Demons.

Creatures beyond our understanding, these monstrosities hid on Earth, assimilating with whatever stood in their way.

The demons soon found a leader in the fallen angel Satan. A lengthy war ensued between Satan and God, and in the end the demons were sent into hibernation and Satan's memories wiped.

Millions of years later, young teenager Ryo Asuka took his shy and timid friend Akira Fudo to a club known as Sabbath, in hopes of bringing out sleeping demons and turning Akira into a "devilman".

He succeeded, and Akira became a Devilman with a human heart. Together with Ryo, he hunted down enemy demons and killed them, helping to protect humanity in the process. Despite his own victories, he too suffered loss: his father turned into a demon and ate his mother, forcing Akira to put them both down.

However, Ryo would end up putting his own plan into motion, with drastic effects: Humanity began to devolve into chaos as friend turned against friend, family against family over the suspicion of demons. Akira's identity was revealed to the public. His best friend Miki's parents were killed, her brother having been turned into a demon. Shortly after, Miki herself was brutally slaughtered, along with some of Akira's friends.

Heartbroken and furious, Akira confronted Ryo and demanded to know his true intentions. Ryo revealed himself as Satan, saying that he wanted Akira to bond with the demon Amon so that he could survive Ryo's plan of anarchy. After asking him to join the demons, Akira rejected him, gathered an army of devilmen and went off to face Ryo's own army.

In the end however, his army was completely destroyed and his body was badly wounded from the battle with his former friend. Desperate and weak, Akira went into hiding, soon finding himself in Hell itself…

It was cold.

Akira chuckled to himself at the irony that despite the fact that he was in Hell, the place that was supposed to be filled with fiery flames and the like, he was freezing.

The last few hours had been a blur: he had battled Ryo- no, Satan- and after being wounded, had slunk away; a coward as he watched the people who gathered around him die.

Ordinary people, young and old, who had been possessed by devils- all of them slaughtered by Ryo. They had all supported him, and he had failed them. And not just the Devilmen- Ryo had played a hand in the slaughter of all those he loved- Miki, Miko, Taro, Miki's parents, his own parents…

Akira smashed his hand against the side of small cave he had been in for the past few days. He had found it after wandering across the desolate landscape- destroying small primitive demons that tried to attack him. After what to him seemed like forever, he stumbled into it and nearly collapsed. And thus, he stayed there, tending to his wounds and trying to get his thoughts in order- the entire gravity of the situation soon came crashing down on him.

He needed to get a move on soon- and find out what this place was like. He glanced back at the one item he had taken with him as he descended into the underworld- the severed head of Miki. He had paused to take it before the final battle ended- and using his demonic power managed to store it within his body. How it worked, he wasn't sure, but it sure was useful.

Her beautiful face was as still as ever- her eyes closed in an everlasting sleep. He had put a small little "bed" of flowers around her head, and had laid it near his sleeping area.

Tears began to stream down his face again- the thought of him never seeing her smile, hearing her laugh… it was almost enough to tear him in two.

He tried to change his thoughts, and focused them on the one thing he hated most: his old friend, Ryo.

If he ever got out of Hell, he would track down the bastard he had once called comrade… and tear him limb from limb.

As his thoughts filled with visions of Ryo's gory and bloody death, Akira's eyes closed and he drifted into sleep.

And that was when the dream began.

He was in the Makimuras' house again. His body had been reverted back to that of his weaker form- before he had merged with the demon Amon. Despite that, however, a small part of him was relieved at that.

He looked to his left and saw some of his closest friends. Miki teasing her brother Taro, while Miko smiled contently to her right. To his own right, he saw Miki's parents and his own, laughing at some joke that his father had told. He grinned. Finally, a peaceful dream.

Then they were different, all of them- their eyes now blank and soulless, their bodies as if strung on strings. He blinked and saw that they were all wooden puppets- Their designs based off of his loved ones.

As Akira began to wail in anguish, he saw the one holding all of the strings: Ryo, who was carrying a submachine gun. He lifted it and fired, shredding the puppets to splinters and broken pieces.

