Hundreds of Noels were hard at work creating and securing gates and entry points to a place no soul wants to enter. A thankfully warmer place than the icy wasteland they were stationed now.
Just about all possible options to make any and all divinations attempts impossible, yes. Check that off the list, no pre-emptive attack could be allowed on the hive, nobody could know what was planned.
Dozens upon dozens of Noels were waiting in row, to blow up everything within a 240 mile radius.
"The portal's open! GO! GO! GO!"
The Main body got overrun from standing in front, so as too not miss out on any soon incoming experience. The first Double on the other side immediately teleported 150 miles away and erased everything, using a several metamagic aspects combined with an up casted overlay of several spells to erase everything.
Thousands of long lost souls screamed in agony as their forms were simply erased, the poor sinners trapped in hell didn't know what hit them until large temperature difference and the kinetic energy of a few nuclear bombs ripped them and everything around them into its base components.
After that the double made one more and then, both would then teleport again and destroy everything in a 150 miles radius again and repeat till this realms rulers and higher ups start appearing at which point the get bomb rushed.
If that doesn't work we start wrong teleporting into them and forcing the dimensions itself to rend all apart, more than likely killing a Noel after a few teleports but they can heal and force their body to repair itself using matter laying around. This is a numbers game and worst case it would be the radiation chamber, after that failure imprisonment, or mass suicide bombings, if none of that works contact Dr Strange, though that might not help here.
Noel was just ecstatic about just how much Exp was coming in, and the numbers just kept doubling every about every 6 seconds. He had to admit he was letting his gourd down, with a semi healed reality warper next to him, several reverted summoning circles to hinder all dimensional approach and to disallow demons and devils to approach or influence him.
Hell was a wonderful place, when you have the power to keep yourself save. At the very least there was Dormammu, or more like Dormama with a burning pumpkin of an head, and beneath all the spells just a human, not like him an artificial angel, meant to serve for all eternity and with the regeneration and durability.
Who knew that upon appearing and taking 475200 damage to her face and flying 150 miles in in less than 2 seconds, she had 120701.25 meters per second or 434524.5 kilometer/hour, or 270000 miles per hour, she would just evaporate with her ash scattered in the winds of hell, so of course the Noels don't allow her to ever revive on her own terms the collected every bit of her remains. Made seal after seal and dozens of traps, around the little pile, and then forced the soul back into the body.
Weakened, drained, confused and panicked she too fell in love, and had Geas after Geas put onto her.
Destroying and recruiting one of hells power houses of this dimension was far too easy, but under all those spells she was just a haggard thin and frail woman. Until she had regained her power or till we gift her some, she would continue being as powerless as the rest the Noels were stamping out.
Her appearance really was nothing special, her mind would be what was of value.
"Is she the one who can help me?", was all Davinna could say as the very layout of the world changed over and over, after a time the sound the explosions made just got far enough to no longer be detrimental to discussions.
"No, of course not, that will be you. Just start fine-tuning your power and get a general grasp on finer work with it.", that and a casual shrug was all she got from him.
Millions of demons should die just about every few seconds and maybe the ruler of hell would finally show up, but no. so he did the next best thing establishing new facility, even while sinners and demons were actively being reborn all around him.
Weakened and befuddled some rather attractive ones got captured like Pokémon, and there were many and that was going to be a problem as all that happens Noel is forced to experience one way or the other. He had to make adjustment but not now not when compromised, or about to be compromised, couldn't allow any enemy to rise again like a cockroach (him), and gain a power bust through a contract with the devil Mephisto or Mephista? There were spells to be further prepared, icy spells.
He twisted his eyes in agony as he remembered, his capabilities bringing them once more into his forethought, managing thousands of bodies while having all of them express themselves as versions of himself was a bit straining on the collective direction, but the women mostly the women and the explicit emotional reactions they had on him and paranoia and crippling fear.
Demons and other creatures can be summoned and he has the spell gate an explicit summoning spell, he chose for that very function, but while going after the very ruler of hell he was too scared to summon it.
"Gate", nothing happened well ruler of domains can stop their effect from ever appearing in their respective realms, but meaning he had her attention and she was actively working on subverting him, well he turned her realm upside down so that was to be expected.
Taking control over one of his doubles he shouted, "Lucifer, Mephista or whatever you so called ruler of hell call yourself, appear you coward", further antagonising his enemy might not do much, but when have demons cared for their underlings.
"And here I thought you would never call for me?", a red skinned women sitting on a throne appeared leaned forward, smiling with a silly grin.
"You really don't care what happens to any of them, do you?"
"Any suffering you inflict upon them is just less work for me?", was all she let out as she made herself comfortable on upon her seating.
"Should have known considering you haven't send the ghost riders after us."
"So what do you want, you aren't human, most likely not even mortal, what could and immortal with power to flip over a world like hell want from it's ruler?"
"Complete subjugation or destruction of all things that make me afraid! I'm hardly more than a child lashing out at the dark, for not being light, just happen to have lot more power and a far worse moral compass! A tiny part of me is sorry for all that I have done in the last 2 days and even more so for all that I will do to all future worlds I am unleashed upon!"
