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Zerrex turned through a pair of golden double doors, but soldiers in white armor only scattered at his approach, and several Dius in silk clothing shyly peered out at him from behind enormous pillars of white marble, ringed in gold. The floor beneath his feet was carpeted with a pattern of reds and blacks, depicting some mightly battle as the Drakkaren strode up a short flight of stairs to where several guards in white armor were standing, all of them holding enormous cleavers.

They were trembling, though, and Zerrex narrowed his eyes, noting the skull-shaped helmets they were wearing and the rams horns curling out from these... before he lowered his guard and shrugged, smiling slightly. "I don't want to kill you."

"I... we... this is the Palace of Lord Az'Iriel! P-Please turn and leave!" one of them stammered... and then the left guard fell to his knees and began to bawl loudly, and the center guard dropped his sword and laced his fingers together, the goat demon staring up at him and begging: "No more games, please! We... we don't know what to do, we can't fight... Az'Iriel took all his real elites to the mortal realm, I'm only two years old, I've never seen a real fight... fuck, I was made by that stupid unicorn in the labs!"

"What?" Zerrex looked down sharply at this, and then he asked coldly: "Where is this unicorn now... is his name..." Goddammit... "Uh... does his name start with a T?"

"Tellis, yes!" The soldier looked up, trembling a bit. "He's... he's scheduled to escape to the mortal realm... they're going to do a full-out attack on Ire through a large-scale portal in a month or so and... please, I don't wanna die..."

Zerrex nodded, saying quietly: "I can't say if you will or won't... but there's a powerful army that's rallied here and we're under attack by Az'Iriel's loyal forces... or maybe just another group of poor individuals like you who've been forced to become warriors, I don't know. Rally up your friends and tell them that Zerrex sent you to join them, and you'll stand a far better chance of survival than you do on your own here. But where's Tellis now? I need to know."

"Thank you, Lord Zerrex!" The demon dropped and groveled, and Zerrex made a bit of a face before the goat demon rose and pointed at the door to the right, saying shakily: "The moment the alarms sounded, he... he fled through there..."

Zerrex nodded, then left wordlessly through the door, heading down a narrow hall and feeling disgust rise through his body. Not only creating life, but then using it in war games to cover up Az'Iriel's true intentions... and possibly the Princess's, too. But the puzzle was still far from complete... there were still a few major missing pieces that needed to be roughly shoved in place. And a few extra pieces that need to be destroyed...

The reptile emerged from the cement hall into an enormous metal corridor that was businesslike and cold, the complete opposite of the grandiose area Zerrex had just strode down. A shutter was at the far end of the huge room, and twenty or so feet to the reptile's right was a plated metal wall, while beneath his boots was first a thin metal, grated floor, and beneath that were stacks of massive, clear metal or magically-forged glass canisters filled with bubbling blue plasma, moving slowly down a conveyor belt and into a machine that was sealing steel lids over them.

Tellis looked up from where he was standing with a Dragokkaren in a white uniform and carrying a clipboard, and he motioned at the giant, red-scaled reptile, who mindlessly staggered off towards a computer terminal and entered a code. Zerrex leapt away from the door as it buzzed loudly, and a moment later a purple energy field began to glow over the doorway, a light above turning red as the unicorn said softly: "I thought we'd meet again."

Tellis strode slowly towards the middle of the wide hall, and the Dragokkaren lumbered stupidly off to check on the other plasma containers that were all neatly labeled and sitting in small metal bases. Zerrex frowned as the unicorn pulled off his dress jacket before tossing it away, looking distastefully over the Drakkaren as he cracked his knuckles and stood in only his white silk dress shirt, black dress pants, and suede loafers. "There's no way you can survive here, Lord Zerrex... the room is completely sealed off and you can't hurt me, much less kill me."

"I can beat the crap out of you, though." Zerrex responded mildly, and he started forwards as the unicorn snorted, the two standing fearlessly a foot from each other as the Drakkaren asked softly: "But what's with all this mess here? Last time I checked, plasma didn't exactly make for much use in anything."

"Unless you can harness its power in the form of a battery..." Tellis motioned to one of the nearby tanks with a cold smile, before he half-bowed to Zerrex. "But if you'll excuse me, I'd like to put aside the pleasantries..."

He rose, and Zerrex snorted as the unicorn tensed himself visibly. His emerald eyes narrowed as the stallion reared back, then dived forwards towards him... and Zerrex smashed the pole down into the back of Tellis's skull, knocking him flat to the ground and sending his face crashing into the metal grating before Zerrex stepped on his throat and shoved the pole into his chest, closing his eyes and concentrating as he muttered an exorcism under his breath.

But Tellis only continued to squirm and flail beneath him before the Drakkaren was seized by the shoulders, and the huge Dragokkaren threw him to the ground before returning to the computer station mindlessly. Zerrex blinked a few times, and Tellis clambered to his knees before diving at him... but Zerrex drove both feet into his face with enough force to knock him flat on his back, the unicorn groaning loudly and staggering to his feet, resting against a container of plasma as he breathed hard and a bit of blood dripped off his features before his broken face quickly mended itself back into handsome perfection. "You can't kill me, Lord Zerrex... I'm one of the few surviving invincibles, a reject of the Lost Gods that was sealed away until your foolish God disturbed my rest..."

"Enough history for today." Zerrex stepped forwards and shoved the butt of the pole into the unicorn's face, and Tellis staggered backwards with a grunt before two more hard stabs with the butt pounded against his chest, and then the reptile leapt forwards and seized the unicorn by the horn with his stony arm. Tellis yelped, then cursed when Zerrex slammed him hard into one of the plasma tanks before smashing him once, twice, thrice in the stomach with enough force to crack the tank behind him and rattle the others in their bases.

Plasma began to leak out, and Tellis hissed, staggering away as Zerrex jumped backwards before the unicorn blinked stupidly as Zerrex seized him by the arm and spun him around, then used the pole to slam him face-first into the tank. The magical glass wall shattered, and the unicorn fell forwards over the broken hole, gargling and screaming, flailing desperately as the Drakkaren held him in place with the metal pole.

Blue plasma flowed down the walls of the tank and over the metal grating, melting and eating through it rapidly as it spread towards Zerrex, the reptile wincing, then drawing quickly away as the Dragokkaren lumbed towards him. It stepped dumbly onto the floor that had already been melted by the plasma, and a moment later the grating collapsed and the Dragokkaren fell into one of the open plasma vats before, overturning it as the coveyor snapped and alarms began to blare from the damage to the machinery.

Tellis finally threw himself free, landing on the grating that hadn't been seared, and he vomited plasma over the metal floor in front of himself, gagging and gargling in what looked like intense agony as Zerrex watched closely. His wounds were healing, and despite the fact steam and smoke was rising from his smoldering garments and clothing, the creature seemed to be in a different sort of pain as his body trembled and shuddered... and then he vomited again, this time a mix of black bile, blood, and plasma... and the reptile snorted before walking over to the unicorn and jerking him up by the back of the neck, wincing at the heat radiating off his body as he said coldly and stepped past him, raising his warped arm: "You don't look so good after all!"

Tellis snarled up at him, then stared as Zerrex's stony hand clenched and turned into a crude ball, thorns popping out of this before the reptile hammered the unicorn with a hard swing, Tellis barely managing to bring his arms up in time to absorb some of the blow as he flew backwards and crashed through the damged flooring behind him to land on the broken conveyor below. Zerrex snorted, and then the rough ball twisted back into a clawed hand covered in sharp thorns, the Drakkaren flexing his fingers before he stormed forwards and leapt down through the hole in the flooring.

He landed on a burnt-out section of conveyor, the pole resting on his shoulder and Tellis already vanished from sight... and then Zerrex stared as the vat of plasma in front of him began to tip over, and the reptile dived off the conveyor, landing on cement beside a large machine in a misjudged roll that sent him skidding on his stomach. He winced at the surprising tang of pain over his nipples, wondering how the hell Cherry could put up with what she'd used to in the Legion, and then Tellis ran to another vat of plasma and began to shove it over, the reptile immediately running past the large container.

The unicorn half made it, then had another violent coughing fit, falling to his knees with a curse before looking up with watering eyes over the floor on either side of the ten foot high, multiple-laned conveyor... and then a tentacle snapped around his neck and Zerrex jerked him hard backwards, Tellis sprawling on the ground in front of the Drakkaren before Zerrex jerked him up to his feet and shoved him back against one of the large containers of plasma. "What the hell do you want, Tellis? What are you even fighting for, this isn't your war... this is no one's war, just a sick demonic game!"

