Chapter 21: Dark Perfection
"I summon Triel, the Fallen Angel."
An angel with white wings and ropes fell onto the field. It cackled as it got up and spread its wings, which turned black. His blue eyes became red and fangs protruded from his mouth, soaked in blood. His clothes also turned black and were also soaked in blood. He lifted a jagged knife in his left hand and laughed again.
"Welcome… to the seventh hell."
The mountains were leveled down to a long, endless, and bare plain. The only thing that could be seen for miles was a city, the City of Malagard. The blood-black sky stormed above them in malice. The realm hated itself and all that dwelled within.
"Welcome to Maladomini, the Seventh Layer of Hell."
"Nice… very nice. You done yet?"
"Not quite."
Triel began to morph again. What remained of his angelic body melted, leaving a deformed demonic shell. He no longer resembled the beautifully winged and handsome man that had fallen from the sky. Eyes, completely black, scowled above a lipless mouth. His skin was melted and his body slug-like. Demon bat wings replaced the feathered angel wings on his back.
"Triel has now become the Lord of the Seventh, Archduke Baalzebul."
The bashers turned away at the awful sight. Baalzebul was truly a creature of deep disgust.
"Baalzebul, attack Saint Knight Isaac."
"You idiot, Baalzelbul's attack is less than Isaac's."
"Exactly."
Flies swarmed around Isaac. Isaac countered with his sword, but he could not hit them. The flies leached onto his body and absorbed every last drop of moisture in him, leaving only a dried up corpse.
"I wanted to show you the power of Baalzebul, the Lord of the Flies. He, who was once an angel, who broke free from the light, and who now crushes all who are as he once was."
"He destroys the light…"
"He is the light… the purest light, untainted, driving out all other light," Judis responded. His eyes had lost all luster as he stared blankly out into the distance. Something was definitely different about him now. Something eerie had crept over him, controlling his every move, something that wanted to get out.
"My turn. Let's see how Baalebul fares against the darkness. I activate Fusion Recovery. This returns Jack's Knight and Polymerization to my mind. Then I activate Polymerization to fuse Jack's Knight and Ace's Knight to summon Blackjack's Knight."
A knight in black armor with white spades on his shoulders appeared on the field. He lifted a large, heavy sword.
"That? That is going to stop me?"
"Yes he is. I activate Damage Blocker."
A small stone warrior appeared on the field in front of Bann."
"This guy is going to protect me. During this turn, he takes all damage I would receive. Now, Blackjack's Knight, attack Baalzebul."
Baalzebul sent his flies to attack Blackjack's Knight. Blackjack lifted his sword and swung at the flies, unleashing a huge burst of white energy that obliterated the flies, ricocheted off of Baalzebul's body at double its power, and aimed right toward Bann.
"You idiot! You should have known your knight was too weak!"
"Look again Judis. My Stone Knight is taking all the damage from the attack, but Baalzebul is still defeated."
Judis looked at Baalzebul's vanishing body as it melted into nothingness and dripped onto the rocky ground. The flies flew over the puddle of remains and drank their master's body. The Stone Knight broke apart from the attack, but Bann was unscathed. Blackjack stood by his side facing Judis.
"…"
"Shocking isn't it? I have defeated each one of the Lords of Hell with ease."
"One…"
"What?"
"One more…"
"What's this guy talking about? He sounds like he's snapped?" Morgen asked.
"There are nine hells of Baator. There are only two more left, though I don't know why he would say 'one'," Jigen replied.
"Yeah, well, he is a shiver N00b…" Recks added.
"Is shiver it just me shiver or is it getting cold out here?" Zakei told the others.
"It… isn't just you…" Judis replied, his eyes closed and his body stiff.
The ground at Judis feet started to turn to ice. The ice spread outward and covered the field. They now stood on an endless frozen tundra. The air was still and unmoving. The low temperature chilled to the bone.
"Where… shiver… are we… shiver… now?"
"Cania, the Eight Layer of Hell, on the frozen wastes of Nargus. I end my turn."
"WHAT!"
"Bann, this is your chance. He didn't make a move. You can defeat him!"
'They're right. He has no traps set and no monsters to protect him. Time to lose, Judis.' "Blackjack's Knight, attack him direct… Blackjack?" Bann turned toward his knight. Horror overcame his face. Blackjack was a frozen statue encased in ice. "What have you done to him?"
"Only creatures of hell can survive in the frozen depths of Cania. All others are encased in a block of ice, much like our dear friend Prince Levistus."
The image of the Devil Prince appeared in Bann's mind. If Levistus was encased in ice from Cania and couldn't get out, then his knights didn't have a chance.
"I cast one spell and end my turn." 'Damn, this ice doesn't even let me switch his battle position. Blackjack is a sitting duck now.'
"And now, I activate Generals of Molikroth. This revives Archduke Dispater and Archduke Belial."
The familiar tall man and rose from the ice carrying a long rod-like staff. Then, another man in fine black armor, holding a spear and riding a black stallion with red, fiery eyes, rose from the ice beside him.
"The Archdukes…"
"Now, I sacrifice Archduke Belial to summon the Lord of the Eighth!"
Belial vanished in a ring of fire. Where he stood, the earth opened up and a nine-foot devil rose. He had red skin, large horns, and two gigantic wings on his back. In his hand, he held a ranseur similar to the one Belial held. On its spike, an everlasting flame glowed brightly. He wore the blackest robes, absorbing all light around them. He stepped through the flames and laughed.
Judis watched him nervously. His face looked completely horrified. "This… this is… the Lord of the Eighth… Mephistopheles…" he stuttered.
'What the hell? What is he afraid of?'
"Mephistopheles, attack."
Mephistopheles lifted his spear and hit the ground with the pointed end. The ice beneath broke open and headed toward the entombed Blackjack's Knight. The fissure, swallowed the knight up and closed. Then, fire shot out of the ground around Bann, burning his life down. Bann screamed from the intense heat and cold flash.
"I… I end my turn…"
Next time on City of Fire: Nessus