Chapter 33: Ferocious Envy

TLTS

Leviathan, Mammon, and Belphegor emerged from the pooling of the River Styx, just as it was going over the waterfall into the River of Boiling Blood, Phlegethon. They came to the wetlands that surrounded the City of Dis, some dead trees here or there. Enough to seem as though the area they were in once belonged to Earth, but was somehow transported to Hell.

Leviathan was the first to stand and growled heatedly in his throat.

"You fucking idiot! Why did I think that would work?!"

Mammon looked up after shaking his coat out and snuffed haughtily.

"It's not like you have any plans, brother."

"You have the nerve to complain?! After we get sucked into that little fucking box of yours?"

Mammon ducked his hand into the river to retrieve said box and shook it in hopes of getting the excess mud off.

Belphegor looked at him and proceeded to allow the water to seep out of his mouth while he lie on the ground, his legs still halfway in the muck.

"If you have a plan for this next level, be my fucking guest and take lead!"

"Finally! Incompetent."

Leviathan turned around and looked towards the bridge of the City of Dis. He snapped his fingers and it seemed like nothing happened. Then, a large brick and mortar structure simply appeared, like an illusion.

Mammon scoffed.

"What? Fight him in the Impaler's Tomb? That's your so called "brilliant" plan?"

"Who's leading whom now? Shut the fuck up and let me do my job! He most certainly can't be stronger than us together."

TLTS

Minnie and Mimi were sitting in the foyer, drinking tea and watching TV when the headaches came blindsiding out of nowhere.

Minnie had never once in her life dropped a cup of tea, so the shatter was startling, but not enough to deter the image of her brother.

Mimi, despite her attraction to all things painful, was willing to deal without this particular pounding in her temple.

"Brother, thou art in peril? I have never been privy to this pain before."

"…boy…trouble…must find…quick!"

"I agree."

TLTS

"Mother, we must find mine brother. I feel he is in more trouble than first imagined."

Mandy looked up from the table.

They were standing in her war room. It wasn't a room they used often and mostly Mandy kept it for future use. Minnie was surprised to see her in it, looking over a map.

"I see. Does this mean you'll be taking my apprentice as well?"

Minnie's eyes widened considerably.

"Mother…?"

"You said she wasn't ready before. She still isn't. Most of her training has consisted of at least two days-worth of my beating her and her practicing whip stances."

Minnie didn't ignore how her mother said apprentice, it was somewhat confounding to say the least, but there were more pressing matters to attend to.

"Thine apprenticeship will have to wait. Mine brother is in danger and we must get him his scythe, at the very least."

Mandy looked at her daughter and sighed.

"Alright, but you can only take her. It should be easy enough to get to where he is by opening a portal there, but you'll still have to travel through the level he's already been through. The scythe wasn't there so it won't send you to where he is now."

"I understand, Mother."

"Try not to die. It would certainly not go well with the citizens of the Underworld to know their princess died trying to save the prince."

Minnie nodded, knowing it was her mother's way of saying be careful. She ran to her room and threw open the door, scaring Mimi.

"!"

"Sorry, our mission has been set. We shall venture into Hell to save our mate."

Mimi nodded, but looked hesitant.

"Queen…training?"

"You are relieved until we come back."

Mimi seemed to accept that and stood, ready to leave. Minnie smiled and ran over to the scythe leaning on her bed.

"We must hurry, for I am sure mine brother needs this. I can feel his Nergal drained and needs time to recuperate. We shall not tarry any longer. Come!"

TLTS

Minnie and Mimi crossed over the stage of Limbo. Mihnos was suspiciously gone, but they didn't have time to pay attention to the little detail. Minnie also was hoping to avoid a confrontation between her mate and the father.

They came to the falls of the River Styx.

"Boy…stronger"

"I noticed. It would seem Jr. has increased in strength exponentially. Let us hurry through the portal."

Mimi nodded and pulled the scythe from her hammerspace. Minnie took it and sliced open the air, a portal widening from the cut.

They stepped through and nearly tripped from the mound of flabby humans. The smell was horrid and both girls gagged once they emerged.

"What evil produces such odor that offends the nose to near death?"

"Beelzebub…stench…great."

Mimi had pulled a apothecary mask and was wearing it to avoid the horror that Minnie was experiencing. Minnie looked at her mate dryly, very tempted to rip it off her so she could endure the smell with her.

"Thou must think thine self clever?"

Mimi looked at her, mask-clad, and nodded. She pulled a surgeon's mask and handed it to her mate. Minnie took it gratefully and they continued on, climbing down the writhing bodies.

The bodies formed into a large hill and the girls were soon sliding into thickets of rotting wood and sharp vines. Reaching a plateau, the girls stopped as they sensed the remnants of a lot of energy and magic.

"Brother Mine has been here."

Mimi hummed in agreement, sniffing the air as for the scent of the one who pulled her from Hell. As they continued, Minnie took notice of the gnarled branches and broken wood. They looked menacing and frozen in mid screech. She got goosebumps and vowed this to be the only time she ever ventured into Hell.

The forest began to fade away, clearing up to the River Styx, and a flat plain of crackled ground leading down to the Coliseum in the distance. Minnie saw a dip in the road.

"Our path must be upon us, mate of mine. Shall we venture forth?"

Minnie took two steps before Mimi grabbed her and pulled her away from nearing the edge. Minnie looked at her questioningly.

"Other path…danger…below."

Minnie was confused, but Mimi did nothing to give a clear answer. Instead, she pulled coins from her hammerspace. They were odd looking, gold, but mangled and scored. She walked to the edge of the river and tossed one of the coins in. Minnie was more than puzzled at her mate's actions and when the coin plopped into the water, was sure she heard grunts and howls coming from within the hole they were about to descend before, but they didn't have to wait much longer as she heard the river begin to part with a large ferry coming to a stop before the two of them. Mimi flew onto it, Minnie right behind her.