"I want to watch the chaos!" Tellis snarled in return, kicking weakly and uselessly at one of Zerrex's shins before he grinned widely, then coughed hard as he rasped: "No one can kill me... and I'd rather see everyone miserable and groveling beneath me than help them... I can outlast anyone, anything, anywhere... and you can't stop me!"

"Then I have to kill you, huh?" Zerrex snorted, then he looked away before raising a foot and lowering it on a platform of energy, grabbing Tellis by the throat at the same time and holding him up above his head with a look of disgust. Tellis looked back, kicking and flailing, almost managing to slip from Zerrex's grip... but the reptile batted him hard on the head with his pole before throwing him over his shoulder, and the unicorn stared as Zerrex created his own staircase out of floating platforms of energy, until they stood on a last platform that was positioned just over the lip of the container of plasma. "Goodbye, Duke Tellis. I'm afraid none of us are completely invincible."

The reptile slung Tellis down into the plasma, then shoved him deep into the container using the metal pole, the plasma bubbling and flowing around it but not eating at the strange steel as it glowed blue with Zerrex's own energies, and the unicorn screamed uselessly into the plasma as it ate at his body, filled his lungs... and despite his form restoring itself as fast the plasma could eat away at him, the unicorn began to twist and spasm from where he was pinned under the pole, mouthing wordlessly as his eyes bulged and his limbs spasmed violently... and a few moments later, Tellis slowly began to relax, a bit of blood rolling out of his mouth as he floated silently under the surface of the water, drowned, suffocated on the glowing blue liquid.

Zerrex drew the weapon back, dropping the shield of energy around the pole and spinning it absently to get rid of any loose droplets before he jumped down to the conveyor, glancing over his shoulder and watching as Tellis's corpse slowly burned away to nothingness inside the vat. He shook his head a bit, then leapt down to the side lane and headed for a pair of plain-looking double doors at the back.

The rusted metal doors led out to a small garden that was littered with dead corpses of mindless Dragokkaren slaves and soldier demons... and the reptile glanced around the tiny area before looking towards the red brick walls of the Palace and the windows at least sixty feet above. Zerrex made a face as he put the pole on his back and concentrated, using his energy to bind it against him before he felt out the edges of the brick and mumbled as he looked at his stony, warped arm: "Time for you to prove just how valuable you are."

The reptile concentrated, wincing as his fingers bound together into two massive hooks and his thumb lengthened and grew into a matching claw... and the Drakkaren slammed this into the wall before forcing the toes of his boots to rest against the small crevices available here and there in the brick. Zerrex reached his other hand up, cursing as his claws slipped a bit against the wall before he found a narrow crack, and the lizard swung his twisted arm up, ripping a handhold into the stone and using that to pull himself up.

It was much harder going than the other wall... but at least this time, Zerrex was able to climb up onto the sill without a problem, and he peered at the empty, carpet-lined hallway beneath before drawing his twisted arm back... and then he made a face as common sense finally argued its way forwards and he simply pushed the swinging window inwards, jumping into the hallway and looking back and forth. He pulled the pole off his back, then he looked first towards the stairs leading down into the Palace and then over to the oak, embossed double doors leading into a large tower separate from the area, and he headed towards this instead.

He pushed them open and stepped into a large, octagonal room with pink wallpaper covered with designs of roses and black flowers, and a large, dome-shaped ceiling, with a single door leading out of the area... and Zerrex frowned a bit at the center of the room, where a leopard was sleeping inside a gold and blue casket... and then a soothing, powerful voice said gently: "I'm afraid Lady Majesty is sleeping right now, Lord Zerrex... but believe me, I think I could take care of you just fine..."

Zerrex glanced slowly to the side... and a chill ran through him as a beautiful Drakkaren strolled towards him, her body covered in taunt and lustrous purple scales, her body athletic and toned, lithe but full of graceful, undeniable power. The eyes that burned out of her ensnaring features were such a burning azure that they made Zerrex's heart beat faster with only a single seductive look, and around her neck was a tight black collar with a large red gemstone inset inside of it... undoubtedly a Heartstone of some kind, to increase the already-terrifying powers radiating off Beatrice Blossom.

She was clad in a gold and white loincloth that hung from a taunt belt, and over her hips he could see the black cord of a very tight-g-string... and over her breasts was a plain cloth wrap of gold and white. Hanging loosely from one hand was a metal hoop, and she smiled teasingly as she walked fearlessly up to Zerrex and stroked down his muzzle, breathing a bit harder as her hand made its way down to her chest, pressing firmly against his powerful breast as she whispered: "You're just like me... confused... lost... in need of love but even more understanding... and at worst, a good fuck and someone to tell you what to do... but you're so lonely at the top of the mountain, aren't you? Why don't you let me be your lover, your mother, your sex-toy... I can do a much better job than the whore-spawn I produced, believe you me... and I'm so beautiful, am I not?"

Beatrice stepped backwards, sliding her hands over her body as her eyes glowed blue... and Zerrex felt his legs growing weak as she seduced him with terrible ease, a bit of drool dripping from the Drakkaren's mouth before he cursed and did his best to reign himself in... but she was powerful and experienced, far more than he was...

He fell to his knees, breathing a bit harder before he clenched his eyes shut and leaned down, and he whispered: "I love Cherry..."

"And I loved her, too." Beatrice dropped to her knees, smiling softly as she put the hoop aside and took Zerrex's face into her hands, before she whispered gently: "Put your weapon aside... I didn't come here to fight you. I came here to fuck you... Incarnation and Incarnation alike. This world is rife with sin and perfect for our life... and you are the strongest demon I have met yet, superior even to Lord Az'Iriel... but more importantly, I see you'll fulfill my needs..." Beatrice licked her muzzle slowly. "And that is far more important to me... besides... I can be the mother figure you so desperately long for in all your incestual fantasies..."

"Take your filthy hands off my son." snarled a voice, and Zerrex looked up in surprise as the energy in the room changed, the blue torches that lit it turning to black flames as Celestial Narrius slowly strode up behind Zerrex. At first, Beatrice looked at her with disdain... but when her eyes glowed red and her hands turned white and skeletal, the Incarnation leapt backwards as Celestial whispered: "We need to have ourselves a little ‘girl-talk,' mother-to-mother, I think, Beatrice."

The Incarnation snarled, snapping her hand out and creating another metal hoop as the other flew automatically to her free hand, and they both burst into blue flames before Celestial said softly: "Psychic and magic tricks don't work on me."

Beatrice simply snorted and snapped both hoops towards Celestial as she stepped forwards past Zerrex, and Celestial caught both of the hoops and tossed them aside, Beatrice looking horrified before Celestial said absently over her shoulder: "I'll be right back, Zerrex. Don't go anywhere."

She snapped her fingers, and dark lightning shot over both herself and Beatrice before they both simply vanished, leaving Zerrex alone with Majesty's sleeping body. The reptile climbed to his feet, looking back and forth stupidly and wondering what the hell had just happened before he walked over to Majesty's comatose body, looking down at her and poking her blanketed body carefully before frowning a bit and rubbing at his muzzle slowly, murmuring: "It feels so cheap... but... how do I do this again..."

After a moment, Zerrex simply glanced at his warped arm, and then he shrugged and concentrated, and his fingers melted together and lengthened into a long blade. He drew his back, taking a long, deep breath, then made a face before simply plunging downwards as hard as he could.

"-And so I urge the senate to vote yes on the decision to attack Hez'Ranna, as they have once more refused to cooperate with our investigations and have refused to release potentially-necessary information on the Black Holes, of which we still know too little on." Majesty said coldly, through the features of Vladimar Himmler, the aged, grey-furred dog looking back and forth. Many of the other senators nodded, and Majesty smiled through his gnarled features, adding easily: "Besides, I'm sure none of us have forgotten about exactly what Hez'Ranna has done to us in the past, and I'm sure all are-"

Majesty paused, tilting her head oddly... and then she clutched at her chest, Himmler's eyes turning from chestnut to burning blue before she clenched them shut, cursing and falling to his knees in the middle of the massive senate hall. Murmurs of dissent and concern went through the room, and then Majesty let out a loud groan of pain and slumped to the ground, panting hard as her eyes opened and she forced herself to recede into Himmler's mind for the moment. She looked back and forth in the husky's body, then swallowed and slowly forced himself up to his feet, breathing harder and whispering: "Not... not possible..."

"Sir?" asked a security guard, ducking down to the central terminal, and then he stared as Majesty looked up into his eyes and he saw the flash of sapphire, before he staggered backwards and yelled: "I need help, help! The War Leader's under demonic attack!"

"No, wait!" Majesty forced Vladimar's body up to his feet, breathing hard and unable to stop her eyes from glowing through the pain, staggering forwards and sending the unpossessed senators into a panic as soldiers stormed in and the whine of psychic suppressors began to echo through the building. No, no, no, my body's been destroyed, there must have been an attack, the castle may lay in ruins by now with how fast time passes...

