Chapter : 1841

  "Like I said," Lloyd replied, leaning against a pillar to catch his breath, maintaining his professional distance. "Maintenance. Don't get used to it. The sludge will start building up again the moment you stop moving. You have a week, maybe two, before you need another flush."

  Monalisa smiled. It was a real smile, rare and beautiful. "A week is an eternity for someone who has slept for centuries. I will not waste it."

  She raised her hand. The shadows in the corner of the room began to swirl. They twisted and turned, forming a dark, spiraling doorway.

  "You kept your word, Doctor. So I will keep mine."

  She pointed to the portal. "This is a Shadow Path. It is a secret vein of the Abyss that connects the territories. It bypasses the border guards, the checkpoints, and the toll bridges. It will deposit you directly into the outskirts of the Gluttony State."

  She snapped her fingers, and three small, bat-like creatures materialized from the air. They were Imps, but they looked transparent, like ghosts.

  "These are my Eyes," Monalisa explained. "They are part of my intelligence network. Take them. They know where Rubel is hiding. They tell me he has sought refuge in Gator City, under the protection of Beelzebub."

  Lloyd nodded, accepting the information. "Gator City. Beelzebub. Of course, he went to the biggest eater to hide. That makes sense."

  "Rubel is no longer just running," Monalisa warned, leaning in to whisper in his ear. "He has offered something to Beelzebub in exchange for power. He is dangerous now. But..." She pulled back, her eyes raking over Lloyd’s chest plate. "I suspect you two are worse."

  "We'll see," Lloyd said. He signaled to the door. "Ben, unlock it. We're leaving."

  Ben released his Stasis field and the hold on the door hinges. The grey aura vanished. He walked over, his heavy boots thudding on the floor. He didn't bow to the Demon Prince. He simply looked her up and down, unimpressed.

  "You look less dusty," Ben commented dryly. "Try not to break yourself again. I don't want to come back here. The decor is depressing."

  Monalisa laughed, a clear, bell-like sound. "Go, Iron Knight. Keep your mechanic safe." She looked at Lloyd one last time, her eyes flashing. "If he dies, I will be very upset. I might have to destroy the world if I cannot get my tune-up next week. And Lloyd... I still owe you that dance."

  "I'll keep that in mind," Lloyd said dryly.

  He walked to the Shadow Path. He paused for a moment, looking back at the pile of black dust on the floor—the physical proof of his success. He had turned a divine curse into a pile of dirt. It was a good day's work for an engineer.

  "See you in a week, Monalisa," Lloyd said. "Try to get some exercise. Maybe go for a jog. It helps with the circulation."

  With that final piece of medical advice, Lloyd stepped into the swirling darkness of the portal. Ben followed him, shaking his head at the absurdity of it all, and the shadows swallowed them whole, whisking them away from the Palace of Stillness and toward the hungry jaws of the Gluttony State.

  Part 1

  The transition from the territory of Sloth to the territory of Gluttony was not instantaneous. It happened gradually as Lloyd Ferrum and Ben Ferrum moved through the "Shadow Path." This path was a secret tunnel that existed beneath the surface of the Abyss, a hidden vein of darkness that bypassed the usual border guards and toll bridges. It was a strategic asset provided by Monalisa Belphagor, though Ben suspected she only offered it to get them out of her throne room faster so she could enjoy her newfound mobility.

  The tunnel was quiet, but it wasn't a peaceful quiet. It was the silence of a deep bunker where the air felt heavy, recycled, and old. The walls were made of swirling grey mist that looked solid but felt cold and damp if you touched it, like wet concrete that refused to set.

  Lloyd walked in front, his black coat blending into the shadows. He looked calm, maintaining that familiar, bored expression that masked a mind running a thousand simulations a second. Beside him, Ben, the Ironwood Sovereign, walked with the heavy, rhythmic gait of a mechanized infantry unit. Ben was a large man, encased in heavy, jagged armor that he had forged himself. His prosthetic limbs didn't hum with polite magic; they radiated a low, gravitational pressure that warped the air around him.

