Authors note:
Not a fan of cliffhangers? ;)
Don't worry...It won't be long now.
Chapter XLVIII: Omniscient is Our Creator
"Rise my child, I will not have you kneeling before me" the Deity commanded, "Jesus, may you leave us? I will call upon your return if needs be".
"Of course Mother, will I be bringing the demons to you?" Jesus had released her gentle hold of the human's giant hand as he had collapsed to his knees. She hadn't seen much of her Mother lately, the creator of literally everything had many things to tend to, not enough time for her daughter sometimes.
"That won't be necessary, please see to it that our guests are well looked after" the being made of golden light was now approaching the man, he currently had his head bowed, eyes closed, weeping silently. The tears were falling into the great darkness, moving past whatever they were standing on.
"Of course Mother" the Innocent One looked at the kneeling Helltaker. "I hope you find what you're looking for" she placed a hand on his shoulder, sympathy dripping off of every word.
"S-so...do...I" he got out between sniffs, wiping away the tears and snot, he probably looked like a great blubbering mess. He closed his eyes once more, the man not being able to see Jesus's body become that magnificently bright gold colour, blocking out any detail of her being, the light shooting off into the stars once more.
There was silence, absolute silence...no sound at all...the empty vacuum of space stretching to infinity and back again.
"Y-you and J-jesus, you called me E-Evan" he sniffed, trying to halt the flow of tears. "Please tell me...that is my real name...right?" he babbled mid-cry.
"Evan is what your parents, Caroline and Johnathan Anderson named you" the Deity's voice boomed.
"Its been so long...I thought I'd lost all trace of who I was, I-" he felt the glorious presence grow nearer. Her voice and soothing aura beginning to break down his walls.
"You poor...pitiful man...all you've been through".
"Don't...I don't- I don't want sympathy" he said, fighting the demons within himself now, refusing to show weakness.
"But you are the only one who deserves it...you have been doomed to live a deathless and death filled life".
"I don't-" the man felt a warm hand caress his face, a second one joined it. The first hand brushed his cheek gently before holding him on one side of his chin, the other hand holding the other side. He refused to open his eyes, but subconsciously moved closer to the warmth, allowing his face to be held.
"I can help you...but you must first help yourself, you must wake up from this delusional state...you are innocent".
"I am not, you kno- wait..." the Helltaker finally decided to open his eyes, tears no longer forming but they stayed in the way, partially blocking his sight. "It was you! It was your voice...you woke me up me and-" the golden form began to take shape.
"Wake up if you would...for that is your curse" she repeated, the memory of his crawl along the blackstone platform of the core room flashing through his mind again.
"It was your voice telling me to push forward! Why didn't you just let me die..." he bowed his head further, but the warm hands on either side of his face, the fingers moved from his cheek to underneath his chin, lifted his head up gently.
"You are banished from death, you know that already...".
His eyes widened as the mother of all angels appeared in front of him. A beautiful God, the Creator of the universe...of all there was and all that will be. The Holy General finally revealed herself, this large woman had amazingly long and lushious black hair that flowed down to her lower thigh, golden light was reflected in the silky smooth softness of the goddess's hair. It was an otherworldly material.
In the sea of black, a thin golden headband with light blue, neon feathers attached separated the monotony of black on her head. The two feathers attached must be of an unknown, alien species, as no bird on Earth wore such a strange colour. Her deceivingly young face was flawless, half of it was hidden by her thick fringe of hair, there was a small mole under the right side of her lip, another smaller one in the centre of her chin.
Her outfit consisted of a general's white military fatigues, they had raised shoulders with blue toppings and golden epaulettes on either side. The woman had her white collar with a golden trim done up to the neck, there was a light blue scarf also tied around her neck, making her look like she was from the scouts. There were six medals pinned to her, three either side of her on the lapel. All of them of the highest rank.
The God had a light blue stable belt worn around her body, from the right neck down to the left hip, going around her back too. There was a golden cross placed at the top of the belt, just above her left breast. The Diety's white military outfit was buttoned all the way from the top, all the way down to just before the last button, allowing for a touch of casualness, the outfit hanging loose at the bottom. The long sleeved outfit connected to a pair of white gloves at her hands, on her wrists there were thick black ends with golden cross cuff links. Around her slim waist there was a black belt with a golden trim, exaggerating her curvy features.
Yet again...she was another curvy angel...with an exceptionally large bust...Below her white outfit she wore tight dark blue suit trousers, allowing his mind to wonder further.
Even here his male gaze knew no bounds...however these thoughts were very small in comparison to the torrent of emotions that were drowning his brain.
"Y-you are...a woman?" he asked, "Lucy always referred to you as the 'Big Man', I didn't thin-". He was calming down now.
"I am what one wishes to see, she saw me as a male. I can change form if you wish" in an instant she changed into quite a familiar face...it was like staring into a mirror. There in front of him, stood himself, the Helltaker was looking at the Helltaker. They were both dressed identically, the clone smiled, he just stared in awe...and fear.
"N-No..No! Change into something else, anything else..." he pleaded, looking away, scared to see what he had become...his mind was slowly falling apart upon seeing his own image.
"Do you wish I took the form of a parent?" she asked again.
"NO! Please...your natural one was fine- Perfect!" he covered his face with his hands, pushing the sunglasses up against his eyes. When the blinding flash of light disappeared he removed the pressure and opened his eyes, staring at the true female Jehovah once more.
"Do you not care about yourself? There are so many that do, yet you do not see" Jehovah returning to the original point. "You carry this burden alone...when you never had to".
"NO! I don't care about myself!" his anger now purging the sadness from his system, he defiantly decided to stand, the man forgetting etiquette and getting uncomfortably close to...well no point denying who it was, God.
Jehovah, The Omniscient, Omnipotent Deity did not back down.
"I don't care about myself, I don't care about anything other than my family!" the man's fists clenched, yet he had no intention of harming Jehovah, she knew this.
"Your devotion to your family is admirable, but you must face facts, you are burdened with an affliction that is so much worse than the loss of your family". Jehovah now held her hands behind her back, her eyes not moving off of the Helltaker.
"Nothing...is more important...than my family..." he said through gritted teeth, panting slightly as he had forgotten to breathe as he spoke.
"I saw what happened...when you shattered the conduit and banished Mantus it was already too late. He had guaranteed that corruption sickness- that embedding a piece of himself into your demons would kill them off".
"Have you seen their current state? They were still breathing two weeks ago...I remember their voices becoming s-so raspy, the life within them diminishing by the day" he was on the verge of another breakdown.
"I have seen them...Lucifer was foolish to face Mantus on her own with Judgement" Jehovah brought her arms out from behind her and clapped, projecting a holographic display of six bodies into the space above them, it was a live display, the six were still motionless, laying in a restricted section of Hell's infirmary.
Cerberus's three bodies...
Justice...
Judgement...
Lucy...
"What did he do to them..." the Helltaker looking up at the golden holographic, the man seeing that their entire beings were devoid of any activity. The holy display would usually show neurons firing, muscle and brain activity, other diagnosis was supposed to be showing. The Helltaker compared it to a CT scanner, however he noticed their entire head was filled by a strange black colour. He thought it was the background of space, but he knew it was something more, it was slowly spreading throughout their bodies.
