Martha fought the urge to scream,
And even tried to calm herself with deep breaths.
But the monsters were closing inch per inch,
The moment her hand slowed down to rest.
She frantically sounded the bell faster,
But had exhausted herself quicker too.
She cried not knowing what would become of her,
Filling her mind with horrors, of what may come after.
...
Since his arms weren't fully healed,
Ken had no other choice but to bend down.
He quickly picked the snake's head by his mouth,
And bit it harshly, though it hurts him somehow.
He spits out it's head and blood,
As he staggers to walk towards-
Satan who is looking at him with widened eyes,
Not sure how he managed to get out alive.
The poison of his snakes, are the strongest,
Yet somehow, it didn't seem to stop Ken.
"He should be asleep or losing his coordination by now,
This is ridiculous. What sort of powers does this kid possess?"
Satan couldn't help but wonder himself,
Of why this man doesn't seem to struggle as he expects.
He grits his teeth in annoyance,
Remembering his former plans.
"A pity that only him and Barbatos knows any repurcussions of using the 'eyes',
Originally, I would have loved to have that.
But now, this person is also too heroic to give me anything,
Maybe it wouldn't be too bad to kill him."
He soon flicked his fingers and Ken was soon trapped in flames,
And as a man not fully healed,
Ken was trapped with limited options to escape.
The young seer could almost curse at the situation he's in,
For a strong creature, he sure does miss sleep.
He coughed and prayed that his arms would appear at any moment,
But the flames was slowing the process.
"Dealing with the both of you could get me killed,
So, if you want your turn, you'd have to wait.
Undeniably, I'm exhausted as well.
So although it's fun recieving a challenge,
I can't afford to lose my vessel at this rate."
Satan then turns to Dawn,
Who was feeling his heart pound faster by the second.
Had he known that it would be this hard to focus with emotions,
He wouldn't have mind, not having them at all.
(Note: Satan is too careful and doesn't like using an ability he doesn't know completely. Using others is more preferable to him than risking his own. So with Ken's refusal to obedience, and of giving information of his power, Satan has no other choice but to get rid of the threat.)
...
The dragons Dawn possess on his command,
All showed fear of the Great Defiance.
Satan loved the look in their eyes,
And flashed a smile at Dawn, after concluding the fight.
Satan owns too many serpents to be stopped,
And even the angels doesn't know where they come from.
Raphael soon stood weakly as he tried to check on his brothers,
And soon, saw the significant snake, climbing up the tower.
He observed its scales has a unique pattern,
That changes so often, its pretty colors.
It was like a rainbow, painted to a snake,
Which was purposely meant to captivate.
He knew smart predators also have bright colors,
To attract prey, and bring them closer.
He bit his lips as he tried to make sense of how,
How was he not aware of its existence til now?
But knowing the history of some demon's trickery,
He also gave a deep sigh of pity.
Who knew what the real story was behind their relationship with Satan?
He just couldn't help but be mystified with how obedient they are.
Although, he does have a lot of theories and questions in his mind,
like,
Does Satan have any limit to his supply?
If he kills the king of snakes, would he get the others' respect and obedience?
Or are the snakes cursed somehow? and are innocent?
if not then,
How can he quickly put an end to them?
"Where do they come from...how many are left at his disposal?"
Raphael asked himself softly, but was quickly interrupted by a serpent's arrival.
His brothers coughed out blood after forcing themselves to stand,
They had just finished slaying their rivals,
and wasn't too ready for another batch.
But after Raphael recognized the serpent as a mere messenger,
He assured his brothers to calm their postures.
The snake was smaller compared to its brothers.
Though by the looks of it, could still be capable.
As Raphael try to hear what the conversation was between them,
Jegudiel's eyes, was focused on the youngest angel.
Although Dawn was still relatively far from Satan's grasp,
Jegudiel was too worried he'd die.
He gestures him to fly away,
But Dawn, upon remembering his promise,
frowned at the senior angel's take.
He promised himself to help.
And not be a mere burden to them.
He wanted to save his seniors as well,
Even if it meant constantly refusing escape.
He felt bad that he may be slowing them down at times,
As they constantly steal a glance.
He knew he was being looked after even though they fight,
And knowing that he may be a distraction,
tore a hole on his heart.
He then focused and thought of another plan,
Knowing that his former drafts didn't made it too far.
...
Satan, very annoyed of the sudden interruption,
Rudely asked the serpent to quicken the spill of information.
