Savages: Reign in Hell Chapter 3: Hell Awaits, a Cartoon X-overs + Hellraiser Crossover fanfic

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Per usual, sorry for the wait, though this time it was kinda good fortune this one took until Hazbin Hotel finally began as a series. We've been working on this on and off again since it was just a pilot, and a lot of stuff that happened in the series didn't line up at all with what we were doing. Plus, Lucifer was grossly out of character. Anyway, we're gonna try and get this one updated more often now that this specific depiction of Hell has more stuff for us to work with.

DISCLAIMER: I own absolutely none of the properties you will see here. All rights go to their respective owners.

Savages: Reign in Hell

Chapter 2: Hell Awaits

"Uh... Why are you guys looking at me like that?" Ash questioned the other nine killers.

Not long after accepting the offer of claiming the life of Lucifer himself, the team of the Multiverse's deadliest killers found themselves zapped right into the middle of Pentagram City. Though the similarities to a typical city caught some of them off guard, the literal hellscape was unfamiliar territory to them. As such, they required someone who possessed any expertise in the infernal pit to lead them on their way.

And, unfortunately for Ash, that just so happened to be him.

"You're the one who knew what that... thing that brought us here was," Sasha pointed out. "Something about finding him in the pages of a book."

"Meaning you're probably the one most familiar with this place," John added.

"Oh, wonderful," Ash groaned to himself. "Sounds like I'm the damn Chosen One... again."

"Unfortunately," Revy chided.

"C'mon, one of you must know a thing or two about Hell," the Deadite slayer countered, wanting to find an excuse not to go through this process again. Searching for someone he could drop the burden onto, he motioned towards one specific member of the team. "You there, Anderson was it? I mean, you're a priest, for God's sake. Surely, you-"

Suddenly, the aforementioned priest went up to Ash and punched him across the face with such force that it caused him to fall to the ground. "That's for blasphemy," he growled.

"Ugh... shit..." Ash moaned as he checked his lower jaw to make sure it wasn't broken. "One of those priests, huh?"

"And to answer your question, you'll have to forgive me if I had any of... this in mind when it comes to the fires of Hell," Anderson continued.

"Yeah, not really seeing much of the fire, brimstone, or eternal suffering my old pastor wouldn't shut up about," Sasha confirmed.

Of that, they weren't wrong. Those who were familiar with the infernal pit had long expected it to be a place of eternal suffering. A place where fire and brimstone coated the lands as the damned faced their ultimate punishment once their time came. That wasn't what any of the ten killers saw, however. Instead, once they were cast down here by the Hell Priest, they saw what seemed like a normal city block, complete with roads, sidewalks, and various establishments that ranged from a deranged clown's chicken shack and museum to karaoke bars that only legally allowed its patrons to sing Mambo No. 5.

"Give it this. It is hot," Revy complained as she wiped sweat off her forehead. "Ugh, I'm sweating my fucking tits off over here!"

"Common misconception," Ash explained.

"So then you do know about this place," Raven pointed out.

"...Shit!" Ash whispered to himself upon realizing what he just said. Again, hoping to relay leadership to someone else for a change, he turned to his five interdimensional allies, specifically Scorpion. "What about any of you? Hell, last I checked, you seemed to be in cahoots with that freak, Toasty."

"My damnation, Williams, was brought about by the Netherrealm. I had never made the journey to this cesspool until now," the former Shirai Ryu harshly corrected. "And as for my knowledge of the Cenobites and their domain in Hell, it was Quan Chi who introduced me to them. He and his master, Shinnok, like others, wish to see Lucifer vacate his infernal throne. So you will have to forgive me if I am not as well versed in this place as you are."

"Yeesh, simple 'I don't know' would've been fine. No need to get rude about it," Ash muttered before turning to the four others. "Any of you got any objections?"

"I was never one to read up on afterlives," Raven stated, motioning to her surroundings as she continued. "And even with what little I know, some city in the middle of Gods know where that'd feel right at home in Vaccuo wasn't what I was expecting."

"The Sith are well versed in a realm of Chaos not unlike what you perceive as Hell," Vader informed. "But similarly to Brawnwen's statement, this was not what we were lead to believe."

"Same over here," Aisha admitted. "We Ctarl-Ctarl had a few ideas of what would happen if you angered our God, but... Ah, you get the idea."

"I've never been one for religion in the first place," Akame dryly informed.

"Well, least one of these assholes is living the right way," Revy muttered in an equally dry tone.

"*sigh* Okay, fine, you win... Fuck," Ash finally relented dejectedly before beginning to make his way down the street. "Just follow me and listen to every word I say."

"Well, we're screwed," Sasha groaned as she and the others followed the Deadite Slayer.

"Okay, class, now, as you can see, all that shit you were taught in Sunday School, throw it all out the window," Ash began as he and the others walked down the sidewalk, ignoring the glances from the various sinners and hellborns they brushed past. "Based on what I gathered from the Necronomicon, going from the land of the living to Hell is a lot like moving from the slums of New York to a bad neighborhood in Texas. Heat constantly barreling down at you year-round, the worst kind of people ranging from gang members and drug dealers to white supremacists and homophobic Christian nutjobs, but hey, rent's cheap at least."

"You say that as though I'd know what a 'Texas' even is," Akame dryly retorted.

"Let's just say that's a rock worth living under, kid," Ash replied. "Point is, everything you've been taught about Hell, or whatever passes for it where you're from, was a lie."

"Okay, so you have any clue what kinda city we've landed in?" Revy questioned.

"Good question, sweet cheeks," the Deadite slayer answered, clearly in an attempt to put the moves on the gunslinger.

"Call me sweet cheeks again, and I'll castrate you with that chainsaw and shove your cock down your throat before I ram that shotgun you're carrying right up your ass," a visually unimpressed Revy threatened.

"...Noted," was all Ash could say in an attempt to hide his sudden fear of the pirate. "Uh, a-anyway, Hell's divided up into seven different rings that are stacked on top of each other. Each of them represents the Seven Deadly Sins. Greed, Wrath, Sloth, Gluttony, Lust, Envy, and, in our case, Pride.

"As for the city, the local yokels have taken to calling it 'Pentagram City.' Which, thankfully, means our destination shouldn't be that far away. Lucifer has his own palace located in the city, so all we have to do now is get a map or ask one of the locals if-"

"Is that it?" John suddenly asked, motioning to something on the horizon.

Sure enough, once Ash looked at where he was pointing, his eyes were greeted by a gargantuan palace that dwarfed all other structures that surrounded it. It seemed to also be placed in such a manner that it appeared to loom down the entire city.

"...Well, no one ever said the Devil was subtle," Ash admitted.

With their destination now clear, the ten killers began to make their way to the palace. As they did so, Sasha couldn't help but observe the buildings and denizens they passed.

"I wonder if Lemmy, Dio, and Dimebag are down here," she thought. "I'd love to get their autographs."

Lucifer was bored.

In truth, he had been bored for some time now. It was just that today it seemed that said boredom was getting to him. To the point where he didn't even feel the desire to lock himself in his room and make flamethrowing rubber ducks like there was no tomorrow. Countless millennia of ruling a place of pain become so irksome to someone who once aspired to make his dreams come true. The influx of dammed souls had tripled in the past century, and it looked like there was no sign of slowing down anytime soon. Oh sure, the rabble could rip each other apart in the streets in their meaningless turf wars and bloodsport games, but it seemed like no matter how many demons slaughtered one another, a hundred more would take their place. To top off the lord of lies list of annoyances, he had to inhere to his bastard of a father's orders of a yearly culling. Now, Lucifer loved a good genocide as much as the next guy, but the fact was that his subjects, no matter how annoying they were, were still his.

But the devil had bigger problems on his plate now more than ever. For starters, there was the matter of certain border realms encroaching on Hell's domain. Places like the Netherrealm, the Underworld, the Makai, and other worlds in the afterlife were beginning to expand outward, and expansion meant crossing into the devil's backyard. It was only the occasional sighting of a Nether spawn or Darkstalker so far, but Lucifer was once a solider, and a good solider knew that someday, soon one of those realms would get bold enough for a full-out invasion. Even heaven was getting cocky as of late, with Adam himself sending death squads of Exorcists to kick up a ruckus on occasion as a way to remind Lucifer that the All-Mighty still held power over him.

"I need a vacation..." he sighed as he sat on his infernal throne.

Then there was his daughter...

At first, he thought it was a silly little joke, something to make him laugh at the dinner table. Redeeming sinners in Hell? That made him belly laugh. The joke was so good! But, unfortunately for the King of Hell, it wasn't a joke. His now estranged daughter was getting the same type of aspirations her failure of a father had. And like him, she was only building herself for soul-crushing disappointment. There was no chance of redeeming the scum that occupied Hell, let alone convincing Heaven that they were worthy to ascend. Even worse, there was... unrest among the other hell lords, to say the least, when Charlie decided it was a great idea to sing her new project like a Disney Princess live on the afternoon news. The fallen angel had managed to quell his subordinates' fears for the future of Hell, but still, Lucifer knew it wouldn't be long until someone would try to make a move against the house of Morningstar if they hadn't already.

Still, he knew the one thing he needed to do. But he couldn't muster the strength to do so: He had to go and speak to his daughter. He knew that Charlie's meeting with Adam had gone south rather quickly, and he was the one who insisted she take his place just so he wouldn't have to leave his home. Perhaps he should go, at the very least, to do at least something for her as a means of making up to her. Besides, with Lilith MIA for seven years now, he was the only family she had left in Hell.

"Maybe I..." he admitted.

Lucifer caught himself. He sensed something unnatural, which, coming from him, was saying something. It was right outside the castle, and it was coming in closer by the second. He grinned as he stood up from his throne, summoning his sword out of his shadow as he did. It had been a long time since someone had tried to make an attempt on his life, and he could only hope that they could put up a fight.

And who knows? Maybe this could be just the thing to get him out of this depressive funk he was in and get him to finally leave the house to see his daughter.

"Hey."

"Yeah?"

"You ever wonder why we're here?"

