Chapter 13: Valefor Part 3
I looked into the sky as the storm cloud that had covered the battlefield faded away almost instantly, I watched from a trench as it raged for what seemed like hours. Its fury must have finally come to an end, this hellish sky finally became visible after so long.
With the arrival of Archdemons, our attack has been put on hold since all the Cadres have been tied up trying to take those bastards out. I'm not sure if I could have won that fight, that guy must have been holding back a lot of power.
Malpas would never survive this battle if he were to cross one of them, Hanibal should be fine though. He may be hard-headed, but I'm sure he realized it would be futile to keep engaging them if he encountered one. Judging from that storm he must have either killed one or made enough of a distraction to flee to safety.
Unlike him I'm down here waiting for my next order to come through, I want to join in the fight, but something tells me that it would be bad for me. Being cautious and being cowardly are two different specimens, however, they can both be associated by circumstance.
Yet I still sit here and wonder if I'm strong enough to keep fighting, that guy was probably stronger than Leviathan's son if he was holding back. That power he used though is something else, to become even stronger than what he previously was even in his retained state would place his power above a Satan-Class devil if I'm correct. Even the thought of imagining all twelve of the Archdemons could manifest power that surpasses a Satan-Class devil would mean multiple Cadres would need to engage them head-on in unison.
I need to keep myself focused on how I can counter them, during that fight I manifested my light around me in some kind of armor, it could be useful to me to try and hold that state. I don't think it would be useful as it failed and takes far too much energy to sustain for a long time.
I have a huge amount of reserve magic, but it is limited, and that form burns through it like a fire to the oxygen in a small room. I'm still recovering my magic from that fight, if I'm correct then I should be around fifty to sixty percent from my full reserve.
Uncle Armaros luckily had intervened, he even had his shield out and was ready to fight against that guy. Armaros is very powerful and has techniques to counter almost any enemy that he can come face to face with. He should be able to beat that guy if he can break down his defenses and magic.
As I sit in this muddy hole in the ground with other fallen angels sitting next to me, I wonder what I will do after this battle. The goal is to keep pushing to Lucifaad and defeat the enemy there, even if that becomes a reality the devils would most likely fight until the last breath, and all are killed. If it comes to that then I'll enjoy leveling the underworld in the name of the Grigori.
Maybe I could just sit back at home and spend some time with my mom, she must be worried sick about me being sent off to fight. I wanted to do this, we are warriors, bred for war and ready to die at any time for our Great Leaders and the Grigori.
Another thing I never talk about is settling down and starting a family of my own, that would be hard though since I don't think I could ever find the women here appealing in any kind of way. Most of them look the same, showing off too much and not thinking enough.
They aren't even in the same category as what I would look for, besides they are all too weak anyway. The only female fallen angel of any noteworthy power is the Cadre Penemue, but she's more of an aunt than anything.
"The fuck is wrong with you Issei; we got a war to win." I do get lost in thought way too much. I need to speak with Uncle Tamiel again, he's a good guy to talk to and helps me clear my head of any bad thoughts.
I needed him during the training camps when I was younger, months of soul-crushing exercises and mental hardening. Nothing was worse than those months we trained in the camps led by the Cadres.
As I continued to look at the ground below me, I could see a soldier approaching me from my right, I was going to ignore him, but he sat right across from me.
"My Lord, I bring news from Lord Azazel." I raised my head to look at him, judging the beads of sweat coming down the side of his head he must be a recruit.
"You may speak," Dad said I had to be formal with my underlings to keep the hierarchy together. Letting the lesser fallen angels get familiar with you would cause them to fall out of line and rebel.
"His orders go as follows 'The main assault army has been stalled, meet up with the assault commander and assist in breaking through the front lines.'" The soldier then saluted.
If I have to join the assault army then Dad must be in trouble with those Archdemons, if that is the case then Leviathan and Asmodeus must have been rerouted to fight the Angels. We can't let this opportunity go to waste.
I jumped up from my seat and looked into the sky.
"Affirmative, I'll head there now." I quickly parted ways with the soldier and took off to join the assault army.
(Scene Break)
I walked through the army headquarters which was nothing more than a bunch of tents quickly set up by the rear guard for our command to run smoothly. In front of me, a High-Ranking fallen angel guided me to meet up with the commanding officer.
"My Lord, devil forces have proven much stiffer than expected. The officers believe that our attack was known beforehand, and the city's defenses were increased drastically to counter us. The arrival of Satan-Class devils acts as strong evidence of our failures to prepare enough." The fallen angel stopped us in front of a large tent, from outside I could hear the commotion turning violent with the arguing of numerous fallen angels.
The fallen angel then pulled the tent open and waved for me to enter.
As I walked into the tent the noise and arguing quickly went silent, I looked around at the five fallen angels that surrounded a table with a model of the Valefor territory in detail that sat in the middle.
I could tell they realized who I was and quickly fixed themselves properly, standing at attention and waiting for me to address them.
"Lord Azazel has sent me here to fix this problem in our assault through the front entrance, from outside of this tent I could tell there was a tension that needs to be addressed before we can continue our attack." I looked directly at all of them, even in this dark room I could tell they were uncomfortable.
