Chapter 61 - Embraced by Death

Igorus stood surrounded by the monsters he had created, his arm replaced by a writhing mass of flame. The creatures exhaled breaths thick with dark fire, their glowing eyes fixed hungrily on the angelic army before them. Drool spilled from their jaws in anticipation, as though they stood before a feast they had only ever dreamed of tasting.

"Servants of Agh'Urunda... feast upon the flesh of the gods," commanded Igorus.

At his word, the monsters took to the skies with fury, their wings scattering sparks of darkness as they hurled themselves toward the angels.

"Give Me Your Death" was the only Dominion technique that contained both Fernia and Lagus within it. It was a power that drew directly upon the divine energy of angels, their Lapis, and twisted it into a weapon against them.

The Fernia Relica could be used only six times in a lifetime, while Fernia Relica: Give Me Your Death could be used only three. It possessed no fixed attribute; rather, it adapted to all possible manifestations of Fernia. The organ that generated Fernia possessed more branching channels than those that produced Lapis or Lagus, allowing it to tap into both, though only in a limited way.

It was said that Uanamangura alone could wield all three energies freely, without limit... though that mystery would be explored in detail later in the tale.

But for ordinary Dominions, those unlike Uanamangura, there was always a price.

"Blloukh!!"

Igorus spat a mouthful of blackened blood onto the ground. His hand, slick and trembling, was stained with the same tar-like fluid.

"Damn it... if I use this technique one more time, I'll lose Fernia entirely," he growled through gritted teeth, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth as his gaze followed his creations soaring toward the angelic army.

The angels responded in force, unleashing torrents of Lapis energy from their hands and bows. The entire sky became a sea of divine light, radiant enough to illuminate the kingdom, and perhaps far beyond it.

But the monsters opened their jaws in unison and began to devour it all. They drank the Lapis as if consuming the pure, sinless souls of heaven itself. As they fed, they grew, massive and terrible, swelling to heights of nearly fifteen meters.

The angels watched in terror as their enemies transformed into embodiments of Agh'Urunda's very essence of evil. When the monsters had finished consuming every drop of Lapis that filled the sky, they descended to the earth with thunderous impact. The tremor from their landing shook the foundations of the kingdom, perhaps the very heart of the angelic realm itself.

Their movements grew more sinister; their teeth multiplied and sharpened, their claws gleamed with malevolent light. Then came the howls, horrifying, soul-tearing cries that rippled through the battlefield and chilled the spirits of even the bravest angels.

"What... what in Edin'Borghia's name are we fighting?" one of the commanders stammered, his voice trembling with fear.

"Even if Hell itself existed," said another, staring wide-eyed at the creatures, "it could never spawn monsters so terrifying."

The abominations began to soar toward the angels. The angels, wings spread wide, raised their Lapis-forged swords and charged to meet them, fear and determination burning side by side in their eyes. The creatures beat their twisted wings as they drew near, shrieking like a chorus of tortured souls. The angels struck first, their blades flashing with holy light, but it was useless. Their weapons, once mighty against demons and gods alike, could not pierce the diabolic flesh of Agh'Urunda's servants.

The two forces clashed.

Monsters tore through dozens of angels every second, ripping and devouring with savage delight. White feathers scattered like snow as claws slashed through wings. Fangs sank into limbs; legs were bitten off, arms torn apart. Bodies were shredded, skulls split open under monstrous strength. Those who fled in terror were seized midair, dragged down screaming as their flesh was ripped apart. The beasts gorged themselves on the divine, drinking blood, devouring organs, cracking bones. Angelic faces, once radiant, were crushed into unrecognizable ruin. It was a scene that no cursed imagination could ever recreate, a divine slaughterhouse painted in blood and despair.

Kaela watched, her eyes wide in disbelief. She could not comprehend what she was seeing, could not accept that gods could be butchered so mercilessly.

"Haah! RYAA!!" cried one commander, fighting desperately as he dodged the claws and fangs of a beast. He drove his sword deep into the creature's chest and gasped, "I got him! Haah—!?"

The monster looked down at him with eyes glowing the color of blood, opened its jaws wide, and bit off the commander's entire upper body. The lower half fell to the ground, spraying a fountain of crimson, a grotesque celebration of the commander's death.

Kaela, trembling with fury, spread her wings and shot through the air at blinding speed toward the horde.

"So be it," Tarnael muttered to himself. He spread his own wings wide, summoning dozens of radiant gates from which angels from other realms descended into battle.

More than five thousand angelic soldiers were torn apart, consumed alive, and reduced to nothing but flesh and screams, while Igorus stood still, breathing deeply. His eyes wandered over the battlefield he had created, a once-holy land now defiled beyond recognition. He watched as the monsters toyed with their prey, ripping apart corpses, feasting on what remained, the lifeless eyes of their victims staring blankly into eternity.

