LC Presents: Helluva Dad Chapter 21: Pushed Away, a Disney + Helluva Boss Crossover fanfic

Chapter 21: Pushed Away

Many years ago…

It was another night in the house of Duke Alloces. Alexander had just tucked his little sister into her bed.

"Alright, all tucked in?" Alex asked his sister with a smile.

"Yup!" Alice shouted, looking happy.

"And now for one more thing before bedtime," Alex said as he pulled up a book. "Storytime."

"Yay! Read me a story, Alex!" Alice shouted. "Read me a story!"

"Alright, I'm on it," Alex said as he read the title. "This is actually one that I've never read before. Tonight's story is… 'A King and his Hawk', by Ingrid Ringling Singer."

"Ooh, I like hawks!" Alice told her brother.

"And I like kings," Alex told her sister. "So far, so good." He then began to read. "'A great king was coming home from a distant land,'" he read while showing Alice the illustration of a king walking with his hawk. "He became lost. The only one with him was his best friend, a hawk….'"

"'By night, the wind chilled their bones. By day, the sun singed their skin. They had no food, they had no drink. The King feared that they would die of thirst,'" he read as the illustration showed the King and his Hawk walking day and night, while the one on the next page showed the King holding an empty cup.

Alice listened intently, staring at her brother and the book in his arms with eyes that were wide with intrigue as her brother kept reading.

"'One night, all seemed lost. Then the king heard the sound of rushing water. Something was twinkling in the moonlight,'" he read while showing Alice the illustration of the king and his hawk running over to a waterfall. "'There, springing from a hillside, was a rippling, silver stream. Quickly, the king filled his cup. He lifted it to his lips. Suddenly, the hawk flew at him, ripping the tin cup from his fingers!'"

Alice gasped in shock. "Why would the hawk do that?"

"Well, let's find out," Alex said with a smile as he continued to read. "'Quickly, the thirsty king filled his cup again, and again, the hawk hit it from his hand before he could drink.'" he read while showing Alice the illustration of the hawk knocking the cup from the king's hand. "'A third time, the hawk hit it away…'"

As he turned the page, he saw an illustration of the king bringing out his sword. "'In a great rage, the king whipped out his sword! And with one swift blow, he killed his friend… the hawk!'"

Alex paused, having not expected this turn. He looked up from the book and saw his sister staring at him and the book in shock. "No… nononono, he didn't kill his friend!" she shouted as she started to get worked up.

"Hold on, hold on, let me finish," Alex assured her before he continued to read. "'His fingers shaking, the king picked up his tin cup once more… then he saw something else glistening in the moonlight…'"

An illustration revealed a snake underneath the waterfall, shocking Alice.

"'There, amid the silver ripples, slithered a snake. Poison dripped from its fangs into the water. The king knew that a single sip would have killed him,'" Alex read, seeing the king's shocked expression shift into guilt as he looked upon the fallen hawk. "'The hawk was simply trying to save his life…'"

The next page showed the king kneeling down beside the fallen hawk, crying. Despite this, Alex continued to read. "'The king sat beside his friend and cried. As the sun rose, the king looked down from the high hill. There, below him, he saw his kingdom.'" His expression became saddened as he saw the king bringing the body of the hawk to his kingdom. "'Slowly, he walked down the hill to his home, his feet as heavy as his heart… The End.'"

After he finished reading, Alex didn't say anything at first. Instead, he just stared at the final illustration, trying to process what he had just read. He only looked up when he heard a new sound… sniffling.

"Alice?" Alex asked while looking up at his little sister. Sure enough, she had tears in her eyes.

"Wha… what? But… what kind of an ending was that?!" Alice asked, tears running down her face as she looked at her brother. "Why would you read me a story like this?!"

Alex looked apologetic. "I… I'm sorry, Alice. If I had know… I should have read the book by myself first to make sure it was appropriate, I just-"

"Why?" Alice screamed while sitting up in bed. "Why? Why? WHY?!"

Alex tried to calm her down. "I'm trying to-"

"Why would you leave me?!" Alice yelled at him, causing Alex to pause.

"Wha… what?" Alex asked in shock. He blinked while staring at his sister, who couldn't look him in the eyes. "Where is this…?"

"You left me," she told him while she sniffed. "You left and then lied to me! You've been lying to me for years! About where you are, about what you have been doing, about when you will come see me! Am I that much of a burden to you, is that it?!" she demanded as she pressed her hands to her face. "Is it my fault that you can't come home?!"

"What… no, no it isn't!" Alex assured her as he grabbed her shoulder. "Alice, listen-"

"Don't touch me!" Alice screamed as she tried to pull away from her brother's grip. "Get your hands off me, liar!"

Alex refused to let go of her. "Alice, stop screaming at me-"

"No!" Alice screamed as she continued to struggle. "You abandoned me! Just like mother abandoned us! She left me and then you left me! But at least she never gave me false hope! You're worse than she was!"

"Alice-"

"Bastard! Liar! I hate you! I hate you! I don't want to see you!"

As he listened to her screaming, Alex's vision started to turn red.

"I hate y-"

"SHUT UP!"

A moment later, Alex's vision was no longer red… but he was no longer holding onto his sister. Instead, he saw her laying on the floor of her bedroom. She wasn't moving.

"Wha… what?!" Alex asked as he backed away. He looked down at his own claws and his eyes widened in panic, seeing his claws stained in blood… Alice's blood, much to his horror. He looked back up at Alice and realized that her body was in a pool of her own blood.

She was dead. Dead by his own hand.

"No… nonononononono, this can't be happening!" Alex shouted as he backed away while shutting his eyes. "What have I done…?"

"Where is your brother Abel?"

Alex's eyes opened. He looked down at himself. He now resembled the biblical Cain. He had scruffy black hair with tanned skin, a black beard, yellow eyes, and wore a furred one strap and a cloth skirt. His hands were covered in blood and he was holding his knife. He looked up at the Heavens.

"I… I know not, my Lord," Cain spoke up to the Heavens. "Am I my brother's keeper?"

"What have you done, Cain?" the Lord asked, making Cain feel uneasy.

"Yes, Cain… what have you done?"

Hearing another voice, Cain then started to feel a burning sensation on his chest. "AAH!" he grunted, crouching down and dropping his knife as he clutched at his burning chest…

…and felt the Mark of Cain being formed, literally burned onto his chest.

As he winced in pain, Cain heard the voice again. "Cain?" He looked up, his face grimacing when he saw a blonde-haired woman.

It was his mother, Eve.

"Where is your brother, Abel?" she asked him.

"I… mother…" Cain struggled to say while clutching at his burn mark on his chest as Eve walked up to him.

"What have you done, Cain?" Eve asked as she walked up to him. "Answer my questions, what happened to Abel, Cain?! What happened to your brother?!"

Cain backed away as his mother approached him while demanding answers. He then noticed that his mother was slowly… changing. Much to his horror, the closer that she came, the less human she appeared…

Her hair became darker, her skin grew pale. Her eyes turned red with white irises while coming out of her mouth was sharp-looking tendrils with multiple eyes. Her hands turned into razor sharp claws as spikes grew from her body and additional eyes appeared in her hair as she began to lose her humanoid shape and turn into a mass of tendrils, spikes, and eyes…

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"

"NOOOO!"

Cain screamed as he shot up in bed, waking up from his nightmare. He looked around and realized that he was still in Mazzie's bedroom, back in Angerton. He then looked down at his hands, to make sure that they were clean and not dripping with blood. He was panting, struggling to catch his breath.

Next to him was Mazzie, who was woken up by his outburst. She looked up at him in concern.

"Alex?" Mazzie asked while in her blue nightgown. "Alex, what's wrong?"

But Cain only looked down at his chest, unable to answer her question. He placed his hand on the Mark of Cain burned into his chest, staring at his mark, which silently haunted him…

Later that morning, for a more pleasant awakening, we shift our focus to Chase, the large Hellhound starting to wake up from his slumber. He was in a motel room and he sat up in his bed with a loud yawn.

"Man… that was the best sleep I think I've had in a long time," Chase commented while scratching his ear.

"Mmm, you slept well?" a voice asked.

Chase turned and smiled at the figure who was next to him in the bed, her face covered by the sheets. "You better believe it, Ms. Mayday."

"Please, call me Verosika," Verosika replied while gently stirring in her sleep. Chase lifted up the sheets, revealing that Verosika was naked in bed with him, her hair down as she gave a small smile. "Or Sika, if you like. But you did seem eager to finally go to sleep last night. After we finished, of course. You were pretty tired."

"The day took a lot out of me," Chase admitted as he laid back down next to her and felt her arm wrapped around his chest. "Chasing that Terafrost, then fighting it. Monster hunting is a hard job, but somebody has to do it."

"As hard as being a popstar?" Verosika asked him.

Chase scoffed. "No offense, but how hard can it be to wear makeup, sing around, and then act in commercials?" he asked while looking at her. "By the way, you looked quite lovely in that Triton Resort commercial."

"Oh please, that commercial shoot was crap," Verosika said, rolling her eyes. "And I nearly got killed while making it. Not to mention that I constantly have to deal with loony fans… and unlike you, I have to actually care about my appearance."

"What do you mean by that?" Chase asked.

Verosika sighed. "My face, my body, my voice… it's all part of my brand, my image. And I have to manage that brand. I have to maintain my voice and my body, which means that I have to watch what I eat and watch my drinking so that I don't end up back in rehab. Everything I do has consequences. And that can be… stressful sometimes. Or a lot." She turned to look at Chase. "Which is why I really appreciated the other night. I needed that."

"Oh yeah, sex is a good relief from stress," Chase said with a nod while looking at her. He smiled. "The way you bounced on me while moaning out was like listening to a harmonic choir. I didn't know I would be getting a private performance from you last night."

"Be grateful that I didn't charge you for the experience," Verosika said with a small smile. "Although you did ravage me in ways I never thought to be ravaged." Her hand traced her chest, going down his body to his groan. "I love the package you carry…"

"And I loved gripping those cheeks," Chase said as the two shared a laugh.

"You certainly live up to your reputation," Verosika told him. "Just wondering, how many have you been with, just in this week alone?"

"Well, before you, there was that racecar driver," Chase commented, causing Verosika to lift herself up slightly as she looked at him.

"Wait, race car driver?" Verosika asked. "Who did you sleep with?"

"Carla Camaro, of course," Chase said with a grin, causing Verosika's eyes to widen in shock as she shot up in bed.

"WHAT?!" Verosika exclaimed as she got up from beneath the covers, exposing her bare chest. "You slept with Carly first?!"

"Uh…" Chase said, slightly awkward. "Something tells me you know her…"

"Oh, me and Carly have had beef with each other for a long time," Verosika snarled as she crossed her arms. "That horse-riding hoe and I have a bit of a rivalry. She's the number one prettiest racer back in Lust, while I was a super hot popstar. Both of us wanted to be the most desirable, most fuckable succubus in Hell!" she shouted as Chase got the impression that there was perhaps more going on here than just a simple rivalry. "And don't even get me started on the fucking horses…"

After a moment, she managed to calm down while looking at Chase. "Although… the last I heard of her she had disappeared during a Death Race. Nobody knew if she had died or not. Where did you meet her?"

"Oh, a group of bikers called the Knights of Hell had taken her after the race, made her into their dancing girl," Chase mentioned.

"Damn," Verosika said under her breath. "I wish I could have seen that…"

"I met Carly while in a town called Angerton," Chase explained. "I slept with her along with the mayor, we fought some Demon Apes together, and then she decided that she had enough of Wrath and left for Greed. You could say that she had quite the adventure."

Verosika scoffed. "Of course she's going down to Greed, that's our next stop!" she shouted as she laid back down before letting out a sigh.

"Looks like you two will have a lot to talk about," Chase suggested, only for Verosika to turn her head to him with a glare, making his shrink back a little. "Uh… nevermind."

Verosika stewed in her anger for a few more seconds, then she looked back at Chase, her expression softening. "So um… what do you plan to do next?" she asked him. "Are you going to be staying in Wrath or will you be heading to a different Ring?"

"Well, I did have an agreement to meet Blitz's boss in Pride," Chase mentioned

"Shere Khan?" Verosika asked, frowning slightly. Although she didn't want to admit it, she was still worried about Blitz, about him having to work for an Overlord like Shere Khan. "What kind of job do you think he wants you for?"

Chase just shrugged. "Beats me," he admitted. "Maybe he just wants me to hunt some monsters for him, maybe he wants me to be his enforcer. I'm not going to sell my soul to him, but I'll check it out and hear him through nonetheless."

"So… you could be in Pride for a while, right?" she asked him.

"Possibly," Chase said with a nod.

"Well… maybe I'll look you up when I get back in Pride then," Verosika mentioned, causing Chase's eyes to widen. "My concert tour will take me through all of the Rings, but after that I am coming back to Pride. So hopefully, if you're still in Pride then, we'll be able to meet up and… catch up."

"R-Really?" Chase asked.

She nodded. "I think I would very much like to do this again sometime," she admitted.

Chase just grinned. "Well, I would definitely be glad to give you another round next time we see each other. Because you were fantastic."

"Better than Carly?" Verosika asked.

"Definitely," Chase answered. He meant it too, but even if he didn't mean it, he knew better than to say anything else and risk invoking her anger…

Later that morning, at Carrie's farmhouse, Moxxie was sitting outside on the front porch, fiddling with his mother's guitar. He lightly strummed the strings, finding and then playing a small tune. As he played, the screen door behind him opened and somebody came out onto the front porch, drawn by the music he was playing.

"What do you got there?"

Moxxie stopped playing and turned around. Standing there on the front porch was Momo, dressed in a white tank top and blue shorts. She was looking at Moxxie's guitar.

"Oh, hey Momo," Moxxie greeted before lifting up the guitar. "I'm just doing a little practice with my mother's guitar."

"Your mother's?" Momo asked while sitting beside Moxxie on the front porch.

"Yeah, she used to play it for me when I was a kid," Moxxie admitted as he looked down at the guitar and gently rubbed his hands across its smooth wood. "My grandparents kept it after she died and they decided to give it to me when I visited them not too long ago, shortly before Wesley found me actually. I decided to leave it here, with Carrie, before I returned back to Angerton after convincing Striker and Chase to come with me. I didn't want to risk the guitar getting damaged or destroyed during the battle." He smiled softly. "I am glad to see that it's still in the good condition that it was in when I left it here."

Momo looked down at the guitar, then up at Moxxie. "So you play then?" she asked, curious.

"Music is one of my passions," Moxxie answered. "Something that I got from my mother and her sister. They were both musically inclined, though in different ways. But as far back as I can remember I have always loved music." He gave a small, humble smile. "Though I am still a bit rusty on the guitar."

Momo hummed. "Hmm, could you play something on it for me?" she asked.

Moxxie thought about it, then smiled and nodded. "Well, I know this one song that I've played before, so… let's see if I still got it."

After taking a moment to prepare himself, he started to play the guitar. He began to strum on the strings. It was a bit rough at first, but quickly he found his tune. And as he played, Moxxie began to sing.

"I'll bet you've never heard ol' Marshal Dillon say, 'Miss Kitty, have you ever thought of runnin' away. Settlin' down, would you marry me, if I asked you twice and begged you pretty please?'" He sang with a smile, which entranced Momo as she listened to him sing. "She'd have said 'Yes in a New York Minute…"

In a motel room, Tex started to wake up from his sleep as he felt the morning light come through the window and hit his face. He was still feeling sore from yesterday, but he was also not alone in bed. Waking up beside him was Kajedo, who gave a nod while her hair looked messy. She was on top of Tex, naked just as he was. The two shared a look and then smiled.

"Good morning, Texy-bear!" Kajedo said as she hugged him gently.

"Good morning to you too, Kajey," Tex replied as he hugged her back.

"They never tied the knot, he heart wasn't in it,

He just stole a kiss as he rode away."

Meanwhile, at Kajedo's family's home, Bob was at the dining table, eating pancakes with the whole family.

"Would you like to have more syrup, Bob?" Elmo asked the Hellhound, noting that he had an appetite that could rival his daughter's, Bob having already finished several plates.

Bob looked up with a smile. "I think I would, thank you," he replied as Marilyn handed over the bottle of syrup to him.

"Better eat up, Bob, cause we got a lot of work to do tonight!" Rocksie shouted while both Petra and Opal gave nods.

"Me and my pet rock are excited to begin," Opal replied in her usual stoic tone.

Bob wasn't entirely sure how to respond to that last part, but he smiled and gave a nod before returning to his breakfast, enjoying his meal…

"He never hung his hat up

At Kitty's place..."

Back in Ragetown, at the Snakeskin Saloon, Ember and Granny Magma were setting up the place for the morning rush.

"Ready for another wrathful morning, Granny?" Ember asked as they went to set up the chairs.

"Hopefully things won't be as excitin' as they were the other day," Granny Magma said as she went to flip the sign in the window over, showing that the place was opened for business. "By the way, have you seen those city folks since the Festival?"

Ember shook her head. "No, I haven't. They might have already left," she admitted, a bit disappointed. She was going to miss seeing Loona around, since the Hellhound and her dad had managed to leave quite the impression.

"I should've been a cowboy,

I should've learned to rope and ride

Wearin' my six-shooter,

Ridin' my pony on a cattle drive..."

Petey was in his shop, checking a line of coffins and marking them down on a sheet of paper that went over his inventory. He noticed one coffin with a lid that was slightly open.

"Huh? One's opened?" Petey asked as he walked over to investigate the coffin. Realizing that there was someone in there, he slowly moved the lid off and his eyes widened. "Egad! It's even more horrible than I thought!" he shouted as he averted his eyes while a pair of youths popped out from the coffin.

"What the hell, Uncle Pete?!" Hurston cried out as he popped up from the coffin. With him was Zumi. Both of them looked a bit disheveled. "We were just… sleeping."

"Yeah, and your nephew was showing me how cozy your coffins were," Zumi claimed while holding Hurston's arm.

"Yeesh, you two will be the death of me!" Petey shouted as he went into a coffin his size, stepping in as he shut the lid closed behind him.

"Stealin' the young girls' hearts

Just like Gene and Roy."

In another house, Shawn was bringing over a tray full of food for Pax, who was laying down while Chat sat beside him.

"Thanks, Shawn. Thanks, Chat," Pax told them, his voice still weak.

"No problem, dude, we're here for ya," Chat reassured him.

"Alright, let's dig in," Shawn said while passing out the plates. The three began to eat, helping Pax eat when he needed it.

"Singin' those campfire songs,

On I should've been a cowboy…"

On the porch of her family's farm house, Millie was seen sitting there while holding up her own helmet. The helmet that she wore as a Knight of Hell. She silently stared at the helmet before letting out a sigh as she put the helmet down.

She then stood up, turned around, and went inside to join her family for breakfast, leaving her helmet behind on the porch…

"I've might've had a sidekick with a funny name,

Runnin' wild through the hills chasin' Jesse James…"

Over at Angerton, Wesley was sitting in a cemetery reading a comic book. He sat beside the graves of his parents, which he visited often.

He read his comic with a warm smile, glad to see the hero once again defeating the bad guys in it. Those were always his favorite endings…

"Endin' up on the brink of danger,

Ridin' shotgun for the Texas Ranger."

Avril and Tazer headed to the Hellavator with Abby in Tazer's arms. Once they got on board, Abby looked around the Hellavator in awe while her moms smiled at each other, glad that they were still safe and together after the events of the other day.

It was time for them to go home.

"Go west, young man, haven't you been told,

California's full of whiskey, women and gold,"

Back in Angerton, Cain was having breakfast with Mim and Mazzie, sitting at the table and eating waffles with them. But while Mim drowned her waffles with syrup, Maz looked over to Cain… and noticed that he seemed out of it, since he kept staring out into space.

"Are you alright, Alex?" Maz asked him, worried.

