Dancing In The Void

Evan smashed down his makeshift cudgel onto the wolf-hound's head, shattering its skull into goopy shards and spraying its brain on the ground in a colorful painting of abstract pink and red.

One of the wolves took advantage and jumped on Evan's bare, shirtless back. It clawed him and lunged to shred his neck, but Wrath sliced its own neck with her violet blade before it could even blink. He shook its carcass off him, and continued his rampage through the pack, swinging his weapon wildly, as well as he could with just one arm. He had a savage fury within him as he growled and shouted like a madman, trying to scare away the attackers. Successfully no less, given that the massive hounds saw how easily they were being repelled and chose to tuck tail and flee with a whimper.

"YEAH YOU BETTER RUN!" He continued shouting, hopped-up on burning adrenaline. Immediately however his excitement was quelled by Wrath collapsing on her knees and hands beside him. "Hey!" He said, rushing to her and helping her up. "Hey, you okay? You hurt anywhere?"

Wrath just groaned weakly, helping herself back on her feet. A trail of blood and sweat poured down her forehead from a wound on her head, giving her already sunken eyes an even darker red shadow. "I'm… s-so… h-hungry…" She mumbled with frailty.

Evan looked up, scanning his surroundings with rushed eyes. They were now traveling through Violentia, the seventh layer of Dudael. Unlike Furia or Haeresis, this place seemed to lack any sort of thought or structure. It was an ethereal alien space, like a giant tunnel with many branching paths filled with dead ends and false hallways that seemed to shift if you took your eye off of them for too long. A strange purple flame burned on the floor along the walls, creating a glow that seemed to keep them anchored in the realm of reality.

By contrast, this place had no ceiling, not as far as Evan could see. Only a blanket of darkness that covered the walls from above. A blanket that began to wither and writhe like massive worms or serpents if one stared at it for too long. Evan dared not look at it, as chills crawled up his spine every time he did. Just as he dared not look at the fleshy walls, and the way they seemed to pulse and breathe gently every time he stared, like a hideous beast waiting to swallow him whole. Instead, further in the distant darkness he saw a small opening, a small cavern that offered sanctuary before another massive tunnel that seemed to indicate their next path.

"Let's take shelter there, hopefully there's no more damn dogs." He told her, helping carry her along the way.

The two collapsed on the ground once they reached it and decided it was safe, leaning against the walls in order to recover. The cave was filled with the sound of his weapon clinking from being thrown aside, followed by desperate heaving and weak, pained groans. Evan sighed as Wrath leaned softly against his left shoulder, her eyelids drooping and threatening to close, the golden shine of her eyes dangerously faded.

"Hey… don't fall asleep on me!" He said, giving her cheek a few worried slaps. "Here, I wanted to get us safe first but… drink my blood!" He said, tilting his head away in the other direction and bearing his neck at her.

"W-what…?" She said softly.

"You're like… a vampire right? I was hoping we'd run into some prisoners or something for you to eat but, nothing but stupid creatures. So here! You can have some of my blood."

"It… i-is not just b-blood Evan." Wrath began, clinging to him. "I need… a s-soul. I eat… s-souls, I c-cannot be sustained… o-otherwise."

"That's… fine!" Evan said, trying to be cheerful. "I got a big soul. Just eat, a bit you know? Like half… well that might be too much, more like a quarter. Just enough so you can keep going. I'm not braving the fucking darkness of this place alone, have you seen this damn prison? I need you!"

"E-Evan…" She said, staring at him with soft, teary eyes, unable to believe what was happening. "I d-dont… d-deserve it…"

"Yes you do! You don't get to choose for me."

"You once… a-asked me if I remember my first… the first person I killed…"

"You don't have to tell me, not now."

"No." She insisted. "I have to, I feel like if I don't, it'll tear this hole r-right through me."

"Alright." He sighed "Alright I'll listen."

"I had only just w-woken up. A-Azazel he… No… it's not fair to b-blame him." Wrath sighed. "I made the ch-choice to assassinate that day. I did, not h-him. I don't even remember who the target w-was. But… t-this kid… a small boy with light brown hair and a r-red streak that ran through his left side…" Wrath buried her face against his neck, not wanting to let him see her cry. "He just… s-saw me… I snuck inside the c-castle but he saw me… and I d-didn't even t-think I just… killed him."

Evan pulled her in for a reassuring, one-armed hug. "Its alright Wrath. The past is past, you will be able to make up for the mistakes you've made. You've changed Wrath, even before this prison. I know it. I saw it. You're not the horrible monster that you think you are. And when I get you out of here, I will help you see the beauty that truly lies within you."

"E-Evan…!" Wrath softly said between her quiet sobs. "A-all I… ever wanted… I thought it was the t-truth… but the t-truth always was that… I did not want t-to be a-alone… anymore…"

"And you are not. You are here, with me. You've endured this hell, with me. I am glad you were there for me, so please, let me be here for you now."

"Evan… p-please…" Her voice began, but after a moment of consideration, she relented. "A-alright… I… c-can't thank you enough."

"Don't thank me just yet." He said, grabbing her hand and clutching it tightly. "I haven't gotten you out of here yet! I can't do it if you eat my whole soul o-okay?"

She grabbed him gently by the neck, conjuring a small tendril of darkness over her finger. "E-Evan… t-tell me your… favorite… d-dessert…" She said, hesitating with her feeding.

"Why… you wanna make a cool line about how I'm your favorite dessert now?" Evan said with a chuckle.

