The Padins’ resolve enraged the demons, causing their bloodlust to overwhelm them. High above, the fallen angels screamed in their foul nguage, signaling their army to charge. The greater demons lumbered forth—massive horned beasts who were slow yet incredibly powerful. They moved with the madness and aggression that reflected the chaos in their hearts as they stepped upon the smaller creatures scampering underfoot.

  As the Infernal legion neared the protective barrier, Aiyana watched as explosions erupted beneath them. Thousands of incendiary runes had been buried for this moment. The weaker demons were obliterated, while the limbs of the rger enemies flew in every direction, knocking over or stunning those around them.

  Yet the charging horde was not deterred. Fueled by a lust for carnage, they closed the distance between the two armies.

  Now within range, the primus of the Enochian forces gave the command to lower the energy shield; this was the moment the demons circling overhead had been waiting for, and they dove toward the Divine army.

  Hundreds of thousands of archers released their arrows. These were not the standard projectiles seen in most warfare; the countless arrowheads were crafted from luminous silver and blessed by the Divine clerics. Some hit the diving creatures, while most arced through the sky, leaving golden trails. They rained upon the charging monsters, and each arrow that struck flesh bzed to life, shooting out beams of holy light. The weaker demons burned up from within, while the stronger ones suffered agonizing burns across their bodies.

  Before the energy shield was closed, the catapults and trebuchets released their payloads. Thousands of glowing spheres flew through the air, illuminating the valley as they bzed like miniature suns. A handful collided with the airborne creatures, but the majority crashed into the charging enemy. They exploded with a blinding fsh before sending forth waves of holy fire that obliterated scores of demons. The ones not incinerated had their pieces scattered far and wide, creating a grotesque colge of blood and viscera across the battlefield.

  The war clerics restored the protective dome, again separating the two armies while the archers and mages eliminated any remaining threats within.

  Aiyana watched in awe as the charging demons smmed into the golden dome. Their vicious weapons and sharp cws relentlessly attacked the magical barrier, weakening it. The clerics resisted, pushing themselves to their limits in a desperate attempt to maintain their spell against the unyielding onsught.

  “War clerics! Lower the shield!” ordered their primus.

  The protective barrier vanished, causing thousands of demons to topple over each other. As the horde struggled to regain their footing, another wave trampled over them, crushing some while impeding the advance of all.

  Meanwhile, the ballistae fired great bolts over the soldiers’ heads, skewering even the mightiest of the Infernal forces. After a moment, the clerics raised the energy dome, separating the invading group from their primary host.

  The trapped demons realized they had been cut off and unched a ferocious attack, determined to spill blood before they fell. The front line braced themselves as their snarling foes crashed into their shield wall. Behind them, their comrades thrust glowing spears over the shield bearers’ shoulders. This was the Divine army at its finest, with a shield bearer in the forefront, holding the line of their phanx, while the soldier in the following row sughtered every enemy within reach.

  Although the fighting was fierce, the wave of demons y dead, with only a few dozen padins falling upon this initial attack. Even though most of the shield bearers had remained retively unscathed, they rotated to the back of their respective columns to be healed and given a chance to rest. The padins in the second row raised their shields, ready to take their comrades’ pces.

  Battlefield healers carried those with more grievous injuries through the portal to the Divine world of Arcadeon, where civilian healers waited in field hospitals. The ones deemed fit for combat returned to help fortify the rear of the formation.

  Aiyana was born blessed with the ability to heal, but her powers were not strong enough to become a true healer. She had been deemed a better servant of the Light with a weapon in her hand, but her abilities had proved useful when she’d aided many comrades with their wounds after past battles.

  Once again, the primus shouted for the war clerics to lower the dome. Thousands of demons fell over one another, struggling to their feet before assailing the phanx. They crashed into the tower shields with all their fury, and brutal cws and crudely crafted instruments of death cshed with gleaming steel and unbreakable resolve.

  Arrows and orbs of destructive light soared overhead, raining onto the enemies on the ground. This time, the aerial demons did not press their attack, as the fallen angels had ordered them to hold their position and preserve their numbers.

  However, the creatures circling the sky were far from useless. The ones who could summon Infernal fmes condensed them into balls of bzing death before hurling them at the archers below. The civilian clerics swiftly erected small protective domes, shielding those targeted from harm. Once the volley of artillery had been released, the war clerics restored the great barrier.

  As the conflict raged, the Divine army skillfully alternated between devastating artillery barrages and the strength of their phanx. But as the rotations continued, the clerics’ power waned as they held against the bsts of Infernal fire and other dark spells hurled at the barrier.

  The protective dome had always been a reliable staple of Enochian tactics, but it had never been tested to such a degree. Breaches in the lower portion happened with greater frequency, and although the few demons who slipped through posed little risk, it was evident this defense would not hold for long.

