In the form of illusion that represented Oberstlutenant Erlind Kohler, stood Asmodeus with his head cocked to the side. His naturally cold cerulean gaze absently stared at the top of st. Peter's Church; arranged in the shape of a large Christian cross. His clean caramel-blonde hair was slicked back and his form was adorned with an authoritative outfit. Under his somber attire one could see the collar of a brown shirt sticking out from the black tie but everything else he wore was solid black from high boots to trousers to his tunic or the cloak on his shoulders. A black leather belt was worn around his tunic with<span style="font-style: italic">Meine Ehre heißt Treue</span>- My Honor Is Loyalty - engraved on its silver buckle. His posture stood tall with most of his weight shifted to one side. One black leathery-gloved hand held his black hat to his chest. His other hand was gripping tightly the golden handle of his 36” Nazi cane-sword, gently tapping its lengthy edge against one shoulder thoughtfully.<br/><br/>One could wonder how can a demonic being stand oh so close before God's sanctuary, but if one was to see through the veils of truth, one could witness black smoke dancing around Asmodeus' body. A demonic-shield of 10,000 minions, summoned to shield his soul from the holiness that was to be found within the building. The ethereal light within the building would have to pierce through the shield first to get to Asmodeus. He always had a back-up plan for everything. Always.<br/><br/>His pale, white visage faced the cross with a serene expression. Deception in silence was overwhelming, suffocating. He was certain that what was laid before his eyes the night before was not a pretence. He never failed to his own judgement. Yes, he did ignore her. He never reached out to her when she escaped Darcy. He never had a chance to tell her how worried he was when Raphael informed him of the kidnapping. Maybe she thought that he gave up on her, which in some case he did. Yes, she never promised him eternal, undying love. It was not like there was a thing anyway between the two. Even a potential union would remain unholy in the eyes of his Creator. It was a union that will never be blessed, never become eternal, or sacred in the afterlife. At the end, Mikhaḗl and his holy minions will always take away that one thing he craved most at one time in his life: Love. Thankfully enough, he no longer wished for such a hideous sentiment. He could care less if they shoved their noses up where they did not belong. If this was a way for them to waste their boring, distressing and brainwashed eternal life away, then may it be.<br/><br/>But She ... She was fine, too pure. The desire to sentence her to an afterlife in the Hellfire was absent, selfless for once. He cared about her but he could never tell why he felt as if he has always known her. Fortunately enough, the unholy union was not his one and only excuse to keep himself away from Isolde. There was also Malachai, destined to be hers forever and ever until the end of times do them part. He was huge obstacle but one good old friend currently serving in the Wastelands. Unlike mankind, Demons knew no betrayal among their kin, and even if they could they would avoid it to remain powerful and wise. Asmodeus had to clearly show his dissatisfaction with Lucifer when he felt that it was unnecessary to agree with him. The Master's warnings to him through the lips of Ba'al sounded like faint shuffling squeals screaming treason in his ears.<br/><br/>So why is it that he could not overcome this jealousy? The sight of her with another was bitter and disgusting, but he could not see the man's face as he stood there before his living room window. His aura was grey as if his vessel was soulless, yet there was something positive about the man. Jealousy bit him like a snake and poisoned his heart like a viper but did not blind him enough to want to pounce on the man and tear his heart out like he did with Sarah's lovers. Asmodeus felt like a sailor tossed at sea, or an orphan child at the gates of God's mercy, waiting for some miracle to happen. For a moment, his unperturbed facial expression conveyed a sense of uneasiness in one of the five Officers surrounding him.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">“Oberstlutenant Kohler? Are you alright?”</span>Fabiano's question reached Asmodeus' ears and he shrugged it off. His eyes narrowed though, noticing for the first time the presence of the Italian in his squad. There was talk to do with Fabiano when everything is over, he thought. In the letter he had received in the dead of the night, it was clearly mentioned that Fabiano and that one Polish officer had spoken to the Colonel about things related to Isolde. The Colonel thought he was smart enough to order Fabiano back on the mission once again. They could play him and they could fool him, but he knew. This time and with too many men present, interrogating Isolde again was unavoidable.