In the beginning, God created the heavens and the Earth, or so the saying goes. Our story begins with God, in the deep recesses of outer space, creating beautiful wonders like planets and galaxies alike; stopping to admire his craftsmanship. God has a terrifying visage, and yet there is a quiet, curious gaze that covers his features: God is a patient being, who examines things up close, and takes his time to see if they turned out correctly. God is a perfectionist and a scientist.
The narration explores the meaning of creation. A creator is like an artist in many ways, experimenting with infinite possibilities to see what works and what doesn't, until finally he has achieved a masterpiece. For God, the universe was a blank canvas, allowing him to create many signs and wonders that suited his fancy. And the narration is overlaid by the beauty of creatures both fantastical and mundane, showing the variety of things God has made.
God, like any artist does not wish to just leave a creation alone, but to experiment with the creation over and over again until its flaws are removed. The creator takes pride in their work, and wishes to leave a mark of some kind on the universe. The excellence of the creation would speak volumes of the talent of the creator. But when the creation becomes sentient, how much of the creation is invented by the will of its creator, and how much is the creation guided by its own independent will? The gift of sentience, allowed for certain creations to forge their own paths, and their own realities. God found it a difficult balancing act to give his creations freedom, while also directing them to not let their advancements get in the way of performing their duties. Freedom did not always mean responsibility, requiring the careful guidance of a God's hand to steer them on the right path.
Alas, God sticks to his progressive design and creates a monument to his own glory: angels! A beautiful and powerful race, made out from the stardust found in the cosmos, God equipped the angels with the ability to see the beauty in creation and to nurture it by his side. One day when creating the next variety of angel, God was surprised when the singular star soul split into two, creating the twins Lucifer and Michael. Fascinated by his new creations, God spends a considerable amount of time on his twin stars, exploring their capabilities to his satisfaction, but taking particular interest in Lucifer (the soul that split off without his input), finding him to be a great source of inspiration.
Satisfied with his creation of paradise, and sectioning it off from the mortal realm, God starts work on his next invention: humans. Like the angels, humans are capable of appreciating the beauty of his cosmic creation, and forging their own path. God's fascination with experimentation never sleeps, even to the detriment of his creations who love his company and feel lost without him. God marks the glory of his creation in stained glass, situated right next to his throne. A permanent reminder of his success, for his creations to ponder upon, and with that God becomes absent from paradise, seeking invention and curiosities elsewhere in the universe.
Lucifer and Michael are entrusted to keep the peace among the angels and the mortals, due to being the peak of God's creative ability. The twin stars are powerful enough to enforce their will upon any of God's creations if they so desired, but being the moral and philosophical centerpiece of paradise are shoes too big for them to fill... and just like every other angel, Michael and Lucifer are lost without the presence of the Father. A somberness fills the foundation of heaven, as the two reflect upon this reality.
The chapter caps off with an animation. In it, a prehistoric Earth has been brought to ruin and is a burnt out husk of rock. A host of demonic forces fly around the perimeter of Earth, and suddenly the cosmos spins in reverse like a rewound clock. Coming back to the burnt out Earth, an explosion of energy bursts out of the planet, restoring it to proper working order with healthy continents and organic life present. One major change from the previous iteration is the presence of a moon.
A stairway to heaven is shown, and God's all seeing eye looks through the portal to paradise on the opposite end. God is seen in an elegant robe, surrounded by a spiraling circle of energy, marked by numerous golden crosses. A blue spark of lightning and a wisp of flames dance around God, clearly Michael and Lucifer playing around as their father contemplates. A beautiful throne, surrounded by spiked pillars erupts out of the clouds, and the scene then transitions into a hallway of stained glass windows, marking various successes God has had since the beginning of time. One of the stain glasses shatters, an omen of something bad to come...
The chapter title opens with two interesting images. One is of a statue of a naked Lucifer, with ribbons wrapped around his body, emphasizing the beauty and majesty of the angel. The second image is of Michael and Lucifer standing in the midst of heaven, admiring the splendor of paradise as its multitude of angels travel in the dimension's expanse. The caption reads Antirrhinum, a type of flower which symbolizes grace and strength. As subordinate rulers (effectively princes) to God's cosmic creation, Michael and Lucifer would certainly need a lot of both traits to succeed.
The story cuts to God working on a project in heaven, no doubt one of an uncountable number. Just as God is putting on the finishing touches, a commotion in the distance distracts God from his work. A demonic bull with multiple mandibles is rampaging through paradise, chasing after the angel Michael. On the bull's back is Lucifer, cackling like a mad-man. Lucifer mocks Michael for not flying faster, and Michael none too pleased by this prank protests that the bull is gonna eat him if this persists. Michael spotting God in the distance, flies over to his father's position begging for aid. Lucifer spotting their father scolding Michael gives him pause, unfortunately the bull doesn't get the message and continues the chase, dislodging Lucifer from the monster's back.
The bull misjudges its aim and slams into the project God had been working on, rather than Michael. God is not pleased by the tomfoolery in front of him, and scolds Michael for getting involved with his brother's pranks. Michael tries to protest, but God wants to hear none of it. God's frustration with Lucifer is greater however, and he calls the Morning Star to his throne room for a lesson in humility. Before departing God kills the bull and sends it to the shadow realm. Both brothers have an uneasy silence as they watch their father leave.
Michael shouts at Lucifer, pointing out that he's always getting in trouble for Lucifer's hair brained schemes. Lucifer protests that he didn't think the bull was gonna wreck the place. Michael protests that his brother never thinks about the consequences at all, insinuating that is his biggest flaw. Worse yet, Michael sees that God plays favorites with Lucifer and that his brother rarely gets in trouble for anything. If nothing else, Lucifer should at least have the decency to feel guilty for causing the needless death of that creature. Lucifer's response is that the monster was gonna go to the shadow realm sooner or later, completely dismissing the remark.
Michael brings out the big guns, pointing out that the entire angelic host is sick of Lucifer's antics and that he needs to act more mature. The other angels are roping Michael in with Lucifer's lack of class, and are beginning to shun him. Even something as basic as choir practice is becoming difficult for Michael, because the angels don't want to be associated with Lucifer's bad news. Lucifer claims choir practice is boring anyway so Michael should ditch it. Michael insinuates that just because Lucifer is "perfect" at everything, and masters skills quickly, doesn't mean Michael shouldn't get to enjoy them. Lucifer's annoyed expression shows how little he cares about any of this.
Lucifer tired of Michael's complaints, tries to head off to see God expressing annoyance that he must help God with the mortals. Michael corrects Lucifer's terminology, reminding him that they're called humans. Michael tries to emphasize that God wants relations between humans and angels to succeed, and he especially wants Lucifer to like them since he values his prized child's perspective. Lucifer ever the contrarian casually blasphemes God, claiming that if their father is truly almighty he can handle any of his antics.
Lucifer makes reference to Michael's care for the humans, and tells Michael he's welcome to take Lucifer's place if he wants. Michael tells his brother that he's tired of cleaning up his messes, and that this one is on his head this time. Lucifer realizing the conversation is going nowhere flies off, but not before acknowledging that his brother Michael has become more stuck up lately. Michael somberly replies that Lucifer has become a menace.
