Hell, Sweet Hell: The Untouched
by Yesmar1020
The Fool and Magician in Limbo
"Stupid Kacchan. Doesn't he know that he could get arrested if I actually went through with it and jumped?" Izuku grumbled, holding a soggy and burnt notebook in his hand. Surprisingly, the pages and their contents remained undisturbed, which confused him, but he shrugged it off. "Man, these things are really durable. I'll have to thank Mom for recommending this brand to me."
He looked up from the notebook, closing it and surveying his surroundings. The coffee shop he usually stopped to get his mother coffee wasn't that far. Might as well grab some on the way back. He quickly went in, talked to his former boss, filled a thermos full of coffee made with love and dedication, and headed out. He looked out to the street, to plot his route home.
To his left, there was a dark alley that he knew would cut through most of Musutafu and get him home rather quickly, and to his right was the underpass that he walked under every single day when he came home from school. Today was the last day he'd take this route for a while, so he decided that he didn't want to dally and opted to take the shortcut through the dark alley.
Izuku had heard rumors of people going into this alley and never being seen again, but he didn't really care. Besides, who would care if he was never heard from again? All he was to his classmates was a useless Deku that no one cared about.
So he strode into the dark alley, unafraid of what horrors might await him in its darkness. The first thing that he noticed was that he was the sole occupant of the alley, and the further he trekked in, the darker it got. He assumed it was just the shadows caused by the buildings, but as he ventured further, it became increasingly difficult to see.
Eventually, he couldn't see anything at all, not even the light of the street he had come from. There was nothing but a dark, inky blackness as far as he could see. Fear was finally starting to get to him, he glanced around for something, anything to appear in the darkness.
The sound of a fly buzzing around caught his attention and he caught the glimpse of a woman dressed in a red suit. She had a surprised and somewhat hopeful look on her face before she disappeared into the darkness, leaving him alone once more. He ran after her, seeing a light from where she had appeared briefly. Thinking that he had found sanctuary, Izuku burst out of the darkness, landing face-first on the stone floor.
"What the-" a voice that sounded eternally fatigued exclaimed. "I thought Charon already made the last delivery today!"
Izuku lifted his head up, blinking a few times. His eyes focused on the blurry figure before him, his brain already analyzing. The figure was a pale woman dressed in a black suit and a business skirt. Her hair was white and wavy, fashioned into three curls on her forehead. It reached down both sides of her head, tucked behind her ears and ending in two large curls, with the rest of her hair drawn back in a ponytail. Two small black horns poked out of her hair, and Izuku caught a glimpse of her pointed black tail, and the ID card hanging from her neck that gave her name, "Pandemonica."
He decided to let his curiosity about her quirk wait. First, he needed to figure out where he was. He supposed the best way to find out would be to ask the woman before him, as she seemed like someone who knew what was going on.
Izuku opened his mouth to ask her where he was, but the words were silent. Pandemonica raised an eyebrow, blinking tiredly at him. He tried again, the words still silent. This time, she sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"Speak up, mortal. And do it with conviction and purpose. Hell won't let me hear your words if they aren't filled with Will."
"I'm in Hell?!" he shouted, causing her to flinch from the sudden outburst. He looked around, surveying the surroundings and honestly finding himself a bit disappointed in what he saw. There were no pits of sulfur or lava, no tortured souls screaming in agony, no demons lashing at those who had sinned. It just looked like a cavern with a ceiling that was far out of sight, and a red tint in the air.
"Yes, you're in Hell. Judging by your reaction, you're disappointed by what you see. Let me say it this way, mortal. Be glad you aren't seeing sinners getting punished." Pandemonica replied, raising a coffee mug to her lips. She grimaced, noting that the cup was empty. "Damnit. That's the last time I pay Charon for a cup of coffee. Overpriced, and disgusting. Didn't even get rid of my fatigue."
"Um…, why am I here?" Izuku asked, putting as much purpose behind the question as he could muster. Pandemonium turned around, scanning his body and furrowing her brows. She pulled up her clipboard, opening a database on the attached tablet of all souls living, dead, and yet to live. "Good question. What's your name, mortal?"
"Uh, I-Izuku Midoriya."
"Izuku Midoriya…" she repeated, entering his name into the database and frowning when she came to his profile. "Well then. It appears that there's a problem."
"A problem?" he squeaked, anxiety rising up in his chest.
"Two problems, actually. One, your deathday is still a good couple of decades away, and two, you're in the wrong place," she commented, pushing up her glasses. "How the Heaven did you end up here? The list of sins you have are so minor they don't qualify, and the ones that do you've already repented for. Looking at your sin-o-meter here we see that you are at a negative ten, which shouldn't be possible. I don't even know how you aren't physically hurting or the area around you isn't being purified from you just being down here. How did you even get here?"
Izuku blanked, his mind racing through the events that had led up to this point. The desire to get home quickly, the shortcut through the dark alley, the rumors of said alley, how the darkness had quickly overwhelmed him, and the woman in red accompanied by the sound of buzzing flies-
"Wait wait wait, you heard rumors of a dark alley that even the noon sun couldn't illuminate and that people went into and never came out of, and you decided to use that alley as a shortcut? And not only that, you said you saw a woman dressed in red accompanied by the sound of buzzing flies?"
"...I mumbled all that, didn't I?"
"Mortal, that's that loudest you've been since you got here."
"Oh."
"Right. This is past my paygrade, but someone has to make sure you get to the CEO unharmed." Pandemonica said, yawning a bit and stretching. "Luckily for you, I finished all of today's working earlier this morning, so I'll be your guide…"
She dropped suddenly, collapsing against the cavern floor in a heap. Izuku panicked and rushed to her aid, immediately checking her for injuries. "Pandemonica?! Are you alright?!"
She didn't respond, only further increasing his worry. He didn't know what to do in this kind of situation! The nurses at his school hadn't exactly been too thorough in teaching their only quirkless student first aid skills. As he flailed, a walkie-talkie on her hip crackled to life, another woman's voice coming through.
"Pandemonica, are you there?"
He stared at the walkie-talkie. He reached for it and fumbled with the device as the voice spoke again.
"Pandemonica, this is the third time you failed your hourly check-in today. If you don't answer soon, I'll send Judgement to make sure you didn't get snapped up."
He nearly dropped it again, holding it the right way and making sure it was on the right channel.
"Pandemonica. I have my hand over the Judgement button. Don't make me do something we'll both regre-"
"Uh, hi?" Izuku greeted nervously, not sure how the woman on the other end would react. She reacted how Izuku expected, loud and angry.
"Who the heaven is this?"
"I-I'm Izuku Midoriya. W-Who are y-you?"
"They call me by many names. The Beast, the Devil, Ahriman, Satan. My Father in Heaven knew me as Lucifer Morningstar. But these days, I am known as Lucifer, CEO of Hell. And if you have harmed Pandemonica in any way, Izuku Midoriya, know that I will find you, and I will make you suffer my wrath."
"I d-didn't do anything! She just d-dropped! One second she w-was standing a-and talking, a-and the n-next she was o-on the g-ground!"
Lucifer's voice paused for what seemed like an eternity. Izuku wondered if he should've made any arrangements for his funeral or if his mom would be able to handle his disappearance when she replied in a tired and resigned undertone.
"Is she snoring lightly?"
"W-What?"
"Oh for Brother's sake. Is she snoring, you insufferably pure individual?!"
Izuku jumped at her words and looked over at the prone demon secretary, hearing a very quiet snore coming from her.
"Y-Yeah. She's asleep."
"Great." Lucifer chuckled dryly. "Now she's going to be out for a good sixteen hours, unless you happen to have coffee with you, in which case all you'd have to do is wave it under her nose."
"I d-do!"
"Wait, what?"
He took off his backpack and rummaged through it to grab a thermos of coffee. He took off the top and poured some coffee into it, speaking into the walkie-talkie. "I used to be a barista at a coffee shop, but then I had to quit. Luckily, my former boss still lets me come and fill a thermos for my mom."
