Xiandre kicked the next door wide open, and he and Amelia were met with two guards who fell back in shock.
"Shit, more risen from the dead!" one of the soldiers yelled.
"More risen? Wait, what are you talking about?" Amelia asked.
The other guard trembled in fear but answered, "It was said... only those who managed to defeat all six of the Deadly Sin rulers would come out of that door."
"I thought it wasn't real. Fuck!" the first guard exclaimed.
"Where are we?" Xiandre questioned. As he glanced around, he noticed they were in an underground area.
"Brother! We shouldn't fall like this!" the second guard exclaimed as he stood back up.
"R—right," the other replied.
Both guards pointed their spears at Amelia and Xiandre, and without even a second's hesitation, bones came piercing out of the floor, stabbing the two demons through the chin and out of their mouths. They were still alive, though the pain was excruciating.
Xiandre and Amelia walked away, leaving the two in agony, crying.
As they traversed the underground, they found a staircase that led them into the interior of a castle. Xiandre and Amelia glanced around and realized it was clean and well-decorated, like an actual man-made castle. It wasn't ruined or abandoned — it was lively.
Then, just around the corner of the castle, a group of knights appeared before them — four, to be precise.
"Those are sinners, right?" one of the knights said to the others.
"Y—yeah, you're right," another replied.
"But they don't look like ordinary ones," a third knight added, pointing toward the place where they emerged.
"They're strong enough to defeat the six Deadly Sins!?" one of the knights exclaimed.
They began to panic, realizing these two could end their lives in seconds.
"Hold up, everyone!" their leader said.
The leader looked at Xiandre and Amelia with a serious face, then sighed heavily.
He removed his helmet, revealing skin not pale or dead — it looked human, though horns on his head showed he was still a demon.
"My deepest apologies. If you wouldn't mind... may I ask for both of your names?" the knight asked.
"I guess that wouldn't be a problem, but the two of us still have a lot of questions," Xiandre replied.
"Very well then. You there, boy — may I test your strength?" the leader asked.
His face was aged, bearded, experienced — like any old master.
"I don't see the problem, but I have some conditions," Xiandre said.
"Oh? And what are they?" the knight inquired.
"Can you tell me first what happens if I lose, and what happens if I win?" Xiandre asked.
"I see you're a very thoughtful man. Then I shall answer... if you lose, you die. And if you win, you get to talk to the princess," the knight said before charging at Xiandre full speed.
Xiandre dodged with ease and kicked him directly in the chest. The knight spit blood from the impact as Xiandre followed with a right hook, slamming him through the wall with explosive force.
Immediately, the castle was alerted. More knights arrived at the scene, and one of them wore golden armor — unlike the others who wore iron.
The golden-armored knight sighed in disbelief and approached Xiandre and Amelia.
"Both of you," he said, stepping forward.
Xiandre kept his cold gaze and replied pointing his bone sword, "What? Are you going to try and kill us too?"
The golden knight removed his helmet and dropped it to the ground, then bowed his head.
Xiandre and Amelia were caught off guard by the sudden change in atmosphere, though they kept their cool demeanor.
"I am very sorry for what my comrade has done. I am Knight Paimon, second-in-command to Lucifer himself," he said.
"I see. And what is all of this commotion about?" Xiandre questioned.
"I will explain everything to the two of you. Please follow me to my office," he replied.
"I see," Xiandre responded.
The rest of the demon knights sighed in relief as the knight that had been punched came bursting out of the wall.
Without hesitation, Paimon grabbed him by the head and slammed him into the ground.
"SHUT THE FUCK UP, PURSON, AND BEG FOR HIS FORGIVENESS!" Paimon roared.
Purson, completely intimidated by Paimon's presence, obeyed. "I am very sorry, the two of you..."
Xiandre and Amelia were then led by several knights to Paimon's office.
"What the heck is going on, Xiandre?" Amelia asked.
"I don't know either. But it looks like escaping hell by defeating Lucifer, just like the others, is about to change," Xiandre replied.
The knight leading them opened a door to an office and let them in.
"Here. Can you please wait here while Paimon handles what just happened outside?" the demon knight asked.
"Y—yeah, of course," Amelia replied.
"Thank you," the knight said as he closed the door.
Xiandre sighed heavily, but Amelia called out to him.
"Um, Xiandre — look at that," Amelia said, pointing at the window in the office.
They were both left in shock.
The two approached the window. Outside was an entire world — skies, but not blue — they were red. A sun, but it was black. People roamed, but all of them had horns. It wasn't peaceful like their previous home.
This was clearly another dimension.
"Looks like hell isn't underground after all — it's actually in another dimension," Amelia commented.
"And it looks like we need to traverse our way out of this world in order to escape hell itself," Xiandre added just as Paimon entered the room.
Paimon calmly arranged a seat for them, though there were only two chairs.
"You can have my chair," he offered.
"No need. Amelia, sit in the chair he offered. I'll stay here by the window and listen to you explain everything, Paimon," Xiandre said.
"U—understood," Paimon replied.
"Since you didn't get a chance to fully introduce yourself earlier, why not do so now?" Xiandre asked.
