Inari and Onoma were led back the way they had came. Gozzu told them they had chose the wrong tunnel, the direction they were heading before was to Xinoll, the City of Demons. Inari had a hard time picturing what a demon city would look like, she tried imagining it but the only thing that came to mind was a painting she had once seen of five demons sitting around a table dressed like gang bosses and playing poker.
Gozzu led them down the third tunnel. "This ways the torturous chambers." It said.
"Wait, torture?" Inari asked, her concern for Akuro increasing.
"It's hell, what did you expect?" Onoma said. "I wouldn't worry that much, he's immortal after all, his wounds will heal."
"That's not the point! The point is that he's in pain!" Inari responded.
"Arguments stops pleases." Gozzu said, then turned to start going down the tunnel, his ears flopping around with each wobbly step he took.
'Akuro..' Inari thought. 'Just hold on a bit longer, I'm on the way.'
The group continued through the winding corridors for some time until the scenery began to change. Inari felt like she was going to puke as the smell of blood and old flesh invaded her senses. When she saw the cells, she became light headed and averted her eyes. She didn't think she could look, if she did she knew she would be scarred for life.
"This is horrible..." she said.
"Again. It's hell." Onoma pointed out.
"Oops. Stops. We has the company." Gozzu said suddenly, crawling on the wall and onto the roof of the tunnel, becoming almost invisible.
Then Inari and Onoma could hear the sound of heavy footsteps, and around the corner came an obese demon that looked more like an ogre than anything. It was disgusting and strange mold and infections grew all across its body. It carried a large axe.
"Damn it all, it was a trap!" Onoma growled, pulling his axe out. Inari stepped back from the grotesque demon, then looked up as she saw Gozzu hang down from the ceiling, dangling by his tail. He dropped down and his face was directly in front of the other demon, their eyes meeting.
"Herm?" The obese demon made a strange grumble.
"Boops." Gozzu said in a bubbly tone as he flicked the demon in the nose, and to Inari's shock it was sent flying through the hall, it's head completely shattered as it's obese body rolled and bounced across the ground like a mutated bouncy ball.
Gozzu dropped from the ceiling and waddled over to the demon's body, then placed his hand on its gooey skin, pulling out a strange red aura from its body before putting it into his mouth, eating it.
"What did yo just do?" Onoma asked, his jaw hanging.
"Ate his soul." Gozzu said happily.
"I thought you said you were weak?" Inari said in disbelief.
"I is. But he's normal demons. I'm Archdemons. I'm is the weakest of Archdemons."
Onoma glanced over at Inari and back at Gozzu. "And you didn't think it was a good idea to tell us you were an Archdemon?"
Gozzu shrigged, "you didn't asks Gozzu." He then pointed at an empty cell. "He gones. Executions beginnings."
"What!?" Inari yelled, "This is Akuro's cell? Are you certain?"
"Yes. He gones."
"Damnit! Where is the execution?"
"Mmm, this ways." Gozzu started down the hall, and Inari followed in a hurried pace, Onoma close behind.
•
•
•
Akuro felt like he was drowning, his lungs being crushed and unable to take in air. He watched, eyes wide, as the figure before him rose from its throne and took a heavy step towards him, and another, each step echoing across the chamber. Another, and another, like a countdown to Akuro's death. Akuro desperately wanted to move, but he couldn't, no matter how hard he tried. Due to his aura being sealed, it was impossible to resist external pressures that attacked him. If he didn't have the curse, he was confident he'd be able to resist this pressure, but that didn't matter anymore. At least not at the moment.
When Lucifer came into view, Akuro was surprised to see that he looked more human that one would expect. He had deathly pale skin, a sharp jaw line and short, messy black hair. He didn't wear a shirt, exposing a muscular body with wide shoulders a dozens of strange demonic markings tattooed to his body. Two large black horns curled from his head and his ears were pointed like an elf. His eyes were red and it seemed like he had mascara around them. Black feathered wings of bone were folded against his back.
Lucifer stood over Akuro, arms folded and glaring down at him with an expression that Akuro had seen too many times before. Contempt.
"You are the one who killed two of my generals and three hundred of my demons?" Lucifer spoke, his voice soft and cold like a freezing stream. "Well?"
Akuro grit his teeth. With all of his soul he wanted to kill the demon standing in front of him. Why, he wondered, did Lucifer remind him of his father?
Lucifer chuckled then. "Pathetic. You can't even withstand my pressure. I'm shocked you were able to kill even the weakest of my demons. It was surely pure luck, nothing else."
Akuro felt rage rose up in him. He had nothing but pure hatred in his heart for the demon standing before him, and he became even more furious in the fact that he couldn't do anything. He felt helpless. He felt like he was back in the barn, unable to save Hope, unable to save Alina, unable to save anyone. Weak, worthless, and helpless. It frustrated him so much. Veins began to pop along his arms and his forehead.
"Oh-ho. Angry, are we? Too bad." Lucifer out his foot on Akuro's head and forced his face to the ground. "You can't do anything, boy. You are weak. You are merely dirt to be trampled on." He lifted his foot and turned his back on Akuro. "You aren't worth my time. Do it, Lilith." Lucifer waved his hand.
Lilith bowed low, then walked over to the wall and pulled a lever. Then the ground Akuro sat on began to sink, and as it did Akuro could see that he was on a platform that lowered down into a lava pool. Heat overwhelmed him as the platform lowered. He looked around him and he saw below the throne room was a massive cavern that was filled with glowing hot lava that bubbled and churned.
"This is it. Steel yourself Akuro, it's going to hurt." Mato's voice came as the lava began to creep over the edge of the platform. As it drew closer, Akuro's skin began to burn even before it came into contact with him.
Akuro still was unable to move due to Lucifer's pressure, so all he could do was watch as the lava came closer to his body. His head was still against the surface of the platform and he took in as deep of a breath as he could, the air practically burning his throat. And then the lava made contact, first with his feet, then his legs.
Akuro let out a muffled scream of pain that faded when the lava made contact with his head, lava going down his throat. The pain was indescribable, Akuro felt his body melt, but then mere seconds later the pain ceased entirely, his nerves being severed from the lava, but then they healed and he felt the pain again, and this process repeated itself over and over and over again.
Akuro lay in the lava, pain being the only sense he knew now as he screamed internally. And then a deep, gruff voice echoed in Akuro's head, loud and clear.
"So, you're still alive?"
Akuro didn't have the ability to even care, he was in so much pain that he couldn't pay attention to anything else.
"I see." The voice came again. "You are in so much pain that you cannot even recognize my presence. Well, seeing the situation you are in, I wouldn't think you'd care if I have a look at your mind?"
Akuro felt a presence invade his mental scape, but he didn't even care. He was in so much pain that nothing else even mattered to him, not even the fact that the curse mark was gone. He couldn't use his power if he wanted to, the pain made it impossible for him to focus. He was trapped.
"Ah, so you are a Deity? It's been a long time. I can also see that you are chosen by Mato. Good, it's about time. I've been waiting." The voice came, "Allow me to help you."