The second guard who stood at the castle's front gates paused for a moment as he mulled over the first guard's question before answering.

"It's one of life's great mysteries, isn't it?" he finally said. "WHY are we here? Are we the product of some cosmic coincidence? Is there really a god with a plan for us? I don't know, man. Shit like that keeps me up at night."

"..."

"...What? I meant 'Why are we out HERE guarding the gates?'"

"Oh... uh, yeah..."

"What was all that stuff about God?"

"Nothing."

"...You wanna talk about it?"

"No!"

Before the first guard could speak up again, he started to cough, making the other chuckle at his pain.

"Hey, quit choking on the jizz from that spider demon you fucked last night and-Huk!"

The second guard's words were cut off when he too began to choke from some unknown cause. It was as if some unseen hand was crushing his windpipe. Suddenly, the two guards were lifted into the air before their throats were crushed in unison. Their corpses were tossed aside to conceal them.

"Subtle, Lord Dark Helmet, real subtle," Ash commented mockingly at Vader's work as the assassins' approached the front gate. "Now, the gate to the head honcho's palace is practically made of titanium. Nothing short of an atom bomb or two is gonna bust through it. Got any ideas?"

"You're voice is grating, Williams, but yes, I do," the Sith Lord confirmed as he held out his hand. "Observe."

"Wait!" Scorpion denied, knowing what Vader was about to do. "If you tear open the gates, it will alert the guards!"

"Then they will die as well," Vader answered simply.

"Or we get overrun by them while our target runs off to a safe house," Revy pointed out. "Assuming this shithole has safe houses, that is."

"Then what do you purpose?" the Dark Lord inquired, his voice tense with anger.

"Uh, guys..." Sasha spoke up. "I think Akame's got it covered."

The band of killers' collective attention toward Akame, who was scaling the walls in one swift motion. Once on the other side, the assassins then heard the sound of ambushed guards being cut down in a matter of seconds before the other side of the wall grew silent. Seconds later, the gate opened, revealing the one-cut killer covered in demon blood.

"Let's go," was all she said.

"Damn, even I'M impressed," John mentioned.

"Before we go any further, there's something you should know," Scorpion warned. "Most of your weapons will not wound Lucifer, much less kill him."

"And you're telling us this NOW, right before we go into his home to kill him?!" Aisha addressed

"True, while mine, Anderson's, Akame's, and Vader's weapons are capable of harming the devil, the rest of your weapons will do nothing against a demon so powerful," Hanzo explained. "However, the Hell Priest prepared for this."

The revenant then took out several magazines filled with strange-looking bullets within them. "These are bullets made of the same materials angels had forged to slay Hell lords," he continued. "They are capable of killing Lucifer."

"Hey, what about us?" Sasha cut in. "Some of us don't use guns."

"This is where the priest comes into play," Hanzo answered. "Anderson's blessing should be able to give them the power you need to carry out the mission."

Anderson did a quick blessing on Sasha, Raven, and Ash's bladed weapons. With their weapons now at full strength, they made their way toward the devil's castle, ready to slay the demon inside.

Once all ten were through the gate Akame had opened, it immediately sealed itself back shut without warning. Aisha, who was closest to the gate, flinched and lept in the air in an almost cat-like manner. Once she was back on the ground, the Ctarl-Ctarl realized she had done that right in front of the others and flustered in embarrassment before regaining her composure.

"Uh, n-none of you saw that!" she angrily shouted.

"Uh-huh," Ash sarcastically responded before motioning her to follow him into the castle. "C'mon, we got bigger fish to fry here."

"Who are you to order me, Terran?!" Aisha yelled back at the Deadite slayer.

"Jeez, anyone got a laser pointer or some cat nip to shut this stupid bitch up?" Revy dryly chided as she casually walked past the enraged Ctarl-Ctarl, turning her head to face her as she continued to deride her. "Or do you prefer I call you a pussy?"

"WHAT WAS THAT, YOU LITTLE MAGGOT?!" a now more enraged Aisha questioned as she quickly got right in the pirate's face. "Do you have even the faintest clue who I am?!"

"Some mangy fleabag who's about to have her fucking brains blown out if she doesn't BACK THE FUCK UP!" Revy answered, her own short temper now having reached its limit as she got even closer to the cat-humanoid's face to where her forehead was pressed against hers.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A FLEABA-!" Aisha attempted to retaliate, only to suddenly feel her throat tighten.

Revy, too, felt a sudden pressure being applied to her trachea before she and Aisha found themselves floating in the air. The two of them turned to the others, and, as expected, Vader's hand reached out to them, using the Force to silence them.

"We were not brought here to watch the two of you bicker like children," he warned. "Now, behave yourselves, or you will end up no better than the guards we stand before."

"Hey! She... She fucking started-!" Revy tried to argue while struggling to breathe.

Her outburst only caused Vader's grip on her to tighten further. "Is that understood?" he asked.

Now rendered unable to speak, all Revy could do was nod frantically in the hopes that the Sith Lord would release her. An action that Aisha would employ as well. Vader then proceeded to release his hold on the two of them, causing them to fall to the ground and breathe heavily for several seconds.

As they did so, Vader turned to Scorpion, his irritation clear despite his face being behind a mask. "The guards will have heard their petty squabble," he warned. "They will likely converge to the entrance to face us."

"Agreed," Hanzo replied as the fires of the Netherrealm began to ignite in the palms of his hands. "We will have to employ your original strategy now, Sith, and hope we can overpower them!"

The former leader of the Shirai Ryu lunged both his fists forward, causing two bursts of hellfire to blow the doors to the palace wide open. Akame, Raven, Sasha, and Anderson readied their blades, Vader ignited his Lightsaber, Revy and John pulled out their guns, Aisha raised her fists, and Ash revved up his chainsaw for the hordes of demons that were about to come running out to confront them.

Except there were no demons.

In fact, it was evident that no one was in the main hall once the smoke began to clear.

"...That can't be a good sign, can't it?" a perplexed Sasha questioned.

"They could easily be hiding in the shadows," Akame suggested as she and the others slowly advanced inside. "We should still tread carefully."

"We should probably start thinking up something in the meantime," Ash added. "Now, I'm normally not the strategizing type, but this is Lucifer we're talking about here. There's no telling what he could have up his sleeves for us, so we definitely need some kind of plan to-"

Then, right before the housewares worker could finish, a plume of fire erupted from the top of the massive staircase without warning, catching the ten killers off guard. They watched as massive wings burst out of the plume, causing the flames to disperse and reveal Lucifer himself, grinning darkly at his 'guests.'

"WELCOME!... TO HELL!... motherfuckerssssssss," the lord of lies greeted, his tongue briefly turning to one of a snake. A portion of one of his many forms known in the mortal realm as 'Mr. Simms.'

"...Or, hey, we can always just improvise, you know?" Ash groaned, throwing his arm up in the air.

"Lucifer Morningstar, you are my target," Akame declared as she brushed past the others before sprinting towards said target.

"Wait!" Sasha called out.

"You dumbass!" Revy angrily added.

Amused, Lucifer allowed the One-Cut Killer to ascend towards him, leaping high into the air as she held Murasame up high.

"Eliminate!" she shouted as she began to descend towards the ruler of Hell.

She delivered a powerful blow to Lucifer's right arm, causing it to be severed completely, and for him to back away.

"AAAAAHH! Not my arm!" he screamed in a clearly over-the-top manner.

Akame didn't seem to catch that, swinging her blade to slice off his other arm. Blood started to spray from his stumps like fountains as he fell to the ground. She was about to place her sword back into her sheath when she noticed something very, very wrong.

"The curse," she said. "Why isn't it-?"

Sensing something trying to jump at her from the rafters, she quickly turned around to block a strike from Lucifer's blade, the king of Hell now giving her a sharp-toothed grin. Confused, she turned to where his armless body once was, catching a glimpse of it vanishing into thin air. This distracted her long enough for Lucifer to kick Akame right in the jaw, sending her flying back to the others.

"HA! Did you really think it was gonna be that easy?" he mocked, plunging his blade to the floor so he could lean onto it like a cane. "A dream demon from Ohio taught me that little trick. Works on big, lumbering morons in a hockey mask, and it sure as shit works for a bunch of idiots like you!"

"Okay, yeah, definitely not the red-skinned, goateed dumbass with a pitchfork type," Sasha stated, still not over the white-skinned, frankly dapper-looking gentleman standing in front of her.

"Yeah, I don't know where those evangelical dicks got that from," Lucifer brushed off. "I'll have them know that I am, in fact, quite the handsome devil. Literally!"

It was then that he noticed one particular member of the group.

"Oh, ho ho ho, speaking of evangelical, looks like we better make room for another kiddie-touching priest down here."

"Vile hellspawn!" Anderson yelled as he grabbed his blades, wanting to chop the demon before him's head off.

"Hey, hey, ease up!" Ash interrupted, placing an arm in front of Anderson to ensure he didn't make the same mistake Akame made. "I wasn't serious about improvising this shit, you know!"

"My, my, my," Lucifer chimed in, "is that Ashley Joanna Williams I see over there too?"

Hearing his name prompted the former Chosen One to shift his attention to him.

"Joanna?" Revy whispered to John.

"The one and only, fancy pants," Ash answered as he walked towards the lord of lies, trying to put on his usual smugness to hide his uneasiness. "Since you mentioned 'em, you're probably familiar with how I kicked Wayne Deadski and Hashbrown's asses back in Crystal Lake. Not to mention, word must've traveled fast with how many Deadites I've sent down here."

"Oh, you have no idea," Lucifer said with amusement. "Oh! That reminds me, Linda and Cheryl send their regards."

The smugness on Ash's face dropped like an anvil the moment he heard the names of both his sister and his girlfriend.

"...What did you just say?" he asked, resisting every urge to not tackle the king of Hell to the floor and hacking him with his chainsaw.

"Oh, you didn't know?! I thought the guy who's read one of the Necronomicons like the fucking Bible at this rate would've figured this out, but then again, you're not exactly the brightest bulb in the toolshed, aren't you?" Lucifer mockingly replied, keeping his shit-eating grin as he did so.