"N-no… I j-just want… y-you to have a happy t-thought. I-in case I…" She said, not finishing her thought before she punctured Evan's neck with her power.

"Don't worry. I trust you. And… I always liked-GHHHK-haah… I… always liked… tiramisu… heh… so did Constantine, thinking about it… I always did… take after him too much…" He said, his voice and consciousness trailing off as Wrath's red lips touched his wound, and he felt his blood being drained from him.

Evan did not know how much time passed as he shot awake the next moment, as if nothing had happened at all. He immediately touched his neck, and a twinge of pain shot through him. He did notice that Wrath had made a makeshift bandage for his neck wound out of her torn sleeve. Looking over, he saw her taking a quiet nap against the corner where the wall met the doorway. He sighed, thankful that they both were still alive.

I don't… feel all that different… He began to wonder as he massaged his wound. Well… aside from this. Nothing seems to be missing, emotions, check, memories… check… I hope whatever Wrath ate wasn't all that important… Evan then sat up, stretching his muscles and trying to wake himself up. He peeked outside through the opening in their cave, and immediately noticed how the chamber they had previously came from had changed completely, and yet, some parts of it still seemed familiar. He went out for a minute, exploring the nearby vicinity while still keeping a close eye on the cave Wrath was in. When he returned, she seemed to still be asleep but her voice calling out to him was a pleasant soothing surprise.

"I guess… y-you really a-are my favorite d-dessert now…" She moaned and mumbled, still somewhat asleep.

Evan smiled, laughing quietly. "Hey Wrath, we should get going." He said while gently shaking her awake. "Who knows how long we've been out for? This cave is giving me the creeps, let's get out before it decides to eat us or some shit. How're you feeling?"

"B-better…" She said grumpily as she pushed herself off the ground. "M-much better."

"Guess I taste better than my exes lead me to believe, heh?" Evan laughed as he picked up his makeshift club and heaved it over his broad, muscly shoulder.

"D-don't flatter yourself p-pig." She said, trying to be aggressive, but being betrayed by the slightly cheeky smile that crept up the sides of her lips.

With a renewed sense of hope in their hearts, the two of them went outside, moving into the deep with quickened steps. They explored the farther tunnels of Dudael, sticking close to each other as they advanced. Wrath's sight allowed them to avoid most of the strange and horrific prisoners that prowled and lurked in these depths, although occasionally they encountered one or two creatures with a lust for blood and meat. Creatures of flesh, shadows and dust whose shapes and forms defied reality, as if they'd been spontaneously sculpted incorrectly from the very essences of this place.

Thankfully a couple swings from Evan's weight-bar followed by a few cuts from Wrath's lavender blades were enough to send these enemies scurrying into the darkness. Evan noticed however, that slowly all the diverging paths were beginning to fade in number, and the main tunnel artery they were going through was becoming the only path they could take. Worst of all however, was when he began noticing remnants of a slaughter. The walls were coated and splattered in blood that was not their natural oozings. Errant chunks of guts and limbs could be found littering the floor. He looked at the end of the tunnel, where the lights seemed to converge into a larger, grander opening. Then, he turned to Wrath, who gave him a silent nod. He sighed, and then moved forward.

The tunnel's cave-like structure immediately gave way into a grandiose, finely sculpted and massively wide bridge. Evan could tell how far the bridge stretched to his left and right because of the massive braziers that could be seen atop the balustrades on either side. Billowing purple flames in a seemingly endless straight line that lead forward into the dark. Looking closer on either side, Evan could see two statues of gigantic, hellish dogs clad in black and gray metal armor with four eyes each.

"What is this place?" He asked Wrath.

"A b-bridge it seems. Of what and where it leads, I do not know." She answered with uncertainty.

"Of judgment." A voice boomed from further across the bridge. A voice that belonged to a being adorned by dark armor, a gray scarf fluttering in the wind. The two of them approached, and received a better view of their new enemy, realizing at that moment that it was an old friend. "And it leads to your deliverer."

"Katherine!" Wrath spat out hatefully.

"Damn… It really is you, isn't it Katherine?" Evan asked.

"I must say, it's surprising that you're not surprised. I presume Mephisto told you then." She said with quiet indignation in her voice. "Evan… it has been a while. I see Wrath is here too, it's intriguing to see that she really did throw herself in with you lot."

"F-fuck… you!" Wrath snarled, anger bubbling to the surface from within her, and fragments of her former self rebuilding at the sight of her foe. Memories of her disgraceful defeat began to flood back in her mind, and her demonic rage seeped from her in the form of her ethereal lavender blades.

Evan gulped, tightening his grip around his weapon. Unlike Wrath, through him it was fear that began coursing as he took in the sight of Katherine. The phantom pain in his missing limb seemed to ache ever harder now that the one responsible was before him. Her armor that was once shone brightly with edges of gold and bronze upon black had lost all contrast and grace, instead becoming a terrifying deluge of shadows and darkness. Her halberd was in her hand, and the way its crimson sheen flickered in the light echoed the way the crimson energies surrounding her left eye danced like flames.

"You here to kill us?" Evan asked, trying to sound confident.

"That depends entirely on how cooperative you both are. I've had my fair share of bloodshed since we entered this fucked up prison." She said, pointing the tip of her halberd towards Wrath. "I'm here for her. If she comes quietly, I'll even be nice and let you come with us, Evan."

"Well… I would love to get the fuck out of this place, but something tells me Wrath isn't interested…" He said.

"GO F-FUCK YOURSELF, BITCH!" Wrath immediately interrupted. "YOU'RE FUCKING D-DEMENTED IF YOU THINK WE'LL DO A-ANYTHING YOU SAY!"

