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The Fallen

Both Ammon and Belial managed to reach the hole Gehen and Alhen made. The two ash hounds, using the last of their magic, teleported out of the hole into the battlefield, but was left exhausted due to the digging effort and to maintain the ashes around the digging area. The two saw what the ash hounds had found, but they had their doubts. It looked far too general to be a black road, and they had no time to dig more to confirm it.

Only Belial, a Fifth Circle demon himself, knew that the black road held a powerful demonic energy that could be useful in subduing Barbatos. He confirmed that Asmodel was telling the truth and turned his head towards Ammon.

"Put your hand on the road, and follow my words," said Belial. "This is crucial. If Asmodel was right, one mistake and you'll be killed."

"I'm ready," said Ammon with a resolve.

"Right. Now. I hope your fight with Barbatos earlier gave you a bit of his power's taste. I want you to concentrate and flow that power into the road."

Ammon did so. He had known the power of darkness could be overwhelming, but it was clearly something that he needed to fight against Barbatos.

"Now, you need to say the Asmodian incantation. I will tell you the words, but you must follow it carefully."

"What's the words? Say it to me slowly."

"I have been chosen by Asmodel to release the seal," said Belial (this was in Asmodian, but I translated it, so it made sense). "I am the next prince of darkness, and Barbatos is on the brink of defeat. I have his powers, and I will use it to chain him, as it is his destiny to fall."

For Belial, this was the first time he had heard Asmodel being so direct. The incantation was clearly a code, which was Asmodel's will to activate the black road. Still, that code required a rebel, one that would fight against Barbatos, and one who was the successor of the throne. The demon then concluded that his brother, the manipulative, sadistic, winged feline demon he hated, was actually_gambling_, for he did not know the end of his plan, and only hoped that someone or something would finish it for him. The only flaw of his plan was that it always required someone else, and without someone else, it would not work. Even if someone knew this, however, Asmodel always found a way to work around this by manipulating their motivation and even giving subtle suggestions.

Even if Belial hated his brother for manipulating him and mocking his knowledge, he could feel nothing but amusement. His brother had clearly played the long game, and in the end, he won against Barbatos. While in the end, it all came down to Ammon or any other Vessels for that matter, Asmodel had played his ace.

Belial silently smiled as the black road started emanating a dark aura, prompting Belial to move away. He wanted to help Ammon get away, but the demon bat shook his head, apparently understanding what he must do. Belial respected this, andjumped out of the hole, away from the area, just as the ashes near and around them started to move apart, forming a crevasse as if the earth was split by Itresil. Parts of it were damaged, but it was enough.

The darkness formed from the black road was large and apparently engulfed the whole area of the ashen lands as it came from different directions. They connected with Barbatos's darkness, and this was the moment when Barbatos realized what's wrong. He turned towards a smirking Asmodel.

"You snake-tongued bastard!" shouted Barbatos as he dashed towards Asmodel. He quickly grabbed Asmodel and raised him up while his darkness, while harder to control, opened their dark maws.

"I'll make sure you suffer for eternity, Asmodel! If I am going to be sealed here, you will be within me for..."

"You see, brother," said Asmodel with a smug smile that angered Barbatos even more. "You may be a good manipulator, but you forgot one more thing. You're not paranoid enough."

Just before Asmodel was eaten by one of the creatures, Barbatos finally lost control of all of his darkness. The anger in Barbatos's demon bat face quickly turned to worry as he felt his darkness leaving his body. He tried to control the creatures for a final attack, but they were all stopped by the chains that held them in place as Barbatos fell to his knees.

"What...what is this? What did you do?"

"The Black Road Seal, otherwise known as the Mark of the Fallen."

Barbatos realized what Asmodel meant, and his expression quickly turned into fear.

"Mark of the Fallen?! How did you even...?"

Asmodel put a finger on Barbatos's maw and looked directly into his eyes. Barbatos then saw all the sins in Asmodel's eyes, and in fear, said, "Impossible. How did you even get out of your Mark?!"

"A secret for another day," said Asmodel with a smile.

