We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.
————————————————————————
The only thing we knew about the location of the execution site was that it was in the House of God. Why executing someone inside a holy place like that was allowed, I don't know. Nonetheless, we had managed to find another car, taking after Yuki's methods.

Alex had managed to convince Scarlet to hang back in case something went wrong. Since it was only the four of us, we didn't need that big of a car. Out of the group, we decided Alex would be the best driver. After almost crashing into a tree, we were on our way.

Nozomi and I sat in the back so she could continue healing me. I still wasn't back up to full strength, I still felt dizzy from what happened, but I had to power through it.

Nozomi: "Draco... please. This isn't a good idea..."

Draco: "I thought you of all people would want to go rushing in to save her"

Nozomi: "I want to save her!! Don't think anything other than that!! But... look at who we're fighting. We don't stand a chance... I want to help her with every fiber of my being, but we're not strong enough..."

Draco: "Shadow would be great to have right about now"

Asuka: "I wonder what happened to him"

Alex: "You said he's a Demon, maybe he's just working for the Devil all this time"

Draco: "According to Darcel, he works directly under him. Darcel even said that he doesn't work for Satan, but he doesn't exactly follow the path of God either"

Without realizing it, I went silent. I just stared out the window while we kept driving. Nozomi wanted to say something, however she held back. I knew she wanted to talk about what I did, but even if she asked, I didn't have the strength to even think about it. I was still so angry and upset and scared that I couldn't even think straight.

Alex: "Guys, I'm pulling over for a sec"

He pulled over to the side of the road. He then looked back at me.

Alex: "I know you don't know what happened, but dude, we're all really worried about you"

Draco: "I'm fine, let's worry about stuff like that after we save Yuki"

Asuka: "Draco, please, if there's something going on, we need to know—"

I snapped.

Draco: "I said I'm fine!! Just leave me alone!!!"

I instantly regretted yelling when I saw their reaction. They all tensed up and Alex even had his hand on his sword. They were scared I would attack them too.

Draco: "I... I'm okay... let's just get Yuki"

The rest of the car ride was quiet, no one talking much. I began to hate the atmosphere I was giving off, but it was too late at this point to fix it.

We finally got close enough to the church to where we could walk and not be noticed. We pulled over and parked the car in some bushes for when we needed a quick getaway.

Asuka: "What's the plan?"

Alex: "Sneak in, save Yuki"

Nozomi: "How? There's hundreds of Exorcists in there"

Alex: "We could wear a disguise"

Asuka grabbed some grass off of the ground and formed a dark cloak with a few crosses on it to make us blend in more.

Asuka: "Will these work?"

Alex: "Yeah, they'll work"

Draco: "Time to Skyrim this bitch"

Once we had all gotten our cloaks on, we began walking towards the church. One there, we saw there were multiple other groups of Exorcists gathered around the outside.

Alex: "Come on, we look suspicious enough as is"

We calmly walked over to the church, with a few of the Exorcists looking our way, but none seemed to really care about us. It was only at the entrance where someone finally spoke to us.

Exorcist: "It's crazy, right? Never thought someone like Yuki would side with the Devil, but she was always kind of a bitch"

I immediately reached out and grabbed him by his shirt collar, however Nozomi quickly grabbed me and pulled me back.

Nozomi: "Calm down"

I shook her off and turned away.

Nozomi: "With all due respect, please do not curse on holy ground"

Though the guy seemed angry, he nodded.

We took our shoes off before going inside. I was flooded with memories of when Asuka had first taken me in here, however I was scared back then. Now, I was just pissed.

Like before, after opening the door in the floor, we were blinded by a bright light. When it faded, we were back inside the House of God. There had to be thousands of Exorcists in here. Though it was only the gateway room, I could tell we were definitely screwed if we got caught.

Draco: "Any idea where she would be?"

