Using his Bamf army and his link with Nightcrawler, who died in the meantime, Azazel begins invading the domains of afterlife - Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory - to gather souls and thus boost his power to divine proportions. However, Nightcrawler strikes a deal with some of the Bamfs. With the additional aid of his fellow X-Men, Nightcrawler draws Azazel from the afterlife and binds him to Earth, sacrificing his soul in the process. But as Azazel is sent to Ryker's Island in S.H.I.E.L.D. custody, Mystique frees him despite Nightcrawler's attempts to stop her.