After a short flight, Lucifer arrives at the entrance to God's throne room, the exterior a reflection of God's beautiful craftsmanship. Inside the inner sanctum of the throne Lucifer finds God studying his latest project with great interest. God invites Lucifer to come take a closer look, even using his aura to grab the angel (much to the latter's displeasure). In a bright flash of light transports the both of them to another realm; a place God claims has a pure essence. God calls the place Eden. Notably, God has discarded his material body and appears to Lucifer in the form of a glowing orb with a eye poking out, reminding the audience of God's transcendent spiritual status.
God remarks upon the beauty of Eden, bringing special attention to the flowers. Lucifer uninterested in small talk like flowers, finds shade under the cover of a tree. Sunlight pierces through the holes in the leaves, and God ever the scientist explains with some small measure of joy that he designed the leaves to reflect the shape of the sun when the light penetrates. Seeing that Lucifer's curiosity has been sparked, God emphasizes the importance of inquiry and asking questions in order to improve.
Moving outward, Eden shows some of its residents, a lone human woman and a deer munching on grass come into view. God enjoys the simple beauty of what he's created, but Lucifer finds them boring. On one hand Lucifer notes that the creatures before them don't even have the decency to bow in the presence of superior beings. On the other hand Lucifer notes the creatures are weak, demonstrating their mortality by shocking the deer to death. Before long, the tendrils of the shadow realm remove the deer's corpse from Eden.
Lucifer asks why keep them around if they're mortal? God points out that everything (aside from him) is mortal, and all life eventually changes (dies and goes to the afterlife) — it's just for the angels, they have to wait far longer. God points out that the weakness of these mortal beings encourages them to look beyond their limitations, and seek greater strength, and hopefully in that search for improvement they will find a meaningful purpose. God then emphasizes that life and death are part of a cycle. Life leads to death, and death nourishes life, and in this sense death makes nature immortal, because one part of the cycle will endlessly feed into the other.
Despite God's best efforts to make Lucifer understand, the message falls on deaf ears. The ambience of Eden is boring, the creatures are dull, and the humans have proven themselves to be useless. Lucifer points out that angels seem to be the apex of what's beautiful and interesting in God's creation, and humans just aren't fascinating enough to warrant his time or any other angel's for that matter. God points out that the angels are superior in a number of ways, but they have become simple minded in their observations and have become creatively stagnant. The humans by comparison are a breath of fresh air, giving new perspectives that are different than what the angels provide. However, even with this critique in mind, God acknowledges the angels are precious and serve their own value.
Lucifer asks if God views the angels as precious, why doesn't he spend time with them anymore? Lucifer ponders if it's a result of his antics that turns God away, some of which is accidental because Lucifer knows his power is more volatile and difficult to control compared to other angels. God points out he enjoys Lucifer's challenging of the status quo, his desire to question things and push the boundaries, and was disappointed that the other angels have not followed his example. God points out that endless praise has become dull, and polite conversation and admiration will never contribute to progress — God desires a challenge, something that will give him a different perspective on the universe than what came before. Even Michael, who was cut from the same cloth as Lucifer, has fallen short of God's expectations. Lucifer protests that they're merely afraid of challenging God's ideas, but God retorts they are of little use to him if such thinking persists.
Lucifer showing some appreciation for his siblings, protests that they're not dull or stupid, just ignorant. God points out these semantics are worthless, and that Lucifer stands above and apart from his siblings. Normally Lucifer would suck up such compliments, but the angel demands to know what makes him so special. God acknowledges that Michael was planned, and Michael's progress has matched every calculations he could expect, but Lucifer was something of a mutation who became special in ways that God did not cause. Lucifer beaming with joy from the praise, claims he has found new purpose and will seek to question more in the future. Before the lesson wraps up, Lucifer asks God what makes him special? The deity responds simply "Everything!"
God having delivered his message, transports Lucifer and himself into a realm between dimensions, and then he opens a door that Lucifer falls through. In an instant Lucifer is falling at high speed, and he lands right outside the entrance to the throne room. With renewed purpose, but with a bit of a bruised ego, Lucifer sets off to make things right with Michael again.
The chapter opens with two notable images. One is of a mysterious green haired angel, smiling a predatory smile ear to ear, as he breaks out of one of God's murals. Whatever he's up to, it can't be good. We cut to Lucifer who is deep in thought about what God told him, and mentally rallies himself to follow that advice. Nearby a worried Michael is in hiding, steeling up the nerve to confront his brother over how the talk with God went... but his sword clanks against his cover, giving away his position. Lucifer sneaks up behind Michael and teases him with an electric spark.
Michael tries to apologize for their earlier argument, but Lucifer dismisses it (ever the sentimental one). The two of them begin flying, and have their conversation on the move. Michael demands to know how the conversation went, and Lucifer points out that God sees the angels as boring. Michael is disappointed to hear that, but then inquires about the progress of the humans. Upon hearing Lucifer's dismissal of them, Michael ponders if they're just work in progress that God might turn into something exciting. Lucifer analyzes that it doesn't matter what humans turn into, so long as God finds a place better than Eden to settle them on. Michael asks why Lucifer cares about their destination, and Lucifer's logic is that if the humans are settled outside of paradise then he doesn't have to deal with them anymore, and maybe then God will find time to spend with them again. This answer gives Michael pause.
Michael concedes that he misses the days where God was more active in their lives, and Lucifer in a rare moment of humility acknowledges those days were the last time the angel felt true joy. Michael in a jovial tone brings up memories of Lucifer's past antics. According to Michael, Lucifer once destroyed so much of a planet's surface that the fragments formed a ring around it. Another time Lucifer lured some emerald space whales into paradise. Michael remembers these times fondly, but Lucifer interjects saying that God punished Michael for the whale incident even though it was Lucifer's idea. God seems to have parental favoritism as a flaw, and Michael's mood quickly sours at the memory.
Michael points out that he would prefer to remember the good times, above all else. Lucifer says it's been hard relying on nostalgia, when the good times are few and far between nowadays. Michael quips that Lucifer's pranks make it even harder. Lucifer shows mock offense, and jokes it's in his nature to cause mischief — with Lucifer you take it or leave it when you get to know him.
Michael mocks Lucifer for lacking self control, which is unlike the relationship he has with his sword where he controls the weapon rather than other way around. Lucifer observes that Michael never uses the thing, and that it's just an ornament on his belt essentially. What good is a sword if it's never used to strike at things? Michael egged on by his brother's provocation decides to cut his own arm to prove the sword is not just for show. Lucifer ever the inquisitive one, asks why Michael's blood is red. Michael bemused, asks Lucifer if he thinks his blood is any different — Lucifer's mind may be special (explaining his quick mastery of powers), but they are twins. Lucifer not convinced, continues his inquiry by summoning his armor, and observes that if his possessions are blue then his blood must be blue too.
