Fourth Layer of the Baator: Scorching Hell
Gavier Zapata, a middle-ranking demon busy collecting sinful souls that had fallen into hell from the void, suddenly lifted his head. He heard a faint sound and then couldn't contain his joy as he sensed the pull of a summoning from the Material Plane.
For low-level demons like him, every chance to venture into the Material Plane was a rare opportunity, promising rich rewards. Without hesitation, Gavier responded to the summoning.
Time and space shifted as Gavier followed the summoning force, leaving hell behind. Fresh air filled his nostrils, and he felt a slight pressure from the surroundings.
"You lowly…" Gavier began his grand introduction, only to be interrupted when a flaming hand grabbed his head and yanked him roughly out of the summoning circle, throwing him to the ground.
"You…" Furious at such treatment, Gavier looked up, about to curse, but he quickly swallowed his words.
The one who had dragged him out was a higher-ranking devil, someone who could crush him with ease. A mere tossing of his head was nothing in comparison to what this higher devil could do.
"Behave and stay put!" The large devil that had summoned him tossed Gavier aside and resumed working the summoning circle, continuing to lure more demons from hell using souls as bait to draw their true forms into the Material Plane.
"..." Soon, another middle-ranking demon appeared in the summoning circle, but it wasn't as lucky as Gavier. It didn't even have time to speak before the higher devil grabbed its head and threw it aside as well.
Under the watchful eyes of the higher devil, none of the summoned demons dared to speak. They all sat quietly in the corner. As the room filled with more and more middle-ranking demons, the higher devil took out a bell and rang it.
Another powerful devil entered the room, expressionless as he looked at the demons summoned from hell. "Come with me," he ordered.
There was no need for further instructions. The demons, summoned from different layers of hell, instinctively formed two lines and followed the higher devil out of the room. Obeying the commands of a stronger devil was deeply ingrained in their nature.
Gavier found himself in the middle of the line and noticed similar groups of demons leaving other rooms as well.
This was a massive building, and in each room, a powerful devil was continually summoning demons from hell.
Before long, Gavier and the others arrived at a spacious hall. Most of the demons here were middle-ranked like Gavier, with a few higher-ranking ones present as well, all behaving quietly and cautiously.
Then, an extremely powerful pit fiend appeared, accompanied by countless tomes.
"These are the legal codes of various nations in the world of Erathia. Your task is to compile a flawless legal code with no loopholes!" The pit fiend's words were brief, and without waiting for a response, he vanished. There was no need for him to mention the consequences of failing to produce a flawless legal code.
Once the orders were given, the higher-ranking devils took charge, and within a short time, the thousand demons organized themselves into teams and began the work of compiling the legal code.
Three months later, after the collaboration of over a thousand demons, a mountain of legal codes had piled up. The overseeing pit fiend reported this, and the terrifyingly powerful devil reappeared.
"Now, I have a question for all of you." Miles stood on a platform, looking down at the thousand demons below with an inscrutable smile.
"Do you believe the legal code you've compiled is perfect?" Miles, now in his humanoid form, asked the massive, hideous demons beneath him.
None of the demons dared answer. They believed they had done their best and that this legal code was more flawless than any of the reference codes they had been given.
"So, you all think the legal code you've compiled is perfect and has no loopholes, right?" Miles asked again.
Still, no demon spoke.
"Very well!" Miles nodded. "I'm giving you one last chance. If any of you think that the sections you were responsible for have any loopholes, step forward now. This is your final opportunity to make corrections."
No demon stepped forward. They all saw this as a chance to impress the powerful devil. None would dare admit their shortcomings.
"In that case, let them in!" At Miles' command, a group of demons, equal in number to those compiling the code, entered the hall. They, too, stood trembling under Miles' gaze, awaiting his orders.
"Listen! Before you is a flawless legal code! But I don't believe that. And you shouldn't either, because there is no such thing as a perfect contract!"
Miles shouted passionately at the newly arrived demons. "Your task is to find loopholes in this legal code! Each of you must find at least one. Find one, and you live. Fail, and…"
Miles adjusted the monocle on his nose, a sinister grin spreading across his face. "Then you die. If you can't find a loophole in a contract, how can you call yourself a devil and still live in this world?"
"Now, prove to me that you deserve to exist as a devil in this world!" As soon as Miles finished speaking, the newly arrived demons began frantically checking the legal code. Under the direction of Miles' subordinates, they worked desperately.
"Sir, I've found a loophole!" Not long after, one of the demons raised its hand.
Without a word, Miles gestured, and another demon stepped forward to check. After confirming, the demon nodded to Miles.
"Which demons were responsible for this flawed section of the code?" Miles asked. Immediately, the names of the involved demons appeared on a crystal slab in the center of the hall.
"Sir, spare us! Please give us another chance!" The four demons whose names appeared fell to their knees in terror.
"As demons, you've embarrassed our kind by creating a flawed contract. As a reward for your hard work, I will graciously allow you to choose how you die. Speak, how would you like to die?"
Miles smiled at the kneeling, trembling demons, but his eyes were cold and indifferent.
The demons didn't answer, only kowtowing and begging for mercy. But expecting mercy from a devil, especially a powerful one like Miles, was a fool's hope. Before long, other demons dragged the four away.
"Continue!" Miles commanded. The hall fell silent again as the remaining demons doubled down on their efforts, fearing their own demise if they couldn't find a loophole.
As more loopholes were uncovered, more demons were dragged away. To Miles, these demons had outlived their usefulness. Their corpses would serve as fertilizer for the elves' life trees, nourishing Synapse's land.
…
"Please, don't let my name appear! Please…" Gavier trembled in fear, muttering to himself as his face contorted with terror.
Looking around, he realized that of the initial thousand demons, fewer than fifty remained. The rest had been taken away for the flaws found in their sections of the code.
What happened to them? Gavier didn't dare to think about it. No demon would have mercy for those below them, treating them as mere tools.
"Can't find any more loopholes?" After waiting a long time, Miles frowned when no further flaws were reported. "In that case, take away all the demons who failed to find a single loophole!"
Once again, the hall was filled with heart-wrenching cries for mercy, but soon it was quiet. Fewer than eight hundred demons remained, all trembling in fear.
"Now, you will continue revising this legal code until not a single demon can find a loophole in it!" Miles, having already eliminated more than a thousand demons, smiled pleasantly at the remaining ones. They trembled but bowed to him in reverence, fully recognizing his authority.
This was the true essence of a great devil.
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