  As the warriors in front of Aiyana either fell or rotated to the rear of the formation, she slowly advanced toward the front of her column. Only five padins now stood between her and the enemy. The sea of foes appeared endless, and she worried that the paradise they protected would soon see its st days.

  The dome began to fail, and the order came for all clerics to pull back and recover. They obeyed, and the barrier came down permanently. The Infernal army charged unencumbered while the demons of the sky attacked in force.

  Aiyana knew that from this point, there would be no aid for a wounded soldier. Once someone reached the frontline, only death or victory could relieve them of their post. She took one st moment to marvel at the most extraordinary battle the universe may ever see. Thousands of streaks of light soared overhead as arrows and mighty bolts fired at will. The Enochian mages unleashed lightning that chained their way through the enemy forces.

  The swarm of flying horrors could no longer go uncontested. Aiyana watched with pride as the divisions of aerial knights materialized their white angelic wings and took to the air. While all Enochians could fly, these expertly trained knights were masters at close combat in the skies. High above, they cshed with their demonic foes, creating an incredible dispy of fire and light.

  Most of the padins who’d composed the phanx fell, prompting the soldiers behind them to don their shields and form a new front line. Aiyana’s heart beat faster with each passing moment; she now found herself in the fourth row of her column.

  Something fell on her head, leaving her jarred but uninjured. There was a demon’s severed arm by her feet. She looked up to see blood, flesh, and limbs raining from the battle above. Within seconds, whole bodies came tumbling down. The mutited corpses were trailed by red mists, making them appear like gory meteors as they crashed randomly among allies and enemies.

  The headless body of a knight smmed onto the padin to her right, instantly crushing him under the weight of muscle and steel. The force of the impact knocked her and several others to the ground. She struggled to her feet as a man’s head rolled by. It was not the head of a fallen aerial knight; it belonged to the shield bearer who had been first in her column.

  Only two soldiers stood between Aiyana and the battle ahead. But the worst dangers were not yet before her but above, forcing her focus upward as she assessed the fallout from the carnage in the sky.

  High overhead, the fallen angels ominously circled a colossal sphere of pulsating red light. The Divine army had experienced this before: the devils were summoning an energy bst of monumental power. Since this was the most significant number of fallen angels ever seen, there was no predicting what level of destruction the Enochians could expect. All clerics, civilian and combat alike, were ordered to cast a magical barrier above their army.

  The orb expanded as it crackled with ever-increasing bursts of electricity. It reached a critical mass and unleashed an intense bst of chaotic energy upon the barrier.

  The two armies stopped fighting and were awestruck as the nd and sky flooded with crimson light. For all who bore witness, an eternity seemed to pass before the bst ended and the Abyssal world returned to its muted gray. The attack appeared unsuccessful, and the barrier remained like a dazzling beacon of hope, but this triumph would be short-lived.

  Nearly every cleric colpsed from exhaustion. The few who remained standing were little more than hollow shells, desperately keeping the barrier raised out of instinct rather than purpose. It wasn’t long before their strength faded, and like their fellow clerics, they succumbed to fatigue, and their spell dissolved into nothingness.

  The weakened fallen angels retreated higher into the green sky. Their attack had achieved its purpose, putting every cleric out of commission. This forced all remaining soldiers to fend for themselves against the terrors from above and below.

  With the fallen angel’s attack over, the two armies cshed once again. Aiyana was so close to the front line that the ground beneath her grew soft as it soaked up the blood of the fallen. The padin in front of her fought fiercely, relentlessly thrusting his spear, while the shield bearer protecting him nearly buckled beneath the onsught of demonic weapons.

  The attacking monsters continued to fall until a berserker lurched from the Infernal ranks. It was more than twice the height of any Enochian and as massive as the one that had sughtered Gallus. The towering demon lumbered toward the shield bearer of Aiyana’s column; with each heavy step, it mashed the corpses heaped upon the battlefield into a sticky paste. It raised its war hammer and crushed the padin beneath his shield, spattering him across the surrounding soldiers.

  Anger consumed her, and before the berserker had time to lift its hammer, she hurled her spear, impaling the monster through its mouth. It staggered back, convulsing as it colpsed into the lesser demons behind it, causing their innards to spurt onto the ground.

  The padin standing before Aiyana threw his spear into the chest of a charging yellow-skinned demon with four arms. With the swiftness of a seasoned warrior, he donned his shield and moved to fill the breach the berserker had made in the phanx. As he braced for the incoming attack, Aiyana realized she no longer had her spear, only the short sword hanging at her side. She feared her shield bearer would be overwhelmed without her efforts, making his final stand little more than a wasted endeavor. Recalling the fallen soldier crushed by the aerial knight, she spotted his mangled body and saw the spear lying by his side. She dropped to her knees and reached out, stretching her arm to its limit before finally grasping the spear.

