Prince Gaap knew that, despite having a defense system that allowed him to predict the moves of his enemies, he knew that keeping his forces in shape was important to use for those plans. His N.O.R.N. system came to counterattack his enemies, but Gaap required units to initiate those plans. To do this, he regularly paid or invited various forces ranging from mercenary groups to full-on Military Legions to test their might and power against his troops and defenses. The island's armed forces were not slouches and did not cower in the face of any danger.

When the report of what appeared to be landing ships were heading towards the various beaches of the islands, the vanguard divisions launched themselves into preparation. Troops began to dig in while bunkers were made in haste with sandbags and barbed wire. The beach already had machine gun turrets placed ahead of time, so it was just a matter of occupying them. The forces on the beach all stood ready for whatever was coming their way as one commander with his binoculars saw the ships coming in closer and reported his men to get ready.

Guns were loaded, spells prepared, and those who would be going in close quarters sharpened their blades. The container-looking airships got closer and closer before the order to fire went out. Rockets, missiles, and heavy machine guns were fired at the containers, but these had energy shields too much like the bigger airships bombing above. They took the blows heavily but still descended without impunity.

When they landed, they opened up as Prince Gaap's forces prepared to fire upon whatever was coming out. When something did come out, one of the soldiers, a former human in his life before dying and becoming a sinner, looked up in surprise and confusion. "Wait, isn't that a Space Mar-"

He didn't get a chance as a bolter round blasted his head open.

Sir. Pentious might have been an old-school steampunk inventor with a brilliant mind, but even he had an appreciation for some modern inventions and concepts. One of which was a certain game world that he had been introduced to by a friend of his—a grimdark future where there is only war. He was so amazed by the technology dreamed up by the writers and game makers, Sir. Pentious was filled with inspiration to combine his own genius with the imagination of this made-up dark sci-fi concept known as Warhammer 40K.

To that end? He made his own steampunk robotic versions of the Space Marine. The Emperor of Mankind's Angels of Death. The ones that walked out, holding their own original made Bolters, Heavy Bolters, Power Swords, Chainswords, and more were all giant-sized robots made from the same steampunk technology that was Sir. Pentious calling card, but each was colored in his black and red scaly appearance with his logo on their shoulder pads. Their bodies were less human-looking and more droid-looking, but that did nothing to deteriorate the scare factor.

They were his most incredible creations and among his most powerful weapons that would taste blood for the first time in their creation.

He even gave them their own Space Marine Chapter name: The Viperium.

One of them, wearing a cape, raised his chainsaw to rev it up and shouted, "FOR THE FUTURE VIPER EMPEROR OF HELL!"

The Viperium charged forward, firing their weapons as the vanguard forces of Prince Gaap fired back. With speed and accuracy unseen before, the robotic Space Marines of Sir. Pentious began to wipe out their opening forces. While normal humans didn't have the means to create weapons like the fictional world, Hell was a different story. Thus, creating a .75 cal bullet shooting gun that can explode upon contact was possible.

Bodies were blown away by the shots as entire holes or limbs of the soldiers were eradicated. That wasn't to say that the Viperium were not getting up close and physical. Launching themselves at the enemy head first, their Chainswords dug deep into the flesh and scales of their enemies, who screamed in agonizing pain before being ripped apart as their blood decorated the sand.

Others were using jetpacks to fly in the air and land between the first two lines of the defenders, who were surprised by the sudden ambush. They were stomped on or given a face full of a Power Hammer that sent out shockwaves that shattered the bones of the defenders. Screams of agony echoed over the beach as the steampunk-powered Angels of Death continued their assault, all while screaming their voice lines implemented by their inventor.

"DIE INFERIOR SCUM!"

"DEATH TO OUR LORD'S ENEMIES!"

"FOR THE VIPER EMPEROR!"

"SHOW NO FEAR MY BROTHERS!"

"COURAGE AND HONOR!"

"SHUT UP YOU SMURF!"

