Here is another chapter! Hope you like it! Because if you do you gotta leave a comment if you want more!
Next update? JJK - Sukuna the Helpful Menace
Chapter 14
"The fuck?!" Mayberry's voice echoed into the vacuum of darkness they had fallen into. Her fingers tightened around Alastor's arm, gripping it like a lifeline as she felt herself reeling through the abyss.
They emerged from the darkness abruptly, coming out from the shadows and onto a street paved with rubble.
Imp City unfolded before them in all its grotesque wonder. A towering skyline of twisted steel and fire etched itself against a horizon colored with hues of orange and red. Demons of all shapes and sizes scurried along the paths lined with shops that sold everything from cheap thrills to expensive vices.
"Welcome to Imp City!" Alastor's voice echoed through the near-deserted streets, a touch of excitement coloring his words as he surveyed the area with an appreciative look in his eyes.
"Though I'm afraid I don't know the exact location, so we'll have to walk the rest of the way ther-"
"Warn me next time you bastard!" Mayberry gasped, finally releasing herself from Alastor's hold after a minute of recovering.
Despite being rudely interrupted Alastor simply looked at her with amusement in his eyes.
"My apologies, darling! I seemed to let my excitement get the best of me~"
He did not look sorry in the least.
The preschool teacher glared at the overlord before she looked at the area around her, finding it to be not that much different from any other area of hell besides having more imps.
"We're here," she whispered breathlessly to herself, her hand was on her chest feeling her heart pounding like drums from the unexpected change in scenery.
Alastor, for his part, seemed unbothered by the abrupt change of scenery. He stood tall amidst the grime and grit of the Imp City, appearing almost regal despite the less-than-ideal surroundings. His eyes flickered with curiosity as he observed the creatures scurrying about, making mental notes while he waited for Mayberry to collect herself.
"Do you know where exactly to find these 'Immediate Murder Professionals' or shall we just wander about aimlessly?" he asked, breaking the silence with his bright and sardonic voice.
He turned towards Mayberry with a teasing glint in his eye, swaying slightly on his heels as if enjoying some joke.
Mayberry's heart was still pounding hard against her chest, but she forced a nod and looked around once again.
She looked for merely a few moments before she found a lead, a rather embarrassing one but a lead nonetheless.
She pointed towards a relatively large building on the south side of Imp City where a large billboard with an image of an imp could be seen.
It was a very, and I do mean very, poorly written ad.
Alastor raised his sight to the billboard, reading the awkwardly phrased advertisement with a spark of disbelief flickering in his irises.
"Goat an asshole in the Living worlds!? Come to I am Pee!!!??! Make sure you put this sign on the rite side. Dont fuck this up. Also payment may take a couple weeks because it cums in the Mail.
-SPEECH TO TEXT-
-Blitzo
"…"
The awkward silence could kill a deaf person.
"…T-They should be over there," Mayberry stuttered, swallowing back her nervousness when she noticed the blank look in Alastor's gaze.
…
…
…
Mayberry coughed, hoping for him to say something to clear the awkward air that threatened to bury her. Hearing her cough, Alastor took mercy on her and his smile that showed nothing of his true thoughts began to slip.
"Isn't that quaint? Haha!"
His laughter echoed around them, sounding more like the soft growl of a predator than an expression of mirth. Mayberry could only look down in embarrassment, but she was already too deep in to turn back now.
"Well then!" Alastor said as he clapped his hands once and started moving towards it. "Let's get ourselves acquainted with our murderous little helpers."
With a mock bow, he extended his arm towards the direction she pointed to.
"After you, my dear~"
Nodding tentatively, Mayberry cautiously led the way through the unsteady throng of Imps, demons, and other hellish creatures. Alastor followed close beside her, his eyes keenly observing the bustling streets as they made their way toward I.M.P's building.
Even from a distance, it was easy to tell that the building had seen better days. The paint was peeling away in large chunks, revealing broken and cracked walls. The windows were smeared with grime making it difficult to see inside, and the front door had a large dent as if it had been kicked in numerous times.
As they neared the structure, Alastor couldn't help but sense the tension radiating off the demoness beside him.
