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the-gravestone-saga · 2 years

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Chapter 3: The Only Thing They Fear...

Angel Fallen: The Chronicles of the Legion has been canned and will no longer be updated

Traveling across the vast sea and past scattered islands, the Legion arrived at the mainland of North America within a few hours. The full moon that had lit up the land in a silvery light had already begun to fade as the fleeting hours of morning slowly creeped forward. The sky was still dark when the Legion landed on an island off the eastern coast, the orange glow of the morning sun peeking above the horizon and driving away the darkness of night. But even under the dimming blanket of night, Rudra’s goal was still clear in front of her.

The island they had landed on was constructed entirely of obsidian, basalt, and hardened magma that had found its way to the ocean’s surface from volcanic eruptions. The island was a dark and foreboding mire - a rough crag of hidden lava pockets hiding beneath a thin layer of basalt. The air was blisteringly hot, and noxious smoke spewed from thermal vents, forming a dense fog around the island that kept any and all life from making the molten islet a home. It was like a little part of Hell had made its way to the Earth's surface.

And that’s exactly what it is. Between the toxic vents and the obsidian crags, a large crack broke apart the soot-covered rock and split the island open. A sinister crimson glow poured from the fissure, and otherworldly fire spouted from the crevice, scorching the surrounding rock and reducing it back to molten magma.

“There it is,” Rudra said, determination in her voice. “An entrance to Hell.”

Joriel gagged. “I forgot how awful the smell is.”

“You’ve entered Hell before?”

“Once. A higher demon insulted Mom and I wasn’t going to let that stand,” Joriel heaved, fighting back a retch. “It was a miserable experience.”

“I think I can manage.” Rudra grasped the hilt of her sword and drew the blade from its scabbard in one smooth movement. Fire crackled from the sword, hissing like a furious serpent. Taking the sword in both hands, Rudra held the blade above the fissure in the ground. The holy fire of her sword and the demonic flames from the crevice sparked angrily, swirling around each other in a haze of crimson and gold fervor.

Rudra took a deep breath, her face burning from the broiling heat. Bracing herself, Rudra plunged her blade into the fiery fissure and wretched the sword against the blackened rocks. A rush of scorching heat burst forth from the crevasse and fell over the Legion as the basalt and obsidian fell away from the opening. The split in the island broke open completely, falling away to reveal a red-hot abyss looming beneath the hardened magma. A horrible pit had opened up, lined with brimstone and searing hellfire.

Turning their gaze into the dark chasm, the angels beheld a wretched sight that made their skin crawl; The Netherworld, the Inferno, the Abode of the Damned. Hell.

“Ugh... no wonder Mom hates this place,” a rather small angel stammered.

“Just looking at it is giving me a headache,” Larimar said, turning pale. “Are you sure we’re not gonna be burned alive if we go down there?”

“You shouldn’t have to worry about burning up,” Joriel replied. “The new armor Mom gave you should be able to protect you. It protected me the last time I went down there.”

Rudra waved the rest of the Legion over to the pit and prepared to enter the abyss. The surrounding angels quaked and trembled at the grim sight, shuffling anxiously at the chasm’s edge as hellish flames spurted from the blazing crater.

Larimar took a deep breath, then let out a hoarse cough. “We might need to hurry this along, Rood. Even with this armor, I don’t think being exposed to Hell for very long is gonna be good for us.”

“Then let’s get going,” Rudra nodded. Stepping to the edge of the pit, Rudra sheathed her sword and spread her wings. She steadied herself against the heat, steeling herself against the fear that bubbled inside her chest. Show no fear, she thought to herself. Show no fear and take the leap. Show no fear and let the Legion know that she was not afraid to take the plunge.

Before Rudra could step before and leap into the unknown, Joriel placed a firm hand on her shoulder. “Hey, be careful down there. We all know how dangerous that place is,” she warned, a cautionary look in her eyes. “Try to come back alive.”

“We will,” Rudra promised with an affirming nod. “You just make sure that nothing comes in or out.”

Joriel grinned. “Will do, sis.”

Rudra turned back to the pit and gave the signal to the Legion that it was time to make the leap, and she dove headfirst into the blazing abyss. The Legion, for all their fear, leapt in after her, following her down into the depths of the incandescent hellscape.

***

Rudra found it difficult to determine how long she and the Legion fell. It simultaneously felt like they had been falling for an eternity and no time at all. The only indication they had that they were getting closer to the heart of the Inferno was the growing abundance of demons they saw passing them by on their headlong descent.

“How long have we been falling!?” Larimar shouted, matching Rudra’s speedy dive.

“I don’t know!” Rudra yelled back, the wind snatching the words from her mouth. “It feels like we’ve been here for hours!”

“I wish one of us brought a watch!” Ofia screamed, falling past Rudra and Larimar.

“We have to be getting close to the heart of this place!” Madame Talon shouted sharply, keeping her metallic wings steady to control her descent.

Rudra coughed and brushed the back of her hand against her mouth, wiping away ash that had built up on her face. The heat was getting progressively more intense as the seconds ticked by, and ash was quickly building up in the air, greatly diminishing visibility for the Legion.

All at once, the brimstone floor of Hell abruptly came hurtling towards them, forcing the angels to sharply change directions to avoid slamming into the ground. With a collective wingbeat, the Legion ascended into the air, narrowly avoiding a nasty collision.

“What the…Where the Hell are we?” Larimar sputtered, staring at the scorched earth in surprise.

“I think you mean where in Hell are we?” Ofia chuckled awkwardly. “Hehe…Sorry, not a good time?” she questioned, her unwieldy joke being met with several deadpan looks.

Rudra scanned her surroundings closely, searching for any identifying marks around the platform they had landed on. She craned her neck up, squinting up at the shaft they had fallen through. A cloud of ash obscured the top, making it impossible to see where they had come from.

“Hey…Rudra? I think we’re here,” Talon said haltingly, standing stiffly at the edge of the brimstone platform. Rudra swiftly strode over to stand next to Talon, where she was met with a terrifying sight.

The platform they had landed on rested over a sheer cliff that overlooked the last circle of Hell; The Circle of Betrayal, where the bodies of traitors were trapped within a vast frozen lake that filled the empty chasm. A massive palace stood at the lake's center, towering over the pillars of soot-covered ice that jutted out from the lake like makeshift watchtowers. The palace was imposing and dramatic, a lofty and grand castle that housed the dark lord of the hellscape.

“...there it is,” Rudra breathed, stunned at the sight. “We actually made it.”

