Hell's Actor-Chapter 71: Lilith’s Womb

The sky was blueish-pink.

The sea was grey.

Whether he liked it or not, Averie was there again.

’Would I drift away in the passage of time if I refused to get up?’

He felt the urge to find out, and staying put felt so much easier.

Nevertheless, he stood up.

He was prepared for a fight. He was burning with ambition to destroy whatever came at him today.

He examined himself from head to toe.

Surprisingly, his attire was different than the last time he was there.

Back then, he was wearing his signature white shirt and dress pants.

Now, he was dressed all in black.

’So, the real world does have some connection to this one.’

But that was all he could gather.

He walked for a long time and found himself in front of the familiar whirlpool.

He pretended to be mesmerized by it and turned back to face the pretender.

The creature was wearing the same clothes as before. It still had the face and voice of Asmodeus Binsfeld.

Averie took a step forward.

"Shouldn’t you be dead?"

"Why?"

"You died in the sixth episode."

"And?"

"Going off script, are we?"

He did not reply.

Averie studied it for a moment.

"Tell me, what do you want?"

"My face."

Assuming diplomacy futile, Averie gave up reasoning with it fairly quickly.

He beckoned him, and the pretender charged at him.

Just like before, they got into a fistfight.

This time, Averie did not rush in recklessly. He studied the creature’s movements.

Other than its unbelievable strength, it wasn’t a particularly great fighter. Its speed was no different than an ordinary man’s. Its flexibility did not surpass human standards. It wasn’t a master of combat, and it wasn’t a tactician.

’This is nothing like Asmodeus.’

The Asmodeus Binsfeld that he knew was a good tactician. He would not blindly engage with an enemy unless he had a significant advantage.

Other than wearing the face of the Prince of Lust, the thing in front of him was just a hollow imitation.

Black flames emanated from Averie’s tattoo, enveloping him in the infernal fire. Just like last time, he exterminated the pretender.

He sat there for a minute, but it did not return.

’Now, how to get out of here...’

Just as that thought crossed Averie’s mind, the rippling sky was torn open. And a strong presence shook the air.

The entire place trembled as if it was about to shatter into tiny pieces.

Averie cursed internally.

’Not again.’

But it was no angel that came down from the heavens.

It was a creature ancient and familiar to him.

Lucifer, the Warden of Hell, now stood before Averie.

"How are you, old friend?" the infernal being asked.

"So, you are involved?" Averie relaxed. "I should have guessed."

"Oh, this?" Lucifer laughed. "This wasn’t my doing."

Averie raised a brow.

"You are telling me that freak trying to steal my face isn’t your creation?"

"Do you think I have nothing better to do than mess with you?"

Averie thought exactly that.

In Hell, a janitor did more work in a day than Lucifer did in an entire week.

Averie tapped the surface of the grey liquid with his foot.

"And this isn’t your work either?"

"Correct."

"Then, tell me what sadist did this."

"You did."

Averie froze.

"Don’t remember doing it."

"And I don’t remember revolting against God. That doesn’t mean it didn’t happen."

Lucifer explained.

"This" — he spread his hands wide — "is Lilith’s Womb."

"Mother of demons?"

"Yes, mother of demons and Adam’s first wife."

"And we are in her womb? This is messed up, man. Why can’t anything be normal for once in my life?"

"No, it is not literally her womb. Lilith’s Womb is a concept—well, was a concept. Now that you have proven its existence, it is more than just a concept. It is a realm of its own, separate from Heaven, Hell, Purgatory, and the universe. I had not thought it possible until now."

Averie pursed his lips.

"And I created it?"

"You created and practiced that strange acting method of yours, did you not?"

’Shit, is that what birthed this? Fucking acting did this?’

"In your sleep-deprived state, that method allowed you to tear through the veil between imagination and reality. You dove so deep that to accommodate you and your creations, some changes had to be made. And so, this place came to be—a concession between reality and imagination."

"So, I am in my... mind?"

"No. This place was born from your mind, but as I said, it is a different plane than all the other places you know of. It is situated nowhere. Imagination is formless, after all. Your mind has a door to it, that’s all."

"What is its purpose?"

"Places have no purpose of their own. It is for us to find one." The ancient creature grinned hideously. "And existences barred from entering reality are already colluding."

Averie recalled the angel.

Lucifer nodded, reading his face.

"The angel of Peter’s Gate and even I—we managed to enter this space with relative ease. Supreme beings such as us are not allowed to enter the world of mankind. But half of this world is pure imagination, so we are skirting the rules.

He grinned.

"Of course, if I needed you for something, I could have visited you in your dreams like the last time."

"Is this place and that dream different?"

"Yes. This place is far more real than some flimsy dream. You cannot return to a dream, as it stops existing once the dreamer is awake. But you can return here because this place exists."

"Why did the angel come here, then?"

"Who knows."

But Averie believed that Lucifer knew. Yes, the Warden of Hell definitely knew.

So, Averie took a chance.

"It’s because of your tattoo, right?"

Lucifer smiled, amused.

Averie was right.

"What about that awful imitation of Asmodeus Binsfeld? What does it want?"

"You stared into the abyss; now the abyss is staring back."

Flames could be seen in the creature’s eyes. They depicted a horrifying place where flesh and bones were burned.

"You created it and gave it an identity. So, it came to exist in this place. It is not complete without you. It is trying to be whole again. It is trying to escape to where your body is. It is trying to open the gate to this place."

Averie’s expression turned grave.

"I am the gate, aren’t I?"

Lucifer silently nodded.

"So, it is trying to replace me?"

Again, Lucifer nodded.

"Can it be killed?"

"I don’t know."

Saying he had work to attend to, the Warden of Hell turned around to leave, but Averie quickly stopped him.

"One last question."

Lucifer stared back.

"Ask."

"What do you want in all this?"

Lucifer smiled.

"For now, nothing."

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