Conviction - Part 5

"Do you know this thing?" a random Demon asked Alphaeus as he spat out the creature's name. Human.

"Yes, I do," Alphaeus slowly crept towards the human and saw him completely thrashing, wailing in pain.

He also appeared to be screaming in a language Alphaeus did not understand, but the cries he heard were identical to his dead comrades when they were first sent to Hell. It brought back his trauma. The one said to be the perfect creation of God, a human.

Why was it here, though? How could God's most flawless invention get sent to Hell? If this place was destined for those who opposed Him, how could the unequalled being, that was proclaimed by none other than Him, ultimately exemplary, make a mistake and get exempt from it?

"Tell us about this thing," another Demon requested.

"That thing is a human," Alphaeus explained. "A creation God completed the day before the Great War started. I believe they are the sole reason we are trapped in here in the first place."

"True," the accustomed speech, belonging to Mammon, could be heard backing Alphaeus' story.

"It's the Archdemon."

"Yeah, let's ask him straight."

"What are you doing here?" Alphaeus asked cautiously as Mammon glided and landed next to him.

"Since the opportunity arises, I shan't waste time and unfold the true chronicle of this world," Mammon responded while walking past Alphaeus and closing in on the human.

"Meaning?"

"Meaning this!" Mammon yanked the human by his tiny little arm and lifted him into the air. "As you said, Alphaeus. He is the cause of our ongoing predicament."

"This thrash!?"

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's kill this motherfucker."

"Relax, let me finish explaining before you guys can have a go." Mammon continued his delivery. "When this human was created, God ordered all of us, Angels, and Demons to bow before him, as an act of respect. Claiming that this unparalleled soul is above us all."

"This puny piece of shit? Don't fuck with us."

"Indeed, He commanded. And so all of us did kneel. Yet, He dared to testify that our leader, General Lucifer, went against His decree when the General genuflect alongside us all." Mammon got so frustrated that he clenched the human's arm till he shattered the bone.

Even in his recollection, it was exactly true that every single one of them showed respect to the first human who ever lived.

Wait, so it had been God's doing all along!? But for what reason? He could simply dispose of them, his defective product, with a single thought. Why did He choose the long and violent way?

"Now you know who our enemy truly is?" Mammon whispered close to Alphaeus. A glance shot right at him, manipulating him to believe Mammon and thought the same way.

"For what reason, though?" Alphaeus asked.

"Reason? None are needed. Even if there are some, our mind can't handle the logic either way." Mammon kept on spouting. "After all, is there any God that exists who abandons His follower and creation when they need help the most? A god that exists by killing His servant for a sin they didn't commit?"

Every single word that came out of Mammon's mouth could not be challenged by Alphaeus' idiotic brain. Therefore, he could only trust and accept Mammon's vision and his body trembled in rage.

Alphaeus knew that he was unfit to slay God Himself, but being able to carve a path open to the final blow, he gave his all to make sure that the day would happen. That was his conviction.

"As for this little insect, he can die miserably. Hahahaha." Mammon threw the human he had held for so long to the burning ground and stomped on his mini head. Blood and insides splattered around marking the end of the human's life. Surprisingly, the human slowly manifested again from the dead, alive into a looping killing house. "Huh, interesting. He's all yours now!"

"One isn't enough!"

"We fucking need more of them!"

"Oh, you all don't have to worry about that," Mammon said while casually moving his right foot to reveal another human that was already thrown to Hell. "More of them are yet to come. Enough... No more than enough to satisfy all of your desires!"

As Mammon talked, beaming across the terrain of Hell, more and more humans started to emerge from thin air. And one by one, they all fell to the hand of the starving demons, forged into their playthings. The voice of pure suffering and torment only fuelled Alphaeus' heart with aspiration.

"Another thing, Alphaeus," Mammon suddenly called out to him. "There will also be an Angel sent here to guard this place and interrupt our fun."

"When!?" Just the word 'Angel' could drive Alphaeus insane, capturing his attention.

"Any time soon," Mammon replied. "But you have to do this one thing I told you and he is all yours to take."

"Name it."

"I want you to deliberately make these lesser Demons hate the oncoming Angel. Fight, shame, humiliation, the hatred needs to be filled before the last human that the Angel is going to retrieve and transfer to Heaven occurs. Because next, we are going for a ride."

Alphaeus did not care about the rest of the information that Mammon brought out. The plan to escape, the help they could get, none of it mattered to him as long as he could get a hold of the Angel.

"Understood."

And so he waited, patiently for the Angel to arrive. He watched the humans getting slaughtered, and sometimes he even joined them while waiting for the time to pass.

Finally, the Angel arrived. Alphaeus did as told by sending some Demons to murder the Angel after he told the story of what they did to them. Them having a straight loss to a greater extent when they dispatched five of them to a single person, and it shocked Alphaeus.

How far weak had they become, or was this place restricting their potential? The objective was undoubtedly being progressed, so he did not give much thought to that.

By that time, he could guarantee that every single Demon there detested the sole Angel. Even those who had not fought him were completely loathing this guy.

Alphaeus started to see the Angel taking some humans to be relocated into Heaven, and he realized that the final phase was about to come. He eagerly spread the note and made sure to keep it a secret.

He told everyone to prepare their minds and souls, to sharpen their blades and resolve. When the barrier was down, every trail they set would be a Hell's destination. When the time came, everyone marched to the gate.

Alphaeus has another purpose to seek, so he confronts Malique, the name of the sole Angel. He sees that the other Demons are having a go at him, almost ending him. Alphaeus gets mad, and all of his sentiment is gone.

He kills his kin with his stained hands. It is the ultimate taboo that they should never commit. Yet, he does it. Sorkan and Arnokan must be disappointed in him. Surely they know that they are being used from the start.

"You're still alive, aren't you, Malique?" Alphaeus closes in towards the Angel that collapsed in front of him. The other Demons do not seem to want to avenge him. "Fucking pussies."

He lifts Malique and sees that his eyes are closed unconscious.

"No! Come on, wake up, Malique. How can I fulfil my urge like this if you give up before I get the chance to have fun?"

[Squish!]

"Huh?" A sword, ground into his heart, held by Malique, is the one making that noise from earlier. His eyes are now not completely open, so the attack is repulsive in a half-awake state. The grin and pausing laugh tell Alphaeus that he is still dazed.

[Shing and Shluck!]

Alphaeus's left arm is torn from his body as Malique twists his sword and pulls it upward under his left ear. The lower part that still connects his figure is trying hard not to rip as blood spurts and soaks his cloth and skin.

In an instant, Malique flies away from the crowd of Demons as quickly as he can, and not a single Demon goes in pursuit. Struck by the horrifying performance, Alphaeus cannot blame them.

Through the corner of his eye, he can see that the Demon he killed has not been resurrected, which compels him that the barrier disappearance has a connection to their immortality. "Well, this is the way my life ends, huh? Sorry Bizrazeth, Karred. I fail you. As always." As Alphaeus's body collapses to the floor, the red sky turns vermeil in his expiring sight.

"Not too bad of an ending," he thinks. "But pathetic."

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

In the middle of nowhere, at a place between Heaven and Hell, Malique soars the sky. He is hurt, tired, and unconscious. Only his wings and reflex are the chevalier for his great escape. Of course, he is toppled to the ground after the exhausting journey.

[Thump!]

Malique's body freezes. His current condition forbids him from wondering, but he will be reminded of the current situation in Heaven when he wakes up.