"Wait, one of? What do you-?" Ash tried to question.

"Anyway, see, here's the thing, Ash," Lucifer interrupted, "once someone's soul's been tainted by the magic in that book, you can pretty much kiss any shot at going upstairs goodbye. Even if you managed to pull the Deadite out, doesn't matter! Down 'ya go!"

The fallen angel then burst out laughing, which only caused the anger inside Ash to build more and more until he finally did what he probably should have done earlier: Raise his Boomstick and shoot him. The bullets made their mark on Lucifer's shoulder, causing him to back away from the force, but this did little to stop his cackling.

"HA! That..." he tried to boast, only for something to finally register and for his grin to lower. "...That... Holy shit, that actually hurt."

"Should've shut your trap when you had the chance, asshole!" Ash stated.

To confirm his suspicions, he placed a hand on his shoulder, pulling back to see blood on his palm. The shock he was in was brief, giving way to rage as he knew this could only mean one thing: Someone either up in Heaven or down here in Hell was responsible for bringing the ten killers here and supplied them with bullets designed to kill demons like him.

"SOMEONE'S gonna fucking pay for this!" he bellowed. "After I'm done tearing each and every one of you apart and feeding you to my daughter's goats, that is!"

"Come and try it, bastard," Revy coldly challenged, pointing his cutlasses at her enemy. "It's your funeral."

Lucifer's retort was to unfurl all six of his wings and rocket toward the band of killers, raising his sword as he did so. Before he could reach them, Vader delivered a powerful Force push that sent him flying back to where he stood, smashing his back against the wall.

"You will have to do better than that," the Sith declared.

He, along with Akame, Raven, Anderson, Sasha, and Aisha, proceeded to sprint towards the downed demon while Vader marched behind them. As for Ash, John, and Revy, they pulled out their firearms and were about to join them, only for more of Lucifer's guards to flank them from the hallways to their left and right.

"Hold them back!" Lucifer commanded as he gripped his hands on his sword. "These clowns are mine!"

Sasha was the first to make a move, leaping into the air to try and cut Lucifer down with both of her swords. Her enemy countered by ducking underneath her before deflecting Raven's own blade. Akame tried to get the jump on him, only for the fallen angel to teleport himself to a balcony above and allow her to nearly slice into Raven's aura were it not for Omen to deflect Murasame.

"Whose side are you on?!" the bandit queen chastized.

Akame quickly relented just in time to see Anderson leap to the balcony to face Lucifer alone. The others were about to join them, only for more guards to charge towards them. Akame quickly spun around and decapitated one while Raven shot a powerful electrical blast that caused another's chest to practically explode, sending chunks of his heart, lungs, and ribs to any guard that was unfortunate enough to be nearby. One of them even ended up with one rib going through his right eye, screaming in pain before Raven dashed to him and vertically sliced him in half.

Over with Sasha, she had disemboweled one before thrusting one of her blades through a second's face. A third tried to plunge his spear through her back, only for Scorpion, coated in flames, to practically fly through him, melting his waist down to only his spine. The demon cried out in agony as he struggled to stand, only for his attacker to spin around and use his katana to decapitate him before kicking it high into the air. The former Shirai Ryu then threw his kunai towards the head, piercing through it and causing the blade to come out of its mouth.

Vader, meanwhile, had used the Force to stop one guard's spear from stabbing him in the chest. The demonic guard struggled to make the killing blow, unable to match the dark lord's might. Eventually, Vader pulled the spear out of his hands, causing it to levitate over his left palm while he struck the guard down with his lightsaber. The fallen Jedi then threw the demon's weapon at two of his peers with a velocity so quick and powerful that it went through both of their faces, leaving large holes where they and their brains once were before their corpses fell to the floor. A third guard, having been tossed against a wall by Aisha, was unlucky enough to be in the spear's path and was unable to avoid it before it stabbed him in the chest and pinned him to the wall.

Speaking of the Ctarl-Ctarl, she had grabbed one of Lucifer's guards by the leg and, ignoring his pleas for mercy, swung him at three others, knocking them all to the floor. Afterward, the guard's head rammed right into a support beam, causing it to be cracked open and his brains to spatter all over the floor. Not content, Aisha, snarling at the three downed guards, pounced high into the air and landed feet first on the one in the middle, the pressure causing his head, organs, and several pints of blood to burst out of his neck akin to toothpaste being squeezed out of a container. The other two guards, having gotten up, attempted to flank Aisha, only for her to spring back up and slam the back of her fists against their faces, snapping their necks like twigs.

While this was going on, Anderson began to make his way to Lucifer, who was clearly unimpressed by the priest's hostility and the Holy Bayonets he intended to strike him down with. Said blades were even in the shape of a cross, which only prompted an eye-roll from the lord of Hell.

"How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!" Anderson began. "How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God, I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north! I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the most High! Yet thou shalt be brought down to Hell, to the sides of-!"

"Oh, blah, blah, blah!" Lucifer rudely interrupted. "Look, pal, this isn't a goddamn Sunday School. Besides, I know every verse that stupid book says about me. I like reading them on the toilet for a good laugh before I wipe my ass with them. Got a whole stack of 'em in the can right no-"

Refusing to hear any more of such blasphemy, Anderson practically launched from where he stood to cut the demon's tongue right off. However, at the last second, Lucifer had managed to open two portals, one in front of him and another at the ceiling several yards to his left. This resulted in Anderson flying through the first portal and falling out the second, landing harshly onto the balcony.

"Ooh, temper, temper, Father," the lord of lies mocked as his adversary picked himself back up. "Not very Christian-like, if I say so myself."

"I assure you, treacherous filth," the agent of Iscariot stated as he got back on his feet, "the Lord Almighty will surely forgive me of my sins once I deliver to him your head. What a world it will be once it is done. Free from your temptations and lies! A world where all will praise our lord, and he, in return, will lead us to paradise! For it is for him and our savior, Jesus Christ, that I pray to, and for them I will cut you down where you stand. AAAAAAAAAMEN!"

Not even giving him a chance to further mock the one who cast him down here in the first place, Anderson charged once more to Lucifer, who still mocked the priest in some way by yawning into his palm before opening yet another portal. This time, the second one was opened high above Wick, Revy, and Ash, who had just gunned down the last of the guards who tried to attack him. They were about to try and point their weapons at Lucifer, only to notice Anderson falling towards them.

"Shit! Move!" Ash cursed.

He and the two gunslingers wasted no time scattering out of the way just as Anderson crashed onto the floor with such force that the ground trembled slightly, and a small crater formed around his body. Shockingly, it seemed as though this barely did anything to scratch him, as he easily got right back up, cracking his neck as he focused on Lucifer once again. However, before he could make a third attempt, Vader had already raised his free hand at the balcony while Lucifer wasn't paying attention.

"I guess those Ten Commandments that bearded idiot carried with him should've been called 'Ten Suggestions' instead," he jested. "Or wait, isn't it just three now? Hmm, wouldn't shock me. It was supposed to be fifteen after a-GAH!"

Amid his rambling, Vader had managed to pull the entire balcony apart with the Force, causing Lucifer to fall to the floor while it broke apart, his hat flying off in the process. The fist of the Empire followed this by throwing the chunks at the flanking hallways, blocking them and ensuring no more guards would come to their lord's rescue, even crushing some of them in the process.

"Cowering behind your men will only carry you so far," the Sith said as he advanced toward the downed Lucifer. "You are only proving to be a waste of my time, demon. If you are the ruler of this infernal pit, then stand to defend your kingdom."

Once he was close enough, the Emperor's right hand raised his lightsaber for the kill, only for his target to spring his hand up to create two more portals. One between him and Vader and the other right behind the Sith lord. This resulted in the lightsaber not finishing off Lucifer but cutting and singing Vader's right shoulder instead. This prompted him to yell out in pain before his opponent sprung back onto his feet, his devilish grin returning.

"All too easy," he said to himself before shooting a torrent of flames towards the fallen Jedi.

Vader was quick to defend himself, raising his free hand once more to shield himself with the Force. However, Lucifer's offensive was still powerful enough to cause Vader to slide back to the others in the group, the gunmen and gunwoman having reloaded their weapons.

"Okay, new plan!" Ash said as Lucifer started to stride towards the ten of them. "Dark Helmet here stopped this guy's goons from joining the fray. This time, we come at him all at once. Strong as Lucifer is, he can't take us all down."

"And what's that supposed to mean, jackass?!" Sasha angrily questioned. "We just swarm him like Zerglings and hope we're not gonna end up being cannon fodder?!"

Inside her mind, the new commander of the Toads couldn't believe she knew what a Zergling was. "God, I've watched Mar-Mar play those RTS's one too many times..." she mulled to herself.

"Oh, you pricks think you can just bumrush ME like that?" Lucifer mocked as his skin tone slowly began to change from a pale white to a more appropriate hellish red. "Well, clearly, you've forgotten that I know how to play dirty too, so why don't I show you what I'm capable of when I'm in my SUNDAY BEST!"

Upon saying those two words, his voice had shifted into one more high-pitched yet somehow oozed with more evil laced in it than before. A pair of lobster-like claws burst out of his arms in place of his normal hands while his blonde hair became jet-black and much shorter, as was the case of his curved beard. His yellow eyes became lime green while his nose and ears became much more pointed and sharp looking, and his white suit burned away, revealing a red ladies jacket and a skirt with pink tulle. Once his transformation was complete, he looked upon those who attempted his life with an unnerving wide smile.

This form of Lucifer's was actually one known by mortals. Specifically, those who lived in the city of Townsville and their protectors. However, they did not address him as Lucifer. For they believed the name itself was so evil, so sinister, so horribly vile, it struck fear into the hearts of men. There was only one safe way to speak of this king of darkness: His Infernal Majesty.

AKA: HIM.

Naturally, some of the killers were taken aback by their target's drastic and sudden change in appearance.

"...What... the fuck am I looking at?" Sasha asked.

