Davarious First Born Light of the Autumn Wind:
The Miltis Empire started this war but as sure as I existed we'd be the ones to end it. They had numbers and preparation on their side but they had never seen power on the scale of ours before. Sunrise of the second day since their invasion, if all went to plan by tomorrow evening they'd be scattered and ready to be removed from the continent entirely. You may think that's quite fast and the answer would be yes because that was the point. If a bug bit you, you wouldn't stand and watch it slowly nibble at you, no you'd slap that thing off in a fury. Consider it the same.
Together with my father and grandfather we stood at the frontlines of the battlefield. Along the borders between the Country of Iron and the demonside two powerful armies lined against each other. The Miltis Empire's forces here numbered over one hundred thousand while ours only just over twenty. It was similar with the other fields of war that the humans found themselves in. Time permitted we could equal them but numbers weren't everything and our foe would soon see that.
The Heroes were for the first time since they got here quite far from me. They had their own mission to liberate the hostages in a major town within the Klerical Kingdom. I was glad they weren't here, this type of battle wasn't suited to their kindness. Tens of thousands would die today and many of them by my hand. Perhaps the Heroes had rubbed off on me and I felt more guilt than usual, but if it was for my people, I would truly become the Demon Lord.
The Miltis Empire had a standard formation of soldiers pitted against us. With so many of them they would be planning to draw out the battle and force us to lose strength. As the battle continued they'd send their reserve fighters in to steadily take out our tired ones. It was a sound tactic, of course assuming that your opponent wasn't much stronger than yourself. My army had the combined forces of the Dragonkin, Orcs and Fay with minor support from the other races. Leading them was General Grim-tooth and Ever-bell with General Dragonmaw and Mercer, Marker's father, as extra combatants.
The armies glared at each other across the field of grass between them. The Miltis Empire had multiple races within their ranks, demon and human. While majority where human I had to give a begrudging respect that they could make them work together side by side.
A voice boomed from their army, "To the Demon Lord and his army, we ask you retreat your men. This is your last chance, else you face the wrath of the Miltis Empire!" A cheer erupted from them and their soldiers stomped the ground while bashing their shields.
I flew into the sky with my grandfather and propelled my voice even louder, "Soldiers of the Miltis Empire, I will give you this chance to surrender. Fight against us and you will lose. All those who lay down your arms and retreat will be treated fairly as prisoners of war. No harm will come to you. For those who remain, you place your lives at risk." I released my mana and emanated a fearful aura, "If you do not heed my words, you'll have to forgive me for being impolite."
Their reply was as I expected. The soldiers began to chant and stamp the ground releasing an impressive display. Their moral was incredibly high. Why would it not be? They were part of the world's strongest nation whose armies had never faced a full defeat.
I sighed and turned to my grandfather, "Shall we take them down a peg?"
He stretched his fingers and cracked his neck, "Allow me to go first." An enormous amount of mana gathered inside him and he raised his staff to the sky. "I Quinton Void Bearer of the Autumn Wind pronounce this first strike!" A rift opened far above our heads and revealed a world of pitch black, from it something began to fall and as it escaped the rift the Miltis Empire's chant halted. A meteor spanning a hundred metres bore down at them. They quickly scrambled their defences and as the huge rock came down a barrier stopped it mid-air.
I smiled, at least they were putting up some fight. Below us I could sense the efforts of hundreds of magicians combining together to hold back the meteor. Individually they weren't much but together they did indeed hold some capability. The Empire cheered once more as the rock stopped in place.
"My turn now," I also raised my staff to the sky and a second rift opened. "Let's see how they fare with two." A meteor of equal size fell from the sky and crashed into the barrier beside my grandfather's. For a small moment the magic held but all at once it collapsed and the huge mounds of earth crushed those beneath it before exploding and sending chunks of rock in all directions doing even more damage. I scowled at the loss of life. Just how many people had I killed? Regardless I couldn't let it hold me back now.
It was chaos as the broken meteors disappeared into wisps of mana. Their army's formation had broken and injured soldiers were screaming. There was a flash from below and in a sudden leap three men wearing gilded silver armour appeared in front of us.
"Impressive Demon Lord," one said. "But now you face us, Knights of the Empire! Chosen by the Emperor himself even you will not be able to-," Just as I was thinking of shutting him up a spear wielding Dragonkin sprang from the ground between us and with a single swing swatted the would be assailants into the ground.
"Do not dare speak to our Lord with that tongue," Lana spat out to them disregarding the fact that they were far from earshot now.
"Thank you Lana, I'll leave them to you," I said, "That is if they're not already dead…."
"Then if I do well will you take me as your-,"
I cut her off bluntly, "Lana time and place."
