Cleevus was sitting on the edge of the large bed in the lavish victorian-style room, pulling his top back on. Lilith was sitting with her back against the head of the bed with the covers pulled over her lap, reading a book and sipping a glass of red wine by the light of a lamp. She was in her nightgown, and he was only wearing his socks, compression shorts, and a tank-top. His pants and shirt were hung over the end of the bed. It was early in the night on Pride, the multicolored skies were growing dark outside the windows of the balcony doors.

“So he's out for the weekend, huh?” Cleevus asked as he adjusted his tank top.

Lilith looked up from her book at him.

“Yes… he's in a meeting with the other lords now regarding the Ceremony of the Eclipse,” she said. She gave him a teasing smile. “Nervous?” She asked.

Cleevus shrugged.

“Maybe a little bit. Just not sure I want to be burned alive… or sliced in half by him,” he said.

Lilith laughed softly, then put her book down, and crawled out of the covers over to him.

“You worry too much Cleevus…” She said, placing her hands on his shoulders.

She began to massage his back, kneading her thumbs into the muscles on his back and shoulders. He began to relax them in response to the sensation.

“That's it…” She said softly by his ear.

He loosened up his shoulders and let her continue massaging him.

“Besides… he's only here a few days of the week, and I don't think he would harm you anyways, given your valuable position,” she said.

“‘Expendable’ is the better way to put it,” Cleevus replied. “I just do Satan's dirty work for him. If I was slain tomorrow, he'd probably replace me in a few days.”

Lilith creased her eyebrows at him saying that.

“Then if you don't mind me asking, what's stopping you from leaving your service with him? Surely you must be good at something other than… killing other demons,” She said.

“I don't have a choice,” he replied.

He raised his left arm and showed her the scars of Wrath’s crest branded on his forearm.

“When I agreed to be his slayer, he gave me power to survive things a normal sinner wouldn't be able to, and be a more efficient killer. It came under the condition that I must remain his servant until I die.” He said.

Lilith stopped rubbing his shoulders and sat down on the edge of the bed beside him.

“I see…” She said.

“Even if I could, what else would I do? Work a 12-hour shift as a mechanic or plant worker just to barely scrape by?” He said.

“I take it Wrath isn't the nicest realm to live in?” She asked.

Cleevus shook his head.

“It's about the worst in all of Hell from my experience,” he replied. “Satan treats his people like they're just worthless peons, most of them are just trying to make enough to stay off the streets.”

Lilith put her hands in her lap and looked to the other side.

“I guess I wouldn't know,” she said. “I've lived with my husband almost all of my life, I've always had nearly anything I could want...”

Cleevus was looking at a framed portrait on the wall. It was a large painting of Lilith and Lucifer standing side-by-side, in front of a red silk curtain. Lucifer was in a 3-piece victorian-style suit with a silver sheen to it, Lilith was wearing a red and black dress with a floral pattern on it. Lucifer was holding onto his walking stick with one hand, Lilith was holding onto his other arm with both of her hands. She had an adoring smile on her face, Lucifer had an indifferent look on his.

“Lilith… can I ask you something?” Cleevus said.

Lilith looked back at him and smiled.

“Of course… anything,” she said.

He paused for a moment.

“Nevermind…” He said, slightly shaking his head.

She leaned towards him and placed her hand on his leg.

“No really, what is it?” She asked.

Cleevus paused again and looked back at her.

“If you and Lucifer aren't happy, why are you still together?” He asked.

Her smile faded and she looked away from him.

“Appearances… I suppose,” she replied. “The other high demons think that we're a perfect pair. And… I don't know what I'd do without him. There's no other high men in Hell who've ever caught my eye. Of course… most in Hell don't believe in love.”

Cleevus looked down.

“That makes sense…” He remarked.

The two sat in silence for a moment, then he remembered that Andras had told him something about going to an important ceremony that Satan was attending the next weekend as security.

“What's the ceremony you mentioned earlier about?” He asked.

She looked back at him.

“Oh yes… you said you've only been in Hell 14 years,” she said. “It marks the next 100 year anniversary of Hell being established by my husband. It takes place here on Pride, on the island of Hubris. The Lords of Hell and other high demons will be there, and Lucifer will mark the beginning of the next cycle in Hell's system with the Sword of Atrius...”

Cleevus creased his eyebrows.

“Sword of Atrius?” He asked.

“Atrius was my husband's greatest ally in his rebellion against God, but he was slain by the archangels,” she explained. “The power of him and his other brothers who rebelled and were slain are invested in his sword. During the ceremony; just before the time Pride's moon covers the sun, the sword is used to stab the heart of an interstellar leviathan, who's lifeforce energy is used to keep the passageway to Hell open for new sinners.”