"One of Lucifer's many personas," Scorpion answered. "Be warned. Under this form, he grows both more sadistic and much more powerful."

"Hold on a sec..." Revy said as she continued to analyze the demon before her. "I've seen this prick before. Saw a few news reports about some red meanie-looking motherfucker in Townsville." Unimpressed, she pointed her freshly reloaded Cutlasses right at HIM. "If a couple of little shits can kick this guy's ass, then this'll be a hell of a lot easier than I thought."

Hearing this, HIM did not falter in the slightest. In fact, he laughed at the pirate's attempt at downplaying what he was capable of, an echo almost emanating directly from his mouth.

"Oh, poor, naive little Rebecca," he began to retort, "let me let you in on a little secret. Those miserable little Powerpuffs have always been a thorn in my side for one simple reason: Their little hearts are always pure as can be. They're painfully incorruptible! You all on the other hand, mmmm... not so much."

A red mist began to envelop the team while HIM continued.

"Don't you know that the blacker the hearts, the more skeletons buried deep inside their closets? The more fragile their tainted souls become? The easier it is to push them to their breaking point? And when it comes to the ten of you, breaking you will be as easy as PIE!"

The fog enveloped everyone, separating them one by one to ensure Ash's half-baked plan would not come to pass.

Speaking of said Chosen One, he instinctively revved up his chainsaw just in case HIM tried to ambush him. "Where you hiding, Sweet Transvestite?!" he called out, looking around the mist to try and find the demon. "Thinkin' about running home and cryin' to mama?!"

His cocky attitude didn't last for very long, though, thanks to hearing something from behind him. It started as a high-pitched giggling, then gave way to the sound of someone singing of all things.

Singing... a very familiar little tune.

WE'RE GONNA GET YOU...

NOT ANOTHER PEEP...

TIME TO GO TO SLEEP...

"...Cheryl?" was all Ash could let out.

Before he could so much as turn around, the Deadite slayer was tackled to the floor by whatever was singing to him. He managed to flip himself over and saw, much to his horror, the reanimated body of his own sister, her eyes being completely white like they were when she died. Cheryl then began to cackle madly at her prey.

"Hello again, Ash!" she said as she raised both of her arms, prepared to tear her brother to pieces.

Fortunately, Ash was able to shake off most of his shock and shot her right in the chest, blasting her lower jaw off and sending her flying backward, allowing him to get back on his feet.

"Oh! My, oh, my," HIM's voice rang. "Quite the sibling rivalry you two must have. Even after I went through all this trouble to reunite you with your dearest sister, this is how you welcome her?"

"Come out of your hidey hole, you son of a bitch!" Ash defiantly exclaimed. "What?! Don't have the balls to face me like a man?!"

"And miss all the fun, Ashy Slashy? I don't think so," HIM mockingly denied. "Besides, Cheryl wasn't the only one in that cabin that day, wasn't she? Take a look around, Williams. They've all woken up on the wrong side of the grave! And trust me, they are dying to see you again."

The fog began to finally fade away, revealing to Ash not the main hall of Lucifer's palace but the very dilapidated cabin in the woods of Tennessee he, his sister, his girlfriend, and his friends spent a night of unholy terror inside. And surrounding him? None other than the Deadite possessed corpses of Linda, Scott, and Shelly. To make matters worse, the now bottom-jawless Cheryl joined them. Seeing the people he had to butcher to free them of the ghouls who claimed them naturally brought back painful and horrific memory after painful and horrific memory, all the while his friends made matters worse by grinning with psychotic glee at him.

"Gimme some sugar, baby," Linda said before lunging at her former boyfriend, prompting him to raise his chainsaw in defense.

When John was overtaken by the red mist, he understood that whatever would happen to him would be...unpleasant to say the least. John was no stranger to torture. He had experienced every sort of it throughout his lifetime as a killer, and even though this was of the mystic variety, a form of torment he was unfamiliar with, it would still be no different from what he had been subjected to in the past. So that left the question: What would it be? Would it be the souls of the people he killed besieging him? or fighting the assassins he had sent down here? In any case, John would have no problem killing them all over again.

However, as the darkness he was surrounded by began to fade away, Baba Yaga did not find himself surrounded by his victims but somewhere else, somewhere far worse: a hospital room. The sights. The smells. It was all the same as it was that night his darkest moment occurred. For the first time in what seemed like ages... John Wick was afraid.

"John..." a voice weakly called out to him from behind.

"No..." John denied. "This isn't real."

"John, look at me, please," the voice pleaded. "I've been so alone!"

"You're not real!" John refuted. "She wouldn't be sent down here!"

"John, it's me..." the voice insisted, now weeping. "Please... just look at me!"

Filling with anger, the assassin whirled around and aimed his gun at the thing that dared to impersonate his now-passed wife. But when he turned around to shoot the imposter, all he saw was Helen, lying in bed and looking back at him with lonesome eyes. At that moment, John felt like the world stopped. He knew this wasn't the real Helen, but at the same time, it felt like his gun turned into a handful of ash. As if acting outside of his will, the world's greatest killer approached Helen's bedside before collapsing at her side.

"I'm sorry..." he wept. "I'm so sorry..."

"Oh, John..." Helen replied. "All that matters is that you're here now."

John knew all this was a lie, but seeing his wife's face again made his heart filled with the long-forgotten feeling of joy. But just as he reached out and touched her cheek, Helen suddenly crumpled into a pile of ash.

"No!" Baba Yaga cried out as he frantically crawled at the pile of ash. "Come back! Helen, come back!"

As John was left with hands full of ash, the lord of lies' laughter echoed all around him.

Elsewhere, Sasha, too, tried to locate HIM amidst the fog, growing more and more irritated the longer he refused to show himself.

"Ah, Waybright!" said ruler of Hell greeted. "I haven't seen you this positively intense since you and old Grimesy tried to overthrow Andrias! Always looking to be on top, no matter how many bridges you burn along the way. Anne, Marcy, Percy, Baddrock, oh, I do wonder who will be next? Well, assuming you even still have any friends at this rate."

"Shut up!" Sasha angrily exclaimed, slashing her swords where she thought she heard HIM, only to slice thin air instead. "I am not that person anymore. I-!"

"Aren't you?" a doubtful HIM answered. "Well, let's pretend for a second I believed you. A little late for that. Isn't it? Especially with poor, sweet little Marcy..."

Right on cue, bloodcurdling screams were heard from behind Sasha, and who they belonged to made every inch of her body freeze. Much like with Ash, the red fog pulled away, this time revealing the bowels of Andrias' castle. Turning around, she watched as Marcy, strapped onto a chair, was helpless to stop the Core from placing its helmet onto her head, uploading itself directly into her brain as she continued to scream. Sasha felt both of her hands tremble at the sight, nearly dropping her swords in the process. She hadn't observed what Marcy went through for herself, and even then, she was clearly mortified over what she inadvertently allowed Andrias to do. But seeing the pain she went through firsthand and hearing her wail out in agony?

It'd likely haunt the lieutenant of the Toads for the rest of her life.

Suddenly, Marcy bolted free of her restraints and tackled the stunned Sasha to the ground, causing her to let go of her blades. At this point, the latter began to heave heavily as the guilt and fear wreaked havoc on her soul while the former's now glowing orange eyes glared down at her, consumed by pure, unbridled hatred.

"Look... what... you've... DONE TO ME!" Marcy shouted.

Shaking off the horror she felt inside her, Sasha mustered enough strength to kick Marcy off of her. However, a blue streak flew right into her and pinned her against the wall. Once her disorientation faded, she was mortified to see Anne, her Calamity powers coursing through her body and seething in fury, glaring back at her.

"I can't believe I was stupid enough to trust you again!" she yelled as she began to mercilessly and repeatedly punch her friend in the face. "We could've been back home by now! All of us! But that just wasn't enough for you. Wasn't it? It's always been about you! About what you want! About how you can bully everyone around you into being your lapdog!"

"Anne, p-please!" Sasha begged as she continued to take this beating. "I-I'm sorry! I'm trying-UGH!-trying to do better! I swear, I-!"

Unsatisfied, Anne grabbed her captive by the collar of her armor and tossed her several yards away, causing her to slide across the floor. Fighting through the pain she was no doubt in, she tried to pick herself back up, only to see both Anne and Marcy approaching her, clearly having not accepted her apology.

Crawling.

That's what Aisha had been doing for what seemed like forever. After she had been pulled into HIM's illusion, she had been forced to dig her way out of what she had been buried in. But rather than be covered in dirt or mud, the Ctarl-Ctarl was entombed in a mountain of bodies. All around the humanoid cat were faces of not just men but women and children as well. The smell of burnt and rotting flesh engulfed her sense of smell no matter how hard she tried to ignore it. However, these faces all felt almost... familiar to her, like a distant dream. Finally, with one final push, she managed to reach the top of the corpse hill, allowing her to gasp for fresh air. But as she did, she saw the skies above her. All around her were her people's ships firing down upon the surface of the planet she now found herself in. She looked upon the landscape and saw other piles of corpses stacked around her while her people continued to stack more charred bodies higher.

"Does this look familiar, kitty-cat?" HIM asked.

"It's... it's the battle of A'Kadia," Aisha answered slowly. "It's the first campaign I served in."

"THIS was a battle?" HIM mockingly asked. "Looks like a turkey shoot to me."

"We were told that we were bringing peace to their world," Aisha said with stunned horror in her voice. "I believed I was doing the right thing, but I never saw... this."

"But you KNEW this was happening regardless," HIM pointed out. "That's what I like about soldiers from any time or universe: They always try to hide behind a veil of ignorance."

Aisha hung her head in shame. The Devil was right. She DID know that her people had committed mass genocide on this world like they had done on other worlds like this one. But she always believed it was for the glory of her people's empire. However, in the back of her mind, she knew the truth: Every empire was built on the bones of the conquered.

Meanwhile, Akame calmly trekked through the mist, watching and listening for where her enemy could be while tightly gripping the hilt of Murasame. Per usual, her hues were completely blank while her face remained neutral, focusing squarely on her task.