Asuka: "I know this place like the back of my hand. She'll likely be in some place more sacred"

Alex: "Lead the way"

Asuka led us down multiple halls and areas of the House of God I didn't even knew existed. To be fair, I was only conscious in the place for a day or two.

As we walked, Asuka came up next to me and nudged me.

Asuka: "Come on, spill it. What's going on inside that head of yours?"

Draco: "Nothing... just leave—"

She smacked me on the back of my head.

Draco: "O-Ow! What the—"

She pulled my hoodie over my head and pressed her lips onto mine, preventing Alex and Nozomi from seeing.

Asuka: "You aren't alone in this. I know you're blaming yourself for what happened, but no one had any control over that situation"

Draco: "Still..."

Asuka: "You're doing everything you can to save her now. I know... the world may end after today, but I know we'll be okay. Don't lose faith, that's what they want us to do"

Draco: "I never had much faith to begin with, I didn't even think God was real until two weeks ago. I'm not even sure if he's real now..."

Asuka: "He is real, and he is watching over you. You just have to put faith in him"

I shrugged her off and sped up.

Draco: "He hasn't earned my faith..."

Finally, we reached a large set of doors.

Alex: "This it?"

Asuka: "It should be, Arana never let us in this way. Only the two people are allowed in"

???: "And you are not one of them"

We all turned around to see May standing behind us. She had a bandage over her head, which I assumed she got from the battle with Yuki.

May: "You four aren't supposed to be here"

Nozomi: "May, please listen to us, there isn't much time"

May: "Don't you think I know that? Miss Arana has everything prepared. By offering up Yuki, as sinner who sided with the Devil, we will be able to gain a blessing from the Father and he will send his mightiest warriors to aid us in our upcoming battle"

Asuka: "She isn't helping him!! She's with us, trying to stop him!!"

May: "You say that, and yet we have multiple reports of your group intermingling with Demons. Specifically, the Shadow"

Alex: "Come on, listen to us for a second!!"

May: "No!! Arana warned me you'd try something. I won't let you inside!!"

Multiple Exorcists came out from behind her, wielding weapons and magic.

Alex: "Crap, what should we—"

Draco: "Stand back..."

They all turned to me.

Draco: "Let me handle it"

Alex: "Dude, now's not the time to lose it!"

Draco: "Last chance, stand back!!!"

My body began to emit a black mist.

Alex: "Draco— not again!!"

Draco: "I said stand back!!!!!"

My body erupted with the black mist and pushed all three of them to the ground.

May: "I knew it! You are working for the Devil!! You are not welcome here!! Begone!!"

The Exorcists charged at me, weapons being swung and spells being cast. Time seemed to slow down as my skin began to turn pitch black. I dashed towards the Exorcists and began my swift assault. Only using my arms, I punched each one of them in the face, one by one. A few fell to the ground while a few just staggered. One by one, I took them out until all that was left was May.

May: "I won't let you get in Arana's way!! This is the House of God and you are not welcome here, Demon!!!"

She pulled out a golden cross from her pocket and held it out.

May: "In the name of the Holy Father, I send you back to the depths from which you came!!"

Despite the cross beginning to glow, nothing happened to me. I slowly began walking towards her.

May: "B-Begone!!!"

Still nothing.

May: "Stay back!!"

She launched a barrage of fireballs at me, however I dodged each one with ease.

May: "I won't let you do as you want!!! Demons belong in hell where they deserve to be!!!"

She summoned actual lava by combining her fire and a large boulder. The lava rushed at me, however with a single swing of my arm, the lava split in two and melted everything to my sides.

May: "S-Stay away!!"

I kept walking.

May: "Don't come any closer!!!!"

She backed away until she backed into the wall. She held her cross out to me, nothing but pure fear in her eyes. I grabbed onto the cross and crushed it in my hand, making her drop it. I then leaned close and whispered into her ear.

Draco: "God doesn't scare me"

Suddenly, I felt myself fall through the floor. I looked up to see Asuka reaching out for me before the hole I fell through closed up.