  Chapter : 1842

  "Intel check," Ben said, his voice echoing slightly in the tunnel. It wasn't a question; it was a demand for a sit-rep. "Monalisa’s network claims Rubel is in Gator City. Guest of honor status. That implies leverage."

  "He has value," Lloyd replied, his tone flat and sarcastic. "Or at least, he thinks he does. Rubel is a traitor who knows the secrets of the Ferrum family. He knows about our defenses, our economy, and our magic. To a Devil Prince who wants to invade the surface world, Rubel isn't a meal yet. He is a technical manual."

  Ben scoffed, the sound like a grinder hitting stone. "He’s a walking data breach. Beelzebub doesn't host humans; he consumes them. If Rubel is alive, it’s because he’s dripping feeding the enemy our proprietary secrets. It makes me sick. I should have crushed his skull back at the estate when I had the chance."

  "Rubel always had a big appetite," Lloyd muttered. "He wanted the Duchy. He wanted power. It makes sense that he ran to the Prince of Gluttony. He probably fits right in with all the other hungry monsters. I bet they swap recipes on how to cook a betrayal."

  They continued walking for another hour until the grey mist of the tunnel began to change. The air grew warmer. It started to smell different. The clean, dusty smell of the Sloth territory faded away, replaced by something thick, humid, and sweet. It smelled like overripe fruit that had fallen on the ground and started to rot in the sun. It smelled like wet iron and sugar.

  "Exfiltration point ahead," Lloyd warned, checking his HUD. He stopped walking and turned to Ben. "We can't go out there looking like this. Two humans in shiny, high-grade armor walking into the land of Gluttony is like driving a tank through a library. It draws fire. We need to go dark."

  Lloyd raised his hand, and a small ripple appeared in the air. He opened his "Spatial Inventory," a pocket dimension where he stored his supplies. He reached in and pulled out a bundle of strange clothes.

  "Catch," Lloyd said, tossing a pile of dark, oily leather to Ben.

  Ben caught the bundle with his prosthetic hand, his grip crushing the fabric slightly. He inspected it with a critical eye. The material felt slick and warm, as if it had recently been peeled off a living creature. "Demon leather. Swamp Stalker hide. Decent thermal insulation, but the durability is trash. Still, better than sticking out like a beacon."

  "It masks the visual signature," Lloyd explained as he began to unbutton his own coat. "But visual isn't enough. We need to scrub our scent."

  Lloyd pulled out two small glass vials. The liquid inside was a murky, bubbling green. He popped the cork on one, and immediately, a terrible stench filled the tunnel. It smelled like rotten eggs, burnt hair, and old garbage water.

  Ben didn't gag. He didn't flinch. He simply sniffed the air once, analyzing the chemical composition, and nodded approvingly. "Sulfur, ammonia, and... fermented bio-waste. It smells like the trenches in Sector 4 after a chemical strike. Standard operating procedure for infiltration. Good."

  "It’s 'Eau de Goblin'," Lloyd joked, keeping a straight face. "Or at least, a very strong alchemical imitation of high-level demon sweat. Apply it to the armor joints and the neck. If we smell like soap and fresh air, every monster within ten miles will try to eat us."

  Efficiently, Ben applied the foul-smelling liquid to his armor and skin. He treated it like applying camouflage paint before a mission, rubbing the grime into the crevices of his steel limbs. He pulled on the dark leather cloak and adjusted the hood. Lloyd did the same. He also handed Ben a mask. The mask was made of bone and leather, shaped to look like the face of a low-level demon. It had short, twisted horns and a wide, painted mouth.

  "Masks up," Ben said, securing the bone plate over his face. "Radio silence on the mana channels unless we engage."

  "Check," Lloyd said, putting on his own mask—one that looked like a demonic frog with too many eyes. "Ready to play the part, Lord Ironwood?"

  "I’m always ready to play the villain," Ben grunted. "Let's move."

  They reached the end of the tunnel. A swirling portal of red light waited for them. Lloyd stepped through first, and Ben followed, his hand resting on the hilt of his heavy blade.