"Forgive us, my Lord, I am Commander Mikael. I am the commander of Lord Azazel's Army. My colleagues were discussing the best course of action to bypass the devil's defenses to complete our breach and encircle the survivors."
I looked at Commander Mikael, he then began to point out different areas on the model where his forces were trying to attack. Those points happened to be along a massive wall with a gate that looked like the front entrance of the Valefor territory.
"In these areas, we have been met with much more resistance than the main gate, devils have positions along the massive wall that connects the mountains. Even with our stronger fallen angels blasting the wall with all their power we have failed to bring it down whilst our men have been slaughtered in attempts to fly over at them." Commander Mikael then pointed toward a group of holes along the nearby mountains.
"Our scouts have given us enough detail to know that these tunnels connect with the gate and lead into the city center itself. If these can be exploited, then we can move enough men to overwhelm from within and capture the city before heading toward the castle." Commander Mikael then looked over to the man on his right.
"I am Commander Xaliestik, Commander of Lord Shemhazai's Army. I believe we should stand clear of the tunnels until we can find specialized forces to care for them. The devils have prepared defenses far stronger than we had previously been told, it would be a safe guess to say they have either filled them with men or explosives." Commander Xaliestik pointed toward the main gate; he ran his finger along the top of the wall.
"We should concentrate our fire along the top of the wall in a way that suppresses the devil's garrison whilst we get close enough to blast the door open. Then our forces can attack and surround the wall, I believe this is the safest way with no risk."
I leaned over the model to get a good look at what they had pointed out, this siege has already been a disaster, and any unnecessary actions can lead to its collapse here.
"From what I have seen and been told a direct attack head-on may no longer be an option, however, we have already faced significant casualties whilst attacking up the mountains. Without a power strong enough to break the gate down, we cannot get through the main entrance." I pointed out the nearby mountain tops where I remember battle still raging on. I then turned my eyes toward the tunnels.
"I can flush out anything within these tunnels with enough heat, however, I cannot guarantee that it will be successful without causing significant damage to the structural integrity of the tunnels. I still want to be able to access them in case of trouble." I am not sure they know exactly what type of enemy we have come up against, in case we do encounter one of them I need to make sure they can flee whilst I hold them off.
The tunnels have connections across this territory and are only known by devils within the Valefor territory. All I can do is hope that the Archdemons also do not know of these. Being able to strike at the center of the city is something we cannot let go of.
Tunnel warfare is a horror like no other. Tight conditions alongside a lack of breathable air are only a death sentence.
"I will lead the attack within the tunnels; however, I will need a squad of the most experienced soldiers alongside me. The remaining forces will be needed along the main entrance with two battalions surrounding the entrance of the tunnels." I looked around at the commanders. They seemed nervous about this plan but knew they had no choice otherwise.
"My Lord, our elite forces are busy assisting the Cadres with their battles. Our attack has stalled without them, and we cannot push the devils back. We cannot spare any more men than we have left." I looked at them shocked, those damn Archdemons.
"That is fine, I can do it myself. However, I need you all to simply hold out until I can give you a signal, you'll know it's the signal when you see it." Before they could say anything, I walked out of the tent.
Behind me, still waiting, the fallen angel quickly walked to my side.
"What happened in there?" He asked timidly whilst the tent closed itself, from his posture he seemed to be worried.
"You'll see, now fall back in line and wait for my signal." I waved off to the side and waited for him to leave, I needed to focus on this attack and hope that I don't encounter any heavy resistance.
The light breeze felt calming as I looked across the massive field from where I had set up my position, the Underworld was never peaceful. For as long as I can remember there has always been constant conflict, this war was only a small piece of a complex and never-ending struggle for control.
Still, there was some beauty to it, lush forests of mythical creatures with different compatibilities depending on those who try to wield them. Massive mountain ranges that stretched endlessly across the horizon that had no sun; this place was truly horrible. Luckily for us, there are a handful of sanctuaries that are scattered across the Underworld, one being my gardens near the Grigori that my mother tends. The other is a massive lake that once held clear water, but now it has been stained red with the blood of both fallen and heavenly angels.
I expect to die soon, like many others before me. Even with us Fallen possessing immortality, we are not invincible, which will lead us all to the same path. Black feathers, the feeling of our tainted power are the only guiding leading us along. Forces that oppose each other will only lead to the chaos that follows all creation.
My energy is almost fully recovered, taking a nap would have done me more but in the middle of a warzone, we cannot let ourselves sleep. Fallen Angels can go months without sleep, and we can get tired, but sleeping is far more efficient for us to recover our energy and stamina.
I wonder sometimes if dying for this is worth it. This war has already been more destructive than any conflict that faces the human realm and rivals if not surpasses other mythologies. Billions across all sides have faced death, that alone would be an extinction-level catastrophe.
I find myself torn on two sides, I know there is more to life than war, however, my duty as a future cadre and as a soldier demands that I fight to the death against the enemies of the fallen angels. Even as a being of darkness I still have humanity within me, most of us do.
