Authors note:

Hmmm.

I've just played The Second Circle, a Helltaker dating sim demo. I didn't even know it was a thing until recently! Support Team 133 and check it out for yourself.

Chapter VI: The First of Many

"Alright boys and girls, let's let the Queen have her fun. We get whatever scraps she throws our way and yes Deag we will get to kill one today" the General planted the blade of his broadsword into the red ground, leaning with both hands on the hilt. He was lying obviously, the man had to in order to keep spirits up after such a long journey, since when did they see any action anymore...

Were they even needed? Why did the Queens want an army anyway? What threat was there other than those giants? Leviathan had been constantly asking himself these questions over the last few weeks.

"Oh I can't wait!" the grunt of a demon across the circle from the Monster rubbed his hands together, his black metal gauntlets clanking and shifting as he did so, a dry tongue moved along his even drier, crusty lips. "It's been too long since we spilt one of those giant's blood, you don't know how powerful it makes you feel seeing those monsters fall. I'm taking a horn as a trophy this time!", his parched voice came from beneath a dirty metal visor, he then decided to lift it up and breathe properly for once. Deag was a short man, averaging around five foot six, he was scrawny with messy black hair, the man was of average muscular build with broader shoulders than your typical male demon. On his face was a small scar going down his left cheek, a gift from a piece shrapnel when a Hell Titan had attacked his last battalion.

He wore the standard spiked black armour that all his other colleagues wore, across his back was a large pouch containing a dozen or so tipped spears and javelins, used in hunting and warfare alike, they could easily be thrown a long distance and acted as a good melee weapon. On his belt were a set of two jagged daggers, used in case he had run out of throwable weapons or if he needed something for closer combat. While the man was an exceptionally well trained warrior, he lacked a sense of personal hygiene, his teeth were a disgusting brown and yellow colour, patches of his messy black hair were starting to show, and he constantly complained of discomfort in his gauntlets and greaves, mostly due to his long, unkempt, ingrowing fingernails.

Deag, The Filthy Demon as was his nickname amoungst the squadron, it had been an annoying title at first, but he had eventually embraced it. He was one of the first generations which were disgusting breeds of the devil, these habits and lack of hygiene were soon ironed out in the era of productivity. For the time being, he would remain amoungst the other fat, dirty, and slobbish demons of Hell. Soon there would come a time when these demons would have to adapt and become better...or else...

"Yeah, Yeah, we all know how powerful you can feel...it's all you ever talk about. You'll feel powerful while we'll be doing most of the work, waiting in the wings as usual, you think he'll claim the glory again fellas?" the tall female demon Kalika, nicknamed Kali, taunted at the smaller man. The female warrior also rested on the top of her battleaxe's head, jamming the butt of the handle into the ground.

Kali was a tall, slender huntress, the woman having a slim but lean build, not muscular like the rest but perfectly agile in a fight, especially when wielding that heavy battleaxe. She had magnificently white hair, brighter than the usual grey tones seen in the populace of Hell, it was bunched into a long flowing curtain that reached down to the back of her neck, however, the right side of her head had been shaved off, fading into the thick white hair above. On the left side, her hair had been made into several braids for decoration. Kali looked more like Beelzebub than Lucifer, having a few freckles scattered across her face, she too had a scar, one that went down from her bottom lip to her chin, actually inflicted during combat training.

Just like the other female warriors, she wore a thin black breastplate, underneath it was a set of black chainmail, covering her lower torso, the sleeves moving up to her black gauntlets. On her head, she often wore a helmet with black metal wings on either side, on each ear, a custom design. The woman also wore two spare quivers filled with bolts on her back, serving as spare ammunition for the squadron's Arbalest. Kali had received the nickname The Dragon, as apparently, during the middle of battles, she would roar like a dragon, inspiring others to rally, but Crimson were yet to hear of this legendary war cry. Hell had only experienced occasionally battles with herds of Titans and few civil conflicts, quelling the masses and such, as well as two small attacks on the Citadel, they were yet to experience a proper war. Kali was a thin, skinny, but beautiful and deadly woman, her raw strength with the battleaxe was unrivaled, despite lacking the necessary muscles you would imagine for wielding such a weapon, she managed...

The woman's comments caused a few of the other demons in the circle to chuckle, averting their eyes from looking directly at Deag. The company that they were with was made up of eleven of the finest warriors Hell had to offer; seven men and three women, including Leviathan as their temporary leader. Without him, they were Beelzebub's personal squadron, Crimson Team or Crimson for short. Whenever the Great Fly required assistance, Crimson Team was at her disposal, a batch of fearless and ruthless fighters, the meanest and most violent battalion of demons in the army of Hell. There was no compassion to be shown amoungst these ruffians...

"You're all talk and no action Kali, you wouldn't last two minutes against me on the battlefield", Deag did not take too kindly to this taunting, the demon never liking whenever someone tried to undermine or make fun of him, he now took a step forward into the circle, his hands itched to grab a spear off of his back and throw it right between those pretty little eyes.