When they touched down, a hooded creature, a sort of rotting undead man cloaked in a grey hooded robe, greeted them, his yellow eyes shining from under the hood.

"Who has summoned the ferryman, Charon?"

Mimi looked at him directly.

"Do you have payment for this ride?"

She handed him her coins and walked to the front of the ferry, looking out towards the fire and darkness. Minnie looked at her, slightly catching the ferryman talk about actually receiving payment this time, probably senile mumbling.

TLTS

The ferry came to a stop just beyond a large bridge with pillars leading right up to the Coliseum, a large brick structure just outside the entrance.

"This is as far as I can take you. The wetlands are too narrow for me to guide and my path does not take me into the Phlegethon River."

Mimi nodded and leaped off. Minnie bowed.

"You services are much appreciated, kind ferryman."

"I do not care, but for the toll. Make sure you tell the boy that."

Minnie gasped, but the boat rocked and she fell off, right into Mimi's arms. The ferry began its trek back up the river and the two girls turned in the sludgy mud and murky shallow water. Mimi sniffed the air.

"Boy…near…inside tomb."

"Then we art close to brother mine. Let us embark into this crypt, mate of mine."

Minnie moved onward while Mimi sighed and followed. If she remembered, this was not going to be fun.

TLTS

The girls took flight over the bridge, flying closer to the tomb. Minnie kept her eyes on the structure, but Mimi looked around, her blank face turning to the sides in actioned puzzlement.

"Angels…gone…guards…missing."

"Angels? Mate of mine, I do not believe angels woul-!"

GASP! Minnie and Mimi landed, coming upon piles upon piles of bodies, each with torn wings and black blood splattered all on the ground. The smell of death was heavy in the air and not just that of the defeated fallen angels.

Mimi sniffed the air and could smell through the dead stench the girls' main goal.

"Brother Mine, this carnage thou hath wrought upon these beings is most great. What has happened Jr?"

The bodies continued on just before the entrance of the crypt. The girls came before it and looked at the giant door leading inside. They looked at each other and breathed in deeply before heading in.

Inside, Minnie was sure that if she did not have the powers of her Nergal with her, she would be blind as a bat. The darkness was all encompassing and literally would blind any normal being to the point of not being able to see their hand in front of their face. It became an annoyance as while they walked, it felt like something was dripping onto them.

Mimi pulled out a torch, illuminating the near abyssal tomb and both girls wished she hadn't. The walls of the crypt were covered in torched human skin, blood raining rivulets down the stitched together pieces of flesh. However, what made it worse was now that there was light, the walls began to move in horror, moaning and sobbing their lamentations, but the sound was not coming directly from the skin. It was above, on the ceiling.

Mimi lifted her torch higher and although the ceiling was far above them, being the only light source, the torch still was able to shine to the top. It was like looking into a horro movie. The skinned humans were stuck in a collage of human muscle and exposed entrails. It did not even look as individual pieces, but rather one large mass of dripping blood red. Minnie gagged, trying not to turn and wretch.

"This is most horrid. What being can conceive such malignance?"

"Baboon knows the answer!"

The girls look up and saw a strange sight. Its appearance was not that of a human, but was stuck together just the same. They flew up to him and held the torch closer.

"Ahck! Not so close! Baboon will catch fire and will burn forever!"

"Good sir, who art thou?"

"I are Baboon. I have been stuck here since last remember."

"Do thou remember who put thine self here?"

"Baboon remembers! It was large snake thing. It melted us here with hot acid from mouth!"

"What was the creature's name?"

"Baboon can't remember."

Minnie hummed and looked at Mimi.

"We will have to take much care in avoiding this snake being."

"Probably…another Prince."

Minnie nodded and the girls flew off, further into the void. Baboon looked after them.

"Baboon's butt itches."

TLTS

It grew warmer. Actually, very hot and steaming if either of the girls had to say so. The tomb began to light up with fire and the conglomerated flesh at the ceiling blackened into scorched flesh. The skin at the sides began to harden and turn brittle from the intense heat, keeping the fire from blowing inside and completely covering the two, although they still had to land as fire would erupt near the top, scorching more stitched humans.

"Surely mine horror would be ten-fold if not for the supernatural world being just as cruel and violent."

Mimi nodded, slipping her hand into Minnie's. The walked side by side, making turns as the tomb became maze-like and they had to smell for their mate's scent through the flames. However, it would seem they would not have to wonder if they were in the right direction for long.

ROOOOOOOAAAAAAARRR! The erupting bellow came from further within, their Nergalian ears making it easy for them to pinpoint where they were going.

"Boy…close!"

"Come, we must hurry!"

Making a couple more turns, they entered into a large hall. Blood splattered the floors and walls and the reason why stood impaled on many, many spikes. Humans, almost a good hundred, were stuck through by large wooden impalements, entering through their pelvis and emerging out of various places; neck, back, chest. Some even were straight down, streamlined from their buttocks to their heads.

They didn't speak and Minnie doubted they even could with the way the spikes would have impeached any sort of vocal action.

But as the girls walked, voices echoed into their heads. They didn't even emanate from any particular person, as none of the bodies spoke directly. It was as if they were telepathically being communicated with. And what they had to say made the girl's even more hesitant to walk through.

"…whores…"

"…why are you free to roam?..."

"…if I couldn't escape, what makes you think you can?..."

Minnie and Mimi were slightly shaken, but brushed it off easily. The voices couldn't do anything. But then Mimi heard it.

"…why are you with her?..."

It wasn't a voice she recognized, but the question seemed almost specifically directed at her. She just didn't know why?

"…Daughter of Mihnos…"

She shook slightly and Minnie didn't notice.

"…aren't you so lucky?..."