  Aiyana stood and faced the frontline, thrusting her weapon over her shield bearer’s shoulder. She killed enemy after enemy, losing herself in a bze of rage-fueled vengeance. Fatigue set in, but she refused to let her body slow. Each demon she sughtered felt like a small yet hard-won victory. Sadly, the man before her could not survive forever.

  A terrifying sight met Aiyana’s eyes, and she shuddered as a bded devil emerged. Its tall, gaunt body bristled with razor-sharp bdes as it locked its hate-filled gaze on her shield bearer. Despite being considered one of the weaker devils, it was far more dangerous than even the most ferocious demon. Its long, serrated fingers could sever a man’s head in a single stroke, and its barbed tail could eviscerate its victims well before they had a chance to strike.

  The bded devil advanced, driving a mighty kick into the padin’s tower shield. The impact threw him off-bance while the devil seized the top of his shield and pulled it forward. The padin held firm, refusing to lose to his foe’s superior strength. However, his face was exposed, and the devil sent its spear-tipped tail straight into the opening in his helmet, impaling him through his head. The tail lifted his body and flung him into the ranks of the Infernal army. Aiyana watched in horror as they tore her former shield bearer to pieces.

  Before it could focus on its new prey, she thrust her spear into the single glowing yellow eye upon its forehead. The bded devil howled and stumbled backward, wildly striking anything within reach. Aiyana threw her spear, embedding it into the devil’s bony chest before taking up her shield and joining the frontline as her column’s new shield bearer.

  The blinded devil stumbled through the ensuing chaos, dismembering many demons before crashing into a new section of the phanx. Without any precision to its strikes, the padins made short work of it. The bded devil crumpled to the ground as a final spear thrust skewered its throat. In its pce, new foes threw themselves upon Aiyana’s shield. Their tremendous weight drove her to one knee while the soldier at her back decisively thrust his spear.

  As each attacker died, the weight on her lessened. Aiyana rose and pushed the remaining corpses off her as she braced for the next attack. The assault came almost immediately as a demonic hound lunged out of the horde. It jumped on her, pinning Aiyana beneath her shield with its massive bulk. She could feel her body being pushed into the blood-soaked mud as its rabid jaws snapped at her face.

  The soldier behind her repeatedly thrust his spear into the vile hound until the beast’s jaws grew still. She shoved its carcass off her and tried to stand, but her fatigued legs struggled to move. Her lungs burned as she took in short rapid breaths while the sounds of battle echoed in her ears.

  To her right, Aiyana witnessed an insect-like demon overpowering a padin. It smmed him to the ground and tore his shield from his grasp. The creature straddled him and ripped open the man’s throat with its mandibles, spraying blood across her armor and helm. A glowing spear pierced the demon’s thorax before it could lunge at the next padin.

  Aiyana looked to her left and saw Jerion nearly buckle under the strikes of a tusked brute covered in coarse fur. Her heart swelled with the desire to help him reunite with his family, and she painfully rose to her feet with a renewed determination. She lifted her shield in time to stop a clubbing blow from a scaled demon with the torso of a deformed man and the lower body of a great snake. Under her shield, she felt a sharp pain as her ulnar bone cracked from the impact. The padin behind her ran his spear through its chest, and the weapon’s luminous tip bzed to life, scorching the snake-like demon’s innards with searing light. The monster colpsed, smoke billowing from its gaping mouth.

  The throbbing pain in her arm coursed through her upper body. She pressed her right hand against the fracture, channeling what little energy she could spare into healing the bone. It worked, and although her arm felt weak, she could still bear the weight of her shield.

  Standing tall, Aiyana was a terror to behold as her once beautiful armor dripped with a foul mixture of blood and mud. Death and carnage rained around her as bodies continued falling from the sky, and artillery exploded overhead. Every part of her hurt, but she managed to raise her shield, determined to fend off one more attack.

  A powerful force crashed into her, knocking Aiyana senseless. A flying demon that had broken away from the battle had seized her. The outnumbered aerial knights had fought valiantly, but control of the skies was not feasible. Now, the winged demons swooped in, snatching anyone they could before dropping them upon their comrades.

  Fortunately, the one that had grabbed her was smaller than most of its brethren and struggled to lift her. It veered over its own forces, and she gnced at the stampeding horde beneath her. Aiyana decided she would not die on this creature’s terms. Drawing her short sword, she tapped into the essence of her Divine spirit. The bde glowed, and she sshed at the demon’s leathery wings before plunging it into the monster’s face.

  The creature shrieked as its head melted, and they tumbled toward the ground, crashing into the ranks of the Infernal army. Aiyana’s eyes opened as demons of every variety ran past, their single-minded blood lust preventing them from noticing the lone padin.

  Yet she wouldn’t remain unnoticed for long. Three imps pounced on her; two attempted to pin her arms while the third’s greedy fingers probed at the gaps in her armor. Aiyana managed to throw off the two restraining her and stabbed the other through its chest. Her victory was short-lived as a barbed fist smmed into her face, and everything went bck.