Lucifer's demeanor shifts into a predatory smile, declaring there's only one way to find out. Michael quickly realizes that Lucifer expects the two of them to fight, to get more blood samples to analyze, and summons his own armor. Michael warns Lucifer that God never intended them to use these weapons on each other, and they're going to get in trouble for this. Lucifer with his "what's the worst that could happen?" attitude borrows Michael's sword so he can just cut himself the same way his brother did. Much to Michael's delight, Lucifer soon discovers that his blood is just as red as his brother's is. Before Lucifer can boast about his discovery, a light envelops the sword and a giant portal opens behind the twin angels.
God's overwhelming might swiftly makes itself known, a whirlwind of holy energy, horrifying and sinister enough to put any eldritch being to shame pops out of the portal. Demonic beings terrified by God's presence flee from the deity's presence. God appears before Lucifer and Michael as an unsettling mass of shadowy energy, and his usual face is replaced with a skeletal face and a piercing cyclops eye penetrates through the very soul of the angels. God is here, and he is angry. Speaking in an overwhelming voice, and in an alien language, the two brothers do not immediately understand what their father is saying, but before long they comprehend that God demands that they appear in the throne room immediately. Seeing that the two angels are stunned silent, and are barely able to process what's going on, God teleports them to his throne room.
Once in the throne room, God demands an explanation but the two angels are too ashamed to speak. God points out that those weapons were a divine blessing from him, and that the foolish manner in which they were deployed today could have cost them their lives. It's bad enough that they caused the mayhem with the bull recently, but God was hoping they had matured beyond this urge to defile their gifts. God says that if things get much worse he might have to re-calibrate them, and the mere suggestion horrifies the twin stars. This adjustment is insinuated by Michael to mean death, but God points out that is a separate but more extreme option, if things reach the worst case scenario. Michael tries to apologize on Lucifer's behalf, but God is not impressed by Michael speaking as a collective for the two brothers. God expected better from them, and points out if they don't fulfill their duties in the future there will be consequences. Michael apologizes one last time, and God somberly responds that Michael has made a good choice.
Now that God has left them to their own devices, Michael breaks the awkward silence by parroting "Nothing to worry about, huh?" throwing Lucifer's words back in his face. Michael flies off, needing time to calm down from Lucifer's recent mistake. Lucifer goes back to the throne room's entrance, begging his father for a private audience. Lucifer is curious about the demonic beings that appeared upon God's arrival, and the angel is lost on what to make of those terrifying beings. Lucifer speculates that God kept the angels distant from the monsters to keep them safe, but Lucifer's pleas for answers fall on deaf ears. Lucifer falls to the ground in despair, upset that his father is disappointed at him, and states that he thought an apology would get him answers.
Not willing to accept no for an answer, Lucifer gathers his resolve and summons wing blades on his arms and slashes the wall. A crack forms in the wall, but suddenly it rapidly expands revealing a glass mural on the other side. God tired of dealing with Lucifer's tomfoolery for the moment, uses the mural as an interface to teleport Lucifer outside into the open expanse of heaven. Suddenly an ominous green light appears from inside the mural, and a black smokey form oozes out of the crack in the panel before subsiding to reveal an angel underneath. Lucifer is none too pleased at the sight of the angel, identifying him as Samael the death angel.
Samael bluntly points out that he was looking for a chance to pester someone, and Lucifer seemed like an opportune victim. Lucifer may be fond of pestering other angels, but he's not going to endure Samael's dreadful company if he can help it. Samael expresses mock offense at the statement, replying that he didn't choose to be a death angel. Lucifer contests that escorting souls to their end does not justify Samael's strange and delusional behavior. Lucifer states that everyone forges their own paths, but some misguided souls form their own chains. Lucifer is insinuating that Samael instead of simply performing his duties, sinister though they may be, has chosen to take up mischief to further alienate anyone that might want to connect with him. The pot calling the kettle black.
Samael expresses his disagreement, making the observation that fate leads people down predetermined paths that they have no control over. Samael observes that not everyone was born to be the exception like Lucifer is, and the vast majority of God's creations have less desirable traits than the apex examples. Samael further claims that he used to have a valuable position in God's chain of command, but then he was demoted to this lower status — change inevitably will occur, whether we like it or not. Lucifer, ever the paragon of empathy, smugly states that if Samael is displeased with his station in life, then he should take it up with their father. Samael wisely states that he doesn't want to risk being obliterated.
Lucifer upset the conversation is going nowhere, asks Sam to go pester someone else. Samael says that the other angels are too busy playing stupid, and that only Lucifer is smart enough to heed his warnings. Lucifer takes this as a threat, and reminds Samael that he is effectively a prince and he will not be talked down to. With annoyance on his face, Samael mocks Lucifer as father's favorite star. Samael then protests that even the greatest angels are ultimately just tools for God's convenience, and that all of them are passing curiosities for God. Lucifer bites back by stating that Samael's job is collecting the waste that galaxies leave behind (completely ignoring the cycle of life and death lesson that God taught him), making him an especially inadequate tool by angel standards.
Samael brings attention to how spectacular Lucifer's powers are, and claims that Lucifer does nothing but waste his talents. If Samael had use of such powers, he would do splendid things with them. Lucifer rebukes Samael as a foul creature, and that by comparison Lucifer is a pure being with a pure purpose, and God would never allow someone like Samael to touch Lucifer's power. Samael amused by Lucifer's outburst dares the archangel to punish him if Lucifer honestly thinks his character is so foul. Lucifer points out that as much as he would like to pass judgement on Samael, it's not Lucifer's job to interfere with God's design. A crowd of angels soon forms, looking upon the dysfunctional argument with curiosity.
Samael contends that God has produced them with a paradox. Don't interfere with his design, and yet we are left here to run day to day cosmic chores to maintain "perfection". Yet despite God's best efforts, there are evident flaws present, which Lucifer has proved himself. In truth Samael is echoing Lucifer's sentiment that God's humans are a flawed creation, but Lucifer takes the coy insinuation to mean that Samael is calling him a flaw. Lucifer attacks Samael, threatening to slice him into pieces — defending the pride he feels towards his own excellence. An angel from the crowd breaks up the altercation.
Samael reminds Lucifer that he was intelligent enough, and free minded enough, to make such an observation on his own; even though God is pushing the consensus that humans are something special that the angels are to be mindful of. Lucifer well and truly fed up with the conversation at this point, calls Samael delusional. Samael retorts that if he's delusional, words for what Lucifer is have not yet been invented. Samael adds that if Lucifer is truly conflicted about any of this, then he can simply ask God, which would be a better use of his time than bullying the other angels. Lucifer confidently states once he gets his answers from God, Samael will regret having this conversation and he will enjoy rubbing it in Sam's face how wrong he was.
Just then a beautiful, overwhelming, blinding radiance pours out of the entrance to God's throne room. God has returned. Overcome with glee at the opportunity for a smug beat down of Lucifer's pride, Samael brings attention to God's presence and tells Lucifer his chance has arrived. Samael departs to go see what God has come here to talk about. A bell starts ringing, demanding the attendance of a general assembly for all angels — a rare occurrence indeed. Steeling his resolve, still uncertain about where he stands with God, Lucifer flies off to go join the angelic host.