Before I knew it, I was in a large room. The ceiling had to be at least 50 feet tall with the actual room as big as an Amazon warehouse. In the center of it all was a large pillar with a single figure at the top. I saw Yuki kneeling down at the top with her arms chained up and spread open. Her head was limp, facing the ground. I didn't even think she was conscious.

That's when I heard Arana from behind me.

Arana: "From the first day you walked into the House of God, I knew you'd do something crazy, I didn't think this crazy"

I turned to face her. For once, she wasn't tired or overly hyper, she was dead serious.

Draco: "Let her go now and this all ends"

Arana: "You know I can't do that, Draco. The Heavens have commanded that she be sacrificed to summon God's army. Once they're here, we stand a chance against Satan"

Draco: "I don't give a damn about your war, I want my friend back"

Arana: "This isn't just my war, it's everyone's. Everyone and everything to exist is at risk. Are you going to throw all of that away for one person?"

I held out my hand and formed my sword. This time, the whole blade was a sickening black.

Arana: "Very well, just know that you caused this"

She began to levitate into the air, her eyes glowing a bright yellow.

Arana: "I am the representative from the Heavens, the one who protects earth from the clutches of the Devil. I was raised for one thing, and one thing only. To lead the Heavens to victory!!!!"

With a single wave of her hand, she manifested multiple massive boulders that combined together to make five stone giants. With a flick of her wrist, each giant was gifted a sword made of pure fire and shields made of ice. Finally, with a closed fist, the giants dawned armor of pure light.

Arana: "You have been warned and you chose not to listen. So you will be sent to judgment!!!"

Two of the five giants rushed me, towering over me by at least 30 feet. Despite their size, they were surprisingly fast. Even with that, they seemed slow due to my current state. I leaped into the air just as one of them swung down at me with their fire sword. I shot straight past the two up front and crashed right into the third one's shield, shattering it on impact.

Draco: "I've fought five Sins before now, compared to them, you're nothing!!!!"

I drove my sword straight through the heart of the giant, shattering it into shards of rock. The two in the back and two in front coordinated their attacks to get me all at once.

Draco: "Get the hell out of my way!!!!"

With all my strength, I swung my sword. It didn't even make contact, however a massive wave of the dark aura erupted from my body and was pushed outwards by the swing. The darkness engulfed the giant and destroyed them on contact. The boulders crashed down around me, leaving a dust cloud.

Draco: "Representative of the Heavens? What a joke"

I fired off a wave of the dark energy, however before it could make contact, she held her hand out and a strange black vortex absorbed my attack.

Draco: "W-What?!"

Arana: "I didn't simply become the head of the House of God just by learning all five classes. I possess a power gifted to me by the Lord himself at my birth. You are the second non divine entity to know it's true name"

She held her hand up into the air, forming a massive black hole, sucking all light into it.

Arana: "This power gifted unto me is known as Void!!!"

Suddenly, all of the light around us vanished. All that was left was Arana, Yuki who was still chained up, and me.

Arana: "Void is the power to erase—"

My body began to spark with dark energy.

Draco: "I DON'T GIVE A DAMN WHAT IT IS!!!!!!"

I shot towards her and threw a hard punch. She formed a barrier of multiple layers of ice, however I destroyed each one and landed a solid hit to her cheek. She crumbled to the ground.

As I landed, she waved her hand and formed another boulder in front of her. She placed her hand onto it and used alchemy to transform it into a catapult. Inside the catapult was a large ball of fire, surrounded in barbed wire and spikes of ice that didn't seem to melt. She then launched it, sending the ball of death hurdling towards me.

Draco: "I'm sick and tired of this!!!!"

I fired off another wave of the dark energy, slamming right into Arana. Her clothes were now tattered and she laid on her back like she couldn't move. I slowly approached her.

Draco: "You really expected to beat Satan with this? Most of the Sins could take you out easy"

She looked up at me, not saying a word.