  Chapter : 1843

  Stepping out of the Shadow Path into the Gluttony State was a physical shock. The atmosphere hit them like a physical blow. The air was incredibly dense. It felt heavy on their shoulders, pressing down with a humid, sticky heat. The sky above was not the calm purple of the Sloth territory. It was a churning, angry mix of crimson and bruised orange clouds that moved too fast, as if they were boiling.

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  The landscape was a tactical nightmare. The ground was made of red soil that looked like raw meat. The rocks were white and jagged, jutting out of the earth like broken teeth. But the worst part was the plants.

  The trees in the Gluttony State were not peaceful. They were twisted, black growths with branches that looked like grasping skeletal hands. As Lloyd walked past a bush, he saw the leaves twitch. They turned toward him, tracking his movement.

  "Biological hazards everywhere," Ben noted, his voice low and distorted by the mask. "Vegetation is hostile. Keep your distance from the flora."

  "Agreed," Lloyd whispered. "In this place, the salad eats you."

  Suddenly, a shadow passed over them. It was huge, blocking out the red light of the sky.

  "Aerial bogie, twelve o'clock high," Ben hissed. He didn't need Lloyd to tell him what to do. He instantly dropped into a crouch in the tall, purple grass, his cloak blending perfectly with the shadows. He didn't freeze in fear; he froze with the absolute stillness of a sniper waiting for a target.

  Lloyd crouched beside him. "Sentry of the Sky," Lloyd whispered. "Beelzebub’s eyes. They scan for mana spikes."

  High above them, circling in the red sky, was a monster. It looked like a giant fly, the size of a carriage. It had four translucent wings that buzzed with a low, bone-shaking hum. But the most terrifying part was its eyes. It had thousands of multifaceted eyes that glowed with a green light, scanning the ground below.

  "Standard patrol pattern," Ben analyzed, watching the creature's flight path. "It’s looking for active magic. If we use a spell, or if your fancy suit glows, it’ll paint us for an artillery strike. Or just vomit acid on us."

  They lay in the grass for five minutes, the smell of the red earth filling their noses. The giant fly circled twice, its buzzing sound vibrating in Ben’s metal bones. Finally, it didn't see anything interesting and flew away toward the distant mountains.

  Ben stood up slowly, dusting the red dirt off his leather cloak. "Clear. We need to go cold. Dampen your core output, General. Run on passive sensors only."

  "Way ahead of you," Lloyd said.

  They continued their trek toward the city. The road was paved with cracked black stones. Along the way, they saw other travelers. These were real demons. They came in all shapes and sizes—some tall and thin like skeletons, others short and round like balls of grease. But they all had one thing in common: they were eating.

  Every demon they passed was chewing on something. Some were eating glowing blue bugs they plucked from the air. Others were gnawing on bones. One large demon was simply scooping up handfuls of the red dirt and shoving it into his mouth.

  "Resource scarcity," Ben noted coldly. "They consume constantly, but they are emaciated. Look at their muscle mass—atrophied. It’s a closed loop system. The land drains them, so they eat the land. It’s a perfect system of misery."

  "Rubel picked a charming retirement home," Lloyd noted.

  In the distance, rising from the horizon like a jagged mountain, was Gator City. It didn't look like a normal city with walls and towers. It looked like a gigantic, open mouth. The outer walls were curved white spikes that resembled fangs. The buildings inside spiraled upward, glowing with a sickly yellow light.

  "Destination confirmed," Ben said, adjusting his gauntlet. "The belly of the beast. Rubel is in there."

  "Let’s hope he doesn't give us indigestion," Lloyd said.

  "If he does," Ben growled, "I'll cut him out."

  They stepped onto the main road, merging with the crowd of hungry demons, two predators disguised as prey walking straight into the trap.

  Part 2

  Approaching the massive gates of Gator City was an experience that assaulted every sense. The closer Lloyd and Ben got to the walls, the louder the world became. It wasn't the noise of conversation or industry; it was the noise of consumption. It was a cacophony of chewing, slurping, grinding, and the clattering of plates. The sound hung over the city like a fog.