"He must have- no he definitely inflicted a form of corruption sickness upon them, any bodily fluid exchange would have triggered it. Once that happened, he latches a piece of whatever soul he has left onto the host. The strain of the demon's 'monster forms' did not help in their resilience against such an affliction".
"How come this didn't happen the first time we faced Mantus in Hell? I was bleeding quite badly then" the Helltaker placing a fist in front of his lips, the elbow leaning on his other arm.
"Mantus wasn't in his full form then, an ethereal form to put it simply, only temporarily in the realm. He was only testing the waters that time, trying to see how much he could conquer with minimum power. He also needed to learn the location of Hell's core". Jehovah was walking in circles around the display, enlarging certain parts to get a better look.
"And the bastard succeeded didn't he" the Helltaker sighed, it was all coming together, the master plan he had devised; Test the waters, instill doubt, create a distraction, conquer everything. Poor Beelzebub was simply a vessel. "When did he start controlling Beelzebub?".
"When she ventured back into the abyss, it was a slow insidious evil that slowly took over her being. She hasn't been the same since that day" Jehovah told him the truth, the true Beelzebub had disappeared on that day.
"God fucking damn it!" he cursed, the man's guilt becoming overwhelming, another way of tears incoming.
"These injuries, were they not treated to?" The Deity focusing on the different wounds the group had received, Cerberus's ruined eye, Justice's face, Lucifer's hand.
"No one knew what to do..." he muttered, his mind flashing back to that dreadful day when one by one...they had flatlined.
"I have seen this before, these injuries...they can be healed...if the hosts were alive. You were lucky to receive Malina's protection when you separated the connection between Malina, Zdrada and their father".
"I'm suffering from the consequences don't worry" he crossed his arms. Now for the all important question..."Can y-you, can you revive them?".
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. .
. . .
. . . . .
Please...I'm begging.
"I can...me and my daughter together...we can cure any affliction" Jehovah looking down solemnly at the Milky Way Galaxy. "I am responsible for the creation of Mantus as you know him, I am responsible for the creation of the abyss. It is my job to undo his actions...to undo the death he caused". She clapped again, causing the display of the demons to disappear.
"R-really?!" the Helltaker couldn't believe his ears. "You'll save them?! I thought you did not get involved with...anything".
"My child, you perceptions of me are based purely through the Christian filter you were subjected to when you were young. I do involve myself, especially when I was the cause of such torment...such pain" she turned her head away from the galaxy and approached the Helltaker. She gingerly reached out and held his right hand, holding it with both of her two hands.
"But I would like to make something very clear..." she spoke sternly now, yet there was no malice in her voice, her soft thumbs were gently rubbing his right hand in small strokes.
"O-Of course...".
"Were it not for your heroic actions...saving Hell and Heaven in the process, preserving the balance...preserving the integrity of the universe...we would not be having this conversation".
Silence.
"I only assist you now, because you assisted us then. In order to preserve the equilibrium between the realms, Hell must exist and it must run efficiently. Pandemonica cannot do that on her own, despite her best efforts and as much automation as she can implement".
"I only did what I thought was right", the man understanding now why a Hell without a Queen would fail.
"You made the hard decision, yet you didn't hesitate...you have mine and all of Heaven's eternal gratitude. In truth, Mantus's power would have rivaled my own".
"Truly?" he asked in disbelief, the man ignoring how uncomfortable he was as the woman continued stroking his hand.
"The absorption of both Malina and Zdrada's angelic souls, you know he had already corrupted Malina's and your own dreams, he knew her weaknesses even before they met" the woman getting slightly side tracked. "Their souls are both heavily imbued in Hell Energy...yet that would not have been enough, however he already had his own angelic soul returned to him...uncorrupted".
"Yeah...sorry...about that" his guilt now becoming the new dominant emotion once more, crushing any other thoughts out of his head.
"How were you to blame? You simply wished for Beelzebub to change her ways...You were deceived" Jehovah looking between the Helltaker's face and his arm.
"If he was to have taken the devil's and Azazel's souls...combined with the ones he had already devoured? His hunger would know no bounds. He would have consumed...everything".
"But...you are God, you can destroy anything at the click of your fingers?" he protested.
"I would have been forced to imprison us both, I would be...unable...to destroy him, I would have used his own powers against him. The two of us locked in eternal conflicted to preserve the integrity of existence. But thankfully...I never needed to, the courage of one human rivals the power of even the darkest evil" she smiled, a heart-warming smile.
After a long silence of Jehovah still holding onto his right arm, rubbing it with her thumbs, the man decided to continue his questioning.
"How are you going to revive them? How can you cure them?" he was desperate to find out.
"Oh, your delicate human mind will not be able to comprehend it. Besides-" the Deity left his right arm alone for a moment, removing her white gloves, demanifesting them. "There is something else we need to cure, isn't there?".
"My family first" he said, the Helltaker wanted to go straight down to Hell and cure them right now, but she wouldn't make it that easy.
"I give you my word, I will do everything in my power to bring your family back...but in order for me to do that, I must first purge you off this affliction".
"Which one?" he half smirked.
"What ails you my child, why do you wear this-" she gestured to his right arm.
"You know what ails me...I'm dying...Jehovah", he decided he would stop pretending like everything was normal now, the man beginning to remove the new addition to his attire. On his right arm, ever since the end of the battle with Mantus, he had been wearing a full length black arm sleeve. It covered his right hand and arm all the way up to his shoulder. He now began to gently remove it, unzipping it from the shoulder downwards, wincing slightly as the pressure was eased.
"This is what shattering the conduit caused? Correct?" she watched eagerly as the man began to remove the sleeve.
"It flairs up every now and again, but its getting worse each time. Like someone is sending tens of thousands of volts from my palm all the way to my shoulder with a car battery" the man fully removing the sleeve now, holding it with his left arm. Modeus had never gotten used to the thing, always commenting about it, asking if he was ashamed to show off this hideous mark on his skin. He was ashamed.
The entirety of his right arm was a pale white, devoid of any colour. All along his arm there were thick black, pulsating veins running along the entire length of his arm, diminishing in size as they reached his upper body. In the centre of his palm, there was a black mark, a circle that had been growing in size ever since he shattered the conduit. It was the source of his pain, the veins stretching away from it.
The Almighty ran her bare skin hands over his arm, the women doing well to soothe his pain, she seemed to be struggling to diagnose the affliction, figuring out how best to cure it. "I expected as much...Malina's natural abilities...they only granted you partial immunity to the abyss. Banishing Mantus's did not help either, most likely accelerating the spread of corruption from the source, here on your hand" the woman pointed at the centre of his palm.
"Well figured as much, Malina really saved me there...she deserves a medal too. Got a medal for Sourness? Or Grumpiness?" he joked, trying his best not to wince. "You don't mind about Malina killing those three muggers?" the question springing into his mind.
"I will not intervene...not this time" the woman gave him a slight smirk and wink, "I need to see your eyes too my child" the woman returning to their original purpose for meeting, reaching up to remove his sunglasses without asking.
"Is that necessary?" he asked, flinching slightly, Jehovah retracting her hand.
"I only wish to examine you, diagnose what's wrong".
Zdrada's voice now echoed through his head at this moment. "Yeah, the glasses stay on, even during sex". The man smirking slightly, looking away. Jehovah also slightly smiled, she must have read his mind...she was making skin contact with him afterall, just like Azazel had done in the past.
