Time slowly trickled by. Eventually, no matter how much the Unnamed Devil stalled, he was forced to dispel the Fall into Avernus magic.
Boom!
With a deafening roar, Cipher and her companions—Black Hand, Nathaniel, and the weakened Barbarians—all felt a violent tremor beneath their feet as the ground began to rise rapidly!
Why no mention of the Blazing Fire Gang? The Barbarians had already slaughtered them all.
In any case, the suddenness of this event caught nearly everyone off guard. They lost their balance and tumbled to the ground. But the Unnamed Demon seized this opportunity—having dispelled the magic himself, he had been prepared all along.
He immediately cast Misty Step, teleporting himself outside the Blazing Fire Gang's camp. With everyone else returned to the Material Plane while he remained in the Nine Hells, his escape was assured!
The demon rubbed his butt, which had been kicked countless times, muttering to himself, "Hmph, foolish humans! You didn't expect I had this trick up my sleeve, did you?"
The Blazing Fire Gang's camp ascended rapidly, but Cipher's hearing was exceptionally keen. Her cat ears twitched slightly before she narrowed her eyes. In truth, she could have used Divine Speed to dash down, kick the demon to death, and return in the same instant.
But after a moment's thought, Cipher decided against it. Instead, she invoked the recently established contract and called out to Beelzebub, Come here for a moment.
Right away! Beelzebub responded instantly, hurrying over at a brisk trot.
Moments later, Beelzebub arrived. His first glance landed on the unnamed demon, covered in wounds from head to toe. The demon froze, momentarily stunned, before cursing furiously in his mind:
You motherfucker! You couldn't have come sooner or later? I finally manage to escape after all that trouble, and now that the enemies have already fled, you show up? What good are you now?!
Of course, despite cursing Beelzebub inwardly, the demon wore an obsequious smile. "Um... Lord Beelzebub, you've arrived..."
Before he could finish speaking, Beelzebub raised a finger. Seventh-Level Necromancy School: Death Finger! A dark green ray erupted from Beelzebub's fingertip, striking the devil instantly.
Without the slightest suspense, the magic annihilated the devil's life force. His neck snapped sideways, and he collapsed limply to the ground, sinking into the 'highest quality sleep' from which he would likely never awaken.
Staring at the corpse before him, Beelzebub trembled with fury. When he had first arrived, the devil had cursed him inwardly upon seeing him. But wasn't Beelzebub doing the same?
So this wretch was the mastermind behind everything? Truth be told, after impulsively killing him, Beelzebub felt a pang of regret. He should have extracted the devil's soul and tormented it relentlessly!
Meanwhile, at the Blazing Fire Gang's camp, which was rapidly ascending, Douglas exclaimed in frustration, "Damn it! How did that guy get away?!" Feidric replied calmly, "There's nothing we could have done. It was just a devil. Let it go. The important thing is everyone's safe." Douglas retorted, "Easy for you to say! But I'm furious! The real culprit escapes scot-free? If only I'd kicked him a few more times when I had the chance!" Nathaniel chimed in eagerly, "Yeah, yeah! I wish I'd kicked him a few more times!"
Hearing this, Douglas turned to Nathaniel, "No, I have a feeling you're saying something completely different from what I meant!"
Moments later, the Blazing Fire Gang's camp successfully returned to the Material Plane. The rapidly ascending space elevator suddenly lurched to a halt, flinging everyone off their feet. After a chorus of screams, they all crashed heavily to the ground. Cipher, of course, was the exception. Having been close to Aria at the time, she swiftly caught the princess in a bridal carry mid-air, and the two landed steadily together.
With a resounding thud, Douglas, clad in full plate armor, crashed to the ground beside Cipher. Cipher didn't even glance at him, instead gently lowering Aria from her arms.
Aria blinked her large, bewildered eyes and gazed up at Cipher. "Sister Cipher, you were so cool just now~!" she exclaimed.
Simultaneously, Douglas groaned beside them, "Damn it, my back! That hurt like hell, Cipher! Talk about favoritism—you won't even lend me a hand?"
A second later, another voice chimed in beside Douglas. Nathaniel extended his right hand with a grin. "Don't worry, brother, I've got you..."
Before he could finish, Douglas executed a perfect kip-up, springing to his feet and retreating several steps with the fastest movements he'd ever managed in his life.
"See?" Cipher remarked. "You hardly look like you need any help."
One by one, everyone rose to their feet. As they approached the edge of Blazing Fire Gang territory, the first sight that greeted them was Castorice standing nearby. Her slender legs were encased in white stockings, her ankles pressed together, and her hands were clasped demurely in front of her skirt. Her mere presence exuded an aura of refined grace.
Castorice spoke in a gentle voice, "I'm so glad everyone's safe."
In truth, Castorice had arrived here some time ago. Before the Blazing Fire Gang's territory rose from the depths, this place was a pitch-black void. A jump down would likely lead to the Nine Hells. However, since Cipher was already beating Beelzebub to a pulp, Castorice's assistance wasn't needed, so she remained here, quietly waiting.
As expected, Douglas was the first to react upon seeing Castorice. "She's so gentle! Beautiful, kind-hearted, and with such a lovely personality—how can anyone be so perfect? She's exactly the kind of girlfriend I've always dreamed of!"
Cipher raised an eyebrow, utterly unfazed. "Then go confess to her," she challenged.
Douglas immediately backed down. "Forget it. Seriously, it's not just cowardice this time. I just have this feeling that if I actually confessed, I'd probably end up with a dozen stab wounds in my back tonight, ruled a suicide."
