(Spectre III #25) - <150 AD> Spectre carried out his mission for over a century. Lucifer assembled the lords of Hell, showing them the work of Spectre, the Wrath of God, and said his mission of bloody vengeance was nudging humans to stay on the straight and narrow out of fear. He told the lords they'd each get a chance to destroy Specter, with whoever succeeded being elevated in Hell's hierarchy. Belial took the direct route, serving as the court wizard of the despot Chadhandra, and fighting the Spectre when he came to kill the sultan. Spectre was victorious, and Belial returned to Hell. Shaitan sent his demon Sekuba to tempt Spectre. She showed him the bones of Brahma, and said his gods were dead, but the Spectre thought her a liar. She showed him a lepar being stoned, a leper who was the reincarnation of his wife Devi. Her soul was meant to find his and reach Nirvana, but this never came to pass because Caraka became the Spectre. His son Bankim had been reincarnated as the child of an abusive household, and grew up to be a murderous thief. Spectre killed his son, and said that if the gods were not dead they surely no longer cared. He planned to raze the entire world, purifying it of evil, but was confronted by Archangel Michael in his guise of Kali. He stripped Caraka of his power, and sent the Spectre-Force to find a new host. As the price of his rebellion he merged Caraka's soul with that of Sekuba so they could torment each other, and named the new cursed being Azmodus. Azmodus promised to bedevil the Spectre, whoever he was, for all eternity. He would spread his own misery around, so everyone would know the unhappiness he felt.

(Spectre III #26 (fb)) - Azmodus fought the Spectre Jim Corrigan, with their battle raging between Limbo and reality. Azmodus caused him psychic amnesia, but his spell also backfired, and they both found themselves in mortal guise. Jim Corrigan became a cop again, and served for 20 years, never questioning why he didn't age, while Caraka wandered the Earth as a lost soul. Jim attended a séance, and the Spectre woke again, and he realized he had a lot of work to catch up on. His reawakening restored Azmodus as well.

(Spectre III #8) - Azmodus escaped Hell with the Spectre when his enemy had finished a battle with Shathan. Azmodus needed a new corporal form, so he contacted those whose lives had been touched and destroyed by the Spectre, offering them demonic power in exchange for their shadows. In the sewers Azmodus had collected a gaggle of shadows, and was using them to form a new body.

(Spectre III #9) - Azmodus possessed Dennis Bruzinski, who'd given him his shadow, and used him to torture and kill Felipe Gustero, whom Spectre had previously saved. Spectre caught up with Dennis and entered his soul, but found only nothingness, and Azmodus bragged that he was trapped. Azmodus knew Spectre had feelings for Amy Beitermann, and promised to use Dennis to kill her. Dennis was under Azmodus' control, and technically not guilty for his actions, but Spectre could not risk Amy's life and killed him anyway. Azmodus said her pawns were legion, and he'd go after Amy again.

(Spectre III #10, 11) - Spectre confronted Reaver, the serial killer destined to kill Amy, and was about to kill him when Azmodus appeared and offered the Reaver protection in exchange for his shadow. This last sacrifice allowed Azmodus to become whole in the corporal plane, and he whisked Spectre away for battle, while the Reaver made his way into Amy's apartment. Azmodus brought Spectre to a cosmic plane where they used planets as weapons, not the physical planets, but the dreams of what they'd develop into. Spectre kept repeating that he had no time for their fight with Amy in danger, and his distraction led to Azmodus getting the upper hand. Azmodus said he'd tempted Job as the Spectre had killed the the Egyptian first-born, hinting at the Spectre's existence before Jim Corrigan. Madame Xanadu cast a summoning spell, taking Azmodus partially out of the battle, allowing Spectre to defeat him by freeing all the shadows he'd stolen. Spectre was about to finish him off when Azmodus reminded him Amy's life was in danger, and the Spectre returned to the material plane, too late to save Amy.

(Spectre II #13) - Azmodus possessed William Martindale, one of the men who had sold his shadow previously. Azmodus needed a new corporal form, and William was chosen, but he didn't want to share his body, so he sent William's soul to Hell.

(Spectre III #19) - Rabbi Jacob Schulman had been acquitted after a car accident left several black children injured and one dead, and racial tensions were high, with a riot brewing outside the Emeth Enclave. Spectre tried to prevent a riot, but the rioters hatred manifested as two demons that he had to battle. Azmodus revealed himself as the one inflaming the situation, and told Spectre he had lots more games to play with him.

(Spectre III #25) - Azmodus confronted Father Craemer, and told him he was going to kill him since he was Spectre's new anchor to the human world. Craemer knew Azmodus inflicted misery because he was miserable, and told him his sins were not too great for God to forgive. Azmodus paused, for he knew Craemer was right. He slunk away, and said he could not bear to be forgiven, that he had to live his mission of misery.