Finally, it clicked. I yelled at the top of my lungs and slammed my fist into the ground, shattering the darkness around us like glass. Arana was now gone from the floor. I turned around and looked up at the pillar Yuki was on and saw Arana standing by her.

Arana: "So you realized it was all an illusion, took you long enough"

Draco: "I knew that was too easy..."

I then noticed a large sword in Arana's hand.

Draco: "Drop that sword right now!!!!"

Suddenly, Yuki lifted her head. Her eyes were red from crying and she was still sobbing. Her blue hair that was normally tied into a ponytail was now messy and covering some of her face.

Draco: "Hold on, Yuki!! I'm coming for you!!"

She didn't seem phased by my appearance and just screamed.

Yuki: "Get out of here!! Just let me die!! Don't risk your life for someone like me!!!"

Arana: "Precisely, do not throw your life away to save one person. You'd sacrifice everything for her?"

Draco: "Yuki is my friend, she's been there for all of us when we needed her. You bet your ass she's worth more to me than a God who has abandoned me!!!"

Arana: "He has never abandoned you, you abandoned him"

She held her hand out and formed multiple shards of light. She then snapped her fingers and they shot down at me with speeds even I couldn't keep track of in my form. Luckily, I managed to dodge all but one, which entered my left shoulder. The pain was excruciating as the light seemed to burn my skin.

Arana: "With this, we will free the heavenly army and lay waste to the Demons in Hell"

She raised her sword up into the air.

Draco: "I SAID LEAVE HER ALONE!!!!!!"

Another light shard shot straight for me, piercing me straight through the heart.

My body grew limp as my limbs began to feel cold. Pain surged through my chest and I could feel the blood leaving my body.

Suddenly, I was standing in an empty void. I quickly reached down and checked my chest, however I was no longer bleeding. I looked around until I spotted a figure in the distance. I slowly walked over, the sound of each step echoing in the void. When I finally reached it, I realized who it was.

It was me, skin as black as the void and glowing eyes the color of blood. My dark brown hair was now a dark gray with my clothes also turning dark. My teeth were razor sharp and forced into a twisted smile. Around the copy of me was a blood red aura that slowly turned dark like the energy I was using.

He spoke in my voice, however it was distorted and constantly fluctuating.

???: "Do you want to save her?"

Draco: "Of course I do!!"

???: "What are you willing to do?"

Draco: "Anything!! I can't let Yuki die..."

???: "Then give me control, Draco. Release your mind and give in to the darkness~"

Draco: "What makes you think I can trust you?"

???: "Simple, I am you~"

I stumbled back.

Draco: "W-What?"

???: "I'm what you are deep down inside. I'm your rage, your hatred, your sadness, your vengeance!! Lend me control of your body and I'll do what's necessary to save her. All I need is you to give in"

Draco: "N-No, I can't!"

???: "But you know you can, you know deep down that you aren't strong enough. Let me handle this, let me help you win~"

He held out his hand.

???: "I'll even help you find the Demon who killed Chris~"

My eyes widened.

Draco: "You know who—"

???: "Do we have a deal?"

I swiftly grabbed his hand and shook it.

Everything went back.

————————————————————————

Asuka

It had taken a while, but since Draco had worn May down, we finally managed to subdue her. Nozomi had used a sleep spell to knock her out for the time being.

No matter how much we pounded on the doors, they wouldn't open. We could hear sounds of battle inside, but we had no way in.

Alex: "Why can't we get in?"

Nozomi: "There must be an enchantment over it. We won't be able to crack it without something more powerful"

Suddenly, we heard a voice from down the hall.

???: "I might have something"

We all turned to see Scarlet standing at the end of the hall. At her side was a large leather satchel.

Alex: "Scarlet!! What are you—"

Scarlet: "Not now! I followed you, okay! I couldn't let you guys do this alone. I'm not losing you like we did Mom..."

Alex's expression softened as he walked over and hugged her.

