If passing through the inner planes was like folding a sheet of paper and slipping through a hole, then this long-distance Teleportation to the outer planes felt like tossing all their Dragons into a washing machine with dirty laundry and smelly socks.
Initially, their view was a blackness filled with a dizzying kaleidoscope of colors. Later, their entire field of vision became a blur of twisted colors shooting past them at breakneck speeds. This caused a disorienting and nauseating sensation that seemed to drag on endlessly.
David's instinct to fall into a deep slumber surfaced more than once, accompanied by Sloth, but he forcefully suppressed it each time. Passing out during long-distance Teleportation is extremely dangerous. It's not that I fear waking up to find my body thrown into some forgotten corner of the Multiverse. Rather, the issue is that dreams, during this chaotic void voyage, tend to link to the void outside the Multiverse. This can cause a soul-body separation. If my body arrives at the destination but my soul gets lost somewhere, we'd all truly turn into windblown vegetable Dragons—in bulk, no less. Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on novel•fire.net
Up close, no one could withstand his Sloth sorcery.
Thankfully, the sensation—as if their very organs were about to be violently expelled from their cloacas—ceased abruptly when a hazy shade of blood-red filled their sight, followed by a sharp, barely audible voice:
"MDCLXXXVII Material Plane visitors: eleven total. Eight Dragons, two Humanoid Creatures, one Dragonkin Succubus... Oh! Miss Yolanda, you're back so soon?"
A Devil who had been dutifully recording information immediately adopted a fawning tone, like an obsequious public servant currying favor with superiors.
This Devil was less than a meter tall, with red-and-black skin, a slim build, sharp claws, and a tail that bristled with sharp spikes. Its face was a bizarre hybrid of a bat and a sheep, complete with pointed ears and sharp eyes.
Sensing the confusion in David's eyes, Yolanda, who tossed a copper coin to the creature, softly explained, "This is a Lesser Demon. Although it's called a Lesser Demon, it's considered a middle-ranking demon and is in a much better position than an Inferior Demon freshly hatched from a drained Soul Shell. Normally, the duty of managing this Teleportation Gate should fall to a Devil of Anzumon rank or higher. However, the War God recently stirred up wars across various planes. This has led to a steep increase in the number of souls drifting down the Styx River. Consequently, most of the Anzumon, our Succubi, and the Reapers have been temporarily reassigned to the Land of Torment to deal with the massive influx of Soul Shells. The Steel Demons and Chain Demons are the backbone of the lower ranks in the Blood War, but they lack intelligence. Hence, many Lesser Demons one have been temporarily reallocated to these posts."
David nodded thoughtfully upon hearing Yolanda's explanation, just as Attilicia, who was still dizzy from stepping out of the Teleportation Gate, vomited on the ground.
Theoretically, Lesser Demons should have a certain level of resistance to a Red Dragon's stomach acid or even its magical flame radiation. But this particular Lesser Demon cried out in agony as if stepping on concentrated sulfuric acid, "Dis... disorder..."
The shrill, alarm-like scream immediately drew the attention of a large number of Steel Demons and Chain Demons guarding the area. They converged towards them in formation, anti-magic longspears raised, accompanied by a higher-ranking Succubus flapping its wings.
"What's going on?" the Succubus frowned, clearly unhappy that the chaos caused by David's party had added an extra burden to her already taxing workload.
The Lesser Demon immediately shrunk back, looking towards Yolanda, the highest-ranking member of their group.
Yolanda made eye contact with David, whose dangerous, slit-pupilled eyes narrowed, signaling the truly chaotic Red Dragon to remain calm. She then addressed the inquiring Succubus, "Apologies. We are Chromatic Dragons who have answered the war horn of Lord Ephelomon, vassal to the Chromatic Dragon Queen. It seems we forgot to apply an anti-alignment detection spell to my Red Dragon companion before departing, which caused the disturbance. Please forgive us."
While shaking hands, she discreetly passed a Gold Coin to the Succubus, whose demeanor noticeably softened. The Succubus then pulled out a tome hefty enough to hammer a demon to death, pretended to peruse it, and finally scratched something inside with a long, crimson fingernail, noting, "Chromatic Dragons and their Dragonkin Vassals responding to the summons of the Chromatic Dragon Queen do indeed possess a certain degree of diplomatic immunity. According to regulations, I can allow you to pass, but..."
The Succubus pointed towards the increasingly dark and chaotic sky overhead as she spoke, "But because of the Chromatic Dragon Queen's involvement, Barto Hell has opened a second battlefield. To prevent disorderly individuals like yourselves from causing further disturbances, you must choose to either travel on foot or take a freight cart to the Maggot's Nest."
Yolanda and David exchanged glances, then Yolanda nodded. "No problem."
The Succubus, her expression serious, recorded something before handing Yolanda eleven numbered tags, apparently crafted from skull. "You're in luck. A Soul Train originating from the Land of Torment is about to arrive. You can use these bone tags to board."
Only after their group of Dragons had exited the entrance point, filled with the typical ambiance of Barto, and Yolanda had given Attilicia an anti-alignment detection amulet, did David and the other Dragons all turn to look at the somewhat embarrassed Dragon father, Attilicia. David, particularly curious, inquired, "Dad, when did you shift to a chaotic alignment?"
Just as the Abyssal Depths are a place of pure chaos, Barto Hell is the absolute realm of order.