Chapter 860: The Abyss is Dirty

Vergil remained silent for a few seconds. The sound of the explosions had died down. Not because Sepphirothy had stopped, but because she had finished erasing an entire region of the Abyss. The void left behind resembled a black scar upon infinity, a place where even the miasma could not immediately return.

Lilith remained seated atop a massive crystalline formation, legs crossed, while huge currents of dark energy swirled around her like inverted rivers. The miasma that had previously filled kilometers of space was being compressed, refined, and absorbed by her body, shedding its chaotic nature to transform into pure demonic energy.

Vergil watched this for a few moments.

Then, he looked at Sepphirothy.

"What do you mean... ’cleaning’?"

Sepphirothy rested her sword on her shoulder and answered matter-of-factly:

"The Abyss is dirty."

Vergil blinked.

"..."

She noticed his expression and let out a soft sigh.

"I’ll explain."

Lilith smiled with amusement.

"You’d better."

Sepphirothy walked to the edge of the massive chasm created by her last strike and pointed at the dark mass still churning kilometers below.

"When Lilith was born as the first Demon, she didn’t simply appear out of nowhere."

Vergil continued to listen.

"Her body produced an absurd amount of primordial demonic energy. Back then, nothing existed that could contain it."

Lilith nodded.

"It was like a volcano."

Sepphirothy continued.

"The excess energy was continuously expelled."

She gestured to the vast black expanse surrounding them.

"And that excess began to accumulate."

Vergil slowly began to understand.

"The Abyss..."

"...is the result of that."

Lilith spoke up.

"Not all of it."

She looked around.

"The Underworld has always had deep regions. That’s natural." Vergil nodded.

It was exactly what he had always believed.

Lilith continued.

"The problem is that my energy has fueled these regions for millions of years."

She held up a small black sphere in the palm of her hand.

"The primordial miasma has seeped into everything."

The sphere slowly began to grow.

"The lower layers."

More energy emerged.

"The rifts."

Another layer appeared.

"The demonic storms."

Dozens of small filaments were already swirling around the sphere.

"The creatures."

She slowly closed her hand.

Everything vanished.

"Almost everything here has been fueled by my existence."

Vergil looked once more at the infinite horizon of the Abyss.

It was hard to imagine such an absurd amount of energy.

"I always thought it was natural."

Lilith shrugged.

"It is, too."

She smiled.

"It’s a bit of both."

Vergil raised an eyebrow.

Lilith explained.

"The Abyss existed."

"But I transformed it."

She gestured around them.

"Imagine a forest."

Vergil remained attentive.

"It exists naturally."

"Now imagine pouring demonic blood over it for millions of years."

She spread her arms wide.

"That’s basically it."

Sepphirothy nodded.

"The Abyss ceased to be merely a natural formation."

"It became an indirect extension of Lilith."

Vergil crossed his arms.

"And now you are..."

"Cleaning it up."

They both answered at the same time.

Lilith chuckled.

Sepphirothy continued.

"She needs to return to her peak."

Vergil looked at Lilith.

"And the most efficient way is to reclaim what belongs to her."

"Exactly."

Lilith opened her hand again.

This time, a massive stream of black energy poured in from the entire horizon. It traversed kilometers of distance like a living river before flowing directly into her chest.

None of that energy felt violent once it touched her.

It was like water returning to the ocean.

Vergil watched the entire process.

"What happens to the corruption?"

Sepphirothy answered.

"I destroy it."

She pointed toward a distant region.

"That part there."

Vergil looked.

A grotesque mass lay there.

Mountains made entirely of demonic flesh.

Eyes.

Mouths.

Tentacles.

Thousands of creatures fused together, forming something akin to a living continent.

It pulsed slowly.

Vergil frowned.

"I’ve never seen that."

"Because it lies far below."

Sepphirothy replied.

"And I never let it rise."

She raised her sword.

A single strike.

No elaborate technique.

No name.

Just a slash.

The entire mountain vanished.

It didn’t explode.

It wasn’t split in two.

It simply ceased to exist.

Leaving behind only black particles that immediately began to fly toward Lilith.

She closed her eyes.

She took a deep breath.

The energy flowed into her body.

Her aura swelled slightly.

Lilith smiled with satisfaction.

"Hm..."

Vergil realized it immediately.

"You’ve grown stronger."

"Just a little."

She replied.

"There’s still so much left."

Vergil walked over to her.

"How strong are you now?"

Lilith looked at her own hands.

Her fingers slowly curled shut.

She seemed to be sensing her own body.

"Hm..."

She fell into thought.

"Probably..."

She paused briefly.

"...at the level of a Demigod."

Vergil remained silent.

She smiled.

"I still have a long way to go."

Her eyes turned back to the black ocean.

"There’s a lot to absorb."

She lifted her head.

"But..."

Her smile widened.

"I’ll likely return to my status as a Demon Goddess soon."

Vergil breathed slowly.

It was important information.

Very important.

Lilith had been considered the first demonic entity in existence.