The way I see it, I can follow in my mother's footsteps or follow in my father's. My choice will not only affect me but the world. I never want to think about it, I shouldn't. War is all I know, luckily, I have my brothers to keep me grounded, without them, I would have lost my sanity long ago.
The march past this place and onto the next will take time; once we take this stronghold, we can enjoy ourselves for a while and rejoin the army when they cover enough ground. Maybe we can group up at the Grigori and use our magic to teleport back.
For now, I should kill these creatures and take this city.
I spread my wings out and took to the sky, quickly I was able to see above the mountains where both sides clashed violently against each other. Left and right devils and fallen angels dropped dead from magic blasts and conventional arms. I would want to do nothing more than help them, but I have a more pressing issue.
I made my way over toward the tunnels, I could tell that devils were waiting for me even from this distance. They were waiting in ambush for me, their spears poking above the cover they idiotically think is covering them.
It would cost me nothing to simply throw a spear over there and detonate it causing the tunnel to collapse as the mountain would shake violently. Alas, that would ruin our attacks. I must restrict myself and my powers.
As I closed in on the entrance the devil spears began moving frantically, I summoned a sword of light and grasped it tightly. I retracted my wings allowing myself to fall in a controlled motion past the first line of defense.
As I landed, I swung my sword of light behind me, this caught the devil who was at first surprised, and cut clean through him. I then turned my attention toward a group of devils that were backing away from me.
I dashed towards them; all I had to do was cut their heads off. Following through I brought my sword of light to their level and swung it. As their bodies stood still their heads quickly rolled off, the force of my swing sending them tumbling backward.
I glanced at my surroundings, finding no one around anymore I could tell it was safe to continue onward.
The tunnel entrances are tough to get through, reinforced materials that are nearly immune to magic and heavily resistant to light. I walked up to it, examining the door, I could not find any weak points in the design; however, I could make one.
I started pouring magic into my sword of light, quickly it began to glow brighter and brighter. This still won't be enough, I needed to be able to cut through this with ease and not give the defenders any more time to prepare and reinforce.
As more power began to pour into my sword I grabbed it with two hands, and then stabbed it into the entrance. Much to my surprise, it was more resistant than I had thought, but that cannot stop me.
With more energy being sent into the sword, I pushed even harder and harder. It was clear that the sword was heating up quickly as it was starting to go deeper and deeper.
Soon I was able to move it easier, once this happened, I started moving my sword in a circular motion. Cutting out an opening for myself was my goal here, strangely it was less defended than I had anticipated.
As my sword began to close in on the initial hole something made the hair on my neck stand up. There was an overwhelming feeling coming from within this tunnel, I almost didn't want to finish cutting through it.
The next moment I was sent back flying as the piece I had cut out was pushing heavily against me, I struggled as I tried to regain myself to no avail.
After what felt like an eternity I was in the air, the seal of the tunnel had smashed against me so hard it could have damaged my head in ways I don't want to think about.
Eventually, I collided with a mountain, judging from the distance I must have been sent across the entire field. That's weird, who has enough power from within that tunnel to do that to me of all people?
I moved my arms to my front and pushed will all my might to force the section of the door off me. With a massive thud, it hit the ground and caved in.
I looked down at the piece with unbelief, that much weight from that small segment was incredible. I then looked toward the direction of the tunnel entrance, and instantly I was able to make out what had been giving me that off feeling.
From the cover stood what appeared to be a man standing around the same height as my dad, he was… oh no. That armor he is wearing, can't be another Archdemon.
I summoned a light spear and unfurled my wings, I needed to make sure that this wasn't another Archdemon, sheer coincidence, right?
Taking to the sky I gathered my energy and poured into the light spear that now was gaining in size above me. From his position he had not once moved, only tracking me with his eyes. Even from here, I could tell something was coming from them.
I needed to obliterate this guy and keep moving, that might not be my best option either since he must have known that I was going there. If they knew about my plan to flank their defenses through the tunnels, then it would mean that there was more than just a simple garrison waiting for us.
By now my spear had grown to the size of a building and radiated a light so brilliant that it was nullifying the shadows around us. The more power that poured into it the odder it sounded as if it was warping as waves of power had been coming off it.
With this it must be enough to deal with his guy, and deal with him I hope my magic will drain out by the time I can complete my primary objective at this rate.
Once I could feel that it was ready, I threw the spear at the devil who still had not moved.
From the size of the spear, I could not see him as it got closer and closer, appearing to shrink in size as it neared him.
If this spear fails then I would have no choice other than to fight his head just like the other one, hopefully, I can get someone to help me shortly since Archdemons are stronger than myself despite me not wanting to admit it.
As I watched my spear seemed to stop getting smaller it appeared to not be moving at all. I continued looking on, however, what happened next put a sense of fear I had not felt in a while.
The spear shattered into a million pieces, yet still standing in the same place was the devil that opposed me with his hand in a clenched fist sticking out toward me.
He somehow managed to catch that spear and shatter it, the amount of power needed to do that was something I couldn't even accurately describe.
"There's no way, what the hell is he?" I descended below to get a better position to face this guy's head-on, if I don't win here this man will kill me.
