Azael and the mimic swam closer to the lost city, and the closer they got, the more Azael's jaw slowly opened in shock.
From a distance, R'lyeh had looked like a blur of stone and shadow.
Up close…
It was massive.
The entrance alone looked like a grand cathedral swallowed by the ocean. Thick green vines wrapped around the pillars like giant serpents, spreading over the seabed and creeping along the ancient walls. Some vines pulsed with faint bioluminescence, giving the whole structure a sickly green glow.
Azael stared up at the towering gates.
"Woah— wait, so me and Connor were swimming around near this place the whole time???"
The mimic let out a bright laugh, Connor's face grinning smugly. "Hahaha, yeah. You two were like headless chickens walking around the dark sea."
Azael side-eyed her. Hard.
He turned back to the city.
From far away, it was beautiful.
But up close… there was something wrong about it. The scale of the building.
The way the walls seemed to tilt inward, watching them.
The atmosphere crawled under his skin. Right in front of the entrance was a huge stone pillar. Ancient symbols were carved into it, scratched deep like something desperate had written them.
Azael leaned in to read.
"The Leviathan does not roar. It watches.
Envy grows the same way—silently, until it owns you."
Azael blinked.
"…What does that mean?" He looked at the mimic for answers, but she just shrugged dramatically.
"Forget those lame-ass writings. They're probably older than the Crimson Sun at this point." Before he could argue, she grabbed his hand and pulled him through the entrance.
—
Inside, the vines and seaweed were worse.
Overgrown. Tangled and sticky. They had to push through them, and some smacked against Azael's face. One slapped onto his tunic and clung like wet snot.
"Eww— why is everything so gross in hell?" Azael spat out a slimy piece of vine. "Meh, you'll get used to it," the mimic said casually, swimming ahead like this was normal.
Azael glared at her from behind like she personally cursed him. Satan… don't you think she's a little suspicious?
"I agree. Mimics are Ars Goetia-ranked. It's already weird how she— or he— keeps dodging who they really are. Word of advice: ask they later."
Azael let out a faint "yeah, okay", surprised Satan actually said something reasonable for once.
—
After pushing through what felt like fifty miles of soggy vines, they finally broke into an open chamber.
And Azael froze. The inside of the lost city was… breathtaking.
Crumbling stone structures spiraled upward like broken towers. Coral of every color clung to the walls, glowing softly. Schools of bright fish weaved between ancient archways, making the ruins look alive. Sea-grass waved from cracked stairways, and shards of stained glass from long-collapsed windows glittered like jewels.
Two hallways split off from the main chamber one right, one left. "Which path should we—"
"Here." The mimic pointed to the right, cutting him off.
"Uhmm… ok."
They swam through the long hallway. Azael kept glancing at the mimic, unsure how to start the conversation forming in his chest.
Finally, he gathered courage.
"Uhmm… I wanna ask something."
"Yeah?"
"So… why did you decide to help me beat the Leviathan? You're not on her side?"
The mimic stopped mid-swim and turned around, Connor's face wearing a twisted smile.
"You might think every creature in Hell is on the Sovereigns' side… but you'd be dead wrong. Most of us hate them actually."
Azael than remembered Satan killing the mama bear back on Treachery. The disgust in his voice. The way he spat the word 'archfiend'
"Honestly? If anything… we want to get rid of them. Especially me." Her expression softened into something sorrowful before she turned away again and continued swimming.
Azael followed, feeling that tiny shift between them, that bit of trust she just gave him.
Unexpected Real.
--
Both of them kept walking down the long hallway.
There were countless rooms on each side, but most were empty, only sea moss, drifting weeds, and thick barnacle patches covering the cracked walls.
Azael passed a big statue of a woman holding a water pot.
Her stone eyes looked sad, almost grieving, and a broken fountain surrounded her feet.
Azael slowed down, amazed by the sight. Then something moved behind the fountain. He squinted, trying to see it better, but it was too far, just a faint shift in the shadows.
"Hey," the mimic snapped its fingers, snapping Azael back to focus.