The chapter opens with a glimpse at Lucifer's inevitable fate. Lucifer falls from heaven, overwhelmed by a giant explosion of brilliant, blinding light, expelling the angel as if he were lightning. Before Nagai ever put pen to paper or ink to his drawings, the inspiration for this tale came from the tragic fall of Lucifer in the Bible. Lucifer was God's most beautiful and powerful creation, the one trusted to run it all and reflect the glory of God's design. All went astray when the angel misused his gifts and rebelled against God. God made an example of the misguided angel, and cast him down to the Earth where the mortals could see the consequences of his hubris.
Lucifer arrives at the assembly of angels, and Michael greets him, making light of how Lucifer is usually late to these meetings. Lucifer grimly retorts he wouldn't miss this for the world. Michael demands that Lucifer act properly, because this is a special occasion, and God's patience is wearing thin after all the trouble they've caused. Michael makes note of Lucifer's recent association with Samael, pointing out that death angel is bad news and his brother should do his best to avoid him. Despite the baggage of the twin stars, the general mood of the angelic host seems joyful and excited. If Lucifer wasn't such a dysfunctional angel, maybe he would be able to share in some of the festivity.
God finally arrives, and all talking ceases as the angels marvel at the glory of their father. God is a thing of beautiful, terrifying majesty, human language struggles to convey how amazing God's appearance is. Out from the misty, breezy light that pours out of God's being, he forms hands and calls the angels to attention. In God's hands appears a human female, and God tells the angels that humanity is the gift he has been preparing for them in his absence. This gift also carries with it a burdensome but necessary duty, as the angels will have to look after the humans. Michael remarks that the human woman is beautiful, but Lucifer is not impressed.
God orders the angels to guide the humans, and to teach them all of the valuable knowledge he has already passed on to the angels. Michael is ecstatic at being able to keep the humans, responding to the mission as if God had just given the angels a cute puppy to watch over. Michael jumps for joy, thinking of all the fun things they can do with the humans — the angels in the crowd are whispering among themselves, excited at the untapped potential the humans represent. Lucifer is anything but pleased, and sees the excitement of his siblings as misguided.
God moves on to the next subject, stating that when he returns he expects that humans to reach a certain level of evolutionary success, for they will face many challenges when navigating the vast expanse of space. Before God can reach his point, Lucifer shouts at God, comparing the humans to insects and because they are mortal they are unworthy to be guided to the divinity that angels enjoy. The angelic host reacts in shock at Lucifer's temerity. Michael is angry at his brother breaking his promise to keep the peace, and Samael is gleeful that Lucifer is making an ass of himself. Michael steps in to shut his brother up, but Lucifer continues his impassioned argument. Lucifer claims even if guiding humanity was a worthwhile experiment, how are they supposed to accomplish such a difficult task without God's help? The real question Lucifer is asking (like a lonely, neglected child) how are they supposed to figure out anything without their father's help?
The scene cuts to God's perspective, as we see Lucifer's outburst through his eyes. Lucifer on one hand looks like a spoiled, entitled brat, but on the other hand he looks like a wild animal that needs to be caged, as he shoves Michael to the side. Laying the law down, God points out that such a task shouldn't be difficult for Lucifer given his exceptional talents. Lucifer rebukes God, saying that these tasks would be even easier for God than it would be for him, and that above all else the angel is upset at having to do these useless tasks. Despite God's normally stoic expression, a hint of hurt forms on his features as he expresses disappointment that Lucifer saw so little value in the things they studied together.
God growing tired of his wayward son's behavior, unleashes a whirlwind of chaotic, shadowy energy and eldritch eyeballs float around the area. Lucifer refusing to leave well enough alone, continues to scowl at God as if the foolish angel has a leg to stand on. The angelic host covers their faces with their head wings, terrified of God's outburst of energy. As Michael realizes something terrible is about to happen, he looks back to see that God has transformed into a nightmare form that H.P. Lovecraft would be proud of. Lucifer caught up in his hubris, realizes too late that daddy's punishment is about to land on top of him, and a look of fear marks his face. God unleashes a powerful, devastating burst of light from his chest that destroys the ground beneath Lucifer and Michael, revealing the void of space beneath heaven's borders.
Michael realizing things have gone way too far, tries to reason with his brother to stop and grabs Lucifer's wrist. They should be honored that God had enough confidence in their abilities to trust them with this task. Lucifer digging himself deeper, slashes Michael's hand. Lucifer re-iterates the anxiety he felt about the demons, accusing God of hiding the existence of those terrible beings from the angels. If God is willing to hide something as terrible as the demons from the angels, then what other horrible things are out there that they don't know about? How can they guide the humans in a cosmos that is not as safe as they once thought it was? God takes back his earlier praise of Lucifer's progress, and says that the misguided angel has misused his talents and neglected his responsibilities.
Lucifer mocks the concept of his duties, citing that it's God's duty as their father to spend time with them and yet he's spent all this time ignoring them. And now that God returns, all he can think to do is punish them? God claims that this is all a misunderstanding, but Lucifer continues his misguided crusade against God and keeps shouting. Lucifer theorizes that their miserable existence (they live in paradise...) has merely been a testing ground for God to create superior beings in the future, and speculates if the demons he saw were throwaway creations from a bygone era. Or were they collateral damage for a different experiment? The angels probably share the same fate.
God explains that the demons were just beasts from an older era, who could not comprehend the concept of harmony and justice and needed to be banished from the civilized universe. Lucifer is disgusted at the idea that God would just eradicate the demons, just because they don't fit within his established criteria for order. Lucifer then speculates if the angels ever outgrow their usefulness, will God discard them like he did the demons? Lucifer even starts to ponder if the humans are an experiment to see if God can create a suitable replacement. Samael's misguided rhetoric has clearly steered Lucifer in a bad direction.
Michael interrupts Lucifer's insane rhetoric by smacking his brother in the face, leaving a bruise on Lucifer's face. Michael points out that the angels are nothing like the demons, and that God would never bring harm to his precious creations. Lucifer recoils from Michael in anger, pointing out that they are just toys for God's amusement and are not precious. God has been long suffering up to this point, but Lucifer is clearly getting on his last nerve. God tells Lucifer that his ill-informed opinions are leading him astray, and he should turn back from this bad path. Lucifer retorts that he'll take his chances on this path, since God has been an inadequate guide up to this point.
Michael finding his bearings, says that he has heard enough of this treason. God has given them gifts, given them knowledge, and above all else love, so what more could Lucifer need from their father? Lucifer replies that he needs answers, and not some fantasy that goes nowhere. God rebukes Lucifer, telling him that this is a dangerous game he's playing with his life and there will be consequences. As if Lucifer's fight wasn't already doomed from the start, the camera zooms out to show that Michael and Lucifer's auras (which would otherwise be imposing) are like candles burning dimly against God's giant form. God now done trying to reason with Lucifer grabs Michael, and teleports him to a safe location — Lucifer's punishment is at hand.