"Midoriya, don't-" she tried to warn, but it was too late. Izuku was already waving the coffee under her nose, not knowing what he had unleashed. Deep in the ninth circle of Hell, Lucifer heard him cry out in surprise, and the line went dead. She was sure that she had just unintentionally unleashed the most sadistic demon in three thousand years onto him, and the pain he suffered would be her fault.
What felt like eons passed until the radio came to life again.
"This is Pandemonica. Miss Morningstar, are you there?"
Lucifer sighed and pinched her nose, deciding to bite the bullet and assess the damage. "How badly did you hurt him?"
"Midoriya is unharmed, Miss Morningstar."
She blinked. "What?"
"Midoriya is unharmed."
"Pande, forgive my bluntness, but you don't leave people unharmed."
"I'm f-fine!" Izuku assured her, setting Lucifer's conscience at ease. What she didn't know was that when Pandemonica had finished drinking her coffee, she had made a rather unholy sound that made Izuku turn redder than a tomato. She had given a smile as thanks and gone to the walkie-talkie to report.
"Oh thank Hades. I was worried that Pandemonica had turned her sadism onto you."
"Miss Morningstar, you wound me."
"You'll be fine. Mind filling me in as to why a human had to awaken you with coffee?"
"Ah. Well, it's an interesting story…"
"So you saw a woman dressed in red in the Abyss?" Lucifer asked, her tone suggesting that she knew something about that woman.
"Y-Yeah." Izuku replied, knowing enough about tones to not ask further. He'd probably learn about her later anyway. Now was the time to figure out how to get home.
"I see. If you see that woman again, be sure to let Pandemonica or I know, okay?"
"Okay."
"Good. Now, you want to get home, right? I have no reason to keep you here. Unfortunately, I'm a busy CEO and I can't exactly drop everything to whip up a portal to send you home. Pandemonica?"
"Yes, Miss Morningstar?" Pandemonica asked, her eyes cruel and angular, her sadistic side showing in full force. The coffee had caused a drastic shift in her demeanor and appearance, causing her eyes to become angular, the dark circles eliminated and her horns larger and longer.
"Would you guide the human through the Nine Circles until he gets to me so I can send him home?"
"Of course, Miss Morningstar. Will that be all?"
"Actually, if you don't mind, keep the line open while you two travel."
"As you wish."
"Midoriya, as you travel with Pandemonica, stay close to her. Not all demons are as benevolent as us. They wouldn't hesitate to devour your soul."
Izuku gulped, clutching tight to the straps of his backpack. "S-So if I d-don't stay close t-to Pandemonica-san, I'll b-be a snack for d-demons?"
"I mean, you're already a snack. I'd steer clear of any single middle-aged women once you get back to Earth."
Pandemonica cackled as Izuku sputtered, horribly embarrassed by the teasing. It didn't help that Lucifer also joined in on the laughter, her own cackling coming from the radio. She stopped and turned on her heel, marching off into the fields of Limbo. He ran after her, nearly getting left behind. As they journeyed through the top circle of Hell, he saw a forest overrun with a thick fog and saw the outlines of people wandering through it, confused.
"Lucifer-san?"
" Yes?"
"Where exactly are Pandemonica-san and I in Hell right now?"
"Right now, you're at the top of the Nine Circles of Hell, known as Limbo. This is where people who haven't accepted Father, the Almighty as their god, died an untimely death, and unbaptized babies go when they die. Of course, that only applies to people who believe in Judeo-Christian rites."
"Wait, there's more than one Hell?"
"Of course there is! You think we could handle all the traffic of the entire human race? It's hard enough with one religion, let alone two."
Pandemonica stopped and held out her hand. "We're going to have to pass through the Purgatory Forest. Take my hand, and whatever you do, don't let go. Understand?"
"O-Okay."
"Additionally, it is imperative that you think about something before going into the forest. The mist there doesn't affect demons or angels, but for humans, living and dead, it induces a state of confusion. Confusion that allows the creature that roams this forest to easily obtain its prey. Most human souls don't notice the Soul-Eater until it's too late."
"The what?!" Izuku exclaimed in disbelief. No one told him that there was doing to be such dangerous adventures through Hell to get home! Although, now that he thought about it, he was in Hell. Dangerous kinda came with the package.
"The Soul-Eater." Lucifer replied as if it was an obvious fact that everyone knew. "It's a creature that feasts upon those trapped in the forest. You wished to know why you and Pandemonica seemed to be the only two outside of the forest? It's because the Soul-Eater is really good at making sure there's room for more souls."
"Oh."
"Terrifying, isn't it? Pande, take him in."
"Right away, Miss Morningstar."
"Whoa whoa wait!" Izuku protested, but his words fell on deaf ears as she pulled him into the mist. Immediately, he felt a fog dampen his mind, drowning out his panic and replacing it with confusion. He almost let go of Pandemonica's hand, but her grip tightened as she pulled him through the forest, past the other souls lost in its depths.
"Midoriya."
Who was that? She sounded pretty. Did she have a cool quirk? If she did, maybe she could be a great hero. Maybe her quirk had something to do with being pretty and perfect? That seemed right. Like a perfect angel.
"...I'll let that slide due to the fact you're not in your right mind. Midoriya, listen to me."
"Wha…? Lu..ci...fer?" he said, his brain foggy and slow. He could hear something big over to his right, but it seemed to be giving him and Pandemonica space. Probably had something to do with the latter being there.
"Yes, that's right, Midoriya. It's me, Lucifer. Tell me, what's your power?"
"Power?"
"Yes. Just about everyone on Earth has one these days."
"Oh." She meant quirks. The one thing that everyone he knew had, except for himself. He had accepted that he wouldn't get any sort of power and moved on, adapting to become a shadow that no one supported. It hurt to be reminded that he was quirkless, but it happened so often that he had become numb to it. "I… don't have a quirk."
"Oh."
An awkward silence fell between them.
"...I'm... Sorry... I can assure you, I didn't mean to-"
"I-It's fine," Izuku assured her, not fine in the slightest. But he was just a useless Deku. Why should the Queen of Hell be burdened with his problems? She probably had more important things to deal with, like the thousands of other souls that entered her realm every day. "I a-accepted that a long t-time ago."
Lucifer could sense his pain through the radio, and somewhere in her heart she felt a pang of pity for this human boy that she barely knew. She could already tell she stepped into a faux paus without knowing it, so she decided to change the topic slightly.
"I know you don't have a quirk, but do you like looking at others' quirks? For example, the quirks of the people you mortals call 'heroes?'"
Izuku lit up like a Christmas Tree, practically skipping alongside Pandemonica as his vast encyclopedia of hero knowledge surged forward. He had so much to say, and he hoped that they would listen. "Yeah! It's one of my favorite things to do! Actually, earlier today a new hero debuted! She called herself Mount Lady, and she has a gigantification quirk! I wonder if she can only change between her two maximum sizes or if she can also stop midway. Or if she could enlarge only part of herself! Or-"
Lucifer listened to his rapid-fire mumbling, laughing quietly at his antics. Unbeknownst to both of them, Pandemonica watched in awe as the mist surrounding Izuku was pushed back a good foot or two by the strength of his Will. She had never seen anything like that in her entire life, but it could wait until they were out of the forest.
"Oh! I also know of a hero that calls his quirk 'Hellfire!' His flames are really hot, and right now he's the current number two hero in Japan!" he said, his excitement getting the better of him. "It would be really cool to meet him in real life, but I think I'd like to meet All-Might more!"
"Pandemonica?" Lucifer asked, speaking into the radio. She was going to have a long talk with this 'Hellfire' quirk user. See if she could... persuade him to change his mind. "File that under heresy. And if you have anything on this quirk user, please let me know."
"Right away, Miss Morningstar. I will see to it in a few minutes, as I believe that Midoriya and I are almost out of the forest." She replied, noticing the density of the fog decreasing. "I will guide him to the puzzle, but I will not give him the solution."
"All-Might is great! He's Japan's number one hero, and when he debuted, he saved over a hundred people from a disaster by himself! He's my idol, and the reason why I want to be a hero, no matter what anyone says! If I ever see him, I'll ask if he thinks I can be a hero!"