Cleevus nodded, taking in what she said.

“Huh… I guess I never looked into those things…” He said.

He leaned over and pulled his phone out of his pants on the end of the bed and turned it on to check the time.

“I should probably get going,” he said.

“Oh… why don't you just stay for the night…” She cooed as she hung her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder.

He looked down at her hanging onto him.

“Well, I mean… my dog might be missing me…” He said.

“Well I'm sure your dog will be fine without you for just one night,” she said as she climbed back into the bed and lightly tugged on his hand, inviting him back in.

He sighed.

“I really should go Lilith…” He said.

She looked down with noticeable disappointment, and let go of his hand.

“Very well then… have a good night Cleevus,” she said.

She turned off the lamp, then pulled the covers over herself and laid on her side, facing away from him.

He sighed again and looked down at the floor. He looked back at Lilith. He then placed his phone on the end table of the bed, and climbed under the covers next to her. He put his arms around her, and she turned over and looked at him with surprise.

She stared at him with curiosity in her pale-green eyes, which had a way of showing themselves in the dark of the night. She then smiled seductively at him, and ran her fingers over one of his horns. She rested her head on his shoulder and placed one hand on his chest, then closed her eyes. She dozed off with a sleepy smile on her face, and his arm around her.

He looked out the doors to the balcony of the bedroom, at the many-colored sky. He thought he could see an orange comet passing through between the stars.

Cleevus was standing near a large dock on a large rocky island on the shimmering seas of Pride. It was later in the day, the sun was starting to cast orange light over the island. There were large yacht-like ferries bringing in and unloading finely-dressed sinners on the docks. They mainly consisted of men in tuxes and women in formal dresses. Many were giving him sidelong glances as they walked past.

He was wearing the black military-dress uniform that Andras had given him. It was much like the one Satan wore, with red shoulder boards, gold accents and Wrathian military insignia, however instead of boots he was wearing patent dress shoes, and no belt around the jacket. He was told to look presentable, so he was freshly-shaved and had combed his hair for the first time in a long time. He had his automag hidden beneath the jacket in a shoulder holster.

A group of 3 Wrathian military officers also in dress uniforms were standing nearby, speaking amongst themselves. He thought he could hear them mention him at times.

He waited a few more minutes, until a circle of orange flames began to lick the ground nearby. They grew into the air, forming a cylinder, much like the flame cyclones that his transit stone produced, but more chaotic. Most of the sinners walking nearby stopped to watch the spectacle. The cyclone grew until it was about 8 feet tall, then vanished. It revealed a towering figure with black smoke covering its body.

The smoke dissipated, and Satan was revealed underneath, in his humanoid form, wearing his uniform. Some of the sinners nearby gazed at him, looking intimidated. He briefly glanced at Cleevus.

“Cleevus,” Satan said, acknowledging him.

Cleevus gave him a nod.

“Sir,” he replied.

The group of military officers approached them and faced Satan. They all gave him salutes.

Satan looked at them and motioned with his head in the direction of the stone stairs leading up to the peak of the rocky island.

“Come along, all of you,” he said.

Cleevus and the military officers all followed Satan to the stairs and began to ascend them. There were tall torches with blue flames burning posted along the stairs to the top. The other sinners walking up the stairs were seeming to keep their distance from Satan in particular.

“At my side, Cleevus,” Satan commanded.

Cleevus speed-walked up to Satan’s side, then having to walk faster to keep up with the very tall man's strides.

“Did Andras tell you why I’m having you attend this?” Satan asked.

“He said I was going to be your security,” Cleevus replied.

“I don't need security,” Satan said with a cold expression. “You're here for something of great importance happening tonight, but I'll tell you about it later, somewhere more private…” He said in a hushed tone.

“Understood,” Cleevus said.

The 5 of them reached the top of the stairs, which led onto a large platform-type area built onto the top of the peak. The area was full of the finely-dressed sinners, there were white canopies set up with tables covered in white sheets, with drinks and gourmet food atop them. They were being attended to by imps in server uniforms. There were more of the blue torches burning around the area, a string quartet was playing music on a raised platform above the area full of the guests. There was life everywhere.

Satan turned and looked down at Cleevus.

“Don't wander far,” he said. “We’ll speak again in a little while.”

Cleevus nodded.

“Yes sir,” he said.

Satan walked off into the crowd of people, with the officers following him.

