Chapter 719: Final - of the Crown of Sin

Chapter 719: Final Chapter of the Crown of Sin

At the deepest part of the palace was a massive magma pool, filled with solidified lava, glowing red chains, and blood-stained instruments of torture.

This used to be the place where Bael imprisoned Zariel, but now it had become Zariel’s bedchamber, and the fallen angel sat at its center.

Her eyes were closed, wings folded, seated on an iron throne forged from blades and demonic bones, surrounded by hellfire, emanating the terrifying pressure of Avernus.

Zariel had projected most of her power into the material plane, leaving her true body in Avernus solely to maintain the link between the two realms.

At this moment, the clash between the will of Avernus and the material plane had reached a fever pitch, causing the entire Avernus to quake—land cracking, volcanoes erupting, and many lesser devils dying in the chaos.

As the contract’s binder for this "Descent into Hell," Zariel also bore the full weight of the strain—physically, mentally, and even spiritually—on her own. And her avatar was still battling Cassius.

"Scorched lands split the rivers, iron cities bite fire, bones piled into mountains, blood congeals into seas, eternal night without sleep—"

A song of hell played. If any ordinary devil intruded uninvited, they’d be instantly seized by Avernus’s power, branded in soul, and enslaved by Zariel for eternity.

But Bael was no ordinary being—he was a mighty Infernal Hellforger and former lord of Avernus, with a will of iron.

"The throne of Avernus..."

Bael looked upon that throne encrusted with bones and blades. His lava-like eyes showed no fear, only unending greed, as if he could already see himself seated upon it.

Green venom dripped from the corner of his mouth, hissing as it corroded deep pits into the ground.

Nearly a thousand years ago, Bael had been Zariel’s top commander. In secret, he contacted Mephisto and Beelzebub, then betrayed his mistress in a swift coup to claim Avernus’s throne.

Centuries later, due to setbacks in the Blood War, the Lord of the Nine Hells, Asmodeus, dismissed him and reinstated Zariel, turning Bael into a vagabond.

Bael’s greatest regret wasn’t the betrayal, but that he hadn’t figured out how to kill Zariel—he had only imprisoned her.

And now, Bael had returned, standing once again before the throne that haunted his soul.

"The throne of Avernus..."

Bael stared fiercely at the fallen angel ahead, laughing maniacally and murmuring, "Hahaha... Zariel, that place was always mine—"

His voice grew louder, morphing into a thunderous roar. "—and always will be!"

Before his voice had faded, Bael flapped his enormous bat-like wings, seized his burning greatsword, and lunged at Zariel.

"Clang—"

In an instant, the infernal wards Zariel had placed around her chamber were triggered. Countless hellchains erupted from the magma, hissing like giant serpents as they struck toward Bael.

But Bael was ready. With a single slash, he severed the chains cleanly.

Scarlet lightning roared down, torrents of fire surged forward, and a deluge of infernal power transformed into deadly toxic fumes, threatening to engulf the Infernal Hellforger.

These were devastating infernal spells, enough to reduce any intruder to ash.

But Bael had prepared for centuries for this very moment.

The twelve angel heads hanging from his belt opened their mouths, shrieking with immense resentment, releasing eerie shockwaves that dispersed all the thunder and fire.

Bael flapped his wings and shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow. The clashing energy warped space itself. The Infernal Hellforger tore through over a dozen blood-colored barriers and appeared directly before Zariel.

"Hahaha, Zariel, finally, I can..."

Amidst the rippling space, Bael drew a longsword from the void.

It was forged from celestial steel, silver in hue, etched with complex patterns, emitting a faint glow and a pure hum, radiating holy energy entirely out of place in Hell.

This was Zariel’s Sword, the weapon she wielded when she was still an angel. After her fall, it changed hands many times before ending up with Bael.

Just holding it made Bael’s hand sizzle and burn with black scars.

Yet Bael only grinned fiercely and roared, "To kill you with your own sword!"