"Midoriya, if there's anything I've learned from mortals, it's that you don't need your idol's approval to be a hero. The analysis you've shown me in the past minute or so is more than enough. There will be people who will try to put you down, who will hinder your progress and keep you below them, and if you let them succeed, you will never become great. If anything, the hardships will make you stronger."
"Y-You really think I c-can be a hero?"
"Perhaps. You'd have to prove to me."
Izuku stopped, his heart full of appreciation and joy over someone finally supporting his dream, even if it was up in the air. It made him so emotional, and he began to cry. Lucifer heard his weeping and panicked, incorrectly assuming that she had done something wrong and hurt him.
"Oh for- Midoriya, please don't cry. It was not my intention to hurt your feelings-"
"N-No, you're fine. I just- no o-one has e-ever validated my dream to be a h-hero," he explained through tears of joy. "My m-mom a-apologized to me a-as a child when I was d-diagnosed as quirkless, and s-she worries so m-much about me. I l-love her so much. But, u-um, thank you, Lucifer-san. You're a really nice person.
Lucifer was stunned. She had been called many things in her life, most of them unpleasant, but a nice person? The last time someone called her that was a few centuries before her half-brother Jesus was born! And this boy, who knew that she was the Devil, thought she was a nice person because she had validated his dream?
This mortal was turning out to be more interesting than she thought.
"Miss Morningstar, we've arrived at the puzzle."
Pandemonica pulled Izuku out of the forest and into a clearing. There, an elevator sat at the end of a path blocked with boulders. A few skeletons stood on the path, rattling their bones to an unheard beat. She let go of his hand, directing him towards the puzzle and setting him at the start.
"W-What's this?" he asked, confused. "Aren't we going to the next circle?"
"Yes, we are. Demons are able to freely travel from one circle to the next via that elevator you see over there, but humans, both living and dead, cannot travel from the circles without doing a puzzle first." she explained.
"Who thought of this?"
"We don't actually know. It was like this when I first installed myself as the Queen of Hell. I never bothered to change it. It's a surprisingly good security system. Now, this puzzle requires you to solve it within a certain number of moves. Fail to do so, and your Will will be drained to zero, and you'll become another one of those skeletons on the path."
"What?!"
"No pressure. This first puzzle is actually really easy, but Pandemonica and I aren't allowed to give you any hints. The puzzle will know and kill you instantly. You have twenty-three Will, or moves. Use them wisely, and you won't end up as an undead slave."
"Uh, okay… how do I start?"
"Just step onto the path. You'll know when it starts. Good luck!"
She stopped talking. Izuku gulped and took a step onto the path, the number twenty-three appearing next to him. Before he took another step, he surveyed his surroundings and found that the boulders were arranged in such a way if he pushed them in a certain order, he'd be able to get to the elevator.
He took a step forward and noted how the number went down. Driving off the anxiety that came with knowing that his life depended on these next twenty-two moves, he took another step forward and found his path blocked by one of the boogieing skeletons. He kicked it, not knowing what else to do, and was surprised when it easily flew back one space.
Izuku looked up and saw that kicking the skeleton also counted as a move, so he'd have to pick his next moves very carefully. He moved out of the skeleton's path and was blocked by another skeleton, which met a similar fate to its predecessor. Izuku kicked it back, noted that it blocked the path forward and kicked it against the wall of the puzzle, where it fell apart into a heap of bones on the ground.
He chose not to ponder what had just happened and moved quickly, coming to the boulders. He kicked them into positions that would allow him to pass through the puzzle, and met Pandemonica by the elevator. She gave him a sadistic and still somehow sweet smile, and he shivered involuntarily.
"Nice job, Midoriya."
"T-Thanks."
"Excellent. Now, take the elevator down to the next circle. Be warned, it's the circle of Lust, so be prepared to see all sorts of debauchery. And if you run into Modeus, whatever you do, do not agree to have sex with her."
"O-Okay." Izuku said nervously. He was still kinda new to all of this, but he trusted Lucifer and Pandemonica to get him home safely, which was odd, considering that society insisted that demons were not to be trusted. But then again, society had beat him into the ground at every turn, and it was nice to have someone who was being friendly with him for a change.
"Keep this up, and we'll be seeing each other in no time."
"T-Thanks, Lucifer-san."
He boarded the elevator with Pandemonica in two, pressing the down button. The doors closed, and Izuku felt them go down. He didn't know what to expect in the next circle, but he had faith in the two that were helping him get home.
They were very nice people, after all.
The Lust of the Lovers
When Izuku stepped off the elevator into the Circle of Lust, the first thing he noticed was the heat. The sweltering, broiling, cook you from the inside out heat. He tugged at his school jacket, already feeling like he was going to suffer from extreme heat stroke. Looking to his left, it didn't look like Pandemonica was faring any better.
She was fanning herself with her clipboard, not sweating as much as Izuku was, but still enough to warrant unbuttoning her suit jacket. She peeled it off her person, folding it neatly and with a wave of her hand, sending it to some unknown location. She unbuttoned the top two buttons of her shirt, exposing a small amount of cleavage that Izuku immediately looked away from, face blazing.
"I keep forgetting how hot this circle is. I may be used to infernal temperatures, but this circle… something about it just makes the heat unbearable to non-denizens. Midoriya, if you want to not die immediately from dehydration, I suggest you take off your jacket."
Izuku looked at her incredulously, torn between keeping his modesty or dying. Pandemonica narrowed her eyes at him, her scowl going as she crossed her arms disapprovingly. "Midoriya, this is the circle of Lust. No one will chastise you for showing off your torso. If anything, you'll be wearing more clothes than most of the denizens of this circle."
"B-but-"
"No buts, Midoriya," Pandemonica growled, stepping forward and allowing her sadistic eyes gleam. "Take off the jacket, or I will."
Izuku hurriedly loosed his badly tied tie and pulled it off, followed by his school jacket and dress shirt, leaving his torso clad in a white undershirt that was already soaked with sweat. He folded his clothing and put it into his bag, facing her sadistic gaze.
"There. That wasn't so hard, was it? Judging by your reaction, I'd say you're concerned about women swarming you and clamoring for your attention. After all, who could resist such a scrumptious snack?"
He turned bright red, and Pandemonica cackled. "You are far too easy to tease, Midoriya."
"I-Is that a bad t-thing?"
"Yes and no. I'd explain further, but I'm afraid we're wasting our time. We need to get moving."
There was a tone of urgency in her voice that Izuku had not missed. Something on this level was dangerous and probably end their journey before it had even started. He assumed it had to do with Modeus, the demon that Lucifer had mentioned in the elevator.
"Pandemonica, come in."
"I am here, Miss Morningstar."
"Good. I scanned for Modeus, and it appears that she's nearby. Should you encounter her, proceed with caution. If she makes any sudden movements, use the ice from Treachery I'm sending you. It should give you enough time to grab Midoriya and run."
A small ice cube materialized in front of Pandemonica. She reached out and it dropped into her hand, relief pouring over her as the cold from the ice cube cooled her body. Izuku reached over to touch the cube, but she pulled her hand away, fingers closing around the cold prize.
"My recommendation is to refrain from touching this unless you fancy becoming a human popsicle. This is ice from the ninth circle of Hell, Treachery. No mortal can touch this and live. Those with a strong will might be able to last longer before freezing to death, but for your sake, do not touch this ice cube."
"I'd listen to her if I were you, Midoriya." Lucifer's voice added through the radio. "I live down in the ninth circle and it's freezing down here. The last still-living mortal to come down here nearly froze had he not immediately turned tail and fled once he saw me. I believe you mortals call him Dante."
"Dante?" Izuku asked, not sure who that was. Pandemonica nodded, pushing up her glasses with a finger. "Yes. I would elaborate more, but we need to get going before Modeus shows up. She can be a bit pushy, but she's really a sweet girl. If she ever applied her mind to anything besides seducing humans and draining their souls via sex, she'd go far."
