Three days had passed since… the incident.

That's what the Overlords of Hell had taken to calling it. Though admittedly… none of them were really sure that what happened could be labeled a mere incident.

Because it was nowhere near simple enough to be called nothing more than an incident.

Of course, most of Hell would probably disagree. Time taking its course, a new wave of sinners rising to power, all of that fun stuff.

Right…

But Carmilla knew better.

She'd known the moment she'd heard of the incident. Because unlike most… she actually did her research.

In front of her, on her computer screen, a prison record was pulled up. An actual prison record.

And it wasn't just another slaughter house, or a slave factory, or a mafia punishment… no, it was an actual prison. Dedicated to actually housing and… rehabilitating people back into a normal society.

A normal society in Hell was anarchy and chaos at every turn, and a drive for power unlike any other among everyone.

All except for one little city.

The Hell Hole.

Carmilla had heard of the town before. Honestly, what part of Hell hadn't? A joke of a demonic society, where they actually tried to do good. It was actually encouraged.

In Hell, why wouldn't it be a joke?

But… as a certain goliath had once said… maybe people should've been paying attention.

Two. Years.

No. Exterminations.

It baffled Carmilla. Completely and utterly baffled her. And the sad thing is… all of it was public record, and barely any of Hell knew because barely any of Hell cared enough about the Hell Hole pay attention to it.

And yet… the story went back as far as four years.

Which brought her back to the prison record.

HELL HOLE CITY PRISON

INMATE RECORD

Prison ID: BDDKL6061

Name: Gallagher, *REDACTED* John Doughlas

Age: 17

Sex: Male

Species: Sinner

Occupation: High School Student; Part Time Government Agent

Reason for Incarceration: Assault, Destruction of Property, Possible Threat to City Safety

Living Crimes: Murder.

Description: Nine Feet Tall. Gray skin, barest hint of green. Spikes protruding from every major joint of movement. Smaller set on each of the four main knuckles. Gashes that are a part of unique biology. Razor sharp teeth that are serrated, seperated in rows similar to a shark. Single long spike connects to his skeleton at the base of the neck on each shoulder. Runs to the edge of each shoulder.

Powers/Abilities: Immense physical strength and durability. Hellfire manipulation, including healing purposes. Hemokinetic.

Possible Weaknesses: Horns and joint spikes are highly sensitive despite being nigh unbreakable. However, there's no real way to capitalize on this due to the prisoner's extreme durability and seeming ability to block out pain in combat. Though, further testing is required to know for sure.

Comments/Notes: NONE - Addendum: I came back to add this addendum after the kid's release. During his two month stay at our facility, because that's honestly all it was, the kid treated the guards and prisoners with nothing but open honesty and surprising generosity. He was a pariah among the inmates, but he managed to make a few friends among those of us in the staff.

One day, he was thrown in solitary for beating a guard half to death. Come to find out, that same guard had done the same thing to another inmate. Was believed to have been a hate crime, as the guard has been on watch for violent homophobia, and the inmate was a gay imp.

The kid was promptly released from solitary, while the offending guard was immediately arrested, booked upon recovery, and immediately sat in the same solitary cell that the kid had been put in.

But the real reason I came back to add this… well, it's all public record, and I don't want anyone to think the kid is anything other than honest. And good.

That snake, Sir Pretentious or whatever his name is, attacked the city. Thought it'd gain him some attention to wipe us off the map.

When the Hades Club Tower was destroyed in the attack, the kid turned to me, apologized, and then immediately busted his way out and singlehandedly saved he city.

And then he… came right back to us, and sat right back down in his cell.

Is it any wonder the mayor issued the kid a pardon? - Addendum added by Warden Warp on October 18.

Date of Incarceration: June 2

Inmate Status: PARDONED/RELEASED

This… John Gallagher, had fallen in the Hell Hole. Apparently the city had laws in place regarding sinners, for concerns which Carmilla herself could admit were very well founded. Sinners had to register themselves to the city's database, upon which they were scheduled a pseudo interview-interrogation combination type of meeting.