"...There you go." He added.

"Heh." Katherine chuckled. "That's a cute stutter you got there Wrath, prison life treating you well? Asmodeus has kept you nice and starved I see."

"You'll make a fine victory meal." Wrath growled.

"Victory huh…" She said with a sad smile. "A pathetic notion if there ever was one."

"Yeah… it was difficult, but we managed." Evan smirked, stepping forward with his weapon. "You should see the new ink I got. Maybe I'll show it to you after I break your fucking arms off and beat you with them!"

"Aww, still upset that I crippled you? You should be thankful I was merciful and didn't go for your neck." Katherine said grimly, followed by her swinging her halberd to her side. "Don't worry though, this time I'll make sure to cleave your head clean off… right after I take that other arm too for good measure!" She said, laughing maniacally as she charged in a demonic blur towards him.

Evan found himself frozen, with a dumb, horrified grin on his face as death charged right at him, but he woke back to reality at the sound of Wrath's blades blocking Katherine's halberd.

"G-guh… You will… die... If you so much as try!" Wrath groaned as she endured Katherine's strength pushing down upon her. "Evan!" She then screamed.

"Tsk." Katherine tutted as she jumped back when Evan lunged at her, spurned by Wrath and swinging his weight-bar wildly to the sound of his unleashed battlecry. Wrath quickly followed him and the rhythm of his attacks, filling in the gaps with her blades and shadow tentacles whenever she could. The two of them complemented each other well, driving their foe back with belligerent attacks. Katherine however, was not the slightest bit perturbed. She danced around them, sliding and backflipping and maneuvering herself around their attacks without breaking a bead of sweat. She held her halberd with supreme confidence only in her right arm, and she still managed to deflect and avoid everything they could attack her with.

"G-ghad… god damn…" Evan said with heaving breaths as Katherine kicked him back. He quickly shook himself off the ground, thankful for the moment of pause that was presented to him by Wrath as she charged the huntress alone.

This is not good… Wrath and I are both horribly weak compared to her… D-damn it, all the weights and chin lifts in the world aren't shit against a demon hunter when you're a fucking cripple! His thoughts exploded ragefully in his mind. Despite them however, the sight of Wrath pushing herself and her weakened body to supernatural limits, fighting with savage frenzy against her nemesis, made him realize that he was wrong. Fuck it, fuck me, she's giving it her all, she needs me, no matter how puny I might be.

Evan charged towards Katherine with renewed vitality, bringing his weapon down upon her following a mighty leap. He only crushed the surface of the bridge beneath her, as she had long moved by the time his weapon hit, but he was not discouraged. Every blow he didn't land was another opportunity for Wrath to get closer and closer with her violet armblades. Suddenly, Katherine's defenses just barely were not enough, and Wrath's shadowblade found its way between the folds of her armor, cutting into her hip. The ground was stained by a drop of blood that came at a heavy cost, as Katherine immediately pulled Wrath by the horns, smashing her face into her knee. As she stumbled back, Katherine lunged at her, jumping with her boot and sending her flying back right into Evan.

"Heh, alright then." Katherine said smugly as she tightened her grip on her halberd, and her eye shined with crimson fury.

Evan did not even see when the swing of her weapon came, and in that moment he was extremely glad Wrath was there, blocking her attack once again. If it weren't for her, he'd be half a man right now. The shockwave of the clash washed over him, causing his messy golden hair to billow in the wind. Sensing a chance however, he leapt forward and started pummeling Katherine from the side as she tried to wrestle her weapon free from Wrath's tentacled grip. He smashed her with his cudgel, but she just used her free hand to punch it away. Swinging with all his might was still not enough as he could not even make a single dent in her armor.

Fine, then how about THIS! He changes his strategy on the fly as he charged her. He pushed himself against her arm, and launched his weapon from below towards her chin like an iron uppercut. Katherine was forced to retreat, easily avoiding his swing but giving up her halberd.

SHINK, SHINK, SHINK!

Before anyone could celebrate even slightly, the scarlet weapon was yanked from Wrath's grip, its sharp tip slicing across her chest and arm. It flew through the air pulled by a dark-red chain that escaped from Katherine's wrist armor and connected the end of the weapon. The halberd soon found its way back into her hand as she caught it mid-flight.

"Can't say I don't learn." She smirked.

"D-damn it!" Evan said with a sigh.

"What's wrong Evan? Tired already? We've only just begun this dance."

"Sorry b-babe…" He said heaving and panting. "I haven't been keeping up with my cardio."

"I don't have time for your pathetic games. Look at yourselves. You're barely keeping up with me, both of you. I'm toying with you and the best you've done is a couple papercuts."

"Don't mock us bitch…" Evan shouted back, unable to hide the weakness in his voice.

"No, this is not mockery. This is a slaughter. Please, don't make me kill you Evan." She called back threateningly.

"Y-you done talking, huntress b-bitch?" Wrath asked, barely standing. "Don't think I've f-forgotten what you did to me. I still have to r-rip your n-neck out!"

"Fine then. You both are too stupid to choose the easy way out. Let's end this then." She said calmly.

Katherine walked forward, in this attempt accelerating slowly instead of dashing immediately. Evan was ready for her, ready to block her initial swing. The moment approached, time seemed to slow as she charged him, her clouded eyes, one red, one pitch black, stared at him unblinking. He gulped and the moment she was in range, he shoved his weapon forward. To his great shock however, Katherine did not attack. She merely swerved and ducked past his swing, and then she jumped into a cartwheel in the air, her hand pressing over his head as leverage.