Cleevus looked around the area. He walked through the crowd, over to beneath one of the canopies that had a bar setup beneath it, mainly containing wines. The barkeep, an imp man, noticed him and walked over.

“May I get you something sir?” he asked.

“Yeah, I'll have a shot of scotch,” Cleevus said.

The barkeep turned away and pulled out a glass, then took out an expensive-looking bottle of scotch and poured him a shot, then pushed it forward towards him. Cleevus took it, raised it up, and gulped it down. He set the glass down, then took out his wallet.

The barkeep held up his hand.

“Oh no, it's free sir,” he said.

Cleevus paused, then shrugged and put his wallet away.

He turned and walked out of the bar area, and past a table with an assortment of food on trays on it. He picked up a piece of grilled and seasoned crustacean on a stick from one of the trays as he walked by. He then walked through more sinners and up some stairs to a higher-level in the area, which was more sparsely populated. He stopped and looked at an ice sculpture sitting on a table.

It was of Pride's crest, which consisted of a winged angel in a robe, holding a torch in one hand, and a longsword in the other. The angel was surrounded by a laurel wreath. He bit down on the piece of seafood, then pulled the stick out of it, and chewed on it while looking at the sculpture. After swallowing the food, he set the stick on a server's cart, and walked to a railing that looked out to the sea.

The sun was getting low on the horizon, its light reflected off the glimmering seas that stretched out for miles and miles. He leaned on the railing, taking it in.

After a few minutes, someone walked up and placed their hands on the railing about 2 meters away from him, looking out at the sea also. He paid them no mind at first, until they spoke.

“Beautiful, isn't it?” A more than familiar voice said.

Cleevus turned and saw it was Lilith standing by him at the railing. The light of the sun on the sea was lighting up her face and shimmering on her red hair. He looked down, and smiled slightly.

“I kinda figured I might see you here,” he said.

She nodded, and looked him over.

“I never thought I would see you dressed up like this,” She said. “I thought you said you weren't a soldier…”

“I'm not,” he replied. “But I'm considered to be part of the military, apparently. I was just told to wear this here, I guess my regular clothes wouldn't cut it.”

“That's alright, you look handsome in it,” she said, giving him an adoring smile.

“Hmph… thanks,” Cleevus said.

“So then, are you here to fight for everyone's entertainment tonight?” She asked while moving closer to him.

Cleevus shook his head and smiled at her.

“No… this time I am just security,” he said.

Lilith nodded.

“Well maybe that's not so bad,” she said.

“Yeah…” Cleevus replied.

A voice from behind them spoke.

“And who's this that my wife is fraternizing with?”

Lilith's smile faded and they both turned to see Lucifer walking up behind them.

He was wearing a silvery grey 3-piece suit, with gold cufflinks, and collar pin. He had a grey paisley tie on with a white shirt under the suit. His long, blonde hair was combed back, which had an almost unnatural luster to it. He had fair skin that was seemingly absent of imperfections, some light stubble on his face, and striking blue eyes. He wore several gold and silver rings on his hands, and black slip-on dress boots. He was holding onto his walking stick with one hand, and had the other in his pocket. He was a few inches taller than Cleevus.

Lilith gathered herself, then spoke.

“Yes… Lucifer this is Cleevus,” she said, walking beside Lucifer, and holding onto his free arm. “He's the Prince of Wrath's slayer,” she said, smiling at Cleevus.

Lucifer looked at him disinterestedly.

“Ah yes… the one from the tournament,” he said. He had somewhat of an English accent to his voice.

“It’s a… honor to meet you, sir,” Cleevus said uncertainly.

Lucifer continued to look at him distastefully.

“Hmm… so you are my hot-headed brother's finest servant are you?” Lucifer asked.

Cleevus paused, and briefly glanced at Satan, who he noticed standing among a group of sinners and his officers talking some distance away from them on the level.

“That's right,” he said.

Lucifer glanced at Lilith beside himself, then looked back at him.

“And my wife's newest plaything, it would seem…” He said.

Cleevus creased his eyebrows.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“Huh?” He said

Lilith spoke up.

“Ahem… darling, why don't we go greet our other guests?” She said, still smiling.

“Of course my dear,” Lucifer said passively.

The two both turned and walked in the opposite direction from him. Lilith glanced back at him while holding onto Lucifer as they walked away, leaving him alone by the railing.

He stood there for a few moments taking in what Lucifer had said, before one of Satan’s officers approached him.

“The Lord of Wrath requests your presence,” he said.

Cleevus nodded, and followed the officer back to the group Satan was with. He didn't recognize the 2 sinners Satan was standing with. Satan turned to him as he approached.

