Welcome back to another update for King of Hell. We're still moving steadily through this story, unfortunately this chapter is a bit rushed out being as I wanted it to get it out in time for my birthday today. Either way we are making progress and moving closer to the end point.
Lets get into it.
King of Hell
Chapter Six
Managing the War Machine
The war was not what Minato had imagined. Actual combat on the scale of a full fledged war was truly impossible for someone to properly wrap their head around until they lived within it. More so, whenever Minato had thought on the conflict that his master had envisioned for their people, it had never truly seemed real.
Over the last year that conflict was proving to be a bloody affair. As they had planned the rebels, largely being led by Lord Bael, greatly outnumbered the loyalist forces of the Four Satan families. Unfortunately the military of the satans was a far more highly trained and unified force than the various forces of the nobles. The rebel forces were tied loosely together through mostly verbal agreements or promises of future alliances.
There had been several battles over the last year, all of them victories for the loyalists. That being said, none of them had been decisive. That was the only decent bit of news that Minato had gotten from the various reports passed to him and his fellow commanders.
It was about to change though. Lord Bael had called himself as well as Sirzechs to meet a week back to plan a new campaign to turn the tide. As it was, while the loyalists hadn't achieved any real strategic victory and they were still recovering from the surprise attack that Minato had launched against their most powerful forces, morale among the rebels was low.
No one could be expected to remain faithful to a cause that was continuously on the backfoot and forced to retreat in every battle.
At least the casualties for their forces had been relatively low. Relatively being the key word. Once more compared to the loyalists their losses were many times greater.
So the plan was to finally pull out a victory. Not a senseless one like the loyalists had been enjoying either.
"It must be a bit weird coming back here for you, are you alright?" Sirzechs asked him as they both stood overlooking the army setting camp for the night.
"I'm fine. I would have to come back to Phenex held lands at some point I suppose." Minato admitted.
"Hmm, true. Still you haven't been back since Lord Bael took you in right? Even though you're still the heir to your clan."
"I may be the heir, but there was never a chance of me inheriting the clan. My father would have named my uncle as successor if he found he would be passing it to me any time soon. Not that I really mind. I don't really feel like a Phenex."
"Oh, maybe you are more of a Cuckoo." Sirzechs said as she snapped his fingers.
"What?" Minato asked as he turned to face his friend.
"You know, maybe you are more of a Cuckoo." He repeated.
"Sirzechs, when I asked what, I didn't mean what did you say, I meant what did you mean." Minato sighed.
"Oh, uh you know Phenex is a bird and Cuckoo is a bird, maybe you are more like a Cuckoo."
"I still don't get what you are trying to say."
"Like a Phenex in disguise. You know cause Cuckoos lay their eggs in other birds' nests so that they are raised by that other bird. You could be like a Cuckoo in the Phenex nest." Sirzechs frowned then.
"It's not as funny if I have to explain it."
"It's fine, I get it now. Maybe you're right." Minato said flatly.
"Hey, now you're just being a dick."
"No, no it was humorous, really." Minato continued with a blank expression.
"Tch, what do we do when your not-so-much-yours clan shows up? They are still technically neutral. I don't imagine they'll be happy with us dragging the war into their lands." Sirzechs pointed out becoming serious once more.
Minato turned to look over his and Sirzechs combined forces. They had a decently sized force of soldiers as well as some of the best available within the rebel forces. They were felling trees and digging various holes and trenches for different things and shelters. The area around this campsite would take quite a few years to properly recover just from an army living on it for a brief time. When the battle actually started it would scar the land far worse.
"It doesn't matter if they are unhappy. They complain about the overreaching of the Elites and Satan clans all the time. They give supplies and material to the rebellion while paying lip service to the loyalists to escape fully joining in. At the end of the day though the Phenex clan will have to fully join us. My parents are intelligent enough to know that we have the advantage. After this campaign it will only be a matter of time before we force the Satans to see reason, or fully defeat them."
Sirzechs stared at his friend for a long moment before letting loose a long sigh and nodding.
