Eight Months Before Extermination Day, 1934

"AdamAdamAdam!"

That was the only warning Adam had before a grey-blue blur interrupted his meal, seated at the end of a table. Obviously, he was the only one still wearing a mask. "Sup, Ems. Want some honeyed glire?"

"I...what?" Emily blinked, looking at the offered dish. It was some kind of cooked creature, or part thereof, seasoned with honey and surrounded by some greens and grapes. "What is a glire?"

"Fucking delicious. But it's also a dormouse," Adam informed with a grin.

"A...mouse? That big? And people cook mice?" Emily asked in surprise. Granted, she knew no eaten meat in Heaven had never been alive.

"Yeah, I just called it a glire since, well, that's what the Romans called it," he trailed off and motioned to the fact they were in a restaurant that bore a lot of look of ancient Roman, complete with colorful tiles on the wall. "Rich patrician fucks gobbled this shit up. Damn hilarious how one century's cattle is another century's vermin."

"Didn't they also eat a lot of...reproductive organs from animals?" Emily asked uncomfortably.

Adam shared her distaste. "Yeah, never my cup of tea. That taste is acquired as fuck. But that shit was mostly them thinking that eating another creature's sex-bits will make it easier to have kids somehow. Like some kind of fucking fertility vampirism," he rambled on. "So, what'd you yelling for me about?"

"Huh? Oh! Right! I got something amazing to show you!" Emily answered with sparkling blue eyes. "But, we can wait until you're done eating."

"Kid, you got my damn attention, so either you're ordering something or I'm fucking getting this to go, take your pick," Adam instructed.

"Oh, um...where is the menu?" Emily asked after a moment, deciding to be adventurous.

Adam jabbed a thumb towards a wall. The upper part of it was filled with mosaic tiles depicting certain dishes. "If you get any fish, get the garum. That sauce is the shit," Adam recommends.

Emily nodded, getting the attention of a waiter, who had the look of a rather lithe minotaur, and gave her own order. As she waited, she couldn't help noticing something. "Aren't you usually with some of the Exorcists? Or Lute?"

Adam nodded. Most up here knew nothing about the Exterminations, but everyone knew that Heaven had its armies. "Yeah, she's drilling some fresh meat. And I'm scoping out places to have a fucking good party when they pass. You know, and also some try some grub I haven't tasted in a long ass time."

Twenty minutes later, two very not-hungry angels were heading just outside Heaven's walls. "Oh, I hope I can find them again!" Emily said in excitement as she took on her multi-eyed form, reaching out a glowing blue hand and forming a large ripple in the air down below them. Soon, it was showing images of things going on in the living world.

Adam watched it all rather passively. He had already known Emily had mastered being able to make viewing portals for looking into current events on Earth. He even suckered Sera into joining him in taking Emily out to get ice cream.

Sera was fondly annoyed at him now, if only because Emily apparently didn't know just how many different flavors of ice cream there were in Heaven. She now had the rather expected goal of trying every flavor one day.

He wondered if Sera was finally wising up to her own familial feelings for Emily, motherly or big-sisterly. If not, he might have to spell it out to her. Honestly, he had noticed it for decades but hadn't cared to say anything about it.

His eyes lidded slightly, fully aware of what had started tugging out some of his old parental instincts, among other things.

"Adam!" Emily called out excitedly, waving him over eagerly.

"Whatcha got, Ems?" Adam asked idly as he flew next to her. He found they were looking into a house on Earth. Where exactly, he wasn't sure. All he knew was that they were looking at a group of infants lying on a bed. "What, too fucking cute not to show?" Adam asked skeptically.

"No, Adam, look at them," Emily insisted, almost buzzing with some amazement about her.

Adam quirked a brow as he looked at the image again and- "Wait a fucking minute," He blinked. "They're...quintuplets?"

Emily nodded rapidly. "Adam, these are the first set of five babies to survive being born at once!"

The first set to survive without dying to any of the normal issues that endangered a child living long past the womb. But he didn't bother to correct her. Especially since, by miracles of miracles, he couldn't see any shades of death hovering over any of these babes. Which meant they wouldn't die young, not as long as they were taken care of.

Adam's eyes grew a bit distant now. "That's a first for me."

"Isn't it amazing? And other humans from all over sent them so many gifts and well wishes! Everyone was amazed by this, Adam!" Emily said with a joyous look.

"Heh."