"Huh? Oh, um… yeah, I'm just… thinking," Cain replied before he began to eat his serving.

"Sleepin' out all night beneath the desert stars,

With a dream in my eye, and a prayer in my heart…"

Carrie was kneeling down as she placed flowers down in front of marked tombstones. There were five tombstones placed in this lot and Carrie looked at them each with a saddened expression. The graves belonged to the members of her family: her grandmother, her parents, and her siblings.

Once she placed the last rose on her baby sister's grave, she tilted her hat to cover her face as she silently paid her respects.

"I should've been a cowboy,

I should've learned to rope and ride

Wearin' my six-shooter.

Ridin' my pony on a cattle drive!"

At the Hideaway Motel, Striker opened the door, although he didn't immediately step out. Instead, he looked around to see if the coast was clear or not, then he stepped out, bringing Douglas with him.

"Alright, let's go," Striker said, keeping his son close to him as he and Douglas snuck away, trying to not draw any attention to themselves in an attempt to avoid any possible trouble…

"Stealin' the young girls' hearts, just like Gene and Roy. Singing those campfire songs, oh, I should've been a cowboy…"

Moxxie had finished singing. As he played his last note, he looked up at Momo with a hopeful expression. "So what did you think?" he asked.

Momo gave him a smile and she wrapped her arm around him, pulling him close… and kissing him on the lips. This surprised Moxxie, but he quickly relaxed into the kiss, closing his eyes as he kissed her back. When the kiss ended, he opened his eyes and smiled.

"I take it that means you liked it?" he asked her.

"I think you really are musically gifted, Moxxie," Momo told him as she leaned forward so that their foreheads gently touched each other.

Moxxie blushed while leaning in. "Well, I did have a good teacher…"

Suddenly, the front door was thrown open as Blitz, Amaroq, and Loona came pouring out of the farmhouse. "Welp, better get that guitar put away, Mox!" he shouted, making Momo and Moxxie both jump a little. They quickly scooted away from each other, both of their faces slightly red (or slightly more red in the case of Moxxie) from embarrassment.

"Ooh, what were you two doing?" Amaroq asked with a mischievous smile while looking between Momo and Moxxie.

"They're adults, Amaroq," Blitz told the Hellpup. "They can do whatever they want, but not when we have stuff to do!"

"Sir?" Moxxie asked while looking at Blitz.

"We need to head back to town," Blitz told Moxxie. "Because I don't know about you, but I am ready to finally leave this Ring! But first we need to meet back with Stolas, talk to Alexei, and figure out our next steps."

"Yeah, it's time we make our next move!" Amaroq declared before turning and looking up at Loona. "Right, Loona?"

Loona looked down at Amaroq and visibly hesitated, an uncomfortable expression on her face. "Y-Yeah, our next move," she responded, hiding her lingering guilt from the other day. Because of how excited both Blitz and Amaroq were, neither of them noticed that Loona was acting differently as the three of them headed to the van.

Moxxie watched them walk to the van, then sighed and got up. "I gotta go," he told Momo. "Duty calls."

"Was he telling the truth?" Momo asked as she also stood up. There was a hint of sadness in her tone. "You are leaving the Wrath Ring today?"

"Sounds like it," Moxxie said with a nod. He then had a thought. "But while you are here… I am going to be meeting with my family before I leave. I am going to be eating with them. If you want, you could come with me and meet them."

Momo just smiled at this. "I would love to."

As a diversion away from the going-ons of Wrath, let us turn our attention to the Ring of Pride, where we focus on a location we have not visited before…. Castle Morningstar, the home of the royal family. Very few demons ever saw the inside of this palace, since getting in was an incredibly hard task… if you weren't a Sin, that is.

Passing between the red walls of the large hallways and walking on floors made of golden tiles was Satan, ruler of the Wrath Ring. He had been summoned to Pride, so as he walked to where the meeting was going to take place, he passed underneath several murals…

The first stained glass mural depicted Lucifer and Lilith tempting a nude woman, whose face was hidden since her back was turned, by holding the forbidden apple from the Garden of Eden. In the mural, Lucifer was the snake, while Lilith held the apple towards the woman that Satan knew full well was Eve. Satan already knew this story like the back of his hand, since it was this act that resulted in Lucifer and Lilith's banishment to Hell.

Another mural depicted said banishment, showing Lucifer and Lilith both falling and being sent down to the newly created Hell. Of course, there were plenty of parts of that story that were left out of the main narrative, but only a few knew the full details, Satan included since those details involved his predecessor…

Another mural he walked past showed other angels rebelling against Heaven as a way to protest Lucifer's banishment. This was a part of history that Satan was all too familiar… because he had been a part of it. He recognized himself in the mural. Back then he had been a goat angel with brown fur and a flaming halo above his head. His white wings were bright with glowing gold accents, and he wore a red robe with a yellow collar and accents. Satan paused for only a moment, getting a bit of nostalgia…

…before he saw the next mural, which depicted him and the other rebellious angels being casted out of Heaven and being sent to Hell to join Lucifer, thus making them Fallen Angels. Satan looked at each of the fallen angels, recognizing every one of them, although he hadn't heard from some of them in thousands of years. Not all of them took their fall well, after all. His gaze fell upon one wolf-like angel who was shown among the others casted out of Heaven. Letting out a sigh at this, Satan moved on.

The last mural that Satan passed depicted Lucifer, along with Lilith, gathered at a court with the Seven Deadly Sins as the rulers of Hell. He saw himself among the gathering with Mammon, Asmodeus, Leviathan, Belphegor… and Beelzebub, who Satan scowled at before muttering to himself. "Neglectful bastard…"

After passing by the last of the murals, Satan had finally made it to a pair of double doors. The guards standing in front of the doors immediately recognized Satan, opening the doors for him. Once he stepped inside, he was in a red-walled dining room with a long table in front of him. The table had nine chairs around it, with two of them already being filled up.

"I see that I'm not the first one to arrive," Satan said, greeting two of his fellow Sins. "Good brimming, Ozzie, Belph."

"Good brimming to you too, 'Tan," said Ozzie, also known as Asmodeus, the King of Lust. He was a large, vibrantly-colored and burly demon with long arms and digitigrade legs. He had a broad upper chest and narrow waist, and a tuft of cyan rooster-like tail feathers that had three sickle tall feathers colored red, black, and ivory-white each. His head was colored dark blue with red and white head feathers sticking out from tufts on his head, and he has large feathers running to his chest. He had glowing neon green-colored eyes and mouth on his main head, and a thick mane of cyan hair, in which there were two additional faces, a ram on the right side and a bull on the left, which both reacted and expressed the same way Ozzie did. Asmodeus's outfit consisted of a tall, red-banded black top hat with red lining and a pair of long, different-colored feathers; ivory right and red left. He also sported a navy-blue vest with ivory lapels, a heart-shaped opening on the lower-front and exactly four glowing white stripes on the upper half, which was worn over a popped-collared, red untucked dress-shirt with heart-shaped cuff-links on the long sleeves navy-colored cuffs. He additionally wore ivory gloves, navy pants and jagged, black thigh-high high-heeled boots with red cuffs, toes and tips of the heels.

On the other side of the table was the demon known as Belphegor, the Queen Sin of Sloth. She was… already asleep face-down on the table. She was a lavender sheep/llama-like demon with four arms and long puffy wool that acted like her hair. She had a melting black candle on her head with a pink flame, like other Baphomet demons, with the tips of her ears also resembling the melting wax dripping from the candle. She sported a pair of thin, black, pointed horns on top of her head, and her arms had a black-purple gradient that stopped at her fingers, resembling fingerless gloves. She has five eyes on her face: one pair being her main eyes, with horizontally slit pale pupils and long lashes, the second pair slightly smaller, positioned just above her main eyes, and the last singular eye on her forehead. She also had an elongated white neck with five eyes vertically down the front, with three having black sclera, white irises and prominent lashes, and two being a blank purple.

She slowly stirred from her slumber, lifting her face up as she looked around and saw Satan, her face forming into a soft, gentle smile. "Oh, hello, Samael. How is Narrisa doing?" she asked with a kind voice.

Samael. That was his real name, though few knew it and even fewer used it. That had been his name when he was an angel. But when Lucifer had needed a new demon to adopt the mantle of Satan, he had been the one to step up to the task. So for most of Hell, he was just Satan.

"She's been doing well, Belph," Satan replied, a smile on his own lips. "And how is your husband?"

"Oh, he's doing good as well, helping me govern Sloth and all," Belphegor replied with a peaceful smile before she became drowsy and started to fall back asleep.

Ozzie turned to Satan. "Do you think she'll be awake during this meeting this time?"

"For most of it? I doubt it," Satan replied before taking his seat. "Honestly, I am just surprised that she manages to get here early every time."

Ozzie just shrugged before pulling out his phone, looking over the content. "Well, at least she is always here, unlike you-know-who…"

Satan just scowled at the reference to Beelzebub, though he managed to stop his temper from getting the better of him. "Do you know what this meeting is about, Ozzie?"

"Hard to say," Asmodeus shrugged before reading a text, the goat and bull smiling with him. "I asked Belph the same thing when I came in but even she didn't know."

"Then I guess we'll learn about it from our prideful ruler," Satan said, shaking his head. "Always with the dramatics with him, like keeping us in the dark just so he can reveal some piece of information to us in the most dramatic way possible." He stopped himself, knowing that it was unwise to say too much, even though he was frustrated with how Lucifer sometimes treated them like they were just his performers meant to run circles and do tricks for him.

Ozzie just chuckled. "I don't mind it too much, personally," he mentioned. "I much prefer his dramatics over the clown's…"

And speak of the devil, because bursting through the doors of the dining room at that very moment was the aforementioned clown…

"Hiya, my Sinnies! Nobody panic, yer ol' buddy, Hell's number-one greedy boy is here!" declared Mammon, who was so loud that he woke up Belphegor from her sleep. "Sorry I'm so fashionably late, but I had to count all me earnin's that I've made from all the Fizz-bots that I've been sellin' like hotcakes lately! Of course, one Robotic Fizzarolli is still missing after an incident in Loo Loo Land, but-" He stopped himself as he looked at his fellow Deadly Sins, who did not look interested at all in his problems. "Tough crowd," he said with a shrug before he took a seat next to Satan. "What's up, Sammy boy? How's eh, dealin' with your Ring?"

Satan, along with Ozzie and the awakened Belphegor, could barely hide his contempt and annoyance for Mammon. None of them were exactly fond of the King of the Greed Ring.

"My Ring is fine, Mammon," Satan told him, his voice tinged with annoyance.

"Alright, so I guess it's just us four right now, eh?" Mammon asked while looking around the table. "We're still waiting on Leviathan and Baba Booey Bubzy," Mammon said before bringing up a bucket full of green chicken that he began to eat out of. "Oh wait, I forgot the old bug boy never shows up! Haha!" He laughed loudly, talking and eating at the same time. "You know, Bub should've let me handle things in Gluttony. I mean, I'm already a glutton, fat, and a slob. Maybe Luci will eventually give me Bubs job. Lots of souls to be made on the sale of Beelzejuice alone. Say, I could steal your job next, sleepyhead," he crudely pointed out to Belphegor, who did not look amused.

Satan and Ozzie both shared a look of disgust while Belphegor tried to go back to her sleep. None of them laughed at Mammon's attempted 'jokes', since none of them ever found him funny. None of them respected Mammon, who was perhaps everyone's least favorite Sin, since while Beelzebub may have neglected his Ring, at the very least he wasn't as trashy and loud as the Sin of Greed… not that it excused Beelzebub's neglect.

"Do you have to eat like that?" Satan questioned.

"Uh, yeah, we're at Luci's dinner table," Mammon pointed out as he munched on the chicken. "Is there a better place to eat? Seriously, what did ya expect me to do? Go hungry?'

"Would it kill you to at least learn some table manners?" Ozzie asked with his arms crossed.

"Greetings, my fellow Sins!"

Everyone turned as the doors to the dining room opened, a bright light shining through the entrance. They saw a humanoid figure silhouetted in the doorway. The figure appeared to be wearing a top hat and a tailcoat and holding a cane. At first glance, you could mistake this demon for Lucifer Morningstar by their silhouette. But as they came into the room… it became obvious that they were not Lucifer.

Instead, he had dark gray skin with bright, pupiless purple eyes. His mouth was full of sharp, purple teeth, and he sported gray hair that was lined with small black spots along with a pencil-thin mustache. His attire consisted of a dark gray tailcoat with a light grey underside. The tails of his coat were lined with black dots and he wore a big black top hat that sported two mouths lined with sharp teeth on either side. He also sported a grey undershirt, black pants, black dress shoes, and black gloves with his sharp, amethyst claws protruding from them.

"Ah, it's you… Leviathan," Ozzie said to the latest Sin to show up.

"I see that you've made some changes to your appearance… again," Satan commented.

Unlike the other Sins, Leviathan liked to occasionally make changes to their appearance, even changing up their gender every now and then. It was something that the other Sins were quite used to from the Sin of Envy.

"Thank you for noticing my look, Sammy," Leviathan declared as he took his seat next to Ozzie. "What do you guys think of the look? Though that I'd go as a dapper gentleman for the day. I did think about splitting some heads but then I thought 'Nah, don't need another extra head'. I've already gotten a million of them!"

"Well, this 'dapper' look does resemble a certain someone we know," Ozzie said, noting how Leviathan was trying to make themself look like Lucifer…

"Why, I have no idea what you're talking about, Ozzie," Leviathan said with a toothy smile, causing Asmodeus to roll his eyes slightly. This wasn't the first time that Leviathan tried to emulate Lucifer and play a game of 'who wore it better'. Asmodeus could even remember a time when Lucifer attempted to emulate him.

"I say I like the new look, Lev," Mammon said. "But how are things in Envy? How is, uh, your kid doing?"

"Oh, my daughter? She is doing fine. Keeping up with her school work and all that," Leviathan said dismissively. "How about you, Mammon? Still a bachelor?"

"You know it, my serpentine friend! No kids for me, as long as you don't count the best son that I never actually had," Mammon said with a grin. "Say, um, Levy, have you thought about my um… business proposition yet?"

"Hmm, still thinking it over," Leviathan replied with a nod before turning to the other Sins. "So how about the rest of you? How are things in your Rings?"

"Things are incredibly productive in the Lust Ring," Ozzie mentioned. "Especially with the high demands of the Robotic Fizzarollis."

"Wrath is… well, it's Wrath," Satan responded with a shrug. "The locals just had their annual Harvest Moon Festival."

Leviathan turned to Belphegor, who was still asleep. And he didn't even bother to ask if Beelzebub was coming or not, already knowing the answer. Instead, he just shrugged and turned to Satan. "You know, I have been hearing rumors about the Wrath Ring lately…"

"Rumors?" Satan asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I heard a rumor that the Harvest Moon Festival was attacked while Prince Stolas was there," Leviathan mentioned, his grin widening. "A Goetia being put at risk while visiting your Ring is not a very good look now, is it?"

Satan scoffed. "He was in no real danger," he claimed. "It was just your standard monster attack. Those basically happen on a daily basis in Wrath."

Leviathan looked disappointed by this answer, but before he could press into him any further, they all heard the sound of a door opening, followed by footsteps coming to the table.

"I see that you are all here…"

All of the Sins, including Belphegor who had just woken up, turned to look at the final demon to arrive at the meeting.

"Finally that you're here Luci-" When Leviathan saw who it was, his eyes widened in surprise. "What the…"

"I thought Lucifer was supposed to be here?" Satan asked. "Wasn't he the one who called this meeting?"

"Yes, interesting that you're here instead…" Ozzie said, intrigued.

"Lucifer is… busy at the moment," said the woman sitting at the head of the table. It wasn't Lucifer heading the meeting like he usually would… it was the Queen of Hell herself, Lilith. While it wasn't uncommon for her to sit in during meetings, it was uncommon for it to be just her. "Which is why I'm taking his place. Does anyone have any problems with this?"

"Nope, no problem with me," Ozzie said, shaking his head.

"I'm fine with it," Satan said quickly.

"I have no problem with a queen who takes the lead, no siree," Mammon said while looking slightly nervous around Lilith.

"Yeah, me and Belphy here are good as well," Leviathan said, though he did look a bit disappointed about Lucifer's absence. Belphegor, meanwhile, nodded her head in confirmation.

Lilith nodded at the Sins before noticing one empty chair next to Leviathan's. She frowned at that seat, knowing that it belonged to Beelzebub, the only Sin who wasn't here…

Back in Wrath, Blitz, Stolas, and Moxxie were using the sheriff's building to house Alexei, since the sheriff of Ragetown was still dead. Alexei was being kept in one of the cells in the jail area of the building, where he was wrapped up in chains and looking pretty banged up. Both from yesterday… and right now.

"Tell us who you're working for, pal!" Blitz demanded before punching Alexei across the face.

Alexei barely flinched despite his black eye and the blood coming out from his mouth. He managed to chuckle at Blitz, who had been trying all morning to get answers from Alexei. "As if your punches would be effective on me, imp," he told him. "But go on. Keep trying. I bet you are getting a break work-out from this."

"Well… then how about a kick in the nards?!" Blitz shouted as he stomped on Alexei's crotch… only for Alexei to once again barely react. "Why aren't you screaming?! This usually works…"

"Please, you think I haven't been kicked there a bunch of times before?" Alexei asked, chuckling at Blitz's inefficient methods.

"Sir, it's quite obvious that he won't fold easily," Moxxie spoke up. "Perhaps we should try a different approach."

"Allow me to try," Stolas said as he stepped forward, Blitz moving aside as the Goetic demon looked down at Alexei. "You know who I am, don't you?"

"Sure," Alexei said with a shrug.

Stolas's eyes glowed red as his face started to transform. "Then you know what I am fully capable of. You listen here, you conniving canine conspirator. You are at the mercy of a Goetia Prince now," he said while pointing to him. "So you're going to tell me who you are working for and why are you after Blitzy and his family or-"

"Or what?" Alexei cut him off, frustrating Stolas.

"I'll hurt you real bad!" Stolas declared. "Yes, I will have you spanked and whipped. I will twist your titties, make you watch outdated romcoms…"

"That's your idea for torture?" Alexei asked, looking unimpressed. He gave a small smirk. "Clearly, you are out of your comfort zone. If I had to guess, you're not used to threatening people. Not surprising for a royal like you, who is so used to getting what you want the moment that you ask for it. You don't actually know how to interrogate someone who won't fold immediately, do you?"

Stolas was taken aback by this, but then he glared at Alexei. "I could petrify you, turn you into stone in an instant," he threatened Alexei.

But the Hellhound just yawned. "You could, but you won't," he told Stolas. "Because you need me. Which means you won't kill me."

Stolas huffed. "Fine, we do need you. But we are also your only way out of this. Perhaps we could set up an agreement…"

But this only made Alexei laugh. "An agreement? With you?" he asked dryly. "Do you think I'm that lowly of a demon to be desperate enough to betray my employers, especially to someone like you? I hold myself to a higher standard than that." He gave Stolas a piercing look. "We both know that you have no idea what you're doing. How often do you get your feathers bloody, my prince?" he asked with a sarcastic tone, "While you get to hide comfortably in your palace, away from the ugliness outside, Hellborns like me bleed and die. There's actually nothing that you can do to me, because you're actually spared from the worst of Hell." He gave a sigh, shutting his eyes before opening them and looking back up at Stolas. "Tell me, have you ever had to huddle in a building, not knowing if that Extermination Day would be your last? Have you ever had to listen to the screams of the dying while you hide safely behind the walls of your estate?" He gave a cold look at Stolas, who stared at Alexei in quiet shock, speechless. "I know monsters and your protected privileged behind is not one of them."

Stolas didn't know how to respond to this. What Alexei had said to him… it felt like it struck personally. The Goetia looked down at Alexei for a moment, then turned to Blitz and Moxxie, motioning with his head to head out of the cell area so they could talk.

