AN: Enjoy the chapter and happy new year

Disclaimer: We do not own Helluva Boss and the Angel AU concet is originally EmositeCC's idea who we were given permission to use!

Depths of Despair

Part 3

By TalosLives & CrackedInkWell

Based on EMositeCC's AngelAUSeries

Given that something else might be involved, Blitzo wasted no chance in ordering Loona to get as many anti-demonic protection items as they had: silver crosses, holy candles, frankincense, angelic seals, and more. The Cherubs did their best to bless the area while Moxxie and Millie comforted Kristian in her room. They did their best to explain the situation to her while Blitzo had his pistol out, ready to fire at anything.

"I need a drink. My throat is parched," Collin said before Loona arrived with some bottled water. "Thanks."

"No worries, Lamb Chop," She said before giving a bottle to her uncle. "Here you go."

"Thanks," Blitzo said as he took a sip. "How are Moxxie and Millie doing?"

"They seem to be doing okay. They're currently trying to see how long this," she waved her hand, "whatever it is has been going on."

"Hmm," Blitzo drank some more while going deep in thought.

"Uncle Blitz?" Loona whimpered as she gulped. "This really isn't because of a… ghost, right?"

"Ghosts don't exist, Loona," Blitzo sighed. "Every human soul gets caught by the Angels of Death. They can run, but they always catch them. No, this might be the work of something demonic, but I don't know what."

"Well, we'll just kill it like always, right?" Loona said positively.

"Maybe," Blitzo finished the water bottle and tossed it to the trash. "I'm gonna fly around and get a sense of how things are outside. Maybe see if there is any hint of what's going on."

He went to the window, opened it up, and flew out. The cool night's air seeped into his skin as he looked around before taking a small circle flight around the building. So far, the place seemed quiet, with a few lights on. Nothing out of the ordinary, nor did he sense anything standing out. There were no unholy seals or markings. Having been with Stolas long enough, he could tell when something was being used as an anchor for demonic power.

Floating to the top, he sat down and took a moment to focus. Having been in Hell for so many years, both during and after his days as an Exorcist, Blitzo tried to see if he could sense anything demonic without interference from the others. His gut was telling him that something was here—something dangerous and not like most of the other demons he had faced before.

If this was a demon, why would it want to have Kristian kill herself? Her soul? It wouldn't be damned because she was manipulated into taking her own life. We don't damn people for killing themselves if they did it for mental illness reasons or self-sacrifice, Blitzo thought as he focused harder. Maybe get her desperate enough to offer it to stop for her soul? That might be it. Unless he's a twisted fuck who likes to get pleasure off of seeing others suffer.

Sort of like how you were when you were killing demons, Blitzo?

Blitzo's eyes opened as he heard the voice in his head and growled. "Get the fuck out of my head!"

I wonder. How do you think those who you killed would feel about you if they learned what you were trying to be?

Soon, many voices were heard, and Blitzo gritted his teeth to block them out.

"Oh, so now you care about us?! Well, where was that when you chopped my head off?!"

"I was just about to start my life as an adult, and you ended it by slicing me in two! My parents couldn't even have an open-casket funeral for me!"

"I saw you rip my children apart and then my wife! As if to save me for last just to see the horrors of them die before I joined them!"

"You killed so many of us! None of us cared about the war in Heaven and Hell! We just wanted to survive!"

"I wanted to be a dancer!"

"I wanted to go to college!"

"I was pregnant, you fucker!"

"Murderer!"

"Genocider!"

"You're nothing more than a demon with angelic wings!"

"Shut up!" Blitzo shouted as he fired his gun in the air. The voices went silent. "I don't know who the fuck you are, but I swear if you think that's going to break me, you're wrong. That's only fueling my desire to rip your fucking head off and shove it up your ass!"

A dark chuckle echoed behind him as he felt a presence whisper beside him. "You can't kill me even if you try, Exorcist. And you can't even save that pathetic human… I wonder? Maybe I should also toy with your friends, too?"

Blitzo turned around and fired again, but nothing was there. He then noticed a shadow-like figure seeping into the cracks of the building and cursed. He spread his wings and flew as fast as he could back to the apartment, where the Cherubs were finishing up lighting the Holy Candles while his team was arming themselves.

"Did you guys see anything creep in here?!" Blitzo asked as they all looked at him and each other.

"No, boss. Nothing's coming here since you left. Why?" Moxxie asked.

"I think I had an encounter with our mysterious resident," Blitzo growled. "He's turned into a shadow and entered the building."

"You mean he could be here right now?" Keenie asked, worried, as she grabbed a kitchen knife and held it up.

"I don't know. But I know we can't leave Kristian alone. Loona, Collin, Millie. If anything so much as looks out of place, alert us. Shoot first, ask questions later. Stay with Kristian at all times. Moxxie, Keenie, and Cletus? Patrol the area," Blitzo said as he made for the front door.

"Where are you going?" Cletus asked.

