Chapter 8: The Storm part 2
"Talking."
'Thinking.'
Locations
Noises
As the rain continued to hammer down around him Hanibal started walking towards the devil that had singled him out. The light was dimming due to the thick storm clouds, for creatures such as them that wasn't a problem due to being able to see in the dark.
The ground now turning to mud from the rain, riddled with the corpses of dead soldiers. The crackle of lightning giving slow bursts of light which revealed more to them then they could see.
Even with all the fighting that was happening around the city, the numerous cadres that were unleashing intense light bombardments, the fight against the enormous Leviathan serpent and the charred feeling of ashes from incinerated buildings none of it mattered to Hanibal.
It was his fight against the devil before him that mattered, there was no one but him and his opponent. The same mentality when he fought against devils and in his fights with Issei for dominance, he was stronger, and he needed to prove it.
He was a hardened warrior who would not be embarrassed by the cowardice ways of the devil opponents that he was taken down by. He was the embodiment of the storm, intense, ruthless and destructive.
Hanibal bent his legs slightly before shooting towards the devil, in his mind time was slowed down. The raindrops appeared to be floating and the lightning was moving at a staggering pace. He could see the devil pulling his spear up to block, the only thing that seemed to be moving normally.
With the tip of his light sword pointed towards the ground Hanibal slashed at his opponent in an upward motion. The sword made contact with the spear which blocked it, Hanibal used his wings to push himself back.
As he went into the air the devil jumped at him. Hanibal brought his other hand down which forced a powerful gust of wind to blow the devil off course slightly. Hanibal then rushed the devil, but the devil balanced himself out and brought his spear back around to Hanibal.
Quickly acting Hanibal used his wings to spin himself in a drill like motion to avoid the tip of the spear. Before he could bring his sword close to the devil his opponent jumped back and twirled the spear around into a cutting motion.
Hanibal put his palm forward and used another gust of wind to push him away from the devil.
Hanibal landed 10 meters away, both warriors stared each other down.
Hanibal was a master swordsman and could control the power of storms, however his enemy was a spear wielder. In an even contest a spear would beat a sword, if both know the strength and weaknesses of the weapons, they know that they must remain opposite.
'I just have to be in arms grasp of him, come on now.' Hanibal launched himself towards the devil once again, focusing on the spear tip he waited for the right moment to dodge it. Hanibal then saw his moment as the devil thrusted his spear forward, Hanibal dodged the blade and brought his sword slashing down onto the devil's chest. The devil loosened his grip on his spear as Hanibal then punched him in the face sending him flying into the ground backwards.
Hanibal stood five meters away from the devil who had carved up the ground. Hanibal however kept his focus as the devil began to stand up again.
"You got me, you got me pretty good." On the devil's chest was a clear line that glowed as the light was burning him. Hanibal didn't make a sound, he kept his eyes on the devil.
The light began to fade however, this catching Hanibal off guard.
The devil grabbed his spear and launched himself at Hanibal who had little time to react, before he knew the devil was behind him, but something else was bothering him.
He felt a burning sensation coming from his cheek, it was excruciating. He brushed his cheek with his hand, the red liquid that came off it gave him a grim feeling.
"I thought it was you, but I wasn't sure at first." Hanibal turned to face the devil once again, the devil stood back up and turned his head back.
"Have we met?" asked the devil who turned around and aimed his spear back at Hanibal. Hanibal now had a better look at the devil, the symbol on his armor was a clear giveaway.
"We've fought before, during the skirmish near Jinnestan against the devil Beleth and his legions of devil soldiers." Hanibal summoned a dagger of light and placed it against his cheek, he didn't even wince as the light cauterized his wound.
"Have we? I only remember a fallen angel who sent the city alite with his powers." The devil tilted his head forward.
"Of course, you do, but that spear in your hands is one of a kind. It will do great as a war trophy." Hanibal threw his sword at the devil who effortlessly deflected it with his spear, but this was a distraction as Hanibal appeared in front of the devil with another sword ready to stab him.
