6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Beleth

‘ O n your left! Duck!'

I threw myself to the ground, hissing when infernal flames licked my skin and sent jolts of agony through every cell in my body. My shadows smothered them, but the pain lingered even as I got up to face the last one of them .

The beast rose to its full height, lowering only its giant bull head until its red eyes found me again. Blood dripped from its gaping mouth and massive horns, and as its hot, putrid breath shot out of its nostrils, the clustered black fur over its exposed bones bristled. A horde of those things lay at our feet, their bodies quickly melting into the endless fire that surrounded us, but that thing seemed more angry at me for still standing than at them for being dead.

Too bad for it because I had no intention of kicking the bucket today. This was my best chance—the trial was going to be reset tomorrow and who knew what new horrors were going to be unleashed in the next one? I had finally figured out the most efficient way to deal with the minotaurs and keep as much power as I could for the final battle. I wasn't going back to square one.

‘He looks pissed,' Cyrus said in a small, horrified voice.

"It's an it, not a he." I spat out the blood that had gathered in my mouth from when that thing backhanded me. The creature didn't blink while it watched me rise, only puffing a cloud of steam out of its nose when I beckoned it with my fingers and smiled in a challenge.

I used to think the minotaurs were the dumbest of Hell's creatures—neither too scary nor too strong—but that was before I faced an entire horde of them. Because the one thing that nobody warns you about is that beating one is easy when you have power. Beating fifty, however… it's more bothersome than fighting a pack of hellhounds. These damn cattle just refused to die!

The minotaur let out a mighty roar and Cyrus yelled, ‘It's coming!'

The shadows wrapped around my body, protecting it from the incoming assault while I willed the rest of my power into a long, black blade. The ground shook with each step of the beast, but I kept my feet planted until the last possible second before vanishing from its path. The monster fumbled in surprise, whipping its head left and right in search of its target, but it was slow, too slow.

I reappeared in its blind spot, my weapon already poised to strike. Its roar echoed through the Plains of Torment when the blade sunk into its back, the sounds of bones cracking and flesh tearing silenced the cries of the damned for a short second. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough to take it down, even though I was sure I pierced its heart. That's why I hated the stupid fuckers. They were too much work.

‘Uh-oh!' Cyrus gasped. ‘Be care…'

The beast lashed out, swiping with its clawed hand as it spun around, but it was easy to avoid it now. I had been hit and thrown enough times to get used to its power and strength.

Stepping into my shadows, I emerged on the crumbling pile of bones behind it, rolling my eyes as the monster threw its head back and bellowed again.

"Such a dramatic bunch," I grimaced. "Let's get this over with."

Cyrus stayed silent, knowing better than to distract me, while I charged, ignoring the skulls crushing beneath my feet as I prepared to jump. The minotaur crumbled to the ground when I landed heavily on its back, its roar sending a flutter of dust and sparks in the air. My sword came down on its neck, slicing through the impossibly thick skin and muscle. A moment later, its head rolled into a puddle of fire and black blood, mouth still moving but now blissfully silent.

The cries and woes of the damned grew louder, and I sighed in exasperation, pulling the remnants of my power back inside. Jumping off the corpse that was now quickly being devoured by the hungry ground, I wiped the blood on my pants.

‘We should hurry before more come,' Cyrus suggested. With a nod, I headed toward the mouth of the cave that gaped like the maw of a mighty beast twenty feet above the Plains of Torment. Apart from the flames and the remnants of the dead, there was nothing else around its hulking entrance, as if whoever built the trial wanted to see every challenger's approach from afar.

I started my climb, finding purchase with ease while ignoring the way the hot stone burned the skin of my fingers. This close to the entrance, the demonic energy of the prince who set this trap was making it harder to call onto my power—ordering my shadows to take me directly to the cave would have exhausted almost everything I had left. Even using them with the minotaurs had been a waste, but I had no choice when they were far stronger and much harder to kill than my human body.

‘The door to Hell's Palace ,' Cyrus whispered with a mix of awe and fear when we finally faced the dark tunnel leading into the highest level of Hell. The cavern that awaited us was the singular way in and, of course, the only ones allowed past it were the princes and the Devil himself.

"Let's go fuck up a prince," I murmured with more bravado than I felt. I straightened my burned, dusty clothes and lifted my chin higher before striding into the cave's dark mouth.

