CARNEVIL

Part 3

By TalosLives & CrackedInkWell

Edited by Anon

Based on EMositeCC's AngelAUSeries

It wasn't the first time that H.O.P.E. had faced grim situations. Ever since the business opened, there were countless close-calls, dead-ends, and hopeless situations where failure was staring them in the face. Yet, each time all seemed lost, at least one of them was able to save the day. But this time… things were beyond pitch black hopelessness.

Below them, the twisted family and demons were gathering inside the big top for their grand finale. There was lively chatter with them looking up at the remaining victims hoisted up over the center ring. Hundreds of candles were lit around the complicated pentagram while particular objects and body parts were carefully placed in some regions of the symbol. The family was abuzz with anticipation.

"There's gotta be something…." Millie tried to wiggle the bars to see if any were loose. "... There's always something…."

In the center of all this, a small cage had been set up at the last minute. The three angels cramped inside had already tried to push and bend against their cage's bars, ceiling, and floor. However, the entirety of it, from top to bottom, was covered in strange symbols and ruins. Even the lock had a ten-pointed pentagram that burned when touched. No matter what they did, nothing they had could break it.

"Millie, I don't think there's anything we can do." Moxxie sighed.

Millie huffed, "Pardon my English, but that's bullshit, and you know it."

Moxxie didn't feel like fighting with her, yet he was stating a fact. Since they had been captured, whatever weapons they had on them were taken. Even what they could carry in hyperspace. Moreover, the cage was so small and cramped that the three could only stick their legs out while being back-to-back. There wasn't even enough room to stand in as the ceiling was mere inches from their heads. And they couldn't even swing their legs enough to move the heavy cage - even if they could, they had no place to hang towards.

Loona looked out straight ahead while facing the striped canvas of the tent. She imagined that beyond it, her uncle was gearing up to save the day. While she had seen him in action on occasion, Loona knew that Blitz wasn't the kind of angel to give up on any of them - he was a former Exorcist, after all. They were made out of sterner stuff than the average angel. He even survived living in Hell for a year. Any moment, he would come back with guns blazing and swords flying. Any minute he's going to make an entrance that would free them and everyone else from these cages.

Only… it'd been hours now. If Loona's uncle were to save them, he would have done so already. She vaguely remembered guns firing earlier. Did he get shot? If so, what was with the roaring motorcycle engine right after? Where did he go? Was he still… Loona didn't want to think about that. Especially not… No. He's still alive out there, somewhere.

He had to be. He promised he would always be there for her after she lost her parents. And he would never break that promise.

"Well, we can't just sit here and expect to get sacrificed by whatever's gonna come out," Millie said, trying with all her might to get the cage to move, but with no luck.

"Hon," Moxxie turned to his wife. "Please… just stop. I know what you're doing, and it's not gonna work."

"No! I refuse to give up!" Millie declared, getting mocking laughter from below. "I ain't gonna let all this happen without a fight."

"Listen, angel lady," they heard one of the victims say from a nearby cage. A blond teenager, whose face pressed up against the bars, had been watching Millie the whole time. "We've already tried that. We've already done everything you can think of. Pressed against the floor and ceiling, wiggled the bars, swung around, but nothing we did helped us get down."

"There's always something." Her struggle died down, however, when she noticed Jess crying in her crowded cage. "Hey… you alright?"

"N-No…" Jess answered. Her legs and arms were shaking, and her breath quickened with every inhale. "We're gonna die here, are we?"

Moxxie looked up to respond, but Millie beat him to it.

"Darling, even if we do, it's still going to be okay."

"How?" Jess questioned. "Look around. We're gonna be sacrificed to a demon. How would any of that still be okay?"

"Jess, listen to me. I know I'm the more determined angel of the group, but the truth is I've been in something like this before."

Jess wiped the tears from her eyes. "You have?"

"Millie, you don't-" Moxxie tried to say, but his wife raised a hand to let her speak. She looked him in the eye - yes, now was the time to share.

"Sometime back, before I met my husband, I used to be a police officer of sorts. At the time, I considered it a step up from my previous life as a farmer. I had a purpose and a clear goal to keep people safe. But the thing is that when you look for trouble long enough, eventually, trouble will come back to bite you. I used to be known as the cop with a temper, someone who could get fired up with very little push, ya know? Someone eventually figured out how to use that reputation against me. And it uh… blew up in my face."

