"Oh, what a sweet scene."
Lucifer offered what seemed like an absentminded compliment, though his lack of sincerity was painfully obvious.
Shane patted the back of Rachel's hand, assuring her that he could handle everything, then turned to Lucifer.
"So I guessed right?"
"Have I given you any sign of confirmation?"
"You dislike any guest who enters your bar without using the door, yet you tolerated Rachel. So I guessed that my existence benefits you."
The corners of Lucifer's mouth lifted slightly, as though something had come to mind.
He finally stopped being cryptic and openly confirmed Shane's earlier suspicions.
"To me, Hell is a prison that grew boring and hollow long ago."
"Though it came into being under my influence, I spent over ten billion years there. Even the most interesting things become repulsive after that."
Shane looked understandably confused.
Constantine had told him that the First of the Fallen was Hell's first ruler, yet Hell had come into being under Lucifer's influence? But Lucifer, who could see every thought in Shane's mind, soon cleared up that confusion.
"I once considered it unfair, until certain powerful beings spread word of Hell's existence. Quite a few reshaped their own territories in Hell's image and flocked to my banner."
It took Shane a little effort to understand some of the allusions in Lucifer's words.
Those "quite a few" were probably the early hypermultiversal beings who believed their nature aligned with Hell.
And those "territories" were likely private domains belonging to those hypermultiversal beings, much like the alternate dimension where Trigon had been born.
Lucifer deliberately paused, only continuing once understanding dawned in Shane's eyes.
"I wasn't Hell's ruler at the time, but those other rulers who thought so highly of themselves gave me an idea. Since they were so eager to