“There he is… Cleevus, this is Mammon, Lord of Greed, and Belphegor, Lord of Sloth,” Satan said, gesturing to the 2 sinners standing next to him, who both gave Cleevus nods respectively when Satan introduced them.

Mammon was wearing a long red velvet coat with a black fur collar, a red wide-brimmed fedora, a black shirt with a gold pattern on it under the coat, black slacks, and dress shoes with gold metal toes on them. He had several jeweled rings on his fingers, and was holding a lit cigar in one hand, and a walking stick with a gold skull as the head in the other. He had black medium-length hair, finely trimmed stubble on his face, and slightly gold skin.

Belphegor was more simply dressed; he was wearing a dark-blue suit with silver buttons and a white shirt. He had medium-length grayish hair that was somewhat curly, and paler skin. He was fairly fat, and didn't look like he put a lot of effort into his appearance. He had a somewhat groggy look on his face, and was holding a cocktail in one hand.

“So you're one of the badasses who helped to get my power station back from those repenter fucks,” Mammon said, stepping forward and offering his hand for Cleevus to shake.

Cleevus shook it firmly.

“I appreciate that…” Mammon said, smiling and showing his gold-capped teeth.

“Sure thing,” Cleevus said, nodding.

“Now, if we could get back to business brother…” Belphegor said.

“We will in a moment,” Satan replied. “First I must speak to my slayer in private, if you'll excuse me for a short while.”

The two other princes nodded, and Satan turned and began walking in the direction of some stairs to a higher level.

“Follow me Cleevus,” he said.

Cleevus followed Satan through the party venue, and then up the stairs onto a higher platform. This one was on the highest peak of the island, and appeared to be a ceremony-type area, filled with about a hundred fine wood cushioned chairs in rows facing a higher stone platform that appeared to be a stage, with 2 rows of 7 chairs on top of it, along with a fire pit in the center of the stage. Cleevus noticed a circle of symbols etched into the floor in the center of the area, which appeared to be the 7 seals of the Realms of Hell.

He followed Satan past the rows of chairs and down more stairs out of the area, then down several more flights of stairs, out to a walkway leading to a smaller platform on an isolated peak outside the rest of the island. It was in the shadow of the rest of the island, as the sun was low on the horizon on the other side. They walked over the walkway to the peak, and onto the platform, which had several stone benches on it, and tower-viewers near the railings. Satan strolled over to the railing, and looked out at the sea, with his hands behind his back. He was silent for a moment before speaking.

“I remember when we first arrived on this island when we were exiled to Hell, 5 thousand years ago,” he said. “Little has changed since then…”

Cleevus just stood silently nearby, as Satan stared out at the sea.

“I'm going to vanquish Lucifer tonight,” Satan stated blatantly. “I've brought you here to assist in the fight that will take place after I do so. The sword of Atrius is the last artifact I need possession of to secure my revolt, it's far too dangerous to leave in the hands of an enemy. It will be brought out during the ceremony, and we will take it after I dispatch Lucifer. Abbadon and his soldiers, along with my praetorians, will join us to handle Lucifer's guards and those loyal to him.”

Satan turned around and looked at Cleevus. His red eyes faintly glowed faintly as they stared into Cleevus's soul.

“When you were brought before me 14 years ago, I saw something in you I knew all too well… vengeance,” Satan said.

Cleevus just looked back up at him with a neutral expression.

“You'll have your vengeance Cleevus, we both will,” Satan continued. “The strong will rule these worlds, not these… pompous aristocrats,” he said, looking back in the direction of the venue, then back at Cleevus. “And not the self-righteous cunts in heaven either, we will. This will be a bloody war, and it will be worth the struggle. But you must follow me without question, my every command… Am I understood?”

Cleevus nodded.

“Yes sir,” he said.

Satan paused for a moment, then nodded.

“Good… go on then, the ceremony will begin soon,” he said.

Cleevus turned to walk away.

“One last thing,” Satan said behind him.

Cleevus turned back around.

“After I've ended Lucifer, and we have possession of the sword, kill his wife Lilith,” Satan said.

Cleevus was immediately taken aback by the command.

“She'll be seated among the other princes during the ceremony,” Satan continued. “Beelzebub is the other target, however he will probably prove more difficult to vanquish. He's the freak in the green suit. They would both be prime candidates to lead those who're still loyal to Lucifer after his fall; I can't risk letting either survive, if I can help it.”

Cleevus paused, trying to form words.

“You… want me to kill his wife?” He asked.

