Wrath appeared before his last surviving sibling, Gluttony.
He did not bother with subtlety; he simply burst through the roof of the club and flew straight to Gluttony's table, who was eating this time as well, just like before.
The guards recoiled for a moment at the sight of Wrath's true form, but they were ready to attack, eager to prove their loyalty.
Gluttony continued to eat as if nothing had happened, then waved his companions away, telling them to stand down.
Wrath stopped in front of the table, then took a bottle of whiskey from it and drank deeply.
— Sure, help yourself. Care to tell me what the fuck you're doing here and why you've taken this form?
— They're dead, Gluttony. All of them are dead…
Gluttony put a juicy piece of meat into his mouth, barely chewed it, then swallowed.
— I know.
— If you're not their killer, then maybe you're in danger too.
— Did you come to protect me? How sweet. Where were you when Lucifer took the throne and forced us to deny our demonic nature? No killing, no possessing mortals, no enjoying Hell—just rotting in that fucking grand order he created… Where were you when he killed the Lords? Oh right, you slaughtered them yourself, not him.
— I protected you! — Wrath snapped, hurling the whiskey bottle aside as it shattered. — I found a place for you in Lucifer's Hell!
— Oh yes, Pride surely enjoyed the black madness.
— Pride could have escaped from there at any time; he was just fucking stubborn!
— He wasn't stubborn—he was proud, and that's a huge difference. Lucifer's laws don't belong in Hell; an Angel shouldn't exist among us at all.
— Lucifer only wanted what was best for you. This place is filthy, it stinks—why is it wrong if someone wants to make eternity more bearable for us?
Gluttony burst out laughing; bits of food fell from his mouth, a disgusting sight.
— Now I understand everything. You're fucking that Angel, aren't you? Am I right?
Wrath didn't answer, only stared ahead indifferently, which betrayed him just enough.
— So that's why you bent the knee so quickly. You make me want to puke; you disgrace our kind. — she said contemptuously. — Get the fuck out of here! I don't need your protection.
— I'm not going anywhere. — Wrath stated firmly.
A powerful blow struck Wrath, sending him flying across the club, smashing furniture and objects in his path.
The wall didn't stop him either; he burst through it and finally slammed into a large car out on the street.
Gluttony stepped out of the club and began stripping down for their fight.
Wrath did not want to fight his sister, but he had to defend himself, so he braced and spread his massive wings.
Gluttony now stood naked before him; his greasy body began to swell, growing larger as he prepared to assume his true form.
As Gluttony's body grew bigger and fatter, the demons around them began to wither. Gluttony absorbed their essence.
— What are you doing?! — Wrath shouted.
— I'm going to destroy you. We should have done this a long time ago, before you stabbed us in the back.
— You'll devour half the city if you transform!
— I don't care! Unlike you, I'm a proud demon, proud of my power.
Gluttony grew enormous; his bloated body became larger than the club, and he absorbed not only the demons' essence but began dismantling the surrounding buildings as well. He became like a black hole.
Wrath could not let this continue; he had to stop Gluttony before drawing the attention of Lucifer—or the killer.
***
Gluttony eventually grew to a height of twenty stories and consumed everything around him.
Wrath couldn't attack properly because he had to watch out for civilians; he tried to herd them away, grabbing whoever he could and carrying them to safety.
While rescuing a dozen demons from a bus, Gluttony suddenly clutched his throat and began vomiting blood, which flooded the streets.
Wrath rushed over immediately, but he was already too late; Gluttony's massive body collapsed to the ground.
From the back of Gluttony's neck, someone tore free, drenched in blood from head to toe.
Wrath could not believe his eyes when he saw Tilith standing atop Gluttony's grotesquely swollen head.
Tilith descended to stand before Wrath, and that was when he noticed the weapon in her hand—a shining sword, an angelic blade.
— Tilith, what the hell did you do?
— I killed that fat whore. You're welcome, since you weren't capable of it yourself. Do you know how fucking disgusting it smelled in there?
Wrath just blinked in confusion. Tilith couldn't possibly be this powerful, not even with an angelic weapon.
— I don't… understand. Are you the killer?
Tilith raised the shining blade so Wrath could see it better.
The light of the sword suddenly blinded him, and when his vision cleared, Tilith was no longer standing there. In her place stood a long-armed, green-skinned demon, his half-naked body covered in red tattoos.
— Envy? — Wrath asked in shock. — You're alive?
— You were careless, brother. You sealed the scene and never looked back at the corpse lying in the bathtub. Someone else has been lying there for quite some time now.
— Tilith.
— Yes.
— It was you the whole time?
— Yes.
— Since when can you create an illusion powerful enough to fool even me?
— This helped. — he pointed to the sword. — It gives a little extra even to demons like us. Angelic weapons bless everyone, without exception.
— That sword…
— Archangel Michael's sword. Quite the toy.
— So it's true—you really did open a portal to Heaven.
— Yes. I searched chaos for centuries, and in the end, I gathered enough of it.
— And Michael just handed you this beautiful weapon? Let me guess—he asked you to execute your siblings in return?