"What happened?"

Millie sighed. "The short version is that the bad guys I was after used my short fuse to lead a rookie and a detective straight into a trap. I was told to stop and think, but… well, I wasn't listening. And because of that, we got clobbered and captured. We were strung together in chains, and the three of us were badly hurt. Flung into an incinerator, none of us could do anything to get out. At first, things were entirely hopeless, but… luckily for us, the detective we were with was a smart cookie. Somehow he undid his clip tie, bent it, and used it to pick the lock."

"That's a cool story," Jess pointed out, "but what does that have to do with right now?"

Mille smirked. "I learned an important lesson that day - everything will be alright in the end, and if it isn't, it's not the end. One way or another, we will get out."

All around, the leading lights dimmed except for the hundreds of flickering candles. Spotlights lit up and went about to search for their host. "We might get out," Loona commented, "but not in the way any of us want to."

The spotlights glided across the bleachers, swerving this way and that until a voice came up on the loudspeakers where they all came together.

"Good evening, Le Belle family! Are we having a bloody good time?"

The family cheered as the spotlights focused on a single point. In the dim light of the circus tent, the Father walked out. His head rose, changing from his funnel-red shirt to a blood-stained robe. Waving a free hand at the entire family, he said with the microphone, "Now settle down! Settle down! I know we're all excited, and believe me when I say that we all have a good reason to be." There was an approving sound from the bleachers. "This reunion alone has broken many of our previous records - most murders committed in the past week. Most victims tortured. And! Let's not forget," He pointed to the changed angels, "this will be the first time we have genuine angels for our big sacrifice!"

Millie fought against the bars while the crowd cheered.

"All of this would be memorable enough! But… we all know what we're here for: the 'main event', you might say. With so much blood and guts spilled these past few days, we're on the cusp of bringing out our guest of honor! Should we welcome him?!"

The family roared in approval.

"Alrighty boys, y'all know what to do."

From the bleachers, each pair of men dragged out ten unwilling victims towards the center ring - five were human, and five were imps. They were tied and gagged as they tried to kick and fight against what was coming while they were set up at specific points of the pentagram. The Father, meanwhile, was handed an unusual gun with unusual bullets.

Overhead, the angels were shocked at what kind of weapon the Father was carrying - he was carrying Moxxie's pistol and loading it with ten holy bullets. They realized what he was about to do. He wasn't just going to kill all ten victims - he was going to erase them one at a time.

When the Father reached the first victim, the family began a chant that was low as a whisper but echoed all around.

"Festum veni, gula daemon, carnis paravimus. Gustate invitas dapes doloris quas infigimus. Invocamus te, Domine Gath'turaun; Venite et commedite misericordiam nostram."

One by one, the Father aimed the gun at their foreheads and, at point blank, pulled the trigger. Human and demon victims alike were pissing themselves when it became their turn. By the time the ninth victim was killed, the gag from the last remaining imp had come undone. When the Father marched over, everyone heard him scream.

"No! Wait! Please! I'll do anything! I'll let your dog fuck my ass dry! I'll be your slave for life! I'll file your taxes! Don't kill me! Please don-"

BANG!

The remaining imp in the pentagram was shot and instantly fell over. His blood was the last thing needed to summon the cult family's demonic master. All around the circus ring, the complicated pentagram glowed a Hellish red as the chanting increased in volume. Horrified, both angels and humans up above could only watch as the ritual reached its climatic finish. The candles burst into flames, like the gate to Hell was opened. And from the fire and the reddish lines of the pentagram, something crawled out. First a hand. Then another. And then a blobby head poked out.

Only when the intense flames died down did they see the gigantic, obese demon. A disgusting lump of flesh and fat. Underneath his white eyes was a mouth that seemed to have teeth upon rows and rows of teeth. The fleshy hands, each finger was the size of a man, were coated in grease, gravy, and dried blood. This demon lord only wore a pair of very stretched and strained paints. The angels wished he had a shirt, as they could see his bulging belly, which seemed to have hundreds of still living souls pressing up, trying to claw their way out.

