Egere was not a devil that believed in making mistakes. Well, no devil was. But he did know that every wrong move was an incentive to make the right one. Devils were too perfect to make such flaws.
But such perfection was not to be expected of such lesser beings. That's why the word second chance was invented in Taursa.
The Devil sighed as he stared at the corpse of the dead demon king at its feet.
"Unfortunately, you didn't have the chance to make the right choice anymore" he looked up to the mountain tops on both sides of his army while an annoyed expression crossed his face.
"Fine. I'll do it myself." dismounting the frost devil stretched his limbs. His eyes taking in the gathered troops of glistening armors that lined the mountains. Then appraised the ones that had marched down in front of his army. Yet he could not find the leader.
'Where could you be?' he wondered.
A low but sharp whistle spurred the black-furred Silver hound ahead. It raced through his army which parted to give way to the terrifying canine.
Once it was clear of the army it sped through the gap towards the army of knights that barely moved nor reacted.
With a burst of wind, it pounced on the first line of armor.
Egere gaped as the line parted like a river letting the hound through before arranging to obscure the sight. He could see no pieces of armor or body parts flying. Just the sound of growls and barks and steel shuffling.
The hound suddenly burst out of the ranks airborne and soared straight back to his demons. Yet before it landed it was suddenly halted midair. Egere noted the drafts of wind holding it up. Before he could make a move or even think about whatever was ongoing a sudden spurt of air smashed the demon wolf into his demons.
Egere scowled at the sound of breaking bones and smashing skulls. None, fortunately from his poor pet. Getting one of these silver hounds was hard enough in Taursa.
His eyes flashed a deeper purple, his fist raised as he roared.
" Kill!"
The demons like wild dogs unleashed on their prey darted forward. The bloodthirsty creatures of the fourth realm screamed with glee as they raced for the knights in their splendid armors. Their desire to gut and tear out their entrails and flesh almost overwhelmed what reasoning their race had.
Egere uncaring walked to his bruised and bloodied pet soothing it with a pat as it whined from its injuries.
His attention barely shifted even as the sound of armor against flesh echoed in the valley. The brown soil of the valley instantly stained with black blood as the tungsten blades flashed down, instantly cutting through meat and bone in tandem.
The demons fell and the next ones jumped forward with a mad glee that would have shaken the knights if not for one fact.
Living armors were unbound to emotions. Shock, panic, fear, courage, bravery, pain, sadness all those emotions were ineffective. All the armors knew was duty and the command.
And now, the command was simple.
Kill any in the most effective ways in their arsenal.
*
Daedalus watched from far behind in the tanks of Zeukites. Their movements were smooth and unlike the Aegites their skills were deadly. He watched them now through the demons like farmers reaping wheat.
Daedalus blood boiled for combat but he wasn't in synergy with the Zeukites' battle rhythm. He didn't wish to ruin it.
Which left only one thing. His eyes moved from the crass and now devolving into chaos area to find the being that looked even more deadly than the other demons.
His wings unfurled, and flapping them he rose moving straight to the crouched entity.
Egere looked up at the sound of beating wings taking his attention off his pet, the Silver Hound while still injured not any closer to death's door. His gaze found the entity hovering above him. Golden eyes that looked down on him with nothing but emptiness.
Its eyes moved over his skin like he was being studied. It irked Egere. He found himself admiring the beautiful wings that kept it afloat. A bit similar to his Kaisers but far with less grandeur.
He rose patting the hound one last time. Locking eyes with the being whose head cocked to the side as curiosity entered its golden orbs he spoke.
"You block my path to the center of this realm and my glory." he shook his head.
"Your death will bring me great joy as will corrupting your shard when you expire".
The birdlike humanoid scratched its head for a minute before shrugging.
" That was an honestly badass opening statement," he muttered. "I'm sorry it had been me hearing it". he paused. Egere noted the sight of light, annoyingly golden light weaving from nothing a beautiful sword. The metal reflected the little blue coming of the being as the being descended.
