Having Cerberus around for the journey to the inner circle of Hell didn't exactly bother anyone… that wasn't Mikazuki, anyways.

Though it was usually very easy to take Mikazuki seriously, everyone present couldn't help but hold their laughter in as they watched the triple dog demon quite literally slither around the short guy's body like some sort of dog themed snake. Even Akihiro's stiffness had made way for a snicker or two, though then again, he was happier than usual, now that he was reunited with his brother.

Modeus certainly wasn't doing the former Ace any favors, either, as she kept trying to be the fourth wheel in the Cerberus moshpit, though due to the three dog girls having laid claim to Mika by now, they were usually able to fight the horny demon back with minimal issue.

There were times when Modeus would somehow manage to overpower the playful trio, but even so, thanks to Mika preferring them over her, if only because they would refrain from slapping his ass or touching his crotch, she never really lasted more than a handful of seconds.

Regardless, Pandemonica, like the champ she is, ignored basically everything as she continued onward, leading the slowly growing team forwards all the while.

"Do stay close. We are now entering the Melancholy Circle, or the Fourth Circle of Hell, if you will, stated the Tired Demon, eliciting a raised brow from the kids behind her all the while.

"Melancholy Circle?" echoed Danji as he jogged up to the tired demon's side, prompting her to sigh as she explained.

"I see that I've failed at my job once more. I must apologise," Pandemonica… well… apologised as she turned towards the group, with Mikazuki, the de-facto leader of this whole gang, simply waving her off whilst one of the Cerberus trio nibbled on his ahoge. "I failed to mention that each circle of Hell correlates with a type of sin.

"Aphem… the first circle, where I reside, is titled Sloth… or Limbo, depending on how you wish to call it. The second, Lust," Modeus winked at Mikazuki, prompting him to look away out of annoyance. "The third, Wrath, depending on how you wish to call it," Cerberus snickered at that before they continued to slither all over Mika's body. "And the fourth, the one we approach, is Melancholy. Malina rules over this circle, though I doubt she'll bother with us unless we seek her out directly… which we will not."

"And… the other circles?" asked Aston curiously, to which Pandemonica nodded.

"The fifth is Vanity, which is where Zdrada resides. The sixth would be Greed, though the previous master fell into lava and died," a few baffled looks were gained from this, "Seventh; Violence, which is without a master, but I believe that Justice mingles about there to keep some form of order present in that circle. The Eighth circle is the innermost sanctum of Hell, the Pride Circle, where Lucifer resides… and the only way to the mortal realm is through her."

"We'll take our chances," said Masahiro as Akihiro smiled and ruffled up his hair, eliciting a whine from him as they walked onwards. Pandemonica rolled her eyes at this, with her knowing that, even if they somehow got past Lucifer, they'd still need to content with Judgement, but for now, she kept her lips sealed as they trudged on.

Whilst walking onwards, however, the group began to notice how the Melancholy Circle was a lot more… silent than they were used to. No River Styx to break up the silence, no horny noises (that weren't from Modeus) to fill in the lack of words… not even a demon cricket to fill in the empty voice. Just silence… and they didn't like it.

"The Melancholy Circle is where the Sinners that… perished by their own hands come to. It is a quiet place, one that needs very little maintenance as the souls banished her do not make that much of a fuss," stated Pandemonica, almost as though she had read the minds of her little entourage as she walked onwards. The kids that knew what she meant paled a little at the thought while those that remained oblivious were kept that way by the others.

"I would call that dark… but this is Hell…" muttered Shino after a while, eliciting a mild grunt of agreement from Akihiro as they walked onwards.

Whilst they walked, however, Mikazuki, at one point, took note of a strange looking thingamabob on the floor. Compelled to approach it thanks to the plot, he was quick to shrug the Cerberus trio off him and dodge away from Modeus when she tried to take advantage of this before he moved to investigate the thing, and as soon as he was close to it, he knelt down and picked up the thingamajig curiously.

How strange, it seemed to be a portion of a longer stone piece, one that had four arrows crudely chiseled into its surface. This portion in particular was down up right up, whatever that meant, and out of the need to progress the plot, Mikazuki shrugged and pocketed the thing out of curiosity.

Elsewhere, a Great Fly let out a small bit of laughter as she realized that the Helltaker might just free her on fucking accident!

