Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

On the roof, the Hazbin Hotel, Hell ...

Alastor grunts in shock, and some pain as he hits the opposing side of the roof quite hard.

It had been some time since the Radio Demon had encountered this level of difficulty in the fight ... much less actually being knocked down!

Alastor mentally belittled himself for taking his eyes off Adam just now, even for a second.

Darn it, Hartfelt! Keep yourself together! the deer demon told himself, trying to fix his composure.

It wasn't the first time the Radio Demon's staff had been broken, and he was pretty sure that it wouldn't be the last time.

Alastor just needed a little time to put it back together again. Time, the deer demon realized, as golden wings overshadowed him from above ... he hadn't got.

The Radio Demon looked up to see Adam's gloating grin, as the angel commander loomed over him ... raising his guitar scythe for one final blow.

Alastor always hated it when he found himself in situations with opponents who could outmatch him.

It reminded the deer demon too much of his life on Earth ... in the worst possible ways.

The last time the Radio Demon had felt like this ... was when Charlie's infuriating, duck-obsessed father had visited the hotel.

Adam, obviously, wasn't on the same power level and league as Lucifer ... but he was still pretty strong. Stronger than Alastor had expected, in truth.

The deer demon quickly considered his options, as he glare-grinned defiantly back at Adam.

Alastor could continue the fight ... which was of course not feasible.

That blow to the Radio Demon's chest hadn't cut him too badly, but the pain was still a hindrance. Plus, with his staff broken ...

The deer demon shook his head mentally.

Then there was the strategic retreat option, which was possible. It would give Alastor a chance to live, fight another day, and recuperate with his allies.

Yes, that was what he'd do—

The Radio Demon's thought process was instantly cut off when he spotted something in the sky, just behind Adam.

A drone, hovering quietly in the air ... overlooking the scene. A VoxTech drone.

The Vees were watching.

VOX was watching.

This quickly put all thoughts of retreating out of Alastor's head! The deer demon would be doubly-damned before he'd let Vox see him run away from a fight!

The TV Demon would probably never let his radio counterpart live it down ... and gloat about it for the rest of eternity!

THAT was something that Alastor would NEVER EVER would put up with!

Racking his brain desperately, the Radio Demon realised that there was only one other option he could use.

A ... 'last resort' option. It was VERY dangerous, very unpredictable ... and Alastor wasn't sure if even he could survive it.

But it was an option that could save him, the hotel, and ... his friends. Save Charlie.

A stray thought at the back of the deer demon's mind asked when in Hell did he start thinking of his pawns as friends?

To tell the truth, Alastor ... had no idea. It just ... happened.

Oh, Charlie ... all the things you make me do for you and the hotel, the Radio Demon thought, with a fond smile on his face.

Alastor smirked with renewed confidence ... as a crackling red glow started to cover his body.

Adam's cocky smirk lessened a tad as he saw the red glow ... sensing a change in the course of the fight.

"Any last words, scum?" the exorcist leader sneered, trying to not to show any obvious unease.

The deer demon merely laughed at the angel's bravado, as he slowly got to his feet.

"Just these words to round off the show!" The glow crackled even more, as the Radio Demon's true form glowed into existence again.

"Goodnight angels EVERYWHERE ..."

Alastor's voice echoed with triumph and static, as he reached down inside ... and shattered the restraints on his energy reserves.

———

To say that the effect was dramatic ... would be DRASTICALLY understating things!

A HUGE nuclear-level explosion of eldritch power ripped across the sky, incinerated most of the Exorcist angels (who didn't get out of the way quick enough), and SHATTERED the Hazbin Hotel into rubble!

Even the VoxTech drone didn't make it out ... smashed to pieces by falling roof debris!

The impact also rocked the ENTIRE Pride Ring, and knocked everyone left on the battlefield off their feet.

———

The Vees Tower rocked under the magical quake as well, with employees panicking and running all over the place.

The Overlord trio had been knocked off balance as well; all of them ending up in a tangled heap on the floor.

Velvette was the first one to untangle herself, trying to compose herself ... and find her phone as well.

"What the bloody heck was that?!" the girl Overlord snapped, smoothing the ruffles in her outfit as she stood up.

"How should I know?" Valentino retorted, shoving Vox aside as he clambered to his feet.

"Damn it, I think I've got a crick in my wings now!" the moth demon complained, wincing a little. "Vox, baby, could you take a look at— Vox?"

Valentino paused, as he realised that the third member of the Vees hadn't said anything yet.

"Vox, are you listening?!" the film producer asked angrily, as he turned to see Vox hurriedly tapping on a Hellpad.

For once, Vox took no notice of his boyfriend whatsoever.

The TV Demon was certain that whatever had just happened was to do with Alastor ... and a desperate Vox had to find out for sure.

He'd known the Radio Demon long enough to know that Alastor was unpredictable.

If he could do something like this just now ... what was Alastor planning to do next?

Chapter Text

On the battlefield, seconds later ...

"What the double heck was that?!" Angel Dust yelled, shaking dust from his eyes as he picked up his guns from the ground.

"Damn it, my bloody ears won't stop ringing ..." Husk cursed, slapping at his furry ears in an attempt to put them right.

"My dear, ssssshield yourself!" Sir Pentious blurted out, turning to Cherri Bomb as his turf war instincts activated.