"Yeah? Well you're too much talk, you wouldn't know what action was even if it slapped you in the face, you welp" she retaliated, not moving from her relaxed position, thankful for their pause from marching all day. However confrontations like of this manner would always end in a scuffle within Crimson, fists as the favored weapon. Deag hadn't liked it last time when Kali had layed him down on the red earth with a swift uppercut, the man losing a brown tooth or two during that encounter, she wouldn't get off that easily this time...

"Watch your fucking mouth, I wouldn't want you to lose that pretty tongue this time. I hear it's being jammed up Typhon's cunt recently", the older blood-brother of Deag, Targ, was the one to deliver the insult, the man on his brother's right also advancing towards the woman, taking a step to stand next to his brother. Like his sibling, Targ was a scruffy mess, he was the smarter of the two and therefore made him more dangerous. Across his back was a two handed Zweilhander, the man preferring to get up close and personal rather than attack from afar like his brother. His face was relatively the same as his brother, except he had messy grey hair rather than black, the man's pointed black horns going through the roof of his helmet through two holes. Other demons preferred to protect their horns with their helmets, often slotting them into metal horn molds.

On his chest plate was dripping blood red decorations, lines tracing the edges of the black armour, single lines tracing all the way to his greaves and gauntlets. On his right gauntlet were a tally of how many Hell Titans he had killed, currently the man was up to five grey marks, hoping to add a sixth one today. His long nose and pointed chin would be features expected of an elite demon, but the man was of new blood, pledging his services to the army of Hell. Targ was not as dirty as his brother, he was well-kept, but the creature was still just as evil. Targ, The Sinister Demon was his nickname, which implied all you needed to know, it was wise to keep one eye open when around him or else you might end up with a knife in your back.

Targ technically wasn't Deag's brother, none of the children of Lucifer had siblings, but because these two had formed a bond during their early days in service to the Queens, they grew as close as brothers. Apparently the two had committed to a blood pact and therefore made them blood brothers...anyway it doesn't matter. The older brother had fought valiantly, but there was something disturbing about him and his brother too, a reason why Beelzebub had hand-picked them to create the new Crimson Team...

"Don't!" Typhon had to physically restrict Kali from attacking the two brothers, the woman was mid-charge, but thankfully the Sharpshooter had caught her hand and yanked her backwards. A deadly look from Leviathan also signified he would not tolerate any more of this continued behaviour, a look from the other female in the group, Crimson Team's leader, also signified for Kali to stand down. After The Dragon was moved back to the other side of the circle where she was originally standing, Typhon spoke again, encouraging the tensions to increase further, "-Besides, they're just jealous...that they could never please a woman like I can".

Typhon was another slim, but more muscularly built woman, having a fully shaven head meant that only white stubble remained. She was a self-motivated individual and a keen sharpshooter, the Arbalest of Crimson Team. On her back were another two quivers filled with bolts, she had dropped the Arbalest when restraining her bed-warmer, once they had returned to where they were standing, Typhon had picked up the weapon, holding it with both hands. Typhon had a petite face, with smaller red eyes and a mischievous smile, her breastplate was substantially bigger than her colleague due to her bigger bust size, thankfully the armorers of Hell could adjust breastplates to accommodate different sizes.

The Sharpshooter was quiet most times, but whenever she felt threatened, she would make sure they would regret it. On her cheeks, she had grey face paint drawn in two single lines on either cheek, beneath her eye lids, it was also on her lips; two dots, one on each lip, drawn in a vertical line. This war paint was a colourful and defensive addition to her armour, her white skin worked well with the grey and volcanic ash face-paint. Typhon had also wanted to add designs to her arms and thighs, patterns she had already considered creating but unsure of how to keep the paint permanently applied there. In the stubble fade of her white shaven hair were patterns and spirals of unknown design, one of her friends had assisted with this. She looked very badass...one of Justice's secret idols...

Another barrage of chuckles and belly laughs were released, soothing the tensions between the two brothers and the women, each couple giving the other death stares. "Deag, Targ, keep your filthy mouths shut for the rest of this outing unless I give the order. Understood?" the other women, Lilith, Crimson Team's leader, barked. Lilith, the Matriarch became a demonic lawyer in later life, when Hell Knights replaced the demon army, she would hang up her Rapier and parrying dagger for a easier, less dangerous life.

The Helltaker remembered Lucifer had considered using her amoungst other demons to assist with the courtcase that had been orchestrated by Mantus, and they had to send fucking Dagon...

The Commander was another stunning demon, the first woman out of the first generations of demons to become a military leader, she passed with flying colours, hand picked by Lucifer and Beelzebub to lead her own squadron. There were currently ten squadrons in Hell's army, this alongside the guardsmen and royal guardsmen made up all of Hell's soldiers. Lilith, after being adequately trained and educated, excelled in her career, defeating dozens of Titans, quelling unrest with ease, becoming a natural leader to the other demons. She had led plenty of expeditions out into the Hellscape in order to find more Hell Titans to dominate, never returning empty handed. She was naturally gifted with Hell Energy, given lesson by Lucifer and Beelzebub alongside the rest of the promising candidates. What really solidified her value to the two Queens was when Lilith had beaten Leviathan in a duel, the two unarmed, fighting until either one submitted. The Matriarch had knocked the brute onto the floor countless times, using his strength and size against him, the woman sweeping his legs, swiftly dodging his moves.

