"1,287,493,507 human souls devoured in the past 9 months." A grating, old voice said. "That is an all-time low."
In the cruel darkness, an untapped void heeded. Its presence was calm but malevolent, its existence putting light to shame.
"I would argue that it's Arachnea's fault," another voice chided in. "Looks like the guy has lost his spark."
Arachnea, another void of malevolent despair stared at his comrade.
"You know, I just love to hear the screams of humans." Arachnea grinned. "Why would I spare any of those insects?"
Arachnea laughed, his voice rippling across humanity, spreading evil and doom.
"D-dont I also want to devour them?" a childish voice said. "Since humans are worthless, right?"
Arachnea sighed. "Do you really want to eat them, Jester?"
Jester whimpered. "O-of course. I want to devour, don't I? I want to-"
As the words left his mind, overwhelming pain washed through his body. He staggered back, his agony making him grit and hunch over.
"Then mean it!" Arachnea said. "You are a demon, goddamn it. You should feel no sympathy, no remorse. Just think of your hunger. Think of your void. Think of your slaves."
Arachnea gestured across the pitch darkness, into the nether world, and the realm of chaos.
There stood an arena, hexagonal and deadly. It was barricaded with barbed wires infused with heat, the spikes sizzling and white hot. The floors were covered with thick red sand, exuding envy and pride. Inside the death chamber were two humans, battling each other, bathed in blood.
They were half-naked, but their souls were chained. They threw heavy punches at each other, drawing out thick streaks of blood. They panted from exhaustion with painful pores forming on their skin. With every attack, they screamed, desperate to kill each other to save their souls from being abandoned to the worst place creation has ever perceived.
"Yes," Jester nodded. "They are... nothing, right?"
Jester thought. Greed and suffering were willed into existence.
The two men screamed, their very existence burning. Evaporating.
"Please," one of the men cried. "Please, please, please, please, please. PLEEEEEASE JUST DIEEEEEE!!!!!!!"
He tackled his opponent to the ground, the two warriors grabbing each other's necks.
"Settle down, Jester."
Arachnea and Jester froze, their endless life flashing before their weary eyes. Their realm shuddered, reflecting the pain of its master.
"How can you torture your slaves without inviting me?" The new figure said. "Oh, I remember my first slave. I turned him into my flag.
The figure pointed at a stick, and the malevolent Arachnea gasped.
"Oh no. That's scary, isn't it?" Jester shivered.
The pole was red and mouldy, with blood stains and tears being inscribed onto it. At the end of the three-headed pole was the skin of a human, its empty husk being hanged by the arms and face.
Arachnea moved closer to inspect the staff, his existence fluctuating as he drew near.
He glanced at his evil partner, who gave him a petrifying smile.
"I don't... care about y-your staff." Arachnea fixed his posture. "I have seen low-ranking demons who ha-"
The skin suddenly screamed, its head and arms flaying around. Jester and Arachnea flew back, their face covered in human blood.
'HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLP MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!"
One of the men pushed his opponent to the arena's edge, allowing the burning iron to pierce into their skin.
One of the men shoved his arm into his opponent's throat, determined to rip out anything vital. Did life even exist in this expanse?
The figure wacked the screaming husk, and the noise stopped. The skin returned to its lifeless form, damned to be an ornament of evil.
Arachnea's breath hitched. "You didn't say it was alive."
"I didn't say it was dead."
"You didn't say it can scream, did you?" Jester complained.
The original void cleared his voice. "Happy you could make it. Flayer."
Flayer bent his neck backwards, enough to look at who was addressing him.
"Why would I miss something that can grant me more human souls?" Flayer chuckled. "I could use another flagpole. Wait a minute, don't tell me you aren't excited. The exhilaration to go out and devour. Tell me your mind, Butcher."
Butcher grinned, and all the realms cried out in fear. Butcher strolled towards Flayer, the two voids' presence clashing.
"Tell me something I don't know," Butcher's voice sounded more hysterical. Like a lunatic. "I could devour millions of souls. Or who knows? I could just devour yours. It's not a lot, but it's enough."
Flayer's smile disappeared. "Watch your mouth, until he's here, don't tal-"
"Or else what?" Butcher said, hovering over Flayer, the two voids stared at each other with disdain. "What the fuck will you do. Hit me with your puny aura."
Flayer grabbed his flagpole. The skin started to roar, a high-pitched scream that petrified Jester.
"Yo, you punks should calm down before he arrives," Arachnea said, trying to break up the arguments.
The two voids moved their heads slowly to look at Arachnea, their stare carrying the cries of a million souls. Their presence made Arachnea feel sick, his existence fluctuating faster and faster as he stood near the presence of these two devils.
"Or... else what?" The two devils chorused.
Arachnea's existence wanted to crumble, surrender itself to the infinite darkness. But above all else, pride crafts a sage and a fool.
"I'm gonna consume you both," Arachnea whispered.
Arachnea's aura stood no chance against the combined forces of his opponents, but he made sure his pain wouldn't be evident. His existence screamed through his body, the kingdom of antimatter shrieking from his pain.
The man lunged at his opponent, planning to use his weight to overpower his opponent. But suddenly, the opponent caught him by the shoulder and threw him across their battlefield.
Butcher walked over to Arachnea, his eyes not carrying hate, but excitement. His dormant hobby to torture lit up his face.
"You look pale, Arachnea." Butcher giggled. "What if I..."
The aura increased tenfold, and Arachnea's existence struggled to hold. He knew he had to beg. He knew he had to plead for forgiveness. But alas, pride...
"Very disappointing, Butcher." Arachnea managed, "Have you gotten weaker?"
