Aeternus was talking to his demon dukes.
"This is a competition. There will be rewards for your efforts. Enough Divinity to help you reach the half-divine rank is up for grabs. I will distribute them according to your contribution to the mission. All you have to do is to take your legions and destroy churches on the plane. The more churches and clergymen you destroy, the more divinity you get."
They become even more perked up. Divinity is very important to demon dukes. It is the only way for them to grow and reach the half-divine rank the same as the demon lord. They don't need the encouragement to destroy, but the competition has turned their hobby into a paying job. There's nothing better than that. That makes two people who have just gotten their dream jobs. Helios and the demons.
His next words sobered them up. "I'll advise you to take this competition seriously because there's going to be another one after and it is going to cost you your life if you are not strong enough. Enjoy yourself and use this opportunity to strengthen yourself or it may be your last."
What he said has not changed the situation. It is still a hobby that they get paid for but now they have to take it seriously or it will be the last time they ever indulge.
Baal looked at the wide grin on Infernox's face and shook his head. "This plane is already close to becoming unhabitable. It doesn't have mana or much vitality. It can hardly support us and we are demons. Our destruction might just push it over the edge."
Baal could feel the deprivation of life on the plane. It is like a suction force all around in the air trying to get into them to remove the vitality within them. There's no mana or Origin energy. That means that they won't be able to regenerate the energy that they use in combat. Only boneheads that rely on their bodies like giants of Order and Infernox won't feel out of place. That's why Infernox is still grinning. He knows he has an advantage here compared to those that fight with spells.
"That doesn't concern us. We are here to do our job. The state of the plane will make doing it more difficult, but we will do it." Infernox declared with determination.
'Easy for you to say. You're just glad that the situation is in your favor.' Baal grumbled to himself.
"There's no need to worry too much. I'll help you with energy. I'll refill your energy storage once a day." Aeternus told them.
Baal and the other dukes bowed. "Thank you, Lord Khaos."
A refill of energy once a day is nowhere near enough for them. They have large energy pools but it can be used up in about 30 minutes of fighting. They will have to ration their energy strictly and even then it won't be enough. Still, it is already a boon that Aeternus is helping them. They have to show gratitude for what they have and they can't ask for anymore.
Baal turned to Infernox and grinned. Infernox's face twitched at the naked provocation. He felt like slugging the grinning fool but he held himself back.
Xander asked Aeternus, "Lord Khaos, what about the demon lord? I know that she is planning to ambush us. Did she come here too or went to another plane?"
Aeternus chuckled before replying, "Don't worry. She will find herself too busy to bother with us."
They continued to discuss their plans as they wait. Their mission seems very easy despite the two major problems of defenders of the mortal plane and the environment itself. Demon dukes can be compared to the weakest grand gods and titans of law. Their accumulation makes them equal to the strongest grand gods and titans of law.
The mortal realm doesn't have any of that but they have the vessels of gods. They don't have to worry about the vessel of the Celestials because Aeternus told them that their employer has taken care of most of them. The scant few vessels belonging to the Celestial Supreme won't leave the headquarters of the church of order.
Apart from that, their employer has also reduced the fighting force of the gods in the mortal realm. Apparently, they killed each other in some war. The remaining vessels belonging to grand gods will not stand a chance against the dukes. A vessel cannot stand against the real thing.
The problem of the defenders of the plane can be solved easily since they are not a threat. The mortal realm has been compromised for the taking. Even the barren environment is not too much of a problem for them either. Demons can survive in any world and cannot be suppressed in the divine or main plane because of their sin energy.
Sin energy is unique just like blood energy and dragon force. It isn't like generic energy that is easily suppressed. But the lack of mana and Origin energy means they can't regenerate their sin energy. Even their Chaos energy cannot be replenished in this dying world.
Fortunately, Aeternus can feed his dukes energy through their link so the environment is more of a nuisance than a problem. The high-rank demons in the army will just have to manage the usage of their energy until Aeternus finishes building a stronghold in the plane. With a stronghold here, they will all be able to freely regenerate their energy again.
The stronghold will also form a stable and permanent channel between the plane and the abyss. It will help the plane since mana will enter the plane together with sin energy. The plane will benefit from it and so will the demons. It is killing two birds with one stone.
Aeternus stayed behind with Xander to build the stronghold while the others took their legions and scattered into the plane. Getting the demon dukes to reach the half-divine rank is good for him but he is not going to give them the divinity straight up. He is going to make them work for it.