Jackson caught a glimpse of him again between the chaos. Fully surrounded, yet still carrying a prominent smile. Fighting to his fullest, the thought of retreat probably didn't come to mind. He was just fighting against waves of attackers drawn by the promise of a wish.
Whether they were a platoon leader or just a normal soldier, many were more than willing to take a risk to take down the traitor that joined the evil side, or that was what they must've thought.
Despite the dozens of attacks around him, the mages that flew around him, attacking from all sides, he kept strong.
'What kind of…'
He didn't finish the thought as he stared at the human dodging attacks and easily counterattacking as if he knew the entire flow of battle. Not a single attack hit him as he even used the spells from the angels against other themselves. Jackson couldn't believe they were of the same Rank, it was simply an impossibility. The gap in their capabilities didn't feel right.
A body slammed into him from the side, sending him spinning through the air. His vision blurred as he struggled to regain control of his wings. He barely stabilized himself before another explosion erupted nearby, the shockwave nearly knocking him unconscious.
Seeking safety in numbers, he retreated into the reinforcements that came right after them. Jackson thought they were with an infinite number of soldiers until he laid he eyes on the portal supplying them. It suddenly closed up. All that was left was the impossible to measure hand of Light that kept it's presence known.
'We're out... of men already?'
Turning around, the demons surely had lessened considerably, checking the numbers, he felt things were actually quite solvable. Were it not for the fact that a singular human was acting as a living meat grinder for all the soldiers.
No matter what spell, tactic or strategy they used, the traitor acted as if he knew everything, fighting back with full power. Some angels seemed to be drained of their lifeforce if they dared make contact with him. It made one thing extremely clear to Jackson. 'Avoid that monster at all cost.'
Backing up even further into the stream of soldiers, Jackson was able to finally take a breather. Being able to look upon the sky, the colors still clashed as if the world was falling apart.
Luckily, not all things were bad, the demons were starting to falter more and more. Too many had died to put up a meaningful fight. With the coming soldiers, he was panicking too much, things were still in their favor, more than just massively.
Just being caught in the battle itself he felt like things were too overwhelming. Jackson wondered if he could simply stay in the center, safe from battle, with the excuse of being hurt. Of course, he could heal himself, but he just didn't really want to rejoin the battle, the pain was more than worth the exchange.
Having some breathing room, he stared at the center of attention, he saw the human on the other side unleashing his aura to push everyone back.
"Now! I think that's quite enough!", the traitor said out loud as he stopped killing his fellow soldiers for a second. Despite the individual battles continuing at their own pace, the new batch of angels that were focused on the traitor took a moment of respite to catch their own breath.
"I would love to continue fighting you guys, but I think you didn't really do your homework about Sabaoth before you came to fight us all!", he made sure his voice reached every single fighting demon and angel.
Some gave pause to their own battles just for a moment to listen to what he had to say. After seeing his performance in the war, many were willing to give him the time of day.
"Your insults and claims are useless in front of the Divine Justice of The Goddess! We will wipe your kind from this planet, including you, you traitor!", one of the platoon leaders spoke up to boost their own morale, but Jackson didn't feel any more motivated, in fact, he felt demotivated once he saw the massive grin on the traitor's face.
"You're so busy killing the innocent, you didn't even think about what you're really up against. Here I thought there would be at least someone smart from your side!"
The platoon leader wasn't pleased, his anger boiling over, "Watch your mouth, unholy one! Your insults mean nothing, I will smite you with our Holy Power!"
"Who do you think lives on this planet?"
"Vile Demons and traitors like yourself! Let's stop this useless conversation and finish this up! Your side has been dwindled down, you will not stand for a lot longer!"
The human started to laugh out loud, the demons started to congregate near him, it was clear they would be the safest there. Since their strongest soldier was laughing, they couldn't help but join as some of the demons realized what he was talking about.
His almost crazy laugh suddenly vanished into smoke as a cold personality took over, "Have you forgotten half of the population of Sabaoth?", the question was genuine, said with a hidden anger and blatant disappointment.
