How long had he been in this room?
Too long.
A tickling sensation surged through, and his spine tingled. He knew what was weighing upon him, but he couldn't find the strength to acknowledge it.
It wasn't like he could do anything about it. This was out of his hands and had been... Since that day.
Shaking his head, Lucifer renewed his focus. His project was almost perfect! Surely this one would spit fire!
"Almost there..." Lucifer screwed his face in concentration, carefully fidgeting with the object in his hand. "Come on... I've spent days on this one. It should work... What am I doing?"
Setting down the rubber duck, Lucifer emptily turned around. This room was drowning in a sea of rubber ducks, spilling from the recesses and corners.
Lucifer pitifully exhaled and hung his head before gazing upward. "Hello darkness, my old friend... Come to see me again?"
Grimacing as a crushing darkness swallowed, Lucifer slid out a phone. Scrolling through it, he winced as he clicked on his daughter's icon. "Please pick up, Charlie. Come on...
"Of course she doesn't answer..." Lucifer's head slumped further, and he leaned against his workbench, absently gazing above. "I can't blame her... I just hope Vaggie can calm her down."
"This is not her battle to fight."
[ X ]
This job couldn't have gone any more perfectly!
The old coot they were hired to take out was about to do their job for them! He had tied the knot and was just going to end it all. They could pack up and head home...
Ah, was he kidding!
Blitzo wanted to see the codger off himself! Watch with glee, eating popcorn and drinking pop to see how spectacular the end of the old fogey's life would be!
And he and his team were in a prime position to watch it happen! Front row seats to this grubby old businessman's final act!
Almost all of them.
"Huh?" Blitzo narrowed his gaze, noting a particular individual was missing from their party, ignoring the glowing light radiating from the room. "Da fuck? Did he not jump off with us or..."
Blitzo's words died on his tongue as the three of them were blown away from the house by a holy light, planting them into the grass of the estate.
His gaze sharpened as he let out a hiss. He swore he heard screams nearby, but now he was pissed.
There were three Cherubs floating in the room where their target resided. Probably there for some dumb ass noble reason that was beyond him!
But who cared about that?!
Blitzo's sock puppet floated into the distance, carried away by the angelic blast. Dammit! He paid good money for that!
"Who the fuck are they?" Blitzo shot back up onto his knees after mourning his loss, cracked his head so far around to glare at the angels' presence that he would have thought he had snapped his neck.
It would regenerate in a moment, regardless.
"Oh no," Moxxie groaned while rubbing his temple. "Sir, those are Cherubs. They must be from C.H.E.R.U.B to save his life!"
"Pfft! That's fucking dumb! They named their organization after their race! What idiots!" Blitzo scoffed before glowering at the prospect of his kill being sniped. "Oh hell no!"
"Are you being serious right now?" Moxxie raised his brow at his boss for the irony of his statement as he charged ahead, leaping through the window.
Moxxie sighed, prepared to follow Blitzo. He really wanted to say something about it. However, he was stopped in his tracks as Millie gripped his arm.
"Uh, hun? Did we have a bomb on us earlier? ...And did we leave it behind?" Millie alarmingly pointed to where the bus previously was.
And Moxxie's jaw dropped seeing the entire bus scorched by a blazing inferno.
"What in the world? No!" Moxxie, for once today, actually panicked. Scouring the area, his eyes flickered momentarily before they returned to the bus.
They were missing someone...
And he could make out a golden figure standing in the sea of flames. Wait...
Was there someone else standing on the bus with him? Standing before him?
With angelic wings?
"Naruto? Oh, Satan, what's going on?" Millie caught the same glimpse as he did before a golden flicker seared their vision as the bus exploded.
An eruption temporarily whited out their sight, followed by a scorching wall of flames that knocked them off their feet, sending them tumbling through the windows of the mansion and lying sprawled out on the floor.
Everything was numb. Foggy.
It felt like an eternity, but Moxxie felt someone shaking him. His eyes flickered open. But a smile graced his features. He was glad that the first thing he saw was that Millie was okay.
Gazing upon him in concern, but safe and unharmed despite the burning remnants of the mansion falling apart around them.
Blitzo was also there, perched against the burning remnants of the outside wall, looking outside and biting his lip. "What the fuck happened out there to piss him off to do something like that? He took out our target by coincidence!"
"I think these guys were a distraction!" Moxxie hissed, picking himself off the ash and cindered floor, his eyes sharpening on the Cherubs lying strewn and slowly returning to consciousness.
"Oh, you've gotta be shitting me." Blitzo snarled, his gaze falling upon the angels. "Mox. Millie... I think you know what to do."
"With pleasure!" Millie snarled, whipping her dual blades out and lunging onto the child-like Cherub, placing the blades at his tiny throat. "Who sent you?! What do you want with Naruto?"
"We were just sent to save the old man! We don't know what you're talking about!" The woolly sheep Cherub floated, trying to diffuse the situation.