"Why?!" Akira finally cried. He grabbed at the wooden head of the Miki puppet, which had surprisingly been undamaged. Cradling it, he stared directly into Ryo's eyes. "Why...?" he asked again, his voice much more weaker than before.

Ryo didn't answer the question, instead saying, "You want to bring them back?"

Akira glanced at his former friend, the anger and curiosity burning inside of him. "What?" How could his old "friend" continue to mock him like this?

"Go search for Thanatos, the death god who guides the souls of the deceased. He can bring them back." Oddly enough, it seemed that Ryo's form changed. His bowl cut hairstyle turned into a one similar to Akira's with sideburns. His usual large, white coat transformed into a beige long coat, and his white shirt turned into a plaid long collared one. His pants turned into black dress pants, instead of the ones Ryo usually wore.

It was Ryo all right, but not the one he knew.

"Ryo" aimed his gun at Akira- even that transformed, from the H&K MP5 submachine gun into a sawed off shotgun with custom attachments. His form kept on "glitching" between the new one and the old one- every few seconds or so it would revert to one of the two forms- even once turning into Satan holding a greatsword.

"Find him," the imposter said, "if you want the life you had back."

"Who are you?!" Akira cried. All of a sudden, he could feel strength and courage, boiling hot, rushing through him. He could feel himself rising in height, until he practically towered over "Ryo". His own form had changed as well, into his devil form- but it looked different; much more feral, more beast-like. He grabbed the man by the lapels of his coat, his mouth foaming with rage. "WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!?"

"Ryo"'s figure finally changed, but it was blurry and muddled; Akira couldn't tell what he looked like now. The figure raised his arm up, till it nearly touched Akira's forehead. With his thumb, the man in Akira's arms shoved the finger into his forehead.

Everything went black.

"Hrrk-!" Akira grunted. His forehead dripped with sweat, and his breathing was fast and ragged. He put his hand over his forehead and rubbed his temples- it had just been a dream. Or was it a vision? After all, Ryo- or whoever that was- had told him to search for someone in Hell. A death god named Thanatos, who supposedly had access to the hundreds of dead souls, including that of Miki and her family.

He bolted upright, a new sense of determination filling within him. He would find this Thanatos- and bring Miki and her family back to life… and if he could, the entire human race as well.

He gently lifted Miki's head and placed it within himself again, using the demonic power to store her within some unknown abyss.

With everything ready, he set out of the cave and began walking.

The dark reaper Thanatos stared into the orb in front of him- made up of hundreds upon hundreds of human souls. The entire fabric of their beings- their memories, feelings and dreams- all stored there. The orbs were relatively small in size, and six of them surrounded him.

Thanatos himself was like a personification of the Grim Reaper- dressed in a large, raggedy cloak, armed with a large ornate scythe, his monstrous face covered with bandages- he was the stuff of human nightmares.

He could never understand mankind- they claimed to advocate for peace, for understanding- yet as soon as that creature Satan introduced a new variable- the existence of demons- they didn't hesitate to destroy themselves. As a result, they were practically extinct. Their ignorance, their pride, their fear had consumed them.

How ironic, he thought to himself. That a race priding itself as more intelligent than others fell to foolishness.

A sudden movement suddenly alerted the death god. "WHO GOES THERE?!" he cried, his eyes flashing and his scythe at the ready. Very few beasts had dared enter his domain, unless they were the lords themselves.

"I suppose you're Thanatos- the god who guides the souls of the dead?" a male voice shouted back.

"Where do you take human souls? Where have you taken Miki…. Miki's soul?"

"A demon?" Thanatos said, almost unable to believe it. "A mere unclean demon, dares to demand orders of me?!"

"Do you have no idea where you are, filthy beast?!" Thanatos cried, rushing at the creature.

"Demon? I'm no demon…." The voice replied ominously. "I'm Akira…"

"AKIRA FUDO, THE DEVILMAN!"

