Chapter 181: ​An Uneasy Alliance

Azriel

"Have you completely lost your mind, Azriel?" Uriel yelled, his hands igniting with golden, divine flames as he stepped in front of Tobias. "That demon prince is our enemy. He could be working directly with Draca, and you willingly invited him into our inner circle? Are you even thinking clearly?"

I let out a heavy sigh, keeping my mouth shut against Uriel’s outburst. I understood the soul-binding necessity of a fated mate, and every Sin standing in this cave understood it just as well. I was doing what I had to do to save my brother’s life.

Luceriel needed Pazuzu’s unique energy signature to anchor his fading soul, especially while his spiritual core continued to collapse.

"I did not ask you to summon that bastard," Luceriel shouted at me, his chest heaving as he pointed a trembling finger at Pazuzu. "I banished him from my sight. Do you have so little faith in our bond as brothers that you believe we need his help to stop a simple attack?"

Pazuzu spoke up before I could react, his jaw tightening as he stepped deeper into the cave. "Perhaps one of your brothers actually possesses enough sense to see that you are dying," he hissed through gritted teeth, his dark eyes locked on Luceriel. "Your soul looks moments from shattering into dust, and still you cling to that pathetic, inflated pride and try to drive me away."

"You are nothing but a wretched demon," Luceriel spat, his voice laced with bitter hatred. "Your opinion means nothing to me, Pazuzu. You are not wanted here, so turn around and—" he abruptly cut himself off, doubling over as he coughed up another dark pool of blood.

"Luceriel, you must release the time-stop now, or your spiritual core will collapse entirely," Thamiel shouted, genuine panic breaking through his voice as he stepped forward.

Sariel let out a long, exhausted sigh, pressing his palm to his forehead. "I know your ego will not let you admit it, Luceriel, but Azriel was right to summon him. Pazuzu is your fated mate whether you like it or not, and right now you look like a corpse standing on its last legs."

"You know nothing," Luceriel raged, trying to pull more power from his core, only to dissolve into another violent coughing fit that brought him down to his knees.

"Luceriel!" we all shouted at once.

I made a move toward Pazuzu, but before I could take a single step, the demon prince moved like a streak of violet lightning. In the blink of an eye, Pazuzu had materialized directly behind Luceriel, wrapping his arms securely around my brother’s waist to support his weight. He pressed his right palm flat against Luceriel’s back, and a radiant aura of deep purple magic began pouring from Pazuzu’s body directly into Luceriel’s failing spiritual veins, reinforcing his core and absorbing the backlash of the curse.

Seraphel looked from Pazuzu back to me, the anger in his eyes softening into understanding. "Is this why you summoned him?" he asked quietly.

"Yes," I answered, looking down into his brilliant blue eyes and tightening my grip on his hand. "Because only a fated mate can stabilize a collapsing core. That is what mates do for one another. And that is why I will do whatever it takes to protect you and our child." I turned my attention back to the rest of my brothers, my voice dropping into a deep, authoritative tone. "Draca has officially been unsealed. Seraphel saw him in a vision, and this attack is proof enough. We need to destroy his vanguard right here, right now."

"And for that, you are going to require our assistance as well," a serene, familiar voice sounded from the still-glowing third portal.

Two elegant figures stepped through the threshold into the emerald light, and my eyes widened in shock. They were the last beings I ever expected to see standing alongside Pazuzu.

Solmira, the Goddess of Prophecy, and Elios, the God of Fate of Elysium.

I gritted my teeth, my hands clenching into tight, white-knuckled fists as the two deities approached our group.

"What are you two doing here?" Tobias demanded, stepping forward with daggers drawn. "I thought Pazuzu had you locked in the dungeons. If you two are free, are the rest of the deities free as well?" He scanned the cave frantically. "Where is my mother?"

