Demonic magic.
The words made something twist inside me.
A bad feeling. A dark pull.
It reminded me of Mazza—though he was long gone.
I tried to shake it off.
But the feeling wouldn't leave.
"Sealing is the best option," Juumaa said.
Cedric leaned forward. "What kind of object do we need?"
Cole frowned. "If the pyramid won't work—"
"I didn't say it wouldn't work." Juumaa cut him off. "I said we need something more powerful than dark magic flowing through it."
Flake nodded slowly. "So we need demonic power channeled into the pyramid. Correct?"
Juumaa looked at all of us.
"Correct. But obtaining demonic power is not simple. We would need to trap it inside the pyramid."
He paused.
"And no one in their right mind would willingly sacrifice themselves to do it."
Hell
"The moon is set, Devil. The solar eclipse will not fall until the ritual is complete."
The Devil's voice echoed through the flames.
"Good. Collect the portal. Bring him to me."
The Conference Hall
I felt it before I saw it.
A presence.
Dark. Ancient. Absolute.
A fiery portal tore open in the center of the room.
And Satan stepped through.
His trident burned in his hand. His eyes locked onto mine.
He pointed.
"Mortal. Come here."
I didn't move.
"No. Come get me."
Juumaa grabbed my arm. "Don't underestimate him. In this realm, he is basically a god."
Satan laughed.
"Juumaa."
The name dripped with contempt.
"Is that you? You pathetic archangel. It's been eons since I've seen your... talents."
Archangel
Juumaa's body trembled.
The wings exploded from his back.
Massive. White. Radiant like phoenix feathers.
A glowing halo formed above his head.
He fell to one knee, panting.
"You evil bastard," he gasped. "You have no soul."
Satan smiled coldly.
"There shall be no souls living anymore. And you will not stop me."
The Devil
Something else entered the room.
Not through a portal.
It simply appeared.
Tall. Skeletal. Wreathed in black mist.
Hands of bone. A skull for a face. Eyes that burned like dying stars.
The Devil.
He drifted beside Satan and spoke.
"An archangel. Juumaa the meddler." His voice was like wind through a graveyard. "What brings him here?"
Satan answered. "He plans to stop us. With human mortals who possess nothing but fragile souls."
The Devil turned toward me.
I didn't see him move.
One moment, not the he was across the room—the next, he stood directly in front of me.
My friends trembled.
He reached out.
I slapped his hand away.
Everyone froze.
I kept my head down.
"I will stop you."
My voice was steady.
"You evil bastard. I'll put you away for good."
Satan laughed.
"You shouldn't have done that."
The Devil's skull snapped toward me.
He raised a bony finger.
I couldn't move.
Energy gathered at his fingertip—dark, crackling, infinite.
"You're going to a dark place."
He touched my forehead.
And my mind shattered.
Flake's Perspective
The moment the Devil touched Zero, a shockwave blasted through the room.
We were no longer frozen.
I hit the ground hard.
When I looked up, Zero was levitating.
Red and black energy poured from his eyes and mouth like smoke.
A bubble of light formed around him.
I scrambled to my feet and ran toward him—
The barrier threw me back.
I hit the wall.
Then, Zero's hand moved.
Slowly. Deliberately.
He reached for the pyramid.
And twisted the top.
A blinding flash.
When I could see again—
Zero was gone.
So was the Devil.
Satan stood alone, staring upward.
His fists clenched.
"DAMN YOU."
Cole, Jax, Cedric, Jack, and I formed a circle.
We channeled what magic we had left—and teleported outside the walls.
We collapsed at the front gate.
Shaking.
Broken.
But alive.
Zero's Perspective — The Clouds
I opened my eyes.
I was standing in the sky.
Clouds stretched endlessly beneath me. Light filled every direction.
And before me—something made of pure radiance.
It spoke.
"Mortal. You have given me a window of opportunity to take down the Devil."
Its voice echoed like a choir.
"This act will not go unrecognized."
I swallowed. "What's your name?"
"No time for questions."
The light shifted—took shape—became human.
But not like any human I had ever seen.
More beautiful. More terrifying. More real.
It raised its hands.
White energy exploded outward in every direction.
The Final Battle
One moment, I was in the clouds.
The next—back in the conference hall.
The being stood beside me.
Satan was still there.
The being spoke calmly.
"Now it is time for Satan to return to Hell."
Satan's eyes ignited.
He charged.
The being raised a hand and blew me backward, wrapping me in a barrier of light.
Satan swung his trident from above.
The being caught it with one hand.
A shockwave rippled through the air.
Satan flew backward.
Before he could recover, the being raised its palm—and fired a beam of pure light into his chest.
Satan screamed.
His body began to burn. Smoke rose from his skin.
A triangle seared itself into his chest.
Then—
He vanished.
The being lowered its hand.
"Sealed."
The Wish
The barrier dissolved.
I stepped forward, breathless.
The being turned to me.
"That was a hassle. It cost me nearly all of my power."
It walked closer.
"But now—our final conversation, before I depart."
The world shifted.
We stood in the clouds again.
The being faced me.
"You have earned a reward. One wish. I will grant it."
I didn't hesitate.
I already knew what I wanted.
"I wish for you to—"