Sir. Pentious's forces made short work of the first and second lines before they started getting casualties from the other lines, particular from the spell casters who launched storms of lightning, fireballs, and hexes that melted the circuits of the robots. Despite being designed like Space Marines, they were not really Space Marines and thus were still susceptible to all robots' weaknesses. There was also the fact that robots couldn't cast magic, so they were left without Librarians, the psychic users of the Space Marine forces. But they still were warriors of death and destruction with no fear in their hearts or minds.

And they were also not alone.

One machine gun nest on Prince Gaap's side was preparing to reload when a sniper bullet went into each of their skulls. Moxxie, sitting on top of one of the landing ships, reloaded his FN Ballista. A custom forest-themed one with laser sight, tactical handling, a lighter action bolt, and a scope with several different features. Combined with the angel steel ammo it was a gun to certainly fear. There was also the gear he was carrying. Instead of his usual outfit, Blitzo had everyone in tactical military gear best suited for such a mission. This included black visor helmets displaying combat data, a map, and a list of contacts that could be used to call anyone with the input radio. The armor was made of black helldrake scales, fitted with an extra set of chest armor with multiple pouches for ammo and other equipment. The legs were protected with shin guards, and black combat boots were worn with black jeans. The only adjustments were for Moxie's height, horns, and tail hole.

One similar one nearby was Artemis, using her custom-made Knights SR-25 rifle while wearing a tactical outfit made for her size and type. She spoke on her radio: "Got casters on the right side. 2:14."

"You take it. I'll get the next machine gun nest," Moxxie replied as he aimed again and fired, this time getting a two-for-one as the bullet went through two heads at the same time.

The Hellhound sniper held her breath as she aimed for an owl demon charging a spell. She had to time it perfectly. Just as he was about to cast whatever green energy was in his hands, she fired. The shot delivered the bullet perfectly into the cranium of the owl, but that wasn't just all. The spell he was about to unleash had back blasted and caused a green explosion that turned the nearby casters into bones and dust.

"Looks like the Marines are about to break the third line, but they're going to need some help," Artemis said.

Moxxie spoke on his radio. "You guys ready?"

"Yup! We're going out!"

Three seconds later, three ATVs were driven out of their respective containers. Loona, Millie, and Billie driving them while Blitzo, Sakura, and Roger were on the back of each, respectively. Like their sniper comrades, they were wearing similar tactical armor but modified for their respective physiologies. The three ATVs went full throttle into the battlefield with the Marines, dodging gunfire and explosions around them. Loona, driving the fastest, found a ramp of corpses to use as a means to drive up in the air as she pulled out a Desert Eagle and started firing on the fuckers as they came down. The .50s left a full-on hole in the heads that was pure satisfaction. The ATV landed on the face of a hellhound before Loona continued to drive, firing shot after shot as she kicked sand up to cause a small dust storm for cover.

Blitzo, behind her, had his Bushmaster ACR DMR with drum magazine out and jumped down to land in the middle of the warzone. He just pulled the trigger and didn't let go as he charged forward, swinging the assault rifle in any direction he could at Gaap's forces. He slid, ducked, jumped for cover, and used his acrobatic training to flip around and keep firing without once letting go. His hail of bullets riddled the soon-to-be corpses of the vanguard forces who tried as hard as they could but couldn't nail the damn flipping Imp. When he finally ran out of ammo, he just let the magazine fall before pulling out a grenade. He clicked the button on the top, threw it, and ducked.

The Hornet Swarm Frag was a unique type of explosive in Hell that only the best could buy. It had multiple small black spheres around it that, when released, launched themselves in numerous directions. Those spheres stuck to whoever or whatever it found contact with, and more than one soldier of Gaap's had tried to get it off before it exploded. Multiple bursts of flame and blood decorated the area in front of Blitzo, already reloaded and ready, who jumped out of his cover to continue spraying the battlefield with ammo.

