บท 48: Chapter 48: Schemes
"Master Frances." A young man calls.
An elderly man adorned in priestly robes was praying to a small marble statue of a young looking man. He sat himself in a chair behind him, in front of a dead fireplace in his bedroom. He sighed looking upon the statue with admiration. "What is it?"
"T-t-the demons! They broke through! What should we do???"
The priest, although surprised, simply clenched the arm of his chair as tight as he could.. "How did they- Have they invaded this church?" he asks.
"N-no. B-b-but it's only a matter of time. The Generals are trying to hold back the demons all by themselves and there's no one else out there to back them up!"
"Blasphemy! We have men in reserve."
"But they're all dead, Master! Slaughtered by the Demon Queen herself!"
A cold sweat ran down the old man's face. "T-the Demon Queen…T-then that means…"
The head priest struggled up from his chair, grabbing a satchel. "We must go! We need to gather our most loyal and devout. Then men, the women, the children. Even the elderly."
"But it's not safe! You need to escape now-!"
"Nonsense! There is no escape. If we don't kill the King and Queen of the demons now, the entirety of our kin will perish beneath those monstrosities!"
The young man reluctantly assists the Priest out of the room.
The Priest stopped, catching his breath.
"My child… This day I have no doubts that we will see God in all his magnificents. I know for a fact that this day we will all see a miracle beyond all comprehension. Are you ready to give your life in the name of God Cassell?
The young man grasps onto the priest's hand with both his own. "Of course! I'm ready and willing."
"Very good. Now post haste!"
********
Both General Trevor and Ceil found themselves surrounded by some of the most powerful demons they've ever faced. The intense aura of everyone there was almost sickening.
"There you are Lillian. I see you have the last two there's two men left," Lucius said.
"Yes. These two are the last generals of the confederate army. I offer mercy but they'd rather die an honorable death it seems."
Lillian turned her attention to both Jala and Azar. "Jala, Azar you can kill them. Me and Lucius will be watching just outside this courtyard."
The two generals looked at both Jala and Azar with familiarity. Ceil furrowed his brow. "Aren't they…"
A bloodthirsty aura crept behind the two generals. The feeling of suffocation intensifying with each passing second. The two men shuddered involuntarily, feeling a hand being placed on their shoulder.
"Relax, If I wanted to kill you two, I would've done it already. I'm just giving you two a fair warning…," Lillian said.
Lillian continued on her way to Lucius and her demon Generals.
A Realization passed through both men at once. They both grasped their chests at once feeling for something of importance was missing.
"W-when did she-" Trevor was cut off.
"She erased our memories." Ceil said. "She must've destroyed it somehow when we were fighting her then."
"Lillian." Lucius whispered. "Are you sure you don't want me to kill them?"
"They can handle it just fine, Besides I want to give them a fighting chance at the very least."
Lucius chuckled hearing this. "So you feel pity for them. Alright. have it your way."
Lillian turned back to the generals with a smile. "You two can consider this your execution. But if you somehow live, I'll just erase the memories of your whole life." She said cheerfully.
Hearing this cheerful tone only served to put the men on edge further.
"Azar, Jala. have fun...," Lillian Said. "And Good luck~!"
Azar Rolled her eyes as she conjured forth an explosive ball of Magic. "Let me handle this." Azar sent an explosive magic ball their way, exploding upon impact.
Her bored gaze soon turned to surprise as they found the two generals. Their armors glowed a strange blow hue.
"What kind of magic-"
Jala cut Azar off, sending blue flames of magic. But this becomes waved off from the hefty swing of Ciel's sword.
Jala narrowed his eyes. "These Humans…"
"Be careful you two… They're more powerful than you think," Lillian said, with a hint of pride.
Lillian and Lucius distanced themselves as much as they could as an intense stare down ensued. The last Confederate Generals looked back at the Demon Generals with determination, While Jala and Azar couldn't look less interested.
Jala manifests streams of water around him, all the while Azar prepared a ball of fire in one hand and an explosive ball in the other.
Wasting no time, both sides engaged.
Azar and Jala launched their magic attacks at both generals with expert precision. all for these attacks to be easily thwarted as they washed off the two generals.
Ciel made the first move, attacking Azar with his sword in hand. She barely dodged but used the opportunity to blast an explosion straight at him!
Jala and Trevor however find himself in an equal stalemate as Jala's ice magic seems to crack apart upon impact. He conjured forth his blood blade sword, blocking the Trevor's slash.
"Lillian. What's going on here?" Lucius asked.
As both Lillian and Lucius watched the exchange of parries and dodges, Lillian explained the strange circumstances they were witnessing. "Those two men you see are wearing Armor from the previous Heroes of Prophecy. It's said in the scriptures that these armors were blessed by God Cassell to withstand all evil unnatural to this world."