Emily suddenly stopped, looking over to see Adam staring strangely at the image. It was hard to read with the mask, but the lights showed an expression that was happy but...tired? Amused? Something else she didn't know the name of yet?

"Humans weren't meant to have that many at once," Adam mused idly. "And back in the old days, they just...wouldn't have. Three at the most."

"The old days?" Emily asked quietly. "You mean before..."

Adam's gaze morphed into what Emily could only call an ancient and withered glare. The portal showing the infants on earth vanished and Emily winced as she heard a faint rumbling in the distant clouds. "Before the Flood."

Emily held her hands to her chest as she watched Adam turn away from her. She wasn't...scared of him. But she couldn't help but feel she had carelessly touched something she shouldn't have.

"Thank you, Emily," Adam said, starting her in shock as he still kept his back to her. "I don't have "firsts" too often anymore. Let alone happy ones."

That voice was Adam's, but it almost sounded so...different right now.

It occurred to her that, while Adam talked a lot, she didn't really understand him.

But she wanted to.

After all, her duty was to help keep all the souls in Heaven happy.

How else could she understand how to do that, than by understanding the Man who fell from Paradise and climbed his way back into Heaven?

Extermination Day, 1934

It was different this year. Charlie didn't know why, but it was.

Instead of taking her home immediately, Adam had taken her down to the roof of a building. They sat on the ledge over an alley, denizens of Hell fleeing at the sight of the Head Exorcist overhead.

Charlie idly rubbed Razzle's back as he laid his head on her lap. Dazzle was looking up at Adam curiously, probably hoping for some scratches of his own.

Something was bothering Adam, that much was obvious.

"You don't know why the exterminations exist, do you?" Adam asked suddenly.

The lack of profanity was almost surprising. "I...do? To keep Hell from overpopulating and becoming a threat to Heaven?" she answered uncertainly.

"And why does Hell overpopulating make it a threat to Heaven?" Adam probed pointedly.

Charlie opened her mouth and then closed it.

"Dammit," Adam grunted. "Hellflake? Angels aren't invulnerable."

"Huh? They aren't?" Charlie asked in surprise. "And should...you be telling me?"

"It's not a secret. Every fucker knew this at some point. I'm not surprised the sinner asses don't know anymore, most from back then are gone, but I promise most of the damn upper Hellborns know this shit still," Adam explained with bitterness. "Do you know what Immanence is?"

"It sounds like Immense, but I don't think it's the same thing," Charlie answered doubtfully.

"Not a bit, no," Adam answered with a sigh. "Heaven is free of all the shitty problems Earth has, Hellflake. Including decay, shit breaking down through wear and tear."

"Okay...?" Charlie answered, not quite understanding.

"What I mean is we can't be hurt unless the fucker attacking us is about as strong as us or stronger. And wants to hurt our asses. You can't wear down an angel with a horde of weak ass fuckers, you actually need a big gun to do us in," Adam explained with a grimace.

"But...doesn't that mean the Exterminations are pointless?" Charlie asked with a furrowed brow. Then she remembered just who and what Adam liked to target. "Wait...Overlords?"

"Got it in one, Hellflake," Adam praised absently. "If some hellion ass gets a lot of souls, and I mean a lot? They can become strong enough to overcome that shit, our Immanence."

"Immanence," Charlie repeated with interest, her mind working out what Adam was saying.

"Come on, let's get you home. Fuck knows staying on this roof too long is asking for trouble," Adam muttered., turning to let her climb on his back.

Charlie did so, Razzle and Dazzle flying up to claim their own spots as Adam took to the air.

"Immanence? Is that an...Angel thing, or a Heaven thing?" Charlie asked suddenly.

Adam frowned. "Heaven. Your father lost it when he was thrown down here. He's still ageless and shit, but any invulnerability is just him fucking protecting himself with his own magic."

"Oh. so, I can't get that either," Charlie said softly, rubbing at her head.

Adam looked at her with a furrowed brow, recalling the incident with the wolfman.

Charlie felt his gaze and decided to return to the previous subject. "So, you...try to keep the sinner population to a certain amount, so no overlord can get that strong?" Adam just nodded without a word. "But...how do you know how many souls they'd need?"

Adam gave her a long look, raising an eyebrow as if to say the answer was obvious.

Charlie's expression fell. "Someone...did it before, didn't they?"

"More than one, Hellflake," Adam said with a scowl. "Humans still remember them, in a way. Cipactli, Apophis, Lotan, Nidhogg, Vritra, Orochi. Those fucks Abzu and Tiamat, or Typhon and Echidna."