"I'm afraid that I don't know how to break him," Stolas admitted, keeping his head down as they talked in the office area. "I'm sorry that I'm not much help…"

"Hey, don't worry, Stolas. We both couldn't get through to him," Blitz pointed out. He sighed. "I'll admit, we're not getting anywhere with him. We still don't even have his name."

"And he is right. We can't kill him, because he is our only lead. Without him, we don't know who we're dealing with," Stolas admitted. "Which is frustrating…"

Moxxie looked down for a minute, quietly thinking to himself. At the back of his mind, he had an idea. It was not an idea that he liked, but it was perhaps their best option. "Sir? I think I might know how to get him to talk…"

Blitz and Stolas turned to look at Moxxie in surprise. "What are you getting at, Mox?" Blitz asked.

"Just… leave him to me," Moxxie suggested. "I'd like to be alone with him for a bit. Then I think that I could get him to talk."

Moxxie and Stolas turned to look at each other, wondering what exactly Moxxie planned to do that neither of them had already tried. But at that point, they were willing to try anything.

"Alright, Mox, do what you gotta do," Blitz told his employee.

Alexei saw the door open again, only this time Moxxie was the only one who came in. The Hellhound responded by giving the imp a sneer.

"Is this some kind of joke?" Alexei asked with a scoff. "What are you supposed to do, shrimp?"

Moxxie calmly closed the door behind him, then walked over to the window, closing the blinds. "You know, what you just said to Prince Stolas… you do have a point," he admitted as the room grew darker. "He did grow up privileged and pampered and he does lack the experience to know how to truly break a demon. Despite all the power he wields, he only knows how to use it like a hammer and he thinks all of his problems are nails, when some problems require different tools. And he honestly hasn't seen the worst of Hell. But me?" He turned to Alexei. "I have."

"Well, good to know," Alexei said. He had no idea what Moxxie planned to do, but he still refused to be intimidated.

"Where are you from?" Moxxie asked Alexei. "You mentioned the Extermination, so I assume that you have spent some time in Pride, correct?"

Alexei grunted.

Moxxie nodded as he looked at Alexei. "Tell me… have you ever been to Greed?"

Alexei shrugged. "I have," he confirmed, wondering where Moxxie was going with this.

"Good, good," Moxxie said with a nod, seeing that he was getting somewhere. "Well… I'm from the Greed Ring, actually," he confirmed. "You see, I might have been born here, in Wrath, but I grew up in that Ring. And like you… I've met monsters. The Greed Ring is full of them. One of those monsters is named Crimson. You have heard of him, right?"

Alexei slowly nodded. "Yeah, I'm familiar with Crimson," he confirmed. "His reputation, at the very least."

"Well, did you know that he has a son?" Moxxie asked.

"Yeah…?" Alexei confirmed. For some reason, his fur was starting to rise up.

"Good. Because you're looking at him right now," Moxxie revealed, which made Alexei's eyes widen as his fur raised up even more. For the first time… Alexei looked nervous and Moxxie could actually tell.

"Nervous? I don't blame you," Moxxie said, still managing to remain calm. "Honestly, I hated growing up in Greed. I couldn't stand the smog, the shady businesses, the gang wars, the crime rate… but the thing that I couldn't stand the most was my own father. In fact, I wanted to be nothing like him. Which is ironic, because he wanted nothing more than for me to be like him. Which I think is one of the reasons my father used to make me watch him break other demons. Sometimes he wanted something out of them, sometimes he just did it for fun. It depended on his mood," he said with a sigh while looking up at the ceiling "You know, I actually came here to reconnect with my mother's roots, since she came from Wrath. Although," he said as he looked down at Alexei with a stoic expression. "Even though I've been told that there is so much of my mother in me… the truth is that there's a lot of my father in me as well, and that's something that I can't escape…"

Moxxie thought about the hostage crisis at the Triton Resort. He thought about making his deal with Stu. No matter where he went, his father's influence haunted him. Because as much as he hated to admit it, he was his father's son just as much as he was his mother's. His tone became bitter and his eyes became heavy with resentment as he stared at Alexei, making eye contact with him as the Hellhound grew more and more uncomfortable with the direction this was going.

"I learned a lot of things from my father. A lot of it is stuff that I wish I could forget, but some of it… can be useful in the right moment," Moxxie said as he looked at Alexei. "Would you like to see what I've learned…?"

Meanwhile, in another building, a diner, Loona was talking with Verosika while having breakfast with her.

"So you're heading down to Greed next?" Loona asked her.

"Yup," Verosika confirmed. "Since Gluttony is a skip, Greed is going to be my next stop during my tour."

"Sounds nice," Loona replied, feeling nostalgic. "I actually went there recently, though just to Loo Loo Land. I haven't really spent time in Greed outside of that park since… well, since before me and dad moved up to Imp City."

"You know, I don't think your dad ever told me why you moved," Verosika pointed out. "I did wonder why he made that decision at the time, since in Pride you would both have to worry about the annual Extermination…"

"Yeah," Loona admitted while looking down at the table. "It… wasn't an easy decision. But we had to leave Greed for a number of reasons. It… feels like it has been a long time since I've really spent time in Greed."

"Well… maybe this could be your chance, since it'd be fun if you could come with me," Verosika suggested, which surprised Loona.

"You… want me to come to your tour?" Loona asked while looking up at Verosika.

"This is what I wanted to talk to you about the other day," Verosika admitted. "You've never actually gone on tour with me before and since we've been reconnecting lately, I thought that it'd be nice if you came along with me for once so we could spend some more time together. I mean, you could use a change of scenery, since you've been here in Wrath for so long."

"Well, I will admit, it does feel like we've been here a long time. I was actually starting to think that we'd never leave, or that we would have to spend an entire year here," Loona admitted. "Going on tour with you… yeah, that does sound nice. But I'll have to talk to dad about it first."

Verosika sighed. "Of course," she said.

"We still need to figure out what to do next," Loona told her. "Along with…" She looked up at Amaroq, who was sitting at another table with Chase, who was eating his own breakfast. "What to do with Amaroq…"

Amaroq was looking up at Chase in awe as the large Hellhound was enjoying his meal, which consisted of a large grilled steak with bratwurst, scrambled eggs, and pieces of actual iron. Chase noticed the young hellpup before gulping his food.

"Wow, you sure eat a lot, Mr. Chase," Amaroq commented. "Is that why you're so big and buff?"

Chase smiled at the kid. "You know it, kid."

"Why do you eat so much iron? I've never seen anyone eat iron before," Amaroq asked him.

"It strengthens my stomach and my teeth," Chase said while showing his sharp teeth to Amaroq. "The dentists couldn't put braces on me since I would eat them too."

"What are braces?" Amaroq asked.

"Oh, some metal they put on your teeth to adjust your jaw or something like that," Chase answered with a shrug.

"So if I eat like you, would I be able to gain super strength and sharp teeth?" Amaroq asked, curious. "What's your diet plan, Mr. Chase? Oh, actually, I have a dozen questions to ask you. Like, how many firetrucks can you lift? Can you eat an entire tank? What are your exercise routines? Could you survive jumping into a volcano? How high can you jump?"

Chase looked down at Amaroq, smirking in amusement before continuing to eat. "That's a lot of questions…"

Looking over at Amaroq and Chase, Verosika just gave a smile. "She seems like a good pup," she told Loona. "I can see why you want to protect her."

"Yeah," Loona agreed with a small smile.

"You know, I honestly assumed that you and Blitz would just keep her," Verosika admitted while looking over at Loona, who avoided her gaze and looked down at the table. Verosika noticed this. "Loona?"

Loona didn't respond, instead she just looked at her cup of juice, staring at her own reflection…

Back at the meeting of the Sins, Lilith had begun speaking.

"Alright, now I want everyone to answer this… who is missing among us in the meeting?" Lilith asked while pointing to a certain chair.

Everyone turned to look at Beelzebub's empty chair before Leviathan answered. "Well, the hornet's not here."

"And when was the last time he answered a summons? When was the last time he attended one of these meetings?" Lilith questioned in her stoic tone.

"Well, it has been a while… I can't remember the last time, honestly," Belphegor answered.

"Then I shall ask all of you this… when was the last time any of you saw or spoke to Beelzebub?" Lilith asked as she looked around the table at the other Sins.

The other Sins looked around at each other before Ozzie spoke up. "Well… it has been years, ma'am. Most of us hardly see each other these times outside of these gatherings and Bub hasn't left the Gluttony Ring in a long time."

"Yeah, I haven't seen the old bug-eyes for a long time either," Mammon said before he started to complain. "He didn't even send me a bloody card for my last birthday!"

"I haven't spoken to him recently, nor will I ever," Satan said with disdain in his voice.

"Haven't heard from him recently either," Leviathan admitted with a shrug. "I haven't been to Gluttony since… probably the last time he threw one of his feasts. And that was years ago." He sighed. "He used to throw the best feasts in all of Hell. I always looked forward to them, despite my jealousy. His tables were always covered with food…"

"Oh yeah, those parties were the best," Mammon said, nodding. "I almost forgot how fun Beelzebub used to be before he became all depressed and shit. Whatever happened to the guy?"

"You know what happened," Belphegor said with a yawn before she looked at Lilith. "But no, I haven't heard from him either, Your Majesty. Not since he ended his stay in Sloth."

"He was staying in Sloth?" Satan asked in surprise, having not heard of this.

"He used to come and go from the Sloth Ring regularly," Belphegor explained. "He got treatment there, which I oversaw. Me and Belial even used to let him stay with us. But that was… some time ago, I'm afraid."

"So none of you have heard from him in the last few weeks or months? Not even you, Satan?" she asked, singling out Satan, which made him feel a bit irritated.

"I told you that I haven't seen or talked to him recently, nor will I ever," he said, anger coming through his tone despite his attempts to control it.

"Alright, what is this really about, Lil?" Ozzie asked her.

"Yeah, what's with all the talk about that buzzkill?" Mammon asked her. "Are we really finally going to do somethin' about that chump?"

"Yeah, I think it's about time we do something," Leviathan agreed with a nod.

"He needs an intervention," Belphegor added.

"I never thought I'd say this, but Mammon has a point," Satan admitted with a grumble. "Are we really going to do something about Beelzebub?"

Lilith looked out at the Sins. "What we're about to discuss does not leave this room," she said in a serious tone before summoning a book that landed on the table…

This ancient-looking tome was covered in eyes and wrapped in what it looked to be like flesh. This book would creep out any normal demon who wasn't a Sin… and it was still something that the Sins knew they couldn't take lightly.

"Swear an oath on the Book of the Black Goat," she said while placing one of her hands on the book while raising the other. "I, as a Deadly Sin, swear to the Black Goat that nothing I hear leaves this room."

"We of the Deadly Sins swear to the Black Goat that nothing we hear will leave this room," the other Sins said as they passed the book around and swore on it, the book glowing with a black aura of flames before it disappeared after the final Sin made the oath.

Swearing an oath on the Book of the Black Goat was considered unbreakable. It was highly taboo to break that kind of oath, so bringing it out made the Sins realize just how important this was. But it also made other Sins feel a bit more… antsy.

"So what is this really about, Lilith?" Ozzie asked, his tone nervous.

"Swearing the oath to the Black Goat… means business," Belphegor said.

"And Beelzebub's the subject of this matter?" Satan asked. "Just what is going on around him that requires this meeting?"

Lilith was silent for a moment, looking down at the table as she intertwined her fingers. Eventually, she broke the silence.

"Beelzebub… is gone," she revealed, shocking the other Sins.

"What do you mean by this, Lilith?" Satan asked. "What do you mean he's gone?"

"What I mean is that Beelzebub is no longer in the Gluttony Ring," Lilith said. "And he most likely hasn't for at least a while. We have no idea where he is, whether he's in another Ring or in a completely different realm." She looked over at Belphegor. "Belph, are you sure that Beelzebub hasn't been in Sloth?"

Belphegor took a moment to answer. "I-I could check," she said. "I thought he would let me know if he was in my Ring, but then again he has been ghosting me for a while…" She then had an idea. "Have you checked Egypt, perhaps?"

The other Sins looked at each other as they processed this revelation. All of them looked concerned over the news… well, all except for one.

"Well good riddance!" Mammon declared rudely. "It's about time that insect decided to pack up and leave. Or maybe he decided to off him-"

"SHUT YOUR FUCKING FACE, MAMMON!" Lilith suddenly snapped at Mammon, flames burst from behind her as her eyes glowed and fire spit out of her mouth. This scared the Sin of Greed, who lowered himself. "IF YOU DON'T HAVE ANYTHING IMPORTANT TO SAY OR IF YOU CAN'T TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY, THEN STAY SILENT! DO YOU UNDERSTAND, YOU OVERGROWN COCKROACH?!"

Mammon crouched down underneath the table like a scolded child, his fat body visibly shaking in her presence. "Y-Yes, my queen."

While normally the other Sins would enjoy seeing Mammon put in his place, seeing Lilith snap brought them no comfort, since it only further highlighted the direness of the situation. So instead of giving them catharsis, it made them more uneasy.

Lilith gave a huff before sitting back in her seat and managing to calm down. "May I remind you that we need Beelzebub. He may have allowed his Ring to fall into ruin, but he is still in possession of one of the Keys," she pointed out. "We can't have him running off while he still has one of the seven Keys." She gave Mammon a serious look. "Do you still have your Key, Mammon? Or perhaps you lost it…"

"Of course I still have my Key, Your Majesty," Mammon replied quickly, a bit fearful. "I've kept it guarded like it's my most prized possession."

"Along with his dimes," Ozzie muttered under his breath.

"Well hold on, maybe we shouldn't overreact about this," Leviathan suggested. "Perhaps we should just wait and then Beelzebub could show up again. As Belph pointed out, he sometimes leaves his Ring to stay in Sloth and that has never caused a panic before. Maybe if we give him time, let him work out whatever this is, he will come back…"

"Maybe… if we hadn't already tried finding him with several spells," Lilith pointed out. "In the past, we always knew where he was, even when he left his ring. But Beelzebub made himself completely invisible from magic. This wasn't something he just decided on a whim, he's intentionally gone off the radar."

"Oh," Leviathan said, blinking in surprise. "Okay, that is new."

Lilith looked down with a worried expression. "And if we've noticed he's gone, others might begin to notice as well… including our enemies." She looked up to the other Sins with her eyes narrowed in determination. "That's why it is important that we both keep this information from becoming public, and that we find Beelzebub quickly, because if someone else gets their hands on him first, they could also get their hands on his Key."

"What 'enemies' could actually pose a threat against us?" Leviathan wanted to know.

Lilith turned to Satan. "Satan, care to tell us about the… rumors of cult activity in your Ring?"

Satan hesitated while the other Sins looked at him. After a moment, he let out a reluctant sigh and answered. "There has been a recent… rise in cult activity in the Wrath Ring, worshipping my predecessor…"

A sense of dread immediately fell over the room. All of the Sins looked nervous, even Mammon looked fearful when Satan mentioned his predecessor. He didn't even need to say his name, everyone in the room still looked uneasy.

Eventually, Leviathan broke this uncomfortable silence.

"Oh, okay. So apparently Beelzebub isn't the only one who neglected his Ring," Leviathan accused while looking at Satan with a frown. "Letting this cult activity rise under your watch. Not surprising, if I can be honest. I think this has gone unsaid for a while, but your Ring has become a cesspool for thugs, thieves, and killers who go completely unchecked, all of which must have emboldened these cultists."

"I do agree with Leviathan," Lilith said, making the Sin of Envy smile to himself. "You need to hit harder against this cult activity, Satan."

"I swear to do so, Your Majesty," Satan replied with a bow of his head.

"But we all need to be more vigilant about this, not just Satan," Lilith said. "Both for cult activity and for any signs of Beelzebub." She then decided to bring something up. "The reason I asked at the start if any of you have heard from Beelzebub recently is because before he vanished, Beelzebub did reach out to someone…"

This shocked everyone. "Did he speak to Lucifer?" Ozzie asked for the other Sins.

"No," Lilith said while sadly shaking her head. "Beelzebub and my husband haven't been on speaking terms… for a while." She turned her head to the door. "You may come in now."

At her command, the door to the dining room opened and a large figure strode into the room, immediately getting everyone's attention.

"I'm sure you all remember Marchioness Marchosias," Lilith said, though Samael's eyes were already widening in recognition upon seeing the newcomer.

"I am privileged to be at your service, Queen Lilith," the Marchioness Marchosias said in a respectful tone. She was a giant of a demon she-wolf, easily dwarfing the likes of Lilith and Leviathan. She was comparable to Prince Stolas in terms of height. She looked as beautiful as she was deadly. She wore a crimson and guild suit with golden epaulets, black gloves, and a broadsword sheathed by her hips. Her build was large, muscular, and her face marred with small scars, one on her ear and one across her left eye, like a battle-hardened warrior fresh from combat. Her fur was an almost endless white snow, with several patches of iron-grey, across her head, arms and legs. On her back were a pair of copper brown griffin wings, while her tail had the scaly form of a white ottoman viper. Her white hair was in a short, fierce bob, and her piercing yellow eyes burned like the surface of the sun.

Samael stared at Marchosias with a surprised expression while the other Sins had different reactions. Bephelgor looked up, intrigued, while Ozzie smiled at her appearance. Leviathan raised an eyebrow while Mammon just rolled his eyes.

"That's good to hear," Lilith responded with a nod while looking up to Marchosias. "Now then, would you tell my colleagues what you've already told me?"

Marchosias gave her a nod before she began. "Beelzebub broke into my mansion one night. When I found him, he was drinking from my fridge…"

Meanwhile, back in the Wrath Ring, Loona was now in the sheriff's building, talking with Stolas, Moxxie and Blitz. They had just repeated to her what they had learned from Alexei. Who he was, why he was after Blitz… and who sent him. Needless to say, she was understandably shocked by the news.

"Are you guys sure that's what he said?" Loona asked them, shaken.

"We believe so," Moxxie responded, Loona's reaction worrying him. "According to Alexei, the demons that he works for… are the Vees. They sent him down here to find Blitz and bring him to them after they learned about his role in burning Cruella's fur farm, which apparently belonged to Valentino. He was also ordered to bring in you and Amaroq. They wanted Blitz for questioning and you and Amaroq for… well, for you-know-who."

Loona sat down, still processing the information she had been told. "That explains a lot… I knew that Cruella was protected by an Overlord," she said, remembering what Blazer had told her. "And now I know who… the Vees." She let out a sigh. "This… this is actually good," she said, surprising everyone. "I mean, this might be the best news ever." She looked up to Stolas. "Stolas, you are a powerful Goetia demon and they are just Sinners, right? You could just go up to their skyscraper and easily petrify everyone there. That way, our problems are solved and we won't be on the run anymore, a-and Amaroq will be safe."

Stolas, however, just frowned. "Um, actually, Loona… I can't do that," he reluctantly admitted.

This confused Loona. "Why the hell not? I mean, you outrank the Overlords…"

"That is true, but the Vees make things a lot more complicated," Stolas explained. "The Overlords… they aren't just powerful Sinners. They have influence and connections all over the Pride Ring. A lot of my fellow Goetia have business ties to the Vees and the other major Overlords like Shere Khan and Carmilla Carmine, since they are the ones who run some of the biggest industries in the Pride Ring. For example, Duke Astaroth and Prince Sitri both have dealings with the Vees, the latter being involved with Velvette and her love potions. I can't just go there and turn them into stone like they are any other Sinner. They have Goetia allies and those allies… I'm afraid they give them immunity, as much as I hate to admit it."

"What…" Loona said, looking shocked and livid. "You mean… there's nothing you can do?"

Stolas sighed. "I have to be careful about this, Loona. As much as I want to help you out, if I mess with the business interests of my fellow Goetia, they will want to retaliate and things will become even more messy. We want to avoid provoking their wrath if possible, because if you thought things were hot for you and your father now…" He shook his head. "I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do about the Vees, at least at the moment. There is too much politics."