"…After your mother's death, you get two more lovers…"

"…wouldn't she be so proud? Her slut daughter with her many lovers…"

Mimi let go of Minnie's hand, who didn't seem to notice. Minnie continued on, able to simply ignore the voices. Mimi wondered if her mate could hear what she was hearing. Why couldn't she, she could hear everything else?

"…she didn't love you. She doesn't…"

"…he only wants you for your body. Can't you see that?..."

"…you're their toy, the way you were his special toy…"

Mimi felt her skin crawl after the last one…she didn't want to remember that…

"…he used you…"

"…What makes you think they'll want you once they know…"

"…You're unclean, admit it…"

Mimi simply stopped as the voices grew in her head, telling about the very thing she hated about her life and how she became who she was.

"…YOUR MOTHER DESERVED A BETTER DAUGHTER…"

"…TO HAVE GIVEN IN SO EASILY…"

"…NOW YOU'RE INFESTED…"

"…YOU WERE NEVER INNOCENT TO BEGIN WITH!..."

Mimi slowly slid to the ground, her newly made hands trying to cover he ears to stop the voices. Tears streamed down her face as she was made to remember everything he'd done to her. She was alone again.

Minnie could feel her heart grow cold and the voices tried to grow louder as she realized her hand was no longer attached to someone else's.

"…HE NEVER LOVED YOU!..."

Minnie honestly wanted to find out how to shut them up permanently, but that wasn't happening so she was going to have to deal, which was not hard. She had these same doubts for nearly her entire life.

What did make her worry was how she couldn't hear any steps behind her anymore. She turned to find her cinnamon-skinned mate huddled on the floor, her hands about her head and harsh breathing coming from her lips. Mimi moaned in agony.

Minnie gasped and ran back to her, the voices growing explicably louder that they were beginning to give her a migraine.

"Mimi, are you alright?!"

Minnie reached out and just as she did, Mimi looked up, her tear-stained face horrified. Mimi would have leapt back, but Minnie already had her hand upon her. It was too late and the memory flooded into Minnie's mind.

"…Your mother is gone. She was my prize and now all I have left is you. Don't you think someone should take her place?

Mimi whimpered.

"I can't use innocence! Let's get rid of it!"

The steel hit her naked flesh and she screamed…

Minnie was on the ground moments after, her face matching Mimi's. She looked into her mate's red eyes and she wanted to cry more, but what good what that do them? What good would it do their mate?

Minnie, with tears free flowing now, gathered her mate, her arms under her legs and back, and they walked out, the voices naught, but whispers.

TLTS

They exited the room and came into a longer corridor where it seemed like a dead end. However, Minnie could smell that her brother was right beyond the wall; they simply needed to get through it. Mimi let herself down and turned straight forward, choosing not to look at Minnie.

"Mate of mine."

Minnie's hands still held Mimi's, not allowing her to continue on.

"Mine heart, I know thou are freshly bleeding, but thou mustn't be afraid any longer."

Mimi turned her head marginally, wanting to acknowledge Minnie, but not finding her strength. Minnie looked at the back of her mate's head and then down at their hands.

"Thou aren't alone anymore, know this."

Mimi still didn't look at Minnie, but her hand did clench together, engulfing Minnie's fingers. She shook slightly and then looked up. She sniffled, but then brought her other hand to wipe away the tears. She breathed in and out and turned back to her mate, nodding.

"…boy…"

"We art his saviors!"

They both turned to the giant wall at the end. Without their Nergalian instincts and mating call, it was simply a dead end, brick and mortar blocking their path.

"Hmm, mayhap there is a secret passageway or hidden obstruction? Mate, what say you?"

Minnie touched all over the wall, pushing at any of the odd shaped bricks in hopes that it would push in and open a path, that is, until she realized she never got an answer from Mimi.

"Mimi?"

She turned around and saw Mimi holding excessively large cannon, green energy charging inside. She gasped and ducked out of the way, just as Mimi fired a ball of emerald flame right through the wall. All of a sudden, the sounds of battle filled the room and the first vision both girls caught was the golden flapping of wings and a black figure hanging onto it, right before the creature flew away and the room opened up to them.

"Let us enter the fray!"

TLTS

"It's getting close to that time, Grim."

Mandy Black turned to her husband, her scowl ever present. They stood within his studies, various scrolls littering his table and books towering over it all, assuredly soon to fall. Grim held his gaze with his wife while he held a random text.

"Doncha dink I know dat? Dat boy…that silly boy."

"He needs to learn. Everything has a consequence."

"But he's only 12! He hasn't even bin through puberty."

"That didn't stop him from being his sister's mate, now did it?"

"Him and dat girl are going ta be da death of us. Bringing demonic superhero spawns into our house. Didja know dat girl dey brought back wid dem also is affiliated with Aku? His daughter and her, dey was something of dating, I suppose. With how she is, she'll come looking fer her."

"Let her. Doesn't really concern us, but rather the boy himself."

"Doesn't concern us? Wid how you bin starting ta teach her your ways? I dink it'll concern you much more den you let on."

Mandy scoffed and shrugged slightly.

"Don't think I actually care for the little bitch."

"Aww, still salty how she actually was able ta catch your pretty widdle face? HARHARHARHARHARHARHARHARH!"

Grims head was knocked off seconds later, still cackling. Mandy scowled harder, sorely wishing she could stomp his head in.

TLTS

When the girls passed through the hole in the wall, they realized just how far into the battle they had come.

The arena was enormous, about the size of a football stadium and just as high. Lava poured out the sides of the cobblestone bricks into a moat and at the top were souls stabbed through with spikes, just as the ones in the accursed room before the hallway entrance, although these ones actually screamed and yelled in pain.