Charlie recognized some of those names, and what she recalled of them wasn't good. Monsters in legends, some that were threats to the entire world. "So, when Lute said she didn't just think Hell could be a threat..."

Adam was silent.

Charlie looked down as something finally connected. "You're really trying to protect Heaven from us."

"Kid, I lost Eden. Earth is a shit replacement. Your family doesn't get to touch Heaven," Adam said bluntly.

"That's-!" Charlie stopped and bit her lip. "I don't think they want to."

They were both aware of her use of the word "think" instead of just denying the possibility.

"Hellflake? You're going to ask some question one day you will fucking hate the answer to," Adam warned.

"..." Charlie considered that deeply before continuing. "Next year, I'm going to bake cookies in the Embassy."

"Still set on that, huh?" Adam said with a smirk.

Charlie nodded firmly. "Can you please make sure I have everything I need to bake there? I don't want anyone thinking I brought anything from home."

"Hellflake, we'll know if any shit happens in the Embassy. You and your cookie-baking ass will be fine," Adam promised.

"...Adam? I know this is a question I might not like an answer to, but..." Charlie bit her mouth. "Do you think one day, Heaven and Hell can...not be enemies?"

Adam considered how to answer. Then he remembered Emily's words months ago. And he decided to tell Charlie the truth.

"I used to."

Charlie's eyes widen, her mouth opening but her tongue refused to move. She wanted to ask, but she knew she shouldn't. Adam... used to have some kind of hope, about people in Hell? But how long ago? Not recently. At least before...

"How long have the Exterminations been going on for?" Charlie asked without thinking. "The actual Exterminations?"

"Around five thousand years," Adam answered without missing a beat.

Charlie saw her home getting closer and found her mind racing for anything else to ask him. "Will you come to my birthday party!"

Adam jerked again, but this time from trying to cover up a laugh.

Charlie winced in embarrassment as they landed. "I'm sorry, that just slipped out, I panicked!"

"You're fine, Hellflake, that was just way too serious," Adam said in amusement.

"...Will you?" Charlie asked curiously.

Adam turned to face her with a frown. "Hellflake, I don't think your parents are going to want my ass around them any more than I want them around me."

"That...isn't exactly a no," Charlie noted curiously.

"If I did, I'd have to bring my own food and everything," Adam countered. "Or go hungry."

"You're not saying no," Charlie realized with a smile.

"And I can't promise to not start shit if I'm around your parent for a long time," Adam pointed out.

"You're Coming To My Birthday!" Charlie said in excitement.

"Look, I'll send you a present, but that's all I'm fucking promising, okay?" Adam forewarned flatly.

"Deal!" Charlie said with a grin, suddenly dancing with Razzle and Dazzle.

"Oh no, I just made a deal with the Princess of Hell," Adam said in dry humor. "When is it?"

"Sixth of August!" Charlie answered as she came to a stop with a wide grin.

Adam shook his head as he looked into Charlie's room.

Charlie tilted her head at his gaze, following it. "Oh! Right! Daddy is teaching me the piano."

So, the Devil actually listened when someone said his idea was bad. Amazing. But Adam kept that thought to himself. "Well, birthday or not, see you next year, Hellflake."

Charlie waved with a smile... then realized she had to bring this up with her parents.

Adam searched for Lute, casually destroying buildings or taking a potshot at some sinner hiding down below. He eventually found her dealing with- "Was that fucker a skunk?"

"Honey Badger. I hope at least, Sir," Lute answered, flicking the blood of her weapon. "All well for the night?"

Adam nodded. "Any word on Radio-fuck?"

"According to what we've heard, he's been hunting Overlords still, but not as much. I have to assume the initial slaughter was just to make a name for him," Lute mused.

"Lucicunt sent me a message a few days ago. Bathory is in hiding again, or dead. Hard to tell shit at the moment. For once, our fucking guts are aligned, the bitch isn't done yet," Adam mused.

"She's probably in one of the settlements outside the Pentagram," Lute remarked.

"Not so, my winged fellows!"

Both looked down from where they hovered.

Lute glared and Adam raised an eyebrow.

Alastor the Radio Demon just smiled on.

"Would my fellow hunters be interested in some information on some rather Batty prey?" Alastor called up with a grin.

No one moved for a moment.

Then Adam grinned.