The fires soon died down and the cries of the damned faded, leaving just the sound of my footsteps to keep me company. Minutes stretched into foreboding silence, with only my steps counting the seconds. It felt like an eternity passed when I finally heard them—the soft conversations and wicked laughter, the voices I had learned to know all too well.

The moment I stepped into the giant chamber, their conversations halted. There were three of them today, and they all seemed comfortably lounging in chairs and stools carved from pure obsidian, surrounded by red pillows that suspiciously looked like they were made of human flesh.

Beaming in her favorite human form, Belphegor appeared as a beautiful golden-haired woman whose blue eyes dripped with innocence she so clearly lacked. Her lips curved into an amused smile as she leaned toward the man next to her and whispered something in his ear. Leviathan huffed a laugh in response, rubbing his scaled chin while studying me from head to toe. His long ears—longer than any Fae's—twitched in what could have been excitement just as well as annoyance and when he caught me staring back, he smiled too, revealing two rows of sharp, black teeth.

‘Oh, no,' Cyrus whispered while I bit back a curse. It was never a good sign when they were in a cheerful mood. If they were annoyed or impatient, they wasted no time chatting—and being in a hurry to get it over with sometimes caused them to make mistakes. When they were like this, though… it usually meant they were bored enough to torture for entertainment.

I didn't recognize the third prince right away since he was sitting with his back to me, but once he turned his head to give me a sidelong look, my stomach dropped. Asmodeus lifted his goblet with a bored expression, staring down at its contents as if they were more interesting than the fact that I was here to steal the crown from one of them. Or try.

If a lower demon were to defeat a prince in these Ascension Trials, they were allowed to take their place. That was Lucifer's favorite game, one that had existed long before I was even born. Dangling the holy grail in front of his underlings kept them fighting amongst each other and if they were busy with that, they wouldn't think of foolish things like… working together or challenging those in power. Smart, really, considering how many demons Hell had, but what else could one expect from the Devil himself?

It was all bullshit. The whole thing was rigged from the start, but luckily for me, I also had a cheating card. I bet the King of Hell didn't take into account that one of his demons could have a two-thousand-year-old deal that might give him enough power to rival a prince, even without a crown.

"Back so soon, eh?" Leviathan chuckled, leaning back in his seat and crossing his legs. "Don't you ever get tired, Beleth? It has been like what, two thousand times?" Belphegor chuckled while the Prince of Envy waved his hand in dramatic exasperation. "There is no way you can win, so stop making us work so much. It's because of annoyances like you we have to come here at all."

‘One thousand, five hundred, and thirty-two,' I wanted to correct him, but I kept my mouth shut. Antagonizing him would be plain stupid if I ended up fighting him. Out of the three present, Asmodeus and Leviathan weren't a good match. The only time I ever got close to winning was when facing Belphegor and that was who I had been hoping to find here today. While Celeste's power kept growing with every passing day, I still didn't think I'd be able to beat the other two. Maybe in a few years when she was at her peak, but I doubted we'd have that kind of time. Something was telling me she wouldn't be able to keep the ‘nice girl' facade for that long.

"I have the right to come here as often as I like." I tried to keep my voice even when I met his gaze, but the pure mockery in his snake-like eyes made me snap. Before I knew it, I was baring my teeth and reaching for my power. "I hereby come to challenge you for the crown. Who will be my opponent?"

I glanced between them again. Asmodeus was back to sipping what appeared to be wine but might have been blood, barely listening to us, while Belphegor was inspecting her ruby red nails as if she was considering having them redone.

"He looks so fired up, I don't feel like wasting my energy," she sighed.

"It's your turn." Leviathan shrugged, nudging her shoulder until she glared at him. Hope surged in my chest at the sound of that.

"Well, we are all here, aren't we?" she said with the sweetest smile, running a hand over the hem of her shimmering dress until the cloth parted at her hip. His eyes narrowed, and even Asmodeus looked away from his precious goblet. "How about one of you take my turn this time and then we can have some proper fun? I just did my nails. I don't want to ruin them."

The two men looked at each other for a long moment before the Prince of Lust rose to his feet, his drink clattering to the floor. The way the red liquid sloshed heavily over the stone surface told me that it was most definitely not wine.

"You better make it worth my time," Asmodeus said as he strode past her, his piercing black eyes now locked on me. When he descended the steps leading down to the fighting ring, my heart dropped, but I tried to keep my expression plank, telling myself that I could do this.