As I readied myself, I was sent back flying with a blindingly fast punch to my stomach, I tried to block it to no avail. I soon found myself once again back at the mountain I was on earlier.
Cough Cough
I could feel my body start to give out, my knees were shaking uncontrollably, and my palms and hands were caked in sweat. My eye was bruised, and I could barely see out of it.
That man, he's powerful maybe a little too powerful. I need to kill him before he can get to someone else, I can take him on.
Painfully I crawled out of the now crater that I made on impact, I was hurt, and he knows.
"That spear was rather powerful for an eight-winged fallen angel, I can tell that you are stronger than most. I find it interesting, that those with eight wings happen to be the most diverse in strength. On the border of cadre, yet still only in the underlying role." The man suddenly appeared in front of me, and it nearly made me fall over.
"You seem powerful for a devil, an Archdemon that is easily a Satan-Class devil. Your power must surpass that of Leviathan. Perhaps on par with Lucifer?" I needed to get information from this man in a subtle way.
"Ah, you must be familiar with us then. There was another who had discovered my presence, unlike him you are still alive to tell the tale." The man tilted his head slightly to the left in a creepy way, it made me uncomfortable standing here. The look in his eyes, he wasn't lying. I can see something behind him as if he was projecting himself in an illusion. A hell storm like no other.
I summoned a sword of light and readied myself, this time it was easier since he seemed keener on talking than fighting right now.
He said he killed someone; I doubt it would have been hard. The cadres wouldn't fall so easily so it must have been someone weaker. All I can do is not join in on that.
"The original angels that fell alongside Lucifer after the failed rebellion in Heaven, you all have survived God once and plan on taking revenge. You specifically I don't know yet." I can feel my arms shaking, he's much stronger than Leviathan's son and the elite guard.
I needed to calm down. Being under stress in these situations is what I've trained for, but training can only go so far until you screw up. His overwhelming aura felt as if I was being watched by a predator, no it's as if death was reaching out towards me. Don't lose your mind Issei, we still have a war to win.
"My name is of no importance, but you will be remembered as another fallen soldier." I barely had enough time to react as he lunged at me with a fist of fire. I tried my hardest to put my spear in front to block yet it was only enough to keep me standing.
I needed to react faster, next time I won't be so lucky.
I drained all the extra stamina from my last fight, I won't have enough power to use the Light Armor I manifested. Even though it is still experimental it could prove useful in last-ditch efforts. It relies far too much on my stamina and magic to fuel and absorb attacks, had that Archdemon been stronger I would have died.
I twirled my light spear around before lunging toward him, and with each thrust he effortlessly parried. I jumped back before launching my spear toward him. As it neared him, he smirked before catching it in his bare hand.
Crushing it as if it were a normal spear, I found myself backed into another corner. I summoned two swords of light as I continued to back away. I revealed my wings again and started pouring energy into my aura, if I can't fight him conventionally then I can with my other abilities.
As my swords began to heat up, I started spinning mid-air, enough force with this and I could cut through him. Uncle Kokabiel taught me well during training, and they all did. I will not let their efforts go to waste.
"Oh, a new technique. Let's see here, I'm assuming you use that power to become some sort of blade. I can stop that, no problem. If we are raising the heat, then I shall follow."
Even though it became hard to see him since my vision was going red, I could tell that he was releasing a lot more power than before, even from this distance I could feel the heat from the flames that started surrounding him.
No matter what I will cut through him.
With one swift tilt of my wings, I took off towards him, from his perspective I should appear like a red circle slicing through the air at blinding speeds. He responded by shooting a pillar of fire towards me, I tilted again and brought my swords upon it.
As if it was made of paper my swords cut the pillar apart as I neared him, he stepped back and used his flames to create a sword of his own.
We both collided, and the impact of our blades hitting together forced a massive wave of heat to shoot out from us. I couldn't stay here though; I used the inertia to launch myself away.
I maneuvered my way back towards him and repeated the process. With each violent clash the area around us began to darken from the consistent heat of battle.
"Too slow!" shouted the Archdemon as he grabbed me by the back of my collar from out of nowhere, before I had time to react my body chose its path straight to the ground.
As I smacked the ground hard, I could only try to reorganize myself as the relentless assault by this devil continued. I crossed my swords over each other and slashed in an x-shaped motion, a swift blade of light shot outwards from my position.
I watched as the devil simply stopped them by slashing clean through them with his sword of hellfire.
I gritted my teeth and took a new defensive stance against him. By this point, I was reaching my limit in the amount of power I was able to raise and put out without completely burning through my reserves. I was sweaty and starving, the trenches were a forward point of rest until we had to assault again.
My arms were getting heavy, and my wings were trembling, I could no longer tell if it was from being tired or in the back of my mind knowing that this devil was too strong for me to fight.
"Impressive show, however, this only tells me that you are not worthy of being my opponent. The last fallen angel I fought was a powerful warrior who even in the face of certain demise kept the same focus on defeating me." I could tell that the Archdemon was getting angry, the heat around his body was beginning to rise.