They looked to their opponents and sorely felt like ants to the giants they were facing. At the other side of the entrance sat a coiled up, Medusa-like creature, emerald green covering his scaly flesh. His arms were covered in armor horns, triangularly covering it from the wrist to his elbow and increasing in size with each piece. His hands were three fingered talons, serrated and vicious with blood splattering them. At the waist, where legs were supposed to be, the tail of a snake coiled in on itself, wrapping up to hold the being upright. From the torso up, he had the body of a man, until it reached his head, where the emerald complexion reached into his even darker jade hair. Sprouting out of the sides were horns curling up towards the crest of his head. His olive eyes were all encompassing, like that of a dog's and out of his mouth slithered a sharp, forked tongue.

In the middle, looking up, was a sort of homunculus humanoid. He was like a giant rectangular being with flesh looking cold and blue, as if he had been fished out of water. The majority of his body was a great maw of a mouth, seemingly unable to actually close itself, with menacingly grinded teeth and a large human tongue hanging out. His cerulean eyes were squared, slightly covered in matted and unkempt hair that fell off its back. His arms were in deep contrast to his legs, being little stubby grabbers compared to strong, highly muscled legs beneath the mouth. He was staring at the flying creature above them, but momentarily looked at them, and then turned back to the Medusa creature behind him.

The last creature was most certainly, at least in Minnie's mind, a drake of some sort. His wings, the wings they had caught sight of when Mimi blew a hole in the wall, were long triangular slices of amber skin and gold framing bones, stretching from the bottom of the neck to the base of its tail. Its tail was a long wiggling cut of flesh, a sort of scythe whipping from the end. The torso was larger than the tail, but pretty much streamlined to the neck, only maybe a bit thicker than the start of the neck. Just as it reached the neck, it rounded smaller, the long flesh connecting the head from the rest of the body segmented until it reached the sharp head, with four horns sticking out the back, two large ones above two smaller ones. Its orifice was filled with dagger teeth, currently snapping at the black figure hanging onto the back of its neck with hopes of catching it between and crushing it inside.

That black figure was most definitely her brother.

"JR!"

Jr. did not acknowledge her, simply too busy trying not to get eaten. Just as another snap came at him, he flipped over it and flew downwards with his hands outstretched. He got to the abdomen of the drake and his claws caught the fleshy underbelly of the beast, slicing into yellow segments. The drake screeched in pain and flew up towards the spikes, trying to catch Jr. off him before flying back down and snapping his body downwards, throwing Jr. off him.

Jr. spun in the air before righting himself. Just below him, the homunculus sat with its always stretched open mouth, hoping to catch him right into his mouth. Just as he neared it, he could see why the mouth didn't need to close; within the jaws of the mammoth humanoid were crab-like pincers for stabbing and crushing. It mattered not; Jr. did not avoid it, instead bulleting straight towards him. He shot with so much speed, once he made contact with the humanoid; he blasted straight through him, creating a Jr-sized hole in the middle of his large esophagus.

Jr. landed on his hands behind the monster and wind milled in a circle, his feet turning into scimitars and cutting into the flesh of the legs of the homunculus. What he didn't expect to happen was to get stuck. Now, he hung upside down from the flesh.

The homunculus noticed and lifted his leg forward, the weight of gravity pulling Jr. loose. However, he was not fast enough to recover as the leg came back down, kicking him into the air.

He flew once more, right into the vicinity of the medusa. He looked down and saw where he was headed, just as the snake creature opened up its coil, ready to size the life out of Little Boy Death. Jr. curled into a ball and simply waited.

Minnie gasped as she saw her brother-mate fall into its grasp.

"No!"

The homunculus turned to them and the girls saw that the wound in his mouth had healed up. The drake flapped in the air and turned to them. They now faced the girls hungrily.

All of a sudden, the medusa screeched in pain as several spikes emerged from within his body. Blood spurted out from the holes as he tried to uncoil himself. The spikes got larger as he crawled away. In an instance, his torso simply separated from the destroy snake segments of his flesh.

"GET OFF ME!"

Jr. flipped out of the pile of bleeding pieces, covered in slimy blood. He panted, trying to get his breath back. Minnie wanted to run over to him to see if he as alright, but knew they had more pressing matters to attend to. The medusa started to sprout another tail just as he finally got far away enough from Jr.

"Leviathan, you idiotic whelp! Try to keep from getting killed why don't you?"

A gruff voice emerged from the drake towards the serpent. The creature named Leviathan finally grew his tail back and hissed at the drake.

"Shut it Mammon! I don't see you doing any work! At least Belphegor actually hit him."

Belphegor licked his humongous lips, ignoring either of his brothers in favor of getting ready to charge the girls. His focused had been switched since catching his eyes on them.

Mimi and Minnie readied themselves as he began to run towards them. Mimi pulled out her whip and Minnie conjured a large bow and quiver of arrows. Just as he got close, they split with Minnie firing five arrows straight into his flesh and Mimi cutting off his left arm stub with a well-placed crack of her whip.

Jr. growled low in his throat and clenched his hands.

"Leave them alone!"

He leaped into the air, his speed near unidentifiable. He spun around and produced a hammer the size of a wrecking ball, Nergalian steel black and green as from the Father himself, twirling until it hit the back of Belphegor.

The humanoid went flying into the wall from which the girls emerged. He went halfway through, his legs sticking out the hole. Mammon roared in anger.

"This boy is becoming a nuisance! Leviathan!"

Leviathan slithered quickly towards the Royals. Jr. constructed guns from his hands, crackling with green energy. The girls split away again, but Jr. sat right in front of the reptile man, firing potent balls of green fire and wounding Leviathan with each shot. He hissed harshly, reaching out to swipe Jr. The boy leapt over him once, twice, before he ran up his arm and flipped of his shoulder, getting a direct shot into the green beast's face. He shrieked, his hands coming up to cover his flame covered face.

Jr. slid down the tail and rolled through the plume of fire erupting from the Mammon's mouth as the drake breathed an inferno on him.