"Some of the fighting has been pretty bloody even if there hasn't been a big battle like during the Great War. It's all going to get worse isn't it?" He asked, already knowing the answer.
"We're going to make it worse. You and I. We're going to give hope to our people by making the loyalists feel nothing but despair. They'll consider us monsters afterward."
"It won't matter, everyone else will consider us heroes." Sirzechs grinned weakly.
"Maybe." Minato said sadly, thinking of a specific person on the other side of the war. They would surely see him as a monster since he was their enemy.
"Oh man, earlier than I thought." Sirzechs said while bumping Minato's shoulder to jog him out of his thoughts.
The blond looked up to where Sirzechs was motioning toward with his chin. Several sentries were escorting a pair of blondes as they flew toward Minato and Sirzechs. He knew them both well. His mother and father and they looked very agitated.
"Want to have some mean spirited fun?" Minato asked.
Sirzechs grinned. Minato could be a bit petty when he wanted to be. The Gremory heir couldn't think of anyone Minato would be pettier toward than his own mother and father.
He had expected them to bluster at him the moment he was within range to hear their voices. Failing that he had expected to at least find himself on the business end of a dressing down or rant accusing him of being worthless.
Minato had not expected the cold yet almost respectful way his mother and father chose to greet him. The sullen and furious expressions on their faces didn't seem to alter the tone of their words in the slightest.
An impressive show of self control honestly.
"Lord Bael placed you in command of this force, then?" His father asked with a snappish though still somehow respectful tone.
"Quite, honorable. Though surprising to us both." His mother added in.
The fact that they had blatantly ignored the presence of Sirzechs was interesting. He'd made a bit of a name for himself so far out of their group of lieutenants serving Lord Bael in the rebellion. After all he'd held back several attacking Loyalist forces so that rebel armies could flee with lesser casualties.
Minato was only known for his 'retaliation' against the elite clans so far. That and a handful of small skirmishes which had never lasted long enough for him to truly show off his capabilities. All a part of the plan of course. Even now with their plan seeming to be a bit frayed, things were working as envisioned.
Just slower than Minato had envisioned.
"So no greeting at all then." His father said sourly, bringing Minato's mind back to the present.
He cleared his throat at that. "Forgive me, my mind has been centered on the upcoming conflict. What can I do for you both?"
Best to keep things genial.
His mother frowned, her eyes almost seeming sad before she turned her head to face his father. The older blond male was far less emotional than even the slight twitch around the eyes that she displayed.
"While I quietly support your goal in this war, the matter remains that you have paid my clan no homage for stationing this force here. You invite battle onto my doorstep without so much as a greeting, I have half of a mind to duel you over such a slight." The man said with a scowl.
Minato blinked before his own eyes hardened.
"You misunderstand the situation. As this is Phenex held territory and I remain the legal heir to the noble house of Phenex, I have to obligation to show such unnecessary courtesies. I have far more important tasks at hand than to kowtow to the ego of-" Minato began to get worked up before tightly smiling Sirzechs placed a hand on his arm to try and calm him down a bit.
"We meant no offense, Lord and Lady Phenex. However I'm sure you can understand that the necessities of preparing our forces for battles to come supersedes any sort of diplomatic niceties you might normally expect of us." Sirzechs said.
Minato let out a breath. Not because he had calmed down, but simply because he knew what would come next.
"So you brought your forces here fully knowing that a battle would ensue on my family's lands in due time? You preselected my lands for your battle? I hope you realize I will expect full compensation for any damages and losses sustained to the House of Phenex and it's subordinates following this." Minato's father had turned fully to face Sirzechs as he spoke now, taking him as the one in control if he was calming down Minato in such a way.
"Unfortunately, no. If you should hope for some sort of compensation perhaps you should beg at the feet of the Four Satans for it, or if you are inclined to truly show your faith in the rebellion, form up your legions like many other families have done and go strip your compensation from the domains of loyalists like the other real rebels have to." Minato said causing his father's mouth to click closed as he turned his eyes back toward Minato with contempt.