Why does he keep mentioning the last person he fought? How many Ultimate-Class Fallen Angels were in our class again, twenty right? Did any of those die recently?
"There is no such thing as worthy in the eyes of a pathetic devil, even if you fought against God and his Army of Heaven there is no honor in your failure to achieve victory." I was hoping to stall him, if I can recover some of my energy I can unleash Blazing Star, and with that, I will be able to match him for a short period before burning out.
The archdemon looked at me with nothing I could describe more than hatred.
"For one of said Heavens rejects you sure are an idiot, I bet you don't even know who your father is. No, someone so pathetic couldn't have a father. Is your mother a whore by any chance? Fallen Angels are known for being complete harlots, perhaps it was the only value your species could receive. Falling from Heaven because of your lust." I nearly unleashed an oblivion-level attack while standing there.
The air around me went cold, I could tell that something within me was beginning to alter. I have no pride, no hope, and nothing but pure love for my mother. How dare he speak of her in such a way, after all, she has gone through since I started fighting against all these unholy bastards who couldn't even get the right to keep their resemblance to Heaven.
"Times up boy, you are no opponent of mine. If I killed you, it wouldn't even be an achievement, I want the head of a Cadre. Wasting my time on a child, father was right." The Archdemon then turned around, he was going to leave in the middle of a fight!
"Don't try to play with me, you bastard! Get back here and fight me!" I shouted at the top of my lungs as he continued to walk away. I dissipated my swords and summoned a massive magic circle in front of me.
"I won't let you get away from me!" I poured as much magic as I had into the circle, and quickly it began to get brighter and brighter. The more power I poured into it the stronger and stronger it would be.
"Spiraling Pillar!" a massive burst of light then shot out of the magic circle at blinding speed. The ground around me began to shake violently as the magic blast traveled by, from the distance I could see the Archdemon turn around to face the blast.
BOOM
With a thunderous force the blast detonated upon contact with the Archdemon, I summoned two more swords and dashed to the epicenter of the explosion.
"I'm going to cut you down!" I started to spin as the blades had been heated to the max, my form began to shift back to the red disks. I was going to kill this devil; I was going to cut down everyone and everything that came my way.
As I closed in on the Archdemon I was prepared to face off against him once again.
My blades soon made contact; however, they only came in contact with a magic circle, I eyes opened wide in shock as I looked into the burning embers that the Archdemons eyes were. He managed to stop my blades that were known to even cut through the toughened skin of the leviathan's scales.
The heat around my body began to die down as my power was drained beyond my reserves, I was beginning to lose my strength.
"It's over." Spoke the Archdemon as he dissipated the magic circle and moved in for a punch. I had no time nor energy to react as he drove his fist into my face.
Then it was lights out.
As I looked around, I found myself surrounded by fire, ruins of buildings scorched by the blazing heat. Craters, bodies and blood scattered amongst the remains of a familiar city. Flash backs of the dismemberments and deaths I caused during what was the most brutal fighting against the devils in our history.
The Battle of Jinnestan, part of the Beleth Domain. I was attached to Kokabiel's army when we launched a preemptive strike against the devils in one of the major cities after having their defensive barrier magic deciphered. Our forces were in high morale, and we had been ready to fight for a while after our victory against the devils in the earlier skirmishes. Beleth's army consisted of eighty-five legions or four-hundred twenty-five thousand devils. Three Fallen Angel armies under the command of Shemhazai, Satanael and Kokabiel, nearly four-hundred fifty thousand fallen angels participated in this battle over the course of three weeks. Many of our finest men had died in brutal close quarter engagements, some of us don't even know how we managed to survive that catastrophe of a battle.
After three armies had been all but annihilated, we pulled out and retreated, one of our worst defeats since the Battle of Stars.
I was a part of Fifth Division Third Battalion; I oversaw leading a company of six platoons to secure four square blocks of the cities center. Our secondary objectives were to take key points the lead to the cities fortress, however our victory was snatched from us… and its thief was someone that we had no reason to fight in that sector.
I looked around the remains of our primary objective, the burning buildings and scattered remains of my company littering the streets. I was one of the soul survivors of the devil counterattack, I couldn't save my men due to the overwhelming among of demonic power being launched at us.
Once the bombardment had succeeded, I came out of cover to find the battlefield in such condition, now it was my duty to finish what had fought so viciously to take.
I walked forward with a sword of light in my hand, I was holding onto my right shoulder as it had been caught by one of the blasts and my armor destroyed. My breath was ragged and the burning anger in my body was swirling into the most ferocious of hell storms.
As I walked towards the city center, I was forced to stop myself as my instincts started to spike, my legs wouldn't let me walk any further towards the smoke.
It wasn't long until I could sense the presence of a devil aura that sent chills down my spine, ice cold and full of malice, pure hatred for a fallen angel is all I could tell from their aura. I can't… I can't take on a devil that strong. I wanted to run, I wanted to make a run for it.
I couldn't move, I could hardly breathe. Why is there a devil that strong in this sector, did enemy reinforcements arrive? Why aren't they going after the Cadres?