"Oooh, aren't you the scary one, little miss One-Cut Killer," HIM remarked. "Never one to shy away from slicing some poor sap down with that cursed blade of yours."

"If you're trying to guilt me with the lives I've taken, it won't work," Akame informed. "Where I come from, tyranny and oppression reign supreme. I accepted a long time ago that to pave the way for a better world, blood will unavoidably be spilled. And until we've ensured future generations are free from such horrors, I will continue to fight."

"Is that right?" HIM asked. "Then tell me... was it worth it?"

"...Was what worth it?" Akame questioned.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about," HIM countered. "Or should I give you a little reminder?"

"...What do you-?" Akame tried to ask, only to sense something behind her. A devious yet soft chuckle followed. And it was clear it belonged to the only person who would give the assassin pause.

The swordswoman quickly turned around, slashing Murasame's blade down towards this person, only for Yatsufutsa's own blade to deflect it. Sure enough, Akame found herself face-to-face with her younger sister, Kurome. Her veins were black, almost rotted away with large portions of her hair having fallen off. Her skin was pale, and her body quaked ever so slightly, almost like that of a drug addict. Which, unfortunately, wasn't that far off from what Kurome was. During the hell she endured from the Empire, several drugs were administered into her systems that granted her the speed, strength, durability, and stamina needed to enforce its wrath. Unfortunately, it also resulted in her lifespan shortening greatly, and her becoming addicted to these drugs, constantly suffering seizures, agonizing pain across her entire body, and violent withdrawal syndromes whenever she had been without them for too long.

And in Akame's eyes, perhaps she could've prevented this had she not left her at her oppressors' non-existent mercy.

"Funny how you seemed to care about your little pretend family more than me, big sister!" the practically zombified Kurome chastized as she began to overpower the visibly shaken Akame in their struggle.

Revy was in a state of horror as she laid eyes upon where HIM had sent her. It was a police station, one that she knew all too well. This was the station where she both died and was reborn as the pirate she is today. It was the 32nd Precinct station, but to Revy, this was a house of nightmares. Currently, she was trapped in the interrogation room with her wrists and ankles tied down to a chair. Rather than show her fear, however, she instead raged against the world she had been thrown into by the Devil.

"I swear when I get outta this motherfucking chair, I'm gonna put every bullet I have into your red ass until you're just a pile of steaming shit!" she swore.

It was then that the door to the interrogation room opened and allowed someone to step inside. Once Revy saw who it was, all of her bluster and rage quickly changed to terror. It was him, the police officer who stole her innocence.

"Hello Revy, long time no see," he began as his eyes glowed like HIM's. "I think we should get... re-antiquated, don't you?"

While that was going on, Raven watched as the red mist that engulfed her field of vision faded away, slowly beholding onto her a village that was in flames. A village she recognized. The village of Shion. She recognized this place... because she and her tribe had raided it and killed several of its population, leaving the rest to die after the mass panic began to attract the Grimm. Bodies were scattered as far as the eye could see, some of them with large chunks of their flesh missing, likely a result of some of the Grimm eating them. Others had mortal wounds that could only have been caused by the bandit queen and her raiders.

"Hmmmm, see anything familiar, Raven?" HIM taunted. "All of these weaklings you and your tribe slaughtered? After all, 'the weak die, the strong live,' right?"

"It wasn't just that," Raven tried to justify. "My tribe, my family, we were starving! They needed the supplies!"

"Come again? Family?" HIM repeated. "Well, can't exactly say I'm surprised. You do treat your fellow bandits more like family than even your own daughter."

"Shut up!" Raven hissed.

"I mean, Qrow was certainly right about you being Mom of the Year material," HIM pressed on. "What other loving mom would let her own flesh and blood lose an arm? Or abandon her when she needed you most?! Oh, and don't even get me started on what happened with dear Summer."

"SHUT UP!" Raven demanded, her eyes briefly flaring with her Spring Maiden powers as she did so.

"It was bad enough you bailed on your daughter when she was just a wee little firecracker, but then you somehow managed to outdo yourself!" HIM continued.

Suddenly, something began to rise beneath Raven's feet. Something that caused her to back away, nearly stumbling over as she began to breathe heavily, several memories coming back to her. What was now before her was a small gravestone. One with a rose engraved onto it and the words 'Summer Rose. Thus kindly, I scatter.'

"Thanks to your selfishness and desperation, you had to go and force poor little Yang to go through the pain of losing her mommy... all... over... AGAIN!"

What happened that day came back to Raven like a freight train. Of her and Summer confronting Salem to try and end her reign of terror once and for all, only for Summer to never come back to Patch. An action that had doomed both her daughter and stepdaughter into taking up the never-ending struggle against the Queen in Black.

Then, right when she was on the cusp of having a panic attack, just to make matters worse, a skeletal hand punched its way out of the ground, something slowly rising out of the grave to greet the chieftess. It was none other than the decaying, zombified corpse of Summer herself. Forced to confront her greatest failure head-on prompted Raven to back away from the rotting mass of flesh and exposed bones as she began to shamble towards her, letting out a guttural yet angered groan.

"Get out of my head," Raven whispered as she instinctively grabbed Omen's hilt. "Get out of my head!"

As if her situation couldn't be any more dire, similar groans could be heard coming from behind her. She turned around, and sure enough, the bodies of the villagers she and her tribe had slain had begun to rise again, slowly approaching their killer. In her distracted state, Raven failed to pay attention to Summer, who swiftly jumped onto her, forcing her back to the ground. All the former huntress could do was hyperventilate in terror as Summer looked down at her red eyes with her single silver eye, the other missing from its socket.

As that transpired, Anderson wondered the thick mist with a grin on his face. Being the only Catholic in this group he was a part of. It went without saying that he was the most confident in his ability to prevail against the foulest of his church's foes. After all, he had the Lord Almighty himself to watch over him. And he, above all else, would not allow such wickedness to win this day.

"I assure ye, Lucifer, you're wasting your time if ye believe your lies and evil will get the better of me," he claimed.

A voice then suddenly echoed from behind. One that was a mixture of HIM's... and another's. "Evil, you say, father?"

The priest of Iscariot swiftly turned around, his eyes being greeted by those of one Father Lankester Merrin. A notable and well-respected priest and paleontologist whom met his end in Washington, D.C. in 1975. There, he succumbed to a heart attack whilst performing an exorcist on a twelve-year-old girl named Regan MacNeil. However, the image of an elderly Irish priest was marred by a pair of demonic yellow eyes, signifying that HIM had assumed his form.

"Why, don't you know?" the demonic Merrin mocked. "You serve one of the greatest evils the world had ever seen... the Catholic Church!"

Anderson's grin never faded despite this attempt to get at his psyche. "Hah!" he let out. "Is this the best ye can do? Take the form of one of us and spit lies about our sacred and holy church?"

"Oh, but I speak no lies, you pompous oaf," HIM/Merrin retorted. "Your precious church is guilty of more sins than I can even bother to count!"

"Is that right?" Anderson challenged. "And what sins do ye speak of?"

"You know EXACTLY what sins I speak of," another voice answered, prompting the priest to turn once again.

This time, he stared before a similarly demonic Father Damien Karris. Another priest who was with Merrin for young Regan's exorcism. Like Merrin, he too would not survive, having jumped out of a window after allowing the demon, Pazuzu, to leave Regan and possess him, falling down a flight of steps in the process. There were whispers, though, that he had somehow survived and was placed in Georgetown, only to die fifteen years later, but these rumors were never confirmed.

"'Violence is never the right answer, except when used against heathens and monsters,' right?" Karris continued. "And what does your church see as 'heathens and monsters?' The Jewish and Muslims you've scourged for over three centuries? The woman you burned at the stake for donning a man's clothing? The scientist you imprisoned in his home til the day he died? Oh, and don't even get me started on the people Boniface VIII hurt. Who knows? You might just be meeting him soon."

"Bah! It's all in the past," Anderson countered. "Those who desecrated our church and our lord are long gone. Burning here in the very fires of Hell! We have long since put such sins behind us."

His boastful demeanor would not last much longer, however. For the next voice finally caused his almost sadistic grin to fade when it said "Oh, child. To lie before your own mentor?"

The soldier of Iscariot frantically turned to see a face much more familiar to him than of the previous two priests. The face of a man he once called Father Brennan. When he was but a choir boy, Alexander was under Brennan's study. Being so young, he had considered for some time to leave the church like most children would. One day, he discovered that Brennan was excommunicated by the Catholic Church after claiming to uncover an occult conspiracy. The young Anderson was suspicious but was powerless to do anything about it. Years later, in 1976, he was delivered the news that his mentor had died in a freak accident when a lightning rod fell from a roof and impaled him. Since then, he dedicated his entire life to God, eventually becoming the monster hunter he was now.

"Now you've gone too far, demon!" Anderson exclaimed.

"But you haven't, Alexander?" HIM spoke from within Brennan's body. "Tell me, how many times have you turned a blind eye to the children who were violated by their pastors? Or the poor immigrants who committed the horrible crime of demanding gay people be treated like PEOPLE? How many times did people like you spew such vile filth against those people who just wished to go about their lives?!"

"N... No, no!" Anderson denied. "I've only been trying to save those heathens! My work for the holy lord is-!"

"Your work makes him want to PUKE!" Brennan harshly interrupted. "...And yet, despite all of that... I've yet to mention the greatest sin the Catholic Church ever committed."

This prompted Alexander to storm towards his former mentor in a fit of rage. "What sin do you speak of?" he snarled.

"Do you want to know, my child?" HIM/Brennan asked. "What I uncovered? Why I had to leave? How I TRUELY died?!"

"Tell me of this sin, you wretch!" Anderson demanded.

The manifestation of Brennan grinned darkly at his former pupil. "Why don't I show you instead?" he said as he faded away, the mist giving way to a cavern secluded from the outside world.