Basically, the registering sinner would be interrogated upon their crimes and intentions, and if they were deemed passive, they were allowed to live in the city like the rest of its residents.

John had been deemed a threat, and immediately incarcerated.

Now, Carmilla herself would never willingly serve time in any prison. Hell or not. In fact, she didn't know a single demon who would.

Well, until now that is.

But it was still so, so mind boggling to the ballerina. The behemoth, whom at time still knew he held more than enough power to wipe out this joke of a Hell city, had willingly allowed himself to be incarcerated.

Why?

Why would any damned soul sent to Hell willingly accept time in any prison?

Even still, it baffled her, but at least she was able to find some possible answers.

After all, the Hell Hole does have a reputation as one of the more genuine societies in Hell, so she supposed that played a part in it.

But it wasn't just that.

It was almost like some stupid cartoon. On varying intervals, some sinner (usually Pentious) would attack the city, and John would fight them off. He'd win, they'd run with their tails between their legs, and the city praised him for it.

Then… then came the day of the Extermination.

And for once, the Hell Hole news wasn't censored in the slightest. Actually, that had been a small nuisance that Carmilla had expected to encounter.

But she'd seen the aftermath for herself with the uncensored photo.

The streets had been littered with the broken, mangled, destroyed bodies of numerous Exorcists, to the point that the city hadn't even been able to count how many had actually been killed. Golden blood had painted the streets that day…

At the hands of a sinner.

Carmilla knew how to kill an angel. But she had no clue how John was able to kill angels.

Fight for love, using holy weaponry.

John may have the fight for love part down, but there was no holy weaponry involved in his battles against the Exorcists.

The next year, according to the news article covering that next Extermination, John had actually waited in the streets for the Exorcists. And rather than go for any demon they could find… they ignored any still out and immediately targeted John.

All of the ones sent to that section of Hell.

And John had slaughtered them all.

But… outside of that and a few more articles detailing countless more fights with various other sinners (again, mainly Pentious), nothing really told her anything useful.

And after what had happened at Porn Studios… useful was what Carmilla needed now. More than ever.

She'd honestly thought the sinner wouldn't have been a threat. He'd seemed quite content with Hell's hierarchy in general, and seemed to have no plans on shaking the status quo.

Considering their interests had aligned and neither Carmilla nor anyone else had a reasonable excuse to pick a fight with the sinner, she at the very least had been content with the behemoth.

But… then she'd heard the news. And then she saw it for herself.

Carmilla cared little for any of the three Vees. Vox was an egotistical maniac, Velvette was a spoiled girl who really needed some discipline, and Val was the biggest piece of shit this side of the Pentagram.

And though Carmilla felt no sympathy for the moth's fate… she'd be lying if she said it hadn't scared her.

And she hated to admit that, but it was the truth.

Seeing a dead Exorcist was one thing. Knowing there was a sinner strong enough to kill countless Exorcists was scary.

Seeing the aftermath of what that behemoth can do to almost any other demon…

Valentino hadn't just been killed. Oh no, he'd been played with. If that weren't the case, the room wouldn't have been as trashed as it was.

And whatever the goliath had done had left the moth in so many pieces that Carmilla was sure the remaining two Vees were still having the room cleaned even now, three days later. Blood was splattered absolutely everywhere, and it was more than likely that Valentino had suffered greatly before his ultimate demise.

But no one knew why John had attacked Valentino. Of course, there were guesses, but nothing concrete. Especially considering his grudge was against Vox, not Val, to Carmilla's knowledge.

So why? Why exactly had John decided to go only hours later and slaughter an Overlord that he seemingly had no qualms against?

Granted, Valentino easily could've done something to anger the behemoth in that time, but Carmilla considered that unlikely due to how much time had passed until the moth had been slaughtered like cattle.

That… had been the reason she'd called another meeting among Overlords so soon. And had made it expressly clear to a certain radio obsessed nuisance that John was strictly not invited.