This upset Loona, who looked down with a frown. "So it's back to fucking square one…"

"Hey, at least we have a potential bartering chip," Blitz pointed out. "We have Lexi as our prisoner now. Maybe we could use him in the future if we need to cut a deal."

"But in the meantime, we still have to worry about the Vees, sir," Moxxie pointed out. "Alexei won't be the last demon they send. They will continue to send demons after us until they have you, Loona, and Amaroq."

"Meaning… we won't be safe in another Ring," Loona realized with a sad tone.

"Ah, here is where I may have a possible solution," Stolas spoke up. "The Vees might be able to find you in another Ring… but they won't be able to find you in another Realm."

The three looked at Stolas, wondering where he was getting at.

"What are you talking about?" Blitz asked.

"I was recently in the Demon Realm, initially to attend a party that I was summoned for by a pink-haired witch," Stolas recounted. "During my time in the Demon Realm, I looked around and I think I found a few locations there where you all could stay. And you won't even have to use any disguises since you would just blend in with the rest of the population."

"The Demon Realm…" Blitz said with a thought, remembering that was where the Boiling Isles was. "Stolas, I… fucking hate this idea."

"W-what do you mean?" Stolas asked in confusion as everyone looked at Blitz.

"There is no fucking way I'm leaving Hell!" Blitz declared. "Because as shitty as this place is, it's still our home. If me and Loona leave Hell, then we'd never be able to come back! Forget the Vees having a grudge against me. What about both the Vees and Shere Khan having a grudge against me? The Tiger Boss still expects me to come back to the Pride Ring eventually and I have already been pushing my luck," he said while looking down. "If I just bail from Hell, we would have another Overlord to worry about, which would ensure me and Loona could never go home…"

"Yeah, I have to agree, I don't like the idea of staying in the Demon Realm either," Loona admitted, thinking about how it would most likely mean she would never be able to see any of her friends again. But then, as she looked over at her dad… she had an idea. "Hey dad, could we… talk in private for a moment?"

Blitz looked at his daughter in surprise, but immediately nodded. "Of course, sweetie," he said before turning to Moxxie and Stolas. "Forgive us."

The two walked into a hallway where they could have their chat. Blitz was the one to start their conversation.

"Now Loony, I know things are a bit complicated right now, but there's no way we're going to leave Hell for good," Blitz reassured her before he sighed. "I do think I will have to go back up to Pride to deal with Shere Khan. But since Lexi is our bargaining chip, and Stolas has his connections to the Goetia who are tied with the Vees, maybe we can… work something out," he said, trying to sound optimistic as he looked up to Loona. "I promise that things are going to be fine, Loona. Maybe it will take a while, but I'll find a way for us to be able to return to normal."

Loona looked at her dad, her expression softening. "I do believe you, dad," she told him. "And I would like things to eventually return to normal as well, even though I know that it may still be a while." She then thought back to her earlier conversation with Verosika and decided to bring it up. "You know, Verosika talked to me earlier and, well, she suggested that I could accompany her on the rest of her concert tour."

"Really?" Blitz asked.

Loona nodded. "Yeah, but I told her that I would talk about it with you first, since I know-"

"That's great!"

Loona stared at her dad in surprise, blinking. "I can't believe that you're saying that…"

"Yeah, I don't believe I'm saying it either," Blitz admitted with a shrug. "But honestly, the timing is great. You should totally go with her. I mean, I definitely have to return to Pride to answer to ol' Khan and satisfy him, but I don't want you or Amaroq to come with me. You two need to be kept away from the Vees and away from Cruella, which means far away from Pride…" His voice lowered and he looked saddened upon realizing that he wouldn't be seeing his daughter for a while… but even though he didn't get along with Verosika, he knew that she could be trusted with Loona if nothing else. "Being with Sika for a while is a great plan, really," he admitted. "Just as long as you two and Amaroq stay backstage, you two should be safe."

Loona stared at her dad in shock, surprised by how open he was to the idea. She hadn't been expecting this at all. But now that he was on board…

"Yeah, we'll be safe… but I don't think Amaroq should go with me," she revealed.

Blitz looked confused by this. "What do you mean? Loona, you know that she can't come with me, that's absolutely out of the question."

"I know," Loona said before she began to clarify. "But I don't think Amaroq should go… with either of us."

Blitz looked even more confused by this. "What do you mean?"

"I'm staying that… maybe we should let Stolas take Amaroq to the Demon Realm," Loona suggested. "Think about it, that way she would be safe from Cruella forever. She wouldn't have to worry about Sonya or Cruella or the Vees ever again. I mean, that was the plan, wasn't it? Take care of Amaroq until we could figure out what to do with her, and now we have a way to keep her safe thanks to Stolas."

Now it was Blitz's turn to look at Loona in surprise. "Yeah, that was the plan," he admitted while looking down. "But honestly, after all this time, I figured that you would want to… keep her. I mean, you two have been getting along so well, and I like the kid as well. I was starting to get used to the idea of her… staying as a permanent member of the family."

Loona crossed her arms while looking down. Truthfully, she had started to get used to that idea as well. And she almost wanted it… almost. "Dad, we never planned on keeping Amaroq in the first place," she told him, keeping her voice firm. "And besides, keeping her with us… it would be a bad idea."

"Hey, it wouldn't be that different from when I decided to keep you," Blitz suggested, reaching out to Loona, but she moved away.

"But this is different, dad, because Amaroq is a different pup, and may I remind you about what happened during the festival yesterday?" she brought up. "Amaroq nearly died… because of us!" she pointed out, causing Blitz to look down. "Because of our dumb and poor decisions…"

"Loona…" Blitz tried to say, but Loona continued.

"We decided to go to the Harvest Moon Festival, and you decided to enter the Pain Games. Even though we both should have known better and should have been more responsible. Instead, both of our actions resulted in Amaroq being put at risk!" she pointed out. "That should be a wake-up call for both of us!" She lowered her tone. "We're not able to do this, dad. We can't be trusted with this. Amaroq deserves so much better." She sighed, trying to keep herself again. "That's why this was always going to be temporary, as much as we both like Amaroq. And I do really like her, but… we need to think about what's best for her, and what's best for her is to be far away from us."

'And far away from me,' Loona thought to herself.

Blitz looked conflicted. He was surprised to hear this coming from Loona, even if what she was saying made a lot of sense, as much as he hated to admit this. "Are you… sure about this, Loona?" he asked her.

Loona struggled to meet him in the eye. There was a part of her that wanted to tell him about Cain, about Nova. But… she couldn't bring herself to tell him so instead she just let out a sigh.

"I… don't want a baby sister," she told him. "It's always been just us and… it's better that we keep her that way. Better for her, and better for us."

Loona knew that keeping Amaroq safe was a priority. And this way Amaroq wouldn't be just safe from Cruella and the Vees; she would be safe from Loona herself…

'I… I can't trust myself with her,' she thought to herself, her head lowered in guilt. 'I can't let history repeat itself…'

Meanwhile, back up in Pride in the Morningstar palace, the meeting of the Sins had already concluded. The Sins had all been given their new directives by Lilith and had all left the palace… well, except for one.

Samael, aka Satan, had stayed while everyone else had left. He found his way to the palace's courtroom, where he and the other Sins, including Lucifer, would occasionally oversee trials. He found some resemblance between this courtroom and the one he remembered from Heaven and although he had never asked Lucifer, he had always wondered if it was intentional. Occasionally, he liked to come here by himself and just stand there, alone with his thoughts… for a little while, at least.

"I thought I would find you here," said a female voice.

Samael shut his eyes with a sigh before turning around to open them. Marchioness Marchosias was standing there. Clearly, like Samael she had chosen to stay behind in the palace after they had been dismissed. And Samael wondered if it was for the same reason as him.

For a moment, the two just looked at each other in silence, neither of them saying a word. Neither of them also seemed to know how to feel about the other. They had known each other for a long time, even by Hell standards. They had been close friends once. But things changed. They changed. And now they sometimes felt like strangers to each other, though that history between them still remained intact.

"Marie," Samael called her with a respectful nod.

"Sam," Marchosias, or Marie as her friends and her ex-friends called her, said, nodding at him back. "I was hoping to talk to you after the meeting."

"Of course you were," Samael said with a sigh as he looked her over. Though she didn't look like it, Samael knew that she was old, older than most. "You look good."

"So do you," Marie replied, both of them maintaining politeness.

"It has been a while since we've last seen each other, hasn't it?" Samael asked, trying to recall the last time they had spoken to each other.

"Yes, it has," Marie admitted with another nod. "I have been… busy lately."

"So have I," Samael confirmed. "How is… your daughter, Diana, doing?"

"She's doing alright, thank you for asking," Marie replied. "How's your wife and Damian, your youngest?"

"They're both doing well," Samael told her. "Narissa's sister and her son are visiting at the moment."

"That's good," Marie said, though Samael noticed a bit of a pause in her voice.

Neither of them said anything for a moment. Despite their polite small talk, they could both feel the undeniable tension that was hanging between them as memories of past disagreements hung in the back of their heads. But Samael did know Marie, knew her better than most, so the Wrath of Sin could tell that something was up. That there was something on her chest that she desperately wanted to get off.

"I know that there's something bothering you, Marie," Samael said with a sigh. "If you want to say something to me, just say it. Stop dancing around the issue with pleasantries."

Marie was briefly taken aback by this as she looked to the horned Sin, her old friend. But then she took a deep breath and admitted what was troubling her. "It's just… just that I feel like… that we could have done more to help Beelzebub."

Samael wasn't exactly surprised, but he still let out a groan at this. "Marie…"

"Sam, we're all fallen angels," Marie pointed out. "We all fell after Lucifer, with Beelzebub being the very first to follow him to Hell. I think that's why he came to me. Because he wanted to speak to me as a former angel. We had both fallen from Heaven and all three of us have had similar experiences since our fall. I think… I think that maybe we should have realized how serious Beelzebub's issues were. That we should have made more of an effort to reach out to him, to help him. He's not that different from us, Sam."

"No, we are not like him," Samael said with a bit of a growl in his voice. "Beelzebub is the only one who is responsible for his actions, Marie. That's on him, not us."

"And I think that is why he came to me and not you," Marie pointed out. "Do you ever remember when was the last conversation you had with him? What it was about?"

"I don't know, since I don't remember," Samael replied with an uncaring tone. "And I don't care to remember. I have no sympathy for Beelzebub. He is nothing but a coward." He scoffed slightly. "You have gone too soft on him, Marie. It's the damn Fury kid thing all over again…"

"That was a completely different situation," Marie shot back, a bit of fire in her tone. "And you know that I was right then. You should have supported me."

"Are we really going to have this argument again?" Samael asked, the temper in his voice rising.

"No," Marie said. "Because this is about Bub. And Sam, you know full well what Bub's been through," she pointed out, reminding him. Her tone was filled with sympathy. "He lost his son."

Samael just scoffed. "So what? That's no excuse for his behavior."

This frustrated Marie, who let out a low growl. She knew that she shouldn't be surprised, but it still annoyed her. "Of course. That's easy for you to say, Sam," she said. "I doubt you would care if you lost one of your own, considering how many children you've had and then tossed them aside, leaving them to fend for themselves in the wastes of Wrath!"

Samael only gave Marie a look after she said that to him. But, rather than looking angry for what she said… he laughed.

"Kahahahahahahaha!" he laughed, confusing her. "Do you really think that you can take the moral high ground here, Marie?" He laughed again. "There might be some Heaven in you after all, because you're just as hypocritical as the higher-ups are by chastising me for how I treat my children!"

Marie was taken aback by this, blinking in surprise. "Now you see here-"

"Tell me, Marie, how is your oldest, Clara, doing?" he asked her.

At that, Marie fell completely silent. Her body tensed and her gaze lowered slightly, both which were noticed by Samael. She had no words for him.

Samael looked at her with a grin, knowing that he had hit her in a sore spot. "That's what I thought," he said with a chuckle before he began to walk off. "Give Diana my regards by the way, hehehe…"

As he laughed to himself, Marie was left alone in the courtroom, still speechless as she looked down in guilt…

As Samael headed for the exit of the palace, he was stopped when he saw someone coming out of a set of doors into the hallway. When she saw Samael, she broke into a huge smile and rushed over to the Sin of Wrath.

"Uncle Sam!" Charlie Moringstar shouted as she went over to hug him. "It is so good to see you again!"

Samael smiled as he hugged Charlie back. "It is good to see you too, Princess," he said as they let go of each other. "How have you been doing? Have you been well?"

"I have been, thanks for asking," Charlie replied, still smiling. Of course, Samael had heard about her recent break-up, but he knew better than to bring it up. "How's Damian doing?"

"He's doing well," Samael replied. "He misses you, you know. You really should come down to Wrath more often. He would love it if you visited more."

"Hmm, I should come visit sometime," Charlie admitted. "But you could also bring him up here, you know. I… barely see you in Pride anymore."

"…yes, I know," Samael admitted. "And I am sorry for that. I wish I could say that I was here to see you, but that wouldn't be true."

"I know, I saw the other Sins leaving the palace earlier," Charlie brought up. "And I did notice Auncle Leviathan's new look. Do you think they sorta resemble…"

"I do, my child," Samael said as he gave a nod in confirmation. "He's trying to be like your father."

"They almost made me mistake them for dad," Charlie admitted.

"Where is your father, by the way?" Samael asked. "According to your mother, he is out attending to other businesses."

Charlie just shrugged. "I don't know where he is or what he's doing," she admitted, looking down slightly. "I am rarely told anything." He looked up at her uncle. "So… what were you all doing here then?"

"Oh, you know, it was just a routine meeting of the Sins to discuss the Rings," Samael lied. He knew that he couldn't discuss the true subject of the meeting, not even with his beloved niece.

"Did you… talk about Gluttony at all?" Charlie asked.

"…we might have," Samael said after a brief pause. "Of course, you-know-who decided to skip out on the meeting… again. The only thing reliable about Beelzebub these days is how unreliable he is."

"Right," Charlie said while looking down. "By the way, Uncle Sam, I was wondering… do you know what's up with Beelzebub?" she asked in concern. "Because I know that he hasn't been showing up to the meetings and mom and dad have refused to talk to me about him, like they don't trust me or don't think I can handle it," she said as she looked up at Samael with a sad and concerned look. "I haven't seen or spoken to Bub in such a long time and I wish someone would just tell me what is going on, because I am worried about him, honestly…"

Sam looked over at Charlie and sighed. He loved his niece, but he did feel like she cared too much sometimes. He was grateful that she hadn't been worried during the more chaotic times of Lucifer's reign, when Lucifer and the Sins had been forced to make harder decisions, decisions that he didn't believe that Charlie would have accepted or been able to make herself. He also wished that Lucifer would be harder on her when it came to drilling some of these harder lessons into her, because she would have to learn at some point.

"Now, listen, Charlie," Samael said as he reached out and patted her shoulder. "This isn't something that you should get worked over."

"But-"

"Beelzebub is… a lost cause," he told her.

"I don't want to believe that," Charlie told him. "Nobody is a lost cause."

Samael shook his head. Her idealism was almost admirable, but ultimately misguided. "That's not how the real world works, Charlie. Sometimes it's just… too late for some people. That's why Hell exists."

Charlie looked down. She had heard this before, of course. That there were people who were beyond help. And yet, despite how many times she had heard it… she wasn't convinced.

Meanwhile, back in the Wrath Ring, Striker kept looking around while Douglas stood behind him. "Alright, the coast is clear," he said to his son as they stepped onto a train platform while making sure they weren't being followed.

Douglas looked around in confusion. "Why are we at a train station, dad?" he asked. "Are we going somewhere?"

Striker nodded. "We're meeting with someone I know and trust here. Someone who will help us, someone who… someone who owes me."

"Moxxie?" Douglas asked.

"Not exactly," Striker said. "I doubt that Moxxie would be able to help us and we would only be dragging him into this mess."

"Then who, dad?" Douglas asked him.

"Him," Striker said as he pointed to someone in front of them, standing by the train.

Douglas looked past his father and was surprised by who he saw. He looked vaguely familiar and Douglas thought that he might have seen his father talking to him a few times. He was an eagle demon. He was tall, slim, and had a golden beak and a flawless chocolate plumage. He was well-dressed, perhaps a bit too well-dressed for Wrath. Douglas found him… odd.

"You were running late, Mr. Striker," the eagle demon said with a refined British accent.

"Sorry, I had to make sure we weren't being followed," Striker replied. "Thank you for meeting with us. Have the arrangements been made?"

The eagle demon nodded. "Just as you requested," he confirmed.

"Dad, who is this?" Douglas asked while looking up at the eagle demon.

Striker looked down at his son before sighing. "Douglas, this is Reginald. He's from the Pride Ring. I've… known him for a long time." He then turned to Reginald. "And this is my son, Douglas. You know exactly who he is, which is why I need you to help keep him safe in Pride for a while."

Reginald nodded and looked down at Douglas. "Don't worry, Striker, I will keep him safe," Reginald said before properly greeting Douglas. "It is good to meet you, my boy."

"Um… nice to meet you too, sir," Douglas replied before looking up to his dad, still confused. "Wait, so you're leaving me with him? Why aren't you comin' with me?"

Striker let out another sigh. "I have to stay here in Wrath to take care of these demons who are coming after me," he said as he knelt down to place his hands on his son's shoulders, looking at him with an expression of reassurance. "But once I'm finished with that business, you can come back home."

"But… but I could help you, dad," Douglas suggested, looking reluctant to leave his father. "I know how to handle myself with a gun. You taught me yourself. I can help you deal with those demons comin' after you."

"No, I absolutely cannot allow you to come with me," Striker told him. "I don't want to risk your life because of something I did. If something happened to you… well, I don't know what would happen or what I would do. I think I would-" He stopped himself before he gave Douglas a hug. "Just… be good for me, okay? Listen to Reginald and do everything he tells you." His tone then became more serious. "And only trust Reginald and nobody else, do you understand?"

Douglas almost teared up, but managed to stop himself as he hugged his father back, nodding quickly. "I do, daddy. I'll listen to Reginald."

After the hug, Douglas walked with Reginald, the two of them boarding the train together. Douglas looked back at his father one more time before he went inside the train cart.

Soon, the train started to leave, Striker watching the departure from the train platform. He sadly watched the train as it faded into the distance, tilting his hat down… before he heard someone behind him…

BANG!

The demon behind Striker was shot through the head before he could draw a bead on Striker. He fell to the floor while Striker stood over his body, blowing away the smoke from the barrel of his gun as he glared down at the dead hitman.

"Only first of many," Striker grumbled, knowing that the gunman wouldn't be the only one to come after him, merely the first…

Meanwhile, back in Angerton, Cain was now outside of Mim and Maz's home… putting his things on his bike while the two imps watched.

"You're… leaving?" Mim asked, looking and sounding saddened.

"This is just… so sudden," Maz admitted while looking at Cain in concern, wondering what was the reason for Cain's departure. "We were really hoping that you'd be staying here…"

Cain stopped packing and let out a sigh before he turned to look at the two. "As much as I want to… I would only be shirking my duties here if I stayed," Cain told them. "After all, as a Knight of Hell, my duty isn't just to this one town, it's to all of Wrath."

"Is this about what happened yesterday with that Fury girl?" Maz asked him.

Cain let out another sigh. "What happened yesterday reminded me that the work of a Knight of Hell is never over. There are always other villains out there to fight, and other towns to save. If I want to keep Angerton safe from those villains, then I have to make sure there's no one like Murdock or Tilly who would even think about setting their foot here." He looked back at them as he finished. "I might come to visit, but it is my destiny as a Knight of Hell to always be on the move. I'm sorry."

Mim's eyes widened and shone as she listened to Cain, oblivious that it was all just a spiel to justify him leaving. Of course, a child her age would buy it. "Whoa…" she said in awe.