The darkness that once covered the area dissipated, and Barbatos fell on the ashen ground. His white skin was slowly covered with marks that resembled chains, which wrapped around his body as if chaining him to the ground. He was too weak to even move any part of his body as everyone gathered around him.

"(We did it)," said Damos. "(We beat Barbatos)."

"(And right on time, too)," said Malkar. He pointed towards the army they were fighting and said, "(Look)."

The army of demons, after realizing that their leader was defeated, stopped in their place before they silently returned to the Gates. It seemed that, after Barbatos's defeat, they did not have the motivation to fight, either. Even if they could win if they continued the fight, it was clear that this was Barbatos's idea and his idea alone, while the others only followed him because of a promise he made to them.

While there were some fanatics who clearly did not know how to quit (and end up dead), the fight was mostly won by the smaller group, along with some support from all sides such as the Order and Drundas, which had mostly subdued the opposition or turning them to their side. Not everyone heard the news of Barbatos's fall immediately, though most of them did not really care about the dark lord's fall. Most of the demons admitted that they were bored of their Circle and wanted something new, which was not taken lightly by the people who got their acquaintances and friends killed just because some demons were bored.

In the end, the crisis did not become something serious. Compared to the dragons and the Dragonsbane, this was not as impactful, though it would go down in history as the time when the Crossing Gates, previously unknown, popped out of nowhere and connected the Underworld to the surface world.

As for the main group, while the rest of the world sighed in relief that they had survived yet another attempt of world domination, they were still reeling in from the fact that they defeated a demon prince, arguably the most dangerous threat for the group. While they were backed by two demon princes, Barbatos was still a formidable foe, and his defeat amounted to the fact that, in the end, it was Asmodel's gambit that won, not everyone's effort, which undermined their victory a bit. The true winner of this long game was Asmodel, who made the group his pawns.

As everyone were recovering from the ordeal, Belial pulled Ammon and Asmodel aside, as they talked about Barbatos's fate.

"I think you better tell us everything about your plan, Asmodel," said Belial. "Why do you need Ammon to defeat Barbatos, and why didn't you use your own powers if you really want to usurp his throne?"

"Well, anyone can activate the seal, but only if they are willing to fight back. Barbatos needed a rebel, one that would stand against the other Vessels, knowing that this Vessel would be the strongest of them all. There is always instances in history where rebels fought better, though I must say that realistically, they are over their heads."

"Then why me? You could've chosen the others," said Ammon.

"You know the answer, Ammon. If it wasn't for you mistakenly thinking that you've killed that female hound, you might be under Barbatos's control. While your release might be out of his control, he somehow found the idea intriguing to let a Vessel loose and let them grow with their own pace. Still, I think he forgot to keep control."

"Is he really that inept?" asked Belial.

"No, he came close to actually take over the ashen lands," said Asmodel. "Of course, one needs a little precaution such as the black roads in case he succeeded 500 years ago."

"So, your plan was to wait until he strikes, and then you trap him?" Ammon turned to see the subdued former prince, still unconscious, being taken aside. "You really are dangerous."

"I never believe in desperate measures," said Asmodel, smiling. "As long as you're calm and thoughtful, you can always win the game. Remember that when you ascend your throne, Ammon."

"Should I be wary of you?"

"Your judgement," said Asmodel. "As for Barbatos, I think you'll find him a little...unwilling to let you take the throne, but he'll be powerless. In fact, given that you're the one who trapped him, I think you'll be the one deciding his fate from now on, Ammon."

"I guess so. How about the other Vessels?"

"Make good decisions for them. You're no longer the only being in your domain, prince Ammon. You're now their leader."

Ammon pondered on the situation. He never would've thought that his journey to help Zardes and Malkar turned out this way. He met and fell in love with a demon prince, he found out his true purpose and rebelled against it, and now he became the prince of a group of Vessels finally free from Barbatos's enslavement.

But then he realized one crucial thing. Belial. Now that he had taken over from Barbatos, he had effectively become Belial's enemy. While he had no desire in expanding his territory, his new subjects would not stay and follow his orders, especially if they had an ambition like Azazel. Even then, Belial did not seem to want to talk about it. When he was asked, he only gave a cryptic "Wait and see for a bit."