Needless to say… no one had disagreed.

"Mother?" Clara's familiar voice rang through her ears, and Carmilla tore her gaze away from the monitor in front of her to see her daughters having entered the room, Odette wisely shutting the door behind her as Clara stood, looking at her moth in concern. "The meeting is about to start. Everyone's here. Are you ready?"

Carmilla held Clara's gaze for a moment, before a sigh escaped her as she nodded her head. Admittedly, she hadn't the faintest idea of how they were supposed to take on the sinner. But… that was what the meeting was for in the first place.

Carmilla wordlessly stood to her feet and shut down her computer.

She didn't know what was going to happen, but she knew that some kind of plan had to be put into place. Whether it was for leverage against the behemoth, or a plan for worst case scenario… something was going to happen.

The tips of her shoes clicked against the marble as she walked across her office, making her way towards the door as Clara and Odette both obediently stepped out of their mother's way.

Once she reached the door, Carmilla stopped, turned, and held her arms open.

Clara and Odette smiled, and approached their mother, allowing the Overlord's oversized arms to envelope her children. The woman leaned down, and planted a loving kiss on the foreheads of each daughter, before pulling her arms away and turning around.

And with the step through the doorway… the meeting began.

"Welcome, Hell's sovereign Overlords." Carmilla began with the usual greeting, gesturing for her children to immediately take their reserved seats. "I've invited you here because you represent the controlling powers of our city. Control which is now threatened."

She paused as she took a moment to take in the faces of every Overlord who had shown up.

It was no surprise that Zestial had returned for the meeting. Although, Carmilla admittedly found herself surprised when she spotted Vox at the table as well. There were a few faces that were absent from the meeting, but Alastor and Rosie had both arrived, as had Zeezi, and she even made sure to check and see if Flow had arrived. She found herself pleasantly surprised when she spotted him in his usual seat, and he offered a silent nod of greeting.

But… Flow wasn't the biggest surprise arrival.

"Frederick? Bethesda?" Carmilla couldn't help but to note with surprise as she spotted the two Eldritch demons, both Overlords. And neither of whom usually showed up to these meetings despite her invitations.

"Carmilla." Frederick's deep, otherworldly voice greeted in a pleasant tone, offering a polite nod as his wife offered a similarly polite bow from her seat.

"We are thankful for the countless invites, even if we do not often show." Bethesda spoke, her ethereal voice coming as smoothly as silk and as softly as a mother to her children, as she offered a pleasant if slightly unnerving smile.

"You represent the controlling powers of this city as well." Carmilla replied with a respectful nod of her own to the two demons. The two of them were among the only Overlords in Hell whom were Hellborn, and had remained in power for a long time.

Not even Zestial had the kind of wisdom Frederick and Bethesda Von Eldritch did.

"Not to cut into the interruption," Flow spoke up, offering a nod of respect to the two veteran Overlords before turning back towards Carmilla. "But I believe we should wait till later to exchange any pleasantries, when we are free. For now, we have important matters to discuss.

"Indeed." Zestial nodded his head in agreement as he too shared a glance with Carmilla, before turning to face the rest of the gathered Overlords. "Is everyone aware of our present situation?"

A chorus of affirmations rang through the room, and Zestial nodded his head in satisfaction. No one was uninformed, it would seem.

"Where exactly do we begin?" Rosie asked, folding her hands together and resting them upon the meeting table as she looked at Carmilla. "What exactly do we know?"

"We know that the big fucker killed Valentino." Velvette replied, a rare look of seriousness on her face as she let her gaze sweep the room. "And we know he did it real good. Val's dead, or he'd have been back already."

"Which means we face a very real threat." Frederick surmised, raising a brow as he turned his gaze to Carmilla. "One of which is most dangerous."

"Indeed." Carmilla acknowledged the Eldritch demon with a nod. "I have managed to gather some info… but unfortunately, I'm afraid most of it remains rather sparse in terms of usefulness."

