บท 1029: The First Blood Lord

A/N History of Ilthad and Hell

I hissed in response to the abyssal system: This was the perfect farming spot. So many souls, all unbound and free. Yet none of the devils or demons dare to steal it. They wait till the soul leaves the Bridge of the Damned. They also fear Hellmaster.

'I wonder what he's like.' I replied to the system.

"He's a middle age man who acts like a child more often than not. Hellmaster or Lord Hellmaster to you is a force of discomfort for many who are not Avatars. He's a cruel man yet tolerates a lot. And unlike Devils or Fallen, he doesn't like mind games… At least if you don't annoy him."

"So he's not an ass. That's refreshing."

"Never said that, but he keeps to himself." Said Lily cautiously. " Don't touch these souls till they've been processed. Remember, Hell existed before the Darkness. He's Tenebraes' elder, and you can honestly say Lord Hellmaster created the Dao of Fire and all its concepts."

"Does he have a temple?" I said after a moment of deliberation.

"No, he doesn't need believers. Honestly, I don't know much about him, Arsene. Lord Hellmaster stays to himself way too much. But if you want to know, you can ask his son, Flama."

"Eh? Son?"

"You didn't know? Yeah. Flama is Hellmaster's son, similar to how Tenebrae mothered Mithra and Luna. It's actually due to your little sister that Flama decided to help you and give you his blessing. Although you branched off and did your own thing, creating the Abyssal Flame."

"Just how many people did Zariel and my sister contract for me?"

"Mephisto had a lot to do with it, but most of them were willing to help since your brother's title was pretty useful. And now that little Jin, many of us think there is going to be a big change soon."

"Jin? Oh! I forgot about him. Did Lucifer—"

"Yeah… But another deal was struck… and that's how I came to know Lord Hellmaster. He appeared in the Bird Cage."

"Bird Cage? What are you—"

"Forget what I said. Just try not to anger Lord Hellmaster." Said Lily quickly, attempting to hide her slip-up. "Oh did you know his favorite food is Pasta?"

"Same." I agreed, nodding my head. " If there were one type of food I could eat every day, it would be pasta. It just goes with so many things."

(A/N: What is your favorite food? Mine is curry and pasta.)

Moving along the edge of the wing towards the growing nodes of light, amassing with one another, I knew it was only a matter of time before all Hell broke out in Avenos.

Pulling out the Holocube Zan gave me, my face instantly went cold as the image of the Ilthad appeared with a cold grimace.

"Arsene… you finally returned my called."

I hummed in response.

Yornen showed a thin smile and nodded. " Fine. I'll get to the point. I wish for an alliance."

I almost flinched in response. " what are you—"

"I was contracted to kill you by Balor and Zantar, but neither of them has come to my aid in dealing with the Kings of Hell."

"And you expect me to?"

I almost laughed: Ridiculous!

Yornen nodded. "It was only business. And the Hells will not listen to an Ilthad… There's a bit of history between our kind."

"There sure is!" Said Lily to me.

"Oh? And what does that mean?"

Yornen shook his head with a dark frown. 'Ever heard of Ishar? I'm sure you haven't. She was a name predating even the Silver Devil and many eras. History portrayed her as a man, but in truth, 'he' was a 'she' and an Ilthad at that."

"And the First Disciple of the Lord of Hell, Amara, titled Asmodeus… the only Lord that never renounced her name but overpowered the legacy, keeping her identity of who she is. Her power was unrivaled. Even the Angels knew their place before her. "

I frowned. "And what's this got to do with Amara? Was Ishar a believer?"

Yornens expression dipped, "It's rare within our kind… nothing is ever perfect. There will always be cracks, and Ishar was one of them. She was a slave girl. Even with our connected cognition, she renounced our ways when she escaped around the age of three. With the help of a wandering Lord… Amara."

"And so a deal between Master and Disciple was struck, and the first ever Blood Lord was created. And I'm not talking about one from the Nines but one of True Flesh and Blood. Ishar became so feared even Angels from on high came to strike her down. Blood bathed the heavens stretching so deep it reached the Hells. It was so bloody that… it came to a historical fact that the Devils and Angels couldn't live in harmony due to this Ilthad. She was relentless and filled with so much bloodlust. The Angels went to us. Her people."

He shook his head, releasing a long sigh. "It's sickening, but our people betrayed her. She wasn't a believer. And so they schemed and managed to banish her to the Hells. It was said that she had killed so many people that the Bridge of the Damned burned for endless cycles before Amara managed to find her. But by then, it was too late. With the help of the Blood Laws, she turned into something else."

"A vampire," Lily and Yornen had said as one.

"But vampires are weak little demons—" I shouted.

"It became like that with age, but back then, Ishar had managed to slaughter a King of Hell in her rage with the race change crowning herself a King of Hell… of the Eighth Layer… and that Lord was—"

"Bael… fuck, that guy's legacy can't catch a break."

"Agreed. There had been a lot of disorder back then between the Devils and Demons. And many of the Lords of Hell were already dissatisfied with Amara, so the death of Bael was more than welcome in her eyes. Especially since that meant Amara would gain a true ally she could rely on. Ishar, the Maiden of Blood, was utterly heartless as a Vampiric Lord. The touch of the Hells had corrupted her. It had made her into a nightmare. She was neither Devil nor Demon but hell properties of both. And she laid out draconian rule over the residents of the Eight Layer of Hell, that grew so strong it began to spread throughout the Hells."

" It was also she who started the war between Demons and Devils within the Hells that stretched on till the Silver Devils reign."

"She's also Mephisto's high most confidant. Lucifer has Amara, but Mephisto took Ishar." Said Lily sharply.