"As you wish..." the man reluctantly removing Justice's old aviator sunglasses. They hadn't left his face much over the past three weeks. Jehovah now saw the rapid colour change occurring in his eyes, they were mostly an unnatural red, just like a demon's, however they were becoming pitch black at regular intervals now. It was getting worse...
"I've never seen something...quite so spectacular" she was in awe of this bizarre affliction, unbeknownst to him, she had connected her mind to his, reading all of his thoughts and feelings. The pain was unbearable.
"I try my best to impress, especially when it comes to beautiful demons and angels...and an equally as beautiful God". He was trying his best to lighten the mood, to hide the truth. He never thought he'd be flirting with God.
"You...poor, poor creature...life hasn't treated you as fairly as you deserve, has it?" the flirting rolling off of the Deity, she began stroking his arm in long slow brushes, still with her bare right hand. The veins were gradually disappearing as her hand travelled over it.
"Stop...I d-don't deserve anything" he looked at her sad expression, her eyes were closed yet...she looked like she was about to cry.
"You are weary, you wish to know when you will finally die...yet you wish to live... with...Lucifer, grow old together...watching the three troublemakers play while you two sip wine and snuggle in front of a fire".
"Stop...please..." he pleaded, he loved all his demons equally, to pursue that dream would be unfair, cruel...
"I can give you a choice, I can give you the immortal life you desire, a truly deathless one" she offered, her voice becoming slightly deeper.
"I don't want to be immortal anymore...I just want my family..." he begged, uttering nothing but the truth.
"As you wish Evan" Jehovah, The Omniscient, Omnipotent Deity released her grip on his arm. He was never going to get used to being called that...
The pain in his right arm had ceased entirely, his skin returning to the more tanned hue to match the rest of his body. All of the hair had fallen off and it would take time to regrow again, but other than this hair loss and the discolored pigment of his skin, he was cured! The man's arm was returned to him, the Helltaker looking at where the black hole had been, his left hand tracing over the delicate skin. "I don't suppose I would understand how you did that either..." it was the only thing he could say. He couldn't tell but his eyes had also been returned to their normal colour.
"Thank you...Jehovah", he didn't know whether to hug her, or kiss her or simply jump for joy. The man did well to suppress his happiness.
"I drew out the poison...in a manner of speaking" she smiled, noticing his thanks and the giant smile growing across his face. "Now, to lift the 'curse', I must touch your face" the Deity getting closer to the human.
"Can I ask you something...before you take it away. Where did it come from?" the ultimate question.
"I- for once in my entire life, I do not know my child...I would bestow immortality only upon angels and demons, humans are unworthy...It seems that you were something inbetween".
"Something inbetween? I'm human, have been since the day I was born" he was so utterly overwhelmed by her confusing manner of speaking.
"I'm sorry to tell you...but you are one of a kind" Jehovah was poised to touch him again, but she had relaxed and simply held her chin with her right arm instead.
"Bullshit, I'm a plain, average man. There is nothing special...there never was".
"Do you really wish to know why Lucifer...why she even entertained the thought of keeping you alive?" Jehovah was about to hit him with some hard truth. "Your 'resets' were only the beginning of her interest in you, your ability to manipulate time, to turn back the clock".
"Because I am special...I intrigued her. I was an anomaly...She wanted to use me, but what? Fell in love along the way?" he scoffed despite the depressing tone.
"It seems that way, you were the first human she ever grew to intimately know...and in time...love. After her life with Beelzebub and their eventual falling out, she vowed she would never love another again" Jehovah aware of all events that would occur, both past, present and future, but she would not abuse this sight.
"I shouldn't have existed in the first place" he decided to turn away from God, looking at the Milky Way Galaxy, hands going into his suit pants pockets.
"I'm afraid...that they also lied to you...she lied to you...I don't know why" The Omniscient, Omnipotent Deity came over and stood at his side, both of them looking at the Galaxy instead of each other, it had now moved away from underneath their feet, slowly yet swiftly moving off into the void.
"Wouldn't be the first time" he smirked, trying to process how large their galaxy was. In the distance, he could see the light being created by the countless other galaxies that filled the darkness.
"No human is able to enter Hell, despite what they may have told you, no human had ever entered before you...You were infact..the first".
"Is it true that other humans, ones that haven't died yet, have entered Heaven?" he then asked.
"Yes...people like you...humans who have sought the truth, humans I have allowed to find it...but you all find me eventually" the God said simply, not wishing to linger on this question.
"I'm not surprised they lied to me...but you say you are my creator, did you curse me?" the man's gaze not moving off of the galaxy.
"Ah, I know now...I'm afraid you won't like the answer" she turned to face him now.
"Say it...I need answers, good or bad", the man not moving his gaze away from his home.
"The source of many of your problems...".
"No...".
"Yes...Beelzebub".
"How- how is that even possible?!" he finally turned to look at his creator.
"She is talented in the ways of the abyss...somehow she was able to predict the events that would lead up to your birth and your eventual arrival in Hell...she somehow knew you would save her...for that was her ultimate plan".
"Impossible" he grabbed the bridge of his nose briefly, closing his eyes and shaking his head.
"Impossible is sometimes a reality. She was trapped in a void with her only way out being someone who would travel in".
"God damn it B" he muttered, turning away again to look at the Galaxy. The man in denial of this new information, but he had to move past this right now. "Anyway, speaking of Beelzebub...you saw the bodies...".
"Six...when seven were corrupted" Jehovah nodded.
"Where is she?" the man almost demanded.
"I cannot find her, she evades my vision. My theory? The abyss has reclaimed her once again...it seems your efforts were in vain".
"Is there nothing you can do?" his demanding turned to pleading.
"If she was brought to me, I could heal her, revive her and what-not...but I cannot risk the safety of my realm or this universe" she gave him a stern look.
"So you're saying I need to go at it alone...".
"You would risk yourself and your universe's safety to save her? The Abyss only spreads when a gateway is open" Jehovah not sure whether to admire or disapprove his selflessness.
He did not reply to this. "Is that us?" he pointed at a vague part of the Milky Way, the galaxy itself was still moving away from them.
"It is...there" she pointed, the location of Sol, our solar system's sun was the brightest star in the galaxy for just a brief moment.
"I never realised how tiny we were...there is other intelligent life other than us...right?" he felt he had to ask that one, his eyes exploring the cosmos.
"Of course...millions, your species is but one in a sea of flourishing life".
"That's a comfort...but how come we haven't met any yet" he asked again.
"Because you are not ready, I will not allow your innocence to be exploited...Not yet anyway".
Another empty silence, the two simply admiring the view. Jehovah was thankful this human did not ask too much, nor dispute what she said, but she knew another question was coming...
"Jehovah, where did you come from?" How were you born?" the question that would lead him down a rabbit-hole of infinite questions. The woman smiled, her eyes lingering on Sol.
"I am one of many, given life so that I may protect this existence. We do not have creators, like I have created you, we simply exist to serve. To allow life to flourish, to drive back the darkness." The Deity scoffed slightly, "The Abyss is merely a droplet compared to the endless ocean of threats that loom outside of your reality" the woman's hand slowly reached for his. The Helltaker accepting it, allowing her to hold his hand.
It was a bizarre feeling, the woman did not want to read his mind anymore, nor did she wish to enlighten him telepathically...she simply wanted the comfort of it.
