My Angel Girl

The cavern glowed with a dim, hellish red light as a thousand voices echoed off jagged walls. The remnants of hell's army—the thousand or so demons who had managed to survive the war—gathered in the great underground chamber that served as their meeting hall.

It was a depressing sight. Once-proud warriors now slouched in their seats, their armor scorched, their wings tattered, their fiery eyes dull with exhaustion. The energy of hell had dwindled since the angels' devastating victory, and the cracks in the walls seemed to whisper the same truth that none of them wanted to admit: they were losing.

At the center of the cavern stood a stone dais, and on it was Lucifer himself. He had once been a shining star of heaven, the Morningstar, the pinnacle of beauty and power. Now, his once-glorious wings were torn and blackened, and his expression was twisted with rage.

Kikidori leaned against a far wall, his hood pulled low over his face as he watched the scene unfold with disinterest. He hated these meetings. Nothing ever got done except for Lucifer barking orders, most of which were either ignored or impossible to follow.

Lucifer's voice cut through the noise, commanding attention. "Demons of hell!" he began, his arms spread wide. "Our numbers may be fewer, but our resolve remains unbroken! Heaven may have struck a blow against us, but we are not defeated. Not yet."

A low murmur of agreement rippled through the room, though it lacked enthusiasm.

Lucifer's fiery eyes swept over the crowd. "We will rise again. But this time, we will strike not at heaven's gates, but at its very heart. We will destroy God Himself!"

The cavern erupted in shouts and growls, some of approval, others of doubt. The demons leaned forward in their seats, their energy suddenly reignited.

But Kikidori couldn't hold it in. He let out a loud, sharp laugh that echoed through the cavern, cutting through the noise like a knife.

Lucifer's eyes snapped to him. "Something funny, Kikidori?" he growled, his voice dangerously low.

Kikidori pushed off the wall and strolled toward the dais, his movements casual but deliberate. His hood cast a shadow over his face, but the smirk on his lips was unmistakable.

"Oh, please," Kikidori said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "You can't even stay in heaven without getting your ass kicked out. What makes you think you can hold your own against God?"

The room fell silent. Every demon turned to stare at Kikidori, their jaws dropping. The sheer audacity of his words hung in the air like a physical weight.

Lucifer's expression darkened, his fists clenching at his sides. "Watch your tongue, Kikidori," he hissed. "You may be one of us, but that does not make you untouchable."

Kikidori took another step forward, his wings unfurling slightly, the black feathers glinting in the dim light. "Untouchable? No. But I'm not wrong, am I?"

Lucifer's lips curled into a snarl. "You forget yourself."

Kikidori shrugged. "No, you forget yourself, Lucifer. You think you're some great leader, but all I see is someone clinging to a grudge he'll never settle. You talk a big game about destroying God, but let's be real—you're not even close to pulling it off."

The tension in the room was palpable. Some demons exchanged nervous glances, unsure whether to intervene or let the scene play out. Others watched with wide-eyed fascination, as if they couldn't believe Kikidori had the guts to say what they were all thinking.

Lucifer took a step toward Kikidori, his towering form casting a long shadow. "You dare question me?"

"Damn right, I do," Kikidori said, crossing his arms. "You keep dragging us into these bullshit plans, and for what? To prove you're still the big bad Morningstar? Newsflash: you lost. We all did. And no amount of posturing is going to change that."

Lucifer's hand twitched as if he was debating whether to strike Kikidori down. But he didn't. Whether it was because he knew Kikidori was too valuable to kill or because he couldn't deny the truth of his words, no one could say.

"You think you know better?" Lucifer said, his voice cold.

"I know enough not to pick a fight I can't win," Kikidori shot back. "But hey, if you want to go charging into heaven again, be my guest. Just don't expect the rest of us to follow you into certain death."

Lucifer's eyes burned with fury, but before he could respond, another voice broke the silence.

"He's got a point," one of the demons muttered.

All eyes turned to the speaker, a hulking brute with horns and a scarred face. He looked uncomfortable but resolute.

"I mean, we barely survived the last fight," the demon continued. "If we go after God Himself, what chance do we really have?"

More murmurs of agreement spread through the room. Kikidori smirked, stepping back and letting the dissent grow.

Lucifer's jaw tightened. He knew he was losing the room. His gaze snapped back to Kikidori, who was now leaning casually against a pillar, watching the chaos with amusement.

"You think you're so clever," Lucifer said, his voice low but dangerous. "But you're no better than the rest of us. You're just a fallen angel pretending to be something more."

The words hit harder than Kikidori expected, though he didn't let it show. Instead, he tilted his head, his smirk never wavering.

"Pretending?" he said, his tone mocking. "No, Lucifer. I'm not pretending. I just don't need to prove myself to anyone. Least of all you."

With that, he turned on his heel and walked away, his wings folding behind him. The demons parted to let him pass, their eyes following him with a mix of awe and fear.

Lucifer stood frozen on the dais, his fists clenched, his face a mask of fury. But he didn't stop Kikidori. He couldn't.

As Kikidori left the cavern, the faintest trace of a smirk remained on his lips. He didn't know where he was going, but one thing was certain: he wasn't about to let Lucifer drag him into another doomed crusade.

The end of hell's rebellion had left him with nothing but questions, but one thing was clear. He was done being anyone's pawn.

The end of Chapter 5