Adele turned in confusion as Fulgencio screamed for Aleister to construct a demonic binding. She’d just started the ritual; now was the time for them to kneel to meet Twilight’s holiest apostle—Ravilla would greet them shortly.

Her stomach swirled with apprehension and anticipation as the pools of blood lurched over the edges of their pits, sweeping the sacrificed men and women’s corpses into the swirling mass; their contribution was worth it to save countless lives, including her own daughter.

It’s finally time.

The powerful cuneal writing that symbolized Revilla flared to life, the blood writhing as if something burned underneath, and a stitch broke into her side; she recalled the horrific nightmares that were worse than anything she could ever imagine.

Please, understand, Scarlet… I know this is wrong, but this is our only…

Adele’s legs locked up as a foreboding pulse shook her to the core, a shiver running through her spine; vision snapping back to Rachel and her daughter, she couldn’t breathe—the binding circles Aleister created shattered—crimson lightning and black flames erupted from the Lunar Hare’s body.

No… this… I didn’t see this?

Catching herself, her lips parted in disbelief as dark energy leaked out of Rachel to condense into an alluring devil, only for something that only brought terror to take its place; this wasn’t Revilla—this wasn’t their holy avenger—this was something evil.

Aleister cursed, and Fulgencio screamed for him to lock Rachel down, but the occultists’ arms were now engulfed in Hellfire, leaving her in utter shock.

“No,” Adele whispered. “No, I didn’t—I didn’t see this?”

Numb to what was happening before her and beginning to tremble, the devilish woman released a soft hum that temporarily muted all noise and drew all attention. All that filled Adele was dread as her raven-black wings extended to their full length, fingers sliding across her neck to sweep back her silver locks, and flaming eyes opened to reveal Hell.

How… It’s impossible for this thing to be here?

Rachel’s voice was thorns, taking the air from her lungs. “May I introduce the fallen Japanese Deity of life and death, now a Lord in Hell, Lady Izanami.”

The walls fractured, a horrific vision of numberless titanic fiends spread across a hellscape so vast it felt like she was reliving her night terrors, yet the mind-chilling screams that followed sent her stumbling to the ground.

She blinked, staring at her quaking fingers as the stone beneath Ravilla’s lettering broke away, boiling with unholy magma. No, it’s… it’s not right… This isn’t right…

Fighting past the dismay and trepidation twisting her gut, Adele stumbled back to her feet, reality setting in as she frantically scanned the evolving nightmare; it had to be a nightmare. She’d seen beings like Izanami, but that was only in her sleep.

She stopped upon seeing the Hell Lord suddenly at the Soul Stone, and tears welled up in her eyes; she needed help. “This isn’t—this isn’t how it’s supposed to be! No, stop—”

“Lifen!” Aleister shrieked, the Húli Jīng still collecting herself from the infernal drums beating against their breasts. “Cut my arms off—spirit and all, rrgrah—now!”

The woman’s jaw tightened, blue fire lighting down her tail’s length as she flipped to the side, whipping the inferno the five meters between them, eating through both his outstretched biceps to amputate the corrupting force moving down its length.

“What is happening, Adele?!” she screamed, fur bristling as she looked at the hellscape.

Adele had lost her voice, though, mind reeling from the madness creeping into the space as the voices of Hell dug into her mind—her husband’s—a dagger digging into her heaving breast.

“You failed, Adele… You couldn’t make the sacrifice…”

“No! No, I didn’t!”

“Adele!”

“I did everything! Everything…”

“I died for nothing… Scarlet will die for nothing. You are weak…”

“Ack…” She winced as something hot seared into her shoulder, burning away her shirt and right bra strap; Aleister’s sweating, panting frame came into focus through her tear-stained eyes.

Her trembling fingers closed around the occult symbol the man had somehow branded into her flesh, her vision wild; Adele didn’t know how long she’d been trapped in her own mind, but everything had changed.

Aleister’s ceremonial robe had been burned off, showing his ripped pants underneath; the man’s arms were now charred stumps and grotesque appendages sprouting out of his shoulder blades to act as replacements, most of his tattooed skin lit to counter the baleful energies somehow leaking through the wards.

Vision shaking, Adele looked through the pyramid barrier the man had crafted around them only to see devils and demons—Rachel, her daughter’s friend, was a devil—she’d brought devils inside of her.

Fulgencio fumbled with the stone in his pocket to transport himself to Aleister as Rachel sent her demons loose, Relica doing her best to keep the strategist alive and engage Rachel.

“This isn’t happening—Aleister, we have to stop—”

His misshapen hand struck her face, forcing her to the ground and stunning her.

“Bloody Hell, Woman! Do you not see what’s happening around you!”