The devil blocked it but was stopped as Hanibal grabbed onto the spear with one hand. It began a struggle with both sides fighting to take it from the other.
Hanibal attempted to stab the devil with his sword but was stopped as the devil dropped to his back forcing Hanibal to fall over. The devil then forced both his feet into Hannibal's stomach which forced him to let go of the spear.
Hanibal retaliated by sending a barrage of lightning bolts at the devil who was forced to put a barrier around himself. Hanibal then threw down multiple swords around the barrier, each one radiating immense pressure.
He then pulled back and flew into the air nearly reaching the clouds he created, his eyes were covered by the shadows of his anger. He then summoned a light spear, he gripped it tightly before he threw the spear at the barrier that protected the devil beneath it.
The spear however shattered upon contact with the barrier, but it managed to crack it slightly. Hanibal began to throw a volley of spears at the barrier, it looked as if the stars were falling from the sky by the sheer number of spears that were being thrown down.
Hanibal pulled back before detonating the swords that surrounded the barrier, the massive explosion caused an earthquake as an immense shockwave everything around it flying off into the distance. Hanibal however wasn't one to wait as he dropped down to the origin with a sword of light ready in his hand.
He used the wind to clear the area around him free of the dust from the explosion. However, the crater left was empty.
Hanibal turned around frantically, he knew that something was off.
"Hehehe, are you looking for me?" spoke the devil who was nowhere to be found. Hanibal was mad and frustrated.
"Show yourself." Hanibal continued to look around, but his instincts quickly warned him of something around him. Hanibal quickly dodged a beam of bronze energy that came from behind him, he turned to face the direction but was off guard as another beam came from his side.
He focused his energy into his surroundings, the air calmed as the rain began to lighten.
Hanibal then shot a magic blast towards a dust cloud that was to his front right, but it hit nothing. He blew a gust of wind towards the remaining dust cloud, revealing nothing in its place.
Hanibal then took to the air, the storm around him was beginning to intensify.
Another bronze beam shot towards him from his direct front, Hanibal used his sword to deflect the attack away into the sky where it detonated with a thunderous clap.
Hanibal focused all his senses onto the very spot he seen the attack originate, that's when he realized what was going on.
Without word he descended toward the ground before landing gently on his feet, however he was looking into the sky as the rain continued to pour down. A disappointed expression found itself on his scarred face.
"Invisibility, huh?" asked Hanibal who continued to look into the sky. The devil suddenly appeared as a magic circle traced down his figure.
"You seem disappointed, perhaps you've come to realize what you're up against?" The devil stared at Hanibal. He didn't respond however, the way the clouds moved among his storm seemed to encase him.
The devil looked oddly at the scene before coming to his senses and moving his spear forward.
"Death will be swift." The devil then bolted toward Hanibal who remained unmoving.
Before the devil could attack, he was suddenly blown back by an immense pressure that was being released from Hanibal's person. The devil looked on in disbelief as Hanibal was radiating a powerful golden aura, that wasn't the thing that was causing him to be shocked.
The daunting feeling of a super storm that would bring ruin to civilizations caught in its path, the chaos of thunder, lightning, tornadoes, hurricanes and the floods poured out from every single cell within Hanibal's body. His aura contrasting it by being stable and calm, his power was shooting up as he was casted in a golden light.
The devil quickly grabbed onto his spear and focused all his demonic power into the tips The bronze spear head began to glow vibrantly as multiple magic circles began forming in front of the tip which was aimed at Hanibal.
Hanibal shifted his attention back to the devil, a crazed grin on his face signaled that he was ready for anything that could be thrown at him.
The devil then shot all the concentrated power at Hanibal, the blast carved its way through the air until it was nullified but the magic circle that Hanibal had put in its path.
"T-That's impossible! I focused all my demonic power into that blast." The devil began to stagger backwards as he was in panic. Hanibal smiled as he lowered his arm, his aura still retained its violent feeling.