Entering the building they found that it was used for several different businesses, not just for I.M.P and it was made all the more prominent when they had to take the stairs to reach their destination.
It was only after reaching the twelfth floor that they finally arrived at their desired location and was met by an old rotting door with the words I.M.P boldly written on it.
"Is this the place?" Mayberry asked herself, her voice echoing off the empty hall.
Her gaze flickered over to Alastor, who was staring at the door in front of them with a bemused expression.
He glanced back at her and gave her a nod making her step forward to knock on the door.
Knock! Knock!
The sound echoed through the hallway, amplifying the silence that followed. With her heart pounding and anticipation coiling tightly in her stomach, she knocked again.
After what felt like an eternity, the door slowly creaked open revealing a female Hellhound with her face full of annoyance with a phone glowing in her hand.
Alastor's smile stiffened at the sight of her but shook it off.
"Yeah?" she growled, clearly unimpressed by their appearance, but her eyes lingered on Alastor and narrowed.
The atmosphere grew dangerous as their blood-red eyes met.
"We're here to see...Blitzo? Is it?" Mayberry asked, her voice wavering slightly as she stumbled over the unfamiliar name.
The Hellhounds eyed them suspiciously, especially Alastor, before she huffed and turned around yelling,
"BLITZ! Some weirdos wanna see ya!"
She walked away, leaving the door open with the two sinners to stand at the door. Alastor, somewhat put off by her attitude, walked in first and was followed by Mayberry.
Entering the room, they were greeted by the sight of two imps sitting on the couch observing them. One was a male who was looking at Alastor with caution and fear in his eyes while the female one looked at them with a cheerful confident smile.
The hellhound was sitting behind a desk typing away at her phone paying no attention to everything going on.
A few seconds passed before another figure emerged from the depth of his office, he was taller compared to the other imps but short compared to the sinners. His red eyes were sharp and carried a sense of danger despite his goofy grin.
"I heard someone was looking for me!" His voice carried a self-assured tone mixed with a heavy dash of arrogance.
"Why yes," Alastor nodded, putting on his best smile as he walked up to the imp. "And you are Blitz, the one in charge of this little operation, I presume?"
The radio demon's gaze roamed around the messy office, an odd mix of disgust and curiosity swimming in his eyes.
"Yep! The one and only!" Blitzo declared, striking a pose with an exaggerated wink. "What can I do you for?"
Mayberry looked more and more unsure of this as she stared at the imp before her before she took a step forward and got his attention.
"I am in need of your... services," Mayberry said hesitantly, peering into the distance as if she were unsure how to phrase her request.
"You've come to the right place then! What kind of service are we talking about? Been fucked over by your lover? A best friend? Maybe a bitch of a mother! Or maybe you want someone to 'disappear' up top?"
He giggled maniacally at his own joke, but his eyes never left their faces.
The Radio overlord was unfazed, but Mayberry was more than a little bit taken back by Blitzo's forwardness.
"…I-I need you to kill a whore of a woman for me a-and I am more than happy to pay any amount to get this done!"
Blitzo's face lit up like a Christmas tree on steroids, his grin practically split his face.
"Ohoho! Music to my ears!" He clapped his hands together and rubbed them greedily. "So, who's the lucky bitch you want us to kill?"
He asked them while beckoning them to come into his office to get more details of what she wanted them to do.
Alastor watched as Mayberry hesitated before they followed the imp to his office, finding the whole thing quite entertaining.
Loona, pretending to be focused on her phone, kept an eye on the smiling demon as he walked past her.
Once they entered the room seconds passed as they sat down on the chairs, Mayberry wringing her hands nervously in her lap while Alastor surveyed their surroundings with an air of casual curiosity.
His gaze fell on a cluttered desk, an overflowing trash bin by the side, and a tacky neon sign hanging crookedly on the wall that read.
I.M.P - We Aim to Please!
Blitzo took his place behind the desk, lounging in his swivel chair like a king on his throne. He leaned back, propping his feet up on the desk with an air of self-satisfied ease.
"Well? Are you going to tell me who you want to fuck over or what! I ain't got all-day tits!"
She glared at him but decided to ignore his crass language in favor of killing a certain bitch.