To his credit, Alastor did not flinch when Adam shot down like a comet and landed behind the overlord with a loud thud.

However, Alastor was a bit...surprised by the sheer height of the First Man.

"You're much bigger than your female compatriots, I noticed," Alastor mused as he faced the Head Exorcist.

"Fucko, talk, or you're back on the hunting list," Adam warned.

"Fair enough!" Alastor said in amusement. "The Good Lady Bathory is still very much in the city. "

"And you know this how, scum?" Lute asked, floating down behind the deer sinner.

Alastor's ear twitched, very aware he was pincered between a dangerous enemy and a VERY dangerous enemy. "Because, Madam, she tried to force me into a contract," he said casually, studying his radio staff. "I refused. It seems our 'King' did a number on her power base last year, and she is attempting to rebuild. And I hear the queen has been...pruning the vampire's friends among the Hellborn."

Adam leaned a bit closer, eyes narrowed with a scrutinizing gaze. "If she doesn't own your soul, how the fuck would you have useful info on her?"

"Well, she seems to enjoy rather rudely stealing my prey," Alastor said with a smirk. "I thought about dealing with her myself. Her voice would add such a lovely, noble quality to my broadcast."

The Overlord paused, allowing said broadcast to suddenly play. Either from his mouth or the radio on his cane. Or both.

"But I thought it might be more...valuable to offer that pleasure to you," Alastor said with a rather nasty grin. "So, if I were to dedicate my time and effort to locating her before next year's hunt, what might it be worth to our visitors from Heaven?"

Adam and Lute shared a look. This deer had balls, they were in agreement on that.

"...Tell you what? We kill her next E-Day, you don't have to worry about us for five years," Adam offered.

"Mmm, enticing," Alastor admitted, rubbing his chin.

He held perfectly still as the light of Adam's wing ominously grew brighter.

"But if you're fucking with me? I'll skewer you on your cane and burn your soul away with Holy Fire," Adam warned with a glare.

One of his wings shot up, sending a wave of holy power into a building nearby, sending it crashing down behind Adam and dust to roll over the trio briefly.

Lute ignored the smoke of debris that passed them as Adam held Alastor's stare until the ruckus ended. "We have an understanding?"

"A very perspicuous one," Alastor answered, resisting his instinct to flee and put some distance between him and this angel.

"Good. Cause I do actually like your sick ass 'play their screams over the radio' schtick," Adam said with a smirk, allowing his threatening power to fade.

"Always happy to meet a fan!" Alastor said with a mock bow.

"Don't push it, or I'm snapping those antlers off," Adam warned while waving him off. "You got one year, make it fucking count."

"But of course," Alastor said with a stage bow, suddenly overtaken by shadows, vanishing away before either angel changed their minds.

"Furry Fuck is lucky. Bathory is about the only Overfuck I'd let another Overfuck trade-in to save their skin," Adam remarked.

"Sir, are you sure we can trust him?" Lute asked skeptically.

"We can trust that Bathory doesn't own his ass," Adam answered. "Come on, let's go to the red light district and demolish the place a little. Fuck knows half the saps stuck there probably want to be double-dead."

Charlie's Birthday, 1935

'Adam,

Charlie said you might be sending or delivering a present for her birthday? You're invited either way. Please don't kill anyone on my daughter's special day, she'll be sad.

Lucifer'

Adam had rolled his eyes at the rather short letter the first time. He had no intention of staying for Charlie's party, just dropping off the present in her room. He was not at the point where he could imagine being around Lucifer for an hour or more, let alone him and Lilith.

With that in mind, he portaled to Charlie's balcony. Being 'invited' by the Devil meant he could teleport here just as easily as he could teleport back out of Hell and into Heaven.

He placed a wrapped present on her empty bed and made to depart without a word.

And he would have if he didn't smell the blood in the air.

He stopped at Charlie's door, eyes narrowed as he wondered just who this was. No one smart. Trying to attack Charlie right on her birthday?

He was unsurprised when some winged sinner suddenly shot up, diving over the balcony, probably assuming Charlie would be here instead of him.

Adam was already prepared to throw the scum back out in short order, but he was surprised to find it wasn't needed.

The sinner hit an invisible shield, now covered by pulsing purple symbols, which covered the balcony and likely the rest of the manor. The sinner's face contorted in agony, but no scream came from his throat before he was repelled from the balcony rather forcefully.