Izuku nodded, and a thought occurred to him. If he was going to come into contact with this Modeus, it would be better if he knew what he was dealing with. Pandemonica and Lucifer seemed to know her, so they'd be the best people to ask.
"Lucifer-san, Pandemonica-san, what does this Modeus look like?"
"...you know, that's actually a good question. I haven't seen her in a few centuries. Pande, what about you? Have you seen Modeus recently?"
"Unfortunately, I have not. The last time we met was around the time the Germans surrendered in the second world war. I have seen nor heard from her since. The only confirmation of her continued existence is Judgement's reports of men babbling about a sprinkled cupcake and how she disappeared as quickly as she entered their lives."
Lucifer sighed over the radio. Izuku could swear he could hear her pinching the bridge of her nose. There was a pause before she let out a dry chuckle and spoke in a defeated tone. "That sounds exactly like Modeus. Efficient in her soul gathering, but leaves a mess behind for the humans to handle. Poor girl, so driven by her pursuit for lust…"
She sighed, as if remembering a distant memory before coming back to the radio.
"You should get going. The sooner you get across this circle, the better. Pande, make sure he doesn't run off if he sees anything particularly enticing."
Izuku felt touched that she was concerned for his wellbeing. It felt nice to be wanted, even if it was for a small reason. He needed to thank her somehow, but he couldn't exactly sell his soul. He kinda needed that to function.
"Lucifer-san?"
"Yes?" she asked in a tired, uncaring voice. He almost didn't say what he wanted to, but he resolved himself. He wasn't the kind of person that didn't express gratitude where it was needed. "Thank you."
"...for what?"
"For, um…, b-being nice?"
Lucifer paused, not sure how to respond to that. She hadn't exactly been nice to him, and yet here he was thanking her. Granted, she hadn't completely shut down his dreams but she hadn't exactly supported them either. It was confusing, honestly. Surely there had been others to support his dream beside herself.
She remembered his words about how no one would support his dream, and how his mother had broken down and apologized for not passing on a quirk to him. That must've crushed his spirit as a child. How in the name of her Brother Jesus Christ did he manage to survive all of that torture? The pain and agony of knowing that no one believed in you, and your mother apologized for something out of her control?
At least when she had fallen, she had a whole legion of fallen angels with her. Most of them had passed by now, but they had supported her in her endeavors. This boy, on the other hand, had no one. He was alone in the world, and while his mother was still with him, she could tell that their relationship was strained.
Perhaps that was why he was so grateful to have someone who would listen to him. Who wouldn't treat him any differently than they would anyone else. Like he belonged. Were all mortals really this elitist towards those who were less fortunate than them? No wonder the Horsemen were so eager to wipe them all out.
But that was beside the point. Izuku had thanked her for being nice, but she didn't know how to respond. Her solution? Accept the gratitude and then brush it off like it wasn't a big deal. If he wanted her to praise and treat him with respect, he'd have to earn it.
"...you're welcome, I suppose. But don't think for a second that this puts us on better terms. The only reason Pandemonica and I haven't killed you yet is because it would cause more paperwork. Now get moving. You've been in one place for far too long, and I fear that Modeus might be on your trail."
"What about me?"
Izuku yelped from the sudden voice to his left and jumped into Pandemonica's arms. She scoffed and gently set him down, careful not to touch him with the ice. Standing not that far from them was a demon. Like Pandemonica, her skin was pale and her wavy unruly hair was snow white. It ended at eye-height in a left-facing fringe, with two long segments that hung by her ears ending in zig-zag patterns, the top of her hair decorated with small hearts, making her resemble a sprinkled cupcake.
Two short black nubs for horns poked out of her hair, matching the black tail that ended in an arrow point. Her eyes were red, and her pupils were heart-shaped and white. She was dressed appropriately for the circle of Lust, that is, wearing nothing at all. Her nudity made Izuku blush and cover his eyes out of modesty, putting Pandemonica between himself and the newcomer. Hell's Secretary scowled and greeted the demon.
"Modeus."
"Hi Monica!" she said, waving. "What brings you down here to level two?"
Pandemonica pointed herself at Izuku. "This mortal here ende-"
"Oh for me? How kind, I haven't gotten any for so long."
Pandemonica felt herself blush and tried to defuse the situation. "That's no-"
"No need to stay, I can take care of him myself." Modeus assured her, licking her lips.
"He actu-"
"Don't tell me you want to join?" she asked, covering her mouth with her hands. "Is he that good?"
"If you let me fini-"
"Never mind, don't tell me. I'll find out myself." she huffed, grabbing Izuku's hand and pulling him away. Pandemonica panicked and ran off after them, Lucifer's urgent voice coming through the radio. "Modeus, stop! Down, you horndog!"
She stopped and cocked her head in confusion. "What's the matter? I was just going to try him out."
"Modeus, no. For once in your life, think with your brain and not your lady bits. This is not the time to be horny!"
"It's possible to not be horny?"
Lucifer let out a strangled scream of frustration. Pandemonica smartly stepped in to prevent any more hair from being torn out, lest her boss go bald. She faced Modeus and carefully pried her fingers from Izuku's wrist, ice cube ready just in case.
"Modeus, this mortal wandered into Hell by accident. Miss Morningstar and I would greatly appreciate it if you did not harm Midoriya. Now that you're here, I suppose that you can help us navigate to the puzzle of this circle."
"The puzzle? Why?" Modeus asked, tilting her head to the side. She couldn't think about much else other than lust. It was her base instinct to lust after a person, and engage in lustful activities with that person. "Are we getting this mortal a demon harem?"
The effect was immediate. Lucifer slammed her head against her desk, Pandemonica readied the ice of Treachery in her hand, and Izuku began mumbling about how he didn't deserve a harem of three admittedly very attractive demon women, one if which he hadn't met yet but was sure she was still very beautiful.
"...were circumstances different, I would thank you for the compliment, Midoriya, but this is hardly the time to be flirting with the Devil. Get on with it, you three. There are still eight circles to go."
She finished her sentence coldly and was glad that the radio offered a screen of anonymity. If anyone had seen her scarlet cheeks after Izuku had complimented her, she would've turned their blood to vinegar and their bones to salt. She honestly wished that Modeus wouldn't think with her ovaries all the time, but she couldn't exactly blame her, as most demons suffered from a lust for sin in their blood, and it was extremely hard to keep in check.
Modeus shrugged off the incident and walked up to Izuku, her nudity still flustering him. She noted her body's effect on him and grinned, smiling sultry at him. "You and me. Right now."
"B-But I j-just want to go h-home…" Izuku stammered, earning a slight pout from her. That seduction tactic worked ninety-nine percent of the time on mortals, but this one was too pure for her charms to work on. She'd have to observe him and figure out what he liked so that she could seduce him properly. "A-And it's n-not that I-I'm not a-attracted to y-you or a-anything it's just-, s-shouldn't we go out on a date first?"
"A date?" Modeus asked, cocking her head in confusion. She summoned her clothes for Izuku's sake, deciding that a flustered mess was no good unless it was under her. She wore a black blazer with a red sweater underneath, a black pencil dress with slits on either side and red leggings. She stared at him, confused. "What's a date?"
"You don't know what a date is?" Izuku asked, completely confused by this turn in events. "I-It's what humans, like me, do when w-we want to get to k-know someone. S-Sometimes it i-involves romantic events-"
"Romance?!" She shrieked, a massive blush springing to her face. "You pervert!"
"Wha-" Izuku stammered, completely stunned. She thought that romance was perverted? Was that the result of a sheltered existence with no exposure to other concepts of lust? If she thought that romance was perverted, then what did she think was normal?
"Don't try and excuse yourself, you dirty pervert! What's next, are you going to genuinely compliment me or tell me that this dress looks good on me or take me on romantic walks down the beach? Disgusting. You humans are all degenerates. Wait, you don't want to hold my hand, do you? You perverted degenerate."