Lucifer mocks God, speculating that God took Michael away because he was afraid his brother would be swayed by Lucifer's rhetoric. God states confidently that Michael will not be following Lucifer's example this time. Lucifer realizing that he's in for a fight, takes a defensive stance and covers his body with his wings. Lucifer catches wind of a strange noise, and suddenly the bell from atop heaven's surface falls down and nearly crushes Lucifer. The bell clipped off a piece of Lucifer's robe and feathers, causing Lucifer to realize with horror that he narrowly escaped death. God is not playing around anymore.
God cryptically states he's willing to give Lucifer a choice, and that he hopes the angel chooses wisely. As God says this he raises a platform from out of the abyss, and Lucifer flies over to it saying that he's not playing any of God's stupid games. Lucifer's stubbornness never ceases to amaze God. As God raises the platform to its full height, he warns Lucifer to watch his wings as statues come into place on the chess board. Lucifer remarks that the angelic statues look even more boring than the real things, and God replies that he has a great many talents that Lucifer could barely even begin to comprehend. God flies off to watch the test from afar, and Lucifer tries to give chase only to be interrupted by God's test.
The statues burst open, revealing the form of bizarre looking angels that resemble robots more than they do organic life. They ambush and try to overwhelm the archangel, but Lucifer is a maelstrom of powerful, elemental energy, flying with amazing, breakneck speed. Lucifer is swift and strikes down his opponents with amazing force, the combat angels are like cannon fodder to him. Just as Lucifer is winning the fight, God's hand springs out and grabs Lucifer, easily overpowering the fallen angel and he flings him out of heaven with otherworldly force. As Lucifer descends from heaven, his last sight is of God's otherworldly light fading into the backdrop of the cosmos, as an explosion of light and rubble from the platform fly past him. Worse yet, a flame is slowly consuming Lucifer, and his clothes are burning away as his fall continues. Lucifer soon loses consciousness.
Some time later, Lucifer wakes up feeling unbelievably sore from the beat down he just received. As he becomes aware of his surroundings Lucifer comes to two conclusions: 1) he's naked (not that he's ashamed of it, but those were nice clothes), and 2) he's out in the middle of nowhere in outer space. Much to Lucifer's displeasure, the vacuum conditions of space make it impossible for him to project his voice, so he can't even hear himself talk. Realizing that he can't stay here, Lucifer goes on the move trying to find shelter of some kind. Lucifer thinks about what happened between him and God, and reaches the conclusion that God's rhetoric of compassion and kindness were empty promises, so no matter where he goes heaven is no longer an option for him.
Just then Lucifer spots a school of space whales out of the corner of his eye. Knowing that the longer he stays out in the void of space, the worse his chances of survival will be, Lucifer seeks the aid of these whales. Since the whales can't hear his voice, Lucifer shocks one of them with his lightning to get their attention. Lucifer tries to find common ground by making reference to the meeting they had with him and Michael eons ago, and Lucifer even waves his arms around for good measure to get the message across. It soon becomes apparent that the space whale can't understand him, and Lucifer laments God's presence last time was the only reason the whales could understand him in the void. The whale soon loses interest, either because the whale doesn't remember or never cared all that much about the angels to begin with. All the same Lucifer is now alone to figure out a way to escape the void of space, but one begins to wonder if simply having some company of any kind would have been an encouragement for the fallen angel — beyond mere concerns of survival.
Lucifer marvels at what a vacant environment the void of space is, and begins searching for planets to settle on so he can rest and recover from his injuries. Even beyond concerns of his injuries, Lucifer is not omnipotent like his father and he will eventually die of exposure to the void, even if that would take a long time. Lucifer searches the far reaches of the galaxy for an undetermined amount of time, but his search comes up empty each time. Every planet Lucifer discovers is either barren of all life, or is a gas giant, and lacks the Earth like conditions found in heaven or in Eden. By the time Lucifer begins to suffer from exhaustion, he has searched more than a million planets, but in the cosmic scale this is barely a drop in the ocean.
Just as Lucifer is about to pass out from exhaustion, clearly pushed above and beyond his limits, Lucifer begins to hear a weird sound from afar. Presumably it is the same sound as the bell found in heaven, but whatever the origin point is the loudness of the noise penetrating his head drives Lucifer insane. Lucifer tells the sound to shut up, and unleashes a giant burst of electrical energy to quiet the noise in his head. Suddenly an overpowering sense of dizziness overcomes Lucifer, and he passes out. Lucifer's outburst caught the attention of a cosmic cleaner, a sting ray with a black hole in its stomach, designed by God to absorb excess energy in the void. As Lucifer gets sucked into the black hole, the angel unfamiliar with sleep (having been knocked out twice in recent memory), ponders if this is what it feels like to die. Though as we know from Devilman's story, Lucifer's journey is far from over.
The chapter title opens with a somber picture of Lucifer sitting up in a fetal position, clearly distressed over the mistakes that have landed him in this situation. A symbolic image of Xenon and Amon appears, both standing over Lucifer, grinning ear to ear as they look down upon the dismayed angel. Clearly both demons are going to impact the fate of Lucifer forever, and not in a good way...
The story cuts to prehistoric Earth, long before humans dwelt upon the land. At this time creatures such as dinosaurs and other prehistoric oddities roamed the land, but the most interesting of the lifeforms at this time were most certainly the demons who dominated the land with their ferocity and supernatural power. On a seemingly quiet evening, with a full moon cast over the starry sky, a creature scurries across the forest, dripping blood. He's being chased by 3 demons who are clearly desperate to catch up to him. The demon being chased is of course a younger Amon, who was less evolved at this time but still a powerhouse.
The 3 demon trackers are interrupted by their boss, a younger Xenon who mocks them for not being able to catch up with Amon, despite his injuries. The demons protest that if they had some food in their bellies, they would be strong enough to catch up to the traitorous Amon, but Xenon does not bother to listen to their complaints and just flies away. The wounded Amon, who was listening in on their conversation from the shadows, stalks his prey and systematically kills 2 of the 3 pursuers. The quiet kills serve 2 purposes: It avoids a heavy fight that will make his injuries worse, and as a demon Amon can absorb the bio-mass of his victims to heal his wounds.
Amon's time in the shadows is up though, because the third pursuer finally catches Amon in the act. Ready for battle, the cat demon transforms into a twisted abomination to increase his combat ability. Amon with his wounds freshly healed smiles at the prospect of battle, and tells his opponent to bring it. Amon even in his youth is a force to be reckoned with, and he makes short work of the cat demon, ripping his guts out. Shortly afterward, a shadowy figure comes out of the woodwork, and starts smiling at Amon. Amon shouts "Oh for fuck's sake, will you piss off already?" before charging at the mysterious figure. Amon falls into a trap, as the shadowy figure dodges out of the way, and Amon falls right into the path of Xenon.
