The demon youths body had swelled up to five tis his normal size, so that he looked like a seal that had swallowed a half dozen deck chairs. When his skin ruptured Infernum energy blasted out everywhere, souring the air, and six new demon youths appeared in his place, naked and slicked with milky white blood, their hair plastered to their heads, their grins deranged.
Oh shit! shouted Denzel, wresting his Wing to one side.
Watch out! Kerim flung up his Shield before Denzel, but two of the demon youths raised their palms and black spheres flew out, devouring all in their path, including both Crimson Hydras.
Miriam and Olaf shouted in pain as they Martyrs Cried the pair back, but then the demons were flitting about, teleporting in a sphere about the clustered Wings, laughing and launching countless black spheres at them from all angles.
Jas knew a split second of panic as he saw the spheres homing in on them from all sides when the first Dominion appeared.
He was fifteen feet tall - or maybe she? And clad in a rose wrap that seed to float about their body of its own volition. They had three sets of feathered wings, the middle pair being the widest and extending out six yards each, while the lower and upper pairs were smaller and didnt beat.
But the angel just exuded glory. The air refracted around it like the way light can shimr of snow or ice, so that it hung in a corona of scintillating light, glimrs of rainbow interwoven through it all.
A sphere of crystal appeared around Jas and his crew just as five other Dominions appeared about them. The black spheres smashed into the crystal layer and were absorbed.
The six demon youths stilled. As one their lips pursed in annoyance, but then their frown slid into a grin. Youre taking this battle seriously.
One of the Dominions turned to Jas, its expression beatific. One of us would have sufficed, lord.
We, ah, got a little panicky, said Jas.
Hmm. The Dominion raised its hand, its gaze remaining on Jas, and six beams of pure light flashed forth to impale the demon youth through the heart.
The demons croaked and fell, plumting toward the ground.
Only for twelve portals of black light to appear and as many demon youths to slip through, their grins delighted. First ti I get to try Angelic Aspect on Host Angels. I think Im going to like this power.
The Dominion tore its blank, pitiless gaze from Jas and clenched its hand into a fist. Light burst forth in a flare, a massively more powerful version of Nova, and the twelve demons died.
Twenty-four black portals opened up.
Two of the Dominions imdiately lanced them all through the chest with spears of light.
Forty-eight black fire portals opened.
Pump and dump? asked Serenity tensely.
Summon everyone! shouted Jas.
We assure you, began the Dominion, but more golden portals began to appear.
Dominions appeared everywhere, bringing their number to twenty-four. Their wings stirred as they gazed at each other in sothing akin to surprise and confusion.
Even the demon youths paused, hands raised to summon attacks. They frowned at each other and then stared at Jas. You may have overplayed your hand, one said.
But thats when the Thrones appeared.
Eight in all, they simply manifested through small suns of golden light that appeared, expanded, then collapsed to reveal the most powerful angels at Crimson Hydras disposal.
They were inhuman. Jas had expected so variation on the classic angel the, but these were made of two huge bands of gold, one contained within the other so that head on they ford a sign. Each ring was perforated by dozens of indigo eyes that stared forth unblinking, and the bands were wreathed in silent conflagrations of colorless fire.
What remained of the Infernum in the air was imdiately scoured away.
The Dominions bowed low to the eight Thrones whose rings slowly rotated about each other, their eyes taking in everything.
SUMMONED ARE WE, ca a voice of utter power. YET WE DO NOT DETECT A FOE OF COMNSURATE POWER.
When youre done with this guy, can you finish the war going on below? asked Jas.
Shit, said the demon youths. They glared at Jas. Really?
OK everyone, called Jas. Lets leave the angels and demons to figure this one out. And he summoned his Demiplane.
Just about everyone was staring at him in so form of confusion or another, but Crimson Hydra flew toward him. Jas willed the bar door to open just before his Wing hit it and flew right on in.
It was bizarre to exchange the burning skies of the 18th Level for the smoky interior of Hermans bar, but Jas didnt hesitate. He guided his Wing to the left wall, set it down and leaped farther in as Serenitys Wing flew in right after and landed next to his.
The place was too narrow for more than three Wings to cram themselves in between the walls, and the others were forced to simply park theirs above the grounded Wings. Olaf ca in last and had to drop off his Wing altogether, hanging by one hand as he guided it into the remaining gap beneath the ceiling.
Fuck! shouted Yadriel. You think they figured us out?
We gotta pick up Jessica. Jas summoned his teleportation circle. Everyone through!
Everyone ran through the burning white portal to erge in the bailey once more. The sky burned with the castles blue defensive bands. The Somnia stood beside the Castrum, Divisor sword propped on its shoulder.