"All info is useful, Carmilla." Bethesda assured, her smile offering an almost otherworldly comfort to anyone who set eyes on it, though the smile disappeared into a frown a few moments later. "Would you be so kind as to tell us what you have learned?"

"Indeed." Wordlessly, Carmilla turned to Odette and gave a nod, which the demon returned as she lifted a remote and pressed a button.

The ceiling mounted projector lit up, and Carmilla stepped out of the way so that everyone could see, coming to a stop next to Zestial.

"John Douglas Gallagher, which is his real given name, fell down in a city known as the Hell Hole." Carmilla began recounting the info she'd learned. "Not long after his arrival, he went through a screening process. Due to destroying an entire apartment block level and admitting to having committed murder in his last moments, he was incarcerated at the local prison."

"Incarcerated?" Vox questioned, his brow furrowing in confusion as he heard that statement. For once, Carmilla couldn't blame him for speaking out. "How the hell did they manage that? It couldn't have been easy."

"Except he willingly allowed himself to be incarcerated." Carmilla revealed in response as Odette pressed the button once more, switching to a different image.

John's prison information.

She remained silent as she allowed everyone, including her daughters, to read what the screen showed and take in the information it provided.

"It sounds as if these… Hell Hole denizens consider this demon a hero." Frederick pointed out as he finished reading the information first. "Is the demon truly so naive?"

"I'm afraid not." Alastor spoke up, turning to face the Eldritch demon with a rare look of seriousness, his usual smile having vanished. Because even he knew how serious the situation was for the Overlords. "I work with the man myself, and I can say for certain that while genuinely kind hearted, John is far from naive."

"You work with him personally?" Bethesda questioned, her eyes widening ever so slightly in surprise, before tilting her head in a curious manner. "Is there perhaps anything you can tell us?"

"Nothing of use, unfortunately." Alastor admitted as he turned his gaze back to the projected image. "Unless you wish to hear about his cooking skills or his devotion to any and all people he cherishes, there's nothing useful I can provide."

"Didn't Flow know the guy?" Zeezi pointed out, flicking a finger towards the usually quiet Overlord by the door. "Why don't we ask him?"

"Tis a fair point." Zestial agreed with the oversized lizard's words, turning his own gaze to the eel as he offered a questioning glance. "Wouldn't thy have better information than any of us? Who better to ask than thou who knew our common enemy while among the living?"

"That is a matter of perspective." Flow replied as he leaned back in his chair, crossing his legs and he rested his hands atop his lap. "What kind of information are you looking for?"

"Perhaps your honest opinion?" Rosie offered, glancing at the eel with a questioning gaze of your own. "At this moment, you're the only one with any meaningful knowledge."

"Unfortunately, that means I only have one answer, and it's not one any of you would like." Flow admitted with a small sigh as he turned his gaze to Carmilla. "But if you want my opinion, then I mean it wholeheartedly when I say our best course of action is to do absolutely nothing."

"You can't be serious." Vox commented with a scoff, shooting a disdainful glare at the intelligence demon. "He slaughtered Val, freed all of the souls he owned, attacked me, and you expect us to just… let it slide?"

"You asked." Flow retorted with a nonchalant shrug. "The simple truth is that we have absolutely no way of even remotely controlling John. Even if he wasn't powerful enough to face any of us, his will is too strong to coerce." The eel elaborated further as he uncrossed his legs, leaning forward and focusing intently on John's mugshot.

"What about this Hell Hole business?" Zeezi asked, raising an eyebrow. "He's gotta still have some friends there, right? We can use them as leverage, can't we?"

"Only if you're asking for a permanent end." Flow replied as he shook his head. "John doesn't do blackmail, pure and simple. When you think you have a hold on him, he'll flip the tables with an offer of his own: live peacefully or die painfully."

"I doubt that John would be willing to take such lengths when a loved one is in blatant danger."

"Then you still don't know him as well as you think." Flow retorted without missing a beat, refusing to take his eyes off the mugshot. "You know as well as I do that if John is one thing, it's honest. He doesn't ever make a choice you give him, you'll always make a choice he gives you: so much as harm someone he cares for, and your fate is sealed regardless of if they live or die. Release them in perfect health, and you continue to live."

