The petty guy John was cursing was battling the demons at Hydrurond's Southern Front.
Earlier, Jack was ready to rush at Satan when he came out of Chris' portal. But after flying around, he was surprised not to see Satan anywhere on the battlefield. When he went and asked Tip at the mobile fortress, Tip informed him Satan had been absent since a couple of days ago.
The absence could have been a prime opportunity to cut down the number of the demon troops, but it turned out it was easier said than done. Satan's army was composed of many high-level demons. The defenders had also suffered many casualties after the prolonged battle. Even without Satan, they could only hold the demon army at a stalemate.
Eoranth was not available. He suffered a grave wound several days earlier from his battle with Satan. He had retreated to heal. Honuren was also wounded at the same time as Eoranth, but his wound wasn't as grave. After one day of rest, he returned to the front line.
