At this moment, shatter the dimensional barrier

Rheindott and Esdeath walked toward the magnificent palace.

They soon arrived at their destination, a huge round table where the meeting was to be held, with seven tall, gold and silver thrones evenly distributed around it.

Beelzebub sat at the head of the round table, calmly watching Rheindorf and Esdeath enter, a sense of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a complex emotion encompassing feelings, thoughts, and reflections) in his heart.

As expected of a 'Demon King Candidate', he's about to reach the ninth rank, and it won't be long before he ascends to the throne of gods.

Currently, apart from two 'Demon Candidates' who have reached the peak of the eighth rank, the highest rank of the other demons in the Seven Hells is only the seventh rank, and they are not 'Demon King Candidates' who have comprehended 'Great Sin', but just ordinary Demon Marquises.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Beelzebub." Esdeath naturally sat on the throne, crossed her legs, and said arrogantly, "What did you invite me here for? It's not some boring banquet, is it?"

"You need to speak quickly if you have something to say. I have an important experiment at home. How cruel would it be for a scholar who values ​​knowledge above all else to interrupt the experiment?" Rheindoth casually sat down on the throne.

She didn't think Beelzebub was that powerful. Even though Beelzebub had been on the throne of the gods for a long time, it would be easy for her to embarrass him if she wanted to.

She had even created a demon that the four ruling powers of the Time and Space Realm were powerless against, so how could she possibly have the slightest reverence for a demon king who had ascended to godhood?

I'm only here out of respect for Beelzebub, since the seven hells are inseparable neighbors.

Beelzebub was not annoyed. Instead, his expression changed to be extremely serious: "Esdeath, Rhinedoth, what we are about to discuss is something you must do as I say. This is not a discussion, but an order, an absolute order."

"Whoa~ Absolute command!" Esdeath's eyes were filled with murderous intent upon hearing this. Her index finger, which was placed on the round table, tapped the tabletop repeatedly. The entire palace was instantly dyed crimson by her murderous aura. The Arrogance Rule formed a domain that spread throughout the Demon King's Castle, and even the 'City of Gluttony,' which was larger than a first-tier city, was enveloped within it.

The demons of the entire Gluttony City were frozen in place by this murderous aura, and the weaker demons couldn't even control their fear and knelt on the ground.

"What happened? Have the Demon Kings started fighting?"

"Oh my god! What should we do?!"

Whether it's ordinary demons of the second or third tier, or demon counts and marquises of the sixth or seventh tier, a 'candidate demon king' is still a demon king, no different from a true demon king, and has absolute suppression over them.

“Beelzebub, you dare to try to command me, Esdeath? Be prepared to be killed instead,” Esdeath said, staring at Beelzebub.

Chapter 262: The Vatican Oracle, Unifying All Human Power

"Hehe~" Rhinedoth looked at Beelzebub lazily: "Me too, Beelzebub. You're dreaming if you think you can command me."

Beelzebub's expression remained unchanged, but he was already very dissatisfied. "I have always regarded you as equals among demon kings, even though you have not yet claimed the title of 'true demon king'."

But the gap between us is an indescribable chasm; at least show me respect while you understand the gap.

If I don't show my power as the Demon King today, the 'candidate Demon Kings' will really think of me as just an old Demon King with seniority.

“It’s best not to use your powers in my hell, or I, as the host, will be very unhappy,” Beelzebub said in a heavy voice. After he finished speaking, a crimson power mixed with a hint of black erupted from his body.

It was as if the entire world had been rapidly changed color. Esdeath's Demon Lord domain was easily wiped out, and the Gluttony Domain expanded to the size of the Indian subcontinent in the blink of an eye.

The color of a small area of ​​the lava hell has been altered.

Just then, a 'cursed star' with a diameter of five kilometers that was constantly circulating in the sky of the Seventh Hell was slightly affected by the aura of the Demon King's domain, which changed its trajectory.

This 'evil star' was formed by 'Okan, the god of forging'. A sinner with a sin of 'star quality' will become an 'evil star' in Hell, forever punished in the sky of Hell.

click-

Esdeath was instantly suppressed on the throne, her 'Demon Lord Domain' was torn apart as if it were a piece of paper, and even the power of her authority was suppressed within her body and could not be released, and her bones made cracking sounds.