But it was already too late, as soldiers took aim at Majesty with all manner of weapon and rifle, and heavily-armored troops carrying portable psychic suppressors on their backs waded towards the canid... and Majesty closed her eyes and whispered: "I wasn't supposed to die like this..."

Back in Hell, Zerrex had torn her corpse apart and set it on fire, making a face as he watched the dismembered body burn, the blood slowly vanishing from his twisted arm as it was absorbed into his body. He didn't like what he'd had to do, but on the other hand... it had been necessary to make sure that Majesty couldn't flee to anywhere. Now she was just a spirit without a body to return to... and her spirit wouldn't last long in the mortal realm or floating around Hell pointlessly.

The reptile turned to leave the room... and then Beatrice was smashed through one of the walls, the lizard staggering and covering his face as the bloodsoaked female immediately created a portal and scrabbled through it before a demonic, corrupt Celestial smashed through the hole she had torn in the wall, her bony claws flexing as she floated above the ground and barked: "Where did she go?"

"Through a portal." Zerrex said slowly, and Celestial let out a roar of rage before clawing out a chunk of the ceiling, the reptile staggering backwards towards the door before a chill ran through him as Celestial's red eyes settled on his body.

"You shouldn't've let her escape..." she hissed, and her eyes burned with hate and fury... and Zerrex immediately leapt backwards through the open double doors, slamming them behind himself before he turned and bolted down the hallway. Behind him, Celestial let out a scream of rage that was only slightly muffled by the door before she charged, and both doors were knocked off their hinges, the female's claws launching towards Zerrex and narrowly missing him as flames and force blasted apart the hallway behind her from the sheer evil of her passage.

The reptile leapt down the stairs and grunted as his butt bounced off the last few steps, propelling himself forwards and pinwheeling his arms as he staggered forwards and covered his face, ramming through another pair of double doors at the end of the hallway. Celestial followed, diving and pausing for a moment before launching herself forwards, and both the doors were shattered into splinters as she flew into the wide room Zerrex found himself inside, part of the balcony collapsing as a blast of dark energy and fire followed her out of the hallway. She looked back and forth furiously, then spotted Zerrex running along the balcony and heading for another set of doors before she paused and glanced up, whispering: "There you are..."

Celestial shot upwards like a bullet, crashing through the rooftop as Zerrex skidded to a halt, watching as cracks spread through the ceiling and he slowed down, panting quietly and relaxing a bit as several demon soldiers ran past him in terror. He shook his head a bit, then rested against the railing of the balcony, looking out over the deep, wide hall far beneath him before making a face and muttering: "This place is insane... and goddammit, Celestial..."

He shook his head slowly, then turned around and strode towards the golden double doors he'd spotted from earlier, but they were locked. The Drakkaren took care of this with a hard foot to middle of the doors, knocking them open... and then Zerrex strolled through, glancing back and forth curiously as he flexed his stony arm a bit, forcing it to shrink down: it seemed every time he was excited, it ended up getting larger and nastier.

The reptile could faintly hear the sounds of the fighting outside getting louder, and part of him wanted to retreat... but then he froze as his eyes settled on not a Black Hole, but a silver, rune-inscribed archway filled with crackling dark energy: a portal. He stepped slowly towards this, breathing a bit harder as a chill ran through his body, and then he snorted as two enormous golems of stone stepped towards him, both carved out to resemble their master Az'Iriel as he said quietly: "Like you two can stop me."

One of the golems charged forwards as the other stayed back to guard the portal, and the Drakkaren shoved the pole down into the ground and launched himself into the air, kicking both feet out to smash it in the chest and knock it staggering backwards. He spun the weapon around his body as he landed, then smashed the pole hard down into the skull of the creature, shattering the stone head into fragments before the reptile spun around and knocked one of its feet out from under it, sending chunks of grey rock flying in all directions as it fell over.

Zerrex could see cracked white bone beneath where he'd struck, and the reptile made a disgusted face: a Forbidden Art, using a demon's corpse to form a more-powerful, more-intelligent golem, and forcing its spirit into servitude forever... or at least until the golem was destroyed. The reptile waited for the golem to begin to climb to its feet... and then the Drakkaren stabbed forwards into the skull with the metal pole and closed his eyes, channeling a blast of energy down into the golem.

The outer, rocky shell of the twenty foot stone beast cracked... and then it simply crumbled away to pieces as Zerrex drew back, most of the corpse inside destroyed and the connection with the guiding spirit shattered. The reptile tossed a look at the other golem, but it stood firmly in front of the portal... and Zerrex made a face of disgust before creating a sphere of energy and throwing it hard at the golem's face.

It collided and exploded, blowing most of its head off, and it swayed backwards before throwing itself forwards, falling flat and crashing to the ground on its stomach as Zerrex ran forwards and leapt over its back, before he threw himself at the portal.

He was flung through darkness and madness, getting a sense of sick vertigo before he was thrown out a Black Hole on the other side, the reptile flying forwards to crash onto his stomach and slide several feet... and then the reptile blinked stupidly a few times as he looked back and forth at the gaping demons, a minotaur dropping his mug of ale as a platoon of swamp spines nearby halted in their exercises to gape at him... and Zerrex slowly climbed to his feet, looking back and forth owlishly before rubbing the back of his head, clearing his throat. "So hi there, everyone. Az'Iriel's fortress has been captured on the other side, so if you don't mind giving up so I could just skip the whole ‘killing-you' part..."

The demons all drew weapons and snarled, several mages shouting incantations that awoke the half-constructed golems and Eye Constructs nearby, and Zerrex nodded, rubbing morbidly at his face as he muttered: "I didn't think so."

Ten minutes later, Zerrex was walking out of the mouth of the cave, absently wiping blood off his chest. The encampment had been small and leaderless, since they had been taking most of their orders direct from troops sent out of Hell every few thousand years... and their only real order had been to keep the Black Hole a secret for as long as possible, so after a dozen or so were killed, the rest of the demons had quickly retreated for the dimensional tear.

Now he stood on the high cliffs overlooking the world, and he took a long breath, his eyes closed as a shiver ran through his body... before he hugged himself and looked down. Above him was a monastery, and below him a beautiful forest... and the sky was so dark, so blue...

He shivered again, then glanced to the side and tried to create a portal... but he frowned at how hard it was. The Drakkaraen concentrated harder, but it still refused to open... and the reptile finally gave a grunt of disgust before looking out towards the far distance, where he could faintly see a smoking city. He shook his head a bit, then stared up at the sky before whispering: "Give me strength, huh? I... don't even know where I am."

Zerrex leapt into the air off the clifftop, and his wings pushed out of his back before flapping hard, and he went into a steep dive before twisting his body upwards and flying skywards. He closed his eyes as he soared into the air, his wings becoming more solid as he flew towards the city in the distance.

It was only a short ten minutes, and the Drakkaren landed on the roof of a skyscraper as he glanced back and forth over the wreckage of the city beneath him, watching as some sort of massive tank rolled slowly through the wreckage, followed by a trail of survivors both mortal and demon. It was hideous, the destruction that had undergone the world since he'd been gone... and Zerrex closed his eyes before letting his instincts guide him, leaping back to the sky as his wings flapped hard and he trusted his inner senses to guide himself in the right direction. Something tells me this is Lailland, not Ire... but I can make it. I can feel the energy in the air around me, and it makes me stronger somehow, I don't know how... Gods, I'm... I'm back home... I can make it...

Reia cursed under her breath as she backstepped between the broken wreckage of a car, snarling as she opened up with full automatic from the submachine gun, the stock resting against her shoulder as bullets blazed into the stomach of the ugly gold-and-black monstrosity charging her. It groaned and hissed, but continued to waddle forwards even as bullets pounded into it, before it finally fell forwards with a long moan of pain just as the gun clicked on empty.

The dragoness winced and threw the gun down, and then her eyes widened and she looked over her shoulder as a goat demon charged towards her, before it lashed down with a rusted axe that bit into her arm... but a moment later the weapon halted, Reia snarling in pain as blood leaked down her scales, the axe wedged into the suddenly-steel-like scales as the goat stared in surprise, before the female aimed the .45 holstered at her side backwards and pulled the trigger.

It blasted a hole in the bottom of the old holster and fired a bullet into the crotch of the goat, who dropped the axe and staggered backwards with a whine, and Reia snapped a foot backwards into the demon's gut before spinning around and smashing her elbow into the back of its skull. It fell flat, and Reia fired two bullets into it with a furious growl. Her eyes snapped up as she heard more hooves on pavement, and she rose the gun towards the minotaurs charging at her, firing three rounds into the chest of the first before she followed up with another bullet to the head of the second, and it fell forwards on its face with a long groan of pain.