"To call a friend for help. Maybe he can help me figure out what kind of demon we're dealing with," Blitzo said as he closed the door behind him.

He entered a very short hallway with the elevator on one end and the door he exited on the other, both with a wall of glass that looked out towards Lake Michigan. He noticed that the space was soundproof, perfect for making his call. Pulling out the cell phone from his pocket, he dialed the number for the one who could help him at this point.

" Hello? "

"Stoals, it's me, Blitz."

" Blitzy, hello! How are you? "

"I'm fine, but… what are you doing right now?"

" Taking a bath. Why? "

"Well… Okay, there's no way to sugarcoat this, I could use your help right now."

On the other end, Blitzo heard the sloshing of water. " Blitz, what's wrong? "

"That's just it, I don't have a goddamn clue what's going on. But it's demonic-related somehow. And the worst part is, none of us know what we're dealing with."

" What makes you think it's demonic? "

"Okay, get this: when we got here, our client wanted to make sure that a friend of hers didn't commit suicide. Since we got here, all of us experienced something that's like out of a horror movie with lights going out, the air turning cold, seeing freaky ass hallucinations, and hearing voices-"

" Did everyone experience something different while all this was happening? "

"I…" Blitzo blinked. "Yeah, how did you know?"

" Okay, that narrows it down quite a bit. It sounds like you're dealing with an Infestor."

"A what?"

"They're from the Envy Ring. Oftentimes, they have the power to possess others and create powerful illusions - depending on the Infestor, they have all sorts of reasons to do this, from collecting souls to trying to get someone talented or influential to die. "

"Huh, okay, but why go after a violinist?"

" Violinist? "

"Yeah, apparently, our client said that she's really talented with the violin. She may or may not be related to a famous composer. Uh… Johann Sebastian Bach."

"... I think I have a good idea who it is. "

"You do?"

" If what you're telling me is correct, I think this particular Infestor is called Motophagus. From what I've heard, he's been running a business to bring about a dark age in humanity. He does this by targeting souls who would otherwise greatly influence culture and progress. His method is to plague them with their worst memories, insecurities, and fears, to weather them down until they have no creativity or drive to do anything to the point of suicide. To Motophagus, it doesn't matter where they end up, just so long as they die before they could create something that would leave a positive impact on humanity. "

"... When you say targeting influential or talented souls-"

" Try to imagine a world where someone like Shakespeare, or Mozart, or Einstein had died before they could create their masterpieces or publish their discoveries. If your client's friend might have the same musical talent as J.S. Bach, then I can see why Motophagus would go after her. To get her to die before she could have an impact."

"Okay, so do you know how to get rid of him?"

He heard Stolas humming thoughtfully over the phone. " Come to think of it, there might be a way to do it. In fact, I remember there was this huge fiasco Motophagus had back in the 19th century when he failed to convince a human to commit suicide. Did all he could to convince him that he would make no impact given his condition, but he outright rejected him. And because of that, he was able to banish Motophagus. "

"Really? Who was it?"

" Ludwig van Beethoven. "

"Huh… So what we needed to do is to get her to reject Motophagus?"

" Yes, it's the only way to banish him. Now, if I were you, I suggest you and your angels do everything possible to maintain positive energy and keep her stable. I won't lie, Blitzy, I'm genuinely concerned for you. Because Motophagus will use every dirty trick in the book to get what he wants. And he will use your and everyone else's worst memories and insecurities to force you to do anything. Please listen to me, Blitzy, and do not let anyone be alone. You might have a chance as long as you have others around."

"Good to know. Is there anything else I should be aware of?"

" Just remember that no matter what happens, there is someone that does love you. "

Blitzo smiled. "Thanks, Stolas."

" Alright, please be careful. "

"I love you too. Bye."

After hanging up and putting the phone away, Blitzo returned to the apartment. Moxxie, Keenie, and Cletus turned their attention to him.

"Did you find anything out, sir?" Moxxie asked.

"Okay, so I have some good news and bad news. The bad news is that we're dealing with an Infestor demon - in particular, someone named Motophagus. His deal is that he has been targeting people who would be influential by making powerful illusions of their worst insecurities and fears to the point of draining them."

"Infestor?" Keenie blinked.

"Basically, a demon who invested in getting souls. And this guy, in particular, is pretty bad news, even in Hell. But I have good news - there is a way to banish him."

"That's great!" Cletus said, "What do we do?"

"Uh… Well, that's kinda the tricky part. We can't banish him - only Kristain can. The only way for her to do it is to reject him."

Moxxie raised an eyebrow, "How do you know so much about all this, sir?"

"I have a friend in Purgatory who studies demonology," Blitzo lied. "He owes me a favor. The point is that we now know what we're dealing with and how to banish him."

"Okay…" Keenie pointed out, "But how exactly do we get her to banish something like that? We all saw what that thing could do. I'd be too scared to stand up to something like that."

"You're right…" Moxxie rubbed his chin. "She can't do it alone…" Suddenly, his eyes went wide. "That's it! I got it!"