<br/><br/>The Demon shifted his gaze from the Italian officer and then to the new arrival of a wonderful partner in crime and the most cherished human company of them all. A simple mortal, blinded by his faith and love to the Fatherland, yet ruthless enough to make a masterpiece of anything he lays his bloody hands on.<span style="font-style: italic">“Oh, Officer Drechsler! I've been expecting you.”</span>Erlind passed on his hat to one of his men and made couple of steps towards Udo to greet him. He smiled and raised his leathery fingers to the man's neck, gently adjusting the buckle on the Gestapo's tie.<span style="font-style: italic">“How good it is to finally see you again. I have been eagerly waiting for your arrival to Munich. I have heard of what you have accomplished in Berlin only recently.”</span>Erlind smirked and briefly lowered his eyelids.<span style="font-style: italic">“Your brother Liam would have been proud of you today.”</span>The hidden truth within the subtle remark escaped the Demon's lips and he quickly turned his head away to take a look at Fabiano, and the the rest of the officers. One of the five officers carried a Mauser Karabiner 98k. The bolt action rifle was a pure gem in the hands of the Fatherland. It brought a superb accuracy, fire rate and reliability to every fired shot. The rest held their MP38 to their chests. This submachine model had entered production in 1938. The Schmeisser deemed too expensive to produce, a new order has been given to re-create a simplified version of it for the next year to come – the MP40.<br/><br/>The church didn’t give Udo a good feeling. This place felt… disgusting, tainted, just like the rest of Munich. It looked like any ordinary church from the outside, sure, but on the inside he knew that there were rats scurrying about. It was disgusting. In fact, he had been taken aback by just how disgusting it was. He has not been to a church in quite awhile, but just the very thought of such rats dirtying a Holy place such as this caused bile to burn his throat.<br/><br/>Erlind had greeted him as soon as he was amongst the other men.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">“It’s always a pleasure to see you, Herr Köhler. I hope I have not kept you waiting for too long.”</span>He said, unable to prevent a smile from appearing on to his own expression.<span style="font-style: italic">“Indeed, Berlin has kept me quite busy this past month.”</span>He didn’t reply to the comment about Liam. His expression showed he was thrown off guard by it, however. Family has always been a touchy subject, and he wanted to believe Erlind’s words to be true, he just would rather not talk about it. He looked at the other officers and nodded to them, acknowledging their presence.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">“Oberstlutenant Kohler...”</span>A second voice from a much older Officer began.<span style="font-style: italic">“Honest talk might clarify a few matters with these people. We do not need to do this. We can bring them to give us what we came to look for and let them go free. Are we not here for the their Rabbi!?” </span><br/><br/>Udo glanced at Officer Zweigelt out of the corner of his eye. His jaw tensed and there was clearly a displeased look on his face. To think he would even mention allowing these people to go free was unacceptable in his eyes. If he didn’t know any better, he would have given the man a piece of his mind right then and there. Did Officer Zweigelt not see that these rats were nothing but filth, less than human, ungrateful little pests that needed to be exterminated?<br/><br/>Officer Kohler's face no longer portrayed an absent-minded, dreamlike state he was in, or the happiness it expressed at the sight of Udo. His lips twisted into a sneer and he barked at the daring Nazi.<span style="font-style: italic">“How could you bring your wits to speak such nonsense? What do you know about what is right or what is wrong? We have orders from our Fuhrer himself.”</span>He raised a stiff swordstick and pointed it towards the church.<span style="font-style: italic">“We should walk right through these gates, now. We shall arrest the Jewish scums and if necessary, eliminate the plague if they attempt resistance. Either way Officer Zweigelt, they will not survive long enough to see the morrow. You cannot reason with this subhuman race.”</span>Erlind tapped his right booted-foot and ordered, hissing between his teeth and shooting an angry look at one of the officers.<span style="font-style: italic">“Open the gates. Los, Los, Los!”</span><br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">“Jawohl, Herr Oberstlutenant!”