“This is freaking me out,” Ofia gulped. “This place is scarier than I thought it’d be.”

“Keep your head up, Ofia,” Rudra said firmly, placing her hand on Ofia’s shoulder. “We’ll be ok, as long as we stay together. Remember why we’re here, and we’ll be fine.”

“You’re not scared of this?” another angel piped up, their eyes glued to the palace. “It’s like a waking nightmare.”

“I won’t let some palace scare me out of doing this,” Rudra retorted, clenching her teeth. “And I certainly won’t let him scare me. Not when we’re this close to getting what we came here for.”

As Rudra turned to make her descent towards the looming castle, a hand suddenly caught her arm. Looking back, Rudra saw that a pale angel had stopped her, a bleak look on her face.

“...Styna? What are you-”

“Rudra…before we go any further, I need to ask you something,” Styna said abruptly, squeezing Rudra’s arm.

“What are you doing down here? I thought you were going to stay with Jori and guard the portal,” Rudra stammered, taken aback.

“I was, but I decided to come and help you,” Styna explained hesitantly. “I…wanted to ask you this before, but…if we absorb this energy, it’ll be a long road before we can cleanse ourselves of it, right? This is a drastic decision to make to fight Judgment’s forces. I…I want to know. If we’re willing to stoop this low for power, what makes us any different from Judgment?”

Rudra went silent for a moment, staring into Styna’s worried eyes. The question stirred in her mind for several seconds.

What makes us so different?

It gave her pause. What did make them different? What separated the Legion - who were moments away from stealing demonic energy - from the ruthless and merciless forces of Judgment’s army? Motivation? Purpose? …No, something more than that. It was a difference so great that it drew a strong line between her and Judgment. A line so clear and direct that it could not be easily ignored. A strong surge of determination filled her chest and resolve sparked in her iridescent blue eyes, a resoluteness she hadn’t quite felt before. The answer was clear in front of her, and the Legion would see it too.

She squeezed Styna’s hand tightly, as if to assure the young angel of her decision. “You will see what separates us very soon. Just follow me, and you’ll have your answer.”

Releasing Styna’s hand, Rudra spread her powerful wings and leapt from the cliff, soaring to the frozen lake below. The Legion swiftly followed, sticking close to her as they made their way towards the stygian castle, which cast a dark shadow over the icebound lake.

Arriving at the ornately decorated doorstep of the menacing palace, the Legion stood before the imposing doors of the hellish abode, which sat atop steep stairs that descended down into the icy lake itself. The doors were carved from smoothed brimstone and basalt, and bones were bound into the very stone itself. Two door knockers were embedded into the brimstone doors, sculpted to look like the heads of demons - or they might have been recently beheaded imps.

Rudra sucked in breath and grasped one of the door knockers and slammed it into the doors. A sharp clang emanated from the impact and echoed throughout the frozen cavern. From within the castle, no response came, but the heavy stone doors creaked open nonetheless. Ice cracked along its ancient hinges, falling away into piles of frozen rubble. Cold air wafted out of the doors and enveloped the Legion, chilling them to the bone. The dark, yawning mouth of the castle was open, and all that awaited them was a murky gloom that obscured the interior of the palace, hiding everything from sight.

With practiced ease, Rudra drew her sword and set the blade alight as she took her first tentative steps into the shadowy castle. Her blazing sword lit up the darkened hallway, guiding the Legion inside, like moths to a flame.

Following the gloomy hallway further into the palace, the brimstone doors groaned and closed behind the Legion, plunging the angels into complete darkness, save for the flickering light of Rudra’s sword. Rudra whispered something to Larimar, and he gave a signal to the Legion to bring their own light forward. All at once, balls of light formed in the hands of the angels. The shadows of the hall were driven away by the light, revealing an ornate hall filled with luxurious decorations. Oil-paintings of the dark lord adorned the walls, antique suits of armor stood vigil along the hall, and ornate dressers were stacked high with an array of unique and vintage baubles from the mortal world.

The hall eventually opened up into a large foyer. The floor was made from smooth and polished crystal, and Rudra could’ve sworn she saw faces etched into the pale quartz. Two staircases rose from either end of the foyer and lead to the second floor, and between the two staircases sat a door, and on either side stood statues of winged demons, their bodies contorted in anguish. A massive iron chandelier hung from the ceiling, its dim candles burning with scarlet fire. A massive portrait of Lucifer hung on the back wall of the foyer, hoisted above the winding staircases.

“Well, ain’t this homey,” Skyla shuddered, holding an orb of light close to her chest. “At least no one’s home.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure. He could be anywhere in this palace. Stay on your guard and be prepared for anything. And be on the lookout for the core of Hell. It’s what holds the energy that we need.”

“What does it even look like?” Ofia whispered, her voice sounding meek and strained.

“A relic of some sort. You’ll know it when you see it.”

“What do we do once we have it?” Larimar questioned with some hesitation.

“We get out of here. Quickly.” Rudra carefully sheathed her sword and turned back to the Legion. “We have a lot of ground to cover, so we’ll need to split up. We’ll divide ourselves into four groups led by myself, Larimar, Madame Talon, and Ofia, understood?”

“I’m stickin’ by you,” Skyla exclaimed, grabbing onto Rudra’s arm. “This place is freaking me out.”

Rudra sighed, but allowed Skyla to join her. The Legion quickly divided itself into four major groups and separated, following the four leading angels into seperate parts of the dark palace. Rudra ascended the stairs to the second floor, Madame Talon opted to explore the first floor, Larimar made his way down to the basement of the castle, and Ofia opted to explore the highest floors of the castle.

Rudra and her angels scoured the second floor for the relic, searching in every corner they could. Nothing was left unchecked and no stone was left unturned. In spite of their excessive searches, the angels found nothing. The many tomes and magical artifacts that Lucifer kept on the second floor were of no use to them, containing useless spells and magic that had long since run dry.

“Anything so far?” Rudra asked Skyla as the Seraph began rummaging through a vintage desk.

“Nothing but dust and books,” Skyla sighed, tossing a few ancient tomes to the floor. “He wouldn’t just leave it out in the open, would he? If this relic has so much power inside it, surely he’d keep it somewhere safe.”

“And probably somewhere secret,” Rudra concluded, shutting the desks’ drawers. “This palace has to be littered with secret passages. If I were a demonic overlord and I wanted to hide something powerful, I’d create as many secrets in my home as possible to make sure no one could find it.”

“But where would we even start to look?”