Belphegor finally was able to pull himself from the hole in the wall and turned to the closest girl towards him. Minnie was only half paying attention when he stepped close to her, mouth sagging and breathing slowly. She turned slowly as he looked down at her.

Minnie looked up at him and smiled. She smiled at him beamingly then crinkled it until the most sinister look that could ever appear on a young girl's face formed.

"I do not believe I have formally introduced myself my good creature. My name is MiniMandy Black! Pleasure to meet you!"

Her voice shrieked with glee as her eyes turned feline and green energy poured from her skin. She leapt at him, claws stretched out as she tore into his saggy flesh, his body coming to a crash on the crumbling mortar.

Leviathan finally healed his face enough to see his next target. Mimi sat silently by, not making any movements as her blank face surveyed the battlefield, watching him finally stand up. He grinned and then snarled up close to her.

"Do you think you can beat me little girl?!"

He reared back, his great height and size dwarfing her.

"I am a Prince of Hell!"

He lunged at her. She simply sat as he got closer and closer, until she held her hand up.

It was like a rhino hitting a brick wall. The slam was audible in the entire vicinity of where Leviathan hit a giant Mayan face golem, completely getting stopped in his tracks. Mimi blew it up, fire covering the remains, and simply threw him with her mind.

He hit the wall, sliding down into a pile of human torso and snake tail. He looked up as Mimi walked towards him, brandishing her whip as the fire burned behind her. The darkness made her blank stare simply terrifying.

Jr. looked up as the drake Prince kept trying to bite at him, dagger teeth getting within inch of his head as he slid and sidestepped from the gold chasm trying to trap him within.

He rolled backward, a rocket launcher emerging from his back and firing straight into the maw of the beast.

"AAAARRRGHGH! Boy, you are trying my patience! Can't you see that every time you fight, we will simply heal and continue on! You are only half our sizes, what can you do!?"

Jr. pulled the launcher back into his body and smiled.

"Looks can certainly be deceiving!"

He crouched, his hands flexing and clenching, before he rose up, a swirl of black and green energy exploding from his body. He jumped forward, landing on all four extremities, snapping his head. He growled and snarled as the energy swirled faster and faster around him.

Mammon hissed and sped straight to him, blowing a massive amount of fire at Jr. The plume turned into a hurricane of swirling blaze, reaching all the way to the top, burning the human souls at the ceiling.

It was too late. A miasmic dire wolf emerged from the ignition. Black smoke rose off him as if the flames had ashed him, but it moved with him, swirling and rising calmly. He howled, echoing the sound through the entire dungeon.

Mammon snarled at the ancient beast, but making no sudden moves to him. Jr. moved first, pouncing onto his gold belly and tearing off a chunk of flesh and pulling it from the drake, hitting the ground with the piece hanging in his mouth.

Mammon thundered in pain, blood actually pouring from the wound this time. He shrilled at Jr, rage filling his body as the pain did. Jr. looked right into his eyes and crushed the piece of flesh between his teeth, the piece flashing away in a puff of smoke with only blood left in its wake.

Mammon looked about to charge, but then reassessed the situation at his stomach. He realized the wound was not healing, simply bleeding out more and more.

"You bastard! What have you done?!"

If dogs could smile, Jr. was grinning. He plunged forth again, but Mammon simply flew higher, keeping away from the danger below.

"BROTHERS!"

Mammon called out to the other beasts being trampled by the Royals, Belphegor now having trouble moving as Minnie tore away at him too quickly to be able to heal fast enough while Mimi tossed Leviathan every which way she so felt inclined, her whip dancing off his scaly body with blood pouring down in rivulets as he healed and got wounded again and again.

"COME TO ME!"

Belphegor scarcely was able to escape Minnie's claws as she swiped at him again and again. On the other hand, Mimi just watched as Leviathan simply slithered away, procuring a nail file from her hammerspace.

It was gruesome to watch. Leviathan tore into Belphegor from behind, slithering straight through his body as Belphegor simply stood, allowing for his own disembowelment. Mammon flew right above where Leviathan emerged; his spiny tail stabbing threw the emerald scales and cutting open where Leviathan's heart would be. Mammon then blew a cocoon of fire around the entirety of their mutilation.

"What does it seem that they are doing?"

The Royal children all came together, Jr. still snarling at the giant flames.

The heat burst away and from within came a behemoth of a dragon. His scales glowed gold, shining even in the darkness of the dungeon, contrasted with black sludge dripping from crevices and the folds of his reptilian underbelly. His extremities were rippling muscle, bulging out with every movement and covered in a sort of hard diamond at the shoulders and thighs. His wings were upside down, just as gold and the thin membrane flesh connecting the hollow bones a sort of shining obsidian. The horns atop his head were longer, more curled and vicious enough to gore a skyscraper. His talons were bus long, hooked daggers, scraping across the brick floor. It was the eyes that made them all hesitant, the obsidian sludge that dripped off his body spilling out of the lids generously, all the way down to his snorting maw. He dwarfed them, the size of an eighteen wheeler truck from head to tail and as tall as a mansion.

"GAZE UPON MY TRUE FORM! LET THIS BE YOUR END!"

"This shalt be most worrisome."

TLTS

Jr. charged forth, leaping over the swiping claw that came across his way. He sprung into the air, his mouth gaping to catch the soft flesh of the dragon's stomach. Instead, he smacked into the long, spiny tail of the beast, flying way backwards.

The girls took off. Mimi brandished her whip and began slicing at the dragon, to no avail, each hit simply glancing off from the steel-like armor. Minnie was on the other side, arrows flying into the side of the giant, but completely useless in her endeavors.