"So blackmail of any kind is not an option." Frederick surmised from the conversation as he turned back towards the mugshot himself. "What about any specific weaknesses?" He glanced at both Alastor and Flow when he said that, as the two of them seemed to be the resident geniuses on their current topic.

"If he has any, I don't know of them."

"None that we could utilize anymore."

Carmilla shared the disappointment that was visible on Frederick's face when she heard that answer.

"So… how exactly are we supposed to handle him at all?" Zeezi asked, leaning back in her seat and shaking her head at the seemingly impossible odds stacked against them. "He can put us all down for good, and we don't even have a way to manipulate him."

"What's more is how powerful he really is." Carmilla revealed as she nodded to Odette once more.

When the image changed… it was no surprise that everyone let gasps of shock and surprise escape them.

"There's… there's so much carnage." Rosie was genuinely shocked by the sight that awaited her. It was the image from the news article, displaying John's handiwork during his first extermination. Granted, the carnage itself wasn't anything new in the slightest… no, it was the victims.

Angels.

"This is the aftermath of an Extermination almost four years ago." Carmilla revealed as she eyed the image herself, remembering how easily the man had subdued her and nearly everyone else currently sitting in the room. "Each and every one was slaughtered. None remained alive."

"What, he fought them off for four years straight?" Velvette questioned in utter disbelief, jaw agape and eyes wide as she saw the image for herself.

But Carmilla shook her head in response.

"Not four, two." She corrected as she gave Odette another nod, and the news article itself appeared onscreen. "The next year, they sent hundreds if not thousands more, and John slaughtered them too. Afterwards… the Exterminations stopped in the Hell Hole."

"So he was telling the truth." Alastor surmised, though he didn't sound surprised in the slightest. "He really has made a deal with Adam."

"So we know our enemy is quite possibly the most powerful sinner in Hell, quite possibly above even the likes of the Goetia Demons." Bethesda recounted what had been discussed and learned so far, before turning to Flow. "And our best answer is genuinely to do nothing?"

"Yes." Flow answered without a moment's hesitation as he stood to his feet and moved closer to the table, taking the time to make direct eye contact with each and every Overlord present. "I can say for absolute certain that as long as we make no move against him, he will leave us alone in return."

"But-"

"I'm not going to let you even start." Flow interrupted Vox before the TV demon could even begin what was sure to be a possible rant, snapping his gaze towards the man without a moment's hesitation. "For starters, no one cares about Valentino. No tears are gonna be shed for him, and it's not like he's a very big loss."

"Quite." Zestial nodded his own head in agreement as he too turned to face Vox. "I would wish that thee ask one simple question: tis thy ready for a fight he knows he cannot win simply for mere reputation?"

Vox audibly growled, and he looked ready to snap and say something considering the egotist he was even jumping out of his chair and slamming his hands on the table. But a gentle hand from Velvette came to rest upon his arm, something Carmilla took note of, as the TV demon turned to her. The doll simply shook her head.

Vox stared at Velvette for a moment, before letting a sigh escaping him and sinking back down to his feet.

"I believe I agree with Flow." Rosie admitted, turning to Carmilla with a genuine yet apologetic smile. "What's the point in picking a fight with the guy if it's better in the long run to just leave him alone?"

"That doesn't negate the use of a last resort." Frederick responded with a glance at the cannibal. "I agree with Flow as well, but it would be best to have a plan in place should the worst happen."

"I agree." Bethesda said in support of her husband's words, as her face took on a very stern expression. "Regardless of what happens, I will not have my children in danger."

"Nor would I." Frederick agreed with his wife.

"Nor would any of us dare to ask such a labor of you." Zestial pointed out with a respectful nod. "Both out of self-preservation and respect. But I find myself at odds with such… nefarious tactics." Carmilla's eyes widened when she heard that, because Zestial had no qualms about using nefarious means for his own achievements.

