Ch. 327 City of Sin

Although Paris knelt down on one knee, he still stood a meter or two taller than Russell.

However, Russell didn't mind this small issue.

Size doesn't represent strength.

There are plenty of beings with enormous size but mediocre strength.

After hearing Paris's response, Russell didn't say anything and silently stepped back a few meters.

Then, he raised his right hand and infused a stream of blood-red Hell power into Paris.

Every demon's promotion requires a special ceremony. While the ceremony is mandatory, the requirements can vary from demon to demon.

If the demon presiding over the ceremony has sufficient strength, they can complete the promotion ceremony smoothly even without any preparations.

Although Russell still didn't have the status of a Skyfather, with the Hell Authority on him, presiding over the promotion ceremony of an intermediate demon wouldn't be much more challenging than casting a spell.

He didn't even need to create a magic circle; he directly infused the Hell power Paris needed for his promotion.

With him present, even without a magic circle or other auxiliary tools, Paris could still absorb the Hell power effectively and ascend from an intermediate demon to a high-ranking demon.

As for what kind of high-ranking demon Paris would become, Russell couldn't determine that at the moment.

There are many types of high-ranking demons corresponding to greater demons.

It would depend on Paris's own choice.

When Russell's infused Hell power entered his body, Paris immediately felt the immense energy within.

This Hell power was more than ten or twenty times greater than his own demonic power.

The influx of so much energy all at once immediately burdened him.

Paris, who already had an astonishing size, began to grow further.

His lost wings and right arm, which had rapidly regenerated at a visible pace, continued to heal.

After his wings and right arm were restored, Paris didn't continue to expand his size; instead, he started to compress his form.

Although he didn't make a sound, it was evident that he was in a great deal of discomfort.

Seeing Paris's body involuntarily trembling, Russell raised his right hand again and infused another stream of Hell power into him.

This time, unlike the previous surge of Hell power, Russell wasn't providing Paris with the overwhelming energy needed for his promotion. Instead, he was helping him adapt to the surplus of energy within his body.

With Russell's assistance, Paris felt the excruciating pain immediately vanish.

Furthermore, the Hell power that had been chaotic within him began to calm down and allow him to control it.

Paris didn't know how Russell achieved this, but he didn't want to disappoint Russell. He focused all his attention on controlling the Hell power.

At the same time, he began using the Hell power to reshape himself.

The demon's ascension, to put it simply, is both straightforward and complex.

In simple terms, it involves restructuring one's body using Hell power to gain a more powerful physique and greater demonic power.

In more complex terms, it encompasses the fusion and evolution of the soul, body, and demonic power.

Russell is not a genuine demon. He only has some basic knowledge of demon ascension.

However, with a live case right in front of him, he can now gain a better understanding of what demon ascension truly entails.

As Paris began to manipulate the Hell power within him to reshape his body, his size rapidly diminished.

In just a short five or six seconds, his size shrank to only three meters tall.

Although he became smaller in size, his aura grew even stronger.

Besides the reduction in size, there were noticeable changes in his appearance.

Firstly, the two pairs of mutated bat wings on his back reverted to just one pair.

Secondly, the horns on his head increased from one pair to three pairs, and they became sharper, resembling a special crown of thorns.

Lastly, his hands became bulkier, with their surfaces emitting a dark red glow like molten lava.

There weren't many other changes.

His body now appeared more slender and less bulked up compared to before.

With his slightly slender physique and the powerful, red-glowing hands, Paris now had a somewhat unconventional and discordant appearance.

However, for Hell demons, having an unconventional appearance was the norm. If a demon looked too harmonious, that would be abnormal. Even succubi and pleasure demons, who conformed to human aesthetics, still gave off an aura of a combination of human and demon.

Paris's ascension didn't last too long.

In less than ten minutes, his ascension ceremony was completed.

When his form had completely stabilized, and the demonic power within him had calmed down, his ascension was deemed successful.

With Russell providing Hell power and assistance, Paris successfully ascended from an intermediate greater demon to a high-ranking Tyrant Demon.

Upon seeing Paris complete the ascension ceremony, Russell addressed him, "Stay here for a while to adapt to your newly gained power."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Paris no longer referred to Russell as his master but instead addressed him as "Your Majesty."

Although Russell wasn't a genuine demon, Paris had decided that he would be Russell's loyal and unwavering subordinate from now on.

As for how other demons would view him, Paris didn't care in the slightest. With Russell as his protector, as long as he didn't provoke Mephisto and other demon lords, he could basically roam Hell freely.

Upon seeing Paris address him as "Your Majesty," Russell couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "At first, I thought you weren't very smart."

But as it turned out, Paris was quite clever.

Russell didn't say anything and activated the Hell Authority within him.

Then, he took a casual step forward, instantly returning to Doom's side.

With the Hell Authority at his disposal, Russell could easily manipulate the omnipresent Hell aura in Hell. Flashing like this was as simple as breathing for him.

Upon Russell's return, Doom carefully stored the Soul Crystals he had in his hand.

Then, he asked Russell, "Is everything settled? Will you return with me now?"

"No," Russell replied. "If I return in this state, I'll probably be marked as a servant of the Dark God immediately. I plan to stay here and consolidate my power and authority."

Doom wasn't surprised by Russell's decision. Even without using any sensing magic, Doom could clearly sense the overwhelming Hell aura emanating from Russell's body.

If Russell returned to Earth in this state, any place he appeared in would quickly become tainted with the Hell aura.

