“Earth splitter!”

Brandon’s sword swelled with red energy as he leapt off of the platform, diving head first into the herald. The spindly ends of its trunk swayed, shooting out an entire forest’s worth of needles into the sky.

“Dude!” Rayse followed quickly, shooting out scale shots to intercept the white branches coming their way. White splinters pelted the pair, but it was not enough to deter them, as Rayse and Brandon dove in tandem into the massive tree below them.

Rayse felt the waves of power from Brandon’s blade mounting with every foot they plummeted. Soon, they would be in the middle of the enemy forces. The herald lurched, twisting its massive trunk to intercept them. Rayse pulled back a little, contorting his body so he could give his friend a foothold.

“Go!”

He maneuvered directly behind Brandon, bracing up against his feet as he shouted a spell.

“Shield charge!”

He let go of the shield as it drove Brandon even faster towards the ground. Soon, he was in the midst of the herald’s canopy, causing a series of snaps as sharpened wood tried to assail him.

“Steel Curtain!”

The shield’s scales broke off, forming a sort of tunnel with Brandon in the middle. It protected him from the branches. It gave him a clear shot at the main body. The entire trunk moved once again, meeting his friend head on.

Thunk.

Brandon’s attack found purchase, but it didn’t have the effect he expected. It was natural, as a lot of the power of his attack has been diminished by the sheer number of needles he had to block to get there. Of course, this didn’t deter him at all.

“Oh no you don’t!” Brandon shouted, before, amazingly, even more mana was poured into his blade.

“World splitter!!!”

Brandon’s sword, already powered by his previous spell, swelled with even more energy, enough that it dwarfed the very herald they were facing. The sheer amount of mana enabled him to cleave through the herald, splitting him in two. Rayse, suspended in the air holding his spear, mentally pushed against his shield to aid his friend even more, accelerating the process.

Snaaaaaap!

The massive tree fell in two large pieces, crushing some of the demons at its base. With it being larger than most buildings, this did considerable damage to the lesser trees in its vicinity, not to mention the new batch of emissaries that had just been teleported in. Brandon stood at the heart of the destruction wearing a wide grin despite breathing heavily. The sword stayed lodged in the herald’s remains, back to its normal size. This was when Rayse finally decided he would drop down, wary of the enemy’s counterattack while his friend was recovering. 

“Hey, you okay?” He asked as he landed, keeping  up the steel curtain and staying vigilant. The enemy was in disarray, but they were still at the heart of their forces.

“Hooooh, hoooh,” His friend gasped, taking as much air in with each breath as if he would run out. “Y-yeah, I’ll be fine.”

Rayse was looking back at him, confirming his condition, when he noticed something strange.

“Bran, is that–” He pointed incredulously at a section on one of the fallen pieces, where a reddish-amber glow could be seen. The light pulsated at regular intervals, showering the immediate area in a familiar glow.

“Shit!” Rayse leapt, finally recognizing the telltale sign of someone being teleported. He pole vaulted with his spear, leaving his shield to protect his recuperating friend as he made a mad dash for what he believed to be the herald’s heart. He didn’t know how deep within the wood the heart would be, but he took aim anyway. Still in mid air, he aimed his attack  downwards, deep into the corrupted wood.

“Valiant shot!” He loosed it just as the lights reached its pinnacle, forcing him to squint. He sent a mental push towards his weapon in an attempt to speed it up.

Ting!

Unfortunately, the sound he heard was not one he had expected. Sailing over the area completely, Rayse had to rub his eyes a few times before he could see the aftermath of his attack, only to raise his guard up in alarm.

The light has subsided, in its place a massive shadow. A large, rotund body full of muscles, and fangs. Irregular appendages that held back his spear with an assortment of makeshift arms. Two of the thickest arms held Unbroken along the shaft, stopping its advance completely before snapping it in two like one of the branches on the floor. Even more teeth could be seen as the demon began to smile, a gaping, horrific maw splitting from the middle of what he at first mistook was its belly. A guttural laugh emerged, chilling Rayse even more.

“Hee hee hee hee!” 

The herald of agony has arrived.

__________________________________

The black fireball swallowed up both man and throne. Even the blade retracted, allowing Vaynard land on the ground. He craned his neck, wound completely healed, as he and Aleph looked at the burning silhouette of the one they assumed to be the demon king.

