CLANG!
The roar of chains shook the throne hall. Links forged from pure envy coiled around the Hell King, rattling his blackened throne as though it might splinter beneath his weight. The air itself seemed to shudder, every echo carrying a note of betrayal.
"Levi…?" The King's voice carried disbelief—rare, almost unthinkable, for the embodiment of Pride.
Out of the shadows, she stepped forward. Emerald eyes glimmered with venom, but also with longing—a twisted reflection of love turned rancid. Her lips curled into a smile that trembled between tenderness and cruelty."Yes, Luci… it's me. Your Levi. Did you miss me?"
Lucifer's golden wings twitched as he pulled against the chains, muscles and divinity straining. Yet the Envy Chain mirrored every ounce of his power, countering his might as though it were his equal. Impossible. I am Pride incarnate. Nothing should bind me. Nothing.
Leviathan chuckled, brushing her fingertips along the trembling links as though caressing him."Haha… do you like it? I made this for you, Luci. For thousands of years I dreamed of this moment—when I'd have you, body and soul, bound only to me."
Lucifer's eyes narrowed, his tone calm but edged with curiosity more than anger."You betrayed me…?"
"No," she whispered, stepping close enough that her breath touched his lips. "I loved you. Always. But you never saw me, Luci. You never crowned me your queen."
"Levi…" His voice dropped, heavy with indifference—the weight of someone who saw the world as his possession. "You already belonged to me. Everything does."
Her eyes burned, tears shimmering like fire. "No! Not like that. I didn't want to be just another piece of your kingdom. I wanted you. I wanted to stand at your side—not beneath your feet."
"You should know," Lucifer replied, his deep black eyes glowing with prideful fire, "as Pride itself, I choose what is mine. And I take only what I desire."
Her lips trembled, caught between a sob and a smile. "Then why… why her? That lowly creature from the enemy's side. Don't tell me she meant nothing."
Silence.
Leviathan's laugh cracked—broken, edged with hysteria. "Hah… I knew it. You never denied it. You gave her what was mine. My place."
She yanked the chain tighter, pressing him down against his throne. Her voice quivered like a lover's vow twisted by obsession:
"No, Luci, no! There is only one queen who can rule Hell—and that is me! You are the only one I ever allowed to stand above me. But if you, even as king, refuse to take me as your queen… then I will burn you to ash, and I will rule as Queen without a King!"
Dark fire flared around her, racing toward him. The spell scorched the air, turning stone to molten slag, yet licked harmlessly against Luci's skin.
Her eyes widened. "Why doesn't it hurt you…?"
"Because, Levi," he said softly, almost pitying, "Pride bows to no one—not even you."
"Then give me no choice!" she screamed, her voice breaking with jealousy and despair. Chanting again, she wove a deeper spell.
This time, Lucifer felt it. Not pain, but violation. A pull deep within him—like the marrow of existence itself being ripped away. His power, vast and without end, the very force that held the foundations of Hell together, was being siphoned into her.
Each strand stolen was not just strength, but dominion—the authority that kept legions bowing and worlds trembling. And now, in Leviathan's hands, that power was unstable—volatile enough to tear Hell apart in a single breath.
For the first time in eternity, Pride knew the taste of theft. Not defeat. Not weakness. But the insult of being robbed of what was solely his.
Leviathan's laughter turned fevered, her tears drying into fire. "If I can't have you, then I'll have this—your power. Enough to tear Hell itself apart!"
Lucifer's eyes narrowed, calm unbroken even as his strength drained away."Levi… stop. The blast will destroy you too."
"So what?!" Her voice cracked, half rage, half plea. "Better to die with your power inside me… than live forever as nothing beside you."
Lucifer's thoughts churned beneath his mask of calm. As Pride, he could never kneel—never let anyone control him. Yet as King, he could not allow his people to be erased. What was a throne without souls to rule? What was a king without those who called him so?
And then, an idea came.
"Fine," Luci said at last, his voice steady, almost gentle. "Stop this, Levi. I'll give you what you want."
Leviathan froze, then grinned wide. Her heart thundered—this was unthinkable. The King of Pride yielding so easily? Suspicion flickered."Hah… I know you too well, Luci. Do you really think I'd believe your surrender comes this cheap?"