The platoon leader didn't know what to say until he saw the bodies underneath the human become animated. A horrifying realization flashed through his mind as the sea of corpses below seemed to rise on their own, without any magic fueling their movements.
The cracking of bones and slow rising of the piles of bodies made even the demons give pause as their dangerous neighbors were right below their feet.
"The- The Undead are here! Everyone! Prepare your spells to-", the sea of corpses instantly shot awake as if they were simply acting as if they were dead. Taking to the sky, the army of angels was instantly overrun by the bodies of their own and demons.
Jackson only had a single moment to see the traitor retreat with all the surviving demons in tow as he backed up enough to be completely safe, removed from the battlefield. He had a few nasty looks directed at him, but those were quickly removed as the undead killed thousands of angels in a surprise attack.
What followed was a wave of soldiers washed over the forces of the angels. Many shot out spells of Light to no avail as it did little but heal the undead forces.
"What do we do?!", most of the soldiers were focused on keeping their defenses up. The thousands of soldiers that were caught in the wave of undead were gone in an instant, making it abundantly clear to the others what to do, retreat and regroup. No matter their spells, even if it blasted their limbs apart, the undead bodies kept rushing forward.
The fear and anxiety of the soldiers peaked as an unknown enemy was about to overrun their forces until a calm and soothing voice reached everyone's ears despite the lack of magic in the sound.
"My brothers and sisters, when faced with the unknown, do we need to be afraid? I believe we have more than the capacity to overcome this hurdle the Goddess has given us," from the center of the group, a single mage left the safety of the pack, flying headfirst into the wave of undead. The first thing Jackson noticed was the fact that he didn't wear any armor or had any wings, he just wore a plain white priest robe.
"Saint Micheal! Don't leave our group!", some of the soldiers recognized his appearance and feared for the worst.
"Please do not be scared my family, for the Goddess protects all. To these beings who have desecrated the vessels of our good brothers and sisters, I call upon Your grace," Micheal floated in the open sky with his eyes faced towards the heaven as a tsunami sized wave of soldiers was approaching.
There was absolutely no fear or hesitation in his actions, the doubts and anxieties many had were completely absent from the man. "May Your Holy Light free the souls of the lost, guiding them to Your Paradise."
Stretching his arms wide, he opened his eyes and looked upon the descending doom before him with a light smile.
In a split second the entire wave was engulfed in a pillar of light, disintegrating all the bodies in an instant. From the large hand made from pure Light, a single beam shot down the entire wave, removing every single undead from the scene in an instant.
A deafening silence followed after as Micheal floated alone in the sky, spared from the light that engulfed all and removed evil.
"The Goddess is always by our side, if you ever carry doubts, turn to Her to seek salvation. Let all your worries be washed away as Her Light cleanses us."
Gesturing to the aftermath of the pillar of Light, only the undead were removed from existence, the buildings and environment didn't suffer in the slightest, though that also meant the pooling of blood didn't disappear as well. Instead of streets filled with bodies, everything now was caked over with a coat of crimson.
Seeing the demons flee in the distance, the platoon leaders got a surge of energy as they quickly moved out, "Men! Don't let this chance go! We haven't fully completed Her orders yet! We must persevere and remove the evil from this place! Dear Saint! Please lead the way!"
After seeing the power of the Saint, though indirectly borrowed, none of the other believers, no matter how fanatic, couldn't convince the Goddess to act on their behalf. The strongest and most confident of the soldiers flew close to see the new Saint up close.
"If it is Her will, it is only natural for me to join you all," giving them all a light smile, Micheal was showered in praise as he moved towards the demons.
As the group joined him in the pursuit, Jackson was dragged among the group as well due to his high enough Rank to pursue the demons, and the traitor. Initially, he felt that it was a terrible idea to go after the human, but seeing the power the Saint was capable of calling forth, he just decided to hide behind him as long as he could.