But her mother, Mazzie, could tell that it was all bullcrap. She didn't say anything, but she could tell that there was more to this, more than what Cain was willing to tell her and Mim… which made her worried.

"Give Holly, Gigi and the others my goodbyes," Cain said as he walked over to them, affectionately patting Mim's head before bending down to kiss Maz on the cheek. "I'll miss you guys, really."

"Alex, wait," Maz said as she stepped up to him. "Are you alright? You've… been distant all morning and… I'm worried about you. What is really going on here?"

Cain looked down at Maz, his expression conflicted. "I… shouldn't have told you my birth name. That was a mistake."

Maz stared up at him, looking surprised and a little hurt. "W-why?"

"Because it gave me hope," he answered as he walked back over to his bike and picked up his helmet, looking down at it. "And that's not my destiny," he said with a resigned tone as he looked back up at them, his expression softening. "I'm so sorry for leaving, you two."

And with that Cain put on his mask, got onto his bike, and began to drive off, leaving behind a speechless Maz and her distraught daughter as they watched Cain drive away from Angerton.

Meanwhile… in the Demon Realm.

On the Boiling Isles, at an orphanage called Scooter Crane's Home for Unwanted Witchlings and Demons, where Stolas and Blitz were meeting with an old friend…

"Well, I gotta admit, Eda, this is quite the upgrade for you," Blitz told his ex while he and Stolas were in her office. "Now you have over a dozen kids to watch after."

"Very funny, Blitz," the eyepatch-wearing Eda Clawthorne responded while giving Blitz a dry look before she got to the point. "But it is actually nice to see you all again. Just never thought you'd be dropping off a kid here."

"We hope it won't be much of trouble for you to keep Amaroq safe here, Ms. Owl Lady," Stolas said.

"Nonsense, I would be more than happy to take Amaroq in," Eda assured them. "She'll be safe here, especially now that Belos is out of everyone's hairs."

"Yeah… what exactly happened with that Emperor guy?" Blitz asked Eda, who sighed.

Meanwhile, outside of the office, Loona was tending to Amaroq. Quite frankly, the Hellpup looked… heartbroken even while Loona tried to give her some reassurance.

"I'm sure you're really going to enjoy yourself here, Amaroq," Loona said while looking around, spotting some kids running around and playing through the halls. "I mean, this place is much better than the orphanages in Hell. You're probably going to make so many friends and-"

"Did I do something wrong, Loona?"

Loona looked down at Amaroq, whose eyes were just as confused as they were heartbroken. "Did I do something that made you want to give me away?" she asked as she tugged on Loona's leg, hugging her. "If so, I'm sorry…"

"Oh… no, no Amaroq, you did nothing wrong," Loona said as she knelt down in front of her, gently lifting Amaroq's head up. "Look at me," she told her as she began to explain. "You're not being punished, Amaroq. We're just keeping you safe. If you're here, then you don't have to worry about Sonya or Cruella or anyone else that they will send. You'll be out of their reach."

Amaroq just sniffed. "But… but I want to stay with you."

"No, no you don't want that, Amaroq, believe me you don't," Loona told her. "You don't know what you're asking for…"

Amaroq teared up as she looked down before realizing something. "Does… does this have something to do with… your baby sister?" she whispered. "One that your brother said you killed?"

Loona tensed up at the reminder of her last meeting with her brother, Cyrus. She didn't say anything… but she didn't have to.

Amaroq nodded softly. "I understand," she said as she reached out and held Loona's hand. "Thank you for everything, Loona. Will you… at least visit me?"

Loona looked down at Amaroq. "Yeah, I will," she told her.

Soon, Blitz and Stolas came out of the office, Blitz walking over to the girls. "Hey, so Eda agreed to take Amaroq in and watch over her for us," Blitz said, though he looked saddened as he said it, as though the reality of what he was doing was truly sinking in. He looked down at Amaroq before kneeling in front of her. "Um, I guess this is it, kiddo."

"Yeah…" Amaroq replied before she went to hug Blitz. "Thank you for everything, Mr. Blitz."

Blitz gave a small smile as he hugged Amaroq back. "You too, Amaroq." He looked up at Loona. "Have you two already said your goodbyes?"

"Yeah," Loona admitted, her gaze averted.

"Hey, Amber!" Eda called out as she came out of her office. Moments later, Amber was rushing down the hallway.

"Hey, Mama Eda, anything you need?" Amber asked Eda as she slid to a stop.

"I need you to help show our new kid to her room," Eda said as she pointed to Amaroq. "This is Amaroq, she's the newest member of our nest. Amaroq, this is Amber, one of my helpers. She will help you to get set up here."

"Got it!" Amber saluted before happily turning to Amaroq. "Hi Amaroq, my name is Amber. I can show you around, help you get settled in. Believe me, you are going to love it here."

"That's… great," Amaroq replied, though she didn't exactly look or sound thrilled as she went with Amber.

Blitz watched Amaroq walk away before he turned to Loona. "Are you okay, Loony?" he asked in concern.

Loona didn't say anything. Instead, she just watched Amaroq being led away by Amber as they headed upstairs. Amaroq would look over her shoulder, looking at Loona one last time, before she was out of view, gone…

'This is for the best,' Loona kept telling herself. 'This is for the best…'

Back in the Wrath Ring, businesses were running like normal in Ragetown even while repairs were still being done. For some businesses, it was almost like the monster attack of the other day had never happened. Then again, this was the Wrath Ring. Any other day there was a monster attack or marauders or a sandstorm or Satan knows what else. Things were going to come to a halt just because a monster attacked the town. For many, business still went by as usual.

One of these places of business that was still open in spite of the attack was a fairly nice restaurant that had received minimal damage during the Harvest Moon Festival. It was here that Moxxie's family were going to be meeting with him to have brunch. And as they waited for him, they soon saw him show up… with a guest, since Moxxie had brought Momo to meet his family.

"Oh my, isn't she pretty, Moxxie," Margentina commented as she stood up and walked over to them. "Mind introducing us to her, Mox?"

"Oh, well I'd like for you all to meet my friend Momo, everyone," Moxxie replied while introducing Momo to his family. "Momo, meet my family."

"You must be his aunt, Margentina," Momo said while wearing a white blouse with purple pants and black heeled boots. She shook Margentina's hand. "It is nice to meet you and your family."

"So she's pretty and polite," Abuela noted as Moxxie and Momo went to sit with them. "Where did you find her, Moxxie?"

"A town called Angerton," Moxxie explained. "I spent some time there after I left your house. During my time there, I met Momo and we hit it off, quickly becoming good friends."

"Yes, and as a friend of Moxxie's, I wanted to make a good first impression with his family," Momo added, but Moxxie's family wasn't fooled at all.

"Sure, 'friend', as you say," Abuelito told Moxxie while nudging him. "As if you'd want to introduce your lovely 'friend' to us if that was all she was to you, hermano."

"Hehe, well…" Moxxie said while rubbing the back of his head.

"Come on, dude, we know that she's, like, your girlfriend," Rubella said with a teasing smile while eating chicken and waffles.

"Yeah! You can't fool us!" the triplets shouted.

"Come on, Mox, there's no fooling anyone here," Machete said while feeding Rosalina, who just giggled at Moxxie's expense.

"It sounds like your family are quite clever and have already figured us out, Moxxie," Momo said to him with a smile.

Moxxie chuckled. "Yeah, guess we couldn't hide it from them," he said, although the truth was… he still wasn't quite sure what he and Momo were. Especially if Moxxie left. They had only been on one real date, so Moxxie wasn't sure if he would use the phrase 'girlfriend', especially since they had been ready to go their separate ways the other day… but then Moxxie remembered the other night and he became even less sure about their relationship.

"Well, it is so nice that you could bring her over for lunch," Abuela said while reaching over to gently touch Momo's hand. "And we would love to hear more about you, Momo. About how you and Moxxie met?"

"And try some of the brunch here," Abuelito offered while gesturing to the food spread at their table. "Pick whatever you like."

"I think I'd like to have some omelettes and cinnamon toast," Momo said as she picked out some of the food for her plate.

"I think I'll have the chicken with salad," Moxxie picked out.

"So," Margentina said as they began eating. "First, tell us about yourself, Momo. Where are you from? What is that you do?"

"Well, I was born in Angerton," Momo explained while eating. "But like Moxxie, a lot of my childhood was spent in a different Ring. Lust, in my case. Eventually I returned to Angerton, wanting to reconnect with my roots. As for my occupation, I am the secretary of the mayor."

"I think you are a bit more than that," Moxxie pointed out. "Without you, Angerton would not have been able to get back on its feet as quickly as it did. You're a good leader, Momo. You should think about running for mayor yourself someday, since I think that would be something you would be really good at."

Momo actually blushed at this compliment, a smile gracing her lips. "I'll help my hometown in whatever capacity I can as long as I am in a position to help," she admitted. "Maybe then, I will be mayor someday, but for now I am content with helping Dirk, who is not a bad mayor at all."

"So, um, are you going to fill us all in on your history?" Rubella asked, reminding Moxxie and Momo that they were not the only ones at the table. "Because we are definitely missing out on some context."

Margentina nodded. "Yes, we'd all like to know your little love story…"

"Well… it's a bit of a funny story," Momo said as she turned to Moxxie. "Would you like to explain it to them?"

Moxxie nodded, eating a bit more of his food before continuing. "Well, it all started shortly after I left. I had stopped for gas when I came across this kid named Wesley who asked me to help his town, Angerton. I agreed to go with him to see how bad the situation was and that was when I met Momo."

"At the time, our town had gotten into… quite the predicament with a group of Demon Apes," Momo admitted, frowning slightly.

"Wait, Demon Apes?!" Margentina asked in shock while everyone else at the table was left speechless.

"Angerton," Machete repeated. "I knew that name sounded familiar. A few of the boys were talking about it a few days ago, about the incident at Angerton." He looked over at his nephew with an expression of worry. "What were you doing getting involved in that kind of thing, Moxxie?"

"Well… it was something that I had to do," Moxxie responded while looking down. "I just couldn't let those apes have their way with that town, with those people. It was wrong and… I guess I was at the right place at the right time."

"You were," Momo told him with a nod before turning to his family. "I was almost assaulted by one of the apes," she revealed, surprising the family. "But Moxxie saved me and another girl, Holly. And then he decided to stay to help us fight back against the apes and protect our town, even bringing in some more outside help."

"Oh Moxxie, we are so proud of you, nino," Margentina declared with a smile.

"Yeah! How brave of you for standing up to those apes!" Jive shouted.

"How'd you do it? Did you take out their leader?" Jam asked.

"Did that guy with the bike also help you out?" Jazz asked.

"Well, yes and it wasn't easy, and yes," Moxxie answered. "Um, I could tell you the full story if you want, cause there's a lot to go over…"

Sometime later, Moxxie finished recounting the story to his family, who all stared at him in surprise and awe, their jaws gaping. Even Rosalina seemed to be speechless.

"I, uh, told you that it was a lot," Moxxie said with an awkward chuckle.

"Well… you've certainly been keeping yourself busy here in Wrath at the very least," Abuelito noted, breaking the silence.

"Damn, cuz," Rubella spoke, still slack-jawed from astonishment. "You're kinda badass."

"Yes, your cousin is a hero to our town," Momo said while gently patting Moxxie's hand.

Seeing her smile made Moxxie smile back. "I mean, it wasn't just me. You and Wesley fought too. And we had a lot of help from Striker, Chase, and the Knights," he mentioned, all the while trying to hide his blush when Momo held his hand.

"Although this still doesn't explain why you were so beat up the other day," Machete pointed out. "Didn't this whole thing with the Demon Apes happen at least a few days ago?"

"I-it did," Moxxie admitted. "You see, what happened yesterday was-"

"Yo, Mox!"

The moment was interrupted and everyone turned to see Blitz in the restaurant and coming over to their table.

"Your boss has a real habit of interrupting moments at inconvenient times," Momo whispered to Moxxie, who just sighed. "Wait, how did he even know you were here?"

"I have no idea," Moxxie whispered back.

"Hey everyone," Blitz said as he walked over to their table, smiling at everyone. "I am just here to talk to Moxxie for a bit. Hope you don't mind if I borrow him for a minute?"

Outside of the restaurant, Loona and Stolas, the latter in disguise, were waiting for Blitz and Moxxie. Loona had been silent since getting back from the Demon Realm. She sat down, staring at the ground while Stolas looked concerned for her.

"Penny for your thoughts, Loona?" Stolas asked her.

"I'm fine," Loona grumbled.

"I didn't know Amaroq for very long, especially compared to you and Blitz, but she was an absolutely charming little Hellpup," Stolas told her. "I understand if you're already missing-"

"I don't want to talk about it," Loona growled. The less she talked about Amaroq, the less she thought about Amaroq, the easier it would be to accept her absence.

"Alright then," Stolas accepted. "Then… is there anything you want to talk about?"

"No," Loona initially said. But after a moment, she remembered something and she looked up at Stolas. "Wait… there is actually something I've been meaning to ask you, Stolas," she admitted as she began.

Stolas nodded. "Go ahead," he told her. "You can talk to me about anything."

"Well, when I was fighting that Menace ghost who was possessing a Hellhound teen named Pax, I ended up transforming into a… a quadrupedal version of myself," she admitted. "Like, a more bestial version of me that was on all fours."

"Really?" Stolas asked in surprise. "Fascinating…"

"It was something that I didn't know I was capable of," Loona admitted. "A-And Menace did the same in Pax's body before I transformed. Like… I knew I could give myself a human or a witch disguise, but I never did anything like that. It just… happened in the heat of the moment…"

"Hmm, I think I might have heard of something like this before," Stolas admitted.

"Really?" Loona asked.

Stolas nodded. "I think I have heard of Hellhounds being capable of what you did, but it's quite rare. Usually, it takes years of training, and you have barely had any training." Stolas' eyes widened in realization, "I believe that you have even more magical potential than I thought," he mused. "Perhaps… could you have maybe inherited this from your biological parents? Did they have any natural magical talent that you could now possess?"

Loona immediately shook her head. "No, no, nothing like that!" she shouted. "Neither of my parents were magic users. Not even close. Hell, my father was a tinkerer. He liked to take things apart and put them back together again. He dabbled with machines, not magic. I think he liked his machines more than he liked us…"

"Oh," Stolas said, realizing that the subject was perhaps a bit too sensitive for Loona. "Still, I do find it curious," he admitted while looking at Loona. "But I… I must apologize to you, Loona."

She looked up at him, confused. "Apologize? For what?"

"Well, we haven't been able to train like I suggested after Loo Loo Land," Stolas admitted with a sigh. "I have never gotten the chance to help you with your magic, help you reach your potential and learn what you're capable of…"

"Hey, it's alright, Stolas," Loona assured him with a shrug. "It's not your fault. Honestly, real life just got in the way, and I honestly forgot all about it."

"Still, I do want to promise that we will train together… eventually," Stolas declared. "When all of this is taken care of, perhaps you and Via could train together. She is about old enough to start learning anyway."

This idea made Loona smile. "Yeah, I'd like that," she admitted.

Stolas and Loona then heard footsteps and they turned to see Blitz and Moxxie coming over to join them.

"Alright… I think we're all ready," Blitz said.

Stolas and Loona both gave him nods. It was time for them to make their next move.

And so, a little bit later, our group had gathered with everyone else at the edge of town. Carrie, Kajedo, Verosika, Tex, Chase, Moxxie's family, and Momo were all there with Blitz, Loona, Moxxie and Stolas. All of them were standing nearby Verosika's bus and Blitz's van.

"Alright Loony, you got everything ready?" Blitz asked while Loona had her bags prepared.

"Yeah, I'm ready," Loona replied as she turned to Carrie. "Thanks for helping us and letting us stay at your home, Carrie. You were great."

"Well, it ain't no shucks on my part, Loona," Carrie assured her. "But if ya ever think of comin' back, I'm more than happy to let y'all stay here."

Loona managed to smile. "That'd be great."

Blitz, meanwhile, walked up to Verosika, swallowing his pride. "Sika, I… I can't thank you enough for letting Loona join you on your tour," he told her.

"What was that?" Verosika asked, wanting to hear him say it again.

"You know what I said," Blitz grumbled. "Just… promise to keep her safe for me. Make sure nothing bad happens to her, alright?"

Verosika dropped any animosity she might have had for him in that moment, instead giving him a serious nod of reassurance. "Don't worry, Blitz," she told him. "I won't let anything happen to Loona under my watch."

"I'll hold you to that," Blitz told her, his tone also dead serious.

"Yeah! And I second that!" Kajedo shouted as she popped up from behind him while carrying bags of her own. "Don't worry, Mr. Blitz, me and Verosika will be making sure that she's a-okay!"

"Wait… you're coming along?" Loona asked in surprise.

"Yeah, I asked Verosika and she said that Kajey could tag along with us for the tour of Hell," Tex explained after he finished putting some stuff on the bus.

"Really?" Loona asked, her tone hopeful as Kajedo wrapped her arms around her and Tex, pulling them both close to her, causing Loona to blush.

"Yep! I'm so excited that I get to travel with my two favorite hounds! And my favorite celebrity!" Kajedo cheered loudly while jumping up for joy. "Yahoo!"

Carrie smiled, happy to hear that Kajedo would be spending time with Loona and Tex… especially since she could tell that Loona was totally crushing on them both… and that Kajedo was crushing on her. But she said nothing on this and instead she walked over to Blitz and Stolas, clearing her throat.

"Well, I'll be missin' having y'all around," Carrie told them. "I do wish you all good luck back up in Pride. It was nice having you and your family around, Blitz, and it was good of you to help them out, Prince Stolas."

Blitz smiled and shook Carrie's hand. "Yeah, we wish you luck as well, and thank you for everything, Carrie."

"Indeed, I do thank you for everything you did for Blitzy and Loona," Stolas declared. "I am grateful for your generosity and kindness."

Carrie felt… weird while getting thanked by a Goetia, but at the same time it did make her feel good. "It's no problem," she replied with a nod and smile.

Meanwhile, Moxxie was saying his goodbyes to his family. They all gave him hugs while he hugged them back.

"Do you really have to go, Mox?" Margentina asked him, sadness in her tone.

"I wish I could stay longer," Moxxie admitted while hugging his aunt. "But I got to go with Blitz to help him deal with some important matters back up in Pride." He sighed. "I wish we could have had more time, but I did love seeing you all again."

"Me too," Margentina said with a sad smile.

"Take care of yourself, son," Machete said.

Moxxie nodded at his uncle. "I will," he promised as Machete offered to let him hold baby Rosalina, which Moxxie accepted. "Goodbye, Rosalina," he said softly while the baby in his arms giggled gently.

After he handed Rosalina back to her parents, he finished saying goodbye to his cousins and then his grandparents, exchanging affirmations of love with them. Only when he was done did he turn to Momo… and he paused.

"I guess… I guess this is goodbye," he told Momo. "Again, I mean."

They had already said goodbye to each other just the other day. But that was before Moxxie had been captured and tortured. Before Momo left Angerton and came here just to check up on him. Saying goodbye this time wasn't any easier… instead it was harder. For both of them.

"Yes," Momo said as she struggled to maintain her professionalism. The fact that she was here with him instead of Angerton revealed just how much she had actually grown to care for him… something that she had not realized until she had heard he was captured.

Neither of them had known how to define their relationship and this was the reason. They knew that they both had to go their own paths eventually, so it was easier to not put any labels like 'boyfriend' or 'girlfriend' on what they had. But now both of them were having doubts.

Moxxie hugged Momo. "I'm sorry that I have to go," he told her. "Thank you for being here."

Momo looked down at him with a sad smile. "You're welcome, Moxxie," she told him. "And thank you for introducing me to your family. As sad as I am to see you leave… I still understand your reasons. You have your obligations… and I have mine."

