Dawn of the Void

Chapter 141: The three big D's

Chapter 141: The three big D's

They emerged into the bailey.

Jelly immediately flew down, sword-arms whirling. And? We got a plan? Whats next?

Youre going to like it, Jelly,said James, but refused to elaborate.

They all mounted up. Jessica re-inserted her Omni into her Somnia, whose gaunt, elegant frame shuddered to life and raised its head.

Listen, everyone. It was Yadriel who spoke, seated on his Wing. So Im the number one guy here with the most experience doing demon shit. We gotta be purposeful about what we do out there. Demonic Form is as tight as the demon you copying. And we all know theres one bad-ass motherlover out there whos worth gettin close to.

By Odins spear, said Olaf. You really want -

Dude! Yadriel grimaced. Dont nobody say by Odins spear. Get the fuck outta here.

Olaf frowned. Grugnir was the greatest weapon, and in the Icelandic sagas -

Yadriel clucked his tongue dismissively. I got a bigger spear than Odin, any day of the week. My point is, we gotta get close to that white kid and steal his form. All of us.

Shit, hes right, said Serenity. Ive never even used that Benediction. How do you, ah, imprint on a demon?

Yadriel clucked his tongue again. Its easy. You just rock up to that bitch and activate the Benediction while thinking about taking his shape and powers. But its gotta be mano-a-mano range, you feel me? No shankin him from a mile away.

Agreed, said James. Good thinking, Yadriel. So heres our plan. Were gonna form a wedge and fly right at the demon kid. Keep high, drain infernum as we go, and then imprint on him before killing him. Dont waste time. Hes not powerful enough to stop us, but theres no need to get sloppy out there. Clear?

Everyone nodded.

Ill provide support, said Jessica. I dont have access to your Benedictions, so.

Sounds good. James willed his Wing to rise. Lets go see how our angel buddies are doing.

They lifted up over the castle wall and gazed out upon a spectacle.

From horizon to horizon golden portals were shimmering into existence and disgorging Host Angels. Millions were emerging at a time, a good four miles from the battlements, and feeding themselves into the back of an ocean of angels who were doing their damnedest to fight the forces opposing them.

Arrows darkened the air. Blades of fire flickered like starfields. But theyd activated the deeper ranks of the demons, forces even more powerful than the obsidian elementals, and these were wrecking their shit with impunity.

James urged his Wing to speed forward and activated Eye of the Needle as he did so. The battle leaped into close focus. He saw black-robed figures whose faces were hidden under large cowls unleashing torrents of green flame upon the angels, who died screaming and melting beneath the assaults. He saw black spheres the size of bowling balls that gleamed as if highly polished simply shooting through the angelic ranks and annihilating everything they touched as if they were made of antimatter. Hundreds of huge elementals strode through the ranks, while the remnants of the front ranks battled desperately against the millions of angels who stood like a mosh pit, crushed together by their own numbers.

Circles, Shields, Light, Armor, Bucklers, called out James. Lets gain some altitude. He turned around. Jessica! Its too crazy out here for you. Stay in the castle with the Castrum!

Got it! The Somnia had vaulted over the walls like a kid might a field fence, but now it backed away from the madness. Good luck!

James pushed for ever more height, climbing at a steep gradient, and soon wisps of cloud appeared beneath them, the details of the battle hard to make out without a Benediction. When theyd gained something like a thousand five hundred feet he leveled off.

How do you know where the demon is? shouted Jason, pulling up alongside.

I dont. Hell find us once we go far enough.

Jason nodded and dropped back into formation.

They flew on. War raged on below. Mile after mile of war. It was surreal. James had thought hed seen slaughter on the streets of Earth, but what was unspooling below was on a different scale altogether. It was so vast in scope that it felt more unreal than surreal, even, in that he couldnt wrap his mind around what was taking place.

So he kept his gaze locked ahead, watching the shreds of cloud part and unfurl as he skimmed through them, searching, ever searching.

Till at last - there.

The demon kid was waiting. Hands linked behind his back, robes blowing in the wind, chin chucked.

The sphere was the size of a softball. It punched clear through Serenitys head, shearing through armor and her Protective Circle with ease.

James activated Martyrs Cry. Pain blinded him, his head suddenly feeling like it was cloven in two, but Healing Grace washed away the pain a second later.

James blinked. The demon was gone, but Serenity was back, scowling and twisting about as she sought their prey.

The fuck?! she shouted as he drew closer. This thing is way tougher!

James simply sped past her, knowing shed fall in with him. Rounded another lightning bolt and saw Olaf falling through the sky toward them, his head gone, blood gouting out into the wind.

James was too late to trigger Martyrs Cry - this would take a Resurrection - but then Olafs head re-appeared, his expression shocked as gold light faded away, and James recalled the big mans Animus Sola was in his Wing with its ability to heal him.

The battle field was fucked. There were too many massive black lightning bolts just littering up the place, breaking line of sight, making it impossible to get a sense of what was going on. If James could find the demon youth hed drop him again, but the bastard was flitting around the battle field with teleport faster than he could keep track, and with his Spiritual Exaltation sense befouled -

One of the huge black lightning bolts fell apart, bolts of electricity fizzing out into the air to reveal an Archangel.

Like the first he was some ten feet tall, his frame Olympic in muscular perfection, bare chested with a massively corded neck. His wings of sooty black beat powerfully against the storm winds, and his mane of black hair blew about him fitfully.

His striking visage betrayed satisfaction as he finished tearing the lightning bolt apart, and for a moment his gaze met Jamess. The Archangel nodded and turned to the next bolt.

But more angels were appearing.

Archangels by the dozens, hurling their Herculean forms against the lightning bolts. As the lightning bolts collapsed, the air cleared, and James saw the demon youth drawing back, eyes wide at the sight of so many Archangels at work.

Here and there James saw his companions - they were scattered through the sky, some nursing damaged Wings, Jason having abandoned his altogether in favor of his own flight.

The demon youth raised one palm toward the sky and it filled rapidly with a black sphere that grew until it was the size of a beachball, its surface crackling with purple bolts, and then four more appeared above it, forming an inverted pyramid, then sixteen more atop those.

The Archangels ceased their work and turned to regard the demon with dour expressions.

With a cry the child hurled his attack, and James felt a hurricane blast of Infernum blast past them all in a shockwave of raw power.

The Archangels as one closed their sooty wings about themselves, hiding their forms completely, and spheres of translucent gold appeared about their forms.

The black spheres sped forth and slammed into the angels. The golden auras exploded violently as the spheres punched through and the Archangels perished, their forms wracked with pain as the blackness sank into them as if their bodies were water and the spheres made of lead.

As one they disappeared, destroyed.

Ha, breathed the demon youth, chest heaving, black blood running from his nostrils and the corners of his eyes. Ha.

We good? shouted James. We get the imprints?

Not yet! shouted Kerim. Denzel also shook his head.

We summon more? yelled Olaf from the far side.

The demon youth smacked both palms together. His eyes began to bug out, his hair to blow like a rippling halo about his head, and then his form began to distend, as if his skin were made of rubber and a dozen new demon kids were suddenly trying to climb up on out of him.

Yeah, croaked Serenity, staring at the bulging, writhing monstrosity. Lets summon some more.

James took a deep breath. Lets each call a Dominion. Actually -

He cut off as Denzel gave a cry and flew at the demon child, Kerim right behind them. They were clearly intent on getting just close enough to imprint, a score of yards, but Jamess gut clenched with a terrible premonition.

Everyone on me! Summon Dominions, go!

Each of them could summon three of the big Ds, but James had just time to invoke one when the demon child exploded.