Raizel let out a dramatic sigh and stretched his arms again, thoroughly unimpressed. "Relax, little one. It seems it is only the two of them. As much as I loathe having deities breathing my air, we have a far more urgent catastrophe to deal with." He pointed a manicured finger up toward the ceiling. "Luceriel’s grip on time is slipping fast, and that ball of death is inching closer by the second."

Pazuzu cleared his throat from behind Luceriel, arms still tightly wrapped around my brother’s waist as he continued pouring his spiritual energy into Luceriel’s chest.

"I am well aware that none of you like me," Pazuzu grunted, his face strained from the sheer output.

"I am glad you have some basic self-awareness," Uriel retorted coldly.

Pazuzu scowled at him but pressed on. "And frankly, I could not care less whether the rest of you burn to ash. But my mate is involved in this mess, and I will tear down the heavens themselves to keep him alive. You cannot fight my father and his seven Demon Lords alone, not in your current state. So listen carefully. I have forced open a spiritual transfer channel with Luceriel. I am taking the weight of his time manipulation onto myself. I will use his power to rewind time just far enough to undo this ambush, and you had all better be ready to strike the moment time resets."

"And why on earth should we trust a single word out of your mouth?" Lumiel challenged, raising his broadsword. "I know more about grand warfare than anyone standing in this room, and you are the Demon King’s blood son. I am not about to align myself with a demon prince, nor am I siding with divine deities who tortured my brothers for centuries."

"You slaughtered my fated mate," Elios suddenly snapped, his golden eyes flashing with raw, venomous hatred as he locked his gaze onto Seraphel.

A low, predatory growl tore out of the back of my throat. I stepped directly in front of Seraphel, my Sin aura flaring wildly as I glared down at the God of Fate.

"I suggest you remove your eyes from my mate this instant," I warned, my voice dripping with lethal promises. "Whatever twisted revenge you are plotting in that miserable head of yours, keep it far away from Seraphel. You tried to murder him once, and failed miserably. If you so much as twitch a finger in his direction again, I will personally rip your divine soul from your body and make you suffer for an eternity. Do you understand me?"

Elios flinched under the weight of my killing intent, his jaw clenching tight as he dragged his eyes away.

I let out a heavy breath, slowly lowering my aura before turning to look at Luceriel. My brother hung limp in Pazuzu’s arms now, entirely reliant on the demon prince’s energy to stay conscious, but his eyes were clear. Luceriel offered me a small, subtle nod, a silent confirmation that he trusted Pazuzu’s intervention.

"I shall take command of the time regression from here, darling," Pazuzu murmured softly into Luceriel’s ear, raising one hand toward the ceiling to merge his dark energy with Luceriel’s emerald time magic. He turned to face the rest of us. "Listen closely. If this ambush was orchestrated directly by my father, their sole objective is to destroy the vessel, Seraphel. They will slaughter everyone in this realm until he is captured or dead. Follow my instructions precisely, and we can crush their vanguard without a single casualty among us."

Pazuzu quickly laid out the strategic coordinates, positioning each of the Sins and the deities to cover every blind spot surrounding the cavern the moment time was rewound.

When he finished, Sariel closed his eyes for a moment, reading the soul-frequency radiating off the demon prince. "I detect no malice or deception in his soul," Sariel declared, opening his eyes again. "He genuinely cares for Luceriel’s survival. I believe his plan is sound."

Coming from Sariel, who could read the true intent and purity of any living soul, that endorsement carried real weight.

"I agree," I said, squeezing Seraphel’s hand reassuringly. "Rewind time, Pazuzu."

The rest of my brothers nodded in agreement, taking their designated positions around the cavern.

Solmira stepped forward, her wide, radiant white wings spreading behind her back, glowing with divine, prophetic light. She walked over to stand beside her son, Anomas, offering him a brief, meaningful nod before looking up at the ceiling.

"Elios and I will lend our divine energy to assist in the temporal rewind," Solmira announced, her voice carrying the echo of something ancient and ethereal. "Let us hope our combined strength is enough to face the Demon King."