ACT I – V
THE COURT OF MAMMON

Molten liquid has replaced the newly dug ground which has been excavated by the Cavalries of Hell. It is ankle-deep with bubbling magma, appearing in the hues of a beautiful sunset, but it is not an awe-inspiring sight for the corpses waiting for their punishment.

Men who are clothed in intricate black garments embroidered with gold and silver stand out among the people lining up behind them, completely averse to the corpses who have tattered clothes that barely hide anything in public.

Gray-haired corpses are pushed one at a time into the fiery hole. Their dark irises sink in despair as their bellows blends with the other sinners who are tormented with the same punishment. Those who died of greed all suffer the same fate in the scalding pits in the Ring of Avaricia. All of them cannot escape being boiled alive over and over again.

Once, Jin experienced the same misfortune but when his memory came crashing down, his whole life changed. He is turned into a Shade. A human corpse that has recalled its past life.

Moreso, he is a rare one that has the ability of Hell-fire. An ability that is unique to those who are born in Hell and rarely acquired by a Shade. But those who have powers can ignite the greed within themselves or incite others' envy.

As a mortal who died because of his own ravenousness for material things and authority, he knows better than to challenge the demons above him. He has learned to adapt and goes along with everyone but that does not stop anyone to covet his life.

It is a seemingly ordinary day to him, but that is not what his comrades have in mind. After they sent the last corpses to their pits, an insidious plan had already brewed without Jin's knowledge.

His comrades are Shades like him but they do not have the ability of Hell-fire. Jin has repented and learned his lesson to cease his greed after he recovers his memory. Nonetheless, it is not the same for the people with him who are afflicted not only by the sin of greed but jealousy as well.

Jin pushes the last corpse and a hand shoves him at the same time. His face lands on the sweltering fire and he has no time to react when darkness envelops the hole.

He shoots back up and tries to gather Hell-fire in his hand but the cold sensation of the black flames hasn't appeared. He is six feet underground and there is no way to make the Suppressing Lid budge. Even his weapon cannot be summoned. He shut his eyes close, trying to control his temper, but those damned bastards have successfully ignited his ire.

He never expects them to deal with him directly instead of using underhanded means. However, he has to commend them because there is no better option than this.

Demons cannot kill demons. That is the absolute law in Hell. Once a demon is killed by one, they will simply resurrect with all their body parts intact.

A breath of resignation leaves his mouth as he turns deaf ears to the wailings surrounding him. It has been long since he has endured the broiling magma submerging half his body. His face is already burned when he fell but the shock numbed the agony.

Slow seconds pass, his pants have melted beneath the lavas of flame along with his skin but his expression remains impassive. Unlike the other mindless corpses, who undergo the cycle without realizing anything, he knows that they will not die from this punishment. The pain is all real but everyone will become unscathed the moment they leave. No one will be killed in this pit.

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Jin has been proved wrong. He is the only one left with his legs dissolved. All the bodies around him have completely disintegrated from the heat.

This is different from what he remembers. The head always stays afloat no matter how long the torture is. That is why they can always be resurrected. However, without a fragment visible, the corpse cannot be brought up. This only occurs to old corpses but this one is a new batch.

A wrenching feeling settles on his stomach.

It appears that he has overlooked the real use of the concrete cover above. He is aware the Suppressing Lid is served for violent corpses, who refuse to be punished and want to escape, but he has never witnessed nor experienced it even back before he was a corpse. Such a sick joke that this happens when he is one of the captains of the Cavalry.

He grits his teeth as the reality that he might die hits him. He is already a Shade and there is no way he'll be reborn. His only destination is Ater, the afterlife, and the eternal abyss of the demon race.

He glances up and there is no sign that he can escape but it won't deter him.

'I swear I won't die without those bastards' blood in my hands!'

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Days come and go but there is no sense of time within the hole. Jin has become weak as the magma has eventually reached his chest. Several more days and not a single hair will be visible anymore but there are no signs of defeat in his eyes.

The stubborn glint never leaves his blazing red irises. Every single day he vows to do everything for his revenge...

'Finally!'

Ray of light shines through the gap but it is too soon to rejoice.

Lightning strikes descend with their unstoppable force, directly hitting him. One by one, tribulations of lightning hit his degenerated body. The shockwaves are directed to his skin as it shakes up his core.

The excruciating spasm paired with the boiling heat is a different level of torture. Black dots appear on his view and the splitting ache from his head does not help either. His body shows signs of giving up but he is too unyielding.

He will not die unless he exacts his revenge. More strikes follow and he does not bother counting them anymore.

He is at his limit and only his persistence is the one keeping him from dying. However, no one can prevent death when it is courting in the corners. His consciousness is already fading when he feels his body being raised.

He glances up and winces upon encountering the bright scarlet sky but his attention directly goes to the woman with feathered wings.

'An angel... No...'

Those are not the pure white wings of an angel but the dull gray of the children from the outcast race in Hell. They are the demons that are not supposed to be in the upper ring. However, his senses have already dwindled, having no time to think too much about it.

He feels his body being laid down and it regenerates in an instant. The grass tickles his sensitive skin but no more lightning strike has ensued.

He stands up with his newly revived appendages before turning to see his savior. A young girl with big doe eyes is gawking at him. He promises to return the favor but first, he shall deal with those people.

"Thank you, child," he mutters before rushing off.

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He arrives at the cottage located at the entrance of the punishment grounds. The Crimson Sun is at its peak. It is an ordinary afternoon in the Ring of Avaricia, but no one has sensed the upcoming doom.

Only the cheers of laughter resound around him. Jin clenches his fist, summons his weapon, and bangs the door open.

They all halt in their merriment as their eyes cast on him, gaping incredulously on the stark naked man dragging the double picket ax half his size.

"Am I seeing things?" one of them murmurs amidst the grating sound of metal on the wood-clad floor.

He realizes why no one has been bothered by the sound of lightning seeing the obvious intoxication of alcohol in front of him. They clearly exploit the fact that their captain has been imprisoned by their own hands and has messed around during work hours, letting a demoness enter the place.

The girl has helped him so he was willing to ignore the rules but not for these men.

He has no idea who among them pushed him that day but Jin is not stupid. If one of them even tries to search for him, he will not have to stay that long but no one has come. It is an obvious collaboration among the people he considers as peers.

Jin always has a pleasing smile and an easy-going personality but they seem to forget that he has not become a captain for anything. Both hands swing the weapon and a blood bath begins.

A demon cannot kill a demon but there is one exception. With what they did to him, they shall be thankful he is offering a swift death.

They are tens of them but they are nothing compared to him. As their eyes dim into darkness, their gazes are solely fixed on his chest. Right atop his unbeating heart is a black symbol that is framed by a large expanse of a fractal pattern akin to a lightning strike.

It is his new identity. An identity no one will ever dare to oppose again. Jin has become an Archdemon. A new heir has been born.