"I have fought tirelessly since the dawn of time to protect you, to protect your world and all worlds I have created. You wouldn't understand, but no one created me, I have simply been...I protect, I destroy, I watch. I was born because I willed it to happen, I am one of many because I must protect every aspect of this existence, the fabric of reality, the bridge between timelines. That will not stop me".
"I-" the Helltaker was speechless, his mind simply refusing to process what he was just told. "I-I...won't ask...I don't need to know why anymore". Another long silence followed...Jehovah not letting go of his hand, her left interlocked with his healed right.
"What is Hell's core? I saw...something...when I stared at it for too long. I saw memories...they weren't mine or...they were?" the man still trying to process what he had seen, trying to understand its deeper meaning.
"It is...regrettably one of us. When Lucifer abandoned us- when I banished her. I offered a near limitless source of power...for her to experiment with and wield as she wished".
"What do you mean, 'one of us'? An angel" he was beginning to understand, not liking these implications at all.
"Not quite...what you saw was-" Jehovah sighed. "An embryo of an angel, the birth of my servants releases an immense amount of energy...and if enough pain is inflicted...the energy can be harvested, correctly harvested it can be an unlimited power source. Keeping the embryo in stasis...connecting all demons through this 'core'. The price for power" the creator sounding quite sad.
"The price for power" he repeated, "I wish I didn't ask" the thought of constant suffering as a method of producing power made him depressed. The being's only purpose was to keep Hell running, to keep the demon's alive. For some reason, it was reminding him of his-
"Do you wish to see them?...They are happily together, they regret not being there to see you grow into the man you are today...They miss you...".
He hesitated.
"No...there is something more important we must do" the man finally turning to allow Jehovah to touch him, getting quite close to the woman. They were still holding hands. He purged his mind of the thought of seeing them, their happy faces...smiling faces.
One day he would see them again...Just not today.
"Are you ready? Do you really want me to undo such a power?".
"Do it".
. . .
. . .
. . .
"The bringer of death...the taking of life".
"And everything inbetween".
"But d-didn't you d-de-vouuur a legion of angels while defending H-hell?" a drunk Zdrada asked, the demon barely able to keep her head up as she talked to their new friend.
"Y-yes, but that was in the days I served L-Lucifer" Marchosias had surprising willpower as she was only slightly inebriated despite the drinks Malina and Zdrada had forced on her.
The three of them were sat at the bar, the two sisters on bar stools next to one another, Marchosias was standing behind the bar. To Malina's right Cupid was also sat staring at the bottom of her glass. Next to the sniper was Gabriel sitting on the top of the bar, the rest of the angels were scattered around, some leaning, some standing in the vicinity.
"Wha-t dooo they taaste likee?" Malina slurred, slugging back a bottle of purple liquid she had grown to like. God knows what was in it.
"Well, I don't particularly remember. It was a different me back then!" Marchosias ran her index finger around the rim of her glass while holding it with her other hand, the sisters noticed the red snake came down for a little drink as the other demon held up the glass.
"Different you? But you're still the same pussy as you were then" Cupid taunted, the angel receiving laughs from the two sisters. It seemed they were warming up to one another.
"Heh, at least she's is trying to change. You're still the same unreliable sniper, thought you were kicking the bucket with alcohol?" Gabriel chimed, the energetic trumpeter was sat on the bar, dangling her legs.
"Snipings a good job mate, you may disrespect me but do not disrespect the PROFESSION!" the unstable angel shouted, making Gabriel flinch. Looks like alcohol and Cupid couldn't stay apart...her one true love.
"Caaan you kill someone with it?" Malina looked at the gun's barrel, the weapon still attached to the angel's back.
"C-coooourse I caaan" Cupid boasted, "Just gotta load it right, get proper bullets to go BANG! BANG!" using finger guns to better express herself, pointing them both into the air above her.
"That and angels do not kill...well only I can" Azrael was the one boasting now, "Kind of my job".
"Dooo you thjink I'll go to Heaveen?" Zdrada slurred, the demon almost falling off of her bar stool.
"If you drink all our alcohol this quickly then certainly not!" Zadkiel chimed in, making everyone gathered around the bar laugh.
"Yooou can cut us off annnyyytime" Zdrada teased, pouring the colourless liquid down her throat and spilling most of it on the way in. But she made a solid point, despite the drunken manner in which it was said. "Comeee on Azzz, lets get drunkk" the Bitch Demon hiccuping after speaking.
"I'm afraid you already are" Azazel smiled nervously, the Curious Angel not wishing to partake and embarrass herself. Not here anyway...maybe later.
"So Azazel, me and Zee were thinking, what do we gotta do to join this harem of his?" Azrael asked, the older demon smiling at the younger one in jest.
"We were not thinking that! You may have been, I certainly wasn't" Zadkiel countered. She certainly was.
"Well- I" Azazel began sweating, "He chooses who joins, we all just happened to be there when he came to Hell. Besides, its not like I partake in any of t-those a-ctivites" she gulped down her lewd thoughts.
"Do you want to though?" Azrael probing a little further.
"O-o-of c-course not! I m-may like t-to w-w-atch- but!" it was too late, the little alcohol she had had spilling her secret.
"Ohhhh my fucking goood, Azazel you little pervvv" Malina teased, chucking to herself at this confession.
"Trust me, you don't wanna watch!" Cupid said while the others chuckled to themselves.
"I find human reproductive behaviour interesting to say the least...I see it occupies most of their time and thought processes!" Eurielle adding to the innocence.
"I can see why" Azrael's mind going to the Helltaker, fantasising about what she would want him to do to her.
"Ladies! Restrain your loins" Adriel said in a disapproving tone, however if one looked closely at the Archangel of Discipline you could see she was blushing immensely, the cap and long fringe hiding it well. Perhaps she should listen to her own advice.
"Is beinnng horny a sin?" Zdrada turned to look at a quiet Jesus, everyone failing to notice her silence. Her eyes were currently completely white, the Innocent One listening in on her mother's and the Helltaker's long conversation, informing herself on what the plan was to be.
"Yo? Jeeezus?" the older sister slurred, saying the Innocent One's name strangely.
Jesus's eyes now returned to the normal light blue hue in a millisecond, "Ah, I apologise! No, it is not. The ideas of 'Sin' in Heaven was mostly replaced around two point five million years ago, the human population still believing it to be an active method we use, judging and sending people to Heaven or Hell based on their level of Sin" Jesus replied in length, only wishing to tell the truth.
"Seeeee, nothing to worry about boss lady" the drunk demon speaking to Adriel.
"I will not allow myself such inappropriate thoughts" Adriel crossed her arms and glared at the demon in response.
"Well I dooo, you...me and tha- that whip!" Zdrada was deadly serious about this, but laughed at the angel's reaction, making it seem like it was joke. It really was not. Adriel simply crossed her arms tighter and hid her face by looking at the floor.
"I don't see why you are all so obsessed with that stuff, it seems like it would just lead to disappointment" Beatrice was leaning against the bar, arms also crossed, deciding not indulge herself too heavily.
"L-like everythang else in youur life?" Malina sneered, her head drooping before being lifted back up again.
"Meeting you is turning out to be the biggest one of them yet" Beatrice fired back instantly.
