162 The Victor

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(Aden's P.O.V)

I...lost. The thought rang through my head a million times over yet, it felt alien. Untrue. However the reality was apparent. I had fought, given it my all which now that I thought about it...was not the ultimate level of effort I could put out. The battle had ended just as I was getting in the groove of things. It had ended before I had hit the peak of what I could do.

A grey hand appeared in my vision. I looked up from my downcast position and met Agog's red eyes.

"You fought valiantly. Your skills only need a little polish and maybe next time the outcome will be different."

Despite the situation, I smiled a little, grabbing his arm and letting him hoist me up.

"Next time? Are you implying you want a rematch?"

I asked him with false cheer. Agog snorted.

"Aye. In a few centuries perhaps."

With that, the demon turned and walked amid the thunderous cheers and applause from the crowd. He stopped midway and looked at me, from the corner of his eye.

"I have neutralized the poison, per the terms of the challenge, you are allowed to be at your best before each task."

"Agog!"

Neron shouted angrily from his seat. Agog stiffened imperceptibly and smoothly bowed.

"Apologies my Lord."

I threw a glance at Neron. So he had planned to pressure me into the next task while I wasn't completely healed huh? Agog telling me that had just ruined his little scheme.

A shadow appeared above my head. I looked up and saw Lucifer dressed in a marvelous white suit, his hair blonde and black wings gently swaying in the air, up close my senses were going haywire around him. My powers had instantly come back after the fight so I could trust in my energy sense once again. Having them restricted showed me just how much work I needed to do on elevating my physique and close range skills. I didn't want to be caught off guard like that again.

I...had lost.

Lucifer smiled at me, his red eyes full of humour.

"Are you ready to continue Aden? Or do you need a time out?"

The demons around us all started laughing at me in ridicule. I stretched my body a little, eyes set on Neron as I answered.

"I'll take the break."

This wasn't the time to act reckless. Taking time to heal up was the correct thing going into the next challenge.

Neron snorted.

"Coward."

I said nothing, only promising to make him eat his words when I won this.

"Hahaha I think not. I call it having a head between his shoulders."

The demon lady sitting on one of the Thrones said. She eyed Neron from the corner of her eyes. "Something I'm sure you don't."

Her taunt made Neron fume but one glance at Lucifer and he calmed down. I looked at the female demon, wondering why she had defended me at all. She noticed my attention and winked at me. I looked away after that and a second later, my surroundings changed. I found myself sitting in a bench inside a garden, that resembled a particularly beautiful spot in a park back in L.A.

"I was never really one for places like these." A soft voice called out from behind me. I didn't need to look back to see who it was. A smile spread across my face without urging.

" I missed you." I said, honesty pouring off my words. I plucked a blade of grass from the ground and ran a finger along it.

"This feels... incredibly real." I stared at Maze in question just as she propped down on the bench.

"Yet it lacks something."

She completed, taking the blade from my hands, only for it to turn into a stream of scarlet light that disappeared into midair.

"It's a projection. A mental one. It can't interact with the one who created it but I can imagine it feeling like real to anyone else."

She explained.

"Wow." I said, in intrigue.

"Any reason it resembles a real place back on earth."

I nudged her gently with my shoulder. Maze scrunched up her nose.

"Don't get me wrong. The gray and smog filled skies of hell do it for me but...I wanted something to remind me of my time spent in the human world." She stared at me with a look I couldn't quite decipher.

"Of you."

My cheeks heated up a little and I was shocked to find out that Maze could still leave me a stuttering mess after all this time. I looked away and sucked in a deep breath.

"Welp I wasn't expecting that." I chuckled a little. "But it's good to see you again too Maze. Nothing is the same up there without the two of you."

"I bet."

She leaned back on the bench.

"Lucifer put the building under your name."

My mouth opened wide as I threw her a surprised gaze.

"Come again."

She giggled a little.

"Yeah. Think of it as my parting gift. But no wild parties with regular tramps." I rolled my eyes.

"If you want to tramps, I told you I could introduce you to some supernatural ones. Trust me, they can suck..."

"Ok ok ok TMI!"

I hurriedly cut her off, seeing where this conversation was going. Maze laughed as she did everytime she managed to make me flustered.

"Still, what were you guys thinking leaving a nightclub to a teenager? Don't I need like...a permit for that?"

She shrugged.

"He's the Morningstar, permit schmamits. And who said anything about the nightclub. He left you the complex. The whole building is listed under Aden Strong. You'll find the papers in your room."