For the rest, as they absorbed the fact that they had won, Zardes and Itresil went through a nearby Crossing Gate to find themselves somewhere deep within Eastern Region, given that they had traveled quite a distance from where they contacted the Eastern dragon traders. Here, however, they found themselves near an Order embassy. Each region had their own embassies reporting for Qeveriyt as the base. Ternor had several embassies depending on how many riders registered from the different regions there.

Zardes and Itresil walked towards the embassy, where a dragon, noticing they were hurt, swooped down from his flight and tended to them. He was wearing a crest with the Order symbol along with another crest unique in Eastern realm. Zardes did not know what the other symbol meant, but Itresil knew. It was the crest given to a dragon employed as a medic. While this was quite interesting for Western and Central region dragons, a draconic healer was quite common in the South and the East.

Zardes pulled out his Order crest for the dragon to see. He then asked, "Where were you attacked? We received report of an imminent demonic invasion, so the villages and the cities are preparing for it."

"You can tell them that it's unnecessary," said Zardes. "The threat's already gone."

"Are you really sure about that?"

"I'm perfectly sure. Is there anyone I can talk to? I need to know the situation back in Qeveriyt. Oh, and I have a couple others beyond the Crossing Gate. Some of them needs more medical attention than I do. Itresil can help you. Just...don't walk through the Gate."

"I know. It's the realm of demons, right?"

"Yeah..."

While Zardes would feel a little offended by that remark, given that hellhounds were not technically called demon anymore, he knew that this dragon regarded everyone from the Underworld as such due to the sinister aura they could sense. In fact, their concept of demons and the underworld could be different.

The dragon medic directed Zardes to the main building, which was built in accordance to the building style of the Eastern region, while the dragon followed Itresil to the Gate they came through. Zardes found a receptionist who directed him to a nearby telephone, which had direct access to the Order building in case of emergencies. Only registered riders could use it.

He quickly called Ashten, wondering if the old hound was okay. There was a wait until the call was picked up, not by Ashten, but by someone else.

"Hello?" said the voice.

"Hi. Is Ashten there?"

"He's in the medical wing, being treated. May I ask who this is?"

"Zardes Itruan. It's i-t-r-u-a-n."

"Right. I'll tell him when he's awake."

"Is he alright?"

"Well, he's a ruthless old hound, I can tell you. He singlehandedly killed the demons. Still, he's old, so he's exhausted and injured."

"Good to know he's still good old Ash."

"You seem close."

"Hellhounds are quite close to each other. Anyway, if you need confirmation, ask Malkar Cummings' archaeology team."

Zardes stopped talking for a while, pondering what to ask next. He almost said it but decided not to. He then said, "Thanks for the info."

"Yeah. Be safe out there."

He then hung up the phone. Zardes was going to ask whether Atmell and Arcturus, the wyvern-human duo who went missing, had returned. He knew there was a chance that they would never return, but it never hurt to ask. Still, when he wanted to ask about them, he hesitated, knowing that it would be useless to ask. Atmell and Arcturus would be far away, maybe even having their own daring adventure somewhere beyond the Earth. His only hope that they would return one day, telling stories that made his imagination stir.

Zardes then looked as Itresil and the dragon medic escorted the rest of the group. Asmodel, surprisingly, decided to stick around, being supported by Belial, who seemed to see his brother in a different light. Ammon followed behind as he walked with Barbatos, who now looked like the demon bat escorting him and not as imposing without his darkness. He seemed defeated, but even then, there was a good chance he would try to fight against Ammon.

Still, what Zardes did not know was the fact that the chain 'tattoo' that wrapped around Barbatos not only acted as a seal, but also as servitude. Ammon found out about this when he tried to help Barbatos, expecting he would try and fight back. To Ammon's surprise, he complied silently, though his expression seemed to indicate that he realized that his fate afterwards depended on Ammon, as now he was no longer a demon prince.

He was now a slave to the new dark prince.