As they caught up with the fleeing demons, the human that guided them had a dark expression on his face. Many of the soldiers next to Jackson swallowed their saliva and prepared to face their demise. The traitor had previously shown how brutal of a killing machine he was, but he was still laughing back then. Now, he was serious, putting them on edge, but Jackson quickly understood what the expression truly meant.
He was the same as this human, perhaps with far less combat power at his disposal, but the same nonetheless. 'He's scared, or perhaps angry would fit more. Heh, I felt the same when I first saw you, so I get it. Seeing the Goddess act is just forcing you to give up.'
"Micheal!", the human didn't hide himself like Jackson thought he would. Instead, he called towards the saint in a disrespectful manner, one his colleagues didn't miss. "How dare you call the Dear Saint by his name directly! Show some respect!"
Jackson didn't bother adding any fuel to the fire, for he would not be the one capable of putting it out.
Surprisingly, the Saint floated downwards to speak to the traitor, "Dear Saint! Please don't get near that monster! He might look human, but he has given up his soul to deal with the devil!"
Yet the Saint simply raised his hand slightly to hold them back.
"It's been quite some time, my son," he held such a warm tone, but the clear sadness from within his voice twisted the statement.
"Micheal, please, call me Lucas, I'm not that small any more," Lucas had a light smile on his face, and despite being covered in blood, he still looked quite approachable, as if he met an old friend.
"Lucas, eh? It matters not what your name is, my son, nor does your height," the light quip in his words made Lucas flash another smile.
One of the platoon leaders approached Micheal from behind, "Dear Saint, you know this traitor?"
"Oh dear, he's no traitor. Who would he be betraying? Our Goddess? He doesn't share in our faith."
"That's not exactly why we call him a traitor, Saint Micheal. He betrayed the human race by helping the demons," bowing slightly as he gave the explanation, Micheal had a pensive look on his face.
"I arrived only at the end of the battle, so I don't have a full grasp of what happened, but I did wonder. Lucas, why are you fighting on the side of the demons?"
Jackson didn't understand why the Saint bothered. To battle to this extent only to ask such a question? There just was no point in doing so, yet Lucas seemed to be very happy to have received such an inquiry. The light smile on his face deepened.
"Micheal, my friend asked me for help and brought me here. To clear up any confusion, yes, he was a demon, but he lived in Aurora for a long time. After settling down here for quite a few years, one undeniable truth was revealed to me," taking a breath to create some kind of suspense, Lucas spoke a simple claim that brought unrest to the troops.
"Demons and humans are the same."
Instantly, the platoon leaders prepared their magic and weapons, ready to strike at any instant. A ripple of outrage broke through the ranks. To proclaim such a thing not just in front of the fake angels, but the Saint as well?
"That's blasphemy!" one of the platoon leaders snapped. "Demons are born of evil. We are not."
Lucas tilted his head slightly. "Born of evil? Does that mean the innocent children you've slaughtered in this invasion are evil? Have they killed your parents or burned your home like you've done to them?"
"They would have become so," the man shot back without hesitation. "We ended a future threat."
Lucas let out a quiet breath, something between a laugh and disbelief. "So evil is not what you are, but what you might become?"
"They lack restraint," another soldier interjected. "Humans lapse, yes, but we rise again. We build laws, we protect each other. Demons don't."
Lucas couldn't help but snicker, "Demons don't protect each other?", shaking his head he spread his arms wide as the demons behind him took a step back.
"What's going through your head that you can't see the obvious truth in front of you! You think the societies built by demons are without laws? Are the leftover magicless behind me not being protected by their beloved?"
"Good Saint, please don't listen to this slander! We are nothing alike!"
But the Saint raised his hand to stop the interruptions, "I feel the will of the world, he is not lying, meaning that from his perspective, it's the complete and utter truth. But that does beg the question, why do you think so?"
Silencing the ones around him didn't stop them from glaring at the human daring to spout such nonsense.
"What makes a human in your perspective? Is it the fact that we're bipedal, have a language or can make tools? Is it the skin you're wearing or the brain in your head? Purely appearance or something more complex?"