He had been completely and utterly deceived, becoming nothing more than a stepping stone for her to get to her true target. With horror coursing through his veins he turned and saw as Katherine prepared herself to cut Wrath down. His heartbeat froze, but his body acted. Pure instinct flowed through him as he rushed towards them, his weapon no longer in his hand. He saw everything as it happened, Wrath moving to protect herself, but her body, too anemic, too powerless to defend itself from Katherine's lethal guillotine in time. But he was not. Every muscle in his body exploded with an impulse of superhuman strength. He moved in a blinding dash, his hand reaching out towards the halberd.

SHHH-NTHMP

Silence, followed by the dripping of blood. Katherine stared wide-eyed in disbelief at the sight that opened before her. Evan's hand was pushing against the speartip of her halberd, his muscles trembling as they struggled against her force. Most shocking of all however, was his face, and how the blade of her weapon was embedded into his cheek, just below his right eye.

"Did you… just catch… my halberd… with your face?"

"Haah… haah… heh…" Evan chuckled. "They did always call me a bonehead…"

Katherine couldn't help but chuckle back at the absurdity, even as a furious Wrath ensnared her with her shadow tendrils and smashed her down into the bridge, debilitating her before she was flung like a ragdoll into the distant dark.

"L-look at me!" Wrath shouted as she cradled him, the echo of her voice brimming with worry and fear. "F-fuck, y-you're s-so stupid E-Evan!" She shouted as she quickly tore off more of her ragged shirt, trying to make a gauze.

"C-careful Wrath…" Evan smirked meekly, his right eye shut as blood poured down his face. "You keep tearing off bits of your s-shirt like that… you might end up showing your big-ass tits to everyone… hehe..."

Wrath gave him a gentle slap on his other cheek, but couldn't stop herself from laughing with him. Her laughter soon descended into a worried sob. "W-why? W-why would you… d-do that? I could have survived the h-hit…"

"I don't care… I couldn't… let her hurt you." He said with a soft smile. Wrath looked at him with teary eyes, a droplet falling down her face and onto his.

The clacking of Katherine's boots as she walked back across the bridge interrupted their moment of tenderness. She appeared to be… sad, but it was difficult to tell at this distance and in the gloomy atmosphere. She did not say anything, instead, she just charged them once more, intent on fully ending it this time. Once in range, her crimson halberd sliced through the air, falling down towards them like the reaper's scythe.

TWRIIIIIINKSH

However the scythe did not find its mark. Katherine's halberd was stopped by a barrier of pure light, conjured around them. Before she could react, the barrier sharply transformed into a blood-red shield that lashed out towards her. Lance-like needles showered her, but Katherine quickly used her halberd and armor to protect herself as she jumped back, gaining distance.

"W-what the hell…?" She said, distraught.

"Our apologies for being late." A familiar voice echoed in the darkness, followed by the beating of shadowy wings. "Even knowing where you two were, this place is a nightmare to traverse." Uriel said as she faced her friends, weary tears of happiness flowing from under her bandaged eyes.

"URIEL!" Wrath and Evan both screamed out in ecstatic synchronicity.

Their ecstasy was only intensified when a second person seemingly materialized from their blindspots, walking into view with a cheerful yet determined look on their face. She nodded at them.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"God, are you two a sight for sore eyes!" Evan added gleefully. "Who the hell are you?"

"This is Insect, Katherine's cousin, our mentor and guardian since we got separated. She can't speak, but she'll fix you up for the time being Evan." Uriel introduced her, as Insect immediately knelt down and grabbed Evan's face.

"P-please do!" He said with a groan. "H-hi I'm Evan. Insect right? Cute name!" He said.

Insect nodded with a humph and a blush. She then put her index over her lips, shushing him. From a cut in her palm, she began to form tiny red needles of congealed blood, with which she intended to stitch Evan's wound.

Katherine's cousin? Mentor? Holy fuck! I hope she's not as insane as the rest of the family! Evan thought to himself. "Oh we're gonna get along great I can tell." He added, unable to honor her request and keep quiet. Thankfully, the pain of the stitching procedure kept his mouth shut.

"You two are lucky." Uriel began. "I felt her presence as soon as I made it down to this layer, and I ran into her right before the bridge. What a horrific place… this prison is truly a nightmare."

"I-Insect?" Katherine meanwhile groaned in disbelief. "You fuckers… brought her here? MENTOR? YOU LET THAT WORTHLESS SCUM TEACH YOU THINGS? AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" She laughed maniacally, her voice brimming with an unhinged fixation. "No… don't tell me… you've taken shelter with fucking Nathaniel all this time…? Venandis…? That fucking bastard… If he's anywhere near Dudael I'll fucking kill him myself."

"Quiet you. I've been through hell and back and back to hell ever since we entered this damned place. I'm warning you now, I am not in the mood for your shit. Do not think I've forgotten that you've betrayed me and crucified me to use my power!" Uriel revealed her stigmata and threatened with a terrifying voice that crackled with angelic fury. "We'll deal with you in a moment, Katherine, annoy me, and that moment might come just that much sooner."

Katherine gulped and a bead of sweat dripped down her neck. She took a step back, taking the angel's threat to heart, but still held her ground, despite it and the increased numerical disadvantage.

"Technically, Uriel, that was my sister's doing…" Katherine called back.

"Don't pretend like you did not manipulate her into doing it!" Uriel lashed out with anger.

"Perhaps… but from what I've heard you've run into her and didn't really do a great job dealing with her, huh? What makes you think you can deal with me then?"

