Unlimited Ambition

Of course, I might very well renege on my debt.

However, before that, I should first erase this glorious angelic aura from myself. Otherwise, no matter how powerful I am, a luminous being like a light bulb wouldn't be able to stand firm in Hell.

Is it decadence?

To be honest, I do know some ways to fall into depravity.

The simplest, most cumbersome, yet most efficient method.

It was slaughter.

And so, in the 444th level of hell, I unleashed a bloodbath, completely disregarding the increasingly fragile defenses of my heart, eroded by my bloodlust. Two months later, amidst the flowing blood that resembled a small river, my expression drastically changed. Where before I had a hint of compassion, I was now a cold-blooded demon.

Alright, all ready. You, the Flame Demon Lord? Wash your neck and get ready for me to slaughter you!

At this point, Gu's form had completely transformed into a fallen angel. An ominous black light emanated from his entire body. His three pairs of blazing wings had also changed from golden heavenly fire to dark red hellfire.

Speaking of fallen angels, they have their advantages too. Although their defense is slightly weaker, their attack power and speed are much stronger than angels of the same level. Back when I was still the Archangel of Light, I also went into Hell and fought against those fallen angels.

Compared to angels, their bravery and morale are equally high. The only slight difference is that they value their lives less—much like the difference between a regular army and terrorists. On one hand, they are fierce warriors; on the other, they are outlaws.

The Flame Demon Lord of the 444th floor was beheaded. Through my skillful persuasion, his forces were also taken over by me. As for the few who were still clueless, I helped them "open their minds"—a hundred or so transparent holes all over their bodies, isn't that what opening their minds means?

And so, I became a lord of neither major nor minor importance in Hell.

Over the next hundreds of thousands of years, Gu expanded his territory while searching for a way to reverse time. But he found nothing.

By this time, I had completely grown accustomed to life in hell. And in hell, my name was etched.

The Demon Prince Light Baldwin. He rules over the vast space from the 400th to the 499th level of Hell. He possesses unparalleled beauty, terrifying power, and an exceptionally brilliant mind.

However, none of this is what my enemies fear most. What they truly dread is my insane methods and my extremely cruel punishments.

However, the demons within my territory both respect and fear me.

Private feuds were completely forbidden within my territory. Society made comprehensive progress. The dawn of civilization was breaking. All demon races lived in harmony—of course, all of this was achieved under the oppressive force of extremely terrifying and severe laws and punishments.

Meanwhile, over the course of hundreds of thousands of years, I have never given up searching for a way to reverse time. However, none of those so-called omnipotent demon lords have been able to accomplish this—it seems that there is no one in the entire hell who can do it.

I gradually began to have doubts. Was Bellica still deceiving me? In reality, there was no way to reverse time in this dimension.

I once offered an astronomical bounty. I even offered an entire level of Hell as a dowry to purchase a method to reverse time from all the intelligent beings in Hell.

The entire underworld was in an uproar. Quite a few people did come, but without exception, they were all frauds. There were even a few idiots who dared to use the most crude illusions to swindle people. As a result, they were each chopped into mincemeat by my demon guards, one by one, and then stuffed into the river to feed the fish.

And so, hundreds of thousands of years passed, the unchanging life in hell nearly driving Gu mad. Until Gu overheard a seemingly insignificant piece of news.

At that time, I was posing on the top floor of my palace tower when I inadvertently saw two palace guards slacking off. I was about to grab them and teach them a lesson for my amusement when I noticed something interesting in their conversation. So I concealed myself and hid beside them to eavesdrop.

Samurai A and Samurai B had just been discussing how attractive the succubus at a certain brothel was. After a laugh, Samurai A suddenly changed the subject and said, "I heard there's a new necromancer who says things that always come true."

Samurai B scoffed, "Are you kidding me?"

Samurai A got a little anxious: "No, it's true. She casually said to an ice demon, 'Are you very cold?' As a result, that ice demon—the one with 100% ice resistance—started shivering. It really felt very cold, and in the end, it couldn't stand it anymore, so it jumped into the lava and turned to ash."

Samurai B hesitated for a moment and said, "This... is probably just some kind of advanced mental magic?"

Samurai A continued, "It's not just that. If it were just that, it could indeed be just mental magic—but then there was another time, she seemed to feel that the environment in Hell was not good—and said, 'I wish it could be like the human world.' As a result, the entire third layer of Hell actually became lush and green. It was the entire first layer of Hell, the whole first layer!"

Samurai B was somewhat surprised this time: "Really?! Did you see it?"

Samurai A appeared very proud: "Of course it's true! I heard it from my uncle myself."

Samurai B looked at him with disdain: "Hey... your drunken uncle? You actually believe what he says? Are you stupid or what?"

Samurai A then added, "That's not right. Apart from my uncle, all the demons on the third level can vouch for me. You can just grab anyone and ask them."

Samurai B still didn't believe it: "Tch. The third level is thousands of miles away from here. Would I really make the trip myself for something so absurd?! It's not worth it."

Samurai A also found it boring: "You know, you..."

At this moment, Gu, who was standing to the side, couldn't stand it any longer. He revealed himself and lifted the two demon warriors up, one in each hand.

The two demon warriors were caught red-handed by me while they were slacking off. Seeing my unfriendly expression, they almost fainted and begged for mercy without hesitation.

"Stop talking!" I said impatiently.

The two demon warriors immediately shut their mouths.

"Answer my questions honestly, or you'll suffer a terrible death!" I said.

