"Oh my God, Max—are you okay?!" Charlie cried.
Max calmly pulled the angel blade out of his back. There was no blood. The wound sealed instantly, the skin knitting together as though nothing had happened.
Adam's jaw dropped.
"What the actual fuck?!"
Max dusted off his suit. "Sorry, Adam. I'm the one Overlord you can't kill."
His magic flared—just a small pulse—but it sent every lower-ranked angel crashing to the floor, wings trembling from the pressure. The room crackled with power Charlie had never sensed before.
"Max… you're an Overlord?" Charlie whispered. Her voice was soft, confused, wounded. She looked like she didn't know whether to step forward or step back.
Max nodded, guilt twisting in his chest.
"Yeah… I was going to tell everyone. I was just afraid of how you'd see me."
Adam rudely cut in, still furious.
"Impossible! No Overlord is immune to holy weapons! That's never existed! Who the hell gave you that kind of power?!"
Max showed the holy-glowing contract. "God himself."
Charlie gasped.
Adam reeled back as if slapped. "Bullshit! God wouldn't make a deal with a sinner! That contract is fake—has to be!"
But Adam couldn't touch it. Even as a projection, the divine energy burned like a warning not meant for him.
"Nope," Max said, letting a bit of divine light leak through his eyes. "It's real. In exchange for power, I help balance Hell. Make it better. That's the contract."
Max waved his hand.
Every holy weapon in the room shattered into dust.
Adam's form glitched like bad TV static.
Adam snarled. "Fine. We can't kill you. But we can kill your girlfriends in six months. See you then."
He vanished.
Charlie stood frozen—shaken, overwhelmed—and silently teleported them both back to the hotel.
She didn't speak a word.
---
Back at the Hotel
Charlie gathered everyone and explained what happened, though she purposely left out Max's Overlord status and anything involving God.
Max saw her shock, her fear, her confusion. He didn't blame her.
He kept his distance, silently disappearing to give her space.
Vaggie, however, noticed everything.
---
Charlie & Vaggie's Room
Charlie collapsed onto the bed.
Vaggie sat beside her, rubbing her back.
"What happened, Charlie?"
"I told everyone—the extermination is in six months. I have six months to prove redemption works and I have... no proof."
Vaggie sighed. "That's not what I meant. I meant with Max."
Charlie hesitated.
Then the words poured out.
"He lied, Vaggie. For a year I thought he was a normal sinner. A cute one, sure, but still just a sinner. And then in Heaven—he gets stabbed and heals? He's an Overlord? He has a contract with God? Why would he hide that?"
Vaggie blinked.
"Max? An Overlord? That… actually explains a lot."
"It does?!"
Vaggie nodded. "Yeah. Think about it. Max has never used his contracts to force anyone. Never demanded souls. Never went on killing sprees like other Overlords. He's the one guy in Hell who could make us do anything but doesn't. Hell, he gives us a way out of the contract!"
She tapped the faint spectral chain on her neck—Max's mark.
"And it's been a year. None of us have tried to leave. Not because we can't… but because we don't want to."
Charlie hugged a pillow.
"But why keep that secret? Why hide something so huge from us?"
"Probably because he was terrified," Vaggie said simply. "People hide things when they're scared of losing what they love."
Charlie paused at that.
Her heart softened.
"You really think he loves us that much?"
"He loves you, Charlie," Vaggie said. "And me. And the others. And he's terrified of messing it up."
Charlie sighed.
"Maybe… maybe I shouldn't have been so harsh. He's a good guy. A damn handsome one too."
Vaggie smirked.
"That's the spirit. And who knows—maybe he even knows the secret to redemption and can help."
Charlie sat upright.
"And if he did know and didn't tell me—"
"—you can bite his head off later," Vaggie finished.
Charlie giggled.
"Okay. Let's call him."
She reached for her phone—
But Max appeared instantly, kneeling on the floor, ears down, tail still, desperation written across his face.
"Charlie… Vaggie… I'm so sorry. I didn't know how to tell you. If you want to tear the contracts—"
Vaggie cut him off.
"Relax. We're not doing that. We just want answers."
Max sat in the corner, posture tight, bracing for judgment.
"I'll tell you anything," he said softly.
Charlie smiled gently. "We still love you, Max. But… we have one condition. Tomorrow, on our group date—you tell everyone the truth."
Max nodded.
"Of course. You two were the ones I was most scared to tell."
"…What?" both women said at once.
He cleared his throat.
"So what do you want to know?"
Charlie hesitated.
"The secret of redemption. Do you know it?"
Max inhaled.
"Sort of. From what I've been told… redemption requires a soul to fix the anchor that sent them to Hell. They have to genuinely correct the root of their sin—with pure intent."
Charlie froze.
"So… everything I've been doing is worthless?"
"NO!" Max nearly shouted. "Charlie, your exercises matter. They're the first step. They build empathy, connection, reflection. But the final act must correct their core sin."
He leaned forward.
"For example… if someone went to Hell for killing a rival? Their redemption would be saving that rival. Or sacrificing themselves for them. Something that directly heals the wound they caused."
Charlie processed this slowly.
Vaggie held her hand.
Max's ears folded low in regret.
"And I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."
Charlie and Vaggie approached him.
They each kissed him on the cheek.
"It's okay," Vaggie said softly. "Just don't hide things like that again."
Charlie smiled.
"We love you, Max. Overlord or not."
Max's tail thumped against the floor.