“Hmm…it would be something innocuous. As much as Lucifer would want the relic to be hidden from outsiders, he’d also want to hide it from the other demons as well. The entrance would be something unnoticeable. Something modest enough that no one would think twice about it…” As Rudra spoke, her eyes intently surveyed the office she was in, searching for anything that could lead to a hidden pathway. Eventually, her gaze landed on a horned skull that was sitting on the desk. It was nothing out of the ordinary for a castle that used bones as decoration. In fact, Rudra had completely overlooked it while she had rummaged through the contents of the desk.

“...like this,” Rudra concluded. She cautiously laid a hand on the skull and attempted to lift it off the desk, but it didn’t budge. It was connected directly to the wood, and Rudra concluded that this must have been a hidden switch. “Aha, gotcha-”

A clatter from upstairs interrupted Rudra and quickly drew the attention of the angels to the door of the office. Heavy footsteps stomped down the hall, drawing closer to the office with each passing second.

“Shit! It’s him, hide!” Rudra whispered out her command, and the five or so angels in the room bolted for cover, hiding behind or underneath anything they could find. Skyla hid behind the thick floor-to-ceiling curtains, the other three angels hid underneath the furniture that was scattered about the room, and Rudra swiftly hid her wings and pulled the visor of her helmet over her face, opting to imitate the lifeless suits of armor in the office.

A tense silence filled the room as the heavy footsteps came closer to the doors, and the only other thing Rudra could hear was her own labored breathing behind her visor. She could narrowly make out the office through the eye-slits in her helmet, and she sucked in a tense breath as the doors to the office swung open, and the hulking red demon that called the palace home stepped into the room. His mere presence made the concealed angels shudder, knowing they could be caught at any moment.

Lucifer leered at his office for a moment, sharp and alert. He muttered something to himself and trudged over to his desk with a mincing gait. He passed by the three angels who were hiding beneath the chairs, and Rudra could see their wide-eyed looks of terror through her visor. She watched intently as the red devil sat down at his desk and pulled some paperwork out. Rudra stared at him, watching intently for any signs of suspicion from the devil when the air suddenly became extremely hot. A wall of fire erupted from the chair in front of Lucifer and a doctor dressed in red scrubs suddenly appeared from the flames, blood seeping from his chest.

“What the…?” Rudra whispered, watching as the man awkwardly chuckled at the sight of Lucifer.

“Ehe…well, if it isn’t my old-”

“Can it, Mr. Ludwig,” Lucifer said sharply, his threatening voice silencing the doctor in front of him.

“Ah... right, I guess there’s no point in trying to delay matters,” the doctor said, clearing his throat. He seemed more annoyed than he was truly scared to be sitting in front of the dark lord himself.

“You have been a serious thorn in my side, you know that? You’ve died, what, seven times by now? I have the clear majority on the board-of-souls nonsense you sold me a few decades ago. And Aria’s been trying to wring my neck for letting you go back to Earth.”

“Eh…well, I’m a man of medicine as you know, Luci. When I discovered that I could surgically implant souls into my own body - well, I just had to do it! It’s just a happy coincidence that it’s carried me this far,” the doctor said with a too-wide grin, clearly having dealt with Lucifer before. “And it’ll carry me further still! You see, I still have one last soul to my name, and I think-”

“You have got to be kidding me! You make me sick, you know that? There’s a scientist up there that makes weapons of mass destruction for the here of it, and she STILL has more ethics than you!”

The doctor momentarily flinched at the Devil’s anger. “Well, I hardly see how a scientist up there has any effect on me.”

“I think we should just skip the formalities. We’ll put it to a vote,” Lucifer snarled. “All those in favor of returning Dr. Ludwig of the Medic class to Earth, raise your hand.”

The doctor awkwardly raised his hand.

“Opposed?” Luci asked dryly, raising his hand. “I count eight for death and one for life, doc.”

“Well - I, er - maybe we could come up with something else! I still have yet to live out the 50 years we agreed on the first time I came here!” the doctor stammered, attempting to come up with a way to go back to Earth.

"You kept dying. Besides, technically you sold me that soul for a pen."

“...On reflection, that was not my wisest decision.”

Lucifer sighed. "I'll tell you what. You remember that scientist from earlier? I know something about her that makes her very dangerous to the status quo around here. If she's allowed to live, she'll shake all the powers on, inside, and around the Earth irreversibly. So I want you to kill her for me."

“...That’s it? You want me to get rid of one scientist?”

"An engineer, technically. It's just that no one would take her because they were too scared of her."

A wild grin crossed the doctor's face. “You’ve made this too easy for me! I used to be a mercenary, getting rid of people was my entire job! Taking out a single engineer will be child's play!”

"You better hope so. I have a loooong list of things I'm gonna do to you when you die this last time, and trust me, it's gonna be you or her." Lucifer unraveled a new contract and held it out for the doctor to sign. Taking the pen, the doctor quickly began writing down his name.

“Then better her than me-”

A crash from the hall interrupted the two before the contract could be sealed. Lucifer squinted at the doors to his office and set the contract down, rising from his desk to investigate the sound. Upon opening the door, he saw a helmet from one of his suits of armor spinning in the middle of the hall, and a few books had somehow fallen from a nearby bookshelf, scattering across the floor.

“Uh…is there something wrong?” the doctor asked, lowering his pen.

"What the Heaven… No. You finish signing. I’ll take care of it." Lucifer closed the doors behind him, leaving the doctor to finish signing his name on the contract while he cleaned up the mess in the hall - and looked for the culprit behind the mess. "Hello? I know you're in here. Come out and I'll only partially eviscerate you."

Above Lucifer's head, hiding in the ceiling rafters, Ofia was perched in darkness. After hearing Lucifer heading down to his office, she had attempted to find and warn Rudra of his presence. Unfortunately, she had been a bit too careless and had knocked over a handful of things on her way back down to the second floor. She had quickly concealed herself in the rafters, hoping that the darkness of the castle would be enough to keep her safe from detection.

"If you won't come out, well... I have enough workers that any damage I do to the inside of here should be fixed within the week," the evil ruler snarled, conjuring a ball of hellish fire in his claws.

Ofia swore under her breath, silently trying to move through the rafters to put as much distance between herself and Lucifer as possible. It was at times like this that she really hated how brightly colored her armor was, because it would only take one wrong move for Lucifer to see the glint off her wings or the shine from her helmet.

"You have ten seconds! Ten… nine… eight-"

The doors to his office were thrown open behind him and a burst of holy fire struck Lucifer in the chest before he even realized what had happened. Ofia, taking her chance, dropped from the rafters and quickly flew back down to the first floor, avoiding Lucifer as he wildly struggled to get back to his feet.