But regardless, the moment Mika pocketed that damn stone tablet, the ground behind him inexplicably rose skywards, in turn blocking him off from the main group, who rushed towards the wall that had formed between them and their friend all the while. Mikazuki frowned when he saw this, though he otherwise kept his cool as he sighed in annoyance.

"Mikazuki Augus, please try to not do that," scolded Pandemonica tiredly as she sighed, eliciting a hum from the aforementioned boy all the while. "But regardless, we won't be able to reach you in a timely manner, not with this wall in the way. I say you just continue onwards as is. Just keep moving in the direction we were headed before your idiocy separated you from us and we'll meet up eventually."

"Okay," responded Mikazuki almost immediately as he sighed and shook his head, finding this whole issue to be annoying more than anything as he heard the rest of his group walk on. Akihiro, Shino, Danji and Aston all wished him good luck while the others just remained silent, though Modeus and the Cerberus trio all demanded that he be alright, as they wished to fuck him/make use of his power to conquer the human world.

Mika would pass on both options.

"Hmhmhm… hmhmhm…"

Humming was something that Mika never really did that much, but there was only so much that he could do before he got bored of just walking around in silence. His humming wasn't particularly good, but even so, it wasn't as though he was humming for an audience, so who gave a shit?

Amidst his humming, however, the former pilot perked up a little when he took note of a handful of wires that were just strewn about the floor. Confused, he crouched down and examined them, with him shrugging and following it back to its source. He was gonna be here for a while, so why not just have a look around before he inevitably got lost and walked in circles.

After all, it wasn't as though this could end badly, yes?

Hopefully not.

Regardless, after a few minutes of wire trailing, Mikazuki found the source to be a strange, massive generator-looking thing… and the massive generator-looking thing had even more wires that ran towards…

'A house?' thought Mika in surprise as he took note of the aforementioned two-storied, quaint looking building. It looked surprisingly normal when compared to the ruins-esc aesthetic of the rest of Hell. Out of curiosity, he made his way over to the structure and stopped in front of its door and knocked it, with him unsure of what to expect all the while.

Cerberus had a house, sure, but it was a doghouse with a dog door for it. This one was a normal looking building, and Augus had a feeling that someone might answer the door when he knocked… and answer they did, as, mere seconds after he knocked, someone opened the door, and thereafter, Mikazuki had to look up when he made eye contact with the unamused, bespectacled gaze of one Fumitan Admoss.

The older woman felt a mild pang of surprise when she first noticed Mikazuki, with her eyes going wide in surprise for a bit as she stared down at him. The same applied vice versa, though thereafter, she allowed a tiny smile to appear on her face as she addressed him.

"Ah, Mikazuki Augus. I would say that I'm surprised to see you here, but considering what kind of person you are, I suppose it was only inevitable for you to come down to Hell," snarked the tall woman as she took a step back and dusted her puffy pants off. Mikazuki didn't say much about that as he shrugged, feeling mildly surprised at her presence here, though he said nothing about it as he entered the building, having noticed Fumitan's silent invitation to enter all the while.

"Fair enough. I didn't expect to see you here, though," admitted Mikazuki as he stepped into the building. Once he was in, the former pilot had a look around the building as Fumitan shut the door, with him noticing the absurd array of memorabilia and gaming posters hung about the walls all the while. There were also a multitude of gaming consoles here and there alongside beer bottles that were just discarded on the ground, though they were quickly swept away when Fumitan, after shutting the door behind her, pulled a broom out of nowhere and used it to banish the bottles into the shadow realm. "What is this place?"

"Oh, it's Malina's home. You expected all demons to be nomads?" responded Fumitan flatly as she went about the cozy house and began to tidy things up. Mikazuki watched as she rearranged the game consoles, dusted off several boxes and wiped clean a television in record time, and within milliseconds, the room was sparkly clean.

"Cerberus lived in a doghouse, so I really don't know," admitted Mikazuki, eliciting a shrug from Fumitan, a sign of indifference.

"I see. Regardless, I do hope that you did not drag the young miss down to her grave alongside you," said Fumitan, with her gaze darkening however slightly as she spoke. Mikazuki got what she was saying almost immediately as he shook his head.

"No, she's fine. Still alive and kicking," assured Mika with a shrug, eliciting a nod from Admoss as she offered him a tiny smile, relieved at what she was hearing.

"That is indeed good to hear. But regardless, why are you even here?" inquired Fumitan.