"Right," Moxxie said, looking down. He thought about the nights they had shared together, the date they had gone on, and even just the moments they had shared that day with him playing music for her and introducing her to his family. They had their loyalties, yes. They had their responsibilities. But did that mean that was all they could have?

"Wait," he said as he reached out and took her hand. "Momo, I… maybe we could make this work. Or we could at least try."

Momo looked down at him, surprised. "What do you mean?" she asked him.

"I mean… I do want you to be my girlfriend," he admitted. "We still might have to go our separate ways, but maybe… maybe we can make this relationship work as a long-distance one. We can stay in touch and find time to see each other. That might not be ideal, but… I want to find a way to have a relationship with you. If you don't mind, that is."

At this, Momo's face lit up. "Oh, I don't mind that at all, Moxxie," she admitted with a smile. She took his other hand and for a moment the two just held hands while looking at each other. Now that their relationship was official, they were both excited and nervous. It would be challenging, maintaining a relationship while both of them were in different Rings. But they were both willing to try.

Blitz was watching Moxxie, seeing him saying his goodbyes to his family and girlfriend. He did feel a small bit of envy for Moxxie, who certainly had better luck with relationships and family than he ever had, but he also felt… guilty. He knew what was waiting for them in Pride. He would have to deal with Shere Khan, the Vees… and Cruella. Was he really going to drag Moxxie with him into this? After thinking about it for a moment, he walked over to Moxxie.

"Hey Mox," Blitz said, getting Mox's attention. "Hey um… you know, you could stay here in Wrath if you want."

This surprised Moxxie. "R-Really, sir?" he asked his boss. "But, I owe you so-"

"No, Mox. You don't owe me, not anymore," Blitz explained to him. "The Vees are apparently after me, not you. There is a good chance that they don't even know who you are. Which means that if you want to stay here, be with your family and your foxy girlfriend, that's your choice, and I'll be fine with it. You don't have to follow me, not where I'm going."

Blitz knew that Moxxie could have a life here, that he would be happy here… and it would be unfair for him to try to deny Moxxie that.

Similarly, a surprised Moxxie considered the offer, thinking about it. He looked over at his family and Momo. Could he really stay? With his family? With Momo? It was very tempting… but then he remembered his deal with Stu. He needed to pay Stu back and he certainly couldn't do that if he was living in Angerton or living with his family. As much as part of him wanted to stay in Wrath… he knew that he couldn't. Not while he was Crimson's son. His past, his relationship with his father… it would always come back to haunt him, no matter where he went.

"Thank you for the offer, sir, but… I should go with you," Moxxie told him.

"What? But Mox…" Blitz tried to reason with him, but Moxxie interjected.

"Look, I should go with you, but not just out of loyalty, but because… there's too many other debts I have to settle," Moxxie explained while looking down. "And if I stay here in Wrath, I won't be able to settle those debts."

Blitz was surprised by this, but he understood Moxxie's decision, having had his own bad experiences with debts. He nodded. "Very well, Mox. I'll accept that," he said while stretching out his hand. "Welcome back, by the way."

Moxxie smiled and shook his hand. "Thank you, sir."

And so, Loona walked over to Blitz and Moxxie, bending down to give each of them a hug.

"I'll be missing you guys while I'm gone," Loona told them. "Mox, be sure to watch out for dad for me. Make sure he doesn't hurt himself too much, okay?."

"Don't worry, Loona, me and Stolas will keep my eye on him," Moxxie replied. "Like always."

"Oh come on, I don't always get into that much trouble," Blitz told them.

"You do," they both told him.

Blitz just sighed, then looked up at his daughter. Loona looked down at him and for a moment neither of them said anything. They knew they had to split ways for a while and that it was for Loona's safety… but it was still hard. They had no idea when they would be able to see each other again and this would possibly be the longest that the two had been apart since they had first met. And there was a chance… that they might never see each other again if something was to happen to Blitz. The two eventually went in to hug each other one last time, Loona sniffing.

"I promise to keep you updated and message you while I'm gone, dad," Loona assured him.

Blitz sniffed, fighting back tears. "I will respond to every message you send me," he promised. "Just… be good while you're gone and keep yourself safe while you're with Verosika."

"I will, dad," Loona replied as they let go of their hug. "Good luck in Pride."

"And you too during the tour," Blitz told her. He then paused. "And Loona… no matter what, I want you to stay away from Pride. I know what Cruella means to you, but… I don't want you to get hurt going after her, okay?"

Loona was about to object, but then she closed her mouth and nodded. "Okay," she said.

And with the last goodbyes said, Blitz turned to Chase, who had been standing nearby with his arms crossed. "So Chase… ready to meet Shere Khan?"

"Sure thing," Chase replied before giving Verosika a wink, which made her stiffen a laugh before she waved at him. "Had a lot of fun here in Wrath, but being back up in Pride will be nice."

Blitz saw Chase wink at Verosika and he quickly looked between them. "Wait, did you-"

"Yep," Chase said with a grin. "I can't believe you used to date Verosika Mayday."

Blitz groaned. "Of course she told you," he said before shaking his head. "Let's just get into the van and get a move on before anything else happens, since I'm ready to get the fuck out of Wrath," Blitz said as he, Chase, and Moxxie started to walk over to the van.

"Oh, Chase, a pleasure to see you again," Abuela called out to Chase.

"You too, Tempa," Chase replied as he turned to also acknowledge Abuelito. "And you as well, Bruiser."

"Nice seeing you again too," Abuelito called back.

"Wait, you know my grandparents?" Moxxie asked Chase while looking up at him in surprise.

"Yeah, I met them at a club here a few years ago. Well, there used to be a club," Chase replied as they got into the van. "I didn't know you were related to them, honestly. But now I can see the resemblance. You have a bit of your grandfather's looks, and your grandmother's ass…"

Moxxie grimaced in disguise as he got into the van. "I wish I didn't know that…"

The three got into the van with Moxxie and Blitz up front and Chase in the back. Stolas stood next to the van as he performed his spell.

"Alright, time to hit the road," Stolas said before he opened a portal. On the other side of the portal was the Pride Ring. Blitz drove the van through the portal, then Stolas walked through the portal himself before it closed behind them.

And just like that, they were gone.

After the men had left, Moxxie's family and Momo departed. Carrie was about to leave as well as Loona and Kajedo looked over at her.

"You know, you could come with us, Carrie," Loona suggested.

"Yeah!" Kajedo shouted, nodding in agreement. "I'm sure that you'll love coming with us to see all of the Rings of Hell, minus Gluttony. You could see Max and our other friends!"

"Well, I would like to see the others again, but pop isn't really my thing," Carrie admitted with a shrug. "I don't think I'll come with you, especially since there is a lot in Wrath that needs to be done, but maybe we'll meet up sometime."

"Oh…" Kajedo sighed, looking disappointed that Carrie couldn't come along, but she understood. "Well, when we see each other again, maybe I could bring Max and the others for Loona to meet!"

Carrie chuckled. "Yeah, I'd like that," she said.

"Wait, others?" Loona asked.

"Oh believe me, you'll love them," Kajedo insisted.

Loona looked at Kajedo for a moment, then shrugged and turned back to Carrie. "Think you can tell Ember and the other teens we said goodbye?" she asked her.

"I'll pass on the message," Carrie promised. "But ev'ryone's gonna miss ya, Loona. You too, Kaje. Hope to see y'all soon."

"Yeah, same," Loona replied with a smile before going up to hug Carrie. "Thanks again for everything, Carrie."

Carrie hugged Loona back. "It's no problem, Loona. Take care of yourself and Kaje, okay?"

"I'll try," Loona said as Kajedo ran up to hug Carrie as well.

"We're gonna miss you so much, Care..." she said as she tightly hugged Carrie.

"Me too," Carrie admitted.

After Kajedo let go of Carrie, she then had a thought. "Oh, before we leave, you think Verosika can make one stop?"

"A stop to where, Kaje?" Loona asked her.

"I want to make a stop at my family's house before we leave," Kajedo explained. "I at least should get to say goodbye to them before I go…"

Later, up in Pride, Chase was entering a bar. He knew that before he could meet up with Shere Khan and discuss whatever business proposal Shere Khan had for him, he had to see someone first. As he entered the bar, many of the demons and Sinners all looked up at him, though none of them looked too surprised to see him.

"Well, long time, no see, Chase," spoke the doorman, a chinchilla Sinner in a suit. "Where have you been?"

"Hey, Chuck," Chase greeted the doorman, familiar with him. "I just got back from the Wrath Ring." He looked around. "Is she here?"

Chuck just shrugged. "Where else would she be?" he asked as he pointed to the counter.

Chase walked over to the counter, where he saw a woman sitting there with her face planted down on the counter, seemingly passed out. He gave a sigh, used to the sight of the woman being passed out drunk. He started to shake her. "Hey, wake up-"

The woman snapped awake and reacted instinctively, a knife appearing in her hand. She swung it at him, but Chase managed to catch her arm before she could stab him. She turned around to look at her opponent… and then realized who it was.

"Chase?!" she asked. This woman was a Sinner, her appearance resembling a mahogany-colored furred beast. Her ears were pointed, her eyes a vibrant turquoise. Her furry top had a crimson, braided mohawk. She wore armor that made her resemble a Valkyrie. She wore a gray and white armored heart-shaped breastplate that had multiple red cords. Of course, it looked more rusted with some cracks that made it look like a broken heart. She also wore a gray armband that was decorated with red hearts, black wristbands, black tights, a long split pale-red dress, and iron grieves around her calves. The armor fit her more muscular physique and her fur was covered in grayish brown stripes that were prominent around her muscular arms and her muscular legs. She had black clawed hands and feet along with a tail that had a truffle of red fur at the end. What was also noticeable was the large, red scar running from her neck across her stomach. She lowered her knife, setting it on the counter. "Sorry for almost getting you shanked, Chase."

"Eh, it's fine. Wouldn't be the first time," Chase said with a gentle smile.

The woman broke into a smile. "I am definitely surprised to see you. Why don't you sit down and have a drink with me?" she asked, patting the empty seat for him.

Chase smiled as he sat next to the monster Sinner, who motioned for two drinks. "It's on me," she told him as the bartender brought them two drinks.

"How much have you already drank today though?" he asked her in concern.

"Eh, I can have one more drink," she assured him. "Especially with my favorite student."

Chase picked up his drink and gulped it down. She drank down her shot as well before they both put their glasses down. "Ahh, strong stuff," he commented.

"You know that I don't even touch the weaker stuff," the Sinner woman told him. "So how have you been, big guy? Where have you been?"

"Well, I was in Wrath, doing some jobs down there," he explained. "A monster here, a brothel there, the usual bandits trying to rob me and paying the price for it. I got some really good fucks. And I did end up saving two towns on separate occasions, but with the same monster."

"Saved two towns from the same monster?" she asked. "You mean it got away from you the first time? That sounds sloppy…"

"I could have gone after it the first time," Chase explained. "But the town was still under assault by a small army of Demon Apes. They had been extorting the town and I had been recruited to help protect it. The battle was honestly great, although the Demon Apes were better equipped than I was expecting. They had that monster, a Terafrost, which was supposed to be extinct."

"An extinct monster?" she asked in surprise. "How did those Apes acquire that?"

"I don't know," Chase admitted. "The Terafrost was an original native to the Wrath Ring, back when it was still Treachery. After we finished dealing with those apes, I decided to track down the Terafost, following it to another town." Chase paused, briefly wondering to himself how that Terafrost was able to survive in the Wrath Ring's harsh conditions, especially considering how long ago it had supposedly died out. It still felt off to him. "I eventually took the Terafrost down, although with some help from a demon prince."

"A prince? Now you're pulling my tail," she told him.

"I'm serious. And after we defeated the Terafrost, he told me that he would take care of it," Chase mentioned, which surprised the woman.

"You mean you didn't kill it?" she asked him.

Chase shook his head. "I didn't slay it, since I wasn't hired to do so, and well, it just wouldn't feel right to wipe out the last member of a nearly extinct species, you know?" Chase asked while the woman just scoffed.

"You're asking the wrong gal," she said while looking down at her empty glass. "So what brings you here back up to Pride?"

"I was brought here for a job for that tiger Overlord, Shere Khan," Chase explained. "Have you heard of him?"

The woman shrugged. "I can't keep track of all those different Overlords," she said. "What does this Shere Khan want you for?"

"I'll find out," Chase said. "But I did want to come check up on you before I met him, and maybe I will also visit my sister and my niece while I'm here," he mentioned, a hint of fondness for his family in his voice. "You know, you really should meet them sometime…"

The woman looked up at Chase, hesitating. She then shook her head. "I do appreciate that, Chase. I really do. But I don't think that's a good idea. I'm no good to anyone…"

Chase frowned. "Now that's not true," he said while patting her shoulder in assurance.

"If it wasn't a waste, then I wouldn't be here," she argued while looking down at the counter in guilt. "I did this to myself…"

Chase looked at her with a sad expression, knowing just how much his teacher had been through. He knew that she had many demons from her previous life, demons that she was ashamed of. He looked down for a moment, but then an idea came to his mind.

"Hey, maybe a little arm-wrestling could cheer you up," Chase offered before placing his arm up on the counter.

The woman looked at Chase, then at his arm ready to wrestle. After a brief second, she gave him a smile before grabbing his hand. "Bring it on," she happily accepted.

Chase smiled and the two began, both of them grunting as they strained the muscles in their arms, trying to slam the other's hand on the counter. The bartender just watched in silence as he quietly wiped some glasses while a few patrons looked over at the two, watching to see who would win…

Eventually, the Sinner woman managed to overpower Chase, slamming his hand against the table. Chase rubbed his hand and looked up to her, the woman smiling at her victory.

"I win again," she declared.

After a moment, Chase grinned and broke into a laugh. "You still got it!" he cheered.

"Please, you were going easy on me," she jokingly accused. "I bet you just let me win because I'm an old woman, a sad waste of a former queen."

"Please, you may be an old woman, but you're still a fierce warrior," he pointed out. "Besides, if you were still who you were in life, you would have never mentored me, never taught me."

The woman gave a small smile. "That is true," she softly admitted, knowing that in life she would have never dreamed of mentoring someone like Chase. Instead, she would have probably just killed him.

Chase looked up at the clock on the wall, checking the time. "Welp, I better get going," he said as he stood up and began to head for the door.

"So soon?" the woman asked.

"I'm afraid I can't stay too long this time," Chase told her. "But I promise to come see you again as soon as I can. We'll have more time."

She watched Chase go with a smile. "Now don't go soft on me now, Chase," she teased him.

Near the door, Chase turned to look back at his mentor while smiling at her. "I wouldn't dream of it, Solaria."

Meanwhile, in Barkersfield, Kajedo was saying goodbye to her family and Bob, who were all outside of their house to see her off.

"So you're finally heading out, eh, sis?" Rocksie asked.

"Yup!" Kajedo declared as she looked at her sisters and parents. "And I know that you guys wouldn't be interested in traveling with a pop star, but I still want to ask… would you all like to come with me to see all of the other Rings? Except for Gluttony, of course. You've all spent your entire lives in Wrath and I just thought it would be… nice if you could see the rest of Hell and what it has to offer for once." She turned to Bob. "Even you, Bob! You're also welcome to come!" She turned to address her whole family. "So… what do you think?" she asked, her tone hopeful as she looked at them.

Her family turned to look at each other, none of them saying anything before Elmo cleared his throat. "As generous as your offer is, Kajedo," he said. "I believe that there is still some work to be done at the quarry."

"Yeah, it might sound nice… but I'm not sure we'd like being cooped up on the bus," Rocksie admitted. "Besides, we can't just drop work."

"Oh…" Kajedo said, looking down with a sad expression. But she wasn't that surprised, unfortunately. She knew that her family weren't the vacation type. That the rest of Hell offered little appeal to them. They were content to stay in Wrath and live the rest of their lives here… even if Kajedo wasn't. This was part of their lifestyle, after all. A lifestyle that Kajedo… knew that she didn't fit.

"But we do wish you luck on your travels, Kajedo," Marilyn said before she went to hug her daughter. "Please take care of yourself."

"Yeah, sis," Opal said as she hugged her big sister. "We're gonna miss you having around."

Petra went to hug Kajedo as well, Kajedo being surprised by this farewell. She then saw her father walking up to her. "I… didn't expect this," she admitted, looking down. "I am sorry that I have to leave, since I know I won't be able to chip around at the quarry anymore…"

"That's not important," Elmo interrupted, causing Kajedo to look up at him. "Kajedo, we… we know how unhappy you were here," he said, looking down while trying to find the right words. "And I know that has nothing to do with us. We want you to be happy and we know that this… is not where you are meant to be. While we may not all understand what's so great about the other Rings, if being in those other Rings makes you happy, well… we won't stop you."

Kajedo smiled and went to hug her father. "I love you, pops," she told him before she turned to the rest of her family. "I love all of you guys so much!" she shouted as she wrapped them all up in an impressively huge hug. "Oh, I can't wait to send you guys some souvenirs from the tour!"

"We'll be expecting them," Rocksie replied with a smile while Petra also smiled in silence.

After Kajedo let them go, she turned to Bob. "You've been silent for a while, Bob. I guess you won't be coming along."

"I didn't want to interrupt your moment," Bob told her. "But… yeah, well, I do like staying here with your family," he admitted. "I appreciate them taking care of me. And Kajedo… I promise that I will watch over them for you while you're gone."

"You will?" Kajedo asked in surprise.

"I will, Kajedo," Bob promised with a nod. "I promise to keep them safe in your absence. It's the least I can do in return for them helping me out. Your folks… well, they're good folks," he said while looking at her. "And… I want to thank you again for what you've done for me. You've done more for me than you've realized, Kajedo."

Kajedo just shrugged. "Well, I had to help a fellow Hellhound out. We all live in the same Hell, after all," she said.

"Yeah," Bob replied with a nod. "I am going to stay here in Wrath for the moment, but I know that you and I will meet again."

Kajedo gave a nod. "Yeah, I'm sure we'll meet again," she said, thinking nothing else of it as she turned to give her family one last wave goodbye before she headed back towards the bus, where Loona and Tex were both patiently waiting for her. "Goodbye, everybody!" she shouted as the door closed her.

"Goodbye, Kajedo!" they all waved goodbye as they saw the bus leave. After Kajedo and the bus were both gone, the family began to head back inside, although Petra noticed that Bob was hanging back.

"Are you coming inside, Bob?" Petra asked softly.

"I will, after… just a moment," Bob said as he stared at the bus driving away.

Petra nodded and walked back inside, leaving Bob alone. Bob looked around at the neighborhood, seeing that no one was outside. He looked behind him to see Petra was already inside, meaning that the coast was clear. So Bob… summoned something out of thin air into his hand. It was a small, pink and red flask with a yellow liquid inside. It was… Beelzejuice.

As he drank from the flask, Kajedo stuck her head out of the bus window and shouted, her voice echoing across Barkersfield. "Greed Ring! Here I come!"

Down in the Greed Ring, an imp pulled up on her bike to the entrance of a mechanic's garage. She took her helmet off, revealing herself to be… Millie. She looked at the green garage before her, making sure that she was in the right place before she parked her bike and went inside.

Inside the garage, she looked around and saw some cars either being fixed or tricked out. Millie noticed one car in particular that she actually recognized. It was the familiar horse-themed race car known as the Power-up Ponyride, which belonged to Carla Camaro. Millie and the other Knights had trashed the car during the Death Race and now it was being fixed up by a team of mechanics.

"Hey!" Millie shouted, grabbing the attention of the mechanics, who all looked at her. "I'm here to look for Stu. I wish to have a word with him."

None of the mechanics said anything and Millie was about to ask again when a hook struck the floor in front of her, causing her to shout and jump back. As the hook was dragged across the ground, Millie saw that it was connected to a chain being held by one of the mechanics, a snake demon. Millie sighed, realizing that getting a meeting with Stu wasn't going to be as easy as she had hoped.

