AN: And here is part 2! Enjoy

Disclaimer: We do not own Helluva Boss and the Angel AU concept is originally EmositeCC's idea who we were given permission to use!


CARNEVIL

Part 2

By TalosLives & CrackedInkWell


Part Two

A portal opened up in a lonely part of the Smoky Mountains, on a forgotten dirt road by a decapitated covered bridge. Four armed Angels stepped out into the evening light. Blitzo held up a hand, and the others froze, taking in their surroundings. Before them was a forest with an overgrown path. The sky was getting darker every second, the sun sinking past the trees. All they could hear were crickets.

"Where are we?" Loona asked.

"Around northern Georgia… the Smokies, by the looks of it. And I think…." Blitzo craned his neck to see the covered bridge. "We're at the place where Dennis died, which means they're not too far away." Once he'd closed the portal, Blitzo noticed footprints and tire tracks in the dirt, all leading towards the forest. "See this? These were made not too long ago. All of them are heading that way."

"Do you think we should go down the trail?" Loona asked. "What if they have guards or traps laying around?"

"It's possible. That's why I need everyone on high alert. We need to move quickly but cautiously. Keep your eyes open, listen carefully, and most importantly of all, stay together. Got that?"

The team nodded.

"Good. Let's move out."

H.O.P.E. glided over the dirt trail through the forest that was getting increasingly darker. Shadows from the twisted trees seemed to stretch out, swaying in the evening breeze. While they tried to go as quickly as possible without making a sound, they weren't sure they were truly alone. The Spanish Moss dangling from the trees made things even more unsettling, as they couldn't tell if the flowing figures were just plants or the dark robes of a cannibal.

"This place looks like something out of a horror movie, huh?" Millie nervously chuckled.

"Yeah, it would be a great setting if there wasn't a cannibalistic cult nearby." Moxxie looked over his shoulder. "I don't like this. It's too quiet."

He was right. The crickets that they heard when they got there had ceased their chirping. For that matter, they couldn't hear anything, not even the sound of chirping birds or buzzing insects. It was almost as if the forest was holding its breath before something horrible came ransacking through the trees. For all the four of them know, they could be surrounded. Their attackers probably had their backs against the trees, waiting to unleash their ambush upon the unsuspecting-

Like a bomb going off, a twig snapped just off to the side of the trail. Everyone except Blitzo screamed as they snatched whatever weapons they could get their hands on. Moxxie instantly pulled out a pair of pistols, Loona took out a can of bug spray and a lighter, and Millie pulled out a miniature cannon. They readied themselves to blast whatever unholy abomination it was back to Hell… only to find a confused squirrel there. It looked at them for a moment before running off.

"Sheesh, that nearly gave me a heart attack." Loona had a paw over her chest.

"Okay, calm down everyone, put your weapons away," Blitzo told them, turning to Loona. "For a moment, I thought you were going to after it."

"I would, but… that nearly scared the shit out of me."

Blitzo frowned at Loona's profanity, but said nothing about it. "At least nobody shot at it. That could've given us away. In the meantime, we need to be level-headed about this. So nobody pulls out their weapons until I say so. Got it?"

They nodded in agreement.

After getting her breath back, Loona's ears perked up, and her nose sniffed. "Hey… do any of you smell that?"

"Smell what?" Millie asked.

Sniffing once more, Loona said, "It smells like a barbeque: smoke, spices, meat cooking over a wood pit… And it's coming from over there." She pointed down the trail. Sniffing again, she added, "The meat smells weird, though… You don't think it's…?"

It didn't take them long to figure out what Loona was smelling. As they went further down, they too could smell the scent of a barbeque, along with the sound of carnival music and lively chatter… with some screaming here and there. They were getting close.

Upon seeing a light, Blitzo led the team off the trail and into the forest's foliage for cover. Eventually, they spotted pick-up trucks and cars parked in front of what looked like an old-fashioned carnival. A chain-linked fence surrounded it, and a banner adorned the front of a gate. Written in a rusty red, it read: Welcome, Le Belle Family. Through the fence, there were red and black tents, and at first glance, everything looked like a typical carnival. Kids were running around, adults were eating snacks, and there were a few simple rides, such as a Ferris wheel and a roller coaster.

However, as H.O.P.E. started moving around, it became apparent that the carnival was far darker than it seemed. Finding out where the smell was coming from was only the tip of the iceberg - as they found a stand making barbeque-pulled human sandwiches. They saw a merry-go-round where children rode on stuffed corpses impaled by stakes; a twisted game of darts where living people had painted numbers on them; a water gun race where the longer someone hit a target, the more robust an electric shock their "prize" would receive; and over at a skee ball game, the vendor had shrunken heads as a prize for the winners.

As disgusting, horrific, and beyond the realms of decency as it was, something else about the carnival made it especially unusual: there weren't just humans at the reunion. Here and there, they saw hellhounds and imps tasked with either running the attractions or carrying the kids' gruesome prizes. Over by a dunking tank filled with acid, a nervous imp sat on a board while the kids threw baseballs at a target. When it was hit, the imp was instantly dunked in - and the kids laughed as he screamed that couldn't swim.

They also saw a ring of children around a young man suspended by a rope, held by a couple of hellhounds raising and lowering him over the crowd. He looked as though he had been beaten to a pulp. Then they saw the source of it all: one by one, kids would step into the ring, be blindfolded and given a spiked baseball bat, and would take swings at him. Sometimes they would miss, and other times they would hit a broken leg, a bruised rib cage, or even a bloody face.

To their horror, one kid had a lucky swing, hitting the young man's abdomen so hard that it made a gaping cut. His guts and intestines spilled out onto the sawdust ground. The kids swarmed over them, trying to grab whatever they could get their hands on, as the two hellhounds just dropped the body, letting the kids gut and start munching on whatever was left.

"I think I'm gonna be sick…." Moxxie's face turned green, and he rushed to a nearby bush to vomit in it.