‘We should run,' Cyrus whimpered, his uneasiness spreading through my body. I steeled myself, reaching for our remaining power as Asmodeus finally joined me in the fighting arena.

His long brown hair was tied into a knot at the back of his head, a few strands falling in front of a face with deceivingly human features. His vessel was of a large man, larger than any human I had seen in the past five hundred years, with muscles bulging underneath his leather vest and breeches .

"I'm not running," I replied, realizing too late that I had said it out loud. My opponent raised an eyebrow, and a smile stretched across his lips. His eyes turned a bright shade of red right before a pair of fangs jutted out.

"Of course not," he smirked, sleeking his hair back. "You're usually carried out in pieces. Or if we are feeling generous, just… dead."

My shadows slid around my fingers, growing longer and longer until I was holding a blade in each hand. Asmodeus frowned when I didn't reply, studying me with obvious distaste.

"Fine, let's get this over with," he sighed, shrugging his mantle off. The moment the cloth pooled on the floor, a pair of dark, bat-like wings sprawled from his back, their taloned tips brushing the stone ceiling and sending sparks in the air.

He didn't bother changing fully into his demon form before beckoning me to attack. I didn't hesitate. This was an annoying pastime for them, but for me, it was life and death. If I didn't become a Prince of Hell before Celeste died, we'd be reduced to nothing again. We had sacrificed too much to let that happen.

‘Be careful,' Cyrus whispered just as I sunk into my shadows and tried to sneak on Asmodeus from the side. I held no illusions about killing him, I wasn't the Devil or a Prince of Hell… yet. But destroying his vessel was not impossible. I just needed to pierce his heart. Simple.

I reappeared right beside him, my blade flying toward his chest, but he was expecting me. His taloned wing met my weapon right before it pierced his skin, pushing it back with a strength that made me stagger. I steadied myself and tried to escape into my shadows again, but with just one flap, he had them dispersing like smoke in the wind.

Panic gripped my throat as he used his other wing to attack, forcing me to concede step after step while struggling against the sheer strength of his blows. The last one almost took my head off, but I managed to throw myself aside just in time.

"Are you going easy on him because he's so pathetic?" Leviathan chuckled from the other side of the cave. He had propped his feet on the seat Asmodeus had vacated, looking more interested in running his fingers through Belphegor's golden hair than watching us fight. "Consider killing him a mercy—imagine how stupid he must be to fail at the same thing two thousand times and still come back for more."

Belphegor's sweet laughter echoed through the cave, distracting me just long enough for Asmodeus to smack one of my swords out of my hand. His other wing collided with my chest, the talon on its end sinking deep into my flesh and wrenching a gasp of pain from my lips. It missed my heart, but before I had time to feel any relief, I was sent flying through the cave with crimson spraying like a fountain from my wound.

I crashed into the wall just above the other two princes, forcing the Prince of Envy to tilt his head so my fraying legs missed him. Belphegor sat up abruptly, her beautiful face twisting in an ugly grimace while she wiped my blood from it.

The air left my lungs, but even with my vision blurring and my power dripping away, I forced myself to my feet. Asmodeus waited for me in the fight ring, his wings folding and opening with impatience.

The fact that he only used his wings bothered me. If he didn't need his full power to face me, then he didn't even consider me a challenge. Bitterness spread through my mouth that had nothing to do with the blood there, and I glanced at the other two.

Belphegor held my gaze as she licked her red-stained fingers, her not-so-innocent eyes full of hunger and something else. The man next to her smirked like he could read all of my pathetic thoughts.

I circled their seats, descending the steps toward my opponent. The rules were clear: I could only fight the one who answered my challenge. Wasting my energy on them would be pointless.

I had barely cleared the stairs when Asmodeus moved again, his wings flying faster and hitting harder than before. I tried my best to tear through them with my blade, but it was like his power repelled my shadows even before they dealt any serious damage. I felt like a fly in the way of a giant beast, barely an annoyance worth killing.

When I was sent flying through the room again , I considered letting him destroy this body and be done with this fucking shitshow. Had I been a human, dying would have been a goddamn relief, but as a demon, I knew there were far more terrifying tortures than that of the flesh.

My back smashed into the ground and I felt my spine snap. Pain exploded everywhere, but I pushed it away, trying to get myself to sit only to realize I couldn't move. I must have hit the steps because now I lay sprawled on the ground below the platform with the two other princes watching me from above.

