Krenocia says "When humans die their souls get sorted and those who have sinned enough go to hell. In hell the stronger souls eat the weaker and eventually become a rank zero demon beast. They grow by eating other demons and souls."

"Have you ever heard of a demon increasing its rank by meditating to improve its core?"

Krenocia says "No, I've never heard of anything like that."

Seronia says "I would think a noble would be capable of that if it learned the method."

"What's a noble?"

Seronia says "A demon noble is a demon born with a humanoid form. They are stronger and more intelligent than normal demons."

Krenocia says "When demon beasts rank high enough they gain a humanoid form. They are then capable of reproducing much like humans, some of these offspring are born humanoid and these are the nobles."

"Other than form, how are they different?"

Krenocia says "They are much stronger, a rank three noble is as strong or stronger than a rank five beast. Also some rare nobles are able to use magic, they have to study and train like a human though."

'I wonder, if I absorb the core of a noble who can use magic will I get my magic back? If the chance comes up I will definitely try it!'

Seronia says "About half the demon lords in our world currently are nobles."

"So the lords that are nobles are stronger than the others?"

Krenocia says "That is harder to determine, up to rank seven the increases are set. Odd levels are offense and even levels are defense, but at rank eight and higher the benefits are more varied."

'Great that means rank three will boost my offense!'

"What do you mean by varied?"

Seronia says "We can't be sure since we aren't demons, but we believe that the higher ranks boost the demons based on their personalities."

"Personalities? You mean a demon who always uses fire powers would get stronger flames or something?"

Krenocia says "Yes, something like that. Of course that is just a guess based on what we have seen."

"So if demons are so powerful what makes you think they haven't conquered the whole continent already?"

Seronia says "The other two empires were equal to ours in strength and they had two hundred years to prepare while the demons were focused on us."

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Krenocia says "Also the two empires had their own pantheon of gods, if those pantheons worked together the demons wouldn't be able to overwhelm them like they did to us."

"Just how many gods are there in this world?"

Seronia says "We don't know. We know of at least fifty on the main continent."

"Don't you all live on like a higher plane or something?"

Seronia says "No, we create our own domains based on our personalities. Krenocia's is the underworld where souls are judged. Mine is more like a heaven for those souls I choose to reward."

Your insight into the gods has increased! Int and Wis +5!

Krenocia says "If it helps you can think of them as our soulscapes which became permanent."

"So every god has their own personal realm?"

Seronia says "Every greater god does yes. Lesser gods tend to share with a greater god or group together to make a realm."

"Wait, there are ranks of gods as well?"

Krenocia says "There are three ranks of gods, lesser, intermediate, and greater. Also each rank has two stages, lower and higher."

"Okay, what rank are you two?"

Seronia says "We are both lower greater gods. We used to be higher greater before the temples drained our powers."

Krenocia says "Before we absorbed the powers released by the trial we were higher intermediate. So you have already done us a great service."

"So there are all these different godly realms, does that mean there are multiple hells as well?"

Krenocia says "No there is only one hell and it has existed longer than us."

"If I can't break the barrier, could you send me to hell?"

Krenocia says "I'm not sure, maybe. Why?"

"Well, if I can fight my way through hell and eat lots of demons I can rank up enough to break the barrier if I have to return to inside the trials."

Krenocia says "I might be able to send you to hell, but I would not be able to help you return. It is very hard to escape from hell without a portal or a mage to summon you."

"How does time flow in hell compared to the mortal realm?"

Krenocia says "Very very slowly, a hundred years can pass in hell when only a few minutes have passed here."

"So in theory if I went to hell from the trials I could spend hundreds of years getting stronger and only lose a day or so?"

Krenocia says "Yes, possibly."

Seronia says "You could also die very easily in hell and we wouldn't be able to retrieve your soul."

"Oh, that is a drawback. Well I will keep that as a backup plan for the time being. I haven't given up on breaking the barrier yet."

Seronia says "Is there anything we can do to help?"

"No, I don't think so. I have already managed to hit the barrier hard enough to make ripples."

Seronia says "That is impressive! Maybe you can break free!"

Krenocia says "If you can break the barrier the entire trial will fall apart and release all its divine energy. We will both grow stronger if that happens."

"The main problem is time, if my main idea doesn't work my backup plan will take at least ten years. I'm worried about what will happen outside in that time."

Seronia says "I understand your feelings, but sometimes sacrifices have to be made. A few lives now to restore us so that we can save hundreds of thousands."

Krenocia says "Keep in mind, if you can't stop the demon invasion, everyone on this continent will either die or be enslaved."

"I understand that, but it doesn't change my loyalty to my friends."

Seronia says "I am not saying you should give up your loyalty, just that you should be prepared. Since you made it to the surface you have gone from one battle to another, it's amazing you haven't lost anyone yet. The battles will only get fiercer in the future so you should be prepared to face losses."

Krenocia says "No matter how strong you are you can't save everyone."

"I know that, but that won't stop me from trying."

Seronia says "We are just concerned that failure might crush you if you aren't properly prepared."