Loona covered her face in horror. "I'm never gonna look at a pinata the same way again."

Blitzo turned to Milile in time to see her face contort in rage. Before she could lunge at them, he snatched her wings. "Millie! No! Not yet!"

"Let go of me!" Millie tried to get out of her boss's grip. "Y'all saw what happened! Those little maggots deserve-"

"Millie!" Blitzo snapped at her in a voice that was as sharp and commanding as the sword of God. Even Loona stepped back from this unexpected shout. Mille instantly ceased her thrashing, turning her head over to her boss.

Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Blitzo started again, "I'm sorry I yelled at you, but as much as those brats deserve death, we need to focus on one thing at a time." Letting Millie go, she turned around to face him. Moxxie returned, using a sleeve over his mouth. "First, we need to locate where they're keeping Jess and everyone else. Once we send proof and get reinforcements, then you can do whatever you want to them."

"Fine." Millie folded her arms.

"Okay. Let's turn ourselves invisible and get to work," Blitzo said, summing the spell. Only… nothing happened. Confused, he and the rest of the team tried to cast it again, but found nothing was working.

"Why isn't this working?" Loona asked. "We should've turned invisible by now."

"Oh…" Blitzo snapped his fingers in realization.

"Oh?" Millie flew up to him. "What oh?"

"I should have seen this coming." He rubbed between his eyes. "This entire area must be under a پنهان از بهشت hex."

"A what?" Moxxie tilted his head.

"It's Persian, it means: 'Hidden from Heaven.' I heard about it while I was in Hell, but it's so hard to pull off that it's rarely used. It's basically a spell meant to scramble anything Heaven could see. Think of it as a protective barrier to keep any and all dark magic in and all holy magic out. I can't believe I hadn't thought of it when we came down here."

"What about using our human disguises?" Millie asked.

"If they have such an advanced spell already prepared, they might have other spells to warn them of any angelic powers activating. It's too risky," Blitzo said as he grit his teeth.

While the others were trying to think of an idea, Moxxie noticed an abandoned booth near the edge of the carnival of evil. It was a clown booth with costumes, makeup, and props. This gave him an idea, and he motioned to the others. "Why not disguise ourselves as carnies? I mean, who will question a bunch of demonic clown staff in a demonic carnival?"

"Good idea, Mox." Blitzo went over the fence, walked over to the booth and quickly took a few things to check out. The rest of the team followed after him. "It's good quality as well. Good thing I still remember all that stuff I learned about applying clown makeup back when I was in the circus."

"You were in the circus?" Moxxie and Millie asked with surprised looks.

Blushing, Blitzo felt a hint of nostalgia, but quickly pushed it away. "Y-Yeah, I was once a trapeze artist. Grew up in the circus my whole life until… Well, something happened that made me go into the military."

Although they were clearly curious, neither of the married couple pressed the issue further as Blitzo focused on getting more supplies. They turned to Loona as Moxxie asked, "Did you know?"

"Yeah, but Uncle Blitz doesn't like to talk about it for some reason," Loona answered with a shrug. "He gets this pained look in his eyes whenever he mentions it."

The three looked at Blitzo, who was still focusing on figuring out what would work for them, and wondered what their boss had gone through.


Needless to say, Blitzo made good work of what he had. The first thing they had to do was dye their horns and hair. Blitzo went for a black and white look he had seen on some imps' horns, Moxxie went with a more white look for his hair, and Millie decided to go with black. Loona dyed her hair a darker gray, but she refused to change her white hair (The reason being Collin said she looked good with white hair). The next thing they had to do was hide their wings and halos. Contrary to popular belief, Angels could get rid of those if they wanted by making their wings disappear via will and taking their halos, shrinking them, and keeping them in their pockets. Neither of these actions required any angelic powers, so they were still safe from detection.

The only other thing they had to dye was their faces and skin. Blue and white were not the ideal colors of a demon, despite a few having them, so they used paint to turn their skin bright devilish red. Moxxie was worried about the paint being absorbed into their skins and hurting them until Blitzo reminded him that they were Angels, and human products couldn't hurt them. Loona was the only one who didn't need paint on her skin because she was all fur.

Then came the clothing part. Blitz decided to go with a black and red ringleader trench coat with a few holes, but he figured nobody would care about that. It also was red-buttoned with a red skull choker on it that he actually kind of liked personally and decided to keep it. After adding some black gloves and boots, he added an extra layer of white paint to the makeup on his eye while glancing at the others. If you were to look at the four of them, you would swear that they were either imps or, in Loona's case, fallen cherubs. "Everyone ready?"

"Kinda," Loona said, wearing a black tutu with a pentagram on it and fake bat wings and ears. "But I feel stupid in this. Why didn't you let me wear that two-piece goth outfit with the upside-down pentagram strap?"

"Because as your adopted uncle, I want you to have some kind of modesty, young lady," Blitzo said with his arms crossed, which made Loona snort.

"We're dressing up as demon clowns. I think modesty went out the window a long time ago, Uncle Blitz," Loona pointed out before pointing to Millie. "Besides, you let Millie dress up like a skank. No offense, Millie."

"None taken," Millie answered as she finished putting the last of her daggers around her waist. Of her own choosing, Millie decided to go with a leopard skin leotard that showed her legs so well that Moxxie looked ready to faint from blood loss. She had a whip tied to her waist and some fur-skinned boots and wrist bracelets to complete her savage look. "I look like some kind of wild lion tamer! Plus, I can sneak in my daggers with this outfit."

"I still wish I had a better outfit," Moxxie complained as he finished putting on his big red clown boots. Out of everyone here, he looked the most like a clown. Moxxie was wearing your typical orange-yellow clown suit with purple cheek makeup and a clown nose while having a dunce cap on his head and oversized red shoes. He looked like a midget in a getup twice his size, thanks to the sagginess of the outfit's sides. The others giggled at the sight, doing their best to hold their laughter. Blitzo looked ready to take a photo of it, but Moxxie's glare made him stop halfway.

