Asmodeus didn't chase. He danced. He pirouetted through the cooling pools of blood, his laughter a sharp, jagged melody that rang off the shattered icons of the chapel. He was a whirlwind of pink and sadistic glee, his every movement a celebration of the carnage he'd just orchestrated. 

When he finally blinked back into the Presence of the Princes, the air smelled of ozone, crushed lilies, and the distinct, copper tang of a fresh kill.

" I'm back, darlings!" 

Asmodeus sang, twirling as he landed in front of the gathered Seven. He looked radiant, his eyes still shimmering with the neon-pink hum of Lust Mode. He gestured grandly behind him, where the young, vacant-eyed exorcist stood like a tethered lamb.

Asmodeus: And I brought a little souvenir! A bit young for my taste, but the terror... oh, the terror was absolutely vintage.

Hellraiser stood frozen, his eyes darting between the glazed-over youth and Asmodeus's blood-stained cuffs. He recognizes the group. 

Hellraiser: The team... Martha... they were elite. They were trained for this. How did you...?

Asmodeus: Oh, Hellraiser darling. 

Asmodeus purred, drifting toward John and tapping him playfully on the nose with a stained finger.

Asmodeus: You poor, sweet, innocent soul. You really didn't know? That's how Solomon always works. He doesn't build teams; he builds meat shields.

The other Princes leaned in, intrigued. Beelzebub let out a low, appreciative buzz, while Leviathan let out an envious hiss as Mammon began calculating the cost of the lost exorcist gear.

Hellraiser:....What?

Mammon: He used them to buy himself ten seconds of head-start. 

Belphegor: Yep. That's how he is. 

Satan's voice spoke as well laced with venom. 

Satan: The moment things get even a little bit rough, the old man vanishes into the ether.

Leviathan: He is the worst.

Mammon: Like you, Guppy. You're lucky I'm in a good mood to not be complaining.

Asmodeus: So true. Solomon is the traitor. Especially if I'm around. He knows I love the game of tag, and he knows I'm the best seeker in the Abyss. He gave you those names and those traps just to see if I'd get distracted long enough for him to find a deeper hole to hide in!

John felt a cold hollow opening in his chest. Solomon hadn't sent him to a mentor; he'd sent him as the first domino in a line of sacrifices. 

Hellraiser:...Why...I thought he was a wise king...like in the legends...

Mammon: He's a runner, John. If things don't work out for him. He runs and hides.

Asmodeus was leaning in so close their foreheads nearly touched.  

Asmodeus: But don't worry. I'm very, very patient. And I've still got my eye on the prize.

Hellraiser:....

Asmodeus: Now. How about that pact for your hard work. 

Hellraiser: No. 

Asmodeus's eyes widened, the neon-pink glow flickering with genuine surprise. 

Asmodeus: Oh? Do I hear a 'no' from our favorite mortal? After I've done all the heavy lifting and even offered a charity pact? You're turning down a Prince of Hell, John? That's... scandalous.

Hellraiser: I don't want your handouts.

John rasped, his voice dropping into a low, dangerous growl. He adjusted the strap of his sword, his eyes cold and fixed on the Sin of Lust. 

Hellraiser: And I don't want a deal born from a massacre I helped facilitate. I'm going to face you, Asmodeus. On my terms. Without Solomon's 'guidance'.

The other Princes shifted, the air growing heavy with a new kind of tension. Mammon whistled low, and even Belphegor cracked an eye open and lifted his mask to get a clear view. John clenched his knuckles.

Hellraiser: Once again. I've been lied to by a fellow human. I don't know what Solomon's true goal is, but it's obvious it has nothing to do with saving my soul. He didn't come back from the shadows to play mentor. He came back for all of you. Why else would he emerge now, after decades of hiding, unless the board was finally set?

Lucifer came forward, a slow, appreciative smirk spreading across his face. He looked at John not as a pet, but as a weapon that had finally realized its own edge. 

Lucifer: Smmart deduction, Hellraiser. It seems the salt is finally out of your eyes.

The King of Hell turned to his peers, his voice echoing through the Ring. 

Lucifer: Solomon isn't a saint; he's a collector. He didn't send John to bind us for the Light. He's looking for a way to control the Seven, and who better to use as a hollow vessel for those pacts than an anomaly who can't stay dead?

Hellraiser:.....Me?!

Mammon: He's playing the long game. He play the victim to make you lower your defense and have you flock over to his side.

Beelzebub: He's using you as a leash, dude!. elzebub buzzed, He wants to hold the end of the chain while you do the barking.

John felt the familiar, hot sting of betrayal. The same one that had fueled his countless resurrections. He was being played from both sides: a toy for the demons and a tool for the priest.

