THE DEMON BARES ITS HORNS
Dracula has fully turned into a demon. He feels the surge of power flow through him, remolding himself down to his very soul. His new body easily bested Seraph who is supposed to be the stronger than the Archangels, his quick attacks proves difficult to handle. He grabs Fadil's head and throws it to the ground. He opened his mouth, and several snakes came through and tries to posses the Archangel but Death stops him.
"Don't you dare LOSE!" Death told his daughters.
Dracula goes after the old man and to their shock he easily puts the demon on hold. The demon breaks the bridge and the 2 fall down into the forest below. The skies starts to become as red as blood in both worlds, and Dracula begins to gain more strength.
"COME TO ME, I WILL BE ABLE TO RESSURECT MY ARMY, AND TAKE OVER THE WORLD!"
Death and Dracula starts to fight to the end while Seraph and Fadil supports their father. Looking at the situation, the 3 seems to have the upper hand. 1 of the Archangels interfered the battle on the Underworld, and 1 aided in the battle between Death and the Herald of Greed.
Remi gets up because of the loud noises outside and she seems to have regained most of her energy. The noises that she hears is the same thing she has heard since this morning, but the ground starts shaking with every loud noises she hears. With every loud and concerning noises, she starts to panic and run out to see what is happning. She starts to run across the hallway and bumps into Eir.
"Are you okay?"
"Lady Eir"
"You need to stay here, its not safe outside"
"what is that!"
"Get in there!"
Remi follows Eir to the 'Extreme care medical area' and sees Logan through the glass chamber, healing. She did not question what is happening to him and just stayed there and cower. Eir goes somewhere as Logan heals by himself, loud noises rung around her and she starts to feel even more afraid as she focused on the noise. She covered her hears and begs for the whole thing to just stop, and in that moment she sees herself for the real coward that she is, she came to accept that fact.
The roof other infirmary starts cracking and small pebbles fall on her. The cracking stop and suddenly the roof was pulled off. A giant horned creature looks in and looms over them. Most of the students are focused on defeating and all she can do is cower there.
The demon grabs the chamber that Logan lies in.
*Stop that*
*What are you doing?!*
She stood up but trembled on her knees and falls down and starts to cry instead of doing anything. The demon notices her weeping on her knees, begging for it to stop. She bawls louder as everyone is blown away by the titanic demon. It opened its mouth wide open and a massive spiked tendril and went through the demon's mouth. Blood feel down onto her. She fainted as the chamber falls down beside her, all she can see is a massive wave of flame that destroyed the demon completely into ashes. A man grabs her and puts a fire flower on her chest to heal her.
"Eir, take care of her and all the wounded students please"
"Yes sir"
All she can see is a strong-willed man came to her rescue, his golden hair shines brighter because of the light. Her vision gets clear before she fully faints, Eir grabs her and the man flies away.
"CHILDREN, CREATE WALLS TO ENSURE YOUR SAFETY!"
All the student do as their told, he closed his hands together and starts to accumulate massive amounts of imperium on his palms. All the lower-demons starts to be attracted to him, like moths to the fire. The students knew who it was and they braced to what will happen, more demons starts descending and engaged all their attacks at him but it burned up before it even reaches 20 feet towards him. He waves his hand around and separates the energy on his hands, his pointed his right arm towards the legion of demons and a chain reaction of lightning destroys all of it in a blink of an eye. It reaches up the demons above and the vortex starts to dissipate as well. Aarav clapped twice and the whole damage that the demon dealt on their school starts to slowly repair.
"All students must go back to their dorms, all who is wounded enter the infirmary"
Instead of cheering that they are safe they all start to weep, seeing that there are some students who were taken by the legion. The events escalated quickly and it happened to spontaneously. Aarav knows too well what will happen to the captured children, he stayed there and watched over the school in case if something happens.
"Your grace" Merlin approaches Aarav, the old man seems to be in distress. Merlin is always calm and composed, even during events like this.
"Merlin, the boy?"
"He is fine and healing your grace"
"Where is my Elder Sister, I do not sense her in this plain"
"She is aiding your father, against your Elder Brother"
"Mammon, so he begins his invasion?"
