It had been a few days since the Extermination.
Honestly, not much had changed on the surface.
The Hazbin Hotel was still standing.
Charlie remained determined.
Vaggie remained stressed.
And now Alastor had inserted himself into the hotel as its newest "host," smiling like he already owned the place.
Which Max was about ninety percent sure he planned from the start.
Still—
Max had bigger problems.
Azazel.
The rogue angel had become far too dangerous to ignore.
Supplying Hell with angelic weapons.
Targeting important figures.
Manipulating events behind the scenes.
And worst of all—
Nobody in Heaven seemed willing to stop him.
Which meant Max would have to investigate personally.
"…Fine."
"Let's do this."
Max stood alone in his room and slowly began praying.
Not normal prayer.
Something far older.
Far more complicated.
The words themselves twisted reality as he spoke them.
The room darkened.
Black feathers began drifting through the air.
His wolf ears disappeared first.
Then his tail.
The demonic energy around him faded completely.
His body reshaped itself into something far more divine.
Or perhaps—
Something Heaven considered divine.
Pitch-black wings unfurled from his back.
A pale mask with slightly twisted features formed over his face.
His entire presence became ancient.
Heavy.
Absolute.
Then—
He vanished.
Max reappeared inside the highest realm of Heaven.
Directly before the Throne of God.
The sheer holy energy should have been unbearable.
Instead—
Max blinked in surprise.
"…Huh."
"Not itchy."
That was definitely an improvement.
Nearby sat a note and massive mural clearly left behind by God himself.
Max already knew that meant trouble.
"…Why do I hear boss music?"
He walked closer and started reading.
Apparently—
His angelic form already existed within Heaven's lore.
Or rather—
God made it exist retroactively.
Typical.
Max learned several things very quickly.
In Heaven's records, he was known as the First Dark Angel.
And also the last.
Even worse—
God apparently credited him with indirectly creating the Seven Deadly Sins.
Not because he rebelled against Heaven like Lucifer.
But because he could supposedly predict the flaws within creation itself.
Max stared at the mural silently.
"…You gave me WAY too much credit."
Still—
One detail caught his attention.
His angelic name.
"Mazezal…"
Max tested the name quietly.
"…Actually kinda cool."
He folded the note and sighed.
"Well."
"Time to find Azazel."
Max teleported down to Heaven's main level.
The moment he appeared—
Every nearby angel stopped what they were doing.
And stared.
Some looked confused.
Others looked horrified.
A few older angels immediately recognized him.
Which honestly made things more awkward.
Max ignored the attention and walked directly into the center of Heaven.
Then released his power.
The pressure exploded outward instantly.
Every angel in Heaven felt it.
The entire realm shook slightly.
"…Yeah, maybe that was too much."
Before he could continue—
Two figures appeared instantly in front of him.
Sera.
And Emily.
Both looked extremely alarmed.
Sera stepped forward first.
"Mazezal."
Her voice echoed slightly with authority.
"What are you doing back in Heaven?"
Max opened his mouth immediately.
"I have every right to be here. Unlike Lucifer, I'm not banished. I'm looking for Azazel. He—"
Emily immediately slapped a hand over his mouth.
"Let's maybe discuss this somewhere private," she whispered nervously.
A few moments later—
The three sat inside Heaven's council chamber.
Sera personally locked the room behind them.
Max crossed his arms.
"…This already feels suspicious."
Emily sighed.
"Listen…"
"We know about Azazel."
Max immediately leaned forward.
"And?"
Sera looked exhausted.
"There's nothing we can do."
Max blinked slowly.
"…Excuse me?"
Emily rubbed her forehead.
"He's another world reincarnation."
That caught Max completely off guard.
"Wait."
"He admitted that?"
Emily nodded weakly.
"He wasn't exactly subtle."
"And he's extremely hostile toward Hell."
Max groaned.
"Fantastic."
Emily gave a nervous laugh.
"Honestly, we're just grateful he's the only reincarnation causing problems."
Max stared at her.
"…About that."
Emily immediately pointed at him.
"No."
"Don't say anything else."
Max wisely shut up.
Sera continued instead.
"We've already tried stopping Azazel several times."
"He's died repeatedly."
Max frowned.
"By me?"
"…Sometimes," Sera admitted.
"Other times by forces within Hell itself."
"But he keeps coming back."
Max's expression darkened.
Immortality.
And not normal immortality either.
Something resistant to erasure itself.
That was dangerous.
"Meanwhile," Sera continued, "he continues supplying Hell with angelic weaponry and manipulating factions."
Max clenched one fist.
"Then let me deal with him directly."
Emily immediately shook her head.
"No."
"You fighting another high-ranking angel publicly would destabilize both Heaven and Hell."
Sera nodded.
"And your existence alone already disrupts balance."
Max hated that they were probably right.
"…Fine."
He stood up slowly.
"But at least try to stop him."
"He's escalating things too far."
Sera gave a small nod.
"We'll do what we can."
Then her expression hardened slightly.
"But now you need to leave."
"Your presence here is attracting too much attention already."
Max sighed.
"…Fair."
Black smoke slowly began surrounding him as he prepared to teleport away.
But just before disappearing—
He noticed something.
A glowing romantic connection ring.
Attached to Emily.
And somehow—
It was more solid than several people he was already dating.
Max froze briefly.
"…Oh no."
Emily blinked.
"What?"
Max immediately vanished before she could ask further.
Leaving both Emily and Sera deeply confused.
And Max deeply concerned.
[A: Got made Emily keep her "Relationship Progressive" cause she mostly fell for him after watching him in hell which would take much longer than others. Anyways enjoy, and no, Azazel is the only rencarnation known]