"Just trying to escape Hell and all that. Headed to Lucifer at the moment, though I got separated from the others," explained Mikazuki, surprising Fumitan briefly as she held her hands together in front of herself in a diplomatic manner.

"Escape Hell, huh? Well, I suppose there are more benign things you could do when down here. And as for these 'others', I presume that you refer to the members of Tekkadan that died alongside you?" asked Fumitan, and when Mikazuki nodded, she continued. "Well I should wish you luck."

"You don't wanna come with?" asked a confused Mikazuki, to which Fumitan shook her head.

"I am content with where I am. I cannot see myself facing down the young miss in this manner, not after what I've done. And even if I did want to leave, I doubt my new master would allow me," lamented Fumitan, eliciting a confused raise of Mika's brow.

"New master? Malina?" inquired the former pilot, prompting Fumitan to nod, though before she could say much else, a groan could be heard, prompting the two present to turn towards the stairs to the second floor and see a demon lady stumbling down the stairs, looking as though she was experiencing a hangover as she held her head in her hand tiredly.

This demoness in particular was a lot more tired than Mikazuki was used to seeing, with the usual business-suit looking attire, horns and arrow-tipped tail. That aside, she had short, somewhat unruly white hair and the standard red eyes, the usual schtick. Her eyes were ringed in black and somehow, they were also bloodshot. How red eyes could look bloodshot… was beyond Mika's comprehension for now, but he dismissed that for the time being as he watched the demoness stumble towards him, with him barely even flinching as she toppled against him rather gracelessly.

"Fumi… Fu… Fumitan… could you… hic help me figure out… hic where the hic controller went?" asked the demoness as she fell boob-first into Mikazuki's face, smothering him in titty as he remained amusingly calm. Admoss had to hold back a snicker as she watched this unfold, even more so as the demoness reached up to where she thought Fumitan's face was at, only to pat the air rather gracelessly. "Since hic when didja get so short, Fumi-"

And that was when she realized it. This wasn't Fumitan! It was a tiny blue eyed midget! And in an instant, the seemingly drunk demon's gaze sharpened, with her shoving Mikazuki onto his back, reminding him that in spite of his strength, a demon could overpower him with minimal effort, and pinning him down with little issue. Augus frowned as she glared down at him, one hand balled into a fist and ready to strike.

"Great. Another braindead hic idiot… huh, I've never seen your face down here in hic Hell before… you a hic newbie… or did you wander hic in from another circle, punk?" snarled the drunk demon as she glared at him with eyes that were doing their best to appear focused. Her body language said otherwise, though, such as her red face and how she looked ready to drop dead at a moment's notice. With that being said, however, the former pilot still aired on the side of caution, as he knew that she could still crush his head with two of her fingers if she really wanted to.

"Uh…" began Mikazuki, only for Fumitan to pop in like the saint she was.

"Please try to not harm him, Lady Malina. I knew him in life, and though he can be a prick, he is still an alright boy," commented Fumitan as she stared down at her new 'master', Malina, as she raised a brow at her… maid. Malina snorted a little at that as she sighed and glared down at Mika warily, though not long after, she shook her head and released him.

"If hic Fumitan's willing to vouch for you, hic, then you're probably alright," scoffed Malina as she got off the former pilot and wobbled off to the couch. "Least hic you're not a masochist… unlike everyone hic else that's come down here from hic Cerberus' circle."

"I'll take that as a complement," huffed Mikazuki half-heartedly as he watched Fumitan offer Malina a game controller. She accepted it with a nod, and moments later, she sighed and moved to sit on the couch. Mikazuki then watched as she turned on a video game console, presumably with magic, and began playing it, much to his amusement. "Is this…"

"Normal? Yes, Lady Malina is very much a fan of video games. Though she has replayed a lot of them to the point of boredom…" confirmed Fumitan, eliciting a twitch from the Sour Demon.

"You clearly don't understand the replayability of SD Madnug M-Generations series!" protested Malina, upset at Fumitan's words, eliciting a shrug from her helper as she went back to gaming.

"Perhaps."

"... maybe I should go?" suggested Mikazuki, to which Fumitan shrugged again.

"I would say yes, but do you know how to even leave the Melancholy Circle?" asked Fumitan, eliciting a shake of Mika's head. "Thought so. Lady Malina's long since stopped mapping this place out, but she still knows it like the back of her hand."

"Fumitan, if you're hic tryna get me to help that midget, then hic forget about it. I'm busy anyways," stated Malina as she worked on her turn based game. Mikazuki huffed a little at that as he turned up to face Fumitan, who just looked done with life as she facepalmed.

