Chapter 5 Return of a Demon Lord
Violent shrieks and terrible cries were accentuated by the macabre sounds of spattering blood and bodies being cleaved to pieces. As they continued to spawn from his very body, Argosax' army was beginning to gain the advantage over the army of the Rebellion.
Sparda stood at the center of the massacre, fighting as fiercely as his will would allow. However, with the absence of Mundus and the steady erosion of the Rebellious army, this coup was rapidly appearing to have been in vain. Losing their resolve and their confidence, the Rebellious army fought less than half-heartedly as its fighters were easily crushed under the pressure of Argosax' dark legion. Some demons, such as the Frosts, were able to hold their ground using their swiftness and ice projectiles. But others, like the Hells and Arachnes were easily overcome and dismembered by the Msiras who worked in packs. After they had finished, they quickly moved on to their next victims to repeat the horrific process.
Beowulf and Furiataurus were locked in a heated battle, each matching the other blow for blow; as Furiataurus spewed waves of fire from his mouth, Beowulf countered with incredible beams of white light which only dissipated as they touched the searing fire. As Beowulf circled him, trying to keep a distance, Furiataurus swung his hammer cyclically above his head, creating a ring of fire around his feet and a hurricane-like firestorm that drew Beowulf inward towards the flames. However, Beowulf's unique agility allowed him to leap above the flames and knock the hammer from Furiataurus' cloven hooves, forcing him into hand-to-hand combat. Beowulf had a clear advantage and began pounding Furiataurus with a barrage of blinding punches. But, just when he gained the upper hand, Beowulf was blindsided by Orangguerra. The enormous, black maned ape demon wrestled him to the ground and began to hammer his heavy paws into Beowulf's body. Beowulf, a demon well respected for his great power, was now being overwrought by two lesser, but equally powerful demons, and even his steadfastness and vigor began to falter.
The same could almost be said about Sparda who now found himself face-to-face with Bolverk, the skeletal behemoth that he had fought in the coliseum. Although Bolverk fought for Argosax, he still maintained his sense of honor in engaging Sparda one on one. However, his comrades Freki and Geri were feral and unrestrained in their approach, something which Bolverk made no effort to discourage. When his comrades, Freki and Geri, charged towards Sparda, Bolverk joined them in the offense. The three converged on Sparda simultaneously, knocking him off balance slightly. Bolverk then stood back and allowed Freki and Geri to fight alone, only making a move when an opening presented itself. Freki and Geri were extremely swift and sporadic in their movements and when they attacked, they attacked head on and full bore, leaving behind a white spiral gust of wind. Sparda was able to counter most of their attacks but their coordination allowed for Bolverk to interrupt ever so often with his massive sword and slam into Sparda's body. Although it really did not hurt Sparda physically, the blows took a toll on him mentally, in that he took great pride in his stout defensive capabilities.
And as Sparda fought these three nemeses, he could see his fellow demons in the periphery being ravaged by Argosax' ruthless hordes, with unsettling caricatures of despair and agony displayed on their contorted faces. This Rebellion had now become a fight for survival……
Mundus lay smoldering on the cold floor of Argosax' keep, still unconscious. His chest was still smoking from the immense blow that had befallen him earlier. Very slowly he began to regain consciousness. Groans of pain and anguish slowly drifted from his motionless stone face.
As he began to gather his thoughts and struggle to his feet, Mundus remembered what had happened to him at the hands of Argosax and suddenly fear overwhelmed him. How long have I been out? he thought. The war…..the rebellion…... Mundus then began to grow angry, mulling over of the possibility that he was too late, that the war was over. But that thought was quickly abated as he heard the terrifying sounds of battle off in the distance. Suddenly, rage overcame him as his three eyes began to pulsate in intense crimson light and his marble skin began to crack as he clenched his fists.
"You should have killed me when you had the chance because you will not be granted another!" Mundus' monolithic body began to shake violently, like an earthquake tearing through ancient mountains. The Hellish stone shell of his body began to fall apart, leaving behind only Mundus' telltale triad of eyes. His gaze then fell upon the Throne; the red glow of his eyes became dim as his power literally ripped the Throne of Argosax apart, and rearranged it to form a larger, stronger, more powerful body for himself. But even after taking this new form, the blow from Argosax remained in the center of his chest, a wound at the very core of his being. "You shall witness the power of a true Dark Emperor!!"
