“I don’t know what the hell I did,” I said honestly. “I peeked into her mind. There was so much sadness and emptiness. A void and a crying girl. That one’s better off being remade. Not all of them are like her though—she’s just the first to leave the power game.”
Dante nodded.
“You are a contrast of your father. I’ll be on the lookout for whatever’s next. For now, you’ve got a lot of work to do. Get moving. The crack in the balance may explain why some of dangerous devils went missing a while ago.”
I nodded, focused, and then charged essence into my back. I had to charge a ton and then picture Middleburg in my head. Thanks to dimension being cut off from the depths, nothing interfered. It was a clear shot.
“Hopefully the next time we meet will be when your duty is over,” I said.
Dante chuckled.
“Drinks would be on me then.”
I laughed then ascended. Really ascended—pushing with…fiery wings that materialized from nowhere. My vision became that of blues, purples, and silvers.
Then I was in space, over the earth, a cool icy breeze blowing across my face… Something that I will not dare try to think about being in a vacuum. I suspected I wasn’t truly in space, just honing back to earth in some weird fourth or fifth dimensional way.
The space view vanished as quickly as it came and I found myself standing in a ruined Middleburg.
Felt like I went through a small hole just get inside this damn city.
Six powerful dark presences. Combat happening. I felt strangely calm. Very calm. Alright, I’d take back my city in a matter of minutes.
End of part two….
Interlude 4
An Hour Before Epex’s Return…
Devante’s hopeful thoughts has long since diminished. To think two months had passed since the demigod was wrongfully killed.
At first, he felt proud of himself for warping the team back to Secure Corps milliseconds before Epex could bounce them maybe two states away. But now they were trapped in a city controlled by six impossibly strong demons…devils, whatever the fuck they were, cut off from the outside world. If Amony didn’t treat Secure Corps like a second home loaded with supplies, rooms, showers, and a backup power source, they’d be slaves like the people outside.
The people they couldn’t save—not even let in. The pretty attendant at the counter, her coworkers, and the guards weren’t allowed to leave—though many protested. One of them even had kids.
Of course, Sin and Elly leapt on a mission to rescue them, succeeded, but succumb to some injury from some powerful demons in the area. Two months plus lost motivation. Devante didn’t know what to do.
At first, everything seemed as if it would pass over. Beings, Devante believed were gods engaged the demons. He saw the battle from afar. He showed the others the scenes through magic. He even saw the goddess, Amelia, with freaky blood-red hair, engage the devils. She seemed to wipe the floor with them at first. Just as she planned to go crazy with it, her form reversed to normal, and she fell, as if something strained her body. One of the gods caught her and vanished in retreat.
Since then, there had been a hunt by the minions of those six. In the meantime, they drafted a very powerful barrier around the city and made a declaration that pieced into everyone’s minds. An announcement. The city belonged to them and not even the heavens could do anything about it.
Amelia and the gods did resurface again to fight, though she wasn’t in her freaky bloody-haired form. They failed and just barely retreated. The intervals of them showing up were every three days, probably with some new plan.
Devante and the others offered to help, but the gods swiftly refused. Amelia didn’t seem to be in a talking mood, almost out of it, more than likely on the count of her love’s death.
Devante didn’t ask why she seemed to be working with the one who killed him. He guessed there was a truce until the terrible situation blew over. He respected her for putting the safety of the people ahead of her personal problems.
Devante wasn’t completely sure which one of the gods dealt the killing blow—Epex forced them away too quickly, but he knew one of the three did it. He felt it.
The attacks of the group stopped after only a week and a half of complete failure.
The six devils formed a government. They used their demon soldiers to patrol the city, to keep things in line.
Amony’s wards held. Secure Corps glided day by day, undetected thanks to them.
Humans outside—every man, woman, and child caught by the demon soldiers were rounded up and forced to somewhat clean up the wreck city with their bare hands, regardless of the dangers, and powerlines. No breaks.
Of course, this is after the resistance—humans were no pushovers, but the devils overwhelmed them with magic, killing many. The humans may have even won if outside help was possible. After the cleanup, an occurrence of daily horror shows plagued the city, from torture carnivals, to indiscriminate public rapes, to dragging people out of their houses into the streets for humiliation. Devante figured this was common place in Hell.
The demons even forced the slaves to build statues of the six right in the center. Even Sunset was remained quiet.
Devante felt grateful that none of his family members lived in Middleburg. There was no way he’d let his sister or any family stay in a city with constant demon problems. They had no problems taking his advice. His sister had healed since then.
Devante glanced at his quiet team members. No one had answered Amony’s question. Sin, Elly, and the normally lively Layla were silent, tired, and looked as if they’ve given up hope.
Layla hadn’t known Epex as long as the others, but she still didn’t enjoy the loss of life over anyone she knew or worked with. And like the rest of them, she also knew of Epex’s current afterlife.
Devante did his best not to think of his friend’s suffering. He couldn’t get any answers from Amelia or her rag-tag god team. He even tried a prayer. Nothing. What were they doing up there? He knew the insanely powerful barrier made them invisible, almost like being in a separate dimension.