</span>The officer nodded his head and hurried to push the Church's gates open. A man in black and white with his form behind the gates was caught off guard and he turned around to face the Nazi officers, a pistol in his hand.<br/><br/>Gestapo Drechsler turned his attention to the gates when it was time to move, adrenaline making him feel alive. His weapon of choice tonight was his trusty Walther P38. Previously, he was toting a Luger P08, but he quickly found a fondness for the Walther P38 when it had fallen into his hands.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">“Erschiessen!”</span>Erlind ordered in a high-pitched voice. Fabiano held his SMG in front of him and executed the Jewish man point-blank. The other officers stormed into the church followed by the Oberstlutenant.<span style="font-style: italic">“Schwein ..”</span>Officer Kohler hissed and spit with disgust as he stepped next to the corpse of the Jewish man. From the young features, he could tell that the man may not have seen his early 40s yet. The Demon raised his foot and watched it crash back against the limp body with a strong push, sending it rolling down the large stairs of the church's entrance.<br/><br/>While Fabiano pushed the gates closed behind them, the officers stood with their guns pointed at the ten individuals inside the large space. The one with the sniper rifle had fastened his Kar 98K on his back and was now holding a knife against the throat of a child. Some Jewish individuals were seated in a group of three, others in a group of five, leaving one of the two standing individuals between the hands of the Sniper and the other near the altar with a horrified expression on his face.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">“Well well, what do we have here.”</span>The Oberstlutenant began, advancing down the red carpet and towards the altar. He approached that one Jew man near the altar and used a gloved hand to part slightly open the man's unbuttoned vest. His fingers grasped the Star of David pendant that embellished the man's neck and examined it for a second, allowing for a smile to form on his lips. He turned around on his heels and pulled the man to him, sneaking a friendly arm around the man's shoulders. Asmodeus eyed the pigs with now inky-black holes, their smell abhorrent to him. The white orbs and the irises lost their colors to a unified touch of one of the darkest shades of evil. A faint lustrous white glow passed each as the Demon parted his lips and exhaled, cackling.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">“I was certain that this is where I would find you. A Christian Church. Very smart but not smart enough you fools. I find it quiet hilarious that your Leader would encourage you to fight and resist our order, while this retard foolish fat-ass Rabbi of yours allows your hearts to plot violence, and where is he? Where is he? Probably at home feasting on wine and an entire platter of Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte. You are plotting the assassination of our Fuhrer within the walls of a Christian Church. Isn't this insulting enough to kill you all right now? But I won't. I would prefer to deliver you to the man you despise the most, so that he can delight himself in the pleasure of torturing you himself.”</span>Erlind tightened his arm around the man's shoulders and turned his eyes to look at him.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">“Mhmm? How about you? Do you think it is nice what you are doing?”</span>Erlind asked and licked his lips, eyes glaring.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">“Let my son go. Please. He's only a child. Please...”</span>The man begged in tears. He was feeling agitated by the Demon's hold around his shoulders. He never looked into the Devil's eyes to see the Nazi for what he truly was. The Oberstlutenant's features formed an expression of mock-sadness and gave Officer Zweigelt a nod, ordering him to let go of the child.<br/><br/>Udo took a position on the left side once they were inside the church, watching carefully as Erlind addressed the rats. He glowered when the man Erlind had been speaking to had demanded the release of the child. What a shame, that child would have looked beautiful mounted on that altar in the very same fashion as Christ on the cross. Hands and feet nailed down, and wearing his entrails as a bloody crown, yes, it was a magnificent image. An image he was enjoying immensely until the man at the altar made his move and attempted to strike Erlind.<br/><br/>Erlind did not see the strike coming. Before it even happened, he had loosened his arm around the man and let out a ragged sigh as he stepped towards the first raw to the left.<span style="font-style: italic">“Is this how you want to divide our nation?”</span>He began, tapping the sharp tip of his sword-stick against the surface of the third seat and elevated his left foot against the surface of the fourth seat.