Hellraiser: I'm done being everyone's 'favorite' piece on the board!

The air around him beginning to hum with a strange, flickering holy light born of pure spite.

Sins: ?!

John racked the slide of his red sword, the metallic clack echoing through the heavy silence of the Abyss. 

Hellraiser: I don't care about your deals, and I don't care about your 'free' pact. I'm challenging you, Asmodeus. Whether I win, lose, or you tear me apart until there's nothing left to respawn—I'm forcing that pact on my own terms. No more middlemen. No more priests.

Asmodeus let out a sharp, ecstatic gasp, his wings fluttering with a manic, rhythmic pulse. 

Mammon: *Interested* Extraordinary! A business opportunity! You are amusing, Master!

Asmodeus: OH! How delicious! How bold! I agree Mammon! You really are a masterpiece, Hellraiser! Despite everything I've done to Solomon's precious 'elite' team, you don't even blink. But then, why would you? You all come from the same rotten branch, don't you? The Grigori?

The other Princes shifted at the mention of the name. The "Holy Government" that had cast John into the depths wasn't exactly known for its mercy.

After all...He isn't the first human to be away like trash or sacrifices from the Grigori. 

They been doing this for YEARS.

Leviathan: It must be such a burden. I don't feel envious at all. They're a bunch if old farts who only care about control. 

Asmodeus purred, leaning in until his pink-hued breath warmed John's neck. 

Asmodeus: Being forged into a weapon by the very people who threw you away. Just like my darling Solomon. You're both just tools that learned how to bleed.

John's brow furrowed, his grip on his weapon tightening. 

Hellraiser: So... all those stories? The restraining orders? The 'trauma' and the attempts of... of what he claimed you did to him?

Asmodeus threw his head back and laughed, a sound of pure, mocking silver. 

Asmodeus: HAHAHAHAHAHAH! OH, they were both true and false, sweetie! Reality is so much more... flexible. Back then, Solomon and I weren't victim and predator—we were partners. We were using each other to see how far the boundaries of the soul could stretch. But the moment I decided to do something he didn't give me 'permission' for, the moment I became too real for his delicate conscience... he bailed. He played the victim to hide his own filth! 

Hellraiser:....

He spread his arms wide, his sky blue eyes glowing with a blinding, predatory light. 

Asmodeus: That's my tragic little backstory. He USED my love for him against me~! I LOVED HIM SO MUCH~~~!!!!

Everyone shuddered in the room. Even the Sins took a step back. 

Asmodeus: He didn't run because he was scared of me, John. He ran because he was scared of HIMSELF when he was with me! And now he's sent you to do his dirty work again. Just like the others.

John looked at his hands, the realization of being a pawn for two different monsters sinking in. He didn't lower his sword If anything, the spite in his eyes burned brighter. 

Asmodeus: Then let's see which one of us is the better monster.

Hellraiser: Of course. Because I challenge you to a duel! Whether I live or die again! I'm definitely getting a pact out of you!

Asmodeus's laughter turned into a rhythmic, guttural chant that made the very floor of the Abyss vibrate. 

Asmodeus: A duel? A real, visceral, desperate struggle? Oh, John... you truly know the way to a Prince's heart! I can't wait to hear the specific, delicious pitch of your screams when I finally unmake you!

The other Princes didn't need to be told twice. With a collective ripple of shadow and flame, Lucifer, Mammon, and the others vanished from the immediate vicinity, reappearing on high jagged cliffs to watch the spectacle. They left a wide, scorched arena of blackened bone and ash for the two combatants.

Asmodeus didn't just grow; he unraveled. His silk robes tore away, dissolving into a thick, pink mist that swirled into a towering cyclone. From the center of the haze, six eyes ignited like neon stars.

The mist snapped away, revealing the Primal Form of Lust.Standing before John was a massive, nine-tailed fox, each tail thrashing like a whip of pure energy, shedding sparks of violet fire. But it was the heads that made John's blood turn to ice. The center head was a sleek, predatory fox with a jagged, mocking grin. To its left, a massive, obsidian-horned bull snorted plumes of scalding steam, its eyes red with brute force. To the right, a curled-horn ram bleated a dissonant, haunting chord that vibrated in John's marrow.

Asmodeus: COME, HELLRAISER!

The three heads spoke in a synchronized, soul-shattering harmony. The ground beneath the fox's paws cracked as it lowered its stance, the nine tails fanning out like a peacock's display of death. 

Asmodeus: DON'T HOLD BACK! LET US DANCE UNTIL THE RECOVERY FEELS LIKE RUIN! LET'S FIGHT IN ECSTASY!!!!!!!!"