It began with a twitch.
A single hand, hesitating as Hecate reached for a demon's face, the one who had just delivered news about Bune's death. She intended to claw out his eye, just enough to make a point.
But her fingers stopped mid-air.
Her expression twisted, not with anger, but with confusion.
"Interesting," she muttered aloud.
The demon, trembling, thought she was toying with him.
He never saw the hesitation in her gaze. Never saw the flicker of another voice behind her eyes.
"Stop."
"That's not who I am."
That whisper had been faint. A breath against the wind.
But Hecate had heard it.
In a small town wrecked by fire and destruction, armored bodies covered the ground. Black blood coated the streets, glistening in the sun.
Mike had just finished consuming Bune's flesh, his body still evolving. A terrifying smile stretched across his face as black blood dripped from his chin. He turned to look at the soldiers regrouping to attack and dashed forward, tearing them apart one by one.
Mike roared as he moved to the next cluster, sending a tremor of terror through their ranks.
"Kill all the bats!" Bahamut roared in his mind.
Deafening sounds of shifting earth and crackling flames filled the air. The ground trembled beneath them. The massive fissures that birthed the demon army began to close. New war horns echoed, signaling retreat.
"Hey! I've got Hunter, but he doesn't look good!" Hamza shouted, interrupting Mike's euphoric rampage.
Mike grabbed a terrified demon soldier trying to flee toward the closing fissures and crunched its neck between his jaws only to realize the power gain had stopped.
He dropped the corpse and flew toward Hamza.
Hunter was pale, his body drenched in blood.
Mike gritted his teeth. His own weakness had nearly cost Hunter his life.
Holding Hunter tightly, Mike floated in the air. He grabbed Hamza with his taloned feet and flew eastward, his wings beating with desperate speed.
After hours of flying, fatigue set in. Mike pushed through it, ascending high enough to spot the temple's glowing dome from miles away.
The moment they landed, robed council attendants rushed forward. A healer's voice cut through the flurry of movement.
Mike helped ease Hunter onto a stretcher as Leo and Lisa stormed down the marble steps.
Lisa's eyes widened as Mike shifted back into human form, his body covered in small cuts. "What happened to all of you?"
"Bune," Mike answered flatly.
"He's gone now," Hamza added. "Mike ate him."
Leo blinked. "You what?"
Lisa stared, stunned. "Wait, the Bune? Eleventh-ranked Duke of Hell?"
Mike's silence was confirmation.
Hunter coughed from the stretcher. "He ate like half of Bune's legions…"
"Savage brute," Henry muttered, appearing behind them with a crooked grin. "I bet the dog head was the tastiest one."
"Shut up, Henry," Lisa snapped. She turned to Mike. "We need to debrief immediately. Olympus is preparing for open conflict. And your actions may have consequences we don't yet understand." She added, "They're still waiting for us to contact them regarding Hecate."
Mike's red-tinged eyes narrowed. "I've only just returned."
"I know," she said more gently. "But things are accelerating. Hecate's influence is spreading. The underworld gates didn't just open in the Americas. She's probing for dominion across multiple continents."
"More demons?" Hamza asked.
"Yes," Leo replied. "But also worse. Some of the older pantheons are shifting their allegiances. We need unity now more than ever."
Mike looked down at his hands. His strength had grown, but so had the number of enemies.
"And what about helping Kelsey?" he asked.
Lisa's face darkened. "We'll talk in the chamber. There's… been movement."
In the Council Chamber
The council had assembled in full.
Mike sat at the head of the long white stone table. Hamza stood at his side. Hunter, freshly bandaged, sipped broth while Henry whispered under his breath, drawing annoyed glances.
Lisa stood and gestured to a conjured projection, glowing maps and divine runes danced in the air.
"While you fought Bune, Hecate began manifesting through three hosts," she said. "Not just Kelsey. She's building a coven of witches bound to fragments of her soul."
"The maiden, the mother, and the crone," Mr. Johns added.
Lisa nodded. "Two of them are hunting divine relics. We believe she's trying to unlock something older. Something hidden beneath the world."
Mike's voice turned cold. "And Kelsey?"
Nicolas rose. "Her soul is still contained. But Hecate's control is unstable. Aether informed me that Thanatos has made contact with your wife."
Mike's head snapped up. "She's fighting back. Who is Thanatos?"
"We'll discuss Kelsey and Thanatos after the meeting," Nicolas said calmly.
Mike stood slowly.
"I killed Bune, but there are more like him. Stronger ones. I want to hunt them. I want leads on Hecate."
Leo nodded. "Then we'll prepare what we have on demon movements. Olympus has summoned a war council. We're sending representatives and they've asked for you."
"Me?" Mike frowned.
Lisa crossed her arms. "They know who Bahamut is and they know what you've done. You've drawn attention. They want to evaluate you. And recruit you."
Mike turned to the temple's high window. Storm clouds loomed beyond the marble pillars.
"I don't have time for Olympus. I need to meet Nicolas's contact and keep growing stronger."
Nicolas gestured, signaling Mike to follow. They departed into a passage behind the council chamber while the others continued debriefing Hamza and reviewing the escalating situation.
Elsewhere
Inside the walls of the conquered military facility, Hecate conducted a ritual execution.
A captured angel scout knelt, bound and bleeding. His wings had been clipped and broken.
Hecate raised a ceremonial dagger, flames curling around the blade.
But her hand trembled. "Obey me."
"He didn't even fight back."
That voice again. Stronger now. More distinct.
"He looks like my father."
And for the first time, Hecate hesitated.
The blade slashed but only shallowly. Botched. Messy. The angel's body twitched longer than it should have. There was no elegance in the kill. No satisfaction.
The attending demons remained silent.
But they knew something was wrong.