“I greet you, demon king of Pride.” Vaynard bowed at the burning mass, mockingly greeting it as it did him. The ground beneath them shook, as if an earthquake could flow through this strange place.

Plop. Plop. Plop. The light pitter-patter of rain followed, extinguishing the black flames in a shower of murky waters. Aleph felt the liquid pelting him, staining his gear and body. He brought up a hand and rubbed some free of him, inspecting the liquid by the dying embers of Vaynard’s attack.

? It was a strange, oil-like consistency. It was viscous, but it clung to his hand as soon as he brushed against it. He wanted to inspect it further, but a voice interrupted his thoughts.

“What brings you here, o foolish king?” The synthetic sounding voice was back, but it came from an unexpected direction. Aleph jumped back as spikes of liquid assailed them from multiple directions, converging in Vaynard’s position. 

A series of sickening splatters followed, scattering noble blood upon the bedrock. The demon king droned on, its dispassionate tone belying the violent attack it just committed.

“Such callousness I cannot abide.”

More dark figures silently moved from all directions, surrounding the pair as if sprouting from the ground. Each had one arm outstretched, thinning to form the jets of inky water that had stabbed Vaynard. Aleph had heard about it, but seeing the identical featureless humanoids sculpted from water gave him a heavy sense of foreboding.

“You should have stayed in your fortress and awaited my Father.” Again, the threats it uttered was a stark contrast against its neutral tone. 

“Force shimmer!” Aleph held his hands out, creating a light blue barrier from thin air. It hummed to life, destroying the connection between the figures and the spikes that held his friend in place. He flopped down to the floor, this time falling to one knee.

“I had that under control, Aleph.” He growled, but a second later he was fine. Even his armor, which had been repeatedly punctured through, looked immaculate. It even glowed faintly, mixing with the soft light of Aleph’s spell to give the king an almost holy sheen. It finally revealed their opponent, the strange creatures seemingly sculpted from mud.

Superbia, as ever, sounded unimpressed.

“Away from me, godling. Father has earmarked you for his glorious coming.”

A rushing tide came out of nowhere, crashing forcefully upon his barrier. They held firm, emerging unharmed.

“Summon him, then. It has been millenia since I last destroyed a vessel of his.”

The demon king, copies and all, stopped and turned. They craned their neck due West, as if staring at something they couldn’t see. Then, as one they turned back, faces twisted into a dreadful mask of rage.

“Uh oh.” Vaynard said, before pushing Aleph away. 

Krshhhh!

Bolts of lightning gathered from the copies to one in particular, unleashing it at Aleph’s barrier. It tore through his force shimmer like a lie, sending a massive wave of energy at the two of them. 

He felt the static travel dangerously across his soaked armor, so he immediately roused his mana to release them. Next, he turned to the closest copy of Superbia, punching a hole through its liquid body.

Its demonic face just turned to him, hands crackling with power. Aleph roused his energy again.

“Force blow!”

The power of the attack completely obliterated the creature. Black liquid scattered as Aleph turned to his next target, only to see more of them coming at him. Vaynard was back on his side in an instant, body smoking from the repeated attacks.

“Do you think we can kill this guy quickly?” His ragged breathing turned even, returning to normal mid sentence. Aleph took quick stock of their states, assessing their situation. Superbia was tricky to fight, but he was quickly adjusting to it. He scanned the bedrock, feeling for the thing he sensed before it began to rain. He felt a faint thumping on the ground, like a beating heart was embedded in the dirt.

There. He thought, triumphant, slowly peeling back the mysteries of this strange place. Both he and Vaynard were still in their optimal states, and with enough time–

Guys? I need help over here. Lacey’s mental transmission echoed out. It was followed by a chill in the air, as if they were dropped to the bottom of the ocean.

Tap, tap, tap. Steps echoed in the bedrock. Aleph roused his mana in response, releasing his strength in all its glory. Bright blue light enveloped the heart of the black sea, so bright that it cut through the turbid water and was visible to the outside.

“Godling. You shouldn’t be here.” Lost’s voice echoed out. Her armor clashed bleakly against the light as if refusing to reflect the glow from Aleph’s mana. 

Aleph silently prepared for battle. Their ambush failed, but this was bound to happen. He has placed each of their assets to their optimal battlefield. All that’s left is to find out if they were enough.