Esdeath stared through gritted teeth at Beelzebub, who hadn't made any move but had simply unleashed his aura.

Is the difference between a true Demon King and a 'candidate Demon King' really that big?

"..." Rhein-Dort squinted. What was Beelzebub's purpose?

The next moment, Beelzebub withdrew his aura as if nothing had happened, and Esdeath felt a sense of relief.

“It is not that I am giving you orders, but that our mortal enemy has appeared,” Beelzebub said solemnly. “Hell must be united when facing external enemies.”

“I have just returned from the Pantheon, and I will now tell you what happened there.”

Beelzebub embellished the events that occurred in the Pantheon, retelling them in his own altered version.

It's definitely not something that can be said about joyful things happening in the Pantheon, so it's necessary to describe the Pantheon in a more serious manner.

Esdeath and Rheindorf's expressions gradually turned serious as they listened to Beelzebub's words.

After all, this happened at the 'Council of Gods'.

Even though they are now qualified to go to the Pantheon, and have visited it after advancing to the eighth rank, Esdeath left without looking much after sensing the abyss-like divine aura, while Rhinedot did not go again after seeing the four shadows of life, death, time and space.

Being qualified to enter the 'Pantheon' does not mean being qualified to participate in the 'Conference of the Gods'.

This is a supreme assembly of gods, commanded by the supreme god, where all deities, from ordinary gods to the highest god-king, will be present.

“Interesting. The demonic civilization that has assimilated alien civilizations is about to invade the solar system. Tsk tsk tsk, what an unprecedented trial for humanity.” Rheindorf clicked his tongue, his eyes bright: “I’m interested in those aliens. How could I miss such a grand event?”

"Interstellar war, hehehehe, that's amazing, amazing, absolutely amazing!" Esdeath was so excited after hearing this that she couldn't contain herself.

"Space battleships, massive enough to fill the entire edge of the solar system! This is practically a battlefield tailor-made for me!"

As a 'candidate demon king,' she's not some old-fashioned relic. She often goes to the underworld to do some shopping, has bought televisions that receive ley line signals, and has watched many movie and TV channels. Her favorite is science fiction war scenes.

She had always wanted to wage such a grand war, and now it was about to come true.

"Alright, since it's already decided by the gods, then for now, you can be the leader," Esdeath said arrogantly, crossing her legs.

"It's the will of the gods, there's nothing we can do about it," Rheindorf said helplessly.

"That damned demonic civilization could reach the edge of the solar system at any time, so please be prepared for war at any moment," Beelzebub said, a grin spreading across his face.

Demonic civilization, this Demon King is truly looking forward to it.

[Clang—clang—clang—]

The bells of the Demon King's castle rang, and after the Demon King's small meeting ended, all the demon lords entered the Demon King's Council. This was a system that Beelzebub had designed in imitation of the Pantheon.

There are more than three hundred demon lords in the seven levels of hell.

The demon lords of the first three hells combined account for more than 70% of the seven hells. No 'Demon King Candidates' have yet been born in the later hells. Some demons have reached the seventh rank, but they are not ineligible to ascend to the throne of 'Demon King Candidate' due to the 'Great Sin Rule'.

Demons are special; only when a 'candidate demon king' is born can the demons of that level of hell be qualified to share the 'power of great sin'.

The demons of the last four tiers eagerly awaited the birth of the 'candidate demon king'.

They had no intention of seeking refuge with the Demon Kings of the first three realms. The other hells were not their home, and they would not be able to adapt to them. Sending the Ice Demons into the Lava Hell would be torture for them.

……

Vatican City

The Vatican has changed drastically since then.

As the number of clergy in the Holy See increased, the original functions of the Vatican became very crowded. Therefore, Pope Francis summoned the Vatican's fifth-order and above superhumans to work together to lift the entire Vatican to a height of 10,000 meters.

Then, the city expanded outwards from the Vatican, forming the 'Holy City' we know today.

Pope Francis has now become a seventh-order demigod, comprehending fragments of the 'power of redemption', and his 'Eye of God' is already evolving into a 'divine core'. Once the evolution is complete, he will advance to the eighth order.

This is the advantage of the holder of the 'Eye of God'. The Eye of God is the 'prototype of the Divine Core'. As long as one advances to the seventh rank, the Eye of God will automatically evolve.

The reason why those who possess the Eye of God are called 'those who are close to God' is because as long as they keep going and constantly elevate their beliefs, they will definitely reach the eighth rank.