The agent of Iscariot was observed as several nuns, priests, and a cardinal surrounded a woman strapped forcibly to a hospital bed. As she lay with a hole in her stomach, the sound of an infant crying caught Anderson off guard. He turned and approached a table where two infants lay next to each other. A girl and a boy. The girl seemed to be a normal, healthy child.

The boy, however, gave the priest an uneasy feeling. As if this very child was the reason this vision was being shown to him.

Sure enough, he noticed a rather peculiar birthmark on his scalp. Upon closer inspection, Anderson was shocked to see what it really was. Engraved into this baby's flesh... was the number of the beast.

666.

"It's a boy," someone, Anderson didn't care much to try and uncover who, declared.

The audience of supposedly holy men and women reacted not with disgust or fear but with joy and relishment. As if they had hoped for this outcome. And just to confirm what he was bearing witness to, a choir's evil song echoed in the wind.

SANGIUS BIBIMUS

CORPUS EDIMUS

TOLLE CORPUS SATANI

AVE

AVE, AVE VERSUS CHRISTUS

AVE SATANI

"'Hail... hail the..." a mortified Anderson whispered as he translated the Latin into English. "...No, no, no, THIS CANNOT BE!"

As much as he tried to brush all this off as more of Lucifer's lies, the thought still coursed through his head as he thought back to all the atrocious crimes his church had committed stacked on top of this unspeakable act, causing him to fall to his knees in distraught.

Could it be possible that the Catholic Church itself... had birthed the Antichrist?

Then there was Vader. The former Jedi shifted through the blinding mist, the sounds of him breathing being all he could hear. He had retracted his lightsaber blade so he could concentrate on his surroundings but was unable to sense the demon.

"Again, your strategy is to cower and hide," Vader stated. "I do not see why the one who brought me here could not face you himself."

"Oh, but appearances can be sooooo deceiving, you know," HIM countered. "Take you, for example. You've always paraded yourself as the fist of your Empire. Someone who can make even the mightiest of men quake in their boots! You certainly look the part with that fancy suit of yours, but underneath that suit is the body of a broken, bitter little man, angry at an entire galaxy while bending the knee to some old coot in a chair."

Unlike the others, Vader remained silent, unphased by HIM's insults.

"Silent treatment, huh?" the ruler of Hell asked. "You can ignore it all you want, but we both know where your desperation has gotten you. The fear, the anger, the hate, Master Yoda was certainly right that it led to suffering. Both for the people you once loved and even yourself! Wouldn't you agree... SKYWALKER?!"

Hearing the demon yell his name allowed Vader to pinpoint where it came from, extending his right hand out to grab something with the Force. He pulled it towards him, revealing the shadow of a person. However, when said person finally reached him, and he tightly began to squeeze at their neck, he saw not HIM...

...but his pregnant wife.

"Anakin..." was all a frightened Padmé could let out.

Startled, the Sith lord released his grip, causing her to collapse onto the ground in a dead heap. Vader began to back away slightly as his surroundings morphed into the lava-coated environment of Mustafar.

"YOU TURNED HER AGAINST ME!" an enraged voice screamed from behind Vader. A voice he knew too well.

His voice.

He turned around to face this newcomer, revealing himself to be none other than Anakin Skywalker, glaring at his future self as he did to Obi-Wan that fateful day. The dark lord was unphased by this, having already confronted his past self inside his mindscape when his armor's systems were shut down, and was most certain this outcome would be much of the same.

"Clearly, you did not learn your lesson the last time, boy," he said, igniting his lightsaber as he spoke.

But before he could use the Force to grip his former self's neck, Vader felt the very sensation he had dealt many of his victims tightening itself around his own. He then felt himself being lifted into the air whilst his breathing began to short out. Focusing back on Anakin, Vader could only watch as he approached him, his hand lifted as he continued to hold the monster he would become captive.

Suddenly, several figures slowly rose from the lava to join with Anakin, the lava slowly giving way to the charred bodies of several Jedi whom were most familiar to Vader. Some were gunned down by their Clone allies once Order 66 had been unleashed across the galaxy, like Ki-Adi-Mundi, Plo Koon, Ayla Secura, and Depa Billaba. Then, there were those who initially survived the Great Jedi Purge, only to meet their end later on, such as Luminara Unduli and Caleb Dume, AKA: Kanan Jarrus. Finally, there was the Jedi who were slain by Vader's hand, including Mace Windu, Shaak Ti, Cin Drallig, Serra Keto, and his old master, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Even his apprentice, Ahsoka Tano, who he believed to have perished after their fateful duel in the Sith temple on Malachor, was with them.

"You're gravely mistaken, Darth," the Jedi Knight sneered, igniting his own blade as he got closer and closer. "It's you who will be taught something tonight!"

With that, the army of deceased Jedi ignited lightsabers made of pure hellfire and charged toward the Sith lord. Vader, undetered, delivered a powerful Force push that sent several flying back into the lava, freeing him from Anakin's grip. However, many more were able to break through, Anakin even leaping high into the air and raising his blade for the kill. His future self was able to counter by using his own lightsaber to block the attack before backing away to deflect a sneak attack from Ahsoka. The duo of master and apprentice gave their all to try and cut Vader down, but he proved to be much quicker than his bulky appearance made him out to be. In fact, during one such offensive, Vader quickly retaliated by pulling the hellspawn of Ki-Adi-Mundi in front of Anakin, causing him to slice the Jedi master in half before the pieces of his body were thrown at him, knocking him to the floor.

Wanting to be rid of this minor nuisance, Vader marched towards his past self, ready to slice his head off. "Only a Sith deals in absolutes," he said, echoing the words his former master once told him. "And the Sith is our destiny, child. It is time for you to accept that."

But before he could deliver the killing blow, a burning sensation was felt across his back. Crying out in pain, Vader quickly turned to see Obi-Wan standing before him with his hellfire-saber pointed right at him.

"As I said, Darth, your anger has only made me more powerful than you could possibly imagine," he pointed out, his voice now twisted and demonic.

"Then show me this power you speak of, old man," Vader challenged.

Before yet another rematch could commence between master and apprentice, though, both Ahsoka and Mace Windu ambushed him from both sides, slashing deeply into his armor and causing the fallen Jedi to fall onto one knee.

"I should've known you'd fall down this path, Skywalker," Windu coldly chided. "If only the Council rejected Qui-Gon's pleas, the galaxy would not be in turmoil!"

"The Emperor and I have done something you could not, Master Windu," Vader countered as he rose back to his feet. "We have brought peace, freedom, and order to the galaxy."

"Peace?" Ahsoka repeated. "Your Empire and the Sith's oppression have brought anything but!"

"I am not in the mood to be lectured by the ghosts of a bygone era," the Sith irritably stated.

"Then die!" Anakin suddenly shouted.

Hearing this, Vader observed his surroundings, seeing the rest of the Jedi dashing towards him from all directions. This came too late to deflect Plo Koon's blade and prevent it from slicing into his chest, causing him to fall to the floor. The others then jumped onto him before he could rise once more.

And while these ten sinners were forced to confront the demons they had crafted, the atrocities they had committed, the people they had hurt, and the worst days of their lives, HIM watched from outside of the mist, relishing in the suffering he was putting them through. Deviously laughing as he peered into this miniature hellscape for his captives, watching as many painful memories came flooding back to them all at once.

"What did any of you hope to gain from this in the first place?" he mockingly asked. "Salvation? Surely that must be the case. Killing the Devil? Why, that's practically your only option at this point! The only means to obtain any semblance of redemption for souls as damned as yours!"

"Do not believe this demon's lies!" Scorpion called out as he too traversed the mist. "This is all a means to break your souls!"

Being the only one among these killers to have been reborn in a literal hellscape, Hanzo attempted to thwart HIM's games before the other assassins could be broken. Not out of the kindness of his charred heart, of course, but so they would have a greater chance at slaying the lord of Hell. So when the mist faded to reveal a familiar-looking dojo, he immediately knew how HIM was trying to break him.

He was going to make him relive the Lin Kuei's massacre of the Shirai Ryu and the deaths of him, his wife, and his child... Or, at least, that's what he thought.

Sensing something behind him, Scorpion readied his kunai to throw at what he thought was a Lin-Kuei trying to get the drop on him. When he threw it, however, his firey eyes were instead greeted by his wife, Harumi Hasashi, and his son, Satoshi, the former holding the latter in her arms as they cowered against a wall from the monster before them. The kunai blade came within inches of piercing through Harumi's forehead and jabbed itself into the wall. All the while Scorpion's eyes widened at the sight of his frightened beloved.

"What... What monster are you?!" she screamed.

Hanzo attempted to approach her, not wanting to remove his mask to reveal the burning skull underneath and make matters worse. "Harumi..." he whispered, now beginning to be taken by the illusion.

"Stay back!" his wife screamed as his child wept in her arms.

"It's... no, no, what am I doing?" Scorpion exclaimed. "This isn't-"

He then looked back at the terrified woman and boy before him, an uncommon look of sorrow in his eyes. "I know this isn't real... but I'm so sorry..." he said before pulling his kunai back to him. Then, without warning, he lunged the blade right through a shocked Harumi's chest and heaved it back, pulling her towards him.

"GET OVER HERE!" he yelled as 'Harumi' transformed into a visibly stunned HIM.

"Damn it!" he swore before disappearing, the mist clearing at long last immediately afterward.

Once the visions cleared, Hanzo saw that the others, at this point, had all but been emotionally drained, falling face-first into the pits of despair. A blank look on their faces as the visions of their greatest sins finally faded away before them, leaving with them a reminder of what they had done. The people they had hurt. And it made them wonder if HIM was right. If there really was no hope for any of them to gain redemption. To be forgiven by those they had wronged and to put their misdeeds behind them.

There was, however, one who would not fall into this pit alongside Scorpion. That someone was Vader, who, in spite of being physically harmed by the remnants of the Jedi Order, did not allow these tricks to veer him away from the path of the Dark Side. A testament to how far Anakin had fallen. Unwilling to let HIM win, once the lord of lies reformed back on his throne, the Sith was able to bring himself back to his feet, drawing his lightsaber and marching towards his enemy, Scorpion not far behind.