"You think there will be something left of you?", her smile reached her ears as her features started morphing.
Dozens of skeletal soldier, all with flaming skulls and their own rides and weapons burst out of the ground and started hacking away at the double.
Impaled and reduced into a mess, it neither howled or screamed, it simply looked at his opponents opposite, "Angel verses Demon, I had won before the fight even started"
"Oh now don't give me that, don't be a sore loser." She was assured of her victory it was the most expressive creature of the invaders, and in its own aggravation it called upon her, it had to be, and she would torture every little secret out of its soul.
"Maybe, maybe I have a wish, may I just touch you?", sounding just slightly desperate but he was so charismatic and charming
"That has its own price and I don't think you can afford it right now."
"Plan B then."
Three Noels simply teleported partially into her, ripping themselves, her and the immediate space around themselves apart, one left immediately, the others exploded and destroyed as much as they could 150 miles of hell once more ceased to exist.
Nothing survived, besides a speck of red rapidly regenerating itself, placed at the very edges of the explosions. Restructuring hurt, being destroyed even more so and no ruler ever likes being dethroned that stung.
Once more a hand pierced through her abdomen from behind, and she couldn't be shocked anymore, but she had seen and experienced that already and she it won't bring her down again, even then it failed to kill her the first time.
"Wish: Simulacrum", so the realm of hell split between two rulers. Mephista was forced to look upon her very equal subjugated, a nightmare, treated and domesticated like a lowly imp or succubus.
She wouldn't, couldn't have that for anything in the world, raising her hand morphing her form to destroy her adversary, only for it to counter with more than comparable might.
"What do you think you are doing?", she howled at herself as she summand her immortal warriors, and legions upon them. Only for her bastardisation to do the very same, legions of demons clashed, bursting against each other in rows, her Ghost Riders were the very thing she accumulated that gave her for now an edge over the foe but for how long.
Another Noel hit the demon, by teleporting into her head with his left arm, her eye turned upon it, no expression beside an ugly frown upon her face. With a lift of her now claws, he was but nothing, reduced to an arm and a head. Yet it still clung to live, or was simply not permitted to die.
"Wish: Simulacrum", with that a new contender for the throne was added, the first was already losing steam. Not much but it appeared to her all such clones were but fads fated to be powerless in the end.
Still she didn't want to face herself, much less two of her simultaneously. The sixth noel joined the fight by teleporting the newest Mephista away, upon which the other two attempted exploded, she got the one that was but a head, the other that still pierced her simply wasn't dying, even when set ablaze by hellfire.
A blood curling scream was something she could utter this time, prepared and ready to face it , she wasn't simply ripped into shreds, no this time she could experience it fully conscious without blacking out for a second, as whatever in her that constituted for a brain, wasn't quit in the game the last time.
At the present it wasn't that bad, it only took on leg part of her torso both arms, and a drain on her resources, but it was healing. In the distant at the very heart of the explosion a Mephista stood their unbothered, untouched by it all, selective spell, the caster is allowed to select one creature not subjected to any influences or effect from his spell when cast.
She had orders moreover it didn't matter how she rebelled against it, she was made and inherently something else yet the same, all flaws of subservience deep deep down at the very core of her existence. Still she refused to see her original as this pathetic.
Regrowing every bit of once existence is a massive pain, and then gathering all the escaped power, an enormous bother, still more off her loyal legions responded her newest call to safeguard her.
Now she was summoned herself once more but from where, yes or no and escape maybe, a trap possible. The newest wrong teleportation, wasn't just a Noel oh no it was a parody of herself in tow, arms through her chest and heart.
Her heart, the indistinguishable counterpart started tugging and ripping, her form morphed, she couldn't allow that. A mage trying to keep her dead, in her own realm silly, just the very thought of it, but she herself tearing out her own heart and crushing it, how would those detestable mortals call it petrifying.
Fear started to sink in, and once more legions started colliding, influencing the bigger picture barely. Now already in the upper thousands Noel were still tearing hell a new one, and Exp still rolled into the main body.
So how does one get rid of demons? Holy water, exorcism, touch of sacred objects, consecration, how do casters cause such a phenomenon, simple they summon water and then bless it, or bless the very ground they walk upon.
"Dimension Lock", no being could now flee or enter using spatial abilities of any kind. All gates closed, and now only one Noel and three Mephista, were of any importance on this battle field as the tides of demons thinned into oblivion.
The three women clawed at each other like furies, demonic blood splattered everywhere, all magical attempts by the original were always subverted by one or the other, but the copies didn't heal or regain their power after it was spend. Even with both eyes missing Mephista simply needed to grow more new limbs and grow over old injuries, the clones instead couldn't follow such strategies without larger energy costs.
Both sides immune to hellfire, never even attempted to use any, instead just conjuring forth raw magic might worth of the rulers of the underworlds, and trying to crush the opposite. One is twice the enemy jet the opposite actually regains its might with every tick of the clock and heals under the blessing of hell, something not permitted to the simulacrums.