“GAH! What the-!?” He shrieked, flames erupting from his body as he climbed onto his feet. “Who did that!?”

“I did, you pompous freak!” Rudra roared, standing stalwart in the office doorway. Her blazing sword was drawn and ready and her visor was still pulled over her face, concealing her identity from the devil in front of her.

“Wha - who are you!?” Lucifer exclaimed, shocked at the sight. “My suits of armor are purely decorative! How did you come to life!?”

“Wh - I’m not-” Rudra stopped herself. She certainly wasn’t expecting Lucifer to actually take her for a living suit of armor. On reflection, she probably should have guessed he would, seeing as she had tried to disguise herself as one of his decorative suits of armor, but she ultimately decided to take advantage of the misunderstanding.

Keeping her blade trained on Lucifer, she slowly advanced towards him. “We’re here for something that you have, and we won’t be leaving until we have it! The relic you have - you know it well as the Core of Hell. We want the power you’ve amassed within it, and we’ll take it by force if we have to!”

“What - what could a suit of armor possibly want with my power!?” Lucifer blurted, backing away from Rudra. “And how did you get ahold of that sword? That blade is angel-made!”

“That is none of your concern!” Rudra hissed venomously, scowling underneath her visor. “All of the suits of armor you’ve collected over the years possess a soul, Lucifer. We’ve been lying in wait, waiting for our chance to finally strike and take what’s ours. And now…now, we have come for your power. Now, you either tell us where you’re hiding the Core of Hell, or we’ll tear this place apart brick by brick to find it!”

“You wouldn’t dare! I’ll turn you into a pile of scrap before I let you do that!” Lucifer snarled, hellish flames billowing from his furious eyes.

“I’d like to see you try!” Rudra barked. She steeled herself and raised her sword, readying herself for battle.

All at once, Lucifer charged Rudra in a blaze of fury, slashing at her with all his might. His claws wildly cut through the air, sparks flying with every swing he took. Rudra expertly dodged his strikes, dancing between his fruitless blows and striking back with her deadly blade. With every deft slash, she drew blood, slicing open the devils scaly skin and bringing forth a gush of black blood.

With every swing, Lucifer grew more enraged, and animalistic growls and snarls filled the boiling air. His entire body was alight in flames, burning with frustrated anger. His swings grew more frantic and reckless as he advanced on Rudra, but not a single one of his savage blows ever connected. Every miss he made ensured one free slash from Rudra’s fearsome blade, every strike that didn’t connect was one extra blow from Rudra’s iron knuckles. To Rudra, it was like prodding a wild animal, annoying them more and more until they eventually became so overcome with rage that nothing could stop their mindless rampage.

As the battle raged, Rudra noticed that she was slowly being backed into the office behind her. A jolt of panic went through her; if she got trapped in that office, she’d be fighting in too tight a space - she needed more room to fight. With a sharp breath, Rudra let out a warcry and lunged forward with her sword thrust straight out, aiming at Lucifer’s exposed belly. But the attack was too obvious - Lucifer swiftly seized Rudra by the wrist before the blade could meet his flesh and he struck her in the skull with his free hand, knocking her helmet clear off her head. He wound back for another blow, but stopped dead in his tracks when he looked upon her face.

“What the - A SERAPH!?” He squawked, the flames receding into small embers from blindsided shock.

“Yep, a Seraph!” Rudra wound up her free hand and clouted Lucifer in his jaw, knocking quite a few jagged teeth out of his mouth. Lucifer howled in pain and released his grip on her arm as his hands instinctively snapped up to his face.

With his defenses down, Rudra seized her chance and brutally brought her sword down over his stomach, slicing through his black suit and splitting open his scales - but she didn’t quite cut through the soft flesh underneath. Rudra hissed under her breath and delivered a kick to Lucifer's side, knocking him over the second floor railing and sending him barreling down to the foyer below.

“GAH! I’ll not stand for this!” Lucifer shrieked, the very foundation of the castle trembling at his rage. “I’ll not be thwarted by a measly angel!”

“How about an entire army of ‘em?” Rudra shot Lucifer a grin and let out a sharp whistle. In seconds, the unmistakable thunder of thousands of wingbeats filled the foyer. Lucifer snapped his head around and stared aghast at the army of angels hovering behind him, glaring daggers at him.

“WHAT!? Angels!? In MY house!?”

“It’s more likely than you think!” Larimar's laugh echoed uproariously through the foyer as he hovered in front of the devil. The Principality aimed his golden scepter at Lucifer as a brilliant light enveloped him. “Now, you already know why we’re here. We can do this the easy way or the hard way-” A pillar of hellish flames being shot at Larimar interrupted him before he could finish, and he let out an exasperated sigh. “Ok, I guess we’re doing this the hard way! ATTACK!”

A riotous warcry filled the foyer with its unruly cacophony as the horde of angels advanced on Lucifer all at once, overwhelming the dark lord with their sheer numbers. As the vicious fight exploded in the foyer, Larimar flew to the second floor and landed beside Rudra.

“Rood! Do you have the relic?”

“Not yet! We were looking for it in his office when he came in.”

“Then what are we standing around here for!? Let’s go! The Legion won’t hold him off forever!”

Larimar and Rudra turned to sprint back into the office when the entire castle began to quake. The sickly sound of cracking ice boomed outside and the palace rocked violently, knocking Rudra and Larimar off their feet. Catching themselves, Rudra and her brother watched as an inferno engulfed the foyer and thousands of angels were flung in every direction. A bellowing roar shook the foyer and a very furious Lucifer emerged from the eruption.

“YOU’RE NOT GETTING THE CORE, AND YOU WON’T BE LEAVING THIS PLACE ALIVE!” He bellowed, spitting with uncontrollable rage.

“Move, MOVE!” Rudra shrieked, grabbing Larimar by the collar and jerking him to his feet, pushing him towards the office. Lucifer clambered up the castle walls and hoisted himself back to the second floor, chasing the two angels down as they sprinted back to his office.

Reaching the office, Rudra quickly slammed the door behind her in an attempt to hold Lucifer off, but it barely lasted a second before he broke it down. Rudra let out a stifled cry as she ducked beneath his wild swings, and Larimar had to dive behind Lucifer’s desk to avoid the door as it was sent flying off its hinges.

“Prince! PRINCE! The skull! The skull on his desk!” Rudra shrieked, panic filling her voice. “I think it’s the switch!”