"I can't believe this is coming out of my mouth," Loona remarked, "but we are so royally fucked."

"Hello, Le Belle Family!" Gath'turaun roared out like a hungry stomach. "Are we ready to eat!?"

The family roared like the fans of a stadium's home team.

The Father went up to face Gath'turaun. "It's a mighty honor to have you here, and you're in luck! Because we've captured some… delicacies, we hope you will enjoy."

"You had me at delicacies." The enormous demon laughed, and his belly jiggled and mixed. "So what do you get for me?"

"If I could direct your attention to that cage over there," The Father gestured, with the stage lights rising towards the angels. "This year, we've captured some-"

"Oh my fucking Lucifer on God's Bones! Angels!" Gath'turaun gushed, wobbling over to cling to the tiny cage. "Real! Genuine Angels! Do you know how hard it is to get these? Alive no less?!"

"I take it you're pleased with this year's offering?"

"Pleased? I'm over the moon! Do you realize what you have?" There was a glint of joy in Gath'turaun's eyes. "Their flesh is the stuff of legend! So tender are their legs that they melt in your mouth! So juicy are their breasts and thighs that eating them raw is like they've already been cooked and seasoned! And so flavorful is their skin, it's said to be addictive. And to have not one, but three here…" He looked around at the other human victims. "My… I don't know if I should have them now or later."

"If we're that special to you," Millie shouted, her face pressed up against the bars, "why don't you just eat us?"

Gath'turaun, with a raised eyebrow, took hold of the cage in his hand and turned it so that he would look at the glaring angel that dared speak to him. "Come again?"

"If you're pleased as punch to eat us, then do so! Let everyone else go! These folks had been through so much and probably caught at least a dozen diseases - but us? It's us you really want, isn't it? Let them all go, and you can eat us."

A burst of deep, rumbling laughter erupted from Gath'turaun's sewer-stretched mouth. "Aww, isn't that sweet? The spicy heroine with a sugar-coated heart." He grinned. "I didn't come here for a snack, little lady. I came here for a feast. And I know it's a bad habit to have dessert before dinner. But you know what? I think I wanna taste you first."

"No! Leave her alone! Take me first!" Moxxie cried out as Garh'tuaraun reached for the cage, while Millie looked at him in defiance. The demons and sinners cheered at their lord and master, ready to begin his great feast.

However, everyone went silent when the lights suddenly went out. The main tent went pitch black, save for the summoning candles around the glowing pentagram. Mutterings of confusion spread as people began wondering if it was part of the act or an actual electrical malfunction. A few tried to move in the dark, but stumbled and fell down the stairs, injuring themselves. Sighing with annoyance, Gath'turaun grumbled, "You know, it's hard to eat in the dark. I may be a powerful Lord of Gluttony that can devour thousands of souls, but I do not have night vision."

"I-I-I apologize, Lord Gath'turaun! We'll get this fixed right away!" Father shouted as he turned to the staging crew box in the upper left corner. "Hey! What in tarnation are you jerkwads doing?! Get those lights back up!"

However, no sooner did he say this than a pair of stage lights went up and started circling around the roof of the big top. Everyone's attention was gathered as they continued to dance around before a voice on the speakers spoke up. While many were confused by who this person was, the three angels' eyes widened, and their hearts lifted with hope.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Demons and Sinners alike!" Blitzo's voice echoed across the tent with a showman's theatrical tone. "Presenting, for one night only, the return of one of Heaven's Greatest Trapeze Artists. A member of the Great Flying Lighthorn Family, put your hands, paws, and tentacles alike together for the one and only: BLITZO!"

The lights then focused themselves on the top of the right pole, where, standing on one of the pole stages, was Blitzo. He smiled, posing with his arms up in the air as his wings flared completely open. He bowed and retracted his wings, before reaching for one of the trapeze bars on standby and swooping down from his sky stage. The crowd silently watched as Blitzo swung down and upward again as a second bar appeared. Just as they were about to meet in the middle, Blitzo swung himself off the bar. He flipped in the air a few times and grabbed the bar before swinging to the other side. A few people clapped for this before getting smacked by someone next to them.