Xenon mocks Amon, preparing an energy beam to attack Amon with. Amon's posture shows that he's trying to maneuver, but is all too aware this attack will likely connect. The standoff never finishes though, because just at that moment Lucifer falls from space at high speed, smacking into Amon and pummeling him straight into Xenon. A small crater is formed, and a dazed Amon looks inside the crater to figure out what just happened. After inspecting the unconscious angel, Amon deems him a non-threat and keeps his guard up for any on-coming attack from Xenon. Meanwhile, Xenon recovering from his daze is confronted by the smiling demon from earlier, revealed to be a younger Psycho Jenny. Xenon orders Psycho Jenny to give chase to Amon.
Amon despite his anger towards Xenon, decides that it's better to make a tactical retreat and heal his wounds. Better to plan for this fight, than to risk it now when he has no guarantee of victory. Amon turning his attention to Lucifer sees him as a convenient meal for his recovery. He grabs the angel by his wing, and starts dragging Lucifer away. Psycho Jenny using her psychic senses catches wind of Amon's location and fires a massive energy beam in his direction, destroying a large portion of the forest. Despite the impressive display of power, Psycho Jenny has limits and begs Xenon for time to rest before continuing pursuit. Xenon ever the model boss refuses her request and forces her back into the fight, saying that he will kill her if she doesn't come back with Amon in tow.
Amon desperate to find shelter searches around for any convenient hiding spot that might stick out. Amon spots Xenon flying overhead, still persistent in his search to snuff out Amon's threat to his rule. Much to his luck he finds a cave, and then covers the entrance with rocks to hide from Xenon and Jenny's pursuit. Exhausted from days of running away and fighting powerful demons, Amon passes out, his task of eating Lucifer left to the wayside for now.
Meanwhile back in heaven, God sits on his throne, calling the angels to a council meeting to discuss important business. Michael is seen among the crowd, downtrodden and melancholy over the loss of his twin. Lucifer may have been a problem child, but he was still Michael's brother — a nearby angel clings to Michael, providing what small comfort he can. God brings attention to Lucifer's transgressions, pointing out that he is one of two stars whose actions led to tragedy in recent days. The panel cuts to Samael, who has been called forward from the crowd to be made an example of.
God explains that the harmony of paradise was tasked to the angels eons ago, but they clearly are not suited to the task to maintain this balance. Some errors are to be expected, even from the greatest of his creations, but anyone with eyes to see can observe that order and peace are in short supply when God isn't around. In a moment of compassion God apologizes to his stars (calling them his wondrous creations), telling them that he has delayed their lessons and their opportunities for growth for far too long. God turns to Samael, ready to deliver his punishment to the death angel.
God points out that Samael has broken the delicate balance that other angels worked so hard to maintain, and tasks the death angel with guarding the realm of Purgatory — an unpleasant realm where the souls of the dead roam about. Samael wisely does not press the issue, and accepts the mission with as much grace as he can. God explains that guiding the souls of mortals to their end is a grim but necessary task, and God will be checking on Samael's progress but he should not expect any help or mentoring on how to accomplish this mission. Samael may not be pleased, but steeling his resolve he summons his schythe and walks towards his mission with a smile — trying his best to put on a brave face for the grim task ahead.
Soon after entering Purgatory green smoke pours out from the scythe and flows into the rings on his neck and limbs. The rings begin to constrict the flesh they're attached to, and then burn with an intense heat. Samael gasps out in shock, and is quickly overwhelmed by the intense pain that is coursing through his body. The energy that sweeps over Samael burns away his clothing, melts his halo, and his eyes go from a bright green to a shadowy black, and inevitably he passes out.
Samael wakes up a short time later, unsettled by his scars and the green glow flowing around his body; also noting that his scythe feels different from before. As Samael fumbles around, trying to make sense of the energy around him a cloak forms on Samael's body, giving him some reprieve from his nudity. Samael feels a quick burst of confidence from the aid granted from the cloak and the new energy swirling inside him; smugly rebuking the statement where God said he would provide no assistance. Suddenly, a demonic bull emerges from the shadows and stands behind Samael. Upon close inspection, the bull matches the appearance of the bull that God killed back in chapter 1.
Samael senses the presence behind him, demanding to know who goes there. The bull cryptically observes that Samael may not see them (the countless wandering souls around them), but he does. This is the first hint we are given of Samael's blindness, effectively making the bull Samael's guide in the afterlife. The bull gives thin fabric over to the angel, ordering him to cover his scars with them. Samael feels encouraged by the presence of the bull, and asks him for his name: the bull identifies himself as Mollok. Mollok rudely mocks Samael's politeness, telling him to save it for someone else that cares. Despite Samael's protests for Mollok to be kinder or else leave, Mollok contends that he and Sam are stuck together, whether the fallen angel (of a type) likes it or not.
Things cut back to the angels gathered in the throne room, who react with horror to the fate Samael was subjected to. One of the angels contradicts the consensus around him and says Samael got what he deserved. Michael's thoughts shift back to Lucifer, hoping his brother's fate is not worse than what just happened to Samael. God meanwhile stands far away from his angels, staring solemnly and with some trepidation over the bad things that have happened, and what dreadful possibilities this carries for the future. God has responsibilities of maintaining the cosmic order, and no matter how much people may envy God for standing at the top of the world, the duties that come in response to that power provide a very lonely existence. God may not be sentimental enough to say it, but his concerns for Lucifer likely match Michael's.
The chapter title opens with Lucifer flying away from a furious Amon, who is out for blood, and based on the bite mark on Lucifer's collar bone has already taken his fair share. As Lucifer has learned the hard way, demon hospitality is top notch, and is clearly to die for. Amon and Lucifer's odd partnership is off to a rough start, to say the least.
The story cuts to God projecting his eye on the moon, curious as to what is happening to Lucifer at this time. Down below Amon finally wakes up after a well needed nap; if he wasn't a ferocious demon, one might be able to appreciate how his visage is that of a grumpy cat. Amon looks over to Lucifer, aiming to finish his business of eating the fallen angel as he had intended hours ago.
Amon observes that the angel before him is one of those "shiny space pests", alluding to a past conflict between the demons and the angels. Partially out of pride for his demon heritage, and the other part annoyance over the trouble this angel has caused him, Amon pounces on Lucifer — only to be repelled by a giant burst of electricity, complete with black lightning pulsating out of the energy shield that emerges from the sleeping angel's body. As Amon gains his bearings, Lucifer at long last regains consciousness and stares over at the beast before him with a hint of curiosity. Amon is not so pleased by the other's company, and exclaims with rage evident in his voice "How the fuck are you still alive?!" Amon takes an aggressive stance, ready to attack at any moment.
Lucifer glad to have company after being isolated for so long, reacts to Amon's presence joyfully — not appreciating the danger he's in. Lucifer is excited by the notion that his new animal companion can talk, likely viewing this as an upgrade compared to the bull. Before Lucifer can regain his bearings and figure out where he is, Amon tells the angel to shut up. Amon acknowledges with some annoyance that Lucifer is durable to have survived that fall from space, but he will make sure to finish the job. Amon tackles Lucifer to the ground, leaving a slash mark on Lucifer's left arm, and a messy wound on the angel's collar bone as the demon tries to go in for the kill.