"Ladies please, there's no need for insults to be ma-" but Eurielle didn't get to finish, she was interrupted. In a flash of holy light, two beams of gold and white landed just behind where the small group had gathered. Most of the other angels who had graduated or attended the ceremony had left the venue, going to celebrate elsewhere. The Helltaker and Jehovah materialised from the beams of light, their silhouettes, the shape of their bodies arrived first before their true being appeared in detail. They were hand in hand, but as soon as they had arrived the human had released his grip.
"Your Holiness!" Azrael was the first one to react, standing to attention and bowing slightly.
"Your Holiness!" the others followed suit, Adriel, Zadkiel, Eurielle, Marchosias, Gabriel and Beatrice speaking at the same, all bowing in sync.
"Yo" Zdrada smiled that goofy smile, not really realising who it was. She was in the process of manifesting another cigarette...and struggling. Malina was currently showing Marchosias how she drank as fast as she could, expanding her throat and breathing through her nose.
"At ease my children, this is a time of celebration, please...as you were" Jehovah smiled, she waved a hand towards the bar and bottles of different types of coloured liquids began manifesting, restocking the various shelves.
"Ah, the good stuff. You shouldn't have boss...Thank you" Azrael heading behind the bar to take her favourites before they were pilfered. "Back off you lot, that one is mine!" The Archangel of Death laughed, moving faster than others, some of the angels and the three demons had now gathered around the new stock.
"Boss?!" Cupid was slow react, swiveling on her bar-stool, turning from where she was sitting to see Jehovah stood there giggling silently. "YOUR HOLINESS!" Cupid raised her hand up to her forehead and saluted but the bar-stool didn't stop moving and allow her to face the Deity, continuing to turn the angel around. Cupid was now back to her original position, sat with her back to the two, still saluting.
"At ease Cupid" she finished laughing, "Do you wish to take the demons back to Hell with us?" the Deity turning to look at the Helltaker at her side.
"Well, I think they will be pretty useless to us in their current state" he grinned, crossing his arms once more. When the two sisters finally saw him standing there he shook his head with a disapproving look.
"WHAaaaT?!" Malina shouted, the demon barely able to keep both eyes open, closing one of them so she wasn't going cross eyed constantly.
"Having fun?" he teased, half tempted to join them.
"Heeell yeaaah. Come join usss dodee" Zdrada said, burping loudly afterwards, receiving some laughs and some disgusted looks. The Bitch Demon had resulted to drinking from the unlimited colourless liquid in large gulps, different types of alcohol were flooding her mind, flooding into her body too.
"Maybe later" he replied, the man glad that the angels and demons were getting along. He didn't think they would.
"Master!" Marchosias's scared voice made him jump slightly, for a second he thought she was talking to him. The Good Demon came and timidly stood in front of the tall Deity. "Forgive my indulgence Master, I only wished to oblige with their drinking habits. They-" the demon tried her best to defend herself, but there was no need.
"Marchosias you have already been forgiven, you no longer need to continually seek forgiveness" Jehovah looking down at the demon, leaning her body slightly to do. She watched as a smile formed on Marchosias's face, the Deity also reflecting this emotion. However, she had just remembered the idea that herself and the Helltaker had discussed, looking from Marchosias to the Helltaker. "However, we do require your help...".
"O-of course Master, what can I do?" she eagerly awaited instructions, the Helltaker coming over to her now.
"We're gonna need you to send a message for us, will that be alright?" the human petting the small demon once more. The Good Demon noticed the arm he was patting her head with no longer had the full length black sleeve on it.
"A-a message? Yes, I can do that!" Marchosias eating up the affection, the Helltaker chuckled as he saw her tail begin to wag slightly, the snake's yellow eyes hiding behind a thin layer of hair.
"Why are you sending a message?" Azazel's curiosity forcing her to ask, the small woman had been mostly silent, simply happy to be there.
"I need to just...to warn Pandemonica we are coming back a little sooner than expected" he smiled at his angel while still petting and scratching Marchosias's hair and ears.
"We?" Azazel was confused, were they returning so soon?
"Not the four of us, me...Jesus and Jehovah are going to pay a little visit" the Helltaker not saying what they were planning in the case that it didn't work, he didn't want to get Azazel's hopes up...just for them to be shattered.
"W-well I'll come with you then!" she protested, knowing they were going to leave her here. Not that she was opposed to this, she just wanted to be there...she just wanted to help.
"Ah, no...no. I need you here looking after those two drunken idiots and keeping the peace" the Helltaker commanded, the man deciding to kneel since both Marchosias and Azazel were the same height.
"But I want to be there when they-" she began, she knew what they were planning.
"It might not work Az...I need you here...plus, it won't be a pretty sight. But I'll be damned if I don't try" he decided to stop playing with Marchosias and come over to Azazel, placing both of his hands on her shoulders.
"Hey! Your arm! Does this mean-" she beamed, deviating from the point of this conversation slightly.
"All better now...but let's not get distracted. I need to know I can count on you" the Helltaker taking off his sunglasses now, looking the younger angel straight in those pale blue eyes. "They'll be time for answers later...I promise".
"You'll come back and get us...right?" she sniveled, but no tears were falling.
"Of course. I promise. I'll send Jesus back to collect you three, bring you back to Hell. Okay?" he looked over at the Innocent Bean, receiving a confirmation nod.
After a long silence, Azazel finally spoke, smiling; "Okayyy...but please hurry! I don't know if I'll be able to control a drunk Malina and Zdrada!" she joked, the lighthearted humor making him smile. "But I'll try my best!".
"That's my girl" he brought the angel into a long hug, scared of what might be awaiting them down in Hell, he closed his eyes and prayed. When they finally parted, he turned his attention to Marchosias who was eagerly awaiting another scratch behind the ears.
"Have you sent the message?" he asked, the man now standing. There was no point saying goodbye to Zdrada and Malina, they would be too drunk to notice him leaving.
"N-no, what did you want it to say?" the demon ready to telepathically speak to the Tired and Depressed CEO of Hell.
"Infirmary now. I've brought some help".
The two powerful entities and the mere human manifested in Hell's infirmary, a golden light flashing through the dark room. Rodent like creatures scurried away as the light terrified them, heading for their tiny holes in the stone walls and floors. However, the group were dropped from a considerable height, a few feet upwards, their heads almost hitting the ceiling. The Helltaker hadn't expected for them to have arrived so abruptly and so high up. Jehovah and Jesus landed on their feet...the Helltaker falling flat on his arse.
"Fa-" the man grunted upon landing, briefly rubbing his back, the impact on the hard stone had sent a bolt of pain straight up his spine. "I fucking hate how you all travel...portals were bad enough, but that-" the man stood up now, stretching his back and brushing his shoulders of dust. "That was even worse, a little warning next time...please".
"Jesus, after all this time you have been using teleportation...I think we need to refine your interdimensional translocating skills, that landing could have been-" the Mother chuckled to herself, "Smoother".
"I apologise, I'll try be better next time!" the Innocent Bean gave them a faint smile, coming over and helping the Helltaker stand, the small woman was considerably stronger than he had expected, yanking him to his feet with little effort. However, Jesus was more focussed at looking at their surroundings. The three had appeared in a disused part of the infirmary, it looked like an empty ward, there were empty stone beds caked in cobwebs and dust. The plain black room had no windows, the only escape being the doorway, Hell had bleak medical facilities that was for sure.