Blitzo posed again before heading off , this time aiming for his co-workers' cage. Summoning his Exorcist blade, Blitzo swung down at top speed before swinging his sword at the cage holding his fellow angels. Like a knife through butter, the sword slashed through the steel, and the prison quickly fell apart. The three angels rapidly extended their wings and flew out before Gath'turaun could grab them. Blitzo, swinging back up, promptly let go, spun around three times with the grace of a ballerina, and grabbed the bar again just as it descended. This time, however, he was aiming for Father, who gasped and tried to escape, but Blitzo's two feet connected with his back hard and sent him flying head-first into the window of a nearby clown car.

"Ralphie!"

"Daddy!"

Martha and her two kids quickly rushed from their seats to help their injured family member. Broken glass was all over his forehead, and he winced as his wife took it out while his kids held his jeans in concern. Blitzo, coming back down, let go of the bar, flipped again, and slid down on the ground on his knees before presenting himself with his arms extended and his wings flaring out again. "Ta-da!"

There was a long silence and even a few crickets from some cricket demons.

"Oh, come on! That was a great performance! You guys just don't know a good circus act when you see one," Blitzo shouted with a scoff before getting up and looking at Gath'turaun, who was glaring down at the angel with amusement. "So, big, fat, and ugly? I'm guessing you're the ringmaster of this little cult?"

"Indeed I am, Little Angel," Gath'turaun said as he lowered his head and grinned at the unintimidated angel with many teeth. "And you're quite an interesting one. Four angels to dine on. This will be quite a happy feast indeed."

"Sorry, you sick son of a bitch," Blitzo glared as he twirled his sword in hand. "But you've had your last meal. The only thing that awaits you is a crash course to oblivion. Along with the rest of these sick freaks."

This made Gath'turaun laugh so hard his belly started jiggling, and the souls inside his stomach yelled from the movement. Blitzo looked at them with pity. He was moved to try and free them now, but he had to remember Stolas's plan for getting them out. He also had to time everything perfectly with those waiting to make their grand entrance. Gath'turaun, after calming down, looked at Blitzo with a flare of his power enveloping him as a dark, sickly green aura began to spread around him like a mist of fire. "And what do you think you can do alone, Little Angel?"

Blitzo looked behind him to see Millie, Moxxie, and Loona land beside him and smirk before preparing themselves for a fight with their fists. "I'm not alone. I got a family behind me."

"Three other angels won't make a difference," Gath'turaun stated as he spread his arms out to the crowd of sinners and demons who were all getting their weapons or magic ready for a fight. "I have an entire army at my disposal, ready to tear you all to shreds. Perhaps if you surrender now, I'll rip your heads off before sucking your guts out of your neck like noodles."

"Yeah, see, there is one little thing I forgot to mention. I kinda decided this show needed a bigger audience," Blitzo said before grinning. "So I called in a few friends."

Large bursts of light emerged from the top of the big top as everyone but the angels below winced and covered their eyes with their arms. However, the ones who were in pain the most were the demons, who all soon realized that this was, and panic began to spread among them. The lights were that of the shining eternal glory of Heaven itself. Gateway portals from beyond were opening through the rifts of dimensional barriers separating the two realms. The humans stared at them in awe through the light. The prisoners felt something they hadn't felt in so long: hope. A warm glowing hope of salvation had come to answer their long-lost prayers at last. It was a feeling of utter dread for the sinners, the deprived family of cannibals. The light was a sign of terror for those who turned away from the light of God and into the embrace of darkness.

Figures with wings of pure white began to emerge from the portal, their numbers increasing with each passing second. There were dozens of portals, each opening wider to let more angels through, but these were no ordinary angels. They were armored from head to toe with white holy steel that shined like starlight, made from metal not found on Earth that was stronger than any creation mankind had ever made. They wore battle combat geared gauntlets and greaves with holy symbols carved into steel while glowing with an ethereal golden shine. Their chests were laced with golden plates, and a silver cross in the middle stood proudly in design to let all know who they fought and protected for in his name. Capes of white flowed behind them despite the lack of wind as diamond-encrusted shoulder bucklers bore symbols of a shield with a sword on top of it and two white angel wings spread out on opposite ends of the shield. The figures wore hooded helmets with white masks covering their heads save for golden visors that made a "Y" shape in the middle for the eyes and mouth. In each of their hands stood holy angelic weapons. Some were martial, like spears, swords, and axes. Others were ranged, like bows, crossbows, and advanced-looking guns that seemed more befitting of a sci-fi setting.