Adam walked outside, looking down at the sinner. He had landed against the stone wall surrounding the manner, sloped over a bush. Adam saw he was some Turkish asshole who smelled of sadism and a lot of blood. "Zeki," he realized in distaste as the sinner twitched. "Tempting to let this fucker go crawling back to Bathory, but..."

Adam trailed off as the sinner, having some vaguely cat-like ears, growled while getting back to his feet. He glared up at Adam, either not seeing the holy wings or not caring at this point. He tried to attack the exorcist but found himself pulled back down.

Adam watched dispassionately as the shadows around the sinner came to life, grabbing at his struggling limbs. He tried to roar in defiance, but the shadows choked and gagged him as they pulled him down into the darkness.

And on the wall, the shadow of a horned woman watched, with glowing purple eyes glaring down at the foolish soul.

The shadows vanished once the sinner's desperate claw vanished, taken to someplace young ears would not hear the screams.

A mother has the right to the finishing blow against any fool that comes after her brood. Even Lilith was allowed that.

Still, Adam turned back and frowned at the door into Charlie's room. He narrowed his eyes, extending a wing in.

He could feel the barrier protecting against intruders. He could sense Lilith's magic in it.

He should have noticed that from day one. And he would have, if not for one simple thing.

They were keyed to not harm him.

Lilith trusted him that much around Charlie.

"You stupid bitch," Adam muttered loudly.

He was very aware that someone was standing on the next balcony over, staring at his back.

He deliberately ignored her, while being loud enough for her to hear.

"You don't have the right to trust me with shit," Adam swore bitterly, opening a portal back to Heaven.

Lilith watched him leave before returning to Charlie's party. And to tell Lucifer about the new "guest" they needed to entertain later.

Extermination Day, 1935

"You're sure?"

Alastor retained his smile despite knowing the angel would be more than willing to kill him if he so much as breathed wrong. "Quite certain! The poor old bat seems rather desperate to acquire the Princess."

Adam glanced at him with a narrowed look. "You know what this place is?"

"I believe it was a bakery," Alastor answered, tilting his head in amusement. "But I doubt that's what you meant.

"Dracula and her had a small fort here. Why the fuck would she come here?" Adam mused.

"Nostalgia, perhaps? Or some hellish form of dementia. She does seem to ramble and rave a bit," Alastor speculated, his eyes changing and his horns growing. "Or is the Great Exterminator scared of a leech?"

"I'm tired of this bitch fucking off with this sacrificial soul-switching shit," Adam answered, appearing to not even notice the intimidation display. Alastor retreated his demonic features, clearly disappointed it had no effect on angels. "Hey, Fucko? You're a cannibal, right?"

"Mmm, impressive. What possibly gave it away? Did I leave something in my teeth, perhaps?" Alastor joked, making an effort to brush a finger over his teeth.

"You're not from the Soviet Republic, or whatever it's fucking called now, right?" Adam asked idly.

"Hmm? Do I sound Russian?" Alastor asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Brat, all damn accents sound the same to me sometimes. Fucking Nimrod," Adam grunted in annoyance.

Alastor narrowed his eyes until he realized the "Nimrod" wasn't an insult or directed at him.

"There was some huge fucking famine going on over there around the time you showed up. Lots of new cannibals in Heaven," Adam remarked.

Alastor paused at that. "There are cannibals in Heaven?"

Adam nodded. "The ones that didn't want to be, and didn't murder someone for the damn body."

Alastor hummed. "Well, I suppose I should be going. Take care, Great Exterminator."

With that, he vanished into the shadows, leaving the area.

Adam just shook his head and headed into the derelict shop. He could search the place, but that was boring.

Adam summoned his new weapon, a large golden halberd. Or a spear-axe as he always thought of the weapon, but halberd was a pretty cool name, he'd admit. "Been meaning to switch things up," he mused, testing it in his grip.

He raised the holy weapon high over his head, divine light channeling through it before he brought it down onto the ground.

The building around him was instantly destroyed by the shockwave, collapsing in on itself. But the surrounding buildings were devoid of damage. The brute of the attack went downward, making a large crevice into the ground, splitting it open like a wound.

"Sweet shit, I have missed using heavy swinging weapons," Adam said with a grin, twirling the weapon expertly on his fingers. With that, he leaped down the crevice. He faintly noticed the ground changing from the foundation he broke through at the top to older and darker bricks. He spread his wings as he fell into a large room.

