His patience reached its limits.

  Since the Trans-Siberian Railway and Leonardo's revelations about the situation in Hell, Lucifer had only one desire: to face Beelzebub and demand answers. Now back in his kingdom, his former General had the audacity to summon him, without even bothering to come in person. Things had truly changed in Hell… Even the messenger of the new King of Hell scorned him.

  The infernal hierarchy wasn't set in stone, certainly, but if respect was something to be earned, then his millennia at the head of Hell had more than paid the price. To remind his interlocutor of this simple fact, Lucifer assumed his infernal form and unleashed his power.

  Like a tidal wave, his aura swept away the demons and threw the emissary to the ground. The creatures writhed on the ground, hands on their temples, trying to escape the pain. Their suffering did little to stem the power the Devil projected, and it took Leonard's hand to stop him; he thus stemmed the torrent of power he was unleashing and then observed his friend. She acknowledged that action was necessary, but he had gone too far, especially toward Abigail. Lucifer then glanced at the human and, alarmed by her condition, rushed to her side: doubled over, the young woman was clutching her knees, gasping for air. Though she reassured him that she was alright, Abigail lost consciousness the next moment. Unmoved by his pleas, but with her pulse beating gently beneath her soft skin, Lucifer lifted her delicately and entrusted her to Leonard. If she took him to see Adramelech, he might learn more about the effect of the angel's heart in the young woman's body. He, on the other hand, was going to deal with Beelzebub.

  Standing before her battered servants, the humiliated emissary maintained her haughty demeanor and ordered her to pass through the portal to Pandemonium. This time, Lucifer fixed his gaze directly on her eyes and commanded her to be silent if she wished to live. Terrified, the demon nodded frantically and took a step back, bowing before him.

  Ignoring the portal, the Devil propelled himself into the air with a flap of his wings, raising a storm of dust in his wake. Without the precautions of his flight over the tundra, he was finally able to unleash the full power of his wings. Hell flashed beneath him, and he quickly reached the capital, diving down to land on the steps of Pandemonium.

  The two colossal doors, made of anthracite steel, marking the entrance to the Infernal Fortress, appeared even darker against the white marble of the structure. As if sensing his approach, they swung open with a sinister rumble, revealing the gaunt demon who had opened them, whose very composition seemed to be barely holding together.

  "Hello," greeted the demon. "Who should I announce?"

  "What do you mean?" retorted Lucifer, stunned, only understanding a moment later. "Tell me, how old are you, demon?"

  "My age does not reflect my abilities, sir," the gaunt figure arched. "I was born seven years ago and have served Lord Beelzebub ever since. Whom should I tell him?"

  "Let him know that the Devil has returned."

  The creature paused, stunned by Lucifer's presence. Lucifer, losing what little patience he still possessed, barged into the demon's own abode, bypassing him and assuring him that he would announce himself alone. Though he tried to stop him, the infernal servant didn't have time; the Devil was already halfway down the hall, advancing towards the staircase of the Council wing. There was no time to wonder what the new regent had done with the other two wings of the building; he had to confront him first.

  Lucifer needed no directions; he knew perfectly well where to find his former subordinate. Centuries before, the latter had asked him why he didn't occupy his throne more often. His answer had failed him, as he believed at that time that it no longer served any real purpose other than that of a symbol. Obtuse as he had been upon his departure, Beelzebub had had no choice but to take up residence in the very room that had welcomed him.

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  Finally, at the far end of the building, he didn't slow down in the hall with its six entrances and went through the door directly in front of him. There was no need to go to the other wings or the banquet and council chambers; the master of demons couldn't be anywhere else. The doors pushed open in his path, Lucifer summoned his former General.

  A voice answered him from his left, and the Devil then discovered one of the new regent's alterations to his old abode. The banquet hall, council chamber, and throne room were no longer separated; they were all now combined into a single, gigantic room, centered on the throne of Hell.

