- Satan, Moloch, Baal -
(Morning after last chapter)
"Like I told you before, you need to start your attack now," Satan said into the echo. "If you don't keep them from digging deeper in Bolotano we won't win this."
"You care about winning and yet you sent a messenger to them!" Moloch spat.
"I want a proper battle-" Satan's voice was a mix of anger and excitement. "-not some facade of one. You're lucky you have my help, now don't waste it."
"Can you at least tell us how long it will take for your forces to pincer them?" Baal asked.
"No...too easy," Satan said with a smile. "Who knows, maybe you'll win without me? Wouldn't that be something?" he leaned away and whispered. "Though I wouldn't bet on it..."
"Once this is all over we should come to your side of the world and return the favor," Baal said.
"You can stay where you are," Satan replied menacingly. "I don't want or need your help, and I'm only doing this to get Death out of the way."
"How exactly do you plan on dealing with the angels and the grim?" Moloch asked.
"That's not for you to know," Satan answered. "My part in all this is helping you two the exact amount I feel I need to."
- Moloch, Baal, and their commanders -
Moloch and Baal stood on stone pillars in front of their individual armies. Moloch was wearing form-fitting black armor that had tiny holes all over, while Baal's armor was thick on the lower half, and thin on the upper half. It was red and black bodies as far as the eye could see, with the two demon lords standing above, ready to give their respective speeches.
"TODAY WE SHOW THEM WHAT A TRUE DEMON IS!" Baal yelled, raising one of his large hammers in the air.
The curled-horn demons shouted in unison, deafening all other other sounds. It was clear that Baal's army had no worries going into the battle. A little ways away Moloch was giving his own speech.
"ARE YOU READY TO RECEIVE THE GLORY OF KILLING A RIDER!" Moloch yelled, lifting both of his hands up towards the army.
Moloch's forces didn't cheer as loudly, but still made sure to make as much noise as they could. The two demon leaders kept speaking, shouting the usual battle speeches that had been heard thousands of times prior. After the formality of that was over, the two went to their commanders.
Moloch walked up to his three commanders, Jahkar, Molakar, and Kut'thar.
Jahkar was equal height with Moloch. They wore thin black armor that hugged their body. Their body wasn't intimidating, but their eyes were a different story. Similar to Moloch, they had black sclera eyes, the main difference was the red in their eyes being razor thin. The demon's face seemed to be stuck as a permanent smile that looked unnatural. They scratched their black hair, occasionally holding back laughter as Moloch spoke.
Molakar, Jahkar's brother, wore much thicker armor. While Jahkar had a slim frame, Molakar looked more like Baal. He towered over his leader, being 7'6" tall. His appearance was more like a mass of black metal than a demon. The only parts of his body that stuck out were the palms of his hands, and the horns from his helmet, with even his face being fully covered by a helmet.
Kut'thar wore no armor. They were in a thin black cloak with only a pair of black shorts underneath. Their yellow eyes seemed unstable, constantly making movement even as Moloch spoke to them. They were seven feet tall, with an average frame. They had long white hair that hung around their face. The only part of the head that could be seen were the unstable eyes peering through open slots of hair.
"Why are we attacking right away?" Kut'thar asked, his eyes still moving.
"It's part of Satan's plan," Moloch informed. "Don't question me again." His eyes narrowed.
Baal was in front of his four commanders, informing his group a little later than Moloch. He had always enjoyed the speech-giving part before war. It felt like the one time he enjoyed speaking more than fighting. He looked at Urdros, Urdras, Mileera, and Baastra with a smile. His confidence in them was clear.
Urdros and Urdras are twins, with Urdras being a female. Twins were extremely rare among demons, and the two had lived their lives always fighting to prove that they were different, but in doing so had become more similar than either would have liked. Urdros was wearing his long black coat, while Urdras was wearing a black armor similar to Baal's. She believed the only reason her brother didn't wear armor was so he wouldn't match her, and she was right.
Mileera watched the smiling Baal as he gave them the final orders. She was the shortest of the group, being 6'4" tall. She was wearing a black one piece outfit underneath. Her white hair had been shaven the day before. She enjoyed the act of cutting her hair before a battle, with this time making her particularly anxious due to how long it's been since her last battle. She couldn't help tapping her foot in anticipation. She was overjoyed to hear that they would be attacking immediately.
Baastra watched his father and nodded his head, even though he wasn't listening. He was thinking about fighting Lucifer. He had always wanted to prove himself against the prince, especially after hearing that Garuuk had been slain. He was clearly his father's child, looking like a younger version of the demon lord. His clothing was light, a black shirt and black armored pants. His arms had burn marks on them that he requested Urdras not to heal until after he's beaten Lucifer.
"LET'S MOVE!" Baal yelled, running to the front of the army.
"TIME TO SHOW THIS WORLD OUR STRENGTH!" Moloch yelled, wings unfurling from his back.
- Zach -
Zach was on the training floor of Purgatory's main building when Mary came up to him.
"Satan's betrayed Death," She whispered.
The training area was full of other Grim, so Zach made sure to keep calm. His outer demeanor showed no signs of trouble. No one would have expected anything to be off. It wasn't particularly unusual for Mary to relay messages quietly, or for her to inform Zach during his training sessions.