Face stinging and cheeks wet, Adele’s body locked up as the rip in space Fulgencio used closed, the man collapsing to the ground; his left forearm to fingers gone, Hellfire slowly licking up its length to char his spirit and flesh.

“A-Aleister… Aaghhgh!”

“Dammit to Hell!”

Aleister’s two abnormal hands reached around his back, blood leaking from his eyes for yellow lightning to arc between the misshapen appendages. He brought his knees down on the man’s chest, pinning his writhing figure with a bust of strength before bringing the sparking energy to the strategist’s upper arm, blowing it off and sending the corrupted limb out of his shell.

“The bloody mess this is turning out to be, Love—ha! Stop that thing?! Ya obviously don’t know the damn lick Hell what you’re talkin’ about if you think I can do shit to that god she-devil, ya mad woman! Shit! Hold still, boy—I’ll take the pain away!”

One of the occultist’s left claws swiftly carved a pattern in the convulsing Legend’s chest, tearing away what remained on his suit shirt, and slowly he calmed down.

Adele flinched as a demonic black blob smashed against the barrier to her right, savage mouth open to spit electrified flames across its length, three more attacking each side; they were surrounded.

“Aleister,” she swallowed, taking a few deep breaths to calm herself before looking up at the Hell Lord studying and caressing the Soul Stone at various angles, cyclones of blood merging above her as the artifact shimmered with Ravilla’s symbols, sending a beam into the maelstrom of guts, bone, and blood. “No, hehe, it’s too late… It’s started!”

Fulgencio coughed, throwing up to the side as he gripped his smoking stump, tears in his eyes. “What—no, this… this wasn’t what you said would happen, Adele… It’s not what you showed us.”

“He’s right, but we can’t be worrying about that right now, Lad,” Aleister growled, spitting out blood to the side as his nose twitched, and Adele followed his bloodshot eyes to the fight happening outside. “If Ravilla comes or not—I don’t care much if I’m already dead, but so long as the ritual is in progress, we can’t leave.”

“She’ll save us,” Adele whispered, cupping her inflamed cheek as she tried to follow the frenzied conflict outside. “She’ll stop this insanity—Revilla will make Scarlet understand me—she’ll know I’m doing this for her—for everyone!”

“We gotta survive first, Love,” Aleister growled, glaring at the demonic blobs assaulting his field, and Adele noticed the blood leaking from the pyramid tattoo on his forehead, running between his eyes. “All I can do at this point is maintain this barrier… Ravilla better come soon.”

“She’ll come… I believe in her!” Adele cried, hugging herself and looking up at the army of ungodly fiends practically blotting out the burning heavens, the only gap showing a hellish moon. “She has to come…”

* * *

Waiting for a moment just like this, Rachel chuckled, launching forward as a single obsidian down-curved horn grew from the left side of her skull—Devil’s Heart State activated—her Seed drinking in the Hell Moon.

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It continued to grow the longer she was exposed to the Hell Moon, curling to frame her face while acting as a hairband of sorts while guarding the side of her skull, and Rachel’s eclipse irises crossed into a star, surrounded by black clover leaves.

Luminous white skin tinting light purplish-red, crimson arcs and a cloak of Hellfire embraced her; the devilish script on her arms and tattoos from her black, devil-hide outfit shimmered a deep ruby hue along her lace-exposed back.

Air currents rushing past her folded black-furred ears, braided hair swaying with her instant acceleration, Nia woke; Rachel had been saving everything for a moment like this.

“Mmgm… Woah, Rachel, I feel really… good? That was such a good nap! Where’s Big Sis?”

She’s fighting, too. Want to join?

“Mhm! I wanna play, too!”

Activating the Rabbit Gang as she sprinted, time drawing to a crawl while Fulgencio tried to escape through his crack in space; Rachel reached the man in a split second, left fist aimed to connect with his skull.

Relica’s shadow met her there, panic in her gaze as she threw his trajectory off in an attempt to save him.

Grin splitting Rachel’s lips as her punch missed—she’d figured as much—instantly pivoting, her hips and momentum twisted her into a half-barrel roll, Hellfire encased leg meeting the strategist’s hand; it vaporized it on contact and scarred his soul before meeting the shade’s chest.

Landing and using her new Lunar Hell Slide Skill—evolved from Lunar Hell Step—to reposition while in motion, Rachel shot into the sky as a wave of soul-flaying blue flames tried to swallow her.

Order the Gang to not harm Scarlet’s mom. You’ve got the fox girl, Nia; Relica is for Scarlet and me!

“Roger! Fox coat coming up, Lunar Eclipse!” Nia internally saluted, unholy fires branching off as Rachel landed on the rippling blood barrier separating them from the Seventh Circle of Hell.

