Prophecy

Chapter 68: Belial

*Belial's POV*

I was sitting in my newly repaired throne room. Each breath I took reminded me of how present my rage was. It simmered beneath the surface, like a boiling cauldron ready to slop over. Once a shattered ruin of my previous failures, the room now gleamed with dark elegance—my elegance—my rule. Bloodstained obsidian walls pulsed with the raw power of Hell itself. Each throb was a living recollection of my boundless power.

SOON, I WILL RULE ALL!

My lieutenants were kneeling before me, their twisted forms trembling under the oppressive weight of my fury. The lead hunter, a demon I had once foolishly trusted, spoke. His voice quivered as he delivered the latest report from Earth.

"The Prophecy is unfolding, my Lord," he stammered, fear seeping into every word he uttered. "The angel... she was indeed Xavia's mate, and they have bonded. Together, they've defeated the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse."

The words he spoke ignited a fire within me; it was hotter than any inferno. Countless millennia of meticulously crafted plans were unraveling before my very eyes. Threads of my destiny were slipping from my grasp.

However...

It was the hunter's following words that indeed fueled my rage.

"You can't kill them, my Lord. No one can... It's impossible, I think... I think you should just be content with Hell. We should stay here; let us do what we best: kill, survive, and thrive. We can still kidnap humans and torment souls forever... We have a good life here, sir."

A... Good... Life...?

He's dead.

My sinister laugh bellowed.

It was a sound that echoed through the throne room like the wails of the damned.

"Is that what we should do?" I asked, my voice dripping with venomous sarcasm as I repeated the final words he spoke to me.

"Yes, my Lord," the hunter replied, his cowardice staining every word.

I let the darkness consume me without hesitation, phasing into my true form—a towering beast of unimaginable horror.

I grinned as their fear filled my soul.

The mouth on my chest opened wide, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth glistening with anticipation. Before the hunter could react, I devoured him; his screams were muffled as his soul and power were swallowed by the abyss within me. The sensation was exquisite, a momentary pleasure that made me feel alive. I made a sound of contentment, savoring the taste of his fear and submission, but the satisfaction was fleeting. It was quickly replaced by the searing rage that burned in my core.

It was time to act.

It was time for me to rise.

It was time for me to kill anything that lived—especially the humans.

But first... I needed to enjoy the moment... I had promised my daughter I would torture the angel, and I have yet to do that...

And that's precisely what I will do... A father shouldn't break promises, after all.

I grinned at that thought.

My gaze shifted to my other lieutenant, who stood rigidly with terror. He had seen me severely angry before, but never like this. I basked in the fear he was producing, making me smile wickedly. I was harboring a rage born of endless failures and schemes. My plans should have brought the world to its knees, yet my future and destiny had been thwarted. It was ruined by the very beings I sought to destroy, but... not never again.