- Team one, Urdras, Mileera -
All members of team one and the supporting soldiers with ranged magic shot attacks towards the approaching armies. Unlike Lucifer and Kahvis's opening spells, only a small fraction of the demons were stopped.
Peter moved forward before everyone else. He knew he needed to be confident in the face of the overwhelming numbers coming toward him. He swiftly cut down a few demons before covering himself in smoke. He would repeat this process of slicing down threats and disappearing as he dug deeper into the enemies.
This simple hit-and-run strategy drew Urdras and Mileera's attention immediately. They rushed over to intercept this threat but were met by Yamato and Oliver.
Yamato brought his sword down on Urdras's glaive while Oliver stopped Mileera.
"Confident for a reborn aren't you?" Urdras huffed.
"How did you get past the Rider?" Yamato asked.
Mileera attempted to shoot lightning bolts only to be stopped by Oliver every time. She couldn't understand how he was so proficient in stopping her, which caused a growing frustration to form.
"You can't keep this up." She complained under her breath.
Oliver was tracking her eyes and hands with ease. He was surprised that a commander would be so blatant about her intended targets. As well as he was doing to stop her, he couldn't match her mana reserves. Maybe if he hadn't fought the day before he could, it didn't matter now. He decided to push forward while continuing to defend.
"Lightning demon, primary target," Oliver ordered Rebecca and Julia.
The two whistled to confirm they understood the order and started to move close behind Oliver. The numbers in front of them were already too much to deal with, so they both had to resolve that they might need to trade their lives to take down Mileera.
Ming moved to crowd-control the basic soldiers. She placed her hands into the mud and kept her eye on the demons.
Two large mud golems raised from the ground and started to run towards the demons. Ming lifted her hands out of the mud and started to move her fingers to puppeteer the newly created golems, slamming them into the right force of demons.
Any damage the golems took was quickly reformed. The golems weren't finishing off any demons but that wasn't their purpose. They were a simple disruption tactic to help the supporting soldiers do damage.
Fireballs, lightning bolts, and stone spikes shot towards the right force. The resistance didn't need to worry about hitting their own, while the backline demons did, leading to a one-sided exchange of magic.
Hyou and William were watching the frontline, readying themselves to assist. They were happy to see their side doing so well, hopeful that this momentum would stay. As they watched the demon forces cycle every dead soldier in what seemed like an instant, they couldn't help the feeling of anxiety that was creeping in.
Peter was in the middle of the demons. He was under a constant barrage from demons that wanted to prove their melee abilities. He was happy that these enemies weren't using a proper means to deal with him. He weaved from enemy to enemy, cutting, disappearing, stepping around the bodies of his kills, all for a more powerful move he was planning.
Yamato and Urdras were clashing weapons. The two seemed locked in a stalemate, their healing affinities keeping small damage from building up.
Yamato seemed hesitant to use his wind and lightning, attempting instead to win through the use of his weapon. His stubbornness was getting him surrounded by demons.
The surrounding demons and Urdras smiled at Yamato. They found the reborn's strength interesting. They all wanted the credit for killing him, leading to the full group charging Yamato.
'Closer you monsters. Clsr...Mntr...cl.' Yamato thought.
Oliver was closing in on Mileera and her forces. He threw his spear at her and created multiple stone walls for Rebecca and Julia to use as cover.
Mileera dodged the spear with a simple sidestep, smiling at what she thought was a desperate attempt to eliminate her. As she raised her hand she heard a clang from the spear. Oliver's spear lifted up and shot towards her face. She grabbed it just before it pierced her face, receiving a small injury on her forehead, and noticing that the weapon was made out of condensed stone.
Ming's golems were still being focused by the right demon forces. She made sure to keep the golems constantly moving, only stopping to occasionally smother demons that tried to shoot back against the resistance.
The demons' initial approach had been greatly hampered. The mud of Bolotano seemed to be a far greater hindrance for them, especially with two golems that were unimpeded by the environment, and a reborn swordsman that seemed familiar with the terrain. The first wave was breaking but didn't dare to retreat. Retreating was akin to suicide, so despite the awful situation, they continued their march forward, while a splinter force went around to aim for the rescued.
- Moloch and Baal -
(Before the battle)
Moloch and Baal were discussing their own strategies going forward.
"We need to destroy the stolen property," Moloch said to Baal.
"Why?" Baal asked. "Seems pointless to take out non-threats."
"They are a threat though." Moloch asserted. "You know Lucifer has that vampiric healer. She could easily restore any rescued property to fighting shape. I don't want to deal with vampires and elves in this battle."