Yet they were all deadly, and in the hands of Guardian Angels, they were the bane of the demonic.

Heaven had come at last to reap the sins of this unholy ceremony and save the innocent from their demise.

Gath'turaun looked in horror at the number of angels before him and then snarled at a smirking Blitzo, who grinned. "Time for the real main event: The Retribution of Heaven. You fat bastard."

A powerful and mighty voice shouted from the army of angels, "GUARDIAN ANGELS! SLAY THE DEMONS! SAVE THE HUMANS! REAP THE SINNERS! BRING FORTH THE LIGHT IN THE NAME OF GOD!"

The Guardian Angels cried out in acknowledgment and descended faster than anyone could blink. Half a hundred demons and sinners were already slain by the wrath of their holy attackers in the mere seconds following their descent. Blades sailed across the air, covered in the blood of the forsaken as the cries of agony and suffering echoed in the big top tent. Sinners tried to run, trampling over each other to escape their judgment, but the angels showed no mercy, even after they pleaded for it. They could see, through their visors, that every soul of this cursed family was tainted with unforgiving capital sins. Their crimes and actions were too numerous to name, and their fate was sealed due to their demonic dealings and murderous acts. As for the demons, they tried to put up a good fight, but none of them had the skills to mess with Guardians. Limbs were cut off, heads were decapitated, bodies were pierced or shot into mush, and every demonic soul lost to the battle was obliterated forever. For angel steel was the only means to permanently kill demons without any successful chance of revival.

The entire tent was slowly piling up with dead bodies and pools of blood to the point that the stands were becoming pure red in gore. Some tried to reach for the exits, only to gasp in horror as holy white barriers surrounded their means of escape and sealed them inside for the slaughter. Yet slaughtering was not the only thing the Guardians Angels did. They never forgot their proper task as numerous broke the prisons of the sobbing captives and teleported them out of the tent. They would be safe and receive appropriate care to deal with their suffering.

Gath'turaun could only watch in horror as his cult was slowly being slaughtered before him, but it was not the deaths of his followers that made him so afraid. Instead, it was the fact that Guardian Angels were aiming right at him. He summoned an energy shield of pure demonic power, and the various Guardian Angels attacking him bounced off. As they tried to break through, Gath'turaun realized he could not hold on for long and began to quickly unsummon himself. Blitzo watched as the various seals and symbols around the large pentagram began to glow. He had to act now or Gath'turaun would escape into Hell.

"Guys! I'm going to stop Gath'turaun, but I need you to-" Blitzo nearly felt his halo get knocked off his head when a bullet hit it.

Turning in the direction it came, he saw Martha and her family growling with hatred at the angels. Cocking the lever action rifle in her hands, Martha shouted, "You son of a bitches ruined everything! Now you're slaughtering my family! I'll kill you fuckers and sacrifice your skulls to Satan!"

"Ugh, you three deal with these guys! I'm handling Tubby!" Blitzo shouted as he made a rush for Gath'turaun.

"With pleasure!" Millie said as she cracked her knuckles. "Normally, I like doing this with blades, but I can use good old fists once in a while."

"I'm already armed," Loona said, showing her teeth and claws.

"Um, who gets who?" Moxxie asked as he gulped at the kids who were holding knives. "I'm not comfortable killing kids… even if they are doomed to go to Hell."

"Fine, I'll take the brats," Loona replied, rolling her eyes. "You can go for the big fake boobed bitch."

"My breasts are not fake!" Martha shouted.

"Keep telling yourself that, Silicon Sack Slut!" Loona shouted back before both sides charged at each other.

Millie, who was dealing with Ralphie, was easily dodging the blows from his knife. She smirked as she jumped left, right, and even flipped once or twice, dodging no matter how many times Ralphie tried swiping at her.

"Stand still, ya varmint!" Ralphie growled.