Coughing into his hand, Blitzo got their attention. "Okay. So here's the plan: we go in, do our best to blend in, and try to find out where they're keeping Jess and the other captives. We'll search for an hour and meet back here with results. Remember to not bring attention to yourselves and pretend to be part of the carnival staff. Which means you can curse and say dirty stuff. I know we're seeing many humans suffer now, but we can't take on an entire carnival of demons. We'd just be joining them in their agony."

"Well, you could, sir," Moxxie pointed out. "If you activated your Exorcist powers-"

"If I do that, every single demon is going to be alerted, and we don't know how many are here and if whoever is behind all this will get away or not," Blitzo answered with a sigh. "If there is some bigger demon behind it all, we need to figure out who it is and what its goal is. Not only is it the only way to get the butt of the jerkwad who is preventing all this from being wiped out, but we also can't risk Jess or the other captive humans being hurt or killed. Okay?"

The three nodded.

"Good. Let's move out."


"Sorry, I don't know anything about a Jess. Honestly, I don't bother to remember their names once we cage them up and divide them into maintenance," one big-breasted lady with red hair said as she watched her daughter shoot live ammo at decapitated animals' heads via bolt-action rifle. She glanced at Blitzo and raised an eyebrow. "Why ya ask?"

"Oh, one of the bigger demons asked as a request for someone else," Blitzo lied while keeping his cool. "I don't know what the fuck the reason is. I'm just the middle man, and I'm going on break soon, so fuck it. Forget I said anything."

The lady shrugged and went back to rooting for her daughter as Blitzo sighed and walked away. He had asked several humans and demons for Jess' location by hiding it behind various excuses, but they either didn't know or didn't even care. Wish I knew who was running this sick joint.

Blitzo had to admit that this was quite a nostalgic trip for him, in a rather creepy way. Even if the various humans around him were being tortured, including a few demons (mostly imps), the sight of various midway games, carnival rides, andtreat vendors were flashbacks to his childhood. Growing up in a circus was an experience he never would forget, from playing with the animals and riding them around to traveling all around Heaven, Purgatory, and even occasionally Earth to see all the sights and meet different people. Too bad it all went down the drain that one night...

On that night, he had turned from a happy trapeze performer into a bitter and angry person seeking revenge for what had happened to his family. He paused in his steps and sighed before putting a hand to his head. Maybe I should go see Sis this week. It's… been a while. I just hope it's a good day for her.

"Hey!"

Blitzo turned around and tensed up upon seeing some big muscle-bound demonic-looking guy in an oversized white t-shirt that read "Ohio" in red. He walked towards him with a big can of beer and a party hat over his head. He looked at Blitzo with narrowed yet glazed eyes, and the smell of his breath made it clear he was drunk. "Don't I know you?"

"Uhhh," Blitzo looked around and slowly reached behind his pocket to get his pistol just in case this was about to get ugly.

Thankfully, he didn't need to fight as the Ohio demon wrapped his arms around Blitzo and pulled him close for a hug. "Yeah! I remember you! Brandon, right?! From that Verosika Mayday concert we met at? Shit, dude. How's it going? I didn't know you took this gig too."

"Y-Yeah! Uh, d-dude! Nice to see you again!" Blitzo lied as he faked a smile while slowly getting crushed in the ribs by the hug.

"Shit, man, what have you been up to? You still dating that bitch? The one with the tentacles?" Ohio Demon asked as he dragged Blitzo around.

"Uhhh, no… I dumped her, and I'm dating someone else," Blitzo half-lied as he wondered what Stolas would think of this. Actually, I kinda wish he was helping me. He could figure out what was going on in a heartbeat.

"Nice! I know tentacle demons are great for sex and all, but that bitch's attitude was total toxic, man," Ohio Demon said as he chugged some of his beer. "Come on, let's have some beer! I used to be human, and I missed this shit. I mean, beers in Hell are okay, but nothing beats a good old Coors Light!"

"Oh… great..." Blitzo muttered as he continued to be dragged against his will while hoping the others were doing better than he was.


"Yay! More! More!" a bunch of children and some of their parents cheered as Millie juggled an impressive array of sharp weapons.

It was her own fault, really. She'd been flipping and tossing one of her daggers around when one of the kids thought she was some kind of performer and asked her to juggle some more. Eventually, this escalated into her juggling five daggers, two swords, a chainsaw, four battle axes, a katana, three torches, and a tiny imp who was doing his best not to move out of fear of her life.

Millie only cursed in her mind as a mace was added to the large number of deadly items, which made the crowd only cheer more. I hope Moxxie is doing better than me.


"So, I said to the salesman," Moxxie said nervously as he tugged his collar in front of a bunch of unamused kids, led by one with a raccoon hat, "that's not a car, that's my wife!"

There was a series of cricket sounds by some demonic-looking cricket beings. Moxxie glared at them, but was soon distracted by a tomato thrown in his face. The one with the raccoon hat, smirking as he tossed one up in the air and caught it before throwing it again. The other kids soon joined him as Moxxie yelled and cried in pain while running away from the horde of brats turning him into a living vegetable salad.

He finally lost the group by ducking behind a porta-potty and nearly barfed at the smell as a fart-lard-looking demon came out of it while tugging his jeans up. Groaning as Moxxie slowly took the smashed fruit bits out of his hair, he muttered, "Hope I'm not the only one going through this mess."


"Winner!" a horned, demonic-looking humanoid said as he handed a puffy black sheep doll to Loona, who had found a standard ring tossing game. "Here you go."

"Thanks!" Loona said as she hugged it close to her chest. "By the way, do you know where the captive humans are being kept?"

"Nope, I'm just the ring tosser guy here. I don't get paid to know," he answered as he sat back on his chair and pulled out a magazine. "Now, unless you're gonna spend five more bucks, get lost."

