The dog stood up and lazily stretched, then yawned at the group of mages as if it were a lazy dog being told to go for a walk by its owner, but not wanting to. (Author's note: I don't know if anyone else's dog doesn't want to go out for a walk, but one of my dogs prefers sleeping at home.)
One of the mages looked at the dog with anger, unsure of what came over him. He considered himself a calm and rational individual, but now he felt an impulse to kill the dog. The mage pulled out a dagger and rushed to stab the dog in the head.
Splash!
The sound of flesh and blood, along with the splatter of red blood, filled the area. However, instead of the dog's head being pierced by the dagger, it was the mage's arm that was suddenly ripped off by the dog's sharp fang.
"Arrrrrrrrrrrgggghh!" The mage screamed in agony, looking at the dog in disbelief and terror.
The mage's bloodied arm was in the dog's mouth as it bit into it, eating the arm in several bites and gulps. The dog's body began to grow larger, its fur turning a deep red, not just any red, but a shade as red as blood. Gradually, all of its fur transformed into a fiery red, resembling molten lava.
The dog's skin hardened, its bark thickening into a hide akin to rhino skin but even thicker and stronger. It had transformed into a 5-meter-tall hellhound... Well, not exactly a hellhound, as those creatures didn't have fiery wings on their backs like Sat did in its Hell Lord form.
"He he he he he," Sat panted, almost sounding like laughter, its blade-like sharp fangs arranged like saw blades across its mouth. Its tongue swept across its mouth, after it had tasted the flesh and blood of a mage. To Sat, the taste was worse than its favorite treat, the Chromatic Philosopher's Stone that its master had produced, but still several times better than normal dog food.
"Heh heh..." Sat hungrily licked its lips. "Heh he he he," then it slowly walked toward the group of mages. Its fiery fur, fiery eyes, two hellfire wings, muscular build, and large features clearly revealed its true identity to the mages.
"That hellfire wings... it's impossible! An archfiend!? No, a hell lord!?" one of the mages spoke in terror.
There is a saying that an archfiend was a hell lord in the making. That's true, but... make no mistake, a Hell Lord is thousands of times stronger than the strongest archfiend. Even though some foolish archfiends might attempt rebellion from time to time, a Hell Lord, as long as it's not too reckless and underestimates the archfiends, would have no trouble dispatching a group of them.
And these mages, if pitted against an archfiend in the same cage and told to fight, would find it impossible to win since they didn't possess any magic to counter the hell magic like those in the Secret Exterminator Unit in the Vatican.
So, in this encounter, there was no way these mages could defeat Sat, whose appetite had been provoked by the flesh and blood of a mage.
"Scatter and escape! Initiate plan B!" The leader shouted his command.
The iguana, aware that Sat had not yet returned from the hunt, observed as two mages cautiously entered the house. One of them seemed to be the leader. They had chosen the back entrance, entering through the kitchen door. It was evident that they had returned here after fleeing, with Sat in pursuit of the other mage.
"There's no one on the first floor," one of them remarked as they entered the living room, where the yellow iguana lay on an open comic book.
The mages noticed the yellow iguana and exchanged puzzled glances as it tilted its head back at them before returning its focus to the comic books beneath its feet.
"Is it... reading a comic book?" one of the mages commented, pointing at the yellow iguana.
"It's just a coincidence; stop dawdling and start searching," the mage who appeared to be the leader demanded.
"She should be on the second floor," the other mage said, eyeing the stairs leading up to the mansion's second level.
As they approached the stairs, about to ascend, an unfamiliar male voice halted their movements.
"Hey, what do you think you're doing? Step back and leave the house immediately. Don't force me to throw you out myself," the voice issued a clear threat.
Startled, the mages turned towards the voice, activating their insignia to summon defensive spells and preparing for potential attacks from any direction.
The source of the voice was none other than the yellow iguana perched on the comic book, now staring directly at them.
"The hell are you staring at? Never seen a talking iguana before, huh? You country bumpkins!" the yellow iguana exclaimed, its words laced with the feel of a street hooligan.
For the two mages, the mansion was becoming weirder and weirder. First, there was a Hell lord dog guarding the entrance, and now they encountered a talking yellow iguana speaking in a hooligan-like manner.
The leader mage, maintaining his role, swiftly channeled a spell and directed an ice spike toward the yellow iguana. "Hurry! Head to the second floor and capture the girl!" he commanded, prompting the other mages to nod in agreement. Without delay, they rushed towards the staircase.
"How DARE YOU!!" The iguana's voice suddenly turned menacing, akin to a high-ranking demon from hell addressing them. It stomped its feet, causing a golden demonic magic circle to materialize on the floor.
"If you refuse to leave, then prepare to stay here, FOREVER!" the yellow iguana roared in anger.