It was dark, but he could smell burning wood and ashes. And the blood, but that was a given. Someone had put the lights out when he broke the floor open. The only light in the room now was from him.

"Not to be a cliché shit, but let there be fucking light!" Adam called out, slamming the bottom of his halberd into the ground. His holy light grew and spread out, illuminating the room.

He found exactly what he expected.

This was a torture room.

Racks, chains on tables, a wooden horse, pillories, garrote, and even a damn cross. All manner of devices to torture and bleed people and-

And that a Judas cradle.

Ignoring that unpleasant reminder of the Spanish Inquisition, Adam turned his attention to the more concerning thing about the room.

There were cages. Lots and lots of cages, all like bird cages, but big enough to fit a small person.

And in those cages were female demons. They all were or at least looked young, from children to late teens. Maybe a few extra-young-looking adults.

They were all groaning and whimpering in their cages, trying to hide their eyes from the light he had brought into this dark place, their Hell within Hell. Blood was on their cages, dripping or dried. Some of them were knocked over, crying in their cages. But none of them were dead. And that was the sad thing. None of them were dead. They had been drained over and over again, but never enough to let them die and respawn elsewhere.

Bathory had perfected her twisted craft in Hell, it seemed.

Speaking of which, Adam looked to the front of the room.

As if in a sick attempt to make the room cozy, there was a fireplace, still hot and smoking with embers.

And in front of the fireplace, was a bathtub.

It wasn't empty.

In fact, it was filled, almost to the brim.

Besides the tub was a small table and Adam saw something on it. He approached, picking up what he realized was a photograph.

It was of Charlie, a close-up of her. When and where it had been taken, he had no idea, just that it was of her smiling in at something. Maybe even the person taking the picture.

There were blood smears on the photo, where a bloody finger hand stroked the image.

"Precious, isn't she?"

The caged souls fell into a horrible silence at the voice.

Adam looked at her, almost surprised. "Figured you'd still be in the damn tube," Adam admitted, halberd resting over his shoulder.

Elizabeth Bathory walked out of the shadows with all the confidence of the queen she probably thought she was. Pragmatically, Adam knew she was regal and beautiful enough to pass for a noble Highborn in appearance. Her skin was a pale white, but her hair was as red as the blood she bathed in. She possessed black bat ears that almost looked like a crown of some sort on her head with her long hair woven and braided as it was. She wore long, flowing robes that only accented her dangerous beauty.

The whites of her eyes were as black as her soul and the red demon eyes gleamed hungrily.

The long claws of her hands were stained with blood. Not painted, stained.

And her wings...were gone. "Lucifuck got a piece of you last time, I see," Adam muttered.

Bathory said nothing as she approached him, each step slow, deliberate, and graceful. Her victims silently cried as she passed them.

"Down here, blood is endless. A soul can bleed forever. If you know how," Bathory said, looking down at some soul in a cage, whole froze in terror. "You start to care more about the quality after a while."

Adam said nothing, watching her, the photo still in his hand.

"The blood of an angel, the blood of the Queen of Hell," Bathory said with a giggle that was a bit...off. A bit too much. "And she has been a child for over a hundred and thirty years! I could still have decades to drain her veins, to enjoy her rare and illustrious blood."

She licked her lips.

Adam clenched his hand, crumbling the photo.

"But tell me, First of Eden? What is the child of evil to you?" Bathory asked, tilting her head with a wide-eyed curiosity.

Adam didn't answer, feeling like letting her run her mouth a bit longer.

"Oh, I can only fathom the endless revenge you have planned for that one," Bathory said, smiling much too wide. "Are you going to kill her in front of her parents? String her up on the embassy? From the Heaven itself?"

Had he ever thought about that? Kind of. Hearing that Lucifer and Lilith had a child, he half expected to meet the kid one day when the brat was full grown and end up being just another enemy like the rest of her family.

But now, the idea of Charlie's corpse put on display only made him grip his Halberd harder.

"Or maybe you'll drag her back to heaven. Like a pet. Or a trophy. I always did hear that the denizens of Heaven delight in watching our suffering. You certainly do," Bathory mused. "Why not give them a front-row seat."

Taking Charlie to Heaven? Even if he could, and he wasn't even about to say he wanted to, he wasn't so sure how her parents would react, honestly. Sad to be gone from her, yeah, but would they be worried about what would happen to her? Or happy she wasn't in Hell anymore?

Regardless, he knew it'd make Charlie miserable. And Heaven wasn't a place to cause misery.