Loona stuck out her tongue before walking away with her new toy. She checked her phone and found that the hour limit was almost up, but sadly she didn't find anything to hint where the captive humans were. At least I got this lovely normal-looking plushie out of it. Seriously, I shouldn't be surprised that some of the prizes are spiked dildos, human flesh, and glow-in-the-dark beating hearts… but then again, this is also where you can dunk an imp into acid.

Loona paused upon sniffing a familiar scent and saw her uncle nearby, holding a beer while awkwardly laughing with some demon that had an "Ohio" shirt on. The two were getting closer when Blitzo spotted her and turned to his demonic new friend. "Oh, hey! Um, I gotta take a whizz. Mind waiting for me at the gun store? When I get there, you can show me that triple barrel dragon-flamed shotgun."

"Sure thing, Brandon! Just don't take the ones the Grotesque Demons have been using. Their shit comes alive and eats you. Not joking," Ohio Demon said before drinking another beer, tossing the can away, and pulling another one out as he walked away.

Blitzo waited until he was gone before sighing in relief and tossing his can away. With an amused smile, Loona asked, "When did you get chummy with a demon from Ohio?"

"Trust me, after today, I'm never visiting that state ever," Blitzo grumbled as he rubbed his temples. "That guy seemed to think I was someone he knew, and I had to pretend I was his friend for an entire hour. I've drunk crap beer and had to listen to facts about his state and how he liked to bang his girlfriends in nasty horny sex play. If it wasn't for the fact that I need to be sober, I'd get piss drunk. I didn't even get a chance to find where the humans are being kept."

"I didn't find out their location either, and I did ask, so I wasn't just fooling around before you say anything," Loona stated as she showed him her new sheep toy. "But I did win this new sheep toy! Ain't it cute?"

Blitzo raised an eyebrow before taking it and pulling one of the ears, which caused a voice to echo from the mouth of the sheep: "Hail Satan!"

"Hail Satan!" humans and demons cheered before going about their business.

"...Well, I still got my lamb chop to hug and keep me happy back home," Loona replied nervously.


"I'm not your boyfriend!" Collin screamed out loud in the ice cream shop back in Purgatory as everyone awkwardly stared at him. Blushing, he looked down while trying to hide his embarrassment as everyone slowly went back to what they were doing.

"You do know Loona's not here, right?" Keenie, who was in front of Collin, asked.

"I can tell when she's thinking about me, alright? After years of it, I've developed a sixth sense for her obsession with me," Collin grumbled as he folded his arms.

"This is why I don't take you out for lunch," Keenie muttered as she rolled her eyes and went to order her treat.

"You sure you're just not missing her and wishing she was here to say it?" Cletus teased from behind Collin.

"S-Shut up!" Collin shouted before turning even redder.


"Great, so none of us managed to get an idea of where the humans are being kept," Moxxie said as he took another towel from his wife and used it to rub the orange juice off his face. The four met in the same area they split up from, only to find each was unsuccessful in their objective. "Also, I've discovered I have no career in stand-up comedy."

"Should we try again?" Millie asked.

"We're wasting time," Blitzo said as he noticed that dusk was almost ending. "I didn't want to do this, but we'll have to use a more direct method."

"Which means?" Loona asked.

"Interrogation," Blitzo said as he stared at the others seriously. "We need to capture a demon and force him to tell us what we need to know."

"Okay, but there are literally so many demons around. How do we know which ones have the information we need?" Loona asked as she scratched her head. "I already talked to like a dozen or so demons - really creepy ones, by the way - and they either don't know or care."

"So, how do we know who to look for?" Moxxie asked.

Just as Moxxie asked, they heard a crash and someone shouting in anger. "Watch where you are walking, you stupid imp!"

Curious, the four of them peeked out from behind the stand to see a blond female human next to two gothic-dressed hellhounds looking down at a whimpering imp with amusement. The imp in question was about the same size as Moxxie and Millie, but he had dark black hair. He looked to be in his 20s if their guess of imp anatomy was correct, and he was wearing a simple ripped t-shirt and jeans. A box of scattered jars was on the floor, and they were all broken, which he was trying to pick up, but his nervousness kept making him drop them. "I-I-I'm sorry, Mrs. Martha! I didn't mean to bump into you! I'll clean this up and-"

Martha sighed and snapped her fingers, and the male hellhound kicked him in the gut. The imp landed on his back right as the glass punctured him and made him yelp. Martha then put her foot on his chest and forced him deeper into the glass, making his eyes water. "I don't want to hear excuses, you little rat! Now you clean this up, get out of your blood-stained clothes, and give our cattle their bread and water! Gotta make sure they don't starve to death for the big show tonight."

"Y-Yes, ma'am," the imp whimpered as Martha finally let him go, and he got up as the human and hellhounds left. The others couldn't help but look at him sympathetically despite him being a demon.

"Poor guy," Loona whispered before shaking his head. "He might be a demon, but that was kinda cruel."

"But did you hear what that Martha character said?" Millie pointed out with a smile. "She mentioned the cattle. If I'm guessing right, they're talking about the humans they're using for their sick little carnival."

"I'm willing to bet you're right, and he knows where they are," Blitzo whispered as he narrowed his eyes at the wounded imp, who sighed and slowly got up after picking up the broken glass. "Stay here. I'm going to interrogate him."

"Should we come with you?" Moxxie asked, tilting his head.

"No need. I've got this," Blitzo said as he rushed into the bushes behind them, and the three just shrugged and waited.


Xein Azadorn cursed his status in life as he walked towards the trash and recycling area just on the outskirts of the carnival. Being born an imp meant you were the lowest of the low and had nothing but disrespect from everyone else. All his life he had been forced to deal with verbal and physical abuse for being small and weak. When it came to the caste system in Hell, it was clear who was on top based on status, race, and power. Sadly, imps rarely had any of those three, and what few who did only did so thanks to the support of someone higher up that favored them.

