The Day of the Beast

Ángel believes he can bargain with Satan to prevent the Antichrist's birth. He discovers a cryptic Bible verse claiming the Antichrist will be born at midnight on Christmas Eve, and he reasons that by selling his soul to the devil first, he can prevent the Antichrist from coming into existence. His plan is to out-sin the devil by committing maximum evil before the deadline.

The cross falls immediately after the other priest agrees to help Ángel with his plan. While the film presents this as a potentially divine sign, it remains ambiguous whether it is supernatural intervention, a coincidence, or the universe itself rejecting their pact. This moment sets the tone for the film's darkly comedic approach to religious symbolism.

Ángel believes the ritual from Professor Cavan's book requires the blood of a virgin to successfully bargain with Satan. He needs to sell his soul before midnight on Christmas Eve to prevent the Antichrist's birth. The ritual is meant to be the vehicle for this soul sale, with virgin blood serving as the essential component.

Ángel returns to the boarding house to obtain Mina's blood for the ritual. José María's mother confronts him with a shotgun, trying to stop him. During the struggle, Ángel accidentally kills her while attempting to escape with the blood. He did not intend to kill her, the death is a tragic accident that weighs heavily on the narrative.

After the ritual, a he-goat appears and the devil writes a taunting message in the burnt pages, mocking Ángel's failed attempt to deceive him. The devil recognizes that Ángel's ritual was a fraud, a desperate ploy rather than a genuine bargain. This confirms that Ángel cannot outsmart the devil through tricks, forcing him to confront the actual threat.

After being kidnapped and tortured, Cavan initially dismisses Ángel's theories. However, when he sees the devil's symbolic messages and realizes the gang violence in Madrid matches Ángel's warnings about the Antichrist's arrival, he becomes a believer. He goes on television to urge Ángel to contact him, now understanding that the apocalyptic events are real.

The film leaves this ambiguous, but the baby Ángel saves from the gang is implied to be the Antichrist, as the gang is protecting it and spraying "Limpia Madrid" in a fascist cleansing mission. However, the gang leader is also revealed to be the devil himself when he throws José María off the building, suggesting the devil may be the true Antichrist incarnation rather than the baby.

When Ángel and José María confront the extreme-right gang at the Gate of Europe, the leader hurls José María off the building with supernatural strength, revealing his true identity as the devil. This connects the gang's fascist violence ("Limpia Madrid") to demonic forces, turning the social commentary into literal supernatural evil.

After defeating the devil and the gang, Ángel and Cavan are left with no home, no identity, and no way to prove their deeds. They saved the world but became outlaws in the process, Ángel is a murderer and Cavan was kidnapped. The pyrrhic victory leaves them wandering Madrid as homeless drifters, unable to claim credit for stopping the apocalypse.

José María is killed when the devil, disguised as the gang leader at the Gate of Europe, throws him off the building. His death is a major loss for Ángel, who later reflects on missing his friend. José María's death represents the tragic cost of their mission to stop the Antichrist.

Ángel and José María chase a man giving a Nostradamus lecture, believing he might have information about the Antichrist's birth. This leads to a chaotic stunt sequence where three men dressed as the Three Wise Men are shot by police. The scene satirizes the absurdity of seeking prophetic answers while also showing Madrid in complete chaos.