"We're close, they should be expecting us" the Helltaker leading the way, the man pretending he knew where they were, heading to the doorway, there was a faint trickle of blue light filtering in from down the hallway.
"Mother...w-will they object to our presence here?" Jesus asked, the younger angel walking side by side with Jehovah as they left the room.
"Most likely...but remember we come in peace Jesus, we only wish to help and as soon as we have we'll leave" the general holding her hands behind her back now.
"I'll make sure they won't object" he said determined, time to put old feuds to rest.
The three proceeded out of the room they had appeared in, they were now walking through a restricted part of Hell's giant infirmary, a long dark hallway with barely any light. A few dim blue torches were lighting the way. Where was everybody? There were no demons in sight. He remembered that this sector was guarded by a few demons and a squadron of Hell Knights, maybe they had been reassigned.
He had guessed they would bump into Pandemonica and her cronies but they did not meet a single soul, he also wondered how much time had passed, had they just left Modeus? Had she returned to Hell already?
"Would it be too much to ask you to revive the demons Mantus made his army from? I feel selfish saving their lives when so many more were lost" the Helltaker not turning around as he walked, looking for any recognisable features to guide them to their destination.
"I'm afraid demons who were subjected to Mantus's indoctrination cannot be saved, their souls are no longer intact, hopefully your family's still are...if they are, then there is the potential for us to try" Jehovah replying honestly.
"Mantus would really destroy Hell just to get to us?" Jesus asked, the angel cautiously glancing down the long hallways, they had just reached a junction and now they took a right turn.
"The abyss can corrupt even the strongest of souls, I regret ever ordering him to make such a thing...a prison" Jehovah sighed, the weight of her sins pressing down on her.
"What's done is done" the Helltaker said sternly, "We are almost there" he gestured to the end of the hallway.
The three were now approaching the ward- the morgue more like. It was a large black metal door, shut for a reason. He dug his fingers onto the edge of the door and began pulling, trying his best to open it, leaning backwards. He grunted as the weight of the door fought back. Guess Pandemonica really wanted this hidden well...
Apparently announcing the death of the Queen, the two High Prosecutor's, former and present as well as The Triple Headed guardian to Hell's population would be disastrous, causing turmoil and unrest. The populous no longer having a purpose. So Pandemonica lied, claiming that they were at first 'Missing', before announcing they had returned to living on the surface once more.
With another loud grunt and inhale of oxygen he heaved with all of his might. "I can help with that if yo-" Jesus began, but the Helltaker felt young and healthy, he was himself once more. The door opened in one last shunt, the man had gotten inbetween the door and the door's arch, pushing the thick slab of metal for the last part, they were able to enter easily now. "Oh, nevermind then" she finished.
The three entered, Jehovah thanking him as they passed, the Helltaker was hesitant, lingering outside for a moment, being the last of the three to enter. A grim scene lay out before them...
"Deep breaths-" he said to himself, trying to calm the nerves that were threatening to destroy him. "Deep...breaths", the man following the two women now. They were in a disused ward, as far away from the entrance to the infirmary as possible, the six beds were all currently occupied. There was no light in this room, burnt out torches were still on their mounts. The three of them were unable to see anything.
But thankfully Jesus tapped her halo once, deciding it wasn't bright enough and then tapping it once again before the room became fully illuminated with a brilliant white light.
"Oh...dear Lucifer" Jehovah sighed sadly, the women coming over to the CEO's resting place first. "These last few millennia haven't been kind to you...have they?" sympathy poisoning every word, even though she was talking to herself, the Deity felt she should speak. "At least you found each other...those three years must have been pleasant".
From left to right, there were six cold bodies lining the room, Lucifer, the CEO of Hell was on the far left, followed by her High Prosecutor, Judgement, Justice, the Awesome Demon and the three bodies Cerberus inhabited. He choked down some tears, refusing to let them fall.
"Why weren't they buried? Or cremated? Or disposed of at all?" Jesus pondered, the smaller demon going over to the closest Cerberus body, brushing their white hair backwards with her gloved hand.
"We- didn't know what to do-" he said, the man standing in the middle of the room, at the foot of the bodies, accepting this was reality. The last three weeks he had been in denial.
"I imagine Pandemonica might have attempted necromancy, but-" Jehovah looked at the human. "The burden of power and responsibility weighs heavy".
"She entertained the idea, but only briefly. I think simply, she just didn't know what to do, trying to imagine what Lucifer would do in her position" the Helltaker coming over to Justice, the sight of her without sunglasses was heart-breaking.
"Necromancy is a very volatile, very unpredictable practice, using Hell Energy would simply be too dangerous" Jehovah moving a stray strand of hair off of Lucifer's pale face. "What severed her hand?" the woman asked as she gently held Lucifer's right wrist, seeing the black bloodied stump.
"Mantus" he cursed under his breath, but just loud enough so that they could hear him.
"I see, this will be unpleasant my child, Mantus's presence still remains within them" the Deity prepared herself, looking over at her daughter and nodding.
"Still remains?" the Helltaker asked, this cryptic sentence only causing his concerns to grow.
"Residual pieces of Mantus's soul remain in them, explains how they were affected by corruption sickness. Like we said before, a last ditch attempt to win" Jehovah decided that they would start with Cerberus first.
"I'm amazed that the Hell Priests were able to separate Cerberus's bodies from their 'monster form', only the demon can return to their original form" Jesus taking off her gloves now, demanifesting them into golden nothingness
"You should have seen what they had to go through to separate both Justice and Judgement in one piece" he looked over at the two prosecutors before joining the other two around the middle Cerberus. That was a horrifying day.
"Nothing pleasant" Jehovah already knew, the Deity taking a deep breath, she too removing her gloves and demanifesting them. "My child, this will be a painful process, both for them and you. Once we begin, we will not be able to stop".
"What can I do to help?" the Helltaker skipping over what she had to say. He already knew this wasn't going to be pretty.
"You can hold them down" Jehovah's tone was grim, yet she was determined to help. "Daughter, if you tend to the one of the right, I will ensure that the other two receive the same treatment. Thankfully these troublemakers share only one soul". Jehovah was stood inbetween the middle of the two bodies furthest to the left, Jesus was next to the one furthest on the right. The Omnipotent Deity placed one hand on Cerberus's forehead to her right, placing her other hand on the Cerberus to her left, standing inbetween their beds, facing forward.
"I'll help you Jesus" the Helltaker coming over and taking a firm hold of Cerberus's shoulder and thigh, keeping her pinned.
"Are you ready?" Jesus looked at the Helltaker, knowing that her mother was.
"No turning back now" he half smirked. "Lets do it".
Jesus nodded, the angel placing her entire hand over this Cerberus's face, a blinding white light began to be projected from her palm, slowly entering the canine's mouth. Instantly, Cerberus's body was lifted up, seizuring, her legs and torso moving rapidly. The other two bodies only twitching slightly, Jehovah had the easy job, she simply had to relay the effect that Jesus was having on this single Cerberus.
From the bare hand on Cerberus's face, he could see a dark fog escaping out from between her fingers, it was working! However, he did notice the Innocent Bean was struggling, this revival wasn't what she had been expecting.