It was even worse for him after his parents were killed during Extermination Day, leaving him to take care of his younger siblings. Every time Xein had to go through a crappy job like this, he always remembered he was doing this to make sure they had a better life. He honestly felt bad for the humans who were victims of this twisted family that had a sandbox area where their kids could make sculptures out of their bones. Sure, he was no bleeding heart human sympathizer like Princess Charlie, but he even thought this was too much.

Just as he dumped the last of the glass away, someone grabbed him from behind, shoved him into the dirt, and pressed against him on the back. He was about to shout when he heard the click of a gun and felt the cold steel of a barrel against his head. Looking up from the corner of his eye, Xein felt his heart stop, and his breath held upon seeing who was glaring at him with the gun drawn.

The makeup made him look demonic, almost like a tall imp with his horns, but the halo and white wings made it clear who was on top of him. After all, he had seen them once during the same Extermination Day when he lost his parents: Angels.

And that gun must be...oh Satan... Xien thought as he stared at that barrel. One shot, and it was over. Permanent death.

"Stay quiet, and I promise you that I won't hurt you," the angel whispered as he held the imp down. "You are going to answer my questions. Understood?"

"O-O-Okay..." Xein whispered in agreement. He was this close to pissing himself as the angel sighed.

"Look, I'm serious. I don't want to hurt you," The Angel assured him. "Look, my name is Blitz. Okay? What's your name?"

"X-Xein."

"Okay, Xein. Now here is the first question. Where are the humans being kept? The ones they use for all these sick and twisted games and rides?" Blitzo asked first.

"They're in the big top tent, under the bleachers," Xein said while using his arm to lift up his finger and point to it. "Most of them are kept there. Especially for the big show."

"Wow, I should have figured that out," Blitzo muttered. "What big show? I've heard about it, but what is it? Is it for the demon in charge of all this? The one these sinners are worshiping?

"I don't know. I wasn't given access to that information. As for who is in charge? All I know is that Mrs. Martha and her family are behind most of it, but they get their orders from someone else," Xein said while hoping this wouldn't piss off the angel. Thankfully he didn't seem to be and relaxed a bit more.

"One last question," Blitzo asked. "What will you do if I let you go?"

"... Huh?!" Xein asked in disbelief as he looked into the angel's eyes and saw no deceit.

"At some point, there are going to be angels all over the place that will kill every sinner and demon imaginable," Blitzo said, which made Xein gasp. "They're going to kill everyone, but I'm willing to let you go and survive if you promise to just run and not tell anyone I was here. Got it?"

"W-Why would you do that?" Xein asked.

"I saw your expressions at all the evil going around here, and you were just as disgusted as I was," Blitzo said. "I also saw you getting mistreated, and I'm guessing you have no real loyalty to anyone. I'm one of the few Angels out there who knows that good demons exist, and I believe you are one of them. You don't enjoy seeing this, do you?"

"N-No!" Xein cried out. "I just took this job to support my sisters! Really, I had no choice in this! I swear to Sa-I mean, I swear to God!"

Blitzo just continued to stare at Xein until he sighed and got up. Putting his gun away, he motioned for Xein to head into the woods. "Keep running that way, and don't stop. Got it?"

"Y-Yes, thank you!" Xein shouted as he got up and ran with his tail between his legs.

Blitzo pulled out his phone and called his team when he was gone. "Got the location. They're in the big tent. Meet me there."


In hindsight, it should have been the first place to look.

A big top tent of red and black stripes was smacked in the center of this unholy carnival. It was huge enough to fill at least half a city block and had four openings. Each was guarded by either a Hellhound or an imp, looking onward towards the carnival and ignoring the sounds coming from inside. Every now and then, the team would see some of the large family go in and, a couple minutes later, bring out an unwilling victim from the tent. It was obvious to all four of them that they wouldn't have much time without being noticed.

Getting into the tent was easy enough. Millie found a part of the loose canvas they could slip under. So, looking over their shoulders to ensure they wouldn't be seen, they slipped through one by one. At first, they were underneath some wooden bleachers where they couldn't see much, yet they instantly heard voices coming toward the center of the tent. It was the sounds of frightened, exhausted people, some of whom were crying. At the same time, when they entered the tent, their noses were assaulted with a stench that was between an unclean barn and an open sewer.

"W-Who's there?" they heard someone say.

Moxxie reached into his pocket to pull out his phone and switch on its light. Cutting through the darkness, that little flashlight revealed cages that lined all the way around the bleachers like a primitive zoo. Stacked on one another in three layers, these small cages were the kind with no room to stand up, forcing captives to be curled up in a ball. They were chained by the ankle, where each had a dog bowl by their side and a water bottle. Most disturbing, however, were signs above these cages - indicating that these groups were meant for the attractions outside, such as Pinata Ring; Knife Throwing; Hammer Game. But for most, they were labeled under one word: Food.

"Please… Please let us out…." a dark-haired woman pleaded. "These people are crazy. They're gonna kill us."

"I can't feel my legs," said a teenage boy. "They haven't let me out in days."

"Get us out before they come back," an old woman begged.

Moxxie, Millie, and Loona turned to Blitzo, wanting to know what to do next.

At a glance, Blitzo knew that there was no way they could free everyone without getting proper reinforcement. Part of him would release them in a heartbeat - shooting off the locks and chains to get these people to safety. Yet, as much as his compassion tells him, his practical side pointed out that they don't have enough time or resources to help. If the Guardian Angels were to see all this, everyone would have a chance.

"Sir?" Moxxie asked him, "Your orders?"

Frowning, Blitzo said, "As much as I hate to say this, we can't do anything - not yet. We still have a mission to carry out. So let's deal with one thing at a time."

"But Uncle-" Loona was about to say something but was quickly interrupted.