"Quiet…" Uriel grunted silently. Her curling fists were indicative of how she tried to calm herself, in case Katherine was trying to draw her into a reckless attack.

"Countless people died because of you being too weak to stop her!"

Evan looked up at Wrath, and they shared a knowing glance that echoed his thoughts: Damn, we really missed a lot of shit while we were stuck in here?

"Careful Katherine… Careful, you shouldn't talk about innocent people dying, considering the apocalyptic eclipse you unleashed!" Uriel shouted back, unable to control herself.

"That's because you're a filthy demonic half-breed! The plan was perfect… you… were an unfortunate, ungodly mistake… And trust me, I am beyond tormented and devastated knowing what I have unleashed. I know, I live with the consequences of my actions every day. Don't speak to me of hell, I have been there. I know all too well the sounds of the screaming damned as they keep me up at night!" Katherine shouted with furious zeal, unable to stop tears from flowing down her face. She was almost caught completely off guard as immediately after a lance of light whizzed past her head, slicing a few strands of hair clean off. Her eyes went wide with fear and shock. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

"You... don't get to weep, Katherine." Uriel said, her voice echoing coldly. "Everything that has happened so far has been because of you and your fuckups."

"That's why I am here! I am here to make things right again. I have been given a chance. None of you know what its like to sacrifice yourself for those innocents that you don't even know. No, you Uriel, you and Constantine did the reverse. I made a mistake, a horrific mistake. But you two, you killed countless just to save your asses." Katherine screamed out, wiping away all traces of tears from her eyes.

"Don't… you… dare… say his name. YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED THAT NIGHT!" Uriel screamed her lungs out. Her dark wings spread wide as more and more golden blades began to materialize around her.

"How did Constantine handle my dear sister I wonder, hmm? How does he sleep at night knowing hundreds of thousands are dead because of him? Where is he even…" Katherine asked, but her question was answered by the tears that broke from Uriel's pale eyes and began streaming down her face. Tears of despair mixed with tears of hatred that revealed the truth to her. "He's… dead?" She said softly, the notion coming as a shock to her.

Evan, Wrath and even Insect looked back at Uriel with distraught eyes, a new dreadful tiding now revealed to all of them.

"W-what…?" Evan asked with a timid, frail voice. "Dead? C-Constantine's… dead? M-my brother is… dead? Nah… nah he's not dead… he can't be… he's gonna save us… he wouldn't… leave me… not him too…"

"I'm so… so sorry… everyone…" Uriel said, with a cold and stern demeanor in her voice, as if she was trying to close her heart and mind to the truth despite the great aching agony it caused her. "I felt his soul… when I thought I died… we talked, he… he… saved me… I c-couldn't…"

Evan stared forward in disbelief. He had a blank expression of pure pain engraved on every point of his face. He was numb, no tears able to fall from his eyes.

"It d-doesn't m-matter!" Wrath startled him with her shouting as she jumped back to her feet. "H-he c-came here for us… gave his life… f-for us. We c-can mourn him later! N-now we must f-fight. We must overcome h-her! For his sake!" She continued as she stepped forward next to Uriel. Evan could see, hidden beneath the shadows on her face that she too was crying, completely devastated from what she had just learnt. "E-Evan… s-stay far back, the three of us w-will handle her."

He nodded. Insect gave him a gentle tap on the chin as she nodded back as well. She stood up and joined the other two as Evan scurried himself away from the ensuing battle, moving closer to the hound statues.

"Three cripples stand before me. A fiendish bitch that I already defeated, my worthless hell-spawn cousin, and my biggest mistake." Katherine chuckled sadly as her left eye ignited with a crimson flare, becoming a billowing flame of unholy energies. Those same energies began to converge in a point above her head, slowly forming thorns and branches. The ethereal wood began to twist and turn, cracking quietly as it formed itself into a halo of bloody thorns above her head. Drops of scarlet liquid began to drip from it, staining Katherine's white hair a deep crimson shade, like faraway wolves walking through a field of snow. The huntress sighed, as she changed her stance, letting her left arm hang limply downwards as she leaned forward and heaved her halberd over her back with the other arm. "All my greatest demons, come back to haunt me, huh?"

Damien's hammer crashed into the cathedral altar sending chunks of wood and metal flying through the air. Mephisto had luckily dodged this attack, but the demon was in rough shape from the many others that had landed. He held his left hand close to the chest, a massive dark spot of blood pooling beneath the skin near his wrist. Blood poured down the left side of his head, and he moved slower than usual, with a slight limp in his right thigh. Weakened by his many wounds, Mephisto still held his dagger out with unrelenting defiance, in the face of the storm of ice and winds that billowed around Damien.

The demon-hunter pulled his weapon out from the rubble and spun rapidly, bringing his hammer down into the ice of the cathedral. A deafening, thunderous cry echoed out as the entire floor of ice underneath began to crack under the impact. From the hammerhead, the ice was charged with the weapon's force, and a path of gigantic ice spikes shot out, rushing after Mephisto. He quickly backed off, avoiding the chasing ice as best he could. Damien however, continued his aggression. He smashed the spikes with his hammer, creating floating shards that flew like a razor storm towards the demon. Mephisto ducked away from them by hiding behind one of the many destroyed church pews. In doing so however, the ground attack had ample time to lock him down and close in, several ice spikes stabbing through his lower leg as he tried to jump away.