Akira gave a savage roar and transformed into his demon form- His skin became bluish-gray, the dark spots around his eyes expanding into antenna and small wings. Fur began to cover his lower body, with his feet growing claws. A monkey-like tail grew as well, and finally large, black wings sprouted from his back. Giving another savage yell, Devilman rushed towards Thanatos and threw his fist into the reaper's face.

"What?!" Thanatos cried, recoiling from the attack. "How can a demon like you hurt a god?!"

"Hey, buddy, I already told you," Akira barked back, raising his hand for another strike. "I'm not a demon; I'm Devilman!"

He punched again, his right fist knocking Thanatos' head sideways with such force that he flew to the left- smashing into some rock structures. Thanatos growled in annoyance, this insignificant whelp was toying with him!

"You- you fool… I was planning on sparing your life, but now you have gone too far." The god raised his scythe and swung again, just barely missing Akira. "I'll crush you until there's nothing left but dust!"

As Thanatos swung again, Akira suddenly rushed forward and grabbed the handle of the scythe, just below the blade. Smirking, he snapped the weapon in half. "Fine by me. I've been itching for a good fight."

Akira grabbed Thanatos' cloak and delivered another bone crushing punch, practically breaking the god's nose. The god roared in reply and sunk his own claws into Akira's chest, before using his other hand to grab the Devilman's head.

The deity began to rain down blow after blow onto Akira's head, stabbing his temples with the claws. Akira, gritting his teeth, wrapped his fingers around the god's throat and began to squeeze.

"You imbecile," Thanatos cried. "You think trying to suffocate me will grant you survival?" He grabbed Akira and threw him down against the underworld floor. "I tire of this. Die, foul beast!"

Akira smirked again as the deity descended upon him.

"Hey, Amon," he muttered. "Lend me a bit more of your power, eh? This asshole's a lot tougher than I thought." He drew back his fist and let the energy surge into it, as he felt his strength increase tenfold. "Don't worry. You'll have your fill soon enough."

Just before Thanatos could land his own blow, Akira suddenly rushed forward and punched with all his might, shredding the god in half. Yellow fluid- more like a gold color- sprouted from the two halves of the deity, as other organs and guts fell to the ground.

"Now," Akira said, brushing himself off. He grabbed the upper half of Thanatos' body by the head and shook it. "Bring back Miki's soul!"

The god chuckled in response, though he ended up coughing instead. "I… I do not have the power to bring back the dead. That ability is granted only to my king, Lord Hades." He coughed again, and blood spluttered from his mouth. "But, attempting to get him to bring your 'Miki' back would be pure stupidity- after all; you can't turn back the hands of destiny." He smiled weakly as Akira's eyes narrowed. "And don't even think about trying to attack him head on- you'd be crushed to death, brought back to life, and then crushed again. To say fighting the Lord of the Underworld would be suicide is an understatement. You would be tortured for millennia, never knowing death."

"I'll just take my chances then," Akira muttered, tossing the god aside. "I could give less of a shit if I die. As long as I can bring Miki back… I'd be happy."

Thanatos laughed once more, gurgling on his own bodily fluids. He opened his mouth to say something, but no noise came out.

Humans truly are... an interesting bunch.

With a faint hiss of breath, the god of death died.

"Where is that Thanatos?" Persephone wondered. "He should have been here hours ago, with the last human soul." The wife of Hades was a sight to behold. She had skin as pale as moonlight, with features that would drive most women mad with jealousy. Even the most beautiful of mortals wouldn't be able to compare to her. Adorning her head was a crown made especially for her, along with other various pieces of jewelry. It seemed fitting for the queen of the underworld to be dressed in such a lavish way.

"Charon has gone to fetch him," a hooded figure replied. His face was almost like that of a skull, with bone white features and dark, soulless eyes. "They should arrive momentarily."

"At last! The final human soul!" Another creature, with rocky- craggy features and two horns roared. His compatriot, a troll looking beast with three pairs of eyes added, "This marks the death of mankind!"

Persephone allowed a small smirk to grace her features. "All forms of life are subject to cause and effect. Humans had already ceased to evolve; their species' lifespan was way past its expiration date…" she gave a small laugh. "Their death was written in fate itself!"