The beast hissed and as Mimi's whip came back around, it was caught in the large talon claw before she was ripped from the ground and hurled into the wall, getting encased into the brick from the sheer strength of the impact. She would have been pulled again if Jr. had not dived for the hand, digging his jaw in deep. The dragon thundered and slammed his hand down on the ground. Jr. lay there as he raised his massive arm again, ready to crush the dire wolf boy.

THWACK! The ancient reptile bellowed in horror, a giant arrow sticking out of his shoulder, a black, pus substance spilling down the wound. Minnie stood next to a Roman ballista, trying to reattach another arrow before the dragon had time to recover. She cut her loss as the mace tail came down and mashed the wooden structure. Minnie was very proficient in her acrobatics, the tail missing her by a hair's breadth each time it took a swing at her. She hopped onto the wall beside her mate, giving her some help to pull her body out of the wall.

The dragon was preoccupied very quickly as Jr. came running up from behind, clawing and biting at the heels of the fiend. The monstrosity reared back, flames spitting from his mouth, aiming straight down at Jr. Instead, he was taken off his back legs, Mimi and Minnie blindsiding him. He rumbled as he went down, dust springing up around the area.

The two girls looked at each other smugly, nodding their small victory. They didn't notice the mace tail falling directly on them, not having the chance to get away. Jr., on the other hand, did. Minnie looked up just as the tail was mere feet away from them.

"Oh dear, mine concentration is a bit off. I must correct such a blunder in the future."

Just as the tail came upon them, Jr. rushed forth, the tail coming squarely on him. It stopped right in front of him, as if blocked by an invisible force. It was then that Jr. began to shift again, the black smoke rising off him covering him completely, dissipating a bit once his form was revealed.

Jr. was larger, twice the size of a grizzly bear. Shards of black glass rose out of his fur, covering his back and front legs like armor. A steel face plate sat on his face.

The dragon emerged from the dust, staring the Royal children down. His serrated maw spewed flames from within its mouth. Jr. growled lowly in his throat, his hackles raised. The dragon was the first to charge, Jr. right after.

The got closer and closer until Jr. bounded into the air, head-butting the dragon straight on, the energy and force from the two powers colliding and cracking the brick in the stadium.

They both bounded back, Jr. landing on his feet and immediately advancing on the stunned monstrosity before him. Claws came down on him, but he simply batted them away, his strength tenfold compared to the first form. He tossed himself into the dragon's side, tackling him again and again, the giant staggering and stumbling as he was pushed to the ground repeatedly.

Flames sprung up again and this time, there was no interruption to stop the inferno that erupted from his mouth. Jr. sprinted quickly out of the way, but the fire was on his heels.

The dragon continued to torch the arena, but screeched when Mimi's whip came around his neck, barring him from continuing his assault. She pulled him like reins on a bull, the great behemoth rearing up to try to shake her off.

She spun around him, swing down from his neck. Minnie snatched the rope and they pulled hard, slamming the captured dragon's head into the brick concrete.

"Our bout is taking much longer than formally thought."

Mimi nodded and she looked at Minnie. She grabbed both sides of the whip and the linked steel chain sharpened. She pulled hard and the reverberation of the dragon bounced off the walls, shaking the entire tomb.

Black sludge spilled out of its neck as the whip cut deeper and deeper. It tried to pull away, break free from the trap, but unable to break away from the supernatural weapon. Its neck gushed forth and a growling moan came from the mouth of the monster.

SSSSLLSSSHHHHK! The head sliced off with a nasty gush and gurgle from the dragon's jaws. The head landed right in front of the girls, its breath breezing by them.

"I do believe the fiend has lost his head."

Minnie giggled and Mimi smiled slightly. Jr. came pawing up to them, but his countenance was anything, but humorous, his dire wolf form still covering him.

"Why are you here?!"

"Brother?"

"You shouldn't have left the castle; you shouldn't have come down into Hell! It's dangerous; you and Mimi could have gotten hurt!"

"I apologize, but doth thou remember being dragged down into Hell without your weapon!?"

"I didn't need my scythe to protect myself! What I need is for you to stay out of this!"

"How dare thee!? I did not come so that thou could have at me! I came so that I could make sure my brother, my lover and mate was safe! Doth thou pretend to be so powerful and undefeatable?!"

"I DON'T NEED YOU GETTING HURT! I DIDN'T CHANGE TIME JUST SO YOU COULD DIE AGAIN GODDAMNIT!"

Silence. Mimi would have conjured soda and popcorn if she were not feeling the same anger coming from her mates. She sighed a long sigh before turning to the Prince.

"Mate…worry…for…boy."

Jr's head nearly broke looking at Mimi. He blinked a couple of times, trying to wonder if what he had heard was real. Minnie looked at bother her mates, surprise now covering her face, although her anger had not yet subsided.

"Mimi…you can-

"I…have…always spoken…but…need trust…first. Mate…fear…you...safe."

Jr. looked at her quizzically and then at Minnie. He snorted and looked down.

"I don't want either one of you getting hurt. You didn't need to come here."

"It is not my choice. I am bound to thee; my heart belongs to this stubborn Prince of mine. Thou art most precious to me."

Jr. padded up to her, nuzzling his canine face into hers. Minnie held him, his body completely dwarfing hers.

"Back at the castle, I know you're safe, but with me-

"You worry is most appreciated, but mine brother, I am the Nergal princess, I can most definitely protect mine self. Mimi is also far from helpless as you so make us out to be."

"It's just; I've seen things and fought against them. You shouldn't have to deal with what I'm dealing with."

"Jr., the innocence I portray is far from truth, or did you forget that day I was your predator?"

He snorted at her, but she could feel his embarrassment and humor. She petted him a couple of times and then had a wonder.

"Why art thou still transformed? The beast lays dead."

"I don't know. My Nergal hasn't spoken to me since I woke up, but he's keeping me in this form. I don't think he's actually…dead."

