Contrary to the mythological depictions of brimstone and lava, True Hell's environment wasn't vastly different from the real world.
The same azure skies, the same tawny earth.
Apart from the twelve suns and four moons being somewhat excessive in the sky, the only real difference was that True Hell followed the ancient concept of a square earth beneath a round heaven.
Yet the abundance of celestial bodies in True Hell served practical purposes.
For one, the continent's light-year spanning territory required more sunlight sources.
Second, it involved personal disputes between the Grand Dukes who governed the domains of the sun and the moon.
However, solar matters remained distant concerns for Guro.
Not even the three suns directly overhead could dispel the chill in his heart.
And the reason this Apostle felt such coldness lay in the scorched earth before him.
This was a land of utter blackness, emitting curling smoke that filled the air with the stench of burning.
Merely half an hour ago, this had been an eight-hundred-mile stretch of demonic castles.
The heartland of the Apostle of Night - Nak's territory, home to over thirty thousand demonic foot soldiers.
Now, all had been reduced to nothingness - including Nak herself, an Apostle Rank viscount.
The cause of this devastation...
"...Divine Authority!"
Guro inhaled the lingering essence in the air. The bone-piercing pain and numbing sensation confirmed the type of Authority residue present.
Thunder Authority!
Genuine Thunder Authority!
Not some mere divine artefact, but an Angel truly wielding their deity's power to purge all inequities.
But... how could Nak have provoked an Angel? A being of demon earl level?
Or rather, how could an earl of Angel Rank appear in this remote, shallow-numbered region of Hell specifically designated for resource production?
"Could it be an earl from the middle or upper layers of Hell who just happened to be offended by Nak?"
"Surely our luck isn't that bad?"
Guro's tone was deeply uncertain as he spoke this.
For an earl of Hell to descend to the shallow layers was already an extremely improbable event.
Compared to entering shallow regions meant for resource production, earls preferred sending their bloodline descendants to develop new territories and produce resources for consumption in the core layers.
Therefore, in Hell layers numbered from 1000 upwards, one mostly found only Demigod-level barons or Apostle Rank viscounts.
While carving out their own territories here, they also provided resources for the earls and Marquises behind them, seeking opportunities for advancement.
Under such circumstances, the probability of an earl attacking lower-level lords was small.
Even newly promoted earls would at most send descendants to stake claims - killing demons to plunder was completely unnecessary.
Moreover, Guro hadn't heard of any demon lords from the core layers descending recently, nor of any Apostles in the shallow layers being promoted.
Having ruled out the core layers, Nak's killer must have come from outside - someone with a grudge against Nak.
And recently, who had Nak offended...
"Could it be because I tricked Nak into testing that organisation called SDS in Purgatory?"
At this thought, even Guro thought himself mad.
How could an Angel Rank being exist in some Purgatory faction?
That was the kind of high-ranking existence found only in the single-digit top layers of Hell's core.
How could some newly liberated Purgatory world possibly...
"How could... no, although it seems unlikely, that is, after all, the place the Grand Dukes call Purgatory..."
Guro murmured to himself, secretly beginning to believe this was the Hidden Management Department's doing.
After all, this was the legendary Purgatory World that even the Grand Dukes of the core layers - even those who controlled the suns - feared. Having Angels lurking there was perfectly normal.
Some worlds with world suppression couldn't be said to lack powerful beings entirely.
Among the worlds Hell had invaded and ruled, there were cases where worlds of entirely ordinary life suddenly produced a True God or a Grand Duke.
Therefore, Angels existing in Purgatory wasn't impossible.
If so, then matters had become somewhat delicate.
At least in Guro's view, the situation was rather delicate.
"So Nak took the bullet meant for me!"
Guro's voice carried a hint of schadenfreude.
In True Hell, demon conflicts were practically daily occurrences.
As long as the tribute amounts matched, the upper and middle layers cared little about who the shepherds below were.
Yet under such circumstances, Guro's demon forces rarely engaged in slaughter.
Partly because Guro had an earl ancestor backing him, and partly due to his personal temperament.
As a Life-aligned Apostle, Guro preferred 'development and creation' over warfare.
With this inclination, Guro actually maintained decent relationships with nearby lords.
Though Guro still possessed a demon's cunning, among the shallow Apostles, his reputation was among the better ones.
This was precisely why he could 'sell' the Hidden Management Department's intelligence to Nak, which ultimately led to Nak's demise.
"What a pity. Nak is dead, but I can't easily make a move on her territory."
As Guro spoke, his expression was full of regret.
On one hand, Nak had been killed by an Angel due to his 'instigation'. Occupying her territory immediately would make him the prime suspect.
On the other hand, Guro didn't want to strain relations with his fellow demon brothers over something as trivial as territory.
After all, he still needed contributions from these demon brothers for exploring certain Abyss worlds.
Hadn't Nak trusted Guro's intelligence precisely because of the sweet rewards from their previous joint Abyss world development?
Without that foundation, Nak wouldn't have taken that fatal blow for Guro.
"That special lifeform in the Hidden Management Department is hopeless now... or at best, just a backup option... The urgent task now is to find advancement resources elsewhere."
Through developing territories in numerous new worlds, Guro had once obtained intelligence about a Top Tier Class.
In True Hell, Top Tier Classes were jokingly called 'the Earl's Sceptre'.
While High Tier Classes could still advance to Angel status, most veteran Angels possessed Top Tier Classes.
Even those who advanced as High Tier Classes could eventually transform their Class into a Top Tier one after sufficient accumulation.
This was why demon society joked that only Top Tier Classes could advance to Angel status.
As an ambitious demon, Nak naturally wouldn't pass up the chance to become an earl.
But now it seemed that while his luck had always been good, the waters of the Purgatory World ran deeper than expected!
Not only did it hide Angel Rank beings equivalent to demon earls, but it also possessed unique power suppression.
It was precisely these nearly fraudulent special characteristics that doomed his 'dear sister' Nak, causing her to perish under an Angel's divine wrath.
Thinking of Nak's tragic fate, Guro couldn't help but shed 'grieving' tears.
But grief aside, advancement was something Guro had to arrange for himself.
Guro dared not tell any demon about possessing intelligence on a Top Tier Class - at least not until he became an earl.
Yet the materials for advancement posed another major challenge.
The Hidden Management Department was out of the question - those waters were too deep, so Guro naturally abandoned that option.
Thus, he needed another target. Even relying on luck was better than doing nothing.
At this thought, Guro suddenly remembered that strange demon he'd encountered during the Purgatory assault, the one who grasped a rudimentary Destruction Concept.
'Perhaps opportunities lie in that world?'
'If I can't handle the Angels from the Hidden Management Department, surely I can deal with your Underworld?'
'Unless... does your Underworld also have high-ranking beings at Angel level?'
Still, thinking was one thing, but Guro wouldn't lead the first wave of probing.
'Since Nak is already dead, I'll approach Brother Philip next door instead.'
'No doubt a demon world with other bloodlines would catch his eye, after all, he's a demon who follows the racial path.'
Having decided on his next victim, Guro glanced at the scorched earth before him and vanished in a flash.
...
Just as Guro was plotting his next victim.
In the Goblin Slayer world of the Abyss.
Within the Supreme God's temple in the Water Capital.
Luo Shu stared at the group of little turnips before him, falling into deep contemplation.
"I asked them to find the original female leads, didn't I..."