Hell is vast, and even with Crowley leading the way, Mike and his group encountered several waves of wild demon packs on their journey to Lucifer's territory.
To be safe, Constantine, using his unique skills, asked them separately about the route to the Shadow Demon Clan. Surprisingly, he did manage to glean some information.
After cross-referencing, the final conclusion was that the route in Crowley's memory was not incorrect.
So, the group stopped wasting time, got into the off-road vehicle Mike conjured, and quickly drove towards the Shadow Demon's territory.
...
"Azazel, I need you to temporarily put down all your current tasks and fully investigate a human named Mike…," Lucifer ordered his Azazel in the white castle of the Shadow Demon territory. "I want to know all his information, as well as the information of those around him."
"As you command!" At the lower position, a demon with a pair of unique yellow eyes nodded with an evil smile.
This person was Azazel, also a Fallen Angel like Lucifer, and one of the first angels to follow Lucifer in his rebellion from Heaven.
Possessing the power of Holy Light, he could also pass through the Gates of Hell to the human world unharmed.
It was precisely because of this ability that he became Lucifer's most capable subordinate, always responsible for causing trouble for Lucifer in the human world.
The Winchester Brothers' father was one of Azazel's victims when he was causing trouble in the human world.
"Shadow, come out!!!"
After giving instructions to Azazel, Lucifer condensed a ball of Holy Light in his hand and mysteriously shouted.
As Lucifer's face grew increasingly grim, a silhouette like a paper cutout abruptly emerged from underground.
"You disagreed when I challenged Satan before, which caused the Shadow Demon Clan to suffer heavy losses. As punishment, I want you to go to the human world with Azazel this time. On one hand, you're responsible for protecting his safety, and on the other hand, find an opportunity to help me create some trouble for that human named Mike." Lucifer put away the Holy Light and gave orders to Shadow.
"I am not your subordinate; you cannot command me!" A hoarse voice came from the black shadow. "Also, Azazel, that good-for-nothing, is even less worthy of me being his bodyguard."
The Shadow Demon was also called Void, the previous leader of the Shadow Demon Clan.
He could exist between the void and reality, and his strength was not much inferior to Lucifer, the Fallen Angel.
It was only because he was not keen on power that Lucifer was able to exploit the loophole and seize the position of the Shadow Demon leader.
And because his philosophy clashed with Lucifer's, he did not submit to the other party.
When the Shadow Demon Clan was led by Lucifer to fight Satan, Shadow naturally did not participate.
"You don't want to be a lone wolf either, do you!" Lucifer stared at the shadow in front of him, saying confidently, "As long as you help me this time, once I unify Hell and ascend to Heaven, I will let you be the next Lord of Hell. How do you like this proposal?"
Shadow's own abilities almost made him immortal. Such a long life, if without a goal, would be incredibly boring.
Lucifer precisely seized this point and painted a grand picture for the other party.
"I'm not interested in being the Lord of Hell, but I am very interested in your plan to ascend to Heaven…" Shadow said, like someone enjoying a spectacle, "Therefore, I don't mind helping you with a few small things. But I also need you to remember that I have never been your subordinate."
His formidable strength made Shadow fearless, and at the same time, it inexplicably gave him a touch of madness.
This madness made him either want to destroy others or walk on the edge of self-destruction.
"Think what you will, at least we are now in a cooperative relationship." Lucifer had long seen that Shadow was a madman, but this did not prevent him from using the other party's power.
"Then, I wish you an early ascent to Heaven…" With a wild, unrestrained laugh, Shadow re-merged into the ground and disappeared from the room.
"That madman doesn't respect you at all. I think he will become a hidden danger sooner or later. Why don't we find an opportunity to…" Azazel made a throat-slitting gesture.
Azazel did not favor an uncontrollable collaborator. Of course, he only dared to say this after Shadow had left.
"Shut up, Azazel!!" Lucifer reprimanded Azazel's gossiping behavior and subtly shook his head at him.
Clearly, Shadow's powerful stealth ability made Lucifer wary.
This First Fallen Angel couldn't even be sure if Shadow was currently hiding in some corner, listening in on his conversation with his subordinate.
"Let's talk about your mission to the human world this time. That human named Mike is very powerful; you and your demons need to be especially careful this time…" After a short while, Lucifer deliberately changed the subject.
He began to help Azazel plan the details of this intelligence-gathering mission to the human world.
As for the demons Lucifer mentioned, they were a rare type of intelligent demon. Although their combat power was not strong, they were very suitable for organizing and transmitting information.
They were essentially the demons' own intelligence personnel.
Just as Lucifer and Azazel were discussing their plan against Mike, an imposing off-road vehicle quietly stopped outside the Shadow Demon's stronghold.
"Is this magic? It feels really convenient!" Constantine watched Mike casually put the off-road vehicle away again, almost drooling with envy.
If he could learn this method of conjuring things from thin air, it would definitely improve his quality of life.
For Constantine, whose life was often down-and-out, this was simply a miracle.
"Don't even think about it. This belongs to the power of 'God'; it's impossible for us mortals to learn it…" Father James stepped forward and patted Constantine's shoulder, interrupting his unrealistic fantasies.
"Thanks, I feel offended." Constantine grumbled unhappily, "Why is the gap between people so big—"
Constantine himself was a living legend; he was friends with the Angel Gabriel, had met God and Satan, and had even been fought over by both.
At the same time, as an Exorcist, he had rich experience in exorcism, and he could even wander around Hell and return unscathed.
Just ask, isn't that impressive enough?
However, even such an excellent Constantine was just an ordinary mortal without suitable exorcism tools.
Conversely, Mike, who always relied on brute force for exorcism, possessed incredibly powerful strength.
This couldn't help but make Constantine a little jealous.
"Shhh—"
After Mike put away the vehicle, he made a shushing gesture to everyone, then pointed to the nearby Shadow Demon stronghold, signaling everyone to continue sneaking in quietly.
As for Constantine's envious and jealous little glances, he automatically ignored them all.
Subsequently, seeing that everyone had no objections to the infiltration plan, Mike applied invisibility buffs to each of them.
Then, the group began to stealthily move into the Shadow Demon Clan's territory.
Far from the central area, the place where the Shadow Demons lived could be described as desolate. Yet, in this harsh environment, an exceptionally exquisite white castle stood.
Clearly, although Lucifer had fallen, his angelic aesthetic sense had not been lost.
This also provided a clear target for Mike and his group's infiltration.
Relying on the invisibility buff, the group avoided several outer Shadow Demon patrol teams and easily entered the white castle.
At the same time, Azazel had just finished listening to Lucifer's instructions and was walking out of the room.
"Azazel, prepare to die—"
Enemies meeting each other made their eyes red with fury. The Winchester Brothers in the hallway instantly recognized the demon opposite them as their father's killer.
The brothers, without hesitation, threw two metal balls, which exploded with a "bang" after rolling to Azazel's feet.
The specialized bombs containing thermite instantly turned the hallway into a raging inferno.
Then, the Winchester Brothers, armed with Holy Crystal shotguns sponsored by Father James, stepped into the flames, firing as they advanced towards Azazel.
They looked completely reckless.