Satan raised his eyebrows slightly and stared at him even more intensely.

“Is that a problem?” He questioned.

Cleevus looked down.

“No sir…” He said.

“Good… go,” Satan said, looking back in the direction of the venue.

Cleevus turned and walked away.

Cleevus walked up to a table beneath a canopy that had rows of drinks placed on it. He placed both of his hands on the table and leaned on it while staring down. He squeezed his hands in and cracked his knuckles. He looked over the drinks, as a server was cleaning glasses behind the table.

“What's the strongest stuff you have here?” He asked the server.

The server looked up at him.

“Well… there's the nigrum mortem right here sir,” the server said, pointing to a section of shot glasses filled with blackish liquid.

Cleevus picked up 2 of the glasses, then raised one up and gulped it down, then the other. The server stared at him with some surprise as he picked up a 3rd shot of the black liquor and gulped it down. A sinner walked up to the table nearby him and looked at him for a few seconds.

“Trying to get something off your mind, soldier?” The sinner asked.

Cleevus turned and looked at the sinner who had spoken to him. He was a lighter-built sinner wearing a blue satin suit, with a white shirt underneath that had the top 3 buttons undone, exposing his upper chest. He wore gold cufflinks, and brown loafers on his feet. He had long light-brown hair that was combed-back, and was clean shaven. He had a youthful looking face with fair skin and icy-blue eyes. He was relatively short compared to Cleevus, and was smirking at him.

“It can only be a woman,” the sinner said with a chuckle.

Cleevus narrowed his eyes at him.

“What's it to you?” He asked.

“Nothing… nothing,” the sinner said, still smirking.

Cleevus looked away from him.

“I recognize you from somewhere,” the sinner said.

Cleevus looked back at him, becoming somewhat irritated.

“That's right… you were in the Wrath Gladiator Tournament. That was quite a show,” the sinner said, nodding. “Would you be interested in running security for my club? I could use some hard-asses like you to keep the patrons under control when they get… wild.”

“Not really,” Cleevus said.

The sinner shrugged.

“Then maybe you'd be interested in visiting as a customer,” he said, holding out a business card.

Cleevus took it and looked it over. It had a picture of what looked to be the inside of a high-end strip club of some kind. The business name on it was ‘Pleasure Palatium’, in cursive letters. It had an address to a city on Lust.

“We employ all kinds of talented workers,” the sinner continued. “Even the extra young ones, if that's what you're into…”

Cleevus grabbed him by his collar and lifted him into the air, making the sinner drop his cocktail, the glass shattering on the ground.

The other sinners and servers standing nearby all turned and looked at the spectacle, some of them gasping in shock.

Cleevus held the sinner in the air, scowling at him with venom in his eyes. The sinner was looking back at him in wonder, but was still smiling humorously.

“Cleevus!” A powerful voice yelled nearby.

Cleevus turned his head and saw Satan approaching to his side. He had a stern look on his face.

“Release him,” Satan commanded.

Cleevus looked back at the sinner he was holding in the air, who now had a self-satisfied smirk on his face.

He lowered the sinner to the ground and let go of him. The sinner fixed his collar while still smiling up at him.

“Well… the offer still remains,” the sinner said.

Cleevus stared at him with spite.

Satan turned and walked in the direction of the stairs to the ceremony area.

“Come Cleevus,” he said.

Cleevus turned and walked to Satan's side as they both headed in the direction of the stairs, along with the other sinners who were beginning to move in that direction.

“Who was that sir?” Cleevus asked.

“That was Azmodeus, the Prince of Lust,” Satan replied.

Cleevus looked to the side.

“I wasn't aware of that…” He said.

Satan breathed out deeply.

“Just try to stay in line for now,” he said as they began up the stairs to the higher level. “You’ll get your fill of that soon enough.”

They both walked into the ceremony area, and past the rows of chairs, which were now being filled in by the sinner attendees. They walked up the stairs to the elevated stage platform. After they ascended them, Satan turned to Cleevus.

“Stay here, and be prepared,” Satan said.

Cleevus nodded, and stayed put.

Satan turned and walked to the center of the stage where the 2 rows of chairs were set up. He sat down on the 3rd chair from the left, next to Mammon and Belphegor, who were both seated on the 1st and 2nd from the left. He began talking with them in a low voice. The row of chairs behind them had some of those in Lucifer's circle seated in them, some of whom Cleevus recognized from the tournament.

He stood in place by the stairs for a few minutes, before Azmodeus in the blue suit approached and walked up them. He gave Cleevus a little smirk as he walked past, which he ignored. Azmodeus walked to the row of chairs and sat down on the one farthest to the right, leaning back and crossing his legs.