A pleased Lucifer had smiled seeing the big General refuse to get up, Beelzebub shaming the man constantly for his weakness afterwards. Regardless, they had promoted the woman immediately to the leader of her own squadron, they also had some exciting ideas planned for her in the future...

But for now...Lilith would lead Crimson until her career would advance to the next stage, she would become the first...the first of many.

Lilith, like Typhon, had short white hair, learning how easy it was to get grabbed with long hair during a fight. Down the left side of her head was a nasty scar, one that she had proudly added to the collection, no hair grew there, it was a reminder. Lilith had suffered from heterochromia during her birth, a lucky mutation in that regard, other demons have had it much worse...Her left eye was the typical demonic red while her right eye was a pale white, she was not blind, her eye simply had all the pigment removed. The woman was of very muscular build, not as tall as Kali but still of average height. The woman's face was constantly screwed up, tensed, scanning the horizon and the terrain, always alert and ready for anything.

One may think that the demon was always annoyed, but in truth her facial features indicated how prepared and ready she could be to take action, in the blink of an eye. If the Helltaker had met her during her warrior phase she would look very similar to Malina, a look of constant sourness, annoyance and on very rare occasion, kindness and timidness...Lilith wore the standard black armour, her set being customised to her build, on the back of her breastplate was a small white crown scratched into the armour. The reason why she was nickname 'The Matriarch', was that many people saw her as a powerful being, likened to the head of a family, a kind, wise but relentless leader. As much as some of the demons resented her, she was respected and they all looked up to her.

Lilith, alongside Asmodeus and Baphomet were amoung some of the most respected and well-praised women in Hell underneath the two Queens. Of course there were other worthy demons, but it seemed that these three were becoming almost like community leaders to the people of the Citadel. Nonetheless, Lilith was ready, her orders having been to reclaim these Titans, but new orders from Beelzebub had caused for a strange change of plan. She didn't like it one bit...Thankfully, despite Crimson Team being Beelzebub's most devote followers and warriors who would lay down their life for the Queen, Lilith was the only one who broke away from the team in the end, her allegiance always lying with the devil.

"Understood", Deag said through gritted teeth, his brother refused to speak now, turning away to look at another one of Crimson Team's members, Melek, a quiet, reserved, calm and focused but effective male demon, he had currently left the circle of demons, moving a few steps away from the battalion, climbing to the summit of the hill that the team were gathered on. The man had black hair in the style of the Helltaker's, he had a well-built profile, he maintained his physical well-being, he cleaned himself regularly, but the creature always felt troubled...and he didn't know why...A hidden concern he shared with no one.

He had thin cheek bones, a neutral expression on his face always, Melek had also been apart of the group of demons experiencing strange visions recently, not getting any sleep at all, evident in the black bags under his eyes. Regardless, Melek was the newest but already a valued member of Crimson. On his back he wore a black heater shield, a red hand painted pentagram, one of the first designs of its kind, was placed as an emblem in the centre. The heavy thing had a seen a few scuffles so far, as was evident in the grey scratches and dents along the black paint. However, combined with his pike, it was yet to see any real conflicts. Lilith had followed Targ's eyes, noticing Melek leave the circle too, the man was always too quiet, deciding it best never to speak his mind openly when it would just be spat back at him. Therefore...it made him very hard to read.

The male demon was facing the merciless slaughter that was currently taking place below them, Beelzebub was now torturing her fifth Hell Titan, slowly bleeding the life from the creature, there were seven in total, six having escaped from the Citadel, a seventh had appeared from nowhere. However...it didn't matter, they were all receiving the same punishment, a punishment that Melek didn't exactly agree with. The man while a ruthless fighter was surprisingly sensitive, he hated unnecessary conflict and cared greatly for his fellow demon, the man even had a partner waiting for him to come home to the Citadel. The two of them shared a house together, they had even considered raising a child, using themselves as templates. But she knew he would never give up the life of blood and sweat to be a proper father, he was an addict to this life...

Lilith's eyes then turned back from the lone demon and met Leviathan's curious gaze, there was an uncertain look within the General. She notice that the man's eyes looked past Melek and gazed at the Queen, watching as she enjoyed every moment, savouring the pain and death she was the master of. The Monster sighed, looks like they probably weren't going to get any kills...If Beelzebub had already killed five of them since they had arrived, while they were talking too, then she certainly wasn't going to be satisfied with just five. Before Lilith could say anything to Melek, the General spoke first, "Crimson, take a breather, I feel this will be wrapped up very soon-", there was silent sighs of disappointment emanating from all ten demons.

This was not a rare occurrence, Beelzebub wished for the company's presence, the security of Crimson Team, but she was selfish, never leaving them the pleasure or the glory of inflicting pain and death, wanting it all to herself...she made them feel useless...