"Consecration", offering hell to himself and bless it had little effect on the demon, as all he did was claim a tiny bit for himself, the debuff might be annoying but the spell wouldn't last a minute.
"Create Water", both sides were desperate and one simulacrum was going to fall from the accumulated damage, but for now the water had no effect on either side and it wouldn't exist for long in hells atmosphere.
"Bless", and all started burning and screaming, one clone breathed its last and the other could only scream in agony on her knees, Mephista herself had her own wounds reopened and burnt in pain she hasn't felt such since the last time there was somebody who thought they could rule hell in her place, oh the humiliation.
Her flesh dissolved into smoke, it burned, and she wished it would be hellfire instead, she screamed, and collapsed with her stings cut after her clone ripped her in two along the waist, her attention faltered for a second and with her enemy being forced to continue inconveniencing her, it took full advantage of it.
Holy water pouring into her, Noel number 6 hasn't stopped making more holy water, she watched as the last remnant of her parody got taken out by friendly fire. Her two half refused to connect back together, but it would only take time, most serious attacks have left of and just blessed water wouldn't kill her.
"Sickening Radiance!", the dissolving of her flesh accelerated, without skin the water burnt all the more fiercely, all muscles tightened, her claws pierced the brimstone and only to dissolve themselves, her flesh regenerated enclosing her antithesis the water into her body, and then it all dissolved again. She refused to die and give her enemies even an inch, reduced to half a puddle of demonic slime her body incapable of holding itself together, flesh grew not knowing where to connect to and she didn't know either, before it inevitable dissolved again.
Her mind would from now on only be filled with pain and humiliation, whatever worked for a mouth only screamed, forcing itself open to express her pain, only to have holy water pouring down into it.
At the end of it she couldn't tell when it ended, how she looked, and what part of her were where, her now rudimentary minds only screamed to inflict suffering upon all, forgetting all besides violence. She flung herself with at the single Noel standing at the edge of the radius of his radiance spell, he didn't resist or even attempt to dodge, with a kiss the torso burned brightly as she breathed as much hellfire as she could deep into him.
It set him ablaze, his very core components in disjuncture and his soul would follow soon, claimed by hell torture prepared for all eternity a prison with leniency only at the top. It wanted to blaze, liked the pain for it thought live was far too dull, and now all Noels would remember it for all eternity as the one whose very soul burned with passion or hellfire, until he would disappear. Like a flare it burned in the hive, it loathed the agony, losing one or even a hundred Noels no problem, but telling matter possessing spirits how it feels to actually experience agony on level not made for mortals.
Emergency measures taken, the hive sent who it had, and took what it had to.
Miles above outside the radius of Dimension Lock, a singular Noel teleported and started immediately free falling, enhancing his body and aiming his fall atop of Mephista. Crushing what little she remade of herself into a past with its few now tiny extremities scattered into all directions.
Its primary mission to take out the wayward intrusive thought, standing in front of a burning pile of what it could only call excrement, for making all suffer that what it was inflicting upon itself. A motion and it burned further but all was too late, the body might be undone but the soul would linger and burn till not even embers were left of it, they would make this an example and a lesson too themselves.
Half a head, one eyed and still in unimaginable torment, the once ruler of hell, couldn't surrender or flee, a few scarlet tears were leaving her burning like the rest of her in the humidity of the blessed water. Gasped escaped her still she knew what was coming next, but that wouldn't hurt so much, compared to her current misery now would it?
Incapable of speaking now only blinking even if barely, her distress made her vulnerable, and she healed no longer, even if the might she once possessed would not allow her to perish.
The newest addition of a Noel picked up most of her head, inspected it and threw her back into a minuscule puddle of holy water, dissolving most of her once more.
Preparations were made, the hive was just sadden that the third more icy clone of her never even got to be tested, a better version of her, buffed and prepared to be stronger capable of healing and regaining her power. It would have its use when subjugation the remains of her mind.
After untold amounts of anguish most of her mind might be dead, anyway, not risking anything, dozens upon dozens of Noels started fine combing through all battle sites and gathering all parts of Mephista they could and sealing it permanently in crystals and gems, making a bargaining tool to keep her tame and mostly powerless.
Others tasked with drawing circles upon circle eternally improving them, made so that no sinner, demon, fallen angel, devil or fiend could ever, interfere with it, locking them out, and imprisoning the inmate there forever or until they start complying.
If this wouldn't be 1610 or the main world 616 Noel would never have ever even dared challenge Mephista, and only in a world known for it's so called realism and grittiness were all creatures are so much weaker, almost pathetically so in comparison to the main universe was he free to roam and do as he wished.
If this was 616, the girl next to him would have since she awakened revised time thrice, put several universes in boxes and then went on to try and win her parents affection, but her memory showed only a sign of hatred, typical of somebody who was forced into a coma for almost a decade.
There were still many hell creatures left to enslave, sinners of the past to punish and the soul trade, yes the soul trade shouldn't diminish too much just because the main bank fell.
It's time to introduce hell to private equity. The hive laughed and shouldered at the very diabolical thought of having debt no longer end even in death. Only death and taxes are certain, and now they were inescapable.