"We will free them, but we need to gather proof and find Jess. After I call up reinforcements, these people will get out of here. But again, one thing at a time."

Millie shook her head, "The sooner, the better."

It didn't take them long to find their way out of the bleachers and into the circus arena, where, upon seeing it, gave everyone pause.

Inside the tent, between two extensive thick polls, was a circus ring unlike anything they'd ever seen. Alongside the wide red circle were hundreds of unlit candles, and inside the ring was an enlarged pentagram with strange symbols within its lines. Yet, their attention turned skyward as they saw dozens of cages. Each one was nearly crammed with people - miserable-looking people who were malnourished, beaten, injured, and, in some cases, even missing limbs. There were also a few with deformities, such as one with an eye missing and another with his mouth sewn shut.

"H-Hey! Hey you!" they heard one of them call out to them. "Get us out of here!"

"I can't feel my legs."

"Get us out!"

"I wanna go home."

"Water…"

"Help us!"

There had been times when the members of H.O.P.E. saw the worst of humanity. From the tyranny of warlords to the heartlessness of kidnappers selling children into slavery. But this… It was beyond horrifying, beyond upsetting to find these innocent people in conditions that were nearly worse than any creative psychopath could come up with. Seeing the pleading eyes and their outstretched hands, asking for help…

Looking over to Blitzo, though they didn't say a word, their boss knew what they were thinking. Indeed, in something like this, they couldn't just leave them alone in such a state. Nodding, Blitzo told them: "Get them down. Even if you can't find Jess, find some way of getting them down. I'll try to send pictures to Heaven…." Then, after a pause, he added, "If this doesn't convince them to act, I don't know what will. Now hurry before anyone gets here."

They didn't need to be told twice, and immediately set to work.

Blitzo took out his phone and flew up a ways to get a good view of everything from the cages to the pentagram that encompassed the circus ring. Then, he thought for good measure to take several more from the pens to an overview of the symbol drawn on the ground. Indeed, with all this overwhelming evidence, Heaven would have to act.

However, looking at his phone, he frowned. Perhaps it was because of the overwhelming dark magic, or they were in the mountains - but his phone was getting no reception.

"C'mon, c'mon…" No matter what he did, from going to the top of the tent to going around, there was no signal whatsoever - and if he couldn't get reception, there would be no way of sending proof to Heaven.

Meanwhile, the rest of H.O.P.E. was going from cage to cage to figure out how to get them down and to see if they could locate Jess.

"You can fly?" one of them asked.

"Well… yeah?" Moxxie replied.

"Might as well," said another. "Considering the shit we've seen, this shouldn't be surprising."

"We will get you down," Loona told them. "But first… do any of you know anybody by the name of Jess?"

At first, none of them said anything. But in one of the cages, a hand stuck out.

Moxxie flew over. "Are you Jess? Jess Gardner?"

"Yeah…"

Moxxie had to be sure. Pulling a picture out of hyperspace of Dennis's sister, he compared it to her face. Dark hair, tan skin, brown eyes, a scar on the left side of her nose - this was her, alright. She was exhausted, tired, and scared like everyone else in these cages. "We found her," he told his wife and Loona before turning back to her. "Listen, we're here to rescue you - we're here to rescue everyone."

"How are you flying?" Jess asked. "Who are you people? Are you even people?"

"For now, we're here to help. So first, we need to get you down."

"Well, you guys need to hurry," she said. "They'll be coming back any minute now."

"On it!" Millie and Loona flew up, following the chain attached to Jess's cage. Since the heavy chain was too thick to cut, they looked to see if it was connected to something. Up and around a beam high off the ground, they found a wench that was locked into place at the end of the chain. Taking hold of the crank, Millie and Loona began to lower the cage - yet found it pretty heavy, to where they needed Moxxie to help lest it crash to the ground.

As carefully as they could, the cage was descending - if jerkingly. They were almost there, too… twenty-five feet… twenty… fifteen… ten…

"Hey, what are y'all doin' here!?"

Everyone froze. While they were busy either trying to get the victims out or to send proof of the atrocities, they hadn't noticed someone coming into the circus tent.

"That's them, Pa!" The boy with the raccoon skin hat - the same one, Moxxie realized, who'd thrown food at him earlier - pointed them out to his red flannel-wearing father. "Those are the clowns I was talkin' about!"

"Clowns, huh…?" The father narrowed his eyes.

"Oh uh…" Moxxie, whose hand was still on the crank, nervously said. "Yeah, we were just looking for the uh… bathroom?"

"Clowns…" The father took a step forward. "We didn't hire any clowns today. We had their skin turned into jerky two days ago." Sticking his fingers in his mouth, he blew a loud whistle. And the next thing the Angels knew, imps, Hellhounds, and family members began pouring through every side of the circus tent. Some of them carried whatever weapons were nearby, while others bared their teeth and claws. Every second, the angry mob filled the tent more and more. "We got ourselves some party crashers! Get 'em!"

There was a collective roar as the mob descended on them. Moxxie, before he could do anything, was grabbed by a couple Hellhounds that wrapped him in chains that each link had a dark rune on the lock, leaving him unable to get away.

Millie reached into hyperspace and pulled out a hatchet to defend herself. She tried to rescue her husband, hacking at any limbs that dared get in her way. She was close to reaching out to him when something hard smacked against her face before the cultists restrained her.

Loona, thinking quickly, flew upwards by the chain before anyone could grab her. She called out to her uncle as imps rapidly climbed up the chains. At first, Loona tried biting and clawing at anyone that got too close to her. However, while trying to fight them off blindly, she failed to notice someone shooting a harpoon net that unfolded over her - snaring her in a trap before she'd even fallen to the ground.

Above, Blitzo tried to figure out what to do now that the plan had gone to shit. He was outnumbered, and his entire team and Loona had been captured. What's more, from the sides of the tent, he saw shadows climbing up. He instantly knew that he had to get out and fast.