Egere frowned as he noted he was on the shorter side of the entity. Frowning he pulled forth a one-edged slightly curved blade and held it firmly in his right-hand tip pointed down.
" I'm Daedalus. " the winged birdman made a respectful bow before he looked at Egere's blade. "Nice Katana". Then subsequently ignoring the devil's confusion he raised his sword and charged.
*
Black spires that Mariet had realized were hard ice rose from the ground making the female Elosas roll away from the spot and halting a few feet away. Her fingers waved in the air as ice petals streaked past her and blanketed the devil with a snowstorm.
While it had control over ice, a racial perk from being born of the essence from a true frost Devilless. Mariet realized her control and ice were even more powerful or precise.
An arrow whizzed past her ears as a pack of little demons rushed at her. The Elosan scoffed before turning back to the devil just as it fisted her face.
A little group of Zeutkites blocked off the demons while she crashed into the ground.
The devil appeared right next to her forging an ice stake which it brought down aiming to pierce her heart. Mariet was faster. A snowstorm whipping out of nowhere to lash unto the devil and send it rolling off the ground.
Mariet moved, her natural nimble, and dexterous body carrying her over to her prey. A dagger flashed out of nothing to strike the fallen foe. A clang of steel against steel told her the attack was stopped.
It was a devilless. Her eyes brimming with rage as she flashed a katana to the side. One look at both told Mariet what she wanted to know.
Family or couple. Her right wrist flicked and another dagger appeared. This one of ice. Then white mist blew from her feet as the ground froze and spread out.
" I apologize. Your death will be swift". the mist thickened and the Elosan goddess of ice vanished within it.
The sounds of meat getting cut and a guttural cry pierced the air. Hidden only by the sound of steel against steel as the Zeukites battled the demons.
*
XxSteller bashed a demon's head in with another demon's head. One dead the other possibly brain dead. The Daemon was uncaring, his blue eyes flashing with desire. This was what he played games for. Righteous slaughter.
His blood pumped with a rush that should not have been in any game, yet the Argonne shrugged off the irrelevant questions. Smartness and figuring things out were for others. He lived to smash and smash he would.
His eyes locked on the brutish Devil rushing at him. If the bird man could smirk then his grin would have been scary. What with the black blood already spilled on his face? It was only a wonder who the true god and devil were.
Fist met fist as a shockwave tore through the battlefield. A peal of hearty bloodthirsty laughter rang from XxSteller before he stomped the ground and sent his fist out in a right hook that sent the Devil down.
He marched up to his less-than-worthy foe blue energy warping up his arms and congealing before him. A broadaxe shimmered into being before he grabbed it from its handle and brought it down.
There was no blood or sound of flesh getting cut nor bone-crunching. Only the sizzle of something as a blue shape rose from the felled Devil. The Daemon smiled eerily as he grasped at it. The soul of the Devil, a legless entity with the same bulk as its physical form shrieked with fright as it was dragged forward, before it could be swallowed whole into the Daemon it split apart and the smaller part burned with a black fire that fizzled away. The larger soul vanished down the Argonne's beak and its eyes brightened as did its axe.
" Scrumptious". the Daemon burped ignoring the notifications in his mind. Turning to the mass of battling Ravites, Death armors of the great Freyja he learned. Hulking green entities with ethereal smoke that made even him shiver.
"Curses. What do they feed those things?". he grumbled.
His question was unanswered as a fist met the shield of a Ravite blocking a blow from a Devil to his head. Both beings staggered back. The Ravite gave him a look that he swore was an admonishment to focus before it turned to find a new opponent.
'Obviously, this one is mine. Thanks" he faced the new devil only to realize another devil was racing for them from the left.
He let out a cry of glee before his soul axe split into two smaller parts which dimmed before its wings spread. With a flap, he ascended into the skies and shot for the first Devil.