<span style="font-style: italic">“Terrible. Terrible. Is this how you threat us? We've let you walk on our land free people, feed off our wealth. All we ever wanted was for you and us to live in peace and harmony with each other.” </span><br/><br/>The man at the altar thought he was intelligent, or maybe fear and the surge of adrenaline blinded him. He skipped towards Asmodeus, bringing forward a dagger to stab the Officer in the back. But before he even had a chance to plant the tip of his melee weapon into the spine of the Demon, Asmodeus swiftly turned around and elbowed the man in the throat. The child cried his father's name and began to run down the aisle when one of the Jewish females pulled the child into her. The child struggled to free himself from the woman's arms but the female held him tightly, silently protesting. Meanwhile, the retarded man gasped for air and stumbled backwards. Asmodeus' form volatilized into heavy mist and he re-appeared behind the man quickly enough to save him from the fall. He could smell shit running down the legs of the mortals in the room. Their brains were strenuously working to understand what they just saw. Even the officers have tightened their grips around their weapons and no longer had them pointed towards the seated pigs, but towards the Demon. Udo on the other hand was someone Asmodeus could trust. A real man he was, unlike those bastards in a uniform they did not even deserve.<br/><br/>A few others had tried to join in, and Udo aimed his pistol at someone grabbing for a rifle, ending the man’s life before he had a chance to take aim, grinning as blood decorated the wall. He kept an eye on the rest of them, daring any others to try to be bold and make a move. He’d be more than happy to have them meet the same fate.<br/><br/>A shriek of terror from a few people in the room, and Udo's attention was turned away however. The church was… it was filled with that presence…<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">''You humans are sickeningly pathetic. Ugh!''</span>Asmodeus pushed the man up in a standing posture, but the Demon's form remained erect behind the mortal; his right hand gripped the man by the back of his neck.<span style="font-style: italic">''Udo, you tell them. Wasn't I simply trying to knock some sense into them?”</span><br/><br/>Udo, who was watching the rats like a vulture circling its prey, waiting patiently for it to die so he could strike, turned his attention to Erlind and swallowed hard, unsure of what to say. A few of the officers turned to look at him as if expecting him to have an explanation to what the hell just happened.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">“But the people you fought to take a bullet for, are actually the ones behind the trigger. Backstabbers. Mhm? Just like you Jewish Pigs!'</span>' The Demon continued, screaming into the man's ear. Udo thought that maybe there was some sense to that… Maybe there was not.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">“Well,”</span>one of the officers spoke.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">“Are you telling me you don’t agree?”</span>Udo replied.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">“But…”<br/><br/>“Look at them. These insolent rats-” </span><br/><br/>Asmodeus sniffed his hostage and let out gruff chuckles against the flesh of the man's neck.<span style="font-style: italic">''Resistance is an art only mastered by the brilliant, and wisdom my friend is beyond the grasp of fools like you, and for that you shall perish!''</span>Canine teeth in both the upper and lower jaws extended as the lower jaw dropped wide open. The canines sank into the man's neck and ripped the flesh and muscles apart. Blood splattered over the altar and the Demon's black tunic, staining the clean white material of his shirt's collar. Asmodeus spit the chunk of meat away, supremely pissed. The man fell back into the Demon's arms, lifeless. By the time he turned his head to regard Officer Drechsler, he had already worked his magic on the Nazi Officers. The sheep were to remember nothing of the spectacle, including Fabiano.<br/><br/>Asmodeus form had moved in the speed of light to stand before the mortal. A thumb covered in leather came to softly trace the outline of Udo's upper lip, leaving a large stain of blood smeared over his mouth.<br/><br/>The entire conversation had been silenced when the demon took a chunk out of his hostage’s neck.<br/><br/>At that moment, even Udo felt something unsettling in his stomach. He has seen his share of violence, sure, but biting someone… it was… he wasn’t sure what to think. He looked around to the other officers, only to find them to be frozen. Some kind of spell?