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"The moonlight's illumination makes it easier to see how pathetic you are."
- Sukuna, (Jujutsu Kaisen)
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<(Atem POV)>
"...Did she just say heresy?" I muttered, still trying to process how she even knew those exact words. "You think they might've been able to look into some of my memories when I upgraded them?" I asked Zoya, who had already made her way behind me, hovering silently, as if the brutal war meant nothing to her. She seemed content just to record the entire thing and keep it in her archives for the future.
"Negative. My scans confirm your mind remains an impenetrable fortress—even to gods, demons, or celestials—unless you willingly give them some limited form of access to your memories or thoughts. The angels may have been enhanced by your power, but I can confirm that the augmentation did not grant them access to your thoughts, feelings, or memories in any way," Zoya replied in her usual composed tone.
Hela, who had been quietly eavesdropping, arched a brow at Zoya's statement before turning to me. "Darling, I don't know what fantasies you're brewing in that head of yours, but angels have always been theatrical when declaring war. Frankly, they make even Odin's blood-crazed Valkyries look tame," the goddess of death said with a dry smile and a shrug. "Whatever strange things their Queen might have said, I'd wager it was all her and her delusions."
"Hmm." I let out a low hum, nodding slightly as my eyes flicked to Mephista. She looked visibly shaken with fear and confusion etched into her face as she watched the angels butcher their way through her kin with merciless precision. "You holding up okay?" I asked with a flat voice. "Not every day you get front-row seats to your own species getting massacred in a 'holy' purge." I let out a dry chuckle.
Sure, yes, I could've softened the blow by being a little more... diplomatic with my words. But I needed to know the truth about what she thought about this entire thing—raw and unfiltered. She was meant to rule Hell under my banner now, sealed by our new blood pact, and pushing her like this was the fastest way to gauge her loyalty. Even if the blood pact's magic did bind her to me, there was no harm in applying some pressure to make sure she wasn't already plotting some loophole to stab me in the back the moment I leave this place. She was Mephisto's daughter after all.
"Most of those demons have committed more evil than you can fathom. You can simply call what's happening to them now karma. And, I don't feel the slightest sympathy for them—they're just finally getting what they deserve. Haven't you heard? No one's innocent in Hell," Mephista said after a few seconds of tense silence. Then she exhaled sharply, her fingers idly turning the blood phial at her neck. "Yeah, I'm a demon, but I'm not one of them. I didn't end up here because I sinned—I'm here because I was dealt a bad hand in life, and because my bastard father wanted a weapon for a daughter after getting obsessed with my cultist mother. So yeah... I'm holding up just fine."
"...Well, sounds like a real sob story." I shrugged, not exactly eager to hear the extended version of another tragic backstory. "Maybe we'll schedule a heart-to-heart sometime," I added, genuinely wondering if I should've been a therapist instead. Probably a goldmine career in this universe—everyone's carrying some catastrophic emotional baggage. Especially the female supers. Except, of course, for She-Hulk and Ms. Marvel. Compared to the rest of this mess, their lives look practically idyllic.
"No offense, boss, but why are you acting like a jackass?" Natasha whispered near my ear, floating behind me in the glow of her cosmi-rod's forcefield. "If you're trying to push her buttons to get some raw emotional spill, save the effort. I already sized her up. She loathes her father—and most of demonkind, for that matter. Sure, she looks more... demonic than human, but she's more her mother's daughter than anything else. Including the empathetic part as well." She paused before adding, "You treat her good and she won't give you any trouble... Maybe, she can even make you into her new daddy," Natasha finished with a straight face.
