I'm writing out (and almost have finished) a version of Chapter 8--with more plot--that has to do with MALICE surviving. It's possible to do it whether or not Ledah lives or dies (I have separate versions of each during important scenes where Ledah or Ein would do a certain thing.)
And while Hades does have a distant connection with the Accursed, his appearance after taking out the original ones (which is so much a typical, almost menial RPG task that it has almost no meaning to the player) doesn't make much plot sense.
Also, in regards to the Accursed, they just seem like a stupid boring task because the player never feels any *real* threat from them. It's just "Oh, no, they're going to take over Riviera with demons!", but you never *SEE* any of the damage they're supposedly capable of doing.
Malice is a much more threatening figure, due to the fact that we know she's killed Serene's people all on her own. She and Hector are the only villains in the game; the Accursed are just convenient monsters used to keep the story going. And while that wasn't Sting's intent, that's certainly how it feels to the player. Which isn't a good thing, at all.
WTF,
you meanie Feral!
I wrote a complete version of Chapter 8 and revived someone!
(It was Ledah, not Malice) but your still a stealer pants!