"Wha- Modeus-san, that's not- romance isn't perverted!" Izuku tried to convince her, but the laughter that Lucifer and Pandemonica had failed to suppress wasn't exactly helping. Modeus blushed further, hiding her assets with her arms so that he wouldn't ogle at her, to which he responded by blushing further and sputtering until he asked the question burning in his mind. "If romance is perverted, then what is normal for you?!"
"Pain and violence. Hurting your partner as they fuck you," Modeus replied matter-of-factly as if it was normal for an everyday person to be a sadomasochist. Judging by the serious look on her face, she was confident that was how one showed their love for their partner. "Isn't that how mortals court each other? By inflicting pain, physical, emotional, and mentally onto the object of their desires?"
Izuku stared at her in shock for a good minute. Wordlessly, he dug around in his backpack until he pulled out a romance novel his mom had given him. He still wasn't sure why she had given it to him, but he supposed she had good intentions and he read it. It was a heartwarming story, and he was sure Modeus would learn a lot from it. He handed the book to her, and she looked at it curiously.
"What is this?" she asked, opening the book and reading the first page. She immediately was enraptured by its contents, burying her face in the book as her tail whipped about in shock, the blush on her face growing deeper with each word she read. She closed the book, her face blazing, and she faced Izuku. "I'll take you to the puzzle if you let me have this book. I might visit you for more."
"O-Okay."
"Great! The puzzle is this way!"
Modeus took off across the fields of Lust with Izuku and Pandemonica in tow. They passed many sights that would've turned Izuku into a blushing mess had he not kept his eyes focused solely on Modeus' back. Pandemonica admired his tenacity and followed close behind him, her sweat fogging up her glasses and rendering her legally blind.
She did not want to get left behind in the unfamiliar plains of Lust, where demons and corrupted human souls indulged in the pleasures of the flesh. Knowing this place, there were definitely a few masochists laying around that would ensnare her and keep her busy for a few decades until Lucifer sent Justice or Judgement to go collect her. She did not want to have a repeat of The IncidentTM.
Speaking of Lucifer, she was still laughing at the fact that Modeus thought romance was perverted. She finally caught her breath and collected herself, clearing her throat before speaking into the radio. "I'm glad to see you three finally moving. You wasted enough time debating whether or not romance was a perverted concept. Midoriya, Hell's morals are what you might consider to be somewhat... warped versions of what you would call good morals."
"Eh?"
"How do I explain this… for example, the notion of romance being perverted. Most demons have no concept of romance, nor do they desire it. For us, someone like Modeus, who has shown an interest in romance, would be considered a sexual deviant. Demons see no need for love. It's rather rare for a demon to express love for someone. It's a concept that we don't fully understand, because not only does it include the sin of Lust, but all other sins as well. Demons don't exactly do well without absolutes. There are only a few of us, myself included, who, with our Will, can think without sin."
Lucifer paused, remembering the love she had once felt from her sisters and Father in Heaven. The love that had been cast aside just as she had been cast from her home, her family, with only a legion of angels that worshipped her rather than loved her.
"But enough about love. How far are you three from the puzzle?"
"We're almost there," Modeus replied. She looked up from the romance novel long enough to point down a corridor filled with what appeared to be pink gas. "The puzzle is right through the Hall of Pheromones. Just walk on through and you'll be fine!"
"'Just walk on through,' Modeus, are you out of your mind?" Pandemonica growled, glaring at her fellow demon. "He can't 'just walk on through!' The pheromones may not affect you or me, but to a mortal like Midoriya, the effect is instant and crippling!"
"Uh, what's the Hall of Pheromones?" Izuku asked, wanting to know what he was getting himself into. Pandemonica was too busy lecturing Modeus about the dangers of a doped-up human on pheromones, to which the latter was hiding behind her novel as the former snarled at her. This left the responsibility of informing Izuku to Lucifer, who grumbled before reluctantly telling him.
"The Hall of Pheromones is a rather… interesting place. It's a naturally occurring well of the most potent aphrodisiacs known to the Judeo-Christian world. It doesn't affect demons and angels but it does cause mortals to be reduced down to their base instinct of breeding while amplifying their libido tenfold. Succubi and Incubi are very careful with this pheromone as releasing it into a crowd creates nothing but a mountain of paperwork and collateral to clean up."
"Oh."
"Luckily, it has a hard time working on people with a strong Will. Considering how you passed through the Purgatory Forest with hardly any problems, you should be fine. Just tell me about something that interests you, and hopefully, that will prevent you from becoming a sex-obsessed horndog like Modeus."
"I am not obsessed with sex! I think about other things too!" said demon protested.
"Really? Like what, exactly?" Lucifer asked, the smugness dripping from her voice.
"Like r-romance!"
There was a brief pause as a loud thunk echoed through the corridor. Pandemonica looked over with a worried look on her face, Izuku echoing her. "Lucifer-san! Are you alright?"
"...I'm fine, Midoriya. I am merely frustrated. Modeus, you consider romance to be perverted, yes?"
"Yes."
"And if something is considered perverted, there is a guarantee that someone perverted likes it and calls it their kink, correct?"
"Yup."
"If something is called a kink, then logically it is sexual."
"That makes sense to me."
"Then romance is your kink, which means you are thinking about sex."
"I-I, y-you… meanie!" Modeus pouted, dashing through the corridor. Pandemonica ran after her to make sure that she didn't leave them behind, leaving Izuku alone with the radio. He gulped and looked down the corridor, watching the pink gas move around like a living thing, tendrils reaching to ensnare unsuspecting prey and turn them into horny monkeys.
"Well, here goes nothing. Lucifer-san, what do you want to know about?" Izuku asked, stepping into the pheromones. The gas rushed towards him, a sickly sweet smell starting to overpower his nostrils, but the gas seemed unable to venture farther than his waist. Lucifer let out a sigh through her nose, unaware of the current danger that Izuku was in. A tendril snaked up his chest, heading straight for his nose.
"Good question. Hmm… is there a mortal hero on your world with a power similar to this corridor?"
Izuku perked up, the pink mist blown back by the Will he was generating. It shied away from him, recoiling as if it had just touched a hot iron. "There is, actually! She's called the R-Rated Hero: Midnight, and she makes pink sleeping gas from exposed skin, which is why she wears a suit that's easy to rip. She used to wear another suit that apparently just a trenchcoat and two belts covering her private areas, but the Hero Commission decided that was too adult so they made her change it. She's actually the reason why there are regulations around how much skin you can show in a hero costume."
"I see. Tell me, is this hero considered attractive?"
"Yeah. She's gotten complaints from a lot of married women because their husbands became enraptured by her, and according to my former classmates, she's constantly made first in the Hero Commission's most attractive female hero rankings for the past ten years. She's really pretty…"
"Oh? Does the hero nerd have a crush on the pretty hero? How scandalous. And here I thought you were better than that, Midoriya." Lucifer teased, barely containing her laughter. She could feel Izuku's blush through the radio, and lost it when he sputtered in protest. "T-That's hardly a-appropriate, Lucifer-san!"
"It is far too easy to make you blush, Midoriya. Your reactions fuel me and bring me much joy. Perhaps I could set up a private meeting between you two~."
"Lucifer-san!"
"I jest, I jest. How far are you through the Hall?"
Izuku looked around and realized that in his embarrassment he had crossed the corridor full of pink mist rather quickly and was standing on the other side. He faced the puzzle and saw the dancing skeletons on the other side, who looked spooky and scary. He was sure that they were only misunderstood, and he only wanted to socialize with them, but at the same time he didn't think he should.
"I m-made it to the p-puzzle."
"Good. It's the same principle as before. You have a certain number of moves based on your Will, if you run out you will become one of the skeletons on the path. Try not to die. I'd rather not file an incident report with Azreal."
She ended with that remark, leaving Izuku with mixed feelings as he stepped out onto the path, the number twenty-four appearing next to him. The puzzle looked easy enough, but this time, there were spikes involved. He stepped forward, easily making his way forward and grimacing when he realized there was no other way to finish the puzzle other than running over the spikes.
He reluctantly stepped on them, finding that the pain the spikes inflicted was minor and he could still stand after being poked in the soles of his feet. He shrugged and continued onward, kicking a skeleton into a wall and moving onward.