She slumped, panting hard and looking back and forth, feeling a mix of anger and sorrow and hate she didn't want to feel as she spun around in a circle anxiously. Her heart was thudding too fast in her chest, and she only had one clip of .45 ammo left... her 9mm just didn't pack enough of a kick to make sure that some of the larger demons stayed down. She ejected the clip and counted the bullets that remained in it shakily, but her arm was throbbing with pain... and she already had plenty of other bruises from tangling too close with too many demons.

She didn't know why she didn't leave the city, like everyone else with a brain... but at the same time she did. This was her city, and no one was driving her out of it, for one thing... and a more-hidden reason was that she wanted to make sure the people she knew she could help, she did... but lowest of all in her gut, she wanted to hurt the demons for hurting her. They had killed countless civilians... and they had taken people from her who couldn't be replaced... I won't think about that, I won't... stop it, Reia... fuck, why do people have to care about other people...

Reia closed her eyes, fumbling to slap the clip back into place... but before she could cock the gun and load a bullet into place, she saw the minotaur's shadow fall over her, the dragoness cursing herself for being caught off guard a second time in so few minutes as she leapt away from the snarling demon raising its bardiche... and then a tentacle snapped around its neck and jerked briskly to the side, and its body fell limp before beginning to immediately rot as the tentacle slid quickly away and back to its owner.

The female pulled the slide back and rose the .45... then trembled and stared as a figure walked slowly towards her, a pole resting on his shoulder, his body scarred and damaged, and a pair of white angel wings glowing behind him. His body was much lither than she'd remembered, toned and attractive, and a pair of rings that gave her a faint, odd thrill hung from his nipples, of all things... but one of his arms had become a warped, spiked mess of stone and metallic plates, pulsing slowly with energy. The wings faded from behind him as he continued to stride forwards, his long hair falling around his face, a double set of bull and ram's horns pushing out of his skull as his emerald eyes glowed... and Reia felt another thrill roll through her body before Zerrex's eyes flicked upwards and he leapt forwards.

At the same time, Reia rose her .45, and she fired two rounds into a Plasmid as Zerrex crashed down behind her on top of a Nightmare that had been sneaking up on Reia, and for a moment the streets were cleared as the two turned towards each other. Reia immediately grasped his side as she looked up into his eyes, and Zerrex grasped her shoulder as his warped, twisted arm slowly locked together and returned to a normal limb. "Is that... really you, Zer?"

"It really is." Zerrex nodded slowly, and then the two embraced tightly, the Drakkaren closing his eyes as he held her close. She let go and fidgeted a bit, but the reptile was strong and kept her close, muttering: "Stop it. It's been probably a few months for you... and a quarter of a million years for me. I'm holding on to you for a little while whether you like it or not."

"Then you shouldn't've gone and gotten mixed up with whatever the hell you did." Reia mumbled, but she lowered her head against him, breathing quietly against his chest and grasping his sides, blushing a bit against him as she listened to the beat of his heart and felt the heat off his body. This doesn't feel... you know... stop it, stop it, stop it... "You promised me you'd tell me everything when this is all over, you know."

"And I will, Reia." Zerrex stepped back, sliding his hand up to stroke under her muzzle gently, and she smiled faintly up at him as he smiled back a bit in return, saying quietly: "I... I'm glad to see you." He paused, then touched the wound in her arm, Reia leaning away embarrassedly. "Looks like I'm the one who should be lecturing you, though. You're lucky I stopped in here to... to see my girls."

"At least I didn't die." Reia shot back, and then she turned away, feeling embarrassed and ashamed of herself as she tried to hide her eyes from the Drakkaren, but when he reached out and squeezed her shoulder, she turned around and looked up at him, losing her usual attitude as she asked quietly: "What are you doing here? How did you get out of Hell? You... you're not going to leave again, are you?"

The Drakkaren shook his head a bit, and she felt a pit form in her stomach as he said quietly: "I'm here to end the war... but afterwards, I have to go back to Hell. I'm only out thanks to this..." The reptile paused to tap the golden armband he was wearing. "But if I stay out for too long, then they'll start sending out assassins and retrievers to either destroy me or drag me back down into the Pit. I have... business to take care of in there before I can finally return here..."

Zerrex looked away for a few moments blankly, and then he shook his head and looked down at her, asking her with a hint of urgency showing through his calm voice: "But... have you seen my daughters? Marina, Cindy, Cherry... I... I've been worried about them..."

The reptile looked down in shame... and Reia frowned a bit before finally nodding, saying quietly: "Yeah, I ran into Cindy at the hospital... she... was getting medicine or something. The others were there, too, they were leaving for somewhere... I'm sorry, I either don't remember where or they didn't say..."

"Probably a safehouse..." Zerrex murmured, shaking his head slowly before looking down at her quietly. "You have to get out of here yourself, Reia. This war is far more complicated than I understand, yet I'm the one who's supposed to have all the pieces." He made a disgusted face, shaking his head a bit before squeezing her shoulder, glaring at her as she opened her mouth to argue. "Don't fight with me on this, the demons are either going to lay down their arms or go berserk, either way you won't want to be here when things go down the drain. There's a safehouse in the abandoned mines, my daughters may have gone there... besides, you can take my motorcycle."

Zerrex laughed a bit, shaking his head slowly as he murmured: "Assuming it's still there, of course... but you've done all you can here. It's been... what... how long since I've been gone?"

"Three months and some, I heard last." Reia said quietly, and the two looked at each other for a few awkward moments before stepping apart, Reia rubbing the back of her head and a faint blush she worked hard to fight down creeping over the ivory scales of her body as Zerrex looked away and cleared his throat a bit, before she finally mumbled, if only to end the conversation: "Fine, though... I'll... I'll get out of the city. I was just thinking of doing that anyway."

"Right." Zerrex smiled slightly, and Reia half-glared at him before holding up a hand as Zerrex turned away, then immediately cursing herself for it as the Drakkaren looked over his shoulder at her. "What?"

"Good luck." Reia muttered finally, and Zerrex nodded to her before the reptile spread his wings and leapt into the air. For a moment, he hovered, looking down at her as she stared up after him... and then he turned and flew off into the sky as she added in a near-silent voice: "And this time... please... make it back."

It had been hours and hours of flying, and Zerrex had felt both sore and tired, noting how fatigue seemed to creep up faster in the mortal world... and he felt both self-loathing and calm assuredness with the way he'd just handled things. On the one hand, he wanted to escort Reia himself to the safehouse himself... but on the other, he knew that she'd act pissed about it no matter how secretly-glad she might be for his company, and he knew that if his family was there... he might never have left. As it is, it was a mistake to stop at home... but... a good one, at least. I was able to see Reia and give her a hand... and Gods, I just want to swoop back down, cradle her against my body and... do stuff for her and to her, but... Gods, I can't. I care about her, I'm so damned glad to see her, but I can't stop now. There are... bigger matters at hand than me in the world.

You're so cute. Ravenlight said in a disgusted voice, but he grunted in agreement nonetheless in his head. Don't let this be a replay of last time, huh?

"Believe me, it won't..." Zerrex muttered, as his powerful wings propelled himself towards the Row of Skulls, before he tilted his head and asked himself mildly: "By the way, why are you the only voice I ever hear in my head?"

Because I'm the only voice who ever bothers appealing to your better reason. Ravenlight grumbled, and the Drakkaren frowned a bit as Ravenlight shrugged in his brain. The Dark One hides until he finds a weak moment, Good sits around on his lazy ass and only gets upset when you kill someone for whatever stupid reason, and Cold only cares that you continue to exist... I'm the only one who remembers the past clearly anymore.

"Wonderful." Zerrex muttered, and then he was silent as he continued his journey... but less than an hour later, the reptile was slowly settling down upon a small hill at one end of a field, an entire army massed between him and the fortress in the distance, which had been repaired and was now glowing with terrible power. Above them, the sky had become a scarred red, with floating black clouds of dark energy circling... and the reptile gritted his teeth as he stared out over the challenge ahead of him.

The army was being marshaled by Gigataurs in full battle armor, and terrible pterodactyls from Hell circled above, with enormous wingspans and long legs with hooked claws, their pointed beaks covered in small barbs... and Zerrex shook his head slowly as he murmured quietly: "Life, death, and everything in between... everything I've gone through centers around here... and I'm about to come face-to-face with the demon that brought me there. In perhaps minutes, perhaps hours, once more I'll be fighting Az'Iriel..."