"As was the fate of the species before them, soon a new race of beings will arise to take the Earth. We gods of Hades need only to watch the arrival of that new species in silence."

"Yes… we must wait until our Lord Hades, my husband and our king, returns from that accursed chaos dimension, where he fights the Devil itself!"

The other gods around her fell silent, many of them bowing their heads. The "Demon" was a powerful being indeed- powerful enough to take on the very best of their army.

Suddenly, a servant rushed forward. "Lady Persephone! My utmost apologies!" he cried. "A demon calling itself 'Devilman' has appeared and is wrecking havoc on the Banks of Acheron, in search of a human soul!"

"D-Devilman?" Persephone muttered, more curiosity than fear in her voice. Why would a demon come to the underworld and demand a human soul? And how had a demon been able to arrive here?

"A mere demon dares to cause unrest in the underworld?!" a lesser god roared.

"What are Cerberus and the Reapers doing?!" another cried.

"T-They've been sent out to subjugate him," the servant replied. "We should be expecting a report soon."

"I cannot understand it…"

The other gods whirled at the sound of the queen's voice- her usual calm demeanor had been replaced by steadily rising disbelief and- a hint of fear?

"Only we gods should be blessed with the ability to cross the line dividing these two realms… how can a mere demon be able to do the same?"

Unease began to spread throughout the ranks of the gods as they too, wondered how Devilman had been able to access their world.

"Lady Persephone… Devilman is by no means a mere demon…" a hoarse voice spoke up.

A hooded figure emerged from the crowd. His face was unsettling- nothing but eyes; no nose or mouth- this was Argos, the great many-eyed god who saw all.

"I do not know everything. But, as surveying the living world is my task, I learned this:

"This 'Devilman' is no ordinary demon- he was born from the fusion of the human Akira Fudo and the demon Amon, one of the strongest warriors of the demon race. Despite possessing the god-slaying powers of Amon, Devilman sided with the humans and destroyed his former allies, the demons…"

"The- the power to slay a god?!" Persephone gasped. Then this Devilman was truly a formidable threat- one that could upset the balance of the underworld if he got what he wanted.

"But he was betrayed by the humans he once protected," Argos continued, "And in rage at the murder of the woman he loved, her family and his friends, he nearly destroyed humanity with his own hand!

"Later, upon learning that the demon Satan was the schemer of it all, he led his 'devilman army' into one last battle… But his forces were wiped out by Satan's strength, and Devilman, having lost everything, went into hiding…"

"Then, what you're telling me is that he destroyed humanity himself, and now he's demanding their souls back?!" Peresphone yelled, the anger and disbelief clear as day on her facial features. How could a hypocritical being like this "Devilman" have the right to make such demands?

The gods around her all looked at the ground, unable to answer her in a satisfying way.

Just then, the room began to shake, and the sound of walls crumbling and layers of rock being destroyed became louder.

"What in Hades name…?!"

"What's going on!? Where is that coming from?"

"I humbly report, m'lady!" a servant suddenly cried, appearing in front of the throne. "A brigand has broken down the outer walls, and is now within the palace!"

"Another intruder in the palace?!"

The gods were all panicking now. How could everything go wrong in a couple of minutes? Not only was a demon on the loose, but he was destroying everything in the underworld!

"It can only be him…" Argos hissed. Peresphone and the other gods turned to him. "Akira Fudo… the Devilman!"

"That's impossible!" Persephone muttered. "Didn't you mention he was near the Acheron?!"

Argos nodded in response. "I certainly did. However..." he paused, his eyes flashing slightly as he used his powers, "Upon examination, it appears that a conclusion has already been reached…" He let his power surge out, and the surrounding lesser gods and Persephone saw what he had seen: A mangled corpse of a three headed dog-like beast as well as the corpse of Thanatos, which was nearly unrecognizable.

The surrounding gods began to wail.

"How could he?!"

"Cerberus is dead!"

"He slaughtered even the God of Death himself!"

