Devil Slave (Satan system) Chapter 1387: Nikky Has Been Waiting.

Athena remained motionless for a long beat, as if pondering whether her inquiry was truly worth voicing.

When she finally spoke, her tone was softer than it had been throughout the entire conflict.

"I wish to ask about the Blood Mother," she inquired. "I was told that her care became your responsibility the moment I departed from Hell."

The atmosphere in the room shifted.

The orb emitted a warm radiance.

Lenny’s response came, and for the first time, an unmistakable smile could be heard in his voice.

"My mother... she is doing well."

Suddenly—

A vision manifested within the minds of both Athena and Father Black.

A woman of supernatural grace rested in tranquility. Her skin was as pale as the moon, and her hair flowed like liquid blood—vibrant, red, and long. She was reclining, her head cushioned by the thighs of a man who sat upon a throne forged from obsidian and living fire.

It was Lenny.

He appeared older, broader, and more composed.

His hand moved with a slow, gentle rhythm, stroking her hair and threading his fingers through the crimson locks with boundless tenderness. The turbulent chaos of Hell seemed to curve away from her, like a gale refusing to disturb the eye of the storm. Nearby, the infernal blazes burned low in a display of reverence.

She was safe.

She was cherished.

Athena let out a long breath, releasing a weight of tension she hadn't realized she was holding.

"If she is alright," Athena remarked, bowing her head slightly, "then I have no further grievances."

The mental image dissolved.

The eye of the hell beast began to quiver.

A sharp fracture appeared across its surface.

Then another followed.

And another.

Finally, it shattered entirely, disintegrating into fine red dust that coated the table before vanishing as though it had never been there.

Father Black erupted into laughter.

It wasn't a dignified or restrained sound.

It was raw, loud, and unrestrained.

"HAHAHAHA—!"

"By the stars, by the void, and by every fallen angel—HAHAHA!"

Years of suppressed pressure, calculation, fear, and loneliness burst forth from him in that instant.

"We aren't doomed," he wheezed between bouts of laughter. "We aren't doomed at all."

He marched toward the chests that seemed to breathe, his palms flickering with controlled cosmic energy. With a thought, one of the animate locks uncoiled.

The lid of the chest swung open.

Father Black went still.

Then—

He giggled.

An actual giggle escaped him.

He sounded like a child discovering forbidden playthings hidden beneath a monarch’s bed.

"Ohhh... oh no," he remarked with pure delight. "This is magnificent. To think I would receive one of the seven forbidden treasures as a wedding gift."

He turned toward Athena with a slow movement, his eyes gleaming with a mixture of devotion and mischief.

"Let us construct beasts," he declared. "Beasts that are truly worthy of our king."

Athena offered a smile.

And for once, it wasn't the expression of a tactician, a regent, or a maiden of war.

It was the smile of a woman daring to hope for a brighter future.

The chamber pulsed with a soft light.

War was approaching.

But something far more terrifying was coming as well—for Heaven, for Hell, and for anyone arrogant enough to block Lenny’s path.

"However, before that," he said with a grin, "there is someone who must receive their gift first."

Father Black made a sweeping gesture with his hand.

Space itself folded.

A portal ripped open in front of him, dense with rotating runes and layered sigils that vibrated like a living mathematical formula. He stepped through without a second thought.

Athena followed behind him.

They arrived in an underground space—deep beneath the surface of the Eighth Earth.

This vault made his office look simple by comparison. The air was thick and shimmering, packed so tightly with runes that reality itself felt squeezed, as if the chamber existed just a fraction of a second behind the rest of the universe.

This design was deliberate, intended to ensure absolute longevity.

Mystical symbols crawled across the floor, walls, and ceiling, constantly rewriting themselves and folding into one another.

This was the place.

The location where he had taken Perseus immediately after his arrival from space.

The place where she resided.

Nikky.

The floor shook.

Guards emerged from the darkness.

They were massive hounds—monstrous creatures the size of siege towers. They possessed multiple heads; some had three, while others had five or seven. Every maw was filled with jagged teeth that glowed with the faint light of infernal runes. Their muscular bodies looked like carved obsidian, with crimson veins pulsing beneath their skin.

Some had serpent-like tails instead of hind legs, with scaled coils as thick as ancient trees ending in bladed rattles that hissed with the venom of the void. Others had backs lined with bone spikes that scraped against the ceiling as they moved.

The moment their eyes landed on Father Black, their terrifying aura vanished.

They charged toward him.

Athena’s breath hitched—

Only to witness the massive beasts nuzzle their heads into his chest, licking his coat with tongues as long as spears. Their tails wagged with frantic joy. A seven-headed beast attempted to sit, nearly toppling a runic pillar in its excitement.

In his presence, they were nothing more than puppies.

Athena watched in shock.

"...A single one of these," she noted slowly, "is capable of fighting a Great Demon to a standstill."

Father Black gave a casual nod, scratching one of the beasts under its chin.

"I am aware. I designed them that way, and she endured much to provide me with the finest gene pool for the absorption of cosmic energy."

He spoke with the casualness of someone discussing the weather.

"Some of them," he continued, walking forward as the hounds moved aside to let him pass, "are simply too massive to enter most worlds. There are planets where the gravity would snap under the weight of their paws. Others would need to gut entire moons just to find a place to sleep."

One of the hounds let out a yawn.

The mere force of its breath seemed to distort the surrounding space.

Athena nodded silently.

He guided her further into the depths.

At the center of the vault stood a tall, transparent capsule, covered in preservation sigils so dense they glowed with white-hot intensity. Tubes functioned like veins, pumping a slow, rhythmic flow of magic into the vessel.

Father Black entered a code.

The capsule gave a hiss.

The locks released.

The glass slid open.

Inside was a woman.

Nikky.

She possessed a wild beauty that had been softened by maturity. Her long black hair drifted around her like ink in water. Her expression was peaceful, yet a certain sharpness remained even in her slumber—a hidden ferocity waiting just under the surface.

She had entered a state of deep stasis, her very essence perfectly integrated with the machinery to preserve both her soul and body.

She was waiting.

Waiting for Lenny.

Athena moved closer to observe her.

"I was not aware of this woman," she said with caution. "Is she... one of Lenny’s women?"

Father Black let out a soft chuckle.

"You could describe her that way."

He looked at Nikky, his expression gentle yet heavy with the weight of the past.

"She has been waiting for a very long time."