One of the platoon leaders couldn't hold himself back any longer, "We were created from the goodness of the Goddess while the demons are just Evil personified! The Goddess has given us a perfect society to live in while you demons have tainted us!"
"Truly?" Lucas continued, his voice sharpening, "I've lived in your cities and countries and have more than enough experience with the laws of your place. Then tell me, who do your laws truly protect in your perfect society? The nobles? The powerful? Or the children sold in your markets?"
"That is corruption," the first leader insisted. "A deviation from what we are meant to be brought forth by you demons!"
Jackson could tell what Lucas was going for and even agreed with him, but against such stubborn fanatics, no matter his reasoning, he wouldn't be able to convince anyone.
"Don't be ridiculous! I've seen the dark side of Aurora plenty of times. The disparity between commoner and noble, the chase after recognition and fame, the greed overflowing every single industry. Slave markets that sell children as if they were prostitutes, labor camps for any unfortunate who got lost in the woods. None of those cases have I ever seen or met a demon!"
Lucas didn't hold back his own emotions, and while many of the troops cared little for his speech, Micheal could only look on with a reduced smile as he heard the claims.
The platoon leaders screamed out against Lucas, with only two onlookers who stayed in silence. Jackson, who agreed with Lucas, but was in no position to do so, and Micheal who could feel the will of the world confirm and reciprocate Lucas' feelings as if they were his own. The pain Lucas had endured was transformed into Micheal.
"So humans commit evil acts without the influence of demons, is that what you want to say?", and while Micheal sympathized with him, it didn't mean he was convinced.
One of the soldiers behind him picked up on his meaning and launched another question, "The Saint is right! We make mistakes, but look towards the Goddess for forgiveness. It does not mean in the slightest that we are similar to demons who commit evil because they want to!"
"You're just generalizing," Lucas wasn't impressed by the retort, "Not all demons commit evil deeds out of self-satisfying goals, the same holds true for humans. Some have stayed true to their desires and are willing to sacrifice what is necessary to realize them."
"Bullshit!", one of the leaders flew forward only for Micheal to grab their shoulder. He didn't say a word nor even looked at him, his eyes had room just for one.
"The only difference between humans and demons is their skin color and the fact that they have horns. I've seen humans with gray skin and mutations forming horns or growths are common. They are just different in appearance, but that's it."
"Ridiculous! Demons were born from the God of Darkness, an evil god with the goal of destroying everything!"
Lucas looked at the leader for a small moment, "You keep calling them demons as if that makes this easier," Lucas said quietly. "But strip away the horns, the color, the stories you tell yourselves…"
His gaze swept across both sides.
"What's left is the same thing standing on both sides of this battlefield," His gaze hardened. Spreading his arms to include all the demons that were hiding behind his back, they didn't hold the faces of ruthless monsters, but fathers worrying about their wives and children as the mothers tried to keep their offspring from crying.
"You just need an enemy so you don't have to face yourselves."
Jackson looked at them from afar and could tell Lucas was speaking the truth without using any kind of magic. The fear in the demon's eyes said more than enough, he was playing the role of a villain by participating in this genocide. Still, it didn't convince any of his fellow soldiers.
"Aurora is a bastion of safety and order. They invited this war upon themselves by tainting our lands. Due to them we have encountered more struggle than ever before."
One of the leaders rejected everything Lucas said with a straight face. He had full trust in his Goddess and belief, nothing said would be able to dissuade him.
Lucas glanced at the soldiers, then at the demons behind him. For a moment, his expression faltered. "It doesn't matter what I say, does it?"
Jackson's fingers twitched at his side. For a moment, he almost stepped forward, but doing so would put him in the most dangerous place on the entire battlefield. Even if the forces were calm now, Jackson just thought it was the calm before the storm. The words that ached to go outside died in his throat.
"What do you know about struggle?!" Lucas couldn't help but become emotional, "I've had to fight for my life for as long as I've lived! Every day I spent worrying on how I would be able to survive until the next!"