Alex: "Don't die on me"

Scarlet: "I should be telling you that. I won't let anyone die"

Asuka: "Sorry to break up the family reunion, but we need to get in there fast"

Scarlet dug through her satchel and pulled out a large flask. The flask held some kind of black water inside.

Scarlet: "Anti-Holy Water, found it in Mom's room"

Alex: "Why would she have that?"

Scarlet: "Dunno, but let's not complain"

She walked over to the door and opened the flask. She then splashed the doors with the water and it seemed to melt the barrier that surrounded it. Alex kicked the doors wide open to reveal what awaited inside.

I immediately wished that we hadn't opened the door.

Draco was back in his rage state, pulling out a large shard of light from his chest. The wound immediately closed up as his body began to form a dark aura around him.

Arana was standing up at the top of the pillar with a sword ready to cut down Yuki.

Nozomi: "YUKI!!!!!"

Faster than I could track, Draco had leaped from the ground and slammed straight into Arana, grabbing her by the throat and sending both of them into the ceiling. Draco then spun and shot down to the ground, slamming Arana down before she could say a word. The room shook on impact, making the room shake and pillars crumble.

Nozomi: "Asuka!! Launch me and Alex!!"

I nodded and slammed my hand onto the ground. The ground then formed pillars beneath Alex and Nozomi's feet and shot them into the air. Alex grabbed ahold of Nozomi just as they reached the top and drove his sword into the side of the pillar right before they could fall. Alex pushed Nozomi up to the top of the pillar where she grabbed Nozomi and hugged her tight.

Nozomi: "I-I'm so glad you're okay...!!!"

Yuki buried her face into Nozomi's shoulder and for the first time, I saw her cry. I decided to let them handle Yuki while Scarlet and I ran after Draco.

When we got to him, we saw him on top of Arana throwing a barrage of punches. She had made a barrier of light to protect her, however the barrier was quickly getting more and more cracks. Arana formed vines that wrapped around Draco to pull him off of her, however the vines disintegrated with second of touching the black aura.

Asuka: "W-What do we do?!"

Scarlet: "I don't know! You're the Exorcist!"

Arana yelled and blasted Draco away with an explosion of light.

Arana: "I grow tired of this!! We're running out of time!!"

Draco grinned and dashed at her again. He went for a huge punch, however she managed to dodge and push his fist down to the ground.

Arana: "I will not allow you to cause Satan to be freed!!!"

She formed some kind of vortex in her palm and slammed it down into Draco's back, like a black Rasengan. However the almost black hole looking vortex stayed in place, sucking up the dark aura surrounding him.

Despite how much I cared about Arana, I couldn't let this happen. I rushed in and formed my scythe. Once I got close enough, I leaped into the air and swung it, just barely missing Arana as she had jumped back.

Arana: "I expected something like this from Alex, but not you, Asuka"

Asuka: "I'm doing this because what you're doing is wrong!! Sacrificing people? That's not what God wants!!"

Arana: "I am the one who hears directly from Heaven, I know exactly what he commands!!"

I swung my scythe again, however Arana formed another barrier of golden light.

Asuka: "If you really knew the way God taught us, it's that every life is worth something. Every life is sacred and you have no right to end it!!!"

Arana: "This isn't about one life!! It's about all of ours!!"

Asuka: "And the second you're willing to sacrifice someone, you're just as bad as the Demons in Hell!!!"

Arana's barrier shattered from my scythe and forced her to back off. The black hole that held Draco in place vanished. However when I looked down, he had collapsed and the dark aura was completely gone.

————————————————————————

Draco

The next thing I knew, I was laying on the ground and my body was seriously sore. I felt myself get pulled up and supported by Asuka.

Asuka: "H-Hang on, Nozomi and the others aren't far!"

She quickly got us back over to the others, who had descended from the pillar Yuki was on. Yuki couldn't even stand, so she was using Nozomi as support.

I grinned.

Draco: "Don't copy me"

She had enough strength to punch me in the shoulder.

Yuki: "Y-You dumbass..."

