Clash In Hell – Part 1

It is the year XXXX. A year not worth remembering anymore. Why? Simply because the earth is not a place humans live anymore. It is already the end of the world. Where the known planet is ruptured, and destroyed by the atoms.

The forest burns, the sea dries up, and every living thing, big or small, is trapped in the distortion. The precious moments they have, the cherished memories they make, journey with their souls into a new place to be born in.

Is it not better to say that everyone is born into a new world? A world where there are two places, separated by terrains that do not make sense to today's beings. These are known as heaven and hell. Each is made for a very specific reason.

Those who believe in God make the right decision. Indeed, good deeds are rewarded with heaven, and evil deeds are rewarded with hell. God desires to enact justice in the world.

Death and ageing are removed, so this means that those in pain have no way out. Featuring flowing rivers, lush gardens, rustic towns, and God's Chamber, a floating Parthenon where the 7 Archangels live alongside God Itself. Heaven inspires any living creature to the heights of awe.

They find a place well-tailored to reward those who repent and ask God for forgiveness. They are bestowed upon with wishes that are incomparable with the happiness they received in life. They receive the crown of life, glory, and joy. Everything is right at their fingertips.

Contradictorily, a single touch to their skin melts their brains and causes them to boil, reflecting the truth that a hell is an immense place of evil, alienation, and despair. Molten lava pools serve as rivers; sizzling coals serve as the ground.

Black Demons drag thousands of naked men and women into hell, where they are speared, spit-roasted, or stuffed into pits. While suffering has already occurred for the damned souls, it is repeated again and again as they resurface.

As the horrific scenes are distressing for the common citizen, an Angel grows accustomed to them. He does not become revolted by the sight while he broadens his wings above the curse. This day is no different from any other. He has a mission to complete.

Malique hunts in the blood-red skies in search of a person. The man he is searching for will have his heart at ease. This is because he has been moved to heaven as God reimburses him for his sins, becoming the last human to be moved to heaven.

Malique's feathers flutter as the wind brushes him. God entrusts him with the task of guarding hell, an enormity that demands great effort. Shortly after, he spies on the man and descends. Every human cries for protection from the one and only Angel that represents hope for them.

A glance from every Demon marks his presence with detest. The animosity between both kinds for millennia has not diminished in the least. The Demons kill humans within their reach in an attempt to cool themselves down.

"Tamara Zdenko?" Malique declares as he stands before a man with bruises all over his body, and nothing but relief is plastered across his face as he hears his name.

"Tamara... Tamara! That's me... *nervous chuckle*," Tamara kneels beside Malique, embracing his robe as tears fall from his heavy eyes. "Thank you... Thank you very much!"

"Here." Malique gently touches Tamara's head and divine protection surrounds him. He is no longer affected by the pain of hell's fire. "Follow me."

"Who do you think you're snatching away my prey like that?" In fear, the humans disperse as a Demon drives his way through the crowd.

As he flashes his wings, he shows his seriousness. The crooked horn on his head is perhaps a result of his experiences during the great war.

These pesky Demons, never know when to back down.

Alongside him, two more Demons emerge from the crowd.

"Exactly, who do you think you are!?"

"Answer us, asshole!"

"*Sigh* Can we not do this again?" The question still comes from Malique, even though he knows it's useless.

"We aren't like the weakling you defeated before! Eat this!" One of the Demons dashes at Malique and throws a punch right at his face.

Too slow.

Malique easily defends himself, dodging the Demon's punch with ease and grabbing his shoulder. He locks his arm and knees him in the stomach, causing him to fall to a crawl before kicking him in the face and sending him flying into a structure.

[Boom!]

As the building breaks into debris and smoke fills the area, the engagement between these two powerhouses causes small chaos among the people. They fly around the building in terror and find shelter in any accessible place their tiny body can fit.

Great, this place is turning more and more into the very spitting image of Hell.

With traces of wrecks from fights he has with the Demon from time to time, it's no wonder any passerby could distinguish this place easily. Malique realizes he will have an extra job to do besides taking this man to Heaven.

"I see a fucking opening here!" The Demon that Malique thought he had defeated sneaks up on him. "Turning your back on me thinking I'd be down on one hit, you think you're so powerful that this... Ack!"

[Slam!]

A single hand covers the demon's face as he lies on the ground, ice cold. Malique counters the Demon's assault by clutching his hand to the attacker's face and causing him to slip with his momentum.

In the end, Malique restrains the entire unstabilized body, by the head, to the ground. Luckily, this time he can see that the Demon's black pupil in his eye is gone, so he knows he has triumphed this time.

"If you're going to sneak up on me, you shouldn't have to be so loud that I can see you coming from miles away," Malique mutters as he picks up the unconscious Demon and throws him towards his friend, who was standing nearby idly.

"Arnokan!" the other Demon yells and tries to aid the wounded Demon. Noticing that his friend blacked out, he charges. "You pay for this!"

"Hold it, Sorkan." The crooked horn Demon grabs Sorkan by his shoulder.

"But Alphaeus…"

"It's no use fighting him. We can't win in this state," Alphaeus reasons.

Though true, what Alphaeus said was not meant to mean that they were weak. Think about why God created Hell. To punish a sinful servant of his.

Unlike Malique, the Demon does not have protection from God. Instead, all Demons feel the pain of Hellfire. They do not kill humans because it is what they want to do, but rather to release their revulsion against the creator by doing it.

Malique understands this as well, which is why he doesn't summon his weapon when they attack him. All of this picking up a fight with him never actually touches his nerve but makes him feel annoyed.

"Come," Malique calls Tamara so they can continue their journey to Heaven. Hidden somewhere in the crowd, Tamara slips through and follows Malique.

"We're not done yet!" Arnokan raises his voice as soon as he regains consciousness. "Just wait, Malique. Once the barrier holding us disappears, the Great War will start again…"

"Why can't you just shut the fuck up?" Sorkan hisses and slams Arnokan's head to the ground to silence him.

"The barrier will disappear?" The words make Malique halt as he hears them.

Such foolishness, hoping for a mere dream to come true while they're all stuck in this place.

"Whatever thing you all are fantasizing about is undeniably impossible."

"There are lots of things that a new Angel like you doesn't know, Malique," Alphaeus says, revealing the story before The Great War and the reasoning behind it. "Because this dumbass spilt it, I'm going to tell you straight. Run to your comfy little heaven while you still have the chance, because after it has taken effect, even God cannot stop it."

"As if," Malique scoffs, but the seriousness in Alphaeus' eyes makes him think twice. Malique has experienced the war, and all he can remember from that time are his friends and his fellow Angels that were killed.

Malique has flashbacks of the traumatizing event thanks to this guy. His lips are slightly grunting and his right eye is twitching uncontrollably. However, he manages to hide his ugly face by keeping his back on them.

It is almost unbearable to hear the words - that catastrophic war - which makes him recite an oath.

"I, Malique, The Gatekeeper of Hell, vow that I will never, ever let it happen again. I pledge to use every piece of strength and force that The Almighty God has endowed me with until the very end. Amen."