“The switch for what!?” Larimar cried, panickedly clambering back to his feet.

“The Core of Hell! I think that skull will open a passage to it!” She screamed, frantically fending off Lucifer’s crazed attacks.

He clawed wildly at her, and she barely had any time to react or counter his blows. He was attacking more aggressively than before, and without her helmet, she had to be wary of where he was striking. As the two of them brutally battled each other in close quarters, Larimar repeatedly attempted to grab the demon skull that was sitting on the desk, but everytime he got close, Lucifer would intervene. Whether it be by hurling a fireball in his direction or bringing the fight dangerously close to him, Larimar barely had an opening to reach the skull.

“Rudra! I can’t get to it! He’s too close!” Larimar cried, watching the ferocious battle rage on in front of him.

“Just hang on!”

Rudra clawed and scratched at Lucifer’s face, viciously battering at his scaly skin with her bare hands. This close to Lucifer, she couldn’t use her sword to fight, so she had settled to fight him the old fashioned way. There was no giving up now, not when the Core of Hell was in reach. Lucifer was far larger than her, but Rudra was stronger than she looked. She was a soldier, and as such she was trained to fight and defeat enemies like this. The battle may have been fierce, but it wasn’t something Rudra was unfamiliar with. It was a bold move to try and brawl Lucifer one-on-one, but she was determined to win this brutal battle. She persisted against his brute strength and with one powerful move, she pushed back against the burly brute and knocked him back with a well-aimed punch to the throat.

“Prince! Do it now! NOW!” She shrieked, adrenaline pumping through every fiber of her being.

Larimar leapt forward and seized the skull. Grabbing one of its horns, he pulled the frontal bone of the skull away and revealed a button hidden underneath. He promptly slammed down the button, and in a distant part of the castle, machinery suddenly sprung to life.

“Wh - NO! The Core!” Lucifer shrieked, spinning on his heel. He sprinted down the hall to follow the sound of machinery, but Rudra and Larimar sent balls of holy fire hurdling at the dark lord as he ran. The projectiles hit their mark and slammed into his back, knocking Lucifer off his feet.

“Sorry, but we’ll be taking that Core!” Rudra retorted. She sprinted out of the office and bolted down the hall, bounding past the downed devil and grabbing her helmet on the way. “Ofia! Talon! Prince! Hold him off!”

“On it!” Larimar shouted back. He held up his scepter and slammed the end of it into the floor, summoning pillars of quartz from the floor to barricade Lucifer’s path. “Say goodnight, brother!”

“NO!” Lucifer screamed so loudly that several scales popped off his neck. He scrambled to his feet and ran into the barricade, glaring at Rudra as she ran to the third floor of the castle. “NO! GET BACK HERE! THAT CORE IS MINE!”

Lucifer seized the quartz pillars and began furiously tearing them down, but a golden ring suddenly snapped onto his wrist and yanked him away from the pillars, jerking him to the floor. Ofia cackled, calling the golden ring back to her.

“Like the little trick? I learned that from Mom! It’s really good at subduing giant idiots like you!”

“You damn Ophan!” Lucifer snarled, glaring daggers at Ofia. “I don’t have time to deal with your meddling!” He slammed his heel into the ground and a wall of scarlet flames erupted from the floor, barring the Legion from coming any closer. Lucifer tore down the pillars blocking his path and charged after Rudra, following her into his throne room on the third floor.

Rudra’s breath came in shallow gasps as she sprinted through the winding halls of the castle, adrenaline coursing through every fiber of her being and urging her on. Her goal was close, she could feel it. The Core of Hell was near and the Legion would soon have the power they needed to fight Judgment. She couldn’t slow down now, she had to get there before Lucifer could stop her! Rudra just had to hope that the Legion could hold him off long enough.

Following the sound of machinery, Rudra burst through the massive doors leading into the grandiose throne room of Lucifer. It was a massive atrium with a ceiling that soared high overhead. Tapestries depicting gruesome scenes hung from the rafters, and dozens of tables lined the floor. A long red carpet stretched from the doors to the menacing black throne that stood rigid on the other side of the room.

The hum of machinery droned beneath Rudra’s feet and extended across the throne room. Turning her eyes to the throne, Rudra could see gears turning in the floor around it, slowly pulling the throne apart. A dim red glow emanated from within the complex mechanism, and a few naked flames spurted from the crimson light.

“The Core of Hell! It’s here!” Rudra gasped, wide-eyed. A feeling of triumph filled her chest as she bounded across the room and reached the throne. Grasping the throne, Rudra tried to pry the mechanism open and take the Core, but the ancient machinery refused to budge and only moved as quickly as the gears could turn.

The heavy brimstone doors of the throne room were violently thrown open behind her as Lucifer stormed into the atrium, frustration written across his scaly face. His breathing was heavy and hoarse, and his face was covered in cuts and bruises. Countless wounds littered his body and black blood oozed from his injuries. His once pristine black suit was torn and tattered in several places and hung loosely off his battered body. His yellow eyes stared Rudra down as blood leaked from a cut on his temple, making him look wild and crazed.

“You’re not going anywhere with the Core! That relic won’t be leaving this castle, and neither will you!” He hissed viciously, baring his jagged teeth.

“There’s no stopping us, Lucifer! We’re taking the Core and I’ll kill you if you try to stop me!”

“You’re in over your head if you think you can just waltz in here and take what is rightfully mine!” He snarled, storming towards her with a heavy and heedless stride, leaving burn marks in the carpet where he walked. “You must be out of your mind if you brought all these angels here to steal the Core! And what do you even plan to use it for? Did Mommy Dearest send you here? Was it Dad? Or are you just here to steal it for yourself?”

“I guess you could say that last one is technically correct,” Rudra replied curtly, drawing her sword and holding the blade to Lucifer’s chest. “I’ll cut to the chase because I think you already know what’s going on - I need it for the Rapture. Judgment plans to start it ahead of time. I need the energy to stop his forces from annihilating this planet. Once I’m done with him, I’ll simply destroy all the energy you’ve kept locked up. I think that’ll set you way behind schedule, won’t it?”

“I’ve been amassing that energy for thousands of years! Longer than even you’ve been around! I knew this day would come and I need that energy to fight on the surface!”

“Too bad. I guess you’ll have to spend another millenia collecting it all over again,” Rudra said coldly, holding Lucifer’s furious glare.

“You won’t get away with this!”

“WE ALREADY HAVE!”

A golden ring was flung from the hall and slammed into Lucifer’s head, knocking him forward several steps.

