My Wives are Beautiful Demons - Chapter 600

Chapter 600: Erábo Hall
Vergil remained silent for a few seconds, watching the luminous dust dissipate in the air after the brutal impact. The ground was still smoldering, the stone marked by the residual energy of the Bifrost—a scar of pure heat, as if the very fabric of reality had been burned in the landing.

He took a deep breath, the dense, hot air filling his lungs. The environment was dark, but not empty. The sky above was a mixture of gray and red, and the wind blew heavily, carrying the metallic smell of the underworld.

When he turned, he saw Ada staggering. Her body seemed too light, as if her bones were trying to remember what it meant to have weight again.

Vergil took a step towards her and extended his hand.

“Hold on to me,” he said, his voice deep and firm, with a slight smile at the corner of his mouth. “You still seem a little dizzy.”

Ada looked at him, her eyes still trying to focus. Even so, she took his hand without hesitation.

“It’s… difficult to get used to this,” she replied, with a tired half-smile. “This feeling of being thrown from one place to another as if the body were made of glass.”

Vergil helped her steady herself, observing her closely. The contrast between the faint light of the Bifrost still shining in the air and the shadow of the infernal domain made her face paler than usual.

“You need to improve your resistance against magic,” he said, adjusting his glove naturally. “The Bifrost is pure arcane energy. An unprepared body suffers indeed.”

Ada raised an eyebrow. “I am resistant,” she retorted. “But that… that’s not common magic. It’s something only gods use. It’s complicated for a mortal body, even a reinforced body.”

Vergil chuckled softly through his nose. “Complicated is a kind word. The Bifrost wasn’t made for humans or demons… we’re not immortal to withstand so much damage.”

He averted his gaze to the scorched ground beneath their feet. The glow of the rune that Brynhildr had used still pulsed there, slowly fading. Her presence, the energy she had left behind, still vibrated in the air.

But what truly intrigued him was something else.

He remembered the crossing. The pressure, the light, the sensation of being launched through the inside of a star. And yet, he didn’t feel the impact as he expected. He felt no pain, no weakness, no typical magical exhaustion of someone who crosses a dimensional portal.

That didn’t make sense.

Why was it so… smooth?

The thought echoed in his mind as he looked at Ada. She, clearly, was feeling the weight of the journey. And he, in contrast, was in perfect condition.

Could it be…?

Vergil narrowed his eyes, thoughtfully.

In theory, the blood that ran in his veins wasn’t entirely demonic. A dangerous mixture—part demon, part angel. A forced balance that gave him access to power, but also made him an anomaly in the face of almost all cosmic rules.

The Bifrost, being a beam of divine energy, perhaps recognized that half of him. Perhaps it accepted him as something familiar.

“—Hmm,” he murmured softly to himself. “So that’s it.”

Ada looked at him, curious. “What’s ‘it’?”

Vergil looked back at her, the same enigmatic smile as always crossing his lips. “Nothing much. Just a hypothesis.”

“You’re making that face like you’ve discovered something important and you’re going to hide it until I ask again, aren’t you?” she teased.

“Exactly that face,” he replied, without denying it.

Ada scoffed, crossing her arms. “One day you’ll learn to explain things without sounding like a locked book.”

“I doubt it,” Vergil replied, and the cold tone of his voice almost sounded amused.

A slight silence hung between them, broken only by the distant sound of the wind passing through the black columns that rose on the horizon.

Ada took a deep breath, looking around. The scene was grand and somber—the polished stone floor, the sky covered with flaming clouds, and in the distance, the palace of Erebus rising like a living mountain. The greenish glow of the eternal flames reflected on the towers and domes, casting distorted shadows that seemed to move on their own.

“So this is it…” she murmured. “The Hall of Erebus.”

Vergil followed her gaze.

“It seems so,” he replied. “A good place for a meeting of gods and demons.”

“And for intrigues,” Ada added, wiping the sweat from her brow. “I bet half of those inside don’t want to be in the same room with each other.”

“Then it will be fun,” said Vergil, his tone laced with irony.

Ada laughed, a little breathless. “You have a very distorted concept of fun.”

“Call it perspective.” Vergil adjusted the collar of his dark blue suit, still impeccable despite the fall. “Come, we shouldn’t keep them waiting.”

Ada nodded, straightening up with a little effort.

“Let’s go” she said. “The sooner we go in, the sooner this is over.”

Vergil took a step forward, extending his hand again. She took it, this time without hesitation.

The warmth of his palm contrasted with the cold, dry air of the underworld. And, for an instant, as they walked side by side towards the distant palace, Ada realized that, even there — amidst the ruins of hell and in the shadow of the gods — Vergil remained the same: calm, restrained, impossible to decipher.

And in silence, he thought.

He glanced sideways at Ada, feeling the firmness of her hand.

With each step, the sound of their boots echoed between the columns. The road led them directly to the colossal gate of the Hall of Erebus, where bluish lights burned among the golden carvings.

Vergil released her hand only when they stopped before the entrance.

“Ready?” he asked.

Ada simply nodded, taking a deep breath. The sound of air entering her lungs mingled with the distant echo coming from inside the hall. As soon as she confirmed the movement, the doors — colossal, carved with ancient runes and figures of gods in battle — trembled on their own.

Vergil raised an eyebrow.

“Automatic… practical” he murmured.