"Yes your grace"
Aarav got up to a branch of the Tree of Worlds and looked over everything. Without Seraph watching over the Underworld, the responsibility of protection falls on his shoulders.
On the other plain of the world Dracula is having a hard time. His control over Mammon's power and soul is not the best. He does not understand the power that the Sin of Greed has, not noticing that he is fighting the complete opposite of the sin that he stole. His attacks has become extremely weaker than he expected it to be and all he can do is dodge, Mammon has never told Dracula about his siblings and he has no way of knowing. He only consumed the demon's power, not their memories.
*You just have no idea what my abilities are*
Dracula hears Mammon's voice on the left side of his ear clearly, he turns around and knocks into a tree. He runs around as the 3 tries to stab him, Death landed his scythe in front of him and he attempts to fly.
*Maybe this is what I wanted, to take your army, I am not that weak Vampire, I made you*
His vision starts to turn dark and he appears in a dark place and in front of him Mammon sits comfortable. He starts to walk around, Dracula cannot move as chains of corroding metal wraps around him. A circling vulture starts to dig his heart out. Dracula starts to feel pain like he never felt before. His blood starts to drip down and it strengthens the chain that wrapped around him. Mammon opens Dracula's mouth and the chain enter and starts to choke him, the chains slinks out of his mouth.
"You are just a hollow shell for my soul, actually you were never alive, you are just a part of my soul"
Outside Dracula's body starts to move in a different way. Dracula's skin starts to tear itself apart.
"What is wrong with him?"
"Infestation"
Mammon sticks his arm into his mouth and Dracula starts to tear up blood. He grabs his heart and pulls it out. "thank you for keeping it warm" his words to the vampire as he eats it directly from Dracula's mind.
Dracula's skin starts to fall off and climbs up to and wraps around Mammon's body, 4 of his ribs starts to pop out from his back and flesh starts to build into it and turns into a pair of wings. Outside a hand comes out from Dracula's mouth and destroys him. Mammon walks up to Seraph and he is taller than her.
"Well, this is awkward" Mammon applauded the 3 for their efforts as he is still unbothered. "Sure is" A voice responded on their behalf.
"Who are you?!" Mammon asks.
"Someone who hates people who dares insult my father, the only Archangel created by him"
"Azrael"
Azrael stands as tall as Mammon's new form and his aura is intimidating. The only Archangel that Death created purely of light unlike Mephistopheles who is created from a soul of his brother, Vǫrðr (Vor), the watcher, the caretaker of everything that Life and Death has created. Mephistopheles is created by Vǫrðr's likeness, and his duty is to watch over his brother's who revolted against their mother.
Azrael is created as the one who watches over the souls who has passed through his father. Azrael carries a long sword with a hand for a handle, the middle of the blade is hallow with dark shrouds revolving around it, souls, the Eternal Devourer.
"You stole that?" Fadil accused him.
"Correction sisters, it was given to me"
He point the tip of the sword to Mammon's heart.
"I will not kill you brother"
"Brother, I do- that does not matter who I am to you, but please kill me"
"No"
"Why?"
"You exactly know why, your death, or anyone of your deaths, sisters is the beginning of the end, for now go back home... I spare you"
"SPARE ME! HO-"
He raised his longsword right up to the sky and the light of the moon broke through the clouds. He cuts in between Mammon and the ground starts to rumble and a massive crack opens under him, 'Enter' he whispered, chains popped out and grabbed onto his limbs, head and pulled him directly down into Hell. Mammon tries to pull away but the chains kept him in place. The demon kept his eye contact with Azrael. Hell closes up as Mammon is completely swallowed.
"Who, have we ever met?" Seraph asked.
"I was created before all of you, in order to take back souls that mother cried over, like you I was made to make her smile"
"Thank you" The 2 showed their simple gratitude.
"No problem, I must go, I shall appear when you are in need of my aid once more"
Azrael puff into smoke and he left a crow's feather on the ground. Death picked it up and burned it into his own skin, Seraph and Fadil sheath their weapon and the 2 just looked in confusion. Death creates a portal in front of them to the school, they entered it as if nothing happened.
"I have to go do something" he told the 2 with him looking down, ashamed. Seraph nodded and went through and Fadil followed. He closed his palm and it closed the portal that he created. He floats up to see Lachlan's crumbling body on top of Lesley's body.
