Awesome / No Sympathies

As with any story depicting Hell and Heaven, there's going to be scenes of epic proportions.

Unmarked spoilers ahead

• After having his proposal to become a tempter rejected by his boss Mephistopheles, Pug is initially despondent. However, one look at the top of Hell from the bottom of Lake Cocytus is all he needs to try and take matters into his own hands. Without a second thought, he ascends, and begins his journey across the seven circles of Hell.
• "The War in Heaven Abridged". The whole second chapter is dedicated to how Archangel Michael and the rest of God's forces managed to beat back Lucifer (formerly Lucifel) and his own army of rebels. In particular is what happens near the end of it. Lucifel has seemingly beaten his former sister-in-arms, and heads straight for God Himself, lance in hand and ready to kill. One look at the almighty Creator causes him to be blinded and blown away, his armor melting and his chances of winning destroyed. And then Michael shows up to finish the job while the other rebel angels get tossed out of Heaven.
  Lucifel: How? I defeated you!
  Michael: You winded me, you fool. Now fall.
  • Lucifel, for his part, does do a decent job as a leader, rousing his army (a whole third of the Heavenly Host no less) with a long and passionate speech before nearly killing Michael. Odds are he would have won if it weren't for both his army being overwhelmed and God's visage instantly taking him out.
• Alichino saving Pug from the lake of damned souls in the Malebolge.
• Just when Duke Valac has eaten Pug and is now on the verge of chomping Matilda too in Gluttony, Alichino comes out of nowhere, and rips through both one of the draconic demon's heads and his chest, rescuing Pug from his stomach. She then threatens to finish the job while Valac is left silently begging for mercy. She cheerfully complies while he crawls away.
• Matilda effortlessly managing her way through the endless bureaucracy of Greed by getting all the right paperwork in order, tricking demons into letting her get through the long line, and using diplomatic bondage with Pug and Alichino to bypass the demon Melchom, who angrily tells them that everything is in order, and lets them go to the elevator. As far as Pug is concerned, she made bureaucracy look great! Even Alichino has to admit she's impressed.

• The fact that Matilda's husband, on the day that they met, instantly figured out she was a demon due to her mannerisms and the small flaws in her human disguise.

• Alichino curb-stomping Verrice and Gemory after they take their insults to Pug too far and attempt to jump her.

• When Mephistopheles and Moloch catch up to the trio in Envy, Alichino immediately starts fighting the bull demon while Matilda calls her former mentor out on his callous dismissal of others, especially Pug.

• When the first Intruder starts to feed off Moloch's strength, Samael forgoes his grievances, and rips into the monster to save him. Because it was a selfless act, the wounds stick, and the Intruder is killed. Doubles as Foreshadowing as to how the Intruder menace can be beaten.

• Pug inadvertently giving Lilith the idea to talk to Heaven and have them help out with vanquishing the Intruders, followed by the demon princess openly defying her father out of earshot to carry out this master plan.

• As one might guess, no one except Pug is looking forward to the borderline suicide mission they've been given of ascending to Heaven. However, when it becomes obvious that neither Matilda or Alichino even want to bother trying, Pug, for the first time it would seem, gets fired up with frustration, and lays out how wrong they are to assume that they're beyond hope, calling them out for focusing so much on their own misfortune and demanding that they have some pride in the things they have accomplished, using the fact that he was the first imp to ascend the circles as an example. It's enough to motivate everyone to try and save Hell.

• Pug, his friends, Mephistopheles, and Keryon fighting their way through the Intruder swarm, with the trio brandishing their pitchforks, Keryon using his raw strength and poisonous stinger, and Mephistopheles summoning a Flaming Sword to slice through the foes.
  • When they've reached the space between Heaven and Limbo, Keryon buys our heroes time by plunging into the horde by himself.
  • Alichino is then ensnared by one of the Intruders before a furious Pug bonks it on the head with his pitchfork, buying the marquise enough time to retaliate by impaling it in the chest with her horn and bisecting it.

• Pug crawling up the great mountain of Purgatory with nary a single amount of difficulty due to his complete lack of sins. It inspires the others to follow, though they obviously have a harder time of it.

• Even as his army loses horribly to the Intruders, Abaddon rips and tears through the ones in his way to save his daughters.

