Fallen Angel

Just before Gabralter alongside the four adventurers entered the dungeon, Dragon and the strange black feathered, double-winged woman sauntered into the dungeon with complete disregard to everything around them.

Styx had noticed their arrival the moment they stepped into his territory as they weren't hiding their presence, unlike when the spider Monster Lord has snuck in and was waiting to ambush Aura. The woman accompanying the Monster Lord on this visit had surprised him greatly.

"A fallen angel?" Styx queried aloud, bringing the attention of the women accompanying him.

The girls looked at him curiously while he told them that Dragon had returned with a strange woman accompanying them.

Styx couldn't tell how powerful she is as she was restraining her aura, but his instincts were warning him that she was at least of the Fourth Step and extremely dangerous.

The two individuals walked through the dungeon at an extremely quick pace, each step seemingly taking them broad distances. Styx had people quickly start arranging a small feast for the visitors while he sat and waited upon his throne.

Dragon and the woman could already tell where Styx's avatar was as they headed straight towards him.

"You have returned," Styx commented as they entered the throne room. "And with a guest?"

"It has been three days," Dragon nodded and said in an insincere tone. "This is my assistant. She is in charge of managing stuff."

The woman politely curtsied, her two pairs of wings slightly spreading out as she did so.

"In your tongue, my name is Loreley. I am an envoy of Heaven in charge with assisting Dragon in any way he requires, including his latest hobby of dungeon management."

Styx looked at her in contemplation. She wore a long sleeved, black and grey victorian dress with red trimmings. She also had a tight black corset that pronounced her moderate sized chest.

A lot of elves, dark elves, tiger beastman and humans were rushing in and out of the throne room bringing in assortments of mana rich dishes for them to eat. Whilst entering and leaving the room, everyone looked at the Monster Lord and especially the winged woman with a giant crown floating above her head.

"You are a fallen angel, are you not?"

"I am." Loreley curtly and professionally responded.

"Aren't fallen angels cast out from heaven? Or that fallen angels are angels that have been cast out?"

Loreley raised her brow, her bright violet eyes opened slightly wider in surprise.

"There are some doctrines in lower worlds which taught that in the past. I believe that was heaven's 136th doctrine revision which introduced fallen angels. In the divine tongue, 'black' and 'fallen' are synonyms, so it was a translation used to promote the virtues as well as punishment to those who sinned. There are certain factions within Heaven which wish to bring back that doctrine, but they are mostly those stuck in the old ways."

"So, a fallen angel is really just a black angel?"

"They are the one and same. You can call me a fallen angel or black angel, it means the same to me. I am still an angel regardless, and a part of Heaven."

Styx nodded his head in understanding before indicating for them to take a seat at the table that was situated in the middle of the bridge which led to his throne.

"It's not often we get such an esteemed guest, would you like to try some of our food."

"I always enjoy trying new and exotic foods," Loreley curtly nodded her head and smiled as she assessed and chose food from several of the dishes.

Despite the obvious difference between her and Styx's strength, she remained humble before Styx which led to him having a positive attitude towards her.

"I was unaware you were in contact with Heaven," Styx said to Dragon while piling up a stack of black sauce covered meats and other baked goods that the cooks of the dungeon had created under inspiration of their own cultures and new foods.

Dragon snorted and stated, "She wanted to help me, so I let her."

Not understanding their relationship due to his communication habits, Styx looked at Loreley who patiently explained.

"A small kingdom with only one god like this one cannot hope to isolate its Fifth Step inhabitants who have potential to ascend into becoming gods. Envoys, such as myself, from all over the universe seek out those individuals and recruit them. I assist Dragon with spiritual fruits, rare treasures and once he reaches <Lv. 99>, managing Heaven's assets in creating and spreading a religion for him to acquire Faith and ascend into godhood. He would then be affiliated with Heaven and our divine realm branch."

Dragon ignored their conversation and gorged himself on the free food, taking the initiative to indicate to several dark elves at the side of the room to bring in replacements for several dishes.

"Is that how one becomes a god?"

"Correct. One must first reach <Lv. 99> and then collect Faith to construct a spark of divinity, or in the case of monsters, a divine core, to reach <Lv. 100>. Further levelling up is done by collecting Faith instead of experience. At <Lv. 99>, one is already as close to mana as they can be so they cannot evolve any further. Becoming stronger after that requires enhancing the divinity, which requires Faith."

"I'm surprised you are willing to tell me all this. Isn't this the kind of thing that should be kept secret?"

"Why is that? It is only the most basic information that everyone knows."

"…"

Styx had no words to respond with, and before he could say anything, Aura appeared in the room whilst growling at Dragon. She had just returned from a trip outside and immediately detected his scent, rushing over to confront him.