"I'm sorry, Lachlan"
*Its fine, at least the case was solved*
"....."
*Would you mind if you visit a friend of mine?*
"Of course"
*Thank you*
Both bodies crumbled down and a crow's feather replaced both bodies, he picked it up but it was not a crow's feather, but instead a dove's meaning his duty was successful. His claymore starts to rust and corrode as its master disappears. A smiled peered through his face and he stands up. Everything starts to revert back to normal. He walks up where Albert's remains is and a dove's feather is also on his place, he picks it up and kept it in his pocket.
"Thank you for your services"
Seraph and Fadil arrives at the school that is slowly being rebuild. Aarav jumps down to greet.
"Sisters"
"Elder Brother"
"Aarav, good to see you here"
"Yes, well you did not kill Mammon yes?"
"No, why are you against on killing him"
"He is evil Elder Brother, but father does not allow us to even kill him"
"He has gotten stronger than Seraph, and that is a problem if he dies then the beginning of the End will begin, the Harmonic Convergence is nearing and Mammon will do everything he can to summon the others, being Greed he is currently the strongest even without the total connection to Hell"
"We nee to be whole once more" Seraph said.
"Indeed. Even you Elder Sister, the only person that mother entrusted with huge proportions of imperium, but too weak to beat him I believe"
"Are you belittling me, you weren't even there"
"It was obvious, Azrael appeared, I felt him, and Father only calls him as a trump card, and you what that means when our own parents feel fear right?"
"The last time our parent felt fear, our world become 2"
"If we wish to fight against our siblings then we need to train this children much harder, because when we go back to the Garden, its only you, Seraph, standing in between them and conquering all worlds. And once they find the gates of the souls Azrael will not be able to stop them"
"I can g-"
"You will not be enough, you should be the last one to go because for now you have to depend on a vessel and a beast just to survive, and you say you are strong?"
"We are"
"You never listened to Mephistopheles when he spoke of the Herald, and you the Commandment created to counteract against him failed"
"Do not be ang-"
"I am not angry, disappointed, extremely. The children must be trained harder so for when we enter the Garden they can go up against the demons that will be spawned on both worlds"
"Both?"
"Yes, the Overworld and the Underworld will be taken over, they will use the people on the Overworld as their main source of Imperium, souls as well, and if like Mammon whose power is slowly being reverted back to its prime, then we lose. He won't need the humans because they will be dead by time they have regained their whole strength"
"Why did mother seal away half of our Imperium"
"Because you saw what happened to all of our Elder siblings, the Imperium itself corrupted them, Lucifer invoked the sins within them and promised them that they will have the world, and we barely even won without the help of Mephistopheles and Azrael, whom we despise"
"We do not look down on them Elder Brother"
"Really Fadil? The way you looked on the boy during the trials was different, as if you despised, such a shame"
"Stop it you 2, what do we do now?"
"Your Graces, I do not mean to interrupt such important discussion, but we ask where is Death" A nurse sent by Eir cuts into their conversation.
"I'm here, where's Logan?" He appeared before them.
"Follow me Your grace"
"Seraph"
"....."
"Let go of the boy and the beast, you cannot keep doing that your also killing them. I understand you need a body to fight, but accept the fact that you cannot. Your killing someone just to fight, Hans is the name of the boy that you are using. He might be one of the strongest but does not mean he can handle your power"
Death walked passed the 3 Archangels it reminds them the day that the 9 worlds were created. It is as if he has turned his back on them, which caused them to drift apart and resulted even on the sacrifice of their own mother. Death followed the nurse as they headed into the infirmary and there they see Remi sitting beside Logan, who is now awake, the 2 seems to be chatting.
"Logan?"
"....."
"Should I leave?"
"If you do not mind"
"I'll see you back at the dorm"
"Come now Remi"
"Thank you Remi"
"....."
"S-"
"Their dead, or gone literally now?"
"Lachlan and Abraham?"
"Yes?"
"Yes"
"Has there been deaths of other Reapers before them?"