"Or..." Something disgusting crossed Bathory's face. "Perhaps, after I'm done with her, I could hand her over to you. After all, they owe you a wife, don't they?"

The instant she spoke those words, she found Adam flying upon her with a swing of his halberd. "Yeah, fuck this!" Adam said with a growl.

"So sad, Leader of the Raiders! What great misery we could have brought them!" Bathory boosted maniacally as blood flowed from her sleeves, taking the shape of two short swords. With great speed, she rushed Adam, striking relentlessly with her blades. Adam moved and twisted the staff of his weapon to block or deflect her attacks. "No matter, my dear count and I will deal with them one day! And soon, we will break from of the Ring of Pride, and take all of Hell into our demesne!" Bathory proclaimed proudly.

Adam used his free hand to send her back with a blast of holy energy. She was spared damage only because more blood rushed forth to shield her chest. "The fuck you talking about? The Impaler is fucking dead," Adam said, wondering if that kill had been fucked up too.

"LIAR!" Bathory screeched like a banshee in denial. All at once, four tendrils of blood formed from her back, shooting forth to stab Adam. He brought up his wings to block them, holding them back without much effort. "Don't speak that twisted lie! Death could not stop him! It will not separate us! He will return and we will do what you could not! Make the very demons of hell our servants and slaves!"

Adam snorted, spreading his wings with a surge of power. Holy energy shot through the blood tendrils, reaching Bathory, who screamed in pain from the surprise counter before collapsing to her knee with a hard panting. "You fucking lost it. Your man is dead, and you reign over shit and piss, let alone making demons into-"

Adam suddenly stopped as he looked back at the cages, something clicking in his head at her words. Those weren't just sinners in those cages.

Bathory had been bleeding Hellborn. Hellborn children.

A red eye shone in one of the cages, and for a moment all he saw was Charlie.

Bathory was suddenly upon him. He didn't even look as he reached out and grabbed her by the neck. Bathory roared and screamed as she formed more blood weapons to stab and struggle against him like a wild animal.

Adam threw her up and spun to hit her with the smaller back blade of the halberd. She screamed as the wound was flooded with holy power, sending waves of agony through her very soul. Adam swung with all his mind, sending her hurtling into a bathtub, breaking and tipping it over, the blood spilling out.

"No! My blood! My precious bathing blood!" Bathory bemoaned, ignoring her pain entirely as she got up, forming two blood orbs in her hands. "You wasted it! How do you expect me to salvage that lovely blood!?"

Adam raised an eyebrow at the blood orbs she had conjured from the same blood she was bemoaning. "Bitch, you have lost it. Those soul-switching things did a number on you."

"Shut it, nosey priest!" Bathory screamed, attacking him again with long blood whips, complete with thorns along their lengths.

"You don't even remember where or when the fuck you are, do you?" Adam realized, swatting the whips away, cutting the ends off. He did so again and again as he closed in on her.

He furrowed his brow as he realized that Bathory was changing. Shrinking.

Bathory managed to land a hit on his shoulder, but he shrugged it off. With her right in front of him, he sent a lethal wave of holy power into a slash from his blade. Barely any blood came up to save her now as she was sent into the wall, falling with a thud and a large wound on her chest.

Adam tilted his head. "You know, I figured that without all that blood, you'd be the old fucking hag you were afraid you'd turn into," he mused as she tried and barely managed to glare up at him. "But instead, Hell turned you into the very thing you hurt and envied. A young maiden. Very, very young."

Bathory now looked like a child, eight or nine years or. A very feral, arid child, but still.

Every emotion seemed to leave her face as she looked up at him. "All I wanted, was to be young forever. To always be beautiful," she answered emotionlessly.

"Jokes on you, that's what you get in Heaven," Adam mocked with derision.

Bathory, still in a moment of perfect clarity, tilted her head. "You should have let us go. We could have killed them-"

Adam silenced her with a final slice, cutting her in half down the middle, her guts and organs falling out. "Sorry, Bitch, but I called dibs on that five thousand years ago."

He stared at the body for a few seconds before reaching up to rub off the faint blood from his shoulder. Not his own, obviously, but from the blood-whip. "I've gotten sloppy," he muttered with some distaste. Hunting Overlords put that in perspective, that he was too accustomed to fighting enemies too weak to get through his Immenance.

With that in mind, Adam turned to leave but quickly realized a problem.