"Why? Can't you catch me, old man?" Millie teased as she ducked from another swipe, slid between his legs, and smashed her fist into his groin, which made him yelp in pain as he dropped his knife. Holding his groin with both hands, he was defenseless when Millie latched behind him and put him in a choke lock. However, her arms were too small, and he grabbed her shoulders before slamming her down on the ground. He then tried to stomp hard on her face, ignoring the pain as best as he could, but Millie rolled out of the way, flared out her wings, and took to the skies for a bit.

However, Ralphie managed to grab the hem of her dress, dragged her down, and delivered a straight punch right into her face. Knocked to the ground, lip bleeding, Millie growled as Ralphie rushed at her. With a burst of speed, she tackled him right in the stomach, making him kneel before she flipped over his head and bounced off his back.

Rolling onto the floor, Millie grabbed the knife Ralphie had dropped just as her attacker got his second wind and charged at her. He tried to punch her, but she merely dodged slightly to the right and stabbed the arm a few times above and below it before one final stab went into the arm, and she then sliced it open.

Ralphie screamed in agony before trying to attack with his other arm. Millie slashed it open, stabbed the wound, and dragged it up and down the large slash mark to the point where it cut deep into the bone. Unable to take the pain, the sobbing Ralphie fell to the ground on his back, screaming in pain before Millie shut him up by stabbing him right in the neck. Gurgling blood out of his mouth, Ralphie made one last gasp before fully going limp in his growing pool of blood. Satisfied with her work, Millie took out the knife and twirled it around. "Knife to meetcha. Enjoy your stay in Hell."

Loona looked at the two sinister grinning kids holding onto their bowie knives with eagerness as if they were about to play with a new toy. The girl had to be no more than ten, and the boy had to be no more than eight. Normally, Loona wouldn't want to try and hurt kids this young, but it was clear from how they looked at her and licked their knives that this wasn't their first time doing this.

"It's nice to have a new critter to play with," the girl said before turning to her brother. "Ain't that right, Rocky?"

"Sure thing, Sally," the brother replied with a chuckle. "It's been a while since we skinned a dog."

"I take it you've skinned lots of dogs?" Loona asked, glaring at them while growling.

"Well, dogs can only get ya so far," Rocky answered. "Now, babies? Them's real nice when ya get the knife under and hear them scream and scream until they're silent for good."

"... Yeah, I have no regrets for what I'm about to do," Loona said before, in a flash, she launched herself at the boy.

His sister tackled her first and tried to hold Loona down while lifting her knife, but Loona was far stronger and headbutted her in the head before knocking her back with her wings. Rocky tried to get at her from behind, but a quick whip of her tail knocked him back before she slammed a foot into her face. She then unleashed her claws and started tearing his body apart, making him scream like, well, a child.

Drawing blood all over her fur, Loona was so focused on tearing the boy up that she ignored Sally too long, which caused her to get a knife in the shoulder. Although barking in pain, Loona responded by elbowing Sally in the face while the blade was torn out. Despite bleeding, Loona ignored the pain and dodged a few angry slash attempts by Sally before she managed to catch wind of the next blow. Timing it right, she sank her teeth into Sally's arm, causing the girl to yell while attempting to kick Loona off. Instincts kicked in as Loona shook and dragged Sally around while keeping her grip on her arm as tight as possible.

Rocky, wanting to save his sister, got on top of Loona and tried to tear out her hair by pulling it back, but Loona refused to budge. Only when he poked her in the eye did she finally let go, but both kids soon tackled her. Loona growled as Rocky held her legs and Sally held her arms while smirking at the angel, insanity in her eyes.

"What the fuck you gonna do now, bitch?! Oh, I can't wait to skin your ass and wear you like a fur co-" Sally's ranting was silenced when Loona, lifting her head up, snapped her jaw around Sally's neck and ripped it open.

Sally gripped her bleeding throat. Rocky screamed in horror and held his dying sister, while Loona got up and spat out the blood and skin in her mouth. "You talk too much."

Teary-eyed, Rocky watched as the life faded from his sister's eyes and her hands fell limp to her sides. He snarled and grabbed his and his sister's knife before running for a glaring Loona with a rage-fueled scream. Loona waited until he was close enough to fly over his head and smash her feet on top of his back. Once she was on top of him, Loona quickly put her paws in the proper positions around Rocky's neck and did a firm twist.