"-Lilith with me" he then said after a pause, the Commander pricking her ears up and nodding silently, a chill going down her spine, the Matriarch followed the General towards where Melek was standing. The other eight demons all went off into their respective groups, pairs or gatherings of three, talking and sitting with their comrades, all resting after a long march and constant portal usage. The two slowly approached from behind, walking up the slope to the edge of the hill, Leviathan came and stood on Melek's left, Lilith paused for a moment behind them, worrying slightly for Melek's sake, the Cautious Demon had done nothing wrong, so surely there was nothing to fear...Right? Eventually she came and stood on the male's right, all three of them staring, watching as Beelzebub continued her relentless massacre.

"General" Melek's calm but deep voice greeted Leviathan as the man stopped next to him, currently the Cautious Demon's pike was embedded into the ground, the weapon standing up by itself, the pointed tip hidden in the red earth.

"Melek", Leviathan replied, trying his best to be friendly, looking at the other demon for a moment and following his gaze to where he had originally been looking.

"Commander" Melek also said as the team leader came and stood by his right, the demon always having Lilith's respect, he was a trustworthy and loyal ally, but he was quite mysterious at times like this.

"Melek...What're you thinking?" the commander trying to urge him to say the right thing, she cared for her team, each and every member, call it tough lough...

"My thoughts?" the male demon paused for a moment, he was currently stood with his right knuckle resting under his chin, his right elbow resting on his left wrist, the arm across his body. Without hesitating, as he knew this was an order, he spoke; "Her Majesty's brutality amazes me, she constantly fantasies about the notions of death, inflicting it whenever she can. Even now as we watch, even from here I can still see the smile on her face as she rends the flesh from the creature's right arm. See?" the man pointed at the orange figure floating above the Hell Titan with a Boar's skull for a head, clearly wielding Hell Energy.

Currently Beelzebub was channeling orange energy from herself and wielding it as her weapon, moving it up and down the giant's body, breaking bone, flailing skin, ripping out claws, teeth, twisting limbs. The Queen did something equally as hideous to each Titan, but each punishment was different...unique. "Do you question our mission? Are you questioning our Queen?" Leviathan instantly shot at Melek, not turning to face him, but the question was still just as severe, intending to test Melek's responses.

"I would never, our mission is clear. I will follow it out to the end like always, you of all people know that...Sir" Melek responded well, his voice not wavering, his stare with the giant gory bodies and the ruthless Queen also not breaking. After a tense few moments, Lilith trying her best to not gulp, the General spoke again.

"Good answer soldier" Leviathan replied while still watching the torture, Lilith was thankful that she could breathe a sigh of relief, regretting asking their shield-bearer such a question. After a few more minutes of silence, the big demon spoke again, the other members of Crimson Team half-listening to their conversation. "I respect you Melek, Lilith speaks highly of you often and was grateful for your transfer to Crimson-".

"My thanks...Commander" the other male demon cutting off the General and addressing Lilith briefly.

"Of course" the leader of Crimson Team couldn't help it anymore and gulped, wondering where Leviathan was taking this conversation. No where good...

"-Your work with Team Hellfire and Brimstone proves your devotion to the two Queens is strong...So tell me what's on your mind? I can tell when a soldier feels uncertain..." Leviathan commanded, the man lifting his big black left greave onto the boulder in front of him, resting his left arm on his leg, the man's broadsword was still faced down, held his right hand.

"You truly wish to know?" Melek finally glanced to his left, a neutral look on his face, one that Leviathan knew was used to hide true intentions well.

"I do" Leviathan said sternly, looking back into his soldier's eyes. Lilith was sweating now, hating how she was powerless to do or say anything in this conversation.

"What I wish to know is why did Beelzebub want to overrule Lucifer's order? We were instructed to capture and convert the Titans, Queen Beelzebub made it clear that no one outside of Crimson Team was to be made aware of the change of plan. Of course I can understand killing the beasts, that serves many purposes; forging weapons out of their bones and solidified Hell Energy for example...but why not tell the others? Why the secrecy?", the Cautious Demon not breaking the stare he was having with the Monster.

"What's your point? Orders change all the time, you of all people should know that", Leviathan shot back, echoing what Melek said a few moments ago, the man had noticed the condition of his outfit and had begun brushing off flecks of ash off of his black armour while he spoke, no longer looking at the soldier now.

"With all due respect sir, I just don't want to be tried for treason. I feel that Queen Lucifer should be made aware of the developing situation", Melek finished, looking down and checking his own armour for any dirt or ash.

"General, Melek is just nervous. We have been serving under Queen Beelzebub for decades now, orders change all the time, we-" but the Commander was cut off, Lilith falling silent as soon as Leviathan began speaking again.

"Perhaps you are right Melek, but to be quite frank, I do not wish to be the one to receive Beelzebub's fury. You do know that this isn't the first Crimson Team to have existed?", Leviathan glancing back to see Beelzebub finishing off the current Hell Titan, extracting all the pleasure she could before it died, crushing its skull under a giant erratic she had telepathically lifted and then dropped from a height. The majestic creatures body was now unrecognisable, a pile of twisted, massacred and formless burgundy flesh. It made Leviathan quiver ever so slightly...

"Sir?" the Cautious Demon asked, unsure what the Monster was referring to.