He waved his arms out of frustration, putting the angels on guard.
"I know what kind of monsters humans can be, and demons have the exact same capacity! The only clear difference is that demons don't bother hiding their misdeeds. You're all the same!"
With that, an eerie silence descended upon them as Micheal lowered himself to stand on the ground before Lucas. The look in his eyes wasn't one of hope like demons or anger like his fellow believers. There was just a strange sadness. Walking up to Lucas completely defenseless, many of the soldiers felt like they had to intervene, but just couldn't.
Lucas stood still as he felt the arms of Micheal embrace him. The warmth soothed his wounds and body. Both the demons and the angels stared at them with eyes wide open as the short moment felt like an eternity.
The Light from the Goddess shone on them from above, creating a place of Light in a world filled with blood.
Releasing him from his embrace, Micheal had a tear in his eye as he looked deep into the windows of Lucas' soul. Staring back, Lucas didn't know what to feel. His mind was filled with ideas, but they seemed to twist and turn, dissolving into the warmth Micheal had given him.
Micheal clasped his hands together as he closed his eyes and spoke with a somber tone.
"Goddess, I hope you will answer my question. Why have you decided to do this?"
The shock from the angels behind him was more than audible, as even Jackson couldn't help but exclaim his bafflement. To question their Goddess, their creator, was as blasphemous as betraying the human race.
Lucas didn't move or say anything, instead, he looked towards the hand of Light in the sky. Despite it keeping a static posture for the duration of the battle, it suddenly softly curled it's outstretched fingers. As if it retracted it's presence from Sabaoth.
A moment seemed to pass as Micheal's expression darkened slightly. Lifting his head, he looked at Her hand. "But Goddess, I can tell that's a lie."
The people only had a split second to look towards Micheal before a blinding Light flashed before their eyes. Shielding himself after it got too aggressive, Lucas quickly spread his willpower to check his surroundings only to find that Micheal and all the angels next to them were gone.
Only the demons and himself were left behind. 'What the hell just happened?'
'I... I don't.. I think Micheal pissed her off.'
'Shit!'
Lucas stared at the sky only to find the typical red fog, the large hole in heaven and a single tiny portal where the hand of Light emerged.
'Did she... retreat?'
'Nah, I can still feel the bloodlust of the remaining soldiers in the capital.'
'How important is Micheal to her so that she doesn't only listen to her but would even disappear with him. Was she so scared of her lies being revealed?'
'She could just annihilate everyone here.'
'Pretty much.'
As Lucas stood in silence talking to himself inside his head, one of the remaining demons approached him. "Excuse me, uhm, savior, what do we do now?"
Lucas looked behind him to find a Rank 1 mage looking at him for direction. The tall and powerful aura Lucas excuded the entire time made many of the demons subservient to him. His strength on the battlefield and the conviction and determination to face off against the Saint sent here to kill them all made the remaining demons see Lucas as something more than just a human.
"Considering the total amount of forces still roaming around the capital, we just have to run. There are still quite a few mages left that can focus on rebuilding a temporary city. For now, we'll move south. Also, don't call me a savior."
Giving them basic advice on moving forward, Lucas was more focused on the fighting in the sky. This was no time to stand around doing nothing, and joining them after exhausting himself in battle was just a suicide mission.
Having a small conversation with Alastor, he stayed with the demons and led them forward. Running away with the demons in tow, he hoped to find or establish a small outpost to hide in.
The Rank 4's in the sky were still battling, although their pace had considerable slowed down. Lucas felt jealous at their powers and mana capacity, to still fight after so long while in flight is just a testament on the strength a Rank 4 mage could have. There were moments the fighting calmed down, but nobody was killed, they just needed to gather enough mana to restart the fight.
Constantly refilling their cores during the battle, the mages could hold out for a lot longer than Lucas imagined, but it became quite clear to him why. They were all on the defensive. After seeing how their own army below them almost got taken down, the angels felt their opponents had some similar cards as well while the demons never were on the offensive in the first place.