Damned if you Do (Devil!Doflamingo x Reader)

Part 4: Crossroads

"So there are 72 Lords of Hell..."

"Correct."

"Kings being the most powerful and commanding the most legions of Hell's army, barring Lucifer himself."

"Yes."

"So if this demon is a King like we suspect, only another King could compete with him in terms of power."

Rosi paused in splashing you with a hyssop branch soaked in holy water. "What are you getting at?"

"We summon another King of Hell. That book of yours tell you how to summon them right?"

He resumed his splashing—though he had informed you this part of the ritual was technically called 'asperges'. He proceeded to 'asperge' you full force in the face.

"Absolutely not. It's too dangerous."

"Why? The summoning ritual binds the demon to your bidding for as long as the spell lasts, right?"

With little else to do confined to the cottage, you had been making your way through the seemingly never-ending pile of Rosi's books. Most of them were in Latin or Hebrew or something even older, but a few had translations you were able to understand.

"Yes, but if something were to go wrong..."

"You'll be there as backup."

Rosi moved on to the next phase of the warding, 'anointing'. You hated how the holy oils smelled and wrinkled your nose at them. Rosi ignored your look of disgust and continued anyway, touching his oil-soaked thumb to your forehead, chest, and the tip of each shoulder.

"I'm flattered you think I would be an equal match for a King of Hell."

"Well then, I might as well move in with you permanently at this point since apparently I can't leave these grounds for the rest of my life."

Rosi blushed then scowled. "We'll find another solution." He picked up his thurible and began to swing it while walking a slow circle around you. The sweet incense made your eyes water and your throat itch, but you resisted the urge to cough.

"Father... I can't keep doing this." You gestured vaguely to the oils, the holy water, the crucifixes, and the candles surrounding you. "I feel so useless. I need to do something!"

He set the thurible down again, muttering the last few lines of the warding spell before turning to you.

"All right."

You blinked. You hadn't expected him to agree to it so easily.

"I can see how much the inactivity is eating at you, so... I'm willing to try."

You flung your arms around his neck. "Thank you!"

He cleared his throat and pulled away. "It will be incredibly dangerous though, [Name]. We would have to wait until these wards wear off or the summoning ritual may not work... And he might be able to find you while you're unguarded."

"I'll take that risk," you said softly.

Rosi searched your face and seemed to find the resolve he was looking for. He nodded. "Then let's prepare."

The next evening, the two of you took Rosi's beat up old sedan far out into the desert until you came upon a crossroads. The sun had set hours ago and the chill of the night seeped into your very bones. The land was empty for miles around.

When your phone clock struck midnight, you walked out into the middle of the road and knelt, a piece of chalk gripped firmly in one hand, your consecrated knife in the other. The rosary hung from your chest, a pendulum ticking away the time on your soul. You paused.