"There isn't even a single guard. What's going on?"
Artoria was very fast. Following the route Likely Liliths given name gave her, Artoria soon saw a massive castle. But strangely, she didn't encounter a single guard on the way. This surprised Artoria greatly. Had the other party already known she was coming, perhaps having super-vision like 'Lilith'? Despite thinking this, Artoria didn't stop and continued toward the castle gates. Seeing the dust on the doors, Artoria wondered if anything actually lived here. Treating it like an adventure, Artoria used telekinesis to push open the doors; she really didn't want to touch the dust on them with her hands.
"As expected of Sloth!"
When Artoria stepped into the castle and saw groups of Beast-like creatures sleeping together, she couldn't help but sigh from the bottom of her heart. Truly worthy of Sloth; seeing them motionless and snoring, she knew they were all slacking off and sleeping. This deeply disappointed Artoria, who had expected to get some exercise. Looking at these fellows, Artoria really wanted to activate her Noble Phantasm and blast them all to dust. Even if you represent 'Sloth', you shouldn't be like this! Aren't you supposed to punish and torture lazy sinners? How can you be lazy yourselves? It was truly speechless. But since she was here, it was only right to meet the Lord of 'Sloth'.
With no one to lead her, Artoria began exploring the castle. She strangely found that while some places were covered in dust, other areas were perfectly clean. The polarization was severe. This felt abnormal to Artoria. Was there a very diligent fellow here? Thinking of this, Artoria became more curious. She walked toward the clean area, but as soon as she stepped from the dusty area into the clean one, she noticed something different.
"What's going on? It feels so warm. I want to sleep... so sleepy...!"
Stepping into the clean zone was like entering another world. All the dust fell off Artoria's body. She felt warm and cozy, just like basking in the warm sun after a full meal in the afternoon. Artoria felt her upper eyelids fighting her lower eyelids; she was confused but desperately wanted to sleep. This situation was extremely eerie. Artoria realized this must be the ability of that 'Sloth' Lord. To be able to make even inanimate objects 'lazy' so they couldn't approach where she was showed just how strong her power was.
"In a sense, the most unsolvable ability! It doesn't harm the body—is it a mental attack or a soul attack?"
After figuring out the ability, Artoria tried to circulate her magic power, but it was much harder than usual. Some parts couldn't be moved at all. This ability was far too strange. Forcing herself to stay alert, Artoria focused on the Infinity Gauntlet. She activated the Soul Stone. Fortunately, the Infinity Stones did not let her down. With a flash of yellow light, Artoria felt much lighter. She breathed a sigh of relief. If even the Infinity Stones couldn't handle it, she would have had to use pain to stimulate herself, and she wasn't even sure if that would work.
"Those who can become Lords are indeed not simple. No wonder 'Lust' said that. It seems I underestimated the Lords!"
From this moment on, Artoria cast aside her contempt for the Lords. If she kept the mindset she had when she first arrived, she might truly fail her mission and never go home. Adjusting her mood, Artoria continued to explore. she was becoming more and more curious about this 'Sloth' Lord. With such a bizarre power, no wonder 'Lust' was ranked behind her. With an ability like this, 'Charm' would be completely useless. You'd fall asleep as soon as you got close. 'Lust' didn't have such strong mental power; this was practically another version of absolute defense.
"Is it here?"
After searching for a long time while keeping her spirits up, Artoria found a room on the top floor of the castle. Looking at the grey-black stone door, Artoria muttered to herself. If she couldn't find her now, she really would have gone back. Coming here, let alone having a fight, there wasn't even anyone to lead the way; it was quite a letdown. If not for her curiosity to see the true face of 'Sloth', Artoria would have left long ago.
Even a life-and-death battle with Thanos would be better than looking for 'people' here. Standing before the stone door, Artoria pushed it open. The room's decor was very simple; besides a bed, there was only a table and a chair. It wasn't nearly as lavish as 'Lust's' room. After observing the room's layout, Artoria focused on the bed. Seeing the bulge under the covers, she frowned slightly. Artoria slowly walked to the bedside and yanked the quilt away.
"It's actually a little loli."
After pulling back the covers, Artoria saw a red-haired loli in a white nightgown. Her body was curled up, holding a black Tail in her arms, fast asleep. She seemed to be eating something delicious in her dream, her little mouth making cute smacking sounds, though she was actually just sucking on her own Tail. It was far too cute. That Angel-like sleeping posture made one reluctant to disturb her. Artoria stroked her smooth chin with her right hand, admiring the cute 'Sloth' for a moment, but in the next second, the urge for mischief surged in her heart.
"Still not waking up? This kid is a lost cause."
Artoria reached out her wicked right hand and grabbed the Tail, pulling it up. The Little guy rose into the air, dangled by Artoria in mid-air. Yet Artoria found that the child showed no sign of waking up at all, which was quite embarrassing. Artoria shook her hand, and the little girl swayed along, but she still didn't wake up. Artoria gave up on trying to wake her. She simply pulled the little girl into her arms, resting the cute head on her large breasts. Sensing something soft, the girl subconsciously snuggled in. This brought a smile to Artoria's cold face.
"I'll take her back to show 'Lilith'."
With that thought, Artoria took 'Sloth' away, leaving behind only an empty bed. An hour after Artoria left, the Sloth castle erupted into chaos. All the guards woke up only to find their most beloved Lord was gone. Had the Lord woken up and gone out to play? Heavens, the Lord who usually slept for a thousand years had actually woken up—what was happening? They didn't dare imagine their Lord had been taken away; that was virtually impossible in Hell. Hell Lords didn't have the habit of visiting each other, nor did any Lord enjoy having another in their home. 'Sloth's' territory was the smallest and had no special duties, which was why the newly awakened guards were so panicked.
"How did you bring her..."
Meanwhile, something very strange was happening in 'Lust's' territory. Any creature within a thousand meters of Artoria would immediately collapse into a deep sleep. This made Artoria realize the range of the little loli's ability: the stronger the individual, the better they could resist it. The weakest range was about a thousand meters, comparable to a certain Pirate King's Conqueror's Haki. This was a 24/7 passive ability; it was truly powerful. When she sensed the anomaly, the Lust Lord, Likely Liliths given name, walked toward Artoria. Upon seeing the little one in Artoria's arms, her mental strength plummeted. Forcing herself to stay conscious, she flew away, stopping five hundred meters from Artoria. It seemed that spot was her limit.
"Weren't you going to fight her? Why did you bring her here?"
Complaining to Artoria, Likely Liliths given name looked at the Lord of 'Sloth' in Artoria's arms with a headache. How did you bring this hot potato over? On the other hand, she was surprised how Artoria could resist the power of 'Sloth'. This domain-like power was extremely strong; none of the six Lords were unaffected, though the degree varied. No one wanted to provoke the Lord of Sloth, partly because there was no profit, and partly because the ability was so troublesome.
"She's so cute, how could I do anything to her? Why don't I just raise her!"
Facing Likely Liliths given name's questioning, Artoria stated her thoughts without hesitation. Amidst Likely Liliths given name's twitching expression, she pinched the Little guy's cheek. The texture seemed quite good, making Artoria smile.
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