The ground beneath their feet vibrated slightly, and the two statues guarding the entrance — humanoid figures at least ten meters tall, each with helmets covering half their faces — began to move. The sound of stone grinding against stone echoed like thunder, making the air tremble. The statues crossed their golden spears and, in unison, spoke with voices deep enough to make the columns vibrate:

“Vergil, the Fifth Demon King, and his wife, Ada Baal.”

Ada blinked, surprised. “They announced…?”

Vergil calmly adjusted his jacket, as if this were all part of the routine. — Divine protocols. Always exaggerated.

The doors swung open completely, and the sight that presented itself before them was almost absurd.

The Hall of Erebus was not made of stone, nor of metal. It was a suspended structure — an immense plateau floating above an abyss of black light. The edges seemed to dissolve into mist, and the ceiling… well, there was no ceiling. Instead, a firmament of red and gold stars stretched to infinity, slowly rotating like a distorted mirror.

Chandeliers floated above, emitting a cold, white light. The architecture was a mixture of styles — Greek columns, Gothic stained glass windows, and dark wood tables in the Victorian style, with gold goblets and crystals so transparent they seemed liquid.

Beings of all kinds were there. Gods, angels, fallen angels, werewolves… All dressed in fine clothes, many with airs of boredom or arrogance. Some glanced at him, others stared directly, with that silent curiosity of someone evaluating a new predator.

Ada took a step closer to him, whispering:

“This looks like a ball… of rich ghosts.”

Vergil replied without looking at her:

“A ball of monsters with good manners.”

His voice sounded calm, but his eyes were alert, measuring every corner, every movement.

The sound of conversations diminished as they advanced. Vergil’s presence seemed to weigh on the air. Part respect, part distrust. He was a figure who did not belong in that place — and, precisely because of that, everyone seemed to notice. But nothing impressed him as much as what came next.

Across the hall, near Erebus’s empty throne, something moved. A heavy, rhythmic sound, like the scraping of claws against stone.

Vergil stopped, his eyes narrowing.

The air grew warmer.

From the shadows behind the throne, a colossal form emerged—three heads rising slowly, their eyes glowing with a bluish hue that cut through the gloom. Each breath made the ground tremble.

Ada’s eyes widened.

“That is…”

Vergil finished, in an almost amused tone:

“Cerberus.”

The guardian of the underworld. Hades’ dog.

The creature stared at him intently. The three heads alternated, one growling softly, another sniffing the air, and the third simply staring, motionless, as if studying him.

Vergil maintained his steady gaze. For an instant, the silence between the two—man and beast—was absolute.

One of the nearby gods discreetly stepped back. The mere presence of that monster seemed to distort local gravity.

Ada murmured, “He… he’s looking at you.”

Vergil replied, impassively, “I noticed.”

Cerberus tilted one of its heads, the movement slow, almost curious. A deep sound reverberated from the creature’s chest, not exactly a growl, but something closer to a rumble.

Vergil took a step forward. The entire hall seemed to hold its breath.

“Interesting,” he said, with a slight smile. “I thought Hades’ dog didn’t bow to anyone.”

One of Cerberus’s heads opened its mouth, showing fangs the size of swords. But what came out wasn’t an attack—it was a low, deep roar that vibrated through the floor… and then turned into silence.

Vergil understood the gesture. It wasn’t a threat. It was recognition.

Ada looked at him, still tense.

“Was that… a greeting?”

“Something like that,” he replied. “I think he’s excited. I felt a connection, he seems lonely.”

Ada looked at Vergil, not quite understanding what he meant. His tone, that half-smile—cold and confident—always hid something. But before she could ask, a voice echoed through the hall.

A sweet voice… and yet, with a weight that sent shivers down the spine.

“You’ve arrived.”

Vergil turned slowly, already laughing before he even saw who it was. The sound of his laughter broke the tension around them, and his blue eyes gleamed with a mixture of recognition and pure mockery.

“How are you, Miss Unparalleled to the Heavens?” he said, his tone laced with polite irony.

The approaching figure needed no introduction. Sun Wukong—the Monkey King, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven… or, in this case, the most beautiful among the guests.

Wukong had decided, once again, to assume his female form—a blonde woman with a magnetic presence and an expression impossible to decipher. But there was something different about her this time. A touch of solemnity, perhaps even… mystery.

A translucent veil covered part of her face, reflecting the light of the blue flames in the hall. Her golden hair was pulled back in an impeccable bun, held in place by a jade hairpin that seemed worth more than half the hall. The gold and white kimono shimmered under the light of the floating stained-glass windows, and the fabric seemed to move of its own accord, as if the wind respected her presence.

On her lips, a restrained smile—and before them, a fan of golden dragons, opened to partially hide her face, revealing only her eyes: cold, mischievous, and somehow too ancient to belong to anything human.

Vergil crossed his arms, his gaze assessing Wukong’s figure from head to toe, with that provocative air of someone about to have some fun.

“Are you practicing your transformation?” Vergil questioned, lightly laughing, “It’s better than last time.”

Wukong looked at him with a deadpan expression. “Ah…” she sighed, “Because I still had expectations that you wouldn’t try to tease me. Oh well, demons…” She said, shaking her head.

‘She’s serious…’ Vergil realized. Of course, Wukong was known for being careless and not worrying about anything… seeing him serious meant that this conversation… was for real. “Is she here?” Vergil questioned, looking at Wukong.

“Yes. She’s on the second floor.” He said.

“I see.” Vergil replied, and “And her champion?”

“He’s with her.” Wukong said.

“How fun… Shall we go say hello?” he questioned.