Chapter 24
As I walk through Hell’s gate I feel its evil essence envelop me, soothing my twisted soul. Stepping into Purgatory I see legions of demons already closing in on Heaven’s gate.
As the few angels try to hold them off they are quickly ripped apart and strewn across the ground, causing an involuntary giggle from me. The portal opens up beyond the gate and Azrael steps through with his mutt’s and that’s when I see him.
That son of a bitch that took so much from me, Evander. Just as I’m about to run at him, Beelzebub holds me back.
“Don’t be hasty Lilith,” he says, looking across the battlefield.
Following the pack of mongrels, a flood of angels flow out and begin fighting back.
I notice that Evander’s group is pushing their way through the horde with ease, slaughtering everything in their path, leaving a trail of splintered, bloody corpses in their wake.
Azrael swings his sword, a purple arch of fire is thrown into the horde, cutting through all the demons in its way. As it dissipates they all explode. Sending pieces of demons all over the battlefield.
“We know what they are capable of, but they have no idea what you are now capable of, so we need to use that to our advantage.”
“I want to go play with my new power and feel Evander’s still beating heart in my hands,” I grumble at Beelzebub, but I listen. With a pout, I hold off, as the sweet sights and sounds of death ring out, filling the air.
Then I hear it and sigh. Pleasure runs up my spine and I grin. “LILITH,” a growling voice screams out. It’s Evander.
“Lets go,” I shout to my Knights, unable to resist running through the demonic horde. I let my Knights go before me. Just then a flash of a brilliant white and an abyssal black collide over the battlefield.
Azrael and Beelzebub are attacking each other, delivering blow after blow, with neither giving an inch as Beelzebub’s control over the essence of evil begins to consume the battlefield. My Knights finally reach the pack and it’s as if a circle of death surrounds this battle.
Any angel or demon that gets too close to it is immediately destroyed as collateral.
Then I see him. He lunges at me. But something is different about him this time, I don’t sense any emotions coming from him. Nothing, not anger, rage, hate, fear, just a strange unsettling calmness, and his claws and fangs are an unusually bright white.
“I see you don’t have that little bitch with you,” I slyly remark; trying to get a rise out of him. He just continues attacking, doesn’t say a word and the calm air around him grows.
“Oh, did Daddy have to put your puppy down?” I laugh at him as I dodge his attacks, still getting no reaction. Then a fierce blow hits my stomach, causing me to drop to the ground.
Violently he grabs one of my horns, twisting my head up to look at him.
“No matter what you say, you and Beelzebub will die here today, by my hand, for what you did to Frida and Serafine,” he growls and the tone sends a shiver down my spine.
Fuck this shit. I’m done playing around.
Drawing my dagger, I slash at his arm. He lets go and I jump back, laughing. As I unleash my new power, screams emanate from the black and red mist flowing and swirling all around me. He is taken aback by this.
I lunge at him, slashing at his stomach and as I do this time I draw blood. It quickly heals, but now I get excited. I lunge again and he dodges and connects, digging his claws into me.
“That’s not going to work this time,” I hiss at him, grabbing his wrist, pulling the claws out. “You have no idea what you’re in for,” I giggle, vanishing. As I dash around him, slashing countless times, I have a sinister laugh the whole time.
He lets out a bellowing roar that fades and he drops to a knee. I drive my dagger into the top of his shoulder and pull him closer. “You should have joined me when I gave you the chance, but instead you chose that pathetic dead bitch,” I mock, twisting my blade, as he lets out a painful whine.
I look up and see that Azrael hit Beelzebub so hard, he is sent flying back, crashing into the obsidian mountain. Immediately, Azrael follows it up with an arch slash that impacts Beelzebub, driving him harder into the mountain side.
An explosion erupts, sending immense shards of obsidian to fall into the crater, burying him.
He then turns his attention to me and dives. Jumping back I try to avoid his attack, but his slash hits me in the chest, sending me crashing into the surrounding battles of angels and demons.
As he helps Evander up they nod at each other, then attack me together. Jumping to my feet I lick the blood from my dagger.
“That’s fine, I’ll kill both of you,” I shout with vengeful lust, as I flare out my wings and the flames emitted set the angels around me ablaze.
As they writhe in agony, suddenly Jodohr, Agares and Abaddon appear at my side and quickly dispatch them.
Jodohr and Agares intercept Evander and keep him occupied while Abaddon and I take Azrael on.
Our attacks seem to overwhelm him with how synchronized we are. “It looks like we are a little too much for him, Abaddon.” I laugh.
I rush him again, slashing over and over as clanging rings out from him deflecting my attacks or as they hit his armor. He deflects one of my attacks with such force my hands are thrown up over my head and he drives his sword into my gut.
“AUGH,” I scream out of reaction, but something is different. I don’t feel any pain.