Flayer joined Butcher, looking down at the struggling Arachnea, the supposed thorn of hell.
"Oh? I guess we should up the damage." Flayer proposed.
Arachnea closed his eyes, waiting for death to overtake him.
"Arachnea, please beg." Jester cried out.
Arachnea knew it was foolish to take the aura. Butcher's alone was able to cripple his existence, and Flayer's would dispatch it. His time was well spent, and he didn't see spending another millennium in the Infinite Darkness as a curse. But he didn't want to.
He was ready to apologize, to kiss the breadth of the voids threatening to unravel him into the Soundless Oblivion. But as he opened his mouth...
"Eat shit." Arachnea smiled, his pride taking over at the last moment.
He had no regret.
Butcher gritted.
Flayer screamed.
The flagpole screamed.
Jester wept.
Arachnea accepted.
"Hey, not fair."
All 4 voids fell to their face, another aura overpowering theirs. Their existence, their will, their sphere parts... all threatening to be forced out of creation.
The man grabbed his opponent by the neck with his leg, aiming to strangle him.
"You guys are so rude. I begged you guys to always bow to me when I arrive. It's not nice, nice, nice. "
Arachnea lifted his face, glancing at the presence that broke his pride. The figure stood confident and tall, its void shape alluding to the cries of the underworld. Beside him was another void, but it was a voidless.
Arachnea's head slammed back to the floor, the aura forcing him deeper into the pavement.
"Oh, is that you, Arachnea? Oh, I'm sorry for being so rough. But," The figure's tone turned deeper and menacing. " DID I ASK YOU TO LOOK UPON ME?"
"Bunny, we exalt your unholy presence." Butcher's existence began to unravel, with dark smoke escaping his body. "We worship you, oh, high and mighty- ahhhhhhhhh."
The Voids felt empty and light, their existence fleeting from their grasp. They wondered if their master wished to kill them all. Suddenly and fortunately, the aura dispersed.
Butcher rushed to his feet, patting himself to ensure he was still alive. The satisfied Butcher turned to Bunny and bowed.
"Thank you, master," Butcher said in a tone of relief. "I thank you for you-"
Butcher slammed to the ground and died. His body, once crafted from darkness, dissolved into nothingness, his existence extinguished and his life cut short.
"Ooops, there goes Butcher. I guess my aura must have slipped. But wait, do they slip? How am I supposed to know?"
Bunny looked at his companion, its body beaming with a purple hue rather than pure blackness.
"Oh, don't ignore me, Saw. Oh well, you all arrived early. Even you, Flayer."
Flayer shook, his existence shaking from fear and anxiety. "I couldn't miss another opportunity for a hunt."
Bunny tilted his head at Flayer.
"Master," Flayer concluded.
Bunny laughed, his voice shaking all realms nearby. The Nether world shivered.
The man grabbed his opponent's head, wrapping his hands around firmly.
"No," his opponent pleaded. "No, no, no, no, no. Please, no. Stop!"
The opponent tried to escape, his hands working tirelessly to release himself from the bondage.
The man cried, his soul breaking from guilt and bitterness.
"Forgive me, brother."
The man squeezed his head tighter, and his bloody hands proceeded to break the opponent's neck. Memories flooded his brain - Their first drug exchange, their first care, their first gang fight, their first sex... all that ended with a swift move.
The man crawled to the edge of the arena, panting and bleeding.
"I have killed him," The man cried out. "I won. I WON."
Jester looked at his trophy, looking at it with uncertainty and confusion.
"What?" Jester shook his head. "What are you talking about?"
The man's face sloped. "You told me and my brother to fight to the death. You promised that the survivor will leave and you will release them back to the land of the living. Can I also have my dick back?"
Jester stared at the man, weighing his options. He glanced at Arachnea, who gave him a slight nod. Jester dared to look at Bunny, his presence causing ripples in his sight. Bunny tilted his head, and Jester shuffled on his feet.
"Yes, how could I forget?" Jester said. "I should properly thank you, shouldn't I?"
The man smiled. "Yes, you should. I mean, I won the battle, and my brother have-"
"However," Jester interrupted, his gaze stolen by the halls of regrets. "Why should I? I mean, I have no obligation to obey you, do I?"
The man's smile vanished. "What do you mean?" The man cralwed nearer to the edge of the arena, feeling the scalding heat. "You said you were a man of your word."
Jester paused, inspecting the near-limitless room of the halls of regrets. He suddenly looked back at the man, his eyes devoid of emotion.
"But," Jester leaned closer, "I AM NOT A MAN, AM I?"
The man was stunned, his face spelling disappointment and wrath. He grabbed at the arena walls and winced; a wide burn spread across his hand.
The man looked at it and screamed, in pain and in defiance.
"Go to hell. Fuck you. GOOOOOO TOOO HEELLLL-"
Suddenly, the warrior exploded in a splash of blood and sorrow, silenced from making too much noise.
Jester closed his ears, his face spelt annoyance and pain. "But we are in hell, aren't we?"
Bunny touched Jester.
"He was really a meanie. Well, well, well, let's get this meeting started."
Flayer bowed, his existence still unstable. "My lord, where shall we go next?"
Bunny glanced at Saw and grinned. His eyes carried a glint of excitement and murderous intention.
"WE ARE GOING TO THE UK, BOYS AND GIRLS." Bunny laughed. "LET THERE BE VOID!!"
Jester nodded.
Arachnea bowed.
Flayer knelt.
The flagpole roared.
And pure darkness, pure evil in its manifestation, screamed, as hell itself laughed out of glee.
And that, everyone, is the dream I always have.