Black lightning circled around the tower in the center of the capital. At the topmost room, Levy was singing and dancing, her eight crab-like legs shuffling back and forth as she twirled around, waving her hands in the air. Uriel, Asura, Raphael, and the unassuming demon were sitting up in their beds, bleary-eyed.

“Hey, Levy,” Camael said while picking his ear with his pinky. His scorpion-like tail swept away the shattered wood by his feet. “What the hell was that? You know noon to four is designated napping time.”

Levy stopped dancing and tilted her head, blinking her big blue eyes. Her short, silver hair clung to her cheeks. “Levy woke you up?” she asked and pouted. Her head lowered. “Sorry.” The lightning stopped crackling and disappeared as Levy bit her lower lip.

The door to the room burst open. Sariel panted, her face red, as she ran into the room. “What was that!?” she shouted. “You know you’re not supposed to use your powers unless your lives are at stake!”

“Blah, blah, blah,” Camael said as he stood up and walked in front of Levy who looked like she was about to cry. “I used my powers. So what? What are you going to do about it, Little Sarsar?”

“You!” Sariel said and clenched her hands.

“Calm down, old lady,” Asura said and crossed five of her six arms over her chest. The remaining arm covered one of her mouths as it yawned. One of her heads was still asleep. “Didn’t you ask us to deal with the rebels if they came too close to the capital?”

“That’s right,” Levy said as her head bobbed up and down. “You said slaughter. And massacre. And genocide.” She blinked and licked her lips as she looked around. “Right? Levy did good, right?”

Sariel’s brow furrowed as she swept her gaze over the six figures lazing about. Uriel lay back down and stretched her arms over her head while arching her back. She exhaled and untangled the hair from her horns. “That’s right. Levy did well,” she said. “Did you find the gluttony being? It’s hard to believe there’s someone on our level that we’ve never heard about.”

“Levy didn’t see,” Levy said and lowered her head. “But Levy squished the bad angels outside like this.” She slapped her palm against the wooden table in the room, shattering it. She retracted her hand and covered her mouth. “Oops.”

Sariel’s expression darkened. “Gluttony being? Same level as you?” she asked.

The unassuming demon in the corner nodded. “You didn’t see? The sky was covered for five seconds,” he said. “I was asleep and I still saw it. I’m not surprised your council members lost. Who told you to provoke something like that?”

“Raphael,” Sariel said and knelt on the ground. “Can you revive the ones who died to the lightning?”

“Why are you kneeling?” Camael asked and smirked. “It’s not like he can see.”

“Haven’t we been forbidden from leaving this room?” Raphael asked and crossed his arms over his chest. “You know what that lightning-slinging god of yours will do to me if I leave.”

“And yet you still blame me for stopping you from searching for your eyes,” Asura said and snorted. “You’re like a child.”

Sariel wanted to shout: You’re all like children! But that would probably get her killed. She bit her lower lip. “Please,” she said. “Can’t you revive them without leaving the room? Surely a being of kindness such as yourself won’t let lives be lost for no reason.”

‘Levy had a reason!” Levy said and furrowed her brow. “They tried to be as cute as Levy.” Her expression darkened. “I don’t like that. Only Levy can be cute.”

Sariel ignored the petulant demon, continuing to kneel on the ground facing Raphael. “She hasn’t left yet?” Raphael asked and scratched his head. He sighed and leaned back, letting his long hair brush against his blanket. “If the Creator wanted them to live, then he wouldn’t have let them die in the first place, no? And everyone knows we shouldn’t go against the Creator’s will.”

“It would still be the Creator’s will to have them live if you resurrected them,” Sariel said, staring at the floor. “If you brought them back to life, then that is also the Creator’s will.”

A smile appeared on Raphael’s lips. “So you’re saying my decision is also the Creator’s?” he asked. He lowered his head and stared at Sariel with his empty eye sockets. His tone was mocking. “If I save them, then the mighty man in the sky wanted them to live? If I don’t save them, then he wanted them to die? Then what’s the point of even having a Creator in the first place?”

Sariel raised her head and frowned at the sneering angel. “That’s right,” Raphael said. “There isn’t a point. He’s called the Creator, not the Commander. But a more suitable name for him would be Silver-tongued Con Artist.”

“You’re speaking blasphemy,” Sariel said, her face pale.

“And you can’t kill me. Even I can’t kill me. Doesn’t that upset you?” Raphael said.

Sariel’s lips drew into a line as she fell silent. Asura rolled all six of her eyes. “Just ignore him,” she said. “He’s still upset about his eyes. I’ll use his powers and revive those people for him.”

“Really?” Sariel asked, her eyes widening. “You’d do that?”

Asura’s heads nodded. “But I have a condition,” she said.

“Of course you do,” Sariel muttered and sighed. “What is it?”

“Blaspheme the Creator.”

“W-why?” Sariel asked and furrowed her brow.

“Because he’s a bastard,” Asura said. “And I want him to hear it from one of his most faithful dogs. I can call him a nose-picking maggot all day, but he’s already grown numb to it.” She pointed up at the sky. “Look, the little turd doesn’t even throw lightning bolts at me anymore.” She smiled at Sariel. “So will you do it? Those little angels’ lives or your precious faith. What will you choose?”

Sariel stood up and left.

“That’s no fun,” Asura said as the door closed.

The unassuming demon in the corner counted with his fingers while mumbling. “Whatcha doing there, Creed?” Uriel asked, turning her head.

“Counting the sins and virtues left,” he said. “With this new gluttony being … there’s only—“

“Pride and envy!” Levy shouted while throwing her hands into the air. Her body swayed from side to side. “Oh, I can’t wait to get out of here. It’s been too long since Levy’s killed someone.”

“You exterminated a group like ten minutes ago,” Camael said.

“Yeah,” Levy said and nodded, her hair flying up and down. “Too long.”