Enough of a fucking pep talk, let's move before they spot you! Clear a path through the crowd and get ready, because it won't be conscripts inside there... it's going to be the Warlord's Elite. Ravenlight muttered irritably in his head, and Zerrex smiled a bit to himself as he got a vision of the irritable â€" well, more irritable â€" version of himself holding up a pirate style map with his location marked in a big circle and the castl mark with a big X, a dotted white line connecting these two things. What the fuck's your problem?

"And you call me cute." Zerrex murmured, but before Ravenlight could throw a temper-tantrum in his head, the Drakkaren took a deep breath and cleared his mind. And a moment later, the reptile was charging down the hill towards the field, body tensed and ready to tear his way through an entire demon army in order to get to his objective. Here I come, Az'Iriel...

Zerrex sprinted forwards, the pole over one shoulder and his warped arm held out to one side as he ran as fast as he could force his body to move, covering the distance in an incredibly-short time as demons pointed at him and yelled, but the Gigataur only shouted for them to get back in line and position before he began to turn around... and Zerrex charged straight up the gigantic demon's back, kicking off his head with enough force to send him staggering forwards and crashing down into the middle of his own column of soldiers.

The Drakkaren landed more than twenty feet away, slamming his twisted arm into the ground and sending out a shockwave of energy that knocked demons hurtling away in all directions... and Zerrex stared for a moment at the effectiveness of the tactic, as even the Gigataur was sent bouncing backwards a few feet with a surprised yelp. He looked down at his corrupt hand, then grinned slowly as he whispered: "Right... natural abilities are suppressed in Hell. So that means..."

The reptile paused as several Nightmares charged him with long spears, and the Drakkaren ignored them, regaining his senses and running forwards instead to slash his stony hand out and send several enemies hurtling away before he spun around, at the same time revolving his pole behind him and ducking down to windmill the silvery metal pole through the enemies that stood in his way, knocking demon soldiers stumbling backwards before the Drakkaren caught the end of his own weapon and spun around with it in a wide circle. Demon soldiers were mown down like corn, several flying through the air with screams of pain before the reptile glared at a demon charging him with a long lance, and dark lightning tore over the Nightmare's body before it screamed and simply exploded in a blast of dark smoke and crackling energy.

Soldiers began to flee, some of them screaming in horror as white-armored, much-larger soldiers began to charge forwards through the lines of conscripts, along with Masters with their blessed silver longswords, and Zerrex snorted before shoving the pole down into the ground and vaulting into the air, flying over several demons. He landed on the shield of Master as it instinctively ducked and brought it up, and the reptile paused before leaping away as a Cyclops swung a battle hammer at him, and the weapon clanged off the shield instead and knocked the Master down.

Zerrex landed on top of a skeletal archer in white armor, knocking it into several pieces before he cursed as a bearded axe bit through his arm, staggering to the side as other soldiers leapt towards him. Several swords stabbed into the reptile's corrupt arm, but only the silver blade survived, bouncing off it as the other weapons snapped and Zerrex's arm began to pulse with red light through the cracks beneath it, the Drakkaren slashing his arm out in return as he clenched his fist tight. A moment later, it bulged and twisted together, becoming a rocky sphere that several large spikes popped out of, and several demons scampered away as Zerrex scanned the crowd with his eyes burning, roaring: "Get out of the way!"

His emerald eyes glowed, and several of the larger, white-armored demons staggered backwards before collapsing, while Masters and conscripts ran screaming... and Zerrex snorted, giving chase behind them as they knocked several other demons over. The reptile paused a moment later, however, as red runes began to circle down his rocky arm and it started to melt away... and the reptile's gaze shot back and forth as he absently swung the spiked ball still on the end of his rotting arm into the face of a demon that charged him.

It didn't hurt, which meant it was either an illusion or a seal... either way, he didn't have the time to deal with it indirectly. His eyes settled on several mages after a moment, standing on the other side of the army group he had almost passed through, and the reptile muttered a spell before stomping hard down into the ground even as the soldiers around him charged towards him.

The earth rumbled, then cracked around him and began to shoot up, the earthquake that thundered through the ground causing even Zerrex to stare and stagger as demons flailed for balance, and the runes encircling his arm hesitated before beginning to withdraw. Zerrex took the chance to curse under his breath before creating a sphere of energy, and he threw this down into the ground directly at his feet, a blast of blue force knocking up a cloud of dust and grass.

Soldiers stared in confusion as they continued to fight for balance through the shaking earth... and then the reptile shot out of the cloud like a rocket, his wings glowing brightly as soldiers stabbed at him uselessly, the Drakkaren flying over their heads before he flipped as he landed at the edge of the arched bridge leading into the fortress, and he simply walked forwards as a pair of draconic guards in white armor stepped towards him, swinging his wings into them as he passed to knock them both down into the deep moat. His wings faded out as he crossed the small bridge quickly, wincing as he glanced over his shoulder and saw the entire army charging towards him, a group of demons almost at the foot of the bridge already...

Silver wire appeared out of nowhere, crisscrossing to form a net before it flew forwards into the group of demons, ripping the front line into pieces and scattering the rest of the group backwards. Demons howled in shock and terror, and Zerrex stared before looking up at the slow flap of wings behind him, gaping stupidly.

A badger descended, his gold-ringed eyes closed, his body slender but masculine, wearing only a pair of plain black pants and combat boots. His arms were held down and outwards to either side, as if appealing to someone's better nature... and then his hazel eyes opened and he smiled softly to Zerrex as he hovered in the air above the archway leading into Az'Iriel's fortress, lacing his fingers together in front of himself and bowing as he murmured quietly: "It's been a long time, Boss... I'm really glad to see you again, Zerrex."

"Tinny..." Zerrex whispered, and then he blinked and looked over his shoulder as a massive greatsword tore into the ground with a burst of dark energy, driving the next wave of demons backwards in shock before Raze dropped to the ground in a kneel next to it, the snarl on his face enough to send the toughest of foes fleeing. Their terror was reinforced as Francis appeared in a burst of radiant light a moment later, gun in one hand and golden longsword the other, the mouse looking over his shoulder at him with a grim smile.

"Get going, Mister Zerrex!" called another voice from above, and Zerrex looked up in shock as Little Arcy dropped down from the rooftops with a grunt, Tinman catching her on one of his legs and holding her gently by one side as she said pleadingly: "Please, only you can end this war! Go and kill Prince Az'Iriel, we'll cover for you out here and stall the demonic forces as long as we can!"

"Got it!" Zerrex nodded firmly, then he snapped a salute to Tinman, who smiled and saluted back before flying forwards, Little Arcy leaping down from his leg and running across the footbridge to join the others as the demon the angels were depending upon ran down the short corridor leading into the courtyard of the Fortress.

He was greeted by two tanks, both of them unleashing gouts of fire at him, and the Drakkaren leapt backwards into the tunnel with a curse. Both of them had been demonically-enhanced, now covered in plates of rock and steel, with spiked treads and enlarged cannons... not to mention the flamethrower units on either side of the vehicles and the machine guns they probably have, too. But who says I can't get past a pair of tanks, right? At the end of the day, they still require living beings operating them... hopefully...

The reptile created a small sphere of energy, concentrating as it turned slowly white in his hand, and then he threw it forwards as he heard one of the tanks rumbling towards the tunnel and detonated it, a blast of light filling up the courtyard. He ran forwards a moment later as he heard several angry shouts, then leapt up on top of one of the tanks before staring as a demon in white armor leaned out a window above with an RPG.

The Drakkaren stared stupidly, and then the idiot fired, and Zerrex leapt over to the other tank as the rocket-propelled grenade smashed into the top of the tank and the turret went up in a massive explosion of gold and red as some power crystal inside shattered. The tank began to roll slowly forwards automatically until it rammed into a wall, but then it continued to grind into the stone until the entrance arch collapsed downwards in a hail of concrete and stone.

Zerrex transformed his rocky flail back into a rocky hand, then he grasped the metal pole he held tightly in both hands before slamming it down into the turret as the soldier with the RPG fumbled to reload. Before it could, Zerrex snapped out his revolver and fired several shots into the demon, most of these pinging off his armor before a lucky shot tore through his nostril, and he howled in pain before quickly withdrawing with a curse. The reptile grinned, then turned around and muttered a quick spell Carmen had taught him.

A bolt of lighting shot down from the sky, striking the pole sticking out of the turret and channeling down into the tank, and it went up in a series of small explosions as Zerrex ran for the nearest door, ramming through it with a grunt as he holstered his revolver, then shot a blade out of his wrist and slammed it home into the unfortunate demon soldier standing in front of him. The white-armored soldier staggered backwards with a grunt, and Zerrex shoved him over with his other hand, making a face as he mumbled: "That's why you don't surprise me."