"Of course. I am Paimon, second-hand of Lucifer and commander of 200 legions. I'm the strongest among the Ars Goetia," he declared.
"Ars Goetia, huh... It was said in the Bible back in my world that you were all fallen angels, and there are 72 of you rulers in total, right?" Amelia asked.
"That's correct. I'm the strongest of all and hold the highest authority among the Ars Goetia," he responded.
"I see. So what is this place we're currently in? I know it's hell, but I thought we passed through six floors that would lead us to another — just like the rest. An empty, corrupted wasteland where we defeat the ruler and escape," Xiandre said.
"Yes. Well, the place you're in now is the dimension of Hell. This city is called the Seventh World of Hell. The previous worlds were destroyed by angels who came here to try and exterminate all demons," Paimon explained. "But there were simply too many of us. Eventually, they gave up. The only world that remained was the one Lucifer rules — the rest became ruined lands underground."
"I see. So these people living here — are they demons?" Xiandre asked.
"Actually, no. They're sinners. People who died and became citizens of hell. Almost all pure demons are dead or corrupted. Only four of the Ars Goetia remain," Paimon said.
"The angels did you all dirty, huh?" Xiandre commented.
"Not just the angels. There was also one girl who climbed out of here and killed one of the Seven Deadly Sins — despite them being immortal," Paimon said.
"Oh really? And who is this girl you're talking about?" Xiandre asked, turning to face him.
"Her name is Scarlett Grimore," Paimon answered, his tone serious.
"This girl, Scarlett Grimore, might have been the one who murdered the ruler of Sloth itself. No wonder she had the power to ruin one of the seven worlds of hell. And if Mammon was telling the truth, this girl is also the first one who ever climbed out of hell," Xiandre muttered in his thoughts.
"I see. Anyways, let's get to the point already," Xiandre exclaimed.
"Where is Lucifer? And what shall I do to rise out of here?" Xiandre questioned.
"I see, you're no man for small talks. Well then... you can find the mansion of Lucifer north from this castle. There, you'd have to defeat Lucifer in order to open the gates of hell," Paimon explained.
"And where is this gate of hell actually located?" Xiandre questioned.
"The gate to hell is in the skies above Lucifer's mansion. Once you defeat him, a massive portal will open above it and eventually begin to slowly close afterward," Paimon explained.
"Close? And why is that?" Xiandre pressed.
"That's because the only way to open the gates of hell is to kill Lucifer. He will take around one minute before he comes back to life, just like the rest of the rulers of the Deadly Sins," Paimon continued. "And in those one minute, the gate will slowly close. If that one minute ends and Lord Lucifer comes back to life, fully healed and powered, he will continue to attack you again until you both die."
"And why tell us all this information? And who actually told you to reveal such information to us?" Xiandre questioned.
"Well, the one who told me to tell you — those who came out of the door from the previous worlds — is... Lucifer himself," Paimon answered bluntly.
"I see. So you're telling us Lucifer wants us to get out of hell because we're not sinners and are forced to use the path of hell in order to escape?" Xiandre questioned.
"Very much indeed," Paimon confirmed.
"Then why not just let us out of here instantly? I mean, if they want us to leave, then just get us out of here," Xiandre questioned calmly.
"Well, despite the demons knowing it's not your guys' fault for falling into their territories, some demons are still territorial. And besides, Lucifer himself is the ruler of Pride — he won't let you both escape that easily out of his grasp, despite not being sinners," Paimon exclaimed.
"I see. Then we will take our leave now. Thanks for the information," Xiandre said calmly.
"Your company is always a pleasure, you non-sinners," Paimon inquired.
Xiandre glanced at Amelia in the chair and realized she had fallen asleep.
"Looks like she actually got tired from all of your travels," Paimon commented.
Xiandre smiled and poked Amelia's cheek, attempting to wake her up, but she showed no signs of waking.
"Uwaa, just five more minutes..." Amelia murmured.
"That's not possible, Amelia. We gotta go now," Xiandre replied.
"Uwaa, well, I can only be woken up by the kiss of my prince," Amelia replied back.
Xiandre sighed as he ducked down and kissed Amelia on the lips, waking her up immediately.
"Chu~"
"Eh, you actually did, hehe," Amelia said as she stood back to her feet.
"Okay, let's go," Amelia inquired.
"Oh yeah, one last thing — everything that happened across the dimension of your previous world and the new one is always being watched by the Angels and God himself," Paimon added.
Xiandre ignored Paimon as he and Amelia exited Paimon's office, walking through the hallway of the castle.
Xiandre and Amelia walked in silence, and Xiandre was lost in deep thoughts.
"Non-sinners? Give me a break. From the countless murders I have committed, I'm no different from that princess Millie."
"This world is controlled by other people's desires. If a man who doesn't have authority speaks of justice, he is saying it with the purity of his heart. But if that same person is given power or authority and says he speaks for justice, he's a rotting liar on the inside. Men will always pick their desires over the world. That's what it means to be human," Xiandre reflected.
Amelia realized this and held Xiandre's left hand tightly. Xiandre immediately came back to his senses and glanced at her.
"You don't need to overthink everything. Just know I'll always be by your side," Amelia said with a smile, her cheeks red.