Chapter 213 Fourth Stop - Wrath 3

Zero yawned and stretched. He had a great night. Volcano spit-roast definitely made its way up to the top 100 of the best things Zero has eaten thus far. He wondered why it wasn't served at the Mega Gourmet compet.i.tion.

Speaking of the feast, Zero felt as if his body was still not completely awake. Certain spots in his vision were still hazy and Zero couldn't control his legs very well when he tumbled out of bed. The world spun on a strange axis and the boy felt as if it might be easier walking upside-down.

Baal was still soundly asleep when he heard a thud. He tried opening his eyes and groaned almost at once when a sharp pain hit him hard. It had been too long since he last hung out with Amon. The memories were scattered but the Demon Lord managed to piece together the fragments of what happened at the feast last night before adrenaline started pumping through his veins.

"Zero!" he called out and hopped out of the bed he shared with the teen. Zero who was meant to be sleeping beside him was not there and Baal ignored the pain. Finding Zero was more important for now. Who knew what an intoxicated Zero would do given his trouble-attracting nature?

"I'm here..." a cranky voice from somewhere in the room croaked. Baal blinked and turned around, pulling back from the door.

On the ground beside the extravagant bed was Zero with his head face-planted on the carpet and his b.u.t.t sticking up in the air at a weird angle. It sure looked as if the teen had fallen out of bed. The young doctor was still trying to stand but his movements were sluggish at best. Baal watched as his friend attempted to stand on shaky legs but fell sideways and simply rolled on the floor.

Zero felt as if his head was made a tad too heavy. He was unable to remove it from the floor and wondered what kind of magic was cast on him. Last night had been a very wild experience. Zero remembered being introduced to the strange culture of ripping meat off from the chunk with his teeth and chugging a spicy liquid that burned through his nostrils. The first few mouthfuls of that strange drink were fine but after that... things became slightly disorienting.

"Zero, how do you feel? D*mned Amon!"

Baal helped his friend up and even morphed to his adult form to a.s.sist the struggling brunet. It was mandatory for every warrior to drink mead and eat meat at a feast. Baal was no stranger to alcohol but Zero was a mere child not too long ago. Amon's hospitality meant emptying barrels after barrels of that beverage until n.o.body was sober. Zero collapsed after his second drink but Baal held on until the sixth before managing to find an escape, dragging Zero's deadweight with him.

Zero moaned in pain and clutched at his head. The throbbing pain was dull in the background but it certainly didn't feel pleasant. He felt weak and had this strange feeling of wanting to roll around for no particular reason. Gravity didn't work normally and the young doctor wondered if there was something wrong with Amon's domain.

"Here, drink this..." Baal helped prop Zero up in bed and had a servant bring them water. Zero accepted the water and emptied the gla.s.s within seconds. The water helped but he was still not feeling too good. His stomach disagreed with him and Zero didn't know what it wanted.

Baal studied his friend and noticed the tell-tale signs. Zero was clearly hungover. Sadly, there weren't any known remedies for the side effects of consuming too much alcohol. Demons who drank usually toughed it out until the effects were purged from the system. Still, the Demon Lord of Sloth prepared an empty bucket just in case Zero's system rejected it.

"I feel horrible... what's going on with Amon's domain?"

Baal snorted. Leave it to Zero to think that something was wrong with the domain instead of his body.

"The only thing wrong with Amon's domain is the lack of muscle-brained warriors training at the crack of dawn. Do you remember what happened last night?"

Zero frowned. "I ate and drank something weird... I don't remember a lot. What happened?"

Baal chuckled. "That drink is called mead and it is a form of alcohol. Amon and his underlings love it because of the effects when they get buzzed. Unfortunately, that means their temporary state of happiness will be replaced with a foul mood for the next twelve hours when the side effects of intoxication replace it. What you're feeling right now is called a hangover. Symptoms can range from not being able to walk normally, slurred speech, dizziness, headache and nausea. There isn't any known cure for hangovers in the abyss so I'm afraid both you and I would have to tough it out for the next few hours."

"Lucky you, Heaven has a cure."

Baal bristled. He didn't sense anyone else in the room and instantly activated his most powerful magic, striking at the intruder.

"Relax," Lucifer chuckled and deflected it. For Baal to be so careless, Amon must have really done a number on his best student. "I came here with Zero's gift because I was en route to discuss some matters with Amon."

Baal relaxed when he realised it was only Lucifer. Zero was thrilled to see the fallen angel but winced when the sudden movement made his head twinge in agony.

Lucifer came up to the bed and cast a spell that helped dismiss the aftereffects. Baal was amazed by it and Zero was immensely grateful. Lucifer then went up to Zero and grabbed his wrist before slapping it lightly with a seal that glowed momentarily before disappearing. Zero didn't know what that was and Baal panicked.

"What did you do?" the Demon Lord nearly screamed in alarm.

Lucifer rolled his eyes at Baal's near hysteria. He flicked Baal's nose and sent him flying into the door. Zero watched in horror as his friend was sent flying back before his eyes. He wanted to do something but Lucifer was still holding his wrist. Feeling as if he was in danger, Zero froze up and waited.