He turned the corner of the hallway, then narrowed his eyes at the wider area ahead and the white-armored soldiers that were starting towards him... before they paused as something said in a darkly-amused baritone: "We'll take care of it... go about your other duties, finish the preparations for Prince Az'Iriel's war plans. Send most of the soldiers outside to rout the angels, Lord Zerrex is our pleasure to kill again."

Again? That means... Zerrex stepped slowly out of the hallway and through the second archway into a large den as the white-armored demons retreated quickly through another set of double doors... and the Drakkaren glanced back and forth around the magically-enlarged hallway at the Gigataurs in leather armor and other gear, three of them standing with enormous stone hammers in hand and the last carrying a bloody wooden mallet... and Zerrex snarled furiously as he noted a skull mounted above the fireplace with a pair of tusks that branched out to either side. Cradled in these â€" and through the sockets of the eyes â€" was the long bamboo spear Requiem had used. A trophy for them...

"We're different from other Gigataurs, but I guess you probably figured that out. We're experienced killers with thick hides... good luck actually hurting us, Lord Zerrex." grunted the one holding the wooden mallet loosely in one hand, and the two in front knocked the large bench-tables out of the way and into the nearby walls with their huge hammers. Despite this room being at least a hundred feet long and twenty or so wide, with a high rounded ceiling, the Gigataurs still made it feel cramped and small... but Zerrex only grinned slowly. That'll work my my advantage... "Oh, looking forwards to getting the shit beaten out of you again, huh? This time I think we'll pass you around the boys for a good fuck before we hand you over to Prince Az'Iriel..."

"Idiots." Zerrex murmured softly, and then he withdrew the blade into his stony arm, flexing it slowly before concentrating and pressing his other hand gently into his wrist, the metallic plates shuddering before they fell slowly away, and the Drakkaren took a deep breath as he forced any other demonic characteristics to vanish... other than the stupid nipples and rings Carmen had forced on him, anyway. He smiled a bit as he cracked his knuckles, the Gigataurs looking at him oddly as the reptile said quietly: "What you did was unforgiveable. Today, I avenge the death of my mentor."

"Fucking lunatic. Kill the little shit." said the lead Gigataur in disgust, and the two in front nodded and roared, charging forwards with their massive, rectangular stone hammers. One of them swung upwards as the other swung hard down, but Zerrex leapt gracefully backwards, before catching the head of one of the hammers as the Gigataur tried to shove him with it and pushing the butt firmly back into the giant's stomach.

His breath whooshed out of him, but the other Gigataur was there immediately, releasing the hammer with one hand to slam a fist down to attempt to squash Zerrex, but the Drakkaren slid out of the way before jumping forwards, shoving off the leg of the Gigataur and grabbing his shoulder to vault over his body. He landed neatly on his back as the mostly-naked Gigataur looked back and forth in surprise, the metal plates over his crotch bouncing against his red pants, and then Zerrex kicked off his back before his eyes narrowed as the other stone-hammer wielding bull demon swung his massive hammer around to attempt to swat Zerrex out of midair with surprising grace and speed.

The Drakkaren turned and kicked off the hammer in midair, launching himself into the face of the Gigataur and landing on his muzzle, the giant stumbling backwards in surprise before howling as Zerrex punched him hard in the forehead and kicked off his nose, grabbing at his face as the reptile noted all the piercings through his horns... and as he backflipped, he stared in shock as the third stone-hammer wielding Gigataur's hammer flew towards him and crashed into his stomach, sending him hurtling into the wall to the general laughter of the others. Zerrex fell and crumpled to the ground as the three moved forwards gleefully with their hammers, Piercings snarling as he leapt in and slammed the gigantic weapon down towards Zerrex's body-

And he missed as the Drakkaren rolled backwards to press tight against the wall, the reptile wincing as the edge of the hammer dug a shallow cut along his stomach before Zerrex clung onto the hammerhead, and when Piercings drew it back, he stared dumbly at the reptile holding tight onto the weapon. Zerrex stared back, then leapt onto Red's face and kicked off it with enough force to send him crashing backwards into the ground, and a moment later, Zerrex snagged the metal shoulder plate of the Gigataur wearing a variety of rawhide and leather straps over his body, and Zerrex snagged onto these, his back to the gigantic bull demon before he kicked both feet upwards as hard as he could and smashed them into the demon's chin.

Straps staggered backwards and fell over onto Red, and Zerrex leapt nimbly off his chest and onto a nearby table, before bringing his hands up and catching the wooden mallet as the leader slammed it down towards him. The Gigataur cursed, his muscles straining, and Zerrex felt the weight of the hammer and the sheer strength of the giant overwhelming him quickly... so instead he let the mallet drop as he slipped backwards, as the Gigataur staggered forwards as the reptile leapt up into the air and tilted his body towards his side to smash both feet straight into Lead's face, splinters of wood flying up around them at the same time as the mallet smashed through the side of the table and the bench it was attached to.

The Gigataur flew backwards and crashed through another oversized table, chunks of wood flying in all directions as the other three Gigataurs stared in shock for a moment as Zerrex landed with a grunt on the cement floor, then he seized the handle of the mallet and spun once before letting it fly like a discus, the head of the heavy weapon crashing into Straps and knocking him into the other Gigataurs, spilling them like dominoes. The Drakkaren grinned slightly, then he turned his eyes to the spear over the fireplace, and he lashed a tentacle out to snag the skull before he pulled hard back.

He felt it straining as it jerked on the bone that was glued firmly to the wall by some force... and finally, the skull snapped in half and the bamboo spear fell from its holder in the broken sockets. It bounced once off the ground, then rolled to his feet, and the lizard picked it up almost reverently as Lead finally picked himself up with a snarl.

The Gigataur charged forwards... and Zerrex spun around with the long spear and slapped him across the face with it, a tooth flying out of Lead's maw as he looked stunned before Zerrex spun the pole and hammered him several times in the stomach with the butt of the weapon, forging forwards and forcing Lead to stagger backwards, the gigantic, brawny arms of the Gigataur held out to either side and spasming before the Drakkaren stabbed firmly down into Lead's ankle, and the bull demon howled and fell to his knees.

Zerrex smashed Lead between the horns, knocking him flat to the ground as Straps and Piercings leapt in with their hammers, Red prowling behind them and ready to smash Zerrex if he slipped between the two Gigataurs, but the Drakkaren instead leapt up to meet Straps, kicking off the handle of his hammer and smashing him in the face with the pole of the spear, knocking him out of the air to crash down on his side even as the reptile launched himself now towards Piercings. The bull demon snarled and swung hard outwards at him as he landed, but didn't react fast enough as Zerrex tilted his body to the side and threw the spear at the same time.

It tore through one eye and then out the other, and the bull demon dropped his enormous hammer as the others stared in shock, watching as Zerrex soared over the Gigataur's head and snatched the neck of the holy bamboo weapon with his other hand, and a moment later he landed on the ground, spinning the pole around him even as the Gigataur collapsed to the ground in a heap of rotting flesh, bones, and blood. The other three howled as if wounded, then Red stomped forwards through his teammate's remains, raising his hammer-

Zerrex stabbed firmly forwards through the gut of the Gigataur, and he squealed before the Drakkaren ran forwards, forcing Red to stagger backwards as the spearhead tore out his other side, and a moment later it plunged through the back of Straps as he tried to run away. The two Gigataurs spasmed, moaning in pain... and the lizard smiled coldly as he whispered softly: "Don't worry... it's a holy weapon, remember... so you won't be coming back."

The Drakkaren tore the pole free, and both of the Gigataurs collapsed, one of them coughing blood and the other struggling to breathe as Lead picked up his wooden mallet, staggering backwards and looking terrified. As the two slowly collapsed, one of them spiraling down into unconsciousness and the other dying much faster as his heart was crushed by his own blood, Lead finally ran forwards with a snarl, swinging the mallet outwards in a low arc... and Zerrex threw himself through the air, rolling rapidly on his side before he landed neatly and shoved the spear up with one hand, tearing it through Lead's throat.

The Gigataur gagged once, then Zerrex snarled and shoved hard upwards, twisting at the same time as he drove the spear home into Lead's brain... and the creature spasmed before falling limp, the bull-demon beginning to rot almost immediately, skull and features falling to pieces around the holy weapon. The Drakkaren immediately spun it around his body, closing his eyes as it revolved over both shoulders, around his neck, then around his waist before returning to his right hand, and he smashed it down into the ground as he murmured: "One more thing to do... I'm coming for you now, Az'Iriel..."