The elevator was in sight, but a boulder stood in his way. He kicked it aside like a measly pebble and zoomed forward, finding two more skeletons and spikes blocking his way forward. Realizing that he didn't have enough moves to fight the skeletons, he moved over the spikes and made it to his goal, the elevator.
Pandemonica and Modeus were waiting for him there, the latter with her nose buried in the romance novel and the former with a scowl on her face that disappeared with his arrival.
"Good. You made it. Who else would supply me with this life-bringing elixir if you had died?" Pandemonica teased, getting a rise out of Izuku. "I jest, Midoriya. I'm impressed. Not many mortals make it past the second puzzle, even if they do make it past the Hall of Pheromones."
"She's right. Most of them inhale the gas and devolve into monkeys with the sole goal of fornication. It's honestly pitiful to see them in that state. Regardless, good job. The next circle is Gluttony. While you're there, perhaps you can collect Cerberus. They've been causing disorder down there again and unfortunately, it's so minor that I can't justify sending Judgement to apprehend them. Would you be willing to do that for me, Midoriya?"
"S-Sure," he replied. It only seemed fair. She was going to help him get home, so why not help out where he could? If she thought that he could apprehend this Cerberus, he'd try his damndest to make sure he didn't come to her empty-handed.
"You have my thanks. The climate in Gluttony isn't as hot, so you can put your clothes back on. Modeus, I can hear you drooling over his bare arms. Contain yourself."
Modeus eeped and went back to her book, Izuku climbing into the elevator with the girls following him. This was turning out to be quite the story to tell his mother when he came back. She probably wouldn't believe him, but he'd know. Even if most of his memories of Hell involved Lucifer and Pandemonica teasing him, he'd always look fondly on them.
After all, they were the best memories he'd had in a long time.
The Tower is a Glutton for Pets
Gluttony was not a nice circle at all. Rain, hail and snow crashed down from the sky, accompanied by hurricane-force winds to create literal walls of precipitation that would easily stop any traveler in their tracks. Luckily for the motley trio of Izuku, Pandemonica and Modeus, there was a covered walkway that kept the rain and wind out.
"Oh thank Satan. The walkway is still standing," Pandemonica sighed in relief. "If I had to walk through this damnable swamp with the weather outside, I would not be happy and no amount of coffee would have calmed me."
Izuku gulped. He had surmised that while Pandemonica was on caffeine she was not to be trifled with, and he dreaded the day that he accidentally did something to upset her. Modeus briefly looked up at the storm outside and shivered, since she was so used to the heat of the circle of Lust. Wisely deducing that this circle was a bad place to be in, she turned back to her book and continued reading. Izuku looked outside and noticed that the ground was covered in a swamp.
What looked to be human souls screaming in silent agony resided deep in the murky depths of the marshlands, making his face pale as he realized that there was more to this place that he realized. Time to ask the Queen of Hell.
"Lucifer-san?"
"Perfect timing, Midoriya. I was just about to radio you. Am I correct in assuming that you three made it to Gluttony and are currently in the entrance to the covered walkway?"
"Y-Yes."
"Excellent. My assumption is that you are curious about the marshlands outside the safe haven of the walkway?"
"Y-Yeah. Um, why are there human souls in the swamp?"
"Gluttony is where the souls of the gluttonous go after they die. Here, they are herded into the swamp, like the pigs they were in life. They are packed together, together in their suffering until Cerberus comes and devours and or rips them asunder."
"Oh."
"Hell is not a nice place, Midoriya. There is a reason why Judeo-Christian believers are so eager to assure their safe passage into Paradise."
"I s-see. But w-why is there a hurricane o-outside?"
"Oh. That is a long story. Allow me to shorten it for you. I was once overthrown as the Queen of Hell and imprisoned. The demon that took my place allowed Hell to fall into ruin, which is when Dante decided to visit. Most of the descriptions of Hell in his Inferno are the result of demons letting Hell fester. Lust suddenly gained strong winds, Limbo's souls were left unchecked, and this swamp's walkway was demolished. Dante only managed to cross by riding on the back of the original Cerberus, the grandfather of the Cerberus triplets. My point is, Hell has changed since Dante roamed through these circles. The winds have returned to Gluttony, as Cerberus somehow stole them and brought them here. As to why, I can only surmise that they did it because they could."
Izuku noticed a figure out of the corner of his eye. It was standing far in the distance but when Izuku turned to look at it, the figure vanished. He blinked a few times before asking his next question. "Lucifer-san, what do you mean, the Cerberus triplets stole the winds of Lust and brought them back because they could?"
"I meant exactly what I said. They are agents of chaos. Were they not confined to Hell, they would undoubtedly be wreaking havoc on the mortal realm, which would mean more paperwork for me. As such, this is the circle they are in and it is where they will stay until you collect them for me. You might have to go out into the swamp, but do not fret. The rainy season in Gluttony is about to end in three, two, one, now."
The storm outside stopped almost immediately, the marshlands drying quickly. The souls transformed into squealing pigs as the marsh turned to mud, creating a sea of squealing livestock that could never sate their hunger. Thankfully, their squeals were silenced by the same magic that kept their voices from escaping the waters of the march.
"You should be seeing a large number of pigs now. This is the dry season, where the swamp dries into a muddy field. The souls have nowhere to hide from Cerberus during this season. They are exposed and easy pickings for the triplets."
"Um, do the Cerberus triplets have names?" Izuku asked, watching Pandemonica look over Modeus' shoulder and read what she was reading, snickering. Modeus huffed at her and continued reading, ignoring the secretary's sadistic laughter.
"Not besides Cerberus. The reason for this is due to the fact that rather than existing as three separate entities with individual souls, they share one soul among their bodies. Thus, they share one mind and yet are still capable of acting independently of one another."
"One soul sharing three bodies?"
"Yes. It is quite strange. However, I do not believe you will have much success in finding them if you remain stationary. I suggest heading to the middle of the circle. You should be able to see the entire field from there. With any luck, you'll also find the triplets."
"A-Alright." Izuku replied, straightening up and waving at Pandemonica and Modeus, who looked up long enough from the book to recognize that it was time they started walking. Pandemonica straightened her hair and followed after Izuku, pulling Modeus along with her tail. The former noticed her eyelids getting heavier, so she took another swig from the thermos she had snagged from her mortal charge.
It was as delicious and refreshing as the first cup she had. And to make things better, it seemed that the heat of Lust had warmed the thermos to keep the coffee from turning into a cold disappointment. Perfect. She took another sip, savoring every last drop that had been crafted with love and care.
She was going to have to get Midoriya's contact information after he left hell. Perhaps a tarot card would do.
"Lucifer-san, what do you think the best way to catch the triplets are?" Izuku asked, seeing what he assumed to be the center of the circle ahead of him. He walked into the central roundabout, seeing nothing but pigs and patches of mud. He spun in a circle, trying to see if he could catch a glimpse of anything on the horizon but alas, only pigs and mud greeted him, with Pandemonica and Modeus glancing at him curiously.
"You do not catch Cerberus," Pandemonica stated, taking another sip of coffee. She wafted the marvelous smell of the roasted beans under her nose, letting out a satisfied sigh as she finished another sip and grinned sadistically at Izuku. "Cerberus catches you."
"What?"
"It's true," Modeus added, peeking over the top of her book. "I've tried to catch them at least once but every time, they caught me before I even had a chance. They're really fast and their teamwork is really scary."
"Oh."
"I am afraid that both Pande and Modeus are correct, Midoriya. While I am capable of catching Cerberus, it took a good day to catch one of them and get her to tell me where the others were. However, I can offer a few tips on tracking them. Look around you and tell me what you see."
"Uh…" he spun in a circle, finding nothing particularly interesting. "I see pigs. A lot of pigs."
"Exactly."
Izuku paused. "...Lucifer-san, I'm not sure I understand."
"Remember what I told you earlier about the dry season?"
"...the souls don't have anywhere to hide from Cerberus?"
"Yes."