The stench of blood grew thicker by the second, flooding the ruins of the kingdom like a cursed sea.

Six commanders fought desperately against one of the monsters and, with great struggle, finally managed to slay it.

"Haah!?" one of them gasped in horror as eight more beasts emerged from the darkness before them, hungry for flesh, thirsting for angelic blood.

But in a single flash, one monster's head fell to the ground, blood erupting from its neck like a volcanic fountain. Standing before the commanders, sword in hand and posture unshaken, was Kaela, her blade dripping crimson, her eyes burning with wrath.

"Marshal Kaela!" the commanders cried out in unison.

"Tarnael has summoned new reinforcements, likely twice your number... no, thrice," Kaela declared, her voice sharp and commanding. "I'm going to face Igorus Friola myself. Do not hesitate to die for our nation."

With that, she spread her wings and shot forward, cutting a blazing path through the enemy ranks. Heads, wings, arms, and legs of the beasts were severed in an instant, her sword moving faster than their monstrous eyes could follow.

"YES! RHHHAAAA!!!" the commanders roared, their courage ignited by her words.

The battle began to shift. Though the monsters continued to slaughter angels, their dwindling numbers were slowly being overwhelmed by the ever-growing heavenly army pouring into the battlefield. The creatures mauled and devoured angels with their claws and jaws, but sheer divine numbers began to turn the tide. From every direction, holy blades rained down upon them.

Igorus noticed this change. The chaos that once favored his creations was faltering. The tide was turning. But then, he saw it. A brilliant white light cutting through the swarm, vaporizing everything in its path.

"A worthy warrior," he murmured to himself.

From the fading blaze stepped Kaela, holding the severed head of one of his beasts in her right hand. She tossed it aside, its blood hissing as it hit the molten ground, a silent testament to her power, unmatched among her kin.

"I presume you are Kaela Frizina," Igorus said, removing the dark helm from his head, revealing eyes that burned like dying stars. "Sister to King Tarnael Frizina?"

"Hmph. Still clinging to the old courtesy of removing one's helmet?" she scoffed. "Don't bother, I'll be the last god you ever see."

Kaela raised her sword, divine light rippling along its edge.

"Do not let your courage deceive you," Igorus said calmly. Flames erupted around him, engulfing his armor in infernal brilliance. The ground beneath his feet began to melt, divine soil turning to molten gold under the sheer heat of his presence.

"What... what is this power? What's happening to me?" Aldes muttered to himself, staring in shock at his own trembling hands, then at the distant inferno surrounding Igorus. The dark flames twisted through the air like living shadows, and far beyond them, the monstrous abominations devoured angels alive, only to be slain in turn by the unending tide of divine warriors.

"Could it be... those flames?" he whispered. "What has Igorus done to me? I feel... lost. And yet, I've never felt this alive in my entire existence."

The four generals surrounding him exchanged uneasy glances, uncertain what to do or even what they were witnessing.

"What are you waiting for?!" roared Johannel.

The other three turned toward him, startled.

"This is no time for hesitation! That thing, whatever it's become, is no angel. It's nothing but a filthy demon. Our duty is to erase its existence completely. Now kill this cursed bastard!" he shouted, wings flaring as he launched himself toward Aldes.

"Y-You're right! Kill him!" shouted Lucriel.

"YES!!!" Anastiel and Correla roared in unison, all four generals charging at Aldes from four directions.

Aldes stood still, staring at his own hands as though in a trance. "Perhaps... this curse is a blessing," he murmured. Then, spreading his wings wide, he released an overwhelming gust of wind. The shockwave hurled the four generals backward like leaves in a storm.

"What the hell?!" gasped Anastiel.

"What kind of power is this?" muttered Correla, grabbing onto a shattered pillar to steady herself. She surged forward again, her fist glowing with radiant Lapis energy. "Die, monster!"

Aldes lifted two fingers, the index and middle, and drew a small circular motion. A vortex of air formed instantly before Correla's punch, twisting its path away.

"What—?!" she gasped.

In that same instant, Aldes vanished. He reappeared beneath her body, placing a hand against her abdomen. A crackling surge of electricity exploded from his palm, blasting her high into the air.

"Khaaa!!" Correla choked, blood spilling from her mouth.

Johannel, acting on instinct, used the droplets of her blood as a conduit, shaping them into a crimson spear to strike Aldes from behind. But before the attack could connect, Aldes appeared behind him, faster than thought.

"W-What—?!" Johannel managed, looking down in disbelief. Aldes' hand was buried deep in his abdomen, protruding out through his back, slick with blood.

"Johannel!!!" cried Anastiel in horror.