"…Her name is Martha," she finally admitted, her voice barely above a whisper but resonating loudly in the quiet room.
"Martha! Sounds like a juicy target!" He exclaimed, leaning forward with his elbows on the desk between them. "What'd this Martha do to piss you off?"
His impish eyes flickered towards Alastor momentarily, before returning back to Mayberry. Alastor himself remained impassive; his gaze interested as he watched their exchange unfold, quietly listening.
Time passed as the sinner collected herself.
Alastor waited patiently, wanting to hear her story, while Blitz's fingers impatiently tapped away at his desk.
Mayberry took a deep breath before answering, her emotions getting the better of her as words spilled out of her lips without her control.
"The whore fucked my husba-"
"That's plenty of reason! No need for the sob story!" Blitz callously interrupted, excitement dancing in his eyes as he cut her off from further explaining her sob story, not at all wanting to hear it.
"Let's talk numbers! How much are you going to pay me to take this bitch down!"
Mayberry glared at the imp for interrupting her and was about to let her dissatisfaction be known when unexpectedly Alastor intervened.
He smoothly stood up, the worn-out chair he had been breaking into pieces with a loud crack as he did so. His eyes, red and piercing, bore into Blitz's with an intensity that was as chilling as it was terrifying.
"I believe that is quite enough."
His voice was steady, like an ice-cold breeze that presages a storm.
"As amusing as your antics may be, I suggest you show some decorum."
Blitzo's smirk faltered for a fleeting second, before bouncing back at full force, his defiance palpable.
"And what if I don't? You strawberry looking asshol-"
Maybe it was the alcohol still coursing through his body or maybe it was something more personal that happened earlier that morning, either way.
The Overlord was not finished.
Power began to erupt off of him, causing the air in the room to grow dangerously suffocating. His eyes glaring with a power that sent a shiver down Blitz's spine. He snapped his fingers, an unseen force freezing the imp in his chair, much to the Hellborn's shock as he tried to desperately move but found it to be impossible.
The entire room was drenched in black, making it so that nothing could get in… and nothing could get out.
"What the fuck!?"
Alastor's expression remained impassive, but there was an undeniable aura of killing intent swirling around him.
"You overstep your bounds, Imp." he hissed, his voice taking on a barely perceptible edge of anger. His gaze never wavered from the trapped demon, who was struggling against the invisible force holding him immobile.
The imp tried to speak but found none of his usual smartass or lewd innuendos were able to escape his mouth.
"…" nothing but silence could be heard from his lips.
Mayberry watched this unfolding scene with wide eyes; she'd seen Alastor's temper flare before but never had she felt such raw dread seeping into her soul.
Blitz finally stopped struggling, choosing to glare at the radio demon instead. He was not one to cower before anyone, but even he had enough sense to remain silent under the intense gaze of the red-eyed monster.
Just when the tension in the room had reached its peak and as much as she wanted the imp to suffer for his rude attitude.
Mayberry stopped him.
She cautiously approached Alastor, her heart pounding like a wild drum in the stillness of the room. Her feet seemed to move of their own accord, slowly closing the distance between her and the enraged overlord.
The air around Alastor was hot and thick with power but Mayberry didn't hesitate, she pressed forward until she was within touching distance of him.
With a gentle touch, as light as a feather stroke, she placed her hand on his shoulder. So focused on the immobile hell-born, the sudden touch caught Alastor by surprise, and he flinched slightly, his fiery gaze shifting from the imp to the demoness.
Mayberry locked eyes with Alastor, her yellow ones glistening with fear as she met his intense crimson glare.
"W-While I appreciate y-your help." she began, her voice shaky but determined. "I still need him…"
The room was still deathly silent, the air thick with tension as Alastor's gaze bore into hers. There was a flicker of something in his red eyes, surprise perhaps, or maybe something else. But it was gone as quickly as it came and he looked back at Blitzo, whose struggle had ceased entirely now that he realized he was at the mercy of Alastor.
Alastor raised his hand and snapped his fingers once more. Just as quickly as it came, the energy and darkness dissipated leaving behind an almost chilling calmness.
Blitz was released from his invisible restraints, and he gasped loudly, gulping down huge breaths of air as though he had been underwater for too long. Alastor sat back down, adjusting his bowtie as though nothing had happened.