The battle waged on for what seemed like an eternity and as the army of Argosax continued to multiply, some demons of the Rebellion began to flee, realizing that their impending doom was finally at hand. Sparda tried valiantly to convince his army to continue the exercise in futility.
"My brothers!! You must not flee! No matter where you go, Argosax will find you and destroy you!! You must face your fate head-on and defy it!!"
However, Sparda words did little to persuade the defectors. Some of those who fled did not want to face the wrath of Argosax and others surrendered because the supposed architect of this rebellion had seemingly betrayed them.
Sparda now found himself with less than half of his original force and it only continued to dwindle. The intense blaze of Argosax began to engulf the battlefield as even the strongest warriors of the Rebellion began to fall; Beowulf was being trampled into the earth by Furiataurus and Orangguerra, Shadows began to revert to their weaker forms, and Phantom was confined to the ground as he was repeatedly pounded by the maces of the giant two-headed demons.
Sparda continued to battle Bolverk, Freki and Geri and as he fought, Argosax spoke into his mind, taunting and provoking him:
"Foolish Sparda. You cannot defeat me, you know that. Why do you continue to fight? Give up. If you do, I promise your death will be clean and swift. You know you cannot win. Now, ACCEPT YOUR FATE!! DIE!!!"
Argosax then began to release even larger waves of demons from his body, only this time they were all surrounded by an aura of purple energy and seemed to be even fiercer. As Sparda fought, the words of Argosax hung in his head like a cancer. Although he tried to fight even harder, his own thoughts got the best of him and for the first time in his life, he began to question himself and his destiny. This cannot be it…. he thought. I will not die this way. But it was only a matter of time until he realized that this may in fact be his fate….
Suddenly, a thunderous crack drowned out the sounds of the battlefield and all the demons, including Sparda, ceased fighting. Just over the horizon, behind the Rebellious army, the silhouette of a winged figure could be seen and as it came into the light, the eyes of Sparda and the every demon on in the Blood Plains widened in disbelief.
It was Mundus, however, markedly different in his appearance; he was more than ten times his original size and his wings expanded more than one hundred feet wide. As he hoevered, his three red eyes peered into the face of Argosax and intense electricity surrounded his body. He then began to soar straight ahead and behind him, an incredible sight could be seen; hundreds of Hell Vangaurds, the highest ranking of the seven Hells charged at blinding speeds, Nevan, the vampiric seductress used lighting and bats to maneuver quickly and sharply, Griffon, the enormous eagle-like demon flew almost as high as Mundus as he charged, and Cerberus, the gigantic three-headed ice demon, shook the ground as he leaped. The demons that had fled from the Rebellion, turned back and charged, suddenly inspired by the appearance of their leader.
The battle was still suspended as Mundus flew to the Sparda's side. Sparda briefly shot Mundus a harsh look of criticism, but then seemed to display some sense of satisfaction..
"You're late" Sparda said sternly but almost lightheartedly.
"I had to tie up a few loose ends"
Sparda looked at the demons who had now joined the coup and smirked, "I see"
"Yes," Mundus looked around at the many fallen demons of the Rebellion, " and I see Argosax has been bringing the fight to our army…" Mundus' three eyes began to glow with red lightning as he refocused his sight at Argosax. "I think it's time we take the fight to him."
Mundus suddenly flew higher and launched himself straight towards Argosax. Sparda, with renewed confidence and burning desire for victory, looked back at his reassembled army but did not say a word. He held his sword above his head and began to fly upward, turning towards Argosax. A smile ran across his face as he dove right into the masses of Argosax army, fighting with even more forceful vigor than before. And not far behind him was the Rebellion, making another intense charge. Hope had been restored and the Rebellious army was ready to live up to their full potential and attack without hesitation or fear.
In the distance, Argosax' face, or lack thereof, read only disgust and anger. He had not predicted the Rebellion would persist in such a way. His army stood motionless, watching as the Rebellion charged them. The disgust welled up inside of him as he erupted:
"ATTACK!!"
Once again, the two sides charged each other, but this time something was different. The momentum was now on the side of the Rebellion. This was no longer a fight for survival. The true battle for Hell had now begun. Both sides, now at full force and fighting at their highest levels would determine the fate of Hell and its outcome would affect the world for more than two millennia….