(Spectre III #27) -Spectre visited Amy's old apartment, and witnessed a thug gun down innocents. Incensed he killed the thug over and over again in gruesome fashion. A demon from Hell appeared to him, and reminded him that when a damned soul died it belonged to them. Spectre was not finished tormenting the man, and decided to go to Hell, but was forbid by Michael, who impaled him on a flaming sword. Azmodus laughed at how Spectre's masters treated him, and dared him to find Azmodus, hinting that yhe'd put a plan into motion that would teach Spectre despair. Spectre had switched the souls of his former love, the aged Clarice Winston, and her granddaughter Clarissa who tried to kill her. Clarissa agreed to give her shadow to Azmodus for a chance at revenge, and her infirm form was reinvigorated enough to point a finger at Clarice in her old body for attempted murder. Since Clarissa's form was linked to Spectre Azmodus was able to siphon his energy from it. Azmodus drowned NYC in a wave of blood, evoking Jim Corrigan's death by suffocation. Spectre swallowed the blood and spit it into space, inadvertently hitting the tomb he'd made for the Spear of Destiny. Azmodus showed him visions of past hosts of the Spectre-Force, and said they all came to ruin much as Azmodus had, and promised Spectre would end up becoming like him. Xanadu's cards revealed that Azmodus was approaching his full power, and she knew he'd be gunning for her, so she prepared to confront him, creating a circle of power for protection. Azmodus took back Spectre's power that she used to create her sendings and turned them against her to torment her. Azmodus then dug up Amy Beitermann's body.

(Spectre III #28) - Azmodus burned down Father Craaemer's Church of the Holy Sepulcher, saying he wanted everyone Spectre knew to know despair. Nate Kane still wanted to kill Spectre for Amy Beitermann's death, so Azmodus gave him a cursed gun that once belonged to Bonnie and Clyde. Clarice Winston rotted in jail, and when she refused to give her shadow to Azmodus, he bargained with her cellmates, and after claiming bits of their souls sent them to attack Clarice. Azmodus activated his army of humans who'd bargained with him, and had them start killing everyone in their path. Spectre slaughtered them, and Azmodus told Spectre how worthless his underlings were, how they'd given away their souls for trifles. Azmodus revealed his location in businessman William Martindale's body, and Spectre confronted him. After having Martindale's employees kill each other, he had them commit suicide, screaming that they did it for the Spectre. Nate Kane arrived on the scene, and Azmodus immolated Martindale's body, making it look like Spectre had killed him. Kane shot him with the gun Azmodus had given him, and the cursed bullets wracked Spectre with doubt over his own mission. Azmodus said once he gave in to despair he would become Azmodus, and Azmodus would be able to pass on into nothingness. Kane realized Azmodus had played him, and before the demon left, he introduced Kane to the corpse of Amy Beitermann, which was now possessed by a demon.

(Spectre III #29, 30) - Azmodus brought Spectre to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher to finish him off. He summoned Clarissa to kill her father and Clarice in front of Spectre, knowing he was too weak to avenge anyone. Craemer made Clarissa realize she was a pawn, and Azmodus opened up a pit to Hell, swallowing Craemer. Spectre reached in and saved him, and Craemer's words did affect Clarissa, who refused to do Azmodus' bidding. Azmodus cast her soul into Hell, and was confronted by Madame Xanadu and her sendings. They occupied him briefly, but he absorbed the sendings into himself, and knowing he couldn't kill Xanadu he turned her into stone. Craemer implored Spectre to enter the souls of NYC as he had on Christmas Eve to regain hope. Azmodus was convinced the darkness he would find would end him, but Spectre said he had to acknowledge the light that fought against the darkness. With his doubts removed Spectre was ready to fight Azmodus. Azmodus moved the fight to Hell, and told Spectre he could defend himself, or try to save his friends from the demons that surrounded them, but would fail at either endeavor. Spectre returned Xanadu to flesh, and she cast a protective seal around Spectre's friends. Azmodus kept drawing strength from Clarice's body, and Clarice asked to be returned to her aged form and go to her reward so Spectre could vanquish Azmodus. Spectre agreed, and severed his bond with the body The soul of Amy brought Nate to Hell, and he shot Azmodus with his own cursed bullets, sowing his doubts and causing Caraka and Sekuba to turn against each other. Azmodus realized that Clarice's soul was his beloved Devi, and realized he'd tormented the one soul he loved. Spectre split Azmodus in two, casting Sekuba into a deep pit in Hell, and allowing Caraka to begin making amends for his actions through the cycle of rebirth. Clarice / Devi promised to find him, and help him attain Nirvana one day.

(Spectre III #31) - Spectre confronted Shaitan, and told him he had no claim on Clarissa Marchbak's soul since Azmodus tossed her to Hell. Shaitan said she deserved her spot, and showed him Clarissa's soul crucified on a cross, with Sekuba reminding her of all her sins. Spectre saw he had not buried Sekuba deep enough in Hell, so he turned her into a worm. Clarissa thought she deserved her fate, but Spectre reminded her that Azmodus had corrupted her, and that Clarice wanted her to live. Clarissa found the strength to step away from her own punishment, but said she didn't want to go back to the person she was, so Spectre suggested reincarnation like her grandmother. Shaitan said he overstepped his own mission, so Spectre went to the gates of Heaven, and Michael approved of his actions.

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