Beelzebub watched from behind Lucifer. He would have snickered if he weren't surrounded by angry guards pointing weapons at him. Lucifer might think his blood magic was more powerful than the magic of Beelzebub, but the Archduke of the Eighth Circle kept many unimaginable powers secret from his king. He had learned them in secret in the ancient days back when he was still an angel. It had been during the wars against the primordial sea monsters that had infested the waters of Chaos before creation Tiamat, Apsu, and their alien spawn had been masters of magic beyond God and Lucifer's imaginations, and Beelzebub had studied with them in secret, in defiance of the decrees of God. Lucifer had known nothing about it; he'd never have forgiven Beelzebub for studying magic with the creatures that had killed his parents.
Lucifer might have been lulled into a false sense of security by Rev. Cromwell's transformation, but that had only worked because Beelzebub hadn't been using his top-tier magic on him yet. He'd broken out the big guns for the remaining Iron Knights once he'd heard that Cruciata had snitched. Now those potent, primal spells would be put to the test.
Lucifer passed the cup from demon to demon, starting with Rachel and Princess Miasma. None transformed, of course. The chalice finally came to Rev. Mather and Dr. Bashir. Beelzebub watched with interest.
"And who are you?" Lucifer asked.
"I am Anax," said Rev. Mather. "I'm an overseer of the palace servants."
"We'll soon see about that," Lucifer said, handing him the chalice.
Not seeing a way out of this, Rev. Mather drank from the chalice. Much to his surprise, nothing happened. He remained an antlered demon with the lower body of a scorpion.
"Very good, Anax," said Lucifer. "You're in the clear." He turned to Dr. Bashir. "Name and position?"
"I'm called Mutea," said Dr. Bashir. "I'm one of the palace concubines." Dr. Bashir gave Lucifer a flirty wink, hoping that it would make "her" act more convincing.
"Prove it," Lucifer said, passing the chalice to Dr. Bashir.
Dr. Bashir drank, emboldened by Rev. Mather's luck. Luck proved to be on his side as well. Instead of morphing into a human Middle Eastern male, Dr. Bashir remained a fox-headed temptress with dragon wings.
"I guess that's to be expected," Baal sighed. "Cruciata said Dr. Bashir's cover identity was a serpent demon called Mabeuth and Rev. Mather's cover identity was a squid demon called Trebax. Nobody here matches that description."
Rachel flinched, realizing that her mom had just told those two about the weddings.
"I told you I'm innocent!" shouted Beelzebub. "Cruciata's trying to remove me from power to steal whichever of my lands Lucifer's willing to give her!"
"That's certainly a possibility," Lucifer sighed. "She always was a sneaky girl. For now, I declare this party over! Everybody, return to your chambers."
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Rev. Mather lay awake in his bed, unable to believe his incredible luck. Beelzebub had just saved his life with magic. The pastor could never feel grateful to a demon, but her silently thanked God for using Beelzebub to deliver him from evil. Soon the Devil would be dead, and it would all be because of him, Rev. Church, and Dr. Bashir. Maybe Dr. Bashir could even be forgiven for his Muslim faith...
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Dr. Bashir tried to sleep in the palace harem, feeling horribly degraded. To think that a pious servant of Allah had been reduced to a slutty little prostitute for the entertainment of demonic "nobles!" But at least this ruse was keeping him alive to finish the Great Work. It was the prospect that had caused Richard the Lionheart and Saladin to put aside their differences and found the Iron Knights after all. Soon the Shaitan would be dead, and Dr. Bashir would be the one to carry out this ultimate jihad...
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Rev. Cromwell sat in a dungeon cell, wondering if he still lived because of the merciful intercession of the angels or the devious plots of the demons. As much as he hated to pin his hopes on Hell, he quietly hoped that Beelzebub would find a way to free him. After all, he still had so much to do! He'd finally gotten his first taste of dealing bloody justice to the enemies of God, but he still had to strike down the Devil himself! Oh well. As long as he was alive, there was always a chance...
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Rev. Church fumed in his room. He'd thought he'd gotten his revenge on his whore of a daughter, but the demonic bitch had somehow pulled through! The Devil was indeed cunning... but so was Beelzebub. As much as Rev. Church hated the Archduke, he knew that he needed him if he was ever going to assassinate the Devil. Beelzebub had his own reasons for wanting Lucifer dead, but he DID want the same thing as Rev. Church. Beelzebub could always be betrayed later. The important thing now was having a patron to keep the Iron Knights safe from detection as Beelzebub had time and time again. The day of reckoning was nearing...
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Beelzebub was busy smashing a large nude portrait of Cruciata. How dare his daughter sell him out! He'd nearly been arrested for treason and conspiracy to commit murder because of that two-faced bitch! At least saving Rev. Mather and Dr. Bashir had saved him and earned him an apology from Lucifer. Even better, three out of four of his agents were still free to plot against Lucifer and the other targets. This could be salvaged...
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Michael sighed sadly. His lead had dried up! He would of course keep his promise to Cruciata and protect her, but her trail had somehow gone cold. Baal was having trouble finding "Trebax" and "Mabeuth," but the search would continue. Michael remained sure that Beelzebub was involved in the conspiracy like Cruciata had claimed, but there was no proof. Rev. Cromwell had passionately denied it, and none of Lucifer's attempts to break any thought concealment spells that could be on the pastor had worked. Maybe Beelzebub's magic really WAS more powerful than Lucifer's. The Archduke of the Eighth Circle was known to be Hell's premier sorcerer, after all. Michael wished that Parthenope would get here soon; he needed her...
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Lucifer lay beside Lilith in bed, brooding. Michael and Baal had both been so certain that Beelzebub had been behind everything. Lucifer hated the idea that his best friend and confidante could be plotting against him. No! He refused to believe it! No evidence had turned up, after all. This was most likely Cruciata acting independently and trying to frame her father for her own crimes. The nerve of it all! Perhaps the assassins might even go after Beelzebub next. Lucifer prayed to the sacred darkness that Michael and Baal would find proof of Cruciata's guilt and Beelzebub's innocence very soon...