Lucifer took a look at the young doctor and wanted to laugh at how defenceless Zero looked at the moment. Truth be told, he was sent by Michael and Uriel to give Zero the mark of an angel so that the kid could access Heaven whenever he wanted to. It was their way of thanks and apology but Lucifer was too proud to admit to being the errand boy so he decided to do it in a roundabout fas.h.i.+on.

Baal was stunned but unhurt. Lucifer seemed slightly out of character for some reason. However, before he could ask anything, the elusive Lord of Pride took his leave in the form of dazzling radiance. Zero was confused. Why would Lucifer pop by and cure their hangovers without saying much then slap a seal on him and leave after sending Baal flying? Sometimes he couldn't understand what the fallen angel was thinking.

[You have new t.i.tles, would you like to view them now?]

Zero blinked. It has been a while since he had seen the system prompt him something. Zero clicked on yes and the system showed him all of his available t.i.tles and their effects.

Inheritor of Sins

Effect: Allows t.i.tleholder to absorb all sins and convert them to a form of consumable power.

Savior of the Abyss

Effect: t.i.tleholder naturally liked by demons and monsters, increases charisma points when dealing with demon races.

Member of the White Wings Alliance

Effect: Free entry pa.s.s to Heaven that doesn't expire.

"Oh? This didn't happen before. Did the system undergo a new upgrade?" Zero wondered to himself. Baal was still trying to trace Lucifer but the old coot has made his clean escape. Clearly, having business with Amon was a lie. He could no longer sense Lucifer's presence in Amon's territory. It was a weird way to start the day.

"What do we do now?" Zero asked Baal who had zoned out.

"Hm? Oh, yes. We should prepare to leave. I doubt Amon will be in a very welcoming mood when he wakes up. I need to send a letter to s.h.i.+ttomi informing her of our arrival so give me ten minutes."

"Okay!"

"One more thing," Baal paused just before he left. "You're not allowed to consume alcoholic beverages from now onwards. It's not good for you."

Zero blinked at the closed door. As a doctor, he knew that alcohol was sometimes used to sterilise wounds and equipment. He didn't know it was drinkable until last night. Judging from the horrible side effects, Zero wouldn't be doing it again. Why did Baal have to sound so serious about it? Perhaps there was more the Demon Lord wasn't telling him.

"Oh well," Zero shrugged. Now that the alcohol had left his system, the young doctor decided to take a look at the book Amon gave him. Baal's ten minutes often meant an hour.

***

A certain snow queen received an unexpected letter and read the contents with a small smile gracing her usually icy expression.

"s.h.i.+ro, prepare rooms for our guests. They will be arriving tomorrow."

"Yes, milady," a servant from the shadow greeted before turning into a puddle of water.

The snow queen sighed tiredly and looked at the grey skies. The snow was falling gently after the blizzard storm last night. She heard many things about the boy called Zero from one of her closest friends who now can no longer return to the abyss. The gloomy weather reflected her emotional state perfectly.

Tired. s.h.i.+ttomi had never felt more exhausted. As one of the long-reigning Demon Lords together with Amon and Lucifer, the snow queen had never once rested. She never slept, never napped and never stopped working. She fulfilled her duty perfectly as a Demon Lord, spearheaded the success of the Hannya Investigation House and was even mentor to the younger generation of Demon Lords like Lilith and Mammon.

s.h.i.+ttomi still remembered the night when Qin Yun sent a message after leaving h.e.l.l for a while. She rejoiced and agreed to help her friend when she shared her problems. Zero was someone who came in like a storm and s.h.i.+ttomi wasn't quite expecting to meet the person of her destiny in the manner they did. At long last, she was able to fulfil her mission as Jevy's Fragment but what next? The snow queen felt bitter at her hollowness.

She didn't have a family like Lilith. She didn't have a career or ambition like Mammon. She didn't know how to enjoy life like Baal. She wasn't able to reclaim what she had once lost like Lucifer nor enjoy the struggles of youth like Beelzebub. She couldn't even obsess over something and burn with pa.s.sion like Amon, s.h.i.+ttomi didn't know why she continued to exist. Now that Qin Yun has chosen her path to continue as a cultivator towards the goal of becoming human and searching for her lover's reincarnated form, s.h.i.+ttomi was once again left behind.

"Don't worry, sister. When you meet Zero, you will receive all the answers that you have always wanted to know."

s.h.i.+ttomi thought back to Qin Yun's last words before she left for her new life on Earth, entrusting the rest of her village to the Demon Lord. The snow queen couldn't understand how Qin Yun was able to make such a decision so easily. Was leaving friends and family something that can be done without contemplation and second thoughts? s.h.i.+ttomi felt hurt and tired. The snow would never be cold to a snow ghost but tonight, the chill in her heart was colder than the temperature outside.

"Qin Yun... I will not let you go that easily. If Zero was the reason why our sisterhood was so easily sold then I shall have to test him myself to see if he is worthy."