"They've prepared themselves well then." Lucius noted. "But this won't save them in the end."
Lillian agreed, watching with great interest.
Jala swung his sword harder, making Trevor feel the heft of his swing.
Trevor glanced at Lillian and Lucius. Another push of Strength was instantly exerted unto him. "Your opponent is me," Jala said, almost uncaringly.
Jala pushed Trevor away.
Trevor planted his feet firmly back to the ground. Standing his ground. He instantly dashed back into combat. The General then held out his hand.
Jala swung his blade, completely missing the head of the general as he ducked in time.
Crouching down and touching the ground beneath, he had a pillar of earth shoot him into the air!
Trevor attacked Jala from above, swinging his blade down hard!
Jala quickly blocked this attack. and stared straight as the General who looked even more determined.
In one swift move, Jala deflected and kicked the General back, leaving Trevor to wallow in frustration. They both continued their exchange of attacks and parries as Azar and Ciel continued their fight, much closer to the church.
With Azar and Ciel, Azar was keeping her distance from the man, splashing him with waves of explosive and fire magic. Her frustration started to become more and more evident. with each attack being brushed off like it was nothing.
At her wits end she finally decides to switch up her attacks.
Ciel swung at her with his sword only for her to catch it midair. And with all her strength, she tossed him back, giving her room.
Ciel got ready to block but was caught off guard when she conjured a ball of earth colored in a darker brown. "Sorry to disappoint you, but I think I'd rather pummel you instead."
undeterred, Ciel rushed into attack. In that same moment, Azar reshaped it into a long rod using it to block Ciel's attack.
It sparked upon impact and was hard as steel.
She pushes him back, conjuring five additional balls of earth and launching them at the General.
Ciel dodged and blocked this relentless onslaught of the ball. Suddenly, he was pierced with an earth spike in his shoulder. He continued to charge forth through the halls of earth balls and spikes sent his way. closing the distance he finally swung forth!
Only for her to suddenly vanish.
Looking around frantically, scanning for her presence. "Where'd she-"
"You know what… I always did prefer getting my hands dirty anyways," Azar stated, sending a chill down Ciel's spine. She showed up right behind Ciel with a huge clever looking weapon in hand, posed and ready to strike with the blade.
A cold sweat ran down Ciel's face. He quickly jerked his body to block this strike head on.
The weight of her blindingly fast attack sent him crashing through the church walls where the remaining civilians took refuge.
Ciel got up and noticed the dent in his sword. Looking around he realized that he was now surrounded by the remaining civilians of the town who were now cowering, seeing Azar enter.
"It's the demons!" Th-they're going to kill us all!!"
Azar, hearing this, smirked. Entering the church, she readied an explosive magic ball again.
"So, this is where the other humans are."
"Wahhh!! Please don't kill us!" a woman pleaded, hugging her child.
Without hesitation, Azar launched an explosive ball straight at Ciel.
"NOOO!!!!"
Mustering as much power as possible Ciel sent out a wave of pure wind magic to deflect Azar's magic back at her.
Seeing this, she cuts through the magic, letting it explode.
Through the smoke Ciel charged back at Azar and thrusted his blade into her. She grits her teeth, pissed. "You filthy bastard." She muttered.
"Everyone! Escape now!!"
Azar pushed him off her. In that same instant, she manifested an earth ball and reformed it into a club. using all her strength she smacked the general back into the church!
Ciel crashed into civilians and their church's altar, now more bloodied than ever. Screams of women and children filled the room as they witnessed the scene.
"How dare you! You filthy bastard. You could've died quietly. but no~."
As Azar entered ever deeper in the church, her wound slowly healed up until nothing was there anymore. The women and children panicked, unsure what to do.
"How pathetic." Azar said.
Suddenly Azar sent out a flurry of explosive magic and fire magic in the General's direction, killing the other women and children in the church and fire and rubble the entire room.
She stomps onto the general's chest, completely denting the armor. "OH, It looks like your armor's about to break. How sad." she mocked.
She conjured forth another ball earth reshaping it into a sword this time.
"Nothing Personal, Ciel…"
"W-we had a deal." Ciel wheezed.
"The deal still stands. All your leader has to do is blow that horn… we gave. And I'm sure once he sees both of your corpses, he'll be much obliged to do so." She said in a playful tone. "Oh. And about us returning to the pit… We have no intention of leaving." Azar gave a more devilish smile.
She stabbed the General through the throat, sending the entirety of her blade through it. slowly the man choked on his own blood, killing him. leaving Azar to smile sinisterly.
The clashing of blades continued with Jala and Trevor, with each one matching strike for strike and parry with parry. Hearing another set of explosions, Trevor glanced back, Concerned.
"You're distracted again," Jala said.
