All seemed silent for a mere moment in time, a flash, an instant, a second. To those about to duel amidst the flames of war it was a lifetime for mortal men, though these two were far from mortal.

Azrael held a firm and steady grip on his scythe, this instinctive knowledge of its use that he'd gained from it was similar to what had been gained from his previous, although lesser, weapon before his assention to Archangel. The ebony scythe was ready and his touch making it vibrate with some sort of ingrained eagerness to destroy the traitor he stood before as a testament to the lesser blade now contained within it due to his transformation.

Azazel stood with a sadistic smirk as he held the adamant blade in a two handed grip while his milk white featers rippled around them. His former power and title gone, replaced with his new one. the Archdevil of Slaughter stood ready to fight his brother.

The twins both moved to strike at the same moment, flashes and sparks exploded in a resounding shriek as blade met blade.

The smirk didn't lift from the devils face as opposed to the stony face of the angel as they tested their strength for a moment before Azrael lashed out with the end of the nearly straight snath without the handles of the normal versions of the weapon or its farming versions, nailing the Azazel in the stomach, just below the ribs only to barely miss having a wing taken off by his foes greatsword.

Bother combatants backed off and circled each trying to find some purchase in their next attack, black boots moving swiftly through the rough terrain that had detered normal combat from taking place, both waiting for the opportunity.

Azrael faked a stumble and parried a strike a fraction of a second later with the Scythe of Entropy and his own power while his traitorous brother did the same with the Adamant Blade. The energy wave went skywards from the collision, bringing a startled calm to the battlefield as two titans fought with abandon to the state of the rest of the battle.

"So you think you can fight me on yourr own," Azazel whispered as their power tore through the air like a hurricane, carrying anything lighter than a pebble or small stone with it to scatter the pieces in all directions, "Brother dear?"

They broke apart, now twin powers of energy that cascaded through the ranks of stunned onlookers.

"Even if I can't," came the reply from the Archangel, "I'll still die loyal to the one who made us!"

The devil laughed, a low and haunting melody that seemed to carry a cold deeper then the coldest of winters, "You are, or at least you were, the Angel of Loyalty, you can't turn on anyone!"

"I was loyalty," came the quick response as a savage grin crossed the angels face as he gathered his power, "To some extent, I still am, but my powers are greater than that, and you forget who turned on who, you foreswore your oaths and your very maker in turning traitor!"

The laugh ended, but the grin turned to a cruel smile, "And your loyalty to your own twin would be what I ask you about, do you follow your family or your Master?"

"Why did you turn from Him?" the angel asked as he countered a sudden assault, both angel and devil taking to the air as they circled once more, "Why did you betray us all?"

"I couldn't stand taking orders from someone who refused us our freedom," came a snarled reply as both struck out once more in a chain of violent crashes and explosions of metal meeting metal.

"He is our maker, your own actions prove that there is freedom, even though your choices led to corruption," Azrael roared back, "Spirits of Destruction! Rise and Strike!"

Half shapen forms of shadows that seemed to be carved of the very stuff of the night sky rose with savagery with an edge sharper than that of a razor lashed out from his aura forcing the devil into an acrobatic retreat that would stun even a hummingbird before the spirits retreated to their wielders form.

"Neat trick," the devil spat, "Do you have any more?"

"Plenty!" the angel snarled in retort, "Feather Storm!"

The stream of feathers were barely deflected by the sword the devil wielded though a handfull slipped through.

Azazel screamed in pain as the few that got through dissolved after impact, leaving expanding stains of vibrant crimson blood across the formerly pure white wings. The devils body shook in rage and fear with an edge of panic as he slowly sank to the ground on the damaged apendages before evacuating to the shadows to tend his wounds with a final shout.

"Until next time," the tone came a strange mix of shriek of pain and sneer, "Brother!"

With the fall of their leader, the demons and devils fell back from the fight, vanishing in various ways while Azrael collapsed to the ground in exhaustion.

The battle had been won

Azazel grimaced slightly at the memory as he continued his preperations for a proper welcoming for his brother. Drusilla had been easily controlled, he'd used a small portion of his own energy to heal her and bind the vampiric seer to his will while forcefully integrating Edith with Drusilla, leaving his own mark upon her neck at the collar.

He had other plans and had sent some of the other demons to begin working on bringing the pieces of one of the few devils not banished from the world, that while merely a normal devil, would be useful to him in what was to come.

The former angel of judgement, the onetime bearer of the Book, had fallen in anger at the option of redemption to the damned, as a devil that fell after the war, he wasn't bound by the rules as the others were and are, but also maintained a version of his powers but only through a mirror darkly.

The slight surge of power he'd felt earlier was from one of his friends associates, one of Oberons brood. This was proving to be a challenge, but he would win, he would have his revenge.

And he would wiat for his forces to complete the plan Spike and Drusilla had come up with to purge part of the mortal world, but he'd harness the power of the destroyed souls to free a force that could face an archangel if it were required

AN: More history, the opening of this takes off where the interlude leaves off. I've somewhat derailed my train of thought on how to handle Azraels current situation, but I have the basics and am trying to make it fit with the rest of the story.
mchael22: For Lucifer, he's a tricky one to place, redemption is but one of many paths he could go. He's also capable of manipulating things easily and is very good at deception, his plans are still his own in this story and you'll just have to wait and see.

Barranca: The Scoobies reactions will come soon and as for seperating Azrael and Xander, that may or may not happen, haven't decided on it as of yet.