As Amon digs his teeth into Lucifer's body, the angel steels his resolve and hardens the arm feathers into a blade that he swiftly impales into Amon's rib cage. The characteristic yellow blood of a demon shoots out from the wound, as Lucifer looks upon the howling demon in horror. If Lucifer had been smart, he would have dug the blade in deeper and killed Amon right then and there, but the angel's heavenly origin has not given him the honed instinct to slaughter an enemy at a moment's notice. Amon may look like a wild animal, but his demonic instincts run deeper than the limits of pain or fear that normal animals abide by. Amon pissed at Lucifer's defiance growls like a terrifying monster, and flames spew out of his mouth: he's ready for a fight.
Lucifer realizing what a mess he's in, wisely tries to fly away but Amon determined to not let his prey get away — especially one that has caused this much havoc for him — leaps up in the air and bites down on one of Lucifer's wings that were hanging too low. God's words for Lucifer to watch his wings was clearly practical advice. Not deterred by Amon's assault, Lucifer charges up the lightning in his body for a counter-attack; electric fury evident in his eyes. Amon catching wind that an attack is coming, lets go of the angel's wing and narrowly dodges the potent beams of lightning that shoot out of Lucifer's eyes. The beams may have missed its target but the heat from the lightning leave a scorch mark on the demon's face; the shock on Amon's face reveals how close his brush with death really was.
The angel and demon get into a tense stand off, staring each other down for any sign of weakness — their blood forming a pool in the center of the cave, serving as a grim reminder of how brutal demon battles are. Amon notes how alien Lucifer's red blood is compared to his, but notes that with a wound like that the angel must be out of steam by now. Whatever the case, Amon's guard is up now and any new surprises from the angel won't get the better of him. Lucifer shoots back that the mangy mutt hasn't seen everything he's capable of, but before this shouting match can continue Lucifer notices a beam of moonlight peeking its way into the cave — Lucifer has hope of escape now.
Amon snarls at Lucifer and continues his rampage. The angel consumed with electric energy flies out of the cave at amazing speed, his aura lighting up the night. The angel smacks into some vines and is knocked out of his flight path, forcing the angel to high tail it on foot. Amon catches up to Lucifer, and the angel fires another lightning beam at the advancing demon, with the demon narrowly dodging yet again. Lucifer shouts at the beast to stop, but Amon is ever determined to catch his prey. Amon charges at the angel once again, but this time Lucifer's aim is more accurate and the angel's lightning beam slices off Amon's left leg. Blood oozing from the wound, and Amon ever more furious does not give up but continues the chase with his remaining 3 legs.
As Lucifer navigates his way through the confusing network of forest and jungle, he comes to a cliff face and tries to initiate flight to get away from the persistent demon. Lucifer's body is reaching its limits, and his power begins to malfunction, preventing him from achieving flight. Exhausted Lucifer falls over, and is met by a giant crocodile who tries to attack him, but Amon swats the creature aside — not wanting anyone else to claim his prey. Lucifer feebly attempts to use his powers to fight back, but the malfunction persists. Left with no other option, Lucifer continues the foot chase and in a last ditch effort flings one of his feathers as a hardened projectile at Amon, but it unfortunately misses. However, the feather lands close to Psycho Jenny who is woken from her slumber and looks at the shining feather with curiosity.
Psycho Jenny pops her head out of the grass, to see what's going on and she sees Amon giving chase to the angel in the thick foliage of the dark jungle. Much to Lucifer's horror, the demon finally catches up, pins the angel down and rips off two wings near the shoulder. After Amon devours Lucifer's wings his body undergoes a transformation. The demon's body grows larger, his snout takes on a more canine shape, and his hind legs take on a bipedal formation as his front legs transition into arms. Those same arms are now bulging with thick muscle and his claws start to form fingers. Amon elated by the new power surging through his body turns his sights back to Lucifer, ready to finish off the pesky angel.
Reeling in pain from the wing amputation, Lucifer tries in vain to get his magic to to come back online but can't muster even so much as one spark. Amon turns his attention to the next row of wings, pulling on one to torture the angel before he goes in for the kill. To rub salt into the wound the demon mocks Lucifer for having run out of fuel to continue this fight. Lucifer stares at the demon with horror, tears streaming down his face as the hopelessness of his situation sets in — wincing at the coming blow that will kill him. Amon's attack is interrupted as a powerful beam of energy strikes the demon from the side, loosing his grip on the angel's wing in the process. The demon is flung away as if he had been hit by a cannon.
Lucifer looks on in disbelief as he realizes he's been rescued, and looks off to the side to see that a shadowy Psycho Jenny was the origin of the beam. Lucifer ever the lucky one finally has his lightning spark itself back to life, as he stares off into the horizon silently. Lucifer soon recovers from his shock and uses a reserve of his lightning aura to put away his wings, realizing that they are an unfortunate target in this hostile environment. Lucifer notes with anger that his powers should have activated sooner, but before he can vent his frustration he is greeted by Psycho Jenny who appears out of the thick grass. Psycho Jenny addresses Lucifer as a Celestial, hinting at a prior acquaintance (or rivalry) between the demons and the residents of Heaven. The demon notes with curiosity that she has never seen a Celestial bleed before, so Lucifer's wounds are a first in her experience.
Lucifer responds to the terminology of Celestial with confusion, but Psycho Jenny is not here to talk and states bluntly that the angel is coming with her. Before Psycho Jenny can get her hands on Lucifer, a reptile demon springs forth out of the grass and latches his long whip-like tongue onto the demon's feet. The demon enthusiastically shouts in glee at the opportunity for a meal. As powerful as Psycho Jenny is, she's not able to kidnap Lucifer and fight the pesky demon at the same time. Deeming Lucifer too valuable an asset to let fall into enemy hands, Jenny decides to kill the angel and charges up an energy blast.
After recovering from his shock, Lucifer ducks down into the grass, narrowly dodging Psycho Jenny's attack. The angel makes a mad dash into the wilderness, exclaiming to himself that he doesn't understand why these animals are so insane. Lucifer is distracted from his thoughts when suddenly he trips over Amon's tail. Lucifer and Amon quickly become aware of each other's presence, with Amon exclaiming his anger by suggesting a rematch. Lucifer begs for Amon not to eat him. Amon gets grumpy at Lucifer's weak demeanor, and tells the angel that if he's compliant he might let him live. Lucifer expresses confusion that Amon would know that he's an angel. Amon giving the first genuine smile since the two of them met, slyly remarks that Lucifer is obviously not from around here (being less beastly than the demons) so it's easy to guess what he is.
Jenny's attack left a scorch mark on Amon, so this cease fire probably has just as much to do with not wanting to weaken himself further than out of any sentiment for his new feathery "friend". Amon getting down to brass tax addresses Lucifer as "Feathers", demanding to know where that old hag went. Lucifer replies that the last time he saw Psycho Jenny she was attacked by something, but states wisely that it's not safe to stay here. Lucifer feeling uneasy about an alliance with Amon is shy and defensive in his body language, and understandably tries to leave. Amon gets in Lucifer's face, stating he is not allowed to leave and that he will be an obedient space pest. Lucifer can think of helping him get out of this mess as paying back the debt he owes him for cutting off his arm (ignoring that he ripped off Lucifer's wings...) — Lucifer is understandably not delighted at hearing this news.