<br/><br/>He wanted to take a step back when the demon appeared in front of him and rubbed the blood on his lip. Another part of him, the part that showed through a bit more, remained where he was, unafraid. Or was he just remaining put because he was thinking about the night Kai revealed the existence of demons to him? This would count as his third encounter. If he were to say he was not afraid, of course, it would be a lie, but perhaps he was simply accepting of the fact. Maybe he was terrified, and his mind just automatically threw up that defense, or perhaps it was because he truly did like Erlind.<br/><br/>But he was not ‘Erlind Köhler’ was he? No… he truly was the demon Asmodeus, just like the Father had mentioned.<br/><br/>The Demon breathed.<span style="font-style: italic">''They are all yours, my friend. This is your moment to rise and shine. You're young and reckless. Ah! I can only imagine the glorious wealth our Fuhrer will bath you in when he finds out that you've executed the people who plotted egregious plans of his assassination.'' </span>The Demon's eyes had regained their cerulean color and they attempted to pierce the mortal's pale blues. He looked at Udo's thirst for blood, feverishly seeking his approval. His own pink lips had spread into a feral grin and a black serpentine tongue flicked out briefly.<br/><br/>Udo’s expression took on a sinister countenance, and his smile showed the whites of his teeth. Somehow the metallic taste from the blood wasn’t bothering him too much; maybe he didn’t realize it at that moment,<span style="font-style: italic">“You know I won’t disappoint you, or the Führer.”</span>He said.<span style="font-style: italic">“I will accomplish what those you call your comrades had failed fulfill in his name.”</span>Always a one-track mind. But was that one-track mind a sort of defense mechanism, shielding his true thoughts, because he was still trying to fully understand the extent of the demon’s words, what just happened, or was it true?<br/><br/>Only time would tell.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">''But the child is mine, do not touch him.''</span>Asmodeus added, smiling softly at Udo. With an air of confidence, Asmodeus turned his head away from Udo and wiped the blood from his face with his white handkerchief. His eyes had watered. The protection around him was weakening. He moved towards the exit and raised the stunned effect off his officers. The men continued watching the events displaying before their eyes, as if nothing of that cannibalistic attack ever happened.<br/><br/>Udo’s smile faded a little, his eyes showing the malicious intents he had for the child. But he let it go. There were others in the room for him to play with. He would make quick work of them.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">“Now, where to begin?”</span>He walked over to the group of people, who remained frozen where they were. That was always a good question to start with. None of them seemed willing to make a move; fear was etched on their expressions. They looked from Udo to Erlind, perhaps trying to decide which fate would be worse for them. Not that it really made any difference. No matter what they chose it would be an unfortunate fate, the end result would not change.<br/><br/>Rats. They were all rats. Filthy, disgusting rats. Udo eyed the group carefully, gun resting at his side, ready to strike when given the word. Outside he looked relatively calm but on the inside there was a cold-blooded killer wanting so badly to be unleashed. Nobody was to remain alive. Those words echoed in his mind, drowning out nearly everything out. This church was going to be cleansed of this filth. A very small part of him wished it didn’t have to be in such a holy place, where peace was supposed to be present, something about it wasn’t right.<br/><br/>He was about to defile this place in more ways than he wanted to. It was so unfortunate, truly it was.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">“Line up in front of the altar,”</span>he ordered the rats. This wasn’t his ‘traditional’ way of going about his work, but he figured this would be enough to truly strike fear into Munich. At first they had looked at him, but one quick and painless execution of another in their group was all it took to make them move.<span style="font-style: italic">“I want you all on your knees with your hands behind your head,”</span>he added. There was no protest. As soon as they were where he wanted them, he went for the woman conveniently at the end of the line.<br/><br/>Pressing the cold metal of his pistol against her jaw, moving the weapon under her chin, he lifted her chin slightly so she was looking him in the eye.<span style="font-style: italic"> “You… Yes, I think I will start with you. Stand up.”</span>Her eyes went wide. He could feel her entire body trembling through the pistol. If he had to give an opinion of her, even with fear etched on every last inch of her expression, he’d say that she was definitely not an eye sore but she wasn’t really his type. That didn’t matter much, of course. It was merely an observation in the midst of his excitement.