"Beelzebub has, from time to time, lost her temper and killed all who did not wish to follow her orders...That's my only advice to you Melek" the General slapped the man on the shoulder with a smile, hitting his Heater shield aggressively, finally moving away from the edge of the hill, leaving the other two alone. He thought the Cautious Demon would breathe a sigh of relief after their conversation ended like everyone else, but he did not...

Leviathan did hear the start of the next conversation as he walked away, heading back to the circle of demon soldiers; "Next time, when someone asks you to share your thoughts, keep the controversial ones to yourself!" Lilith scolded the shield-bearer as quietly as she could, tapping the hilt of Rapier now and again with her left hand.

"Forgive me Commander, I try be honest whenever I can" the man replied sincerely, looking to his right now.

"I know, sometimes though honesty can get you killed. We're gonna have to work on y-" but the General had walked out of earshot now, no longer being able to hear them. There was something else...more important he had to do...

"Asmodeus...I'm gonna need an assist here".

"Your Majesty!" Lilith's voice called from the hill, the seven corpses of the giants were below them in the small valley, Beelzebub had begun to converge on the last Hell Titan.

"What?!" the Queen glared at where Crimson Team were gathered, the insignificant runts were ruining her fun...again! The only fun she could have nowadays...

"We've got company!" the Commander shouted, "Unknown portal incoming!".

"I THOUGHT I MADE IT CLEAR THAT NO ONE WAS TO BE MADE AWARE OF OUR-", but the Queen saw where the orange portal had manifested, nearest to the last dying Hell Titan. The Queen teleported over to where the gateway was, awaiting whoever had conjured it to exit.

The Great Fly even materialised one of her stiletto daggers, its hilt hidden in her palm, the blade hidden by her wrist, going up her black sleeve. Whoever it was, she would thrust the blade into their neck, she knew she would probably having to lie incredibly to Lucifer in order to convince her of this casualty...but that was no problem...She always was convinced...

Curse whoever this was...interrupting her fun...they would soon suffer the conseq-

The person stepped out of the portal and arrived facing the heavily breathing Titan, her face was a look of pure disgust and despair, the giant creature was losing the battle. "H-H-HUMO?!" the devil almost cried.

"L-Lucy?!" Beelzebub took a step back, instantly dematerialising the dagger she was concealing before the devil turned around. This was not who she was expecting...

Instead of turning around to greet her partner, the devil ran towards Humo without paying Beelzebub a second thought, heading to the Titan who was laying on his side, the creature was breathing in long, laboured and shallow breaths, he was terribly injured. His arms had been lacerated, the hard, resilient bones hideously twisted out of shape, his antlers were entirely smashed to pieces, simple stubs were left protruding from his Sabertooth skull.

On his chest were burn marks, most likely as a result of the contact with he had had with Hell Energy, raw flesh exposed to the elements all the way across his torso. There were several black Javelin embedded in his torso and legs too, Crimson having tried to slow the beast down as best they could as Beelzebub did the main damage. His skull had been smashed in several places, shards of it laying next to where he lay. His ankles and feet were torn apart, it being the part Crimson team could easily access before climbing up his body. It had been too long since Lucifer had seen him, the woman had only caught glimpses of him once while out on her own. Sometimes she would venture alone to the black sea, sometimes she would teleport atop the tallest mountain in the Hellscape, seeing the gentle giant from afar...But she refused to endanger him any further...

The devil had made it very clear that no one was to endanger a Hell Titan matching Humo's description, however she had also reinforced this with a lie and told the demons of Hell that this creature was the leader of all Titans, killing or dominating him would cause total calamity, destruction and death. So her demons listened for a time and Humo evaded capture for a while...but it was bound to end at some point...and she was powerless to help him...

This powerlessness...it's all she felt...

Humo was now a fully grown Titan, almost triple the size of when Lucifer had met him upon entering Hell, he was one of the biggest of his kind. Lucifer was barely half the height of one of his skull's eye socket, but despite all of this he had been delivered to death's door nonetheless. Despite his prestigious size, his destructive capabilities, he had been rendered helpless...

Lucifer too had been rendered helpless to help him...

The devil ran hurriedly towards the creature, struggling to keep the tears from falling, heading to his head, just above where the nose would be, hugging him when she had finally arrived. Lucifer had also noticed that one of his sharp curved teeth had been cracked and lay broken on its side between his jaws that moved slowly as he struggled to breathe. "W-What has been done to you?" her voice wavered, Lucy had her eyes closed now, the sheer sadness she was feeling was unmeasurable. "W-Wha-What...did...she...do?" the Queen's voice truly breaking now, croaking as her emotions began to blind her...the devil shuddered.

It truth, Humo had attempted to help guide a herd of the escapee Titans to safety, away from the Citadel and as far as possible into the unknown reaches of the Hellscape. That was the only plan he could think of, being lost could buy the escapees some time, they might be able find the old passages that lead underground, maybe they could find more Titans there, maybe heading across the sea was their only salvation? But there is no hope to be had in this Hell...not for them...not anymore...