"Alright, yer asked for it," she said before one mechanic tried to slam her with a wrench, but Millie just rolled out of the way and jumped up to kick the shark mechanic in the side. While the mechanic was winded, she grabbed him by his work suit, and threw him against a car.

Millie snarled as she saw more of the mechanics running up to her with their wrenches and chains. One threw a tire at her, but she jumped up and landed on the tire, using it to roll between the other mechanics before she jumped off and kicked an imp, knocking the imp down. A hammerhead shark demon tried to come from behind to choke her with his chains, but she threw her fist back, hitting the demon and causing some of his teeth to fly out. She then saw a triceratops demon mechanic trying to charge at her, but Millie jumped away, causing both the imp and the hammerhead shark demon to be trampled as she grabbed a tool box…

She held up the toolbox, throwing out random tools towards the attacking triceratops demon, who screamed while being pelted by the tools, some of them sticking out of his flesh. But this only angered the other mechanics, who attempted to gang up on her. This… did not go well for them, since Millie proved to be tougher than them, kicking and biting them left and right. Despite being outnumbered by guys much bigger than her, she was not going down…

"Enough!"

Everyone stopped while Millie was biting on the tail of an imp mechanic. Everyone looked up and saw Stu in the garage, walking over to them.

"Now take it easy, you guys, really," he told them all while he smoked a cigarette. As the mechanics dragged their wounded away, Stu looked down at Millie. "I recognize you. Yes, you're one of the Knights of Hell."

"And you're one of those mobsters who was in Angerton," Millie realled. "I've been looking for you."

"I know," Stu said while glancing around at all of the wounded mechanics. "Forgive them. They didn't know why you were asking for me and sometimes you can never be too safe, especially when you are in my profession. A lot of demons who ask for me usually have it out for me… but something tells me you don't have that. So what brings you here anyhow?"

Millie sighed. "I knew that Jawline was going to meet you here. He told me about it, right after you gave him your offer. I didn't know if he was going to take it or not, but I thought that you'd like to know… that Jawline's dead," she said while Stu frowned. "Meaning, he won't be able to make your rendezvous."

Stu sighs while grabbing his cigarette, blowing the smoke up in the air. "I am… disappointed by this," he admitted before he looked down at Millie. "But since you're here and Jawline isn't… perhaps you would like this job instead."

Millie blinked in surprise. "Me? But… why?"

"Well, when me and Jawline talked, he spoke highly of you and your skills," Stu explained. "Told me that you're a one woman army, which you just proved, since if I hadn't stopped my mechanics, well… I would probably need to get my walls cleaned." He put his cigarette out. "He actually wanted you to come with him, you know."

"Wait, he did?" Millie asked. "He… never mentioned that."

"Probably because he died before he could tell you," Stu guessed. "His death is a shame, but we could still use an enforcer with your talents and your experience. If you're interested, we can promise you solid pay and plenty of excitement that would rival what you're used to in Wrath. What do you think?"

Millie looked down, contemplating this offer. Normally, she wouldn't consider joining the mob. But… the Knights of Hell were no more. Cain had let her go and she was at a loss of what to do. How could she go back to her life before the Knights of Hell, when she was just the daughter of two ranchers? How could she go back to just being a farmgirl again after everything she had seen and accomplished with the other Knights?

No, she couldn't go back. But was joining the mob the answer she was looking for? As she considered her options, Stu patiently waited for her to make her choice…

Back in Wrath, the other last remaining Knight of Hell, Cain, was drinking alone at a bar. He stared at the glass of alcohol before him, thinking about the path he was currently on, and all of the risk that came with it.

'I'm stuck…. with Marcus,' he thought to himself before he drank from his glass. He looked down, thinking about how he had no choice but to work under Marcus, at least until he found a way out of it, all just for Angerton, which Marcus could easily use as leverage against him if he so chose. The position Marcus was in was hardly ideal… and he wondered if it was even the right decision…

"I warned you about anchors, kid…"

Cain's eyes widened when he heard that familiar voice. Looking around, he turned to see someone sitting several seats away from him. Someone that he knew was dead… and yet he was sitting there, smiling at Cain.

"Really, you should have listened to me," said the glowing, ghostly figure of David, the previous Cain. "I told you that as long as you had your anchors, you would never be truly free, never be able to live the life that you wanted. And I was right. They're the reason that you're Cain now, and it's the reason that you're stuck with Marcus now. Your attachments get you into deeper shit every time, Al…"

Elsewhere, Jill had managed to travel across the Ring of Wrath. Her foot still felt a bit weird after it thawed, but still managed to reach the entrance to a familiar cave. She stopped at the imposing entrance of the cave, letting out a sigh before she went inside. As she ventured into the cavern, she soon came across the welcoming committee. However, she did notice that they all looked bruised and banged up.

"Aw, fuck!" the Demon Ape cursed while nursing his injuries. "Thanks to that Cain, I won't be able to sit for a week!" he complained while the hyena demon laughed. "It's not that funny, Ted!" he snapped at the hyena, who kept bursting with laughter. "I said stop laughing!"

Ted the hyena tried to stop laughing… but he still found it hilarious. "BAHAHAHAHA!"

"Why you little-!" the Demon Ape shouted as he went to choke the hyena demon, shaking him in the process.

"Come on, guys, cut it out…" the injured imp told them, none of them noticing Jill as she came up to them.

"Ahem," Jill said, clearing her throat and causing the welcoming committee to turn to see her.

They stared at her for only a moment before they quickly moved aside, allowing her to pass. Jill walked past them without problem, none of them daring to bother her out of fear of inviting the anger of their boss…

In another room in the cavern, a map of the Wrath Ring was laid out on a huge table, Marcus standing over the table to look over his map. On top of the map were also smaller models that represented different locations and individuals, with a model of Satan's palace being placed on a volcanic area of Wrath. Standing next to Marcus was Tilly, who was bandaged up.

"If we could pinpoint our targets here in Cutthroat Town… no, that won't do," Marcus whispered to himself as he moved one model across the map. "Although, if we were to cut off their supplies from Heatville…"

"Hey, boss."

Marcus heard someone calling out to him and he looked up from the map. When he saw who had entered the room, he smiled. "Well hello to you too, my favorite little spy…"

Jill walked across the room, glancing at Tilly. "You look like crap, baskethead."

Tilly just huffed at Jill before giving a silent shrug.

"So what's the word you can give me, Jillian?" Marcus asked as he crossed his arms.

"Well, for one thing that Terafrost you gave Murdock ended up in Ragetown," Jill told him. "I almost lost my foot to it."

"Oh yes, I already know about the Terafrost," Marcus admitted. "In hindsight, perhaps I shouldn't have given that beast to Murdock."

"I heard that Murdock is dead," Jill mentioned. "Is that… true?"

"Yes," Marcus confirmed with a nod. He sighed. "Murdock wasn't powerful enough to have been a rival, so I had hoped that Murdock would have been a useful tool, an element that I could control," he said, raising his hand up to make a fiery model of Murdock. "So I gave him a few resources, to see what he would do with them. Using Murdock, I would have brought necessary chaos to parts of the Wrath Ring, creating tension and instability that would put more pressure on my father, but it would be a purposeful chaos. Like a controlled burn meant to reduce the likelihood of a more dangerous fire. After all, to create a better Wrath, you have to be willing to sacrifice parts of it."

He looked at the flame model of Murdock, then crushed it with his hand, extinguishing it.

"But it's obvious now that Murdock was… too much, which ended up getting him killed," he said. "But his death wasn't a waste, since now I have a new asset: Cain, aka Alexander, the son of Duke Alloces. A Goetia…" While Jill reacted in surprise, Marcus smiled, forming a fiery model of Cain from his other hand. "But more importantly, someone with a bit of a hero complex. Now that's something that I could use to help me get through my father's doors…"

Tilly looked confused by this. "What do you mean, Marcus?"

He didn't answer her, instead looked over to Jill. "Tell me, Jill, what was my favorite spy doing in Ragetown?"

Jill sighed, but gave her answer. "I was with your brother's cousin again."

"Ah yes, that unlucky jackal mortal who was cursed by my father," Marcus realized. "I did hear that Narissa's family had come to visit."

Jill nodded in confirmation. "This time, I did manage to get to meet your brother, Damian. Jack introduced me to him when I met him back at Ragetown."

"Ah yes, that's good," Marcus said with a smile. "That could help me." He stroked his chin while pondering his plans, forming another smile. All of his pieces were in his possession, including his lesser Hellborns. He looked up at Tilly and Jill. "Walk with me."

Marcus marched out of his war room, Tilly and Jill following closely behind him. As he made his way through his lair, steam blasting out of vents as he walked past them, he contemplated his plans, including how he could use Cain…

"I never thought the Goetia essential," Marcus admitted. "They're pompous and unspeakably vain… but maybe one's a glimmer of potential, if allied to my vision and brain…"

He entered a room where many of his troops, consisting of Hellborn demons of many species, had gathered. They all straightened up, giving him a salute as steam came out from the vents between him and his chair. Marcus loved the display of his troops and he started to sing

"I know that your powers of retention are as wet as Leviathan's backside," he sang as he walked through his troops. "But thick as you are, pay attention! My words are a matter of pride…"

"It's clear from your vacant expressions," he said as he looked down at one imp demon saluting him, seeing him just standing still, blankly staring ahead. "The lights are not all on upstairs…"

"But we are talking kings and successions, even you can't be caught unaware!" Marcus declared as he stood by where his throne was, not even bothering to sit down. "So prepare for the chance of a lifetime, be prepared for sensational news…" He grinned and continued to sing. "A shining new era is tiptoeing nearer…"

"And where do we feature?" one female drake demon asked while flying near him.

"Just listen to teacher!" Marcus told her, patting her on the head before he continued. "I know it sounds sordid, but you'll be rewarded, when at last I am given my dues…" He raised his arms up. "And injustice deliciously squared, be prepared~!"

Flames burst from the nearby vents, making the gathered demons holler and cheer.

"Woo-hoo! Be prepared!" declared a hyena Hellhound.

"Yeah! We'll be prepared!" an imp demon declared.

"But be prepared for what?" asked a shark demon.

"For the Death of Satan, of course," Marcus revealed.

"The death of a Sin? I like the sound of that," Tilly said with a smile.

"But can a Sin even die?" asked a confused imp as others whispered to each other.

"No, you fools, we're going to slay him," Marcus clarified. "Kill my father…"

"Yeah! Who needs that guy!" declared a Demon Ape. "Who needs a Sin to rule Wrath!"

"No more Sins! No more Sins!"

"Idiots! There will still be a Sin!" Marcus declared as he huffed flames. "Me!"

"But wouldn't that kid of his be first in line?" pointed out a succubus.

"Not if I had anything to do about it," Marcus said as he addressed his troops. "Stick with me, and you'll never suffer under my father again!"

This got the troops to cheer for Marcus. "Yeah! Long live Marcus! Long live the king! Long live the true king…!"

As steam pouted into the room, Marcus found himself watching a demonstration as a bunch of Demon Apes marched into his throne room, singing in unison.

"It's great that we'll soon be connected! With a Sin who'll be all-time adored!" they sang as they marched.

"Of course, quid pro quo, you're expected," Marcus sang with a smile while Tilly and Jill were next to him as he made a knife gesture at his throat. "To take certain duties on board."

Jill looked down at this while Tilly smiled as Marcus raised his hand.

"The future is littered with prizes, and though I'm the main addressee," he sang as the apes turned their heads to Marcus. "The point that I must emphasize is… you won't get a sniff without me!" he shouted as he blew flames in the air before he flew up over his troops.

"So prepare for the coup of the century!" Marcus sang along with his demons. "Be prepared for the murkiest scam!"

"Ooh, la-la-la!" a trio of demons sang as the others danced.

"Meticulous planning, tenacity spanning, decades of denial, is simply why I'll…" Marcus sang as he flew around the room along with the drakes, succubi, and incubi. "Be king undisputed, respected, saluted, and see for the wonder I am!"

"Yes, my teeth and ambitions are bare, be prepared~!" Marcus sang along with those who flew around him. Below him, his demons danced around as one hyena demon, Ted, played on the bones of a skeleton as if they were a xylophone.

"Yes, our teeth and ambitions are bare!" they all sang. "Be prepared~!"

After the song, the demons all cheered for Marcus, who was already planning their move and how it would aid them in their ultimate mission… overthrowing the King of Wrath.

And in that scheme, he was the mastermind.

Meanwhile, back up in Pride, Blitz had finally successfully brought Chase to Khan Industries. The two stood in front of the building, Chase looking up at the tall skyscraper.

"Ever heard of the Tower of Babel, Blitz?" Chase asked.

"Nope," Blitz answered.

"It was a story about a group of humans who tried to build a city with a tower that would reach up to the Heavens," Chase explained. "I wonder if Shere Khan has ever heard that story."

"You could ask him," Blitz pointed out.

Chase shrugged. "In any case, I don't think anyone with fear of heights could stand working in a building like this," he commented.

"Yeah, well, let's get this over with," Blitz replied, his tone impatient as they headed inside. "We've kept Shere Khan waiting long enough and he is not a patient demon…"

As they went inside and looked around, they were spotted by Penzi, who waved at them to get their attention.

"Blitz, Chase, long time, no see," Penzi commented as she quickly walked over to them. "Welcome back, Mr. Buckzo, and welcome to Khan Industries, Chase. It has been a while since I last saw you two."

"Yeah, good to see you too, Penzi," Blitz responded with a nod. "Sorry that it took so long, but a lot of different stuff came up in the Wrath Ring. Things got weird."

"And fun," Chase said while his eyes wandered across Penzi's body. "But it has been a while since I've seen you. Perhaps after I meet Shere Khan, the two of us could…"

Penzi smiled. "Oh, I wouldn't mind a little get-together…"

Blitz rolled his eyes at this. "Ahem," he cleared his throat while getting between the two. "Chase, we need to focus on meeting up with Mr. Khan."

"Right," Chase said as he began following Blitz before looking back and winking to Penzi. "See you around, legs."

Blitz sighed. "You really are shameless," he told Chase. "You know that, right?"

Penzi gave a wave while smiling back at Chase. She was glad to see both Blitz and Chase again and obviously she hoped that she would be seeing a lot more of the latter, now that he was going to be working for Shere Khan…

A few minutes later, Blitz and Chase both stepped out of the elevator and entered Shere Khan's office. Shere Khan, who was sitting behind his desk, looked up at the two and smiled.

"Ah, Mr. Blitz, and Mr. Chase," Shere Khan greeted them. "I have been expecting you two for a while. I was starting to get… concerned about your delay."

"Hey, uh, Mr. Khan, um, big cat on campus," Blitz said, gulping nervously. "I do apologize for being gone for so long…"

"Oh, there's no need for an apology," Khan assured him as he stood up and walked out from behind his desk. "It doesn't matter how long it took for you to get here. You are back now, and you've brought Chase like I asked, so as far as I'm concerned, there's no problem. Better late than come back empty handed."

Blitz gave a sigh of relief. "Thank you for understanding, sir."

Shere Khan simply nodded. "You're dismissed now, Mr. Blitz. Leave me and Mr. Chase. But stay in touch, since I'll have more work for you soon."

Blitz gave him a nod. "Yes, sir," he said before he looked up at Chase. "See ya, Chase," he said as he began to leave the office.

Once the elevator door closed and Blitz was gone, Chase and Shere Khan were left alone. The tiger Overlord began to walk around the office, getting a better look at Chase in the process, the sinner silently wondering if Chase was everything he hoped he would be. "You know, Mr. Chase, you have quite the reputation throughout Hell. So many rumors about your amazing strength and your feats. You have been compared to the likes of Hercules and Thor…"

"Well, you can say that I've probably done my own thirty labors," Chase bragged. "But yeah, I'm really good at what I do. I would say that everything you have heard about me is correct."

Shere Khan grinned at this. "Excellent."

"So what's the job you want me to do? What do you want me to fight?" Chase asked him.

"Simple," Shere Khan said as he stopped walking and turned to the Hellhound. "I want you to fight… me."

Chase was caught off guard by this as Shere Khan snapped his fingers, causing his suit to fall off, leaving the tiger Sinner only in black trunks and a golden belt. "Whoa… you are cut," he commented. "But… why?"

"Well, if you do live up to your reputation, then you'll make for a worthy fight," Shere Khan said while flexing his muscles. His fur waved like flames as his ears were lit. "Because that's something that I've always been itching for," he said as his eyes glowed red while his mouth burst into flames. "A real challenge."

Chase stared at Shere Khan in surprise, realizing that the tiger sinner was ready for a fight. But, rather than back down… Chase just smiled. As if he could say no to a fight, especially to a fight with an Overlord. Much like Shere Khan, he was itching for a challenge,

"Give it your best shot," Chase told him as he got in a fighting stance.

Shere Khan grinned before he and Chase both charged at each other. Chase threw the first punch while Shere Khan threw his own. Their fists connected with each other, making impact and forcing them to back away from one another. Chase then charged at Shere Khan, delivering some punches towards him while Shere Khan blocked them. He still received some hits from the Hellhound, but then Khan lifted his knee up to deliver a kick to Chase's abdomen before delivering a haymaker.

Chase stepped back and saw Shere Khan jumping up towards him with his elbow up. Chase dodged the attack, but he didn't see Shere Khan doing a sidekick until the foot connected with him, sending him crashing into the desk. Chase looked to see Shere Khan charging at him, raising his fist up to slam down at him. Chase managed to get out of the way of the tiger Sinner, who punched his desk so hard that it was completely annihilated.

"Too bad, that looked like a nice desk," Chase commented.

Shere Khan chuckled. "I can always buy another," he declared before he swung his claws at Chase.

Chase backed away with his arms up to block the attack. However, when the claws slashed across his arms, it left a burning sensation. Chase realized that getting scratched by Khan's claws was like getting struck by heated shrapnel. He looked at Shere Khan's claws and noticed that they were giving off natural heat. Khan then swiped his claws around again, but Chase dodged them before he grabbed Shere Khan's wrists, lifted his head back, and then headbutted Khan hard enough to send him back.

Khan backed away, growling slightly as he felt his head. When he shook it off, Chase grabbed him by the waist before he swung him down to the floor. Chase then jumped on top of him, slamming his elbow into Shere Khan's chest. Shere Khan responded by snapping at Chase, sinking his teeth into his bicep. Chase winced in pain and grabbed Shere Khan's head, pulling him off from his arm as he delivered punches towards the tiger demon.

As they wrestled on the floor of the office, Shere Khan managed to grab Chase's arm before he raised his knee up to hit his arm. Chase felt his arm fracture from the knee-kick, causing him to let out a yell before Shere Khan back-handed him across the floor, causing Chase to crash into several objects, wrecking them in the process. Chase stopped at some bookshelves and began to get up, but then Shere Khan ran over to him and shoved him into the book shelf, grabbing his head and bashing him against it. Several books landed on Chase's head as Shere Khan dug his claws into Chase's back, making him clench his teeth.

"Come on, now, why don't you scream?" Khan asked, his claws burning into Chase's skin.

"You kidding me?" Chase asked with a grin. "Scratch me harder, daddy…"

Khan frowned. "You are as… crude as they say," he said before he swung Chase around, throwing him onto the floor. He marched over and lifted his foot, slamming it down onto Chase's chest. Chase gasped for air as he felt Khan's foot dig into his chest. Chase tried to get back up, but Khan pounded his face square in the snout, causing blood to pour out of his nose and onto the floor. Chase was sent back, sliding until he hit a wall. "Had enough yet?"

Chase spit out some of his teeth, looking quite worse to wear. Despite this, he managed to get back up, growling. "Come on! Face me when you're flaming hot!"