The serpent soon obliged and spoke,
"The woman on the other tower,
Isn't giving up as she's supposed."
The snake then opened its eyes wide,
And on its eyeballs, showed the flashback.
Satan watched, irritated at the human's persistence,
"Why won't they just give up? Dying is much easy!"
The serpent then backed down,
afraid to recieve his master's anger.
And Satan after realizing he's being a child,
Composed himself and gave another order.
"Tsk. What a headache,
Then guess I'd have to send more."
Satan then called some serpents from the battlefield,
"Oi, you five, I have another work for you.
Kill the other woman from the sun tower,
And once the book's secured,
Humanity will be over."
The serpents quickly slithered away,
As Ken suddenly became furious.
Satan wondered why he had the sudden rush of adrenaline,
But at that very moment, Ken recieved another scene.
He saw Martha's future, with his special eyes,
And he knew, he was truly falling behind.
"I didn't gave up everything for her to die,
I'll...I'll never let this happen at my sight!"
Dawn on the other hand, had quickly took the short lapse of time,
To make a hole from the ground to where Ken's location was.
Water soon tore from the soil,
Making the flames circling him, dissolve.
Ken, who was filled with wrath,
Soon gave no brief pauses, and attacked.
By the time his fingers were completed from healing back,
He summoned his scythe, and swiped.
The messenger serpent quickly died,
With its head, rolling to the ground, cleanly sliced.
Dawn smiled, upon looking at the hero,
But soon it faded upon being caught.
Satan choked him, knowing he was the reason,
That his flames were extinguished by water.
Satan soon felt his back sting,
And saw that Jegudiel had the courage to slice him.
Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael were also at each of his side,
But seeing that they're already at their limits,
Satan only smiled.
"Death is already knocking at your doorsteps,
And you're still trying to save this kid?
My, my, what dedication you show, you pathetic angels.
When can you learn to give up and just rest?"
But the archangels couldn't care less,
And were about to attack despite the uncertainty of what could happen.
Every breath they take felt like a stab in itself,
But they couldn't just stand, as Satan hold Dawn by his neck.
Soon, the angels fixed their stance,
And Michael was about to exclaim, 'attack,'
But a deep voice soon stopped them from their tracks.
It was Ken, clearly covered in blood.
He had used teleportation, though his body screams at him not to use it yet.
But with his beloved Martha and humanity at stake,
he knew it was a decision he needed to make.
He felt thankful he had returned just in time,
Or else, by the looks of things, the archangels would have died.
He then pulls red eyes from his pockets,
Eyes that once belonged to Satan's serpents.
He threw them by his feet just to spite him,
And it worked perfectly,
by the looks of it.
Satan soon threw Dawn to a far distance,
Making his back collide to one of Palace's walls.
He soon lost consciousness afterwards,
As the archangels soon collapsed, after being knocked over.
Azazel laughed after showing he was well all this time.
He was also amused how Michael thought he had died.
"My injections were worth it after all,"
But after the words escaped from his mind,
Azazel regained conciousness of his own,
Making him surprised.
It had felt like he had fallen asleep,
And woke up to find himself doing things.
He looked at Satan, who had forgotten to control him,
And Ken, who was busy dealing with the Devil.
Mix emotions came to Azazel at once,
As he stares at his reflection,
on his own brothers' blood.
He saw the hideous monster he made himself to be,
And regret finally came, falling upon the troubled him.
He soon felt grief, knowing he had failed.
And all of his hardwork for evil, all proved to be useless.
He wiped the tears on his pitch black eyes,
And stared at his reflection, a little while.
Soon, he saw the pitch black eyes change,
And his pupils turned gray.
He felt an odd feeling return,
And after a while,
accepted the truth.
"It seemed as though...my genius isn't fit for mischief at all.
I...I need to help my brothers,
just like before."
He soon casted a wall between them,
But Satan, who was too focused at Ken, couldn't care.
Ken, who had foresaw Azazel's actions, decided to help him,
Luring Satan, away from the rest.
Azazel then began healing his brothers,
Using his own body and knowledge,
to make them replenish faster.
The first angel to open their eyes was Raphael,
Who quickly teared up,
Not expecting his help.
Azazel's grey eyes soon cried in return,
Missing his kindness,
he lost long ago.
"After all these years,
You finally relearned how to love."
Raphael said between tears,
As Azazel could only nod.