"If I were a normal soldier, it would have killed me, but I happen to be different." Hanibal then flew into the air, his storm now was emitting the same force as a category 5 hurricane.
"My power is derived from nature; the most destructive force is itself. Through the age of this planet, it has encountered numerous extinctions caused by weather and the earth becoming stagnant. The earth caused trillions of deaths, more than any war that has happened or is to come." Hanibal released all his wings out, the image reminding the devil of something that they are familiar with, a true demon.
The devil quickly tried to make a run for it but was stopped as Hanibal unleased a full power blast directly into the devils back, this forced its way through the devil and exploded as it hit the ground. The force shaking the entire city which sounded as if it had fallen silent from the sound of the explosion.
Somewhere within the city
After managing to escape the devil elite soldiers Issei found himself in an unfavorable position, he could either aid his father in the fight against Leviathan or find his friends and help them push the devils back to their lines.
The ruined home he found shelter in gave him only a small window of time before the devils would find him. He was heavily damaged, but that damage would build up over time if he continued to be injured.
Even with this he smiled, the storm and aura that he managed to feel earlier gave him relief due to only one fallen angel being able to do that. It meant that Hanibal was back in the battle; with that immense explosion Issei felt happy.
He knew that Hanibal would protect Malpas if he was not there to do it himself. No matter how they acted or spoke to each other Issei knew that Hanibal was going to support him thew anything and vice versa, they were best friends. He seen him as a brother, even with everything they've been through.
The thoughts of the past began to fill his mind, this giving him a slight boost in confidence.
"Destroy them, all of them. Don't stop until everything is turned to ash." Issei then stood up from the floor of the home he rested in, sadly he fell back down from lack of energy in his body. He winced in pain, his body aching and screaming.
Issei wiped some of the blood coming from his mouth off.
"Damnit, that bitch Leviathan." Issei tried to calm his breathing down as exhaustion was setting in. Instead of being able to battle like he normally would, he was put in a handicap situation where even the slightest mistake would prove fatal. Retreating to the reserves would only reduce the manpower available for the front lines.
Leviathan would be watching along with her special elite soldiers for him around the city, he needed to buy enough time to reenergize himself.
Issei then reached into one of his pockets in his armor's belt and pulled out a small black ball, he looked down at the orb before putting it in his mouth and swallowing.
His body forcibly began to pulse, this making him clench his jaw and gave him a strained expression. Issei seemed to be fighting back the pain for what seemed like hours before his body went limp.
His breathing regained its heaviness as it seemed he had lost the ability to breathe momentarily. The black orb that he swallowed was a temporary booster that he was given some time before the battle started by his father. Even with it only being in its infant stage the medicine was used to act as a temporary healing drug until a suitable way was found.
Issei then pushed against the ground, his body still aching but managing to get to his feet. He looked over towards the door of the building and used the wall to walk his way over towards it.
As he reached the door it suddenly swung open, Issei backed up as a figure fell into the building. Issei noticed the charred armor and burning smell coming from the person, it was one of the devil elites that was hunting him.
Issei tried to summon a light sword but couldn't find the strength to summon it, much to his panic the devil was starting to stand up.
Issei forced his body to kick the devil in the head as hard as he could, unfortunately the devil had grabbed onto his leg and pulled him onto the ground.
The devil then mounted Issei and was trying to get a grip around his neck, Issei struggled as he was distracted by the devil's face. Part of it was melting off with some bone being visible, he was shocked that the devil was still alive with that kind of damage.
"You bastard, I'll kill you," spoke the devil as he removed his hand from around Issei's throat and reached down into his leg pockets.
Issei brought his right arm around and punched the devil in the face causing him to fall off him, Issei quickly tried to stand up as he rushed over towards the devil and grabbed onto him.
Issei punched the devil repeatedly in the face with as much strength that he could muster, however the devil pulled out a knife from his pocket. Issei tried to block the knife but ended up getting stabbed through his right hand by the blade.