"Oh. Oh!"
"Now do you understand?"
"They'll be hunting," Izuku realized, his mind already spinning through a plan. "If I can observe one of them while they're hunting, I can determine their habits and hopefully catch them off-guard! But where would I go to observe them hunting? And what kind of souls do they most desire? Do they hunt for sustenance or sport? How will I know when they're hunting? Do they hunt as a group of do they hunt alone?"
As he muttered up a storm, the two demons present noticed his Will growing stronger, both of them drawn to him like moths to a flame. Unbeknownst to the party, far in the fields, three female demons stopped mid-bite on the pig they were eating and looked in Izuku's direction.
All three women were identical, having the same white long hair that flowed down to their waists, the ends tied together, creating a small 'tail' section at the end of it. White canine-like ears poked out of their hair, and the horns that most demons had were not present. They had the same arrow-tipped tail that the demons of Hell had, their eyes wide, large and rounded, creating a very excited expression that they completed with smiles that revealed their canine-like teeth.
They were all dressed in red button-up, long-sleeved shirts underneath black-striped suit vests and black slim fit suit pants. They wore black cuffs over their red shirts just below the shoulder, as well as black gloves and black ties tucked underneath their vests. They looked at each other and grinned, their mouths still stained with the soul essence of the pig.
"Finish our meal here and clean up." The first began.
"Then roll in the mud and act as we've been hurt." The second continued.
"Ambush the human and secure our ticket to the mortal realm." The third finished.
They giggled in unison, eyes flashing with eagerness as they tore into the pig, devouring it in a matter of seconds. Full of soul essence, the Cerberus snapped their fingers in sync, their faces and clothes free of any stains. They stood, the first and second facing the third.
"Are you ready?" They asked their third body.
"You know I am," she replied.
Without warning, the other two pounced on her, forcing her to the ground. They dragged her through the mud, slammed her head against the hard earth and made sure she looked like she had been attacked. After sufficiently roughing her up, they hugged her and whimpered apologies before disappearing into the sea of pigs.
The third Cerberus watched them go, knowing that they had never meant her any harm. After all, everything she felt, they felt too. The perks of a single soul in three bodies were great. She turned and limped towards the nearest covered walkway, holding her seemingly injured side as she made her way towards her prey.
Back at the central roundabout, Izuku was still muttering to himself, his Will blazing like a massive bonfire in the middle of a pitch-black night. Modeus went back to her book, no longer interested in the mutterstorm. Pandemonica, on the other hand, observed his Will and was honestly amazed at how much he was able to muster. Theoretically, a human could only gather this much Will in a crisis situation but there was no crisis. She had to report her findings to Lucifer. Carefully, she took the radio back from Izuku, who was too busy planning in a notebook he had pulled from thin air.
"Miss Morningstar?" She said once she was far enough from the others that her conversation wouldn't be overheard. "I have some observations about Midoriya that you may want to hear."
"What about him, Pande?" Lucifer asked in a tired voice that didn't fully convince Pandemonica that her boss was actually tired. Normally, she'd ask about that tone, but she didn't feel like now was a good time. "I have other things to worry about besides that mortal."
"...you asked me privately to clear your schedule for the day, Miss Morningstar. It was free already."
"S-Shut up!" Lucifer yelled in a rare moment of embarrassment. She quickly composed herself and spoke a tone that conveyed a thinly-veiled threat. "If you value your job, I suggest you get on with whatever you had to say, and do it quickly."
"It's about his Will, Miss Morningstar."
"All mortals have Will, Pandemonica."
"Yes, but his Will is unlike any I've seen in my four millennia of existence. It's much stronger than I initially thought. Miss Morningstar, I haven't been inclined to break any of his bones because of his insufferable muttering. I would've done regardless of the fact that he had given this coffee."
"What exactly are you implying?"
"Miss Morningstar, it's like a fog has been lifted from my mind and I can actually think without wanting to inflict pain on another person. It's very slight and I still want to take Modeus' novel and slap her with it, but the effect is still there."
"...I see. Pande, if you continue to feel this way around him more, let me know. This could be groundbreaking."
"As you wish."
"Thank you. Please see to it that Midoriya is unharmed. I have the strangest feeling that something is about to go horribly wrong."
"On it." Pandemonica replied, turning around to see that Izuku had stopped his muttering and was looking in another direction, concerned. She followed his gaze, seeing a figure limping towards them in pain. She covered her mouth in shock when she realized that it was one of the Cerberus triplet, caked in mud and looking like she had been attacked.
"Help… me…"
Cerberus hoppled towards them, her face in pain as tears welled up in her face. She looked like she was in a lot of pain, causing all of Izuku's hero instincts to flare and tons of red flags to pop up for Pandemonica and Modeus. This was too easy. They couldn't find hide nor hair of Cerberus before and suddenly one of them drops into their lap? It was too good to be true.
"Are you alright?" he asked, rushing forward to the injured demon. Pandemonica reached for him, letting out a warning as she noticed the other two Cerberus about to pounce. "Midoriya, no! It's a trap!"
"What?"
Her warning was far too late. Izuku caught the hurt Cerberus in his arms, who smirked. The Cerberus waiting in the fields jumped, ambushing him. They dogpiled Izuku, trapping him under their bodies as Pandemonica cursed under her breath and ran forward, determined to save his life.
"GET THE HEAVEN OFF OF HIM, YOU FOUL BEASTS!"
She launched herself at the nearest Cerberus only to be knocked back by her tail. She landed on the walkway in a heap, the wind knocked out of her lungs. She scrambled back to her feet, looking back at the dogpile and wondering is she should try and get her hands on some holy water before Lucifer got word of this. Pandemonica's worry soon turned into confusion when Izuku's screams of terror turned into... giggling?
"Nooooo!" he laughed, trying to push the triplets off of him with the biggest, goofiest smile she had ever seen in her life. That smile was so pure she had to squint to look at him properly. Modeus looked like if she turned any redder, she'd blend right into the background of her home circle. "Stopitititit!"
Izuku was not being torn apart. It actually looked like he was being licked by Cerberus. They barked happily, tags waggling rapidly as he sat up and patted one of the triplets on the head, causing her to mewl with happiness. She began whining as Izuku began scratching behind her ears, and eventually, she laid on her back, wanting a belly rub.
He obliged, getting whines of pleasure from her that he mistook for happiness and continued to rub her, not noticing that the other two Cerberus were giving him looks of lust. Modeus grinned, and it looked like she was about to egg Izuku on when Pandemonica interjected.
"Alright, Midoriya, that's enough petting," she said, pulling him off of Cerberus, who whined at the loss on contact. She looked him over and found that he was unharmed, which greatly reduced her anxiety surrounding the incident, but also raised a few questions. "How are you not dead? And how did you suddenly pacify them?"
"Well, I um… sorta patted one on the head as she pounced on me. Then the other flinched as I started scratching behind her ears, and next thing I know they're licking me like a dog that's welcoming its owner when they come home," he explained, absentmindedly running his hand through the nearest Cerberus' hair. He frowned, noting how unruly it was. "You girls need to be groomed. Luckily, I have a hairbrush."
"You have a hairbrush in your backpack."
"Yep!" Izuku replied, digging through his bag and finding said brush. "My mom really liked it when I brushed her hair, so I kept the brush on me so that I wouldn't have to look for it. Really saved some time."
He told the nearest Cerberus' hair into his hand, lifting his the hair and brushing it carefully, getting growls of content from the doggo demon. As he continued brushing, Izuku noticed that at the base of Cerberus' skull, there was a single black dot. He curiously looked at it but moved on for now. He continued brushing, earning pleasured whimpers from all three of Cerberus' bodies.
As soon as he finished brushing the first Cerberus' hair, the second shoved the first out of the way and took her place, demanding that she have her hair brushed as well. He obliged, brushing the knots out and taming her wild, unkempt hair. He lifted her hair out of curiosity, seeing if she had the same black dot on the base of her skull.
