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Yellow Devil

Witnessing Lucifer lose only one arm to the explosion of the Holy Warhorse, Forseti couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret.

But he couldn't linger. His sacred mana was nearly depleted, and his injuries were worsening. He needed to flee as soon as possible.

Out of the corner of his eye, Forseti spotted a glint. He reached out and grabbed it—a gold and silver ring.

Lucifer's ring?

Forseti didn't dwell on it. He tossed the ring into the Holy Tome's space, and the wings of holy light transformed into a golden rainbow, streaking away.

The aftermath of the Holy Warhorse's explosion cleared. Lucifer, clutching his injured arm, gasped heavily. After a brief recovery, Forseti's figure vanished into the horizon.

Suddenly, five fallen angels arrived. Seeing Lucifer's injury, their expressions turned grave. "Lord Lucifer!"

Lucifer surveyed them, still catching his breath. "Have you sensed the magical presence here?"

"Yes, my lord..." The fallen angels scanned the area. "There's a power hostile to demons, akin to celestial fire?"

"Stronger than celestial fire," Lucifer stated grimly. "He's killed Kazan and maimed me."

Lucifer commanded, "The Asgardian isn't faring much better. He's badly hurt and infused with that same magic. Find him immediately; his presence is like a beacon in hell."

"Yes, my lord," the fallen angels replied.

As they departed, Lucifer's expression shifted, as if he remembered something. He beckoned, but nothing responded.

"The ring..." He muttered, brows furrowed, lost in distant memories.

Forseti flew through the skies, but soon fatigue set in. His sacred mana depleted, the wings of holy light dissipated, and he stumbled from the air.

However, the Eye of Reckoning remained active, consuming minimal mana.

Forseti glanced back and spotted a faint blood-red light dotting the horizon.

They're coming!

Thinking quickly, Forseti recalled the Holy Tome's Night Elf disguise and promptly assumed the form.

The Holy Tome's disguise was flawless. Forseti transformed into a Night Elf not only in appearance but also in attire, seamlessly blending into the infernal landscape—a far less conspicuous sight than his true form.

Before long, a fallen angel swooped down. "Have you seen an outsider?"

"Yes, my lord," Forseti replied promptly. "A blond man flew past here just moments ago. He was incredibly fast and disappeared almost instantly."

"Where did he go?" inquired the fallen angel.

"There." Forseti gestured nonchalantly.

Nodding, the fallen angel took off once more, vanishing into hell's sky in a blink.

Phew...

Forseti exhaled, relieved at the reliability of the Holy Tome's disguise.

He had worried the Holy Light's aura might arouse suspicion, but the disguise not only altered his appearance but also concealed his aura flawlessly.

The disguise had a time limit. Until it expired, Forseti needn't fear detection by fallen angels.

With time to spare, Forseti found a secluded cave, settling in to recuperate.

While resting, he perused the Holy Tome.

Unsurprisingly, by slaying Kazan or Malachi, Forseti had achieved a salvation, offering a choice between two spells: Holy Prism and Holy Storm.

After some consideration, Forseti selected Holy Storm.

A potent area-of-effect spell, Holy Storm was a signature of Retribution Knights. Forseti had long wished to wield this spell against hordes of enemies, now his wish was fulfilled.

Reviewing the spell book, a question nagged at Forseti: Was tome's decision to save the world influenced by Kazan's death or Malachi's?

Despite Kazan's formidable demon status, the greater threat to the world likely lurked with Malachi in heaven.

Thanks to the innate resilience of the Aesir, most of Forseti's wounds had healed within an hour, save for the abdominal wound which stubbornly bled, tainted by lingering dark purple flames.

With some mana restored, Forseti cast a surge of holy light upon himself.

The flash of holy light annihilated the magical flames, causing his wound to swiftly regenerate, closing entirely.

Time to return. Forseti began channeling the Hearthstone.

But just as he focused on the Hearthstone, an unexpected sight greeted him—a corpulent figure crashing into the cave, his considerable weight almost knocking Forseti off his feet.

Damn!

Forseti reacted swiftly, withdrawing his weapon and activating the Eye of Reckoning to examine the unconscious intruder.

Upon inspection, Forseti's eyes widened in surprise.

The aura, intrinsically bound to hell, marked this corpulent man as a devil despite his humanoid appearance.

It wasn't the demon's presence that astonished Forseti—after all, demons were commonplace in hell, ubiquitous as roadside weeds.

What truly amazed him was the color of the demon's reckoning.

Yellow.

In the Eye of Reckoning, living beings' colors denoted their depths of sin—ranging from white to yellow, and from light to dark red.

As a seasoned warrior who had traversed the Nine Realms, Forseti had seen much. Yet never before had he encountered a demon with yellow reckoning.

Considering that demons typically bore red reckoning, this yellow hue suggested this demon might be among the most benevolent of his kind.

Surveying the hefty figure before him, Forseti stroked his chin, deep in thought.