"Sorry my Lord," she flew down as the Empires Knights struggled to stand back up. They were in for a bad day. Still they had survived a full forced swing from Lana which was concerning in itself.
On the ground a man wearing thick golden armour riding a pure white stallion sped across Miltis Empire's line. He was yelling for them to get back into formation and prepare to charge. Something about how we'd be weak now after using that magic. That we were pathetic and cowardly and didn't stand a chance against the Empire's might. From the looks of it he must be the officer in charge.
I raised my arm in signal and a single arrow shot out from our army. It was a shot over a kilometre away but the arrow struck true right in between the officer's thick golden plates and gouged into his neck. He fell to the ground dead as his horse flew into a wild panic. The Miltis Empire was silent.
I cleared my throat and let my voice fill the air, "I shall give you one last chance to surrender. You have seen but a small portion of our power. Do not make the same mistake again." There was no chanting or stomping, just a silent fear that spread through their ranks. Their moral had been broken, even with their number advantage they would crumble.
"Grandpa I'll leave this to you," I prepared to take off.
He smiled viciously, "Don't worry. We'll show them the meaning of true fear and force them to regret ever coming here."
"Just don't go too far…." Jeez is that what I looked like when I smiled? So evil…, "I'm off to check on the others." With that I flew off over the enemy's army.
Alicia:
One hour elapsed since the beginning of our counter attack against the Miltis Empire. We didn't see it however as we floated in the sky above our target town. Garr had managed to master Dave's cloud magic and we were currently patiently waiting for the right chance. The town's name was Luxberg, a hub for all the villages and trading between the Country of Iron and the Klerical Kingdom. It was surrounded by a sturdy stone wall and had a population of about ten thousand. Our mission was a simple one. Save the townsfolk, reform the guard and kick the Miltis Empire out of town. From there we were to maintain our position and wait for the frontline to reach us. With no fall back the Miltis Empire would be forced back across the border. At least that was the plan.
We were all strangely nervous and the reason was quite obvious. This was the first time Dave wasn't with us. We couldn't rely on him to bail us out in case anything went wrong. Not that we needed him… but seeing him around, even for me it had some comfort to it.
Garr who had been in a meditative state opened his eyes, "I'm done."
"What are we dealing with?" Carl asked him.
"I've scanned the town. Almost all the townsfolk have been forced into the town centre and are being monitored by the Empire's soldiers. The problem is the ones who aren't there. The children and some women are being kept locked inside the mayor's manor but there also seems to be some interference by another magician there."
"Look at you, you're almost as good as Dave," I slapped him in the back.
"Nah, he could have done it much faster," he shook his head. "Carl, so what's our plan of attack?"
Carl rubbed his chin in thought, "How many soldiers?"
"Outside the town there's close to five thousand that look like they're preparing to leave, inside the town there's just over a thousand. Most are spread around the hostages."
"And their commander?"
"Most likely in the mansion."
"I see…," he turned to me, "Alicia what do you think?"
"Me?" I asked surprised. "I'm no good with tactics, just tell me who to punch and where to do it and I'll be there. What about Sayuri?"
At my words she jumped, "Oh sorry I wasn't really paying attention."
Garr sighed, "Hey now, this is serious. We don't have time to be daydreaming about Dave."
Her brow knitted with a slight blush, "I wasn't daydreaming. I'm just worried he's taking everything on himself again."
Garr and I shared a glance. We knew what he was doing. Even at our capability we knew just how destructive we could be. Honestly I don't think even a few hundred of them could hurt me. I could plough straight through them like I was eating cake and if I didn't hold back they would die. Dave didn't want us to dirty our hands so he was sending us to place where we could still help but not where we'd be forced to kill anyone.
"I'm sure he's fine whatever he's doing," I laughed. "It's Dave you know?"
"Exactly," Garr backed me up. "He makes the Heroes on TV look like ants."
"I know…," Sayuri shook herself. "Let's do what we can here!"
"Right, about that," Carl pulled out a pocket watch. "The allied armies should have started their attack. The first of the Empire's army will be making a retreat. Our job is to make sure they have nowhere to run to. We'll do this quickly and concisely. Alicia, and I will hit the town centre. We'll secure them and set up a barrier. Gary you head to the main gate and make sure it can close. Sayuri you'll be in charge of whatever's inside the mansion. If possible get their commander and we'll use him as leverage to kick them out of the town. If that doesn't work while I defend the townsfolk, the rest of you will just have to throw them out by force. Understand?"
"Yes sir!" Garr saluted him and I hit him on reflex.
"Good. Get us close and we'll drop from above."