“OW! What the-!?”

Ofia swooped into the throne room and hurled another golden ring at Lucifer’s head, knocking him backwards. She landed in front of Rudra and deftly caught both of the rings as they barrelled back towards her. With a flick of her wrist, one of the rings transformed into a fearsome golden lance that she held out towards Lucifer, daring him to come forward.

“Hope you didn’t miss us!” Ofia said, shooting Rudra a mischievous grin. She hurled the remaining ring at Lucifer’s legs, knocking him clear off his feet and sending him face-first into the floor.

As he scrambled to reorient himself, a beam of light blasted him in the face as Larimar made his presence known, swooping into the room after Ofia. Not a second later a volley of razor-sharp knives embedded themselves into Lucifer’s back, and an unmistakable metallic scraping announced Madame Talon’s entrance.

“I hope we didn’t miss anything,” Larimar remarked, holding his scepter at the ready.

“Hardly. The Core of Hell is hidden in his throne, but I can’t get it open. We have to wait for it to open on its own,” Rudra confided emphatically, scowling at Lucifer as he rose to his feet.

“What? How long will that take?” Talon stressed, loading her crossbow with a metal arrow.

“A few minutes, maybe?”

“What!? How old is that thing!?” Talon squawked, looking over her shoulder at the splintering throne.

“Apparently older than me,” Rudra noted. She put her helmet back on and steeled herself, setting her blade alight. “In the meantime, we need to hold him off long enough for that to happen!”

“We’ve got your back! Just give us the word!” Larimar declared, raring to go.

“Now!” Rudra roared.

With a collective battlecry, the four angels charged towards Lucifer and attacked all at once. They immediately surrounded the hulking monster, striking him from every direction and forcing his attention onto multiple rapidly moving targets. Ofia remained in the air, hurling her golden rings at him with terrifying speed and accuracy, repeatedly striking him in the head in quick succession. Talon remained grounded, swiftly moving in and out of Lucifer’s range and dancing around his wide swings before punishing him severely, slicing at his arms and legs with deadly precision before firing a metal bolt from her crossbow to chasten him further. Larimar kept his distance, summoning pillars of quartz from the petrified floor. Using his scepter, he effortlessly split the pillars into disks and lobbed them at Lucifer, forcefully battering him in any exposed weak points. Rudra remained the center of attention, standing her ground and swinging her sword at Lucifer with frightening proficiency - thousands of years of training poured over Rudra, guiding her blows with such practiced ease that she barely had to think about where her sword ended up. Her aim was true, and Lucifer was denied any mobility as long as she continued her merciless assault.

A stray disk that Larimar had launched slammed right into Lucifer's face and knocked him back, provoking an anguished scream from the demon as he grabbed ahold of his bleeding face. Taking the brief second that she had, Rudra whipped her head around and saw Larimar stifling back a hysterical laugh - and she saw the throne almost fully open!

“It’s almost open! We just need to keep this up for a few more minutes-”

“Rudra! LOOK OUT!”

Instincts took over Rudra in an instant and she bounded away from Lucifer, narrowly avoiding his claws as he slammed them into the floor, sending a web of cracks throughout the throne room.

“I’ve had it with you! Nobody comes into my home and makes a fool out of me!” He shrieked, a wild look in his eyes. “I’ll not be made a fool here! I rule this place, and I’ll not be shown up by a bunch of fallen angels that can barely even call themselves an army! And I’ll certainly not be shown up by a bull headed and stubborn Seraph who thinks she can just steal my power and walk out of here like it’s nothing!”

“No one talks to my leader that way!” A new voice boomed.

A tree vine shot out from behind Lucifer and wrapped itself around his legs before yanking him to the ground. When he collapsed, the four angels saw Skyla standing in the doorway, her hands glowing with elemental energy. The power in her hands turned a piercing blue and she threw her hands to the floor, causing ice to rapidly spread across the throne room and towards Lucifer, freezing him in place. The dark lord cried out and forced himself back to his feet, breaking himself free of the ice’s grip. When he wheeled around to face Skyla, she had already conjured a web of thick vines that she hurled at Lucifer, ensnaring him in moments and forcing him to his knees.

“STYNA! NOW!”

Two blades sank into the cruel ruler’s back, making him howl in agony. “I’d say sorry, but Mother hates for us to lie.” Styna forcibly yanked the blades out of Lucifer’s back and leapt down to the floor, her daggers still poised to strike as Lucifer collapsed onto his stomach. “Is everyone ok?”

“We’re all fine,” Rudra nodded. “The Core of Hell is in his throne, but we can only take it once it’s completely open! We only have a minute left, then we’re outta here!”

“Then let’s show him everything we’ve got!” Skyla cackled. The energy in her hands shifted to a stark green and she charged Lucifer, summoning a web of strangling tree vines in her wake.

The dark lord gave one final roar as he managed to push himself to his feet, ripping through the vines that had ensnared him before. His entire body was engulfed in flame as he expended the last sparks of his energy to defend the Core of Hell. Fueled by anger and exhaustion, Lucifer gave the angel's one final brawl before he succumbed to his injuries.

The six angels launched their assault, unleashing their power onto the dark lord with no mercy. Larimar transmogrified the very ground he stood on and made Lucifer sink into a pit of boiling tar, Madame Talon sent a barrage of daggers and bolts at him and scored his scaly skin with blade after blade, Styna furiously slashed and stabbed at his back, staying just out of his reach as he flailed about. Skyla unleashed the full brunt of her Virtue powers on Lucifer, raining holy elemental hell over his head - ice, fire, water, earth, and wind, all heedlessly let loose upon the devil, and Ofia bombarded Lucifer with dozens of her golden rings, which either simply pummeled him to the ground or latched onto his limbs, pulling him every which way at Ofia’s behest. Rudra, as she had done before, pulled no punches and clobbered Lucifer with all of her strength, battering his face and chest with every thrust of her sword.

“Eheh! Stop hitting yourself! Stop hitting yourself!” Ofia cackled exuberantly as she restrained both of Lucifer’s hands with her rings. With a simple flick of her wrist she caused the rings to recklessly bash into his face, effectively making Lucifer repeatedly punch himself.

“Rudra! The throne! It’s open!” Styna gasped. She immediately released her grip on Lucifer’s back and dove to the ground, ducking underneath his reckless swings while Ofia kept him distracted.