Jessica! Go-ti! shouted Jas.
Her Omni ejected itself from between the Somnias shoulder blades and flew down. It worked?
Mostly. Jas couldnt help but scan the tops of the walls, half expecting Thrones to appear there with their judging eyes. Lets go. Jelly, stay here and hold the fort.
What? Hold the fort? Where are you going? Whats going on?
Hold the fort, Jelly, OK? Im counting on you.
Jas, what the fucks happening, you need to tell -
He summoned the teleportation circle once more, burning his fifteenth point of Aeviternum, but Fortuna saved it for him. The portal appeared around them, rapidly spinning, and Jas visualized the angel realm as hed glimpsed it what felt like weeks ago.
The white fire collapsed in on them and Jas felt reality invert, twist, then fall away.
A second later they appeared amidst star fields.
There was endless depth all around them, pinpricks of light that glittered in the vasty void. Were it not for the vast structure beside him Jas would have once again felt lost, his ego beggared by the scale of the cosmos, his sense of self threatened by its insignificance.
But the eight of them had appeared beside the Pit stack, the successive layers rising to Earth above and dropping to the 27th layer far below. Around these contained plains of hell curved the helix of gray light, each a tube large enough for a subway tunnel, endlessly spiraling around the levels.
Theyd appeared beside the Hopeless Tower once more; looking sidelong into the level beside them Jas saw again the monoliths rising from the ashen desert, the great tower, its rough, windowless facade of volcanic rock.
Of course.
Hed co back to the spot hed visited last.
Below them the nine layers of the castle lay superimposed. But one now was pre-eminent, and in that one Jas saw a vast war talking place, millions of Host Angels battling desperately against superior foes even as more of their own kind were dumped upon their heads, crushing those below and no doubt causing double portals to open above the seething crowd which now pushed right back onto the castles battlents.
Motes of light were carving their way through the demons, however; the Thrones and Dominions, quickly mopping up the demon multitudes.
They didnt have long.
Clearly there was little down there to challenge such a gathering of angelic might.
Where do we go? hissed Serenity.
My head, groaned Olaf.
Down. Jas glanced around worriedly. No signs of life. The horizontal seam into which the Host Angel had been entering was closed. Down.
They hung suspended in nothingness, however, and had left the Wings behind. Jas tried swimming forward and managed to rock forward a few feet.
Here, well guide you, said Jason, flying forth with his miracle. Denzel and Olaf followed suite, and a mont later each had taken two others by the hand and pulled them towards the closest gray tube.
Here we go, said Miriam quietly as she, Jason, and Yadriel entered the gray light.
A second later Olaf, Jas, and Serenity followed after. There was a faint prickling sensation as the gray light played over them, and then a force shunted them into the center of the tube and held them there. Currents of divine energy flowed over them, so rising, others falling.
Jas looked down. The tunnel curved away to the left, wrapping around the layers. How did this?
The re thought of descending caused Jas to fall. Olaf and Serenity let out quiet cries of surprise as they were tugged down after him, and together they dropped.
They left the ninth layer behind and soon curved down and around Blackfall.
Distance and scale were ssed up. Jas couldnt tell if the layer grew massive as they approached it or if it had been huge all along and they were only now appreciating its size. Or were they shrinking themselves?
Down they dropped, rotating around Blackfalls battlefield. Jas checked his countdown tir. Four minutes left till the six hours were up.
The war raged. Wherever Jas looked he saw violence. It all looked so aningless. For what were the demons fighting? The angels? How many tis had they contested this plain against each other in so theatrical display to impress those being Winnowed?
The others were falling down after them. Faster and faster they fell. Jas tightened his grip on Serenitys hand and forced a smile in return when she grinned at him.
It felt like they were plumting down, but the minutes ticked by as they continued to gyre around Blackfalls tenth level, the castle huge in the center, the Castrum and Somnia still and standing guard.
Theyd nearly reached ground level when the clock ticked over.
You have entered Layer [Number], [Layer Title]
For a mont nothing else happened. Jas stared out over Blackfall, and with his last glimpse he saw the angels and demons cease their fighting to pause, turn, and look about in confusion.
Then they dipped below ground level and sped into the sky of the layer below. Which was the sa castle, the sa desert, but grayed out, as if not activated. No armies possessed the desert, and huge chanical walls had risen up to protect the castle like steampunk marvels.
Thats what we were supposed to fix first, said Jessica, floating down to join them.