Her explanation didn't satisfy me at all but to be honest, it was high time I got myself a base on earth.

"You know what?", I shook my head.

"I'll just think about this later. Something tells me I'll need my whole focus on the second task. If I lose this, I lose it all. But if I win it, I'll make it to the Third Task and hopefully end this."

Maze sat up straighter. Her fist, placed on the knee was tightened.

"You have to be careful."

She stated.

"Don't you think I know that?"

I shot back in a huff.

"I'm trying Maze...There's no one else to do this. No one else to come and save her, so it falls to me. And I'm afraid...I'm afraid that I only have what it takes to save myself or her, but not the both of us."

I felt a gentle hand fall on my shoulder.

"You're wrong. There are plenty of beings capable, if not more, of storming to hell and trying to bargain for her release." She chuckled.

"She's an angel Aden. A part of Heaven's host, you think they would ever let one of theirs stay captive in the infernal realms? The other factions would ridicule them and if there's anything Metatron likes...it's to prove the superiority of heaven above all."

Her words pulled me out of my worry.

"So stop putting so much pressure on yourself. You're not in this alone. No matter how much it feels like it. Trust me when I say... someone has your back."

I raised my eyebrows.

"Does that someone wear a white suit with blonde hair, red eyes and black wings the color of the night?"

I asked hopefully.

Maze snorted, crossing he legs and stretching her hands out to rest on the frames of the bench.

"Fishing for some info are we?"

"Yes."

I admitted.

The Lilim sighed, contemplating on how to answer.

"Look Aden, just do your part. Kick some ass and leave the rest to whom it concerns."

She didn't give me a direct answer but that somehow eased me. Her face changed however, a serious look crossing over it.

"But you still have to be very careful."

She held up a hand to silence my next words.

"You invoked the ancient laws and even worse, The First Circle." She threw me a look that told me how foolish that move had been. Damn you Gabriel and your perfect logic that I saw no flaws in. Damn you.

"That means in the eyes of those who matter...if you lose, you shall keep the end of the bargain. There is no escaping that fate."

She paused to let that sink in.

"Keep your head in the game and remember...you are more powerful than you realize."

I felt a sudden brush of lips against my cheek and a second later, I was all alone in the garden. Maze had disappeared yet by staying in the garden,I could feel her presence all the more clear.

"Thanks Maze."

I looked down at my body and the state I was in. My wounds had almost healed enough for me to do some meditation. I crossed my legs and took in a deep breath. The familiar heat of my inner fire was warm beneath my navel. It rose up with barely any urging, filling me up with luscious heat that ran through my body, burning away the remnants of damage done by Agog's poisoned Lance.

In that position, I started thinking of the second task. I needed to make sure I won this. And according to the rules, I had one chance to choose the challenge. I couldn't allow myself to lose this next bout because if I did, I would inadvertently lose the whole challenge and end up as Neron's slave for all eternity. So I had to pick the challenge for our second clash and I had to pick it in way that stacked up the odds in my favor.

I stiffened as a devious plan appeared in my mind. The match with Agog had shown me that I couldn't rely on fair play. To that end, I had to exploit the rules of the challenge as well as my opponent.

If things went the way I was planning...then I wouldn't have to worry about the third task at all. It would instantly become meaningless. And even if the third task still happened despite the plan that was now becoming fleshed out, I still had one more card up my sleeve to play. The helmet of Fate, Equity and Gabriel's horn was a combo no one would take lightly.

Really, Neron would regret ever fucking with me. For this to work though, let's hope he's as cocky and arrogant as he seems.

After a meditation session that lasted for 2 hours or so, my skin released waves of heat and my body was now back to tip top shape. I rose up and looked at my palm. The skin looked unblemished. Just a few white scars that remained from the holes stabbed into it from Agog's lance. I tightened my fist and felt the power inside me buzzing with the current of my inner flame.

I looked up at the sky.

"I'm ready."

My surroundings changed once again and I found myself standing in the middle of the Arena. A few things were different however. For starters, there were a few demon hawkers dressed in various food establishments names, selling...food to the spectators. A particularly loud demon dressed in a t shirt with a McDonald's Logo was hawking the crowd, Vanilla shakes. Like what in the hell? Get it? See what I did there?

The damage from my fight with Agog was nowhere to be seen as well and below the Demon Lord's stand, Alyssa or rather Cerial was present. She was still encased in a sphere of clear glass. Her face stared at me with worry. That stopped me short...she was worried for me.