Meanwhile, Millie was having the time of her life with her new Chainsaw ax. The moment she saw one of the robots having one, she knew she had to get one herself. Laughing like a maniac, she drove around, slicing and tearing apart any unfortunate soul who stood in her way. Licking the blood off her face, Millie did a sharp turn while raising her Chainsaw ax to rip another unfortunate batch of victims who were left to die slowly in the agonizing wounds left behind their torn-up bodies. "Fuck me, do I love this! It's like my own personal D-Day here!"

As they drove, Sakura sliced up nearby bodies with her own katanas and noticed that they were being followed by some very fast demons. She turned around and narrowed her eyes. They were dressed similarly to NASCAR gear, only it was stylized in a more combat manner. They were blue skinned with fork-like tails and sharp claws with blades coming out behind them. Their faces are bird-like but with scales that made them seem almost raptor-like, save for the feathers on their backs and skulls. Velocinites. Fast-running demons that were experts in hit-and-run tactics.

"I'll handle the ones behind us. Keep doing your thing," Sakura said as she flipped off the ATV and landed. The Velocintes were heading to fight for her as she calmly stood up and prepared her blades. The first one that tried to jump her was slashed in an instant before it could react and was split in half by her katana. She then pulled out one of her tanto knives and twirled it in her other hand. She cartwheeled to the left to avoid a slash but not before slicing fast enough to take the Velocinte's hand. As it screamed in pain, the Nekomata turned around and summoned a hidden blade in her tail to stab it in the face before twirling her tail and flickering it to send the knife into the heart of another of its kind.

Another tried to speed up and slash her, but Sakura moved and extended her leg in a sweep to trip it while slicing upward with her katana to cave it in two. She stabbed behind her with her tanto without looking, stopping a Velocinte as the tanto dug deep into the heart. Sakura removed it and let it fall down, lifeless. Three more attempted to charge at her, but Millie zoomed by and got them first with one swipe of her Chainsaw ax. Halting the ATV, the blood-covered Imp smirked. "Need a ride?"

"Please," Sakura gave a light bow before returning to the ATV and rode with Millie.

The last ATV was far from the battlefield, having instead needed privacy for Billie to do his thing. That didn't mean that there weren't some enemies to fight. The Gentleman placed the last bullet in the downed soldier and looked around at the small squad they had to deal with by the rock formation that Billy had driven down the coast to be at. The poison maker had his own personal brand of violence to the table but needed to be at a proper distance to do it.

"So, are you going to explain to me why it was so important for us to drive all the way away from the battle?" Roger asked as he motioned towards the righting going on.

Billy's answer was to grab a Laser Rangefinders Binocular from his backpack and grin. "Need to make ssssssssure we're aiming right. Plus, it would be a great place to watch the sssssssssssssshow."

"Show?" Roger asked, but Billywas too busy getting on the radio.

"This is Billy. Ready to aim for a payload. Stay as far away from the fifth line of defense as possible, guys. Not unlesssssssssss you want to get caught up in a nasty situation," Billy said before switching channels. "Yo! SSSSSSSSSir. Penny! Are you ready on your end?"

"It's SSSSSSSSSir. Pentious, you disgrace of a viper! And yessssssssss! Just aim, and the missiles will lock on!"

"Great," Billy said as he put on the binoculars, aimed for his target, and pressed the button.

From Sir. Pentious's personal warship, two missiles were launched from above and sailed up a few feet before descending downwards. Guided by the targeting system, they made for the beach, where the forces looked up to notice them too late. In an instant, once the missiles exploded, an orange cloud filled the area. Soldiers inhaling the toxic fumes gasped for air before instantly withering into husks as their entire insides were melted away. Organs, blood, muscles, bones, and more. All of it is eaten away by the poison-like acid on paper. A quick and painful death that left nothing but the clothes of the dead.

Looking through his binoculars, Roger couldn't help but nod in approval. "Well done. How do you come up with these ideas anyway?"

"Internet forums," Billy said, which got a raised eyebrow in return. "You'd be surprised how much evil is said in those that can lead to inspiration."