"He lasted longer this time." Belphegor studied my broken body before turning to the other two. "Did I make the trials too easy, or did he get more powerful? "

Leviathan crouched on the edge of the platform, his long, scaled tail wrapping around him while he sniffed the air. I strained to get up again, but the pain was too blinding, so I just slacked against the cracked stone, trying to breathe through the nausea. The biggest downside of having a human body was that I felt it all—the pain, the pleasure, the weakness…

"He smells even more like magic than before. I guess his witch is alive again. No wonder he has been coming here so often." Leviathan grinned, letting his forked tongue swipe over his black teeth. "Getting cocky, are we? I almost feel like cheering for you sometimes—when you're not facing me, of course."

Asmodeus' heavy steps made the others turn. I braced myself for his final attack when I noticed his wings were slack against his body and the bored expression was back on his face.

"There is something else." Asmodeus rubbed his chin, another smirk blossoming on his lips. "I can sense a new weakness in him, an attachment he didn't have before." He stopped by my side, looking down his nose at me. "And the thing about weaknesses…" He placed his giant foot on my chest, shifting his weight until my ribs cracked. I cried in pain, but the agony helped me clear my head just enough to speak.

"I surrender!"

The words were barely louder than a whisper, but the demon prince immediately stopped.

"I… surrender," I repeated through gritted teeth, looking at him through the red curtain of blood on my face. My humiliation burned harder than the pain, the helpless rage spreading until I could feel nothing else. Still, I continued because I knew that just giving up wouldn't be enough to save me. "This lowly servant admits… defeat." The words choked me, but I forced them out. "Long live… Prince Asmodeus."

Leviathan's scoff made me seethe, but I didn't dare look away from my opponent. Asmodeus's face remained completely blank as he pulled his leg back and retracted his wings with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Disappointing, as usual," he sighed.

"Maybe we should get his witch next time," Belphegor chirped with excitement. "I always wanted to meet her. It's not often that someone evades Hell for so long." Her face disappeared from my view, but I could feel her dress shuffling nearby. "I'm sure her story would be more entertaining than… this nonsense. "

"Or maybe," Leviathan cut in, his voice moving away as if he was following her. "We can get her and use her against him. She is the source of his power, no? If he comes to challenge again, we kill her. If he doesn't, we keep her alive. I bet we won't see him for a while!"

Belphegor replied something, but they were already too far to distinguish the words. Only Asmodeus lingered, studying me like he wanted to say something. Or maybe he was just admiring the damage he caused.

I ignored the blood that had gathered in my mouth, trying not to choke on it while he still watched. A sigh escaped my lips when he turned away, but then he suddenly stopped.

"The reason you keep failing is not the lack of strength, but the lack of resolve," he said quietly, not bothering to look back. "You can't expect to gain something big without risking something of equal value. Challenge us properly and fight till the end or don't show up here again." He left, his heavy steps echoing through the chamber. I closed my eyes in relief when I heard him speak again. "If you don't, next time I face you, I'm going to destroy your meat suit and shatter your soul into so many pieces, it will take you a hundred years to collect yourself."

He didn't bother waiting for a reply. I tried to get up, afraid that one of them might come back to finish me off, but my body refused to cooperate. Fuming and cursing under my breath, I lay there while the sliver of power I had left mended my broken vessel bit by bit.

I must have passed out, because when I opened my eyes again, the torches in the cave had burned out. I wasn't sure how long exactly I had been unconscious, but when I tried to get up, I was actually able to. Blood covered everything from the floor to the walls. My blood.

And I… I hadn't managed to leave a single scratch on Asmodeus' damn body.

A roar tore from my throat as the anger poured out of me, and by the time the echo of my cries faded down, I was panting.

‘Maybe we should look for another way,' Cyrus said hesitantly while I staggered to my feet. ‘Maybe…'

"No!" I snarled, pressing a hand to my chest where the wound from earlier was still trying to close. "I'm not giving up! This is the only way we can survive in Hell!"

‘Then maybe we should leave Hell and live above,' Cyrus whispered in a hopeful voice. ‘At least there, we can have friends and family and…'

"Don't be stupid," I spat as I dragged my feet toward the exit of the cave. "Family and friends were why you ended up in Hell in the first place. We can only trust each other. I'll get us that power even if it kills us. I'd rather die than be betrayed again."