"Loona, Moxxie, Millie!" Blitzo pulled a sword out of hyperspace. "I will come back for you!" Then slashing at the canvas, making a hole big enough to fit through, he slid down the side of the circus tent. Before he could fly, however, shots rang out, and a bullet hit his wing. Blitzo screamed as he slid down. Now things had gotten so bad that he couldn't simply fly away. Although still in pain, he needed another way to retreat.

And he spotted one.

Behind some booths, he spotted a motorcycle by a ramp with a flaming hoop. It may not have been the most stealthy way to exit, but it was the only one available to him. When his feet touched the ground, Blitzo ran as fast as he could past the booths and onto the motorcycle before the mob could catch up to him. Thankfully, the keys were still in the ignition.

Turning the key, the bike roared to life. Blitzo kicked the stand from underneath and turned the engine to make it go as fast as possible before anyone in the mob could grab him. Zooming past the horror show of a carnival, he rushed past the gate and into the forest.


The bike had managed to get him away, but not very far. There wasn't a lot of gas in the tank, so he was forced to abandon the bike twenty minutes after his escape. Knowing the demons wouldn't rest until he was found, Blitzo ran as fast as possible to escape the carnival while trying to find a place where he could send the evidence to Heaven as quickly as possible. He didn't want to even think about what was happening to his team at the moment, but he knew they were still alive. No doubt the cultists would wish to use them as a sacrifice to whatever monster they planned to summon.

Lying down next to a tree, Blitzo took a deep breath to catch his breath while trying to get a signal, but there was no luck. "Dammit. This is bad. How far away do I have to go until I get a connection?!"

"About two more miles. And that's if you can get past the lethal traps they placed there just in case of intruders like you."

Blitzo pulled out his gun and pointed it at whoever spoke, only to find a familiar figure holding his hands up in fear. "Xein?"

"H-Hey," the imp Blitzo interrogated earlier said as he gulped. "Please don't shoot."

"What are you doing here? I thought I told you to get out of here," Blitzo said, lowering his gun while the shivering imp sat next to him.

"Well, I kinda was… but I don't have a means to portal myself home. We can't leave unless the humans who summoned us dismiss us," Xein pointed out.

"Oh, right," Blitzo muttered upon the fact that he had forgotten that little detail. "Okay, but why are you here specifically?"

"Well, I was just going to hide in this forest until daytime so I could sneak back into the circus and go home, but I'm guessing you got caught or something, because I got a text saying an entire pack of Hellhounds will be here in, um... about twenty minutes," Xein explained, holding up his hellphone in one hand and rubbing the back of his head with the other. "And their summoners are right behind them. With huge guns."

"Damnit," Blitzo muttered as he rubbed his forehead. "How many?"

"About thirty," Xien answered. "Maybe more."

Ugh, I can take that many, but it will just waste time! Blitzo thought with frustration. His team was in danger, he had no connection to Heaven to call for backup, and the cultists and demons were going to hunt him until he died.

Wait a minute, Blitzo thought as he quickly turned to Xein. A plan began to turn in his head, but it would mean him and Xein trusting each other with their lives. Well, they say sometimes you have to take a leap of faith.

"Xein, I know this is a lot to ask, but can you help me?" Blitzo asked, shocking the imp. "I've got a plan to get them off my back, but it hinges on them believing you. You're one of them, so they can take your word. However, I need to know if I can trust you."

"... What?" Xein asked with disbelief. "You want to trust me? An imp? After you interrogated me?!"

Blitzo winced and sighed. "I'm sorry, but I let you go, right?"

"Yeah, but still..."

"... I can get you a job," Blitzo said firmly as another idea came to him.

"No offense, but if anyone finds out I'm working for an Angel, my family is dead! And not just from other demons, but from my own kind as well!" Xein pointed out.

"I'm not going to ask you to work for me!" Blitzo said as he looked around the tree to see if anyone was coming. Turning back to the imp, he continued, "Do you know Prince Stolas?"

"Yeah, he's the Goetia Prince whose territory encompasses Imp City. Everyone knows him," Xein answered. "Why?"

"Alright, I can get you a job working for him," Blitzo said, which made Xein's mouth drop.

"H-How do you-"

"Look, it doesn't matter. Stolas and I are… associates, you can say," Blitzo said, thankful the red makeup on his face was hiding his blush. "I can help you get a job with him. You wouldn't have to risk your neck for jobs like this, and Prince Stolas is good to his workers, including imps. It would be a massive upgrade from what you have. Your family could even move into the staff quarters with the rest of the worker's families. Just please help me with this, and I swear, upon God's holy name itself, that I will help you get a better life."

Xein stared at Blitzo for a few moments before sighing. "Fuck it. What do you want me to do?"


Martha was quite pissed. It turned out that some Angels had crashed the family reunion she had spent all year painstakingly arranging. She'd been sent into a panic until her beloved Raphie called everyone down and told them the situation was handled. Of course, that didn't stop some of their relatives (like her bitchy older sister) from criticizing Martha for her poor security. Thankfully, a genius little idea came to her to get them to shut up. Sacrificing humans was plain and boring. Why not offer some Angels to their master as well? That would not only please his appetite, but also earn her good points with their master.

Definitely would be worth bragging about, at least. There was just one thing they had to deal with: the one Angel who'd escaped. The pack she and her other relatives were hunting with had been sniffing for the Angel since they'd found the motorbike he abandoned after his escape, but there was still no sign of him.

"Come on, ya lazy mutts! Find that other Angel already!" Martha cried, pumping her 12 gauge shotgun.

"Mrs. Martha, we'll find him, but it would be better if you let us focus instead of yelling in our ears!" one of the Hellhounds complained before sniffing the ground again.

Martha was about to say something when a Hellhound's ear twitched, and he shouted, "Someone's coming!"