CRACK!

Rocky's body jolted for a second as the nerves lost contact with one another, and he went down like a sack of potatoes. Sighing, Loona soon started licking her wound and double thinking about her plans for her and Collin to have kids when they married.

At that same time, a certain sheep sneezed.

If you were to ask anyone who the most merciful and kindhearted member of H.O.P.E was, everyone would tell you it was Moxxie. The guy had a heart of gold and openly preached forgiveness to even the worst of sinners if it was possible to save them. However, Moxxie had his limits, and the sinners who had taken part in these sick depravities were nothing more than monsters. He had no problem taking down these murderers, especially the ones who seemed to have hosted the whole thing. The only problem was...

"Why do I have to deal with the one with a gun!?" Moxxie cried as he flew around, avoiding shot after shot from Martha's lever-action rifle.

"Keep flyin' all ya got, critter! I'm gonna getcha eventually!" Martha screamed as she reloaded more ammo into her gun before firing again. Moxxie took cover behind one of the tent's poles and winced as the shots hit the wood and caused splinters to scatter.

"Ugh, of all the times not to have my guns," Moxxie grumbled as he decided to see what was going on. Millie and Loona seemed to be doing okay with their opponents, and Blitzo was flying away with the other angels from some kind of toxic breath attack that was not too far from where they were fighting.

"Looks like the only thing I got is my Halo," Moxxie said as he took it off and focused his holy energy on it. It turned thinner and sharp enough to take a head off, a trick his boss taught them all from his days as an Exorcist. "Alright, I think I got a plan… Let's hope this works."

"Come out there and die like a man!" Martha shouted as she fired a few more shots before getting ready to reload again.

Moxxie realized that he had no better chance than now and flew across the sky before diving down with his sharp halo discus in hand. He made for Marth, who saw Moxxie coming right at her and quickly dived out of the way just as he landed on the ground. Turning around, he threw the halo as fast as possible, which Martha saw coming just as she got back up. Lowering her back just enough, she grit her teeth as it sailed right over her, grazing her large breasts while it continued without stopping.

Grinning, Martha pulled herself back up and aimed her gun at a calm Moxxie. "Ha! Nice try, but ya missed! Any last words?!"

"Just one," Moxxie replied. He watched his halo bounce off the wooden pole he was hiding behind before reversing its course. "Rebound."

"Rebound?" Martha asked in confusion, before the halo sliced her head off from behind. Her body collapsed a second later.

Moxxie smirked as he grabbed his returning halo, turned it back to normal, and placed it over his head again. "Rebound."

With Gath'turaun focused on the other angels above and trying to escape, Blitzo was free to run around the pentagram looking for the symbol he needed to find to stop the Demon Lord of Gluttony. Stolas's words echoed inside his head: "First, you need to find this symbol on the pentagram's outside ring. Place your hand on it, and repeat the words. It will start a chain reaction that will reverse the-"

He honestly tuned out after that, because it was a bunch of arcane technical stuff that flew over his head, but he knew what he had to do.

Blitzo soon skidded to a halt upon seeing the symbol he needed: a triangle connected to an upside-down cross with three scratch marks on each side. Placing his hand on the unholy symbol, Blitzo took a deep breath and muttered, "Vicissim et Obligare."

The symbol instantly switched directions, and lines of green magic spread across different areas of the pentagram from this point. It started connecting to other runes that were changing directions as well. This caught Gath'turaun's attention, and he looked down in both shock and anger. "What?! No!"

The magical lines continued to spread until they made a twelve-pointed pentagram and glowed green before flashing. The entire pentagram turned green as Gath'turaun struggled to move, but his own summoning circle prevented him from doing so, as if invisible chains were binding him. He was so distracted by this that his shield flickered off, and the Guardian Angels divided after him. Gath'turaun screamed as his flesh was sliced and pierced, but his thick massive body prevented him from having too much damage, and he waved his large arms around to knock a few of the angels back. "Damn you! If I cannot eat you, I'll kill you all!"

