Death... and me

"Why the Realm of Gods, though?" Kentucky was the one to remember that part. "I mean, why imprison you in the Realm of Gods instead of the Underworld? Wouldn't they have more control here?"

"Fear, I guess?" Beelzebub answered. "It's no secret that the Elder Devils are stronger in the Underworld, just like how the Archangels are stronger in Heaven. I'm a Soul Devil, so I ought to have a better chance at escaping my confinement if I were in the Underworld."

Sister Orb noticed a strange point in that. [Fine, it makes sense. However, we were the ones who took you away. How come there were no devils watching over your confinement?]

Beelzebub didn't seem to want to answer that. "That's none of your concern."

Roan and the others understood that Beelzebub probably did something that caused his confinement to be transferred somewhere else. Let's not forget that the Upside Down World was nowhere near the devil races' territory in the Realm of Gods. If the devils really brought Beelzebub to be locked in the Realm of Gods, that place would definitely be located in their territory. Since that world was pretty much a Dimensional Realm, someone like Beelzebub should have had his own ways of sending it somewhere else.

Roan decided to ask in the end. "You were obviously trying to escape back then. Does that mean you know how to free yourself from the altar?"

"I do!" Beelzebub didn't hide that. "I just needed enough dead souls to gather enough power to break the altar's seal. If you help me get those souls, I can definitely leave this thing."

Rean sighed after hearing that. Just how strong was Beelzebub? Just how formidable was the altar to be able to hold him and even seal his power? There's no way Beelzebub would try to return to the Underworld in that state. With that said, Rean could only imagine the number of living beings Beelzebub would need to kill to get the souls he required.

He then asked Roan through their Soul Connection. 'Okay, that pretty much explains everything. Do you have any other questions? If not, I'll simply burrow him again. I'd rather not have to ever use him. Even if we do need him, it's not like we'll be able to gather the necessary amount of souls required anyway.'

Roan shook his head. 'There is a way to get enough souls. Aren't we going to the Path of Reincarnation? We can get the souls we need there and use them to free Beelzebub.'

'Are you crazy?' Rean asked back. 'Let's not think about how many souls we would need anyway. First, those dead souls were living beings before getting there. They still have their memories, even if they'll forget them after entering the Path of Reincarnation.'

Roan shook his head. 'Do you think I don't know that? Making sure the souls got into the Reincarnation Path was my job. It's just that this side of the Universe doesn't seem to have any use for Death Spirits like me. The dead souls get here on their own.'

'Then why are you thinking about letting Beelzebub absorb them? Isn't that a bit too cruel? Before they got into the Path of Reincarnation, I considered them to be individuals, demon beasts, or whatever other race.' Rean couldn't accept it, though. 'Why do you want to release him anyway? We aren't in a situation where we need his strength. Our devil form is perfect. Besides, once he's out, he'll come after us for the fragments we have.'

'Yeah, but not before he tries to acquire the fragments he knows. I don't think that the Swamp of No Return is the only fragment location Beelzebub has knowledge of,' Roan explained. 'It might be a good idea to let him go and try and get the fragments from him later. I don't like the idea of using the dead souls, either. But you know me. I'm thinking about the end result. If we don't get the fragments and reunite both sides of the Universe, a few dead souls will be the least of our problems.'

Rean pondered over it for a bit and finally understood what Roan meant. 'Soul Devils are the gathering of countless dead souls and their memories... could it be...'

'That's what I'm thinking,' Roan nodded. 'The very reason Beelzebub didn't go crazy with the number of souls used to create him was probably because one of those souls came from someone really strong. That soul took command and separated the rest into the corner of his mind, where he could access it anytime he wanted. Of course, this is just a theory. You have to agree that it's plausible, though.'

'Fine, but you'll need to make another pact with him of non-aggression between both sides. Also, we'll only use those dead souls if we really need Beelzebub's help. Otherwise, we won't do it.'

Roan shook his head in response. 'That won't work. It's not like we can keep dead souls saved in a box or anything. Dead souls, regardless of their location in the Realm of Gods, will ultimately travel to the Underworld.' Roan then looked at Sister Orb. 'Am I right?'

Sister Orb obviously heard the conversation. [Yep. Devils use living beings' souls, not dead ones. If you really intend to use Beelzebub to help you two out in the future, you'll have to free him once you enter the Path of Reincarnation.]

[Of course, there is another method,] Sister Orb added.

Rean and Roan obviously knew what the second method was. 'We need to find one of the Elder Devils who imprisoned Beelzebub and have him tell us how to break the seal.' Naturally, there was no way the Elder Devils would tell the twins such a thing. Instead, the moment the twins asked anything, they would become a target in the Underworld, just like the Realm of Gods.

"Alright, Beelzebub." They finally decided. "You will get your meal soon."