***

The remaining vanguard forces decided to cut their losses and retreat after the chemical attack. Once this was done, the mechanized Space Marines started preparing a beachhead for their frontal assault. More containment airships were brought in with fresh new troops, vehicles, and supplies such as ammo and repair kits for the damaged units. The battle up in the air was still going on, but Sir. Pentious confirmed that he was still strong. The one good thing about robots is that they never tire out and don't need to take breaks. Not that they could since they were all programmed to be complete "Yes Men" to Sir. Pentious to the point of stupidity. With things so far going to plan, Blitzo had gathered everyone at the beach to discuss their next move.

"Everyone good?" He got nods of confirmation before continuing, "Alright, then we all know our objectives. Take what ammo and gear you need because you're on your own once you head out. We'll keep in radio contact but don't expect reinforcements. Billy and I will be working with the main force in drilling deep into the center to get their attention, and the rest of you will be separated enough that you'll be too far apart. Any questions?"

"Yeah, you think Stella managed to sabotage the N.O.R.N. system like you hoped?" Loona asked while waving her hand.

"Well, we've had a good start so far, so let's hope that she does, and we're not walking into a trap," Blitzo said, trying not to think of what Stella might be going through. Octavia had her father's protective streak, after all. "Any other questions?"

Nobody said anything as Blitzo took a deep breath. "Alright, let me just say one last thing. None of you needed to come to this mission. I was prepared to do this by myself, but I'm glad you are all here. Some of you are following me for the money or a favor, but this means a lot. Stolas was precious to me, and I wouldn't have made it this far without you guys, nor been able to do this without you. So, no matter what happens? Consider me your friend from here to whatever end we face."

"Aw, we love ya too, Blitz," Millie said before revving up her Chainsaw ax. "Now, enough of the sappy talk! Let's get some action going!"

"Alright, gang! You heard the hillbilly psychopath! Let's lick some ass!" Blitzo shouted.

"Ugh, it's pronounced kick some ass," Loona muttered.

"Whatever! Just move your asses, people!"

***

Prince Gaap was livid. Furious. He hadn't been this angry in years. Everything was going wrong, and he was this close to just exploding something. What should have been the starting point of the dream he had held since childhood was now in danger. Gaap was not a fool. He knew his behavior would be seen as "toxic" to many for his love for Stella, but he couldn't help it. Stella had been his own version of what humans saw in angels. He was the spare of the family he had been born into, but instead of being treated with any decency, he was cast off as an afterthought. A mistake even.

His older brother had been the perfect little Prince everyone adored and loved. Intelligent, charming, charismatic, talented, and kind to everyone. Everyone but Gaap. How often had his "big loving brother" used him as a guinea pig for his spellcraft and potion making. How much humiliation and depravity he was subjected to from his pranks and mocking. And what did his parents do to correct this? Nothing. If anything, he deserved it because his older brother was that good of a spinweaver to make it seem like Gaap had been the problem.

He hated his family. He held no regrets for what he did to his arrogant brother to take his place as the heir or what he did to his parents when he came into power. Nobody in the world was ever kind to Gaap.

Save for Stella.

His Stella who had brightened his world with her smile. Filled his heart with love thanks to her kindness. As a kid, Gaap wanted to spend every waking moment with the darling swan demoness whose gentle nature made it seem like life was worth living. And as he got older, Gaap knew that there was none other he wanted for a bride than her. Only he was denied, and his cousin got her instead. Even after she fell for the bastard (who would never treat her like he could), he didn't give up. He could make Stella his, but he needed power, prestige, and more to do that.

Every action he had done was to have Stella at last to him, happily as his wife, living in their perfect paradise away from the cruel world with everything they needed to live forever more in bliss. Only now, it was being torn apart. Not just by those attacking him but by the one he had given his heart to. The damn bitch, after everything he had done for them, betrayed him and knocked out his N.O.R.N. system.