Amony’s question, “What should we do next?” still hung in the air like a lingering odor. No one had any bright ideas, not even Sin. He had only recently recovered from his injuries. Whatever the impossible six did, it slowed down his healing. The food supply was good for another year, maybe even less on count of the extra bodies.
But were they really going to wait that long? Was there no way out of the city? Could it really be time to give up completely?
Devante stood up. All eyes shot to him.
“I’m done with this,” he said. “This air of giving up, it’s just not me. I don’t rely on gods or magical saviors to bail me out of anything. We’re trapped but it isn’t something we cannot get through. I’m sorry but the last thing I’m going to do is sit here…not anymore. Not while I know his afterlife. He’s stuck there going through shit they we cannot imagine. If I can’t break a hole in that barrier, I’ll die trying. Fuck sitting here and waiting to die. People are suffering. I cannot standby anymore—If I do, I’m no better than the six fuckheads doing this our city.”
Devante started for the door, but a hand grabbed him. He turned to see that it was Elly. He also noticed everyone standing up with their game faces.
“That’s what I needed. What we needed,” Sin said. “Don’t go dying by yourself.”
“Thanks for waking us up,” Elly said.
“Just point and I’ll fry,” Layla said. “Then I’ll slap around that stupid goddess and tell her to resurrect her boyfriend so that I can steal him.”
“We go down fighting,” Amony said. “We’re not a helpless, damsel in distress bunch. Let’s blow all of their shit up, headquarters and all. Kill any demon patrols. Then we give it everything we have on the six.”
Devante held up a fist.
“All fists on mine. Let’s do this!”
Interlude 5
An Hour Before Epex’s Re
turn…
“Sir, you called?”
The Drifter didn’t even look up from his tablet. He tapped numbers into a spreadsheet. Losses. Those six bastards were losing him money. Two months of money—gone! A business could go in ruins with this kind of profit loss. He was wrong in assumption of the goddess and her miscreants taking care of everything. He didn’t want to get involved with six stuck-up mongrels who probably couldn’t tell an apple from an orange.
“Tell Agnes to come to me.”
“Yes sir,” the demonic minion replied, then marched purposefully out the door.
The Drifter looked up to his personal guards.
“Clear the room. You can take your lunch break now. This will be a lengthy meeting between she and I.”
The guards nodded and left without another word. A minute later, an attractive woman with long dark hair, dressed in an expensive dress and jewelry stepped into his conference room. He waved a hand, causing the door behind her to shut then lock. The room was windowless, soundproof, magic-proof, and most of all, invisible to the eyes of Paradise Realm.
Agnes simply smiled, fearless. Of course, she’d be fearless. She was just as powerful as him. They were equals, despite the employer-employee relationship.
“So moneybags, have you come up with a solution yet?” she said, purple eyes staring into his. “Don’t get me wrong, you’ve paid but I’d love to get started on that job. Gotta reputation to maintain and can’t have your minions spreading tall tales.”
The Drifter gave her a half-minute stare before speaking.
“Feel free to break through that barrier if you can. When you fail, they’ll be on you faster than—”
Agnes appeared right in his face, straddling him, still smiling without a care. She undid his tie and began to unbutton his shirt.
“I’ve got needs. If I’m going to be stuck here, I’m taking them.”
“There’s a time and place for that and it is not in my place of business.”
“I don’t care, I want sex and I get what I want. And I’m not sleeping with a lousy minion.”
The Drifter waved a hand. The woman froze, unable to move. His shirt rebuttoned itself, but the tie remained in its place. Agnes glared.
“I did not call you in here for that, mercenary,” he said. “It is time to take action. I take action.”
She gasped.
“Bloody hell, did you finally figure out how to use it?”
“Just some of it,” the Drifter replied, “but it shall be enough. We will launch an assault that should catch them off guard. The oracle will give me the strength but for a short time. I will attempt to break a hole into the barrier. Cast a spell to hold it open. You may escape from there.”
“Escape, like the weak?” Agnes laughed. “I’ll break the barrier if you punch a hole into it, then I’m joining into fray to spill me some blood. I’ve never consumed a royal-class before.”
“You’re an overconfident one, aren’t you?” the Drifter said, releasing her from the spell.
“I could say the same for you,” she retorted. “Only a taste of that power and you believe you can take on all six.”
“I do not believe all six will appear at the same time,” he said. “They’re too proud for that. I just cannot risk losing anymore profits.”
“You say that, yet the energy you and your clutch leave behind will eventually attract the Fallen. It isn’t a matter of if. It is when. I won’t respond to any of your calls for help.”
“That worried me at first but what you don’t know is that one did show,” the Drifter said. “I was prepared to portal out but they…somehow managed to kill it. None of my sources know how. My only guess is that they called upon someone powerful.”
“A primal?”
“Possibly,” he answered. “I will assume they can call on their rulers at will until I am done here.” Agnes simply shrugged, not impressed. She was still straddling him.
“Before we start this whole hopeless assault thing, I want my needs taken care of right now,” she said, “or I’ll devour your army. You’ll be stuck.”