"What is it?" Cletus asked.

"I have an idea that can help her!" Moxxie rushed to the door. He knocked on it, and Loona's head poked out. "Loona, listen. I need you to go to Heaven and..."

He whispered the rest as Loona's eyes widened, and she nodded. "Got it! I'll find them right away!"

She opened a portal and zoomed right out. Blitzo turned to Moxxie and asked, "What are you planning?"

"Sorry, sir, but if this thing is listening in on us? It's best to hold my cards close," Moxxie apologized. "Just trust me. In the meantime, we should set up every possible defense we can get."

"Right, Moxxie and Millie? Start lighting the candles. You Cherubs prepared a protection seal."

Blitzo nodded as he walked inside Kristian's room, where she was staring at the wall. Blitzo made sure the door was closed as he leaned against her back-to-back. For a while, neither of them said anything and instead focused on staring at their respective ends.

"... I know what you are going through, in a way," Blitzo whispered.

"I find that hard to believe," Kristian snorted. "You're an angel. You live in Heaven. You have everything anyone ever needs to be happy. Me? I stopped being happy a long time ago."

"... You think that Heaven is a place where nothing bad happens, but that's not true," Blitzo whispered as he placed a hand over his heart. "Even angels suffer and go through bad times. I did when I was in my late teens. All I had guiding me for years was anger, rage, sorrow, and despair. I was in so much pain… and then at my lowest, I found love and happiness again."

Kristen slowly turned around and stared at Blitzo in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"... My family were circus performers," Blitzo said, which caused Kristen to look confused. He chuckled and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I know. Angelic clowns and trapeze artists and all that shit. Sounds made up. You humans keep thinking we all just stand around praising God and performing miracles, but many angels live normal lives like you guys. My parents were good and loving folk for my twin sister and me. We were a trapeze act. The Breathtaking and Bewildering Buckzos. That's what they used to call us."

He held his hands up and spread them. "We travel from corner to corner of Heaven. Performing in the big tent. In huge crowds. In stadiums and theaters. We were an act that was top of the line. It was a fun and exciting life."

"So what turned it into a disaster?" Kristian asked.

Blitzo's face darkened as he lowered his head. His hands gripped as images of fire, screams of terror, sinister laughter, and more echoed in his head. "... Occasionally, our troupe went to visit places like Purgatory and Earth. We disguise ourselves as humans for the latter. One day, the circus ended up visiting what we thought was a normal crowd, only we realized too late that we were attacked by demons and cultists."

He gently punched the wall. "They killed everyone. Almost everyone. They even raped them too. My mother..."

He felt Kristian's hand on his shoulder as he touched it back.

"... There were only two survivors. Me and my sister. Something inside of us broke that day. That day, I had nothing but a desire to see every demon pay for what happened. My sister, she..." Blitzo shook his head. "No, I can't… talk about that.. but me? Even when we went into the foster system, I was obsessed with revenge. I trained hard until I found myself worthy to fight among the Exorcists."

"The what?"

"It's a branch in the Heavenly Army. Angels are sent every New Year to Hell to get rid of the worst demons to keep the population in check. At least… that's what it was on paper. And that's all I focused on. Killing them. All of them."

The face of so many demons he had slain in his career flashed in his face. Many who deserved it. And many who didn't.

"But then I realized… that there were some demons who didn't deserve to die… that were some who were good… normal people just like you and me… they never hurt anyone... they just were born as they were..." Blitzo hugged his knees closer to him. "The truth is, no matter how many demons I killed, nothing got better. My parents were still dead. My family is broken. I was alone… and then, at my lowest point, I met someone who helped me heal. Showed me kindness and love. Even when I pushed them away, even after I felt unworthy of him, I... I wanted to die for my sins… he never gave up on me. Don't tell anyone this, but as much as I see myself as a piece of shit, there is someone that sees me as worth loving."

Their eyes met. Angelic to mortal. At that moment, both saw the same pain and suffering they had to deal with for so long in their lives.

"... I know things seem dark… that things don't get better… but they do. It takes pain, suffering, hard work, and trial and error. Most importantly, it takes time. But it does get better. Because no matter how dark things get… there is always a light in the darkness."

At that moment, something sparked in a lonely violinist who felt the world was against her.

It was a feeling she had never felt in so long.

Hope.

Slowly, a soft smile decorated her lips as she nodded.

And then she gasped and clutched her head as a cold ice chill filled the air. Blitzo quickly realized what was happening. The demon was making a move. A final grasp to claim his prey. Blitzo grabbed her hand and rushed her to the door. Not today, Satan!

Opening it, Blitzo shouted, "Guys! He's here! We ready?!"

The cherubs had just finished setting up the protection seal, a large double circle with Enochian writing between it. Millie and Moxxie had their weapons out, and multiple holy candles were lit everywhere. Cletus nodded. "Ready as ever."

Guiding Kristian to the circle, Blitzo prepared himself and growled.

"Alright, let's be the light that cast this darkness away."