"Gah!" Issei quickly punched the devil in the face once again which forced the devil to weaken his grip. Issei pulled himself off the devil and lifted his right hand up, he grabbed onto the grip of the knife and pulled the blade out.
Blood spurted out from his wound onto his face, Issei then looked over toward the devil who was getting up again. He tightened his grip on the knife and rushed over to the devil. As the devil stood fully erect Issei jammed the knife into the devil's abdomen whilst pushing him against one of the walls.
The devil grunted in pain as Issei pulled the knife out and stabbed it back in.
Issei grabbed the devil and threw him to the ground, the devil's heavy body felt like throwing a boulder as Issei's exhaustion was nearing its peak. He then fell to his knee, yet he still jumped onto the devil.
Issei raised the knife above the devil's chest and looked down into the one eye the devil had remaining with the ferocity of a hellfire.
Issei then jabbed the knife into the devil's heart and began twisting. Blood quickly began flooding from the wound and spilled onto the floor around them.
Issei let go of the knife and looked down at the devil's corpse, in the moment he saw himself. A warrior fighting for a similar cause left broken and injured, this was him against Leviathan's son at the Grigori, it was Hannibal during the beginning of the invasion. This was the result of war, even if this was a small battle compared to what he was told of during the earlier parts of the war.
Issei looked away and started walking over towards the door, the light of the Underworlds sky casting down among the ferocious storms and hazards of the city and battle.
As he stepped onto the muddy broken street Issei noticed the numerous soldiers above being shot down by bullets of demonic power and vice versa. He continued without giving it much thought, it was war and that was all he knew.
His body felt even weaker than before, almost in the state of dying. He knew that he had to make his way back towards Fallen lines before he gave out.
Before he could take another step, he fell face first onto the ground, his injuries had gotten the better of him without him noticing. He laid there, seeing nothing but black.
Back with Hanibal and Malpas
Both fallen angels were looking on at the carnage of the numerous fights in the city from the roof of a tavern. Having retreated their forces to protect those wounded during Leviathan's flood both were far behind the frontline.
They were still waiting for any sign of Issei or for their scout to report back with news, but with time continuing to linger on their hope was getting lower.
"Do you think the war is going to end anytime soon?" asked Malpas as he handed some bread over to Hanibal. He took the bread and chomped a large piece of it out.
"Not as long as the Satans or God are still alive, our forces are dwindling quickly though. Issei said he overheard the Cadres speaking about it during a meeting not long ago." Hanibal looked behind him at the city as an array of massive explosions rang down along the frontlines.
Malpas looked sadden by what Hanibal said.
"Does everyone have to die? We are all fighting to kill the other side, even if that means that our lives will be in a constant danger I would like if we could settle things peacefully." Malpas then rested himself against the roof, Hanibal looked at him with a disgusted expression.
Malpas looked over at him.
"What?"
"If you ever say something like that again imma throw up. Keep this peace talk with Issei or to yourself because I don't want to hear it." Hanibal placed the bread down next to him and turned himself to watch the battle play out.
Malpas moved himself up to watch as well.
"Leviathan is very strong; she nearly wiped the city out with one attack." Hanibal kept looking over at the massive figure of Leviathan that was battling against Azazel and Kokabiel with her devil soldiers.
"No shit, she's one of the four Satans. They're around the same strength of Azazel and Shemhazai, they all knew each other from time spent in Heaven from what I heard." Hanibal then turned his attention towards a building that was burning regardless of the rain that had poured down in its direction.
"Do you think the other Satans will join the fight?" asked Malpas as he looked over at the same building.
"I hope not, Lucifer and Asmodeus should be fighting God and the Angels. Issei said Beelzebub was guarding Lucifaad and that fly fucker would be the only one who could join in." Hanibal shook his head as Malpas looked at him oddly.
"Just keep a lookout for any enemies trying to come anywhere near us." Hanibal then summoned a light spear and threw it into the distance, they both watched as it blew apart a group of buildings. Noticeable were the figures of people being tossed by the explosion.
