"Hail to the great King of Hell!"
As Phoenix appeared, countless demons and evil spirits in Hell paid their respects, offering reverent greetings.
Once the supreme god of the Shan people, Ba'al was a deity representing justice, protection, survival, and light - much like God himself. After losing the war of faith against God, he fell directly into Hell, becoming the Demon Lord of Israel's underworld. He ranked first among the 72 Demon Gods of King Solomon.
Ba'al had once commanded 66 armies as a king to guard all four corners of the world. Following his fall, these 66 armies transformed into the 66 legions of demonic spirits in Hell.
Like Beelzebub, Ba'al had also fallen from godhood to become a Demon God. However, Ba'al could be considered one of the oldest kings of Hell.
The so-called Lord of Hell, Satan, could only be regarded as his junior. As a fallen angel who rebelled against God Yahweh, Satan led one-third of the angels in betrayal against their Creator. He entered Hell and became known as the Wild King of the underworld.
During the rebellion against Heaven, Satan had even sought Ba'al's support. After all, God was their common enemy.
"Everyone, witnessing the true form of Hell must be quite novel for you, isn't it? How about it? Want to stay a few more days? I'm sure... my servants will take good care of you."
Phoenix hovered in the air, her fiery angelic wings slowly beating behind her.
She didn't look like a King of Hell at all, but rather a divine being.
"Ah, no! Your Majesty! We've already deeply experienced Your Majesty's might," the leaders of the mage factions said, their faces paling with panic at Phoenix's voice.
The environment of Hell wasn't inherently lethal to humans, yet even in this short time, without considering the terrifying demons, the very rules here seemed to corrupt people completely, transforming them into evil spirits - or worse, mindless ones.
If you stayed here for a few days, you'd be waiting to be corrupted!
"Esteemed King, we, the Capital of Lilies, hereby swear loyalty. We will forever serve Your Majesty, willing to brave any dangers for Your cause!" The leader of the Capital of Lilies was the first to pledge allegiance in a subservient tone after hearing Phoenix's words.
With this first pledge, the other faction leaders followed suit one after another, vowing their loyalty.
"All the old women pledge loyalty to the esteemed New King!"
"The Bronze Black Cross swears allegiance to the New King..."
Phoenix observed the Italian mages' leader below, watching as one after another pledged their loyalty. A hint of mockery played on her lips.
Though her methods carried coercion, Phoenix remained unconcerned. These mages couldn't even challenge her Campione status, let alone resist. Even if they dared, she wouldn't care - not when she disregarded Heretic Gods and other Campiones, much less mere mages.
Besides, they wouldn't dare...
As for seeking support from other Campiones? That was laughable.
With the surrender of the Seven Sisters Magic Society's leader, Phoenix showed no intention of pressing further.
For her part, having secured the Cross of Rome's allegiance meant her mission in Italy was essentially complete.
She could even purge or expel all mages and Knights from the country without affecting her objectives.
Yet there was no need for such measures, especially since the Seven Sisters were among the world's most powerful forces.
Keeping them around to handle miscellaneous tasks would prove convenient.
After all, as a Campione and Valkyrie, she couldn't possibly attend to every detail personally. Particularly in hunting Heretic Gods, Phoenix would require their manpower.
Speaking of Heretic Gods, there was another Campione in this world constantly vying with her for prey. If he managed to snatch some of her quarry, it would represent a genuine loss.
With this in mind, Phoenix could only hope that the most ancient Campione would have better luck avoiding her - especially when it came to stealing her targets. Otherwise...
He could only pray for good fortune.
Though Marquis Voban was the Demon Lord feared by all in this world - the eldest among the current generation of Campione and wielder of the most divine powers - his advantage over newer Campione was merely a few additional abilities.
The Campione system itself was rather mediocre. While holding high status in this world, it could only be considered average in the grand scheme of existence.
Any mortal who defied fate to slay a Heretic God could ascend to become the world's ruler in a single stroke. Yet this marked the absolute limit for Campione.
No matter how many gods a Campione hunted, they would only gain more divine powers. Beyond that... nothing fundamentally changed.
They had already reached the ceiling. This was the maximum potential for Campione.
However, since a Campione's power constituted a walking natural disaster compared to ordinary mages and mortals, they remained the supreme rulers in this world. This superiority fostered an air of arrogance among most Campione.
With the Seven Sisters' mage commander having surrendered, Phoenix saw no need to continue threatening them and immediately revoked her authority.
Leading them out of Hell, she brought them back to the conference room at the Female Wolf headquarters.
Returning from the underworld to the mortal realm, the oppressive, soul-crushing sensation vanished instantly. Everyone couldn't help but sigh in relief.
In the previous Hell, they hadn't dared to breathe too deeply.
However, as they returned to the conference room, the Italian Magic Society's commanders formally pledged their allegiance to Phoenix.
Though the beginning and process might not have been ideal, everything had unfolded within Phoenix's expectations. From the start, she'd intended to give them a proper warning.
Having a general understanding of their customs, Phoenix naturally wouldn't play the fool like the original protagonist. Even without threats, they might have still pledged allegiance, but then... their ulterior motives would have been rife. Better to give them a clear warning from the start.
To make them understand how a sovereign and her subjects should interact.
Now that Italy's Magic Society had sworn loyalty to Phoenix, should the Heretic God or other Campione threaten them, Phoenix wouldn't hesitate to intervene.