"I'm so glad we don't have to go through another sewer system," I said thankfully.
We prepared ourselves and tightened our armour. Gary began a count down and as he hit zero the cloud hurtled downwards. If it were me of the past I would have been sick but Dave had forced me to get over it…. I still needed to get him back for that one. As we neared the town the cloud burst apart and we freely fell. Sayuri kicked off the air towards the mansion while Gary flew towards the main gate. I grabbed Carl's hand and together we sped straight down.
Just as we reached roof height Carl and I both released a shockwave of mana and landed neatly in the centre between the hostages. The soldiers were shocked at our sudden appearance but we didn't let them mull it over. I punched my fists together with a vicious smile,
"It's play time!" I leaped towards the closest soldier and threw him the edge of the town centre. Carl did the same and we began to rapidly clear the space of any guards. It was so easy, their bodies almost had no resistance as a slight punch shot them far away. Finally one of them reacted properly and grabbed a nearby women,
"Stop or I'll ki-." Carl appeared and slapped him in the back of the neck. He slumped to the ground.
With a powerful thrust Carl stabbed his sword into the ground, "Sanctuary!" A shimmer of blue light erupted from him and a barrier flushed out around the town centre. All that was left was to remove the last few of the Empire's soldiers. I rushed forward and punched a man wearing gilded silver armour. He grabbed my fist.
"How weak," he scoffed and tried to bend my arm back. His expression twisted as I didn't move and instead let out a joyful grin.
"Looks like I won't have to hold back on you." I pulled my other hand back and gave him a good solid wallop. His armour cratered inwards as he shot out of the barrier and gouged throughthe paved road…. Perhaps I hit him a little too hard. Another armoured man remained inside the barrier, he rushed towards Carl. I appeared between them and with a kick sent him flying out as well.
"Area secure," I declared with a thumbs up.
"Good," Carl smiled under strain. "Help the others and get rid of them. I can only hold this for two hours tops."
"On it!" I jumped out from the barrier and was greeted by three men wearing silver armour. Interestingly the two I hit were among them. Apparently they could take more punishment.
"We are the Emperors chosen knights!" they declared as one. "For the Empire you will-,"
They were interrupted as suddenly the mansion's windows were shattered and soldiers were thrown out. Many of them looked high ranking and all of them were unconscious. In no time at all Sayuri kicked open the front door holding a knife to a pig like man's throat. I clapped my hands together in recognition. It was the pig commander from Sasren, what were the chances!
"Put down you're weapons or your commander's life will end!" Sayuri yelled in a commanding and slightly evil tone.
"S-save me! You Knights, I am your commander do something!" he gasped and squealed but the Knights just looked at him coldly. Hmm this wasn't good. It seemed like the Knights had more power over the soldiers, if they said so they'd continue to fight, the pig on the other hand…. I made up my mind.
"Soldiers of the Empire do no-," one of the knights began but I flashed in front of him and clogged his head into the ground. Before the others could react I did the same to them.
I cleared my throat and smiled, "Soldiers of the Empire get out or your commander gets it."
They paled at the overwhelming power we displayed and looked towards the pig.
The pig blanched, "E-everyone put down your arms! That's an order! My life is worth more alive." One by one they dropped their weapons in a clatter and raised their arms.
"Good now gather your men and get out before we decide to start killing people," I released a surge of my power adding a fearful tinge. It was a bit too much as the closest few soldiers fainted.
Everything went better than expected. Garr secured the wall, the reinforcements were kept outside and just as the last of the Empire's soldiers left the town a huge cheer erupted from the town's guard.
"Thank you Heroes!" the Guard captain screamed for joy, "Just thinking about what could have happened without you… it brings a tear to my eye."
"Right…," I edged away from him as he cried. Not what I expected from a 2 metre tall giant of a man. "Will you be able to keep them out?"
The mayor nodded, "We should be able as long as it's just them. When they attacked us before our gates were wide open and we could do nothing to stop them but with your help we'll last as long as we need to."
"Good," Carl smiled. "We'll leave that to you. If anything happens call us immediately. Until then the enemy Commander and us need to have a chat."
We left the town's guard to attend the walls and moved into the Mayor's office. Strapped to a chair was the pig. He was red from anger and frustration but as we walked inside he paled.
"Hello again," Sayuri said almost sadistically. "I'm sure you remember me."
"The Hero of this land," he spat with false courage, "I didn't expect there to be four of you."
"Well surprise, surprise," I leaned closer to him and narrowed my eyes. "Now either you give me a good reason why I shouldn't crush your skull in my hands or I'll let's see… crush your skull in my hands."
"Y-your threats won't work on me!"
