Drag Me To Hell

Asmodeus felt his body gaining a bit of strength after Mammon gave him back his power. He heard what Mammon told Maria to do and even though he knew that could save him, he had other plans.

So, once he heard Maria asking him how she could save him, he answered, "Maria, please listen to me; this might sound a little selfish, but I don't want to be saved. Please let me die."

As soon as those words left his lips, Maria was left gaping and dumbfounded. How could Asmodeus even ask her to do such a thing? How did he expect her to watch him perish slowly but surely as she knew full well that she could save him?

Asmodeus tried to explain after noticing the shock and concern on Maria's face, "The only way to save me is to slit your wrist and force large amounts of your blood into my mouth, not only will that possibly kill you, but this is also the only chance I have of ever dying and gaining everlasting peace. I am tired of immortality, fighting a lost war, and dealing with my troublesome brothers who would be better off without me."

Just as Asmodeus was about to continue, Lucifer's head hovered over them as Maria realized that he had gotten very close to them while they were preoccupied.

Lucifer heard all Asmodeus had said and was fuming, not because he hated Asmodeus but because Asmodeus thought that none of his seven brothers wanted him around.

Lucifer began to try to knock some sense into him while yelling, "Asmodeus, what the Hell are you saying? How could you of all people ever think of anything as stupid as this? If none of us wanted you here, do you think Mammon would be fighting for you?

Sure, I and Lutan were pissed off that you had time manipulating powers that were capable of making even fallen angels forget past events, and you never told us, but we literally had to force Baal, Belphegor, and Leviathan to turn against you. I even brought them all along. I knew sending you after this mortal girl was a mistake. The divine grace on her literally changed a King of Hell into an emotional idiot who suddenly wanted to know how it feels to die. Let me take her off your hands before I call your loving brothers to continue to talk some sense into you."

Lucifer attempted to grab Maria, but Asmodeus grabbed him by a leg, which suddenly caught fire the moment Asmodeus's hand touched him. He went back, almost shocked. Asmodeus had the Grace of God on him; no, Asmodeus had Maria's Grace of God on him.

Lucifer fixed his face, trying to look unfazed. He let out a sinister smile and spoke, "So that's the secret you were hiding from us. You managed to get the Grace of God from one of His Saints, and does that make you some kind of holy Devil now? It must be her grace that is messing with your head. Let me tell you the hard truth, Asmodeus; if you die right now, you ain't going to go to heaven. Oh no, you are definitely going to hell, where we will definitely meet again. Are you ready for the torture, the pain, and anguish you will have to endure till probably Judgement Day arrives?

Come on, Asmodeus, don't let this Saint Maria rip you off to deceive you. There is no rest for the wicked."

Asmodeus tried his best to rise to his feet as he saw his brothers Baal, Belphegor, and Leviathan standing before him. Maria had to help him, but Asmodeus could see she was scared of the four Fallen Archangels in their midst, and that was obvious because she was shaking.

But if he knew that if he gave her grace back to her, there would be no way his brothers could harm her. He screamed at his brothers so they could hear him loud and clear because of the ruckus Lutan and Mammon were making as their battle raged on at the other end of the Opera House, "You can all drag me to hell if you want to! I'm sick of playing God, knowing full well that one day we will all have to face Him again!"

He then whispered into Maria's ears, "Maria, I need you to take your grace back and run as fast as you can."

Maria was torn apart from the inside, her heart racing with conflicting emotions. She didn't want to leave Asmodeus to die, but she was unsure of what to do anymore. Just as she considered his idea of giving her back her grace, she saw each of the invited guests, who were supposed to have fled when the chaos began, holding her orphanage kids with an iron grip.

Their eyes glowed with a pale white light, revealing their true nature as ancient demons. They were all there to aid their King, Lucifer, in enforcing his evil agendas.

Maria's maternal instincts kicked in, and she screamed, "Kids, are you okay? Tell me they didn't hurt you!" Lucky for her, the kids were allowed to nod their heads, confirming they were unharmed.

Lucifer smiled, his eyes gleaming with malevolence, and spoke, "My kindness is finite, and unless I get what I want, I can't guarantee the lives of these kids. Maria, hand yourself over to us, or the kids die with a single wave of my hand."

Lucifer raised his hand, and the ancient demons pulled out pocket knives, ready to carry out his bidding. Maria was trapped, with no clear escape route. But as she waited for Asmodeus's permission to leave his side, she noticed his eyes were closed, his lips moving like he was uttering a silent prayer.

He opened his eyes and declared, "You're not the only one with power and control. I have the big guns."

The sniper assassins, who were initially ordered to kill Maria, now had new targets. Their sniper lights fell on Lucifer, Baal, Belphegor, and Leviathan, and the ancient demons holding the children hostage. Mammon had promised to protect Asmodeus, so as Lucifer seemed to have the upper hand, Asmodeus telepathically told Mammon to let his sniper assassins target all the ancient demons and the four Fallen Archangels.

This didn't make Maria feel any better, but Asmodeus looked into her eyes, whispering, "I want you to know that you have a choice, but I beg you to please trust me with your life. They will only take you after walking over my dead body."

Maria was torn between fear and gratitude for Asmodeus's determination to protect her. Lucifer tried to regain control of the situation by telepathically calling on Lutan, but Asmodeus caught him quick enough to say, "Don't you dare call your hound on me. This is between you and me. Another attempt to do that could have your head blown to bits by bullets faster than your thoughts can form."

The standoff lasted for almost a whole minute, with everyone frozen in anticipation. Just when it seemed Asmodeus's plan had worked, Mammon was sent flying into a pillar, causing an impactful crash and a part of the building to collapse.

Mammon was knocked out cold, and Lutan, responsible for the brutal beatdown, mind-controlled the assassins to target themselves. As they finished each other off, their dead bodies fell from the balconies of the skyscrapers they were hiding in.

Lucifer let out a sigh, amused that he had made Satan become Lutan for a great time like this. With a wave of his hand, he declared, "You have listened to me when you had the chance; now your kids will die." The ancient demons knew what their King wanted and didn't need further instruction. Asmodeus tried to dash at Lucifer with all his remaining strength, while Maria, in desperation, fell to her knees and uttered the name of God, "Yahweh".