Jr. spun around immediately, his fangs bared and claws unsheathed. The dragon was rising. Its neck bubbled and gurgled as it rose back up to its astounding height.

"It cannot be!"

"At this point, nothing surprises me anymore."

The neck split open and seven more gold heads emerged, snarling and snapping at the air. The Royal children just stared as the behemoth rose up and stomped the ground, all of its massive mouths chomping and grinning at them.

"WHAT? DID YOU THINK IT OVER? I WILL DEVOUR ALL THREE OF YOU, ONE BY ONE, SO THAT YOU MAY HAVE TIME TO MOURN THE LOSS!"

Jr. barked and howled in anger. Minnie and Mimi stood back as they felt their mate's power rise higher and stronger. However:

"Boy…so strong…but getting weaker…"

"Thou hath felt it too? Each form, he's expelling so much. I can only hope that this shalt be his final bout."

Smoke swirled once again around the Prince as he padded forward, facing the grinning reptilian monster.

"I want you to understand something. I am no little boy. I have defeated every Prince of Hell that has come across my path. My Nergal clamors for your blood and I give it to him willingly and wholeheartedly. You will be my next victory! CHOKE ON THAT!"

The smoke burst out, growing larger and larger until its height stood level to the dragon. The swirl grew faster, turning into a hurricane, completely covering the area, until it exploded, revealing the dire wolf Prince, impossibly stout and mammoth as the adversary he stood against.

"Brother Mine…"

TLTS

Jr. stood tall, muscles bulging beneath the fur that covered him, his claws stretched long from his padded foot, his tail making turbulence with each swish, his eyes as smoking green, the Nergal in him pounding out his power, the feel of it permeating the air.

He and the mutli-headed dragon stood face to face, each not even twitching.

"MINNIE!"

The Princess flinched, her brother's booming voice exiting the great canine mouth.

"TAKE MIMI THROUGH THE DOOR AT THE FAR LEFT, IT'S THE EXIT! I'LL MEET UP WITH YOU ONCE I'M DONE HERE!"

The dragon thundered at that, charging straight into Jr. The girls sprinted out of the way, Jr. holding the reptile back so the girls could escape.

"Mimi, I do believe that is our cue."

They ran towards the door, just as the dragon pushed Jr. right into the wall. Jr. snapped his jaws at the dragon, biting into a neck as a mouth bit into his shoulder. They struggled, but the dragon simply was trying to stun Jr. long enough to dash towards the girls making their way to the exit.

"I WILL NOT JUST LET YOU LEAVE! THAT GIRL IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN YOU REALIZE! LEVIATHAN!"

His cry sprouted the medusa Prince before, large wings now sporting from his back. He flew into the air before aiming right for the door the girls just entered. He crashed into the brick before tearing his way into the hall, his large size now having to slither through it.

Jr's eyes caught it and began to bite harder, tearing away more flesh. One of the Princes going after them was not in the least good. Hopefully they could hold their own. Until then:

"PAY ATTENTION! YOU'RE FIGHTING ME STILL!"

Jr. pushed the dragon away and faced him down.

TLTS

Minnie and Mimi ran down the hall, turning every which way as the tomb turned into a maze. They could hear hissing behind them, getting louder and louder with every step.

"COME BACK HERE!"

TLTS

Jr. and the dragon battled back and forth, but the main goal was keep away. Jr. continued to fight back, but only enough to get the dragon off guard. It would seem each time he tore off a head, it would simply grow back, so killing it, at the moment at least, was out of the question.

"I WILL GET OUT OF HERE, EVEN IF I HAVE TO GO THROUGH YOU!"

"I WOULD LOVE TO SEE YOU TRY!"

Jr. stalked around the dragon, coming to face the door with the dragon standing right in front of it. Jr. scuffed the floor twice before charging straight ahead, the dragon going right after.

It would have been head-on, except Jr. got low, aiming straight for the legs of the beast. He bucked up at the last minute, throwing all of his weight into tossing the dragon right into the wall.

The broken door exploded when the dragon came through, brick and concrete falling on top of him. Jr. trotted up to the rubble, but could hear hissing getting fainter as he stayed.

He sprinted forward, fearing for his mate's safety. Just as he turned a corner, he could hear the rubble shift and rumble.

TLTS

Minnie shot arrows as Leviathan finally caught up to them, the giant medusa covering his face as she aimed for his head.

"Thou art most persistent!"

The girls ran faster, trying to keep away from his clutch as he snaked his way right behind them.

Mimi conjured a cannon, the string sizzling as it burned down to the hold. Minnie stomped her foot on the edge of it yelling.

"FIRE!"

Leviathan was blown back as a large cannonball came flying at him.

"Keep…moving!"

TLTS

Jr. was bulldozing his way through the hall, breaking through walls, following the scent of his mates and the Prince of Envy.

"AAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGSSSSSSHHHHH!"

He wasn't ready for the tackle coming from behind him, the dragon having caught up quicker than he expected.

"FUCKING DIE ALREADY!"

TLTS

"YOU GODDAMNED LITTLE WHORES!"

"Thine mouth could use a thorough washing!"

Leviathan towered over Minnie, hissing and spitting towards her, acid eating at the ground around her. She had an unamused face on, mirroring her mother.

Leviathan crouched down to lunge at her, but Mimi was not having any of it. She leapt up behind him, a large mop in her hand. It was comical as she stuffed Leviathan's mouth with it, swishing it back and forth before flipping in front of him and using her strength to toss him into the wall behind Minnie.

CRASH! Jr. came thundering from behind them, the dragon head-butting his stomach as Jr. clawed and snarled at him.

They broke out of the tomb, landing near the entrance of the Coliseum.

Jr. tried to stand, but the use of his power had finally caught up to him. The smoke surrounding his dire wolf form dissipated and with a puff of smoke, the entirety of his form collapsed into a heap of smoldering black Nergalian sludge and endoskeleton with Jr. lying right in the middle.

