This Isn't Hypocrisy, This Is Maturity

Blood splattered into the sky!

Russell found himself in a gloomy, blood-soaked world, shrouded in endless crimson mist, with a stench so strong it made one want to vomit, and an eerie atmosphere pervading everything around him.

Crimson blood flowed into a river beneath their feet, with countless skeletons floating on it, rushing into the distance in the still waves of blood.

On both sides of the riverbanks is a crimson continent, as red as a branding iron. Towering golems stand majestically, and demon castles stretch as far as the eye can see. Faint, muffled roars emanate from the depths of the rock formations.

Hell!

A blood-red torrent and land—this is a world with blood as its dominant color. Everything in sight shimmers with a scarlet blood glow, even the clouds in the sky carry a faint red light.

Russell gasped, feeling a tightness in his chest and a desire to vomit. Holy light swept over him, expelling the blood-red Poison Gas from his body, and his complexion improved slightly.

Russell felt a little uneasy when he didn't see Gabriel. This was hell, the devil's stronghold, where any of the mythical demon kings could easily pose him in various ways.

Especially now, the wings on its back are too arousing. If it encounters the Demon Queen, it's alright. At most, it will have to put in some effort, but there's no danger to its life.

Encountering a male demon king is terrible; he has to subdue you with virtue from the start, and if there are several of them, who can withstand it!

"No, this shouldn't be hell..."

Hell and the human world belong to two different worlds, with different dimensions, different energies, and even different rules. The energy required to summon Hell to the human world is simply incalculable.

A single King of Hell could not provide such a vast amount of energy; otherwise, Asmodeus would not have been so enraged by the destruction of the Hell's Gate that he would have abandoned all his elegance.

Therefore, the hell before him, though lifelike, must be a projection of hell created by him sacrificing an arm and distorting space.

Russell felt much more at ease and took flight into the sky. He would first locate Gabriel, and as long as he didn't encounter Asmodeus, everything would be fine.

Rumble!!

The River Styx in hell churned with blood, and the stench of blood rose to the sky. Asmodeus rode a demonic dragon out of the sea of blood, looked up at the sky, and a ferocious smile appeared on his lips.

Russell: "..."

What I feared most came to pass!

With a flap of his two Wings of Light, Russell hurled his Holy Light Longsword from mid-air, its blade transforming into a streak of light that pierced straight down. Enlarging to a thousand feet in size mid-air, it became even larger than the River Styx by the time it approached Asmodeus.

Rumble!!

A deafening roar, like thunder from the heavens, suddenly erupted. Blood-red light shot into the sky from within Hell, the River Styx churned with blood, and the earth along its banks shook violently, as if it were about to overturn.

The dragon was slain by the holy light, Asmodeus smiled coldly, unconcerned. His severed arm was rebuilt from a pool of blood. He brandished his Black Flame Greatsword and pointed it sharply at the sky. "You lowly angel, today I will cut you into pieces to quell the hatred in my heart."

Two red clouds drifted across the sky, but Russell was nowhere to be seen!

"Bastard, I will kill you!!"

Asmodeus roared, his murderous aura filling the heavens and earth, transforming into a black column of smoke that flew rapidly into the distance.

Gollum!!

A head emerged from the River Styx; it was Russell. He blew bubbles to make sure Asmodeus was far away before flying out of the blood.

"With that kind of intelligence, you dare to be the Demon King? I'd definitely be better than you!"

Russell chuckled and gave the middle finger from a distance. Holy light shone brightly, dispelling the sticky, scarlet filth on his body.

This is what it means to emerge from the mud unsullied!

Do you really want to be the Demon King?

A cold, sharp shout came from behind. Russell froze, turned around, and saw Asmodeus, who was radiating murderous intent. He hadn't left at all.

"I did think about becoming a demon king when I was a kid, if you could help me fall into darkness..."

"No need, you don't need to fall into depravity at all. Just change your wings and you're a qualified devil!"

"Not at all, you flatter me. I am truly unworthy of such praise!"

Russell, looking ashamed, vanished from his spot in a flash, his wings flapping across a hundred miles. After flapping his wings twice, he stopped, looking embarrassed. Asmodeus, with a cold laugh, blocked his path, wielding his Black Flame Greatsword.

"Run! Why did you stop running?"

Russell's expression hardened, and he said disdainfully, "Why should I run? A demon like you, I would kill you on the spot. What reason do I have to back down in the face of battle?"

"Bah! Heaven is ashamed of you!"

Russell raised his hand, conjuring a Holy Light Longsword. Without a word, he slashed at Asmodeus, then abruptly stopped mid-slash, shouting towards Asmodeus's back, "Gabriel, you've come at the right time! Join me in slaying him..."

Russell stopped talking halfway through his sentence, and Asmodeus sneered as if he were watching a stand-up comedy routine.

"Put away your cleverness. This Crimson Purgatory may not be a true hell, but it bears my mark. It is my own unique summoning space, and no one can hide anything from me here," Asmodeus said coldly. "Without my permission, even God... even Gabriel, would not be able to escape!"

"Uh, I just heard you say God..."

"Shut up! I was talking about Gabriel, not God!"

"You said it!"

"No!"

Russell shook his head slightly, disappointed, and said, "Sigh, as expected, the essence of the devil is to brag and not keep his word."

"Hmph, what right do you, a hypocritical angel, have to judge the devil!"

"This isn't hypocrisy, this is maturity!"

After Russell finished speaking, he closed his eyes and remained silent for a moment. When he opened them again, he said, "Asmodeus, you just said that this Crimson Purgatory is marked by you and is a world that belongs only to you, right?"

"That's right, you want to surrender?" A hint of contempt flashed in Asmodeus's eyes.

"No, I choose to fight!"

"Do you want to die?"

Russell's mature smile vanished, his icy gaze piercing Asmodeus's eyes. "I beg for your head!"

"Hahaha, Gabriel wouldn't dare say such a thing, what right do you have?"

Whoosh!

The Holy Light Longsword pierced straight at Asmodeus's brow. He couldn't dodge in time, and a few strands of his long black hair fell down. His face was filled with astonishment, but then he suddenly perked up. "Not bad, you are qualified to fight me! But it's too late. If you had gone all out from the beginning, I might have been defeated by you and Gabriel together."

At the beginning?

At first, Russell was reluctant to part with the Angel's Power within the Stigmata, and spent the entire time slacking off, only thinking about outsmarting his opponents to get kills. Now that he's burning with all his might, the combat power he unleashes is naturally incomparable.

Asmodeus harbored a misunderstanding, and Russell did not explain to him. He raised his longsword high, and holy light surged to the top, transforming into four phantom images of raised swords, which fixed the four directions and formed a holy light barrier.

Asmodeus watched this scene with great interest. "Don't waste your energy, the barrier can't stop my connection with the world."

Russell smiled meaningfully, "I didn't waste my efforts, you'll understand!"