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Jason found himself standing once more within Mazikeen's fortress. The familiar stone halls closed around them as if nothing had happened at all. For a brief moment, no one spoke. They simply stared at one another, trying to process what had just unfolded.
Jason exhaled slowly."Well," he said at last, rubbing the back of his neck, "that was… an unexpected development."
"Unexpected?" Mazikeen snapped. "No. This is worse." She paced, wings twitching with agitation. "Angels showing up was never part of this. And not just any angels. Ramiel and Duma." Her jaw tightened. "Those brutal bastards."
She clenched her fists."And God," she added bitterly. "God changed the rules. I should've known. I thought Dream hid the Key or destroyed it or something. I didn't think—" She cut herself off, frustration boiling over. "I didn't think."
Jason stepped forward and placed his hands firmly on her shoulders."Hey," he said calmly. "Relax. Panicking won't help." He met her eyes. "I need answers. Start from the beginning. What did Satan mean by the Key of Hell? And who exactly were those angels?"
Mazikeen steadied herself, took a breath, and nodded.
"The Key," she said, "is what grants dominion over Hell. It's the symbol and source of kingship. It allows control over the realm itself, its laws, its structure." She hesitated. "I remember Lucifer giving it to Dream when he decided to leave Hell and… everything else behind."
Jason's eyes narrowed slightly.
"I assumed the Key left with Dream," Mazikeen continued. "I never imagined it would end up with Ramiel and Duma. I thought that part was just a rumor."
"And who are they?" Jason asked.
"We don't know the full truth," she admitted. "Only fragments. Hearsay. Some from Constantine. Some from… older sources." She paused, choosing her words carefully. "The belief is that Dream never wanted to rule Hell. So he handed the Key over to Heaven. Specifically to Ramiel and Duma."
Jason frowned. "Heaven ruled Hell?"
"For a time," Mazikeen said. "They restructured it completely. Hell stopped being a chaotic playground for demons. Instead, it became a system. Every soul categorized. Every punishment assigned precisely. Order. Absolute order."
"That sounds… efficient," Jason said.
"It was," Mazikeen replied. "And that was the problem." She scoffed. "Demons hated it. Heaven hated it too, eventually."
"Why?"
"Mercy," she said flatly.
Jason blinked. "Mercy?"
"Yes," Mazikeen said. "God believed that the old Hell, as cruel as it was, allowed mercy. When demons tortured humans for pleasure, it wasn't constant. Demons grew bored. They wandered off. Sometimes humans endured long enough to atone. Some were forgiven. Others fell further and became minor demons."
She shook her head."Heaven saw that as mercy. Twisted, but mercy all the same."
Jason was silent.
"The rumors say," Mazikeen continued, "that God punished Ramiel and Duma for removing that possibility. He stripped them of Heaven's favor and cast them down. Fallen angels. Supposedly stripped of the Key as well."
She let out a humorless laugh."We assumed the story was wrong because the Key never resurfaced. Turns out… they just vanished with it."
Jason absorbed that, then spoke."That explains a lot." His gaze sharpened. "But Satan mentioned an ancient law. Challenging the heir of Lucifer. You've never heard of it?"
Mazikeen shook her head. "Never. Not once."
Jason leaned back against a pillar, arms crossing."A tournament," he muttered. "God has… strange tastes."
"I'm not convinced that was God," Mazikeen said slowly. "He doesn't usually involve himself in Hell. Not like this."
Jason's lips curved slightly."If not God, then I have a few suspicions." He straightened. "Doesn't matter. Three Hell days." His eyes gleamed. "That means we prepare."
Mazikeen nodded."We'll need a list of every demon lord. With this tournament, alliances won't hold. It'll be every ruler for themselves."
She glanced toward the war room."Demons don't share power. Especially not demon lords. If this goes forward, the alliance between Neron and the twins won't last."
Jason smiled faintly.
"Good," he said. "Chaos makes things honest."
...
Three Hell days later, it happened exactly as foretold.
Reality folded.
Jason felt the pull for only an instant before the world snapped back into place, and he found himself standing inside something vast beyond reason.
An arena.
Calling it massive felt inadequate. It stretched so wide it felt less like a battlefield and more like a city carved into a perfect circle. Tier upon tier rose upward, reminiscent of ancient Roman coliseums, yet scaled to an absurd extreme. Millions of demons filled the stands, their combined presence forming a constant, oppressive roar that vibrated through the air itself.
The arena floor alone was large enough to host wars. Not skirmishes. Wars capable of flattening cities. Perhaps even planets.
Hell was not merely a world. It was a dimension. One far larger than Earth.
Jason stood within a private booth overlooking the arena, sealed behind thick, pristine glass etched with infernal sigils. Before him hovered a luminous display, symbols and names burning into existence.
"Look, Jason," Mazikeen said, stepping beside him. "The lineup."
Jason read silently.
The display listed the participants eligible for the tournament.
{
Jason Anderson (Human From Beyond)
Satan (The First of the Fallen
Neron (The Soul Broker)
Azazel (Angel of Destruction)
Blaze (Infernal Princess)
Satanus (Lord of the Underworld)Beelzebub (Lord of the Flies)
Belial (Infernal Strategist)}
Jason exhaled softly."Only eight?"
Mazikeen snorted."Eight of the worst." She crossed her arms. "Every one of them is an untitled bastard who wants Hell for themselves. And to make things worse, one of them is a fallen angel."
"Azazel," Jason said.
"Exactly."
Jason glanced toward the arena below."At this point, Hell feels more crowded with angels than demons."
Mazikeen shrugged."Blame God for throwing them all down here." She studied the list again. "Some demon lords didn't make it. Either they were smart enough to sit this out, or they pledged themselves to someone else."
Her eyes narrowed."But Satanus and Blaze are both here. That means they've cut ties with Neron."
Before Jason could respond, the air above the arena warped.
Two figures appeared at its center.
Duma stood motionless, silent as a statue carved from light.
Ramiel stepped forward.
"Hear this," Ramiel's voice echoed, layered and unnatural. "The Hell Tournament… begins now."
The display before Jason flickered.
Names lifted from the screen and appeared in the sky above the arena, rotating, shifting, rearranging themselves like fate being shuffled by unseen hands.
Then they locked into place.
{
Satan vs Satanus
Jason Anderson vs Blaze
Neron vs Beelzebub
Azazel vs Belial}
The arena erupted.
Roars shook the foundations of Hell itself.
Jason's eyes settled on his matchup.
Blaze.
Mazikeen glanced at him, expression unreadable."Looks like fate has a sense of humor."
Jason smiled faintly."Seems so."
Across the arena floor, the first combatants stepped forward.
Azazel descended in a blaze of corrupted light.
Satanus emerged from shadow and flame.
The first battle of Hell's future was about to begin.
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If you Like this story! Check out my other story ! Shadow Monarch in Danmachi!
AND
If you wish to read more or simply support me just because ? than check out my patreon at
"https://www.patreon.com/Riadooo"
You can Get Access to 3 More Chapters OR 7 More Chapters if you want !