The Demonlord Chronicles

Chapter III – The Darkness of Light
25.
“I’m gonna be honest... I do NOT like this plan.” Hemlat complained, leaning onto the black blade Bloodhowl. “It’s just...”
Ardan chuckled. “... everything or nothing. I like that part of the plan. It’s sinister and genuine in it’s own way.”
A laughter sounded, similar to icicles hitting against each other. “Let’s see how this turns out.” Teyrim added his agreement.
“Yes! The plan is interesting, interesting, interesting!” Sennobar cheered.
Myrahathika was the only one not cheering the battle plan but stood a few steps aside, watching the glowing portal in the far distance, which was slowly, but steadyly, filling the arctic plane with golden-armored angels. She then turned around, saying: “We should have talked this through before taking actions...”
Grinning widely, Ardan said: “Nah, it will be perfect. And the fact they won’t see the demonlord Cyraminon in our rows means they will be paranoid. May we even get lucky and they start fights amongst each other, trying to figure out where ‘our shapeshifter lady’ is.”
I doubt that. It should be impossible for a demon to sneak into a horde of angels... they would sense it. But it will make them cautious, at the very least. Whirling up the snow, Rihukan descended from the sky, flapping a few quick times before landing on the ground. But I dislike this region’s weather... not a single cloud... They will see me coming.
“No, they won’t.” Teyrim responded. “They were foolish to pick this place as battleground.” Slowly raising his arms, the air surrounding the demonlord started to waver around, coldness spreading, as the wind picked up, first a breeze, then a gust and finally a howling storm, slowly growing in strength, erected from nothing.
The whole tundra appeared to act up, snow rising in the air, whirling around, forming vast layers of white powder throughout the air. The angel’s camp quickly became hidden in white whirling snow, whilst there was a wide circle around the demonic army, leaving it unharmed.
The dragon purred at the sight of the blizzard, more so when clouds, forced by the demonlord’s magic, started to form amongst the sky. That will do.
Turning around to the demons gathered at the foot of the hill, most of them already itching to receive the attack order, Ardan raised his arms, speaking with a voice inhumanly halling across the plains. “Demons! Brothers! Sisters! The time has come: Today, we fight. And when we’re done with those beasts of light, we will dine in hell, feasting on their corpses! FOR THE TWILIGHT!”
A few demonic howls responded with Ardan’s battlecry, most of them simply roared out and started charging alongside the sides of the hill. With a grim grin, Ardan turned to the other demonlords and the few mortals again. “Well, I don’t think that battlecry will succeed... Who was the idiot who invented the name ‘Alliance of Twilight’ again?”
Rihukan started to snicker in his own dragonic way. That was ‘you’... Then he spread his wings, taking a few steps forward and jumping up into the air, quickly disappearing behind snow and clouds.
Ardan sighed theatrically. “Ha-ha. Whatever... Everyone ready?” The question was obviously directed at the Wolven and beast slayers standing nearby, watching the impressive flood of immortal evil rushing off the hill and into the snow walls.
Myrahathika stepped over to her fellow Wolven sisters, raising her right paw to her chest, murmurring a few words, before stretching it out, where it met the paws of the other seven females.
With a slight frown, Ardan shook his head. “Geez, they weren’t supposed to turn it into a religion by itself... How about your men, He...”
“SLAY IT!” Multiple voices sounded, before the sound of rough, quick drinking and swallowing could be heard.
“WOAH!” Hemlat exclaimed, dropping the small leather-encased flask to the ground, a last drop of it’s red content dropping into the snow, melting a small section of it. The giant warrior picked up the demonic sword, whirling it around like a weightless twig. “This... is... awesome...”
His comrades were in a similar state, stumbling around, cheering and two even snarling at each other, before Hemlat walked over to them, smashing their heads into each other. “Save that aggression for our enemies.
Come on, men! We’re proud Darag-Ur! We will not stand back whilst our immortal enemies charge into the fray! FOR DARAKEYN!”
“FOR DARAKEYN!” Raw and loud male voices answered, as the beast slayers charged forward, visible intent on catching up with their demonic comrades.
“We’re ready as well.” Myrahathika said, her face showing a visible expression of utter concentration.
Ardan smiled weakly. “Don’t worry. You’re the backup, my personal last ace. If everything runs fine, you won’t even need to engage.” Lifting his head to his two fellow demonlords, he said: “But we should get going as well. I wouldn’t be surprised if there aren’t at least six members of the circle amongst their troops.. plenty of big fish for us.” With a sinister ‘shriek’ Ardan’s talons slowly elongated, reaching their full abnormal length across the time frame of a few seconds. “And let’s pray they will fall for it...”

