"And because of the Blood War, Duke Avernus’s Cultists are actually one of the weakest factions in the Mortal World," Orelia added.
"Blood War? What’s... that?" Kase asked.
He glanced at the others’ expressions, then sighed deeply. "Alright," he said plaintively, "I’m the only idiot here now."
"Colin, let me explain!" Orelia raised her hand.
Colin nodded.
’But when it came to knowledge of various Evil Demons and Cults, the girl was far more knowledgeable than him. He also wanted to see if she knew any little tidbits that weren’t in the books.’
Orelia began, "The Blood War is the eternal war between the Abyss and Hell..."
"Wait." Kase waved his hand. "Abyss and Hell? What do you mean?"
"Uh... it means demons live in the Abyss, and devils live in Hell. The war between them is described as ’the eternal war between chaos and order,’ I think."
"What are you talking about? Aren’t the Abyss and Hell the same place? Some place underground, eternally on fire, where a bunch of murderous Evil Demons live—like those Jackal Wolfmen we ran into." Kase was growing more and more confused.
He looked at the grinning Colin and asked, annoyed, "What are you smiling at?"
"Nothing. I’m just seeing my former self."
Colin shrugged, which only made Kase let out an exasperated laugh.
"Okay, okay, just listen to my explanation."
Seeing that the two had stopped bickering, Orelia continued, "Well, how should I put this... Long before the world and the Gods were born, the Bottomless Abyss already existed. It’s a state of pure chaos, and the demons born from it embody that chaos. They want to destroy other worlds and assimilate them into that same state of disorder.
Then, a force rose to oppose chaos: the Order Deities. They battled the demons and created Angels to fight them.
Through a series of events, an Angel who favored order used a contract to deceive the Gods. He fell into the Nine Floors of Hell, and his spilled blood transformed into the devils we know today.
That place became the front line in the war against the demons. The war between the two sides has raged ever since, serving as the frontline for the entire Multiverse’s conflict between order and chaos."
"Something about that sounds... off," Kase said, rubbing his chin.
Colin felt the same way.
’These so-called creation myths were certainly obscure. If you looked at them closely, many parts felt strange, almost like they were fabricated.’
’But that was to be expected.’
’After all, given this world’s level of archaeology, even the Ancient Empire from millennia ago was shrouded in mystery. What hope was there for events that happened countless years before that?’
"If I were to tell you the full creation myths, I’d be talking until sunrise. So just try to follow along for now, Mr. Kase."
After finishing, Orelia summarized, "Avernus, the first of the Nine Floors of Hell, is the primary battlefield of the Blood War. Since Duke Avernus is constantly fighting demons, he doesn’t have time to manage his cults in the Mortal World. And because of the Blood War, his followers tend to be quite warlike."
"This matches our deduction about the Jackal Wolfmen. Since this Cult only controls a single gang, and there are still mortal gangs that can oppose them, it means the devil in charge isn’t actually that powerful," Colin added.
"Alright, that’s enough, you great storytelling War Mistresses." Kase was getting annoyed. "So what’s our next move?"
"First, we’ll be dealing with the gang members..."
"Don’t hold back. If they resist, just kill them. They’re a bunch of scumbags who are evil to the core," Yuri added, sitting to the side and strapping on his Chest Armor.
Colin nodded and continued, "Those gang members’ defenses are actually much weaker than a wild goblin’s. At most, you’ll have a few thugs standing by the door.
However, we have no intel on the layout inside. Once we take out the Guards, we’ll have to improvise. All we know for sure is that our opponent is an Evil Demon."
"Now you’re talking."
Kase nodded, crossing his arms over his chest.
Seeing that they had finished their discussion, Yuri stood, brushed off his clothes, and walked to the left side of the table. He began laying out the contents of his bag one by one.
Most of the items were Potions in glass vials.
He first picked up a prism-shaped vial filled with an amber-colored Potion. The liquid inside looked viscous, almost like peanut oil.
"First, Sacred Oil. Most devils are resistant to ordinary mortal weapons. If you don’t have a Magic Weapon, you’ll have a hard time doing any Damage to them without coating your blade."
[Sacred Oil / Uncommon Sword Oil]
[Holy Enchantment: Grants your weapon an additional two points of Holy Damage. If the weapon is not a Magic Weapon, it is treated as one. Duration: 30 minutes.]
Colin glanced at the table. There were four vials in total.
’These must be what ordinary Clergy without Magic Weapons use to fight devils.’
’He was right. Still, a devil’s resistance was much weaker than, say, a Beastman’s. They weren’t completely immune to Damage from mortal weapons; ordinary blades were just less effective against them.’
Next, Yuri produced four more glass vials.
These small vials contained a silvery Potion that resembled mercury. A faint, silver mist swirled within the glass, giving them an inexplicably sacred aura.
"Next is this: a Potion of Protection from Evil and Good. This Potion will help you resist attacks from Evil Demons, as well as their bewitching Evil Skills."
[Potion of Protection from Evil and Good / Uncommon Magic Potion]
[Protection from Evil and Good: The user cannot be Charmed, frightened, or possessed by Evil Demons. Any Evil Demon attacking the user has a -2 penalty to its attack rolls. Duration: 30 minutes.]
Colin thought to himself, ’Two Uncommon-rarity Magic Potions for each of us? These provisions are incredibly generous.’
Just then, in the silence of the basement, the group faintly heard the tolling of bells.
"Alright. We have one hour until the third bell."
Yuri spoke slowly, his voice slightly hoarse. "Your priority is to ensure your own safety. If you run into trouble, try to use the Signal Flare I gave you.
You don’t need to fire it into the sky; I’ll be able to sense it. I already know you’re breaking into the Cultists’ turf, after all. But if you use it anywhere else Underground, I won’t know where you are."
Colin nodded seriously.
Finally, the Paladin spoke, his tone as biting as a frigid wind blowing down from the World’s Roof.
"Now, kill them all. Leave no one alive."