There wasn't many left of his kind and Humo had grown very lonely. The beast had known that all of his brethren had been taken to the Citadel, brainwashed into slaves, unable to communicate with him. He had to do something...anything! But he lived in denial thinking that Lucifer was the root cause... As hard as he tried to save them, it had ultimately been futile, he had not been aware of how easily they could be tracked. Their size, their footprints, their lack of speed, their destructive paths through Hell, the residue Hell Energy that left a path straight to the individual who had been dominated...the demons were soon upon them...

As the devil shed a single tear, the sound of Beelzebub's footsteps approached forced her to break away from the sadness she was drowning in, white hot anger replaced it...nothing else remained. "What...have you...done?" the Queen's voice was deadly quiet, a tone Beel had never heard her partner use.

"L-L-Lucy, w-why are you here?" the other Queen asked nervously, slowly approaching, a few cautious steps at a time.

"Don't...you dare!" the devil turned instantly, her red eyes were fire, a burning...hateful red...blood red..."Not another step closer", the woman commanded. A tense silence filled the air, Beelzebub noticed that the other Queen's fists were both engulfed in orange Hell Energy, her legs slightly apart, a feigning offense, a demon could attack at any moment from that position, their orange fists indicated the power was ready to be unleashed...

"You knew didn't you? You knew who this one was-" Lucifer gesturing with her head at the Titan behind her, "-and yet you were going to kill him anyway...just like the rest".

"I was eliminating the threat to our city!" the Great Fly retaliated, feeling that a confrontation was imminent, neither woman was backing down...

"ENOUGH!" her partner exploded, "Enough with the fucking lies! One more and I'm going to FUCKING KILL YOU!" the devil's voice was a shout at the end of the sentence, the volume however didn't make the threat any more real than it already was. Lucifer had glanced behind the Great Fly and saw Crimson Team was fast approaching, having ran down the Hill and readying themselves for a possible fight. Their allegiance was now...confused...

"What do you want me to say? Yes I killed each and every Titan, I knew who this one was and knew he was a threat. We have to keep our people safe, letting him live would have been a mistake. We must make an example out of them, we cannot afford to make any more mistakes" the Queen's cold voice sent a shiver down Lucifer's spine.

"Stop saying we..." the devil's cold voice now shattered what was left of Beelzebub's heart, "You defied my orders, you defied our rules and now you have the audacity to lie to me?", the woman hissed. After a brief moment of silence, the devil delivered the finishing blow for this round; "My last mistake was to trust you", adding ever more danger to this confrontation. As the CEO of Hell narrated this part of the story to the family, she had to admit that she wasn't thinking clearly during this moment, she was allowing rage and betrayal to cloud her judgement. Beelzebub hadn't exactly been on her partner's good side over the last few million years and this was the breaking point, the first of several. As much as they loved each other...this was too much...

Crimson Team had now fully arrived, all of them charging at full sprint to meet the two Queens, Leviathan had arrived first. "M-My lady? What are you doing here?" a question he already knew the answer to, for he was who summoned her. Lucifer knew he didn't wish to be punished, so she would maintain his cover...for now...

"You hadn't issued a report in three days, you were supposed to inform me of your progress every...single...day" the devil glaring directly at her partner now.

"We were...occupied" Beelzebub said through gritted teeth, she was tempted to manifest her dagger again. Lucifer's eyes glossed over Crimson Team again, glancing at Leviathan too, it seemed that they were at a standoff, the minions not sure who to listen to.

"You've already executed them...That is not how we do this, we try again, we convert them! Why waste good workers?", a last ditch attempt by the devil in order for them to see reason. Unaware to the Great Fly, Lucifer was secretly attempting to gain the support of Crimson, appealing to the hard workers within their army. Without her loyal servants, Beelzebub's confidence would begin to crumble...it already was...

"Workers are expendable" Beelzebub immediately regretting her words, realising that the demons behind her had heard these words very clearly.

"Not...to me", Lucifer defiantly took a step forward, her fists still engulfed in orange fire. Even if Crimson Team was to attack, they had no idea how to combat such raw power, the devil being one of the greatest wielders of Hell Energy, but she was concerned for their safety...for her children's safety...

Fine...have it your way, Beelzebub thought. "Crimson...eliminate that Titan", the Queen grinning as she spoke, the woman knew that she now had Lucifer trapped in a corner. The devil knew this too...Would she kill her own children and save the Titan? Would she kill them all? Would she let Crimson kill the Titan?

After a few moments of hesitation, both from Crimson Team and Leviathan, both unsure of what to do, Beelzebub finally looked at the demons gathered behind her, "What are you waiting for?!" the woman barked. The entire squadron of demons had frozen, knowing that if they did anything they would receive the wrath of either Queen, it didn't matter what they did, they would die regardless. "Kill it!" Beelzebub commanded, growing incredibly angry at their hesitation.

"B-But...my lady c-can't w-" the once fearless and murderous leader, now nervous and timid General began, unable to finish his sentence.

"NOW!" she screamed, it was a blood curdling noise, fear coursing through her personal warriors and the General, encouraging them to act out of fear of dying.