I forced a smile on my face and nodded in what I hoped was assurance. She didn't buy it so I decided to simply turn my sights to the asshole responsible for all this. The chants and outcry from the demons sitting in the stands quieted down when I raised a hand.

The demon Lords all leaned forward to hear what I had to say. The Fly Demon who I was now sure was none other than Beelzebub just based on mythological and biblical texts blinked his large compound eyes owlishly. Azazel seemed more interested in Lucifer who was calmly sat above them, face hidden in the shadows of the castle with only glowing red eyes visible. Lady Blaze had her head cocked to the side, the other hand propped under her ample assets. Nope. Not going to look down there and Neron...the bastard had the look of anticipation on his face. A small snide smile full of arrogance as he looked down on me. Dick.

"Neron, at the risk of sounding obvious, you won the first round."

A few murmurs sprang up. I cleared my throat.

"That ends now."

Silence. Then...laughter.

The sound filled the whole amphitheatre, taking me back to a few unflattering moments back in highschool. Let's just say...this perfect face wasn't always so smooth.

"Did Agog hit you too hard in the head?"

Neron laughed.

"You'd like that wouldn't you?" I smiled. "But no, Prince of Lies. I just figured out a way to beat you."

All traces of humor fled from his face. His green eyes shone with an intense light.

"Oh, pray do tell."

The stadium had quieted down considerably.

"Easy...by stomping your ugly mug to the floor. By breaking your bones till they're nothing but dust inside your flesh. By melting your face off your skull. By cutting off your dick and balls and shoving them down your throat. By stringing up your dead corpse by the entrails and watching these other sick fucks sitting their fucked assholes in the stands fight over who gets a piece of the stripped, split, pulped, shredded remains of what was once your body." I paused amid the shocked pin drop silence.

"I am not going to just best you Prince of Lies...I am going to emasculate you, I am going to tan your hide, punish you in ways that daddy dearest couldn't. I am going to be your nightmare."

The air chilled, a layer of frost covering the whole arena. The cold anger on his face as Neron established eye contact, was one of the most terrifying things I have ever seen. My heart skipped a mighty beat, pumping so fast that it sent my body in a hyperactive state of fight or flight. My nails dug into my skin while I carefully did everything in my will to not lose the lazy and mocking smile on my face. The smile said...'come and get me.'

First step, the subtle manipulation to make him lose his shit, success. On to the second step.

"I don't even care about what the next challenge is going to be. You can even choose the strongest demon you got to do your dirty work for you." I shrugged. "The only thing I want...is to choose the location." A suspicious glint appeared in his eyes. I pretended not to notice it and spread my hands, looking around at the stands.

"I don't think it's going to be completely fair for me to tackle the next challenge while surrounded by such... loathsome looks."

It wasn't even an exaggeration. My words had clearly set the spectators off. And now we were back to the name calling, threats of my life, sexual harassments and you know...the standard fair. I stepped back a little, avoiding the Plastic cup of a vanilla shake from the McDonald's demon dude.

"You suck!"

His voice was particularly distinguishable from the rest. I snorted while erecting a shield of air to block away the projectiles from the stands.

"See...What if one of them gets the bright idea to jump in while I'm completely crushing you in the next challenge?"

I asked I what I hoped was a reasonable tone.

"He has a point."

Beelzebub droned from his seat. One look from Neron and he went silent. Though there was a level of interest fir me that had not been there before on Beelzebub's face.

A seductive laugh was heard from the last of the four thrones.

"Hahaha are you scared Neron? I find the terms quite... agreeable."

The prince of Lies face went beet red, he looked at Lady Blaze and ground his teeth before staring back at me and coming to a decision.

"Fine. You choose the place."

And with that I knew Neron had fallen for the bait. Hook, line and sinker. A bloodthirsty smile spread across his face. His killing intent beared down onto my shoulders that I felt as if my body was about to break.

"But you're not getting off so easy human." He rose up to his total height, his presence overshadowing everything and everyone present save for the silent monarch content to watch the proceedings from the balcony above.

"I have grown tired of this farce. The next challenge is a fight to the death. I no longer require your...services." He laughed maniacally. My face had changed into an expression of unfiltered terror.

"Despair for your next opponent is...Me."

A look of utter hopelessness warring with a determination was what they saw when they looked at me. Yet, inside I was rejoicing. Rejoicing because whether he knew it or not, Neron had just signed his death warrant.