But before they could strike HIM, he quickly extended his claws to their necks, lifting them from the floor before pinning them to the back wall. This action caused the other eight to turn their attention back to HIM, who was still grinning deviously at each of them.

"Phew! That was a close one. Got a bit carried away for a bit there," he stated. I suppose I could just kill you all right now, but where's the fun in any of that? How about we play a little game instead? Let's see just how long the ten of you last down here before my denizens rip and tear you all to shreds! And if you somehow make it back here, I'll let you all take another crack at me. Deal?"

None of them could so much as answer before HIM's eyes began to glow a deep shade of red. "Goodie! Now... have fun!"

With one powerful optic blast, the ten killers were sent flying out of the palace thanks to the wall being completely obliterated, sending them high into the sky in separate directions. He watched as they all vanished from his view before transitioning back to his normal form, being unable to stop himself from laughing at what had just transpired.

"Hahahaha! Oh, man, now that was just what I needed," he said to himself. "Haha-GRGH!"

A surge of pain silenced him in an instant. He irritably placed his hand on where Ash had shot him earlier, noting that the wounds were taking a particularly long time to heal. On top of that, he noticed news crews practically swarming towards the gates to try and catch a glimpse of the recluse ruler of Hell.

"Ugh, fucking vultures," he grumbled before noticing one of his guards, or, more accurately, half of him, thanks to Ash cutting him with his chainsaw, struggling to breathe as he continued to bleed out. "You! Tell those morons I'm not taking interviews right now. If they ask what happened, tell them everything and give them the security footage... but, uh, make sure you conveniently level out the part where I got shot."

"S-S-Sir, I don't know if y-you've noticed, but I-" the guard tried to plea.

"I'm gonna go patch this up and then call the other hell lords, assuming they haven't already seen this shitshow from afar and are already on my ass," Lucifer interrupted, ignoring him as he turned around. "And once all this is taken care of, I'm gonna need a LOOOOOOOOONG vacation."

By that point, the guard had already bled to death as multiple news reporters and cameramen trampled over his corpse to try and get an interview of a lifetime. However, once they were inside, Lucifer had already retreated to his room, many more guards swarming the main hall to scare the media away. As they were led back out, two questions were buzzing in everyone's minds, be they reporters, crew, or even the guards.

Who were these assassins... and were they still out there?

"Welcome back. If you're just tuning in, we'll repeat ourselves just one more time, so you assholes better pay attention," Katie Killjoy began. "Exactly one hour ago, several unknown assailants launched an attack on the Morningstar Palace, killing several guards in the process of their attempted assassination of Lucifer. Fortunately, our lord was able to survive the attack and is currently recovering within the safety of his castle, which has since doubled its security. An emergency meeting has been issued among the Hell lords to discuss what is to be done next. The whereabouts of the assassins, however, are unknown at this time, but it is believed that they're still somewhere in Hell. A reward of 666 million souls is currently on the table for anyone who brings these chucklefucks back to Lucifer, dead or alive. Normally, this would be the part where we'd say some dumb shit about 'sending thoughts and prayers' but that's how some of you apathetic assholes ended up down here in the first place! In other news-"

The TV screen went black after Vaggie switched it off. Charlie was in a state of shock at what she had just heard on the news. Her father, whom she hadn't spoken to in months, had been nearly killed in a surprise attack. The princess of Hell's mind raced with thoughts and theories as to why this happened. Was heaven trying to make a big move against Hell by trying to take out her father before the Rapture? Was this a band of wretched souls looking for a means to get in Heaven's good graces now that the next Extermination was moved up? Or could this be the fallout of her opening the Hotel? The questions swirled in her end until she felt a hand gently grasp her own. She looked to her side and saw her girlfriend giving her a comforting smile.

"Do you want to go see him?" she said.

"I... don't know," the infernal princess admitted. "I mean, yeah, he's my dad and all, but he's... 'ya know."

"A doofus? And a recluse?"

"Yeah... But still... he was nearly killed today. I can't just ignore this."

"Whatever you decide to do, I'll support you"

Charlie went silent, contemplating her choice before finally making it. "I want... to see him," she finally said. "Can you come with me?"

"I wouldn't let you out of my sight even if you told me to," Vaggie replied, earning a smile from her lover.

"What a splendid idea, my dear!" came Alastor's voice.

The two women looked behind them and saw Alastor and Angel walking into the room, though the Radio Demon was using a wall of shadows to put some space between him and the pornstar. Ever since his forced participation in the battle pits alongside the half-breed, Angel had made sure to stay close to the Hotel for safety reasons. However, that did not mean he would not give Alastor any peace due to his nymphomaniac behavior. This also included one of the Hotel's new arrivals in Angel's long list of many types of sexual harassment.

"I'll be happy to join you at your father's side in his time of need," the deal-maker continued.

"That's okay, Al. You don't have to come if you don't want to," Charlie reasoned.

"Nonsense! Your father needs his family, and you, my dear, need your business partner for support!" the Radio Demon refuted. "Besides, when am I going to have a chance to see the inside of that lovely palace?"

Charlie knew that letting someone like Alastor into her home would be like letting a fox into the hen house, But on the other hand, the thought of leaving Alastor alone at the Hotel made her feel uneasy, to say the least. Before Charlie could give her answer, the Hotel's trio of new arrivals entered the room. Ever since checking in, Toffee and the twins, Hänsel and Gretel, had been model students of Charlie's teachings. In another life, Toffee was once a warrior fighting for peace and equality for his people against the tyranny of their world's oppressors, the Mewmans. Toffee admitted that his fight for freedom became... misguided. He now sought redemption for the crimes he had committed during his war.

The twins, however, were a much different story Though they were well-behaved, it was mostly because they listened to Toffee whenever he spoke. Vaggie surmised that they viewed the Septarian as a sort of authority figure that they lacked in life. And what a life it was. According to them, the twins were once sex slaves who were once forced to kill, have sex with, and even eat other children under the cruel orders of their dark web masters. They soon gained a taste for killing, which led them to become killers for hire. This path of violence led them to their untimely deaths, sending them down to the infernal kingdom.

"If I may say a few words of advice, princess," Toffee began. "Perhaps it's best if you see your father. The killers are still at large, and who knows when the assassins may return to try again."

"Which is exactly why she should be accompanied by those she trusts," Alastor cut in sharply.

"And you are among those few?" Toffee questioned, unconvinced.

The two demons look back at one another with a fierce gaze in their eyes. Since Toffee had arrived at the Hotel, he and Alastor had been at a tense standoff. Charlie wasn't an idiot. She knew that the man-lizard was a manipulator like Alastor was and kept her trust in the newcomer at a distance, but it was nice to see the Radio demon on his toes from time to time. Still, the thought of leaving Alastor here alone with Toffee without her to break them up was chaos waiting to happen.

"Maybe you should tag along, Al," the princess of Hell answered. "Do you want to come too, Angel?"

"Eh, why not?" Angel shrugged. "Maybe I can fuck a servant or two while I'm there."

"Then it's settled," Charlie said. "Toffee, I hope you can take care of things while we're gone?"

"I can manage," the former warlord answered. "Someone needs to make sure Sir Pentious isn't concocting another of his machines in secret again, anyway."

"Ease up on him, okay?" Charlie requested. "He said he was-"

"Sorry?" Toffee interrupted. "Yes. Well, that word can only carry you so far, princess. You do have my word, however, that no harm will come to him... so long as he keeps his word, that is."

Charlie nodded in approval before she and the others, allowing Toffee and the twins a chance to speak alone. "I want you two to find those assassins. I want to know why they're here and who brought them," he ordered. "They can't have come to Hell without help from someone else. More than likely someone from Hell itself, no doubt"

"Of course!" Gretel compiled. "But what if they don't want to come?"

"Then you may... persuade them if need be," Toffee replied. "But remember: I want them alive."

"Ah, that's no fun," Hansel said glumly. "The reason we like you so much Mr. Toffee, is because you're a master of killing, and now you DON'T want us to kill?"

"I can't question a corpse now, can I?" the Septarian dryly reasoned. "But should you be met with, shall we say, 'interference' from outside forces, you may indulge yourselves."

The two children smiled brightly as if they had been told they could have ice cream before bed. The murderous twins departed to carry out their mission. Toffee smirked to himself. Soon enough, he'd have what he had desired ever since setting foot in Hell: A way back to the living world.

"Finally, some fuckin' peace and quiet," Husk couldn't help but say to himself from behind the bar.

The second he said that, however, the sounds of various windows breaking and Nifty's laughter reminded him that the hotel's maid was still very much with him. This prompted his left eye to begin twitching before he slammed his head onto the bar. He then began to irritably slam a fist onto the back of his head as Nifty's efforts to kill what was likely a single bug continued to echo through the halls.

Of course, the killers' botched attempt at Lucifer's life did not go unnoticed by the one who brought them to Hell in the first place. Pinhead observed as his assassins were scattered across Hell in an instant from the safety of the Cenobites' domain. One would think that such a hindrance would be cause for alarm. Anger, even. The Hell Priest, however, was not disillusioned by his candidates in the slightest. This was merely the first play in his master plan, and the ten he selected were not just selected based on their likelihood that they could slay Lucifer. They were also picked based on how they could survive in the infernal pit if their first stroke failed.

And he believed that the question was not whether or not they could survive in Hell... but if its denizens could survive them.

Still, not everyone maintained his faith in these savages. Such was the case for one of Pinhead's allies in this grand plan.

"WHERE IS HE?! WHERE THE FUCK IS THAT PRICK?!" an enraged voice bellowed out of the empty halls.

Not long afterward, who should 'grace' Pinhead with his presence but the first man himself, Adam, joined by his right-hand angel in his legion of Exorcists, Lute. As expected, Adam was not particularly enthused with how the attempt on his lord's rival's life transpired, which was clear with the angered expression on his mask and his heaves of rage that boiled his angelic blood. Lute, in the meantime, was completely neutral and professional as she always was, even when her superior was well, for lack of a better expression, throwing a tantrum.