"I guess it makes sense to break the neck instead of letting them choke," Baal said. "Did you get this idea from Kut'thar by any chance?"
"Why would you think that?" Moloch asked, insulted.
'Cause' you're as good at strategy as me,' Baal thought.
"Just making sure it wasn't Satan's idea," Baal lied. "I don't want us being over-reliant on his strategies."
Moloch had borrowed the idea. He was still deeply insulted that Baal thought it was Kut'thar's or Satan's plan. He hid his anger by making a risky suggestion.
"You have more flying troops than me, so can you handle this problem?"
"Sure," Baal grunted. "I still expect your side to help though."
"Of course," Moloch assured.
- Saint and the five -
"They aren't serious?" Saint said noticing the approaching demons.
The five looked over at the demons.
"Why would they attack us?" Sabu asked.
"Maybe they're worried about the rescued joining the resistance?" Yvere guessed.
"Doesn't matter," Saint said. "You two-" She pointed at Elijah and Sabu. "-deal with the fliers. You three-" She pointed at Heinrich, Lao, and Yvere. "-defend."
"You sure you don't need any help on the ground?" Lao asked.
"I'm sure," Saint kept her eyes on the demons.
A rumbling in the mud could be felt by everyone in the rescued camp.
"New plan!" Saint shouted. "I'm going to protect the rescued. Everyone else, focus the demons."
Elijah knew what the rumbling in the ground meant. He fully understood why Saint was switching targets. He prepared himself for what was coming.
Three giant worm-like creatures covered in black scales shot up from the mud. These giant creatures moved the top of their long body in a motion that indicated they were looking for what was causing the disturbance. Since Saint and the team were the closest threats, they were attacked.
- Team one and Urdras -
Peter was in the middle of the demons, readying a large wave of flame as more enemies approached him. He felt a headache suddenly come on.
'Already?' Peter wondered.
Peter started to cut a path back toward the resistance. He was less focused on killing, mostly using his smoke to move, only killing the demons that attacked him. Switching his tactics to escape wasn't easy on his mana. As he got closer to the resistance he started using less smoke. He was furious at Yamato's early contract activation.
Peter was coming back to Hyou and William. His legs were covered in blood and mud, with his arms being a mix of cuts, burns, and dirt. His face was emotionless as he hastily cleaned his blade while approaching the two.
Hyou and William couldn't believe what they had seen Peter do. The man had run headfirst into a large force and came out with what seemed like minor injuries. The two restored Peter back to new, staring at the result of his temporary retreat.
Peter turned to where Yamato was fighting Urdras. The scene in front of him would have been inspiring if not for Yamato's figure.
Yamato stood on top of a pile of demon corpses, the left side of his face warped with multiple sharp black eyes with pupils that were constantly moving. The left side of his back had a giant gray tentacle covered in spikes that had what looked like a mouth alongside it.
"Thank you for allowing me to experience this!" R'yarj's echoey voice yelled out from Yamato's back.
Urdras was trying to close in on Yamato, but the whipping of the spiked tentacle stopped her. She stared at the warped face and for a brief moment, all of the eyes stared at her, causing a chill to run down her spine.
"Scared, demon?" Yamato and R'yarj said simultaneously.
Urdras was horrified. Watching two reborn slay large groups of her allies, combined with the horrific scene before her, led to a crack in her mind that was about to be exploited.
The eye's on Yamato's face stayed focused on Urdras.
'What's this?' R'yarj spoke in Urdras's mind. 'A demon scared of a demon? I wonder how deep this fear goes?'
Urdras felt her mind being ripped apart. She fell to her knees and started picturing an illusion. She was chained up in a dimly lit stone room with Moloch's smiling face in front of her.
"I'm glad Satan finally agreed to ally with me," The illusory Moloch said. "I no longer need to deal with your fool of a lord."
Urdras pictured herself being tortured for hours by Moloch. As the torture continued the walls of the room around her started to be replaced by Moloch's smiling face. These thoughts paralyzed her, giving Yamato an opening to decapitate her.
'I hope this was worth it, vessel,' R'yarj said in Yamato's head.
Yamato put his hand up to the left side of his face and burned the eyes with lightning magic. His face and back returned to normal.
'This crack won't disappear, vessel.' R'yarj said. 'See you again soon,' He laughed.
Peter, Hyou, and William rushed to assist Yamato. Peter had told the two healers that they needed to help Yamato immediately.
The demons continued to spill into Bolotano. The first wave of demons had been effectively handled, leading to a strong start for the resistance. However, as things continued, the resistance's momentum would start to give out.