"Ghhhhaaark!" He cried out, finding it difficult to stand. With Damien at a distance, he quickly seized the chance and tried patching himself up. Stumbling through his pockets, he found some twine. This will have to do! He thought as he then tore off his pants below the knee, and used the cloth as a makeshift bandage along with the twine.

"You're strong, Mephisto." Damien said softly as he walked closer, his clothes fluttering in the wind he created. Somehow, his hat stayed perfectly on. "Not many would still be standing after so many rough hits."

"Taking it easy on me, are you Damien?" Mephisto answered back.

"I try not to, but there is something about you that makes me hesitant." Damien turned, swinging his warhammer in front of him. "You're not fighting to kill, not fighting to even live, you're fighting to escape. Its curious."

"Is that really so unreasonable?" Mephisto sighed. "You're a vastly superior fucker, I have no chance."

"What drives you to these lengths?" The Pious hunter asked. "Why not lay down and accept a quicker, more graceful death?"

Mephisto was silent for a few good moments. With a renewed sense of strength, he lunged towards Damien, intending to stab him. "FOR MY DAUGHTER!" He shouted as he thrust his knife forward. Damien moved away from it, then he dodged the second followup as well. "EVERYTHING IS FOR HER SAKE!" The demon shouted as he moved for a third attack, this one a much sharper and quicker piercing blow aimed right for Damien's neck. His dagger was dead on its mark, but instead of hitting flesh, his blade passed right through him as if through air. Just an illusion on the arteries of the wind. He stumbled forward, falling through the mirage but quickly regained his footing. "Nothing but freaks in this hellish prison?" He asked, finding himself alone for a moment. Damien's body began to rematerialise in front of him, the billowing wind and blizzard rebuilding his form out of thin air.

"Well… killing that demon had quite a few boons, and some slight consequences." Damien commented, once he was fully corporeal again.

"Fuck… I really had no chance." Mephisto said, dejected.

"Daughter you say…? I do not have children but… I know what it is like to want to protect someone, to preserve and keep them from harm, with every ounce of your being." Damien commented.

"Then please…" A wounded Mephisto began, thinking that asking for mercy was now his only way out. "I'm not like other demons, you know this, you said as much, you saw me fighting Asmodeus' fuckers. Please, I need to go down. I need to do something… for her. And not just, it would be for your sake as well."

"I've indeed felt a kindred spirit within you. There's something strange about you Mephistopheles. A strangeness that I find familiar in myself. But I cannot trust you, I do not know you, I do not know the truth behind your words, I am sorry." Damien said, grabbing his hammer with both hands.

"I'm sorry too… I've done many… awful… terrible things Damien… but she… she was the one thing I was most proud of. Learning she was alive after I'd been tasked with fucking killing her… It changed me. Everything since has been me dealing with devils, trying to protect her from anyone and everyone…" Mephisto sighed, no longer having the strength to stand or fight and falling down on one knee. He looked up at Damien and his hammer, accepting his ensuing death. "I never had the chance to be a father for her, a father she needed. And now… it seems I'll never get the chance to. I'm a fucking failure. I would have traded the world for her, for my Uriel, if I could have. I can only hope she can forgive me for being … the worst father…"

Damien did not move when the demon finished talking. He did not strike, splattering his cadaver across the ice, instead, he only stared, his piercing blue eyes bearing down upon Mephisto.

"Uriel?" He said, mildly confused.

Mephisto's eyes shot back up, alight with hope from the way Damien's inquiring voice sounded. "You know her? You know her!"

"Yes I… our expedition here was because of her and her friend." He answered, still trying to decipher the meaning of this revelation.

"You know Constantine too! We're… we're working on the same team here! You must be here for Evan and Wrath, isn't that right?"

Damien raised the head of his hammer towards Mephisto, keeping him from getting too close. "Stay where you are. H-how… How do you know all of them? They never mentioned you even."

"Well, I imagined they didn't precisely because of… me being a demon. You're a demon hunter aren't you? Learning that an angel like Uriel has an inanimaliat like me for a father, judging by your confusion, must be quite a shock."

"Heh… you're an inanimaliat too?" Damien chuckled. "I have many questions for you, but time is of the essence. Choosing to trust you… might be a grave error on my part. But first, tell me then, how do you intend to save her from this prison? What is it that you need to do?"

Mephisto took a deep breath, leaning against a broken pew. He pulled out his knife, very slowly, and showed it to Damien. "You know what this is?"

"A holy dagger, of some sort."

"Yes, but also the only way to break the seal on this prison. Do you know why Asmodeus' main rule is that 'no one leaves this place'? Its not an exaggeration, but an intrinsic truth of Dudael."

"I don't know for sure, but I have a hunch. I felt… something… when I got teleported deeper to this third layer. Something that I believe did not affect me properly…"

"That's exactly it." Mephisto nodded. "The Veil of Dudael. It is a barrier, an extremely powerful one made by the angels that built this place with their ancient magic. I suppose its long been corrupted by Asmodeus. Anything that passes through it is immediately ensnared, forever. Their souls are unwound, unspooled, slowly removed and separated from their body, like a thread being pulled from a piece of cloth. Then they are trapped in a phylactery, deep in Asmodeus' library of souls. That same library you heard the priest say is always moving."

"I see…" Damien rubbed his chin over his mask. "That's why escape is impossible, if the body tries to leave without the soul, they will find themselves transported back here, unable to live outside of the veil."

"Indeed… It's an ingenious, devilish trap as well, hiding the library within the veil. No one can destroy the phylactery if their soul is already trapped within it."

"So how do you intend to break it?" Damien asked, sharpening his sight. "With the dagger?"

