Blood Child saw that Devil Marquises flew in his direction, and the six of them got together before getting near him. Now that there was a significant threat looming over their heads and they found out their Dukes sold them out, none of them cared about their previous rivalry.
The ability to become allies with those you considered enemies just a few hours ago was one of the advantages of devils' pragmatic mind.
The six Devil Marquises maintained a distance of one thousand meters from Blood Child. Although the red fog hindered their vision, they had ways to detect his presence after deducting his location due to that shout from earlier.
Soon after the Devil Marquises had gathered, the Devil Counts began to arrive.
Fifteen hours after Blood Child's summoning, all the Devil Lords that remained alive had assembled, and only then did they approach him.
Even though Blood Child was strong, there was no way he could face six Devil Marquises and twelve Devil Counts at the same time.
The eighteen Devil Lords stood less than twenty meters away from Blood Child.
Zatiel understood the myriad of questions that went through their minds as he saw their faces. The most important one he needed to answer before they could begin did not require words.
Blood Child took a deep breath, and the next second, an ocean of blood energy rose to the sky, releasing a physical might more immense than the other two Runic Spirits and only inferior to the Blood Duke.
The building beneath Blood Child began to tremble. If it weren't for the alteration in space made in this dimension, massive earthquakes would befall the Blood Fortress due to the four great energy pools unleashed simultaneously.
The pressure was so great that it suffocated some of the Devil Counts at the 2nd Engraving Stage. The only ones who were able to resist it without a problem were the Devil Marquises.
Blood Child's original strength was equal to that of the other two Runic Spirits. However, Zatiel had modified the runic formation, granting him the ability to burn the body, energy, and soul in order to increase his power.
That meant that after the fight against Blood Duke, Blood Child would perish regardless of the result.
The Runic Spirit was bound to this dimension and could not leave. The Neo-Demon did not care about his condition after this fight.
That display of might did not scare the Devil Lords. On the contrary, it reassured them. Since they were going to follow him in a battle against a Rank 6 Devil Lord, the strongest Blood Child is, the greater their chances.
"My name is Blood Child. Other than my strength, the one thing you need to know about me is that I want to leave this dimension. If we all work together, there is a chance for survival. If we don't, every single one of you will die, either at the hands of the Blood Duke or the ones waited outside. Anyone have something to say?"
Blood Child made that question to the Devil Marquises. The Devil Counts did not have the right to share their opinion about the decision that they will make.
One Devil Marquess took a step forward. He was a member of Zatiel's team and resembled a giant worm with spider legs and many eyes all over his body.
"My name is Sinto, and I am a Silver Wormdragon. I want to know if it was you who captured all the Rank 4 Devils a few days ago?" The moment Sinto made that question, the Devil Lords' frowned, and they focused on Blood Child.
No one knew who did it since they only saw a red flash disappear with their subordinates, but now that they know about Blood Child's presence, he became the most likely suspect.
"Yes, I was the one who did it."
Sinto's eyes narrowed when he heard that and saw that Blood Child did not make the slightest effort in hiding his actions.
"One of those who you captured was my descendant. I hope you can hand him over."
"That is impossible. I ate all the Rank 4 Devils to increase my strength. Is there anything else?" Blood Child's answer was short and showed no sense of responsibility or guilt.
The Silver Wormdragon was surprised by the answer of Blood Child. He did not care about his descendant's life and just wanted to obtain some form of compensation.
Unfortunately, it was clear for the Devil Marquess that he would not receive anything, and antagonizing Blood Child now that they would depend on him was not a good idea.
None of the other Devil Lords mention the Rank 4 Devils again. The truth was that those devils would have been lucky if half survived this mission. Now that they were all dead, no one cared about them.
Sinto returned to the group, and another Devil Marquess, the one that looked like a humanoid made of green fire, spoke.
"We need to know your plan, the role that each of us will take, and how certain you are of our success."
Blood Child nodded and proceeded to explain his strategy.
"I have put a curse on Blood Duke and the other two warriors that are alive in this dimension. They cannot think with clarity during this time, and as long as they are not disturbed, they will remain in their current locations for a few more hours. After the stream of cursed energy that I am sending is over, they will rise to the sky, searching for prey."
The Devil Lords displayed pleasant expressions when they heard the condition of the Blood Duke. The type of people they liked to fight the most were those who acted like wild monsters since their lifetime of battling demons trained them for that.
"The first part of the plan is simple. We will hide and let the Blood Duke and the other two warriors fight among them since they cannot distinguish allies from enemies. The Blood Duke will definitely win, but he will tire himself. If we're lucky, he may even end up wounded."
A sliver of hope could be seen in the eyes of the Devil Lords as they heard Blood Child's plan.
Even for Devil Marquises, who are Peak Rank 5 life forms, a Devil Duke was an immense threat, especially a legendary one like the Blood Duke, but not only would this Rank 6 Devil Lords would be in a crazed state, he may also be wounded, so their chances were much higher.
"After that, we must face the Blood Duke. If we allow him to calm himself, he may regain his sanity, and if that happens, we are doomed."
"But if we fight against him, most of us will die." The one who interrupted Blood Child was a Bone Devil. He was at the 2nd Engraving Stage and was sure he would die if they attempted to defeat the Blood Duke in a fight.
"Trash. Interrupt me again, and I will kill you!." Blood Child focused on the Devil Count, and this one felt that his blood was burning.
Although the Devil Lords' reactions were diverse, none of them interfered to help the Devil Count.
In Baator, Devil Lords would never allow the slightest sign of disrespect from those beneath them. If they do, it will prove that they are not fit to lead.
Blood Child no longer focused on the Bone Devil after teaching him a lesson, allowing this one to rest.
He noticed how the other Devil Counts were looking at him. They had the same reservations about the plan that Bone Devil.
"We will fight against the Blood Duke, but our goal is not to defeat him. We need to drive him to the portals that lead out of this dimension. The moment he sees more powerful targets, he will focus on them. Then we can escape amidst the chaos."
All the Devil Lords showed amazement when they heard the last part of Blood Child's plan, and there was admiration on their faces.
Instead of going in an all-out battle against the Blood Duke, they would draw him to fight against the Devil Dukes waiting for them outside.
That would improve their chances and take care of the ones who threw them into this dimension to die.
The Devil Lords were sure the Devil Dukes would have nefarious plans for them, and they needed to buy time. The wounds that a battle against the Blood Duke would produce would certainly grant them that.
Due to the contracts in their True Souls, the Devil Lords could not betray their Devil Dukes, but Blood Child had never mentioned them.
The powerful targets they would use to distract the Blood Duke could be anyone, so the contracts would not harm them. It was a loophole, just like the ones the Devil Dukes used to sacrifice all of them.
Seeing that everybody was on board with his plan and there were no more questions, Blood Child started the first phase.
"Follow me. We have to hide in a secure place while the battle between the Blood Duke and the other two occurs."