As the smoke and debris cleared, I stood across from a devil who was staring me down. He stood tall, around the same height as the Cadres, he had long silver hair that went past his shoulders in a singular braid. His red irises were uncanny to that of all devils from within his family. It was none other than Lord Lucifuge of the Lucifuge Clan, those who serve Lucifer directly.
"So, you're the one causing so much trouble? Shameful, so much death for a simple floor of bricks." Lord Lucifuge stared me down, I wanted to shrivel up. I couldn't tell why my body was reacting in such a way. I can't do anything to calm myself down.
I started to focus my aura into my chest, if I can manipulate my magic, I can override my instincts and take control. It wasn't too long before I managed to calm down and channel my aura.
"The only death that was necessary was that of your devils, look around, all my men are dead. You cowards ran away to retrieve stronger forces that could easily waste away those of Low Ranking fallen angels. For that I cannot let myself fall back without fulfilling our mission." I summoned a sword of light and readied myself for battle.
Lord Lucifuge tilted his head to the left and cocked his eyebrow. Before I managed to get ready myself, I was caught off guard by his speed as he closed the gap between us and stood face to face with me, I looked up at him trying my best not to tremble.
"You're nothing more than a child, on a battlefield? Are the Fallen that desperate for manpower that they are conscripting children into their ranks?" Lord Lucifuge examined me closely as I couldn't react yet.
Finding no other opening I went for a head on attack, I attempted to strike Lord Lucifuge at his ribs however he deflected my blade with his arm. I followed up with a kick to his side which managed to send him back a bit. I quickly summoned a light spear and dashed towards him, readying my spear I stabbed at him.
He dodged the attack effortlessly; however, I did not let that stop me from continuing my assault against him. I summoned another light spear in my other hand and began to plant the spears into the ground.
Lord Lucifuge summoned a magic circle in between us as my light spear neared his stomach, I stopped as the light spear failed to penetrate the magic circle. Thinking of the next course of action I leapt back and raised my arm into the air. Suddenly a massive array of light spears began to form above me, this number of spears was usually enough to wipe out most key point defenses such as turrets.
I raised my aura higher, allowing more to funnel out I can boost my own physical power by pulling it out from my magical reserves. A Satan-Class devil possesses more magic than I do, however I had to learn to manipulate my own body to boost myself to fight against stronger opponents.
"You're not that powerful either… interesting, why did my scouts inform me of a powerful fallen angel in this area. Perhaps they already left." Lord Lucifuge looked down on me, a strike to my pride as the devils would be ones to use mental warfare against their opponents.
I launched the array of light spears at the devil, he reacted by shooting a blast of demonic power at them causing a massive explosion which sent a shockwave in all directions. I used this opportunity to launch myself at the devil with a pair of light spears in my hands.
Closing in on the devil I over crossed the spears and slashed with them, using this momentum against him I flew into the air and launched numerous spears towards him, purposefully missing some as the ground began to resemble a minefield.
I summoned magic circles in front of me as blasts of demonic power began to bombard me as Lord Lucifuge began to launch his counterattack. Each blast was pushing me further and further from the objective as his power was much stronger than I had anticipated.
I was sent into a building by a much larger blast, before I made contact with the building, I fixed myself to land on the outer wall. I then summoned two swords of light and launched myself towards the devil. Feeling my aura burning brighter I started to spin in midair, in response he launched another fury of demonic blasts towards me.
Like a knife through butter, I cut through the attack with little resistance; feeling this opportunity I closed the gap between us in an instant.
As I swung to decapitate the devil I was stopped as he used his demonic power to form a barrier in his palm that was strong enough to stop my swords of light. I grunted before having to dodge a point-blank blast of demonic power by ducking. I used this moment to slash his legs.
He jumped back before I could cut him, this made me worried as his combat speed was enough to prevent me from laying any attacks on him so far. That means I would have to rely on traps, cover the area with my spears. I started channeling more power from reserves into forming another array of light spears.
As we continued to fight each other I was secretly sending my spears to land around us, believing that they were simply missing Lord Lucifuge wouldn't suspect that I was leading him into a trap.
Each slash towards him was parried as he would use magic to deflect them, however each of his attacks would be cut through, that means he would be focusing his magic into his palms so that I wouldn't be able to cut through them.
Based on that knowledge then it would mean that his physical body isn't strong enough to withstand my light, brute force isn't going to be something that will win this battle for me. I have to rely on speed to cut him before he can react to me, but his reflexes are superb. I can't simply rely on speed, perhaps there is another way.
We soon separated from our engagement; I was starting to breathe heavily as our fight was beginning to draw attention as our auras were drowning out the noise of battle around us.
"You aren't as strong as a Cadre, but you have potential. If the outcome of this battle becomes unfavorable for either of us, I wish to fight you again, hopefully you will have surpassed those who you serve." Lord Lucifuge smiled at me; I reeled back in fear a bit.
"I was born strong; my power hasn't risen much since I began training. That forced me to adapt to my environment and become a much more lethal warrior. I've learned the tricks of devils; I've killed numerous legions on my own. Despite that my power won't rise to that of a Cadre, my aura alone is all I have." I clenched my jaw and stared down at the devil in front of me, much to my own demise I hated it.