"You should both return to your estate. These lands will be a battleground soon enough and neither of you would do me or your house any good here on the actual field of battle." He continued before turning and flying away from them with Sirzechs close behind him.
"Man, they really pull the nastiness out of you. I thought you were going to show off some of your fancy tricks too." He chuckled before the grin slid off of his face at the annoyed expression on Minato's face.
"They won't be seeing anything like that from me. They had their chance to develop me into something to be proud of. Nothing I am is thanks to them, so they don't even get the opportunity to be on the receiving end of my abilities." Minato said as he seamlessly began issuing orders for placements of additional defense both physical and magical.
Sirzechs just stared at him for a moment before joining in in preparing their forces properly for the coming fight.
"Word from Serafall and Falbium is that they have their forces in position. If things are going right on his end, then Ajuka should be here in the morning." Sirzechs commented.
"Good, we're on track then." Minato said as he took a final look over the positions of their men.
"The whole underworld will know the name Minato and will call you hero." Sirzechs grinned toward his friend.
"The whole underworld will know my name and some of them will call me a hero." Minato replied, Sirzechs caught his edit of the words, but let it go. He wanted to be in a good mood before committing to the upcoming fight. It would be the first true battle that the rebels had hit the loyalists square in the face.
"You should get some rest, Sirzechs. In the morning things will move quickly." Minato suggested.
"You should get some too. You'll need it more than me." The redhead replied.
"King of Logistics, here, I know when I need my rest. I'll turn in in a moment. I just want to do a final check." Minato replied.
The Gremory heir let it drop. Their troops had been working for hours and both young men had been doing all they could to make sure things would be perfect. Already it was nearing nightfall though and Sirzechs knew that there would be no point in making himself tired to try and get Minato to go to bed before he was ready.
Minato did in fact spend some time making a final check of all their defenses. A couple of teams doing the more delicate work of setting up magical defenses and traps were still working but they would be finished within the hour. Other units were already posting sentries up and trying to get some much needed rest. Something Minato knew he should also be doing.
Instead he slipped away for just a moment to check on something nearby.
It wasn't hard to slip past the guards of his clan. Most of the Phenex family soldiers were closer to the areas that Minato's own soldiers were currently camped in. Those that remained weren't the best of their force either. It seemed neither of his parents were still present. Thankfully most of the servants were in the servant area as well. No need to serve a family that wasn't present after all.
Hopefully it would remain the same the following day. Settling below the window to his one time room he slipped in and was stunned by the fact that it was completely untouched. It wasn't due to them expecting him back one day or even with any thought to him. It was efficient. The room was still set up for a small child. It was Unisex and honestly a bit bland but clearly made up so that if his mother fell pregnant with a boy or a girl soon they would already have a place for them to stay.
"A fitting spot." Minato hummed quietly to himself as he began carving in a rune.
This part of the plan Sirzechs had no knowledge of. No one did, but Minato had realized that his family was best placed on their side in the war. While they already leaned that way, the clan as a whole needed a little extra push. Something small and meaningless but offensive would be enough. So he carved in his seal and slipped away once more with hardly a look back.
Minato and Sirzechs were both up early the next morning. Earlier even than most of their own soldiers. It was better that way, as it was the young leaders of the rebel forces were still looked at with some amount of trepidation. They didn't have the history of many of the loyalist commanders and that meant that they didn't have the respect of them.
Between the doubt in their unproven abilities, and propaganda that did all it could to slander Minato and his friends, there was a fair amount of taunting that could happen as he and Sirzechs crossed through the camp in the early morning.
Not that it was a common thing, and as long as their officers and non commissioned officers were up and about as well it was practically non-existent. Word spreading of some mouthy soldier smarting off and having to be punished would hamper morale though so it was best to avoid the situation.
Avoid until the time came when they could walk through their idle soldiers and be worshiped as masters and commanders unmatched in the mens' eyes.
"By noon. We'll have the men eat before Ajuka's forces arrive. They need to have the energy to fight for long periods of time if this plan is going to work right." Minato said.