She had two dots. That was interesting. He finished brushing her hair before the third Cerberus shoved her sister vessel out of the way, demanding to be brushed. Izuku did as he was told and brushed, lifting her hair to find that she had three black dots at the base of her skull. Who had put those dots there, and why?
I'm not sure, but maybe this will help me tell them apart. I could give them names. Ichi, Ni, San? No, too basic. Ichiban, Niban, Sanban? No, too formal. Icchan, Nicchan, Sacchan? That works. Now to see if they respond to the names.
He finished brushing Sacchan's hair and put the brush away, tieing the band around the end of her hair and watching as she gleefully bounded into his arms, her other bodies swarming him for pets. Izuku couldn't help but giggle as she whined for affection, becoming completely docile when he scratched them behind the ears. He noticed Nicchan trying to muscle her way into Icchan's spot, and he wasn't about to let that stand.
"Nicchan, stop trying to steal Icchan's spot. Be patient and wait for your turn. I'm not going anywhere, Sacchan. I won't vanish if I stop petting you."
Pandemonica and Modeus tensed up, expecting the Cerberus to pounce on him for speaking to her as if she was a child, but surprisingly, his scolding actually worked. Nicchan stood down, her face sad as her sisters received the glorious gift of behind the ear scritches. She wasn't sad for long, as Izuku's hand graced the top of her head with its presence and began petting. She squirmed around in delight, her arrow-tipped tail wagging furiously.
The other two demons stared in shock. They couldn't believe it. This mortal, who had been in Hell for less than half a day, was giving Cerberus, the Triple Demon that lived only to cause mayhem and chaos, scratches behind the ear and it was working. Pandemonica took off her glasses and wiped them clean just to make sure she was seeing things correctly. When her eyes still told her that Cerberus was acting like three excited puppies happy to see their owner, she reached for the radio.
"Miss Morningstar?"
"Yes, Pande?"
"Um, If my eyes do not deceive me, then Midoriya has successfully tamed the Cerberus."
Lucifer's pause told Pandemonica that her story was just as unbelievable to her boss as it was to her. There was a good minute of radio silence before she responded, voice dripping with disbelief. "You're kidding me."
"Miss Morningstar, I do not jest around such serious matters."
"Midoriya, a mortal who stumbled into Hell by accident, has tamed Cerberus? Impossible," she scoffed, audibly crossing her arms. "I'll believe it when I hear it. Visual confirmation is desirable but seeing as you three are still six circles away, I'll have to take your word for it."
Pandemonica pointed the radio in Izuku's direction, where Icchan, Nicchan, and Sacchan were hugging and nuzzling Izuku as much as they could. He didn't seem comfortable with the physical contact, which is why they opted to go for brief touches and hugs, not wanting to stress him out.
"This human smells so nice!" Icchan exclaimed joyfully, nuzzling her nose into Izuku's clothes as much as she could.
"His hands give good pets and ear scritches!" Nicchan continued, practically melting in his hands as he scratched behind her ears.
"We've only known Master for a few minutes, but if anything happened to him, we'd kill everyone in the Nine Circles and then ourselves!" Sacchan finished, her clothes no longer muddy due to a cleaning spell as she hugged Izuku's side.
"Master?!" Everyone besides Cerberus exclaimed in unison. Izuku nearly fainted as the group erupted into chaos, questions ambushing him from all sides. He tried his best to answer them, but he could hardly hear them over the screaming match that seemed to be going on. Not to mention that he had his own questions.
Eventually, Lucifer had enough of the noise and screamed in a language that Izuku did not understand, nor did he want to understand. Just hearing the utterance of the words made his very being writhe in discomfort like his nerves had suddenly decided to declare their independence from the rest of his body and were trying to worm their way out of his body.
The demons present immediately shut up and looked at the radio, their faces paler than normal. The squirming that Izuku felt under his skin eventually stopped, and he looked around, wondering what Lucifer had said to cause such a reaction in his companions.
"Now that I have everyone's attention, Cerberus, would you please explain to me, as simply as you can, why in my Brother's name you have chosen Midoriya as your master?"
"Master is Master because he gives good pets!" Icchan argued.
"Master is Master because he brushed our hair!" Nicchan added.
"Master is Master because he named us!" Sacchan retorted.
"Master is Master because he has shown care and compassion for us, even though we tried to kill him and use his body as a way to escape to the mortal realm!" they yelled in unison, tails whipping as they held Izuku in a possessive manner. He turned red, struggling out of their strong grip as he realized what they had said. "You what?"
"I believe they said that they tried to kill you and use your body to escape to the mortal realm," Lucifer sighed, pinching her nose tiredly. "In any case, you managed to collect Cerberus, which I am thankful for. Make your way to the puzzle. It is not far."
She went silent, wondering how the Heaven this mortal had managed to wander into Hell completely by accident. Mortals don't wander into Hell accidentally. It just wasn't something that you could do. But yet here he was, in the circle of Gluttony, after not only passing through the Purgatory Forest unharmed but the Hall of Pheromones and Gluttony's dry season when Cerberus was hunting. There was something larger going on here, and for all of her formally divine omnipotence she couldn't figure out what it was.
Lucifer's mind drifted back to the report Pandemonica had given her earlier about Izuku's Will. Specifically, about how much he was seemingly able to muster and how her secretary had reported how she apparently was able to think without sin around him. That last bit sounded familiar, like a feeling she hadn't felt in over four millennia. She had a theory, but she couldn't exactly act on it immediately.
She needed more information.
The puzzle that Izuku faced was different this time. It still contained the usual spikes, skeletons, and boulders, but this time, there was a block with a lock that obviously required a key. He could see it in a far corner of the puzzle, but the road to it was covered with spikes and skeletons. Pandemonica, Modeus, and Cerberus walked through the locked block like it was thin air, the triplets waving as he stepped onto the puzzle.
"You got this, Master!"
"This puzzle will be easy for you, Master!"
"Show those skeletons who's boss, Master!"
Izuku gave them a thumbs up and an awkward smile, still not exactly comfortable with being called Master by three girls that he hadn't known until half an hour ago. It felt weird to him, but if Cerberus wanted to call him that, then so be it.
He stepped onto the puzzle and the number thirty-one appeared. The move numbers were getting bigger. Probably to help with the influx of spikes and skeletons he saw as he gazed out onto the puzzle. He took a deep breath, and made his first move, coming to his first obstacle.
There were three ways to go. The first path to his left had no immediate spikes, but if he looked down, he saw spikes and a skeleton in the corner. The second path had a lot of spikes and looked like instant death, so he avoided that one, and the third had a minimal amount of sharp, pointy death so he picked that one.
He walked over two spike tiles and found that the path he was taking was mostly clear, minus another spike tile that he winced as he walked over. He turned the corner and found the key for the lock, picked it up and started moving back the way he came before he realized that he didn't have enough Will to walk back over the spikes.
Instead, he walked to the corner where he had seen the skeleton earlier and kicked it into a wall, causing it to fall into a heap of bones on the cavern floor. He rushed back to the lock, stepping on another spike trap and wincing as it poked his feet.
He made it to the lock and unlocked it, meeting the demons on the other side with a tired smile. Cerberus swarmed him with hugs and this time, he was too tired to get out of their grip, so he allowed himself to sink into their embrace.
"Well done, Midoriya. You're beginning to get used to this place. I didn't even have to explain the puzzle rules to you this time. Keep this up and you might not die horribly."
"Thanks… Lucifer-san," Izuku panted, out of breath.
"...you are welcome."
Pandemonica and Modeus shared a look of confusion as Lucifer accepted Izuku's gratitude, but wisely said nothing about it. They lead him into the elevator, where the CEO informed them of the next circle. "The next circle is Greed. If you happen to find a sour-faced demon who is most likely playing video games, tell her that she and her sister are due for a meeting with me regarding their conduct. Hell does have some standards."
Izuku nodded as the elevator descended, Cerberus hugging him tightly as if they could smell his anxiety and discomfort. They acted almost exactly like therapy dogs, which he was really glad for. He needed something to soothe himself in this place, so why not three excited dog women?
They curled up against him, and he was glad to have them.