The two demon warriors immediately nodded like chickens pecking at rice.

I grunted in response, then tossed Samurai B aside and stared intently at Samurai A.

"Tell me honestly what happened just now."

Samurai A breathed a slight sigh of relief and then stammered as he recounted the story of the necromancer he had mentioned earlier. The content was largely the same, with only minor differences.

"What was that necromancer's name?" Gu asked finally.

“Euclid Wood Helsaz,” Demon Warrior A replied.

"Very well, I will personally investigate this matter. Just don't let me know you lied. Understand?"

Samurai A continued nodding like a chicken pecking at rice. Then he was thrown out by the lone wolf and went to keep Samurai B company.

Eucliwood Helsaz... the power of words?

Perhaps this is the method I've been longing for—the way to reverse time!

With that thought in mind, Gu didn't hesitate and immediately opened the passage to the next level of hell. Then he left.

After a long while, a miserable scream came from the direction of the Demon Prince's palace: "Uncle! You've really screwed me over!!"

Chapter Two: The Pure White Girl

And so, I reached the highest level of hell that I could control.

Next up is enemy-occupied territory.

I rolled my eyes.

Before I arrived, the eight great lords of Hell were attacking each other like madmen. After I arrived, I dealt with three of them. The remaining five, seeing the situation was unfavorable, put aside their differences and joined forces.

Even if those five were tied together, their intelligence wouldn't be half of mine. However, they occupy more than five hundred of the six hundred and sixty-six levels of hell. Their strength far surpasses mine. Therefore, they can barely manage a draw with me.

But after all these years, I haven't found a way to reverse time, so my heart has grown somewhat indifferent. I'm no longer in a hurry to expand my power. Everyone has lived in peace. However, among the other five demon lords, various conflicts have arisen. Although they still address each other as brothers on the surface, undercurrents are surging beneath the surface. This loose and fragile alliance could collapse at any moment.

However, 100,000 years ago, someone predicted that "within three years, this alliance will inevitably collapse. After that, everyone will kill each other."

Three years passed quickly. Then someone predicted: "Within ten years, this alliance will inevitably collapse. After that, everyone will kill each other."

Ten years have passed.

Then someone predicted: "In a hundred years, at most a hundred years, the alliance will definitely collapse."

A hundred years have passed since then.

(Okay, I admit, it's wrong to try and get more words this way.)

I know they won't turn against me. At least not until I die.

However, all these years I have been living within the massive fortress on the 444th floor. To see me is as difficult as ascending to heaven.

But now, I have presented them with an opportunity.

To kill or not to kill. Is there even a question?

And so, my journey has been fraught with bloodshed. Two more of the five Demon Lords have perished this time. Many more of their demon lords have died. Countless ordinary demon soldiers and generals have also perished—finally, in the sixth layer of Hell, I am surrounded. A total of hundreds of billions of demons, layer upon layer, all for me alone.

Tsk, are they going to die?

It really is; it feels quite unpleasant.

Gu rolled his eyes, and pointed the broken Heaven Sword in his hand at the three demon lords opposite him.

"I will not die in vain if I die here today—guess how many of you I will be able to spare today?"

Faced with a formidable foe, I remained calm and composed. With a light chuckle, I employed the simplest and most effective tactic of divide and conquer. Sure enough, the three demon lords exchanged glances, each understanding the other's intentions.

This madman is indeed a great threat—but it's simply not worth dying together with him over this. Even taking another hit wouldn't be good; the other side has two unreliable allies. What if they get malicious intent and see me weakened while injured, then use me to their advantage…

That's almost certain. After all, those who live in Hell aren't exactly saints. Betraying allies is commonplace. In fact, in a place like Hell, simply keeping a promise is the strangest thing.

And so, I escaped with my life. Though my body was almost falling apart. Though I had bled to death. Though two and a half of my three pairs of dark wings had been torn off.

However, I still managed to break through the encirclement.

However, given this situation, I probably won't survive. Unless I revert to my spirit form and quickly find a suitable physical body, I can't save my life.

However, I no longer have the strength to do that.

Damn it, is this what death feels like? He thought vaguely. His whole body felt light. He couldn't feel any pain from his wounds. And he was so tired, so incredibly tired, he just wanted to close his eyes.

"No, no, no, absolutely not, I'll die if I close my eyes. So I have to hold on, hold on... hold on... hold on..."

"I heard you were looking for me." At that moment, an ethereal voice reached my ears, and then I fainted and lost consciousness.

I don't know how much time passed, but I woke up again and opened my eyes. This time, I could finally see her face clearly.

She was as exquisitely beautiful as a doll, with snow-white skin, long silver hair, and an extremely gentle expression.

very beautiful.

I reached out a hand and gently stroked her cheek. She seemed to hesitate slightly, but in the end, she did not refuse.

It's very smooth and very cold.

"May I know your name, lovely girl?" I asked.

“…Euclid Wood Helsaz,” the girl said.

"Are you the necromancer who possesses extremely powerful incantations?" I asked.

She nodded in response.

So that's how it is, so... it really is easy—no, I could say I've already died once. Easy, huh.

Having learned the girl's identity, I felt much more relaxed. After all, I had at least achieved half of my goal. Now, it was time to ask that question.

I struggled to sit up, only to find that my body seemed completely numb. I was quite surprised.

“I’m very sorry, but you’ve already died once before,” Eucliwood said with a hint of apology.

“Miss Eucliwood… what do you mean by that?”