By now the attendees had filled in the rows almost completely, and most were chatting with each other.

After another few minutes, the string quartet quit playing, and all of the sinners seated in the chairs stood up, along with Satan and the other 3 princes seated on the stage.

Cleevus saw Lucifer and Lilith walking toward the stage side-by-side on the far side of the area from him, followed by someone else in a green suit. The crowd remained silent as they walked up onto the stage level, and over to the seating for the princes. Lucifer handed his walking stick to Lilith, and she walked and stood in front of the 3rd chair from the right. The sinner in the green suit stood in front of the 2nd chair to the right between Azmodeus and Lilith.

Lucifer walked and stood near the edge of the stage in front of the fire pit, the other princes and the attendees all sat down simultaneously when he did so.

Cleevus squinted at the sinner in the green suit.

He was a lanky man wearing a dark-green suit, and was sitting hunched over awkwardly, with his arms tucked in and his hands idle, almost like a praying mantis. He had somewhat messy black hair, was roughly-shaven, and had yellowish skin. Cleevus assumed he was Beelzebub.

“People of Hell, friends and allies in our cause, welcome to Pride's 50th Eclipse ceremony,” Lucifer said in an elevated voice. “Today we celebrate the 5th millennial anniversary of the creation of our societies. We may hold differences in our reasons for having been sent here, but we retain one commonality… our exile. We were all cast out from the place of our creator, to what were once planets of barren wastelands and untamed wilderness, discarded by their creator, and we have thrived. We have proven to them that our resolve is greater than the lengths they were willing to go to; to shame and oust us. Let them remain in their world of so-called purity. We shall continue to stride towards greater civilization in these places we now call our home…”

As Lucifer continued speaking, Cleevus glanced at Lilith sitting among the princes for a few seconds. She noticed him, made eye contact, and gave him a little smile. He quickly looked away.

“As is tradition, the heart of the leviathan will be eviscerated just before the passing of the eclipse. Now… let the ceremony commence,” Lucifer said.

Lucifer turned around, and looked down at the large pentagram etched into the stone behind him. He waved his hand over it, and blue flames began to grow around the circumference of the symbol.

They burned for a little while, then an object began to materialize in the center of them. It materialized in the same way that Lilith had made the med kit appear in her hands at the tournament, the particles forming out of the air, into a solid object. They formed into a massive cardiac organ, about 3 times the size of a whale heart. It was blackish in color and glowing with neon blue light inside of it. It was throbbing at a slow pace, making a deep beating noise. The crowd stared at it in awe.

Lucifer turned back around and walked to the small brick fire pit at the front of the stage. He waved his hand over it, and an intense blue fire ignited inside. He then held his hand over the flames as if to grab something, and they spiraled up, engulfulfing his hand. Cleevus could see a long, slender object appearing inside the spiral of flames. The flames died down, and revealed that Lucifer was now holding a gleaming silver longsword, much like the one he had seen hanging at Eren's side.

Lucifer took the sword and walked back over to the throbbing leviathan heart, and stood over it. He then looked up at the sun, which was fairly low on the horizon.

Pride’s red moon was only a short distance to the right of the Sun, and closing in.

Lucifer gripped the sword with both hands, and held it over the massive heart, with the blade pointed down at it. He plunged the sword into the heart, then pulled it out. As soon as he did so, a bright flash of light filled the ceremony area.

Cleevus raised his arm in front of his face to shield himself. The light gradually dimmed, and he moved his arm away to look at the spectacle.

A beam of charged blue-white light was shooting out of the opening in the heart up into the sky, and emitting a hissing sound. It lengthened up, and narrowed out until it was no longer visible.

After a little while, the beam began to weaken and dim. It dissipated, and the heart in the pentagram was no longer glowing or beating, it was reduced to a black, hollow shell, which crumbled to ashes in a matter of seconds.

The entire crowd stared up at the sky as they saw 7 white lines in series coming from the point in the sky that the beam from the heart had just reached to. One of them came straight down to Pride's sky above the island, and revealed that it was a cylindrical column of sorts, composed of misty, glowing, transparent white material. It faded from visibility after a few moments, along with the other 6 in the sky leading to the other realms of Hell.

The crowd and those on the stage were still staring at the sky in awe of what they had just seen, when there was the sound of a portal opening nearby.

Cleevus looked in the direction of the noise, and saw a wide black portal opening on the opposite side of the ceremony area from him, behind the attendees.

