City of Sin (Yanyu Jiangnan)

Persuasion

The legendary mage didn’t want others to visit her semiplane. Be it the weyr, the magic lake, the elemental pools, or the energy absorbing trees, the were all things that would cause a sensation on the mainland. Gaton was just an exception, and Sharon wasn’t worried about him because he was due on his debts. In the foreseeable future at least, it would be impossible for him to pay them off, meaning his future was tightly under her control.

Gaton would never have the thought of cheating her. He was an Archeron, and every one of them was extremely proud, cherishing their honour. He would rather fight in a field of blood and fire night and day to earn a scanty profit than owe a debt.

Of course, cheating a legendary mage, especially one like Sharon, was a dangerous thing to try. The half-built weyr alone was enough proof that even huge dragons paid a price for such actions. And they didn’t even owe her anything!

Sharon cast a glance at the dozens of people who were stuck inside the barrier, frowning as she said unpleasantly, “Why are only eight of your rune knights here? Where are the rest? And those at the back, are they grade 2 rune knights? Are they just here to make up for the shortfall?”

Gaton shook his head, “The rest need to guard our island in Faust, the war there has yet to end. Cyrden’s abilities aren’t suitable for the environment in hell, so it’s useless for them to go. I brought thirty grade 2 rune knights; these are elites that have followed me for a long time. They’re not very strong individually, but they have unimaginable prowess as a team! Even hundreds of devils led by a few greater devils will have to retreat in defeat. Combined, this thirty man troop isn’t much worse than the other eight!”

Sharon spreaded her hands, “Alright! I don’t know how to fight in hell, I’m not as familiar with it as you are. I’ll believe you this once. But I’ve never been to hell, are you sure we have to kill enough devils for the archdevil to listen to us?”

“Yes!” Gaton spoke with certainty, “We Archerons have traces of demon blood in us. The strongest of our ancestors have all experienced battles in hell, the devils are the creatures we hate the most. The family records on the places are rich and accurate; I can guarantee that killing enough of their number will cause the archdevil to listen to what we say. If you kill enough, he might even believe everything you say!”

Sharon held her own chin as she thought out loud, “That sounds interesting… But we should also take note of…”

Her expression suddenly grew very dangerous, as her speech slowed down, “It doesn’t matter. This time I’ll make sure to leave a deep impression on the archdevil, so he’ll consider every suggestion I make in the future. Alright, I’ll start the teleportation gate! I spent a lot of money to get the coordinates of one of the hells from an old guy. Sigh, even though it isn’t easy to find one already ready to invade Norland, the feeling of being extorted still makes me unhappy! I hope the rewards this time are sufficient to make up for the loss!”

There was a lot of emphasis on the word ‘rewards.’

A moment later, the busy enchanted puppets and elven servants had built a new teleportation gate within that magic barrier. Waves of damp, corrosive air wafted through the portal the moment it formed, and the faint roars of a beast sounded out from the other side.

Gaton lifted his two-handed sword with a groan, the blade lighting up with abyssal flames. He walked into the portal, the first of the lot to rush into hell. Behind him, his eight knights entered battle formation as they entered the portal as well. A neat box formation of thirty rune knights followed after, each one comparable to level 18. They were a significant power no matter where they went, and unlike individuals they were an entire army!

The legendary mage was the last to move, lifting her robes as she hopped through the portal. With that, the portal went quiet as though nothing had happened.

The puppets and elven servants remained busy, continuing to carry out Sharon’s previous orders. They rebuilt the screen of light that had surrounded the Archerons, preparing boxes, chests, and even a flying ship that were all spoils of a previous battle. Naturally, the cages Sharon wanted were prepared as well.

It only took a few minutes for the portal to open once more. This time, the regular rune knights came out first. Their armour and weapons were badly damaged, stained with blood everywhere. Some of their wounds were still emitting green smoke, corroded by devil blood. Of the thirty rune knights who’d gone in, only twenty one had come out. One could see what a disaster the battle was.

Soon after, Gaton’s subordinates stepped out of the portal one after the other. They were all injured, but fortunately none were lost. However, Kaylen had to be dragged out by her twin. She was motionless, stuck between life and death with serious wounds all over. There were three deep cracks on her fort-like armour, constantly emitting smoke.

The moment Asiris stepped out of the portal, he immediately began treating her. He constantly flipped through a divine book covered in black leather, casting spells that healed, cleansed, and blessed her. The cleansing spell was used repeatedly, but Kaylen only let out the occasional soft groan as she still couldn’t move her body at all. It was obvious that the injury was barely being controlled, and it wouldn’t get better like this.

Gaton’s roar sounded from behind the portal, after which an extremely strong aura passed through and permeated the semiplane. A strong pressure was exerted on everyone present, and suddenly the volume of green smoke arising from everyone’s wounds rose. Both of Asiris’ hands trembled, his spells almost being stopped. He clenched his teeth and tore up a scroll, following which a stronger blessing landed on Kaylen’s body. That was the only reason the situation didn’t grow worse.

The energy absorbing trees in the semiplane suddenly swayed rapidly, breaking down the frightening aura in an instant and absorbing it. Following that, an even more furious roar resounded from the portal, the sheer volume causing the island to shake.

Gaton’s roars were still sounding everywhere, but Sharon’s voice soon interrupted him without being buried by the noise, “Why aren’t you going back? What are you still waiting for? Go, don’t block the way!”

Gaton suddenly flew out of the portal, a fair foot appearing behind him at the same time. It was apparent that Sharon had kicked him out, his body barrelling through the air as he fell straight to the ground. Unlike his normal majestic posture, he was now covered in blood all over his body. Half his hair had been singed by devil blood, now looking like a bunch of steel wire. The flames on his sword had long since been extinguished, the blade full of holes. It was unknown just how many devils he had killed, but the man stood there with great vigour.

For her part, Sharon showed no signs of following. Her foot pulled back from the portal as a crisp voice sounded out, “I’ll deal with this guy!”

The portal shook violently. It was evident the collision of power between the two parties was so strong that its very stability was being threatened. The devil’s roar was getting louder and angrier, but it was interrupted by the sound of a dragon. As more dragon roars joined the fray, the devil’s own weakened rapidly as it disappeared into the distance.