Hanibal summoned a few more light spears and tossed them throughout the visible city ahead.
"What are you firing at?" asked Malpas as he couldn't see anything.
"The devils are sending scouts around the city, any signs of movement and someone is getting impaled." Hanibal then stood up from his place and released his wings, with one quick flap he took to the sky where he began to summon an array of light spears behind him.
He looked towards the outskirts of the city, but what he saw was the image of a massive wave of devil soldiers pouring into the city.
Hanibal looked down to Malpas who looked in horror as soldiers began assaulting the city, he had to act quickly.
"Malpas, get the men onto the roofs and prepare defenses. I'll hold them off until then." Hanibal then moved his arms out to his side and prepared for the incoming onslaught. Malpas quickly nodded and jumped off the roof before heading back to the reserves.
Hanibal focused his attention on the waves of soldiers rushing towards him, to him this wasn't some ordinary attack.
Leviathan still had a majority of her forces remaining, but this was much more than a simple assault. There was no legitimate reason for her to send what appeared to be her entire army against their forces.
What kind of plan the devils had, was not of his knowing.
Hanibal waited for the right moment before throwing his hands forward which sent the light spears flying into the devil forces.
Upon contact the nearby devils were annihilated by the explosions, however the devils continued to pour past the dead and continued to get closer to his position.
Hanibal continued to summon more and more light spears as the devils continued to rush towards him. He threw spear after spear at the unyielding devil swarm that began to open fire upon him.
Hanibal watched as numerous beams of demonic power shot towards him, he summoned a light sword and began to deflect the beams outward as he pushed closer towards the devil force. Hanibal jumped down onto the ground as the devil forces lowered themselves as well.
For any low ranking fallen angel seeing a force this large would send them running in the opposite direction, however he knew that he had to stand his ground. A good portion of his power was already drained from his earlier fight and unleashing those barrages of light spears didn't help.
He summoned a light spear in his other hand and stared the devil army down, slowly his mind began to fade to black.
Malpas rushed back to the reserves as he could hear the sounds of battle rage behind him, powerful explosions and intense shockwaves blasted through the urban streets of the city. Windows shattering and entire roofs being torn off simultaneously.
It may have been for a brief second, but he saw the massive wave of soldiers coming towards them.
He though to himself if leaving Hanibal was the right choice, even if it was his direct order. He knew of Hanibal's strength, but amongst something like that it was a hard guess. Yet he knew that Hanibal liked situations like that, overwhelmed and outnumbered. He was known for his brutal and ruthless style of fighting, among the other fallen angels the only one who could compare would be an unrestricted Kokabiel.
After making his way to the reserves Malpas stopped dead in his tracks. There was no one in sight, but they were there earlier during the day.
As he walked past the puddles and collapsed tents Malpas began to worry.
"Is anyone there?" he shouted as he continued to walk past all the debris and rubble. Sadly, there was no one there to answer, only the constant dripping from the attack that happened earlier. Making his way past the tent that Hanibal was in during his recovery a bad feeling settled in Malpas's stomach.
'What happened here?' he thought as the area was nothing more than abandoned.
He quickly turned his body in the direction of the makeshift headquarters and started running in its direction. Someone had to be around, they had an entire battalion of soldiers on standby.
After some time Malpas had managed to reach the headquarters, but it was in the shape that he assumed before.
There was almost nothing left remaining, all of it seemed crushed and ripped apart from the water, but the worst part in his eyes were the few bodies that were implanted in the ground.
He walked over to one of them, a man that appeared to be in his late twenties. His neck was twisted, and his legs were crushed. His arms were nothing but paste, probably from trying to shield himself.
"Who would do this?" knowing the answer he still asked the question. Leviathans massive water attack was the only thing that could do this damage, but the problem that he noticed was the lack of other bodies. Perhaps they had gotten away from the attack, or they had been completely annihilated by the attack in the similar way that devils would burn to ash by light spears.