"Rise from your slumber, the world of living calls to you...Cerberus" Jesus speaking in a different, slightly deeper voice, he didn't notice but Jehovah's lips were also moving in synchronisation with Jesus's. The procedure only lasted briefly for two or so minutes, the final action of this revival was the angel's eyes becoming incredibly bright, before disappearing and fading into their pupils. The two released their hold at the same time, panting slightly as this procedure had demanded more than expected...standing back to see if it had worked...
Silence.
"D-did it work?" he asked, the man no longer holding Cerberus so tightly but still not releasing his hold on her. His hands going to the back of her head, lifting it slightly off of the black stone bed.
"I-I'm afraid tha-" Jehovah began, but they received their answer.
In synchronisation, the three demons all took a huge intake of air as if they had been holding their breath, two of them coughing as soon as their lungs began working once more, the other hyperventilating, drinking in the air. They were too weak to move, but they were awake...they were alive.
"C-Cerberus?" he said knowing that the right one was alive, turning and looking at the other two, one coughing, one breathing rapidly. It was almost too good to be true...He gently placed the coughing Cerberus's head down onto the bed, the man coming to lean on the middle one's stone bed. "Its alright, calm down...d-deep breaths" he smiled, trying to help regulate her breathing.
Once she began breathing regularly, he hesitated but eventually reached to touch her, brushing a strand of her hair to the side, the demon looking up at him with teary, red...but alive eyes. "T-taker?" they all spoke in sync, all of their voices were weak, but they were breathing.
"Oh..my god!" the human gently stroking the middle Cerberus's head, fighting down the urge to cry. The demon was appreciative of the affection, closing her eyes and resting, adjusting to the hard surface of stone.
"W-wher-e a-re we?" middle Cerberus asked, not recognising their surroundings.
"Y-you're safe, that's all that matters" he continued stroking her white hair, the sight of the demons being brought back from the dead was overwhelming. It was like something out of a cheap sci-fi movie, but this was real...
"W-who a-re they?" another Cerberus asked, referring to the other two women in the room.
"They're here to help...Jesus, can you look after them while we revive the rest?" he sniffed as tears threatened to fall, the man realising that time was off the essence.
"Of course, they won't be making any trouble in this state" Jesus half joked, tending to the furthest right Cerberus, the Triple Headed Demon was too tired to growl. The Innocent One placed a hand on the canine's forehead and began to slowly soothe their internal injuries.
"D-don't go" the middle Cerberus weakly called to him, her hand reaching for his.
"I'm not going anyway, I'm right here" he said, he took the demon's hand and returned it to lay on her chest. The Helltaker gave the demon one last headpat before leaving her bedside, heading over to the Awesome Demon. "Are you ready to go again?" he pleaded to Jehovah.
"Of course, restrain her from hurting herself. Hold the head please" Jehovah placing her bare hand over Justice's battered face. The poor former prosecutor still had the broken nose and missing teeth inflicted by a corrupted Judgement, thankfully the rest of her face was mostly unharmed, no serious damage to the skull...a few more scars to add to the collection. Yet the bones in her hands and forearms still remained broken, the price of defence.
"Go" he said, the man's right arm holding the back of Justice's head, his other hand ready to prevent her from lashing out or hurting herself elsewhere.
The procedure began once more, the blinding light projected from the Deity's palm traveling inside Justice via her mouth, however, this time Justice took a lot longer to accept this light in comparison to Cerberus, the dark fog flowing more slowly out of her being. Justice's body also reacted more violently to the light, she repeatedly banging against his hand, her legs twitching aggressively. Her hands digging into the stone, holding onto it with a fierce grip.
Jehovah's grip on Justice's face tightened, the God struggling to get Justice to stop rejecting the treatment. But after five minutes of trying, they were successful. It was another suspenseful few seconds, just like it was before, the Helltaker couldn't stand how the seconds dragged by, the human waiting in anticipation to hear Justice breathe.
"Rise from your slumber, the world of the living calls to you...Justice" Jehovah had whispered.
"GUH!" the former prosecutor gasped, taking in as much oxygen as she could to fill her empty lungs, pumping the black demon blood around her body once more. "Wha th-e f-f-fuck" she coughed, some dust particles had gotten inside her lungs. This room was designed for storage, not healthcare. Eventually, the Awesome Demon opened her eyes and was met with a pleasant sight.
"R-rise and shine, you've been sleeping in again" he joked, the man moving his hand from the back of her head to her left cheek, caressing her delicate skin.
"Y-you are a bad influence" she joked back, thankfully she was able to form sentences without a few of her front teeth, the demon delicately lifting her own broken hand to touch the one on her face, nuzzling into his touch, the warmth of his skin heating her cold skin.
"We must hurry my child, purging his soul would have increased his hold on the others. We must act swiftly" Jehovah moving to the right side of Judgement's bed.
"We'll catch up in a sec-" he swiftly leaned down and kissed her on the forehead, he also removed her sunglasses from his head and placing it on her's. "Good to have you back" he said, hurriedly moving away from her bedside, standing on Judgement's left.
"I-I can he-lp" Justice groaned, the demon clutching at her abdomen, ignoring the pain of broken bones and moving off of her bed, but she simply fell onto the infirmary's floor, hurting herself more. The Helltaker's stomach did somersaults upon seeing her trying to support herself with broken arms, he wanted to cry seeing her laying on her side wincing in agony.
"Jesus, help her!" Jehovah commanded, the Deity and the Helltaker now ready to act.
"Yes Mother" the small angel abandoned soothing Cerberus, coming over to Justice and throwing the Awesome Demon's arm over her shoulder, Justice screaming in agony. "S-sorry!" she apologised, helping Justice to stand.
"G-good to- to see you a-again" Justice joked, seeing who was helping her.
"I know you are still blind" Jesus replied, the Innocent Bean lifting the demon up and gently walking with her, placing the demon back onto the stone bed.
"I w-would recognise th-at voice anywhere" the blind demon coughed "t-think I-m o-verdue for a miracle, hook me up?" Justice's voice was raspy, the demon had no energy, exhausted and suffering from multiple broken bones.
"Oh do be quiet" Jesus tried being angry, the angel now began to set Justice's bones properly, reforming the shattered ones and adjusting the ones out of alignment, golden energy was exiting her fingertips and entered through Justice's skin.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" a voice boomed, the three uninjured members of the room turning to the doorway. Pandemonica and Modeus were stood at the door, there were four armed Hell Knights stood behind them, brought as a deterrent.
"Saving your Queen and her prosecutor" Jehovah began the process without confirming with the Helltaker or Pandemonica, the man leaping to help restrain the grey demon.
"J-J-Justice?" Modeus had heard the Awesome Demon's scream, noticing she was breathing, the two demons entering the room were overwhelmed. Modeus coming to stand next to Jesus.
"H-hi, Mo" Justice said between groans, trying her best to withstand this angelic treatment.
"C-Cerberus too?!" Modeus glancing over at the three demons who all had their eyes closed, trying to rest.
"Ye-a, the w-hole gangs getting back t-together" she joked, allowing Modeus to touch her, to comfort her.
"YOU DIDN'T TELL ME YOU WERE LETTING THEM ENTER OUR REALM?!" Pandemonica shouted in his ear as he fought to restrain the High Prosecutor, Judgement being worse than Justice, the demon was actually lashing out and wildly flailing.
"I WILL...NOT...GO BACK!" a dark unnatural, yet familiar voice escaped muffled from under Jehovah's hand.