Nia’s infernal Alice in Wonderland appearance and darkened fur took shape to launch at the retreating fox woman, attempting to make it to Aleister’s barrier to stop the Rabbit Gang’s assault.

The Living Denier Hell Rabbit wasn’t about to let that happen, allowing Rachel to focus entirely on something that should have been done a long time ago.

Events moved at a crawl against the ceiling from Rachel’s hyper-accelerated mind, her wide, illuminated crimson irises fixated on Relica, still trying to get a grasp on the situation.

Scarlet appeared beside Rachel from a veil of shadows, cold determination in her vampiric eyes, now realizing their target. Fingers tightened against the shaft of her scythe, no words passed between them as darkness retook her, and Rachel blurred, launching at the Sorceress.

Relica bit her lower lip as the bloody scythe emerging from shadows at her back to slide through the tight, lilac barrier protecting her; angled in an upward arc between the woman’s legs, it cut a clean line through her black skirt, passing into her dress shirt, between her breasts, neck, eyes, and out through the top of her head.

Landing like a meteor at the Sorceress’ back and gliding across the molten, magic-infused ground, Rachel’s calf cut Relica in half, Hellfire burning the woman’s severed outfit to nothing before it could touch the ground.

They passed right through Relica as if she weren’t even there, yet with her new eyes, Rachel could see many of the woman’s spiritual proxy-lives die; she’d tried to make herself immortal by linking and consuming spirits.

Spinning around and creating a platform to stop herself, Rachel smirked at the look of disbelief on Relica’s face at the unrestrained assault. Scarlet was already twisting her scythe around to twirl to the side, black hair whipping with the motion while ripping through her waist two times.

“Enough!” Relica screamed, naked skin brightening with amethyst-colored symbols to release a pulse of energy.

Scarlet hopped back, blood spreading out to defend her as Rachel dashed forward to meet it, cloak and momentum breaking through, yet the woman hazed, glowing knife in hand while appearing behind Rachel.

“Rachel!” Her enhanced blade ripped through the black flames, Rachel swapping places with the Hell Energy she projected behind the woman. “You—”

Just before her fingers closed around the Sorceress’ neck, a purple force field enclosed Relica’s bare skin, but Rachel didn’t care.

Throwing the woman on the ground, she mounted Relica, pinning the Sorceress’ arms to her sides with her thighs to pound her skull; she struggled, her shell taking on a more solid form with every strike, cracks running down its length.

“R-Rachel—please, stop… This isn’t supposed to happen!” she cried. “Stop!”

Rachel’s smile fell as a wave of energy shot around them, four spirits leaving the host imprisoned inside the woman to take the shape of alien creatures—malformed Champion Demi, no doubt—human souls twisted into mindless brutes.

Steam hissed off of the red-skinned one as it launched for her at surprising speed, tackling her off the Sorceress; Scarlet exited the shadows and her blood to wrap around two, drawing them together as she latched onto the back of one and bit into its muscular neck.

Unfortunately for Relica and her spawn, Scarlet and her new sister were not the same girls back in Miami Beach.

Rachel toppled across the flaming ground to land on top of the beast, Hellfire cloak already ripping it to shreds as her fingers tightened around its throat, crushing it; a gurgle came from it, chest heaving and clawing to tear into her skin, only to have its nails eaten away by Hell’s force.

The last one sent a ball of fire in her direction that dispersed harmlessly against her cloak, and a grin lifted her full lips while tossing the spiritually disintegrating brute to the side; her right horn began to grow.

“Relica, hehe, is this the best you’ve been able to do? All of those experiments and lives … Did you save all of them for this ritual? Because, hehe, this is pathetic! I guess your strength was really in preparation, utility, and networking, avoiding fights you couldn’t win.”

Brushing away the monster’s slash, fingers closing around its windpipe upon trying to bite her, Hellfire spread over its writhing muscles as it attempted to use its bulk to crush her; Rachel simply lifted the struggling beast up and threw it on Relica, purging her flames by expelling the affected spirits.

“I—Rachel, I don’t want to fight you! Y-You know I wouldn’t hurt you—heh, we were—were just playing games—ugh!”

She reabsorbed the twisted creature before it crashed on top of her retreating figure, glancing around for help for Rachel to slowly shake her head.

“No help is coming, Relica… Lifen has her hands full with Nia, and Aleister is in a pretty pathetic state as he tries to protect the useless ones, which means… oh, no! The little troublesome Sorceress is all on her lonesome.”

Relica’s messy black hair weaved back and forth while shaking her head. “No—No, I’m not alone… I followed Twilight—I did everything I was supposed to!”

She released her hound, crimson electricity and black flames still breaking it apart as it tried to tackle Rachel; hopping forward, she spun, putting only enough pressure into her kick to hear bones crack and snap the beast’s neck before sending it tumbling twenty meters to their left.