"The fight shall...sh...shall happen in my dimension. A deserted...a deserted island." I closed my eyes, pretending I was trying to center myself. I increased the heat inside me to a high degree, making a trail of sweat fall down my forehead as I gulped in fear. I would never been a great actor but the good thing was that I wasn't just acting...Neron was fucking scary. At the mention of my dimension, almost every demon perked up. Beelzebub looked ready to take Neron's spot, alternating to look between us eagerly.

"Did he say earth?!"

"Earth, humans...souls!!"

"Road trip!"

The hoard were quick to mistake my words. I mean if you were a demon, you would assume that when a human said ' their dimension' they meant earth. Unfortunately, Neron was too lost in his blood lust and impatient to kill me that that little detail went... unnoticed. I breathed out a sigh of relief.

Azazel eyes seemed...off. They were a bit narrowed in suspicion. He could feel that something was off with the whole thing. Luckily he was content to keep silent. I didn't want him saying something to Neron to make him reconsider the deal.

Lady Blaze on the other hand looked at me knowingly. Hers weren't suspicion. She knew I was trying to fuck over Neron in some way. Neron's eyes blazed with...hunger. An insatiable thirst upon hearing where the fight would happen. Of course earth was the most attractive prospect to someone like him.

I threw a glance at the red eyes staring at us down from the shadows and felt...a feeling of pride emanate from Luci. By now it was pretty obvious what the plan was. All that remained was to officially announce the start of the second and hopefully last challenge. Almost in unison, everyone looked up at the balcony, where the King of Hell was.

A shadow that turned out to be Maze, jumped off the balcony from behind Lucifer, black bat like wings appearing from her back in midair. She flapped the limbs I had never once laid my eyes on before and hovered above us. She threw an impassive look my way, although I could tell from the glint in her eyes she was a little worried. All anyone else saw however was an ice queen, Lucifer's consort.

"As per the agreement made by both parties, the next challenge shall occur on the Challenger's chosen location." She paused. "A fight to the death. Whoever remains shall be the victor. The conditions set have therefore automatically changed the stakes of the whole challenge. Hence, due to to this development, both parties will evaluate what they will offer to the one who wins."

Neron took that as his cue.

"Nothing has changed for me. In the unlikely event that this... misguided child fells me, the damnable angel shall be freed." He spat out, looking at Cerial in disgust.

"The only thing I shall demand from your corpse..." he trailed off and started laughing creepily. "Is your sword."

Equity hummed in my hands. I looked at it and felt a coldness grip my heart. My finger gently rubbed the crossguard of the weapon. I clenched my jaw and answered him.

"Deal. But that is never going to happen."

"We'll see about that."

He responded with a grin.

I swallowed my reply and took a knee, ignoring them all for what I was about to do. My awareness stretched out to encompass the whole arena. Using my air sense, energy sense and spiritual attunement, I could account for anything in a range of about a few thousand meters. Not terribly huge but the information overload was manageable as long as I didn't keep it up for too long.

A yellow light sprang up from below me, enlargening with a sudden pulse and hum. Then the Whole structure started sinking into the boom tube. I knew why it had been easy to create a portal now than before. It must have been Lucifer's doing. In Hell he had the absolute command and now that I had leveraged myself to a position where I could end this mission once and for all...it made sense that he would loosen the restrictions placed on hell to allow me to create a boom tube.

The light show ended and the hoard were all surprised by the change of scenery. An ocean that spread out endlessly, a few dark spots, which were islands, the only thing breaking the uniformity of the water. I breathed in the air of my realm and floated up like a god. Which...in essence I actually was. At least here.

The authority I could command filled me up, casting an invisible aura of power around my body. With each successive understanding of myself and my spirits, I increased my connection with the realm itself. So I was currently not as strong as I was when I faced Mammon in Connor's body. By my estimation I was more than two times stronger.

I could feel everything without using any of my senses. I was everything. The water, the greenery, the rocks, the very air...my heart beat in the same tune as the realm...and the demons could feel it. They stirred with restlessness as my Realm subconsciously rejected them. The lords especially Neron could feel the hostility the very air housed for anything impure.

"You lied!!! This is not earth!"

Neron shouted, priming his power, whether to escape or attack me was inconsequential. He had lost.

I looked down at the stadium and waved a hand. Immediately, spacial manipulation was locked. Many demons rebounded back to their seats once they found out that they had been tricked and tried to flee through opening rifts. Those that failed decided to turn towards attacking me. Despite the fact that the Ancient Laws would have worked in my favor and destroyed them, Equity appeared in my hands. It buzzed with power.