Lucifer tilted his head, expression carved in perfect calm, eyes dark with pity—as if yielding were beneath words."What choice do I have? You've wrapped me in your chains. I can't fight. I can't move. I can't win… can I?"
For a heartbeat, Leviathan almost believed him. Almost.
Then—A whisper. A sly voice, unheard by Lucifer, coiled into her ear.
Her smile sharpened. She yanked the chain tighter, forcing him down into his throne."No, Luci. You won't trick me. Not this time."
With a flourish, she tore open a curtain of emptiness. From the void, she pulled something small. Fragile.
A child.
The baby stirred, glowing faintly with an aura both serene and proud, as though even in slumber he carried the echo of kingship itself.
Lucifer's eyes widened. His composure cracked for the first time."…What…? How…?"
Leviathan laughed, sharp and cruel, pressing the child to her chest like a mockery of motherhood."Surprised? You didn't even know this existed, did you? Even you, Luci, almighty Pride, had a secret hidden from yourself!"
The infant whimpered, then cried—its fragile voice cutting through the suffocating chamber. Leviathan's laughter grew shriller."Hear that, Luci? That's the sound of your weakness! If you ever defy me, watch as this little creature shatters before your eyes!"
Lucifer's pride—immovable, unbreakable—wavered. His jaw tightened, wings trembling against the chains. Finally, he bowed his head."…Enough, Levi. Do not harm him. I'll yield. I'll obey your demand. Just… leave the child untouched."
Her grin stretched wide, triumphant and poisonous."Hah! The King of Pride, broken at last! All it took was one tiny life. You've shown me your weakness, Luci—and it disgusts me. I hate this baby already… but I'll let it live. For now."
She leaned closer, eyes glinting like knives."Remember, my king—if you dare cross me even once, I'll crush him in front of you."
"Yes, Levi… you have my word," Lucifer said, his tone steady, as though surrender were the most natural thing in the world.
Her grin widened further. Slowly, she loosened the chain.
Crack… crack…
But the instant the links slackened—FWOOOSH!—a torrent of hellfire erupted, wrapping around Lucifer like a blazing cloak. In a flash, the Morning Star ripped his son from Leviathan's grasp and hurled her back across the hall.
"Wha—!?" she gasped.
Lucifer didn't give her time. He could feel it—the chain still thrummed with stolen power, unstable enough to destroy two worlds. He had no choice.
The King of Pride chose to seal it.
Nearly ninety percent of his strength poured into locking the chain, suppressing the catastrophe. His power was not limitless—merely too vast for creation to measure. With it, he might have challenged Heaven. But he had stayed his hand, believing in balance, for the sake of his people.
Now that idealism was gone. Only sacrifice remained.
SHIIINK! A searing light burst from the seal.
BOOM! The explosion shook Hell, awakening the other Sins.
"YOU! WHAT ARE YOU DOING, LUCI?!" Leviathan screamed, fury and fear twisting her face.
Lucifer smiled faintly. "Nothing. We're sins, Levi… it's natural for us to lie. Remember?"
Her voice broke. "But—"
"No buts," Luci said, final and unyielding. "You feel it, don't you? My strength is gone. If you sway the others, I cannot fight you. Or protect myself."
He cradled the child closer, pride softening into care."…So goodbye."
He winked at her—mocking, defiant—and vanished in a flash of light with his son.
Leviathan's heart dropped. That was the last of his power. He would not return.
The other Sins stormed into the hall moments later."Levi! Where is—"
Her fury cracked like a whip. "No! That name no longer exists. From this moment, none of you may call me Levi. To you, I am your Queen. As you once bowed to a King, now you will bow to me."
The chamber fell silent.
"He's gone," she declared. "He betrayed us all. From this day forward, Lucifer is banished and hunted. Find him—no matter the cost!"
And so, the Morning Star vanished. His name was blackened, branded traitor. Heaven remained silent—for the truth of his sacrifice would shatter their fragile balance.
History was rewritten.
Leviathan, with her sealed Envy Chain, crowned herself the first Queen of Hell.
A Queen—without a King.
Yet neither Hell nor Heaven understood what had truly been set into motion. In their arrogance, they dismissed the child as nothing more than a weakness, a tool, a bargaining chip. They did not see what even Lucifer himself could not:that the infant carried a fire deeper than Hell, a pride sharper than Heaven's light.
One day, that child would rise—and when he did, he would prove more dangerous than the King of Hell at the height of his power.