— Close, but no. Michael wanted one thing: for me to kill Lucifer.
— You couldn't kill Lucifer even with this. It's impossible.
— Oh, really? You should see our father's library; it's completely in flames. — he laughed horribly. — That bastard burned alive after I drove this beauty into his throat. He begged for mercy like a common whore.
Wrath felt uncontrollable rage rising within him.
Envy had murdered his siblings and killed Lucifer as well—this completely shocked him.
He blamed himself for not noticing the subtle signs in Tilith, even though at times they had been obvious.
He focused every drop of his boiling rage into one fist and simply punched through Envy's chest with a single, swift blow.
Archangel Michael's sword clattered to the ground, as did Envy's body, which began coughing up blood while laughing.
Wrath didn't understand what was so funny, but then his body changed—the flames vanished and he darkened, turning pitch black.
He didn't understand what was happening to him; no matter how he struggled, he could no longer move, able only to control his facial muscles.
Meanwhile, a massive, glowing red circle appeared beneath Wrath, growing brighter and brighter.
He wanted answers about what kind of curse his brother had cast on him.
— What kind of curse is this?
— A curse? — Envy laughed, vomiting blood. — This isn't a curse, you idiot. This is your fate.
Wrath no longer controlled his body. His arms spread wide, forming a perfect cross.
He struggled, but in vain—he could not control what was happening to him.
— Our father's seal. We broke it by ensuring that every one of our siblings died. Of course, it also required that you commit the final murder yourself.
— Our father… sealed something inside me?
— Yes—an ancient monster, the Leviathan. That's why our father is gone; he sacrificed his life to protect Hell from the creature now breaking free from within you.
This only made everything more confusing.
— Why is it good for you if Hell is destroyed?
— Lucifer… — Envy began grimly. — Lucifer will be destroyed as well.
— You didn't kill him?
— No… I couldn't have. Do you think you were the only one who fell in love with a being as infinitely pure as him? When he descended among us, he didn't just meet you—he met me too, later. I was infatuated with him, but he didn't want the weakest Deadly Sin. He wanted only you. I cursed you for it, but I kept my feelings to myself and patiently searched for possibilities. That's when I discovered the seal of the Leviathan. I only needed a heavenly ally to be able to kill our siblings. Michael hates Lucifer; he was happy to hand me his sword.
— You killed our siblings out of pure jealousy? You truly live up to your name.
— If Lucifer can't be mine…
Envy could not continue speaking or gloating; at last, he breathed his final breath and departed.
Wrath still could not break free and felt a new, unfamiliar power surging within him—one that would surely consume him.
Then two snow-white, blinding wings appeared before him, along with a beautiful, worried face.
Lucifer, in female form, stepped up to Wrath and seemed to analyze the power of the broken seal, hoping it might be reversed.
She quickly found the only solution.
— Wrath…
— Can you… can you do anything? — he asked weakly.
— This seal cannot be recreated. But…
— Yes?
— If you die… if you die, it might close.
— Then do it. Kill me, please—but quickly, because I can feel that bastard clawing his way through my guts.
Lucifer picked up Michael's sword from the ground, examined the gleaming blade for a moment, then approached Wrath with it.
The sword blinded Wrath again, so he closed his eyes and waited for death—but it never came.
He opened his eyes; the light was gone. Lucifer had lowered the sword and stood before him silently, staring.
— What are you doing? Why aren't you—
— I'm sorry, Wrath, but I can't. The Leviathan must be reborn through you.
— What are you talking about?
— I read about the Leviathan's seal in your father's library. I knew of Envy's plan as well—and I chose not to stop it.
— You knew… everything?
Lucifer nodded, stepped closer to Wrath, and gently stroked his hardened face.
— I'm sorry, you dark creature. Our romance was nothing more than rebellion against my Father. Of course, not everything was a lie.
— I know… I always felt I was nothing more to you than a tool, but I didn't care. I was foolish and I fell in love with you. — he said with a faint smile.
Lucifer leaned in, kissed Wrath on the lips, then stepped back, out of the red circle.
— Once the Leviathan breaks free from you, I'll lure it to the portal and take it to Heaven. I'll take revenge on my Father, seize the golden throne, and create a better world.
— Sounds good. I assume Hell won't survive either; that monster will tear it apart while chasing you.
— This place shouldn't exist at all. It's better off completely destroyed, don't you think?
Wrath didn't answer; he didn't particularly care what happened to this place once he was gone.
His father surely knew this would happen one day. Perhaps he himself wanted Hell's downfall, but he allowed his children to decide its fate.
Wrath looked at Envy's blood-frozen body, now truly dead. Unbelievable that his foolishness had doomed them all.
Meanwhile, Lucifer assumed his more masculine form, took out a black cigarette, and with a snap of his fingers floated it to Wrath's mouth.
Wrath nodded; he could no longer speak, the Leviathan's claws tearing at his throat from within.
He managed to take one last drag of the cigarette—one last—before his body exploded and the ancient monster finally tore its way free.