She started crying.

Yuki: "You're all so stupid... you should've just left me..."

Nozomi: "We love you, Yuki, there's no way we could leave you behind"

Yuki used the rest of her strength to hug Nozomi tightly. Meanwhile, Arana stood not too far away, however she didn't move.

Arana: "Without the sacrifice, we have no way to summon the army. We don't stand a chance!!"

Draco: "We fight as humans or as Demons, your choice"

Arana: "We can't win without the army!"

Suddenly, a voice spoke from behind me.

???: "You won't have to worry about that"

I turned around just in time to see Shadow standing behind me. He then thrusted his arm blade straight at me, however Scarlet jumped in the way and took the blade straight into her chest.

The world fell silent.

Alex: "SCARLET!!!!!!!!!!"

Alex's body blazed with flames and he dashed straight for Shadow. He moved out of the way and vanished into his own shadow. Alex immediately ran to Scarlet and we all gathered around her.

Alex: "S-Scarlet!! H-Hold on!!"

Nozomi placed her hands on the wound and attempted to heal it, however the bleeding wouldn't stop.

Nozomi: "W-Why isn't it working!"

Shadow formed inside Arana's shadow.

Shadow: "Anti-Holy Water. I coated my blades with it, so no holy spells can heal it"

Arana went to attack him, however he simply vanished and appeared somewhere else.

Draco: "S-Scarlet... y-you—"

Scarlet: "I-I said... n-no one would die..."

Alex: "Y-You idiot...!!"

Alex grabbed onto her hand.

Alex: "N-No...! I can't lose you...! You're all I have left...!!!"

She smiled.

Scarlet: "I'm not all that's left, dumbass... I'm leaving you in good hands..."

She reached up and grabbed his cheek.

Scarlet: "M...Mom...? I-Is... is that you...?"

Her hand fell off of his cheek and hit the ground as all color left her eyes.

Alex: "No... Scarlet...! S-Say something...!!"

He pulled her close and cried into her.

Alex: "SCARLET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

The dark aura surrounded me again, this time, I didn't need whatever was inside me to fuel my power. Rage was all I needed.

Draco: SHADOW!!!!!"

I shot straight up and slammed into him when he formed on top of a pillar. I held him by the throat as I bounced off the wall and tossed him away. I then slammed my fists into him at rapid speed. By the time we reached the ground, his body was all beaten up and had to have almost all of his bone shattered. However his body slowly began to reform and heal. The one thing that didn't heal was his mask, which fell off of his face.

The second I saw his face, the whole world stood still. Every part of my body shook and my brain couldn't process what I was seeing. My mouth felt dry and I just barely managed to speak.

Draco: "C-C-Chris...?"

He lifted his head into the air and started laughing.

Chris: "I'm surprised it took you this long, Draco. For someone who used to call me is best friend, you took your time"

Draco: "But... y-you died"

Chris: "So what? You've seen hundreds of Demons in the past few weeks. They were once human"

From behind me, I could feel a burning heat. I instantly knew it was from Alex, as I heard his voice right after.

Alex: "Chris... you..."

His fire burned brighter.

Alex: "I don't care if you were once my friend..."

The fire burned so bright that it hurt my eyes.

Alex: "I'M GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU!!!!!!"

Chris grinned as the room began to shake. Pillars collapsed and the ceiling started to cave in. He faced Arana.

Chris: "That little voice in your head, that wasn't God. That was my Master whispering in your ear, giving you everything you needed to open a portal. But... that portal isn't to Heaven..."

Suddenly, a massive vortex formed right above where Yuki was once chained. From the inside, there was nothing but a black void. From the darkness, a pair of blood red eyes opened.

Chris: "Satan has arrived on earth!!! Armageddon is here!!!!!!"

————————————————————————

Wow— what a chapter!!

This is one of the longest chapters I've ever wrote, nearly 5k words! So I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, I put a lot of work into it!

I'll see you all next chapter!~