Devil Slave (Satan system)

Chapter 1133: The Kids are Coming

For Lilith, it felt as though she had just awoken from a deep sleep. Confusion washed over her. "Leviathan, did you try to trick me?" she called out, but her voice only echoed into the void. No response came.

She glanced around, expecting to find either Leviathan or Athena, but they were nowhere in sight. The environment appeared unchanged, yet something was distinctly off. The air felt different, heavy yet empty, like a space between worlds.

Then she looked up.

The sky was no longer the chaotic storm of Hell. Instead, it was a swirling mass, twisting in on itself like a whirlpool. At its center, far off in the distance, black lightning cracked through the air, striking down relentlessly. Souls—countless mortal souls—descended from the sky, falling like leaves from a dying tree. Their forms crumbled and, as if swept by invisible hands, were drawn into another swirl to the side, an endless cycle of death and rebirth.

Lilith recognized it immediately. This was the Rebirth Circle.

A sharp sting burned across her palm. She looked down and saw a glowing symbol—a phoenix, its fiery form etched into her skin. Athena was still with her body back in Hell. She could feel her connection to the flames through that mark. On her other palm, the emblem of Leviathan’s heart hovered, pulsing faintly. It seemed to pull her forward, leading her toward something.

Lilith followed without hesitation.

The landscape was barren, empty of life, and soon she arrived at a river. It was dark, like an abyss, rippling softly though it was devoid of any light. On the shore stood a figure—a man with a long, ancient scythe strapped to his back. His entire form was cloaked in black, oozing death like smoke from every thread of his clothing. His face was hidden beneath the hood, and his hands were absent, mere sleeves hanging loosely at his sides.

Despite this, the reaper gestured with a motion of his sleeve toward a boat that awaited her on the shore. Lilith nodded and moved to step into the vessel.

"Lady Death is expecting her in-law!" The reaper’s voice was a dried whisper, like the crackling of old bones.

She stepped into the boat, casting a quick glance toward the figure who hovered, not walking but floating behind her, his feet never touching the boat’s floor. Lilith found a seat and settled in, the chill of the place creeping through her even as a soul.

Without a word, the reaper raised one sleeve and the boat moved forward, gliding smoothly over the river’s surface as though carried by an unseen current. The atmosphere was unsettling. Though she no longer had a body, the cold here reached into her very being.

Lilith glanced over the side, curious about the waters. They were darker than night, a swirling void beneath the boat. But before her gaze could linger, the reaper’s warning voice cut through the silence.

"If you stare into the Never Waters, the phoenix may help you return... but you would be empty of consciousness."

His words sent a chill down her spine, sharper than the cold air. Lilith quickly pulled her gaze away, choosing to focus on the journey ahead. She would not risk losing herself in this place—not when so much still waited to be done.

The boat continued its silent passage through the river of death, carrying Lilith deeper into the unknown, towards Lady Death’s Castle.

......

In Hell, Athena stood over Lilith’s still form, gently holding her hand. Her expression was calm, but her mind was focused on the task at hand—ensuring Lilith’s safe return from Death’s realm was paramount. The air around them was still, heavy with the weight of the ritual they had just performed. The glowing mark of the phoenix on Lilith’s palm flickered softly, a sign that the connection remained intact.

Leviathan, towering nearby in his grotesque form, finally broke the silence. His hollow voice echoed with a dry rasp, "A human that has earned the favor of a curse…"

Athena frowned, turning in his direction. His words were laced with something more than curiosity—there was a certain knowing in his tone, as though he had seen countless such fates unravel before.

Leviathan continued, undeterred by her reaction. "I don’t know why or how, but whatever reason that binds you to serve Lilith… it will only lead to misery. That is the fate of anyone who allows the Morningstar to steer their destiny."

"The Morningstar?" Athena thought to herself. Once more this figure had been brought up again.

His words held a weight that reached deep, his gaze hollow and distant, as if recalling countless souls that had been drawn into the same fate. Athena clenched Lilith’s hand a little tighter, the frown deepening on her face, but she did not answer immediately. She wanted to question him further, to understand more of what he meant, but before she could speak, Leviathan’s form stiffened.

He tilted his head slightly as if sensing something in the air. His deep, rumbling voice cut through the stillness again, but this time, there was a sharper edge to it.

"It would seem that the kids are here."

Athena’s eyes narrowed as she looked at him, unsure of his meaning. "Who are you talking about? Who are the ’kids’ you’re referring to?"

"The Powers and Principalities of the other royal families," he replied. His voice was cold, filled with a bitterness that suggested a long history with them.

Athena raised an eyebrow, but her response was laced with confidence. "But that’s no problem for you, is it? After all, they are all beneath you, aren’t they?"

Leviathan chuckled softly, though the sound was dry and hollow. "Not anymore," he said, his gaze shifting toward her. "Not while you have my heart in your possession."

Athena blinked, caught off guard by the revelation. She glanced down at Lilith’s hand, which still held the Alpha Paper from the book of Death, and then at Leviathan.

He continued, his tone now more grave.

"I knew they would come for me," he said. "Their fear of me has never changed. But this timing... it’s terrible. If they sense my weakness, then would be our end. Those brats cannot be underestimated."

Athena’s grip tightened as the gravity of the situation settled in. Leviathan, for all his terrifying power, was vulnerable. And with the Powers and Principalities now closing in, they were about to face more than just enemies—they were about to face some of the most dangerous beings in Hell.

"Pray your Queen finishes quickly," Leviathan added, his voice darkening as he stared into the distance. "Or none of us will survive what’s coming..."

(Author’s note: And The Plot Thickens!)