Devil Slave (Satan system)

She thought to ask further questions, especially since Lilith seemed to be in a chatty mood, which was something that she had not managed to pull out of with virgil since she met him.

However, they had arrived.

The massive doors of the blood castle creaked open with a sound that resonated like a deep, guttural growl from the bowels of the earth.

These doors were alive, pulsating with the essence of the crimson liquid that formed them, and as they parted, a river of dark power seemed to flow into the throne room.

The very air trembled under the weight of the presence that approached. If Athena had been alone in this place. the aura alone would have killed her, but with Lilith, it was different.

In this grand hall of blood stepped the Host of Hell.

This was a fearsome assembly of beings that defied all earthly understanding. They were extreme opposites to their white winged counter parts.

But even worse, these were not mere devils; They were the Cup Bearers of the Morningstar, the elite of Hell’s legions.

They were six hundred and sixty-six in number, including the Cerberus still in pain outside. Each one of them was a unique abomination crafted from the darkest corners of the Corrupters womb.

Athena’s senses widened as she took in the sight of them.

The throne room, vast as it was, seemed to stretch and accommodate the sheer enormity of these creatures, as if the castle itself recognized and respected their power. However, it was obvious that Lilith was well aware of the size and number of her visitors and made the castle in a manner to which all of them were accommodated.

These Cup Bearers were a terrifying spectacle, each more monstrous than the last. Some of them towered as high as giants, their massive forms scraping the blood-soaked ceiling.

One such being had a hulking frame, with four muscular arms ending in claws sharp enough to tear through the fabric of reality itself. At least this much, Athena’s instincts told her.

Its skin was a deep, pulsating red, covered in scales that glimmered with a sickly sheen. Where its face should have been, there was only a gaping maw filled with rows of jagged teeth, constantly gnashing in hunger.

But this was not the worse abominable looking of them all. After all, it was like a literal competition of who was uglier.

Another figure was slimmer but no less terrifying. It had the appearance of a serpent, with a long, sinuous body that coiled around itself. Its skin was a slick, oily red, and from its head sprouted multiple snake-like appendages, each ending in a fanged mouth.

Its eyes, cold and calculating, glowed a deep, malevolent yellow, and it carried a staff topped with a writhing mass of thorns that seemed to drink in the blood from the very air.

To Athena’s shock, one of the Cup Bearers had a form that was entirely composed of shifting fire. It moved like a living inferno, its flames twisting and contorting into various shapes—sometimes humanoid, sometimes beastly, and sometimes something entirely unrecognizable. The heat it emitted was unbearable, yet the blood castle absorbed and dissipated it, keeping the room at an eerie, oppressive warmth.

Others were even more grotesque. One creature had two heads, each locked in a perpetual snarl, its massive torso bristling with spikes that dripped with venom. It had eight legs, each one muscular and ending in a hoof that thundered against the floor as it walked. Another was entirely covered in eyes, hundreds of them blinking in unison, with no mouth or nose to speak of—only a swirling mass of tentacles where its head should have been.

Despite their varied forms, all the Cup Bearers shared a common feature: their skin, a deep, blood-red that marked them as the elite of Hell. Their weapons were just as terrifying as their appearances—blades that glowed with an inner, demonic fire, chains that rattled with the cries of the damned, and maces that seemed to pulse with a life of their own.

As they entered the throne room, the screams of the Cerberus Lilith had punished outside still echoed through the hall.

The sound was ear-piercing, a cacophony of agony that seemed to reverberate through the very walls. But the Cup Bearers paid it no mind; they were beyond such mortal concerns, focused entirely on the dark task that awaited them.

Amongst them, one, more human, looked on at the side of Lilith at the figure of Athena. the moment his wandering gaze was set on her, she turned towards his direction, but out of guilt, he hid slightly behind another. After all, he carried a face that Athena would recognize.

Just then, from the mass of abominations, one figure stepped forward, drawing all attention. This being was unlike the others, and it was clear to Athena that this was the most powerful among them all.

Its body was in a constant state of flux, shifting and warping as if caught in a loop of endless transformation. The effect was like watching the static of an old television, where shapes would form and dissolve before one could fully comprehend them.

This creature’s power was palpable, radiating pure corruption that seemed to distort reality around it. The very air seemed to recoil from its presence, and the ground beneath it rippled as if it were treading on the surface of a disturbed pond. It was both solid and ethereal, a paradox of form that defied the laws of nature.

Its eyes—or what passed for eyes in its ever-changing face—were voids of darkness, absorbing all light and life around them. They focused on Lilith with an intensity that would have shattered the will of any lesser being. In one hand, it held a weapon that was as indeterminate as its form, constantly shifting between a sword, a staff, and a whip, each form more terrifying than the last.

Athena could feel the raw malevolence emanating from this creature, and she understood, without a doubt, that this was a being of unimaginable power. The room, the castle, even the very world seemed to bend to its will.

And yet, Lilith remained calm, her eyes narrowing slightly as she regarded the abomination before her.

The anticipation hung heavy in the air, as Lilith’s lips curled into a dark, knowing smile. The game had only just begun.

After all, this abomination had a clear intension, and that was the blatant challenge of the Mother of hell, and Lilith, Athena perceived was not one to condone disrespect.

(Author’s note: After the story telling, I thought it necessary explain these cup bearers properly. But this would be the only time. As it occupies too much space, and i rather get to the juicy part of the story, but many times, people complain that i don’t explain the characters enough.)