"It will. It's up to you and you have got this in the bag." Sirzechs replied.
"Right, King of Logistics." Minato chuckled.
"And Master of dropping a lot of pain on anyone in the world."
"Not exactly."
"Almost anyone in the world. Minato the Killer Cuckoo. I bet I can make that stick." Sirzechs teased.
"I bet I can stick you through a portal to the bottom of the ocean." Minato fired back getting the redhead to laugh at the playful threat.
Both men stopped on the hill overlooking the valley that would be their battlefield. Traps set, troops prepared, plan in motion. It was all happening.
The smiles and laughter died away as they both stared at the peaceful and honestly breathtaking farmland below.
"It's going to be brutal." Sirzechs sighed sadly.
"We're going to be brutal. The battle is going to be a bloodbath. We can't win it without some casualties. Some of our forces…" Minato sadly said.
"I know. We'll protect who we can. War is war."
Minato nodded sadly.
In the distance colorful bursts of light seemed to flash across the horizon and soon a score of black specks began growing in size in the distance.
"Ajuka is right on time as always." Minato said.
"As expected. Better get in position. I'll get the men going." Sirzechs replied before racing back toward the camp and roaring out orders causing the men to rapidly react.
They might not have the respect of proven commanders yet, but devils knew power and respected that to an extent. Sirzechs was certainly that.
So was Minato, in his own way.
Sirzechs led the charge just as they had planned. He and his forces raced past Ajuka and the remains of his troops as they fled away from the loyalists. Even as he charged in though, Sirzechs knew that the enemy force was too large and too disciplined for his army to take on alone.
Then again, he was supposed to lose. He just had to make it look good. That and he had to buy time for Ajuka's force to regroup and rejoin him.
A bit of guilt filled his heart as he allowed several of his subordinates to die for a simple ruse. Used as fodder for a greater strategy to succeed. It went against his natural instincts but he could understand the necessity of the act and the reality of war well enough to press on.
He turned the guilt into anger toward his enemies and released devastating blasts of his power of destruction that claimed plenty of lives. Soldiers clashed on the ground and in the air. Spells flew, men and women screamed in rage and pain and terror, and battle raged.
Ajuka shot past him toward the rendezvous. His troops had been cut down more than they had expected but it was still within 'acceptable' parameters. Oh, how he hated such thoughts. Still, there was nothing to do for it.
Sirzechs pushed himself and his troops deep into the formation of the loyalist army. It would be seen as foolish by his enemies. The act of a boy unfit for command at such a young age. They would end the pursuit of Ajuka and instead encircle the more valuable target with hopes to wipe both Sirzechs and his troops out entirely.
Thoughts of strategy were pushed from his mind as the first of the true threats charged him. An older devil, some cousin to the current Leviathan. He'd met the man once, he'd been a snob. The devil was fast but Sirzechs was far faster and his powers practically meant death for any who found themselves at his mercy.
With a flick of his wrist black and red energy coalesced before slamming into the soldier's chest and sending him stumbling back before letting loose a single cry of pain. After that he died and dissolved into ash.
Many would have seen such an attack on their commander and fled. Others would have panicked in other ways or frozen on the spot. This portion of the Loyalist army was it's backbone though. Not the most powerful or skilled at their disposal, but by far the most disciplined and well trained. The official army of the underworld.
There wasn't even a trace of hesitation. A dozen devils charged at him as soon as the body of their comrade fell. Swords, spears, spells, they attacked with all they had, one man even attempted to grapple Sirzechs from behind so that their brothers in arms could properly land a blow against him.
One by one they fell to ashes though. The man holding Sirzechs learned that the redhead was more than just the power of destruction as well. He tore his arms free with ease before slamming a fist, not into but through the soldier's jaw, tearing it from his face.
That didn't end the battle of course. A single fight among thousands was of little consequence, even if Sirzechs could easily have slaughtered a swathe of the enemy.
If he did that though the enemy may withdraw. They needed them right where they were.