The runes carved into Zariel’s Sword lit up, emanating a brilliance that made even devils tremble.

Gripping it with both hands, Bael, ignoring his burning body, thrust it like an executioner straight toward Zariel’s chest.

The infernal chestplate cracked apart. The sword pierced flesh, reaching Zariel’s heart.

The Hell Lord’s eyes flew open. Her golden pupils blazed with stunning intensity.

"Bael! You—colluded with outsiders—" Zariel’s roar shattered sulfuric stone across a hundred feet, while crimson lightning rained from the sky and hellfire surged from all sides.

"You’ve betrayed the will of the Nine Hells! You’ll pay for this!"

This was Zariel’s fury—the wrath of the Lord of Avernus!

But Bael had made up his mind. He would never back down.

Facing the apocalyptic storm of power, the Infernal Hellforger bared his teeth and roared, "Farewell, Zariel! That red dragon will tear your soul to shreds!"

In a burst of power, Bael’s arms bulged with veins as he drove the holy sword deep into her heart.

"Shhhk—"

The blade tore through flesh.

As if sensing their master’s fall, a wail of sorrow spread across the sky.

The earth shook violently. The blood-red sky trembled as if a monstrous beast was about to descend. Devils across the plane looked up in unease.

They knew—Avernus was about to change hands again.

Material Plane.

Thrace Kingdom, August.

In the sky, the Black Sun opened a bloodshot eye, and scarlet cracks spread across the heavens, from which devils surged like a tide.

Beneath the blood-red light, the red dragon’s massive body rose and fell with each breath like a crimson mountain. Beneath him was a hundred-meter-wide crater.

Cassius pinned Zariel tightly to the ground with his claws. The force he exerted caused the earth to crack with repeated "kacha" sounds.

Zariel coughed up dark red blood and rasped, "Red dragon, I am the master of the Blood War. Kill me, and you’ll shatter the cosmic balance. The consequences will be unimaginable—

And the Lord of the Nine Hells will never forgive you." Her voice faltered, clearly struggling.

"Do you really think you’re irreplaceable?"

Cassius shook his head and sneered. "Honestly, you’re just a convenient blade for Asmodeus. If someone better comes along, you’ll be tossed aside without hesitation."

"N-no, impossible! You don’t understand the essence of the Blood War!" Zariel’s voice was agitated.

But soon, she seemed to be struck by lightning. Her wings drooped weakly, and her power drained rapidly.

"How... how can this be?"

Zariel froze, disbelief in her eyes as she looked down—embedded in her chest was an ethereal silver longsword: Zariel’s Sword, the weapon she had once wielded as a Seraphim.

The fate of her true body in Hell had already echoed into the Material Plane. Zariel struggled violently, desperate for a final chance—but Cassius would not give her one.

"Looks like my ally couldn’t wait any longer." Cassius grinned, pressing Zariel to the ground and extending his claw bearing the Execution Blade.

"Zariel, do you know what your greatest mistake was?"

"Shhhk—"

Before she could reply, Cassius slashed. Silver-white flames of order and the holy radiance of heaven burst forth.

The Execution Blade pierced Zariel’s chest, and her blood vaporized into dark red mist in the divine light.

"Your greatest mistake was standing in my way. Standing in the path of the Ember Empire."

"Boom—"

Thunder cracked across the sky. At the moment the blade touched her heart, the suppressed angelic essence exploded forth.

The scorched holy runes on Zariel’s breastplate lit up like dawn breaking through clouds. Chains wrapped around her ruined wings shattered one by one.

Her pupils lost their sulfur hue, briefly returning to the azure blue of a Seraphim.

"This is..."

Amid the searing pain, visions flooded Zariel’s mind:

She saw her radiant days upon Mount Celestia, her anguish over the Blood War’s devastation, and her determined fall into Hell.

Back then, she had vowed to end the eternal torment and bring a brighter future to the cosmos—even if it meant falling into Hell unflinching.