Khan smiled and his body then burst into flames as the two charged at each other again. Chase threw a few punches, but then Shere Khan pulled back his fiery fist and punched Chase across his jaw. The hellhound was launched up, but then Khan jumped up to punch him while he was still in the air, slashing him across his chest. He then slammed Chase down back to the floor, some of his flames spreading from his body to Chase's fur…

The flaming Shere Khan stepped back to look at Chase's state. Patches of his fur had burned off as Chase was struggling to catch his breath. Khan smiled, glad that Chase was still standing despite being worn out. This only made the fight more fun for him.

"I'll admit, you are quite the fighter. Very strong. Perhaps you could have been useful to me… if I wasn't having such a good time," Shere Khan said as he saw Chase getting up and delivering another swing at Shere Khan. However, Shere Khan just grabbed his arm before he could punch him. "But as strong as you are," he said as he held up Chase's already fractured arm, Chase struggling to pull away. "The rumors about you being as strong as an Overlord? Well…"

With a swing of his other arm, Khan drove it down onto Chase's arm…

SNAP!

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" Chase screamed as his arm became bent unnaturally thanks to Shere Khan snapping it. Shere Khan looked amused by Chase's pained expression before he grabbed Chase by the throat, digging his hot claws into his neck. "S-Shit…" Chase cursed, his mouth now full of blood.

"Burns, does it?" Shere Khan hissed before he brought Chase down on the floor, his claws still digging onto the hellhound's neck. "Imagine spending your final moments surrounded by lava, trapped inside of a statue, humiliated and defeated as you wait to see what will finish you off first: the lava or starvation?" he asked as Chase felt his flesh getting burned. "Believe me, I know what getting burned feels like… in life, I feared and hated the fire, as much as I hated man. But now? Now I am the fire."

Khan then let go of Chase's throat so he could use both of his steaming, fiery fists as he began to pound Chase. The hellhound did try to fight back, struggling to push Khan back with his one working arm, but Shere Khan… just overpowered him.

The beatings continued, blood splattered across the floor as Chase was beaten to a bloody pulp, Khan hitting him again and again. Chase was now quite ugly to look at. His snout was crooked, his jaw was broken, and most of his teeth had fallen out. But Shere Khan never stopped, since he wanted to make sure he had completely conquered the strongest Hellhound in Hell…

And surprisingly, despite the beatings and his face looking swollen and beaten up, Chase was still conscious. His eyes were swollen, but he still managed to look at Shere Khan, who stopped beating him for the moment. He can tell that Chase was still conscious and he smiled.

"Ah, you're still awake, I see," Khan chuckled while grabbing Chase's face and pulling it up so that it was close to his face. "Cause I'd like to share with you a little secret of mine…" He leaned down to whisper into Chase's ear. "I hate wolves."

Shere Khan then shoved Chase to the floor and brought both of his fists down on the Hellhound's face, leaving a large crater that, surprisingly, didn't break the floor. Instead, Chase's face was smashed like a pumpkin; blood splattered all over the floor, his eyeballs were annihilated, his brain matter went flying, along with pieces of his skull. Chase was very much dead.

Shere Khan looked down at the mess that had been Chase's head, then he calmly stood up. The flames on his body died down as he used his foot to move Chase's body aside while looking down at his now misshaped, unrecognizable face.

"I guess those rumors of you being stronger than an Overlord were indeed just… rumors," Shere Khan declared, taking a moment to savor the triumph as he looked down at the body while forming a smile…

Shere Khan has conquered the strongest Hellhound in Hell.

Shere Khan then licked some of the blood off of his hands, finding Chase's blood surprisingly sweet. After he finished cleaning his hand, he went over to tap on his phone.

"Hello, it's Khan," Khan spoke into a line. "I need a clean-up crew sent up to my office immediately…"

After he finished making the call, Shere Khan stepped over Chase's body and walked over to the window. Despite being mostly naked and covered in blood, Khan placed his arms behind his back and looked out his window, admiring the view of the Pride Ring. And as he admired that view, he thought about his own ambitions. Not just for the Pride Ring but for all of Hell…

"There is a house in New Orleans,

They call the Rising Sun.

And it's been the ruin of many a poor boy…

And, God, I know I'm one."

Blitz drove his van to Imp City, to where his and Loona's apartment home was. He knew the risk he was taking by coming back here, since it was very likely that the Vees had learned where he and Loona lived. But it had been so long since he had been home and he at least wanted to check it out.

So he walked into the building and up towards his apartment, his gun in his hand and a duffle bag of weapons over his shoulder. He soon stood in front of his door, where he slowly reached forward for the doorknob to make sure if it was locked or not… only it wasn't.

Frowning, Blitz kicked the door open as he held his flintlock pistol up. He began to look around his apartment… and found that it had been ransacked. He saw the couch had been turned over, the TV busted, the tables and chairs knocked over. As he continued to look around, he saw that both his room and Loona's were ransacked as well. Many of their framed pictures were now on the floors, their frames shattered.

"Shit," Blitz cursed, knowing that the Vees were behind this as he began to make sure that they didn't leave anything behind like a camera or a listening device… or traps in his own home.

"My mother was a tailor

She sewed my new blue jeans

My father was a gamblin' man

Down in New Orleans."

In Mick's apartment, Mick was sitting on his couch watching TV with Snowflake sitting next to him. When he heard someone knocking on the door, a scared Snowflake quickly darted underneath the couch, thinking it was the landlady.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." Mick said with a sigh as he stood up and walked over to the door. "Who is it?"

"Your roommate, Mick."

Mick's eyes widened, a smile growing behind his mask as he quickly undid the locks before he opened the door and saw Moxxie standing there. "Mox! You look… rough."

Moxxie sighed. "I know."

"But come on in," Mick said, letting Moxxie into the apartment. "It's been too long! Welcome back, man!"

Moxxie smiled as he stepped in, him and Mick clasping hands. "It's good to be back, Mick," he replied with a smile.

Snowflakes peeked out from underneath the couch and spotted Moxxie, remembering how the imp was one of the demons who had helped save her and the other kitsunes from the fur farm. Snowflake began to crawl out from the couch, looking happy to see Moxxie.

"Now the only thing a gambler needs,

Is a suitcase and a trunk."

Meanwhile, on the grounds of the House of Alloces, the Terafrost was shown living quite happily in the arctic compound of its new habitat. It certainly looked more comfortable in this colder environment than it did in the heat of Wrath. It even looked more… docile, like finally being in an environment more suited for it helped it to calm down. As it helped itself to some snowy grass and some meat, it was being watched by Duke Alloces and his daughter, Alice, who stood on an observation platform while wearing snowsuits.

"Wow, daddy! Is that what I think it is?" Alice asked in awe while staring at the Terafrost in amazement.

"Indeed it is, Alice," Alloces replied, smiling when he saw his daughter's excitement at the Terafrost. "This Terafrost is possibly the last of its kind. It was found somehow surviving in the wilds of Wrath. It was actually a gift from Prince Stolas, who brought it to me after his business in Wrath…"

"And the only time he's satisfied,

Is where he's on a drum."

Meanwhile, at Prince Stolas's estate, Alexei had been chained up and placed inside of a mausoleum that Stolas had on his grounds. Once Alexei had been secured, Stolas shut the door on him before locking it with a key, sealing Alexei inside.

"There, hope you enjoy your stay," Stolas said with a smile. He then turned around to walk through his garden, softly humming to himself before spotting the short imp gardener working outside. "Greetings, Buzz," he casually greeted as he continued walking to his house.

Buzz looked at Stolas, then looked at the mausoleum he had come from. Buzz briefly wondered what Stolas had been doing there before he just shrugged and returned his attention back to the shrubs he had been working on.

Back in Greed, Millie looked at herself in the mirror. She had changed out of her biker outfit and was now trying out a new look.

Her hair had been tied back into a ponytail while she wore a burgundy, leather jacket-like crop-top with gold-like cuffs, gold-yellow studs on the popped-collar, and some parts of the upper-section being colored black, two-toned purple jeans with tassels and a burgundy baldric strap around her left thigh, and small black heeled boots with red toes. She also wore a black choker, along with her black fingerless gloves.

She gave a small sigh as she looked at herself in the mirror. She knew that the outfit would take some getting used to, but at least she now looked the part for her new job…

Douglas was now in Pride, the young son of Striker now wearing a new outfit, something more formal; a black vest with a white button shirt, black pants and shoes, and a bowtie. He was no longer wearing a hoodie, which meant that his white hair, resembling a truffle of feathers with gray tips, was on full display. This made Douglas feel more… exposed than he was comfortable with. He also didn't like how cold everything was. At least he was with Reginald, who Douglas did like.

"Now, you will be given instructions during your stay here, since you will likely be expected to earn your keep," Reginald informed him while leading Douglas through the palace. "Don't worry, I will help teach you.."

The boy looked up at Reginald, slightly nervous. "Is… is he here?"

Before Reginald could answer, they both heard a voice coming down the hallway. "Is that who I think it is, Reginald? Please, bring him here."

Reginald hesitated for only a moment before nodding and leading Douglas down the hallway. "Douglas, this is the master of the house… Marquis Andrealphus."

The adult Andrealphus had been drinking tea at a table. When he saw Reginald and Douglas, he put down his cup and stood up, easily towering over them. The boy looked up at the tall Goetia, feeling very intimidated and wanting to shrink away.

Andrealphus was the same height as Stolas and he was just as lanky. He now wore an extravagant coat that was mostly shades of light blue with white details. The coat included a large, cyan fur collar with the design of a snowflake on the front. He wore a navy long-sleeved shirt with a white-trimmed high collar and four white buttons, white pants, and navy over-the-knee heeled boots. His crown was very snowflake-like in appearance and he also wore a pair of white opera gloves.

Andrealphus looked down at Douglas while sporting a smile that looked warm but somehow felt as cold as the rest of the palace. "Welcome to my home, Douglas…"

"Oh mothers, tell your children,

Not to do what I have done."

Back in Wrath, Striker was lurking in the shadows of a town. He was being careful not to be seen, his gun still in his hand while he hid from any unwanted eyes.

He knew that he was being hunted… but he also knew that he was hunting his hunters.

"Spend your lives in sin and misery

in the House of the Rising Sun."

Back at Carrie's farm, Carrie was stacking some hay into a pile. She wiped the sweat from her forehead as she looked around and noticed the Hell Sprites there, poking out from behind a barrel. They just stared at her, looking saddened that her guests weren't around anymore.

And truthfully, Carrie was sad that her guests were not around anymore either.

"Well, I got one foot on the platform,

The other foot on the train."

In another part of Wrath, Cain was driving across the desert landscape on his bike. Through his mask he stared at the road ahead, knowing that this was a road he would have to go down alone… if it wasn't for the ghost that was also haunting him.

"I'm goin' back to New Orleans,

To wear that ball and chain."

The Cult of Chernabog was still around, even without the guidance and leadership of Menace. Though they had failed to acquire the son of the false Satan and kill Stolas, they now gathered before the statue of Chernabog, bowing their heads in reverence as they prayed. The stone statue seemingly watched over his subjects, who worshipped him as the one and true Satan…

…while Samael, the current Satan, was in his palace sitting on his throne with a serious expression. Next to him, on her throne, was his wife Narissa, who wore a stoic expression on her face. And sitting between them was their son, Damian, who was looking up at his parents with a big cheerful smile. Samael glanced down at his son and when he saw his son smiling up at him, Samael smiled back, glad to be home with his family…

…while Marcus smiled as he sat on his own throne in his lair. Standing next to his throne on either side of him were Tilly and Jill while in front of them were some of their forces who cheered for Marcus, the future Satan.

"Well, there is a house in New Orleans…"

Verosika's bus was driving down a road in the Wrath Ring, well on its way to the Greed Ring. Inside the bus, Kajedo was yapping away, talking excitedly while getting along with Verosika and her posse. She was sitting beside Tex as she conversed with Ace and Josh. Nearby, Verosika was talking with Kiki and Milky as they went over ideas for their next concert performance.

Meanwhile, sitting in her seat and staring out the window was a rather depressed-looking Loona. She looked up at the skies of Wrath, some of the last glimpses of Wrath that she would see before they were in the Greed Ring. She knew that she should be excited. After all, she was traveling with Verosika. She was with her crushes. And yet…

Loona couldn't stop thinking about her dad. And more importantly she couldn't stop thinking about Amaroq, who she hoped was okay. She sighed as she continued to gaze out the window…

"They call the Rising Sun…"

… as Amaroq looked outside the window of her new room at the Boiling Isles orphanage in the Demon Realm. Eda and Amber were standing behind her, checking up on her.

"Everything good, Amaroq?" Amber asked her. "If you need anything, just call. We're always here to help."

"I'm… fine," Amaroq replied while looking down. "I just… want to be alone right now."

"Sure, we'll leave you be. But like Amber said, just call us if you need us," Eda told her. When Amaroq did not respond, she sighed. She did feel bad for the kid after hearing what she went through from Blitz and Stolas. But she also knew that she should allow Amaroq to take all the time she needed right now.

Once Eda and Amber were gone, Amaroq just silently stood there at the window, staring out at the Boiling Isles. She knew that she should be excited. She had a new home in a new world with new potential friends. And yet…

Amaroq began to hug herself while tears began to fall from her eyes. She had kept it in for as long as she could… but now she started to break down crying.

For the briefest moment, she actually thought she might have found a new family. But that had only been a false hope and reality came crashing down on her as tears streamed down her face… and she felt her heart cruelly shatter.

"And it's been the ruin of many a poor boy..."

Back in Pride, in Shere Khan's mansion, Shere Khan had returned home and was admiring one of his walls of trophies. Trophies from successful hunts, such as heads, furs, and skins. Shere Khan sported a smile while looking at his latest trophy that was mounted on his wall.

"Perfect," Shere Khan said while looking at…

…Chase's fur pelt, which was now displayed on the wall with his name under it. Now Chase was just another trophy for the Overlord.

"And, God, I know I'm one!"

And thus, we conclude, the Wrath Arc.

For the new OCs who've made an appearance, we wish to credit Faroe_King for letting us use Marie, who is someone that we have been looking forward to using for a long time. She is a character from Faroe_King's fic, "Loona Goetia." As for Reginald, he is also another character from the "Shadows Over Hell" story by Ernor.

To explain the opening scene, it is a direct reference to Between the Lions episode, "A King and his Hawk" which to give credit to a PBS Kids show, it mentions death and the consequences of letting your anger hurt others to the point of can't taking it back. We thought that the scene/story would fit Alex and Alice for this scene, as it's meant to give more context for the Curse of Cain, revealing that's why Alex was able to identify Loona's guilt, and it's why Alex hasn't seen his sister in years… because he's afraid that if he sees her again, he'll end up killing her, just like how the Biblical Cain killed his younger brother. This is something we've hinted at a few times, like with David asking Alex about his younger sister, David encouraging Alex to let go of his personal attachments, especially to his sister, and Alex's disgust at Loona for killing her younger sister, since to Alex, killing his younger sister would be the most unforgivable act he could commit.

Songs used for this chapter:

"Should've Been a Cowboy" by Toby Keith, for Moxxie to sing as a way to send off for the Wrath Ring characters that we've focused on more.

-For the end, we used The Animals' "Rising of the Sun" to close off the chapter.

"Be Prepared" which we've been planning to use as well as being the entire reason we had Damian sing "Can't Wait to Be King" earlier in the arc, because we were planning on giving Marcus a villain song and we wanted to set up the parallels to The Lion King, like with Marcus having hyena Hellhounds. Originally, this scene with Marcus would have actually been his first real scene back when Marcus have only appeared at the end of the Wrath Ring arc as a sequel hook, but now that we've actually given Marcus some more screentime, "Be Prepared" is a lot more ominous.

For questions about Leviathan's design, which is meant to be a reference to Fredrick Von Eldritch's design. When we've seen Leviathan's canon design in the show… yeah, we're not the biggest fans of it. We had to reconcile it with Leviathan's daughter calling him 'father', so as a compromise, we've decided that Leviathan would be genderqueer and regularly shapeshifts, changing their appearance and their gender on a whim. This actually ties into Leviathan being the Sin of Envy, since they are discontent with their own appearance and feel envious of others, which is why they emulate them, like Lucifer in this case.

Speaking of, we've decided to not include Lucifer here because we wanted to save his appearance for later, and because we thought it would be more interesting and less obvious to have Lilith at the meeting instead, to actually show her more as the Queen of Hell before her disappearance.

As for Alexei, when we were writing the Wrath Ring arc, we weren't sure if he was going to still be alive by the end or not. But we've ultimately decided that we did want to keep him around, because ewe found him to be interesting, both because of hish interactions with Tex and his speech to Stolas. He's not just a hitman, and we thought he offered an interesting perspective as a Hellhound.

When we introduced Momo, she and Moxxie were originally just going to be a one-night stand and that would be it. But as we fleshed her out a bit more, we realized how much she actually had in common with Mox, and how they would actually work well as a couple. They ended up connecting with each other, so we thought it would be interesting if they tried to make a long-distance relationship work rather than ignore the connection they have.

Side note: Sorry, Mox/Mil shippers…

Millie in Greed was something we have considered since killing off Jawline. Since we couldn't use him like we originally planned, we've decided to use Millie instead. We thought it would be an interesting storyline to develop for her in the next arc.

David Coming back as a ghost… is also something we've been planning for a while, since we actually really enjoyed writing him in the earlier chapters and that we wanted to find some way to bring him back and continue his dynamic with Alex.

As for Jill working for Marcus… is actually something we've been hinting at and foreshadowed. Both with her recognizing the Terafrost, and her possessing strange abilities similar to the Demon Apes.

But a lot of this is also stuff that we've been planning out for a while. Like Amaroq being dropped off at the Boiling Isles and the connection between Chase and Solaria. The former being, that was actually a big reason why we've spent so much time in the Wrath Ring instead of just the one chapter we originally had planned, because we knew that the scene where Amaroq gets dropped off would hit harder when we've spent more time with her, especially while she's with Blitz and Loona. You all get to see the potential dynamic… only for Amaroq to be pushed away. This is what the arc was building up to.

And now for Chase… to be honest, we weren't planning to kill him off at the end of the Wrath Ring arc. Shere Khan would have just beaten him to near-death. But we eventually realized… that him being killed would have a lot more impact. To have spent an entire arc with Chase, showing his softer side and giving him moments of depth, only to have him brutally killed off at the end? We thought that would not just cement Shere Khan as a main villain, but cement the bittersweet/downer ending we were going for with this chapter, with the imagery of Chase's fur hanging on Shere Khan's wall being the perfect gut punch to end the chapter on.

Also, to Jack_Skeletron, we do apologize for showing you the scene of Chase with Verosika as a preview because we knew you would get invested in the ship, making Chase's death all the more impactful. It was probably one of the most evil things Buck have ever done…

But now as we've gone over the notes, we've got some news… Helluva Dad will be put on hiatus for a while after this chapter. The reason that is so that we can focus on the rest of the LCU, including working on LOWTH finally, after going through our other stories. But don't you worry, cause Helluva Dad will be back, with a new story arc to look forward to.

Review section:

Matteso585: 1) It feels fitting here. 2) Well being a prisoner under Stolas is better than facing the Vees, to be honest. 3) She doesn't have any reason to go up to Pride, honestly. Which is why she's in Envy. 4) At the very least… yeah, it would be a bit too early to assume them to be promoted to the main cast, especially since Amaroq was just dumped in the Demon Realm.

Cooki15xd: There won't be a 'What If' Chapter.

Crash X Fusion: Mary's motivations literally has nothing to do with Chernabog. Also, it would be too soon for Chernabog to be a major baddie for the Gates of Hell. But man, you are kinda right about Striker getting help from Andrealphus, or at least, one of his staff. And no, Jill didn't lose her foot, as shown here.

Ultimate-drax: We uh… hope that there's no hard feelings about what happened to Chase…

Shuffollower: Yeah, hope you like the gut punch from this chapter.