Her full return meant far more than simply gaining a powerful ally.

It meant reclaiming an entire concept of the Underworld.

Sepphirothy then looked at Vergil.

"When she’s finished..."

Vergil looked back at her.

"...you can absorb the rest."

He raised an eyebrow.

"The rest?"

Sepphirothy nodded.

"Lilith doesn’t need to reclaim one hundred percent."

Lilith confirmed. "My body has a limit."

She shrugged.

"Once I return to my peak, there will still be an absurd amount scattered throughout the Abyss."

Sepphirothy rested her sword back in place.

"You could absorb it."

Vergil remained silent.

She continued.

"It would be enough to boost your demonic energy to absurd levels."

Lilith smiled.

"I’d let you."

Vergil looked at both of them.

Then he shook his head.

"No."

They both stared at him.

"No?"

Lilith asked.

Vergil took a deep breath.

"I won’t have the time."

Sepphirothy frowned slightly.

"What happened?"

Vergil spent a few seconds thinking about how to summarize it all.

Then he began.

"Hades wants my help."

They both remained silent.

"An organization is attacking practically all the Underworlds."

He continued.

"The Greek one."

"The Norse one."

"The Buddhist one."

"The dimensions have started to connect."

"Tartarus has been completely sealed off."

"Hela has lost several Valkyries."

"Frey has disappeared."

Lilith slowly lowered her hands.

Sepphirothy also stopped looking out at the Abyss.

Vergil continued.

"Nyx came to speak with me."

The two exchanged a glance.

Vergil went on.

"She practically begged me to agree to help them."

"And?"

Sepphirothy asked.

"She offered me Hades’s Helm."

Lilith gave a low whistle.

"Generous."

Vergil nodded.

"And she offered her own loyalty."

This time, even Sepphirothy raised an eyebrow slightly.

"A Primordial?"

"Yes."

Silence returned.

Vergil continued.

"Then I went to speak with Seris." "She confirmed some of the information."

"We also discovered ancient references to the Outer Sepulcher."

Lilith immediately raised her head.

"That name again."

Vergil nodded.

"Then I met Freya."

"She’s looking for Frey."

"We found traces linked to Helheim."

"Fragments of weapons stripped of their concept of life."

Sepphirothy remained completely motionless.

Vergil recognized that expression.

She was deep in thought.

"We also secured authorization from Hela."

"The gates of Helheim will be opened for me."

Lilith slowly opened her eyes.

"You’re going in there."

"Yes."

"And then?"

"We’ll look for Frey."

"And investigate what’s really going on."

Silence returned.

This time, it lasted longer.

The black wind of the Abyss swept between the three of them.

Millions of demonic particles continued to drift toward Lilith.

Sepphirothy finally spoke.

"So, you’ve made up your mind."

Vergil took a slow breath.

"I suppose so."

Lilith gave a wry smile.

"You always end up doing this."

Vergil looked at her.

"Doing what?"

"Getting involved."

She gave a soft laugh.

"You complain."

"You grumble."

"You say you want to rest."

"Then you end up jumping into the worst war available."

Vergil closed his eyes for a moment.

"..."

She wasn’t wrong.

Sepphirothy then walked over to him.

She stopped right in front of him.

"Do you intend to go alone?"

"No."

"Who with?"

"Probably Sapphire."

"Freya."

"Maybe Aphrodite."

"It depends on the situation."

Sepphirothy studied her son’s face for a few seconds.

Then she raised her hand.

She lightly ruffled his hair.

"Then do it right."

Vergil looked at her.

"Don’t underestimate Helheim."

"Or Hela."

"Or whatever is hidden there."

Lilith agreed.

"Especially if it’s truly linked to the Outer Sepulcher."

Vergil crossed his arms.

"Do you know anything?"

The two answered almost in unison.

"No."

Vergil frowned.

Lilith explained.

"We only know that the name never comes with good news."

Sepphirothy added.

"And very ancient entities avoid speaking of it."

Vergil let out a long sigh.

"Great."

Lilith smiled.

"Excited?"

"Not at all."

She laughed.

"Now *that* sounds like you."

Vergil looked once more at the gigantic expanse of the Abyss.

Sepphirothy went back to work.

Another strike.

Another corrupted region vanished.

Lilith absorbed that energy once again.

Her aura grew a little stronger.

Vergil watched the two of them for a few seconds.

It was strange.

While all the realms faced crises, wars, and invasions...

His mother and Lilith were simply doing a massive cleanup of the Underworld itself.

Almost like two housewives tidying up a huge backyard.

He ended up letting out a soft laugh.

Lilith looked at him curiously.

"What?"

Vergil shook his head.

"Nothing."

"It’s just..."

He looked toward the ruined horizon.

"...my family really solves problems in a strange way."

Lilith let out a genuine laugh.

"I can’t deny that." Even Sepphirothy let slip a faint smile before vanishing once more in a flash of blackness to continue erasing yet another part of that infinite ocean of corruption.