"You will submit Mantus" Jehovah replied in an equally as deep voice, the Deity doubling her efforts now. The Helltaker was focused on holding her head still as well as switching between keeping her arms pinned at the wrists.
"You have violated our one-" Pandemonica began, but he didn't hear the rest as the Helltaker received a grey fist straight to the face, the man's world spinning for a few seconds. He wasn't knocked down but he was knocked backwards, lunging forward once he had regained his senses, continuing to prevent Judgement from interrupting Jehovah.
"Stop talking and HELP ME!" he shouted, red blood slowly dripping from his nostrils. Reluctantly, Pandemonica was shocked into obeying, the Tired Demon only just noticing that the other bodies in the room were breathing. She acted on instinct, knowing she should have listened to him, the demon now holding Judgement's legs down, allowing the man to focus on her upper-body.
"YOU WILL NOT SAVE THEM, I WILL DRAG THEM ALL DO-" but the darkness was banished from this warrior once more.
"Begone!" Jehovah shouted, the Deity retracting her hand as if she had been burnt, the skin of her palm was a disgusting inky black, but it disappeared almost immediately. "Rise from your slumber, the world of the living calls to you...Judgement" the Deity whispering close to the grey demon's ear.
They did not have to wait long this time, for Judgement was instantly revived, the women sitting bolt upright, the pain making her wince intensely.
"FU-ck!" she half shouted, coughing repeatedly as the air filled her lungs, blood pumping furiously, muscles obeying once again. "Wait- how?!" she gasped, desperately reaching out to touch his face. The grey prosecutor was not as injured as her friend, Justice was still recovering from battle with the corrupted Judgement.
"No time to explain J, Modeus!" the man moving away and allowing Modeus to take his place, Jehovah, himself and Pandemonica moving as quickly as they could to Lucifer's bedside.
"W-wait!" the confused High Prosecutor's bright white eyes following the human as he left, she then turned to look to her left and saw the rest of her previously fallen family. "JUSTICE!" Judgement sprung off of her bed, pushing past an overwhelmed Modeus and standing without any assistance, desperately grabbing her friend's limp hand.
"GAAH! WATCH THE HAND!" Justice screamed, the bones were still shattered within her right one.
"Sorry...Sorry!", Judgement holding her hand as gently as possibly, realising that she was responsible for these injuries.
"H-hey High Prosecutor" Justice smiled, trying her best not to wince, the pain becoming unbearable, but hell of a lot better than being dead. Her grip slightly strengthened on her friend's hand, as much as she could bear.
"Hey yourself...thank fuck" Judgement collapsed, leaning on Justice's bedside, resting her forehead against their two hands.
"More like-" Justice coughed violently, "More like thank God".
"Hold her legs, just like before, I'll stop her from hurting herself" he said to Pandemonica, the demon nodding. "Do it!" he said, Jehovah sending blinding holy light into the Devil once more, but this one was going to struggle to accept it, she would put up a fight. The struggle began with an intense seizure, her legs and arms flailing rapidly, the Deity having to use both hands on Lucifer's face, sending two channels of light into the devil's body.
"I...WILL...NOT...GO...BACK. YOU...WILL...NOT-" the remnants of Mantus's soul were fighting back, refusing to let go. Lucifer was struggling so aggressively that the Helltaker and Pandemonica were almost unable to restrain her.
"Modeus!" Pandemonica called, knowing they would need as many hands as possible for this. The Lustful Demon moved away from Justice's bedside and helped the former secretary to hold Lucifer's legs. However, Lucifer's head was beginning to move rapidly, turning to look in all directions, something out of a horror film. A demon then gently shoved him to one side, "Get- her head" Judgement commanded, pinning both of the devil's arms. He moved to back of the bed and gripped the devil's neck with such force that he thought he would break it. The man trying her best to stop her from moving it unnaturally fast.
"NO! NOOOO!" the voice screamed, Lucifer's arms were attacking anyone in reach, her right arm suddenly darted upwards, her sharp nails scratching across the Helltaker's face, the attack cutting deep enough to draw blood, but he did not flee, the man pinning continuing her at the neck, holding the demon's head so she didn't hurt herself. Jesus now appeared at her mother's side, the angel projecting white light from both of her hands, the two of them focusing their efforts on Lucifer's head, the holy magic grabbing a hold of the last piece of Mantus's soul, drawing it out.
"No...please...Ť̶̖́h̵̩͉̊̾e̸̛̳̭r̵̪͠e̴̻͔̓ ̴̏ͅį̸̽̈s̶͇̈ ̴̼̆̕n̶̩̎ỏ̶͕͕t̴̙̘̄́h̶̞͐ì̸̻̄n̴͚̾̚ĝ̷̻͈͋ ̶͕̋̏ō̵͈̺f̸͂͜ ̵̡̈́m̵̧̝̃͊é̷͍͇ ̶̼͕̈́l̸̞͖̈́̃e̶͈͒̀f̶̌͛͜t̵̫̉̓".
The darkness refused to leave, but finally the evil was purged, exorcised and expelled, dragged out of its last vessel. It exploded out of Lucifer, flowing from her being and attempting to escape through the infirmary's ceiling. But Jesus caught it, encasing the last remnants of Mantus and breaking him down into nothingness.
"Go...and never return. You are free" Jehovah, Jesus and Lucifer all spoke in synchronisation, Jesus struggling to close her fists, but in one fell sweep, she crushed the disintegrated darkness. The last traces of the enemy were gone...
"Rise from your slumber, the world of the living calls to you...Lucifer", they all stepped backwards, the demons and angels panting, the human the first one to check if Lucifer was breathing, ignoring his own injuries. Lucifer had swiped at him and three nails had made contact with his skin, from his right cheek down to his chin. It looked like he had been attacked by a wild animal.
The Helltaker looked awful, the bloodied nose combined with the claw marks...he looked very strange indeed...his white suit receiving a few droplets of his blood. But none of this mattered now, he placed his left hand on her right cheek, holding her head up slightly, in his other hand he held Lucifer's limp right hand tightly.
"C-come on Lucy-" he begged, the man not hearing or seeing any signs of life, the devil was not breathing.
Silence...
"C-c-come on, wake up" he pleaded, the tears he had held back for so long were now finally starting to fall. Those deep red eyes were open, yet they were vacant, staring past him.
Silence...
"D-don't- Don't you dare" his voice breaking, the man sniveling as the seconds dragged, time had seemingly frozen. "Don't do this to me..." he tilted his head down, not looking at her face anymore, his face lightly resting on her chest. He began sobbing now, the kind of sobbing of someone who has been broken to their core. "I-I can't do this- I-I can't live without y-you" his muffled voice whispered close to her ear, so only she could hear his words.
Please.
. .
. . .
P-Please Lucy...
. . . . .
L-Lucy?
. . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The hand he was holding faintly began gripping his own, the fingers curling around the back of his hand. He could feel her lungs moving slowly, the oxygen slowly bring life to those old bones. Her breathing was shallow...
"A...and, m-me w..witho...ut..you" a faint raspy voice called to him, he brought his bloodshot, teary eyes up to look at her beautiful face.
"L-Lucy?" he got out between sobs.
"D-did...we...w-win?" she gripped his hand fiercely now...never...ever...wanting...to let go.
"Y-yeah...We...won Lucy, we won".