You have entered Layer [Number], [Layer Title]
You have entered
You have entered
You have entered
You have entered
Then, in a different font, a new line appeared:
Abort signal received from non-zero presence
Attempting to access last designated mory placent
Dereferencing Level Advancent
Unable to locate candidates within acceptable periters
Alerting Sec-ENFORCENT
What the fucks Sec-Enforcent? shouted Yadriel.
We shoulda waited for the countdown to run down, hissed Serenity furiously.
One thing we need to keep doing, said Jas. And thats heading down. Faster, people!
Well take the lead, said Jason. Miriam, hold my ankles. Yadriel, hold hers. Everyone else do the sa. Go!
Miriam scrambled down to do as commanded, Jason flew down a bit till Yadriel could grab hers, and then together the trio shot down the gray tube moving far faster than theyd been falling before.
Jas grabbed Olafs ankles, Serenity grabbed his own, and then they were diving.
Down they flew, faster and faster, spinning around the 11th Level. It looked abandoned, empty, and soon they spun down to the 12th. This one featured the huge steampunk walls but also large blue craters that had opened up just outside the walls. Jas couldnt begin to guess what they did, but they looked purposeful, rimd in gold, each the size of a tennis court.
Shit, shouted Jason from ahead. Sothings coming up!
Jas leaned out, trying to see past Olaf. A golden sphere was flying up toward them through the tunnel. A Throne. Its bands of gold were distinctive even at this distance.
Should they fight it?
Jas had no sense of how powerful one of those angels were. Would a fight alert others? Would it take too long, allowing for unwitting reinforcents to arrive?
Cut out of the tunnel! shouted Jas. Avoid it!
Jason, Olaf, and Denzel obeyed as one; they veered into the gray light, flew clear out of the helix-tunnel, and back into the starfields.
One of the horizontal seams stood open before them. It was as if so great cosmic being had taken a razor to the void and cut open a wound that had pursed open like a mouth, revealing what lay hidden behind the stars.
The horizontal cut revealed a glimpse of a different reality beyond; a massive room or apartnt set within a gray cavern whose left wall was missing to reveal a verdant jungle far below. Golden sunlight poured in through this missing wall, and the furnishings were large.
But it was the Archangel turning in surprise to stare at them that held Jass attention.
In that brief flash of a mont as they stared at each other, the Archangel hovering before the seam, the nine of them flying right toward it, Jas thought he recognized the being.
Was it one of those Archangels theyd summoned to fight the demon child? One which had been destroyed by spheres of black light?
Serenity shouted a command that Jas couldnt parse and a circle of blue light appeared around the angel, its periter inscribed with holy-looking glyphs. At the sa ti Yadriels voice bood out, completely transford into that of an imperious king: Kneel, bitch!
The Archangel sagged before the command, his expression instantly becoming infuriated, just as Olaf barked out a Word of Slaughter, followed a mont later by Kerims own.
The twin Miracles centered on the Angel but though Jas felt the terrible powers coalesce and pass through him, neither Word did any damage.
Jas yanked on Olafs ankles, hurling himself forward as the big man began to slow, and mid-flight activated Demonic Form. He took on that of the demon youth and felt his body shrink, grow slender and lithe, and new powers manifest within his mind.
You have adopted the form of Nathrax
Demon Lord of Level 18, Bloodre
New Curses:
Sphere of Annihilation | Shutterskip | Column of Woe | Angelic Aspect
Jas flew over the blue circles periter even as the Archangel struggled mightily to rise to his feet and hurled a Sphere of Annihilation at his head.
A black marble appeared in his palm, consuming a shocking amount of Infernum as it did so, then flew forward as it ballooned to the size of a bowling ball.
The Archangel erected a protective shield of gold, but the sphere blew right through it and passed through the angels head, consuming it utterly.
The angel fell, and Jas saw that it had clutched a curious device, a rod whose head was a small sphere composed of gold bands and hundreds of typewriter keys whose symbols were utterly unreadable.
Jas snatched up this tool as he flew past and tumbled through the seam into the gray cavern.
A second later the others followed in after, Yadriel hauling the Archangels body in after them.
The seam closed.
Disappeared.
The caverns wall appeared in its place.
Everybody without flight tumbled to the ground, gravity re-asserting itself, and rolled into heavy furniture and bunched up the colorful rugs that had been cast down upon the smooth stone floor.
Jas lay still, heaving for breath, and then released the Nathrax form. Rising to one elbow he looked around.
Jesus, said Serenity, climbing to her feet. She stared out the missing wall at the mist-wreathed jungle far below, at the blue mountains that hemd in the horizon, and the massive orange sun that was sinking behind them. Where the fuck are we?
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