Gath'turaun then took a deep breath, making Blitzo remember Stolas's following warning: "Gath'turaun is known for having a very toxic breath. Even angels can be affected by it. So make sure you don't breathe it or even touch it. It will get into your bloodstream via the skin."

"He's shooting out toxic breath! Get away!" Blitzo warned as he summoned his wings and took to the skies.

The other angels heard his words and flew away from the big fat demon lord as fast as they could. A foul, black and green hazy cloud escaped from Gath'turaun's mouth as he opened his jaws wide and bleached out a hideous blurb that one could even smell from a distance. The vast cloud washed over in the direction he was aiming, but none of the angels were hit. However, his breath did wash over some of the demons and sinners crowded together in the stands. The moment the toxic breath touched them, they gasped and started convulsing in agony. Their skins turned slickly green as their veins turned from red and blue to black and purple. Blood started seeping out of their pores, nose, and eyes before they collapsed into a pile of rotting, decaying flesh and guts as their entire bodies started rapidly liquidating.

Blitzo could only wince at the sight. Even if these people had committed horrible crimes, it was a painful way to go. Gath'turaun still didn't let up and soon summoned tentacles that wormed their way out of his flesh and started swiping at the Angels, who realized that physical attacks were pointless. The more ranged ones began firing shots at him, which managed to pierce his flesh, while others followed up with miracles in the form of energy beams and bolts of lightning. However, this was the last thing that Blitzo wanted, and he flew toward one of the Guardian Angels to get their attention.

"Hey!" Blitzo shouted as he grabbed the angel by the cloak and pulled them back. "Whatever you do, don't kill him yet! If he dies, all the souls in this stomach will disappear into oblivion with him!"

"Is there any way to free them?!" The Guardian Angel asked.

"I do have a way, but I need a clear shot to his belly button!" Blitzo shouted.

"Copy! Give us a few minutes!"

The Guardian Angel proceeded to give new orders as Blitzo flew around, looking for the front end of the giant Gluttony Demon. Sure enough, the other angels were distracting Gath'turaun, and Blitzo soon found his target as Stolas's words echoed in his ears: "Finally, to free the souls in his stomach, you must pierce his belly button and twist it to the left."

"Let's hope this works!" Blitzo shouted as he dived downward and then turned upward with his sword held straight like an arrow in front of him. Like a needle ready to pierce, he made like a bullet for Gath'turaun's stomach. His eyes narrowed as he aimed for the tiny belly button he saw right in the middle of his obese gut.

Gath'turaun, noticing Blitzo, gasped and tried to move away, but it was too late. With a screaming thrust, Blitzo stabbed his blade right into the belly button with a perfect stab. Gath'turaun screamed and roared as his entry body began to tremble and jiggle in agony like jello in an earthquake. His cries of utter pain echoed across the Smoky Mountains to the point that other human settlements nearby wondered what was happening.

Once Blitzo was sure that his sword was properly in place, he twisted it to the left and screamed, "Hey, Gath'turaun?! Let's see what you've been eating!"

Roaring, Blitzo pulled out the sword, and a green light erupted from the belly of the demon, who shrieked as the sound of his gut ripping echoed in everyone's ears. Everyone watched as a flood of souls erupted from the ripped hole growing with each passing second. Every single soul, trapped for God knows how long, cried with joy as they escaped their prison. Many of them went upwards, through the big tent to where Heaven awaited them. A few went downwards into the ground towards Hell, but for some it was paradise after what they'd been through. While the massive amount of souls began to leave Gath'turaun's body, he started shrinking and deflating while his guts also started spilling out. He tried in vain to keep his large organs and many souls inside his stomach, desperation and agony on his face, but it was all futile.

Eventually, the last of the souls were freed, and all that remained of Gath'turaun was a huge empty sack of flesh coughing and wheezing. Blitzo walked over and glared into the eyes of the once mighty demon, now scared and looking ready to whimper in terror. He tried to say something, but only the bile waste of his melted insides was all he could mutter. With one quick stab into the brain of the Demon Lord, Gath'turaun gasped one final time before his eyes rolled to the back of his head, and his tongue limped out.

Blitzo looked at his team, who were all doing okay for the most part, while spotting the last of the demons and the sinners in the stands being executed. With a heavy sigh, Blitzo said, "And thus the curtain closes."