Garr laughed, "Really? You just made all your soldiers leave for your own life. Now start talking, what is the Miltis Empire planning?"
"The deaths of you and all your leaders!" he struggled in the chair. "You may have me beaten but the Emperor's might will crush you all. I myself have conquered-,"
"Ah ah ah," I lightly pinched his head with my hand, "We didn't ask you for theatrics. We want troop movements, numbers and just what you guys are packing."
The pig had surprisingly strong backbone and shook his head "I'll never-,"
Carl drew his sword and placed it against his shoulder, "Come to think of it, we owe you for hurting a friend of ours. Perhaps we'll start with that and then do our Q and A. Of course that's up to you."
"I-I give," he was sweating bullets. Apparently he was actually as weak as I thought he was. "Our armies amount to over 350 thousand and we have with us enough siege weapons to reduce all your cities to rubble. If you beg for forgiveness now the Empire may still forgive you. I-I can even talk to him personally so if you just lower your sword-,"
"We're not begging anyone," I squeezed his head again. "You must have something up your sleeves. What is it?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." He obviously did. Just as Dave conjectured, they were hiding something powerful. This Commander was an idiot but the Empire as a whole wouldn't plan an attack without an almost guaranteed victory.
"Just spit it out," Carl pressed his sword in harder.
"Look all I know is-." A beating drum resounded loudly from outside. Its power was intense and the air seemed to vibrate.
"What is that?" Garr asked to no one.
The pig started to laugh, "You're all doomed. You may have beaten our Empire's Chosen Knights but you are no match for him! He is our angel, descended from the lands beyond and he will spell your deaths. He is the most powerful, the one and only He-,"
I slapped his neck to shut him up. His body slumped over. The others looked at me. "What? He was annoying. Let's just go see what the disturbance is and talk to this pig later."
Carl sighed and sheathed his sword, "Did you really need to knock him out?"
"Of course I did," I smiled back innocently.
"…."
The beating became louder. We didn't have time for idle chatter and went to the walls to see the commotion. The Empire's soldiers had formed themselves quite far from the town but between us and them was an odd contraption being held up by four men. The beating sound was coming from the drummers in front of it.
"That's a palanquin," Sayuri said confused.
"For who though?" Garr's expression twisted, "I don't like it. The mana around it feels weird."
"Regardless we'll have to deal with it," Carl leaped off the wall and we joined him. "Whoever or whatever it is, don't let them near the town. We've handled a lot worse, we can do this."
"Of course we can," I punched my gauntlets together excitedly as we approached them. It had been ages since we had a proper fight.
The drummers stopped as we reached them and the palanquin was lowered to the ground. The curtain was pulled back and a young man stepped out. I immediately frowned. This was the type of guy I hated. A pretty boy with a good body but his entire person emanated absolute confidence. As if his every action was the work of a god. He turned to us with shocking blue eyes and brushed away his black locks.
"A welcome party for me?" even his voice was haughty. "The two men can leave but you girls can stay. If you get on your knees I'll make you part of my personal concubines."
"Concubines!?" I growled angrily, "Just who the hell do you think you are punk?"
"Oh a feisty one?" He made a disgusting smile, "How charming."
Carl stepped forward with a surprising anger, "I'd appreciate if you were a bit more civil. If you're part of the Miltis Empire I recommend you leave at once or else I'll have to make you."
"What, the four of you beat me?" he scoffed, "Of course I'm part of the Empire. You could say I'm the Empire itself."
"So you're the Emperor?" Garr asked dubiously.
"No, I am much, much more important," he grinned.
"Sure you are…," I sighed. Not only was he a jerk but I was getting a real crazy vibe from him now.
"I am the conqueror of worlds. Women bow down to please me and men aspire to be me!" Yep this guy was definitely crazy.
"Are you done?" Garr asked pityingly, "Because if we're going to fight I'd rather do it now than listen to you yapper on."
He frowned, "You dare challenge me?"
"Are you stupid?"
"Fine, I accept. But the girls may leave, it would be misfortunate for their pretty faces to be harmed. After all I dislike playing with damaged goods."
"Okay that's it you're dead!" I released my mana furiously. "I don't know who you think you are but we're the Heroes of this land so either take your words back now or prepare to have your head rammed so far into the earth you'll be craving air for the next thousand years!"
"You, Heroes?" he laughed, "Pathetic." A tremendous amount mana rippled through him and the four of us flinched. Mana wise this guy had more than Dave. "My name is Daisuke Sato and I am the Hero of this world!"
"So he is Japanese," Sayuri said bitterly. Which meant that like us he was summoned as a Hero… this could be a little rough but four vs one, what could go wrong?