Not slowing, she continued toward Relica’s backward retreat and Scarlet’s glowing halo irises lifted to the Sorceress after draining the life force from her last monster.

“What’s the matter?” Rachel liltingly asked. “I’m giving you the chance to run and escape, Relica… Oh, hehe, can’t because we’re linked to Hell? Now isn’t that a shame?”

“Rachel… I-I can help you—ack—no, please, Scarlet!”

The girl exited the shadows behind her, spikes of blood flying out to penetrate the naked woman’s body, breaking past her shield to spread her arms and legs out in the air.

“Please?” Scarlet snarled. “You killed a little girl in front of me the first time we met… Remember?”

Rachel could only laugh and move to Scarlet’s side; she placed a hand on her right hip and leered at the naked quaking woman.

Blood suspended Relica before them as the Vespertine Reaper slowly turned her around, crimson liquid crawling up her face to gather inside the Sorceress’ eyes so they couldn’t close. Nose flaring, Relica cried, seemingly unable to escape the magic binding blood; soon, her pain inhibitors would likely wane from Scarlet’s skills.

“I… I can change—I-I made mistakes… Please, I’m not ready to die! Help! Please, Adele, Aleister—help me! It hurts… If you keep… I could die, Scarlet!”

Eye narrowing, Rachel sneered at the stripped and pleading woman. “How many people were crying like you in Camagüey—when Hell came for them? It’s your turn, Relica, or… Aren’t you a ‘devout’ believer of Twilight? Isn’t this an honor, hehe—you get the privilege of meeting your messiah!”

A dark smile finally moved Scarlet’s black lips, displaying her teeth, and a platform of blood gathered under her feet to bring her near. “You’re right, Rachel … She deserves to meet Twilight after ‘everything’ she’s done for her.”

“No—no, no—please—please…”

Scarlet’s fingers slid over Relica’s tight belly to her side, the other hand gliding over the woman’s flexing neck as the Vespertine Reaper leaned in, mouth opening to sink her fangs into the Sorceress’ carotid artery, drawing blood for the first time.

A small trail leaked out of the holes in Relica’s skin before being pulled back in, and Rachel watched the fluttering motions of the woman’s exposed chest weaken with her breathing; Scarlet didn’t make it quick, gradually drawing every drop as she screamed the pain the Vespertine Reaper stimulated.

It wasn’t as long as Rachel would have liked, but Scarlet dropped the shriveled husk to the ground after three minutes. “Such a pathetic end for such a pathetic woman.”

“Humph,” Scarlet’s nose twisted, luminous halo irises showing disgust. “To her, it lasted weeks … She was a pathetic, vile demon … She wasn’t a human.”

Rachel snickered. “I would have taken offense if you said Devil but Demon… heh, Demon—eh?”

Her horns cracked, eyes opening wide as she looked to the heavens to see the army of godly Devils veil the Hell Moon; the electricity running through her bones sparked out, fire leaving her veins. Wincing, she fell to a knee, gripping her breast as she felt a hand close around her heart and squeeze.

“Rachel! Are you—”

“Heh, fine—I’m fine… It’s just the after-effects … Way better channeling the Hell Moon than Hell itself through Yseress. And, hah, at least I’m not as dusty as this thing!” she tried to joke, forcing herself up to kick Relica’s husk away.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Totally fine… Just feeling like I pulled every muscle in my body, hehe … I’ll be fine.”

“Your horns… Eh-heh, cool design choice, by the way—it doesn’t clash with your big ears—oh, and they’re breaking apart now! Does that mean you’re not Devil Rachel anymore?”

“Heh, basically, yeah—imagine that! Uh… How’s Nia doing?”

Looking up and tilting her tittering ears to look at the fourteen-year-old Living Denier, Rachel saw her glaring at the huffing and puffing fox woman; it seemed she’d managed to slip by Nia and get into Aleister’s barrier.

“Should we go… Umm…”

“I know you don’t want to see your mother hurt, Scarlet,” Rachel whispered, glaring at the mumbling kneeling woman, eyes closed as she prayed. “Your mother’s done terrible things, but, unlike all the others… I don’t think she’s a bad person … I don’t even know if she’s right or not.”

Scarlet’s blue eyes returned, sadness crossing them while looking across the colossal room at her mother. “I know she’s done unforgivable things… You think she’s been manipulated, though?”

“Since she was seventeen years old,” Rachel sighed, accepting Scarlet’s shoulder with a thankful smile as they walked to what remained of Adele’s group.

One the way, she noticed Izanami now staring up at the contorting mass of flesh, blood, and bone; cracks spiderwebbed down the Soul Stone, and Rachel wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing, but there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it.