Argos continued to show the extent of Devilman's rampage. Entire sections of the underworld lay in ruin; buildings crumbled and creature remains strewn everywhere. "It appears he is now making his way to the heart of the palace itself: the Chamber of Souls!"

All at once, sense came back to Persephone. "The- the Chamber of Souls?!" She bolted upright from her throne, startling the nearby gods. "Gorgon, Hydra, Medusa!"

The gods who's names she had called snapped to attention.

"In the name of lord Hades, call forth all of the hibernating Guardian Beasts! I will command them personally!"

"A-are you sure, m'lady-" Gorgon began.

"DO IT!" she barked, and the other gods scrambled to fulfill her orders.

Akira stood in a nearly featureless white room. In his quest for Miki, he had stumbled upon it. In front of him was a wall, with a height that even he could not discern. It was filled with rectangular sections, text inscribed on each one in a language he could not read.

He let his hand run across the smooth marble. It was cold to the touch. Yet, there seemed to be a warmth beyond the hard stone, which seemed to call out to him. His eyes blurred momentarily, a result of the nearly ceaseless fighting he had endured on his way here. Blood had left a small trail behind him.

There's no doubt about it, He thought. This scent…

"Belongs to Miki..." he murmured. A mixture of emotions rushed through him: hope, relief, and-

He never got to finish his thoughts, as a set of jaws clamped around his body, crushing him in an instant.

The sound of crunching and feet shuffling was the only audio in the room as Persephone and the rest of the gods walked into the room, their leader smirking with her hand on her hip.

"It seems even a devil can't survive consumption..." one god muttered, another one chuckling nearby.

Persephone turned to walk out, but was alerted by sudden gurgling noises from the Hydra. She turned, and as she did, her eyes widened as the beast was suddenly ripped open by something.

No, not something. Someone. Devilman.

The demon rose up from the corpse of the beast, cackling to himself all the while. The other gods rushed forward to protect their queen from any other attacks.

"How could he-?!"

"That monster just ripped the Hydra open with his bare hands!"

Devilman looked up, locking eyes with Persephone. "So, we meet at last Hades!" He stood up to his full height. "The ruler of the underworld!"

"You bastard!" a grim reaper-look-a-like growled, stepping forward with his scythe. "Taking the Lord's name in vain?!" The others began to howl and screech in agreement, but Persephone stuck her hand out.

"Stand back!" She cried. "I will deal with this beast." As she stepped forward, she could finally see Devilman himself more clearly. His body was had bluish-gray and brown fur covering it. A tail swished from time to time. Two wings protruded from the sides of his head, along with small antenna. The creature in front of her was lean and muscular, but he had been injured considerably. Blood dripped down from numerous cuts and scratches, and his entire body had splotches of blood on it, both his and those of other beasts. Her lips curled into a frown at the stench, and she glared into his eyes.

"I am Lord Hades' wife, Persephone," she said curtly. "I command this land in the Lord's absence." Her tone became accusatory, "You must be aware that your actions are upsetting both the natural order and the order of Hades."

Devilman simply glared back. "Your orders don't mean jack shit. If I can make you return Miki's soul, and the souls of her family and my friends, then nothing else matters."

The gods behind Persephone rustled, and her eyebrows furrowed. This demon had the gall to order them to return this Miki's soul? Surely he knew of the consequences of raising the dead.

"Returning the souls of the dead will not restore them to life." Persephone began. Devilman gave her a look of confusion, and she continued. "Only Lord Hades is capable of complete resurrection of both the body and the soul!"

She stepped forward, her hands gesturing wildly as she spoke. "Do you understand what chaos you will cause if you decide to simply resurrect these souls, without any memories?! That forced resurrection of souls, which don't even know what they are," she shook her head, "would only serve to turn the living world into the image of Hell itself!"

Devilman gave her a blank stare. "In that case, where's Hades himself?"

Persephone wanted to smack her face right then and there. How could a demon who had slaughtered entire waves of her forces be this dense? "It seems listening is not your strong suit," she sighed, the devil bristling from the insult.