Clearly, no one else expected such a response either.

"Then what would you suggest, my friend?" Carmilla asked, turning to her former mentor and long time friend with a raised eyebrow. "Far be it from me to question your wisdom, but would it not be wise to have such failsafes in place?"

"Not if the need for such actions is eliminated." Zestial responded as he willed a cup of tea into existence and took a sip, before letting an almost inaudible sigh of satisfaction escape him. "Instead of focusing on how to defend ourselves against an attack, T'would it not be more beneficial to have this gentleman as our ally?"

"How would you propose that, Zestial?" Alastor asked, raising an eyebrow at the spider as he cupped his hands together. "Of everyone in this room, he tolerates me and downright loathes both Flow and Vox. How would we succeed in making him an ally?

"Offer him a spot at the table?" Velvette, of all people, suggested. A suggestion which gained her looks of genuine surprise from everyone and downright shock from Vox. "What? I don't like the bloody bastard either, Vox. But I'd definitely prefer to keep breathing." She admitted, though she looked a little… almost ashamed at the fact she agreed with Zestial.

"That's not a bad idea." Bethesda agreed with Velvette's decision, to everyone's surprise. "And I must admit that I would like to meet this man for myself."

"I as well." Frederick agreed with his wife as he turned to Carmilla. "If it would be okay with you, Carmilla."

"I appreciate your value of my opinion, but the value of each of yours alone is much higher than my own." Carmilla replied with a respectful tone, offering a polite nod of affirmation as well, before letting her gaze sweep the room. "All in favor?"

Slowly, one by one, each individual hand in the room raised itself high. Even Vox raised his hand after a few moments, though it was clear that it was with a begrudging reluctance. He clearly had no love lost for the behemoth.

But nonetheless, every single Overlord present agreed with that course of action.

"Now comes the question of if he would accept our offer." Zestial commented as all hands lowered back to their original positions.

"Well, perhaps I can help with that part." Flow, surprisingly, offered as he retook his seat, understandably gaining everyone's attention. "As long as something good is coming from our operations, and I mean genuinely good, he may be more willing to help the rest of you."

"He would not help you?" Bethesda asked, tilting her head in curiosity as her brow furrowed in confusion, ethereal eyes searching for an answer as to why. "Did you two not know each other in your living life?"

"Unfortunately, Miss Eldritch, me and John were never friends." There! There it was again. That look of deep guilt that Carmilla had noticed at the last meeting.

Perhaps it would give some answers.

"I sense the guilt you feel." Frederick spoke up, looking at the eel with a furrowed brow of his own. At the eel's look of shock, one brow raised. "My family possesses the ability to sense powerful emotions that one may carry. We… have a history of using that ability to our own whims, though I myself have never truly been fond of it." The Eldritch demon admitted, before his expression… softened? "Perhaps you should tell us what your history with this… John Gallagher… truly is."

Flow stared at the demon for a moment, a look of deep thought on his face. Carmilla admittedly wondered if he'd actually satisfy Frederick's request, and she must admit that she too was curious.

After a few moments, the man let out a sigh.

"Well… it is quite a long story." Flow admitted, before turning his gaze to Carmilla. "Are we sure we all have the time?"

"As important as this matter is, I believe we all made plenty of time for this meeting." Carmilla assured, offering a smile to the eel as she nodded her head. "So please, if you would be so kind, we'd love to hear the story. Perhaps it would give us some useful information."

"Alright." Flow didn't sound particularly excited… but it was clear that he would appease the rest. "For you to understand everything, you must first understand that the human world is much different from what many of you may believe."

"We are aware of the advancements in technology." Zestial assured, but Flow only shook his head in response.

"Technology? Tech means nothing. No… no, what many of you aren't aware of are the existence of actual superhumans."

"What, like a superhero?" Velvette couldn't help but to question, an amused look on her face at the thought. "Are you telling me that there are people that can shoot fire from their fingertips, shit like that? Please."