Everyone got ready with flashlights pointing forward until they saw not an Angel coming towards them but an Imp, holding his hands up with something in his right hand. "Wait! Don't shoot! It's me, Xein!"

Martha issued every one to stand down as she narrowed her eyes. "What are you doing here, imp?"

"I was told to check on the traps by one of your relatives, and when I got there, I found this Angel tied up in one of the acid webs. The ones that can disintegrate any kind of flesh?" Xein said as he walked forward.

"Wait, you said you saw a dead Angel in one of our traps?" Martha asked, eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Yeah, scared the shit out of me, but he was dead and in pieces with blood coming out everywhere," Xein said as he revealed the object in his hand: a bloody halo. "Look. See?"

One of the Hellhounds walked over and sniffed the halo before nodding. "Yeah, that's blood, alright. Smells like Heaven too."

"Hmm, well, I guess that's that," Martha grumbled. She'd been hoping to sacrifice him too, but three should be enough. "Imp, go bury the body and meet us back at the carnival when you're done. I'll reward you for your services later."

"T-Thank you! And I'll be there in thirty minutes!" Xein said with a smile and a salute.

"Come on, everyone. Let's get back to get the main show on the road. We're running low on time to prepare the sacrifice," Martha said as everyone went back the way they came, leaving Xein behind.


"I can't believe that worked," Xein said as he returned to Blitzo's location. The Angel was healing himself with a minor miracle for the large gash on his wings, along with his arm that he cut open to spill the blood on his halo. After returning his halo, Blitzo cleaned it and put it above his head. "So now what?"

"Now, I need your phone," Blitzo said as he held his hand out. "I can't contact Heaven from here, but there is someone I can call. My phone won't work because it's Heaven-designed; I need a Hellphone to call him."

"You mean… Prince Stolas?"

"Yep."

Xein nodded and handed his cell to Blitzo. "I should probably head back to the carnival before they get suspicious of me. You promise that I'll be safe with whatever you are planning, and you'll get me that job, right?"

"I promise. Just stay somewhere safe and out of mind. I'll come looking for you," Blitzo promised as Xein nodded before running away. Once he was out of sight, Blitzo quickly called Stolas's number on Xein's phone and waited for it to answer.

"Hello? Who is this?"

Blitzo relaxed upon hearing his lover's voice. "Stolas? It's Blitz."

"Blitzy! Oh, I was thinking about you and… wait, why are you using a phone number from Hell?" Stolas asked on the other end.

"It's gonna take too long to explain," Blitzo quickly answered. "Look, I'm in a jam, and I need you to open a portal out of here. Can you lock on to my location?"

"Oh, dear. One moment, my love." Stolas was quiet on the other end for a while. "I found you, but there is a lot of demonic interference. Thankfully, I'm more than powerful enough to break through it. One portal coming towards you in a second."

"See you soon," Blitzo hanged up.

The fabric of time and space opened up before Blitzo, who sighed in relief and jumped in just as soon as it formed into the familiar bedroom of his lover. Stolas quickly shut the portal and hugged the Angel, who soon nuzzled into those warm feathers that made him feel relaxed after nearly half a day of stress. The two quickly locked lips and kissed passionately, but Blitzo quickly ended it to prevent himself from getting lost in his lover's embrace.

"Oh, Blitzy!" Stolas shouted in shock as he grabbed the cut-up arm and growled. "Who did this to you?!"

"I did it," Blitzo answered. "Long story short, I did it to fake my death to some demons and a crazy ass group of redneck cannibal cultists."

"... Okay?" Stolas asked, tilting his head.

"I'll explain that later. Right now, I need to send some information to the C.S.I.A. and the O.D.I.R. if I'm going to not only save my team but an entire group of humans from being sacrificed," Blitzo answered as he got his phone and pumped his fist upon seeing he had a connection to Heaven. Kinda ironic, really.

He quickly sent the data and now only had to wait for a reply while preparing to head back and stop this sacrifice he kept hearing about. Pausing, Blitzo then turned to Stolas while pulling up the pictures he had taken. "Stolas? Mind looking at these photos and telling me what they mean?"

The Demonic Prince took the phone and scrolled through them. The look on his face became more serious with each photo. "Blitzy… what have you gotten yourself into?"

"Do you know what they're planning on summoning?" Blitzo asked, biting his lip.

"Well, yes, but it's who they are summoning," Stolas said as he summoned a book from his shelf, flipped a few pages, and showed Blitzo the same symbols from the pentagram in the tent. "This is the summoning ritual to bring about Gath'turaun, a Demon Lord of Gluttony. He's infamous for his appetite for human flesh, and is known to make deals with both demons and sinners on Earth for power in exchange for large amounts of fresh food. He has various cults worldwide, and I'm guessing this group is one of them. Worse, any soul he eats is trapped in his belly. Good or bad."

"That would explain a lot, actually," Blitzo grumbled as he thought about the attractions and themes of the evil carnival. Not to mention why none of the souls they talked to in Heaven knew about the summoning. The victims were all stuck in Gath'turaun's stomach, unable to pass into the afterlife. Suddenly, a thought of horror hit him. "Oh shit! My team! Loona! They're going to get sacrificed too! I've got to go back and help them now!"

"Wait a minute, Blitzy!" Stolas said, getting in front of him and holding his arms out. "If you're going back, then you need a plan!"

"I've got back up from Heaven coming! There's no way they'll ignore this now," Blitzo pointed out.

"Yes, but Gath'turaun will merely flee, and he'll just do this all over again. Worse, he might seek revenge on you and your friends for interrupting his meal. He's the kind of demon who hates having his dinner taken from him and will go to absurd lengths to get his vengeance," Stolas pointed out, making Blitzo pause. "If you want to deal with him, you must make sure he's killed permanently, but without risking the souls inside being destroyed. Killing him will end their existence too unless you free them first. And I know a way to do that."

Blitzo took a deep breath and asked, "Alright, how?"

Stolas smiled. "Here's what you do..."