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">“Please…”</span>she pleaded, but her plead had fallen on deaf ears.<br/><br/>Udo frowned and pressed his pistol’s barrel right between the woman’s eyes, pulling the trigger. He did the same thing for every last person in that group of rats. One shot, right between the eyes. Perhaps it was not his most brutal work but he was still proud of such a lovely display. It was still a message to all who would come here after he and the rest of the group left this place.<br/><br/>Leave no one alive.<br/><br/>He had certainly done just that.<br/><br/>But in the end even a man like him would respect God’s house in the end. When he killed those people, he had merely been an exterminator called in to deal with pests.<br/><br/>The Demon  walked behind the boy. Two gloved-hands came to rest on the child's shoulders, pulling the child to him in an overprotective manner. He would remember nothing of the horror. The child's eyes were rolled back and his forehead was facing down. Asmodeus watched Udo with a feeling he could very well describe. When the Gestapo looked up briefly at him, the Demon cast a flash of a miniature smile.<br/><br/>The Demon had done great things in the past, things that saved humanity from itself. Only on rare occasions did he offer a helping hand though. Unfortunately, he did not come to aid mankind with a cleaner method. He did not understand Law, and he did not understand Chaos. Just like courtship and women, he failed at bring good at both. Unlike God's loathed holy creation of Archangels and the higher-ups alike, Asmodeus' help was never appreciated. His aid was cursed and reviled by nations. The truth was harrowing. The truth was always beyond their understanding, or the understanding of the ethereal realm.<br/><br/><br/>The man who lost his throat was a coward. He was to use his child as a human-shield in couple of years while he tried to escape the firing squad in Poland at the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp; they were both ending up dead anyway. The woman who pulled the child in her arms was to become the Nazi's whore and she was to live a life of shame and abuse only to be found dead in the back garden of a politician on Christmas Eve of 1943. No one would have brought her justice then. The rest of the resistance group in the Church were to turn against their own people when the resistance no longer held any meaning to them. Once their protests have weakened, they would sell their souls to the Devil and turn a couple hundred innocent to the Nazi. These very same innocents - parents and their children - were to be forced out of their hideouts and sent to end up at the Jasenovac extermination camp in Poland. But now, the child along with two hundred people were safe. Safe to live their way to freedom. They shall live long enough to find rescue in the hands of Irena Sendler, Johanna Eck, and the Soviet rescue troops in 1945.<br/><br/>________________________________________________________________<br/><br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">“Herr Drechsler, the clinic is next on the list.”</span>The Oberstlutenant mentioned as the church's gates were pulled open. Two teams of Sicherheitspolizei and Kriminalpolizei were gathered outside, smiles plastered on their faces. Some of them remained in the exterior in huffed laughter and others hurried to examine the circumstances inside the church.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">“Fabiano, I want you to take this child to my residence, and explain the condition to the servant!”</span>The Italian man nodded and walked up to the child.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">“Oberstlutenant Kohler, I will go instead.” </span>Officer Zweigelt suggested in a hushed tone.<span style="font-style: italic">“The Colonel had ordered that the Italian Officer must serve in this mission until we have interrogated Frau Devesreaux. You have read the letter yesterday. You must do as advised.”</span><br/><br/>Erlind raised a brow in doubts and nodded.<span style="font-style: italic">“Of course. Well, the church's current state is no longer our problem. We shall be leaving to the clinic in no less than fifteen minutes.”</span><br/><br/>While the rest were busy with the magnificent artistic touch within the walls of a place reeked of blood, Erlind gave Udo a look that said<span style="font-style: italic">'We need to speak'</span>. He stepped aside from the rest in the bright sunlight when suddenly he frowned at the forewarning negative, raw energies. Like moving spot indicators on his radar, they displayed a range of 330 meters from his position.<br/><br/>To what does he owe the honor of this visit?