Jala landed a clean hit on Trevor's chest, sending him flying through the air.
He landed onto his back hard, leaving him gasping for breath.
Trevor drove his sword into the ground, supporting his climb, back to his feet.
Taking in the air around him, Trevor pulled his sword from the ground, Parrying Jala's second attack.
Eventually the two clashed, interlocking their swords. Jala's calmness became unnerving to Trevor. He could tell at the glance that this demon looked down on him.
"How disappointing," Jala said. "I expected more of a challenge. Then again, no human can never reach the level of the Heroes of Prophecy"
"Y-you bastards…!" Trevor gritted his teeth. "I knew we shouldn't have trusted you two." He hissed.
Trevor pushed away from Jala. Holding and aiming his hands, he conjured a cube shape of earth magic, shooting it
Jala took the hits straight on, ignoring the attack. He grabs onto the neck of the General throwing him towards Lucius and Lillian. Ice started freezing around Trevor, Holding him in place,
He struggled to get out. Suddenly sharp pain as his arm was sliced through, then his opposite leg! Trevor can only scream from the pain, left at the mercy of the demons.
Trevor glared back up and Lucius, the Demon King
"Y-you will die this day!" he proclaimed
Another arm is sliced followed by a scream. Jala now stepped onto the head of the now dying general.
Azar came from the church rolling the head of Ciel, the man she just killed Lillian and Lucius. "My target is killed. What about you Jala?"
Trevor was now eye to eye with a deceased ally. He tries to hold out, determined to keep fighting. But Jala stepped on the man harder.
"I was just about to end this actually."
Just before he could finish off the General, subtle chanting and prayers of men and women began to be heard.
Priest's and other civilians in white robes start to enter into the courtyard along with the head priest and his assistant. Some people in white robes start to even enter from the newly made hole from the church as well.
Azar rejoined the others, unsure what's going on.
Lucius watched, unamused.
The head priest became grim. "I now know the face of our enemy. The Devil King that's brought his army of demons and wrought chaos and discord to our world. And who would seek to destroy us all."
Digging into his satchel the head priest brought out a familiar look black horn with gold inscriptions. "With this… We shall smite God's enemies. And save the world!"
Hums and unnerving chanting continued.
Lillian could feel something scarily familiar with the horn the priest held. "Wait, isn't that-"
"Don't let him use that!!" Lucius shouted.
It clicked with her hearing Lucius' command. Lillian spurred into action, launching pressure wind magic. But this was met with another Barrier protecting the Head priest!
Leaving other people around him to perish before him. Despite this, the Priest continued.
Seeing this Lillian raced over to the old man. Thoughts racing in her head. "If this is like that other horn. This can only end badly!"
The Black horn bellowed its call for a good five seconds before Lillian tore through the barrier, killing the man with her own hands.
She was too late.
The man's body started to convulse
"C…Crap!!"
She quickly backed off the priest rejoining Lucius who readied his sword. "There's only one way they would have obtained that horn…" He growled. "…Rakon…"
Lillian glanced at Lucius, seeing his furious face. "Rakon? Why would he-"
"Shall I order a full-on retreat?" Azar inquired.
"Yes. have all the officers lead our troops as far from here as possible and fast!"
Smiling, she obliged, heading out to distribute the news.
"And Azar! Me and Lillian will need both you and Jala here once you're done."
Azar paused for a moment before affirming her understanding.
Jala finally releases the general from his feet in favor of watching as a pure being of white emerges from the corpse of the priest. Trevor turned to witness the event too, hearing the crunching of bones and squelching of flesh.
It was just as Lillian feared. An angel with blonde hair and no face emerged as if reborn. It looked not too different from the Angel Enocht, but something felt eerily off about this particular Angel.
Not wasting time, it assimilated the corpse into its body, gaining some of their facial features, his face contorted until it was satisfied with its own look. It then gave a look of disdain at the demons.
Joyful prayers and worship started to fill the courtyard.
"Please Terrocht save us from these evil beings!"
"Make them suffer for all our misery!"
"Save our country!"
The Angel standing tall held out his hands. "Then…"
"Become one with me."
Lucius quickly released a huge wave of Fire magic engulfing everyone before them in fire.
As the fire dissipated, it's revealed that all the people in the robes, starting to meld into the angel. Faces became lumps of flesh entering into the Angel.
Trevor seeing this started to become more terrified. "I-is that truly an angel!???"
Terrocht raised a finger, point it to Trevor. Like a bullet its finger extended into the man's head, shocking everyone one there.
Lucius cut the finger, throwing the now dead General far from them.
"Jala! Burn every corpse you see to ash and have Azar do the same when you find her! Lillian, we need to keep this angel distracted for as long as possible!"
The Angel started cackling. He then gave a smile. "I shall kill all demons in the name of our God, Cassell."
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