"This is our job! What do you think you are doing here? Trying to take a soul..." The colorful sheep added with contempt, ready to fight.
Only to recoil as a bullet whizzed by their head.
"You better fucking tell us everything, shitheads." Blitzo venomously spat as he menacingly approached with Moxxie at his side. "Let's just say if you don't, you won't be allowed to enter Heaven again when we're done with you... If you catch my drift."
Three Cherubs froze. They shared one look with one another before the baby spilled his guts.
"It was Archangel Michael!"
The room fell silent. It was the three imps' turn to share a glance before breaking the silence.
"...You have to be joking," Moxxie muttered, gazing outside with some trepidation. "Oh, fuck... Fuck! The Archangel of Justice?!"
"I don't think they are. What are we gonna do?" Millie released the Cherub she had at blade point and joined her peers.
Blitzo didn't hesitate. Taking his phone out while pacing back and forth, he dialed it and hissed. "Loona, open a portal, now! We have a... Who the fuck are you?"
"Why the fuck do you have my daughter's phone?!"
[ X ]
Loona hated being left behind in this crusty building on her own.
This didn't feel right. It felt like there was an uncomfortable presence pressing onto her chest, causing her to feel a shortness of breath. It wasn't anything severe, but it felt like she had just been running all morning...
Gruffly grunting, Loona ignored the sensation while refraining from snarling, her ears twitching as each click of the clock hand further agitated her. Flipping to the next page of the magazine she left at the office a few days ago, she refrained from snarling.
Loona supposed it would have made sense to stay behind if she were the one ensuring safe passage. However, she occasionally went on jobs with them and could just open a passage after they were finished because she brought the book with her!
It was worse now that Naruto had joined them! He had the ability to cross worlds whenever he wanted, almost nullifying the book's need entirely! Honestly, they had only split up once, requiring the book to be necessary. That was the only time they had needed to use it!
They could return it... Not that her Dad would do that.
There was something strange going on with him and the Goetia Demon.
Were they...
"Wouldn't doubt it," Loona rolled her eyes and snorted, aimlessly leafing through the magazine pages.
Nothing surprised her when it came to him. It also would explain all of his connections... And why the Embodiment of Death started to work here, almost legitimizing this business by his presence alone...
Something her Dad seemed resistant to despite the influx of extra cash. Once more, it proved that something was happening behind the scenes, not that she wanted to know.
Her Dad was far too graphic about stuff like that.
"Where are they?" Loona growled, her boredom exasperated by the lack of anything to do here that she hadn't already done.
It was so dull here that she had now stood up and resorted to pacing! Ugh! It hadn't been that long, but she hadn't expected it to take this long to kill an old businessman.
...But given their track record...
Loona gnarled her lips and palmed her face. Something obvious came up.
And she was here, by herself, boredom killing her!
At least she could act like she didn't give a damn if she went with them!
And what if something happened! What if they were in trouble and her Dad got captured because of Moxxie, for the eleventh time...
"Why am I worried?" Loona deadpanned, plopping back into her office chair while settling her feet on the desk. "It's not like he can't bail them out of any trouble they get in..."
Those words leaving her tongue didn't feel... right.
It wasn't that they sounded wrong. She believed he could bail them out of any mess they entangled themselves in that was over their heads. If he garnered status from Queen Bee, she knew that.
The fact that he was somehow involved with the Morningstars only strengthened that resolve.
And he was the Embodiment of Death, considered to be the eighth sin.
...Perhaps one of the riders of the apocalypse.
But still, something didn't feel right for Loona. And this damn weight on her chest was frustrating her! What was going on?!
Loona snapped on guard immediately as she heard the door to their office slam open. She was crouched and ready for a fight, only to drop her guard, recognizing who it was. However, she...
Didn't quite look like herself.
She looked demonic.
"Why are you here?" Loona cocked her head, confused, and she would never admit it outloud, afraid, at the very raw entrance Charlie had made.
From what she had seen the previous day, this girl was nothing but kind and gentle.
She almost seemed like a pushover.
Now to see her looking the part of a demon...
"Where is he?! Where did they go?!" Charlie seethed, displaying a level of aggression Loona didn't think she had in her.
"I, uh," Loona shrank away from the raging Morningstar, unsure how to react, knowing this was the daughter of the Sin of Pride and somehow family to Naruto...
"I'm sorry about this! I've been trying to calm her down for the past minute!" Vaggie rushed in, closing the door behind her with a little more force than she meant to. "Charlie! Take a second and think rationally! What can you do?"
"I am!" Charlie hissed through her sharpened teeth. "And I'm going to do something! I can't just sit..."
"Yes, you are not, little girl." The door ruptured off its hinges and flung through the office, causing collateral damage to the wall on the other side.
Loona barely acknowledged Beezlebub's entrance as she winced before narrowing her eyes and grumbling under her breath. "This is why we need that insurance thing, Dad."
"I'll have it fixed later," Beezlebub condescendingly waved Loona's concern off, focusing all of her attention toward Lucifer's progeny.