I hate the fact I can't get stronger, physical training, mental training, magical training has all failed in increasing my raw power… only refining my abilities to a point where I can fight above my weight class. Even with power to fight a devil that possesses Satan-Class power I have only failed those around me.
An entire company of fallen angels were wiped out under my command, each one will be a burden that I must now carry with me even past my own death. My soul was tainted when I was born, now it is completely stained red with the blood of not only my enemies, but my fellow warriors, friends and former mentors.
The only way I know all the sins I have committed will be forgiven is to continue to fight on until we claim victory and we have purged this world of all devils. There is no one that will stand in my way and stop me from achieving that goal like all fallen angels will do as we pledged our allegiance to Azazel.
Across from me I could tell that Lord Lucifuge was beginning to worry as the look on his face began to shift. Staring back at me all he could see was my aura beginning to turn to the darkest of red and burn to the point that the nearby ruins were beginning to turn to ash.
"Magnificent," was the only thing that Lord Lucifuge could say as his red iris's began to shine brightly as if he were getting excited at the fact, I was beginning to increase my own power.
I then dissipated my swords of light, freeing up my own hands to begin the next stage of my rising power.
I then put one of my hands out to the side and opened my palm, focusing on the air in front of it I began to channel all of my aura and magic into my palm. Every inch of my body was focused on the flowing magic that had manifested into a light spear in front of my hand.
I looked over toward the light spear, much to my surprise it wasn't glowing bright red like it would have normally, instead it was a grim dark red that resembled a mixture of red and black. A spear of light that was so impure that it was absorbing the light around it.
I then turned my attention back to Lord Lucifuge, from the fiery embers in front of me I could see his figure begin to darken.
No, it was something else. His figure wasn't beginning to darken, it was his aura.
If I recall what I had learned from the numerous books written about the devils from the Six Houses of Lucifer there was something different about Lucifuge that made him so close to Lucifer. Then before I had known it, I had a realization.
"Light Envelopment." In the texts written by the humans about the numerous devils and demons of the Underworld Lucifuge was known by two names, 'The Night Star' and 'He Who Flees from Light'. His ability to absorb the light of angels and fallen angels and disperse of it from his aura is an ability that allowed him to stand strong by Lucifer himself.
He chose to use this ability against me just from feeling the dark aura of my own light spear, that means I only have one chance to use this lethal new light spear before his aura can withstand it.
I leaned forward slightly before launching myself at him at such a blinding speed my own fiery aura began to swirl in the spiral of air behind me. As I prepared to make contact with Lord Lucifuge, I pulled my arm back before sending it forward with all my might.
His reaction was not as fast as the had previously been, in fact it felt as if everything was slower as if I had been able to surpass a speed even a Satan-Class devil would have trouble dealing with.
My light spear soon made contact with his aura and a massive spark broke out, I was stopped dead in my tracks as our auras began to clash with each other, my spear was centered in his abdomen and was slowly making its way through this aura which was beginning to absorb the light as fast as I could replenish it.
This reaction was something I would not have believed was possible, we had found ourselves in a war of attrition and I knew I was going to lose it from the start.
Thinking fast I looked over toward the dozens of light spears that were stuck in the ground, using my other hand I funneled enough magic to cause them to detonate.
BOOOOOOOOOOM
The absolute power of dozens of light spears exploding out at once was enough to blow apart the core of the city in a massive storm of fire and light.
I had to shield myself with my wings in order to not take damage from the blast, among that magnitude even an Ultimate-Class devil would have to defend themselves.
I needed to think fast as even a blast on that scale would not be enough to defeat Lord Lucifuge who was still holding back against my spear of light, now the spark had turned into a vibrant flash of lights that was blinding to say the least.
I could tell that the amount of focus that he needed to prevent me from piercing his abdomen was enough that he couldn't control the rest of his body, even his arms were slowly moving to grab onto the spear of light that was now creeping its way past the aura as the explosion had forced his aura way from the one concentrated spot that I was focusing on.
"Not so fast boy." Lord Lucifuge had now brought his hands down on my light spear, his aura allowing him to withstand the burning of light which is poison to devils. I couldn't allow this to happen.
I summoned every single ounce of magic in my body all the way from my head to the tips of my toes. At that moment the light spear began to darken as it heated to the point where I could feel it burning my hand.
"AAAAHHH!" I shouted out as the spear finally was able to bypass his aura and dig into the devil's stomach, at that moment it vanished.
I quickly turned my body away from him as an inevitable retaliation was brooming. I jumped away and caught myself on the side of a building.
I could feel the straining embers that were my magic channels within my body, my hand was scorched. Magic was now not an option, any further strain like that would be enough to tear apart my body and render me a corpse.
I looked over at Lucifuge, I could tell by the way he was holding his stomach that I had wounded him severely. However, his magic was keeping his body from burning away like most devils would upon contact with that much light.
That means his magic was useless now too until he manages to stop the light from killing him, I have to take advantage of this. Even with my body strained to this point I made my way over to Lord Lucifuge, preparing for the final part of our skirmish.