Abbadon stepped out of it, in his usual trench coat and military gear getup, holding what looked to be an ectoplasm-firing AK-47 with glowing cartridges in the mag. About 10 more of Abbadon's men stepped out following him, all holding more ectoplasm rifles.

Just as the portal behind Abbadon and the 10 soldiers vanished, another opened on the side Cleevus was on down the stairs, and 10 more mercenaries came out.

The attendees were looking from side to side at the soldiers and speaking amongst each other, seemingly confused.

Lucifer creased his brow and looked back and forth at the two groups of soldiers while still holding the sword, standing at the edge of the stage.

“What’s the meaning of- agh!”

Lucifer was cut off when a fiery orange blade pierced through his chest. He cringed in shock and pain, and dropped the sword in his hand, it clattering down on the ground below the stage. He looked down at the blade stuck through his chest.

A shadow fell over the island as the moon covered the sun. It covered the ceremony area, leaving everyone staring at Satan and Lucifer in the shade of the moon, as Satan held his sword impaled in the King of Hell's chest.

Satan grabbed Lucifer's shoulder and pulled him in, shanking the full length of the blade through him.

Lucifer gasped, and stood there with his mouth hung open as Satan leaned in beside him.

“Sorry brother.”

Despite his normal tone of voice, everyone in the crowd heard the words Satan said into Lucifer's ear.

Satan released Lucifer and pulled his sword out of his chest. Lucifer fell forward and off the stage, onto the ground below beside the sword of Atrius. Many in the crowd finally gasped in shock.

Lucifer lied face-down, with his arms out, and his mouth open. The area on his back where the sword had pierced through was smoking. There were black veins climbing up his face, and his once striking blue eyes were now pale gray, and lifeless.

“You… bastard!!!”

Lilith stood up and pulled apart Lucifer's walking stick, tossing the staff aside, and revealing the blade inside it. In an instant, a pair of black feathered angel wings appeared on her back, and she charged forward at Satan, with venom in her eyes.

Satan stepped forward and slashed his sword at her at an angle, which she dodged by moving to the side with impressive speed. She tried to lunge and stab him with Lucifer's sword, however he hit her with his free arm before she could do so, tossing her onto the ground about 10 meters away, and making her drop the sword.

The crowd was beginning to erupt into chaos, and 10 tall figures had appeared from whirlwinds of white smoke around the bounds of the stage. They were wearing armor similar to Satan's praetorians, except it was silver with etchings on it, had bright red capes, and open-faced helmets. They were holding spears with long silver blades.

Mammon, Belphegor, and Azmodeus all stood up, and escaped in whirlwinds of smoke at relatively the same time. Beelzebub stood up and looked around, seemingly assessing the situation.

Lucifer's Praetorians all pointed their spears at Satan, who transformed into his demonic form in a matter of seconds, towering over all the praetorians. The blade of his sword grew much larger, and a smoky aura hung over his black body.

A circle of ten of Satan’s own praetorians appeared around him from cyclones of black smoke, forming a perimeter around him. They went into a fighting stance as Lucifer's praetorians approached them.

Satan turned to Cleevus, the red light in his empty sockets burning bright.

“Get the sword Cleevus!” he said in a now deep and distorted voice, the words not coming out of any visible mouth on his face.

Lilith turned her head and looked at Cleevus while on the ground nearby. She glared at him with a mixture of shock and disgust.

He could only briefly look at her with some remorse before turning and running off the stage.

He jumped down onto the ground-level, as the mercs were running up onto the stage, guns in hand. He shoved a few sinners out of the way who were scrambling to escape. When he was close to Lucifer’s body, and the sword next to it, one of the sinners in Lucifer's circle who had been seated on the stage ran up, grabbed the sword, and into the escaping crowd.

He shoved through the horde of panicked sinners, pushing them out of the way, trying to stay on the tail of the sinner who had the sword. He heard the mercs firing their ectoplasm rifles behind him, and the sound of blades clashing.

The sinner ran down the stairs into the venue area. As Cleevus was about to follow after him, a winged sinner dropped down in front of the stairs, blocking his path.

It was Beelzebub, he now had 2 pairs of wings on his back like those of a dragonfly. He stood facing him in a wide stance, as if he wanted to fight. Cleevus drew his automag from inside his jacket.

Beelzebub's head started twitching violently, and his entire body began having spasms. His limbs began to rapidly extend out several feet, and a 2nd pair of insectoid legs sprouted from his abdomen. He transformed into a giant insect covered in a thick exoskeleton, 2 pairs of long legs and 2 pairs of wings, and long arms with organic blades grown onto the exoskeleton on his forearms. He had glowing yellow eyes, serrated mandibles, and long antennae on his head. He gnashed his mandibles and stared down at Cleevus as he took several menacing steps towards him.