“Enemies! Incoming! Raise your shields, ready your swords, brace your spears, aim your bows! We are light, we are justice and we are many. We will not step back! Let their wave of evil come and shatter on our golden souls!” a voice struck through the white whirls.
Hemlat quickly adjusted his course, knowing his men were following him closely. He could hear the first sounds and screams of battle, though the clouds of snow still prevented him from seeing anything. Apparently the faster demons had charged head-on into the angels. He sighed whilst still running forward. Ardan had explicitely told them to wait for Rihukan’s strike...
“Hemlat, the sky!” someone behind him shouted. Looking upwards, Hemlat’s sharpened eyes instantly spotted the glow dashing along the clouds.
“Be ready to cower down when our dragonic lord strikes. If you look into it, the Godspark is the last thing you will ever see! Even for our eyes!” he reminded his men. The glow was slowly intensifying and then he saw something, an incredible powerful light, shooting through the clouds, falling down towards the angel’s position. “DOWN!”
As instructed, all of his men cowered down, turning around or raising their shields. Suddenly a bright light illuminated the ground, each of Hemlat’s men throwing large shadows. Then a loud explosion could be heard, of a volume beyond good and evil.
He had been warned, but even so Hemlat was ripped to the ground when the shockwave, following the sound, hit him, causing the Darag-Ur to be buried in a thin layer of snow, before he could stand back up again. Turning around, he could suddenly see his enemies: The blizzard itself was gone, the snow blown away, a large crater in the mid of the angelic formations.
In the midst of the crater, a sparkling something was standing, it’s claw striking down and decaptating a particulary well-decorated angel. Then the creature rose it’s long, sparkling neck, roaring out it’s triumph to the sky itself.

Hemlat couldn’t, but be stunned at the display of Rihukan’s strength. With a single attack, he had taken down countless dozen of their enemies and who knows how many ‘angellords’ or however they called themselves. The glow surrounding the dragon’s scales ceeded and he jumped off into the air again, leaving the rows of confused and partially blinded angels to the wave of demons now washing over them.
“That was...” he stuttered, before starting to smile. “I feel proud to follow the traditions of the Darag-Ur... to serve those scaled beasts... Let’s go, my men! Lord Rihukan showed us how it’s down, now it’s our turn!”

The angel stumbled backwards, stunned by the force of Ardan’s strike. Before he could recover, the scaled dragonlord was next to him, one clawed hand digging into the man’s chest, the other one reaching for his head, tearing it off in a single, swift motion.
Not bothering with the dissolving blood fountain, Ardan spun around and threw the head into the face of another angel, easyly parrying the incoming spear strike, before sending a blast of fire at his enemy, causing him to fly a few meters off, where he was quickly buried below a group of smaller, dog-like demons.
Six other angelic warriors remained, surrounding Ardan in a circle of five meters radius, none of them appearing to be interested in doing the first step. “Oh, already too scared to attack? Don’t worry, come closer, I won’t bite...” Ardan joked, waving his long talons in front of his enemies.
“We-we aren’t scared!” One of the angels answered. “But there’s no shame in knowing your limits and...” his heroic speach ended in bloody gurgle when Ardan’s talons pierced through his throat. A second angel followed his comrade to the ground, before the remaining four even managed to realized Ardan had made his move.
Darting forwards, he aimed to take another two down in one strike, but he suddenly spotted something moving in from the side and jumped off, a glowing bolt of light barely missing him, striking into the ground.
“Move over to fights you are actually useful in. This demon will be my opponent.“ the owner of said ‘glowing bolt’ said, withdrawing it: It was one of two unnaturally transparent, golden-glowing whip’s, coming from his bracers.
Ardan turned towards him. A quick glare at the ornamented breastplate told Ardan he was facing one a member fo the angelic circle of light, the equivalent of a demonlord. The male angel, suited in a complete, thick and probably heavy fullplate approached him in slow steps, the whips lashing to each side occasionally, burning through the snow and whirling up dirt.
Taking a position a dozen meters off him, Ardan threw a quick glare around, noticing that indeed all the ‘weak’ angels had retreated, joining their comrades on other battlesites. He as well noticed a few stronger angels fighting with his own comrades. Both Teyrim and Sennobar appeared busy with their enemies.
“Since I already know your name, Ardan Flamehearted, let me introduce myself: I’m Guan Tey, leader of the angelic military. I figured it would be fitting if we face each other, general against general.”
Ardan smiled. Just what he needed. “Sure, why not. But you better have some more skill then those flys you call your subordinates... Otherwise this won’t last long.” Flames started to emerge from Ardan’s scales, spreading across his shape and quickly engulfing him.
“Let’s play!”