Malpas continued to look down at the body in front of him, he then put his hands together and pretended to pray.
"Lord Malpas," shouted a fallen angel soldier that was coming from the direction of the city. Malpas turned his head away and looked over at the soldier who seemed to be carrying something on this back.
As the soldier got closer Malpas got a good look at what he was carrying.
"Issei." Malpas quickly ran over to the soldier.
"Set him down." The soldier then set Issei down on the ground, Malpas quickly looked over his body and slightly reeled at the damage that was done.
He then put both his hands on Issei, both began glowing in a green light which spread across Issei's body.
"Where did you find him?"
The devil soldier pointed in the direction he came from.
"He was in the streets laying in a pool of blood, I thought he was dead until I managed to find a pulse. That's when I picked him up and rushed here." The devil soldier watched as Issei's wounds began to clear up and close.
"Stay with me, we I can't lose you yet." Malpas put his head over Issei's chest, the faint sound of his heart beating sending chills down the fallen angel's spine. His friend was dying, even with his enhanced healing it couldn't fix him.
The fallen soldier looked at Malpas in concern as he was struggling to save Lord Issei from deaths clutches. Considering the amount of blood that he found Lord Issei in it could go either way for his life.
"He should be waking up now, I don't understand why he hasn't already." Malpas then punched the ground next to him, his frustration was starting to affect him.
"Maybe we-" the fallen angel was suddenly cut off by the sound of a massive explosion in the distance which sent tremors through the ground causing an intense earthquake. He grabbed onto Issei and shieled him from the shockwave that was sending debris flying in their direction.
Malpas quickly acted by forming a barrier in front of them which diverted the wave outward.
"What was that?" asked the soldier as he raised himself from atop of Issei.
"I can't say for sure, but I don't think Hanibal can keep holding them off like that." Malpas then stood up and used one of his hands to increase his visibility towards the city.
He could see large storm clouds forming again from where he left Hanibal alone, this could either be a sign that he was increasing his power or resorting to a desperate defense. A bead of sweat dripped down the side of Malpas's head as the storm clouds began to grow violent.
The fallen soldier looked over in shock as well before turning back to Malpas.
"I have to help him; I want to get Issei up but there won't be enough time to help Hanibal soon. I don't know what to do." Malpas looked back and forth between his two friends, a tough choice that he didn't want to make found him.
With the sound of numerous lighting strikes happening in the background he closed his eyes and clenched his teeth.
Malpas looked over at the fallen soldier.
"Take Issei and get away from here, the rest of the army should be somewhere around the city. If you can't find them then run all the way to the Grigori, don't turn back or stop for anything do you understand me," Malpas was giving off a different feeling from before, it was intense and powerful.
The fallen soldier nodded as he picked up Issei and placed him on his shoulder, he then quickly ran away leaving Malpas staring back at the storm that was raging far away.
"I'm not a warrior, a leader or a soldier, yet I find myself in a war that has no end. I don't want to change from the healer that I was created by God to be, but I can't help from having to continue to kill and fight others. Is this my punishment for falling from grace?" Malpas released his wings and spread all eight of them.
"Maybe it was the way that Issei and Hanibal have influenced me since the day I met them, whatever it maybe I don't regret it. If I could change that day God kicked me out I wouldn't even bother with it, there's no changing something I don't have the power to change. All I can do now is push on and strive to survive this new world." Malpas then lowered his head and grinned before shooting off towards Hanibal, surprisingly his aura was now fierce instead of the calm focused on he usually releases.
End of chapter
Writing for these stories is becoming more of a challenge from my older days of doing it, I don't know why but it gets hard at points I just don't want to write for days at a time. I can say that the next chapter has two possibilities and I'm leaning towards a the later in my head.
I have a lot written for A Dark Morningstar done for the 4th chapter, but I still haven't gotten anywhere with it, that most likely will be the next updated.
Thanks for reading.