While Prince Gaap had confidence in his defenses, he needed absolute conviction to achieve victory. He was also required to present his N.O.R.N. system to the Big Hand. Specifically, Green Jack. He was supposed to visit personally in a few days to check out the system and his plans for making it work for the entire revolution. Even if he won this day and skinned that annoying Imp and his friends in the most bloody way he could imagine, it would be a pyrrhic victory at best due to failing to impress Green Jack. And considering who he was, not even Gaap could stand against him.

"How bad is the damage?" Prince Gaap demanded as one of his technicians gulped under his gaze and saluted. The technician was a female Imp with a thin body and orange hair. She looked so nervous that she appeared ready to pee her pants. He gazed at her name tag and looked directly at her eye to eye. "And for your own sake, Miss Kari, it had better be good news."

"W-Well, it turns out that we can fix the system, but it will take some time. About two hours and-"

"You have two hours on the spot to fix it, or I'll make you wish you were in the Angel of Fate's place," Gaap sneered as the technician went to work.

Scowling, he went over to his warboard and saw that the enemy had already made a beachhead and were preparing to send troops further inside. His forces would be meeting those fools in the center. Despite not having his N.O.R.N. system, Gaap wasn't stupid. He was clever and could easily defeat these lowlives without it. He ordered his main forces to advance while telling his "keepers" to unleash the Abominations they had in store.

He would give them the slaughter that they wanted. Even if they had this mechanical army and an air fleet, Gaap was not worried. This was an Imp. One single Imp. Maybe he was an excellent assassin against commoners and even the Overlords, but he was a Goetia. A Prince. He was far superior.

No, his primary focus would not be Stolas's little fuck boy. It would be those airships. He grinned as a thought came to him. Perhaps it was time to summon a little air power of his own to the field. He would need the suitable materials, a few books, and sacrifices, but that was no problem. Most servants had long been brainwashed to serve him and Stella's every need. Perhaps her two servants would. He can always get her new ones after he wiped her memory away.

***

Before the defeat of Satan in the First War against Heaven, the Goetia Lords were considered to be among the most powerful and loyal demons in Hell. They were initially composed of Satan's seventy-two most faithful followers and warriors who served with him from the beginning of his reign to his demise at the hands of God. After his defeat, these seventy-two followers and their families sought to reign in Hell in their master's name, and thus, a Warring States period lasted in Hell for a long time until Lucifer's fall. The Fallen One and his Fallen angels united Hell and forced the seventy-two factions to submit to him. Bitter by this and believing in their pride as the natural Hellborn, they decided to join in marriage to present themselves as a united front. Thus, the Goetia Family was born, and for eons, they have been considered one of the most potent forces in the Nine Rings of Hell.

The Goetia family was perhaps the only force in all of Hell that could revive the power of the Deadly Sins and even Lucifer as a whole, but the problem was that as much as they were united, they were also divided. Politics, family ambitions, differences in goals, alliances, betrayals, and more had made the Goetia family truly separated in many ways. In fact, the last time they had ever truly united was during Christ's resurrection when he descended to Hell to free the souls of those in limbo.

It was one of the darkest moments of Hell's history in how one person defeated their greatest forces.

Now, over two thousand years later, a new Goetia Grand Council had been called by King Baal, the overall leader of them all and head of the 1st Bloodline. Most heads of the seventy-two bloodlines were here, and Octavia felt like a fish out of water. These demons had more experience in their roles than her. She had only been the head of her family line for a few weeks at best. Undoubtedly, based on the looks they were giving her, she was considered fresh meat for the picking.

Octavia really wished she could have used her Family's Solicitor as a stand-in for her like many other meetings she had done, but a Ground Council stated that the heads had to arrive. This was also neutral territory. Meaning despite so many houses hating each other for various reasons, they could not harm one another. To do so would be open season on them and their families would be targeted as "Free for all" by the King Ranks. The grand meeting was not for another few days, so a few heads had yet to appear. One of them being Prince Gaap.

Octavia hoped he would not come because Blitzo would have failed if he did.

