not threatening," I corrected her softly but firmly, taking a step forward. Looks like she managed to get in touch with Satan too, interesting. "I'm warning. Eve is a threat not only to Heaven, and you, as a smart woman, should understand this better than anyone. She wants to reshape the entire universe to suit herself, and in her new world, there will be no place for independent Deadly Sins ruling their own rings. You're smart, Leviathan, and I'm sure you perfectly understand what a monopoly is. Eve wants to become an absolute monopolist of power. And monopolists don't tolerate competitors, they destroy them."
Leviathan remained silent, pondering my words. Her face remained impassive, but deep in her eyes, I noticed a fleeting shadow of concern. She was a businesswoman to the bone, and this prospect clearly didn't appeal to her.
"Let's assume you're right," she finally said slowly. "And let's assume, just assume, that I agree with your arguments. What are you offering in return? Pretty words about mutual assistance and eternal friendship? That's cute, of course, but in big business, words are extremely cheap. This isn't Heaven, Adam, you understand that yourself."
"I understand," I smirked. Pragmatism! I like it—it's easiest to deal with people like this. "That's why I didn't come empty-handed."
I pulled a small, elegant box made of ebony with the finest platinum inlays from my inner pocket, and placed it on the edge of her desk with a clack.
"What is this?" Leviathan skeptically raised a thin eyebrow.
"A small gift. As a token of my goodwill and... let's just say, my genuine admiration for your business approach."
She suspiciously took the box, opened it with her long fingers, and froze. Inside lay the twin brother of the mine I had given Mammon.
"Is this some kind of joke?.." Leviathan raised her eyes to me, in which genuine surprise flashed for the first time.
"No. It's my personal invention—the Platinum Generator," I announced triumphantly. "Works on the exact same principle as the gold one I gave your brother Mammon, only this one creates 10 grams of the purest platinum every minute. I know that with your resources, material gain isn't as interesting to you as it is to him, but I just wanted to give you something unique."
"Platinum..." she whispered, running a finger over the casket. "This is more valuable than gold. Do you mind if I study this device? I..." The woman closed her eyes briefly, but continued to "inspect" the box with them anyway. Apparently, this was her personal equivalent of sensory perception. I wonder what principles it works on? "I sense a very unusual, complex energy structure here..."
"I knew you'd appreciate it," I nodded. "Of course, study away. It's my gift to you, do whatever you see fit with it."
Leviathan carefully, respectfully closed the lid and looked at me with an entirely different gaze—warmer, more interested. Like looking at a partner equal to her in status.
"You know how to give unusual gifts, Adam. That is... impressive."
"Naturally," I nod, accepting the compliment. "But there is something else..." I then briefly but clearly explained the concept of the "panic button" to her, repeating the exact same arguments about security and free combat support in times of need that I used on Mammon.
"A personal army of bodyguard angels on call..." she said thoughtfully, looking at me as if seeing me for the first time. "That... is actually useful. Extremely useful. Especially considering that my 'neighbors' aren't always friendly, and the majority of uncontrolled Ancient Beasts live exactly in my ring, in the depths of the ocean..."
"Exactly," I confirmed. "I'm not asking you to lay down your life for Heaven, I'm just asking you to be pragmatic. An alliance with us is profitable, the war against Eve is inevitable, and it's better to face her with strong allies than alone."
Leviathan stayed silent for another minute, weighing all the pros and cons, then straightened up, adjusted her jacket, and held out her hand to me.
"We have a deal," she said firmly. "When the time comes, I and the entire Envy Ring will stand by your side."
"Wonderful," I shook her cool hand. "Well then," I took a step back. "I won't distract you from your business any longer, Leviathan. Thank you for the tea, it was excellent."
"Come by again," she smiled with the corner of her lips. "Maybe next time I'll treat you to something stronger than tea." Saying this, her facial features suddenly shifted for a moment, her skin began to darken, covering in scales, and her pupils narrowed into vertical slits, but a second later, everything returned to normal.
Interesting effect. Is that her "other half" manifesting like that?
I nodded and headed for the exit, physically feeling her thoughtful, assessing gaze on my back. Stepping out of the tower, I took a deep breath of the humid, salty air and smirked.
So far, everything was going according to plan, even better than I expected. I was incredibly lucky that the Sins themselves weren't thrilled about Eve's possible victory and the change in the status quo.
Now—to Belphegor!