Pinhead, meanwhile, didn't so much as turn around to greet his visitors, focusing his attention on the kingdom he would soon rule over. Of course, not playing to Adam's ego only made him madder and madder by the second. Something that the lead Cenobite wasn't too concerned over.

"You come before me unannounced once again, Adam," he stated, maintaining his dignity and regalness. Just to further spite his guest. "This is becoming a rather irksome-"

"Save it, bub!" Adam angrily interrupted. "I saw the newscast! Your little cadre of losers got their asses kicked! Almost like pulling a few damned fucktards to do the job instead of a real man, IE, ME, wasn't really that good of an idea!"

"And invite an open war against Heaven to your God?" Pinhead calmly countered. "I had hoped you would set aside your ego to know why, even with Hell in the state it is in, that would be a most grievous strategy. Clearly, however, I thought too much of you."

All Adam did was practically snarl in contempt while the Cenobite before him continued.

"I see no reason to doubt the damned souls I had tasked. All they have to do now is survive what Hell will have in store for them and regroup. I assure you, Lucifer will die, and I will grant you and your angels the grand Extermination you desire. Wipe the slate clean so that I may turn it into a place of glorious suffering once more. Be patient, and all will go according to pla-"

"Uh-uh, no, no, no, no, nohohohoooo! I HAVE been patient with you!" Adam exclaimed in fury as he began to storm towards the lead Cenobite.

"Sir, wait!" Lute tried to reason but to no avail.

"You had the perfect chance to kill Lucifer!" the angel furthered. "I mean, fuck! They were practically in the five-yard line on a first down! And they went and fumbled the ball to the other damn team! So, Pinhead, tell me why the fuck I sho-?!"

The first man was unable to finish his tirade, thanks to several chains wrapping around his wings and hoisting him into the air, much to his shock. "Whoa, whoa, hey, hey, hey, bro, hey, wait, WAIT! Wha-Wha-What are you-?!" was all he could exclaim before another set of chains wrapped around his mouth.

More and more then started to wrap tightly around his body, snaring his arms to his sides and forcing his legs together. As he hung there, struggling to free himself, the one he insulted slowly turned to face him, and an uncommon expression of anger overtook his face. One that would only be brought out if someone dared to refer to him by his most detested of nicknames.

Naturally, this didn't sit well with Lute, who promptly pulled out her blade and pointed it right at Pinhead's throat. The Cenobite, however, paid no mind to such a risky maneuver, focusing his wrath solely on Adam.

"Let him go!" she ordered. "Now, before I-!"

Much like her superior, the angel didn't get a chance to finish her threat before another set of chains enveloped her body and lifted her upward to join him, though she wasn't unfortunate enough to have said chains force her mouth shut. She too squirmed to try and set herself free, having dropped her weapon when she was ambushed. As she did so, she noticed a second figure approaching Pinhead out of the corner of her eye. Much like the leader of the Cenobites, this individual had chalk-white skin and several pins inserted symmetrically into their head. This one though was clearly a female, wearing a sleeveless robe made of skin.

"You... will do nothing," she said.

Her voice was noticeably raspy and deeper than expected, though still had traces of femininity to it. The sound of it was enough to cause even the hardened and determined angel before her to shudder slightly.

"You're not the only one with a 'right-hand woman,' so to speak, Adam," Pinhead informed as the Priestess stood by his side.

"Who is she?" Lute demanded to know, likely speaking for Adam. "Our records made no mention of a second Hell Priest!"

"You have far more important matters to worry about at the moment, angel," Pinhead replied before shifting his attention back to Adam, scowling once more at him as he continued to struggle in his confines. "Now... listen carefully. Because I will not repeat myself the next time you choose to mock me. The Seraphim may have the patience to deal with your many... tendencies, but let me remind you of something. You are not among the Seraphim. You are not in Heaven. You are not even in your special little embassy, flaunting your diplomatic immunity like a spoiled child. You are in Leviathan's domain. Our lord's domain. It is his word that supersedes all others, then... it is mine. So, while you and your assistant are down here, you will adhere to my word. My command... And it would be very wise to not try my patience."

"You DARE think you can just order soldiers of God like that, Hell Priest?!" Lute exclaimed. "Our lord would not take too kindly to some demo-!"

"DO I LOOK LIKE SOMEONE WHO CARES WHAT GOD THINKS?!" Pinhead countered, promptly shutting his captive angel up.

Defiantly, Adam let out a series of muffled expletives, the chains still causing him to struggle to speak up.

"You have something to say, Adam?" Pinhead pondered. "I'd advise you to choose your words a bit wiser this time."

The chains that wrapped around his mouth pulled back, allowing him to take a deep breath before speaking.

"Ah, thanks, man, now I can tell you how utterly SCREWED you two are!" he smugly declared. "Attacking the guy who made your freaky-deeky ass in the first place?! Ho-ho, when the head honcho hears about that, he's gonna make both of you SCREAM!"

"...Then call him," the Hell Priestess challenged.

"Yeah, that's right, beg and cry like a couple of bitches all you want, 'cause when I-! Wait, wha-huh?" Adam replied, his arrogance giving way to confusion mid-sentence.

"Please, by all means, call him," the Hell Priest continued for the Priestess. "I'm certain he will be quite interested to know what the leader of his Exorcists and his second-in-command are doing in Hell. Allowing myself to bring ten mortals here to dethrone Lucifer behind his back. Weaving a game of deception against God himself. I assure you, Adam, it will be the two of you who will beg and grovel for forgiveness, pleading to God not to cast you down here... to share Luficer's fate."

As they continued to be at the mercy of the Priest and Priestess, the sound of teeth chattering began to echo from the angels' right. From the left, right, and behind, three additional Cenobites surrounded both Adam and Lute. The one responsible for the chattering noises appeared to have his face completely melted, save for his exposed jaws that continuously chattered against each other while his eyes were permanently shut. Unseen by the two of them was a surgeon who had his own eyes welded shut, on top of his mouth perpetually forced open, thanks to a contraption that was placed onto his forehead. Finally, to the angels' left was a female Cenobite with spikes jutting out of her forehead, bladed weaponry left pierced through her body, and zippers running up her cheeks to her ears.

Not much was known in the infernal pit about these three, hence why they were usually referred to as the 'Chatterer,' the 'Surgeon,' and 'Abigor.' The latter, however, had many theories as to who she was before becoming one of Leviathan's many servants. Some even speculate that she was none other than Queen Cleopatra herself, while others suggest that she was once Helen of Troy. No matter who she was when she was alive, though, it obviously mattered little to her now. Such was the case with her fellow Cenobites, who continued to observe the captive duo of angels.

"I will warn you only once, Adam," Pinhead continued. "Learn your place amongst us, or you will be the first angel to experience our desires. To be given upon your body our greatest gift. The sensation of sweet, sweet suffering. And then, once I have assumed Hell's infernal throne, the first thing I will do is have Leviathan burn your wretched kingdom to the ground!"

"Your abomination of a God is nothing compared to our almighty father!" Lute attempted to defy.

"You would put your lord to the test?" the Hell Priestess challenged. "Is that not a sin?"

"Angels are quite the hypocritical lot, wouldn't you agree?" Pinhead added.

Knowing that he wasn't going to win this argument, Adam was forced to swallow his pride, though not without lowering his head so he wouldn't have to look the demon before him in the eye.

"Okay, okay! Grrgh! I get it!" he relented. "Now, will you let me down already, dude?! This is seriously putting-ugh!-a lot of pressure on my wings! It-rrgh!-It's starting to fucking hurt!"

In an instant, the chains retracted to the void from which they came, causing the leader of the Exorcists to fall face-first to the floor. Lute followed shortly afterward, though she had managed to land on her feet, saving herself the humiliation her superior was, undeniably, feeling right now. Adam followed immediately afterward, brushing dirt off his robes before trudging out of the room, mumbling several foul words as he did so. Lute, meanwhile, glared right at the leader of the Cenobites, clearly ired over what just happened.

"You have no idea how lucky you are, demon," she bitterly stated. "The pain that I was about to inflict on you would have... been..."

She found herself immediately regretting threatening the Hell Priest like that, as evident by him slowly approaching her with an unamused expression. Once he was close enough, he looked down at the now fear-stricken angel and uttered a simple reminder as his response. One that would ensure she wouldn't push her own luck like that again.

And said reminder was but three words that pierced right into Lute's mind.

"I... AM... pain!"

Not wanting to ire the Hell Priest further, Lute smartly opted to dash out of his domain and catch up with Adam. Said first man was, naturally, going on a tirade over his ego being insulted like that.

"Fucking spikey-faced freakshow!" he angrily shouted. "I can't believe you talked me into taking that dipshit's offer, Lute!"

"Sir, with all due respect, you need to be patient just a little bit longer," Lute tried to assure. "The Hell Priest's assassins are still in Hell and will likely make a second attempt at Lucifer's life. Once he and his daughter are dead and Leviathan's priest dispatches his supporters, we can focus on expanding our upcoming Extermination to Hell's other sectors. With fewer of the old Hell lords to back them up, wiping the slate clean for this cesspool will be no trouble at all."

Hearing his right-hand woman's reasonings prompted Adam to pout to himself like a child. "...Fine," he relented. "But when we come back here during the Extermination, that bastard's mine!"

"Of course, sir," Lute replied.

While the angels whispered of their intended back-stabbing out of ear's reach, the Cenobites conversed among themselves.

"You are aware they're going to betray you, aren't you?" the Hell Priestess stated to her superior.

"Of course," Pinhead confirmed. "But we needed to ensure Heaven would not complicate things further. As such, they must play their part for this coup to succeed... for now."

With that, he began to make his way out of the room, much to the surprise of the Priestess. "And where are you going?" she pondered.

"As the other pieces continue to scatter across the chessboard, so too must the king," Pinhead explained. "Once Lucifer falls, we will need the denizens of Hell on our side to solidify myself as his replacement. And I will accomplish this... by first reacquainting myself with a few... old friends."