"Not even Lord Hades can turn back the hands of destiny!" she thundered. "It would be in your best interest to surrender before you commit any more grievous sins. Otherwise, Lord Hades' wraith will not be merciful."

"Jeez," Devilman began, smirking. "This is what 'listening' gets ya."

Persephone's eyes widened. The aura surrounding the devil, which had been relatively dormant until now, had seeming awakened. She could sense the power rising, and she took a few steps back.

"'Lord Hades' this, 'order' that..." Devilman growled, taking a step forward. "Do you really think I would've come this far if I was afraid of that crap?"

"Stay back! I'm warning you-"

"ENOUGH BULLSHIT!" Devilman roared, steam emanating from his body. Wind seemed to gather around him, and the room seemed to be getting hotter. "GIVE BACK MIKI'S SOUL, NOW!"

"Please, your highness, fall back!" A reaper cried, attempting to push Persephone back. She could only watch, wide-eyed as waves of pure heat and force rushed off of the demon. "REFUSE ME, AND I'LL TAKE IT BY FORCE!" he screamed. The amount of energy he was emanating rushed off of him, and hit the wall behind him.

"What?!"

"No… the souls?!" Persephone cried. She threw her hand forward. "Reaper corps! Gorgon! Medusa! All forces! I order in the name of the Dark Empress Persephone, stop that demon and KILL HIM!"

At her order, all the creatures under her command, both god and beast rushed forward to destroy Devilman. Wings sprouted from the devil's back, and he smirked again. "Don't just stand there complaining, dumbasses!" He reared his fist back. "You should have come at me right from the start!"

As Devilman unleashed his fist into the first beast that arrived, Persephone nearly collapsed unto the floor. The roars and screams of her subjects echoed throughout the air, and for the first time in her life, she felt something. An emotion that she hadn't felt in a long time.

Fear.

Elsewhere…

A dozen airships hung in the air, neatly waiting in front of a large, floating platform. Fog poured throughout the area, and the air was frigid. Not that the current occupants of the platform cared.

Several creatures stood in wait, their features like something out of a fantasy novel. Sharp teeth, eyes that seemingly had no pupils, large cloaks and in their hands medieval style weapons. They were currently waiting for their leader to finish his meeting with their lord.

Their leader in question was currently prostrating himself in a private room. It was an old man, dressed in medieval-style armor, with a cloak billowing behind him. He bowed.

"O' Great Dark Emperor, ruler of dimensions..." he said, directing his praise to a shadowy figure standing alone on a podium. "I am Doctor Hell!"

"Once, I lost my life, and your majesty graciously restored it to me. To repay that debt," he cried, "I wish to swear my loyalty to your majesty upon my very soul!"

"Now please," he said, looking up briefly. "Give the order to commence the final battle… our force of 5,000 Warbeasts against Great Mazinger!"

To say Dr. Hell was excited was an understatement. That cursed Kouji Kabuto and his fighting robot Mazinger Z had defeated his forces. And to add to that, another man had come, piloting the Mazinger's "brother", Great Mazinger! They were a thorn in his side, and after many failures, now he would be able to get his revenge, at last!

"Impossible…

"Hmm?" Dr. Hell mumbled, glancing up. His lord had turned away from him, his figure wrapped in flame. His voice was thunderous, yet had a confused tone. "Who is he!? How could this happen!?"

"DOCTOR HELL!" the voice bellowed, jolting the former mad scientist.

He quickly bowed. "Y-yes, your majesty?"

A large scepter flew from the figure's direction and embedded itself in front of the kneeling form of the resurrected scientist. He glanced at the weapon, appreciating its intricate design, culminating in a jeweled handle surrounded by skulls.

"The Dark Emperor's scepter?"

"I must return at once." the voice boomed again. "My dimension calls forth once more."

The figure turned his head so that his eye landed on Dr. Hell. The glare that he received was so cold that he could do nothing but stay still and listen.

