280 THE DEMONS ARE COMING TO DEBAUCHERY
[In the Palace of the Emperor of Koresh- before the demon army invasion.]
"Moth… Godmother, the demons are gathering at our borders. What should we do?" Emperor Ramses asked Lady Dassa, his voice heavy with concern.
Dassa gave him a stern glance, warning him to speak carefully. Then she looked out from the high towers of the palace with a magic binocular.
"This is not good," Dassa muttered, staring out across the darkened horizon.
"How did the demon army arrive at our borders so quickly?" the emperor asked.
"I thought the demons would attack Sodom City first before turning their attention here, giving us time to prepare. But they've bypassed it and come straight for us. This is... unlike the demons."
"Don't worry, Your Majesty," General Eoshomon interjected confidently, standing tall beside the emperor. "Your majesty, give me the command of the army. I can lead them to destroy the demons before they reach Debauchery city."
"You've failed me once before, Eoshomon," Emperor Ramses warned, his gaze cold. "If you fail again, I'll make sure you become my next sacrifice."
General Eoshomon stiffened, his pride wounded but resolute. "We will not fail. I swear it."
Lady Dassa remained silent. Her experience and gut feeling told her something was out of place.
"Should we meet the demon army in the fields?" the emperor asked her.
"Something is very wrong", Dassa replied.
"What is the matter, Godmother? Is it because of the demon invasion?" the emperor asked.
"It's more than that", Dassa replied before hesitating to consider. "It's my shadow minion… she's not back yet."
"What about the demons?" General Eoshomon asked.
"We'll meet them," Dassa replied.
------
Suddenly, a powerful wave of energy surged from far beyond the city. The force of it rippled through the air, stretching across vast distances until it collided with Godmother herself. The essence entered her body, filling her with a mixture of rage and realization, as she closed her eyes.
After a moment, she stood up and opened her eyes. "So, that is the reason," she uttered.
"What is the matter, mother?" Emperor Ramses asked her, his voice laced with concern.
Lady Dassa stood slowly, clenching her fists in anger. Then, with a deep breath, she calmed herself, her mind working through the pieces of the puzzle.
"It's all connected," she said quietly. "The dungeon in Eoloth, the chaos in Sodom City, the loss of my shadow minions... and now this demon invasion. We've been played."
"What do you mean?" Ramses asked, his eyes narrowing. "Who's scheming against us, and what do they want? Debauchery City?"
"The Demon Black Cock," Dassa answered, her voice hardening. "His dungeon, Sodom's forces, and these demons—they're all part of the same plan."
Ramses frowned, trying to piece it together. "But why would they come for us? What's their goal?"
Dassa's gaze grew distant, her mind racing through the possibilities. "The demons and Sodom City have always had their eyes on our empire. But this... Black Cock is something more. Why is a villain working with the demons and Sodom city instead of hiding? … they're after something."
Ramses' eyes flickered with realization. "Maybe there's a treasure they're after in Debauchery city. Something they want from us."
Dassa nodded slowly, her expression grim. "There's only one thing the Demon Black Cock could be after that would take such risk to expose herself... our Giga Codex."
"The Giga Codex? How do they know we have it?" Ramses repeated, his face hardening. "We can't let them steal it."
"No," Godmother said firmly. "We cannot allow that to happen."
-----
[At the fields of battle outside Debauchery city]
The skies over the fields churned with smog and ash, the air thick as if the world itself had been set ablaze. On the horizon, razed farmlands stretched like scars across the earth, skeletal buildings still burning as black plumes climbed into the heavens.
From the haze came the slow, thunderous pounding of war drums—an omen of the army advancing.
"What are those creatures?" Captain Moosebey's voice cracked with unease.
"They are demons," General Eoshomon answered, his tone steady though his eyes betrayed dread. "Spirits twisted into flesh, born of malice and hunger."
The cavalry of Koresh roared to life, their warcry tearing through the choking fog. Horses surged forward, banners whipping like tongues of flame.
"Demons or not," Moosebey said with grim confidence, "nothing can withstand the charge of our cavalry."
"You are right," Eoshomon agreed, lifting his chin with forced pride. "The cavalry of Koresh is invincible."
But then the mist changed.
The ash-thick fog burned crimson, as though the sky itself bled. Screams carried on the wind—cut short, drowned in the wet sound of flesh riven and bone crushed. Blood sprayed high into the air, falling like rain.
The cavalry of Koresh was no more. They had been swallowed whole in moments.
The demon shamans, hidden beyond sight, pounded their drums in unholy rhythm. With every beat, the storm thickened until the skies themselves wept.
The rain was not water. It was blood.
"Arghhh—what… what is this rain?" Moosebey screamed, holding out his hand as crimson drops hissed against his skin.
The blood burned like acid, eating into flesh, leaving smoking pits in his palm. He staggered back, clutching his arm as his skin blistered.
General Eoshomon collapsed to his knees, his voice hollow with despair. "It is the blood of our cavalry… their lives spilled into the sky returning as a curse on us. They are gone. And so would we."
The soldiers of Koresh writhed beneath the storm, their armor corroding, their skin searing as every droplet scalded like fire. The battlefield became a charnel ground—men clawing at their own melting faces, horses shrieking as their flesh sloughed away.
The proud formation of Koresh broke apart in screams and panic. With their cavalry slaughtered in an instant, and the sky itself turned into a weapon against them, the army's spirit shattered.
Hope fled, leaving only horror.