Rudra swung around and gasped. The mechanisms had completed their rotation and the throne had finally split open. A glowing relic in the shape of an imp skull was resting inside, its eyes burning with untold amounts of demonic energy. Rudra sheathed her sword with remarkable speed and sprinted across the throne room, closing the distance between her and the Core in mere seconds. Seizing the relic, she tucked it under her arm and whistled to the angels fighting behind her.

“We’ve got what we came here for! Let’s get out of here!”

“Understood! Let’s get moving!” Larimar barked, quickly vacating the throne room. Talon, Skyla, and Styna followed soon after, and Ofia left with a few parting shots at Lucifer, who was now thoroughly battered and was laying face-down on the floor, barely conscious.

The six angels fled the scene and sprinted through the castle's winding hallways, making their way back to the foyer on the first floor. The Legion was waiting for them there and wasted no time in following their leader out of the dark palace, not wanting to wait and see what would happen if Lucifer followed them out. Bursting through the front doors, the angels quickly made their way across the frozen lake and headed back the way they came. Crossing the lake, they scaled the sheer basalt cliffs that surrounded the freezing Ninth Circle and made their way back to the brimstone platform that rested at the top of the precipice.

As the crowd of angels hurriedly scrambled to reach the tunnel that led back to the surface, Rudra took a chance and looked back down to the dark castle to make sure they weren’t being followed. Lucifer, covered in cuts and bruises, came barrelling out of his hellish abode, his body set ablaze. His eyes snapped to the basalt cliffs and he fixed his gaze on the retreating angels. With frightening speed, he bounded down the steep steps to his home and barrelled across the lake, melting the ice where he stepped.

“Move, MOVE! He’s after us!” Rudra shouted, shoving the angels forward to urge them on.

“Wh - HOW!? How is that lunatic still standing after all of that!? We practically beat him to a pulp!” Larimar squawked in amazement.

“I don’t know! Just keep moving! We can lose him in the tunnel!” Rudra seized Larimar by the shoulder and shoved him forward, pushing him across the brimstone platform and towards the shaft they had entered from.

Like a swarm of starlings, the Legion collectively took to the air once they neared the tunnel and soared upwards through the cavern at blistering speed. Passing through the ash clouds that filled the broiling air, they raced past the circles of Hell and darted through swarms of imps that were caught unawares by the Legions thunderous stampede.

“Uh, Rood?” Larimar said hastily, craning his neck down to the ash clouds below.

“What? What is it?”

“HE HAS WINGS!”

“Wha-” Snapping her attention downwards, alarm and shock jolted through Rudra’s body as she watched Lucifer emerge from the thick ash clouds, his menacing blood red wings spread wide. Every stroke of his massive wings sounded like thunder, and he rapidly ascended into the boiling air. He was gaining on them, and fast.

Rudra’s mind began to race, fumbling with her thoughts in a desperate attempt to come up with a plan to stop Lucifer and get the Legion safely back to the surface. And she had to think of one fast. Lucifer was quickly closing the distance between himself and the Legion and she feared the Legion wouldn’t make it to the surface in time. Thoughts raced around in her head like lightning and were discarded just as quickly - come on, she had to come up with something! Some way to get Lucifer off their tail-

An idea sprung up in her head. An extremely dangerous idea that she wasn’t sure would even work, but it was the only idea she had.

Rudra took the Core of Hell in her hands and jammed her thumb into the eye sockets of the demon skull that contained the power within. With all her strength, she forced the skull open, revealing the Core and exposing it to the blistering air of Hell. The Core sizzled and crackled, flashing brightly as it trembled and quaked in Rudra’s hands as the power quickly became volatile without anything to contain it. An ear splitting shriek exploded from the unstable Core and it erupted into an inferno of monstrous energy. It enveloped the Legion in its blazing flames and scorched Lucifer with its overwhelming power, slamming into him with so much force that it struck him out of the air and sent him tumbling back down to the ash clouds below, screaming a string of curses the whole way down. The power from the explosion pushed the Legion upwards with surprising speed, rocketting them clear out of Hell and back to the surface.

***

Joriel and her squadron were thrown back as the ground quaked beneath them, and they looked on in shock as a mountain of fire and lava erupted from the fissure, and brimstone and molten basalt were sent flying several meters into the air. The Legion, wrapped within the flames, emerged from the pit at breakneck speeds and were launched high into the midmorning sky before plummeting back down to Earth like blazing meteors. Each individual angel in the Legion crashed down into the ash-covered island, leaving behind a crater on impact.

“...DEMONS!” Joriel, not even two seconds after getting up, called up spears of light and pointed them at the Legion, assuming her Seraph form and preparing to attack. “Squadron, prepare to fight!”

Larimar, his physical form having become warped when he had been engulfed in fire, groggily stumbled to his feet as he rose from the basalt. “Ugh…what happened? Did it work-?” He wiped ash and soot from his eyes and turned to face Joriel, at which point he turned pale. “Uh…did I miss something?”

A Dominion proceeded to charge him, twin scythes in hand. Larimar blanched and began sprinting away from the Dominion, screaming in a panic. “WAIT! WAIT WAIT WAIT IT’S ME-!”

“YOU CAN’T FOOL US, DEMON! RUN THOSE HANDS!”

“JORI! JORI, IT’S ME, LARIMAR! CALL OFF YOUR SQUADRON!” He shrieked, scrambling like mad across the small islet.

“Larimar doesn’t look that bad,” Joriel retorted dryly.

“It’s not my fault the core made me look like a half-finished statue!”

Joriel scowled, unamused. “Likely story. I - Styna? Is that you back there?”

Styna was sitting in a nearby crater, a few meters away from where Larimar had landed. She was disoriented and covered in ash, but she had remained untouched by the Core’s intense power. She certainly looked frazzled, though. Her hair was stuck up in several directions and parts of her dress had singed.

Joriel flew over and touched the other angel, and a thin layer of purple energy fell from Styna - an energy Joriel remembered. “Oh f*ck...”

Joriel quickly withdrew her hand and promptly pushed the thought out of her head - it was nothing. Nothing at all.

Joriel carefully helped Styna to her feet, letting the dazed angel lean on her for support.

“Ugh…what happened? Did we make it out?” Styna slurred, a dizzy look on her face.

“I believe so. Are these the other Legion members?”

Styna cleared her throat and steaded herself against Joriel, trying to focus on her surroundings. “Uh…I think so. Rudra opened the Core and there was this huge explosion - it sent us flying out of Hell and back to the surface. I think we managed to absorb the energy.”

“...So that really is Larimar? Well, sh_t.” Joriel whistled, and her squadron quickly stopped chasing Larimar around the island. “You can stop chasing him now! It’s just Larimar.”

