I asked Hyde about the prison guards on the way.
We ran past the punishment facility, which reeked of a foul odor. Finally, we could breathe again. The kinds of guys sent to a place like this must have been some serious bastards.
After passing that area, we started seeing several holes that emitted a faint red light. Steam rose continuously from them. Peeking inside, we saw flames burning brightly. Occasionally, fire would leap out of the holes and dance wildly.
“Please don’t get too close, it’s dangerous.”
Sinners were thrown into those holes, burning while screaming.
“This is where those who commit religious scams go. They are punished for deceiving people by speaking of gods or spiritual matters to gain money, or for causing physical and mental suffering.”
So, it means guys who sold suspicious pots, right? But religious scams are no laughing matter. Many people have died because of them. The damage isn’t limited to the victims themselves; it extends to their families. Some people commit sins that even burning in flames isn’t lenient enough for.
As we walked, being careful of the flames spitting out, a demon suddenly appeared from the front. Seeing us, it widened its mouth into a grin and sneered.
“Heh, what that guy said seems to be true.”
“You shouldn’t be here. Go back to your workplace immediately.”
Despite Hyde’s warning, the demon grinned and began to walk in circles around us.
“One man, several women. How delicious. When was the last time I had a feast like this?”
The demon stuck out its long tongue and licked its lips.
“This is one of the demons who works at the punishment facility ahead, called a Malebranche. They shouldn’t normally be able to come here.”
“What happened to the invisibility helmet you got from the old man? Your small form is completely visible.”
The invisibility helmet? Was that what it was wearing when it fought us? It had a strange design with dog ears and bird wings. It had been wearing it a short while ago, but when did it put it away?
The demon mentioned the invisibility helmet. So, it wasn’t magic that made it invisible, but that item.
Then, two more demons appeared from further back. One of them, a filthy creature with long, messy hair, slithered along the ground and approached Hyde. It breathed a warm, stale breath onto him.
“S-s-s-smells good… I want to lick… lick…”
“Get back. About this matter…”
“You plan to report this to your father? Unfortunately, you can’t leave here. If you have a cute face, this one might find you endearing.”
The demon with the messy hair was panting like a dog, drooling. The other demon, which had approached from behind, crept closer, aiming a spear with iron claws towards us.
“We’ve been doing the same job in the same place for a very long time. We’re getting bored.”
“What happened to Malacoda? He wouldn’t let such foolishness slide.”
“Malacoda was killed by the man who came here. He said he was going to wake up Lucifer! What a delightful fellow!”
I don’t know who Malacoda is, but Hyde was clearly agitated. And Auroa had definitely passed this way. We had to deal with these demons quickly and move forward.
“How dare you! You won’t get away with this!”
Just then, another demon appeared from the side and blew Hyde away. His small body rolled across the ground.
“Ugh…”
“Hyde! Ugh…”
Another demon appeared, blocking our path to Hyde. It had an exceptionally large body with bat wings and a face resembling a dragon. Hyde’s figure was hidden in its shadow.
The dragon’s mouth gaped open and lunged towards us. Philiana’s sword then stabbed it from the side.
“Gugaaar–”
When she pulled it out with a twisting motion, even the formidable demon clutched its wound and stumbled backward.
“Let’s go. We can’t afford to be held up here.”
“Wait, don’t be in such a hurry. A feast after several hundred years.”
The demon, armed, stood in our way. These must be the ones who usually worked in this corner. They had been incited by Auroa and were rampaging. Perhaps they had accumulated quite a bit of pent-up frustration, as they didn’t intend to listen to Hyde, Hades’ son.
“How many of them are there?!”
Before we knew it, we were surrounded by those demons. A red-faced one let out an ear-splitting laugh.
“FEAST, FEAST!!”
It then pounced on Piyo, who was nearby. But just as it was about to reach him, its movements were restrained by chains.
“Ggeee, aahhh…”
“We won’t let you do as you please.”
Hyde, who had gotten back up, had used chains from his coffin to immobilize the demon. The captured demon was then dragged inside.
“Yiiigii!”
“Oops, not so fast.”
One of the companions swung a weapon towards Hyde. He put the chains back into his coffin and dodged the attack.