"Again, I apologise, Mikazuki. Lady Malina is quite the couch potato," apologised Fumitan, eliciting a shrug from Mika.

"Meh. Seen worse," deadpanned Mikazuki as he observed the animations playing on Malina's television. "I never played games before, though…"

"Wait what?" muttered Malina, shocked at this as she tore her gaze away from her game to look Mika in the eye. Fumitan thought smart to pick up where her little gremlin left off.

"Mikazuki Augus was a child soldier in life. As such, he never had time to play these recreational activities that you so enjoy, Lady Malina," stated Fumitan flatly, eliciting a frown from the demoness as she eyed the former pilot with… pity? Glancing up at Admoss, the Sour Demoness bared her teeth as some sort of warning, one that the tall woman understood as she nodded in understanding, before she turned back to Mika and threw a second controller at him. The former pilot just barely managed to catch it before it hit the ground.

"...?" the confusion was very much apparent on his face, as Malina rolled her eyes.

"Come here, you stupid hic little gremlin. We're going to play a hic game together, now," stated Malina as she motioned for Mikazuki to sit on the couch with her. Augus… complied with that without much of a second thought, with him, admittedly, finding the seat to be rather comfy, and all the while, Fumitan moved to retrieve a collection of games.

"Lady Malina, do you wish to play Madnug VERSUS? Or perhaps Madnug Battle Opera 3? Perhaps Madnug Mini Walk OFF? I hear it has split screen," inquired Fumitan, only to raise her hand to catch a third controller thrown at her moments later.

"Madnug VERSUS, Fumi. hic It's got 3V3 PVP action, so we can fuck the hic AI up together! Get on the couch, now hic!"

And to that, Fumitan simply shrugged. Time to show Mikazuki how much of a gamer she was, she supposed.

First Place: Guest, piloting Madnug Barbados!

Second Place: Fum17 n, piloting Madnug Hlauros!

Third Place: M 71n!, piloting Madnug Baal!

"... are we sure he's not played before?"

"Positive."

"Damn."

Humming a little as he sat between Malina and Fumitan, Mikazuki almost smiled as he got first place in Madnug VERSUS' survival mode. It was rather fun, all things considered, and they've been at it for at least three hours.

There could be worse ways to waste one's time.

Regardless, Malina had been put into a good mood after that whole ordeal. Turns out playing co-op with competent players was a good experience! She just wished it would last…

"Hmph, whatever. First time or not, you're a good player," Malina paused to chug a bottle of alcohol, only to pause and pass it to Mikazuki, who took it awkwardly. He sniffed its contents before taking a sip, seeming to not really enjoy it as Fumitan took the bottle and emptied it almost immediately. "Just hic wished that you could stay hic for a round or two…"

"... you know there's games up in the living world, right?" commented Mikazuki, with him eyeing the Sour Demon apprehensively as he placed his controller down, to which Malina shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess… but it's not like hic I can get up there and all hic that…" lamented Malina as she leaned back on her couch. Mika huffed a little in bemusement as he turned towards Fumitan, who was balancing the empty bottle of alcohol on her fingertip before she got the former pilot's attention.

"Actually, I'm going to find Luci to make her send my friends and I back to Earth," stated Mika with a shrug. "Well, I was, anyway. I got separated from them."

"Hic damn. You must be hic really confident in yourself if you hic think you can do that," laughed Malina in a sort of melancholic way, eliciting a shrug from Mikazuki all the while.

"It helps to be confident," said Mikazuki.

"Well, hic, I gotta say, you're definitely a cool dude. Hey, hic if I tagged along, and if you can actually get the fuck out of Hell hic, couldja like… I'unno… bring me along and get me s'more games?" requested Malina, to which Mikazuki nodded.

"Sure."

"Cool! Hic Fumi! Get yer bags! We're going on a… on a field… fieeeee…"

And at that, Malina leaned towards Mikazuki and fell facefirst onto his crotch, hitting his family jewels with the side of her face before she subconsciously shifted onto his lap, asleep. Turning towards Fumitan, the former pilot gave her a deadpanned stare, one that she mirrored as she shrugged.

"She's your problem now, boy. I'm going to get my things, or lack thereof."

"Dammit."

Look, a new chapter! After... MORE THAN ONE YEAR?!

WHAT?!