  Leaning over a table, before what appeared to be a map of Hell, a giant of a man was talking to a woman, tiny in comparison. As the Devil approached, he recognized the emissary who had met them, and the woman stepped back a few paces at his approach. Beelzebub then turned and smiled at the sight of him.

  "Lucifer, my brother," he greeted him in a honeyed voice. "Sitri warned me you were coming; I was eager to see you again. Have these ten years been good to you? I much prefer this appearance to the one Sitri described of your arrival."

  "Stop your nonsense, Beelzebub," Lucifer cut him off icily. "We have far more important matters to address than futile pleasantries."

  “Still so serious? I thought ten years among creatures like Men would have at least given you a sense of humor,” the demon remarked ingenuously, sitting down on the table. “But fine, what important things do you wish to discuss? I’ve done so much since you left that you’ll need to be more specific. Do you like what I’ve done with my throne room? Now that’s a true symbol of authority.”

  “A fitting symbol for your failure. What are you trying to do, Beelzebub? Start a new Heavenly War?” the Devil asked icily. “Abolishing the demons’ restrictions outside of Purgatory was for the safety of us all, as was forbidding them from carrying weapons or granting them permission to leave Arall?! And that’s without even mentioning the atrocities they’ve committed! And I’m not even going to mention that Daemon Prince unleashed in the middle of a human city!”

  "That's enough! I am the new ruler of Hell! You are nothing but a disgraced king!" shouted Beelzebub, dropping the facade. "What I have done is restore to the demons a freedom that has been denied them for far too long!"

  "You, who claim to be the new ruler of Hell, are putting it in danger without even realizing it," observed Lucifer. "I cannot let you do this."

  "Let's be serious, Lucifer..." Beelzebub countered sweetly. "In your current state, you wouldn't last a minute on that throne."

  "You underestimate my power," the Devil countered.

  "No, I think you're the one overestimating yourself," argued the demon master. "Sitri. Your observations of Lucifer?"

  Notebook in hand, the woman approached and, rereading her notes, described a decline in Lucifer's power with a mocking air. The murderous look he gave her certainly made her lose all contempt, but alas, it changed nothing in her report, except for a few details she added. Thus, the Devil's strength seemed to have slightly but steadily diminished since her initial observations.

  "Now you're wondering why I sent that Daemon Prince after you? Because I thought he'd be enough!" Beelzebub exclaimed. "You're no longer a shadow of your former self, half the being I faced when I arrived in Hell. The fate of the Fallen, the fate of Hell itself, it's all because of you, because of your weakness. This realm deserves a king worthy of its ambitions, and that's clearly not you. If only your Fallen understood that… Sitri, remind me what they want again?"

  "Your abdication, my lord," Sitri reminded them.

  "Quite right," sighed Beelzebub. "I imagine, Lucifer, that you won't want to help me with this? You know, to avoid their eradication."

  "I would rather plunge back into the Darkness than betray them even more," declared the adamantine Devil.

  “I was thinking the same thing. I would have acted differently in your place,” the sovereign remarked, before an idea interrupted him. “That being said… They don’t see me as their rightful lord; but they do see you. So, if I were ever to defeat you fairly, according to the rules, they would have nothing left to say.”

  "If you wish," admitted the Devil, suddenly pointing his trident towards his enemy's throat.

  "Whoa! Easy now! What ferocity! What tenacity! You almost look like the you from a millennium ago!" the demon chuckled. "But that wouldn't respect the infernal laws, would it? So we'll follow them to the extreme. You have a week to prepare. If after that you haven't done anything to increase your power, too bad for you, all the better for me."

  "My lord, forgive me, but the following week is already... occupied," Sitri whispered to her superior.

  “Quite right! What was I thinking? Lucifer, do you hear that? Another week to recover? How lucky!” Beelzebub taunted. “Well, I won’t keep you any longer. I would have gladly walked you home, but you must already know where the exit is; after all, it was your house.”