“Then why does he look like this?” A Dominion asked, squinting at the Principality’s strange new appearance.

“What are you talking about? I didn’t-” Larimar interrupted himself when he looked down at his hands. The gold and blue gloves he had been wearing had turned a dark purple and maroon. The rest of his armor had followed suit, having completely shifted in color. “What the…?”

“...you got a downgrade, my dude,” the Dominion decided.

“Aw, man. I liked my old clothes,” Larimar frowned. “Did anything else change?”

“Well…you've got horns now, and your eyes are glowing.”

“My eyes always glow.”

“No, like…it’s a malevolent glow. And they’re purple, too. An evil purple.”

“...Ok, that’s certainly one way to describe it.”

Larimar rubbed his neck and looked around, watching as the rest of the Legion picked themselves up from the hardened magma, and he was shocked to see that they had all undergone the same transformation. “Did the Core do this? I didn’t know it would give us all a makeover!”

“It’s Hell energy. I know an evil goddess whose corruption does less to the appearance than that sh*t does,” Joriel said, shaking her head. She then called her squadron over. “Help them up,” she ordered, motioning for her soldiers to help the Legion as they slowly crawled from the crumbling basalt and granite.

Larimar hurried over to the spot where Skyla had landed, laying sprawled out over a jagged outcropping of hardened magma. Pulling her up, he saw that Skyla had made a drastic and startling transformation. Her skin had turned ash gray and her red dress was now a stark white robe. Red horns had grown from her head and her wings had morphed into shimmering flames.

“WOAH! Skyla, is that you!?” Larimar stammered, jumping back in shock.

“What? Of course it’s me! Why wouldn’t you-” Skyla let out an astonished shout when she looked down at herself. “What - what just happened!? What happened to my dress!?”

“That would be the Core’s doing.” Madame Talon’s voice answered. Talon emerged from a nearby crater, somehow looking even more frightening than before. Ofia followed suit, her verdant armor now a dark and sickly gray.

“This is weird,” Ofia shuddered, examining her clawed hands. “I didn’t expect the Core to do all this.”

“I don’t think any of us did,” Larimar replied. “I don’t think Rudra even understood what was going to happen…Speaking of, where is Rudra?”

A torrent of murmurs then filled the air as the Legion looked about, the realization dawning on them that their leader was nowhere in sight. Joriel glanced about, scanning the jagged island for any sign of Rudra. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw something glimmering. Craning her head up, she saw Rudra standing atop one of the many craggy mounds of granite that rose above the base of the island. Joriel briefly took to the air and approached Rudra, landing behind the Seraph.

“Rood, what are you doing up here?”

“The eruption landed me here,” Rudra replied, facing towards the calm sea before her. Her body was radiating with newfound power and a scarlet aura enveloped her. Her left hand extended out, revealing a blackened demon skull resting in her palm, its face split apart. Smoke billowed out from its open mouth and eyes, and cracks ran along its face. “I would have waited until we were on the surface to open it, but Lucifer followed us. I had to use it down there to get him off our tail.”

Joriel stood agape, gazing at the scorched skull. “Is that the relic? The one that held the Core of Hell?”

“It is. He had hidden it inside his throne and was using it to prepare his own army. I guess it’s a good thing we decided to take it for ourselves. But it’s pretty much useless now.” Rudra tossed the skull over her shoulder at Joriel, who deftly caught it midair. “I’ll save it, however. I think our sister will appreciate the gift.”

“Baria?”

“Mhm. She’ll keep that relic safe, just in case.” Rudra cast her piercing gaze to the ground beside her, where her sword was sticking up from the black rocks. “Jori, is Styna safe?”

“She is. But…Did something go wrong down there?”

“What do you mean?”

“She didn’t transform like the rest of you,” Joriel clarified. “She still looks the same and I don’t detect any demonic energy coming off of her.”

“She must have narrowly avoided the blast,” Rudra remarked absentmindedly. “Bring her over here.”

“What? Why?”

“While we were down there, she asked me a question. I’d like to answer it.”

“...You’re being awfully cryptic.” Joriel raised a hand to the Legion below and shouted Styna’s name, drawing the attention of the entire Legion to the granite mound. Styna pushed her way through the crowd and ascended the mound, attempting to smooth out her frizzy hair the whole way up.

When she stood before Rudra, the Seraph reached down and pulled her sword from the rocks. The blade lit up with a new kind of power, sizzling with the same scarlet blaze that Lucifer had used against them. Rudra brought the blade up to her eyes, examining the crackling flames that ran along the length of the sword. She then turned her piercing eyes onto Styna and approached the Power with a strong gait.

“Styna…You wanted to know the difference between Judgment’s forces and us,” Rudra started, her voice booming with power. “The difference is simple. He will stop at nothing to destroy this world…”

Styna stood still, staring at Rudra’s burning eyes. There was so much weight to her voice and so much resolve in her eyes. She stood resolute in front of her, a Seraph with power and knowledge beyond her years - Styna could tell as much. The look Rudra gave her was knowing, and she did not speak a word more. She didn’t need to - Styna already knew the rest.

“And we will sacrifice everything to save it,” Styna finished, resolve in her voice. Rudra smiled and nodded at her.

She then extended a hand out towards the magma at her feet. The ground bubbled and boiled as the gray rock turned back into red-hot lava. A ball of lava shot into Rudras hand and hardened on impact, sputtering and sizzling as she squeezed her fist around it. The lava morphed and stretched in her palm and when she released her grip, a burning dagger now sat in her hand. She turned the new blade over and handed it to Styna, wrapping the Power’s fingers around the hilt to grasp it.

“You know the difference. Now you can fight.”

Rudra, sword in hand, spread her wings and flew to the peak of the basalt mound. Turning back to the Legion, Rudra could see every individual amassed on the small island, burning with newfound power. They were ready. They were all ready. With a righteous, indignant roar, she raised her burning blade to the sky and the midmorning air cracked with the combined might of holy flames and Hellfire.

“Judgment will know of this day and he will fear you, my Legion! The power of Hellfire courses through our veins; do not forget why we took this energy into our blood! He will learn to fear the scars he gave us, he will know what it means to face the wrath of a thousand furious angels! Now, my Legion, you are prepared! The only thing he will fear is YOU!”

#Team Fortress 2 #Freak Fortress #Angel Fallen: The Chronicles of the Legion #Rudra Seraph #Joriel #Madame Talon #Skyla #Styna #Ofia #tf2 devil #Larimar Prince

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