As for perfecting one's powers and advancing to the ninth rank, that depends entirely on one's understanding of the rules. It's normal to stagnate for thousands of years if one's understanding is insufficient.

However, having condensed a divine core and reached the life level, one has already completed a transformation. As long as one is not killed, one will have a lifespan of 30,000 years.

The ninth rank possesses a lifespan of 100,000 years.

As long as the body has not been 'deified' and has not possessed a divine body, then there will be an end to life. Only by becoming a true god can one possess eternal life.

The Sistine Chapel, Vatican City Center

The Sistine Chapel is the largest meeting place, and bishops and high priestesses from all over the world who have reached the fourth rank or above attend every major meeting of the chapel.

At this time, the Vatican had more than 4,000 bishops of the fourth rank and above, 47 cardinals of the fifth rank, and 47 arbitrators.

All twelve judges were promoted to the fifth rank, while the chief judge Conrad and the deputy chief judge Abelon reached the sixth rank.

The entire Sistine Chapel, with its six thousand seats, was almost completely filled.

In the front row, in the seat of the cardinals, a middle-aged man in his forties looked slightly nervous.

“Don’t be nervous, Matsuzaki. Just act like the bishops are having a regular meeting and giving a sermon,” said Adal, one of the twelve arbitrators, patting the cardinal beside him with a smile.

"This is my first time attending a meeting of this level. I don't know what kind of divine decree our Lord has given, so I'm a little at a loss," Matsuzaki said.

If Tendo Kisara and Seitenshi were here, they would find this middle-aged man both familiar and unfamiliar.

He is Matsuzaki, the reincarnation of the man who died in the dark world of bullets. In this life, he remains a staunch believer in God and has advanced to the fifth rank, carrying the beliefs and talents of his previous life.

The next moment, all the bishops fell silent, and the church, which housed more than four thousand people, became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

The Pope, who has been promoted to 'demigod' and is God's representative on earth, and the two judges who have been promoted to legends, have come together.

Pope Francis, who appeared to be in his seventies with gray hair, walked over holding a divinely bestowed scepter and wearing a divinely bestowed crown of thorns. His eyes were kind yet solemn.

It turns out that the scepter and crown of thorns bestowed upon the Pope by Los Saint automatically evolved into "divine weapons" containing "fragments of power." These two items will change according to the Pope's rank, and will always be one rank higher than the Pope.

Conrad, who looked like a young man in his twenties, and Aberrant, who looked like a middle-aged man in his thirties, followed on either side of the Pope with their hands behind their backs.

"This is also the first time in the 1,600-year history of our Holy See that all bishops and above have been summoned outside of the papal election," the Pope said.

“Last night I received a divine message from my Lord, in which I saw an unprecedented crisis.”

As soon as he finished speaking, all the bishops looked solemn, and the atmosphere instantly became heavy. For the Pope to summon all the bishops and use the phrase "unprecedented," the situation must be more dangerous than the Vatican could handle.

"The interstellar fleet of the alien civilization will arrive at the edge of the solar system in the near future, perhaps in three months, perhaps in one month."

"In the oracle, I saw star destroyers that blotted out the sky, almost engulfing the entire solar system. The exact number was impossible to count, but it was at least more than 100,000 star destroyers, each of which was over a kilometer tall."

"Hiss—" All the bishops gasped in horror.

Alien interstellar fleets—they've only ever seen them in science fiction movies. 100,000 star destroyers, each over a kilometer long, would probably obliterate the entire solar system if they fired a single star destroyer.

Before the bishops could react and ask any questions, the Pope continued.

"A crisis is imminent, but the gods above the rank of chief god will not intervene. Other gods will bear most of the pressure, and the rest will be left to all of humanity in the solar system."

"This is a trial given to humanity by our Lord, a trial for humanity to leave the solar system and ascend to become a more powerful civilization."

"If the trial is passed, humanity will truly leave the comfort of its cradle; if the trial is not passed..." The Pope paused here.

Although the Pope didn't say it, everyone understood that all those who failed the trial and participated in the battle had died, and the top elites of human civilization had entered the underworld to await reincarnation.

They failed, and civilization naturally regressed.

"Your Holiness, have other countries and powers learned of this?" A fifth-rank cardinal stood up and asked urgently.