Swirling her glass of wine, Octavia sat on a small red couch in the corner of one of the luscious lounges in the Goetia Council Citadel. Around her were various heads of the families interacting with each other as servants gave them appetizers and wine. She recognized them all:

Duke Murmur, a vulture-looking griffin with red and black feathers dressed in his military uniform, stood among a group of heads as he recounted his ideas of tactical decisions they should make if they choose to go to war. He gripped his famous "Bloodwing" sword, sheathed by his side as if itching to fight.

Prince Sitri, the flamboyant goose with pink fluffy clothing, made him look like a pimp as he tipped his hat upon entering like he was the most important person in the room. His cane was tossed over to an Imp servant as he caught it, and he began looking for his nearest good-looking relative to flirt with that wasn't too closely blood-related.

President Haagenti did her best to ignore everyone around her as if she didn't want to be here. The giant winged bull demoness with a simple black dress took a glass of wine every five minutes as if she were Verosika Mayday at a New Year's Eve party. It was not a surprise since Haagenti hated everyone and everything with their family and just wanted to be left alone.

But even she couldn't ignore the summons.

"I take it you're not having the best times either?" Octavia looked up to see a familiar sight. Prince Phenex was one of the few members of the Goetia Family that Stolas saw as a legit family. Stolas was Phenex's second cousin and one of the few members he got along great with. He was also a massive supporter of keeping peace between Heaven and Hell and a huge supporter of Princess Charlie, making him one of Octavia's closest allies politically.

He was dressed in a white and orange robe, similar to seeing a living tornado's flames. His appearance was that of a phoenix, and his entire body looked as if he were a living flame. His wings were long and big but beautiful, as they eliminated a rainbow of colors from his flames. He had various necklaces of various magical designs, and his eyes held a set of orange-shade glasses.

"I feel like I'm in a nest of vipers, and I'm related to them all," Octavia muttered as she made room for Phenex to sit beside her.

"You'll get used to it," Prince Phenex chuckled before putting a comforting wing around Octavia. "How are you doing? We haven't talked since your father's funeral, and I want to know if you're doing okay?"

"I'm...dealing with this," Octavia admitted with a sigh. "Not easily, mind you. But I am."

"I suspect that part of it has to do with the amount of bodies your father's boyfriend is leaving behind?" Prince Phenex asked, to which Octavia stayed silent. "Look, Octavia, I am not your father, so I will not say what you can or cannot do. Especially since you are now, officially, a higher rank than me, but you must know that vengeance against the ones who killed your father might see you and everyone you care about in the crosshairs of powerful people that not even we can protect you from. It's bad enough we might be facing a civil war among our own families over this conflict, but to have you targeted by those leading this revolution? Your father would be worried sick."

"...I know," Octavia answered but looked determinedly at her relative. "But my father deserves justice. He was killed because of what he believed in and who he supported. Not to mention Prince Gaap has my mother hostage, and I will do anything to get her back."

"Yes, Prince Gaap's actions have been given notice, as has yours," Phenex said as he looked around and turned serious. "The current feud between you two has been a major focus for the rest of the family. Many even want to see the outcome of your fight to see if it will impact the decisions we make in the council chambers regarding our place in the civil war."

"Why does everything have to be fucking political? What are we? America?" Octavia groaned.

"It's what happens when you're born into the elite leadership, my dear," Marquises Phenex stated before going silent. After a few minutes, he turned to Octavia and muttered, "Speaking of which, there is a reason I am here speaking to you."

"What reason?" Octavia asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I've been trying to gain more allies to support the Royals or keep them from siding with the other factions. One of them that I'm close to getting to agree with us is Duke Buné," Prince Phenex explained as he sipped his wine. "He's one of the richest demons in our circles and a powerful necromancer with an army of the undead as his command in addition to his legions. He has expressed interest in supporting us, but only under one condition."

"Which is?" Octavia asked, but she already had a feeling for what it was.

"...He wants you to marry his son, Harius."