"Yes. This mechanism has one fault. Me. And I fear Asmodeus in his ego-driven hubris, underestimated just how dangerous I really am to him." Mephistopheles smirked. "I am an inanimaliat. A soulless demon. I…" He hesitated, but decided to open up to Damien, feeling that he was on the verge of getting through to him. "...I've been without a soul for so long, I don't even remember what it was like to actually have one. What's been missing for these thousands of years. As if I was born without a sense like sight or speech, so I don't have the slightest idea what seeing or talking is like. There's something there, missing, but I don't know what. So I focus myself on what I can, an incessant drive, always trying to complete the next mission. And right now, that mission is saving my daughter. I am unaffected by the veil, therefore only I can destroy the phylactery."

"I understand fully, what that is like. Mephistopheles." Damien said with a sigh, as he heaved his weighty hammer over his shoulder. "Very well, demon. You have convinced me not to kill you. What you say about the prison… based on my own knowledge and experiences, I am inclined to believe it as true. In that case, I need you to find this supposed library."

"FUCK!" Mephisto shouted with relief, startling Damien.

"Easy now…" He chuckled. "Don't think this means we're chums. If I so much as sniff you trying to backstab me or anything, I'll paint the walls with your brains, do you understand."

"God you have… no idea how glad I am you're not doing that already." The demon laughed awkwardly.

"Where's this library then?"

"Based on the cycles as I followed it… fourth layer, Avaritia."

"Below us then?" Damien said casually.

Mephisto suddenly looked up, even more worried. "Y-yeah. B-but there's like ten stories between these layers…"

"Oh is that right?"

"You're not thinking…?"

"I am."

"Woah… you're a bit… psycho aren't you?" Mephisto laughed. His eyes drifted to the remnants of their earlier battle, and the massive crack in the ice floor where Damien smashed down his hammer. "I suppose… these are floors of ice and not stone."

"Indeed, and I've been called worse. Stand back Mephisto." Damien said as he swung his hammer off of his shoulder. A white and blue energy began to emanate from it like steam as he closed his hands around the grip and arced it back over his head. Mephisto braced himself and his ears as he brought the hammer down, shattering the floor underneath them with an ear-splitting boom. The energy of the blast radiated out like an earthquake, shaking the entire cathedral, and even beyond. Unfortunately for Mephisto, he found himself falling all the way down to the next floor underneath. It was not a large drop, but the pain in his leg as he collapsed shot through his whole body like a dagger.

"GAAAAHHh!" He shouted as he fell against the cold ice and tiny slivers fell down on top of him, thankfully not harming him. He clutched his leg as he turned angrily to a smug-looking Damien, that simply floated down on ice and wind through the hole he made. "My leg… You couldn't give me a floating landing too?"

"Sorry about that, I'll keep that in mind for the next ones." He said as he inspected the new floor of ice below them, preparing the next blow.

"Haah… at this rate, we'll wake every monstrosity in Dudael that my prison break didn't already wake up."

A thunderous blizzard rang out throughout Gula and into Avaritia as the two of them shattered their way downward. The walls echoed out with energy, shaking the very foundations of the prison. These vibrations and sounds traveled far, farther perhaps than either of them intended or hoped. Eventually however, after a few quick breaks for either of them to recover their breaths, although mostly for Damien's benefit, they breached the final floor of ice and found themselves against a metallic ground.

"T-this is it…" Mephisto said as he inspected the floor. "We're above the fourth."

"One more to go then…" Damien said as he prepared.

"No, no, no, no need, there's a set of stairs not far from here."

"How do you know this?"

"I've spent months exploring every inch of this damned place. I know these places like the back of my hand." Mephisto laughed as he rushed ahead into the darkness.

"Hmm, and I was really looking forward to smashing this place up more." Damien joked as he followed suit.

"Don't worry Damien…" Mephisto grimly added quietly under his breath. "...I have the bad feeling you'll get the chance to smash something else soon."

The two of them rushed through the brightly lit corridors of this new layer. Opposition was sparse, but advancement was slow as they found themselves against waves of rushing prisoners, chased by hound-guards, flesh-golems and locust-like monstrosities. Luckily for them, few of Asmodeus' defenses seemed intent on chasing after them, considering they were fleeing in the opposite direction as everyone else. On top of that, a few swings of Damien's hammer and the crackling of freezing wind that followed put off even the most determined attackers.

"I expected resistance to be more… fearsome." Damien said as he ran after Mephisto further through the labyrinthine halls.

"There's no need. It's all for show, the beasts are there to return everyone back to their cages." Mephisto said. "To Asmodeus, Its not a matter of if he'll get everyone back, but when. We're all part of his sick collection, and he wouldn't really risk harming his prized possessions."

"Mephisto, I just saw a pack of flesh-golems tear a prisoner apart in one of the hallways we passed." Damien sighed with a raised eyebrow. "And then they started eating him."

"Well, I guess we're not all so prized after all!" The demon laughed with wild eyes. Moments later the two of them turned a wide corner and found themselves in a massive hallway, at the end of which lay an equally enormous gate. "W-we're here! Damn. This place really does move. I've been through this part of the layer many times, the treasury used to be here instead."

"I presume someone like Asmodeus doesn't store gold or coins in his treasury right?"

"I presume as much. Crazy weapons and artifacts locked away from the sunlight. I wouldn't know actually, I was explicitly never allowed in here." He sighed.

"And what makes you think that I would instead allow you entrance in the very heart of Dudael?" A harrowing, deep, voice echoed out from behind them, followed by the vile sound of surging flesh and tentacles.