The reptile tossed a glance at the dying, unconscious Gigataur on the floor... but for once, mercy took the upper hand, and Zerrex left it alone to either survive or die. The GAT was a bonus, after all... but he hadn't come here to destroy the Gigataur Attack Team. Requiem would only be avenged â€" and the mortal plane only saved â€" if Zerrex destroyed Prince Az'Iriel... and it was the only way to save his family, as well. He shook his head slowly as he went through the red doors that the white-armored soldiers had left through earlier, the spear resting on his shoulder as he strode down the stone halls, ignoring the creeping black ivy on the rooftops and the eyes that opened in the wall to stare at him as he walked by.

He could feel the energy of the powerful demon now, could sense him, almost smell him... and the Drakkaren paused at a choice of doors before going through the left set of white double doors. He stepped into a large, black room, the walls and edge of the floor covered in black ivy that came down from a pulsing black core in the center of the rooftop, which was entirely made of leaves and strange plants... and eyes opened in several of the flowers as white-armored guards and Rakshasa mages started towards the Drakkaren, but then a strong voice said coldly: "Leave us. You stand no chance against him... I'll kill the fabled ‘Lord Zerrex' myself."

Prince Az'Iriel, in his full armor and mask, walked in from the balcony he had been standing on, closing a barred pair of metal doors behind himself as he motioned irritably at the group of minions... and they left quickly, their heads bowed and not looking at Zerrex, brushing past him towards the two doors leading out into the halls. As before, every part of his body was covered in armor, but Zerrex got a strange sensation from the Demon Prince... his body tingled, his eyes watered, his throat felt dry. Something about Az'Iriel didn't bode like the other demons he had fought... and then he snarled a bit as he noted the hilt of Blackheart sticking out of a dragonscale sheath on Az'Iriel's hip, the reptile asking coldly: "Is that mine?"

"Was yours. You can have it back... assuming you can actually kill me." Az'Iriel said mildly, and the thirty-five foot tall demonic entity held out both hands, his clawed gauntlets bursting into dark flames as he asked calmly: "Shall we begin?"

Zerrex snorted and stepped forwards, and Az'Iriel immediately lashed a hand out towards him, throwing a blade of dark energy towards the reptile. Zerrex sidestepped immediately, and the blade shot by to crash into the wall, severing several strands of ivy and setting the wall alight with dark flames that quickly spread through the entire area. Zerrex grinned coldly as he spun the long spear around either side of his body, his eyes narrowed as Az'Iriel laughed as the walls and ceiling were consumed in dark fire, bits of ash and chunks of burning ivy floating down now and then from the rooftop as a sick hissing filled the air. "Yes, who doesn't love a true challenge!"

Az'Iriel leapt forwards, swinging a hand down like a blade as Zerrex stepped forwards, and the Northern Prince cursed as his hand was knocked backwards before the Drakkaren stabbed into his armor, but it only scratched along the surface of his body with a loud screeching. Az'Iriel took the opportunity to claw towards the reptile's side with his other hand, but Zerrex quickly twisted the pole and knocked his hand backwards before smashing the bamboo pole against Az'Iriel's leg.

It had little effect, but distracted Az'Iriel long enough for Zerrex to land a flurry of stabs over his armor, most of the attacks simply bouncing off but letting the Drakkaren probe for a weak point as Az'Iriel's eyes glowed bright red out of the sockets in his mask, and he snarled before rending both hands down in a vicious slice. Zerrex leapt backwards out of the way of the initial attack, but a moment later dark shockwaves pulsed through the air and sent Zerrex staggering backwards towards the wall of dark flames... and the Warlord leapt forwards a moment later, slamming a palm forwards to try and throw Zerrex backwards into the fires.

Zerrex let himself fall backwards instead and he quickly kicked Az'Iriel in the shin, bending his leg forwards, and the Warlord snarled before stomping his other foot down to attempt to crush Zerrex. The reptile brought the pole up, and his muscles flexed as he pushed hard back against Az'Iriel, cursing under his breath before finally shoving violently upwards, and he sent the gigantic demon staggering away, the Demon Prince releasing a grunt of shock. Zerrex kicked up to his feet, then he cursed as Az'Iriel leapt backwards and swung both hands out to fire twin blades of dark energy at the Drakkaren.

The crescent blades swerved back and forth, zigzagging towards Zerrex before the reptile leapt upwards over them at the last moment, and then crashed into the dark flames, exploding uselessly against the wall as the reptile created a sphere of blue energy in one hand and threw it back at the Demon Prince. It smashed into Az'Iriel's chest and sent him staggering backwards, the giant covering his face with a curse as the blue-tinged explosion washed over him, before Zerrex ran forwards with an inarticulate roar and leapt upwards, smashing both feet into Az'Iriel's abdomen.

Az'Iriel stumbled backwards once, then kicked Zerrex hard in the chest and sent him crashing onto his back, skidding towards the dark flames again before the demon simply roared, his eyes burning red as he emanated waves of energy powerful enough to twist and shrink the black flames, Zerrex skidding backwards until his back was almost pressed against the wall, feeling the dark fire licking against his body before he created a solid, V-shaped wall of energy in front of himself. He crouched behind this, stepping forwards as the wind of force blew off to either side, and after another thirty seconds or so, Az'Iriel relaxed and the wind halted, the armored giant snarling in disgust. "Looks like we're at a stalemate again, Lord Zerrex..."

"Not quite..." Zerrex stood slowly as the wall of energy vanished from in front of himself, then he grunted as he flexed his right arm, and it underwent its transformation, warping and twisting as red light burned through the cracks in the arm, Zerrex's eyes glowing green for a moment as he said darkly: "I'm just getting warmed up myself."

"Excellent." Az'Iriel said coldly, before drawing Blackheart in one hand and holding it out in front of himself like a broadsword, the Demon Prince snorting as he adjusted his stance and leaned forwards. "You're right, we've played enough..."

The two faced each other... then Zerrex flexed his arm forwards as a jagged, two-foot long blade of the same material as his terrible arm tore out of the top of his wrist, and Az'Iriel's eyes glowed as six spheres of darkness formed in a circle in front of himself. Zerrex ran forwards as the spheres launched themselves at the reptile one-by-one, and the lizard dodged back and forth before stabbing in with the wristblade towards Az'Iriel's leg as all six exploded behind him uselessly, sending smoke rolling over the two combatants.

It tore through the armor of his hip, and the giant let out a grunt of surprise and a loud curse as he swung down with Blackheart, but Zerrex drew his blade back and rose his spear to form an X with his weapons, and the huge sword was neatly caught between them before Az'Iriel kicked the Drakkaren backwards again, the two snarling at each other as Zerrex's eyes narrowed at the wound. It's bleeding darkness... like evil smog, or dark fire... what the hell...

Az'Iriel charged forwards, snarling furiously, and then Zerrex stared in shock as the Warlord drew a hidden dagger out from beneath the sheath and swung in towards Zerrex's twisted arm in a simple sideways cut, and he slashed the large blade upwards at the same time towards the reptile's other side. The lizard easily blocked the dagger with his arm, but he was staggered by the hard upwards slash as he attempted to block it with the spear, the weapon knocked up and his grip loosened by the powerful attack before Az'Iriel firmly kicked the spear out of his hand and into the dark fire burning around the edge of the floor, before slashing hard down towards his head with Blackheart as he held Zerrex's twisted arm in place with the curved dagger.

The Drakkaren rose his other arm, and the sword chopped into it before halting, a small streamlet of blood rolling down his arm... and Zerrex's eyes burned as he looked up at Az'Iriel, who stared in shock before the Drakkaren snarled as Blackheart glowed blue: "You can't hurt me with my own weapons!"

Zerrex snapped his arm upwards, and the blade was knocked into the air as it glowed bright azure, Az'Iriel cursing as his hand was burnt by the energy, dropping his guard for a moment to stare at it before the lizard shrugged the dagger pressed against his rocky arm away, and he leapt up into the air to catch the giant sword by the obsidian handle. The blade glowed white as Zerrex's eyes glowed green, and the Drakkaren dropped down in a vicious slash, cutting through Az'Iriel's mask, then ripping the sword down through the armor of the Demon Prince and severing it as if it were butter.

The giant was blown backwards off his feet as his armor glowed white and exploded off his body in pieces of useless metal, and Az'Iriel crashed onto his back, rolling into the dark fire at the edge of the room. Then, ever so slowly he stood up in the sunlight streaming out of the room, and Zerrex stared in horror at the creature as he whispered: "You... you're no demon..."

"I was promised great things, though..." The creature hissed; it had the vague shape of a Dragokkaren, but it wasn't even a giant â€" instead, it was roughly the size of Zerrex, with gangly limbs and glowing red eyes. It was covered in the same energy that made up Celestial's cloak... what Zerrex knew by now was the all-consuming essence of the Unworld. The creature staggered forwards, and it rasped: "I was granted such great powers and told to take over the armor of the long-dead Prince Az'Iriel... and for millions and millions of years, I laid in wait, living, living again but... oh... oh... but... the... the air... I..."