“Going somewhere little one?” Beelzebub said in a hoarse voice.

Cleevus retreated several steps back while holding the automag aimed at Beelzebub's head. He fired 2 rounds at the giant insect's head, however they didn't seem to damage his exoskeleton.

“Cleevus!”

Cleevus turned his head in the direction of the person who shouted his name, and saw Abaddon standing about 10 meters away. He was holding his ectoplasm AK in one hand, and another ectoplasm assault rifle in the other. He tossed it through the air to Cleevus, and he caught it. It was an ectoplasm rifle similar to a Sig 556, which had a drum mag and a holographic sight on it. Abaddon turned and ran in the direction of the stage.

Cleevus holstered his automag and aimed the gun at Beelzebub, who then charged at him. He fired a burst of 5 shots at Beelzebub before rolling forward underneath him to dodge the blade on one of his arms as he slashed at him. The razor-sharp organic blade scratched across the pavement, leaving a long mark.

He pointed the gun up and fired shots into Beelzebub's thorax. The giant insect stabbed at him with its arms beneath it, one of the blades grazed his shoulder, tearing the sleeve of the uniform and leaving a burning cut. He rolled out from between Beelzebub's legs up onto a knee and fired another burst up at his head. The ectoplasm shots were melting through the exoskeleton. Beelzebub kicked him with one of his legs, tossing him back into the rows of chairs behind him, which he plowed through. He groaned and got up as Beelzebub charged at him again. He raised the gun and sprayed the giant insect with a storm of white ectoplasm. He held the trigger as he felt the gun heating up in his hands, and the barrel started to glow orange. After about the 15th shot, the gun exploded in his hands.

He dropped the gun, the upper half of the action was now melted through.

When Beelzebub was close, Cleevus picked up a chair and blocked his attacks with it, the blades cutting into the chair legs. He raised it up and hit Beelzebub’s head with it, holding it by the backrest. The giant insect snarled in frustration, the ectoplasm shots had melted singed holes all over his exoskeleton.

Beelzebub thrusted one of his blades at him, the blade stabbed through the seat of the chair and came inches away from his face. He let go of the chair and Beelzebub pulled his arm back with the chair impaled on the blade. He shook the destroyed chair off the blade on his arm and prepared to attack again as Cleevus drew his automag.

At that moment, more ectoplasm shots hit Beelzebub’s side, and he turned and looked at their origin. Abaddon and several of his soldiers were advancing toward Beelzebub with their guns raised, and firing at him.

“Go get the sword!” Abaddon said while firing at Beelzebub.

The giant insect turned and crawled in their direction. Cleevus looked back at the stairway to the lower level, then ran towards it, with his automag in hand.

There were still a handful of sinners in the venue areas funneling into the stairways leading out. He ran through the upper venue area, down the stairs to the lower area that he had first been in. He stopped halfway down the stairs, and scanned over the sinners shoving through each other to escape. He saw the sinner in the white suit holding the sword run up an isolated stairway out of the area. He sprinted after him.

The stairway led up to a more private venue section. There was a large black portal opened on top of a round stone pedestal near the center of the area. Several sinners ran into it and escaped. Cleevus stopped at the top of the stairs, raised his automag and fired several shots at the sinner with the sword when he was just a few meters from the portal. The sinner toppled to the ground.

Cleevus jogged over to the sinner, who was slowly crawling toward the portal, still holding the sword in one hand. There were 3 bullet holes in his back, with streaks of red coming down from them. The sinner reached his hand towards the portal, and Cleevus put his foot down on the sinner's arm that was gripping the sword.

The portal closed. The sinner groaned, then laid flat on the ground, and stopped moving. Cleevus bent over and picked the sword up off the ground.

He looked it over, there were etchings running up the long silver blade, it had a crossguard, leather-wrapped handle, and a round pommel.

He pulled out his transit stone.

“Take this to the Prince of Wrath,” he commanded.

He held out the sword in front of him, and it was enveloped in blue flames. It disappeared.

He was about to holster his automag when he heard the sound of wings flapping behind him.

He turned around and came face to face with Lilith as she touched down on the ground about 10 meters behind him, with her black wings spread out wide. He leveled his automag with her head.

She stared back at him with shock, as he stood there holding the gun pointed at her face. He looked at her with a vacant expression.

“Sorry Lilith,” he said. “I'm just following orders…”