“Your willingness to threaten me is why I hired you in the first place, but do not—” His eyes widened when all of his clothes turned intangible then flew yards away from them.
“You’re packing and pent up,” Agnes said, grabbing somewhere that snatched the Drifter’s attention. He was still unsure if he should even let someone like her near him, but what would betrayal get her? No, he was paying her too well. “Don’t stiffen your body on me, just let your manhood stiffen.” She laughed, massaging. “If you didn’t want me, you’d push me away.”
“Push you away only for you to come back again, horny wench. Fine, but—”
Agnes’s clothes vanished as she smothered the leader of Sunset with a lusty kiss. She pulled back.
“What are you waiting for, show me why your mistresses were bragging about you the other day.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” the Drifter said.
Agnes laughed.
“You say that, but you’re enjoying this. You better admit after this that I’m better.”
Sometime later, the Drifter rounded up his forces and ordered them into ranks. They were in a large underground warehouse. All of his demons took on their natural shapes, though some still had humanoid forms. Some carried guns, some swords, others preferred tooth, claw, and magic.
The Agnes walked beside him as he inspected his troops. The damn woman held him up for at least three hours and still wanted more “rounds” as she called the sessions. She was acting worse than a succubus.
Minutes later, the Drifter found himself satisfied with the ranks and the troops. He held up the oracle, a glowing clear gemstone the size of quarter.
“Today will be a simple task,” he said. “Get my businesses afloat again. Because of those six imprudent bastards, I’m losing money. But…I’ve finally got it to work. If we are to progress from here, take out those that stand against Sunset.”
His minions cheered and then chanted, “those that stand against us will be crushed like insects.”
Agnes sighed.
“Men and bravado.”
The Drifter chuckled.
“Women are just better at hiding theirs. Now let’s get going. I’ve got profits to regain. Royals to kill.”
Interlude 6
During the Fight for the City…
Sin rushed ahead of Devante. His silver sword sang as it sliced demon after demon. Small fry. He didn’t have time to deal with these bloats. They were nothing to him, just mindless shrimps. His friends weren’t standing around though. They extinguished wave after wave, fighting to keep up with him.
Speed was Sin’s friend, though if he had to be honest, the sword he held was asleep. If he was on good terms with his father, maybe he’d be able to access Nova. Now that beauty could wipe the floor with the royals. One of the seven swords of wonder, Nova was his father’s bread and butter.
Another cluster of presences hiked into Sin’s senses. A third party… but who? It certainly wasn’t the heavenly-being group, though he felt their immobility somewhere in the city. Amelia still hadn’t recovered.
“Amony, do you feel that?” Sin said. She nodded.
“Our targets have grown tired of losing money.”
“Kill them if they get in your way but focus on the royal devils,” Devante said. “We need to free the city. Sunset’s gang will just make this easier.”
Sin doubled his efforts, cutting down patrols on the streets, leading the group to the largest and tallest building in the city. Even with Sunset joining in the battle, chances of failure were still high. Royal-class devils were in the depths for a reason. Well, multiple reasons, but causing trouble amongst the most powerful beings in charge being the main.
It was when the group got within forty yards of the government building that a royal appeared. He was a tall man with long orange-white hair, yellow eyes, and an ever-presence smile on his face
. Sin knew him—a member of the royal family and of Lucifer’s circle. Prothimas.
Sin was surprised that anger flooded through him. If anything, he was thankful to have been banished to the human world. Still, the devils did nothing but mourn for his father’s power. They tried everything to get into his family—even through marriage. Sin would rather die than let a female devil so much as touch him. This kind of distaste is why he didn’t classify himself as either devil, demi-devil, or, hell anything. His father hid something from him, but Sin supposed given the time gap of not having gone back since he was ten, none of that mattered anymore.
“I see recognition in your eyes,” Amony said, placing her hand on his arm. Her touch relaxed him, brought him back to his senses.
He allowed her scent of roses and nature to envelop him. They weren’t in a traditional relationship, but he belonged to her and her to him and they’d use each other.
“Yeah, I know him,” Sin said, gripping his sword tighter. “Prothimas is one of the biggest pricks I’ve ever known.” Sin forced away the nervousness that crept onto him. Should he tell his friends to retreat after they finally mustered the will to take back the city.
“What else?” Amony said. “I know you. Nothing will make you this nervous unless it’s really—”
“He could mop the floor with us,” Sin said. “He’s also a wielder of hellfire. If he uses it, we’ve wounded his pride enough for him to take us seriously.”
Prothimas looked at Sin, recognition glittering into his eyes. Then he spoke with a smooth and mocking voice.
“I thought I recognized you,” he said. “This really is a small world, small coincidence, and maybe a victory. When I kill you, I’ll make sure to chain you to my personal torture chamber. Will be fun for an eternity.”
Sin glowered. He took some steps toward the devil, sword at the ready, cautious.
“Ex-prince, I was sure you were better than that,” he said.
The royal moved toward Sin, only to stop when multiples instances of purple energy balls crashed into him. The last one almost made him move.
Till the Last Breath Page 14