"THE BOY HAS WEAKENED! GRAB HER!"

The dragon turned around and heaved a heavy plume of fire, the flames blazing right through Minnie and Mimi, separating them.

Leviathan took that chance and quickly slithered up behind Minnie. She turned, much too late as her body was snatched up by Leviathan's large talons.

"WRETCH! Get thine sullied hands off me!"

Leviathan sneered at her, grinning with his acid spittle dripping from his jaws.

"EVEN IF WE DON'T KILL THE BOY, WE WILL CERTAINLY COMPLETE THE PROPHESY!"

He slammed his hand down, disorienting her, and quickly snaked his way towards the entrance, Minnie in tow. Mimi saw this and ignored everything else.

"MATE!"

She was not fast enough as the dragon caught her, dragging her back with his talons. She pulled her whip and began to stab his hand, trying to get away.

"ARRUGH! FORGET IT, SHE WILL REACH MY BROTHER LONG BEFORE YOU GET OUT OF MY CLUTCH, LITTLE GIRL!"

Mimi glowered and could feel her energy pulsating. She brought her whip back and swung forward, hitting as hard as her strength would allow into the dragon's chest.

He screeched, dropping her. She dropped onto her back and flipped up, looking at her adversary. He was clutching his chest, gold light spilling from the middle. The skin had peeled back, revealing more hardened armor, covering something. Her eyes sharpened as she noticed the dragon's immediate protection of the spot.

He looked back at her and stepped back.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!"

He lunged at her, but was much too big, too clumsy to catch her. She flipped right onto his underbelly, digging Nergalian claws into the soft flesh. She hopped right onto the armor and pulled her STFU iron from her hammerspace, banging away at the cover. The dragon shrieked, clawing at her small form.

"NOOOOOO, GET OFF OF ME!"

Jr. finally sat up in the sludge, his body very sore and his powers taking their time to regenerate. He turned on all fours, trying not to heave before struggling to stand up. He looked up to see Leviathan some ways away, nearing the entrance of the City of Dis.

"Oh, no you don't!"

He sprouted his wings, feeling more strength in them than in his knees at the moment. He flew up and forward, circling over his newfound prey. He then spotted what he did not wish to see, struggling and thrashing in Leviathan's hand.

"MINNIE!"

He divebombed Leviathan, smacking straight into the Prince's back. Leviathan bellowed at him, swinging his tail to throw Jr. off his back.

Jr. conjured serrated daggers and dug into Leviathan's back, making the giant medusa shudder in pain, but his hardened grip of Minnie did not budge.

Mimi was snapping her whip back and forth onto the dragon's armored heart, tearing away more and more. He blew fire at her in a desperate attempt to get away from her. He had no wings; they disappeared when Leviathan was expelled from his body. Mimi did not budge, instead attaching her whip to one of his horns. She pulled hard, slamming his head into the ground and swinging herself up to his head, creating reins. The dragon bucked, trying to free himself from the monster he created. Mimi pulled in the reins harder, trying to urge him forward.

Jr. was tearing away at Leviathan, skinning and slicing into the fiend's body. However, Leviathan would not let up his grip, still crawling to the entryway of the Coliseum.

"WHY WON'T YOU DIE ALREADY?! LET GO OF MINNIE!"

Leviathan elbowed him, knocking the Underworld Prince from his back.

"No you don't!"

Jr. pulled a giant hook out and dug the steel deep into the back of the beast. He pulled, but it was a stalemate as Leviathan would not stop, slowly dragging Jr's form behind him.

The dragon was right behind them, still battering against the towers of the bridge in hopes of banging Mimi off, to no avail. It was in the instance when he approached Jr. and Leviathan with Minnie that Mimi leapt up and smashed down into his head, bringing him to the ground. She wrapped her whip around his horns before hopping off.

The dragon lifted his head, but only somewhat as Mimi held him down.

"LET GO OF ME!"

She wrestled with him, digging her heels into the brick and mortar.

"MATE!"

Jr. turned around as he heard Mimi call for him. He looked back to see Minnie staring ahead before she looked down at him.

"Thou must go to her! Defeat the beast and then free me from this whelp!"

Jr. looked at her then back at Mimi and looked down. He sighed, the pain clear in his voice.

"Damnit Minnie."

He let go, the hook disappearing and Leviathan peeling away, and sprinted to Mimi.

"ARRRGGGH! I WILL KILL YOU BOTH AND LEAVE NOTHING BEHIND! WE ARE THE PRINCES OF HELL, NOTHING CAN STOP US!"

Jr. came from behind Mimi and grabbed the other side of the whip, clutching the blade in his hand as it bled him. Mimi pulled his scythe from her hammerspace and handed it to him. He clutched it from the side, a handle sprouting into his hand.

"I'm so sick and tired of this. GET OVER HERE!"

They both yanked hard, bringing the dragon over them. Just as he passed over, they plunged the scythe and whip into his gold heart, releasing a lava flow, and then continued to the rest of his body as he was thrown over them, spilling gold, lava, and black blood from the dragon's giant underbelly.

"Fucking bastard! Mimi, are you alright?"

She nodded at him and it was at that moment she took notice of his black blood covered form. Jr. cocked his head.

"Are you…blushing?"

She pushed him out of the way and grabbed the dragon's tail and pulled him off the bridge, throwing his carcass into the waterfall falling into the Boiling Blood River.

"C,mon…girl no safe."

They ran straight through the entrance of the City of Dis

TLTS

"Hmmm, I can feel it. It would seem Belphegor and Mammon are dead, but…Leviathan seems to be making his way down."

Lucifer stood with Death's scythe in his hand. He smirked.

"Soon, so very soon!"

He chuckled as he stared into the eyes of the Three Headed Beast.