"A-As you wish-" the Monster now walked slowly forward, Crimson cautiously following him, absolutely silent, even Lilith was terrified, quietly cursing and wishing she was at home with her partner...praying that she got to see him again...not a single demon dared even breathe. "I'm sorry Your Majesty, Crimson y-you heard-" he began, but again the giant muscular demon was unable to finish his sentence.

"Get the fuck back" the devil whispered, lowering her head, the white fringe slightly concealing the top of her eyelids. As Crimson slowly stepped forward, their weapons held loosely in their sweaty and trembling hands, the words of the devil made them stop, going no further than where Leviathan was standing.

"Your Highness we hav-", the General tried again, a mistake...

"GET BACK OR I WILL SLAUGHTER YOU ALL!" she screamed, the Hell Energy exploding out of her clenched fists, her red eyes were now truly alive, fire spilling out of those red irises. True power ready to be unleashed...the ultimate demon...power above all others...

Another tense silence followed, Leviathan didn't dare take another step forward, Team Crimson didn't dare take another step forward, even Beelzebub refused to step towards the devil. The pure amounts of Hell Energy emanating from the devil was causing all of them to wince slightly, as if hearing a high pitched noise intensifying. After a nail biting few minutes, the stand-off finally ended.

"Crimson-" she finally broke the length silence, growling at her demons, her eyes not moving from Beelzebub's. "-Return to the Citadel immediately...or face me now...this is your final warning". A shiver went down every single demon's spine, they were absolutely- no they were beyond terrified...

"L-Lucy, don't embarrass us in front of the soldiers", Beelzebub's calm and grandiose voice came from behind Crimson Team, but Lucifer would endure this no longer. She was done...

"Get...out...of my sight!", in a flash the demon made everyone flinch, casting her right hand towards the group of twelve as if she was about to attack, but instead, she had manifested a portal back to the Citadel behind the other Queen. At this, Crimson thankfully retreated, the team glancing at one another for a few moments and eventually fleeing into the portal...as fast as they could... Lilith, the Commander of Crimson took one look at Lucifer before leaving, the devil not noticing her look of sympathy. Leviathan was the last to leave, Beelzebub stopping him before he stepped into the portal, placing a palm on his shoulder plates.

"I'm disappointed in you General" her cold voice softly reaching his ears, but to her surprise the man shrugged off her hand, returning it gently to the Queen with his left hand.

"With all due respect...Your Majesty, it takes a real leader to know when to stop" the man regretting saying these defiant words before escaping through the portal, the look on Beelzebub's face had turned to one of pure anger, resentment, hate.

"You're making a mistake", the other Queen turned, trying one last time to get under the devil's skin. That look in her eye, the Beelzebub she had known, the one she had fallen in love with, she was gone...

"I'm not going to ask again", Lucifer was trying her best to restrain the violence within her, so tempted to attack, but she couldn't bring herself to do it...

"Queen Beelzebub, Leviathan and Team Crimson returning home" Beelzebub spoke telepathically for a moment, informing someone in charge of keeping track of who was coming and going via portals in the Citadel. "Lucy-", a tender soft voice returning, a last attempt, but it was too late...those were the last words to escape her lips.

"Don't you dare call me that...You no longer get to call me...by that name".

The dust finally settled, the tensions had vanished, but the anger had given way to despair and grief. The devil felt incredibly cold, since she had been left alone her body had been trembling intensely, if this continued then the Queen might vomit. So instead of doing that, she spoke to him, softly; "You big dope...what are you doing out here?". Lucifer was stood so that the creature could see her, the beast knowing exactly who she was despite their lack of contact over the last two billion years or so. Humo tried to move, to nod, to use his sign language, but the devil didn't allow him to.

"Oh! No! Stay still, don't move, you'll only hurt yourself!" she said coming to the bridge of his nose, his vacant eye sockets following the tiny ant as it pressed its head against him. After a few seconds of silence and heavy breathing from both of them, Lucifer spoke again; "I'm sorry", is all she could say, the woman had finally crumbled, no longer strong enough to keep the tears away. They came out in short, sharp bursts, gulps of air combined with them, the Queen of Hell looking a right mess. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I can't-" she rambled, resting her forehead against him, hugging his face with the entire width of her arms.

"You are good person Lucifer" a disembodied voice reached her, somehow, without even realising, Lucifer had begun to telepathically speak with the Titan, her emotions must have blinded what her mind was really thinking, the great lumbering beast could finally have a conversation with her...after all this time...

"W-What? I'm not-" her mind replying after the woman had tried composing her senses. Since the Queen was unaware of the powers within her when they had first met, she had been unable to communicate properly...but now...it was going to be nothing but hurtful to her...

"You defend me, you stop them from hurting Humo" the gentle giant's voice continued. The demon still had her eyes closed, pressing her forehead against his skull, the tears dripping down.

Hell Energy was able to translate a creature's thoughts into a understandable dialect when speaking telepathically, while Humo didn't know English, his thoughts could be translated so Lucifer could understand them. This worked two ways as well, Lucifer's thoughts and reply would be translated back to the creature in a language he would understand.

