Chapter 690: The Fortress of the Hell Gate

On the ninth layer of hell, Naisus, the King of Hell, Astimos gazed with reverence at that black figure.
After Donald brought together numerous fragments of the lower layers and fused them with the original hell to create a new nine-layered hell, this place became the core of hell—the ninth layer. Naisus was a name given by Astimos himself.
Donald used his divine power to create multiple demi-realms that were integrated into this structure, allowing the nine-layered hell to take shape properly, rather than having a vast world at the bottom while only a few demi-realms existed at the top!
Of course, the River of the Underworld, a magnificent entity that spanned most of the lower realms, also flowed through these nine layers of hell.
The new first layer of hell was still naturally connected to parts of the first layer of the Abyss, allowing the fierce battles between them to continue.
“With this foundation, hell should be able to hold its own against the Abyss. After all, the will of the Abyss cannot deploy all its forces at once. As for the lack of manpower, by continuing to recruit defectors from the Abyss, we will eventually reach a scale that exceeds that of the Endless Abyss!”
Astimos nodded in delight upon hearing this.
“My master, you have once again created a miracle. The value and potential of the nine-layered hell have surpassed those of the divine kingdoms of the higher gods. You truly are the King of Hell!”
Donald shook his head.
“No, you, Astimos, are the king of hell, the leader of demons. Perhaps one day you might even reach the supreme position of the Supreme God. I will be proud of you then!”
Though Astimos didn’t think he was fit for such a position—after all, it was far too distant. Weren’t the higher gods in the multiverse still struggling to advance beneath the Supreme God?—he was grateful for Donald’s trust and support. He resolved to gain even greater power so that he could stand by his master and offer him the greatest assistance!
“How is the arrangement for the nine layers?”
Upon hearing Donald’s question, Astimos replied, “There’s still a shortage of manpower. I’ve assigned Zareel as the ruler of the first layer of hell. The second layer is under the rule of Dispat, who recently defected. As the Grand Dukes of Hell, they will be responsible for safeguarding and strengthening hell. Additionally, I have appointed eight loyal demi-god demons as the Eight Dark Demons, as my personal guards. They will lead the army of demons in battle against the Abyss. As for the third to eighth layers, they remain completely empty!”

“Isn’t this better? With so many empty positions, more powerful beings from the Abyss will defect here, leading to a prosperous future for the underworld!”
“As the King of Hell, you should relax some of the conditions to attract strong outsiders. After all, no scheme can compare to absolute power!”
Donald’s words served as a warning to Astymos.
Although the other eight layers of Hell are still far smaller than the ninth layer, Nethers, they might one day reach or even surpass Nethers by plundering populations and strength from the Abyss, or by drawing upon the cosmic forces and fallen souls from higher realms.
By then, some ambitious individuals might covet the position of King of Hell and start plotting against him!
Originally, Astymos hadn’t paid much attention to the other eight layers, as the ninth layer was his foundation. But now, he had to start making plans in advance.
Donald said it would be a difficult process because if Astymos kept all power in the eight layers under control, he wouldn’t be able to attract truly capable strong beings to join him. At most, he could add a few demigods, who wouldn’t be a match for powerful opponents like demon lords.
Allowing those others to become rulers of their respective layers would eventually lead to such problems.
After all, though Hell was different from the chaotic Abyss, it was still a world of evil, where loyalty rarely lasted long. Betrayal was the truth of Hell—even Astymos, the King of Hell, could fall from grace if careless!
But as a demigod demon, Astymos had experienced much and was far more skilled in schemes than most demons. Without the constraints of chaotic will, he remained clear-minded. As a true god, he could even be considered one of the most brilliant schemers in the multiverse!
So after being enlightened by Donald, several ideas immediately came to mind.
“It seems there must be more conflicts among the eight Dukes of Hell in the future!”
Hearing Astymos’s muttering, Donald nodded in satisfaction.
His servant not only understood his meaning but also improved upon it. In the future, he wouldn’t have to worry about Hell anymore!

Still, Donald gave a few more instructions: “Although you are an existence that dares to stand against the Abyss as a lower realm, my intention in ordering you to create Hell is actually to restrain the development of the Abyss and thwart its plot to dominate the multiverse. Therefore, I don’t want Hell to pose a threat to the main world or the gods of the heavens. Of course, I won’t interfere with my own downfall. So, you must establish a set of strict rules for all creatures of Hell in the name of the Lord of Hell, just like how the will of the Abyss controls its creatures!” Seeing Astymos frowning in thought, Donald offered some guidance: “I recommend you start with the core of Hell—impose severe punishments!” Astymos’s eyes lit up as he praised this brilliant idea. “Alright, you can study the rules for the contract gradually. You’ve seen the templates of those contracts I gave earlier; a perfect contract without flaws doesn’t exist. Even the most perfect contract will have problems over time as circumstances change. So, you just need to create a rough framework and add details later! Right now, the first layer of Hell’s defense line is still weak. We should reinforce it to defend against the Abyss’s next counterattack!” With that, Donald and Astymos rushed to the first layer of reality. This place was named Afonos, which meant Blood Hell in the language of Hell. Looking at the lands stained red from battles, this name seemed quite fitting. The language of Hell was created by Astymos using magical characters derived from the evil primal forces bestowed by the universe, combined with languages from lower realms like the Abyssal tongue. Just from its literal meaning and pronunciation, it seemed filled with countless schemes and deceit, yet it also carried the rigor and etiquette of the human nobility of the main world—completely different from the purely filthy and corrupt evil of the Abyssal tongue. As long as one was a recognized resident of Hell, they could naturally acquire mastery of this language, which already possessed certain powers. At this time, since the Abyss hadn’t yet prepared for a counterattack, the battle zone at the boundary between the two realms was relatively quiet, with only a few demons fighting each other. These were unorganized, scattered demons who, driven by the Abyss’s incitement and their own desire for slaughter, had entered the battlefield. Of course, demons were inherently chaotic, and those large groups of demons were merely restrained by their demon lords and hadn’t appeared yet.

Astimos estimated that this calm would not last long, after all, even those demon lords were chaotic beings! Glancing at the two hierarchical archdukes and the Eight Dark Demons below, Astimos spoke, “Zareel, although you have gained the power of a true god, the first layer of hell is directly facing the onslaught from the Abyss, and your power is undoubtedly too weak. That’s why I assigned Phokas and the other seven to assist you in resisting the Abyss’s invasion. I hope that one day we can go over there and invade the Abyss ourselves!” The eight demi-god demons led by Phokas were the veteran hellish warriors who initially followed Astimos in resisting the Abyss. In Astimos’s eyes, these Eight Demons were far more trustworthy than those two hell archdukes. Just like Zareel, the lord of the first layer, Dispat, the Steel Archduke who held control over the second layer of hell, also received power comparable to that of a lower god. However, unlike Astimos, the power of these hell archdukes stemmed not only from their demi-god foundation but also from the realms they ruled over—similar to the virtual divinity granted by the Abyss to its demon lords. They were not true gods but merely possessed their abilities. Therefore, despite being dissatisfied with Astimos’s orders, Zareel dared not show any sign of it, let alone defy Dispat’s commands as the future Lord of Hell. Donald stood beside Astimos, looking at the bloody battlefield ahead, and pointed, saying, “This place is suitable for building a fortress. After all, in the early stages, hell will likely focus on defense. Having a solid base will make it easier to resist the Abyss’s invasion and reduce losses among our forces!” The area Donald pointed to was located at the junction between the first layer of hell and the first layer of the Abyss—a battlefield stained red with blood and filled with a sense of slaughter.