Unfortunately, as he knew would happen, the longer that they remained in this fight the more his force would be encircled and gradually decimated. They were completely engulfed now and any sort of cohesion among his troops had been carved away along with hundreds of his soldier's lives.
Yet all he could do was continue to fight. He did what he could to intervene on behalf of several of his soldiers to save them from enemy attacks, but as powerful as he was he couldn't be everywhere at once and he was even handicapping himself for the sake of the plan.
"Lord Gremory!" One of his men cried out before diving in front of a blast of magical power aimed for Sirzechs' back.
The soldier all but evaporated as the spell seemed to turn him into a mist. It was nasty, whatever had been launched at him. It could have likely injured even Sirzechs badly, but the unknown soldier who had sacrificed themself for him was instantly killed by it.
Turning his eyes locked onto one of the enemy commanders. An older devil, perhaps the age of Sirzechs parents. He was a career soldier and one that Sirzechs had a little respect for. After all the man was a member of the Pillar families but had long ago vowed to fight and die for the four satans.
"Merrick Valefor." He greeted lowly.
"Sirzechs Gremory, traitor." The man said simply in reply.
"You don't have to fight me, you know. You surely have seen the oppression that the Satans have created. It's too much." Sirzechs pleaded with the man's common sense. Merrick was a veteran of the great war and a genuinely decent man. Unfortunately he was also honorable to a fault.
"I made my vow, boy. I keep my word. Besides you should be the one begging me for mercy. Your forces will be dead within the hour and while you might be strong you can't defeat me and my army alone." Merrick remained stoic the entire time he spoke.
He was right. If there wasn't a greater plan at work here, then he would be completely right. Sirzechs was not at a level where he could fight the entire army and all it's skilled leaders alone. Not yet at least.
Still he had a part to play.
"I can't surrender and I won't ever beg, Valefor." He replied smoothly.
"So be it, die with your men and whatever honor you have, boy." Merrick said as he lifted a black bladed sword with one hand and an open palm swirling with demonic energy in the other.
Sirzechs, for the first time in the battle drew a blade as well. It was a simple sword, but with a brush of his hand the blade became something more. A conduit for his power. A sure kill weapon that would eat away at it's target.
Or so he thought, as he and Merrick closed the distance between themselves and their blades clashed into one another, Sirzechs was stunned to find that his blade did not simply carve through the blackness of Merrick's.
"Your power is truly awe inspiring, son, but this blade I won in battle with an angel. A creation of their leader himself. Look closely before I kill you." Merrick said, pushing his weight into their sword lock and shoving Sirzechs back.
Sirzechs did glance at the black blade and for a moment he was shocked that such a thing existed. However it made sense that the sword could do what it was doing. It was made for fighting devils after all, so it could devour demonic power. Apparently any demonic power.
"I'm not much of a swordsman anyway. I know a friend that will like that as a gift though. I hope you don't mind me giving it away after I have taken it from you." Sirzechs said before releasing a blast of power of destruction toward his opponent once again.
"Heh, show me what you can do." Merrick called back as he parted the wave of power with his sword and charged at the younger devil once again.
Minato stood with a scowl etched onto his face as he watched the 'battle' take place in the valley. Fires burned and the landscape was demolished, but worst of all, bodies piled up beneath the swarm of fighting men and women.
"Ho, Minato." Ajuka called out as he approached. His friend had an arm wrapped in a sling but besides that simply looked tired.
"Casualties are worse than projected." Minato pointed out.
"Thats war for you. If it's going to surprise you, it's by how much worse it can get." Ajuka replied with a shrug before wincing at the motion.
"I suppose." Minato sighed.
They continued to watch as the battle raged. Every now and then they could see Sirzechs among the carnage blasts of his power making him easier to pick out than anything else.
An alarm went off. A tiny magical circle blared noise at Minato until he waved a hand and the spell disappeared.
"Lets go." He said simply leading the way back down to the camp hidden behind the ridge.
Here several thousand more troops stood ready to join their comrades in battle. They were some of the rebellions best and they were itching to rush in and help their comrades. Not before Minato gave them their directives though.