But now, she saw burning cities beneath her iron hooves, tens of thousands of mortals crying under her tyranny, innocent souls screaming beneath her whip.

She saw endless tragic images—many no less horrific than the Blood War itself.

The lingering holy power within her awakened the last shred of conscience she held as an angel.

"So this... is my atonement." Zariel gave a bitter laugh, clutching the blade in her chest as holy fire scorched her palm.

"Fwoosh—"

Zariel gritted her teeth and drove the longsword completely into her heart.

Hellfire and holy flame collided, clashed, and annihilated each other, creating a hundred-meter-wide vortex of flame. Under the chaotic energy, her body crystallized, large parts of it vanishing into the air.

"Tell Bael..." At the very end, the dying Zariel gave the red dragon a mocking smile. "There are no victors in Hell."

At last, the fallen angel’s body turned entirely to ash, scattering on the wind. Only a crimson crystal remained—Hellcore, a rare substance formed from a Hell Lord’s soul.

Cassius picked up the crystal with a claw and swallowed it into an extradimensional space within his body. Then, with a beat of his wings, he soared into the sky with a surge of burning wind.

With Zariel’s death, the link between Avernus and the Material Plane collapsed. The Black Sun in the sky wept blood and slowly closed its eye.

Amid spatial distortion, the Black Sun faded, twisted, and vanished into nothingness.

The entire Material Plane seemed to burst into joyous celebration.

The dark clouds blanketing the sky dissipated. Spatial rifts sealed. The blood-colored light faded—replaced by the radiance of [Holy Day].

Even the devils locked in battle noticed something was wrong.

"No, no—Lady Zariel has been slain!"

"By the Nine Hells!"

The bodies of lesser devils and imps cracked like ceramic. Screaming, they fled toward the Hell Rifts, vanishing as spectral shadows.

"This—this can’t be happening! How could Lady Zariel die?!" The Infernal Hellforgers howled in denial—but it was too late.

The Gates of Hell opened slowly. Countless chains emerged and dragged their bodies back into the Nine Hells.

Compared to lesser devils, these mighty Hellforgers were more terrified and disoriented, even showing signs of despair.

Because they knew—if Bael reclaimed the throne, Avernus would be upended. Their status, power, and even lives could all vanish in the coming purge.

Worse yet, many of Zariel’s closest followers had once helped overthrow Bael.

Inside August City, the now masterless Holy Guard began to burn, their bodies turning to charred husks, wings dissolving into ash that scattered to the wind.

In just minutes, every devil near August vanished from the Material Plane, leaving behind scorched earth and devastation.

The light of [Holy Day] shone upon the land, illuminating the battle-torn world. Around August City, congealed magma lay everywhere.

Imperials and Thracians who had just survived the battle against the devil army looked skyward in unison.

"By Amanata..."

"It’s... it’s His Majesty Cassius!"

"He slew the devil, ended the calamity, and brought back the light!"

"Glory to the Great Red Dragon! Long live His Majesty Cassius—the true Sun King!"

High above, the red dragon carried the blazing sun in his jaws, wings outstretched. His crimson-gold scales shimmered in the light, his outline haloed in divine brilliance.

Cassius roared, "As long as I live, August shall forever bask in the sun’s glory!"

"Long live the Empire!"

"Long live His Majesty Cassius!"

In that moment, beneath the sunlight, nearly everyone—regardless of gender, age, or race—cheered madly. Many were weeping, overwhelmed with emotion.

After the despair of the sunless days, they now revered the emperor who had saved August from Hell.

Their cries surged like tidal waves, wave after wave, unending.

Cassius gazed down with his pale golden eyes, feeling the surging power of faith rise into his body.

A new line of text appeared on his panel:

[Oathbreaker]

"You tore apart the oldest infernal contract, judged purgatory’s power with a mortal’s hand—every crack in the Hell Crown is a testament to your legacy."