Solam had originally planned to stay out of the way and watch those big shots love and kill each other, but things did not always go as one wished. The Abyss was vastly different from what it had once been, and there were very few people who could truly remain uninvolved. Naturally, Solam could no longer hide away in peace as he had before.
Just as the outside descended into chaos, envoys from Demogorgon and Malcanthet appeared before Solam. If Gab Newell had not been quick-witted enough to keep the two envoys apart, the two groups might have run into each other.
Loyalty was scarce in the Abyss. Every demon lord had a whole pack of turncoats under them, and that was perfectly normal. Many demon lords knew it full well. Of course they knew it was bad, but knowing was one thing; they could not truly kill off every last traitor. Demons' inherent flaws ensured that turncoats would be like weeds—wildfires could not burn them all away, and spring winds would bring them back to life. Rather than replace them with a new batch, it was better to keep those "familiar faces" around. At least that way, they knew what they were dealing with.
But then again, everyone understood this sort of thing in private, yet it would not do to lay it out in the open. Malcanthet was no naïve fool. Before she had Solam completely under her control, she naturally would not stupidly assume that Solam was born to be utterly loyal to her. There were some matters Malcanthet would not hold too closely against Solam. For example, Solam had repeatedly obeyed her orders in spirit but not in letter lately, yet Malcanthet had still pretended not to know.
But if Solam himself courted death by openly