Chapter 16 — The Extermination Is Broadcast Live
At that moment, every TV screen across Hell was broadcasting the Annual Extermination in crystal-clear detail. In bars, filthy apartments, abandoned buildings, brothels, casinos, and even the ruins where sinners hid trembling in fear, the same horrifying scene played on every channel. Angelic spears of light rained down like divine artillery, vaporizing demons in flashes of white-gold brilliance. Adam laughed openly, as if the massacre were nothing more than a mildly amusing pastime.
Inside the royal palace, Lucifer watched the broadcast with arms casually crossed, Charlie standing beside him with a tense expression. He pointed toward the screen, where sinners shoved and tripped over one another in pure panic. Some climbed over others without hesitation, others pushed total strangers toward the advancing exorcists, desperate to buy a few more seconds of borrowed life—seconds that meant nothing, as Adam effortlessly pierced them all with spears of light that tore straight through flesh, bone, and soul.
"They never change," Lucifer said, his voice almost bored, as if commenting on weather. "Selfish creatures, incapable of improvement. They ended up here for a reason."
Charlie bit her lip, her eyes glued to the screen. She believed in redemption—believed with everything she had—but the brutal reality flashing before her felt like a slap to the face. It was difficult to hold onto hope when Hell itself seemed determined to tear it away.
"Look at that," Lucifer added as Adam formed a spear of light so massive it distorted the air around it. "That idiot angel finally got tired of playing. He's going to wipe them out all at once."
Meanwhile, inside VoxTech's luxurious penthouse, Vox, Valentino, and Velvette watched the broadcast too.
"Looks like we're about to see a drop in viewership… tragic," Vox muttered, scrolling through metrics with visible disinterest.
"What a shame," Valentino sighed, tapping ash off his cigarette. "I'm losing several clients today."
Velvette spun lazily in her chair, legs crossed, smirking.
"Wipe those pathetic smiles off your faces before someone thinks you actually care."
Elsewhere, Alastor stood watching a floating screen with his usual cheerful grin stretching ear to ear.
"Souls desperately attempting to flee while being consumed by reality itself… magnificent."
Back in the palace, Charlie's focus locked onto a mother desperately trying to drag her daughter toward shelter. The fear in their eyes cut through her like a knife. Her posture stiffened, determination rising. She turned to her father.
"Maybe you're right about some things… but seeing this… I still believe they can be saved."
She stepped forward, ready to dash out of the room.
"Charlie!" Lucifer asked "Where are you going?"
"I'm going to save that mother and child!"
Before Lucifer could argue, the palace walls trembled from a deep, thunderous roar echoing across the Pride Ring. An explosion then followed—one so massive it lit up the entire sky like a dark supernova. Lucifer and Charlie turned back to the TV at the same time.
A colossal blast of black energy collided with Adam's giant spear of light, tearing the sky open in a violent shockwave that disrupted the broadcast feed. Static crackled before the image came back, shaking violently.
Charlie's eyes widened, filled with disbelief.
Vox, Valentino, and Velvette froze mid-sentence as the image stabilized.
Alastor's smile somehow grew even wider.
"Well… it seems things just became interesting."
Every sinner watching the broadcast now leaned closer. The feed displayed a young man with draconic features hovering in the sky, staring Adam down.
Back on the battlefield, smoke swirled around Razan as he glared at Adam and finally spoke:
"You've killed enough demons already. Could you just… leave?"
Adam threw his head back and laughed, mocking him with pure contempt.
"You filthy demon think you have ANY right to tell me what to do? I'll end you."
"Sir, allow me!" Lute shouted, charging forward with divine speed.
Razan let out a tired sigh.
"Of course talking is impossible…"
He glanced briefly toward Loona, who had already begun teleporting demons to safety, then turned his attention back to Adam.
"Guess all that's left is using my fists."
Adam opened his mouth to mock him again—but Razan was faster.
A sudden WHAM echoed through the air as Razan's fist smashed into Adam's stomach with enough force to bend steel. The archangel shot backward like a bullet, slamming through a building and exploding out the other side.
Lute lunged next, but Razan spun and delivered another punch, this one cracking the air like thunder. She was sent spiraling through debris, feathers scattering in the wind.
Razan felt it—because of the destruction of the war and the chaos of the Extermination, his power had grown. His Acnologia Form had climbed to 40%. His muscles pulsed with dark energy, his skin humming with draconic aura.
But the thought lasted only a second.
Adam reappeared instantly, hurling a spear of light straight at Razan's head. Razan dodged by inches, the spear carving a glowing line across his cheek. He knew he could devour it if he wanted… but doing so here would bring too much unwanted attention.
The sky turned into a battlefield of raw elements—light and darkness clashing violently. Every strike disrupted the air, sending shockwaves that shattered rooftops and leveled entire streets beneath them.
Loona watched Razan unleashing roars infused with black energy, the sound rattling windows. Adam countered each roar with beams of holy light, their collision forming blinding flashes like collapsing stars.
But Loona noticed something horrifying—Razan was being injured. Cuts opened across his arms, burns formed on his chest, and divine strikes left glowing marks on his skin. His regeneration worked overtime, healing him second by second… but even regeneration had limits.
A little girl clinging to Loona's leg tugged on her clothes and asked softly:
"Big sister… is the big brother going to win?"
Loona looked down. She saw hope—fragile, desperate hope—in the child's eyes. And in that instant, she understood Razan completely. She understood why he ignored his own safety. Why he always did reckless things.
He didn't have to.
He simply wanted to protect others.
Loona gave the girl a rare, gentle smile.
"Yes. He's going to be fine."
And she continued teleporting survivors away as fast as she could.
Back at the palace, Lucifer observed the fight closely.
"That boy is strong… strong enough that, in the future, he could surpass Adam. But right now? Impossible. He knows he can't win. So why isn't he running?"
His gaze drifted downward toward Loona, watching her teleport one demon after another. The realization clicked into place.
Lucifer's eyes widened slightly—then he burst into laughter.
"What an idiot. WHAT AN IDIOT! I never thought I'd see someone this stupid in Hell!"
Charlie stared at him, stunned.
"Dad??"
"It's nothing, my daughter. I just found someone who, by every logical metric, should not exist… and yet, there he is."
The fight raged on.
Razan was struck by a blow from Adam that sent him spiraling downward. He crashed into the ground with enough force to carve a crater deep into the earth. Dust erupted everywhere. Adam landed in front of him a moment later.
"So, demon filth? How does it feel knowing your pathetic power is NOTHING compared to mine? If you had run like the rat you are, you wouldn't have to die right now."
Razan laughed weakly.
Adam scowled.
"What? Finally lost your mind?"
Razan rose slowly, wings spreading wide, black energy dripping from his claws like smoke.
"I knew I wasn't your equal," he said. "But even though I ended up in Hell for not being exactly a decent person… there's a difference between being a bad person and being a piece of trash. And I don't want to be trash. So there are things I can't ignore."
He vanished—
—and reappeared striking Adam with a devastating uppercut that rocketed the archangel into the sky.
Razan looked around quickly and confirmed it: Loona had evacuated everyone. The battlefield was empty.
Now came the hardest part.
He needed to retreat.
He shot upward, beating his wings hard—but immediately found himself surrounded. Dozens of exorcists encircled him from every direction. Lute, bruised and furious, rejoined them. Adam streaked toward Razan like a comet of holy light, rage blazing in his eyes.
Razan's heart pounded.