"But you're going to die! I didn't save you! After everything I tried to do to ensure your safety I couldn't even keep you alive. I tried to Humo, I really tried, I told them not to harm you, I couldn't-", Lucifer was pleading for his forgiveness, but the Hell Titan huffed at this rambling.

"I know Lucifer tried, but Humo has run out of time" the creature pausing for a moment, letting loose a pained cry as he moved slightly, the giant's black blood soaking the ground near his legs. Once he had stopped moving, the Titan spoke again; "Lucifer...will learn that death is natural part of living. Humo live longer than brothers".

"I'm sorry, we needed the manpower to build our home. We got greedy, we got carried away, we wanted more, you're kind were treated well for a time but we-", the Queen felt she had to explain herself, explain the crime of ensuring demon ascendancy, to explain the sins crawling down her back...

However, the demon's saviour wouldn't allow her to finish, not wanting her to wallow in guilt. "You no need explain, Humo understand", the beast's breathing was beginning to slow, heavier and longer between each exhale and inhale. His injuries were too severe, Humo was loosing too much blood, the devil could not heal him with Hell Energy for it would kill her.

"But you don't understand you big idiot!" Lucifer hating how happy the creature seemed at his own death, how understanding, how kind he was, even at this moment...at death's door. The woman tried her best not to think about that, so she tried to get a little information out of him first, trying to distract him from his death,"D-Did you try help the other Titans escape?".

"Yes", his deep, but gentle voice came through in a simple one word reply.

"B-But you didn't get far...did you? What happened?", Lucifer opened her eyes and noticed the Titan's body was more slouched now, as if he wasn't trying to fight it anymore. The woman forced her eyes closed again, not acknowledging the reality outside of her eyes, continuing their telepathic conversation.

"Humo...remember big orange light, then Humo fell over. That woman...she hurt brothers. Humo tried to stop her, but-", the beast again let out a pained roar, but it w as weak, very quiet in volume, like a sad begging for the pain to stop...

"Hold on! I'll try ease the pain", Lucifer had to do something, so she used an old angelic technique, by touching the beast she could soothe their mind, reducing the pain it was receiving. Using Hell Energy was sufficient enough to replicate this process, but she could see exactly what the beast was thinking and feeling...it made her cry even more...

"B-Better?" the woman sniffed, rubbing her face against the creature now, her tears not halting.

"Better...sleepy..." the Titan replied, his thoughts becoming as quiet as whispers.

"Don't you fall asleep on me! Stay awake dammit!" the devil commanded, her thoughts were terribly loud, shaking the beast out of his temporary slumber.

"Humo not help brothers Lucifer, they asked for help", Humo spoke the truth, but the devil was confused by this confession.

"What do you mean? They asked for help? Asked you?", the devil noticed that there were very few thoughts swirling in the creatures mind, darkness was consuming him, Lucifer was beginning to get lost. He was barely holding on to continue this conversation...

"They broke free...wanted to escape. Other brothers...sister happy, they no want to leave- but they- they wanted to leave", the Titan not doing well to explain what had happened, but Lucifer understood...some of it...

"You didn't have to convince them to leave? I thought you had to break our control over them, they were our slaves after all", the devil again trying to explain things so that the creature would understand her.

"Humo...do no...breaking", these thoughts were struggling to be materialised, it was taking great effort to be created.

"So it wasn't you...you haven't been changing their minds, brainwashing them?", the devil had to know, even though she knew the answer already, even despite the pain he was in, she had to know...

"Brain...washing? No...Humo...no-", but his willpower faltered.

"It must be someone else breaking them free then...but- but who?", the devil unaware of his deteriorating condition. His breathing had now slowed so that he was inhaling every minute or so now. It looked like it was time...

"I-Is there anything...I can do? To make it e-easier for you", the devil wondering if she could ease his passing, many devils had wished for another to be present and telepathically or neurological connected when dying, that way they feel that they aren't alone, since Azrael wasn't there for them...someone had to be...

"Can...you?", the words barely reaching the devil's guilt ridden and saddened mind.

"Can I what?", Lucifer unsure of what he implied.

"Can...you...save...you?", he repeated.

"Can I save myself?", the woman beginning to understand.

"Save...you, then Humo...will...have...done...good".

"Humo?".

"Y-Yes?".

"Don't fall asleep".

"I sleep...Lucifer. Be...better".

"Humo...Wait- there is something I can try, but I can't guarantee it will work".

There was silence between the two minds...

"I-I can't save you...but I can carry on your legacy...within myself. It's hard to explain, you will become apart of me, my big monster". The tears had subsided, but now they had returned, the worst she had ever cried...At the same time, Lucifer felt an incredible amount of embarrassment, she felt ashamed in herself for becoming attached to such a primitive beast

"Humo?!".

. . .

. . .

. . . .

. . . . . .

"I'm s-sorry, I'm sorry I didn't find you after all these years. I wanted to, I even saw you from a distance a few times. ya know? I'm sorry, I didn't even try-".

. . .

. . . .

. . . . . .

"I'm sorry I couldn't save you, like you saved me. You saved me Humo. You know that right?".

. . .

"You saved me...".

. . .

. .

.

"Please forgive me".