Within the Abyss:
Jalan, Aldemo, Selene, and their companions plunged rapidly toward the core of hell, nine kilometers below.
In mere seconds, they had already sped past the second layer of hell: "Lust."
The dark angels, Jalan and Aldemo, had no interest in observing the scenery of Lust. Instead, they focused on maneuvering their powered armor, using the short-range thrusters on their jetpacks to adjust their positions and avoid crashing into the narrowing cliffs of the abyss.
Selene, by contrast, was able to multitask, using the small jets on her combat suit to correct her descent while simultaneously scanning Lust's limited expanse, only marginally larger than the Limbo above.
Her electronic eyes captured and recorded countless details in a split second for subsequent study by her and her team.
Lust presented a stark contrast to Limbo.
There was no blue sky, no verdant grass—only darkness and endless torment.
Millions, if not billions, of souls who had been driven by carnal desires in life suffered ceaseless whippings and tortures here.
Most were bound by thorny vines to searing iron pillars, their twisted, misshapen bodies lashed by grotesque hellish creatures.
Some, seemingly accustomed to their eternal agony, stared blankly ahead with lifeless eyes.
Seductive, beautiful, or strikingly handsome demons would sometimes approach these souls, teasing and tempting them with provocative gestures.
Should any soul show the slightest longing or desire, the tormenting demons would cruelly mutilate their private parts, then rub copious amounts of salt into the raw wounds.
Thus, the second layer—Lust—was perpetually filled with the wails and screams of tormented souls.
Based on The Divine Comedy: Inferno, Selene speculated that many of the souls imprisoned in Lust likely committed crimes such as rape or sexual assault during their lifetimes, earning their endless punishment in death.
If that were the case, most of these souls deserved their suffering.
However, the unique nature of heaven and hell in Universe 13 complicated matters. Some souls punished here might have merely broken the strict doctrines of the Church during their lifetimes.
For instance, premarital sexual activity was strictly prohibited, and followers were commanded to remain chaste and faithful to their partners.
In the main universe and countless others, the prohibition against premarital relations was largely ignored, though infidelity after marriage was strongly condemned.
After the formation of the Human Empire, new laws imposed severe penalties for adultery, ranging from chemical castration and forfeiture of personal assets to banishment to frontier colonies.
Unlike the 20th- and 21st-century main universe punishments, the Empire's chemical castration was both physically and psychologically devastating. The Empire's Bioengineering Division, under the state-run corporation Atlas, excelled at developing such methods.
The Human Empire's citizens had long revered the Emperor as a living god, pledging fidelity and trust to their spouses during marriage ceremonies in his name.
While the Empire refrained from intervening in divorces caused by emotional detachment or mutual agreement, it harshly punished cases of infidelity involving deceit, betrayal, or premeditated murder.
Such morally depraved individuals were considered less than human, unworthy of the trust and happiness the Empire sought to ensure for all its citizens.
Regarding premarital relationships, however, the Empire took no issue, as such acts were consensual and harmless under its laws.
In Universe 13, strict Church doctrines only fueled curiosity and rebellion among the young. Forbidden fruits became all the more enticing to hormone-driven adolescents.
If such transgressions landed these souls in the second layer of hell, the punishment seemed overly excessive.
Nevertheless, this strict system bolstered the Church's control over society, enforcing the belief that disbelief or disobedience would lead to damnation.
While observing Lust, Selene's electronic eyes captured a large force of hellish creatures preparing to march to Limbo, likely to confront Athena and her invading force.
Among these creatures, Selene also glimpsed the ruler of Lust—a demon lord of hell known as Asmodeus.
According to various records from the main universe and descriptions from Universe 13's cultists, Asmodeus wielded immense magical power and bore a hybrid appearance with a bull's head, a human head, and a goat's head.
Leading an army of corrupted spirits, Asmodeus towered over his subordinates at a colossal height of 300 meters. His troops, clad in grotesque yet finely crafted armor, had human torsos and limbs but often bore rotting, deformed faces.
Selene, however, paid little heed to Asmodeus or his army as she descended to the third layer: "Gluttony."
Here, the souls of those who had indulged in excess during their lifetimes were submerged in fetid, reeking mud.
Their bloated bodies, with sickly green skin, oozed decay, and writhing maggots infested their open wounds.
Though Selene spent mere seconds traversing Gluttony, the grotesque scenes were indelibly etched into her memory storage.
The lord of Gluttony, Beelzebub—the Lord of Flies—commanded an equally horrifying army. Beelzebub, who had once unleashed a plague upon Universe 13's Earth to create a zombie horde, was leading his deformed forces toward Limbo to confront Athena.
Selene swiftly passed through the remaining layers of hell, each filled with its own horrors:
Fourth Layer: Greed Fifth Layer: Wrath Sixth Layer: Heresy Seventh Layer: Violence Eighth Layer: Fraud
Each layer offered its own nightmare, but Selene, as an AI, was immune to the mental and spiritual corruption that would overwhelm most mortals.
Finally, Selene, Jalan, Aldemo, and their dark angel companions reached the ninth layer: "Treachery."
The ninth layer was divided between a searing lake of magma and a frigid lake of ice. On the shores of these opposing extremes lay the souls of traitors, eternally trapped in their respective punishments.
As they prepared to locate the ruler of this layer, a deep, resonant voice echoed:
"Foolish mortals, daring to descend to the lowest depths of my domain. So eager to become my next meal?"
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