The creature hugged itself, and Zerrex stared as steam rolled off its body, the creature falling to its knees and beginning to scream in agony... and the Drakkaren staggered backwards as the intelligence went out of its burning crimson eyes and it arched its back, howling in pain before throwing an arm out towards Zerrex... and its hand fell off before the Unworld creature burst into dark, semisolid smog that floated like leaves down to the ground.

Zerrex stared in horror... and as the black fires slowly vanished from around the room, he stood with his sword in hand and felt empty, only filled with more questions and as if he had just made a mistake instead of accomplished something great. Then the fortress rumbled as the black crystal above shattered, and there was no time left to think as Zerrex turned to snatch up the fallen spear before running quickly towards the iron-bar doors, smashing through them and running out onto the balcony before leaping off it and down to the ground far below as the fortress began to collapse in on itself.

The reptile grinned... then stared stupidly as he misjudged his jump and fell into the moat instead, landing in a pile of muck and sinking several feet into the ground as he stared around, up to his neck in mud and both weapons now slathered in goop. He glowered back and forth, then looked up as Raze slowly hovered above him before staring resolutely at the muddy wall, muttering: "Don't you dare say a thing."

Ten minutes later, Zerrex was standing back in the field, once more clean thanks to several cleansing charms from Little Arcy. The reptile had explained what had happened in a short summary, and then he glanced over at Tinman... and the Drakkaren stepped forwards and hugged him tightly, lifting the badger off the ground and causing him to squeak loudly in surprise and blush deeply as the reptile held him against his body, mumbling: "I never thought I'd see you again... Tinny, thank you. Thank you for everything you've done..."

"I... I just... you know... thank you, Zerrex." Tinman looked up at him with a deep blush but a happy smile as he rubbed at his body slowly, looking down embarrassedly. He was larger and he looked far more healthy and vital than the reptile remembered... and then the angel shrugged a bit and said quietly: "I just always... admired you and your family and... I want to help however I can."

He glanced over him, and Zerrex reached up and squeezed his shoulder gently... before a shocked voice whispered: "Corey? Is that you?"

Tinman blinked at the sound of his real name, turning around in surprise... then staring in shock at White. The two looked at each other for a while, and then Tinman tilted his head forwards and asked slowly: "Are... are you my father?"

"I was..." White took off his hat and hung his head, smiling truly and openly as he gazed over the Tinman slowly, and then he murmured: "I didn't do a good job with either of my sons... but you grew up damned fine, Corey. I'm proud of you... and... I never expected you'd..." He halted, then looked away as Tinman blushed and looked down embarrassedly... and Zerrex saw the resemblance now more than ever before White cleared his throat and looked at the Drakkaren, saying in a businesslike voice: "I've been sent to bring you back down to Hell, Lord Zerrex. Just be glad I caught up to you before any of the other assassins."

"But... there's so much to do, and White, your son... and... I mean, everything's changed, Az'Iriel wasn't really Az'Iriel... my daughters..." Zerrex babbled, feeling desperation tugging at his chest... and then White snap drew his enormous revolver, the weapon complete with a three-foot-long barrel that made Zerrex wince as he held his hands up... but Blackherat and his spear were buried in the ground on either side of him as he asked slowly: "Are you really going to shoot me here?"

"Let's not make this harder than we have to. I do my job first, everything else is second." White said icily, but his eyes looked shamefully over to Tinman as the badger looked away from his father, and Little Arcy and Raze both glowered, Francis standing to the side and trying to look distant... but his eyes were disapproving. "Besides... I hear you made a promise to return. There's a lot of people waiting on you..."

He halted, then lowered his revolver slowly, adding quietly: "Besides... we... need your help." The words were obviously hard for the Judge of Death to speak, and the others looked over at him as he continued slowly: "Prince Memnon has vanished... and the Princess has declared herself the sole ruler of Hell. The Provinces have been thrown into anarchy, and she's taken control of all the armies of Hell and is searching out any and all dissenters to execute them on the spot..."

"Lily." Zerrex whispered, and he snarled, looking up towards the sky as he fought with himself, a tremble rolling through his body. He took a deep breath before he could embarrass himself by yelling anything childlike, though... and he finally picked up his sword and the holy spear, looking down miserably as he mumbled: "Fine. I'll keep my promise... let's go, White."

The badger nodded, and as he created a portal, Tinman said firmly: "We should go, too... Hell and Heaven are interconnected, if one's in chaos the other will fall too..."

"No, Heaven has its own problems that we need to deal with. The rogue angels and the demon sightings come first." Francis replied coldly, then he sighed as the other three angels muttered before he looked over the fields full of rioting demons, adding quietly: "Goddammit... but we should take care of this before we go back to Heaven... although someone might already be looking for us..."

"Lord Zerrex, if you will." White motioned to the vortex of swirling white and grey he'd created, and Zerrex hesitated a moment longer, listening to the angels bicker before he stepped through the portal... and White followed, the two walking in step before he murmured: "I'm sorry about this, I really am."

"I always try to act the way my daughters would like to see me act." Zerrex responded gently, and White twitched a bit at this, looking down at the floor as he shoved his hat back on his head. "How do you think Tinman would like to see you acting right now?"

"Corey's better than me." White muttered, and then he sighed as they stepped out onto the Southern Balcony, the vortex closing behind them as White looked away and created a portal. He half-stepped towards it... then glanced over his shoulder and murmured: "Do... do what you think is right. The Princess is waiting for you inside... but... I... I'd bide my time."

With that, White stepped through the portal and vanished... and Zerrex sighed as he placed his sword on his back, and Blackheart settled in its old spot without the magnetic clamp perfectly fine, attached by his own energy as the reptile rested the spear on his shoulder, walking between the Amazons and into the throne room of the Central Spire.

It had been redecorated: purple rugs with golden edging, and large navy-blue tapestries with the symbol of the Princess on them hanging from the ceiling. As Zerrex walked inside, he played lightly at his necklace, then made a face as the Princess rose up and began to clap for him, clad today in a long, flowng purple dress and her eternal golden mask... except now she had added a large tiara along the top of the helm. A false crown for a false Queen...

The reptile covered his thoughts with static as he'd learned to do, and somehow... it was easier today, likely in part because he felt so tired, sore, and drained both physically and emotionally. It made his mind even more erratic, and even as the Princess and her concubines clapped, he could feel her fingers feeling through his mind before quickly retreating as she said cheerfully: "We received news that you killed Prince Az'Iriel, Lord Zerrex... and I must say I'm extremely impressed!"

"I... it was nothing." Zerrex said after a moment, deciding not to mention what he'd discovered about the Northern Prince. "He killed me... so I killed him. That's all there was to it."

The Drakkaren recognized that he sounded rather cold and coarse... but the Princess seemed to enjoy that, her green eyes glowing as she sat down and picked up her goblet, swirling her wine slowly as she said tenderly: "It's good that you're finally releasing yourself to your passions, Lord Zerrex... or shall I say, High Prince Zerrex?" A pause as she leaned forwards, her concubines murmuring excitedly. "Or even High King... after all, I may need a suitor and I have taken control of all of Hell. Since your once-lover Lilith has fled to god knows where and High Prince Memnon has... disappeared, I've decided its in the best interests of Hell to combine all the Provinces into one and take complete control instead of attempting to elect other weaker demons... but I do need a strong, powerful demon as my second-in-command, you know..."

Zerrex swallowed thickly, trying to think of a way to politely reject this, but the Princess saved him the trouble by saying meditatively: "You know, it was funny trick you escaping from Hell... I was impressed. But I'm afraid out of duty I need to think of a suitable punishment for you... but I'll take my time and allow you to reaccustom yourself and have a small... vacation, so to speak. After all, you're a hero! You destroyed the evil Warlord and now Hell will be ruled in peace by a single loving mother-figure... me..."

The Princess let out a long sigh of contentment, then motioned at him idly as Zerrex caught sight of Sin half-hidden behind several Dius that were all-but-crawling all over each other in excitement. "Go, Lord Zerrex. In the thousand and some years you've been gone, we've heard much about your exploits, and many demons are anxious to thank you in whatever way they can... go, enjoy yourself, and be happy for now."

Zerrex nodded and bowed, mumbling a thank you before he turned and created a portal, and then the Princess added mildly: "Don't think this changes anything, however... you are still my weapon, and I am still your Mistress. And I can still destroy you if the urge takes me... so stay humble and remember who your master is."