• Belphegor calling out Lucifer for making the Invader invasion all about his grudge with Heaven and his own ego, telling him without any uncertainty that he sounds just like how he felt God acted to him.
  Belphegor: You know who you sound like, don't you? Telling us you know better. I remember how you reacted when someone treated you that way.
  Lucifer: I am nothing like the Tyrant!
  Belphegor: Well, you're not all powerful, I'll give you that. And you're not omniscient either.
  Lucifer: This truth will inspire our forces! Why wait for proof when the benefits can be reaped now?
  Belphegor: And what happens when the battle is won and we discover you were wrong?
  • This is followed by Lilith, who's leading an army of damned souls, yelling at her father for being a lousy leader who did nothing to make Hell a better place for her or anyone else, especially since Heaven is right there.

• Paimon defying Lucifer and rushing to rescue Lilith from the Intruders. When they're both eaten and Lucifer is sent spiraling out of the sky in shock, Asmodeus and Beelzebub remind him of what they're fighting for, reigniting his spirit as the Archdemons rip into the main Intruder.
  • When just about every demon is eaten, Lucifer leads one final charge into the mouth of the monster, intent on killing it from the inside if all else fails.

• Pug and company meeting God, who's every bit as resplendent and divine as the legends say. So majestic in fact that He has no true physical form, just a ultra-comforting voice and the wisdom of eons.
  • God pretty much spells out to Mephistopheles that humanity didn't need him to learn how to sin. If anything, the demon HELPED mankind by showing them that they were capable of it sooner than later, and thus gave them inspiration to aspire to be better. This pretty much breaks Mephistopheles rather satisfyingly.

• "Hell Harrowed" is just one awesome moment after another for the Princes of Hell:
  • Belphegor, his throne destroyed, crawls on the floor and, upon seeing the Intruder menace above him, decides to finally start moving on his own accord after what feels like forever.
  • The Princes and all of Hell are in their Darkest Hour, trapped within the living prison that is the innards of the main Intruder. Then Abaddon remembers Gabriel's blade stuck in his chest, and instantly removes it after so long. For a moment, he ponders why he never noticed, only to realize that he did, as the sheer pain seemed to rule his mind for so long. Now free from this and remembering his daughters and underlings, he decides to use the blade that tormented him as his own weapon, slicing his way through while not noticing the holy light from within the sword.
  • Mammon breaks free of his restrains by, with great reluctance, removing his jewelry from his body and running off. He finds and tries to encourage Sheol, who gives him a not entirely undeserved "The Reason You Suck" Speech in regards to how he never made anything that wasn't for his own personal gain. Mammon concedes that they both have issues, but promises that they can get out if they work together. And sure enough, they do.
  • Asmodeus, after he and Beelzebub talk with each other about their woes and those they love, decides to take matters into his own hands, vowing to suffer with his harem instead of alone, while Beelzebub follows knowing that they'll do better together.
  • Lucifer FINALLY admits that he was wrong about everything, and does the impossibly by praying to God to give his followers salvation. Then the sound of a horn rings out, Gabriel's no doubt, and Lucifer is bathed in a Heavenly light. He starts to glow with the resplendent power that he once had, and with lance in hand, he charges his way through the monster's cavernous prison.
  • The Princes then reunite, with Sheol carrying lots of demons in his mouth. After they declare their will to save everyone, they get the rescued batch to Gehenna before seeing the armies of Heaven descend. Lucifer, showing how far he's come, makes the captured demons his top priority.
  • When the Princes go to rescue the rest of the demons, they find that the main Intruder is looking weaker and more wounded than before. The reason turns out to be that the lesser demons were so impressed by their masters that they decided to rescue each other too, with Keryon leading the charge.
  • Lucifer is carrying Paimon when out of nowhere, his former enemy Michael comes to the rescue, giving Paimon healing medicine in the process. THAT'S when the combined forces of Heaven and Hell all come together against the now very weakened main Intruder. They summon a huge Combination Attack with them charging into the beast, their combined virtue obliterating it from existence as it screams in its last moments. The day is saved!

• In the end, after hearing from Pug about how God believes all beings can come to Heaven, Lucifer makes a big announcement that every last one of them has virtue, and that if Pug and his friends can make it to Heaven, so can they all. He then declares that Hell will become a stepping stone to Heaven, removing his helmet and crown as a symbolic act of virtue. Everyone cheers for this new development, with Pug being the loudest.