"Right, right." He gave an awkward smile, looked at the statue one more time, then continued swimming.
"This place gives me the creeps…" he whispered, not noticing the long tentacle drifting silently behind him like a shadow.
"You know, Mimic," Azael said, trying to start a conversation, "I just realized… if we defeat the Leviathan, can you come with me to the next floor?"
The mimic didn't answer. It just kept swimming. Azael couldn't see its face, but he could feel the sudden heaviness in its mood.
Great. I shouldn't have said that…
He slapped his cheek lightly.
And that's when the tentacle finally struck.
Something wrapped around his leg.
"Huh?"
It didn't give him time to react — it yanked him backward so hard he tumbled through the water, spinning helplessly.
"WHAT IS THIS—?!"
Azael clawed at the walls, trying to grab onto something, but everything was covered in slime and moss. His fingers slid off instantly.
"MIMIC—!! HELP!!"
His scream echoed across the hallway.
The mimic spun around and froze.
A giant tentacle was dragging Azael away from R'lyeh.
"I-Is that—" Its eyes widened in horror. Azael screamed again, louder, desperation cracking his voice.
This snapped the mimic out of its shock. "Oh—OH YEAH!" it yelled, swimming toward him with frantic strokes.
But the tentacle wasn't stopping.
It dragged Azael out of the ancient city entirely, pulling him across the sand seabed.
"Damn it—!"
Azael inhaled sharply.
"1% Wrath of Fire."
Black fire sparked from his hands, burning against his skin, but he gritted his teeth and swung his arm, unleashing a burning slash.
The dark flame cut through the tentacle.
Azael was thrown free, tumbling through the water. The severed tentacle thrashed violently, twitching and spasming it stopped for a moment, then a chunk of meat burst from the wound as it rapidly healed itself.
"… Did it heal itself?" Azael whispered in disbelief. He looked back. He'd been dragged far from R'lyeh.
"Fuck. Guess I can't run back now, huh…"
He raised his hand again, preparing to fight.
But another tentacle shot from the seabed and wrapped around his torso, squeezing tight and pinning his arms.
Azael hissed from the pressure, feeling the strength crushing him. The sand below shuddered, ripples spread through the seafloor.
Then something tore out of the ground.
A head, wide, flat, with fins extending on both sides. Then more of it. Pale white like snow.
A giant albino squid rose from the sand, its massive body stretching into the darkness.
One of its unblinking white eyes stared right into Azael's.
It pulled the tentacle tighter, dragging him closer until the cold, enormous pupil reflected his own terrified face.
"Why—why me—?! You were nowhere near me!" Azael shouted. The squid didn't react.
Its mouth opened — not in front, but from the back of its head — a ring of jagged teeth, humans skins in the corner the teeth and humans bones swirling inside.
Azael gagged at the sight.
The squid began pulling him toward it, ignoring his thrashing and struggling.
He was about to give up—
When a burst of blue fire slammed into the squid's face.
The flames spread across its eye and tentacle, burning deep. The grip loosened making azael dropped.
He looked up to see a big dragonfish
it Scales darker than the deep sea.
Fins like wings glowing with bioluminescent light.
"Whoa…" Azael breathed.
The squid shook violently, sand falling from its body. A smoking hole burned into its skin which then rapidly sealed shut, regenerating like nothing happened.
"What—how do we beat something that heals like that?" Azael said.
He didn't get to think.
One tentacle whipped toward him—
"Oh great", azael prepared himself raising his arm. "1% Wrath of Fire!"
He slashed again.
The fire sliced through the limb, the burning piece falling past him.
But on the other side, the squid had wrapped several tentacles around the dragonfish.
The fish released another explosion of blue fire, scorching the pale limbs, but they healed instantly and squeezed tighter, pulling at the fins.
A dark ooze leaked into the water and staining it
Azael watched, horrified, then the tentacle he'd cut regenerated behind him and swung.
It slammed into his stomach with brutal force, sending him crashing through a stone outcrop.