  Chapter : 1844

  Lloyd stopped about a hundred yards from the main gate. He touched the side of his mask, engaging a hidden feature. Beneath the bone mask, his eyes shifted. The blue rings in his irises began to spin. He activated his [All-Seeing Eye], but kept the output very low so the Sky Sentries wouldn't detect the flare of magic.

  The world before him shifted from physical shapes to magical data.

  "Hold position," Lloyd whispered, putting a hand on Ben’s chest to stop him.

  Ben stopped instantly, his hand hovering over the hilt of his hidden dagger. "Contact?"

  "Environmental hazard," Lloyd corrected, his voice dropping to a serious, analytical tone. "Look at the mana density. The city is vibrating."

  To Ben’s senses, the city looked like a fortress made of red stone and white bone. But Lloyd saw the mana in the air wasn't flowing smoothly like wind or water. It was jagged. It was shaking back and forth at a very specific, high frequency.

  "There is a layer of invisible 'noise' covering the entire area," Lloyd explained. "It’s a vibration in the mana field. It feels... hungry. The whole city is acting like a giant vacuum cleaner. It is pulling energy from the outside and sucking it toward the center."

  Ben narrowed his single eye beneath the mask. "A localized siphon field? That’s high-level siege defense. It weakens the attackers before they even breach the wall."

  "It’s an ecosystem," Lloyd corrected. "The environment itself is designed to consume. The air pulls mana from the ground. The ground pulls mana from the people walking on it. And the buildings funnel that energy to the palace at the top. It’s a giant recycling system for hunger."

  Lloyd looked down at his own hands. Even through his gloves, he could feel a faint tingling sensation. The city was already trying to taste him. It was testing his defenses, looking for a leak in his spiritual armor.

  "Ben," Lloyd said, looking at his companion. "Your limbs. Diagnostics?"

  Ben flexed his metal fingers. A faint, low-frequency hum emanated from his joints. "Interference detected. My prosthetics are acting like lightning rods. The high-grade spirit steel is picking up the resonance frequency of the city. It feels like static electricity building up in the servos."

  "That’s the vibration," Lloyd said. "Your limbs are dense with mana. They are picking up the city's hunger signal. You need to be careful. If you stay here too long, the city might try to drain the magic that powers your arms."

  "Let it try," Ben growled, a dark amusement in his voice. "If it tries to eat my steel, it’s going to break its teeth. I didn't forge these arms to be batteries; I forged them to be hammers."

  "We have to go in," Lloyd said. "Rubel is in there. If we wait outside, he might move again. And frankly, I don't want to camp out here with the giant flies."

  "Breach and clear," Ben said. "Let's go."

  They walked up to the gate. The guards were terrifying. They were "Gluttony Enforcers"—massive demons standing eight feet tall. They had four arms, and in the center of their chests, where a heart should be, was a second, larger mouth filled with rows of spinning teeth. They wore rusted, heavy armor and carried spears that looked like giant forks.

  One of the guards stepped forward, blocking their path with his spear. The mouth on his chest opened and closed with a wet, snapping sound.

  "Halt," the guard growled. His voice sounded like rocks grinding together. "Fresh meat? Or citizens?"

  Lloyd stepped forward, adopting a slouched posture. He spoke in a slow, bored voice, imitating the accent of the Sloth demons he had met earlier.

  "We are merchants," Lloyd drawled. "From the West. We bring gifts from the Lady of Stillness."

  The guard sniffed the air. He smelled the foul potion on their clothes. "You smell like a goblin's armpit. What gifts?"

  Lloyd reached into a bag hanging at his waist. He pulled out a handful of grey, smooth stones. These were "Stagnant Stones," items Monalisa had given him. They were rocks infused with the pure essence of Sloth. To a normal person, they were useless rocks. But to a demon of Gluttony who was constantly suffering from raging hunger, the essence of "Sloth" acted like a sedative. It numbed the hunger pains.

  "Stones for the market," Lloyd said, holding them out. "To make the belly quiet. To make the hunger sleep for a while."