"Not death, but they are at peace"
"What does the feather's mean, there was a dove's inside of Abraham before you took me away"
"Their duties were fulfilled, and they are at peace now, they will not be reincarnated nor rebirthed into another life. But they were happy"
"....."
Their conversation went into a silent pause as Death thinks of something they can talk about, but nothing. They just sat there sitting and staring through the window.
"Do you know, what love is?" Death suddenly ask.
"I do"
"Did you love anyone?"
"I did"
"Did?"
"Yes, she gave life to so many things, that I wanted to create my own in order to impress her"
"How did it go?"
"Well, because of that, demons appeared, the world became 9, and the destruction of the worlds are coming"
"And my family died in the hands of your children?!" Logan's tone change. He appears to be angry, and the tone sounds threatening.
"I see, Mephistopheles has told you everything?"
Logan looks back to Death and in tears, he feels pitiful for the immortal being for the way he lived. Death feels only sadness coming from the kid, 'I promise' a word that came out from Logan whose voice is choking on his emotions,
"I promise.... no... we promise that we will defeat them... all of them... but hopefully, you do not stand in my way, you will only limit me but do not stop me"
"I appreciate the determination, but you are nowhere near the power even what Dracula had, and now Mammon is definitely a hundred times stronger than you are"
"Then I just have to close the gap in between, we all can"
Death smiled and then laughed at Logan's resolve. He gets up and asked Logan if he means it, to which he replied a loud 'Yes'. Everyone in the infirmary hears the scream and was startled.
"But first, we need to go and find the missing 12 children"
"No, you do not have too, their safe now"
"What did you do?"
"I took away their Imperium when I found them in the castle, everything they experienced from the day they heard a Reaper down to this day will just be a bad dream"
"Really?"
"Yes, so you do not have to worry anymore about them, that will be ours to worry about. You train"
Death gets up and put his hat on, he shakes Logan's hand and then left back to the Overworld through the doors, as soon as it closed Harry and Ava came crashing in and so did the others. They start to push him around because of how worried they are, Hans came in last because he is still in a bit of a daze. Harry and Ava cries over Logan, who just laughed at them.
"My brothers, and sisters, I'm sorry I did not bring anything back here"
"Your Greed really fits you, for over centuries you could have gathered bodies for us and now you only have one, and for yourself alone"
"But Elder Brother, even Me-"
"Do not mention that name, he is not one of us and he never was"
"What if we u-"
"You cannot use the boy anymore as a gate, that traitor has already formed a contract"
11 Looming figures watches over Mammon, they start to mock him endlessly.
"We broke through the Aether once, and how long will it take once more to go through it!"
"You failed us Mammon, you failed us"
Mammon kneeled down as one of the figures walked down, and so did the other 10. The large figure that never mocked him, with every step all creatures that surrounds them kneeled before him and they continued to do so until he gets down to Mammon.
"Elder brother"
"Mammon, do you know why I chose you to go up to the Overworld in order to find us sacrifices?"
"Yes"
"Why is that?"
"Bec-"
Every time Mammon tries to speak he punches him, and with every word he says seems to not please the bigger figure.
"Why is that?"
"You trusted me"
"Yes, I did"
"....."
"Greed is the most common evil amongst the humans, but you keep failing and out patience is slowly running out"
"You cannot kill me Elder Brother"
"I can, easily"
He steps on Mammon's face as he begged and begged the harder and longer he steps on his face.
"Promise this, brother, that you will succeed"
He promised his Elder Brother that he will as he threw him off the mountain and into the lowest parts of hell. All lower-demons kneeled before him. 'look for a weak one' He commanded his minions and they start to fly through the walls and pass it they enter the Overworld. They can exist merely because people believe in them and they feed off of it, and as for Demons they need a soul and a body to posses in order to be 'alive'.
The giant figure walks up the steps and sits down.
"What if he takes too long brother?"
"We'll wage war on the Overworld, then to the Underworld we go, we need to find that gate where Azrael lives, we must kill him or convince him"
"How about our power?"
"We do not depend on mother's gifts anymore, now we consume our own"
The 12 of them flew into every direction and took down creatures that has no respect for them, even the demons that they chose to be their heralds they consumes its heart. With every heart they grow and all they need is a body and soul to posses in order to break through the aether into the real world.