"Alright, staying in Hell is the best way to consolidate your power. During the time you're away from Earth, I'll make sure to keep an eye on the Justice League. As long as I'm alive, no one can harm the Justice League."

"Thank you," Russell said quietly, accepting Doom's offer.

Doom nodded his head and raising his right hand and making a casual gesture.

The cylindrical barrier that had been floating next to Doom quickly moved in front of him.

Then, it shattered with a loud crash.

With the barrier gone, Johnny immediately fell to the ground.

Almost the moment the cylindrical barrier disappeared, the imperceptible Hell aura began to surge toward Johnny. However, before this invisible Hell aura could reach him, Russell blocked it.

The Spirits of Vengeance within Johnny were sealed by Doom. If they were contaminated by the Hell aura, Johnny would die within seconds, even though he couldn't transform into a Knight of Spirits of Vengeance now.

As the key item for Doom to return to Earth, Russell wouldn't allow Johnny to die in front of him.

After isolating all the Hell aura around Johnny, Russell snapped his fingers and destroyed the magic circle inside Johnny.

Without the sealing magic circle, orange-red Hellfire quickly surged out of Johnny's body.

However, this time, the Hellfire that erupted from Johnny's body didn't obey his control but instead followed Russell's command.

Hellfire was a product of Hell, and Russell now possessed Hell Authority, so controlling the Hellfire within Johnny's body was as simple as breathing.

Although Hellfire surged from Johnny's body, he didn't transform into a Knight of Spirits of Vengeance as he did before.

Russell glanced at Johnny, who had completely overcome his weakened state.

Then, he directly controlled the Hellfire within Johnny's body, drawing a dimensional gateway magic circle centered on Johnny.

Johnny felt like a human battery, allowing Russell to extract the energy from his body without resistance.

In the blink of an eye, the dimensional gateway magic circle drawn with Hellfire was completed.

Russell didn't hesitate at all. He used Johnny as the energy source to activate the magic circle.

As the magic circle continued to draw Hellfire from Johnny's body, Johnny, who had just recovered from weakness, became incredibly weak once again.

"The magic circle is ready for you. You should be able to handle the rest," Russell told Doom.

"Thank you," Doom said to Russell before stepping into the magic circle without hesitation and taking control of it.

"Farewell!" Russell said to Doom as he activated the Hell Authority within himself, voluntarily weakening the dimensional crystal wall of Hell.

"After you return to Earth, I'll treat you to a drink!" Doom quickly added.

Then, he activated the magic circle on the ground with all his might.

Under Russell's gaze, the circular magic circle turned into a large fireball, completely engulfing Doom and Johnny.

This fireball, composed of Hellfire, didn't last long.

A few seconds later, the fireball dissipated, and Doom and Johnny disappeared before Russell's eyes.

After Doom and Johnny successfully left Hell, Russell turned around and faced Paris, who had ascended to a Tyrant Demon.

He appeared just as Paris asked respectfully, "Your Majesty, where shall we go next?"

"Where is the nearest lord from here?" Russell inquired.

Although he didn't say it out loud, Paris immediately guessed Russell's true intention.

"To the west!" Paris quickly replied.

"Then we shall head west!"

....

Time passed swiftly. 

Without realizing it, half a year had gone by.

In Hell, time flowed at the same rate as on Earth, so Russell didn't have to worry that Earth might have drastically changed by the time he returned.

City of Sin.

Lord's mansion, the main hall.

Russell sat on the throne representing the lord, listening to the reports from his subordinate demons.

In the past six months, he had become the most famous new lord in Hell.

The reason was simple. Apart from Mephisto, Russell had visited all the lords who had reached the rank of Archdemons.

Visiting them would have been fine on its own. However, the issue was that every time Russell visited these lords, he took something from them.

Although these lords possessed power close to that of Demigods, they were defenseless against Russell, who wielded Hell Authority.

At first, Russell had planned to spend a year in a random location, dealing with the divine  Islands and ocean of divine power tainted within him.

He also wanted to figure out how to embed the Hell Authority into his sun divine power, which had already merged with demonic power.

However, less than a month later, he changed his mind.

Hell was... boring!

He had now truly understood the frustration of Hell demons. Due to the Hidden Agreement, demons couldn't freely visit the human world as they once did.

This led to a severe problem - life in Hell was incredibly monotonous.

Although there were commercial and entertainment activities in Hell, compared to Earth, Hell's commercial and entertainment activities were severely lacking. Even with succubi and pleasure demons available 24/7, there was an indescribable boredom that couldn't be shaken off.

To make his life a little more enjoyable, he started a series of bold reforms in Hell.

The City of Sin was one of the products of his reforms.

He didn't create a city like other demons using various earthly architectural projections but instead utilized his Hell Authority to construct a large city capable of accommodating hundreds of thousands of demons.

The style of the City of Sin was not based on modern architectural styles from Earth; instead, he drew inspiration from Asgard's style.

Although Hell didn't have what's called gold, it wasn't lacking in metals. Of course, these metals were imbued with a strong Hell aura, making them authentic Hell products.

While the colors weren't very pleasing, primarily black and red, it didn't deter Russell from constructing the City of Sin.

In addition to establishing the City of Sin, he also forcefully required other demons to reside in the city and strictly adhere to the laws he had established.

At the beginning, many demons were hesitant to follow his orders and didn't take him seriously.

However, when he demonstrated his cruelty by eliminating those who defied him, the entire world fell into silence.