"Now then," he said calmly, his normally jovial tone back in place. "Let's continue our discussion in a more civil manner, shall we?"
Blitzo glared at him, his eyes flickered to Mayberry briefly before landing back on Alastor with an unreadable expression.
BANG!!!
That's when the door to Blitz's office swung wide open with a reverberating slam.
The hell-borns, drawn by the pulsating energy of Alastor's aura and the sudden chill in the air, stormed into the room, each of them brandishing their weapons, their faces hardened into grim masks.
Loona was first through the door.
With a fierce snarl and an aggressive stance, Loona charged through the door with her lupine features on full display. Her eyes were like daggers, piercing and cold as the icy winds of the Seventh Circle.
Millie followed close behind her, her normally jovial demeanor replaced by a hard-edged seriousness. She held her favored axe in her hands with a grip that was both firm and steady. Her eyes darted between Alastor and Blitz, a silent promise of violence hanging heavily in the air between them.
Moxy was last through the doorway but by no means least threatening. He held twin pistols at his sides, their polished metal gleaming menacingly under the light overhead.
All three had reacted to Alastor's display of power without a moment's hesitation. Their boss might be obnoxious at times – okay most of the time – but they were loyal to him nonetheless. And they knew better than anyone that when the shit hit the fan, they had each other's backs.
It was a tense standoff, the silence in the room broken only by the echo of their entrance and the rapid adrenaline pounding away at their hearts.
Alastor turned an indifferent look towards them, seemingly unperturbed by the show of solidarity aimed his way.
"Oh dear, it seems we have an audience now," he said with a light chuckle, adding to the palpable tension. "Care to join us?"
His voice was light as if he had merely invited them to a casual tea party instead of staring down the I.M.P members that were specialized in killing. Despite the absurdity of it all, none of them lowered their weapons.
Mayberry, still trying to regain her composure, managed to croak out a weak protest.
"Ala-"
But Alastor casually waved her off, not even bothering to turn his gaze from the newly arrived trio. His indifference seemed to irritate Loona more than it should have.
"Put your weapons down," Alastor commanded lightly, not seeming bothered by their threatening stance in the slightest.
Loona was first to retort, her snarl rumbling deep in her throat.
"And why should we listen to you?"
A heavy pause filled the room as Alastor finally turned his gaze toward Loona. His striking red eyes met her icy red stare head-on.
It was like a clash of two formidable storms - each refusing to back down.
"Because if I wanted to hurt anyone here, I would have done so already~!"
Alastor said, his voice as smooth as honey, yet beneath it lay a tone as deadly as the sharpest blade.
Loona growled in response, her stubborn nature on full display but she did not make a move to attack.
His gaze never wavered from Loona's challenging stare.
"I recommend not to test my patience further."
Millie and Moxy shared a glance. They were no strangers to danger, having seen their fair share of deadly encounters in their line of work. But this was Alastor — an overlord of hell more than capable of killing them in the blink of an eye.
"Boss?" Moxy finally spoke up, his voice uncertain as he looked at Blitzo for guidance.
Despite whatever animosity he held toward Alastor from their previous encounter, Blitzo was no fool. He knew the room was filled with a volatile cocktail that could explode at any moment if not handled correctly.
"Loony, stand down," he commanded; his voice sharp against the stillness of the room.
Loona immediately shot him a look of disbelief. "But-"
"Stand down!" he repeated louder this time, gritting his teeth as he forced himself to meet Alastor's gaze head-on.
For a moment, no one moved. The standoff continued with neither party willing to back down. Blitz still sat silently in his chair, a grimace on his face as he watched his crew confront Alastor.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity of tension-filled silence that could be cut with a butter knife, Loona reluctantly lowered her weapon.
Her lips pressed together in a tight line and her eyes narrowed at Alastor with undisguised contempt. Moxy and Millie followed suit after exchanging glances. Even though they had put their weapons away, their bodies were tense and ready for action at the slightest provocation.
In response, Alastor merely offered them a calm chilling smile once more.
"Now that we are all being respectful," said Alastor, his gaze drifting back towards the table. "Let's continue."