Amon tired of Lucifer's backtalk shoves the angel in the direction he wants him to go in, and with his hand firmly on the angel's head tells him to be quiet as he does so. Unfortunately for Amon, Lucifer is a spirited angel with plenty of room for arguing and sasses back that he'll go along so long as Amon keeps his hands off the wings. Lucifer starts grilling Amon for answers. How did he get here? What even is Amon? He doesn't remember anything like what Amon is being in God's design. Did Father send Amon after him? Amon looks at the angel in total confusion, having no clue who Lucifer's father is. Lucifer narrows it down to creator, and then in frustration shouts "God!" as his lower wings come out and a lightning pulse fumes out. Lucifer trying to calm down ponders how the demons are aware of what angels are, but don't know who their Father is.
Amon oblivious to what significance "father" has to Lucifer, scoffs at his bad situation and observes that he's completely on his own here. In a brief bit of backstory, Amon explains that Xenon had an encounter with Lucifer's little friends a long time ago, and he's shocked that an angel would dare come back here after the last encounter ended so poorly. Lucifer rebukes Amon, saying that he didn't plan to come here, but not missing a beat demands to know who Xenon is. Amon showing no sympathy for how Lucifer ended up here, merely replies that now that Lucifer is on this "dump of a planet" he should avoid Xenon. Amon then states that if the fallen angel wants to make sure he never gets found by Xenon, then Lucifer needs to prove his worth to Amon: punctuating his statement by putting his hands on Lucifer's shoulders. Offended by the false friendliness, as well as the accusation that Lucifer needs to prove his worth to anyone, he tells Amon "Do you have any idea who you're talking to?"
Amon states he doesn't give a shit who Lucifer is, all he knows is that he wants some respect or else he'll leave Lucifer to die at the hands of the other demons on this planet: emphasizing his point with flames spewing out of his eyes. Lucifer reacts with shock to the revelation that Amon is a demon, who up to this point was ignorant that the monsters who had been attacking him weren't just weird animals. Amon scoffs at Lucifer's shock, asking the angel what he thought they were. Lucifer in shock, trying to process this knowledge, responds by saying God claimed the demons were immaterial beings. Amon tired of Lucifer's whining smacks him in the face, snidely remarking if that form was physical enough. Lucifer undeterred by the abuse, continues his rant saying Amon doesn't appreciate that this shouldn't be possible, while privately thinking to himself that God destroyed that portal a long time ago.
Lucifer still believing in Samael's twisted thinking that God needs his creations to have a certain utility to be allowed to exist, questions why God would let the demons live out here when he has no use for their kind. Amon offended by Lucifer's rhetoric shouts that needing permission to live is an absurd notion. Where before God was just a passing term of interest muttered by a rambling angel, Amon furious at the concept of some ancient being hating his kind's existence demands to know what God even is. Frustrated, Lucifer gets into a defensive stance and starts shouting. The entire universe was molded by God's hands, the galaxies, the stars, even this planet they're on are all part of God's design. How can Amon not have heard of this creator?
Amon taking a moment to process that Lucifer's father called himself the creator of the universe starts laughing, citing that Lucifer is gullible if he heard God say all of that and the angel believed him. Amon cites the fact that demons have been around on this planet for eons, and not once have they even heard of this God's existence, nor have they seen hide or hair of him. If this God was such a big deal, they would have heard of him by now. Lucifer gets angry and shouts at Amon that the demon would believe him if only he could see what God was truly capable of.
Amon offended by hearing himself be called merely a demon (he's a high class devil), introduces himself to Lucifer as Amon, and demands the angel to remember that name. Moving on, Amon demands to know why if God is so powerful and such an important figure in the angel's life, why doesn't he just swoop down and rescue Lucifer? Lucifer's confident demeanor quickly fades away, and he avoids eye contact with Amon, somberly admitting that God isn't going to rescue him. Recovering from his melancholy, the angel's expression sours and Lucifer angrily clarifies that God is the reason why he's stranded out here to begin with. Lucifer further acknowledges that God needs to pay for all the suffering he's experienced since being kicked out of heaven (yeah sure, God deserves ALL the blame here).
Switching gears, Lucifer proposes an alliance of his own: Amon should help the angel resolve the God problem, even attempting to put on a little bit of charm to make Amon agree. Amon just scowls at Lucifer, and says this will only ever happen in the angel's dreams. Amon points out that he has more than enough problems to deal with here on Earth, that he doesn't need to start a separate war on top of the one he's already waging against Xenon. Lucifer protests that this is unfair, because he's willing to help Amon if the demon returns the favor. Showing his immaturity Amon mocks Lucifer's cowardice by calling him a pussy (ironic coming from the former cat monster).
Lucifer is fed up with Amon's nonsense, and so the angel decides to leave; demanding Amon give him directions towards a safe zone on his way out (not appreciating no such thing exists on Earth). Lucifer still angry over the loss of his wings, points out that Amon can think of it as payback for that injustice. Amon laughs at Lucifer's audacity, and asks why Lucifer thinks he would let the angel leave? Lucifer bluntly replies that Amon is clearly not helpful so he has no reason to stick around. Amon can think of 3 good reasons: Lucifer can't fly, his powers don't work, and Amon can outrun the angel. Amon soon drops the insinuation, and states more explicitly Lucifer will not leave this planet alive unless he plays along.
Lucifer demands that the demon get out of his way, preparing his feather blades for Amon's hostility. Amon takes on his own attack stance, ripe with feral aggression, and reminds the angel that his name is Amon. Before Lucifer can even react, Amon is in the angel's face, and the demon sinks his burning teeth into the angel's arm, leaving a nasty scorch mark. Not missing a beat, Lucifer angles the feather blades on his arm towards Amon, delivering a nasty slash to the demon's muzzle, thus releasing his burnt arm from the demon's grasp. Lucifer screams with fury, and follows up with a swift uppercut to the demon's chin.
Amon none too pleased by Lucifer's attacks charges at the angel, piercing the angel's stomach with his horns. Lucifer grabs Amon from underneath, and with subtle grace reverses himself out of Amon's grip and positions himself above the demon. Lucifer sinks his teeth into Amon's back, but the demon is not impressed and smacks Lucifer away. Lucifer spits Amon's blood out of his mouth, a look of defiance evident on his face. Before either of them can continue, a flowery tail pops out of the brush, grabbing Lucifer by the left arm. The camera panels upward revealing the terrifying visage of the turtle torture demon Jinmen, a classic villain from Devilman's rogue's gallery. Jinmen unleashes a terrible howl, startling the angel below.
The cover art depicts Lucifer holding white sand in his hands, sand as pale and white as death. The angel gives the white, salty sand an inquisitive look as it slips out of his fingers onto the ground below. The background is black and smoggy, with the angel's wings and the white sand being the only glow in the surrounding. Gentle flakes of white sand fall in the background, as the angel tries to make sense of what happened here.
