Hell's Consort

Newest Chapter of the Highest Tier (May 2022)

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Archdemon of Sloth

Prince of the Seventh Circle of Hell

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The Angels tried to ignore her moans, groans and agonized screams, hoping that Lune would return to normal at any given moment.

Archangel Ariel examined the special fruit she had plucked from the Tree of the Four Seasons with a look of disappointment on her face.

After carefully munching and feeding them to her, Archangel Azrael had returned what-was-left-of-it to her the instant Luna had woken up.

"This must be what the Three Fates had talked about when they said that the Empress would die." Archangel Ariel's current countenance made it appear as if betrayal was expected. "We had mistaken her poison for the cure."

"I had never thought that this would happen because in my mind, the possibility was close to nil." Archangel Azrael rubbed his chin as he regarded the rotting fruit in Archangel Ariel's palm before glancing down at Lune. "Lilith must have some kind of hold on her."

"Lilith had never run out of tricks from her sleeve." Sloth muttered under his breath, hands folding over his chest. "She was that determined. I thought she would ceased to exist once the babies were born." Sometimes, Sloth had this uncontrollable urge to shake Lilith in Lune's physical vessel, throw her to the ground and send her rolling to dirt... or better yet, he could strike her hard enough that it would send her to the Ninth Circles of Hell. "We had formed another speculation that she was--in fact-- connected to one of them from the start. Not Lune."

As Sloth approached the bed, he had pushed Archangel Azrael aside so that he could cradle her in his arms.

She didn't move.

He hadn't picked up anything else except the sound of her breathing and the twins' loud cries.

He lifted one hand underneath her head, scrunching the wild waves of her hair.

The silken strands were greasy and disheveled from sweat.

A few of them were even plastered on her forehead.

"Lune. Hang in there." Sloth softened his tone so that he wouldn't sound anxious to her ears. "Don't let Lilith drag you back to Hell."

"Sloth. Why did you leave me alone?" As Lune rested her head on his shoulders and encircled her arms around his neck, she went on, whispering. "According to these Archangels, my husband is unconscious, lying cold on the floor and resting close to the hearth."

"No one could wake him up because he had to do it on his own. In addition to that, You and Ravin were missing." She told him weakly. Her eyes were shut and her cheeks were stained with tears. "Do you hate being my Familiars that much?"

Sloth had stiffened before replying, "I will do my job properly as long as you don't leave us here. Promise me."

"I---" A wheeze had bubbled from Lune's throat before her dark aura inflamed the atmosphere, choking them again with the strong smell of sulfur that Archangel Ariel had to clear time and time again.

The arteries in her slender neck became more visible and if he concentrated enough, he could practically hear her heartbeat.

Worried, Sloth to place his index and middle finger on a soft hollowed area beside her windpipe.

His breathing had turned shallow when he found out that her pulse had soared at an alarming rate.

"Don't move her around like that, Archdemon." The birth attendant gave him a judgmental stare. "Her wounds weren't fully closed yet."

"My Archdemon blood might make her feel better." He aimed a friendly smile at the old woman in an attempt to gain her approval only to be shut down by a stranger who. hadn't known any better.

"No." Archangel Azrael couldn't mask his frustration in that single word. "That is not an option."

The expanse of the Empress' skin had flushed in a minute and turned pale the next.

Sloth had wondered why he had to stop his sister-in-law from punching his chest and slapping him in the face with hand so loud it might be heard from outside the door until her movements tore the sealed incisions on her stomach open.

He, soon, realized that they were Lilith's efforts to break free from his grasp.

She fought so hard to gain control of Lune's physical vessel, spouting hot, delirious nonsense that sounded like incoherent spells.

"Let go of Lune, Lilith! You are only hurting yourself"

"Never!" Lilith screeched, fisting the blankets before throwing the covers off.

Nobody in the Emerald Room weren't supposed to hear her since Azrael made it so.

Sloth thought that the Archangel's magic didn't last long.

Every time she demands that her voice be heard, the more she released agonizing screams as if her soul was burning in the Holy Fire.

Her physical vessel had turned into a house too holy for parasitic Archdemons to live in.

It was close to being reduced to ashes.

Her heavy-lidded eyes rolled back, unfocused and wandering, before they fell shut. Sloth tried to rouse her many times but she didn't react as he continued to speak to her.

Sloth turned his head towards the Archangel of Death and asked, "Do you have another way of banishing just Lilith alone without harming her?"

"I had no problems destroying Lilith but she is forcing the Empress to join her. Everything we had done so far while you were gone had exposed her to Archangel Magic. If I do something other than feed her the fruit of the Four Seasons, this might get worse."

Sloth sighed inwardly.

He shouldn't have removed herself from the Emerald Room earlier like what the Archangel had told them to do.

He had wasted all that time making flower garlands instead of observing Archangel Azrael, Archangel Ariel and the Cherubims if they had done something suspicious to Lune.

Sloth glanced at the Apollyon and almost of all his wounds were healed.

If he wasn't unconscious right now, maybe he could find a way to save Lune.

These Archangels were useless.

"If you can't do it, maybe I could." Sloth allowed his gaze to wander at the angels inside the Emerald Chamber before issuing threats. "Don't stop me."

"Don't do it." Archangel Azrael insisted with a scowl. "If her body turned out to be extremely resistant to Archdemon Magic as well, she will return to Hell fast if you head towards that direction."

"Let the Empress fight Lilith. Wecould wait for her to kill that parasite herself. I'm sure she can do it." Archangel Ariel suggested eagerly as she switched her gaze from Sloth to Azrael back in forth.

Cherubims around him had brought their hands together and clapped their hands in excitement.

No.

It appeared like they were actually praying for his Mistress' soul.

"The Empress had overcome challenges that tested her resilience. She still had an advantage because she had controlled her physical vessel for a long time compared to Lilith." Archangel Ariel continued.

Right.

It was easier said than done.

"I might find something if Hecate granted me the permission to see her grimoire." Sloth replied with an uncertain sigh.

Hecate was the Goddess of the Magic and the Underworld.

Her grimoire had recorded various unknown and forbidden texts of dark magic spells from different Realms that had already existed ever since and each manuscript was painstakingly written in inks made from the creator's blood.

The contents had even included nefarious rituals which needed blood and life sacrifices that only a High Priestess of Hecate can perform, the true names of Archdemons and instructions on how to control, raise and bind them to a soul contract.

Frown lines marred Archangel Azrael's forehead. "Do you actually think that you can put such a divine being at your beck and call?"

"The Empress is a Priestess of Hecate and I am her Familiar, an Archdemon Prince of the Seventh Circles. It is common courtesy that the Goddess would at least hear me out even if she considered us evil."

"How are you going to repay Hecate if she did have the power to help you?"

Archangel Ariel was talking about a deal that the the Goddess of the Underworld would need in exchange for the wish.

"No. Not me." Sloth carefully guided Lune to lay back down to the bed. "The Vampire King would pay that price the instant he wakes up." He dropped his arms before placing them behind his back. "I'm sure he will agree."

Sloth had shed Archdemon blood from his slashed wrist to prepare a small ritual circle inside the chamber.

Next, he placed the black candles with Hecate's sigil carved on them at the tips of the pentagram.

The angels had stepped back and observed him in silence as he lit each candle with hellfire.

He took his time to clear his mind and focused on his purpose of evoking the goddess.

Then, Sloth stated with confidence. "Hecate. Goddess of the Magic. I call you from the Depths of the Underworld."