"Michael, you're late,"

Zion spoke as he gazed at the descending Archangel, Michael Demiurgos—the one who ended the war in Heaven. The one who carried the power of Yahweh Himself. The Guardian of Eden and the keeper of the Flaming Sword.

He was known by many names, but he was also the twin of Lucifer Morningstar.

The brightest of them all, he carried an aura like the first light piercing through darkness. His golden hair blazed like the sun, his divine armor shone brilliantly, and his white wings radiated purity. He was unblemished by the Abyss, his light driving away the shadows.

He landed before Zion, illuminating the area around them. Zion could see the countless corpses littering the ground. Bones crunched beneath his feet as Michael's cold eyes surveyed the carcasses surrounding them.

Hell was not his favored destination.

The Angel stood a head above Zion, forcing him to look up. Zion could finally see his face amidst the brilliance—a creature so perfect. Zion knew that angels didn't particularly like his kind. They don't like humans, but his they don't see eye to eye.

Zion's eyes drifted elsewhere, to the Flaming Sword.

A weapon of unlimited power, the First Flames of Heaven. A perfect blade with an unquenchable fire. In Hell, it would be the ultimate executioner. With that weapon in hand, he could accomplish anything. Even fighting Trigon would be an easy feat. He would finally achieve the level of Doom Slayer. All of Hell would fear him.

As he thought about all that he could do, he couldn't help but drool. He needed the blade. "Michael, can I—"

"No," Michael answered before he could even finish. His eyes filled with coldness.

Zion felt stumped, but he was greedy. "I haven't finishe—"

"I shall not hand you the sword," Michael elaborated, leaving no room for negotiation.

But Zion was not one to give up. "Can I at least borrow it? Only in Hell."

If it wasn't impossible to steal it from Michael, and if he were allowed in Heaven, he would have tried to steal it already. If he wanted it, he would have to wait for it to end up on Earth. It's a long way to go, and he wanted it now.

Zion licked his lips and averted his eyes from the tempting weapon.

"I shan't," Michael rejected again.

"C'mon, lend this little brother a hand. I need to fight Trigon, and you know how strong he is," Zion pleaded, making puppy eyes.

He wasn't planning on returning the blade either. Remember, he also had the Orange Light.

"I shall not hand you the blade, Soulbownd," Michael was serious, addressing him by the title. "Moreover, you already possess that cursed spear."

"Oh," Zion deflated like a balloon.

Michael was adamant about not giving him the blade. He couldn't do anything about it and would have to wait for it to fall.

Should he contact Constantine to get it for him? It might work, but he hated that guy. Constantine brought trouble wherever he went. Zion shook the thought out of his mind. He didn't want to deal with him; he might accidentally kill the guy because he annoyed him.

"You're still sour about it, huh!" Zion sighed and scratched his head in frustration.

Michael still looked at him coldly, and Zion decided not to push further. He would get the sword anyway. No shiny that he laid eyes upon would escape him. He would hoard it all.

"Humans and your greed," Michael commented.

He could clearly see what Zion was planning. Yet, he could not stop him nor intervene. He was bound by causality, bound by loyalty. It was the reason he despised the creature before him—one that was unbound by causality and laws. Someone similar to Lucifer.

"Well, thanks for the help, I guess," Zion extended a hand.

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Michael looked at his hand and turned away, opening his wings as he prepared to fly off. He turned his head slightly towards Zion. "Consider the debt paid, Soulbownd."

"Yeah," Zion answered. "Oh, tell Elaine I said 'hello.'"

Michael didn't answer and flew away. He vanished from Zion's sight instantly. Seeing that Michael was still grumpy, Zion just shrugged and turned to the Omnitrix. The beeping light showed that it had completed its scan.

Zion smiled and grazed his fingers on the faceplate. The core ejected. "Thanks for the form, Michael." Zion grinned as he slammed down on the Omnitrix.

A golden light instantly enveloped him. The light didn't stop with just covering him; it began to expand, filling the entire abyss. The sound of crunching carcasses and the divinity filled Hell.

Nytemayr, who had just had the shock of his life when he sensed Michael breaking his curse, felt the wave of divinity. His body felt as if it were dipped in hot water; his fur began to burn, and his eyes reddened.

He moved for the first time in millennia, his body expanding as he broke out of his castle. His bat-like wings stretched through the rubble, his form casting a shadow through the dust. His eyes locked onto the source of the divinity—the very abyss into which he had thrown so many souls.