"Well up until seven years ago, superhumans kept themselves secret for very good reasons." Flow replied as he eyed the doll with an unamused expression. "They've existed for centuries at best, and make up a third of the world's population. And I find your example kind of ironic, considering it was a teenage girl with that exact ability that killed me."

The moment those words left his mouth, everyone went silent. Any one who hadn't believed him before…

Well, they definitely believed him now.

"There are… living humans? With such powerful abilities?" Bethesda asked in genuine shock, jaw agape as she looked at the eel in disbelief. "H-How?" The idea of a living human having such abilities at all was such a foreign concept to the Eldritch demon, a sentiment that her husband clearly shared.

Not that anyone else could say otherwise.

"We have a gene." Flow explained, letting his gaze sweep the room as he did so. "You see, in response to immense stress, our gene activates, forces our bodies through a rapid mutation to allow us the situation. And no single power is ever guaranteed. Put two similar people in the exact same traumatizing scenario, they'll still come out with a completely different powerset."

"Not even familial members would have similar abilities?" Carmilla voiced her own question, her brow furrowed as she grappled with the fact that the living world had changed in such a way, and none of them had ever known.

"No." Flow shook his head with a sigh. "And even when two people do get similar powers, the core mechanics that make them work are so inherently different that they can still be considered separate abilities." He explained as he ran a stressed hand across his smooth head.

"Is there anything else we should know to understand your story completely?" Zeezi asked, leaning forward over the table as she meet the eel's gaze.

"No, so I suppose I should begin." Flow responded, before leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms without missing a beat. "In my living life, I was a superhuman myself. I held the ability to create and control water, so long as there was oxygen to create it from." He began his tale, and everyone leaned forward to listen intently. "I had always wanted to be able to use my abilities openly. But unfortunately, humans often reject that which they fear. So when a man with electrokinesis offered me the chance to make that dream a reality, I should've accepted."

"I feel much shame when you speak of your decision." Frederick commented, his own brow furrowing as his gaze fell away in a thoughtful. "Would this have something to do with our angel killer?"

"Hit the nail on the head, Mr. Eldritch." Flow confirmed the Eldritch demon's guess with a nod. "I didn't realize the kind of experiments we'd be getting into. My employer, once a good friend, had a setting hatred for regular people. Knowing how the superhuman gene worked, he had a hypothesis: Put someone through similar, and then even more stress, and the gene would reactivate and grant a second ability."

"I mean, that sounds useful." Vox pointed out, earning nods of agreement from the other Overlords as he turned to the eel. Even Alastor agreed with his long time enemy. "What could be so bad about that?"

"If you are the type who believes the ends justifies the means, then perhaps you would be fine with it." Flow replied as he allowed his guilt to freely show on his face, shaking his head at whatever memories he was about to recall. "See, the experiments we did… or I should say experiment, singular, was to kidnap our victims, strap them down in a way they could never escape, and then quite literally begin to disembowel them."

Carmilla's eyes flew wide at that. That… that was the farthest thing she could've ever imagined Flow of all people being involved in. Hell, she was no stranger to blood and gore, and she'd be lying if she said she couldn't be a little cruel with her punishments… but complete disembowelment?

As showed by the looks on the faces of a few of the other Overlords, she wasn't the only one aghast by such revelations.

"The idea of the experiment was to activate this… gene, a second time. And thy assumed that the beginning of a slow, painful death would work?" Zestial couldn't help but to question in utter bafflement. Because even to him, that sounded frivolous, counter-productive, and far too messy for his preferences.

Flow simply gave a mirthless chuckle in response. "Well, it wasn't my idea, but it doesn't change the fact that I participated knowing it was wrong." A shameful sigh escaped him as he leaned forward, propping his arms upon his knees as his hands gripped his head. "Anyway… I'm not sure how many people we killed, honestly. I lost count after the first somewhere after the first five."

"You forced yourself to block out your guilt." Frederick guessed, earning an affirmative nod from the eel in response.