Cipher fell silent, unable to argue. The possibility was indeed quite high.
As the group advanced, Aria suddenly stepped on empty air. "Eek!?"
With a bewildered expression, Aria plummeted downward. Cipher reacted with lightning reflexes, instantly grabbing Aria's wrist. But then, with a thunderous crash, the ground beneath Aria, Cipher, Feidric, and Douglas simultaneously cracked and shattered!
The Blazing Fire Gang's camp was hollow beneath the surface?!
Cipher clearly saw a thick, viscous blue mist materialize before her, barely a step away from the group!
A single touch would cause severe frostbite, even turn a person into an ice sculpture. Cipher had never tested the mist's effects personally, but she was confident her Demigod's Body would protect her. The real problem was Aria, Feidric, and Douglas—they were right beside her! They would certainly be in mortal danger!
Cipher immediately entered Divine Speed State, golden lightning crackling around her. However, suspended in mid-air, she couldn't simply grab the others and pull them to safety. She needed a point of leverage first!
Cipher flicked her tail, sending her spinning through the air. Her feet landed on a recently shattered rock, now floating weightlessly. Her gaze darted across the other falling debris, calculating that these "disposable" stepping stones would be more than sufficient.
But just as Cipher was about to move, she noticed something odd: the Blue Mist below them was slowly parting, creating a clear path wide enough for all four to pass through.
"What is this...?" Cipher murmured, bewildered. After a moment's thought, she concluded there were only two possibilities: either something below the chasm was "welcoming" them by deliberately parting the mist, or the mist itself was instinctively avoiding freezing them.
With this in mind, after brief hesitation, Cipher abandoned her rescue attempt and allowed everyone to continue falling. Though the situation remained unclear, it was now certain that something lurked beneath the void.
Of course, she maintained her Divine Speed State throughout the descent, ready for any unexpected developments.
However, the Blue Mist genuinely dispersed as they descended, only to reassemble above them.
Within this cavern completely filled with Blue Mist, only the area occupied by Cipher and her companions remained a 'vacuum zone,' a truly remarkable phenomenon.
During their descent, Feidric decisively cast the First-Level spell Feather Fall, slowing their descent. Like feathers, they drifted gently for four or five minutes before finally reaching the bottom, where a vast underground space unfolded before them.
The cavern was immense and seemingly endless, as if the entire world had turned white. The ground and walls were composed of pristine white ice, while the ceiling bristled with densely packed, massive icicles.
"Achoo!" Feidric sneezed, his nose wrinkling. Having just returned from the scorching Nine Hells, the sudden plunge into this frigid environment had given him a chill. "Where are we?" he asked.
Aria blinked in awe. "I don't know, but this place is absolutely magnificent! It's so beautiful!"
Douglas, however, wore a vigilant expression. "Regardless, everyone be on your guard!"
Only Cipher swiftly scanned her surroundings. In this nearly pure white "world," a faint red object caught her eye. She hurried over to it and discovered it was a broken helmet fragment, only half of the original piece remaining.
Crouching down, she reached out her small hand and picked up the helmet fragment. The first sensation was a warmth, like holding a hot water bottle. But in this frigid environment, the presence of such a warm object was utterly illogical.
By this time, Aria, Douglas, and Ben had followed Cipher's footsteps. Douglas, in particular, froze when he saw the helmet fragment. "This... this bears the unmistakable marks of the God of Forging's blessing!"
The God of Forging's blessing? That meant this was likely a Forging Priest's equipment.
Cipher suddenly remembered: when Castorice first arrived at Chaos City, in the cellar near the city center—that demiplane—hadn't there been a Forging Priest's Divine Magic, Guardian of Faith?
Examining the helmet fragment in her hand, it was clear that the Forging Priest, one of the Seven Heroes, had almost certainly met his end nearby.
No wonder Aisha hadn't found any clues related to the Hero recently—they were buried this deep underground! Finding anything here would be a miracle!
The Unnamed Devil had originally instructed Brother Hawen to establish the Blazing Fire Gang's headquarters here because it was the city center, making it ideal for setting up a Magic Circle to influence the entire metropolis. Moreover, the Fall into Avernus Magic had caused the ground to repeatedly sink and rise, weakening the area's stability.
It was through sheer coincidence that the four had fallen into this place and stumbled upon it.
Realizing this, Castorice turned to the remaining members on the surface and said, "Return to the Death Priest Headquarters for now. I'll handle things here."
Without hesitation, she leaped into the collapsed pit. Unlike Cipher and the others, the Blue Mist didn't dissipate as she descended. Undeterred, Castorice waved her hand, and a torrent of deep purple Styx Water erupted from her palm, enveloping her completely.
Since battlefields between Heroes and Demon Lords often leave behind hazardous remnants, this was the perfect moment for Castorice to step in and clean up the mess.
Meanwhile, Cipher and her three companions continued their advance. Although a faint blue mist permeated the underground space, it dispersed whenever the group approached, as if repelled by a magnetic force of the same polarity.
Cipher decided to test this phenomenon. She instructed the others to remain still while she took a step forward. Nothing happened.
Next, Feidric, Douglas, and finally Aria each moved forward. The results quickly revealed that the 'repulsive force' emanated from Aria—the blue mist was deliberately avoiding her!
Aria herself looked genuinely puzzled. "Huh? Why is this happening?"
Even Feidric wore a bewildered expression. "I don't understand, but... this is at least a good thing, right? Still, everyone, stay vigilant!"