"Put Purgatory on full lock down," He ordered. "Inform all active Grim squads, and call every god you think will answer."
Mary nodded and ran off.
Zach looked around at the other Grim that were training.
'Satan...why? All these centuries, all those millennia, and you do this?'
Zach thought as he walked. He didn't know what to expect, and that scared him. It scared him to think that the bad feeling he had before had actually been a real premonition instead of just anxiety. He wondered if convincing Death had ultimately been the right choice. Lucifer would have died if Death hadn't joined the investigation team, but now it seemed like both leaders might die.
As Zach walked down the stone stairs of the building he was passed by multiple rushing Grim. None of them had asked him for more information, with only a few taking the time to give him a quick look of panic.
- Vivian and Lucifer -
A woman wearing a long red robe sat at Lucifer's desk. She had been writing in a book when she felt her echo receive a call.
"What's going on?" She asked, confused.
Lucifer explained the situation. Vivian's hand tightened around her echo. She couldn't believe the news, but not for the reasons Lucifer thought.
"I haven't seen many of the demons around," She informed. "I've had multiple reborn ask me if I had seen where the majority went, and I didn't have an answer. I thought it was strange, but not completely unlike them."
"So they haven't tried anything yet?" Lucifer asked.
"No," She answered. "In fact, all of the demons that are still here haven't shown any signs of knowing more about this situation."
Lucifer was thinking. While it made sense that Satan would be moving with most of his army, the fact that Hell seemed to still be running normally was strange. Then again, if the demon lords succeed, it wouldn't take long for Satan to remove the reborn in Hell, or potentially persuade them to turn sides.
"Be careful," Lucifer warned. "Don't do anything suspicious, and try to inform everyone you trust."
"Will do," Vivian said before Lucifer ended the call.
'Who exactly can I trust right now?' She thought.
- Fensyr and Death -
"This is why we don't fucking trust demons!" Fensyr yelled into his echo.
"Just be careful," Death said. "I want to make it back so I can tell you in person all about my battle with Amaterasu."
"If you die out there it'll be a disgrace to my kind, so don't fall now," Fensyr said before Death ended the call.
'I still owe you for dealing with Amaterasu,' Fensyr left his house and went to the center of the main town. He stared at the statue of Amaterasu as he thought. 'Gods like you don't deserve to get beaten by gods like him,' He frowned.
"What was the call about?" A nearby lycan asked Fensyr.
"Turns out Death has a rather interesting story for us when he comes back through," Fensyr smiled briefly, before continuing to frown.
- Lucius and Death -
"I'll make sure to be careful," Lucius assured.
"This will be my first battle with Hrom in a very long time," Death said.
Lucius was happy to hear Death use the name, though he knew that his friend was only doing it to cheer him up. The situation was dire, and the battle that was about to unfold would shake the world. The truth is, the vampire lord was terrified. Terrified that he couldn't do more, and terrified that he might lose a friend who he once thought was invincible.
"When you make it back, Gwyn and I are throwing the biggest celebration in Sangmara's history." Lucius laughed unconvincingly. "Even bigger than when Mara and Vázo won the war."
'Please...whatever you have to do friend, please make it back,' Lucius kept to himself.
"When I make it back I'll keep you to that," Death said before ending the call.
Lucius just stood in the training area, silent. He couldn't believe the situation. His emotions rapidly swapped between sadness and fury. He couldn't stomach the idea that Death might fall, and he wanted to snap Satan's neck for the betrayal. Both problems were above him though, and he knew that. He felt helpless, and worse, useless. He looked over at Gwyn who had been watching him.
"He'll make it back," She assured. "Those two have come back from worse odds."
Lucius smiled, still showing clear sadness in his eyes.
- Michael and Lucifer -
Michael had been training with multiple angels when Lucifer called. He held onto his sword with his left hand while holding the echo with his right. Lucifer informed him of the situation.
"I'm surprised this didn't happen sooner," Michael said with a huff.
"I'm not calling for banter," Lucifer sighed. "I trust in yours and the angels' strength to keep Heaven protected. I just wanted to inform you...and wish you good luck should Death and I fail."
"I'm sure you two will have no problems," Michael said. "The things I've seen the both of you come back from were worse than this."
Lucifer just sighed in response and ended the call.
Michael lowered his right arm and tightened his grip on his sword. He looked up at the sky. He had wanted to say more, or at least say something more reassuring. He hated Satan, but he understood the demon's strength. He wanted to fly off and help like some kind of hero, but he knew it wasn't the smart choice.
"Maybe the fallen and the demon lord will take each other out," One angel said, causing some of the others to laugh.
"Watch your mouth..." Michael mumbled too quietly for the others to hear.
"What did you say?" The angel asked.
"Nothing...let's get back to training!" Michael shouted.
- Death and Lucifer -
"Is that everyone?" Lucifer asked.
"Ra wouldn't pick up, but yeah," Death answered.
"I'll see you in the middle of the battlefield after you've slain Baal," Lucifer smiled.
"Assuming you don't finish Moloch first," Death smiled back.
Neither were as confident as the soldiers around them would believe. What came next was going to be the most difficult challenge of a mission that had already been filled with strife. Thoughts of their respective pasts went through their minds. The two said nothing else, split off into their own groups, and waited until sunrise.