Dragon glanced at the enraged wolf-eared woman with his white, reptilian eyes and sneered. Styx felt he wasn't actually being disdainful after interacting with him enough, but Aura felt much differently as all her fur stood on end as she entered battle mode, her power spreading out and suppressing everyone around.

"Aura, enough."

At Styx's command, Aura reluctantly restrained herself. She appeared beside Styx and wrapped her tail around his waist, squeezing hard enough he winced slightly in pain.

He was curious as to why this Monster Lord of his didn't have an envoy, but knowing she was at Max Level, he could guess the reason why she wasn't approached by any envoys in the past.

Loreley seemed to detect something off about Aura and looked at her with eyes that glowed deep blue, a visible appearance by the application of some eye-based skill. Looking at her mana flow directly, the fallen angel raised her brows in pure shock, the greatest change of expression she had shown in the past hundred years.

She then looked at Styx with a greedy gaze and asked, "Did you do this?"

"Do what, exactly?"

"Loosen up her soul and expand her potential."

"I think it is a bit different, but it may appear that way in your perspective, however. Is it something that special?"

"Yes and no. Powerful gods or divine treasures can help with this. Every empire is researching mean of increasing the bodies potential to allow their citizens to become stronger. There is none of those treasures or people in a backwater place like this, so it could only be you."

Dragon was inherently interested in these words and looked at the wolf-eared woman who bared her teeth back at him. In her mind, this was her home and she didn't like it when the other Monster Lords within the Abyssal Forest intruded. Most of the Monster Lords were similar in this regard.

Dragon understood the value in a person or existence capable of such a thing was worth, so he became even more interested in the dungeon.

"Why don't you become mine," The white haired Monster Lord sarcastically said. "I will crush my current dungeon core and you can replace it."

Both the Monster Lord and fallen angel already knew he wasn't just a dungeon lord, but the dungeon itself. It was surprising, but only managed to raise a brow or two over the matter for beings of their stature.

Styx was completely unwilling to submit to another and simply offered a counter proposal.

"You should simply become mine instead. You can be a god of this dungeon."

Loreley had a stern expression as she slapped the table.

"Poaching from Heaven is forbidden!"

Despite her professionalism and friendliness, she was a stickler for rules and wouldn't even joke when it came to matters of Heaven.

"However, I can put forth a request for an envoy to assist you," She straightened her long Victorian skirt and looked at the dungeon avatar. "Normally we only attend to Fifth Step existences, but there are exemptions. For a dungeon of your talents, I have no doubt Heaven will offer great assistance."

Styx still refused to be under anybody, so he refused the offer once again without regret. As huge as Heaven was, even being on the ranking board during the Myriad Flower Devil Festival, his core principle was to never submit to another. He had 4,000 years of experience, and it was always those to take charge of their own lives which lived the grandest.

"What about you, Aura?" Loreley asked the wolf-eared woman, extending an invitation to her to receive heaven's support.

"Hey!" Styx immediately flared up, "No poaching allowed, remember? She will be my moon devouring wolf god!"

The fallen angel was unfazed by Styx and he suspected it wouldn't be the last time this offer came, but he held confidence in the Monster Lord whom he already recognized as 'his'.

The group finished eating and the maids and butlers hurriedly cleaned up the table as Styx led Dragon and Loreley to inspect the machines and whatnot that he bought with his protection fee.

Loreley wasn't impressed by any of the "backwards technology" as she referred to it, and offered to provide Dragon with several playthings, but he was uninterested in Heaven's technology which could slay even gods. These machines were much easier for him to understand and play around with in his dungeon.

Styx had requested several items and knowledge of Heaven, but the fallen angel had refused and stated only if he came under the umbrella of Heaven.

Living golems loaded the machines Styx made for Dragon onto carts before pulling them towards the dungeon entrance. He had also written a manual on how to operate them and what they were capable of.

Dragon and Loreley then left the dungeon with a battery tower, a couple of magmafurnaces, constructors, engines, T1 Conveyer Belts and T1 Item Pickers. There was also a book instructing on how to configure the item pickers, constructors and engines.

They hadn't seen the soulforge yet, and they currently weren't for sale either. It was the highest top secret construction in his dungeon, and was protected behind multiple layers of magic concealment and Aura's phantasmagoria working at full strength.

Whilst Dragon or Loreley may be able to discover that something is hidden, they weren't capable of discovering what was hidden.

Outside the dungeon, Earl Vermonte bon Housen secretly took pictures of the devices before returning to his temporary rented residence. Styx, Dragon and Loreley all noticed his actions, but nobody acted against him.

Styx was reprehensible as he was a noble of the kingdom and didn't wish to aggravate the goddess if it were possible, whilst he also paid a very premium price for his current residence. He was constantly under Styx's hidden gaze and just a few pictures weren't enough for Styx to make a move. Even if he knew what the machines did, it meant little to him.

Dragon and Loreley simply disregarding him as another human considering neither he nor this kingdom could threaten them.