"Why are you here?" Charlie snarled, making eye contact with Bee.
"To stop you from recklessly getting in over your head. The last thing I need to see is him breaking any further because something happened to you." Bee's gaze sharpened while Charlie growled. "Let me be frank, dear. If Naruto is this pissed we can feel his rage in Hell..."
"What makes you think you can handle whatever he is facing?"
[ X ]
This was almost cathartic.
Every punch made him feel alive.
Feeling Michael's flesh squirm and his bones crackle with each heavy blow was satisfying for Naruto. Beating him haplessly, striking him repeatedly in the face, sending him airborne further and further with each blow, subconsciously attempting to limit collateral damage.
He knew each strike generated enough power to level everything around him, leaving a hellscape of scorched earth and cinders.
In this world, he had lost his chakra—lost all of the abilities and techniques he had worked on for years. However, he didn't lose his power.
Naruto's strength simply transferred, and he gained new abilities. New techniques to make up for the loss of his chakra. He still had his knowledge, and he applied it well. Not all of his techniques were chakra-based. And now, with an unyielding control of hellfire...
And divine retribution.
With all his intent on the reeling Archangel, Naruto generated a billowing halo of energy in his palm, surrounded by hellfire. His golden form shifted into a roaring demonic fox head. The blast spewed a beam of intense heat and light, golden halos circling around it as it surged forward, evaporating the clouds and parting the night's sky.
Only for it all to dissipate as a radiant energy pulse, swatted away by Michael, recovering from the onslaught.
"Enough." Michael stoically floated, a sense of annoyance laced with his words despite the bruises and welts forming on his features. "Are you satisfied? I have not come here for a battle . I came to deliver a message."
"They sent you to deliver me a message?" Naruto snarled as his figure shifted and returned to his fiery golden state.
"Do you think anyone else could have survived that onslaught?" Michael spat a smidge of blood before cracking his neck. "Can't say it didn't feel good. I've craved this feeling. My blood is boiling. I want more from this... Battle. ...But I'm here for a grander purpose beyond my desires."
"Fuck your purpose! Fight!" Naruto was instantaneously upon him, landing another hellish blow to his face.
But this time, Michael struck back, catching Naruto in the gut.
"Finally." A sliver of a grin creased on Naruto's muzzled lips.
And he struck back. Michael followed with a counter.
A flurry of shots were sent back and forth. Divine and hellish energy flickered in the night sky, lighting it as if each flash was a miniature sun, as they struck one another.
It all culminated as the two charged hellish and divine energy blasts met, ruptured, and blinded the night sky.
And Naruto and Michael stood within the blast's epicenter, meeting one another's gaze.
"A mistake was made. The Almighty has extended an invitation to correct this injustice. When you wish to defile his grace with your presence, just say the word. And while his patience is infinite, don't keep him waiting." Michael quietly delivered his message as a portal phased behind him.
Naruto's eyes slitted and his balled fists tightened. A growl resonated in his throat. "Where the fuck do you think you are going? I'm not done with you. Not until you return Lilith!"
"She is where she belongs," Michael replied, unmoved as he slid into the portal. "Perhaps you should accept this kindness and return to where you belong, demon."
All the muscles in Naruto's body went rigid. He couldn't move. Despite the desire to make the angel bleed, he simply watched as Michael ascended back to Heaven, unable to do anything... Again.
Left alone with a raging fire searing his mind. The thoughts of what happened in their last encounter were still there. His failure still weighed on him. But now...
Michael always spoke what he believed to be true. And that meant...
The one above all could send him home.
[ X ]
"So you are not doing anything?"
"Huh, what? Who's there?" Lucifer's glazed eyes looked up, having flopped down against his workbench, using it as a chair. "Oh, it's you... How have you been, Satan? Come to laugh at my expense."
"Fucking doing your job is how I've been," Satan glowered, hovering in the center of the room, looking down upon Lucifer. "Then again, I can see how broken you have become. I would almost say it is pathetic if I didn't know that despite everything, you could put me down if you so chose."
"What are you doing here?" Lucifer gave Satan a shaded glare, effortlessly rising to his feet.
"To drag your ass back outside." Satan snarled and looked down into Lucifer's eyes. "I'm fine with ruling Hell for you. I've come to enjoy it quite a bit, outside the slaughter of people once a year. Could do without that... Or the fact that Death is rampaging in the living world. My agents told me Michael had been seen descending into the living world earlier today. Happen to know anything about that?"
"That explains why he is pissed," Lucifer tilted his head before shrugging. "No. Haven't seen the bastard since he took my wife. I want to break his face personally."
"Don't we all?" Satan smirked before shaking his head, his gaze intensifying. "Which is quite curious. Michael had been dormant, living comfortably at the peak of Heaven until that encounter. ...None of this can be a coincidence. You know more than you are letting on."
"Mind informing the rest of us so we can act accordingly?"