Chapter 1538 - 218 - An Upcoming Storm (7)
Both Morsea and I stepped into the meeting room together without saying another word. The atmosphere inside felt noticeably heavier than it usually did, almost as if the room itself already knew what kind of discussion was about to take place. Nobody looked particularly relaxed, and honestly, I couldn’t blame them for that.
Belphegor was already here, although calling it "waiting" would have been giving her a little too much credit. She wasn’t even sitting upright in her chair. Instead, she was completely slumped over it, looking as though she had fallen asleep before the meeting had even properly started. Judging by the way her chest slowly rose and fell, she really was still sleeping.
Honestly, I wasn’t even surprised anymore.
Belphegor had always been like this. Considering she was the Sin of Sloth, expecting her to suddenly become energetic would probably be asking for a miracle. If someone told me she had somehow managed to sleep through the end of the world, I would probably believe it after thinking about it for a second.
Asmodeus had already arrived as well and appeared to have been waiting for quite some time.
"How much longer were you two planning to keep us waiting?" she asked while folding her arms across her chest. "We’ve been sitting here for quite a while already."
"We had something we needed to discuss for a little while," I answered before glancing around the room. "Anyway, where’s Levi?"
"She’s already on her way," Asmodeus replied with a sigh that sounded more tired than annoyed. "She’s always late whenever we have one of these meetings."
"If we’d decided to hold this meeting somewhere else," Morsea said while looking toward the sleeping Belphegor, "then Belphegor probably would’ve taken even longer to show up."
At first, it almost sounded like a harmless observation.
After thinking about it for a moment, though, I realized she was obviously making fun of Belphegor. It wasn’t exactly difficult to figure that out. Morsea had a habit of making little comments like that whenever the opportunity presented itself.
Then again, Belphegor practically invited those kinds of remarks.
Being lazy wasn’t simply one of her habits. It was practically woven into her very existence. She was the Sin of Sloth, after all. Watching her sleep through important meetings had become so common that nobody even bothered trying to wake her up anymore. At this point, seeing her awake during one of these gatherings would honestly be the more shocking sight.
"Well, Satania seems to be getting closer and closer," I finally said.
For the past several days, I hadn’t been able to sense her presence at all. It had disappeared completely, making it feel as though she had vanished from the face of the world. That strange absence had bothered me more than I wanted to admit.
Things were different now.
Her presence had returned.
Despite the incredible distance separating us, I could clearly feel her drawing closer with every passing moment. The sensation became stronger little by little, making it impossible to mistake for anyone else.
She wasn’t walking, either.
She was moving incredibly fast.
It felt like she was practically charging toward this place without slowing down even once. Judging from that speed alone, she had probably already heard about the existence of Lilith’s Vessel.
"How much longer is Levi going to make us wait?" I asked.
"I’m already here."
Her voice came from behind us before any of us had the chance to say another word.
"You really do sound impatient," Levi said as she walked into the room. "Was the situation really that serious?"
"I’m saying it because it really is that serious," I answered immediately. "Lucielle is with him right now, and there’s a good chance she’s already chosen his side."
The moment those words left my mouth, Levi’s expression completely changed.
Her eyes widened.
Her jaw tightened.
"The hell is that bitch doing?" she asked, sounding genuinely stunned.
"Considering how loyal she’s always been to Lilith, I honestly can’t say I’m surprised," I replied. "Even so, choosing to stand against us is a completely different matter. She’s fighting her own sisters now. We’ve been together since the very beginning, so seeing her side with him has turned this whole situation into a much bigger pain than it already was."
Silence settled over the room for a brief moment.
Nobody immediately responded.
Everyone seemed to be thinking about the same thing.
"Betrayal?"
A deep voice suddenly echoed throughout the room before anyone else could speak.
It wasn’t especially loud.
Still, it didn’t need to be.
The weight behind that single word alone was enough to freeze everyone where they stood. The atmosphere immediately grew heavier, and I instinctively felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand upright.
Only one person could create that kind of pressure simply by speaking.
That person was Satania herself.
"Satania... you’re back," Asmodeus said while looking toward the entrance.
"Asmodeus," Satania replied calmly. "I heard what happened while I was away. It seems you’ve discovered the existence of Lilith’s Vessel."
Her crimson eyes slowly settled on Asmodeus.
"Is that information true?"
"I-It is," Asmodeus answered with a small nod. "Although he didn’t seem nearly powerful enough to be someone who could truly be Lilith’s Vessel, I don’t doubt it anymore. He carries Lilith’s presence, and I know I wasn’t mistaken."
"I see..."
The words left her mouth quietly.
The reaction that followed was anything but quiet.
A terrifying wave of bloodlust erupted from Satania without the slightest warning, spreading across the room with overwhelming force.
The pressure alone forced me to take an unwilling step backward.
Breathing suddenly became much more difficult.
The air itself felt incredibly heavy.
Mana poured from her body in enormous amounts, carrying enough murderous intent to make it feel as though death itself had stepped into the room alongside her.
Anyone standing here would immediately understand one thing.
Satania was furious.
Calling her angry would have been an understatement.
Pure killing intent surrounded her from every direction, making even someone like me instinctively tense my entire body. Nobody dared interrupt her while that overwhelming aura continued filling the room.
Her eyes eventually shifted toward me.
"So then," she said in an unusually calm voice that somehow sounded even more frightening than shouting ever could, "who exactly was the one you claimed betrayed us?"
My entire body stiffened beneath her gaze.
Deep down, I was fairly certain she had already figured out the answer before asking the question. Even so, she wanted confirmation directly from me instead of making assumptions.
Lucielle had remained loyal to Lilith even after Lilith had fallen at Satania’s hands.
Despite that complicated history, Satania still considered Lucielle one of her sisters.
Truthfully, all of us did.
That was probably why she wanted to hear the answer herself.
"Lucielle is with him right now," I finally said after taking a slow breath. "She betrayed us."
Silence filled the room once again.
Satania’s expression slowly twisted into something far more terrifying than before.
The veins on her forehead gradually became visible as the mana surrounding her continued to surge violently around the room.
Her killing intent only continued growing stronger.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Nobody was stupid enough to interrupt her now.
"I’m going to kill them," she said in a voice so calm that it somehow sounded even more terrifying than if she had screamed those words at the top of her lungs.