The many eyes starring at him in awe. A lot of them being Hellborn.

Adam took a breath and decided there was only one appropriate course of action, and whispered something under his breath.

"Okay, what the fuck did you do that for?" Lucifer asked in annoyance as he instantly appeared out of a portal. "You know-"

"Bathory's dead, she was blood-milking sinners and hellborns," Adam interrupted, pointing to the room, sending out a series of low-level beams that broke the doors off the cages. Most of the children didn't react, some of them only peeking their heads out a little.

Lucifer blinked as he saw exactly what Adam said was there. "I'm...suddenly very happy me and Lilith killed off the Hellborn that was helping her."

"Yeah, this shit is your problem now," Adam said flatly as he flew up and out of the room, through the crevice he had entered.

"Wait, what?! Oh, fine," Lucifer said with a sigh as he turned to the former prisoners. "Okay, just got to handle a room of traumatized children until I can get them sent home," Lucifer summarized, his confidence dwindling a bit at the end.

Despite that exchange, Adam was in a good mood. Elizabeth Bathory was finally dead, and he could cross her off his list finally. And he did this early, so he had most of E-Day left to go still! He just had one last thing to do before he started the slaughter train.

He quickly arrived at the Embassy and kicked open the door to a meeting room. "The Blood bitch is fucking dead!" Adam declared in victory.

There was a round of cheers from the exorcists in the room. it wasn't all of them, just the ones willing to try something. "Congratulations, Sir," Lute said as she ate a cookie.

"Hi, Adam!" Charlie said, her face covered in flour and chocolate smudges, holding up a tray that still had two cookies. "I saved some for you!"

"Thanks, Hellflake!" Adam said as he took the offered treat. "So, Lute, how many you two fucking burn?"

"Miss Lute didn't burn anything!" Charlie answered assuredly, getting a smirk from Adam's second. "But she did get flour everywhere when she tried to open it with her spear."

Lute's smirk vanished and she refused to react further, beyond looking up at nothing.

"Ha! Lute's a good cook, but some shit always happens with her in the kitchen," Adam said with a chuckle as he ate the cookies. "So, did you like the present?"

Charlie nodded rapidly. "It's so funny! You said it was from Earth!?"

Lute raised an eyebrow. "Sir, what did you get her?" she asked, the other angels leaning in curiously.

Adam shrugged. "New board game."

"Wait, is it the Monopy game the cherubs have been talking about?" one of them asked.

"Hmm? No, it's called 'Sorry!'" Charlie answered with a smile. "But what's Monopy?"

"Monopoly," Lute answered. "It's..."

"Something that sounds like it was plopped out of Mammon's fat ass, but it's too fucking good to be from him," Adam summarized with a grin. "I'm definitely getting the Archangels to play that shit."

Charlie looked between all. "I think I'll stick with 'Sorry!' but thank you."

Adam snorted. "Well, we best head out. Hellflake, you got extra cookies for when you go home?"

"Uhhuh. Why?" Charlie asked curiously.

"Just checking," Adam said knowingly.

Needless to say, Charlie was rather confused when Adam brought her home to her Dad awkwardly trying to comfort a bunch of children while her Mother was busy contacting the other rings about the missing children.

End of Chapter

So, yeah, lot of stuff happened. Yes, Dormice were a roman delicacy. Yes, the first successful Quintuplets were born in 1934. Sorry and Monopoly were invented in the early 1930s.

But more importantly, yeah, I actually explained why Hell is a threat despite the supposed invulnerability. They are impervious to damage unless attacked by something of similar power to them or higher- or also Angelic steel, of course. If a demon gets a LOT of souls, they'll be able to kill angels. And yeah, some of the big monsters in myth were the ones who managed to do that.

Adam claims that he actually did have some kind of hope for Hell at some point, and Charlie is starting to touch into the hard subjects.

But on the light side, Adam gave her a birthday present. Also watch Lilith go Momma Bear mode on someone that tried to hurt her kid. Which also is when Adam learned that yes, there ARE protections around the manor. They're just keyed to let him in. Which pisses him off in some subtle ways.

But yes, the Blood Bitch is finally dead! And yeah, she put up a nasty fight, despite being off her rocker. And yeah, she was bleeding Hellborn kids for blood. And last but not least, the Exorcists tried the Cookies! And Adam got two of them! And Charlie got to bring the extra cookies to the traumatized children.

All in all, a lot happened in two years. Hope you all enjoyed this!