As I got in range I quickly side stepped him and landed a punch in his jaw causing him to fly into the rubble. I rushed over to him; however, he got up grabbed me by the face and sent me into the ground whilst maintaining his grip.
"Don't get cocky." I grabbed onto this arm trying with all my might to break his grip as he began to squeeze my head. With his power he could crush my skull, I had to think fast as he wasn't budging.
I reeled my legs in and kicked with all my might into his abdomen, this forced him to release his grip as I had hit him directly into his wound. I then grabbed onto his leg before he could get away and slammed him into the ground, the impact causing him to bounce back up into the air before I kicked him so hard that he was sent flying back into the rubble.
I quickly chased, stopping in front of the rubble as a large dust cloud had been created. I wasn't going to go into the dust as it would allow him to catch me off guard.
In my hesitation I was surprised by the sudden appearance of Lucifuge on my side, before I could react, he sent me flying away. I couldn't help but grab onto my side as I could feel that he had shattered some of my ribs, the flowing blood from my mouth only cemented that.
I fell onto the ground; blood began pouring from my mouth onto the cracked roads. My arms were shaking, and my body started going into shock. I knew I would be fine, but my body was telling me something different.
"Don't die on me." I looked over to my right where Lord Lucifuge was standing over me, the force of a Satan-Class devil was enough to turn my battle-hardened body into ruins without magic reinforcing my physical attributes. This is why fighting them wasn't advised, how dumb am I to think I would be victorious.
I tried to get up, but my legs were weak, and my body was screaming out in pain. I was left in a vulnerable spot, he could simply crush my skull under his boot.
'Is this really the end.' I thought to myself, even if I was able to break through his aura it wasn't enough to put him out of commission. Was I really gonna let myself die here and fail all those who put faith in my abilities.
I won't
I forced my body to listen to me, all the pain was simply a figment of the mind. I had to win the war against my own body before I could continue fighting back.
"You'll die at this rate, surrender and I'll let you live." Spoke Lord Lucifuge as he held onto the wound in his stomach that had slightly expanded as he was forced to change his focus from stopping it from spreading after he suffered more damage from being hit.
"Surrender? Hehehehe. Do you think that a fallen angel would surrender to a devil, surrendering to you would only mean that I betray those who died fighting for me. I know better than to trust a devil who's ties to Lucifer is even closer than that of the other Satans." I felt a sudden pulse go through my body, then another followed by another. Soon I found my body pulsing rapidly.
I couldn't feel the pain anymore, it's as if I had been rejuvenated by such a pathetic and dishonorable request.
I quickly formed a fist and drove my arm directly into the wound of Lucifuge, the force causing the wound to expand even further. I did not let this momentum go to waste, I quickly grabbed onto him and began a fury of assaults.
With every punch he curled, with every kick he bent, with every slam he grunted.
I soon found myself standing above him as the wound was gushing blood across his body, my own body now was as drained. Now I was standing against an opponent who was near death, and I was ready to kill him, this would be my first kill of a devil of Satan-Class.
I reached out towards him and began to summon a sword of light, slowly the magic was beginning to gather.
Suddenly a green magic circle formed beside my ear, a voice then called out.
"Issei, Kokabiel was defeated by Beleth. He's alive but we're pulling out to form a retreat, we've already suffered an insurmountable number of casualties after Satanael's army was encircled. Fall back now." Spoke Shemhazai in a worried voice.
I was now stuck in dilemma; I only had enough magic left to either summon this light spear or teleport back to our base.
I stared down at the now weakened Lucifuge, I could do this and give our forces an advantage against the devils if I kill him, a massive morale crushing blow if he died or I get stuck here and killed by the forces that would certainly come back to recapture the lost territory.
I took one final look down at Lord Lucifuge.
"If we meet again… I'll finish the job." I then dissipated the light spear and summoned a teleportation circle. Turning away from my opponent I claimed a temporary victory against him.
My eyes suddenly shot open as the sounds of battle grew closer to me, I could hear the thunderous explosions and cries of men being incinerated.
I was left to die here, why didn't he kill me? More exactly where was he now?
The dread of those Archdemons overwhelming the Cadres and killing them off one by one made my stomach sink to my feet, I had to keep fighting even if my body won't.
I looked over to the massive formations of both devils and fallen angels, beneath them was a sea of blood. Our forces were being decimated, from here I could tell that we had failed to take the gate.
That memory that was playing in my mind, my fight in Jinnestan. Was this going to be a repeat? A failure?
No, I turned my attention towards the open tunnel entrance that I fought nearby. I was going to turn the tide back in our favor even if it meant I was going to die, for all those who died fighting for me I was now going to repay that debt that carries on my soul.
That's the end of this chapter and the next will determine the outcome of the Battle for the Valefor Territory. This chapter was long and I thank each and every one of you who still read my stories, I know I've down this for awhile now and I have to say that I was mostly uninspired to write until I read some of my favorite fanfiction writers work and it just catapulted my want to write so I quickly put together another 3000 words in a few hours. Thank you and don't forget to leave a review I will respond if I find them fit.