"Impossible! What kind of monster is this?!" Lucriel shouted, trembling as he watched.

"Stay... back!" Johannel commanded through gritted teeth, clutching Aldes's bloodied wrist.

"Johannel! What are you doing?!" Anastiel yelled.

"Rhaaaa!!! Lapis Arts, Second Wing — The Clerics' Vision!"

At the same moment, Correla, barely conscious, materialized a massive fist of pure Lapis energy from behind Aldes, aiming to crush him completely.

"Correla! Withdraw!!!" Johannel roared, vomiting blood.

But Aldes caught the massive Lapis fist with his free hand. His fingers tightened, and the construct shattered like glass, scattering into countless glittering shards. Through those shards, Correla saw Aldes' face, a demonic grin, eyes burning with madness. His gaze screamed a single word: death.

In the next instant, Correla's body was torn apart into dozens of fragments before she even realized it, her form reduced to a cloud of flesh and light.

Anastiel and Lucriel froze, staring in absolute horror.

"He told you not to come closer," Aldes said, his voice half-laugh, half-snarl. "I don't know why, but I love this feeling. Heh... hahahahahahahahahaha—HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

"Tch! You'll choke on that laughter, you damned demon!" roared Johannel, gripping Aldes' wrist tighter.

But his strength was fading, his vision dimming as blood poured freely from his wound.

(Damn... I'm losing too much blood. But if this is how it ends... so be it.)

"Johannel!!! NO!!!" screamed Anastiel and Lucriel together.

"Lapis Arts: Two Wings — The Final Vision!"

"Hm!?" Aldes turned his head, but before he could react, an immense explosion erupted between them. The blast was apocalyptic, born from the very blood flowing from Johannel's wound. He had sacrificed himself, his body, his soul, to annihilate Aldes.

"Lapis Arts: Two Wings — The Webs of Salvation!"

"Lapis Arts: One Wing — Acceleration of Fate!"

Anastiel summoned an enormous network of divine webs to contain the explosion that threatened to engulf the entire heavenly kingdom. Lucriel's blade danced through the air, channeling Lapis energy to accelerate the sealing process, tightening the web around the blast.

Together, they succeeded. The catastrophic light dimmed. The two collapsed to their knees, gasping for air, staring at the cocoon-like mass they had trapped, the remains of Aldes and Johannel bound together like mummified corpses.

Silence fell.

They exhaled slowly, grief written on their faces. Johannel had sacrificed himself. There was no doubt.

But then—

A sound. A faint tear.

The divine webs began to snap, one after another, as if something within was breaking free.

"What!? Impossible!?"

"You can't be serious!?"

Both generals reacted in sheer terror as they watched Aldes tear through the sacred chains effortlessly with his bare hands.

"He sacrificed himself for nothing... but at least he left me this delicious blood," Aldes said, licking the crimson from his fingers.

Anastiel and Lucriel stood frozen, torn between fleeing from Aldes or standing their ground, though both knew the battle was already lost.

Then, in a split second, so brief it seemed to escape the flow of time, they saw Aldes' claws mere inches from their eyes, ready to tear through their skulls and end their lives in the most brutal way imaginable. There was no escape. The attack was faster than their thoughts could form.

But suddenly, a hand caught Aldes by the left shoulder, halting his strike completely. The generals stared in shock at the stopped motion, then turned their eyes toward the figure behind him.

"Who are you?" Aldes hissed, his gaze still fixed on the two generals instead of looking back.

The stranger gave no answer. Instead, he kicked Aldes with his left leg, sending him flying with an inhuman force and speed.

"M–Marshal Ovidius!" the generals gasped as they saw their commander, the one who had just saved them from certain death. His white armor gleamed beneath a crimson cloak, a sight that reignited hope in their hearts.

Aldes crashed into the ruins nearby, stone and dust erupting from the impact. Yet, within seconds, he emerged from the rubble unscathed, brushing the debris from his shoulders.

"I see why you struggled," Ovidius said calmly. "That is no ordinary demonic form."

"He—He changed completely all of a sudden. Right after that Dominion released those dark flames," Anastiel explained.

"Then it makes sense," Ovidius replied. "You two, go handle the beasts. I'll deal with this demon."

"R–Right! Come on, Lucriel!" Anastiel said, spreading his wings as he and Lucriel took off toward the monstrous horde.

"Hahahahahaha... Who would've thought I'd get to fight a Marshal!? I can't wait to test my new powers against you," Aldes snarled, unfurling his devilish wings as he launched himself toward Ovidius.

"Don't get your hopes up..." the Marshal replied coolly. "You'll get to test far less than you think."

With that, Ovidius drew from his back two massive war hammers, each forged in red and white steel, their edges glowing faintly with divine heat...