Dark shadows rose up in multitudes, flying towards me in clear hostility. I looked down at them imperiously. They dared to act so... casually before me. Tainting the santuty of my realm by their very presence. I didn't want to just destroy them. That meant leaving behind corpses. I wanted to burn them excessively till they were nothing but ash, drifting in the wind. I held on to that cold resolve and striked.

The Katana cut through the air. A blue wave of fire exploded out of the sword. My eyes widened imperceptibly as I swiped away the text box that had appeared in my vision. I had merely willed to make my flames as cutting as my blade. Less emphasis on explosive power and more on quick dispatch of the infernal hoard rising up to challenge me, yet I had unlocked a new Subskill without even trying. The fire beared down on the Demons, tens of thousands of them and ate them up. The smell of sulphur saturated the surroundings as it passed over the attackers, the flame arc falling down on the stadium.

A compressed air shield appeared at my urging and protected those that had chosen to stay seated on their stands. The blue flames washed over the now shimmering stadium and decimated the island it was on. The palm trees were uprooted, dust and steam rising up as an aftereffect while the bedrock sank beneath the roiling water. The ocean water pulled in to occupy the now empty trenches made from the destroyed shoreline. All that was left was the amphitheatre, seemingly floating in the open water.

I twirled Equity in my hands and floated down slowly. A strange look passed over my face as I stopped in mid air and looked out towards one direction.

"Guys, I need you to stay as far away from this place as you can. It's not safe."

I ordered my curious spirits who had felt my presence and were now hurrying towards me to see what the commotion was all about.

"But..."

Hakai tried to argue but I cut her off.

"No buts Kai. Take your sister and brother and leave. Breeze, I can feel you sneakily switching forms to a cloud. Don't do it." I warned the precocious spirit and all I got was the feeling of disappointment. I sighed.

"Look, I promise to take you guys out for a visit anywhere on earth you want, if you do what I say."

I said enticingly.

"Disneyland!!!"

Breeze and Hakai shouted in excitement. Ho did they even know about Disneyland?!

"Alright, it's a deal. Now go and play somewhere else."

Sure enough, feelings of happy excitement came through the link and I felt them go back they way they came.

I missed the look of curiosity on Lucifer's face.

"Now where were we?"

I coldly asked as I finally stepped foot on the arena.

"Damn you. You tricked me! By the ancient laws I demand a recourse!!"

Neron dictated.

"Recourse?" I laughed, staring at the gathered demons whose moods had swiftly changed. Even the other three Hell Lords looked tense at my every move. They had probably tried to break through the restriction I had placed on portalling out and failed.

"Where do you get the nerve to demand any form of recourse, Neron?"

He made to speak but I held up a hand and silenced him with my authority.

A throne made from ornate gold, carefully carved precious stones and the symbol of Raava on the head rest appeared behind me just as I leaned back and propped myself on it. The Throne floated serenely in the air.

"You've said enough for today." Neron threw me such an aggrieved look of anger,I almost missed the fear that briefly flashed across his face.

"Let me make something clear to all of you." I announced, throwing a wide glance.

"I never said anything about the challenge taking place on earth. I believe my correct wording was, 'my dimension' ." A chuckle escaped me.

"And it's a place where I have full authority over anything and everything." As my words fell, the sky above us shifted from day to night, back to day. I flicked a hand and time reversed, reverting the state of the destroyed island to what it was before.

"Using your own arrogance, anger and hate, I manauvered you into a position where you fell for my plan. And the worst part or the best part to me I guess." I shrugged, pointing an accusing finger at Azazel and the Blaze.

"They felt something was off." This time I laughed even harder.

"But because of your own prejudice, pride and hatred for one another...you now find yourself in this position. So tell me, Prince of Lies, what is your next move?"

Neron threw heated glances to the rest of his colleagues and quickly came to an obvious conclusion. He let go or rather...stepped down on his anger.

"We have to work together."

Even as he said that, his greatest sin of pride warred with the decision. I could see it had taken everything for him to state that but my attention was not in any of them. Even the monologue was a way to hide my telepathic communication with the one figure who despite my authority in this place would still pose a threat I could not trump over.

Lucifer mulled over my question without replying so I asked it again.

"Who do you want left alive?"

The answer soon appeared on my mind in the form of only two names.

And just like that, the fate of everyone else had been sealed.