Looking down I see the blade pushed deep into me, but the flames are pushing against the mist. Then the mist looks like it extinguishes the flame. Laughing hysterically, I grab the blade and pull it deeper into me, looking him in the eye.
“You have no idea what I’ve become,” I mock with a sinister gleeful tone. As the disbelief washes over his face, Abaddon drives her daggers under his armpits, where his armor is weak.
He screams out and falls to his knees.
I pull the blade from me and toss it aside, the hole in my gut closes slowly. That’s weird. I thought it would heal faster.
Then a guttural scream rings out. Looking in the direction, I see Evander holding Jodohr over his head and with a mighty roar he rips him in half. Well no big loss there, but where is Agares?
I see him, barely standing with one of his wings ripped off, the other is crushed with shattered bone protruding through. He has long, deep gashes all over his body too. Before I can move, Evander lunges and digs his claws into his chest.
Seconds later he disintegrates.
With my attention on Evander, Azrael takes advantage of the situation and surrounds himself with his purple flames. Abaddon screams out as the flames climb up her arms, slowly engulfing her.
The flames around Azrael dissipate and his eyes glow with that same fire that engaged him. Azrael gets to his feet, shrugging his shoulders. The daggers fall to the ground and his wounds heal.
Walking over, I pick up his sword. “No Lilith, no matter how strong you become your malice will never overcome our serenity and divinity,” Azrael calmly says.
Looking around I see that we are quickly losing ground. About half of the legions have been wiped out and the Knights are getting torn to shreds.
How is this possible, how are these fucking mutts so strong?
Then in a flash, Azrael is standing before me and his eyes are blazing with that deep purple flame as he grabs me by the throat.
“You are helpless against the coming judgement,” he sternly says, raising his sword about to strike me down.
From out of nowhere I feel a breeze pass me and Azrael freezes, wincing in pain as blood starts to run from the five holes that appeared on his chest plate. With a shimmer, long black nails appear and I follow it back to Beelzebub.
“You’re not as powerful as you think you are, Azrael,” he snickers. Azrael’s grip loosens and I pry myself free. As soon as I’m out of the way, Beelzebub viciously attacks, so I run over to Abaddon.
She is entirely covered in burns, some going all the way to the bone.
I grab her arms to help her up and the flesh slides free from her body, as she screams out.
In shock, I stagger back and her screams are drowned out with a gurgle.
Out of nowhere a black and silver fur covered arm slams its claws through her neck into the dirt.
We make eye contact.
“Nothing is going to save you,” Evander snaps. He lunges at me with such force he decapitates Abaddon, sending her head rolling across the ground.
He digs his claws into my left side, the impact shatters my lower ribs and the top of my hip. “I’m going to make you suffer for what you did,” he whispers to me, full of malice.
He bites down on my right shoulder. I scream out as I feel all of the bones in my shoulder crack, then shatter. I begin to kick and slash at him wildly, but nothing seems to be doing any damage.
How am I still not strong enough to fight him? What is going on?
Suddenly I see the red and black mist around me fade, as he rips a chunk out of my shoulder. Falling to my back the blazing fire in my wings is gone and fear grips me as I try to flee. I try to jump away, but I’m violently jolted back, as I’m seized by both of my wings.
A blinding, ripping pain radiates from my left shoulder as my wing is ripped from my back.
I try to scream out but it’s drowned by the blood in my throat.
I fall limp. As I’m dangling there he then racks his claws down my left arm, shredding the flesh to my bone and my body begins to convulse due to the pain.
He pulls me closer to him.
“You have failed to realize that Azrael’s flames combined with my divine energy, which I’ve been injecting into you, have freed the tortured souls that were giving you that power,” he mutters into my ear.
Then it clicks. That’s what the glow from his claws and fangs were. But it’s far too late.
Still holding me by my wing, Evander begins slamming me into the ground over and over again. Each time bones shatter and splinter, the pain is so intense I go into shock.
Just before I black out my wing snaps, sending me rolling across the ground.
Looking at the wing in his hand, he tosses it aside.
“No you don’t, I’m not done with you yet,” he shouts. Too broken to move, my vision begins to close in as he walks over to me. He grabs my hair hard, pulling my head up.
“Look at me,” he shouts. “I’m the last thing you’re going to ever see,” he snaps, his teeth clicking together. He digs his claws into my gut. I try to scream, but all that comes out is bloody coughs and wheezing.
I can feel his claws moving through my chest as my eyes close. He shakes my head. “LOOK AT ME!” he shouts again. Opening my eyes his claws find my heart and dig into it. It feels like lava begins to fill it.
The burning sensation spreads quickly through my entire being. I feel as if my soul is actually burning. A brilliant light radiates from my chest as the burning of my soul intensifies and I feel a vast nothingness grip me.
Then suddenly everything goes black as that emptiness devours my soul.