"What is an angel doing here?" That question filled his mind.

Meanwhile, Michael, who was back in the Silver City, felt the change. His eyes turned toward Hell. He couldn't help but feel more annoyed. He turned to the tower, waiting for instructions. Yet the voice of God remained silent.

Michael closed his eyes and turned away from Hell.

The divinity began to condense, returning to its source. The light condensed, leaving behind Zion's new God form.

In his new form, he stood 8 feet tall with copper skin covered in golden runes. His bare upper body possessed an eight-pack, his physique like a Greek sculpture. His face was so perfect it would make any woman lust. His eyes blazed like the sun, and his hair flowed like tendrils of void. Finally, six golden wings extended from his back, spanning 2 meters.

His form resembled an Archangel, yet he held no divinity. He was filled with the power of faith—a force akin to pure will. Zion gazed at his hands, feeling the power flowing through his body. It was stronger than before, much stronger.

He reached his hand into the void, retrieving the Spear of Destiny. Destiny hummed with power as it sensed his overflowing energy. She could tell the transformation was nearing the power of a cosmic force; it had surpassed the power of Quintessence.

Zion turned his head to the fleeing demon. Nytemayr was intelligent enough to blitz after recognizing that his opponent was far too powerful.

A twisted grin surfaced on Zion's lips as his wings moved, instantly carrying him before the goat demon. He floated in the air, his six wings like a golden sun against the red sky. Nytemayr came to an immediate halt when he noticed the "Angel" appear before him.

"Nytemayr, running away is not good," Zion spoke, his voice booming so loudly it pushed Nytemayr back.

"What do you want?" Nytemayr asked, his voice trembling as he sought a way out of death.

"Open the gate of Hell for me," Zion instructed.

Nytemayr didn't hesitate and used his power to open the gates. Zion gazed through, seeing the multitudes of tormented souls, the circles and rings reaching into the unknown. The nine rings of Hell were visible to him.

He looked at Nytemayr and moved, crossing the gate.

Nytemayr sighed as he watched Zion disappear; he felt like he had just escaped death. He didn't wait and began to close the gate. He didn't want to see him again. He exhaled in relief as he watched the gate close.

"Hehe, you think I would forget," Zion's head popped out just as the gate was closing.

Nytemayr freaked out and stepped back in fear. Zion smiled mischievously and threw a Holy Grenade filled with white light and his will. Nytemayr's eyes widened as he saw the small grenade roll toward him. He freaked out and quickly opened his wings, flapping with all his strength.

The massive demon flew away from the small grenade with all his might.

Gaining some distance, he turned to see the gate close and the grenade explode. However, the explosion didn't contain anything holy, just party poppers and a banner that read, 'Got ya!'

Seeing this, Nytemayr felt utterly indignant, screaming at the top of his lungs. His rage-filled scream echoed through the forbidden zone. The demons and monsters near the abyss scattered as they felt the wrath of the Lord of the Forbidden Zone.

---

On the other side, Zion floated above the rings of Hell, gazing at those below his feet.

With his new transformation, his vision had gained a new dimension. He could see beyond reality and gaze at the unseen. He could see all of Hell and the gate to Trigon's realm. It was located at the Sixth Ring.

Normally, he would have to complete the trials and overcome temptations to traverse the rings. But if he were to do that, he would be spending too much time here. Crossing the circles would also involve dealing with the Demon Lords in charge of them, which entailed a lot of talking and fighting.

Then there was a shortcut...

Zion released Destiny from his hands. She began to expand, her size increasing a hundredfold. The black spear, the size of a heavenly pillar, loomed over the circles of Hell, aimed straight at Trigon's door.

"Knock, Knock, Mf."

The spear ignited with multicolored flames, and he brought it down with a force strong enough to destroy a planet. The flames pierced the rings like butter. Hell quaked as the spear tore through it and buried itself into the gate. Next moment the flames surged forth destroying the gates.

The flames continued untiled the flooded the realm, scorching all demons who came in contact with it. The spear with no obstacle to stop its momentum drive further, breaking through Trigons realm as it plunged further and further until it reached its core.

Zion floated through the fire, approaching the giant gate to Trigon's realm. A giant flaming head appeared with six red eyes glaring at him. The fear of billions of lives lay behind those eyes, enough to drive any mortal to madness.

"Trigon, I have come to bargain,"

Zion voice boomed across all Hell, a direct challenged to the evil god and all his minions.