"It's a secondary attack! It's—"

"Calm down, snakey-boy", Cherry Bomb grumbled, rolling her one eye in exasperation. "I think that I'd know if it was!"

As for Charlie, the Devil's daughter was blinking woozily, half taken off guard by the almighty explosion ... and half dazed from its aftershock.

The aforementioned explosion had practically knocked everyone off their feet, friend and foe alike ... which had also temporarily stopped the fighting.

Vaggie had been knocked halfway across the battlefield by its shockwave, which had also temporarily stunned Nifty.

The ex-Exorcist was currently tending to the partially-dazed little cyclops, who was still muttering 'stab, stab, stab' under her breath.

Angel Dust was the first of the hotel group to get up, followed by Cherri Bomb ... as they were more used to the effects of battlefield explosions.

Next were Husk and Sir Pentious, both of them clutching their respective weapons ... just in case.

Charlie slowly got up as Vaggie, carrying a mostly-recovered Nifty came walking over to join her and the others.

"Charlie, are you all right?" she asked, smiling in relief as the princess nodded in answer.

"Yes, Vaggie ... I am", Charlie replied, and then grinned. "Boy, that was strong!

I haven't experienced an explosion like that since Razzle got indigestion from eating too many fire chilli!"

She ignored the look that the aforementioned goat shot her as he hovered around his mistress's head with Dazzle.

Vaggie rolled her eyes wryly, remembering that unforgettable day back at the palace.

Lucifer had been more than a little bit miffed when he saw the extent of the damage. Worse than anything she'd seen as an Exorcist!

Speaking of the Exorcists ...

Vaggie looked up, and saw that the remaining Exorcists were all gathering in the air around Lute, who had now taken off her mask.

She looked unusually worried, and was talking rapidly in low tones with the other Exorcists. Some of her words were louder than others though.

"How many troop casualties are there? Where's Adam? Has anyone seen Adam anywhere?!"

Vaggie frowned in confusion, and then turned to look around the battlefield.

To her surprise, Adam WASN'T there ... which was really strange for the big-headed, loudmouthed showoff he was!

Charlie, who was also listening, wondered that exact thing. The last time she'd heard his name mentioned was when all of her friends were planning the hotel's defence.

Charlie, her friends, and Rosie's people were going to be the ground defence. Alastor was going to—

The Princess of Hell suddenly stiffened!

The Radio Demon had told her that he was going to be up on the hotel roof, casting a protective forcefield over the hotel.

If the forcefield went down ... then Alastor would take on Adam, one to one.

Charlie hadn't seen Alastor since the forcefield collapsed, and come to think of it ... ... that huge explosion DID come from the direction of the hotel!

Feeling an ominous sense of worry and fear, the Princess of Hell turned to look back at the Hazbin Hotel ...

... Or rather ... where the Hazbin Hotel USED to be!

Charlie gasped in horror and shock as she saw nothing but dust clouds and stacks of rubble where her hotel's unorthodox, but familiar edifice had been.

Seeing the princess's sudden, terrible reaction, the rest of the group turned to look back too ... with pretty similar reactions to the horrible sight.

Even Cherri Bomb was taken aback!

Charlie suddenly burst into a hard sprint towards the hotel rubble, completely deaf to the calls of her friends as they followed close behind.

"Charlie! Charlie, wait!" Vaggie pleaded, still half in shock from the hotel's destruction.

"Charlie, stop! It's not safe!" Angel Dust yelled, putting his guns away as he ran.

The spider demon had been around enough collapsed buildings in turf wars to know that.

The last thing that he wanted was for the Princess of Hell to get more hurt than she already was.

The others were too out of breath to say anything, but they kept running as fast as they could ... not wanting to lose Charlie.

None of the group knew that there was someone else following Charlie.

Lute.

Adam's lieutenant was following the Princess of Hell at a distance, a wary, suspicious look on her face.

———

In the rubble of the Hazbin Hotel ...

Once in the ruins, Charlie and her friends looked around in dismay and horror at their surroundings.

The explosion had shattered the Hazbin Hotel right down to its very foundations ... turning once familiar objects and furniture into nothing but shattered materials and memories.

For once, Cherri Bomb had no snarky comment to make. It didn't really seem like the time for it ... especially since the others looked so devastated.

"Worse than a turf war, this is ..." Angel Dust murmured, blinking back tears.

"Bloody hell ..." Husk muttered in agreement.

The group of friends scattered across what used to be the hotel lobby, trying to find recognisable things.

Sir Pentious found some of his smaller, now-smashed inventions.

Angel Dust found the remains of a favourite dancing scarf.

Husk managed to uncover what was left of his bar ... nothing but a pile of smashed wood and shards of bottle glass.

Nifty sniffled quietly as she recovered her 'roach puppets', which were now in crushed pieces.

"It's all ... gone", the little cyclops whispered, for once sounding very vulnerable.

"No, Nifty", Vaggie said gently, crouching down and giving her a hug. "It's not gone. We'll rebuild, don't worry.

Won't we, Charlie?" she said, getting up and turning to face her girlfriend. But Charlie wasn't there.

Vaggie blinked and looked around in confusion. It was like the Princess of Hell had vanished into thin air.

"Charlie?" she called, a note of worry and panic seeping into her voice.

"Charlie?!"