"Soldiers! Hear me!" He roared out with magic amplifying his voice so all of them could hear him.
"You've been held back for one purpose, so that we can lure the core of our enemy's army into a killbox." He explained causing the soldiers to glance at one another and begin grinning. They had been made to trust in the decisions of their unproven commanders but now they were getting a peek at what those commanders had planned.
"We have suffered defeat after defeat, but nothing has ever been enough to bring either side closer to victory." He continued, ignoring that his actions on the first day of the war had somewhat crippled their enemy and made the war possible in the first place.
"When you pass this ridge you will find the enemy army, and you will kill them. There will be no prisoners. If the enemy flees you will shoot him in the back with a spell and kill him like the coward he is. Today we break the best hope that the Satans have of crushing our rebellion. Today, YOU will change the tide of this war!" He called out getting a ripple of cheering from the gather force.
"Now get to work!" He shouted.
The soldiers streamed past him, bloodthirst and confidence surrounding them like an aura. They roared and took flight sweeping into the enemy army and taking many by surprise. They were still at a disadvantage for now though.
"Time for part three." Ajuka said.
"Time for part three." Minato nodded before dropping to a knee and pressing his hands onto the ground. A massive magical array appeared on the ground before him while two massive magical circles swirled to life on the opposite side of where the battle was taking place.
The energy drain that he was suffering from such a spell was intense but Minato bore it with stoic calm. In this act victory was assured after all.
Serafall stood waiting with her army, the soldiers had begun eyeing her with annoyance over the last few minutes. They were trained well enough to keep their mouths closed but she could feel their disbelief at the strategy she and her friends had concocted.
She couldn't wait for them to swallow that lemon of humility when Minato would finally open up the portal for them. Normal magical circles wouldn't be usable in the battlefield. Armies had figured out how to create a field around themselves that restricted teleportation of that kind for some time.
Minato's power was different of course. His displacement broke all the rules and he, no they, were going to take advantage of that fact for as long as they could.
She was a bit worried about this operation though. Displacing several bombs through barriers had taken a huge toll on Minato at the onset of the war. Displacing two entire armies would be impossible.
Well normally. Thankfully Ajuka and Minato were both crazy geniuses. When you put them together they frightened her a little bit. She didn't know the particulars but with Ajuka and Minato working together they could open a portal for about a minute and a half. Just long enough for Serafall and her troops to charge through on one side and Falbium and his on the other, surrounding the loyalist army.
As the portal began to appear and the soldiers behind her gasped at the plan truly coming together, Serafall let out a battle cry and hurled herself through it directly into the battle turned one sided slaughter.
It took two hours after the portals had opened. Most of that had been chasing down enemy soldiers trying to flee. In the end only a handful managed to actually escape. Only because Minato became tired and couldn't displace himself after anymore of them without collapsing.
All told though, Minato, Sirzechs, all of their friends had definitely gained the respect of their subordinates now. They'd also broken the back of the loyalist forces.
Minato stood at the same point he and Sirzechs had been during their preparations and looked over the battle with nothing but sadness. They were closer to victory now, but it mattered little when all of those dead belonged to the underworld. Brother killing brother.
At least no one from the Lucifuge or any of the other elite families had been present. He still dreaded facing a friend in battle.
The landscape was ruined below, farmland and picturesque landscapes transformed to nightmares covered in blood and ash.
"The price of victory." Sirzechs said as he stepped up beside his friend.
"It's a heavy price."
"Yeah. Here." Sirzechs agreed before handing Minato a black bladed sword.
"A trophy?"
"A tool. You'll use it better than me. I'm a caster. I prefer it that way."
Minato looked at the sword before nodding back to his friend in thanks. He wondered where he got such a weapon from though. The sad look in his friend's eyes kept him from asking though.
We will call it here I think. It's short, I know but we just needed to show the first true battle of the war. Now things are going to start getting worse. Lots worse. No more disciplined soldiers under the banner of the loyalists after all.
Next time we will see more of Minato's abilities in combat, but he is the King of Logistics at the moment.
Anyway
Till Next Time