"Eventually, we discovered a kid." Flow continued his story as he sat up, leaning back against his chair and crossing his arms once more, though he refused to meet anyone's gazes. "Dad was a mean bastard, beat him half to death. He'd developed an accelerated healing ability due to his dad's hand, and never knew it."

"But you did, didn't you?" Alastor questioned, raising an eyebrow. Whether genuine or simply because he knew it wasn't appropriate, Carmilla also noted that he didn't smile at something he would usually find entertaining.

"Of course. We watched him for years, and my former friend was sure that he was the key. And I gotta say… he was as tough as they come."

"Am I correct in assuming that this child was John?" Carmilla asked, and her hunch was proven correct when Flow gave a solemn nod of confirmation.

"By the time we finally put him through the experiments, he was fifteen. And unlike… well, just about everyone else, he didn't just last. He survived. Jason was right."

"He developed a second ability?" Rosie guessed, once again earning a nod from eel. A hum of acknowledgment escaped her as Flow continued his story.

"A third member of our little merry band, as John would call it, proposed an idea when it seemed John was going nowhere: Instead of focusing on superhumans whom had their abilities for a while, focusing on the young ones. His little siblings." Flow revealed, earning a genuine gasp of horror from both Bethesda and, to Carmilla's surprise, Velvette. "He didn't like that, and the next thing we know, he busts out without a problem and damn near kills all three of us."

"Can you blame him?" Velvette asked, narrowing her eyes at Flow in… actual… contempt?

"Not in the slightest." Flow replied without a second thought. "He developed superhuman strength, and ended up accidentally revealing superhumans to the world. Last I saw of him… my former friend had manipulated his best friend and attacked him at school. I flooded his lungs to save Jason, as I was already too far in the mix to have a chance at anything else. And I never saw him again after that."

"So you… disemboweled this man in your living life?" Carmilla asked once more for confirmation, to which Flow nodded his head with a guilty.

"Every day, for three weeks straight."

Well… it didn't really give them any useful info on the behemoth. Sure, his breathing could still be a weakness, but with the abilities John now possessed in death, they wouldn't really be able to capitalize on it.

But it did provide a new insight to Flow. One that Carmilla honestly hadn't known that she'd wanted.

"Well, I suppose that gives us new insights as to the man's psyche." Frederick found the gold hidden in the copper as he addressed his fellow Overlords. "Perhaps Flow had a point. Our businesses focus on our own interests and no one else's, but we must make sure that this man isn't going to be a threat. So perhaps we should, how do you younger sinners say, take a page out of Flow's book?"

"So what, do something genuinely good just to get the big guy on our side? Each of us?" Vox guessed, to which he earned himself a chorus of affirmations accompanied by various nods. "But how exactly do we do that? We want people to fear us, correct?"

"Who says that needs to change?" Bethesda questioned, her brow furrowing into a soft expression as she shot a smile towards the TV demon. "Just because we do something good doesn't mean lesser demons have no reason to fear us."

"I believe John exemplifies that, actually." Carmilla spoke up again, catching everyone's attention as all eyes turned to her in surprise. "I'm aware that doesn't seem to make sense, but allow me to put it into perspective: this man seems to be a genuinely… well, good man. Despite being in Hell, anyway. But even he himself uses fear as he feels is needed, as most of us in the room can attest."

"Like I said, John isn't naive." Flow reminded everyone as he met Carmilla's gaze. "He rides the line, it's better to say. He's peaceful and amiable because he prefers it, but… I do believe I've heard him say once that he prefers to be the monster, so no one else has to."

That was… surprisingly profound, Carmilla had to admit. As a matter of fact… it offered much more insight to the behemoth than she'd have expected.

So… he has no issue being a true monster… so long as it helps people?

An altruistic heart hidden behind the strength and sadism of a monster. That's… Carmilla honestly saw it as something as inspiring as it was terrifying.

Perhaps John did follow one part of the requirements to kill angels.

Perhaps, deep down, hidden beneath unchecked aggression and unimaginable cruelty towards his enemies… would always lay a desire to protect.