"GET DOWN!" Damien screamed at Mephisto with all the air in his lungs as he swung his hammer round.

The demon jumped forward and ducked just in time to not get his head crushed by his companion's weapon. Instead the hammer traveled through the air, billowing with the furious blizzard that it unleashed. It collided against a tidal wave of grotesque hands and fleshy tendrils on the verge of crashing down upon them. Instantly, his weapon froze the wave, and the force of his blow shattered it to pieces, sending countless icicle shards flying towards the assailant. A wall of flesh spiked from the floor, preventing any from hitting.

"Well I'll be… fucked." Mephisto said as he faced the one that ambushed them. "I was hoping you'd keep yourself busy for longer, Asmodeus."

"Mephistopheles… Damien Caramel…" The archdemon said as he floated into the light of the hallway. "I should have dealt with both of you when I had the chance…"

"Looks like that chance has passed…" Damien said as he readjusted himself and readied for what came next.

"You're looking pretty banged up there Deus my man." Mephisto said, trying to buy time as he got up and stepped back. "Did one of our friends prove too much for you?"

Indeed, the usual outward calm and elegance of the demon lord was damaged, fractured. His perfectly coiffed long hair was slightly disheveled, blood poured down over the right side of his forehead and his clothes were mildly dirtied and torn. This grittier appearance however, only served to make the ominous, maddened stare of his unholy bloodshot eyes all the more intimidating. There was an unhinged fury within them, as if the facade of humanity that Asmodeus tried to cultivate and project had had a portion of it sliced away.

"Indeed… while I am more than pleased with her development… fighting my dear Insect definitely took its toll on me." Asmodeus said with the slightest of smiles on his lips.

"Insect!?" Damien shouted. "What have you done to her foul creature?"

"Worried for her? How quaint, Damien Caramel. I've done nothing more than open her eyes to true power!" Asmodeus shouted back, and as he spoke, he unleashed a cavalcade of fleshy tentacles towards Damien. The attack exploded from a thousand different angles, but Damien was unphased.

"Get back!" He shouted at Mephisto as he quickly spun on his heels, once, twice, thrice. Each time the storm of frozen wind around him intensified into a cyclone, until it shot outward freezing everything in its vicinity.

"G-God d-damn i-it!" Mephisto yelped out as he covered himself with his arms. Even at such a distance, the blast hit him and somewhat froze his coat's sleeves, the sheer cold making his teeth chatter.

"Mephisto, you're just going to slow me down and distract me, I'll hold the demon, destroy that damn phylactery…" Damien called out as he jumped and dashed across the battlefield, avoiding Asmodeus' onslaught.

"Sounds good to me!" Mephisto nodded, scrambling to his feet. On the verge of him turning away from the fight, Damien called out once more.

"Demon, If… I won't make it please, find Insect… ask her… if I was the shield she needed me to be…"

Mephistopheles nodded solemnly, turning and running towards the massive gateway and the immense library that lay beyond it.

"COWARD!" Asmodeus' voice thundered across the chamber, with dozens of tentacle flares spiking towards him through the air.

"I KNOW!" The hallway echoed back.

In a flash of white and blue wind however, every tendril about to grasp Mephisto was shattered, broken, and crushed. Asmodeus' eyes went even wider with rage, and his fury only increased when the one responsible dared to charge him directly. Damien engaged the demon while under the cover of his billowing blizzard, swinging his massive hammer with precise, yet powerful blows. He dodged but Damien followed through, not giving him a moment to think. But the demon did not need to think. His instinct for battle, his living monstrous body acted without his consent. Each attack, each miss was met by a brutal counter-attack from Asmodeus, a lashing from his tentacles, a direct strike from his right hand or a blast of unmitigated eldritch delirium.

It was a back and forth brawl between two incredibly skilled and powerful participants. Neither relented, neither backed down, and neither fought with anything in their eyes except raw determinant fury. Damien's agility allowed him to keep up with the Archdemon, and his ability saved him from many lethal blows. However, they were not able to save his coat, as his physical strength faltered for a moment and Asmodeus riddled it with holes. His attack had sliced through his sides, arms, and even across his head, carving a line through his hat.

"HMPH!" Damien grunted as he slid back, and both of them took a moment to reset themselves.

"Damien Caramel… of all people to stand against me…" Asmodeus said, shaking his head. "I will enjoy watching your body rot in this prison."

"Spare me the theatrics, fiend!" Damien called out as he moved his hammer over his wounds, freezing them shut. "You act high and important, but you are nothing more than a mere upstart worm that devoured more than its fill. I am not afraid of you! I am deeply aware of the sacrifices you made for all your great power, your great form. The rule that binds you to this realm!"

"I do not… care." Asmodeus said plainly. "You will lose this battle, you will die, and when I capture the other fucker, I myself will make sure all your friends and subordinates are dead. Would you like me to bury them next to you, or shall I impale you all on stakes and make a quaint little garden in the desert above?"

"Hmmm… You underestimate me, foul archdemon…" Damien grunted as he took off his ruined coat. He tossed it aside, and followed up with him taking off his capotain hat. He gave it one sad, solemn look before he threw it away as well. He stared down the demon with his blue eyes, alight with the fiery cold of the demon soul he wielded. "...I am Damien Caramel, Tamer of the Black Wind and Shield of Venandis, I may not have the strength nor ability to slay you, but know this: I have enough. While I yet draw breath, for the sake of the world and innocents I've protected and cherished all my life, YOU WILL GO, NO, FURTHER!"