"From here on out, I declare you Grand Marshall Hell! Command the Warbeasts in my stead and lead them to victory." The figure turned again, but he wasn't done. "Use their power and claim Great Mazinger's head. I await your results." Flames once more engulfed the figure, and Dr. Hell could only see the familiar demonic face in the form that the Emperor preferred to use.

Dr. Hell bowed again, once more swearing his undying loyalty. With a flash of bright light, the Emperor was gone once more.

The council outside had gotten restless. It had been at least a half-hour, and yet nothing had happened.

The conversations hushed as a lone man stepped out of the cave leading to their Emperor's podium.

"Tha-that's-"

"The Dark Emperor's Scepter!"

"So he's the chosen one?!"

Dr. Hell grinned, and raised his hand in triumph. In his hand lay the very scepter that they spoke of.

"Listen well, Warbeasts!" He roared. "The Dark Emperor has blessed me with the right to command! From this day forth, I, Dr. Hell- no, Grand Marshall Hell shall lead our great offensive against Great Mazinger!"

"Now, all forces to your battle stations! We move in ten minutes!"

Hades stared at the destruction around him. Entire buildings, ancient temples, and so much more lay in ruin. But what lay in front of him was so much worse.

It was a statue of him, the art having been sculpted to near perfect visual perfection. It captured everything, from the horns on his head to his stern expression, to the armor he wore, and even his cape. But the statue as it was now was far from perfect. Entire sections had been broken off, and at the center of the statue's head, nestled right between the horns…

Was his wife, Persephone.

Blood pooled from her still form, coming down around the statue's eyes, making it seem as if the statue itself was crying. A large dark stain was present on her abdomen, and her eyes lay closed.

The lesser beings behind Hades cried their apologies, but he could not hear them. The only thing that mattered right now was his wife's still form. Someone had destroyed his temple. Someone had hurt his wife, his queen.

With one leap, Hades had recovered the body of his wife. He landed gracefully and used his hand to brush the stray hairs out of his wife's face.

"Who?" Hades said, his voice a hoarse whisper. "Who has done this to my dear Persephone?"

"It- it was a demon named Akira Fudo milord. He called himself, 'Devilman'," a hooded man spoke up from the back. "With his bare hands he slaughtered the Guardian Beasts, as well as a large number of the Underworld's gods…" The man gave a weak chuckle, as if he couldn't believe what he was saying. "He also destroyed the Wall of Souls, allowing the spirits of the dead humans to escape and once more roam the Earth." he coughed. "Even so, Lady Persephone..."

"I see. So he called himself, Devilman?" Hades said, his tone carrying a razor sharp edge that sent the lesser beings stumbling backwards in fear.

Flames covered the dark lord once more, and he roared. "Akira Fudo… no, Devilman!"

"I WILL SEE TO IT THAT YOU PAY FOR THIS CRIME!" flames began to shoot out from the being, incinerating some of the creatures who were too slow to get away. "BY STRIPPING AWAY ALL THAT YOU POSESS!"

And even if it takes all of my power, I will revive Persephone without fail!

Akira stood on a building overlooking the city. He wore a dark-green coat, with beige pants and slightly scuffed-up combat boots. Slung over his shoulder was a backpack, containing the one item he had started the journey with.

A small sliver of doubt found its way into his system, telling him he wouldn't find Miki, or worse, she would be dead by the time he found her. He shook it off, and looking once more at the city below, he made a silent declaration:

I will find Miki… without fail!

To be continued…

Hey there! Been a long time, eh? I've been busy with a lot of other things, and I've picked up a ton of other interests along the way, this story being one of them. I loved Devilman vs Hades, the spinoff/continuation that pitted Go Nagai's Devilman against the heroic mecha Great Mazinger. If you're a big fan of either franchises, you should definitely go read those. You can find them in English right now on Amazon.

As much as I loved the series, there were some issues, mostly regarding the ending, that I didn't like. I am by no means a professional writer, but I wanted to write this story with an ending I would've liked more.

This will be the project I'll be focusing on primarily. I have a ton of ideas in the pipeline; it's actually writing them that can be the problem.

With all that said, feel free to favorite, follow, and review!